them casting vp white and red earth in abundance Wherewith his amazed eyes growing soone enamoured he desires a participation of their riches They refuse to ioyne him in their gaines vnlesse he wil ioyne himselfe in their paines Hereupon he fals to toyling digging deluing til some of the earth fals so hea uie vpon him that it lames him and he is able to goe no further There he dies in the sight of that Citie to which he could not goe for want of feet looseth a certaine substantial gift for an vncertain shadow of vaine hope You can easily apply it God of his gracious fauour not for our deserts giues man his creature a glorious Citie euen that whose foundations are of Iasper Saphyre and Emerald c. He doth more directes him the way to it Goe on this way Walke in loue He begins to trauell and comes within the sight of heauen but by the way he spies worldlings toyling in the earth and scraping together white and red clay siluer and gold the riches of this world Hereof desirous he is not suffered to partake except hee also partake of their couetousnes and corrupt fashions Now Mammon sets him on worke to digge out his owne damnation where after a while this gay earth comes tumbling fo fast vpon him that his feet be maimed his affections to heauen lost and he dyes short of that glorious Citie which the king of heauen purchased with his owne bloud and gaue him Thinke of this ye worldlings and seeing you know what it is to be charitable put your feet in this way Walke in Loue. There be yet others whose whole course is euery step out of the way to God who is Loue and they must walke in Loue that come vnto him 1. There is a path of Lust they erre damnably that call this the way of Loue. They turne a spirituall grace into a carnall vice and whereas Charitie and Chastity are of nearer allyance then sound these debauched tongues call vncleanesse Loue. Adulterie is a cursed way though a much coursed way for a whore is the high-way to the Deuill 2. There is a path of malice and they that trauell it are bound for the Enemie Their euill eye is vexed at Gods goodnes and their hands of desolation would vndoe his mercies Other mens health is their sicknes others weale their woe The Iesuites and their bloudy Proselyts are pilgrims in this way We know by experience the scope of their walkes Their malice was strong as Sauire in saxa but they would turne Ierusalem in aceruum Lapidum into a heape of stones Yea such was their rage that Nil reliqui fecerunt Vt non ipsis elementis fieret iniuria they spared not to let the elements know the madnesse of their violence They could not draw fire from heauen their betters could not do it in the dayes of Christ on earth therefore they seeke it they digge it from hell Flectere cùm nequeunt Superos Acheronta movebunt Here was a malicious walking 3. There is a counterfeit path the Travellers make as if they walked in loue but their loue is dissimulation It is not dilectio vera true love which S. Ioh. speakes of nor dilectio mera as Luther not a plaine-hearted loue They will cosen you vnseene and then like the whore in the Proverbes wipe their mouthes and it was not they Their art is Alios pellere aut tollere to giue others a wipe or a wound Iudas-like they salute those with a kisse against whome they intend most treason 4. There is a way directly crosse to loue which neither obeyes God for loue keepes the commandements nor comforts man for loue hath compassion on the distressed These haue feete swift enough but swift to shed bloud Destruction and miserie are in their wayes They are in Zedechiahs case both their eyes are put out and their feete lamed with the captiue chaines of Satan so easily carried downe to his infernall Babilon These are they that devoure a man and his heritage Therefore Christ calles their riches not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 things without them as if they had swallowed them down into their bowels The phrase is vsed by Iob He hath swallowed downe riches he shall vomit them vp againe God shall cast them out of his belly When this vomit is given them you shall see strange stuffe come from them Here the raw and vndigested gobbets of vsurie there the mangled morsels of bloudy oppressions here fiue or sixe impropriate Churches there thousand acres of decayed tillage here a whole casket of bribes there whole houses and patrimonies of vndone orphans here an Inclosure of commons there a vastation of proper and sanctified things Rip vp their conscie nces and this is the stuffing of their hearts These walke crosse to the Crosse of Christ as Paul sayth they are Enemies cursed walkers Whereupon we may conclude with Bernard Periculosa tempora iam non instant sed extant the dangerous times are not comming but come vpon vs. The cold frost of indevotion is so generall that many haue benūmed ioynts they cannot walke in loue Others so stiffe and obdurate that they will meete all that walke in this way and with their turbulent malice striue to iustle them out of it Therefore David prayes Preserue me from the violent men that haue purposed to ouerthrowe my goings Let vs then vpon this great cause vse that deprecation in our Let any From pride vain-glory hypocrisie from envy hatred malice all vncharitablenes Good Lord deliver vs. I am loth to giue you a bitter farewell or to conconclude with a menace I see I cannot by the times leaue drinke to you any deeper in this cup of Charity I will touch it once againe and let every present soule that loues heauen pledge me Walke in loue The way to life everlasting is loue and hee that keepes the way is sure to come to the end We knowe that we haue passed from death to life because we loue the brethren For this are the workes of mercie charity piety and pitty so much commended in the Scriptures by the Fathers with so high titles because they are the appoynted way wherein we must walke and whereby we must worke vp our owne salvation Therefore the Apostle claps in the necke of good workes laying vp in store for themselues a good foundation against the time to come that they may lay hold on eternall life Thereby wee lay the ground of saluation in our consciences and take assured hold of eternall life He that goes on in loue shall come home to life This comforts vs not in a presumption of merite but in confident knowledge that this is the way to glory wherein when we find our selues Walking wee are sure we are going to heauen and sing in the wayes of the Lord Great is the glory of the Lord.
into this infinite and boundles Sea I will onely note foure sweete streames of life in his Loue. It was Holy Sine Merits Hearty Mode Kind Despectâ—… Constant Defectâ—… 1. Holy The Loue of Iesus to vs was Sancta sanctificans dilectio a Loue holy formaliter in itselfe and holy effectiuè in making those holy on whom it was set He gaue himselfe to vs and for vs and gaue vs a faith to receiue and embrace him Sine quo nec dilâ—…cti nec diligentes fuissemus Without whom wee neither could haue receiued loue nor returned loue Now his loue did not only extend to our bodyes health but to our soules blisse So he loued vs that he saued vs. Our loue should likewise be holy whole desiring not onely our brothers externall welfare but much more his internall his eternall blessednes He that pitties not a famished body deserues iustly the name of an vnmercifull man but he that coÌ„passionates not an afflicted conscience hath much more a hard heart It is an vsual speech of compassion to a distressed man Alas poore Soule but this same alas poore Soule is for the most part mistakeÌ„ Neither the pittier nor the pittied imagins the soule pittiable Very humanitie teacheth a man to behold an execution of theeues traytours with griefe that men to satisfie their malicious or couetous affections should cut off their owne liues with so infamous a death But who commiserates the endangered Soule that must then ventor and enter on an eternall life or death The story of Hagar with her Son Ishmael is set downe by so heauenly a pen that a man cannot read it without tears She is cast out of Abrahams house with her child that might call her Master father Bread water is put on her shoulder and she wanders into the wildernes a poore reliefe for so long a iourney to