the gospel of peace your soules armed with the shield of faith your heade with the helmet of saluation holdinge in the handes of our hearts the swoord of the spirit with your lights and lamps burning in your hands and your selues like vnto men which looke for their Lord when he shall come from the wedding that when soeuer he shall come and knock whether at euen or at midnight at the cocke crowing or dawning of the day thou may open vnto to him immediately Happy is that seruaunt whome the Lorde when he commeth shall find so doing The third part To what ende we must appeare THe ende of the appearing shall be To receaue euery man accordinge to that which he hath done in his body whether it be good or euill Where first the Apostle noteth vnto vs the integrity and vprightnesse of him that shall be our iudge by twoo excellent points of iustice one in that he will reward euery man the other is in that he will rewarde them according to that which they haue done The firste property which the Apostle noteth giueth vs to vnderstande that he will respect no personnes but minister iustice to all alyke without particularitye shewed to one or extreamity to another rewarding euerye man according c. If anye man therefore liuing in the feare of God and with the testimonye of a good conscience findeth him selfe vexed iniuried hurt or oppressed powring forth his grieued soule before God without ease or release of these euils let him not therefore faint or thinke himselfe forsaken of God but patienâ—lye abide his leysure till he rewarde euerye man c. When Dauid saw Saule sought his life Abner after Saules death to enioy his welfare and seeke to ouerthrow his state and then Absoâ—on his owne childe to seeke his lyfe and thirst for his kingdome before his death with a number of such like calamities wherewith all it pleased the Lord to trye him mithall he was in that perplexitie that he protesteth he had vtterlye fainted but that he did verily beleeue to see the goodnes of the lord in the land of the liuing As though he should say the remembrance of the Lorde his goodnesse which I was sure to see and taste of at last in the land of the liuing was that which comforted me in the middest of all my troubles When the Lord had layd vpon Iob all those plagues which might fall vppon man robbed him of his riches spoyled him of his goods and cattell vereft him of his children marked him with botches and biles that from the sole of the foote to the crown of the head he had not one cleane place that whiche was his greatest geâ—eâ— plagues him w t vntrusty friendes vpbrayding him with the hippocrisie of his conscience and the calamities of his lyfe adding this moreouer to the perfection of his manifolde miseries namely a wiâ—â—â—ust froward wicked wise mocking and scoffing his miserie yet saith he The lorde gaue and the lorde hath taken awaye If the Lorde should kill me yet will I still trust in him For I knowe that my redeemer liueth that I shalbe cloathed with my skin and see God with these eyes c. As though he shoulde saye as for these temporall blessings he hath taken them that gaue them blessed be his holy name for them if he should take my lyfe with them too yet haue I this hope left that whatsoeuer I lose I haue a redeemer whom I cannot leese and who will not leese me but in his time reward mee and euerye man according c. In all thy troubles fore whatsoeuer looke vnto Iesus the captaine and finisher of thy faythe who in the end will reward euery man whether he bee bounde or free I haue beene yong saith Dauid and nowe am olde yet did I neuer see the righteous man for saken nor his seede beging their bread confessing as it were that hee had seene them haue their crosses to be persecuted hated and oppressed but that he neuer saw them fully forsaken For the patient abiding of the poore shall not alwais be forgotten The lord may disseÌ„ble his louing affection towardes them for a tyme and seeme to forget them but at last he will remeÌ„ber them Put thy trust in the lorde therfore and be doing good and verily thou shalt be fed Delight in the lord and he shall giue thee thy harts desire commit thy words to him and he shall make the righteous as cleare as the light thy iust dealing as the noone day when euery man shall receaue c. In the meane tyme fret not thy self bicause of the vngodlye neyther be thou enuious at euill doers nor grieued at the wicked or vngodlye whom thou seest in prosperitie For prosperitie neyther commeth from the Easte nor from the Weste nor yet from the South but the Lorde setteth vp one and pulleth downe an other And thoughe for a tyme the wicked florishe lyke a greene baye tree yet sodenlye doe they goe downe to the grounde where they are kepte to the daye of destruction and shall bee broughte foorthe to the daye of wrath and come to a fearefull ende and not bee able to stande in iudgement nor in the congregation of the righteous but receaue according to that whiche they haue done c. The seconde note of his vprightnesse is in this that hee will rewarde euerye man and euerye man shall receaue according to his doeing whereby the holye Ghoste signifieth vnto vs then he will proceede in iudgemente accordinge to the circumstance euidence and matter hanginge