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word_n	faith_n	hear_v	preach_n	3,029	5	10.8817	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17330	Ten sermons vpon the first, second, third and fourth verses of the sixt of Matthew containing diuerse necessary and profitable treatises , viz. a preseruative against the poyson of vaine-glory in the 1 & 2, the reward of sincerity in the 3, the vncasing of the hypocrite in the 4, 5 and 6, the reward of hypocrisie in the 7 and 8, an admonition to left-handed Christians in the 9 and 10 : whereunto is annexed another treatise called The anatomie of Belial, set foorth in ten sermons vpon the 12, 13, 14, 15 verses of the 6 chapter of the Prouerbs of Salomon.	Burton, William, d. 1616.	1602 (1602)	STC 4178.5; ESTC S261	267,037	263

Balaams Asse who indeede could do that which other beasts could not do and that was to speake and reproue his maister with a mans voyce and yet was still a beast or like Vriah who caried letters in his owne bosome to his owne destruction Or like vnto the diuels who sayd in the fourth of Luke that they knew Christ but it was to their torment Therefore whosoeuer would keepe his heart well and haue it purged and preserued from the leud things of Belial let him pray that the truth may not swimme aloft in his braine as it doth in many wicked men but that it may sinke downe into his heart and worke righteousnesse and true obedience to Gods will Thirdly because our harts are very false to God and like run awayes new fangled mal-contented and desirous of liberty therefore in the next place it will not be amisse to pray with Dauid O Lord knit my heart vnto thee that I may feare thy name And then indeede are we in safety and security for in his seruice is freedome and protection But if we wander out of his seruice and Iust after carnall libertie then are we in danger and it will fall out with vs as it did with Dinah the daughter of Iacob who was not rauished vntill she wandred abroad among the Sichemites from her fathers house Fourthly because we are dull and lazie in the seruice of God we must also desire the Lord to quicken vs with his grace that is to rouse vs vp by calling vnto vs by his Ministers or by pinching vs with some fatherly and mercifull corrections when we fall asleepe and are hard to be awaked and so to make vs liuely when we are heauy and fainting away vnder our burthen and still to set an edge vppon our zeale How needfull this prayer is it may sufficiently appeare vnto any one that will but consider that Dauid prayeth in one Psalme the 119. no lesse then seauen or eight times for this grace And these are the things which I finde at this time most necessarie to be prayed for of euery one that would haue his heart well purged and reformed not excluding other things which others presently or hereafter vppon further meditation and experience may finde requisite to bee prayed for Now as we must pray for these graces and fauours of God before specified so also must we beware of foure most daungerous enemies and pray earnestly against them that through Gods gracious helpe and power we may be deliuered from them The first is neglect and abuse of the meanes whereby the heart is to be regenerated sanctified established and quickened These meanes are of two sorts the outward and inward the outward meanes are the word and Sacraments The word of God saith Dauid will redresse the young mans waies if he take heede thereunto And the word of God saith the Apostle is mighty and liuely in operation as hath bene shewed before Heb. 4.12 the Sacraments are also very effectuall signes and seales of Gods fauour towards vs in Christ and be called of Augustine visible words because they do in a manner visibly demonstrate vnto our sight that which we heard with our eares and the more we are assured of Gods loue the more are our hearts inflamed againe with the loue of his Maiesty The inward meanes is the Spirite of God working faith conuersion and obedience in our hearts by the outward So was the heart of Lydia opened and conuerted at the Preaching of Paule not Paule but the Lord opened her hart that she beleeued Paules preaching And as at the first the Lord by his word and Spirite created the world so the Lord by his word and Spirit still createth the hearts of men new againe Therfore let vs frequēt the preaching vse reading of the word of God let vs delight to conferre and meditate vpon the word in all reuerence sobriety vse the meanes and the vse will in time beget a blessing Let vs neuer my good brethren giue ouer hearing of the word as many haue done for Sathan neuer hath men at such aduantage to worke vpon them what he will as when men haue giuen ouer hearing the word preached And seeing as the Spirite is the meane whereby our saith and conuersion are wrought through the preaching of the word let vs nourish that by all good meanes taking great heed that we neither quench it nor greeue it 1. Thes. 5. by taking away the exercises of hearing and prayer and meditation and conference whereby it is nourished nor by dispensing with any sin in our harts where the Spirit must raigne If we want these meanes thē are we to pray for them Pray to the Lord of the haruest saith our Sauiour Christ that he would send foorth labourers into his haruest And for the spirit we must pray as Dauid doth O Lord