cannot afford it at such a price and that they will keep it seuen yeares before they will sell it so and yet let their customers back be no sooner turned to be gone but presently he is called againe and his money taken which before was refused with so many othes If Seruants will thus burden their consciences for their masters profit many against their masters wils what will they do for themselues who shall let them then to sweare away all faith truth and conscience for euer to sweare their soules to the Diuel that they shall neuer repent and to sweare a plague into their houses which shall consume the very timber and stones of it O my Brethren tremble at this prouoking sinne tremble to bring the great and holy name of the Lord for a witnesse to your base twelue penny lies tremble to deale so saucily with the omnipotent Maiestie that can send a deadly thunderbolt to strike you presently thorow in the place where you stand Beare with a vehement speech when it proceedes out of a loue more vehement For your pretious soules sake leaue off this profitlesse and pleasurelesse sinne let this be the first sinne thou fightest against and when thou hast got the victory of this the rest of thy conquest will be the easier Hast thou beene a prophaner of the Sabbath and one that hath made no conscience of going to Church longer then thy masters eie hath been vpon thee and when thou hast beene there hast made small account of that which hath beene taught but either hast been talking or sleeping or idly or wickedly thinking c. Henceforth frequent more duely the the holy sanctuary and house of praier prepare thy selfe aforehand that thou maiest reap profit of the things which thou shalt heare intend more reuerently and deuoutly to Gods worship rob not the Lord of the day which he hath consecrated to the glory of his great name he requireth but the seuenth six are ours and shal we not afford him one If a Father hauing called his children together should tell them It is so that I haue cast vp my accounts and I find my estate to be worth seuen thousand pound six of which seuen thousand I am content presently to part with among you and the one thousand see you vse as thriftily and carefully to my behoof as you would the six thousand to your owne What ingratitude vnreuerence were it to so bountifull a Father for these children hauing gotten the seuen thousand pound into their hands to turne all to their owne vse and aduantage neuer respecting their kinde Fathers good nor his charge vnto them or at the most so carelesly that it may appeare there is but little religion of their vow in them The Lord who is our heauenly Father hath giuen vs six daies to do our businesse and affaires in and onely one day he hath reserued to himselfe appointing vs to bestow it in his worship and seruice because that day is his delight as the Prophet saith what negligence what impiety what contempt can be greater then for vs to spend the whole weeke in following our pleasures or our drudgeries whē the holy Sabbath comes to intrude into our heauenly fathers right and consume that also in the carnall workes or couetous proiects or ordinary exercises of the weeke before what intolerable auarice is it or sacriledge rather hauing so bountiful allowance from our heauenly father not to be content vnlesse we may seaze his peculiar reseruation into our hands also This is right to haue thousands of sheepe pasturing vpon our owne downes and yet to kill the poore mans onely Lambe that slept in his bosome for the prouision of our house But here some will say it is true we must lay away all worke on the Sabbath day but yet to sell and take money for wares in the shop before and after seruice is no great worke and therfore as good do that as stand idle No I deny it for as the prouerbe goeth amongst vs Thou hadst better be idle then ill occupied so they were better stand still then vent their commodities they be both sins but selling of ware is the greater how little soeuer for a man may aswell take 40. pounds that day as one pēny For Gods cōmandemēt is broken in both In the 16 of Exodus GOD condemneth the Israelits for purposing to gather Manna on the Sabbath day what easier worke could there be then this nay moreouer it was to be done between fiue and six a clock in the morning when they might haue serued GOD all the day after and they needed not to haue gone far for it neither but onely come forth of their doores and stoop to take it vp But marke whē they came forth they found nothing Here is a good lesson for vs to learne that as they went out to gather Manna on the Sabbath day and found nothing so the gaines that is gotten by selling wares on the Sabbath day is iust nothing howsoeuer men are blinded and thinke the contrary for GODS curse eates it vp and more too I grant we are not tied to so strict an obseruation of the Sabbath in euery respect as the Iewes were yet thus farre the morall part of the precept doth oblige vs to the worlds end namely to do no workes on that day but workes of holines or of meere necessity but men now a daies make no bones to step ouer any of Gods lawes when they bee in the way of their profit and yet they will be good Christians too We remember that day to pamper our