and but summe up with Bishop Iewell the heavie multitude of payments and perquisites the Pope heretofore had out of this Land the Proverbe will be easily beleeved their keennesse for that cause then notoriously manifested the very Geese for the Capitoll not more vigilant more vocall If we list not to look backward on others looke we but downe now upon our selves present how carefull and crying and keene wee are in worldly occurrences If but a house bee on fire there 's crying out Stentor cry'd no louder if but our childe or brother or friend miscarrie there 's bleating crying upon crying Clamassent ut littus Hyla Hyla omne sonaret As the sonne of Croesus though formerly dumbe is said yet to have cry'd out in his fathers danger we are not so dumbe but that wee can finde tongue enough to cry out in many cases of our owne causes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as he spake boystrous and swelling passions impetuous enough obstreperous enough loude enough in secular passages And shall then only we and we onely in spirituall affaires the matters of our God even languish be feeble flaging often Ferventissimi in terrenis frigidissimi in coelestibus Shal many of us as in Ieremy have tongues bent like Bowes for lyes but not be valiant for the truth Shall false weights set the wheeles of so manie other tongues a going and we not be readie to utter a word in due season for the truth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Epiphanius phraseth it free-mouth'd for the truth of the Gospell Shall others drive like Iehu earnestly and we like the Egyptians with their wheeles off heavily As t is observed of Iob and his friends that they had an ill cause in hand but defended it craftily and Iob a good cause to defend but handled it unadvisedly Shall Turkes shall Papists shall Idolaters shall Heathen sollicite their bad cause so earnestly and wee our good cause our Gods cause so faintly Acriùs ad perniciem quà m nos ad salutem As in that sea-tempest the prophane Mariners cry'd every man unto his God whilst Ionah the Lords Prophet was gone downe into the sides of the ship and lay fast asleepe Shall prophane men shall Papisticall men clamour so for their woodden or breaden gods and shall any of the houshold of Faith by any sluggishnesse seeme to preiudice and betray the cause of their great and glorious God As when Callidus once declared against Gallus with a faint and languishing voice O saies Tullie Tu nisi fingeres sic ageres Wouldst thou utter it so feebly if thou werst in earnest Mens faint appearing for Gods cause gives shrewd suspition that many do but feine their coldnesse for religion probably concludes they doe but counterfeit that being in tongue such mutes for the true they are many in heart consonants to the false hardly would hee lend religion his bloud who list not spare it so much as his breath hardly would he die for it who will not so much as cry for it For what though there bee a time an evill time when the prudent man shall keep silence as in Amos yet even in those worst times that time of great and universall corruption They that feared the Lord spake then every one to his neighbour spake often one to another and the Lord hearkned and heard it Malach. 3. And even when the iniquity of the house of Israel and Iudah was so exceeding great that the land was full of bloud and the city of corrupt iudgement yet even then Gods children mourn'd and cry'd for the abominations done in the midst thereof Ezek. 9. and their sighes were then sollicitors for their affections That what though such turbulent crying beseeme not true Christians have they not in secret the voice of weeping with David Have they not cry for cry the cry of praier which goeth through the clouds and ceaseth not till it come nigh and will not depart untill the most High have respect unto it even wrastling with God and will not let him goe untill hee blesse his Church his Cause Religion That as when Hannah powring out her soule before the Lord spake in her heart even when her voice was not heard and when Moses spake not a word vocally yet said the Lord unto him Wherefore cryest thou unto mee Wee may cry and out-cry these even without crying out it being not with the true God as hee said of the false 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that hee was to bee wooed and wrought upon with noise clamour but even without this strong winde wee may appeare before God as God himselfe appeared in the soft and still voice humbly begging a blessing upon religion As Bodin spake well of obtaining so for retaining religion Non disputationibus sed rogationibus not so much by disputation as devotion not by vociferation but praier as I heard of a good Bishop to spend foure houres a day in prayer to that purpose I would we were all such cryers out otherwise be it never so true which is commented here and wherewith cold professors are ready ever and anon to cloake themselves That great is the difference betweene the distempered passion of some