which there was set no date of returning Soone was the water spent in the bottle the child cries for drinke to her that had it not and lifts vp pittiful eyes euery glance whereof was enough to wound her soule vents the sighes of a dry panting heart but there is no water to be had except the teares that ran from a sorrowful mothers eyes could quench the thirst Downe she layes the child vnder a shrubbe and went as heauy as euer mother parted from her onely son and sate her downe vpon the earth as if she desired it for a present receptacle of her griefe of her selfe a good way off saith the Text as it were a bow-shoâ—…e that the shrickes yellings dying groanes of the child might not reach her eares crying out Let me not see the death of the child Die she knew he must but as if the beholding it would rent her heart and wound her soule she denyes those windowes so sad a spectacle Let mee not see the death of the child So she lift vp her voyce and wept Neuer was Hagar so pittifull to her Sonne Ishmael as the Church is to euery Christian. If any sonne of her wombe wil wander out of Abrahams familie the House of Faith into the wildernes of this world and prodigally part with his owne mercy for the gawdy transient vanities thereof She followes with intreaties to him and to heauen for him If he will not returne she is loath to see his death she turnes her backe vpon him and weeps He that can with dry eyes and vnrelenting heart behold a mans Soule ready to perish hath not so much passion and compassion as that Egiptian bond-woman 2. Hearty The loue of Christ to vs was hearty not consisting of shewes and signes and courtly complements but of actuall reall royall bounties He did not dissemble liue to vs when he dyed for vs. Exhibitio operis probatio amoris He pleaded by the truest and vndenyable argument demonstration I loue you wherein I giue my Life for you Tot ora quot vulnera tot verba quot verbera So many wounds so many words to speake actually his loue euery stripe he bore gaue sufficient testimony of his affection His exceeding rich gift shewes his exceeding rich loue This heartines must be in our Loue both to our Creator and to his Image 1. To God so he chalengeth thy loue to be conditioned with thy Heart with all thy heart And this saith Christ is Primum Maximum mandâ—…tum the First and the greatest Commandement The first Quasi virtualiter centinens reliqua as mainely comprehending all the rest For he that loues God with all his heart will neither Idolatrize nor blaspheme nor profane his Sabboths no nor wrong his creatures The greatest as requiring the greatest perfection of our loue This then must be a hearty loue not slow not idle but must shew it selfe Et properando operando in ready diligence in fruitfull working obedience There are many â—…otent to loue God alitle because he blesseth them much So Saul loued him for his kingdome These loue God Pro seipsis not Prae seipsis For themselues not before themselues They will giue him homage but not fealtie the calues of their lippes but not the calues of their stals If they feast him with venison part of their Imparked Riches which is deere to them yet it shall be but rascall deere the trash of their substance they will not feast him with the heart that is the best deere in their Parke 2. To man whom thou art bound to loue as thy selfe where say some As is but a Tam not a Tâ—…ntum As thy selfe not As much as thy selfe As for the maner not for the measure But this is certaine true loue begins at home and he cannot loue another soundly that primarily loues not himselfe And he that loues himselfe with a good heart with the same heart will loue his brother In quâ—… seipsum proptâ—…r quod seipsum In that maner for that cause that he loues himselfe This then coÌ„mands the same loue if not the same degree of loue to thy brother that thou bearest to thy selfe This hearty loue is hardly found More is protested now then in former times but lesse done It is wittilyob serued that the old maner of saluting was to take shake one another by the hand now we locke armes ioyne breasts but not hearts That old hand full was better then this new armefull Our cringes and complementall bowings promise great humilitic but the smootherd venime of pride â—…es within We haue low lookes and loftie thoughts There are enough of those Which speake peace to their neighbours but mischiefe is in their hearts Whose smooth habites doe so palliate and ornamentally couer their poyson as if they did preserue mud in Chrystall The Romaynes vsually painted Friendship with her hand on her heart as if she promised to send no messenger out of the gate of her lips but him that goes on the hearts arrand Now we haue studied both textures of words and pretextures of
our land is ours our garment ours our money seruant beast ours and that he is a theefe who robs vs of these But all the men in the world cannot warrant vs our Saluation but onely Iesus Christ. Therefore that we may haue assurance that all these are ours and that wee shall neuer answere for euery bit of bread we haue eaten and for euery drop of wine we haue drunke that our possessions are our owne our gold robes rents revenues are our owne let vs be Christs Whether Paul or Apollo or Cephas or the World or life or death or thinges present or thinges to come all are yours and ye are Christ's and Christ is Gods Be sure of saluation and be sure of all For he that spared not his owne sonne but deliuered him vp for vs all how shall he not with him also freely giue vs all things To whom My saluation not others onely but Mine A man and a Christian are two creatures he may bee a man that hath reason and outward blessings he is onely a Christian that hath faith and part in the saluation of Christ. God is plentifull saluation but it is not ordinary to find a Cui to whom Much of heauen is lost for lacke of a hand to apprehend it All passengers in this world presume they are going to heauen but we may guesse by the throng that the greater part take the broader way Christ leauing the earth in respect of his bodily presence left there his Gospell to apply to mens soules the vertue of his death and passion Ministers preach this Gospell people heare this Gospell all boast of this Gospell yet himselfe foretels that when he comes againe he shall scarce find faith vppon earth No doubt he shall find Christians enow but scarce faith Saluation is common as St. Iude speaketh When I gaue all diligence to write vnto you of the common saluation but few make it proper to themselues That God is my saluation and thy saluation this is the comfort When. In the time present I am Sum non sufficit quòd ere It is comfort to Israell in captiuitie that God sayes Ero tua redemptio I will redeeme thee But the assurance that quiets the conscience is this I am thy saluation As God said to Abraham feare not I am with thee Deferred hope faints the heart Whatsoeuer God forbeare to assure vs O pray we him not to delay this Lord say to our soules I am your saluation To conclude it is saluation our Prophet desires that God would seale him vp for his childe then certifie him of it He requests not Riches he knew that man may be better fed then taught that wealth doth but franke men vp to death He that preferres Riches before his soule doth but sell the horse to buy the saddle or kill a good horse to catch a hare He begs not honour many haue leapt from the high throne to the low pitte The greatest commander on earth hath not a foote of ground in heauen except hee can get it by entitling himselfe to Christ. He desires not Pleasures he knowes there are as great miseries beyond prosperitie as on this side it And that all vanitie is but the indulgence of the present time a minute begins continues ends it for it endures but the acting knowes no solace in the memorie In the fairest garden of delights there is somewhat quod in ipsis floribus angat that stings in the midst of all vaine contents In a word it is not momentany variable apt to eyther change or chance that hee desires but eternall saluation He seekes like Mary that better part which shall neuer be taken from him The wise mans minde is euer aboue the moone saith Seneca let the world make neuer so great a noise as if it all ran vppon Coaches and all those full of roarers yet all peace is there It is not sublunary vnder the wheele of changeable mortalitie that he wishes but saluation To be saued is simply the best plot beate your braines and breake your sleepes and wast your marrowes to be wealthy to be worthy for riches for honours plot studie contriue be as politicke as you can and then kisse the childe of your owne braines hugge your inuentions applaud your wittes doat vpon your aduancements or aduantagements yet all these are but dreames When you awake you shall confesse that to make sure your saluation was the best plot and no studie shall yeeld you comfort but what hath bin spent about it What should wee then doe but worke and pray worke sayth Paul Worke vp your saluation with feare and trembling and then pray with our Prophet Lord say to our soules thou art our saluation with comfort and reioycing THE SOVLES REFVGE 1. PET. 4. 