belies with good cheere and fine clothes and to take our pleasure we remember to keep a right Epicures Sabbath but to heare Gods word taught to lay our petitions in common together in our Churches and to cal our families together when wee come home that wee may bee the better for that wee haue heard which is the right christians Sabbath this we remember vtterly to forget I am perswaded there is more wickednesse committed both by Prentises and others on the Lords day then on any three daies in the weeke beside and the reason is because men for the most part will see that their seruants shall follow the businesse of their trades all the weeke but vpon Gods day they are careles of them and suffer them to do what they list themselues That is the day of their recreation For as Salomon saith it is a pastime to a foole to doe euill When they should walke to the Lecture for the recreation of their soules the masters are walkt to their gardens or the fields for their bodily pleasure and the seruants to the Tauerne or to some place of greater corruptiō to the endāgering of their soules so the word preached to them in the day time before is no better then the seed that fell vpon stony ground because for want of due rehearsal afterward which is as it were the depth of earth it withereth
the Saints or the children of the Diuell to the blessed freedome of the Sonnes of God Is their part in the saluation of Christ that dayly and hourely crucifie him afresh in a iolly scoffing brauery deride his passion as if his backe were broad enough to beare all their filth Do we looke that the Lord should performe the grant when wee faile in the condition is not our breach of couenant with him a frustrating of his indentment with vs Beleeue it my brethren beleeue it whilest wee remaine in our sins the Lords grant remaines void we cannot claime the benefite of one drop of Christs bloud nor of the least part of his merits the shaken sword of the Cherubin hangeth ouer vs we stand banished from the paradise of Gods fauor and liable to the seuerest penalty of those his lawes which we haue violated onely so long as that penalty is not inflicted so long doth the Lord expect if at any time wee will renue our couenant by repentance and so escape out of the snare of the Diuell of whom we are holden captiue to do his pleasure Moreouer when we were sprinkled in the holy Lauer of Baptisme which is as it were the wombe of the Church where our regeneration or new birth was first set a foot we vowed a vow to God which ought of all Christians to be most holily obserued that wee would perfect that newe birth of ours euery day more and more by beleeuing his word obeying his commandements mortifying our flesh cōpressing our lusts resisting the diuel renoūcing the world fighting māfully vnder his bāner against all oppositiō that finaly hauing finished our course we might receiue the crowne of life which he hath promised to them that continue faithfull vnto the death Now our impenitencie weltring in sinne is not onely a not fostring but a very killing of our spirituall nature in the first seede or kernell a breaking of our vowe to God nay a very denying of God and his word an abiect yeelding vs to his and our enemies a cowardly running away from the spirituall battell at the first stroke striking a wilfull losing of our immortall garland and an occasion to make Christ the great captaine and finisher of our faith vtterly to casheere vs out of his band as hauing in vs no sparkle of that generosity and braue-mindednes which ought to be in such as weare his colours and beare armes vnder his standard The wisedome of the world is to retaine to the strongest part and methinkes we hauing beene bred vp vnder the worlds wing should by this time haue taken out that point of wisedome and retaine to Gods side for his is the strongest and surest side O my brethren looke backe to your Baptisme and learne to amend Let not the royall Character which God hath set vpon vs by the ministery of his Church be any longer thus vilely blurd and defaced by our enormous sinnes Let vs not breake our vow to God lest he binde fast his curse to vs Leaue not the Lord of hosts to whom we haue giuen our names and those powerfull legions of his blessed Angels our consederates and guarders in his quarrel to ioine with the Diuell whom we haue defied with the world sin and the flesh a sort of cowardly rebels which will themselues cut our throates when we least suspect them But let vs newdeep our selues in the water of contrition and that will fetch againe the primitiue colour which was put vpon vs in the day of our Baptisme Ouer and beside all this whereas the patience and bountifulnesse and long suffering of our God in sparing vs so many yeares and waiting for our amendment though in the meane time wee force him to complaine that he is pressed vnder our sinnes as a cart is pressed vnder a hard load of sheues I say whereas this gracious patience of his should leade vs to repentance we by continuing in sinne do abuse his patience and heape vp greater wrath vpō our heads against the day of wrath and declaration of the iust iudgement of God which will suddainely ouertake vs. God is prouoked saith the Psalmist euery day heere