phantastique men and the discreet zeale of sober men between turbulent fancy and true sanctity betweene the winde of giddinesse and the spirit of holinesse between the busling and noyse of those who are yet but about the doore of religion and the moderation and stilnesse of those who are got within as Plutarch wittily spake of Philosophy And many of the same Cryers out like Cyclops roring without his eye attempting things with great tumult and no iudgement and many hot blouds having but cold discretion and all that other for all that bosome idoll of discretion unlesse our earnestnesse equalize nay as Christ said Except your righteousnesse exceed the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisees except our earnestnesse this way exceed the earnestnesse of these and those other like men Si non praestet fides quod exhibuit infidelitas as Ierom said If faith make not us at least as forward and keen for Gods cause as infidelitie here made them for theirs Haec in sugillationem nostri dicta sint as he spake to our utter discredite and infamy be it said They cryed out saying Great is Diana of the Ephesians So have yee the second particular their Earnestnesse Nor was this crying out here the monology of some one odde one no nor the impetuous passion the furious salley of some few hot spurs amongst them but the cry of them all none here excepted a common crying out as for a common cause that their keennesse backt with consent Their Ioyntnesse that 's now in this first part the third and last particular As all of them were called together about the danger so all of them cryed together in the defence the following verse seeming to second this observation of consent where it saies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that for all the
everlasting Father He he it is shal give it Worldly men as Luther said well à tempore habent quae habent nihil ab aeternitate vultus Dei as their affections are set all on temporal things so make they account to have all their turnes served not from any light of Gods countenance but countenance of the time and so Time-servers as they are as Tertullian of old taxed the Gentils majori formidine Caesarem observatis quà m Iovem that they were more observant of Caesar than Iupiter not divisum imperium they doe not so much as divide with God but are Caesars by whole sale in religion in reverence in sense in soule soule and bodie and all Caesars and so say as hee of his Patron Ille mihi semper Deus or as shee in Hosea ascribe all to lovers and friends making flesh their arme or as t is the Philosophers character to expect all from themselves they boast themselves as in Amos of getting by their owne strength and with their owne arme of cunning to carve for themselves and to deale themselves a good game to hammer out their own happinesse like the Spider climbing by thred of her own weaving with Motto accordingly Mihi soli debeo in their audit standing only indebted to themselves sacrificing to their owne nets and burning incense to their owne yarne Idolaters â—o all of secondary causes and doe not say in their hearts It is the Lord. Yea but this is the Lords doing as David spake Whom have wee in heaven but him and none in the earth to bee desired with him And what tenure so happy as this of a good Christian which how-ever it enter per virgam yet it holds in capite holds of him who giveth more abundantly than other Lords take That as Ecclesiastes saies unto the place from whence the rivers come thither they returne again unto him from whom this Crowne comes ought it alwaies to reflect againe like the Doves who at every graine they picke looke upward as giving thankes And as Tertullian notes that when wee pray Thy Kingdome come Illi deputamus quod ab illo expectamus wee expresse that of him which wee expect from him a Kingdome a Crowne For if as Bernard said Totum me debeo pro me facto man owes God his whole selfe for creating him what does he owe him then for this his crowning If as P. Martyr wrote once to Queene Elizabeth Kings be doubly bound to serve God both as they are men and as they are Kings If the obligation so be doubled in regard of the livelihood of earthly kingdomes how is it then multiplyed in reference to this Crowne of life Then what will yee render unto the Lord for all his benefits towards you but take the cup of salvation and call upon the Name of the Lord In solemnities under the Law they wont to take the cup drinke in token of thanksgiving other cups no doubt will anon bee stirring enough even flagons of wine in this day of our King as Hosea spake but take ye the cup of thanksgiving unto him who giveth this Crowne of life And I will give thee a Crowne of life Yea but soft and faire lest our gratitude fore-run the gift this may seeme to smell of Court indeede to give thankes for that we yet have not Is there any such haste of performing thankfulnesse present for that benefit which is onely promised in the future I will give thee Every promise that 's made is not kept