19. Let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their soules to him in well doing as vnto a faithfull Creator ATRVE Christians life is one daie of three meales and euery meale hath in it two Courses His first meale is Nascâ—… renasci to be borne a sinner to bee new-borne a Saint I was borne in iniquitie and in firme did my mother conceive me there is one Course Except a man be borne againe he cannot see the kingdome of God there is the other Course His second meale is Benè agere malè pati to doe well and to suffer ill Doe good vnto all but especially to those that are of the houshold of Faith ther 's one Course of Doing c All that liue godly in Christ Iâ—…sus shall suffer persecution there 's the other Course of Suffering His third meale is Morâ—… viuere to die a temporall death to liue an eternall life The first is his Break-fast and herein he is naturally Natus daâ—… borne in sinne and condemned for sinne spiritually 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 borne againe in righteousnesse and iustified from sinne The last is his Supper wherein there is one bitter dish Death Statutum est omnibus semel mâ—…ri It is appoynted to all men to die once Omnibus semel plorisque bis to all once to many twice for there is a second death And that is truely a dâ—…th because it is mors vita the death of life the other rather a life for it is mors mâ—…rtis the death of death after which mors non erit vltra there shall be no more death Therefore rise that you may not fall rise now by a righteous life least you fall into an euerlasting death If the soule will not now rise the bodie shall one day bee raised and goe with the soule to Iudgement The second Course is incomparably sweet vinere post mortem to liue after death I say after death for a man mâ—…st die that hee may liue So that a good supper brings a good sleepe hee that liues well shall sleepe well Hee that now apprehends mercie mercie shall hereafter comprehend him Mercie is the vltimus 〈◊〉 no hope beâ—…nd
but the goates are not written in his booke The foundation of God standeth sure hauing the seale the Lord knoweth them that are his It is a goodly thing to be famous and remarkable in the world Est pulchrum digito monstrari dicier hic est It is a goodly thing to bee sayd this is the man whom the world honours but perhaps this is not he whom God honours He that suffers and does according to the will of God the Lord will take that man into his bosoâ—… Such honour haue all his Saints It is no great matter for men to be knowne to kings and nobles if the Lord know them not nothing to ride in the second Coach as Ioseph to be next to the Prince if they bee strangers to the Court of heauen Therefore let vs all lay hold on well-doing that we may haue comfort in well-dying Wee desire to shut vp our last scene of life with In manus tuas Domine commendo spiritum meum Lord Into thy handes I commend my spirit Behold while we liue GOD sayes to vs In manus tuas homo commendo spiritum meum Man into thy hands I commend my spirit As we vse Gods Spirit in life God will vse our Spirit at death If we open the doores of our hearts to his Spirit he will open the doores of heauen to our Spirit If we feast him with a supper of Grace he will feast vs with a supper of Glory If wee grieue his Spirit he will grieue all the veines of our hearts When such shall say Lord into thy handes wee commend our soules no sayth God I will none of your Spirit for you would none of my Spirit You shut him out when hee would haue entred your hearts hee shall shut you out when you would enter heauen Let vs therefore here vse Gods Spirit kindly that hereafter hee may so vse our spirits Let vs in life entertaine him with Faith that in death he may embrace vs with mercy So Lord into thy handes wee commend our soules keepe and receiue them O thou faithful Creator and God of truth through Iesus CHRIST Amen FINIS a 2 Cor. 3. 9. b Mal. 4. 2. c Iohn 1. 8. d Ioh. 1. 17. Heb. 3. 6. e Paraeus f Ioh. 6. 44. g Can. 1. 4. h Psal. 143. 10. i 2. Kin. 25. 7. k Acts 3. 2. Ber. l Heb. 11. 6. m Rom. 8. 24. n Iohn 5. 24. o Phil. 3. 20. 1 p Psal. 87. 2. q Math. 4. 8. r Deu. 34. 4. 2 s Ioh. 14. 2. t Gen. 30. 8. u Psal. 36. 6. x Ion. 3. 3. y Psal. 106. 28. a Heb. 9. 14. b Mat. 22. 32. c Psal. 49. 11. d Mat. 24. 2. 3 4 e Reu. 21. 27. 5. 6. f Rom. 4. 25. 7. Aug. g Iohn 3. 16. h Psal. 87. 2. i Psa. 78. 60. k Psal. 107. 34. l 2. Pet. 3. 10. m Mat. 7. 27. n 1. Pet. 2. 6. o Psal. 30. 8. p Amos 6. 1. q Esa. 21. 11. r 1. King 20. 23. s Ierem. 3. 6. t Luk. 12. 19. u Esay 40. 4. x Luk. 23. 30. a Psal. 125. 1. b Sen. c Iohn 14. 2. d Esay 2. 2. e Psal. 149. 9. f Mat. 5. 14. g Psal. 48. 2. h Rom. 2. 24. i 1. Pet. 2. 12. k Exod. 10. 23. l Iud. 6. 37. m Psal. 4. 6. n Reu. 2. 17. Sen. Greg. o Iob. 31. 24. p Dan. 4. 30. Ambr. Aug. q Gal. 4. 29. r Rom. 5. 1. s 1. Iohn 3. 2. t Ioh 16. 22. Aug. u Psal. 84. 10. x Mat. 17. 2. y Psal. 84. 1. a Mat. 25. 23. b Psal. 2. 6. c Reu. 14. 1. d Acts 8. 32. e Psal. 121. 4. f Psal. 97. 5 8. g Psal. 114. 4. h Psal 78. 68. i Psal. 132. 13. k Psal. 48. 4. c l Gene. 19. 20. m Gen. 4. 17. n Gene. 11. 4. o Psal. 127. 1. p Iere. 22. 15. q Acts 12. 23 r Psal. 122. 3. s Psal. 101. 8. t Mat. 10. 23. u Luk. 13. 23. x Rom. 8. 29. y Rom. 7. 9. a Mat 10. 16. b Luke 12. 32 c Esay 1. 9. d Esay 6. 13. e Esay 17. 6. f Esay 24. 13. g Mich. 7. 1. h Iere. 3. 14. i Amos 3. 12 k Gene. 6. 12. l Esay 8. 18. m Ioh. 7. 51. n 2 Tim. 4. 16 o Act. 19. 34. p Reu. 13. 16. q 1. Kin. 20. 27. r Rom. 9. 27. s Reue. 3. 1. t 2. Esdr. 5. 23. u Luk. 13. 14. x 2. Esd. 7. 6. Aug. a Reu. 18. 2. b Gal. 4. 26. c Psal. 2 6. d Ephes. 2. 2. e 2. Tim. 2. 19. f 1. Ich. 2. 16. Greg. g Hebr. 11. 10. h Iud. ver 14. i Psal. 49. 13. Aug. k 2. Cor. 5. 19. l 1. Iohn 5. 29. m Mat. 24. 51. a Hebr. 1. 6. b Rom. 8. 29. c Rom. 13. 4. d 2. Cor. 5. 20. e 1. Thes. 4. 3. f Mat. 6. 32. g Mat. 5. 34. h Rom. 6. 23. n Luk. 10. 16. o Mark 11. 17. p Mala. 3. 8. q Act. 8. 19. r Gala. 5. 22. s Ioh. 6. 63. Theodoret. t Prou. 20. 25. u 2. Chr. 26. 19. x Psal. 80. 13. y Iudg. 7. 22. a Iudg. 4. 9. b 1. King 21. 19 c Ier. 5. 29. 1 Sam. 5. 11. Exod. 12. 31. Aug. e Mark 12. 17. Aug. f Psal. 116. 12. g Psal. 51. 15. h Luk. 10. 39. i Gal. 1. 2. k Eph. 3. 14. l Act. 7. 60. m Luk. 6. 38. n 1. Cor. 8. 5. o Psal. 82 6. p Rom. 13. 1. q Ioh. 19. 11. r Rom. 13. 2. s Acts 17. 18. t Acts 14. 11. u Psal. 106. 28. x 1. Cor. 8. 4. y Psal. 135. 17. a 1. Thes. 1. 9. b 2. Cor. 4. 4. c Iohn 16. 11. d Rom. 16. 20. e Eph. 4. 27. f 〈◊〉 Cor. 6. 13. g Esa. 2. 20. * 1. Tim 6. 16. h Psal 104. 3. i Gal. 2. 20. k Col. 3. 3. l Ver. 4. m Prou. 23. 5. n Luk. 6. 25. o Mat. 27. 53. p Gene. 22. 14. q Heb. 7. 2. r Gala. 5. 12. s 2. Cor. 13. 11. t Gala. 4. 25. u Reu. 21. 2. x Gala. 4. 26 Hugo Card. y Psal. 132. 13. a 1. Pet. 2. 9. b Esay 5. 2. c Eph. 4. 3. d 1. Tim. 3. 15. e Psal. 122. 5. f Reue. 3. 7. g Iam. 1. 18. Phil. 3. 20. Ambr. h Ephe. 1. 3. i Iob 4. 19. k Iohn 17. 24. Plato l Gen. 12. 1. m Iere. 22. 29. n Hebr. 13. 14 Damasc. o Gene. 18. 8. Caluin p Gen. 18. 2. q Luk. 24. 4. r Iude. ver 6. s Col. 1. 20. t Esa. 6. 2. Greg. u Eph. 3. 10. x 1. Tim. 3. 16. a Mat. 24. 36. b Acts 1. 24. c Psal. 103. 20. d 2. Thes. 1. 7. 2. Kings 19. 35. e Reu. 12. 8. f Hos. 12. 9. g Gen. 19. 22. h Exod. 32. 10. i 2. Pet. 2. 4. k Mat. 18. 10. l Heb. 2. 16. m Greg. n Gene. 48. 16. o Exo. 14. 19. p Mal. 3.