is forbearance but what followeth 2. if a man wil not turne after all Gods waiting thē he wil whet his sword bēd his bow make ready his arrows against such prouokers When we see wrath in a mans face it is an argument that he will strike we are wont to shun giue backe frō him Let vs take heed Gods face lookes very angerly we haue dared him so long and put him so to it that he cannot hold his fingers he must needes breake out into blowes And the blowes of his anger are no light stripes but euen deaths wounds as all the Land from Dan to Beersheba will beare witnes O then my Brethren if this Lion roare who wil not tremble crouch before him if he knit his browes that measureth heauen with his span and waigheth the mountaines in a ballance cleaueth the rockes with his voice who dares looke him in the face who shal be able to abide his frownes were we as huge and strong as Behemoth or Leuiathan hee will spurne vs as a chip and trample vs vnder his feete as the mire in the streetes if we incense his maiesty or stirre vp his wrath and iealousie against vs. Apoc. The Kings and great men and stout Captaines and Warriours hide themselues in caues and in holes of the earth frō the feare of the Lord when he riseth vp to be auenged of sinners O what shall the shrub in the wildernes do when the Okes of Bashan and the Cedars of Libanus are thus shaken how dare such silly wormes and grashoppers as we confront the almighty and prouoke him yearly hourely with new and new sinnes neuer once renuing our repentance at the blasting of the breath of whose displeasure the hilles melt and the foundations of the world shake and are remoued Though he haue worne one rod of pestilence to the stumps vpon vs and throwne it by standing and looking at our behauiour after it he can call for another and another if our great hearts be not come downe repentance a change appearing in our liues or he hath famine swords wild beastes bedlem waters treasures of snow and haile lightnings thunderbolts c. or he hath feuers palsies gouts choliks cākers wolfes tympanies c. to scourge presumptuous sinners that wil not be warned his store house is neuer vnfurnished with rods and scorpions too if we put him to it Surely my Brethren we are transformed with Nebuchadnezar into beasts and the hearts and vnderstandings of men taken from vs if this consideration moue vs not to abominate our sins and cease from our prouocations wherewith we haue prouoked this God of anger against vs especially when he hath put vp so many abuses and villanies of ours all our life hitherto wee iustly deseruing euery moment to be rooted
by an vtter destruction chastening in the meane time the countries round about vs as hauing some hope of their turning and amendment Let vs therefore with all speed humble our selues vnder Gods mighty hand and make a godly vse of his iudgments that euery litle chastismēt of his may driue vs to a lothing forsaking of our former euil waies that we may stand in awe and not sinne for our God is a iealous God and a consuming fire so shall he smel a sauour of rest and receiue an attonement for the land so shall the light of his countenance be lifted vp vpon vs and so shal it go well with vs and with our children after vs in their generations The word preached Gods Ministers Another very direct meanes to this end is the preaching of Gods word the voice of his Prophets ministers rising vp early premonishing vs of our dāger shewing vs the way wherin we should walk Therfore the Lord when he sent the Prophet Ieremie to the people of Israel and Iuda he bade him proclaime a fast and tell them what he had threatned against them Ier. 36. Because saith the Lord it may be when they heare the euill that I purpose to bring vpon them they will returne from their wickednesse and so by that meanes I may forgiue them their sinnes and receiue them to fauour This is the manna that came downe from heauen this is the immortall seed by which so many are borne to God How great cause haue wee to blesse the Lord that it hath pleased him so to dispose of vs that wee should be borne and bred in such a time and among such a people as professe the faith of Iesus Christ and are daily taught and instructed both to beleeue and liue accordingly Our Fathers longed to see these dayes and could not see them we feare no burning nor imprisonment for professing the doctrine of Christ wee neede not crosse the seas to seeke instruction wee may in a blessed freedome of minde and body approch to Gods altars and sit at the feete of the Lords Prophets and heare those heauenly comforts and directions from their mouthes Neuer was London so well supplied with godly reuerend Ministers since the first stone of her walles was layd then in this very day The Lord Iesus continue and encrease the number But what account make we of these meanes we can content our selues to sit an houre in the Church to heare Gods word taught not for conscience but for fashion as our deedes make plaine For where almost is he or she that hath left any one deere sin this seauen yeares though twice seauen yeares they haue heard it condemned nay which is strange vpon the monday we commit those very sinnes which vpō the Sabbath day before were to our faces most