de facto ay and de jure too Licet plura polliceri quà m praestare possis is the Politiques rule promise does not ever beget performance as Livie said of Hanniball that hee never stood to his promise but when t' was for his profit Pollicitis dives quilibet esse potest even the poorest may promise or if you will it wants not authority to say Great men make promises mean men keep them promises being things which tye the multitude which great Ones as lightly as Sampson did the withes can knap asunder Words of good breeding say they promises in complement as they call it being no obligations And as Antigonus was called Doson in the future as being ever about to give never giving how many Dosons know we to feede their prisoners of promise with future promises as Ephraim with winde Alchymists whose promises are gold payment but drosse putting off as the tricke is either with improbable reversions or promises of promises or as their promises are most of them resembled to the Devills omnia dabo the most of them imaginary and delusory whilst their patients like that man of many yeeres infirmity in the Gospell fainting by the poole and none to put him in lye languishing at hopes Hospitall like a hungry man dreaming of meat and when hee awaketh his soule is empty like men in a swoune cheered with some holy water they revive onely to be-weary their eyes with further expectation and to witnesse the fallibility of promise As that mee thinkes he may passe for a wise man in his generation who said Were the world indebted to him for praise he would quit it for the moyty on condition it might bee paid him aforehand and ye say A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush Nihil putant utile nisi quod manibus teneri potest as Lactantius spake counting nothing profitable that is not present Blanda praesentia as Hilary spake 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Nyssen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Philo Men set the garland all on things present listning more to sense about things present than to faith about things to come so accustomed to the common fallacy of putting more into premises than is commonly found in the conclusion as that wee will hardly take even Gods word without a pawne as he well exclaimed O caecos animos Christo diffidimus omnes Cum tamen inveniat praedo vel ipse fidem How-ever it fare so in mens promises of little trust farther than sight their decrees upon new importunities cancelled their determinations upon new resanctions inconstant their promises upon new considerations ebbing into emptinesse as easily changed as when a tune is changed upon an instrument of musique changing oftner than Laban changed Iacobs wages as Tertullian spake of the Peacock all in changeable colours as often chang'd as moved Italians all as Aeneas Sylvius said of Italy Novitate quadam nihil habet stabile so mutable they have nothing stable promise nor other Besides as hee well observed wee can hardly without offence put great Ones in mind of their promises yet 't is a boldnesse God likes well enough to presse him with his promises that hath God said it and shall hee not doe it hath he spoken it and hath he not accomplisht it Many devices saies Salomon are in a mans heart but the counsell of the Lord shall stand the things exhibited to us by God as wealth health honour may fade and faile but the things
and many Christians so infatuatly dumbe and dull for their blessed profession they so fierce all for their cause and many of us so faint for ours they so stout and many Christians so squeamish as scarce to dare to owne Gods cause having no courage for the truth as Ieremie complained No better many than those drie bones in Ezekiel with sinnewes and flesh and skinne on them but no breath no life in them But as Ierome said of spirituall things Pigrâ quâdam dissimulatione negligimus with a kinde of dull dissimulation many slighting and lightly passing by any matter of religion whilst these here so eagerly earne and cry out in maintenance of their superstition Or if wee can shift or set light by this one instance in them meet wee may with parallels to the same purpose in many others not only in godly persons who for Sions sake could not hold their tongues and for Ierusalems sake could not rest as in Esay as Ierome to Heliodore Licèt parvulus ex collo pendeat nepos c. forbearing neyther father nor mother nor kindred for Christs cause pittying not sonne nor daughter nor wife of their owne bosome nor friend as their owne soule but slaying them in Gods quarrell Deut. 13. as when Levi said unto his father and to his mother I have not seene him neither did hee acknowledge his owne brethren nor knew his owne children out of observance to the Word and Covenant even naturall affections giving place to spirituall affections as more predominant in them As Nazianzene said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 facillimus ferventissimus mansuetus pugnax c. the zeale of Gods cause making even the quietest