of a beast was entered in the roome But this is a friuolous conceit indeed God had bereft him of coÌ„mon reason yet he had still the soule of a man Doe not many among vs that haue the soules of men liue like debauched beasts The lustfull like a goate the couetous like a vvolfe the drunkard like a hogge the Politician like a foxe the rayler like a barking curre Others think that the soule neither dieth nor sleepeth nor passeth out of one body into another but wandreth vp and downe here on earth among men and often appeareth to this man ofteÌ„ to that whence came that fabulous opinion that dead men walke For this purpose they alleage the Witch of Endor who made Samuel appeare to Saul and answere him But the truth is that was not Samuel indeed but an apparition the meere counterset of him For not all the Witches in the world nor all the Diuels in hell can disquiet the soules of the faithfull for they are in Gods keeping Dying their soules are immediatly translated to blessednesse there are the spirits of iust men made perfect and there to abide vntill the generall Resurrection shall restore them to their owne bodies For the soules of the Reprobates departing in their sinnes they goe directly to hell and are kept there as in a sure prison Let this instruct all such as haue a Christian hope to let their soules depart with comfort Emittuntur non amittuntur death doth not lose them but loosen them set them free from the bondage of corruption Howle and lament if thou thinke thy soule perisheth There are some that feare not so much to die as to be dead they know the pang is bitter but it is short it is the comfortlesse estate of the dead that is their dread They could well resolue for the act of their passage if they were sure to liue afterwards Animula vagula blandula Whither goest thou said that Heathen Emperour on his death-bed lamenting the doubtful condition of his soule after the parture Very not beeing is abhorred of nature if death had nothing else to make it feareful It is vvofull to lie rotting in the silent graue neither seeing nor seene Heere the Christian lifts vp his head of comfort Lord into thy hands I commend my spirit I lose it not because thou hast it thou wilt keepe it in peace and gâ—…ue it mee backe againe in eternall ioy Of iust men Iustice is ascribed to a Christian tvvo waies There is 1. Passiua iustitia a passiue iustice Christs righteousnesse imputed to him and heereby hee stands perfectly iust before God This the Apostle calls The righteousnesse of GOD which is by faith of Iesus Christ vnto all Christ is made vnto vs righteousnesse This iustice is attained by faith Noah became heire of the righteousnesse which is by faith Abraham belieued GOD and it was counted vnto him for righteousnesse Without this no spirit shall appeare iust before God in heauen Our owne righteousnesse is a couering too short to hide our nakednesse Christs garment is a long robe that couers all 2. Actiua iustitia actiue righteousnesse an effect of the former which is indeed a testimonie that wee are iustified by Christ. Let no man deceiue you hee that doth righteousnesse is righteous Therefore saith Iames A man is iustified by his works if his meaning had beene that our owne works simply acquit vs before GOD it could neuer be reconciled to that of his master when vvee haue done all we can we must call our selues vnprofitable seruants Nor to that of his fellow I see a law in my members warring against the law of my minde nor to that of himselfe In many things wee sinne all Now this iustice effectiue from God actiue in vs is taken two waies Latè and Strictè In a larger sense it is taken for all Pietie and so iustice and holinesse are all one Properly taken Iustification is imputed Sanctification inherent but vnderstanding our iustnesse an effect of Christs iustice imputed to vs so Iustus and Sanctus are conuertible termes They are Iust spirits that is they are Saints Now if we desire to come ad Sanctos to the Saints wee must liue sanctè a holy life God by telling vs who are in heauen teacheth vs who shall come to heauen none but Saints They are set before vs as examples Vt eorum sequamur gratiam et consequamur gloriam that steering their course wee might come to their Hauen The Scripture teacheth vs Quid agendum what is to be done the Saints Quo modo how it is to be done Uita sanctorum interpretatio scripturarum The liues of holy men is a kind of Commentary or interpretation of the holy writ Let vs as we doe by good copies not onely lay them before vs and looke on them but write after them For it is not sufficient Legere sed degere vitam sanctorum not to read but to lead the liues of Saints Papists in this goe too farre as euil men come too short Good men imitate the Saints but doe not worship them Papists worship the Saints but doe not imitate them lewd men doe neither Perhaps they will imitate their infirmities as if onely for that they liked them for which onely God misliked them The Saints are to bee held as Patternes not as Patrones of our life But the Papists praise not God in his Saints nor the Saints for God but as God Onely let vs reuerently walke in their grace that we may ioyfully come to their place In a stricter sense it is taken for that morall vertue which giues to euery man his owne This vertue hath beene highly commended in the heathen but one saith truly Iustitia ethnic orum miranda potius quà m laudanda their Iustice deserued more admiration then commendation they wanted him that should make them iust They so affected this iustice that they tooke Sirnames from it Aristides was called Iustus Scipio Iustus Fabius Iustus Their iustice was no vertue but a shadow of vertue They neyther knew the Lord Deum virtutis nec Christum virtutem Dei the God of vertue nor Christ the vertue of God Onely Iesus is Iustus Christ suffered for sinnes the iust for the vniust Ye denyed the Holy one and the Iust. There was another Iesus called Iustus a helper of the Apostles but Christ is Dominus Iustitia nostra The Lord our Righteousnesse By him we are onely made iust In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be iustified and glory Being thus iustified let vs be iust not doing that to others which we would not haue others do to vs and doing that to others which wee desire to bee done to our selues Some are iust in small matters so the Pharises pay tithe of mint annise and cummine but omit waightier things This is Pharisaica Iustitia a Puritane righteousnesse not to endure an houres recreation on the Sunday yet to robbe
forth to him For his ground brought forth plentifully So deepe a draught haue the wicked often drunk in the common cup of blessings Their Bull gendreth and faileth not their Cow calueth and casteth not They spend their dayes in wealth Yea will you heare yet a larger exhibition They are not in trouble as other men neyther are they plagued like others There they haue exemption from misery Their eyes stand out for fatnesse they haue more then heart could wish There they haue accumulation of felicity Secondly we haue him caring what to doe vers 17. He had so much gaine so much graine that his roomes could not answere the capacity of his heart What shall I doe because I haue no roome where to bestow my fruits Care is the inseparable companion of aboundance Vnâ recipiuntur diuitiae solicitudo They to whom is giuen most wealth are most giuen to carking sharking and solicitous thoughtfulnesse with a little inuersion of our Sauiours meaning Where is much giuen there is much yea more required Those hearts whom the world hath done most to satisfie are least of all satisfied still they require more and perplexe themselues to get it A reasonable man would thinke that they who possesse abundant riches should not be possessed with abundant cares But care not for to morrow saith Christ. Cuius enim diei spatium te visurum nescis quam ob causam illius solicitudine torqueris Why shouldst thou disquiet thy selfe with thought of prouisioÌ„ for that day whose euening thou art not sure to see Thirdly wee haue his resolution which in his purpose hath a double succession though no successe for their disposed order and places This will I doe vers 18. what 1. I will pull downe my barnes and build greater and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods He thinks of no roome in visceribus pauperum in the bowels of the poore which the Lord hath proposed to him a fit receptacle of his superfluity He mindes not to build an hospitall or to repaire a Church eyther in cultum Christi or culturam Christiani to the worship of Christ or education of orphanes or consolation of distressed soules but onely respects Horreum suum and Hordeum suum his Barne and his barley The want of roome troubles him his haruest was so great that he is crop-sicke The stomake of his Barne is too little to hold that surfet of corne he intends it and therfore in anger he will pull it downe and make it answerable to his owne desires 2. This hee takes as granted and vpon the new building of his Barne he builds his rest ver 19. Then I will say to my soule Soule thou hast much goods laid vp for many yeeres take thine ease eate drinke and be merry He dreames his belly full and now his pipes goe he sings requâ—…em and lullabies