way and it is visible what were a man the better for these directions would he not thinke such a guide out of his wits Especially when he shall see both wayes alike old alike beaten both vvayes to haue passengers successiuely alike frequent both wayes to be intire and singular both wayes to be called old and both wayes to be visible Thus both wayes doubtlesse he would be wilde except he had better directions And yet this is the case of the Church which some would thus marke out to the beleefe and obedience of all men But to conclude all these are no true markes but the Scripture is the true and vnfallible Euidence to bound the Church out to him that vvill be heedfull to obserue and faithfull to beleeue and humble to obay as we hope to manifest Heere then it were meete I should giue you some infallible and inseperable note of the true way hauing showne or rather pointed at the defect of these which the Church of Rome produceth But then I should offer violence both to your patience and to the Text the time not permitting so large a discourse and my Text leading me to discouer the false way with seemes right but giuing no warrant to proceede farther Only to conclude all since it is within my Commission to manifest the false way I will giue you one note a sure one whereby you may know when you are out of the right way that so you may shun error and seeke truth and ensue it till death that in the end you may finde euerlasting life Briefly Christ himselfe saith I am the way the truth and the life Ioh. 4. no man commeth to the Father but by me He is the way to walke in the truth to guide you the life wherewithall you walke And if you would finde this way hee himselfe learnes you a rule Ioh. 5. 39. Search the Scriptures for in them you thinke to haue eternall life and those are they that beare witnesse of me And he there vpbraydes the Iewes because they gaue no credit or heede to the Scriptures but preferd the traditions and doctrines of their forefathers before it Iohn 5. 46. 47. saying Had yee beleeued Moses yee would haue beleeued me for he wrote of me But if you beleeue not his writings how shall yee beleeue my words Therefore the Apostle cals all Scripture 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. Tim. 3. 16 as a doctrine inspired by God to make men wise to saluation and so beleeuing himselfe and teaching others to beleeue he praiseth Timothy for being from a childe brought vp in them 2. Tim. 3. 15 and he exhorts all men to follow him as he keepes in this way and vvalkes after Christ Iesus and no otherwise For so long he is sure he goeth right and they may follow him with security Now then I do not say vvheresoeuer thou seest the Scripture set forth for a signe there Christ is vvithin there is the true way the true Church But I say wheresoeuer thou canst not see the Scripture be assured thou art out of the way for the Scripture must be euer in thy eye being that setled Land-marke by vvhich thou must try and know and to vvhich thou must reduce and bring all thy other coast-marks and sea-marks So it is that Antiquity vvhich agrees vvith the verity of the Scripture that multitude vvhich vvorship God according to the rules of the Scripture that Sucession vvhich suceeed in the truth of doctrine deliuered in the Scripture that vnity vvhich beleeues the Trinity taught in the Scripture that Catholique Church vvhich is founded vpon and vniuersally agreeth vvith the truth of the Scripture that visible congregation vvhich are seene to God and vvhich see God as he reueales himselfe in the Scripture that become notes by vvhich thou maist safely trauaile in this doubtfull vvay of mortality So that the Scripture must euer be present to make these infallible though perhaps it be not of absolute necessity that all these be euer present vvith the Scripture to make the Church true The Heathens of old burnt the books of Numa because he bewrayd therein the prophane misteries of their Idolatries The Turks at this day keepe their people in ignorance no man must see into no man must dispute or argue of their Sect. And thus our Adversaries of Rome deale vvith the Scriptures resembling heerin the Heathens Turkes vvould yet make the vvorld beleeue that they are the only Christians And lest they should seeme insanire sine ratione they haue a seeming reason why they permit not the Scriptures to be in the mother-tongue of euery Nation publiquely to be read by them lest forsooth as the Rhemists say in their preface they should hurt themselues as vvith fire or water or kniues or swords or the like And vvhy do they not put out the Sunne because it hurts the gazers eyes or why put they not out their eyes to preuent hurting especially since they mis-leade many a man to lust and vanity To argue from the abuse of things indifferent to remoue the lawfull vse of them is an abuseof sence and reason But in things of this kinde of absolute necessitie it is an intolerable and presumptuous foolery Nature cannot bee so blinde as to suffer any but naturals to beleeue this their doctrine and to vvalke in this their way Pro. 4. 