Had truth beene one of our apprentices we should nener haue sold our wares so deare if wee had more truths in our mouthes we should haue lesse mony in our coffers send priuy Search into our courts of Law and when you haue done you may write this vpon the Barre Has sedes Astraea reliquit trueth hath abated too much of our fees we should haue beene but beggers if we had not banisht it send priuie Search amongst our States-men and when you haue done you may write this vpon their gates for the world to read Astraea domes domines reliquit in this house truth resignes to policie dissimulation is the ready way to rich preferment send priuy Search to seeke for truth in the very Pulpit which should be the Arke of Truth Custoder of Gods sacred Oracles whē you haue done you may set this on many Churches and Pulpit dores Veritas exulat truth is brought vnder hatches either she is ashamed or els she dares not shew her head whiles some for raking a litle profite others for feare of mens displeasure sowe pillows vnder the elbowes of great personages and suffer lowd sinnes to escape like the adulteresse in the Gospell because they are graced with greatnes and authority Seeing then our Trades-men sell trueth for coine our Lawyers for fees and our States-men for preferment our Clergy to please a Patron how can we thinke the Lord will not come to visite vs for these things his soule be auenged on such a Nation as this what then remains but that we either cal truth home which we haue banished by the law of Ostracisme that it may be an apprentice to our Merchants and men of trade a Counseller and Sergeant at the Law a Retainer Pensioner to our mē of state and Vsher to all the Clergie of the Land or else looke euerie day for Gods arrest vpon vs the heauens wil not stil repriue their iudgements the Sergeants of GODS wrath will not alwayes sleepe all the vials which God holdeth in his hand are not full of balme oile to heale supple some of them are running ouer with gall and addle some ready to vent the lees sowrest dregs of Gods displeasure vpon this Land Quae semper imitatur eorum facta quorum exitum et exitium perhorrescit which shrinks and trembles at Israels fearefull sentence but makes neyther stop nor rubbe at Israels crying sins which wrings her hands knockes her breast so often as shee either heares or reades the dismall Sentence which God pronounced against Israel but will neyther weepe nor cry nor shed a teare for her self althogh she lie rotting in the same cage of vncleannesse and foming in the same menstruous blood which made Israel so loathsome vnto God Let it therefore bee the care of our Magistrates to fetch home encourage truth of our Iudges to defend support the truth of the Clergie to preach and speake the truth of our godly and religious Citizens to lodge and harbor truth let vs shew our selues to be true Nathanaels in whom there is no guile put in practise the Prophets rule Zach. 8.16 Speake ye euery man the trueth vnto his neighbour and loue not deceit for that is the thing that the Lord hateth And so I proceed to the second particular grieuance whereof Israel is indited in the next word Ve en chesed No mercie which word chesed comprehends in it all workes of Charitie and Christianitie but I cannot insist vpon explication the point is this Want of mercie is a sinne that crieth loude Second parti cular grieuance and knocketh hard at heauen for vengeance I shall not neede prodigally to spend either breath or time in strengthning or supporting this clause of truth S. Iames hath put the matter out of difference Ia. 2.13 There shall be iudgement merciles to him that shewes no mercy it was want of mercy that called for a weltering Ocean to swallow the hoste of Pharao Ex. 15. It was want of mercie that caused Gideon to harrow slice the flesh of the men of Succoth with thorns and briars Iudg. 8.7 it was want of mercy that hazarded the destructiō of all Nabals posterity 1. Sam. 25. It was want of mercie that opened the bellie and bosome of hell to deuoure and intombe the soule of Diues Luke 16. It was want of mercie saith Plutarch that brought the men of Delphos so lowe on their knees Plutar. de sera numinis vind that they were enforcod to proclaime it by the mouth of criers thorow all the markets assemblies of Greece that whosoeuer would should come and be auenged on thē for the death of Aesope It was want of mercy saith Beatus Rhenanus that made Hatto that infamous clark and Bishop of Moguntia Beatus Rhenanus to bee chased to death by an Armie of Rattes It was want of mercy toward the little sop and handfull of seed which God had planted in Goshen that made all the land of Egipt to rocke and the pillars therof to grow like the cracking of a decayed vessell being ouerwaued by the vndanted roughnesse of some violent and vncouth stormes all of these iumping with that of Syracides Eccles 35.18 The Lord will not be slacke the Almighty will not tarrie till he haue smitten in sunder the loynes of the vnmercifull And haue not we deserued to drinke our bellies full of these waters of Marah as wel as they may not we tune all our Songs vpon this note Help Lord vpon this There is no mercie our hands are dried withered help Lord