his spirit in the cradle of his barne This sweet newes hee whispers to his soule Though he had wearied his body with incessant toyles and made it a gally-slaue to his imperious affection yet his soule had beene especially disquieted and therefore hee promiseth his soule some ease In this indulgent promise there is a Preface and a Solace 1. The Preface assures his soule much goods and many yeares multas diuitias multos annos He knew that a scant and sparing proffer would not satisfie his boundlesse desires there must be shew of an abundant impletion It is not enough to haue an ample rocke or distaâ—…e of wealth vnlesse a longeuall time be afforded to spinne it out Philoxenus his wish coupled with his pleasant viands a long throat Crane-like to prorogue his delight for shortnesse doth somewhat abate sweetnesse Rex horae a king of one houre can scarce warme his throne it keeps a Christmass-lord flat that he knowes his end If this man had bin his own Lord how excellent an estate would hee haue assured himselfe His Farme should haue been so large and his lease so long that I doubt whether Adam in Paradise had a greater Lordship or Metbushalem a longer life The last of his desires is of the longest size giue him much goods and much time abundance of ioyes and abundance of dayes and you hitte or fitte the length of his foote 2. The Solace is a daunce of foure paces Take thine ease eate drinke and be merry The full belly loues an easie Chaire he must needs ioyne with his laborious surfets the vacation of sleepe He hath taken great paines to bring death vpon him and now standing at his dore it heares him talke of ease He promiseth himselfe that which he trauells to destroy life and euen now ends what he threatens to begin So worldlings weary and weare out their liues to hoord wealth and when wealth comes health goes they would giue all for life O fooles in continuall quest of riches to hunt themselues out of breath and then be glad to restore all at once for recouerie The next pace is Eate his bones must not onely be pleased but his belly It is somewhat yet that this man resolues at last no more to pinch his guts therefore what before he was in their debt he will pay them with the vsury of surfets He purposeth to make himselfe of a thinne starueling a fatte Epicure and so to translate Parcum into Porcum The third pace is Drinke where gluttony is bid vvelcome there is no shutting out of drunkennesse You shall not take a Nabal but he plyes his gobblet as well as his trencher And this is a ready course to retire himselfe from his former vexation to drowne his cares in Wine The last pace is a Leualto Be merry When hee hath got iunkets in his belly and vvines in his braine what should he doe but leape dance reuell be merry be mad After feasting must follow iesting Heere be all the foure passages he sleepes care away he eates care away he drinks care away and now he sings care away His pipes be full and they must needes squeak though the name of the good yea the name of GOD be dishonoured But to such a mad-merry scoffer might well be applied that verse which was sounded in the eare of a great Rimer dying Desine ludere temerè nitere properè surgere de puluere Leaue playing fall to praying it is but sorry iesting with death Thus his dance was like Sardanapalus Ede bibe lude Eate drinke and be merry but there is one thing marres all his sport the bringing of his soule to iudgement He promiseth a merry life and a long life but death sayes nay to both He gratifies his soule ratifies his state but couzens himselfe in all It may be said of him as King Iohn of the fatte Stagge dying See how easily he hath liued yet he neuer heard Masse This was the sweet but the sowre followes Qui gaudebit cum mundo non regnabit cum Christo. He reioyceth with the World but
man to my horse So these worldlings looke to their bodies let who will take care of their soules But when this night comes with what a price would they purchase againe their Soules so morgag'd to the deuill for a little vanitie Now curare non volunt then recuperare non valent With what studious and artificiall cost is the body adorned whiles the beggerly soule lyes in totterd ragges The flesh is pleased with the purest flowre of the Wheat and reddest bloud of the grape the soule is famished The body is allowed libertie euen to licentiousnesse the Soule is vnder Satans locke and key shackled with the fetters of ignorance and impietie At this nights terrour to what bondage hunger cold calamitie would they not subiect their bodies to free their soules out of that friendlesse and endlesse prison Why cannot men thinke of this before it be too late It will sound harshly in thine eare O thou riotous or auarous worldling when this Passing-bell rings Thy soule shall be required If the Prince should confiscate thy goods which thou louest so dearly this newes would strike cold to thy heart but here thy soule is confiscate The deuill prizeth this most he sayes as the King of Sodome to Abraham Da mihi animas caetera sumetibi Giue me the Soule take the rest to thy selfe Of whom Of thee that hadst so prouided for thy soule in another place for though earth be a dungeon in regard of heauen yet is it a Paradise in respect of hell This world was his selected and affected home and from thence shall death plucke him out by the eares If this newes of the Soules requiring had come to a faithfull Christian hee would haue welcommed it and iudged it onely the voice of the Feast-maker finding him in the humble roome of this base earth Friend sitte vp higher Or that voice of heauen that spake to Iohn Come vp hither Sit no longer in the vale of teares but ascend the mountaine of glory A trumpet calling him to Mount Tabor where he shall be transfigured for euer This time would be to him the non vltra of his ioyes and desires he fought all his combate for this that he might receiue the end of his faith the saluation of his soule Hee is content to liue here till God call him but his desire is to be dissolued and to be with Christ. Bonus vitam habet in patientia mortem in desiderio Hee is patient to liue but vvilling to die To him the day of death is better then the day of his birth Iob cursed the day of his birth And Ieremie said Let not the day wherein my Mother bare me be blessed But blessed is the houre of death So saith the Spirit blessed are they that die in the Lord for they rest from their labours Both Philosophers and Poets could so commend the happinesse of this time that they thought no good man truly happy till it saluted him Dicique beatus Ante obitum nemo supremaque funera debet The Ethnikes ignorant of a better life future honour'd this with great solemnities and kept prodigall feasts on their Birth-dayes as Herod when he was serued vvith the Baptists head for his second course But the Christians were wont to celebrate the funeralls of the Martyrs as if we did then onely begin truely to liue when we die For though the soule is gotten when man is made yet it is as it were borne when he dies his body beeing the wombe and death the Midwife that deliuers it to glorious perfection The good man may then well say Mors mihi munus erit with a Poet or rather Death shall be my aduantage with an Apostle His happiest houre is when In manus tuas Domine he can say Into thy hands Lord I cōmend my soule For Anima nō amittitur sed praemittitur But this Of thee is terrible Thou that neuer preparedst for death were at a league with hell securely rocked asleep in the cradle of thy Barne that didst put farre away from thee the euill day giuen it a charge de non instando thou that cryedst Peace peace on thee shall come sudden destruction thou that saidst Soule be merry to sorrow shall Thy soule be required Thou that neuer esteemedst thy soule so deare as thy wealth but didst set that after thy stables which might haue been equal to Angels Thy soule Thou that wert loth to heare of death as hauing no hope of future bliss that wouldest not giue thy possession on earth for thy expectation in heauen as that French Cardinall that said He would not giue his part in Paris for his part in Paradise Of thee shall a soule be required This poynt is sharpe and makes vp his miserie Hovv Required The originall is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They shall require it This is such a requiring as cannot be withstood GOD requires thy obedience thou deniest it the poore require thy charitie thou deniest it the World requires thy equitie thou deniest it But when thy soule shall be required there must be no denying of that it cannot be withheld Who shall require this soule Not God he required it in thy life to sanctifie it and saue it thou wouldest not harken to him now hee vvill none of it What should God doewith a drunken profane couetous polluted sensuall soule He offerd it the Gospell it would not belieue the bloud of Christ it would not wash and be cleane it is foule and nastie God requires it not Or if he require it it is to iudge and condemne it not to reserue and keepe it Recusabit Deus iam oblatum quod negabas illi requisitum God will refuse thy soule now offred which thou deniedst him vvhiles hee desired Not heauen those chrystalline walks are not for muddy feete nor shall lust-infected eyes looke within those holy dores In no wise shall enter into that City any thing that defileth or worketh abomination There is a roome without for such Chap. 22. 15. a black roome for blacke workes What should a worldling doe in heauen his heart so full of enuie and couetice would not brooke anothers felicitie If there be no gold there he cares not for comming at it But he shal be fitted for as he requires not heauen so heauen requires not him It will spare him no place not that it wants roome to receiue him but because his heart wants roome to desire it The vnrighteous shall not inherite the kingdome of God But because this generall menace doth not terrifie him read his particular name in the bill of inditement ver 10. Nor the Couetous Heauen is for men of an heauenly conuersation It was but Nebuchadnezzars dreame Dan. 2. GOD will not set a golden head vpon earthen feet giue the glory of heauen to him that loues nothing but the basenesse of this world The Angels require it not those celestiall Porters that carry the soules
