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A18963 Foure sermons The two first, of godly feare: on Hebrewes 4. verse 1. By Robert Cleauer. The two last. Of Christian loue and life. On Canticles 2. verse 10. By Richard Webb. Cleaver, Robert, 1561 or 2-ca. 1625.; Webb, Richard, preacher of God's word. aut 1613 (1613) STC 5381; ESTC S108059 69,327 96

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Israelites hardning of their hearts in the wildernesse the crying sinnes of the Sodomites the haynous offences of the old world and the woefull disobedience of our first Parents in Paradise haue antiquitie for the maintenance of them if that would serue the turne but alas that is so farre from making any fault alowable that it causeth the committers thereof to be more in excuseable in as much as they haue not beene admonished by the falls of such as haue gone before them Therefore let vs neuer beare our selues in hand that we may warrantably take this or that course of life because others haue done so before vs vnlesse wee can euidently proue out of the scriptures that they haue done well in so doing Otherwise let vs rather feare as in this text wee are exhorted than presume to walke in their steps To God the Father to Iesus Christ his Sonne and to the holy Ghost be all honour and glory ascribed both now and for euermore Amen THE SECOND SERMON OF GODLY FEARE HEBREVVES 4. VERSE 1. Least at any time by forsaking the promise of entring into his rest any of you should seeme to be depriued LEast at any time These wordes doe shew the continuance of our watchfulnesse that it must be constant not at some times alone but at all times whence obserue this point that Whosoeuer vvould attaine to euerlasting life Doct. 4 Constant vvatchfulnesse required must stand constantly and perpetually vpon his guard euery Christian must keepe a continuall watch ouer his owne soule as well one day as another as well hereafter as for the present there is no time of intermission or of interruption granted Therefore is it that this same Apostle exhorteth saying Take heede brethren Heb. 3.12 least at any time there be in any of you an euill heart and vnfaithfull to depart away from the liuing God Pro. 28.14 And the vvise man saith Blessed is hee that feareth alwayes but hee that hardens his heart shall fall into euill Implying thereby that where this godly feare is at any time wanting there that partie is prone to fall into hardnesse of heart and so to proceed from one wickednesse vnto another The like caution is giuen by our Sauiour to his Disciples Take heede to your selues saith he least at any time your hearts be oppressed with surfetting Luk. 21.34 and drunkennesse and the cares of this life Neither is this vncessant watchfulnesse more than needes Reasons for First the diuell goes about continually at a roaring Lyon seeking whom he may deuoure 1 Pet. 5. Hee is as it were a strong and cunning thiefe that hath often marked euery place in our house where hee may breake in and if wee haue not a continuall eye vnto him hee is ready to take vs at an aduantage and to spoyle our soules of those good things vvhich the Lord hath vouchsafed vnto vs and when he is least suspected then is hee most industrious about his mischieuous practises Our warfare is different from that which earthly Princes doe exercise for they are some times altogether without danger but wee goe in continuall perill wee know not how soone Sathan will be vpon vs there is no moment wherein wee can secure our selues from his assaults and if we be not euermore in a readinesse to award off his blowes we are likely to receiue a deadly wound Yea vvee haue not onely our aduersary the diuell to encounter with but a more neere and dangerous enemy and withall very subtill euen our owne flesh which is ready vpon euery occasion to betray vs into the hands of Sathan haue we not then good reason alwayes to walke in feare If we had in our houses a theevish seruant albeit he did not lay waite for our liues nor were any way likely to endanger our whole estate but onely to defraud vs of some part of our substance vvould wee not haue an eye to such an one and that continually But especially if we had one within our doores that sought all opportunities to deliuer vs into the hands of our mortall enemy would wee not be euermore watchfull for the preuenting of such a mischiefe How much more vigilant then should wee be in matters spirituall seeing that our naturall corruption is exceeding treacherous and ready vpon euery occasion not to procure vs some slight inconuenience or small losse but to bring vs vnder the power and dominion of the Prince of darkenesse vvho is a vowed aduersary vnto all Gods elect Thirdly in regard of the Lord wee had need to keepe a perpetuall watch ouer our hearts for vvho knoweth how seuerely he may proceede against vs if vve for neuer so little a while doe wilfully shake off the yoake of obedience May not hee iustly giue vs ouer to a deluded minde and a profane spirit if we beginne to alow our soules in any knowen euill If vvee carelessely reiect his holy lawes may not his spirit iustly forsake our soule If wee conclude thus in our owne thoughts now will I take liberty for vvantonnesse and vncleanenesse for oppression and hard dealing and such like sinnes and hereafter I vvill become more chast and more mercifull c. May not God euen at this time deliuerws vp as prisoners vnto Sathan as hee hath dealt vvith sundry others and cause him so to manacle our hearts and affections that it shall cost vs many a bitter teare ere wee recouer our former libertie and freedome of spirit Nay further how if God should take vs with the manner and at that time strip vs of life it selfe Surely albeit wee being the seruants of the Lord and dying in repentance cannot perish vtterly yet shall we depart hence very vncomfortably and not leaue so good a report behinde vs as otherwise vve might haue done The doctrine thus confirmed serueth First Vse 1 for the sharpe reproofe of such aspropose vnto themselues set times vvherein they will giue their flesh the swing and let loose the raines vnto too much licenciousnesse And as at other times so especially vpon the Lords day when God would haue them wholy to attend vpon him then they take liberty for their vile and sinfull lusts giuing themselues ouer either to idlenesse at home or which is worse vnto profanenesse abroad For the weeke dayes many containe themselues ordinarily vvithin some good compasse being imployed in the workes of their vocation but on the Sabbath which the Lord hath set apart as holy vnto himselfe they runne violently vnto all manner of sinnefull recreations and base exercises and sports and so of Gods day they make that the Diuels day in so much that hee then knowes whereabout hee shall finde them euen busily imployed in his worke for they at sundry seasons openly professe and that a twelue moneths before Ryot and Drunkennesse and Carding and Dicing and dalliance and such like horrible abuses and make it knowne that then they minde to keepe open house for sinne and Sathan when they should set
