them nothing more vnconstant then their mindes and hearts you cannot tell when you haue them nothing more vngratefull or a worse esteemer of mens deserts you cannot make account of any recompence ftom them humorous clamorous vnrespectiue these haue beene their proper adiuncts Looke but vpon two or three examples Regium est cùm bene feceris malè audire It was the complaint of a great King that is It is the Fate of Kings to be rewarded with euill speeches for their good deseruings 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It was said of another King Agamemnon deserued wel of the Graecians but hee was rewarded with bands or cruell death for his labour Neither haue Gods people beene free from these faults None e uer more faithful in Gods house then Moses none deeper in Gods Booke none more graced with miracles none more carefull of the peoples good c. Yet if any feare of hunger or thirst or enemies c. doe assaile them presently they are ready to returne into Egypt and to that end to elect another Captaine in place of Moses as you may see in Exodus and the Booke of Numbers so great interest had he in them I skip ouer Samuel Dauid Ieremy and other Kings and Prophets and righteous men Come we to Saint Paul and his Galatians his I call them because he had begotten them in the Gospell and as a Nurse cherisheth her children so was he tender among them but when he came to reape fruit from them hee found that he reckoned without his Hoast and so was disappointed of his hope At the first I grant they receiued him as an Angell of God euen as Christ Ieâ—us they were ready to pull out their owne eyes and to giue them to him if they would doe him good but after they had harkened once to seducers which turned them away from the simplicity of the Gospell then was Saint Paul no longer a Father vnto them but an enemy and in stead of plucking out their owne eyes they seemed forward enough to pull out Saint Pauls to doe their false apostles pleasure so great hold had he of them Neither did they better intreat the Lord of the house Christ Iesus himselfe for these were but his seruants It is true the Father said They will reuerence my Sonne and indeed so he well deserued for hee went about doing good and healing all that were possessed of Deuils or visited with any other sicknesse for God was with him He spake so diuinely as never man spake his enemies being witnesses yea the people wondred at the gracious words that proceeded out of his mouth and flocked betimes to heare him and hung as it were vpon his shoulders Thus Christ might seeme to say of them My beloued is mine and I am hers I haue married her to my selfe in righteousnesse iudgement and mercy But all this was but Hony-moone or as the hasty Summer fruits within a while they became rotten and corrupt and forgate their first loue Nay for a word spoken which that they did not vnderstand was their owne fault onely they gaue him the back and became Apostates Looke a little higher vpon the 51. verse and so downeward Because Christ said that he was the Liuing Bread that came downe from Heauen And Except yee eate of the flesh of the Sonne of man and drinke of his blood you haue no life in you Hereupon groweth a quarrell and such a quarrell as will not be taken vp by any Apologie or mediation but they must needs part yet all Lawes and common reason also will allow a man to interpret his owne meaning and when he professeth that he speaketh figuratiuely and spiritually he ought not to be taken properly and carnally When Christ affirmeth and auerreth that the words that he speaketh are Spirit and life that is are spiritually to be taken and then they will giue life as Augustine full well expoundeth Spiritualiter intelligenda sunt Intellexisti spiritualiter Spiritus vita sunt Intellexisti carnaliter Eâ—iam sic illa Spiritus vitae sunt sed tibi non sunt Hast thou vnderstood them spiritually Then they be Spirit life Hast thou vnderstood them carnally Euen so also they be Spirit and life but to thee they be not Should not this content indifferent men though neither himselfe nor others had spoken so before But now it hath beene an vsuall thing with Christ by a kind of Anagoge to deduce matters from the currant carnall â—ense to an heauenly vnderstanding and therefore with more equity may he be allowed here You know Math. 12. when one said to him Behold thy mother and thy brethren stand withouâ— desiring to speake with thee He answered and said Who is my mother and who are my brethren And stretching out his hand vpon his Disciples he said Behold my mother and my brethren for he that shall doe the will of my Father which is in heauen he is my brother sister and mother Thus Christ. Now I aske Was Christ ashamed of his kindred By no meanes for he taught others to honour father and mother and not to turne away their eyes from their owne flesh therefore himselfe would not be found defectiue in that duty But this is that that Tertullian saith Hoc dicto vsus est ad excutiendam importunitatem ab opere reuocantium That is By this saying he would meete with and shake off their importunity or vnseasonablenesse that withdrew him from his worke and therefore I say that he denieth that simply in shew which hee denieth not but in comparison indeed namely that if any hinder him in his heauenly vocation hee would not take him for his kinsman So Iohn 4. My meate is to doe