and acceptable to God by addition of our prauity becomes euill Thus the best actions of an vniustified person are so leuened with his owne corruption that God abhorres them Your new Moones and your appointed Feasts my soule hateth they are a trouble to me I am weary to beare them when ye make many prayers I will not heare you What is the reason Your hands are full of bloud Euen sacrifices and supplications good seruices in their owne nature are made displeasing by the leuen of sinne He that killeth an Oxe is as if he slue a man he that sacrificeth a Lambe as if hee cut off a dogs neck Sacrifices God commanded and often commended yet victimae impiorum the oblations of the wicked are abominated Non speciosalaus in ore peccatorum Praise becommeth not the mouth of a sinner Euery vnregenerate man Claudicat in rectis halts in the straitest path Omnia naturalia bona polluta omnia supernaturalia amissa His portion of naturall good is defiled but of supernaturall good all share is vanished Peccaui was Dauids voice after his sinfull Arithmeticke the same was Iudas his voice after his damned treason Similis sonus non sinus there was the same sound but not the same heart Esau wept as much after the losse of the blessing as Peter after the denyall of his Master Similes lacrimae non animae like teares but vnlike soules The Pharise went to Church so well as the Publican but the Publican came home rather iustified then the Pharise The Pharises threw bounteously into the Treasury the poore widow two Mites yet Christ commends the poorer gift for the richer charity That worke which seemes the same In identitate operis yet differs much Ratione agentis in respect of the workers Many Heathen excelled vs in morall vertues yet the ignorance of Christ did shut heauen against them Vae tibi Aristoteles laudaris vbi non es damnaris vbi es Woe to thee O Aristotle who art commended where thou art not and condemned where thou art yea euen in a iustified mans workes though pure from the Spirit yet passing through his hands there is some tang of this leuen enough to keepe them from being meritorious Looke then well both to the iustification of thy person and the sanctification of thy workes Thou indeed confessest sinne to be damnable but it would grieue thee to go to hell for thy good deeds Though a man should giue all his goods to the poore yet wanting Faith and Loue he may for his charity go to the deuill Pray then that thy defects may bee supplyed by Christ Who gaue himselfe a sacrifice for vs to God of a sweet smelling sauour perfuming vs with the pleasant odour of his merits 3. By Leuen sowred we make rellishable bread for the vse of man so by the vngodly's most cursed sinnes God will aduance his glory Will Pharaoh harden his heart I will get me honour vpon him saith God That Leuen of malice which so wred the soules of those Brethren against poore Ioseph the Lord made vse of to his glory From that vngracious practice hee raised a pedegree of blessings Otherwise there had beene no prouision in Aegypt no bread to spare for Israel no wonders wrought by Moses no Manna from heauen no Law from Sinai no possession of Canaan So from the vnnaturallest murther that euer the Sunne beheld yea which the Sunne durst not looke vpon God glorified himselfe in sauing vs. The Oppressor impouerisheth the righteous God sees and suffers and from his villany effectuates their good by taking away those snares to saue their soules The Lord will glorifie himselfe in the vessels of destruction and the grones in hell shall honour his Iustice so well as the songs in heauen honour his mercy How much better is it to glorifie God in faithfulnesse that will preserue thee then in wickednesse which will destroy thee 4. A man cannot Liue by bread only much worse by Leuen No man can liue for euer by his righteousnesse and good works much lesse by his sinnes Sinne is no nourishment to the soule vnles as some Mithridates-like haue so inured their bodies to poison that Venenum nutrit euen venime doth batten them so others their soules to sinne that they cannot keepe life without it And indeed we say of some things that they nourish sicknesse and feed death Omne simile nutrit simile inward corruption is fed maintained by outward action Couetice in Iudas is nourished by filching his masters money Murder in Ioab is hartned and hardned with bloud Theft is fatted with booties pride with gay rags vsury battens by extortion Sacriledge by Church-robbing Pascitur Libido conuiuijs nutritur delicijs vino accenditur ebrietate flammatur Banketting is the diet of lust Wantonnesse her Nurse Wine kindles a heate in her bloud and Drunkennesse is the powder that sets her on fire Thus sinne feeds vpon this leuen but with the same successe that Israel vpon quailes they fatted their carkasses but made them leane soules Though this leuen passe the swallow yet stickes in the stomach sinne may be deuoured but lies heauy on the conscience Bread of deceit is sweet to a man but his mouth shall be filled with grauell It may be sweet in his mouth but it is the gall of Aspes in his bowels Putrid meate is apt to breed and feed wormes so this Leuen the worme of conscience when they once come to feele it worke then ready to cry This is my death vnlesse God giue them a good vomite of repentance to put it off their soules and the sober dyet of sanctification to amend and rectifie their liues 5. Lastly Sinne and leuen are fitly compared for their sowrenesse There is a Leuen sharpe and sowre but sanatiue The Kingdome of heauen is like vnto leuen But this leuen here is farre sowrer yet hath nothing but death in it It is sowre to God sowre to Angels sowre to Saints sowre to the sinner Sinne is sowrer then any Leuen 1. Sowre to God who hates nothing but sinne He made man and man made sinne Hee loues his owne creature but he hates mans creature Sinne is sowrer to him then the deuill For Non odit peccatum Diaboli cansa sed Diabolum peccati causa He hates not sinne for the deuils sake but the deuill for sinnes sake It is so sowre to him that for one sinne hâ—…e plagued a world of men how will he plague one man for a world of sinne So sowre that he could rellish no man for it till hee had killed it in the sides of Iesus Christ. We are all so sowre that but for this sweetning and perfume we could neuer haue beene endured The Scripture for our vnderstanding ascribes senses to God and we finde euery sense displeased with sinne 1. It is offensiue to his smelling He tels the Iewes that their sinnes did stinke in his nosthrils So did the old World offend him that he washed
reason of a man and Religion of a Christian keepe it from eruption Thou art resolued neuer to thinke highly of thine owne worth yet thou hast the seed of pride within thee thou art naturally as Luther said borne with a Pope in thy belly there 's the materiall to be too well affected to thy owne doings It is impossible thou thinkst for thee to be made an vsurer now thou hast no money yet thou hast the seede of vsury within thee and Crescit amor nummi quantum ipsa pecunia crescit all the sons of Adam loue earth too well Who shall euer perswade thee to bow downe before an Idoll yet a dainty feast perswades thee to worship thine owne belly this is no Idolatry It was but a little Cloud that Eliahs seruant saw rising out of the sea like a mans hand yet it portended a great showre Sin seemes at first like a little cloud but it prognosticates a deluge of ensuing wickednes The carelesse Gallant by many trifles often fetch'd runs so far in the Mercers bookes vnawares that he cannot endure to heare of a reckoning These little arrerages taken vp on trust runs our soules so deepe into Gods debt that if the bloud of Christ doe not pay it though we be sold wife and children and all we possesse non habenius vnde we can neuer discharge it 5. Minima peccata maximas in ficiunt virtutes a little sinne infects a great deale of righteousnesse The Leprosie infected the garments and the very walls of the house but Sinne hath infected wood and wooll and wals earth ayre beasts plants planets and stucke a scarre on the chrystall brow of nature it selfe For wee know that the whole creation groneth and trauelleth in paine together