18. 19. for Salomon saith The way of the wicked is as darknes they know not at what they stumble But the path of theiust is as the shining light that shineth more and more vnto the perfect day True but vvill some say All Heretickes hang out this flagge and all boast of the Scriptures how shall wee then know the true vvay from the false by that which is common to all vvayes or vvhich all vvayes at least chalenge and make shew of Obserue euen from this obiection the force and authority of the Scriptures vnder which falsehood aswell as truth seeks to shelter herselfe because falsehood by this glasse learnes to trimme herselfe vp like truth And looke as the Heathens by their Idolatries proued aswell that there vvas a God Act. 17. 23. Rom. 1. as the Iewes by their true vvorship because nature taught the most barbarous Nation to adore some Deity and rather to make a God of a Calfe a beast a bird a stone then to be a godlesse Atheist so all Heresies and falsehoods beare witnesse for the truth and authority of the Scriptures vvhilst they striue to iustifie themselues thereby knowing without the Scripture all other their arguments notes and pretences how plentifull or plausible soeuer they bee are nothing to the purpose and therefore they labour to wrest the Scripture to their fancie And could the Church of Rome by this euidence approue her present practise and doctrine I assure my selfe she would looke no farther but vvould permit euery man to reade the same at pleasure nay she would command the reading thereof vnder the paine of
30 but this seemes good yet it is not so Then this is spoken of the vvayes of Man and they are likewise twofold Either the vvay of knowledge and vnderstanding Or the vvay of Practise or Action The way of knowledge 1. Vrim is that Faith or Religion which a man beleeues to be the truth so farre as he vnderstands and by vvhich he hopes to attaine lâ—fe and happines hereafter Act. 24. 14. And in this sense it is taken Act. 14. 16. 19. 9. And so it sounds as if Salomon had sayd There is a Religion which a man supposeth to be the truth and the right way to Heauen but it is false and erroneous and the next way to Hell The way of Practise or Action is our conuersation 2. Thummim manners and fashion of liuing and dealing betwixt man and man in vice or in vertue Iustice or injurie equity or iniquity and so it is taken Mat. 21. 32. And then the sense is as if Salomon had sayd There is a course of life which a man thinkes very upright and iust and so iudgeth himselfe a holy Man whilst he liues heere in it but it is a most deceitfull trade of life bringing a man to death dishonor and destruction But for our more cleere vnderstanding and discerning of this point we will speake first of the way of Religion being the Speculatiue part whose obiect is truth and falshood And then of Practise being the actiue part whose object is good and bad And this the rather because knowledge or the Theory better suites and answeres the way then action or the practique and action more properly corresponds to our passage trauaile and walking in that way So for doctrine wee will only speake of the truth or falsehood of Religion and vvill reserue the practique part our life our manners and conversation for the vse and application of those points of doctrine which from hence shall naturally and properly flow And thus much for subiect that we may know what it is that Salomon vailes vnder this shadow The way 2. The Quality Which seemes right This is the Quality of the Way which whilst Salomon thus describes he affoords vs from hence a foure-fold diuision according to that common Proverbe The Italian seemes wise and is wise the Spaniard seemes wise and is a foole the French seemes a foole and is wise and the English seemes a foole and is a foole So here There is a way which seemes right and is wrong and to that is opposed A way which seemes wrong and is right and there is A way which seemes wrong and is wrong and to that is opposed A way which seemes right and is right Now these seeme foure diuerse wayes Terminus a quo Terminus ad quem but indeed are but two as two crosse or ouerthwart wayes seeme to him that stands in the midst to bee foure yet haue but two beginnings and two ends so here the difference is not so manifold in the subiect but in the Iudges to vvhose sight these vvayes appeare after a diuerse manner according to the truth or error of their apprehensions For that the right way seemes vvrong or the vvrong vvay seemes right proceedes à deceptione visus from error of judgement For we see an euill vvay may to one man seeme right and yet be wrong and the same vvay to another may both seeme wrong and be wrong and a good way may to an euill sight seeme wrong 1. Sam. 12. 