particularly reprooued which were enough to discourage vtterly those men of God in the worke of their ministerie they taking such paines watching for vs whē we sleep studying and spending their spirits to bring vs to repentance and we like wretches making small account of it and profiting little in godlinesse by it but that the Lord hath sayd his word shal neuer goe forth in vaine but either it shall lift vs vp higher to his courts in heauen or sinke vs downe deeper into the pit of hell And the labours of his Ministers shall be as highly rewarded for leauing the gracelesse ones without excuse as for conuerting a weake soule from going astray A Seruaunt when hee is commaunded to do any thing by his Master will feare to looke his Master in the face or to come in his way if hee neglect it and doe it not How dare wee then hauing sate in the Church and there heard out of the Pulpit the seate of Gods Oracles sin forbidden repentance enioyned our negligence taxed not once but continually from time to time with precept vpon precept line vpon line I say how dare we presse so boldly without any awe or reuerence into the presence of God the great Master of all Masters in the world Sabbath after Sabbath and yet guilty to our selues in the meane time of so great disobedience vnlesse wee come thither in an insolent fashion to stout and out-face the Lord or to laugh in our sleeues at his weaknesse that will be borne in hand with a cunning semblance and as well pleased as if the deede were performed O my brethren tremble to dally in this sort with the Almighty if hee speake let his seruants heare if hee command deferre not to doe it receiue it not as the word of man but as it is indeede the word of God Pray aforehand that you may feele the vertue and power of it in your heart renuing and changing your willes and affections let the feete of them be beautifull that bring this tidings of peace and good things vnto you They are the Embassadours of the euerliuing God and disposers of his secrets they are our Fathers in Christ by whom wee are new begotten to eternall life The Lord hath giuen them power out of his word to pronounce his sentence so that what they binde on earth is bound in heauen and what they loose on earth is loosed in heauen Let vs haue them in singular loue reuerence for their works sake The contempt of their persons is a notable policie of the diuell to make their teaching be contemned also Let vs shew our thankfulnesse to God for them in obeying those things which they command vs in his name They haue called vpon vs long enough for amendment let them now haue cause to commend vs that wee haue amended Let our hearing be at length a ioy to them lest their sorrow be hereafter a witnesse against vs One Ionah conuerted Niniueh what a shame is it to vs that so many Ionahs should doe no good in London Another meanes to set vs forward in the way of repentance Good bookes conference is the reading of good bookes mutuall conference and exhortation one of another These doe both after one sort bob vs continually on the elbowe and euen importune vs to well doing and would worke some good effect if we were not negligent carelesse in the vsing of them But so it is how much time doe we spend idlely in doing nothing or vnthriftily in doing naught neuer taking a good booke in our hands all the weeke long though we haue choice of manie and our trades will beare it or if wee begin it growes irksom straight before wee haue turned one leafe ouer or if we haue the patience to goe thorow to the end slightly enough wee cast it in a corner to be moulded and moath-eaten and are as much the better as he that hath lookt in a glasse is after his backe is turned because we doe not stirre vp and whet our remembrance by a second more aduised reading esteeming our olde bookes as olde friends which must euer now and then be visited
to it Goe into the Citie suruay the stately gates firme walles beautiful edifices neat streets rich houshold stuffe all the desirable things in the warehouses and Chests of Merchants Goldsmiths Iewellers c. and all these are nothing to it Goe into the Court note the multitude of suters traine of attendants magnificent feasts pompous seruice musical Instruments faire Ladies glistering Courtiers maskes reuels all the pleasures of a King and all these are nothing to it Let the best wit in the world bestow his vtmost skill to set out all the delights and pleasures of the sonnes of men in their liueliest colours yet all his expence of oratorie will scarse giue you a glimpse of this Rack your owne thoughts vpon the tenters shape out in your conceit a thousand formes of pleasure yet all these are scarse a shadow of it And thinke what a kinde of blisse that is which passeth all companion all vtterance all conceite of the wisest humane heart Neither is this for a day or a moneth or for terme of yeares but an euerlasting state of blessednes vndeterminable so lōg as God is God and that is world without end wee want a word to expresse it And shall wee let slip such a booty through our negligence or wilfulnesse or sloth or inconsideratenes If wee doe carelesly ouergoe but a good bargain in our ordinarie trades which might yeeld vs a few crownes profit how doth