vntill now If the great world grone for mans sinne shall not the little world man grone for his owne sinne Send a little temptation in at the eare or eye it will not rest working till it runne like poyson to the heart Dauid let in a little leuen at his eye it quickly wrought to his heart gangrened to adultery to bloud hardly cured A little Coliquintida spoyles all the broth a spotte in the face blemisheth all the beauty Naaman the Syrian is plentifully commended He was captaine of the host a great man with his master and honorable because the Lord by him had giuen deliuerance to Syria he was also a mighty man of valour but he was a Leper This same But marres all But he was a Leper So in the soule one vice disgraceth a great deale of vertue When hee was cured and conuerted by Elisha first he 's charitable offers gold garments but he excepts bowing in the house of Rimmon he is deuout and begs earth for sacrifice but excepts Rimmon he is religious and promiseth to offer to none but the Lord but he excepts Rimmon This little leuen this But Rimmon sowred all Dead flies cause the oyntment of the Apothecary to send forth a stinking sauour The Apothecaries vnction is a thing praised in the Scriptures compounded of many excellent simples made not so much for medicine as for Odour yet the flies of death putrifie it So doth a little folly him that is in reputation for Wisedome and Honor. When one commended Alexander for his noble acts and famous atchieuements another obiected against him that he killed Calisthenes He was valiant and successefull in the warres true but he kill'd Calisthenes Hee ouercame the great Darius so but he kill'd Calisthenes Hee made himselfe master of the world grant it but still hee killed Calisthenes His meaning was that this one vniust fact poysoned all his valorous deeds Beware of sinne which may thus leuen the whole lumpe of our soule Indeed we must all sinne and euery sinne sowres but to the faithfull and repentant Christian it shall not be damnable There is no damnation to them that are in Iesus Christ. There is in al corruption to most affliction to none damnation that are in Christ. Our leuen hath sowred vs but we are made sweet againe by the all-perfuming bloud of our blessed Sauiour 6. Minima peccata facilius destruunt the least sins are the most fatall to mens destruction Anima est tota in toto so that if the toe akes the head feeles the eye le ts fall a teare the very heart mournes So let but the eye lust the soule is in danger to be lost Mors per fenestras faith the Prophet Death comes in at the windowes then enters into the Palaces to cut off the children without and the young men 〈◊〉 the streets Is it but an vncleane thought Mors in illâ as the children of the Prophets cryed Mors in ollâ there is death in it and for it A dramme of poyson diffuseth it selfe to all parts till it strangle the vitall spirits and turne out the soule from her Tenement How great a matter a little fire kindleth It is all one whether a man bee killed with the pricke of a little thorne or with the he wing of a broad sword so he bee killed Wee haue seene a whole arme impostumated with a little pricke in the finger if Satan can but wound our heele as the Poets faigne of Achilles he vvill make shift to kill vs there euen from the heele to send death to the heart Therefore Christ cals Hatred murder a wanton eye adultery besides the possibility of act they are the same in the intention of heart The hornet is a little flye yet it stings deadly I know that heauier sinnes shall haue a heauier waight of punishment yet is the least heauy enough to sinke the soule to the bottomlesse pitte Greater fury of iniquity shall haue the hotter fire but O let vs neuer feele the heat of one A little leake sinkes a great vessell Pope Marcelline being accused for Idolatry answered for himselfe I did but cast a few graines of Incense into the fire that was little or nothing Yes it was manifest offering to Idols is that nothing Christ would not obey Satan in his minimis hee would not answer his desire in the smallest sute he could request of turning stones into bread euen vvhiles hee was so hungry as forty daies fasting could make him Teaohing vs to deny Satan in his best motions lest custome of hauing them granted make him so impudent as to take no repulse in his greatest temptations This is the Deuils method of working as it is in the first Psalme Blessed is the man that hath not walked c. First he gets a man to walke a turne or two with him in sinne as it were to conferre and debate the matter After some walking lest he should be weary he preuailes with him to stand in the way of sinners after admission of the thought to commission of the act Lastly hee perswades him for his ease to fit downe in the seate of the scornefull falling to despise God and deride all goodnesse Thus hee brings
own hearts lie still Thus often our Lecturer shall preach we will giue the hearing when we list Thus many Ministers come to a Parish with their bones full of marrow veynes full of bloud but all is soone spent and the people neuer the better We ring but you doe not rise 3. The third Bell is the Meane and this is Suspiria gemitusque morientium the cryes grones of the dying Anothers Passing-bell is thy warning-bell Death snatcheth here and there about vs thousands on our left tenne thousands on our right yet as if we had a Supersedeas or Protection against it we neither relent nor repent Our securitie is argued of the more madnesse because we haue so common motions and monitions of death Yet Nonerimus memores esse necesse mori How horrible is it to be drunke in a charnell house As Christ spake Let the dead bury the dead So we bring to the Church dead bodies with deader soules Forma fauor populi feruor inuenilis opesque Surripuere tibi noscere quid sit homo We confesse our selues mortall yet we liue as if death had no quarrell against vs. This Bell is the Meane but it is too meane to wake vs. 4. The fourth Bell is the Counter-tenor vox pauperum the cry of the poore This bell rings loud either to vs for mercy or against vs for crueltie Let vs know that if it cannot waken vs it shal waken God aganst vs. Their cryes are entred into the eares of the Lord of Sabbaoth Set not thy soule in danger of the peoples curse by inhauncings ingrossings oppressions c. But thou sayest they are wicked men that will curse and God will not heare the wishes of the wicked I answere it is often seene that the curse of the vndone waster lights vpon the head of the vndooing Vsurer The imprecation of one euill man may fall vpon another God so suffers it not because he cursed thee but because thou hast deserued this curse Let this Bell make Oppressors arise to shew mercy that God may rise to shewe them mercy Otherwise the poore man is ready to pray Arise O Lord in thine anger lift vp thy selfe because of the rage of our enemies awake for vs to the iudgement thou hast commanded Yea though they pray not for it God will doe it For the oppression of the poore for the sighing of the needy now will I arise saith the Lord. I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at it If this Bel sound mournfully to thee for bread to the hungry arise to this sound as that neighbor rose at midnight to relieue his importunate friend If it cannot waken thy couetous soule to shew mercy to Christ tempore suo in his time of need nor will Christ arise to shew mercy to thee tempore tuo in thy time of need 5. The last Bell is the Tenor the Bow-bell able to waken all the Citie But though that materiall Bell can teach vs when it is time to goe to bedde yet this mysticall bell cannot teach vs the time to arise This is the abuse of the creatures The rust of the gold cryes against the hoorder the stone out of the wall against the Oppressor the corne and wine against the Epicure This is a roring and a groning Bell. The whole creature grones and trauells in paine vnder vs. This is the creatures ordinary Sermon Accipe redde caue vse vs without abusing return thankfulnesse without dissembling or looke for vengeance without sparing They seeme to cry vnto vs We desire not to be spared but not to be abused Necessitati subseruire non recusamus sed luxui we would satisfie your naturall necessity not intemperate riot We are the nocent creatures that cause their innocencie to become miserable And but that the Diuine prouidence restraines them it is maruell that they break not their league with vs and with their hornes and hoofes and other artillery of nature make warre vpon vs as their vnrighteous and tyrannicall Lords Let some of these Bells waken vs lest as God once protested against Israel that seeing they would not when it was offered therefore they should neuer enter into his rest so a renuntiation come out against vs If any will be filthy let them be filthy still if they will not arise they shal lie still for euer If this peale cannot effect it yet God hath foure things more to rouze vs. 1. A Goad that pricks the skin and smarts the flesh Affliction he hath Crosses and Curses those gall these deepely wound they are able to make any but a Pharaoh arise It was affliction that waken'd Dauid It is good for me that I was troubled The Leprosie brought Naaman to the Prophet the Prophet