take not thy holy spirit away from me and open my eyes that I may see the wonderfull things of thy law Wo be to them that despise prophecying thinke these meanes to be more then need as they that profanely and desperatly reason thus without reason If I be elected I shall be saued do what I list if not I shall be damned do what I can These be the speeches of the mē of Belial whose harts are pestered with leud things neither can they wisely consider that as God hath foreordained mē to a certaine end so also hath he fore ordained the meanes wherby they shal come to that end Of such contemners and beastly hogs and dogs as Christ calleth them we may reade more in Mal. 3.14 and in Iob. 21.15 The effect of both which places is one that such wicked persons thinke there is no profit in seruing the Almighty and therfore they say vnto God Depart from vs we desire not the knowledge of his wayes and spending their dayes in all iolity and carnall prosperitie like oxen set vp a fatting neuer vsed to the yoke at last they go downe suddenly to hell Let them also beware and look to themselues who giue ouer hearing of Sermons of which there be two sorts schismatikes and afflicted consciences schismatikes are they that cut themselues off from our assemblies whose propertie is to iustifie themselues and to condemne others and therein they haue no small felicity of these some be Papists some Brownists some Anabaptists c. To the first sort we may say as the Apostle doth in Gal. 1.6.7 I maruell that you are so soone turned away vnto another Gospell from him that hath called you which is not another Gospell But some among you intend to trouble the Church of God And if we be not Apostles and Ministers of Christ vnto them yet doubtlesse we are vnto others who are the seale of our ministerie vnto God in Christ. To the second sort we say as the Church saith in Canticles 3.1.2.3.4 Thou wouldest find Christ and canst not

paines amongst them The shepheard loueth not only to heare his flocke bleate like sheepe and go to the greene pastures but also when time commeth he expecteth their fleece for his gaine and their yong for the increase of his flocke So the shepheards of our soules loue more to see the flocke of Christ yeeld their loue to the encouragement of their shepheards and the increase of good workes for the enlarging of the flocke of Christ then only to heare them speake and ●alke like Christians It was an incouragement to Paule to trauell in birth among the Galathians when he was in hope to bring them foorth vnto Christ or to beger Christ in their hearts What had that blessed Apostle to boast of when he came at Macedonia but of the zeale of the Corinthians and when he came at Achaia what ioy was it vnto him to report of the forwardnesse and liberality of the Macedonian Christians Euen so no lesse comfort is it to godly Ministers still in places abroad to commend the zeale and loue and knowledge and patience and godlinesse and charity of their people at home and the contrarie to all these is as great a crosse and discouragement as the former is ioyfull comfortable and encouraging As the minister of Christ is encouraged by the lights that is the good workes of Christians shining before men so are other Christians also no lesse confirmed and drawne forward to do the like So the readinesse of the Corinthians was a spur to the Macedonians and Achaians yea their zeale saith the Apostle prouoked many to be zealous Iron sharpneth yron sayth Salomon so the face of a friend sharpneth a friend that is one man quickneth another One peece of wood being set on fire and layed to another doth also kindle the other so one zealous Christian maketh other zealous which were cold before Examples are very forcible either to good or euill for in the affections of men there is a certaine vnity and vnited league so that when one is moued another by the same is moued like a chaine of many linkes one within another draw one and draw all or like a clocke which hath many wheeles which all stand still vntill one be set a worke but if one be set a going that will moue his fellow and his fellow will moue his next fellow and so one will moue another the greater the lesser and the lesser in some place the greater the lower the higher vntill at the last the clocke sound and tell all the world thereof And this spirituall mouing of affection by the like affection and drawing on of one action by another like which the same affection embraceth is effected by vertue of the communion of Saints which we rather beleeue then expresse Thus Nathaniel is drawne by Philip to see Christ and Philip is drawne by Simon Peter and Simon by his brother Andrew Thus the woman of Samaria being moued by Christ moueth the best of her neighbours to come out and see Christ. And herein appeareth the vnity of the Spirit which the Apostle speaketh of Ephes. 