23. and yet bee right and the same way to a good sight may both seeme right and be right Now vvhilst I speake of a good way and a bad vvay I intend a true Religion and a false Religion for as a vvay may be faire which vvee call a good vvay and yet be indirect so a Religion may be glorious to the eye and furnished with faire pretences yet be false And as a vvay may be foule vvhich wee call a bad vvay and yet carry vs directly to the place whither we tend so a Religion may bee naked poore plaine in shew persecuted afflicted scorned contemned of the greatest part of the vvorld of the mighty noble learned politicke and yet be the true Religion and the true direct vvay to happinesse hereafter the lesse happinesse it hath here Having then Religion for our subiect if we looke vpon it vve shall finde three Religions in the vvorld especially justling for the truth of this way The Turkes the Iewes the Christians nor need any man to vvonder at this that I should mention Turkes and Iewes vvith Christians for the Iewes Religion yea the Turkes superstition seemes in their eyes to them as true and as right as ours doth to vs and vve haue nothing but the Scriptures to distinguish them and vs asunder I meane the consent of Scripture Lawe and Prophets Olde and New Spirit and Letter for some passages and obscure places they pretend though vnjustly to be for them But because vve know vvhatsoeuer they boast that their Religions are wayes vvhich both seeme vvrong to all good or indifferent judgements as they are wrong in Gods judgement and because our hope is to haue no hearers here but Christians vvee vvill leaue them to themselues speake of the diuersitie of wayes amongst vs vvhich appeare principally to bee foure euery one clayming truth and holding their Relâ—gion to bee Orthodoxe and so the onely right vvay to heauen 1. The first of these are the Grecians or the East Church 2. The second the Abissins or South Church vnder Presbiter Iohn 3. The West Church or Church of Rome vnder the Pope 4. The fourth is the Reformed Church vnder diuers Princes vvhich for distinction sake and perhaps situation hauing respect to some of these vvee may call the North Church Now if any man expect I should sub-divide the Reformed Religion because there are some differences amongst vs and such as in some times and with some hot-headed persons breed great combustions in the Church I shal not need neither truly ought I to do it because all of vs except the Heretiques who are generally cut off from the body of Christ by vs all or those Schismatickes who separate and cut themselues off as persons that haue no way that haue no tract of Antiquity or any footestep to follow directly in the Scripture agree in the way it selfe though perhaps some of vs may vary either in the manner of walking in that way or in some ceremony and circumstance of deuotion or discipline which is as the hedge and ditch and fence of this way and no essentiall part of the way it felfe but rather for the order ease and conveniencie of the Traueller And thus those whom our aduersaries miscall Lutherans Protestants Puritans walke as Iacobs sonnes did out of Egypt to fetch their good old father thither to whom their brother Ioseph knowing their stubborne crosse proude and peruerse natures gaue them this admonition aforehand See that you fall not out by
gift and so resolutely to rest vpon the grace of the giuer as to assure himselfe and others of this crowne Presumption is faith with them and true sauing faith is Presumption When they heate him say Rom. 8. 