beefore hym in iudgement nor respectynge the man whose the cense is but the matter what it is For where the man is not respected not the matter their iustice is peruerted but where the matter is weighed the man not regarded there is iustice truly ministred To shew therfore the exact and precise forme of God his iudgement the Apostle saith Euery man shall receaue according to that which he hath done c. The iudges of this worlde they are men and no gods and therefore as men they proceede in iudgement and giue sentence according to such euidence as they see with their eyes or heare with their eares therfore do erre many tymes in their iudgements and swarue from the truth But he that is lorde and iudge of al men shal not giue iudgement after the thing that is brought before his his eyes neither reproue after the hearing of his eares but with righteousnesse according to the truth of the hart shall he iudge the earth his people with equitie euerie man receiuing according to that which he hath done in his body c. Let vs not deceiue our selues therefore being onely vaine speakers of the worde and not dooers thinking at last to win heauen w t speaking heauenly if we liue wickedly and vngodlye For at the latter daye men shall receiue according to that whiche
kingdoÌ„s in cities towns houses For non potest saith he eorum fidies esse affectus quorum diuersa est fides They caÌ„not be true on to another in hart affection y e differ in faith religion Another signe going before his comming is The Gospell shall be preached in all the world for a witnesse of all nations whereby he noteth vnto vs that towardes his comming the gospell shal be preached to all nations professed also of many but practised of a fewe but be a witnes and testimony against him For notwithstandinge the preaching of the Gospell some shall departe from the faith and shall giue heed to spirites of errour and doctrines of diuels which speak lyes through hypocrisie and haue their consciences burned with a hot iron forbidding to marry and commaunding to absteyne from meates which God hath created to bee receaued with giuinge of thankes of them which beleeue know the truth An other signe is that faith shall faile charitie waxe could and iniquitye abound For men shall be louers of them selues couetous proude boasters cursed speakers disobedient to parentes vnthankfull without naturall affection truthbreakers false accusers intemperate fierce no louers at all of those that are good traitours heady high minded louers of pleasures more then of GOD hauing a shew of Godlines but denying the power thereof But for all this the ende is not yet For that daye shall not come except there come a departinge first and that the man of sinne be disclosed euen the sonne of perdition which is an aduersary and exalteth him selfe againste all that is called God or that is worshipped sittinge as God in the temple of God shewing him selfe that he is God These are the heginninges of sorrowes the manifest demonstrations of his comming and the experience of theÌ„ in our dayes do plainely Prognosticate vnto vs that he can not be farre of For daylye doe we heare of warres and tumors of warres neuer was the world so full of newes and fearefull rumors nation doth rise against nation and realme against realme And euen now is the time that the sonne is at variance with the father the father with the sonne c. Euen now can one state hardly abyde another without grudging disliking or disdaine or if they agree in matters of policy gouerment yet do they hardly agree in matters of faith and religion in one house where they are nighly ioyned together it is hard to finde twoo of one mind amonge those that seeme to consent in opinions not to haue the selfe same man in some thinges to dissent froÌ„ them selues Euen now is the Gospell preached yet euen now in the time of the Gospell doe some depart from the truth giuing beede to spirites of errour and doctrine of Diuels forbidding to marrye and eat meates who the Lorde bath ordained to be receiued with thaÌ„ksgiuing Euen now also doth faith faile faith in religion faith in worde of promise in bargening buying and selling and no truth to be found charitye kaiecold a care to eache man common abuses remaines in many pity mercye and compassion and iudgement remayneth in few Iniquity is growne to such perfection in both sects all states ages and callinges that it hath almost gotten the vpper hand For when was there euer such selfe loue when was there euer so liet lenâ—ig hâ—orly loue when were â—teneueâ— so 〈◊〉 when were there eure such bosters braggers when was ther euer the like pride when were mens mouthes fuller of cursing bitternesse where were Children so disobedient to their parents when were men euer so vnthankfull either to God their prince or their priuate friends when were men euer so voyd of compassion when so fals harted when so many false tongs when so many riotous ruffiaÌ„s so fierce wheÌ„ was vertue godlines godly men more abhorted when so many traitors publique priuate open secret wheÌ„ were there euer so many bayrebraines when so many high minded marchauntes In what age were pleasures in greater price and God had in lesse honour when was religion euer more in