the will of him that sent me and to finish his worke Had he no other meat at any time Yes hee did hunger and thirst and eate and drinke as other men doe but in comparison of this he cared not for the other this was meat and drinke to him So the Prophet Esay Is not this the fasting that I haue chosen to loose the bands of wickednesse to take off the heauy burdens and to let the oppressed goe free c. To deale thy bread to the hungry c. There was another bodily fasting or pinching of the belly but that was nothing to this spirituall One. So another Prophet Rent your hearts and not your garments And another Circumcise the fore-skin of your hearts c. Neither doe the Scriptures only vse to speake thus but ordinary wise men also whether they were in the Church or out of the Church What dost thou meane to angle for Trowtes and Gudgeons or the like Thy angling is Castles and Towres and Forts c. said Cleopatra to Marcus Antonius Doe you aske me where be my Iewels My Iewels are my husband his triumphs said Phocions wife Doe you aske me where be mine ornaments My ornaments be my two sonnes whom I haue brought vp in vertue and
learning said the mother of the Gracchi Do you aske me where be my treasures My treasures be my friends said Constantius the father of Constantine Briefly doe you aske me where be my hands My hands are the poore the blind and the lame whom I keepe of almes said Amadeus Lastly doe you aske what is the Romanes their science or occupation I confesse saith the Prince of Latine Poets Others can paint and carue and play the Orators and play the Astronomers artificially but Tu regere Imperio populos Romane memento c. Hae tibi erunt Artes c. Thine Astronomy and thine Oratory and thy caruing and painting c. must be to keepe in obedience Nations and to be good to them that liue in obedience and as for the proud and refractary to keepe them downe this must be thy Art Euen thus you heare that our Sauiour is not singular in his phrase in this 6. of Iohn touching Eating his Flesh and drinking his Blood but that the same in Analogie is vsed else-where by himselfe and euery where by others And to say the truth why should our Sauiour be thought to speake more properly and naturally when hee saith to vs You must eate the Flesh of the Sonne of man and drinke his Blood then when he saith of himselfe My meate is to doe the will of Him that sent me c Yet of the former speech our Aduersaries the Romanists take hold of as did also the Capernaites before them to the later they take no exception It is certaine that it was Scandalum acceptum non datum our Sauiour spake none otherwise then he might doe but these men tooke it otherwise then they ought to doe And who tooke it in ill fashion The Text saith Many of his Disciples when they heard this said This is an heardsaying who may abide it Yea further that Many went backe walked no more with him ver 66. If the vulgar Gnain Haarets had cauilled with a few of the better sort only or if they had kept their dislike to themselues or if they had contained themselues within words it had bin another matter Mortui non mordent so words be but wind Verba dum sunt and so Muti non mordent But now for his owne Disciples to doe it and not a few of them but many and not within themselues but to vtter it openly and to proceed from words to deeds and de facto to fall from him as it made their sinne the more sinfull so it might make Christs Passion the more passionate though all his passions were sanctified and alwayes without sin Well after much preparation ridding of the way all necessary for the clearing of the occasion we are come at the length to the Text it selfe Wherein note with me three things A question An answere A reply The Question and Reply are moued by our Sauiour the Answere by Peter The Question is tentatory Will â—ou also goe away I haue deserued better of you The Answere is partly indignatory Lord to whom shall we goe thou hast the words of eternall life He seemed to take it ill that their fidelity was questioned pa rtly Protestatory Wee beleeue and know that thou art the Christ the Sonne of the liuing God Lastly the Reply is Expostulatory Haue I not chosen you twelue and one of you is a Deuill As if he said Ye are not all sound at the heart yee are not all the men that you would be taken for For the first namely the Question As all haue not faith 2. Thess. 3. So all haue not continuance in the faith You ranne well who did let you that you did not obey the truth Gal. 5. and chapter 3. Are you so foolish that after you haue begun in the spirit you will end in the flesh So it is No man is crowned except he striue lawfully that is except he hold out a conquerour to the end And No man putting his hand to the plough and looking backe is meete for the Kingdome of God Therefore the Grecians significantly call end and perfection by one and the same word And Cyprian speaketh sensibly Quicquid ante finem fuerit gradus est quo ad fastigium salutis ascenditur non terminus quo iam culminis summa teneatur That is Whatsoeuer is before the end it is a step whereby we clime to the top of saluation but it is not the vppermost griece whereby the highest point of the top maybe taken hold of A man may be tumbled downe from the ladder as well when hee is within a round or two of the top as when he is in the midst or below the midst and a man may make shipwracke when he is