38. I am perswaded that neither death nor life nor Angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shal be able to seperate vs from the loue of God which is in Christ Iesus our Lord they would gladly make this only a probable perswasion no certaine faith but others seeing this too grosse a dallying with the manifest scope of the Text say Saint Paule vvas assured of the certainty of his saluation of the happy end of his right way by extraordinary reuelation only But let it be so was it reuealed to him for others that beleeue too he saith so for he saith nothing shal be able to seperate vs Now then if it be reuealed to him for others let vs beleeue the reuelation and apply it with vnfained faith to our owne hearts in particular as he did to his And by the way obserue what it is that Saint Paule builds his faith vpon so that nothing can preuaile against it Is it vpon Peter that rocke Is it vpon Indulgences or Pardons of man Is it vpon personall righteousnes inherent iustice or his owne or other mens merits No It is vpon that rocke Christ Iesus it is vpon the loue and Charity of God in and through the merits of Christ Iesus our Lord which loue not death nor life nor Angell nor power nor heauen not hell can alter for Gods loue is immutable he is not as man that he should repent whom he loues he loues to the end his wayes seeme hard but the Yssues of them are the wayes of life Whereas therefore our Aduersaries accuse vs of nouel presumption for teaching a faith that may assure vs of our saluation and to elude this cleere place of Saint Paul and diuerse other the like say This was reuealed to him by extraordinary fauour Wee know and confesse that hee as a worthy instrument of Gods glory as a Master builder had many things reuealed vnto him for the edification of the Church but for this particular it was no otherwise reuealed to him then it is to euery faithfull Christian in vvhom the Spirit of God dwels as in a temple and there teacheth them to offer Sacrifice and to cry Abba Father with teares and grones that cannot be expressed Well may there bee a difference in the measure of the reuelation not in the matter reuealed Wee know saith Saint Iohn 1. Ep. 3. 14. that wee are translated from death to life c. and after verse 23. He that keepeth his commandement dwelleth in him and he in him and heereby wee know that he abideth in vs euen by that Spirit which he hath giuen vs. So the persons are wee not I not Saint Iohn alone but wee all that beleeue and loue for this faith and loue are inseperable Againe wee are translated not it is probable wee shal be but wee are vvhich makes it certaine by faith as if it were done and accomplished Lastly we know this and wee know it by the Spirit which God hath giuen vs the same Spirit that taught Saint Paule and Saint Iohn is our tutor too For other reuelations Christ himselfe hath silenced all pretences and shadowes and giuen absolute authority to the Scripture opened and interpreted by the Spirit of God to resolue all scruples in case of conscience Luk 16. 19 And this wee may see cleerely in the Parable of Diues and Lazarus where Diues after he had failed of his personall suite and could not obtaine a drop of mercy for himselfe yet requested Abraham to send one to his friends to forewarne them of the state he was in not that they might pray for him for that vvas to no purpose the tree was falne but that they might by repentance and amendment auoyde the danger themselues To whom Abraham giues this answere They haue Moses and the Prophets let them heare them so he turnes them to the Scriptures wherein the will of God is reuealed to euery man what they should shun what they should doe what they should beleeue and how they should liue And when Diues persisting in his suite saith Nay father Abraham but if one went vnto them from the dead they will repent Abraham replies definitiuely and resolutely If they heare not Moses and the Prophets neither will they be perswaded though one rose from the dead So wee see he that doubts the Scripture or beleeues any thing against it vnder pretence of reuelations from heauen or hell or Purgatory or the like fictions of Ghosts and Spirits appearing is in a wise case and may be drawne into a fooles Paradise but neuer into the true Paradise and so wander in this way which seemes right but the end thereof are the Yssues of Death To shut vp this point obserue the certainty of this iudgement as the Apostle Saint Iohn before in the 1. Ep. 3. Chap 14. verse speakes in the present Tence we know that wee are translated to note the certainty of their translation to glory so heere Salomon saith It is the way of Death and the end thereof is so to note the certainty of the thing And this is a plaine proofe of the Spirits assistance to discerne the end and determination of a thing before the end be come when otherwise it were too late to doe it For it is too late for Diues to repent in hell when the end is come he should haue attended better to Moses and to the Prophets before and beleeued the word of God not the foolish traditions of his forefathers against the Word or the idle old-wiues tales of his foremothers besides the Word he should haue attended the admonition of the faithfull Pastor and Prophet and not to the