showe when was there euer lesse among all men generally in truth And to make iniquity consummate hath not the man of sinâ—â— long since beene disclosed hath not the childe of perdition beâ—â—t manifestly deuealed are not his dangerous practises dayly discouered and through the wanderfull working of God miraculoustye confounded Since these thinges therfore are the sIgnes of his comming and are gone before let vs assure our seLues the time of his comming which they prognosticate can not be farre of And yet 〈◊〉 not I speake this as though A 〈◊〉 scemâ— precisely to determine of the verye day or howre weeke or yeare of his comming I know what Christ answered his Apostles when they 〈◊〉 yred of his retourne It is not for thee to know the times and seasons which the father hath put in his owne power And de die hora c. Of thatday and that howre no man knoweth not the angels in heauen nor the sonne of man him selfe But euen as lightninge flash 〈◊〉 in a mans face vnawares and as the byed is 〈◊〉 in the snare before he thinketh himselfe within danger of the net and as a chief enmmeth sodenly in the night so shall the comming of the sonne of man be yet because men are so sencelesse of their sinnes and liue in such securitie of lyfe crying peace peace safety safetye thinking least of those dangers which hang ouer their heades giuing them selues wholy to eating and drinking planting and building buying and selling chapping and chaunging wyuing marrying c. euen as they did in the dayes of 〈◊〉 when the flouddes came and destroyed them all and in the time of Lor when fier and Brimstone came downe from heauen and consumed them all vpon earth This generall securitie I say and these peritous times of ours whereas men liue as though they were either wedded or bewitched of this worlde without anye worde or remembraunce of the worlde to come is a most plaine and manifest argument that hee is at hande euen at the doore who commeth to iudge the world And therefore if thou will bee counted worthye to stand before the sonne of man and auoyd those daungers which shall fall vppon them that dwell on theÌ„ face of the earth Take heede that your hearts be not at any time ouercome with surffeting and drunkenesse and the eares of this lyfe but beeing on earth let your conuersation be in heauen Seeke those things that are aboue wher christ sitteth on the right hand of god set your affectioÌ„ on thinges aboue and not on thinges on earth and take vnto thee the whole armour of God that thou maye bee able to resist in the euil day that hauing finished all thinges thou maye stande fast hauing youre loynes gyrte with truth and the brest-plate of righteousnes your feete shod in the preparation of
is free and not tyed to the will and pleasure of man And commonly the iudgemente of God is suche they forget themselues at the howre of death who in their liues thought not vppon GOD. Age poenitentiam ergo sayth Augustine dum sanus 〈◊〉 Nam si poenitentiam agis quando peccare non potes peccatate demiserunt non tu illa Repent thee therefore in time of thy health For if thou dost repent thee in tyme of sicknesse when thon canst not sin thy sinnes haue there left thee and not thou them Such was the repentaunce of that same blasphemous Antiochus who in despight of God as it were had vowed to make Hierusalem a heape of stones woulde take vpon him to commaund the flouds of the sea weigh the mountaines in a payre of ballance reach vp to the stars and pull God out of heauen yet sodenly in his greatest brauery God cast him violently down from his chariot smote him with an incurable plague a horrible payne of his bowels and inwarde partes in so muth that the woormes came serauling out of his guts his flesh rotted and fell from his bones which stancke so horriblye that no man coulde abyde the sauour of him nor he of himselfe and thus with extremitie of paine eyther the remorse of conscience he was brought to this point that he confessed It is reason to be obedient to God and that man which is mortall thinke not through pride to be equall with God A like kinde of repentaunce did the Lorde wringe oute of harde harted Pharao who in time of his prosperitye and welfare was nota shamed to extoll himselfe aboue God acknowledging no Lorde better then himselfe and therefore despising God and his messengers Moses and Aaron who were sent in embassage to him But in the end when hee felte suche plagues layde vppon him as hee coulde neyther driue them awaye with tyrannycall courage asswage them by counsell put them from him by pollicye nor resiste them with power he was so humbled and brought downe therby for the present time as he confessed The lord is righteouse and I my people vngodly But when the lord ceased to plague him by and by did hee cease to remember him muche lyke to those same backeslyding people of Israell who when the lord slue them sought him and enquired after GOD remembring that hee was their strengthe and redeemer But they did but flatter him with their lyppes and dissembled in their tongue for their hartes were not whole with him neyther continued they stedfast in his couenaunte So that we may set that euen hipocrites and â—irauntes suche as haue neyther caste of God his mercie nor seare of his