the meane time to serue his enemie Beloued the profession of pietie is as it were the Lordes cloath and Baptisme is his badge Shall wee weare his cloath beare his badge shall wee enter into his house and eate his meate and in the meane while serue our lostes and fulfill the fancie of our flesh which is an enemie to God and godlinesse If wee account this course vnreasonable as in deede it is then hauing set our feete within the territories of the Church which is the house of God and hauing taken of him his liuerie and recognisance let vs now cease to serue his enemies and truly turne vnto him The longer wee stay the more vnreasonable wee shewe our selues to be and the more iniurious we are to him Fourthly God doth often withdrawe the outward sigâ—es of his fauour from them which wander from him â—â—d forget to turne againeâ— yâ—a though they bee his deere children Thereâ—ore hee saith that if they breake his sâ—atues hee will then visite their transgression with rods and so he doth vsually As wee therefore feare Gods correction and dread his rods let vs beware of sinning against him and if wee be ouertaken at anytime as who is not let vs without delay repent and recouer our selues A good childe hauing iniustly vexed his father will not be quiet till they be reconciled againe Fiftly when wee liue in sinne and hasten not to turne from it vnto God then we distemper our consciences Were it not then better to returne with speede then either to dull or disquiet them What is more intollerable then a disturbed conscience The spirit of a man will sustaine his infirmity but a wounded spirit who can beare it An euill conscience is a mans prison his Iailer his accuser his Iudge yea and executioner also Though a man could dissemble his griefe and seeme to laugh yet euen in that laughing the heart is sorrowfull And though the countenance doe not alway bewray the anguish and agony of the minde perplexed yet The heart knoweth the bitternesse of his soule Now then were it not better for a man with speede to turne then by delay to purchase and procure that to be his foe which hee ought to make his surest friend and deeme a daily delight For a good conscience is a continuall feast and a ioyfull heart which is not without the other maketh a cheerfull countenance Sixtly though God haue pardoned all the sinnes of his children by his decree promise and merits of his sonne yet he doth not actually apply this pardon to their faith and feeling till they do turne vnto him For though I doe forgiue my brother though hee doe not aske forgiuenesse yet I thinke I need not alway tell him so till he doe aske so though God did indeede pardon our sinnes in his decree and in the purpose of his heart yet doth he neuer seale the pardon actually vnto vs till we turne vnto him and desire it The father of the Prodigall sonne did not goe to meete his sonne till his sonne had first determined to returne vnto him Seuenthly there is a day of grace a day of saluation a time wherein God will be found Therefore Esay counselleth vs to seeke the Lorde whiles he may be found and to call vpon whilest hee is neare And Wisedome saith They shall seeke mee early but they shall not finâ—e mee because they hated knowledge and did not chuse the feare of the Lord. Beloued this is the day of saluâ—tion this is the day of obtâ—ining present grace and future glory yet the trumpet or the Gospell is sounded amongst vs yet the Lorde like a Nurse holdeth out his naked breastes vnto vs yet wee heare his voice â—inging in our eares Awake thou that sleepest and stand vp from the dead and Christ shall giue thee light Let vs therefore redeeme the time and serue the season Take the tide which stayes for no man and strike the Iron whiles it is hote it is yet sommer winter will come it is yet light but night draweth on the Sun seâ—meth to descend the shadowes are long Draw neere to God and he will draw neere to you To day if ye heare his voyce harden not your hearts And as Paul saith While wee haue time let vs doe good to all men So I say while we haue time let vs doe this good vnto our selues let vs leaue our sinnes and turne to God He that hath a long iourny to goe and but a little time to finish it in as wee haue will take the day before him and set foote forward betimes Eightly let the ensample of the Saints be considered Dauid was no sooner admonished by Nathan but hee presently repented Peter no sooner considered his hainous offence but hee did relent The Prodigall sonne feeling his smart forthwith resolued to turne home vnto his Father The Niniuites hearing the short but sharpe Sermon of Pâ—ophet Ionah beleeued God and repentâ—d yea their King did immediately vppon his intelligence by proclamation commâ—nd euery man to turne from his euill way And God sawe their workes