4.3 and willeth Christians to hold and maintaine with the bond of peace for the Spirit of God is alwayes one and the same in all men in all ages and at all times and looke what it commendeth to one it commeth to another and what it perswadeth one vnto vnto the same it perswadeth another So that one man being moued by Gods Spirit to shew workes of mercy he doth it his affection liking the same commendeth them vnto another that mans affections also being ruled by the same Spirite cannot chuse but affect and entertaine the same things and so they go from one to another and all being moued by one and the same spirit And yet euery one is moued by meanes and in his seuerall degree and measure whether it be of faith or charity or patience c. Dauid was a meane to make many zealous with him in fetching home the Arke and in other religious actions no doubt but how he first heareth the word then he beleeueth then he speaketh then others heare him speaking then they beleeue that which they heare from him and then they affect that which they beleeue and then they practise that which they affect as all men do whose harts are where their treasure is and their tongues are occupied about that which their harts are set vpon To conclude therefore this point seeing as the doing of good workes before men maketh much for the glorifying of God and the encouraging and drawing on of others both the godly Minister in his place seeing some fruite of his labours and also of other Christians by the example of their brethren and by vertue of the spirite which vniteth their affections let no man condemne the giuing of almes or exercise of other workes of charitie before men but do them rather but alwaies take heede as our Sauiour willeth that ye giue not your almes before men to be seene of men that is with a desire of praise and vaine-glorie It is the affection that maketh or marreth all our actions and is the thing that is more respected with the Lord then the outward action it selfe be it neuer so good Salomon is witnesse for he saith The Lord pondereth the spirits that is he considereth with what affections things be done And the Lord loueth not a giuer but a cheerefull giuer Now the gift is in the hand but cheerefulnesse lodgeth in the heart and appeareth in the countenance which the Lord doth more respect then the gift No one thing doth so soone and so much poison all our actions as vaineglory doth a sinne indeed that waiteth on the best as it did vpon S. Paule who therefore had a messenger of Sathan sent to buffet him that is he had a part vnregenerate to humble him lest he should be exalted aboue measure by reason of those reuelations which he had giuen him to shew that the best men are giuen to thinke well of themselues How many do giue and forgiue to be seene of men How many haue Sermons and Dole at their burials only to be praised of men How many heare the word and daily frequent the exercises of religion onely to be seene of men How many do lend and giue their word vainegloriously to be praised of men How many do build aloft like Nimrods euen till Babel that is to say confusion fall vpon their heads and onely to get a name amongst men How many haue euen confessed their faultes and wept for their sinnes too euen to be seene of men How many comming through Cathedrall churches kneele downe by a pillar as though they prayed onely to be seene of men And might not Osorius the Papist himselfe be as vaineglorious as another when he wrote a booke de contemnenda gloria in contempt of vaineglorie As many rufflers in the Church make most glorious Sermons in praise of mortification and sanctification

be giuen to God and after the homeliest fashion too without any holy reuerence or due preparation the other halfe to the world or the flesh or the diuell or al and that with all deuotion and earnestnesse of affection These may well be likened to the idoll of Achab to whom Baals Priests cryed O Baal heare vs. But what said Elias Crie lowder for it may be that your God sleepeth or pursueth his enemies or else he talketh with some bodie or is in his iourney So if the Minister of Christ would haue Belial to heare him he must crye lowder O Belial heare vs for it may be that the men of Belial are a sleepe and must be awaked or pursuing their enemies or setting their rackes or casting ouer their vsurie bookes or selling their wares or viewing their grounds as Nebuchadnezzar did his pallace or running after their bowles or playing at cardes or pursuing of their vanities And that see others of the inferiour sort and they become as deafe too as their betters If a man cry neuer so lowd to these Belials it will not boote for they are as deafe as Baal and if there be no lawe to compell them to sanctifie the sabbath in better sort we do but loose our labour Herod would heare Iohn Baptist so Iohn would let him alone with his brothers wife so would many also now be hearers of the word and reuerence as much the Preacher as euer Herod did Iohn so they may haue a dispensation for some speciall sinne of theirs which doth yeeld them some filthy gaine or beastly pleasure But Herod was a man of Belial for all his deuout hearing of Iohn and so are these kind of hearers too for he cast off the yoke of mortification and so do they Well if we will be Christians indeede as well as in name we must put on the yoke of obedience to Christs lawes What he saith we must beleeue what he commaundeth we must obey what he promiseth we must desire what he threatneth we must feare what he suffereth we must partake what we vnderstand not we must reuerence what we like not we must at the least affect it what we brooke not we must yet hunger after and what cup he hath drunke to vs in we must desire to pledge him in the same with all our heart and count ourselues not worthie of such an honour when