within a ken of land as well as when he is a thousand miles off What had it profited Peter to haue escaped the first and second watch if they had stucke at the Iron-gate and had not passed thorow that also And what did it benefit Samson to haue withstood and eluded Delilahs temptation three seuerall times when in the fourth he gaue ground and was ouer-come Who maketh account of land Oates that shead before the Haruest or of fruit be it Apple or Peare that falls from the tree before it be ripe If you heare these things happy are ye if ye doe them saith Christ and if you receiue the Word once with gladnesse happy are ye say I if you continue in liking of it It is not an ordinary or light sinne to fall from the Grace of Christ neither was it a small fault of these Disciples hauing beene once enlightned and tasted of the good gift of God to forsake Christ in the open field and to turne to him the backe and not the face No maruell therefore if Christ seeme so to wonder as he doth at their back-sliding if he be so carefull to admonish the twelue that they follow not their steps but be warned by their falls Will yee also gâ—e away As if he said Though Israel sinne yet let not Iudah transgresse You are they that I haue framed and fashioned for my seâ—fe the graffe of mine owne setting the shaft of mine owne Quiuer that I may bee glorified therefore though all should be offended because of mee yet be not you offended though all should goe backe yet be not you as they that withdraw themselues vnto perdition for surely your punishment should be so much the heauier by how much Gods mercies in so calling and trusting you haue been the greater To this effect our Sauiour Now here a couple of questions may be demanded the one touching our Sauiour himself the other touching his Elect. Christ demandeth of them what their minde was doth not this somewhat question his omniscience Againe he asketh them whether they would forsake him doth not this call in question the stablenes of Gods counsell touching the Elect These be the two questions which I will answere in a word or two Touching
non irrisit as Bernard speaketh but if the world came vpon him he will be besotted by the world Therefore Thucydides recordeth it as a strange thing in the men of Chius that they were sober for all their prosperity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And Euagrius ascribeth this for a speciall praise to Mauritius the Emperour that in his prosperity he retained his ancient piety In our naturall bodies it is thus the more fat the lesse blood in the veines and consequently the fewer spirits and so in our fields abundance of wet breedes abundance of Tares and consequently great scarcity of corne And is it not so with our soules The more of Gods blessing wealth the more weedes of vanity and carnality and the more rich to the world the lesse righteous to God commonly What meant Apuleius to say that Vbi vber ibâ— tuber but to signifie that pride and arrogancy are companions to plenty And what made Salomon to pray against fulnesse but to shew that as they must haue good braines that will carry much drink so they must haue extraordinary soules that will not be ouercome with the world Did not Dauid himselfe in his prosperity say that he should neuer be remoued say or speake vnaduisedly Nay did hee not doe lewdly and wickedly defiling himselfe with his neighbours wife and embruing his hands in his seruitours blood thus adding murder to adultery Did he attempt any such thing in the dayes of want and aduersity No no in his necessity he sought the Lord and gate himselfe vnto his God right earely and offered vnto him the sacrifice of righteousnesse c. And yet we grudge and repine if wee doe not swimme in wealth when wealth through the corruption of our nature doth dull vs and taint vs and make vs vnapt to euery good worke Againe wee shunne pouerty as we would doe a Serpent nay as the gates of hell yet pouerty through the blessing of God doth kindle deuotion and kill sinne in vs euen as Worme-wood or the like bitter things doe kill Moths or wormes This the time will not permit me to stand any longer vpon and therefore I come at once to the second verse and will end the same in a word or two Let him that glorieth glory in this that he vnderstandeth and knoweth me Mans wisedome strength and riches are vaine and not to be boasted of this much Ieremy hath told vs already and I haue proued vnto you by many reasons But now if you would know what is the thing wherein we may take true comfort and whereof we may safely glory the same is none other thing but piety or godlinesse the true knowledge of God the true seruing of God This hath the promise of this life and of that which is to come this we ought to labor for day and night that we may attaine and hauing attained we may reioyce with ioy vnspeakable and glorious This our Sauiour Christ doth warrant vs to doe by his owne example Luke 10. Who there is said To haue reioyced in the Spirit on our behalfe because we hâ—d our minds illuminated to vnderstand those things that belong to the Kingdome of God and our saluation Euen as else-where he defineth the happinesse of man to consist herein namely To know God the onely true God and whâ—m he hath sent Iesus Christ. Agreeably whereunto Augustine saith Infelix homo qui scit illa omnia Te autem nescit beatus autem qui Te sâ—it etiam si illa