that they turned from their euill waieâ— The good Iewes hauing heard their sinnes discouered by Peter were presently pricked in their heartes as if his wordes had beene swordes and cried out vnto Peter and the other Apostles Men and brethren what shall we doe Then Peter saide Amend your liues and be baptized And as the Scripture saith they receiued his wordes gladly Here are hearers indeede happie teachers happy bearers worthy of our imitation But our hearers for the most parte are like brasse and yron their heartes are made of marble insomuch that wee may in some sort say with the Prophet The bellowes are burnt the leade is consumed in the fire the Founder melteth in vaine our oyle is wasted our labour spent vppon them is lost wee light a candle to the walles and speake to the stones for they will not forgoe their drosse part from their sins But the word of the Lord shall not returne voyd but shall accomplish that which he will and shal prosper in the thing whereto hee sent it It must be the sauour of life vnto life by his grace to some and the sauour of death vnto death by their corruption to others The sunne doth whiten flaxe but blacke the face and fire will stiffen clay but soften waxe But I returne from whence I haue digressed To conclude this point Samuel and Timothy and Ioseph began to serue the Lord in their tender yeres Shall wee giue the strength of our dayes vnto Sathan and keeepe our rotten bones and withered age for God Will any man entertaine a seruant that seekes vnto him in his olde age but refused his seruice all his life before though hee was by many messengers desired Can a man be happy to soone Can a man bee holy too soone Young diuells sildome make olde Saintes Though sound repentance bee neuer
so let vs looke to our owne professions The Bee trims her owne hâ—ue so let vs dresse our own hearts The bird frequenteth her owne neast The Cony keepeth her owne burrow The good huswife mindeth her owne house and carrieth it about with her like a snaile so we must haunt our owne hearts and haue greatest respect and a most watchfull eye to our owne waies The good heardsman chiefly searcheth his owne flockes The good husbandman doth most of all seaâ—ch and trie the qualitie and nature of his owne soile so we must chiâ—fly husband search and examine our owne soules our own affections our owne workes and our own waies The Apostle saith that hee that prouideth not for his owne denieth the faith and is worse then an Infidell So it may be truly saide of him that dooh not search and proue his owne waies that hee dooth denie obedience vnto God and is in a wretched condition not able to prooue himselâ—e better then a Pagan setting aside his outward profession and name of a Christian which stands him in no more stead then for a ranke beggar to bee reputed rich or for a man to bee intituled Emperour of all the world and yet to want a house to shroud his head Here then comes to be condemned the common custome of many curious and captious persons that forget themselues busie themselues in searching and examining their neighbours Salomon saith of the harloâ— that she is babâ—ing and loud and her feete cannot abide in her house So these men delight in babling of other mens sinnes they are loud and shril in sounding out the faults of othersâ— and in censuring and taxing their waies but they passe by themselues they loue not to tarrie within the doores of their owne hearts They will search others to the quicke and passe their verdict on their waies to the highest straine of the Law but in the meane time they meddle not with themselues or make but a very parâ—iall triall These men like crowes are best at ease when they are feeding their corrupt humours vpon the carrion of other mens sins or like the flesh-flie that alway delights to sit vpon the soare I taxe not the lawful searching and examination of other mens waies made by the lawfull Magistrate the godly Minister the honest Maister and religious parent or of any other that keepeth himselfe within the lists and limits of his calling Onely this I say let curious inquisition bee abandoned and let him that searcheth and trieth the waies of other men be mindfull of his owne lest hee proue no better at the best then either the lanthorne which beareth a light for others to see by or the wilde fig-tree which as they say giueth that to others which it hath not it selfe So let him take heede lest hee be an occasion and helpe to others for to repent by discouering their waies vnto them yet be through his own default the destruction of himselfe in that he did not discouer and ponder his owne Thus much concerning the two former branches of the Prophets exhortation which I beseech you brethren be mindefull of Shall the Oxe know his owner and the Asse his masters crib