we haue obtained of God so great a fauour We must then deny our selues willingly and for his sake take vp the crosse chearefully for this is Christs lawe we must heare his voice and follow him for this is Christs lawe we must often remember him by worthie receiuing his holy supper for this is Christs lawe we must do to the poore what we would do to him for this is Christs lawe we must loue one another as he hath loued vs for this is Christs law we must suffer reproches and rebukes for his sake for this is Christs lawe we must learne to forgiue our enemies as he hath forgiuen vs for this is Christs law In a word we must mortifie all our euill lusts and affections and make our members weapons of righteousnesse for this also is the law of Christ. For this cause the word is called a candle to light vs in darkenesse a sharpe sword to cut and deuide vs a hard hammer to driue and breake vs and a burning fire to purge consume vs by ruling our liues wherby both yong in yeres and yong in knowledge are to redresse their wayes Psal. 119.9 And the obedience of a Christian is nothing else but a following of that light a suffering of that sword to hew and cut him of that hammer to breake and batter him of that fire to purge and consume him of that fanne to winnow and cleanse him and of that plough to breake and till him and all this with patience gladnesse and thankfulnesse A dutie this is very painefull for flesh and bloud to performe and therefore is called in the scriptures a cutting off the hand a pulling out of the eie Mat. 5.29.30 A cutting of the throat Pro. 23.2 a weaning of the soule Psal. 131.2 and a crucifying of the flesh with the affections and lusts therof Gal. 5.24 To shew that is is as hard a matter by nature to forgo our sinnes as our eyes or our hands or our liues Yet because grace doth go beyond nature and goodnesse is stronger then euill and the spirit doth ouercome the flesh and faith beginneth where reason endeth therefore Christs yoke is called easie and his burden light Mat. 11.26 For he hath borne it for vs and doth beare it in vs and beareth vs too and therfore it is light to him that would beare it as Salomon saith All the words of God are plaine to him that will vnderstand and straight to them that would find knowledge Prou. 8.9 Nay more as the birds fethers are a benefit vnto her and not a burden because they carrie her vp from the snare of the fowler so the seruice of Christ it no burthen vnto vs but a benefite because it freeth vs from the bondage of the Diuell Therefore let vs go on my good brethren without fainting Let xs resolue to put on the yoke of Christ to be obedient vnto the Gospell to cast off our lazinesse in the seruice of God and to cast away our sins of profite and pleasure though we go through honour and dishonour as we must like the yoked oxe that haleth his burthen after him through thicke and thinne Many defie the Pope and thinke then that they are good Christians and yet are lawlesse in their affections The Turke the Iew the Saracene and the infidell can say so much but except your righteousnesse exceede the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisees ye cannot enter into the kingdome of heauen saith Christ so except our righteousnesse exceede the righteousnesse of the Turkes and Saracens we cannot be saued Therefore as we defie Poperie so we must be carefull to imitate Christ and to glorifie him by the subduing of our carnall lustes and desires The commendation that Saint Paul gaue vnto the Thessalonians was for that they turned from their idols vnto the liuing God 1. Thes. 1.9 But what commendation shall we deserue if we forsake Poperie and serue other sinnes if we leaue the Papistes and ioyne with Atheists Machiauels and Libertines The yoking of a Christian Dauid calleth a waining of the soule to shew that we long after libertie as the child doth after the breast that is to cry for it when we cannot get it Now in waining of the soule we must do as nurses do in waining of children they first annoint their breastes with some sower things to bring the child out of loue withall then they prouide some other wholesome foode for the child so we must haue before our eyes the discommodities of the world and the miseries of vanitie

will not sticke to say that though he doth accustome his mouth to swearing and filthie talking and all maner of vile ribaldrie yet he hath as honest a heart as the best of them all and meaneth no hurt Of the same mind also are they that find eares to heare and memorie to beare away all such filthie communications yea they can remember such things better then words of grace but they are deceiued saith the Apostle for euill words do corrupt good manners And as they do corrupt good manners so do they ingender euill and wicked manners for corruptio vnius est generatio alterius the corruption of one thing is the generation of another as in nature we see the corruption of the egge is the breeding either of a bird or else of rottennesse and stink and the turning of the wine is the making of that which was sweete wine to become sharpe vineger and the corrpuption of the graine in the earth is the generation either of a new blade of corne or else of a weed euen so the corruption of good manners is the generation of euill conditions the corruption of chastitie is the begetting of