nesciat c. Vnhappy is the man that knowes all those things all secular learning if hee know not Thee but happy is he that knoweth Thee although he bee ignorant of the rest But he that knoweth Thee and the rest too is neuer-a-whit the more blessed for the tother things sake but for Thee onely if knowing Thee he glorifie Thee as God So Augustine The knowledge of God therefore that is the one thing that is necessary that maketh a Christian that lifteth vs vp vnto God that coupleth vs vnto him that iustifieth that saueth that worketh all in all Now by knowledge I vnderstand and the Prophet in my Text vnderstandeth not a bare apprehension or sense of the mind that there is a Diuine power greater and mightier then all for so much the most barbarous Heathen were not without They could say Dâ—us videt omnia Deo commendo c. as Tertullian sheweth yea as Saint Iames saith The very Deuils beleeue and tremble they haue a kind of beliefe therefore they haue knowledge butalso a consent 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Clemens Alexandrin calleth it and perswasion of the heart touching both the Prouidence of God that he worketh all in all all for the best to them that loue him also and especially touching his mercy that hee will grant pardon to the penitent euen to them that craue it for his Sonnes sake and lastly touching his bounty that he will euerlastingly reward as many as are his euen as many as beleeue in his Name This is that sauing knowledge which the world knoweth not neither is it reuealed by flesh and blood but by the Spirit of our Father which is in heauen This is that knowledge whereof the Prophet Esay speaketh By his knowledge shall my righteous seruant iustifie many for he shall beare their iniquities This is that knowledge That precious treasure which so soone as a wise man findeth for ioy thereof he departeth and selleth all that he hath and buyeth the field Briefely this is that knowledge in comparison whereof Saint Paul counted all things losse euen dung that he might know Christ and the vertue of his resurrection and the fellowship of his afflictions and be made conformable to his death To conclude this is that knowledge which whosoeuer seeketh is Wise whosoeuer getteth is Rich whosoeuer keepeth is Strong nay vertuous nay happy nay twice happy happy in this world he is by faith and happy in the world to come he shall be by fruition This knowledge the Lord vouchsafe to engraffe in them that want it and increase in them that haue it and make fruitfull in all to the purging of our consciences in this life and the sauing of our soules in the Day of the Lord Iesus To whom with the Father and the blessed Spirit be all honour and glory Amen A SERMON VPON THE SIXT OF IOHN THE SECOND SERMON IOHN 6. Vers. 67.68 69 70. Iesus therefore said vnto the Twelue Will yee also goe away 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Simon Peter then or therefore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 answered him Lord to whom shall we goe Thou hast the words of euerlasting life And we haue beleeued and knowne Hebraism for we doe beleeue and know that thou art the Christ the Sonne of the liuing God Haue not I chosen you Twelue and one of you is a Deuill NOthing morevncertaine then rhe minds of the multitude you cannot tell where to haue
nourishing and ripening of our wits let vs not suffer them to continue whole and vnaltered but let vs concoct them and digest them otherwise they will be for our memory onely and not for our wit To this effect he And to the same purpose say I Let vs not be like those filthy belly-gods that swallow downe their meate whole without masticating and passe away their drinke without any concoction as they receiued it in This is not to feed so on the word of God that we may grow thereby no but hauing once taken it into the stomack of our soule by the vertue attractiue we must there heate it and cherish it by the vertue retentiue yea as the veines of our Liuer doe not suffer the nutriment that wee haue receiued to abide still in the stomack but doe sucke out of the same that which is wholesome and conuey it to the Liuer by the veines whereof it is turned into blood so it becommeth a godly soule not to suffer any part of the Word which he heareth to passe away without fruite but to apply the same to his heart and conscience and to make vse of the same both for beliefe and sanctimony But let vs returne to our Apostle I am not ashamed c. If any might lawfully be ashamed thereof a man would thinke Saint Paul might for had hee not beene zealous of the traditions of the Fathers was he not a Pharisee the son of a Pharisee did he not persecute this way euen to the death did he not make hauocke of the Church of God how then could he without note of inconstancy change his note and sing a new song How could he goe about to plant the Doctrine which before he pluckt vp preach the faith which before he destroyed Indeed if hee had stood vpon the day of man or vpon mans iudgement if he had stood vpon his credit in the world his reputation with his friends his rising and aduancement in dignity his pleasure his profit he might in some sort haue smote vpon his thigh and couered his face for sorrow and shame that by giuing his name to the Gospell he had stript himselfe of all worldly comforts and aduantages But now Saint Paul cared not for any of these things