and shall wee be ignorant of our waies and not know our selues If wee would not then we must search and try them Wouldst thou haue the vessell of thine heart clensed of the lees of sinne As thou must get it rinsed with the clensing water of Gods Spirit so thou must search and examine it thy selfe or otherwise thou wilt not thinke it is so full of dregges and corruption as it is and so will bee more secure then is meete I proceed now to the third braÌ„ch And let vs turne againe vnto the Lord. Whence I gather these two Doctrines First that sinnes sets a man out of his right way and makes him wander from the Lord for hee that will haue fellowshippe and fauour with God is exhorted to turn from his sinnes Sinne doth vntune the strings of the heart and puts the limmes of the soule out of ioynt It makes one stray like a sheepe and leades one from God to the diuell from life to death from heauen to hell Therfore though it sometimes bring hony with it in the mouth like a Bee yet it neuer is without a sting in the taile For that which Salomon saith of the harlot is mâ—st true of sin Though it be as soft as oyle in the beginning and as sweete as the hony combe to the taste of the sinner yet the end thereof is bitter as worme wood and as sharpe as a two edged sword the feete thereof goe downe to death and the steps take hold on hell it causeth many to fall downe wounded and slaieth the mightie Wherfore then should men delight in sinne and embrace the bosome of iniquitie Secondly and so to conclude this text from these words of the Prophet I am taught to teach you That it is not sufficient for a man onely to search and trie his waies but he must also turne from them if he find them wrong and seriously repent himselfe of them For therefore we search and trie them that discerning them to be euill we may forsake them The ende of fishing is not angling but taking the ende of fowling is catching the ende of plowing is not working but sowing so the ende of searching and prouing our waies is that we may repaire them and and returne to God Therefore when the wise man had saide Ponder the path of thy feete hee addeth immediately And let all thy waies be ordered aright turn not to the right hand nor to the left but remoue thy foot from euill As the Sessions and Assises are helde for the repressing of enormities and iniuries and for the suppressing of irregular and vicious persons so we hold this Assises in our soules for the arraigning enditing examining iudging and condemning of our sinnes that dying vnto sinne we may liue vnto God with peace of conscience and tranquilitie of minde Secondly if we doe onely search and examine our waies and proceed no further we shal make our selues more inexcusable encrease our condemnation For if after the performance of these things we shall perceiue our waies to bee our owne and not the waies of God and wil yet content our selues and not seeke to mend them we shall the more displease his Maiestie we shal aggrauate our punishment and make our selues more guiltie of our owne destructions For it is not so much the coÌ„mitting of sin which condemns the sinner as the continuing in it without conuersion from it being seene and knowne If a man were fallen into deepe dungeon or pit would not seeke to come forth when he might be deliuered if he sought in time he makes himselfe guiltie of his owne death If a man by searching of his wounds did perceiue the present and future daunger of them and yet would hide them
the plague-sores of our soules and vtter enemies to our peace and safety shall wee let them alone shall we stand still suffer them to destroy vs O daughter Babel worthy to bee destroyed And is not sinne the daughter of the diuell and the Babel of the soule as worthy to bee destroyed Blessed saith the Psalmist shall hee be not seeme nor called that taketh and dasheth thy children against the stones euen so blessed shall that man be I say bee that dasheth his sinnes in peeces and killeth the killing corruption of his heart which like the fire saith not It is enough and like the Crocodile will grow so long as it hath any life vnlesse it be both pressed and oppressed If Dauid crie out Woe is vnto me that I remaine in Meshek and dwell in the tents of Kedar haue not we cause to lameÌ„t that we remaine in our sinnes and for that not onely sinne dwelleth in vs but we also in sinne as it is to be feared many of vs may truly say as much if we did search our selues narowly Dauid could say My soule hath too long dwelt with him that hateth peace Wherefore then should not we be wearie of our sinnes which are sworne enemies to all true peace Amos maketh mention of some that desire the Sabbath were gone that they might sell their corne deere and falsifie their weights yea that they might buy the poore for