iustice in time of their health wealth and presperitie are yet humbled and brought to knowledge of them selues and constrained to acknowledge the maiestye and power of GOD with theire mouthes when they feele the execution of his iudgementes laide vppon theire bodies But this manner of repentance as it is but hipocriticall dissembled and not proceeding from the harte in vs so neyther doth it moue the lord who lercheth the harte to haue pittie and compassion vpon vs but doth â—â—ther aggrauate his heauie wrath and displeasure againste vs. who desposing the riches of his goodnesse patience long sufferance wherby he leadeth vs to repeÌ„tance according to our hardnes and harts who cannot repent doe heape vp wrath to our selues against the day of wrath and declaration of the righteouse iudgements of GOD who will rewarde euerie man according to his deedes Let vs take heede therefore mocke not with God but alwayes endeuoure oure selues by the example of the Apostle heere to bee the same men inwardlye in conscience beefore GOD which wee will seeme to bee outwardlye in conuersation before the worlde least in the ende wee bee accounted among those mocking sooles which say in their hartes there is no God If our hartes condemne vs God is greater then our harts and knoweth all thinges Neyther let vs thinke with our selues that bycause the Lorde doth not as yet come in iudgement therefore wee maye liue in securitye withont all feare or dread of his iudgemente as the seconde sort of mockers doe which thinke he will neuer come in iudgement but rather as it becommeth good christiaÌ„s Semper vigilemus bene viuendo ne nouissimus dies cuiusque nostrum inueuiat nos imparatos Let vs watche and waite for hys comming in honeste conuersation of lyfe that the latter daye of euerye one of vs finde vs not vnprepared beeleeuing allwayes that he will come whom wee are ignorant when he wil come Neither let vs think the lord is slacke in coÌ„ming as the third sort of mockers due For he is not slacke as they count slackenesse but hee is patient to vs ward bicause hee woulde haue mercie of all and none to perish Howsoeuer we mocke with him or how mercifully soeuer he dealeth with vs or how long soeuer hee deferreth his comming to vs yet in the ende hee will come and wil not tarrie at which time of his comming Wee muste appeare beefore his iudgement seate c. whereof that wee should be the more assuredly perswaded the apostle not without great vehemencie of spirite aswell as of speche telleth vs that we must appeare As though he should saye how long soeuer the Lorde may seeme to linger his comming and howe lothe soeuer wee bee to haue him come yet in the ende come hee will and necessitie of his comming is ineschuable it cannot any waye or of anye creature be auoyded This Oportet or must in this place is suppriced by diuerse reasons whereof the first is grounded of the eternal purpose decree counsel of God and therfore of necessitye it must bee accomplished If it were the counsell purpose or determination of man it were possible either to frustrate it or at least to alter and chaunge it Men are men constant in nothing so much as inconstancy which they will to day they wil to morrow that whiche they fullye purpose at one tyme vppon better aduise they will dispose themselues to the contrary at an other But this is the purpose of God If the Lorde of hostes determine a thing who is able to disanull it Since this therefore is determined by God it followeth of necessitie that wee muste appeare c. The seconde reason is taken from the vndoubted truthe and vertue of his woorde and promise whereuppon wee grounded our faythe and whiche in all poyntes shall bee fulfilled and perfourmed accordingly as hee hath spoken it Heereafter shall yee see the Sonne of man sittinge on the righte hande of the power of God and comming in the cloudes of the skye His Apostles seeing him taken vp into heauen in a cloude were promied by twoo Angelles whiche stoode by them that the man Iesus which was taken vppe from them into heauen shoulde so come as they had seene him goe into
they haue done not according to that whiche they haue professed and spoken Manye shall saye vnto mee in that daye saith Christ Lorde wee prophecyed in thy name caste out diuels and done many greate woorkes in thy name and yet for all their so saying Christe sayth he will tearme them workers of inniquitie and bid them depart from him For not euery one that saith Lord Lord shal enter into the kingdome of heauen but he that dothe the will of my father shall enter into the kingdome of heauen so that many good wordes shall bee found in hell but good workes goe all to heauen I speake not this as houlding that wee are iustified by our woorkes No we are saued by grace through faith and that not of our selues it is the gift of god But if thou braggest of faith shews me that saythe of this harte by the sruictes of thy life for true christianitye consisteth of owo parts profession practice or to vse the phrase of the scripture of fayth and good woorkes and to the perfection of a christian man both are necessarye and each doth mutually accompanye other as the shadowe goeth with the bodie And as the bodye is knowne to haue lyfe by it mouing