neither was his life deare vnto him so that hee might fulfill his course He was carefull to please him that had chosen him to be a Souldier chosen him to his calling and for other respects he stood not vpon them yea the things that might haue beene vantage to him he counted them losse for Christs sake yea he iudged them to be dung that he might winne Christ. This was the Apostles resolution and was not the same a godly one and a wise and to be imitated by vs all There are and euer haue beene some who into what perswasion soeuer Quasi tempestate delati sunt they haue beene carryed by whatsoeuer wind of vanity or superstition of their friends or subtlety of seducers the same they thinke themselues bound to retaine and maintaine euen for constancy sake Haue I beene so long of this opinion now shall I change what will men say What foolish men say it is no matter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 said Cleanthes by the testimony of Clemens Alexandrinus Feare not vniudicious and impudent iudgement of the multitude And Saint Paul I if I should please men were not the seruant of Iesus Christ But now I will tell you whose speeches you should feare Feare them that shew themselues to feare God and to haue a right iudgement in all things that haue their wits exercised in the Word and doe proue what is the good will of God and acceptable and perfect these mens verdict seemeth to be of great moment and to giue light to that inquest that passeth of life and death truth and error Therefore if those condemne you for altering of your course I cannot blame you to starkle but now there is no such matter wise men teach and haue euer taught that it is not so much to bee enquired How long either he or our Fathers haue held an opinion but How consonant the same is to Gods reuealed will That must be the Touch-stone of our faith and the Load-stone of our perswasion Quum nobis intenditis auer sionem à Religione priorum causam conuenit vt inspiciatis non factum nec quid reliquerimus opponere sed secuti quid simus potissimùm contueri saith Arnobius When you obiect to vs our falling away from the Religion of our Elders you ought to consider the cause and not the fact not to tell vs what we haue left but to marke what we haue followed So he There is a way that seemeth to be old and yet it was but lately found out in comparison Againe there is a way that seemeth to be but of yesterday and yet it was but purged and renued then it was not then made What was Mishnah to Mâ—rah 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to Deuteronomy that is to say the leauen of the Scribes and Pharises to the sweet bread of Moses and the Prophets yet for all that the same was dubbed with the honorable title of the Tradition of the Elders Math. 15. yea and equalled for esteeme with that which was knowne and confessed to be the vndoubted Word of God On the contrary side what more ancient then the Doctrine of the Gospell which hath testimony from the Law and the Prophets yea before the Law was written yea before the first Adam was cast out of Paradise it was yet for all that we find Mark 1. that all amazed they asked What new Doctrine is this Christs owne preaching was accused of nouelty so we haue heard already how Saint Paul was accused to be a setter forth of new Deuils or gods for the gods of the Gentiles were Deuils and the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and signifieth either a good Angell or a bad and so in the Primitiue time it was one of the ordinary obiections of the Pagans Why your Sect began but in the later time of the raigne of Tiberius was all the world deceiued till then Had God no care of the people before c To whom the Father 's answered in those times as Learned men doe in our times First 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Old Singers be not alwayes true Singers And Austine or an ancient Writer bearing his name Per traducem antiquitatis commendatur fallacia Falshood and guile is many times commended through the Pipe or deuices of antiquity Secondly thatour Religion is wroÌ„ged when it is charged to be new Non quod sequimur nouum est sed nos serò didiscimus quidnam sequi oporteat colere c. That which we follow is not new but wee haue learned but of late what wee ought tofollow worship c. Thirdly Reuelatione sacta veritatis cedat error veritaâ—i c. The
fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable vnto his death if by any meanes I might attaine vnto the resurrection of the dead Thus he and all tend to this that he may be sure of a blessed Resurrection at the last day The discretion of a man maketh him to prouide in Summer for Winter in youth for age But if the soule be better than the body heauen than earth God than the world things eternall than things transitory it shall be our Wisedome in the sight of God and men to lay vp a good foundation against that Day when the Lord shall appeare to Iudgement For first It is a dreadfull time for then the Lord Iesus shall be reuealed from Heauen with his mighty Angels in flaming fire 2 Thess. 