merciful men are gone out of the world Esay 57. Our Land begins to ring our eares are filled with such ruthfull and sad complaints as these Helpe Lord there is no mercie Our Church bemones her selfe thus Helpe Lord there is no mercie And is not hir complaint as iust as any when so many hungry souls like poore Lazarus would gladly gather vp the crums of a spirituall benedictiō from the mouth of their Pastor but cannot haue it whē so many zealous christians in the land would sit all the day long at the feet of some Gamaliel gladly step into Bethesda but either their Angell is frō home or else hee is not able to trouble the water for them Our Commons doe bemone themselues thus Help Lord there is no mercie And is not their complaint as iust when Land-lords are become tyrants Tenants be made but slaues to serue their turne and Naioth in Ramah I meane the Nurceries of Artes and Sciences bemones her selfe thus Help Lord there is no mercy And is not her complaint as iust as any when so many golden wits likely to haue proued the gracious ornaments and pride of their mother are daily enforced to trie their fortune some other way being vtterly discoraged for want of maintenance and our courts of Iustice bemone themselues thus Helpe Lord there is no mercy and is not their
and contentions for if hee haue not laboured to suppresse and smother them hee hath but a disloyall heart the Lord will one day bee quit with him for it The Land-Lord may not blesse himselfe in this that hee neuer wrung nor gript the bowels of his tenants for if hee haue not succoured and protected them Nor in this that hee neuer wronged the Church for if he haue notpropt streng thened it his zeale hath beene but cold the Lord will one day bee quits with him for that The Pastor that hath the charge I will not say the cure of soules seeing many haue the charge who neuer haue care of discharging their duties may not blesse himselfe in this that he neuer seduced his people out of the way for if he haue not painefully instructed them in the right way nor in this that he neuer did thē wrong for if hee haue not watched ouer them to do thē good their bloud shall bee required at his hand and the Lord will bee quits with him for that Let it be the shame of those that sit in darknes and are proud of their ignorance to say they haue as good soules hope to be saued aswel as any because they do no man any harme but for vs who may sit all day long at the feet of some good Gamaliel and euery houre of the day may heare some Paul Preaching vnto vs not onely renounce the euill but do the good not onely cease to do euill but learne to do well not onely abiure carnall and sensuall delights the huskes and mast whereon the worldling is like to surfet but also make a couenant with our eyes that they sport themselues with looking onely vpon the beauty of heauen with our affections to wed thēselues onely to the ioyes of heauen Be couetous I would haue thee so so that thou couet no treasure but spirituall Be ambitious I would haue thee so so thou affect no honor but immortall Renounce all kinde of peace wherein thou findest no peace of conscience Discard all ioyes wherein thou feelest not the ioy of the Holy Ghost Hoc fac vines doe this and thou shalt liue in the feare thou shalt die in the fauour thou shalt rest in the peace thou shalt rise in the power of God the Father and helpe to make vp the consort in singing of Halleluiah Halleluiah all glory and honour and praise and immortalitie be ascribed vnto the Lambe and to him that sitteth vpon the Throne for euermore And now I am come without further defrauding of your expectation to the particular grieuances whereof God complaines and the first of those is Want of Truth The Hebrew word Emeth saith Zanchius signifieth that kinde of fidelity which Tully called Dictorum conuentorum constantiam and this truth sometimes respects the heart and is called simplicity and integrity sometime the outward carriage in word or speech and is called truth sometimes the works and actions and then is called iustice and vpright dealing so that when the Lord chargeth them with want of Truth his meaning is there was no integritie or simplicitie in their hearts therefore there was hypocrisie no verity in their speeches therefore lying no iustice in their actions therefore fraudulent and deceitfull dealing I will wrappe vp all in this one conclusion All dissimulation in the heart First particular grieuance and lying in the tongue and deceit in the outward action betwixt man and man makes God and man at oddes and variance The first which is dissimulation in the heart proued from the example of Ananias and Saphira why didst thou conceiue this in thy heart 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Actes 5.4 The second which is lying in the tongue excludes from heauen Apoc. 22. The last which is deceit in the outward action is condemned Leu. 19. Dissimulation in the heart is the badge cognisance of such deplored wights as shall neuer see the face of God with comfort Iob. 13.16 Lying in the tongue is the badge and cognisance of the children of the deuils getting Iohn 8.44 Deceit in the outward action is the badge and cognisance of him that despiseth his