of them keene and the mildest of them eager and hote as when the zeale of Gods house even eat up David and Paul readie not to be bound onely but even to dye also for the Name of the Lord Iesus and Luther resolved to enter Wormes in the Name of Christ were there as many Devils as there were tyles to cover the houses As Calvin said Ne decem quidem maria c. That it would not grieve him to saile over tenne Seas about an uniforme draught for Religion As Philo said Vbi de religione ibi quoque de vita agitur holding even their verie lives to hold upon religion serving God with all their might as is commanded readie to run even thorow fire and water for their holy profession Not onely in such I say but even in their owne mates and fellow Idolaters pro aris focis they wont all to say but aris before focis Albinus put out of his Chariot his verie wife and children to make roome there for the Vestall Virgins In the sacking of Troy Aeneas is said first to have exported 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to have carried forth his gods even before his dearest father And about the Oracle and Temple who hath not heard of the hote warres of the Athenians Yea even in this their owne key and tune for the worship of the golden Image in Daniel the Herald cried with might and maine The Chemarims in their sacrifices cryed with loud voyces the Idolatrous Priests of Baal cryed aloud as if Baal had beene asleepe and needed waking as Eliah mocked them the Frogs in Homer that with their noyse would not let the goddesse Pallas sleepe croaked no louder Because of the Calfe of Bethaven the inhabitants of Samaria feared yea the people thereof mourned over it the Priests for the glory thereof because it departed from it Hose 10. fearing and mourning and much adoo about their Idoll Festinant saies David in the 16. Psalm They hasten after another God very keen and quicke at that following Baalim they are like a swift Dromedary that runneth by his waies saies Ieremy Acceleraverunt as that 16. Psalm mentioneth Nay to another God they offer and give gifts as others reade it there Dotant reads Tremellius there they doe so dote upon their Idolls that they doe not receive from them but give a dowry to them they offer and give gifts nothing so costly which they will not bestow upon them nothing so hard which they will not endure for them be it to burne and sacrifice their owne children to them to make sonne or daughter goe through the fire to Moloch bee it to pluck off from wives and sonnes and daughters their golden earings in contribution to a Calfe How ready of old they have beene to do it divine Story tells you or if moderne practices may be more moving looke upon the Turkes eagernesse in defending propagating that their Law Non disputando sed pugnando as Mahomet taught them their strict inquisition and severity towards neglecters of praiers especially in time of their Lent and their Friday services their Largesses and bounties to Christians converting to them and all that other Or if Christian instances may be more operative looke upon the Romanists in the iudgement of some excellent men Similes hi planè illis very like to these Ephesians What cost cast they not away upon their Images what tedious pilgrimages doe they not trudge bare-foot to them what whippings and watchings and fastings endure they not Into what houses creepe they not thereby to leade captive silly women what insolent priviledges challenge they not the verie Concubines of their Priests to bee of Ecclesiasticall iurisdiction what regall supremacie undermine they not what moving miracles coine they not what Assasin have they not set on worke for their cause what stone have they not moved what earth have they not digged even till hell beneath was moved to meete them If I may so usurp such holy words hedging gathering planting building what could they have done more for their wilde vine that they have not done unto it Per mare per terras per saxa per ignes tot volvere casus tot adire labores as Christ spake of the Scribes and Pharisees compassing sea and land to make a Proselyte one of their owne profession Quae regio in terris tanti non plena laboris If there be any to whom the Syrens voice sounds sweete hearken their owne tongues shall testifie for them herein their Iesuites owne expression shall evidence their earnestnesse Campian in his Epistle to the honourable Counsellors of that renowned Queene Elizabeth Quamdiu vel unus quispiam è nobis supererit qui Tiburno vestro fruatur c. saies hee That so long as there was any one Iesuite of them remaining to enioy Tiburne Fruatur that 's his word to weare a Tiburne Typpet as plaine M. Latimer was wont to speake so long as there was one of them left for the Gallowes torment and imprisonment they had vow'd never to desist from endeavouring to draw us to that religion Tantum relligio potuit suadere laborum Their proverbiall saddle wont to bee set upon the English were proofe apparent how much our people wont to toile for that cause