1.8 By the dread of that Day is described some time of fearefull punishment on sinners in this life as some learned iudge or if that Day it selfe be there meant as others conceite marke the astonishment thereof Reuel 6.12 And loe there was for it is as sure as if already acted a great Earthquake and the Sunne became blacke as a sackeâ—loth of haire and the Moone became as blood and the Starres of heauen fell vnto the earth euen as a figge tree casteth her vntimely figs when shee is shaken of a mighty wind and the heauen departed as a scrole when it is rolled together and euery Mountaine and Iland were moued out of their places Should we see such things now What would our feare and amazement be How would not our hearts within vs melt with perplexity Surely that Day that shall end all times and the course of all things in this world must be to man a hideous time For the Kings of the earth and the great men and the rich men c. hid themselues saith the Spirit of prophesie making things present that are to come in dennes and in rocks of the mountaines and said to the mountaines and rocks Fall on vs and hide vs c. from the suffering perhaps of momentany things And what will they do at this Day As it was said of the last end of Ierusalem so of this time and most truely Then shall be great tribulation such as was not from the beginning of the world till then 2. T is the time of tryall and of the great Assize If a man be to be tryed for life how doth he prouide against the time to cleare his innocency or to plead his pardon Then it comports euery man to be ready with his plea that he be not condemned Magistrates Ministers people For we must all appeare before the Iudgement Seat of Christ that euery man may receiue according to that he hath done in the body whether it be good or euill Thirdly As it fareth with vs then so must it stand with vs for euer No reuersing that Sentence by a writ of error no appeale from thence to a Court of Chancery Mercy accepted in this our Day shall be shewed then refused here shall be denyed there And the execution shall follow To them on the left hand it shall be said Goe ye cursed To the on the right hand Come ye blessed And so long as eternity lasteth and the immortall soule liueth yea so long as God is God the reprobate shall be in the torments of hell and the righteous in the ioyes of heauen Now it would make a mans heart to shiuer and his flesh to tremble to see how in other matters men carefull of euery trifle and of euery complement obseruant neglect this matter of greatest consequence Would you thinke that a man that trots from Lawyer to Lawyer to secure and assure lands would not be a better husbandin greater matters When Parents be so carefull to get an estate to leaue to posterity would they be imagined to be vnprouided of a place for themselues at need If euill be towards another we can pity him if an Oxe be in a pit we can helpe him out we can euen pity a Dog in his hurt yet not be touched towards our selues in the extremest danger of extremest misery as if nothing were cheape with vs but our selues nothing vile but our owne soules If a man had the keeping of the blood of Christ in a violl how chary would he be of it We haue the custody of our soules committed to our selues dearer to Christ as Saint Bernard obserueth than his owne blood and shall we not be most tender of them Trifles in themselues are trifles and some things that beare some shew in comparison with others of more weight are trifles Now to the soule of man and his welfare at the Day of Christ all the Kingdomes of the world are but trifles for what shall it profit a man to win the whole world and to lose his owne soule or what recompence shall a man giue for his soule Be intreated therefore Brethren in conclusion be intreated by the sweet mercies of God by all the sufferings and intercessions of Christ by all the ioyes of heauen by the great charge which God and Nature haue committed vnto you of your owne soules oh by the glory and dread of that Day be intreated to prepare that it may goe well with you then and that ye may be numbred among the blessed Here to liue and lye with swine is abhorred and it is much more to be abhorred to liue with Deuils and damned spirits in hell Might those who now suffer the scorching of those hellish flames haue offer how readily would they apprehend it to be deliuered thence And how should we beware and vse all possible meanes that wee come not there They had their time and they lost it our time is now Behold now is the accepted time behold now is the Day of saluation 2 Cor. 6.2 Heauen may be had oh deare Christians lose it not cast vp your account mourne for your sinnes make your peace with God through the blood of Christ bring forth fruits of Regeneration Offer your selues sacrifices to God holy and acceptable and if ye finde these things hard if to you impossible call in Christ to your helpe Christ will informe your minds mollifie your hearts regenerate your wits subdue your affections purge your consciences rebuke Satan and giue the victorie the Crowne Assure your selues as the Church doth her selfe saying His left hand shall be vnder mine head and his right hand shall embrace me he will stay me with apples and comfort me with flagons And as our Saint Paul himselfe I am able to doe all things through the helpe of Christ that strengthneth me Idle not out your time with the foolish Virgins lest the gate be shut against you but with the wise Virgins get oyle into your Lampes the oyle of knowledge the oyle of faith the oyle of holinesse the oyle of praises let your Lampes be trimmed and your lights flaming that ye may enter with the Bridegroome into the bridechamber