siluer and the needie for shooes Their delay was as death vnto them Shall any man make so much haste for filthy lucre and to worke heinous iniquitie and shall wee linger the time and deferre to do good to turne from our sinnes vnto God Dauid was grieued because he saw men that kept not the word of God shal not we be grieued for our selues when wee breake the commaundements of God and demonstrate our griefe by our true turning vnto him Must Ierusalem mourn because the children of Iudah haue set their abhominations in the house of God and shall we be ioyfull and careles while our hearts which are the houses of the holy Ghost are polluted with abhominable corruptions whereof we haue not all of vs as yet truly repented as our liues doe testifie Yea rather let vs repent and turne againe vnto the Lord and then we may indeed reioyce Was Ieremie sore vexed for the hurt of the daughter of his people Shall his eye cast out riuers of water for her destruction And shal not we lament for our owne hurt for defacing of Gods image within vs and for the many grieuous wounds of our soules Must Christ be nayled to the Crosse for thy sinnes and pearced with a speare to the heart for thy wickednesse and wilt not thou turne from them and forsake them Shal he grone and sigh and sob shall he sweate water and bloud for thy sinnes and wilt thou yet delight in them wilt thou not forsake and leaue them knowest thou not that Christ bare our sinnes vpon the Crosse that we should die to sinne and liue in righteousnesse Paul saith that Christ gaue himselfe for vs that hee might redeem vs from all iniquitie and purge vs to be a peculiar people vnto himselfe Zealous of good workes Therefore to shew our selues to be the redeemed of Christ we must turne from our sinnes and follow the workes of pietie and iustice As there is no agreement betweene God and the Diuell betweene Christ and Beliall betweene light and darknesse as there is mortall enmitie betweene the Eagle and the Swan betweene the Turtle and the Pyralis betweene the Ichneumon and Waspe the Rauen and the Leriot one of them iarring and warring with an other so let there be no concord betwixt theâ— and thy sinnes but as they contend against thy soule so doe thou wage warre with them and cease not till thou haue gotten conquest ouer them And as Peter saith of the faithfull in his time that they were as sheepe going astray but are now returned vn-the Sheepheard and Bishop of their soules euen so though ye haue bene in time past straglers from the Lorde and transgressours of his lawe yet now repent of your sinnes and turne againe vnto him so shall Sathan be grieued his members silenced the godly edified your selues comforted and God glorified vnto whom be rendered all honour praise and glory in the Church and of the Church â—or euer and euer Amen Trin-vni Deo Gloria Neuem 5. 1605. Deut. 32. 15. Iob. 39. 7. Mare mortuum Reue. 2. 5. Ier. 7. 3. 2. Chron. 30. 9. Plin. lib. â— cap. 26. Plin. lib. 8. c. 26. Doct. 1. 2. Tim. 3. 16. 2. Pet. 1. 21. Iam. 4. 12. Reuel 1. 6 Mar. 5. 13 Num. 22. Zep. â— 1â— Vse 1. Act. 27. 15. antipiptete Act. 7. 51. For the breach of euery commandement and exhortation is eternal death Isa 28. 1â— Vse 2. Gal. 1. 4. Rom. 12. 2 Mat. 8. 9. Math. 12 50. 1. Thess 4. 3. 2. Sam. 26 7. 2. Math. 2. 8 2. King 25 Gal. 6. 7 Doct. 2. Ps 19. 12. Ec. 7. 31. Matt. 23. 17. Mare mâ—rtuum Gen. 27. An. 1605. Ro. 6. 23. Pro. 4. 23 Ier. 9. 5. 1. Pet. 2. 15. Mat. 7. 13 Prou. 27. 23. Mouent non pro mouent Isa 38. 8. Ios 10. 13 Psa 19. 5. Doct. 3. Pro. 16. 2. 21. 2. Pro. 30. 12 Eccl 7. 22 Gen. 6. 5. Rom. 7. 18. 23. Ioh. 8. 44. Psal 19. 8. 11. Psal 119. 104 105. Psal 119. 144 151. Vse 1. Psal 119. 15. 18. Psal 119. 24 64 73 Vse 2. Occultum quatiente auimo tortore flagelluÌ„ Iuuen. Vse 3. Ps 119. 59. Doct. 4. Doct. 5. Lam. 1. 1. 3. Lam. 2. 2 11 12 20 â—1 Lam. 4. 4. 5. 10. Lam 5. 4 5 12 14. Lam. 2. 5 15. Lam. 3. 46 Lam. 2. 7 20. Lam. 4. 16 Ps 145. 9. Ps 89. 32 33. Doct. 6. Rom. 1. 7. 1 Cor. 1. 2 Rom. 15. 14. 15. 1. Ioh. 1. 8 1. Ki. 8. 46 Doct. 7. 2. Cor 5. 20 Psal 4. 4. Iam. 5. 17. Prou 1. 11. 14. Prou. 7. 18 Ps 64. 5. Gen. 30. 37 38 39. Doct. 8. Gen. 2. 10 Iosh 6. 4 3 Vse 1. Vse 2. 1. Sam. 2. 25. Vse 3. a Ps 75. 6. b 1. Chro. 2â— 12. c 1. Sam. â— 30 d Ps 37. 34 Act. 27. 22 23 31 34 43. Ps 119. 9 Exod 4. 3. Doct. 9. Psal 4. 4. Zeph. 2. 1. 1. Cor. 11. 28 2. Cor. 13. 15. Gal. 4. 4 5 2. Cor. 5. 10. Pro. 27. 23. Pro. 31. 27 1. Tim. 5. 8 Pro. 7. 11. Caprificus Isa 1. â— Ezek. 36. 25. Doct. 10. Doct. 10. Pro. 5. 4. 5. Proâ— 26. Doct. 11. Pro. 4. 26 27. Sinne inuironeth or hemmeth a man about Heb. 12. 1. Ps 39. 1. 2. Cor. 2. 13. In vtramque aurem â—â—â—mire Rom. 7. 23 Act. 8. 21. 23. First point Who must turne Rom. 15. 4 Rom. 2. 6. 11. Act. 17. 30 1. Cor. 7. 19. 2. Cor. 5. 27. Eph. 2. 1 3 12. Ps 81.