fained Legend of his flattering Patasites trencher-fed Chaplaines The perfection of all humane judgement is to iudge by the end and issue and euen heere wee often erre too but if man goes farther of himselfe by nature it is but coniecture and presumption arising from long experience in obseruation of like circumstances as the effect leades vs to the cause but yet euen then wee cannot say it is or certainely it shall bee but it may be so it may so fall out it may be the end of Death But the Spirit of God sees the end before it comes he sees the thoughts afarre off and iudgeth and warneth men aforehand inwardly by good and holy motions outwardly by the Scriptures and he that will not beleeue the holy Spirit of God in the Scriptures it is but iustice if God giue him ouer to a reprobate minde that he should be seduced and beleeue lies who would not receiue the truth of God but was transported with respect of times persons places and other humane Motiues And heere before wee
as this Therefore learne to vnderstand the Doctrines that crosse and contradict one another and whilst thou beleeuest Christ saying This is my body beleeue so as thou maist not crosse the Articles of thy Faith but know it is his body after no carnall and fleshly maner for the flesh profits nothing Ioh 6. but after a spirituall and diuine manner Not food for thy stomacke thy teeth thy belly but food for thy soule thy vnderstanding thy faith And so hee cals the bread his body heere as himselfe a dore and a vine and a rocke and Peter astone in other places of Scripture And therefore consider after Christ ascended he neuer appeared to his Apostles in body againe as he vsed to do often before Act. 7 55. But in heauen he appeared personally to Stephen to confirme his faith And when before his ascension he appeared to the twelue with whome Thomas Didimus was Iohn 20. he did not vrge Thomas to beleeue any thing contrary to his sense of seeing hearing and feeling but rather willed him to confirme his faith by seeing and seeing what before he doubted And then hee addes Happy are those which see not and yet beleeue he doth not say Happy are they who beleeue contrary things to that they see as they must do who beleeue the bread to be changed into his naturall body which they see and feele to be true bread still but Happy are those who beleeue when they see nothing to the contrary hauing the word of God which cannot contradict it selfe for their warrant As wee do beleeue his Resurrection and Ascension which wee saw not and his comming to Iudgement in glory which we hope to see Thus when thou shalt heare Christ command thee to take Bread and Wine in the Sacrament 1. Cor. 11. and a Priest countermand this and will thee to take bread only Saint Paule commanding thee from God to pray with vnderstanding 1. Cor. 14. 16. and a Romane Priest willing thee to pray in a strange tongue God himselfe blessing Matrimony and permitting all men to marry and the Apostle Paule saying Mariage is honorable with all men and in speciall tearmes a Bishop or Deacon ought to be the husband of one wife â— Tim. 3. 2. c. and hearest a Romane Priest say the contrarie nay inioyne thee to do the contrary and to binde thee by an othe to do it Then thou that hast eares to heare heare what S. Iohn saith to thee 2. Ioh. 10. 11. If any come vnto you and brings not this doctrine that is brings any contrary doctrine to Christs receiue him not to house neither bid him good speed And heare what God gaue his people in charge of old in the like case Deut. 13. 1. 2. 3. If there arise among you a Prophet or a dreamer of dreames and giueth thee a signe or a wonder And the signe or the wonder come to passe whereof he spake vnto thee saying Let vs goe after other Gods which thou hath not knowne and let vs serue them Thou shalt not hearken vnto the wordes of that Prophet or that dreamer of dreames for the Lord your God proueth you to know whether you loue the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soule So thou art not to beleeue him though he confirmes his Doctrine by miracles nay suspect him the more and the rather for that for miracles are the principall shelters and pretences of Antichrist as thou maist see Math. 24. 24. 2. Thes 2. 