God nay of him that shall beare the wrath and vengeance of God 1. Thess 4.8 It is most true which Syracides obserued Animaquae dissimulat accelerat miseriā the soule that dissembleth increaseth his paine Ecclesiastic 2. and true which Bernard obserued out of Wisedome Os quod mentitur perdit animam ' the tongue that lieth Wisd 1.11 murthereth the soule and true which Moses obserued Manus iniustitiae 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the hand that dealeth falsely is abhomination Deu. 25. This is Gods inditement which you haue heard wilt please you to heare the verdict which the Iury of the Prophets brings in against them Esay and Ieremy as fore-men in the name of all the rest haue penned it thus Euery one of them is an hypocrite and a dissembler Isaiah 9.16 And Ieremy thus They haue no courage for the truth Ieremy 9.3 This is the verdict which the Grand-Iury of greater Prophets haue brought against them and the verdict of the Petty-Iury I meane the lesser Prophets is the very same registred by Michah as prolocutor for the rest There is none righteous amongst them euery man hunteth his brother with a net Micah 7.2 Thus the Iurie hath found them guilty wil you now heare how the Lawe proceedes when the Iudge passed this sentence Lying lips are abhomination to the Lord Prou. 12.22 He shews he had a whip prepared for liars when hee plagued Ananias and Saphira Acts 5. hee shewed his loue to all dissemblers when he dismissed all deceitfull dealers out of his house Psalm 101. He shewed he had a whip laid vp for all deceiuers the lightest of these is a doome too heauy for them to beare See then the eminent and apparant danger whereunto men of all estates wrest themselues Vse by renouncing and diuorcing of truth they make a breach betwixt them God that can not be closed they sow such seed of debate and contention betwixt them God as cannot be couered they challenge such a dreadfull war betwixt them and God as will neuer be ended till the sword of the Almighty hath wearied it selfe the arrows of God haue made thēselues drūk and death the Axe of God haue surfeted it selfe with blood and yet were there a priuy search to go through each Maeander and corner of the earth to seeke for truth it would be as hard to find as honesty was in Athens when Diogenes sought it with a candle at noone-tide or goodnesse in Ierusalem when there was neither Priest nor People that executed iudgement Ier. 5.1 Terras Astraea reliquit truth hath taken her self vnto her wings she hath hid her self will not be found send priuie Search to all the shops of Merchants and men of Trade and when you haue done your best you may write this vpon the doores Has aedes Astraea reliquit
forgot himselfe when he commands that vpon no tearmes that vpon no conditions we should make sale of truth Pro. 23. If any lie might merit or pleade not guilty then surely it should be such a one as maketh for the defence and encrease of Gods glory and honor yet euen this lie also deserues an Anathema from the 13 of Iob v. 7.9 will you lie for Gods defence Is it well that one should make a lie for him The modell of time will not abide any profuse or large discourse I therefore epitomize and contract my larger meditations into this briefe summe The pernicious lie which is of malice as it hath no father but the diuell so hath it no other PatroÌ„ to defend it the lie for sport and merriment wee haue already disabled and the ground of the officious lie is but a quick-sand vnable to support such a weighty sin For say thou lie to helpe thy neighbour at a dead lift perhaps to saue his life a thing that God coÌ„mands this is but a weak supporter for euen in this thou dost thy selfe more hurt then thou canst doe thy neighbour good Nisi fiat iustis rectis medijs P. Martyr de mendacio saith Martyr vnlesse it be done by lawfull and warrantable means Say thou intend the benefit of the Church and by consequeÌ„t Gods greater glory yet S. Paul will schoole thee better Rom. 6.1 Thou maist not giue way to the smallest euil in hope of the greater good to follow thereupoÌ„ If it be obiected that the Egiptian midwiues lied and God blessed them I answer that God blessed them not for the lie but for their faith that wrought in theÌ„ by loue If it be said that Abraham lied to Pharao and to Abimelech I answer it is more then can be prooued Indeed he said that Sarah was his sister it was true for they were the children of the same father but not of the same mother as Abraham himselfe expounds his owne meaning Ge. 20.12 but he neuer denied that shee was his wife Non petit Abraham vt Sarah mentiatur saith Iunius Abraham desired her not to lie what then S. August in his 22. booke against Faustus the Maniche Aug. contra Faust Manic lib. 22. answeres it thus Veritatem voluit celari non mendacium dici he bid her not speake a word but truth and yet be warie that she tolde not all that shee knew à nemine enim id exigitur vt totum depromat quod nouit Phar ao could not bind them to reueale the whole truth saith Martyr in assoyling of this doubt If it bee said that Iacob lyed when hee told his father that he was his elder sonne Esau Aquinas answereth secunda secundae quaest 110. Artic. 