so is the lyfe of faythe perceiued by working The life of the bodye is the soule and the life of faith is loue and as the bodie is dead withoute the soule so is fayth withoute loue and as circumcision profited the Iewes nothing without the lawe so neither doth faith profit vs without charitye Whatsoeuer wee professe howe muth soeuer we knowe our Sauioure Christ pronounceth vs so farfoorth blessed as we doe that wee professe and followe that we knowe They that profes the fayth of christians and doe not confirme it with a Christian lyfe are like belles in the steeple whiche call others to churthe with their sounde but neuer come into it them selues lyke fayre paynted sepulchers whiche are full of gaye golden pictures and immages without but ful of dead carcases and filthie corruption within like salte which hath his colour but lost his sauour like a candell whiche is lighte but hidden vnder a bushell But let youre lighte saith Christ speaking to Christians so shine beefore men that they maye see your woorkes c. If you be the sonnes of Abraham doe the workes of Abraham If ye call mee Lorde Lorde dooe the woorkes that I commaunde you The tree is not coÌ„mended for bearing leaues but fruites euen so the commendation of a Christian consisteth not in speaking but in dooinge They shall leaue their woordes beehinde them but theire woorkes shall followe them and they receaue according to that whiche they haue doone Dooing is double and of two sortes 1 Well dooing 2 Ill dooing And boeth shall bee rewarded accordinglye Hee that hathe doone well shall receaue accordinge to his well doing not that any man doth wel of him selfe For all fleshe hath corrupted his way and all the immaginations of oure hartes is euill euerie daye There is not one that doth good no not one our lips are full of cursing and bitternesse not apt or abell to vtter a good word much lesse are we able to doe a good worke Men doe not gather grapes of thornes nor figges of thistles we beinge shapen in wickednes conceiued in sinne are as vnapt as vnable to bring foorth good fruites as thornes are to bring foorth grapes or thistles figges But yet as the stocke of a sower crabbe may bring foorth a sweete apple if the graffe bee good so we being the children of wrath by nature may bring foorth good fruits by grace if Christe bee ingraffed into our hartes by faith For withoute mee sayth hee you can do nothing I am the vine you are the braunches he that abideth in me and in whom I bide he bringeth forth much fruit But as the braunch cannor bring forth fruit of it self except it abide in the vine so neither can you except you abide in me To make our workes good therefore it is necessarie to obserue these foure circumstaunces that we doe them in loue with a pure hart a good conscience and faith vnfayned Howe glorious a shewe of godlinesse or good intention soeuer our woorkes doe carrye before men if these foure conditions bee not obserued in doing them wee that are the doers of them as saythe the Apostle are but vaine ianglers and no frutifull workers To make the woorke good sayth Augustine It is not onelye requisite vt aliquid fiat quod in suo genere bonum sit sed prâ—cipue vt bene fiat 1. that the thinge whiche is donne bee in his owne nature good but especiallye that it is well done For many things being of their own nature good may be done they notwithstanding not doeing them wel of whom they are done It is good to helpe anye man in necessitie but he that seeketh the glory of men therby rather then of God bonum facit non bene saith Augustine he doth that which is good but he doth it not well because hee doth it not with a good minde and conscience Hence it is that Christe condenmeth the prayers fasting and almes of the scribes and pharisees who sought not to please God therin but rather to procure themselues a name and credit before men Many excellent morall vertues were in the heathen philosophers which notwithstanding bicause they referred them not to God were no hetter then sinnes before him Sine cultu veri dei etiam quod virius videtur esse peccatuÌ„ est nec placere vllus deo si deo non potest that is without the worship of the true God that which seemeth a vertue is a sinne neyther can any man please God without god Omnis vita infidelium peccatorum est nihil bonum sine summo hono The whole lyfe of infidels is sinne and nothing good without him that is the perfection of all that is good And to say all in one word without faith it is impossible to please God why saith Iulianus to Augustine if a Pagan should cloth a naked christian bicause it is not of faith were it sinne yea indeede were it saith Augustine Ipsa miserico dia per se opus est bonum at hoc bonum malefacit qui infideliter facit i. non fideli sed infideli 〈◊〉 Mercy it selfe is a good work but this good work doth he euilly which doth as infidels that is not with a faithfull but an vnbeleeuing hart And whatsoeuer is not of faythe is sinne Whereuppon Prosper de vita contemplatina lib. 30. cap. 10. Apostl non dicat quicquid non est ex fide nihil est sed dicendâ— peccatum est declarauit quod si non fuerint ex fide non sunt aliqua bona credenda sed vitia que non iuuant suos operarios sed eadem mane that is the Apostle saide not