9. So then beleeue nothing which contradicts the Scripture for the Scripture cannot be contrary to it selfe because it proceeds from the Spirit of God which is the Spirit of vnity of loue and of truth And to shut vp all this with a familiar example which the weakest apprehension may conceaue the sleightest memory retaine Not long since there vvas a tryall before the Iudges of Assize at Thetford betwixt two townes for a Common Oxborough Gooderstone in which both claymed interest The one towne chalenged by prescription and pretended vse and proued the vse by them their forefathers time out of minde The other parties produced an auncient Composition in writing vnder the hand and seale of the Lords and Tenants on both sides The Iudge then determined that against a writing there could be no prescription though without a writing prescription would be currant Because the writing controuled their present custome and shewed Ab initio non fuit sic there was a time when their old vse was not therefore their claime was false In prouing their vse against this composition they proued themselues intruders incrochers trespassers euill neighbors It was so farre from doing them good as it might haue done them hurt laying them open to euery mans action whom they had offended So heere wheere the word is silent there heare Antiquity heare the Church honor tradition preferre prescription custome vse If thou doest not then thou shewest thy selfe a selfe-wild Schismaticke or an obstinate Hereticke But where the Scripture speakes where thou hast that writing vnder hand and seale that old composition betwixt God and Man appointing Man his limits there let not man presume to intercommune with God but let the tongues of men and Angels be silent And whatsoeuer doctrine crosseth that crosse thou it out of thy Creed or God will crosse thee out of the booke of life Heare Saint Paule aduising the Collossians Let no man beare rule ouer you vnder shew of a voluntary humility and worshipping of Angels Col. â— 18. intruding into those things which he hath not seene vainely puft vp by his fleshly minde So whatsoeuer humble shew or pretence he hath he is puft vp who presumes to crosse the doctrine of the Scripture And though he comes in sheepes clothing Mat. 7. 15. with shew of mortification and contempt of the world yet inwardly he is a rauening wolfe and desires to swallow widowes houses vnder the colour of long prayers Mat. 23. auricular confession and almes And though he seemes a worme and no man and creeping humbly vpon his belly lickes the dust of the earth yet beware he may be a subtile serpent and no silly worme for vnder the like faire shew Sathan deceiued our Ancestors in Paradise Therefore attend Saint Paules admonition carefully where he saith Gal. 1. 8. But though wee or an Angell from heauen preach any other Gospel to you then that which wee haue preached vnto you let him be accursed And as if this were not sufficient obserue how he riuets this commandement or admonition againe Gal. 1. 9. and againe saying As we sayd before so say I now againe If any man preach any other Gospel vnto you then that yee haue receiued let him be accursed What you haue receiued you know in the Lords Prayer the Tenne Commandements and the Creede for these are Epitomees and abridgements of all If therefore Saint Paule or an Angell an Angell
that you were sure came immediatly from heauen or Saint Peter or his successor any Man that you were assured without controuersie were his successor or any other Man or woman how holy chaste learned or religious soeuer they bee should crosse this doctrine beleeue them not nay let them be accursed saith Saint Paule Much lesse then beleeue the dotage of men their gulleries impostures fictions melancholy imaginations dreames visions and reuelations with which being deceiued themselues they seeke and indeauor to deceiue others You haue now seene the way 1. What it is 2. How it may seeme good and not bee so 3. How impotent preiudiciall and partiall a Iudge man is in his owne case 4. You haue seene the end of this faire way to bee false 5. The issue of that pretence to be death whilst life was promised 6. Lastly you haue seene the Iudgement of Gods spirit shewing you the true notes to know the false way by Submit your selues now and your senses and iudgements to the direction of Gods holy Spirit and thinke not your selues or your Predecessors wiser then Saint Paule then Salomon then God himselfe but hauing found the right way the way to life walke in it constantly and turne not backe to fables and traditions and falsehoods in which you haue too long wandred astray for howsoeuer that way may seeme right and many of our forefathers haue ignorantly vvalked in it yet the issues thereof are the vvayes of death From which the Lord of his mercy deliuer vs and direct vs to be zealous according to knowledge and from faith to clime vp to practise reforming those corruptions in our liues and manners which now by the course propounded in the beginning wee come to search and lay open in that which followes THE SECOND SERMON PREPARED FOR the Iudges and preached vpon Sunday the Assises following vpon Monday after WEe haue spoken of the speculatiue part Thammim the Theory as the way was taken for Religion now we are to speake of the practicall part as the way may be taken for the custome and trade of our liues and conversations or rather for our passage or vvalking in that Religion which wee beleeue professe to be the truth And as the Lord said by the Prophet Ieremy so may I say to you all Ier. 21. 