cary away all the preferment and yet when the question is concerning the chiefe preferment of all which is to be a found Christian they put euery body before themselues they are content that others shall be Kings but they will be vassalls vnto sinne and Sathan What folly or rather madnesse is this Doe they imagine that they shall not come to iudgement as well as others Doth not experience manifest vnto them that age creepeth vpon them as well as vpon others That sicknesse taketh hold of them as well as of others That horrible vexations and terrours doe sease on them as vvell as on others And why then doth it not enter into their hearts that damnation belongs vnto them as well as vnto others if by speedy repentance they doe not preuent the same Now as some doe fondly and falsly conceiue that they shall be boren vvith in regard of their greatnesse so doe others hope in regard of their meanenesse to be dispensed with We are poore day-labourers and seruants say they who are to be imployed in worldly affaires and to spend our whole time that way I hope it is not required of vs that wee should be skild in the scriptures be able to conceiue prayer able to admonish offenders c. And therefore either they absent themselues from the Church altogether or els are carelesse and negligent and sleepie when they are there and if they be called to an account and examined vvhat they remember they make answere that they are wearied out with labouring in the weeke dayes and therefore they must haue rest vpon the Sabbath day That they were hired for their worke and that they will doe and no more they will not be examined nor catechized nor be held to any such strict orders But doth not the Lord in his holy word require obedience of poore men and of seruants as farre forth as of any Doth not he in the fourth commandement enioyne them to obserue not a bodily rest alone as beasts doe but an holy rest And whereas they say that they are so toyled out with worke that they cannot listen to Gods word that is but a fleshly and diuellish excuse for vvhen the Sermon is ended they are fresh and liuely enough to follow after their sports and sinnefull recreations if they may haue libertie so to doe and can take more paines that way than they haue done in their callings all the weeke before and therefore these vaine shifts shall not serue their turnes Gods threatnings are denounced against them and his iudgements haue beene executed vpon such as they are heeretofore and so shall they be still profane seruants and sinnefull poore men were not spared in the destruction of the olde world and of Sodom and Gomorra and wee reade in the Gospell that at the comming of Christ those that are labouring in the Field Mat. 24.40.41 and women that are grinding at the Mill shall be some of them cast off vnto destruction as well as others are receiued vnto saluation But all seruants are not of so meane a condition as some but there are a second sort that haue another pretence for their casting off of Christ his yoake and they are such as are followers of great men who alledge that it is not for their Masters honour for them to be religious or as they tearme it precise but to be proud and quarrelsome to be ruffians and roisters to be swearers and blasphemers to be drunkards and whore-Maisters these they thinke be for the credite of the house vnto which they appertaine and by these practises they hope to be-please their Masters But when they haue spent their daies in these courses can their Masters saue them from perdition which by their leudnesse they haue iustly deserued no surely the holy Ghost speaking of the mighty ones of the world sayth Psal 49.7.8 that they cannot redeeme their brother nor giue his ransome to God they cannot procure their naturall life to be prolonged one day nay nor one moment much lesse can they purchase the redemption of their soules that they should liue for euer and that in perpetuall blisse and happinesse Others there are that thinke they may haue a tolleration to be vaine and sinnefull because they are yong especially if they haue this resolution that when their youthfull bloud is spent and the vigour of their bodies gone they will betake themselues to more sober courses and repent for that which is past but till that time if they take their libertie vpon the Lords day and liue in idlenesse and profanenesse euery day you must pardon them but will God pardon them doth not he say Remember thy creatour in the dayes of thy youth Eccles 12.1 whiles the euill dayes come not nor the yeeres approach wherein thou shalt say I haue no pleasure in them And if they will not take his aduise marke what he sayth in another place Reioyce Eccles 11.9 O yong man in thy youth and let thine heart cheare thee in the dayes of thy youth c. This they can well like of be too ready to put in practise but what followeth But know sayth the Lord that for all these things thou must be brought to iudgement Dauid found that the sinnes of his youth lay heauy vpon him and therefore prayeth God would not remember them Psal 25.7 and shall we make so light of them Paul admonisheth Timothy a very sanctified and mortified yong man to flie the lusts of youth and shall we let loose the raines thereunto as if they were matters of nothing ah let vs not be so foole-hardie vnto our owne ruine and ouerthrow but considering how fearfully the Lord doth iudge many young men that giue vp themselues to fornication and adulterie and theft and all manner of vile and sinfull behauiour as namely that some of them die an vntimely death being either brought to the gallowes or some other way strangely cut off and that others hauing great reuenewes left vnto them are notwithstanding cast into extreme miserie and necessitie and that some others being well descended are for all that branded with egregious infamie and reproch considering I say these and the like extraordinary tokens of Gods heauie displeasure against sundrie lisencious yong men let vs take warning by their example and consecrate the first fruits of our yeeres vnto him by spending our time religiouslie and profitablie in some good course or other Secondly Vse 2 sithence the care of saluation pertaineth vnto all indifferently let Ministers hence learne to deale equally with those that are vnder their charge and not know any man after the flesh to respect him more or lesse for that hee is rich or poore high or low or the like but giue euery one their due portion of spirituall food which they in the wisedome of the Spirit iudge to be most fit for them let them not feare to administer an admonition or reprehension to the greatest and wealthiest neither let them