3. Aquinus 2. a. 2. ae q. 110. Art 3. that the saying was mysticall not vntrue as if he should haue said I am the elder by grace or thus it was Prophetical to shew a mysterie Quod minor populus hoc est Gentium substituendus esset in locum primogeniti hoc est Iudaeorum By Esau he meant the Iews by himselfe the Gentiles and his purpose was to signifie that howsoeuer the Iewes were Gods first borne yet they should bee cast off and the Gentiles who were the yonger brethren were they to whom the blessing and the inheritance did belong But I will dwell no longer on this point The closure is this Si quando loquuti sunt vt homines peccasse non diffitebimur P. Martyr in locis com de mendacio If they speake these things as men they erred and we denie it not Sin veró afflatu Dei mirabimur eâ—rum dicta sed in exemplum non trahemus If these things were spoken by the motion and direction of Gods Spirit wee will stand in admiration of the wisedome of God yet dare wee not make this practise a patterne for vs to imitate but for all lies we will make bold there to include them where the day of iudgement without repeÌ„tance will be sure to finde them euen in the Catalogue amidst the bedrole of our sinnes Set a watch therefore before thy mouth and keep the dore of thy lips that thou vtter not a lie set lock key vpon thy eares that thou entertaine not the voyce of him that telleth a lie For as he that telleth the lie hath the diuel in his tongue so he that heareth the lie hath the deuill in his eare and quickly it creeps in at the eare that wil neuer out of the heart while thy breath is in thee The time hath already commanded me to take my work out of the Loomes and to let the other three sins remaine vntouched would God they were also left vnpractised nay it were wel if they were not also professed amongst you This beloued this is the only thing that we the Ministers òf God who come here to spend our breath would gladly beg this onley is the thing that wee would faine beseech with all the bowels of our affectioÌ„s with our eyes watring with our flesh shaking with our hearts bleeding with our soules mourning with al the strings of our hearts enlarged towards you that you would not suffer these sins to dwell amongst you that now at length you would draw your swords against sinne which at euery corner besiegeth your Citie before it beginne to batter your wals It is a crastie Sinon you cannot lodge it within your gates but with feare and danger of your liues it is a conuicted rebell against heaueÌ„ you may not harbour it it is a professed traitor against the peace and quiet of your Land you cannot entertaine it without suspition of high treason both against our blessed Sauiour our gracious Soueraigne Alas beloued how long how long shall the Preacher cry that sin is more to bee feared then any treason and yet we practise it How long shall the Preacher cry that sin is the onely Troyan-horse whose womb can command a bloudy Armado armed with cruelty and rage to work our ouerthrow and yet we entertaine and welcome it how long shall the Preacher cry in our streets and wring it in your eares that sin is the onely make-bate betwixt God and vs yet wee are in league and compact with it How long shal the Preacher proclaime this truth that our Land will neuer bee rid of Priests and Iesuites the little Foxes that hinder the growth of the Gospel til first we haue cried down our sin and yet we will not leaue it how long shall the Preacher cry nay weary the strings of his tongue and weary his sides and breake the veines and the pipes of his heart with crying that the sin of our Land that the sinne of our people and the vnthankfulnesse of our Nation hath taken away the glory and the mirrour of Princes the staffe of our comfort the ioy of our heart and the hope of our Land and yet we dandle it on our knees and yet wee foster
or shoe-latchet and yet would not deny to Aner and Eschol and Mamre their liberty Gen. 14.23 and therefore it must bee termed rather pride then zeale to bee too tetricall and rough that whosoeuer is not in euery point so precise as ourselues should bee turned out as dogs or prophane persons vnworthy of our account and countenance 5 True zeale feareth not the faces of the mighty The 5. when we must beware of their precipitancy who will charge the Minister to bee of a cold constitution if hee break not abruptly into open reprehension men in authority which 〈◊〉 to reproue without the spiâ—â—â— of meeknesse to exasperate ther then to humble the part admonished Lastly The 6. if it bee true zealed wil make thee brook and poâ—â— many priuate wrongs done thy selfe but hot and impatiâ—â—â— of any dishonour vnto Gâ—â— When the Israelites offered 〈◊〉 â—uate wrongs to Moses hee was wont to speak mildely and pray earnestly for them but when they fell to Idolatry a matter which concerned God then his fire was kindled then hee breakes the Tables and stampes the Calfe to powder and casts the ashes into the water and makes them to drinke vp their God Exod. 32. I feare I haue dwelt too long vpon the point the closure is but this Let vs all bestirre our selues when Gods cause is a judging and bee earnest when his glory is in question bee zealous to strike when hee