8. Behold I haue set before you the way of life and the way of death I haue showne you that way which seemes right in the partiall eyes of man who thinkes all his owne vvayes cleane Pro. 16. 2. And I haue showne you that way that is both right and seemes so Pro. 15. 24. euen the vvay of life vvhich leadeth to heauen And now I proceed to exhort you to walke in this vvay for it is better not to know then not to practise what wee know An honest Turke which knowes not the will of his Master is to be preferd before a prophane Christian who knowes his Masters will and doth it not Luk. 12. 47 and therefore shal be beaten vvith many stripes A vvay then in this sence of Salomon is the customary course of life which a man chiefely vseth whether it bee in vertue or in vice The whole race of mankinde naturally walke in the roade and way of sin and death But some are regenerate and called out of this way by faith and repentance others will not obay Gods word but rather choose to liue in the pleasures of sin for a season And they are sayd to be in their vvay because sin reigneth in them tramples vpon them by custome takes away the sence of conscience obdurating their hearts as a way is hardned by the feete of many passengers so as a plow cannot pierce the same Thus men haue their darling and beloued sins which is their vvay out of which you can by no meanes put them as a Hare starred before Greyhounds will haue her accustomed way and muse or die for it so these And thus a man is not sayd to be in his vvay when hee sinneth of frailty he then hath slipt out of his vvay and leaues not till he returne into his vvay by repentance but vvhen he sins by custome then he is in his vvay And a notorious sinner is not sayd to be in his vvay if now and then hee comes to Church prayes receiues the Sacraments and forebeares grosse sinnes or does some singular and solitary good for he is not well till he be out of this vvay againe and like a dog returnes to his vomite Therefore a man is iudged wise or foolish good or bad and to be in or out of his vvay by his ordinary actions not by a speciall single fact For nemo omnibus horis sapit Semel insanivimus omnes and in many things wee offend all It is therefore the generall course proceeding and perseuerance in vertue or vice that brings life or death to our wayes for the crowne of glory is at the end of this race of vertue here death is at the end of this race of vice the end there of is the issues of death Dauid committed Adultery and Murther â— King 11. grieuous slips out of Gods way but being in those sins he vvas besides himselfe out of his wit out of his way and neuer was at rest till by repentance he returned and witnessed his sorrow by that penitential Psalme Psal 51. in which he expresseth cordiall repentance and seemes to do corporall penance in the Church to this day His delight was in the Law of the Lord he vvas a man according to Gods owne heart A man and therefore might erre might slip out of the vvay but a man after Gods owne heart therefore he would walke with God as Enoch did Gen. 5. 24. and was neuer well at his heart till he vvas reconciled to God by humble and hearty repentance Ieroboam was in his way all his life 1. King 13. 33. and solde himselfe to commit sin so that it is sayd of diuerse other Kings that succeeded Ieroboam both in his seate and sinnes That they did euill in the sight of the Lord and vvalked in the vvay of Ieroboam and in his sinne vvherevvithall he made Israel to sinne Ahab vvas not in his vvay vvhen vpon the Prophets admonition he put on sackcloth and humbled himselfe before God 1. King 21 25. but he was in his way when he followed the counsell of Iezabel slue the Prophets of God and murthered Naboth for his vineyard Iehu 2. King 10 15. 16. though he slue all Ahabs children according to the word of the Lord though he would needs haue Iehonadab see his zeale which he pretended was for God in killing all the Priest of Baall and in taking the Images out of the house of Baall though he did many other things tending to reformation of Religion and the State Yet all this while he was not in his element in his way for presently he was not well till he was