it vexe and chafe vs afterward and doe we thinke such a losse as this will be borne with ease if wee once ouergoe it when it might earst haue beene had for so little timely paines Beleeue me my Brother the onely losse of heauen to a soule able to apprehend the losse is a sufficient hell if the Lord had appointed no other torment for euill doers Come come stand no longer in thine owne light see thy good and take it Why wilt thou let slip the opportunitie which nothing in the world can purchase thee againe Why shouldest thou not euen in this houre change thy life and make an end of wilfull sinning against the Lord Is it for that thou art loth to forgoe thy olde delights thy pleasant companions and boon societies alas what are those sliding base delights to the solide and noble delights I spake of euen now or thy earthly fellowships to the societie of Angels and heauenly spirits Is it for that the wayes of godlinesse are hard and painfull and laborious Is not the enioying of a Kingdome a good salue for that sore surely if all the paines and labours of all men in the world were layed vpon thy shoulders if all thy life were nothing but weeping and lamentation like Ezekiels booke nay if thou shouldest for a time endure hell fire it selfe that afterward when Christ cōmeth in his glory thou mightst be reckoned among his Saints and enioy the heritage of his chosen children yet were not all thy paines and sufferings worthy to be ballanced with the participation of such an infinite vnspeakable waight of glory But to the vnwilling euery thing is an excuse For the seruice of God is easie his yoke is sweet I will runne the way of thy commandements saith the kingly Prophet when thou shalt enlarge my heart And againe My delight is in thy commandements yea they are the ioy and reioycing of my heart What doest thou feare lest thou sholdst fal away again after thou hast bin once inlightned that there can be no more renuing by repentance so thy last end should be worse then thy beginning care thou by making thine election sure by good workes pray vnto the Lord for his strength and assistance and feare not this feare for it will bee as impossible for thee being once regenerate and made the child of GOD to fall finally away from godlinesse as it was for Ieremy to hold his peace notwithstanding his resolution of silence when the word of the Lord was as fire or gunpowder in his heart Doest thou doubt whether God wil performe his promise then neuer take vpon thee the name of a Christian he renders vengeance to the vngodly why should we doubt whether he will recompence and reward weldoers Thou shalt heare thousands complaine of the falsehood and faithlesnesse of the world whom thou trustest if any haue complained of Gods slacknesse God hath driuen him out of his owne proofe anon after to recant and to say with the Prophet This is my weaknes Doest thou feare the reproch of nicknames and ignominious termes which the new conuerted children of GOD do alwaies light on art thou so without heart and so very a coward to be blowne from thy profession with the breath of a prophane mouth haddest thou rather keepe credit with the world and the Diuell by weltring in sinne then serue GOD after the way which is counted discreditfull by the godlesse of the world A generous horse though twenty curres come out barking and snarling at his heeles as he trotteth along the streete keepeth on his pace without so much as looking backe at them So when these barkers of Gods seruants and deriders of religion and good things step forth against thee to hinder thee in thy course of a new conuersation let the height of thy mind disdaine to regard them or take notice of them thinke they are but the Diuels ban dogs hissed on by him to make thee breake thy pace in the waies of godlinesse and therefore so much the more couragiously goe on that they may see how much they are despised If all this cannot moue vs we haue hard and foolish hearts and I can say no more but we may go forward in our sotted course til we reap the fruit of our ouer weening But I hope better things of you my brethren and such things as accompany the feare of God and saluation though I thus speake Suffer not I beseech you for Christ Iesus sake my hope to bee in vaine THE THIRD PART CHAP. 8 HERE methinkes I heare some say whose willes and affections the Lord hath begun to renue and change whom yet Satā would wrap about with the cords of their owne frailty I would faine repent but I cannot my faith is so weake and my heart so hard that I cannot be sory for my sinnes as I would This is a sweet saying my Brethren For what can a man haue more then to feele his wants for otherwise how should we hunger thirst after righteousnesse and vndoubtedly he that hungers thus shall be satisfied for the Lord that knoweth what we want better then we our selues lookes not so much to the outward shew of repentance as to the inward affections of the heart which are as actions in his sight and though our faith and repentance bee but weake yet let vs know this assuredly that the Lord looketh more on the quality then on the quantitie Is a weake faith no faith is a weake repentance no repentance nay The desire of reconciliation with God in Christ saith