incontinencie the death of humilitie is the life of pride the corruption of faith is the generation of infidelity the corruption of sobrietie is the procreation of drunkennesse and the decay of pietie is the setting vp of prophanenesse And is all this no hurt Is there no hurt in euill words which be as infectious and daungerous to good manners as any plague sore is to the bodie As they be hurtfull to others so are they no lesse euill to ourselues and signes also of much euill in our hearts For as a rotten sore argueth a rotten disease and an vnsound bodie so a corrupt and froward mouth argueth a corrupt and froward heart and as a stinking breath doth bewray an vnsound stomach so a filthie mouth doth argue a filthie mind which is within like a swines stie or rather a diuels stie and therefore in verse 27. of the 4. to the Ephesians when the holy Apostle doth disswade Christians from sinfull anger and from dwelling in wrath he saith giue not place to the diuell as if the diuell did lodge in a wrathfull heart Which cannot be but to the grieuing of the spirit of God who is thereby as much as lieth in vs dispossessed of his hold inheritance For wold it not grieue any man to be either annoyed in his owne house or put out of his inheritance which he hath dearely purchased and paied for And will it not much more grieue and offend Gods spirit to be dispossessed of his owne inheritance which God hath purchased with his owne bloud Act. 20.28 and to haue the diuell set vp in his place like an vsurper And therefore in the 30. verse of the former fourth to the Ephesians he addeth And grieue not the holy spirit of God vsing that as a reason why we should not suffer corrupt communications to proceed out of our mouthes For though there be in all men naturall corruption and infirmitie which is bred and borne with them yet by the grace of God it is so suppressed and corrected in the regenerate that it hath no full sway nor domineering power in them And therefore he saith not let no corruption be at all in your minds but he saith Let no corrupt communication proceede out of your mouths For it is said in Gen. 6.5 that the imaginations of mans heart are euill continually But if lewd speeches haue libertie to proceede out of our mouthes that is at pleasure to go and come like a maister of a familie that is a signe that Sathan hath wonne the hold and keepeth possession of the heart And on the contrarie when good words are frequent and vsual in the mouth it is a signe that Gods spirit doth beare rule though now and then by reason of our naturall corruption that still remaineth in vs some crooked thoughts wil breake in to our minds and some froward speeches will breake foorth at our mouthes by force or by stealth while we be not so watchfull as we should be The Apostle S. Iames also agreeth with the former as touching the vse of the toung in his third chapter verses 3. and 4. where by two similitudes he sheweth that the tongue hath a double vse both in regard of our selues as also in regard of others And namely first our maker and then our neighbour For with our tongues we must blesse God that is praise God and with our tongues we must also blesse our neighbour that is pray for him wish him well and speak well of him c. How this little member must be gouerned he sheweth by two similitudes First of a bit in a horse mouth which the rider vseth for his owne safetie which also must be moderated for if it bee let loose too much the horse will stumble or go which way he lift or cast his rider if it be pulled in too much the horse will either stand still or else go backe or rise vp to the daunger of the rider So the tongue if it be too silent too fearefull and too much restrained the owner shall make no way in his heauenly iourney he shall not be able to keep companie with others it will make his affections rise vp with desperate cogitations to his own hurt neither shall God haue his due praise of that member which he ought to haue neither shall man reape that benefite thereof which we owe vnto him as it falleth out when men are so tong-tyed that they will not preach nor reproue sinne when they are called thereunto and when others will not affoord their neighbour their testimonie or witnesse in time of neede to do him good And againe if it be let go too loose and suffered to be too bold then it will fling out and runne riot as the saying is to the shame of the speaker and griefe of the hearers Secondly he likeneth it to the rudder of a shippe which is to rule the ship and to direct her course whose benefite if it be well stirred redoundeth to many to the Pilote himselfe who doth guide it to the owners to the mariners and to the whole ship with all that is in it and so on the other side is the daunger as great and manifold if it be not well ordered and stirred So the tongue is so to be vsed as that thereby the bodie may be well ordered the affections may be bridled others may be preserued and all may be edified by counselling some by instructing some by admonishing others by comforting others and by praying for all and interpreting all things in the best part Which graces whosoeuer hath attained vnto hath attained to an excellent thing Iam. 3.2 Yea a man of wisedome saith Salomon spareth his speech and he that vnderstandeth is of an excellent spirit Prou. 17.27 So that by the testimonie