himselfe puts the sword in our hands be calous to speake when himselfe puts the word in our mouthes let euery one that weares the coate and liuery of Christ write â—eale vpon his breast And ô thou holy and blessed Spirit come vnto vs as thou camest to thine Apostles in shape of fierie tongues that our tongues may bee tipt and enamuled our hearts seasoned our soules enflamed our profession graced with zeale of thy honour and worship that sinne may bee shaken thy Name exalted thy Truth embraced our Church continued our Land blessed our soules saued when these few and miserable daies shall be ended And so I come from the crime obiected The crime obiected against Laodicea Thou art neither hot nor cold to see how the sinne is aggrauated in the next words Would God thou wert eithor hot or cold Which words are not so to be vnderstood as if they should haue pleased him well enough had they bene either hot or cold or any thing but luke-warme Non ostendit quid probat sed quid praefert but his meaning was to let them know that hee so disliked luke-warmenesse in Religion and indifferencie in profession of Christianitie that he should haue liked them better and their condition should not haue bin so desperate had they made no conscience or had no knowledge as now it was by their hypocrisie and want of zeale so that the point which by the Holy Ghost is heere deliuered may bee comprised in these tearmes It were better to bee of no Religion at all Better to bee of no Religion then to be luke-warm then to diuide our loue betweene God and the world and our seruice betweene God and Baal and our attendance betweene God and Mammon or to embrace Religion no farther then Religion serues our turne to gaine withall Which Theoreme howsoeuer it be the deduction of Ambrose and of the whole current both of Moderne and Ancient Interpreters yet shall it bee no waste of time to support and fence it by copying a place or two out of Gods Writing-booke turne but your leafes vnto the 9. of Iohn the 41. and view our Sauiours answere to the Pharises question Had you beene blind you should not haue sinned That is say Bucer and Musculus and Aquinas agreeing with the glosse Your sinne had not beene so exceeding sinnefull as now it is as if our Sauiour had thus enlarged his speech There is no man that hath not gone astray euen from the wombe The most righteous before men is defaced and speckled in the sight of God and may go crying all the day long with the Leper Leuiticus the 13. chapter and verse 45. I am vncleane I am vncleane but you dissembling Pharisees are more deepely stayned then anie other your sinnes are high coloured like crimson vvhich as Lipsius obserueth is twice dyed other men haue Moats Lipsius de Constantia libro 1. but you haue Beames in your eyes other men haue Scratches but you haue Wounds and Scarres in your Faces others may swallow sinnes as bigge as Gnats but you can digest sinnes as bigge as Cammells and how is it that your sinnes are more inexpiable then other mens it is because you serue mee not in sinceritie and professe religion onely for your profite and diuide your loue betvvixt mee and your ovvne Mammon it had beene better for you to haue worshipped onelie Mammon and neuer to haue heard of me it had beene better for you to haue trusted onelie to your owne wits and neuer to haue trusted mee vnlesse you trust onely mee and better for you to haue beene starke blinde then onely to see how you may turne your backs and looke a-squint at Heauen it were better to haue been cold dead then to be as it were in an Istmus Heinsy Poem Vt tundat mentem fluctus vterque tuam to bide betwixt life and death to haue thy Religion ebbing and flowing Plutarch de Socratis Genio Hesych de vita Philosophorum thy profession like the soule of Hermotimus in Plutarch and of Epimenides in Hesychius coming and going Let thy Religion be eyther pure and sound or none thy profession eyther entire and sound or none thy zeale eyther burning hote or none to be blinde to be of no profession to make no conscience of Religion is verie damnable but to see the way and not to follow it to professe Religion and not to be zealous for it to weare CHRISTS Liuerie and serue anie other besides the Master that gaue it is intolerable Adde vnto this that clause of the Apostle cited to this very purpose by Gregorie in the third of his Pastoralls out of the second Epistle of Peter chapter 2. and the 21. verse It were better neuer to haue knowne the way then after knowledge to turne out of it Which one place by generall consent is sufficient to make good our poynt the ignorant which in the Apostles stile knows not is like the colde man in my Text that cares not for Religion the backe-slider in the Apostles stile that turneth aside is like vnto the Luke-warme Christian in my Text that careth not whether Religion sinke or swimme whether his profession doe stand or fall who like to Metius Suffetius in Liuie Liuy in his first Decade and first Book will strike or speake for neyther side vntill one side bee downe and then ioyne to that which is best for their commoditie A thing odious amongest Heathens and therefore prohibited by Solon That anie man should stand as a neuter betwixt two