brought him to God It is strange if bloudy sides put not sense into vs. Yet such was the obduracy of Israel Thou hast stricken them but they haue not sorrowed thou hast consumed them yet they refused to returne Insensible hearts The people turneth not to him that smiteth them neyther doe they seeke the Lord of Hosts Hast thou beene wounded and wilt thou not be wakened beware lest God speake to thy soule as in another sense Christ did to Peter Sleepe on now and take thy rest 2. Hee hath to rouze vs Thunder of heauier Iudgements perhaps the light scratches which some aduerse thornes make are slightly reckoned scarce change countenance for them But he sleepes soundly whom thunder cannot wake Humanas motura tonitrua mentes When God thundred that menace in the cares of Niniueh it waked them Let Absolon fire Ioabs barley fields and he shal make him rise Shake the foundations of the Prison and the sterne layler will rise a conuerted Christian Sirs what shall I doe to be saued This thundring of iudgements should cleanse our ayre awaken our sleepy mindes purge our vncleane hearts If the Lyon roare who will not feare If the Lord thunder what man will not be afraid 3. He hath an Ordnance to shoot off Death Statutum est omnibus mori It is a Statute-Law of heauen an Ordinance from the Court of Iustice Euery man shall die When this Canon is discharged at thy paper-walls then let thy soule rise or neuer The shooting off this Ordinance made Belshazzar stagger before hee was drunke His knees smote one against another when that fatall hand wrote his destiny on the wall Indeed most doe slumber on the Couch of health they are quiet no sicknesse stirs them they are at a couenant with the graue Sed cito finitam datur istam cernere vitam Praeceps mortis iter Death makes a headlong progresse This Ordinance carries death in the mouth it is an euen hand that shootes one that will neuer misse the marke let this rouze vs. 4. God hath a Trumpet to sound The Lord shall descend from heauen with a shout with the voyce of the Archangell and with the Trumpe of God
gratious God hath made vs able Ministers of the New Testament not of the letter but of the Spirit for the letter killeth but the spirit giueth life The proper office of the Law was to threaten terrifie condemne Lex non damnans est ficta pictalex sayth Luther That law that doth not condemne is a fained and a painted law But the power of the Gospell is to conuert and saue The Lord hath annointed me sayth the Prophet in the person of Christ to preach good tydings vnto the meeke to bind vp the broken-hearted to proclaime libertie to the captiâ—…es and the acceptable yeare of the Lord to comfort all that mourne The law was called the Ministration of death but the Gospell like Iohn Baptist points vs to Christ a Sauiour Behold the Lambâ—… of God tâ—…king away the sinne of the world The law menaced death but the Gospell assures vs There is no damnation to them which are in Christ. When the law like a sterne Seriant arresteth thee Pay that thou owest the Gospell produceth an acquitâ—…ance â—…ealed in the bloud of Iesus and sayes to thy faith All is payed Quod lex operum minando imperâ—…t lex fidei credendo impetrâ—…t What the law of workes commanded threatning the new law of fayth obtaineth by beleeuing 2. The Gospell is also more glorious and that both in regard of the Countenance and Continuance For beautie more glorious because it is more honourable to be the messenger of mercie and life then to be the minister of terrour and death A deathsman is accounted base but their feete are beautifull that bring tydings of peace and pardon If the ministration of condemnation be glorie much more doth the ministration of righteousnes exceede in glorie For Continuance Moses glory is done away but the glory of Moses his Lord remaines for euer The law was giuen by Moses but grace and truth came by Christ Iesus The type is vanished banished but the substance abideth euer When that which is perfect comes that which is in part is done away There was a second Testament to succeed the first but after the second shall succeed none So that if any man shall wilfully and finally euacuate to himselfe the vertue of this new Couenant there remaineth no more sacrifice for his sinnes Therfore the Apostle concludes If that which is done away was glorious much more that which remaineth is glorious The bloud of Christ doth mystically run fresh to the end of the world therefore the Gospell must be preached that this bloud may be applied The Gospell is that Star that must bring vs to Christ therfore shall shine till our soules come to him in glory The very subiect of the Gospell is euerlasting life therfore it shall not leaue vs till it hath brought vs thither 2 This Vntill giues matter of exhortation instructing vs to waite with patience for this blessed tyme to be content to stay for Gods Vntill It is a sweet mixture of ioy in trouble the certaine hope of future â—…ase Thou art captiued thou shalt be freed thou art persecuted shalt triumph thou art fought against shalt raigne thou art derided but thou shalt shine in glory Onely quietly expect this Vntill Yet a little while and he that shall come will come and will not tarry But Vntill this recompense of reward comes ye haue neede of patience Labour not a violent extrication of thy selfe abide and waite Till we all meete in the vnitie of fayth c. We are got through the gate let vs now enter the Citie werein we shall find fiâ—…e principall Passages or Streets What aâ—…ting â—…ting Who We yea we All all the Saints Wherin In Vnitie that vnitie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Whereof Of the Faith knowledge of Gods Sonne Whereunto To a perfect man Vnto the measure of the stature of the fulnesse of Christ. What Meeâ—…e The meeting of friends is eâ—…er comfortable When the brethrâ—…n heard of vs they came to meete vs as farre as Appiâ—… forum whom when Paul saw he thanked God and toâ—…ke courage They haue sullen and tetricall spirits whom the sight of good friends cannot cheare Fraternum verè 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ecâ—… quâ—…m bonum c. Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in vnitie Some things are good but not pleasant as afflictions they are not sweet yet proâ—…table It was good for me that I haue beâ—…e afflicted that I might learne thâ—… statutes Other things are pleasant but not good The wicked take delight in sinne which sâ—…ayeth the soule But this is both Bonum and Iuâ—…undum good and pleasant also There is a threefold meeting of the godly 1 In this life with their soules in their bodies 2 After death of their soules without bodies 3 At the last day of both together in glory 1. In this life and here the communis terminus of their meeting is Gods house Where alwayes Christ himselfe is one of the number Wheresoeuer two or three of you be gathered together in my name I will be in the midst of you But to haue his blessed societie we must not only bring our bodyes but our minds with them Quomodo erit Christus in medio nostrum â—…i nobiscum non erimus How should Christ be with vs if we be not with our selues Plus valet consonantia voluntatum quâ—…m vocum The harmonie of our voyces is not so pleasing to God as of our hearts This is the happiest meeting in this world The denyall of this comfort made the soule of Dauid sicke cast downe disquieted within him And his reuiuall was that he might goe vnto the altar of God vnto God his exceeding ioy Indeede the vngodly thinke not thus they are more delighted with the tabernacles of Meshek and the tauernes of Kâ—…der In the 2. of Luke when Ioseph Mary had lost Iesus comming from Ierusalem they sought him among their kinsfolke and acquaintance But they found him not till they came to Ierusalem there he was in the Temple The children of God when they seeke Christ find him not in the world among their kinred friends in the flesh but in Domo Dei in the house of God It is dangerous to be absent from these holy meetings least we misse of our Sauiours companie God did not promise to meete thee here thou vsurer at the Banke thou drunkard at the alehouse thou sluggard on thy vnseasonable couch but at the Church Christ comes to appeare to vs and we are gone some about our farmes of couetousnes others about carnall pleasures In vaine we seeke God if not in his right Vbi where he hath promised to be found Fugienti bonum consortium obuenit corruptum corrumpens sodalitium He that eschewes Christian meetings shall be met withall either by the Deuill when he is lazy or by the Deuils friends when he is busie 2. When death
immoueable to wind or weather he needs not the shelter of mountaines for he shall stand like Mount Sion that a hideth fast for euer They that despise him shall find him a Rocke also if they fall on it they shall be broken if it fall on them it will grind them to powder He is a Stone the Stone the head-stone of the corner cut out of the Quarrey of heauen without hands Of whome we are made liuing stones He is strong without all things all things weake without him trust in him and you shall haue no need to flie to rockes and mountaines For What The benefit that they would haue the Rockes and the Mountaines doe them is to Fall on them hide them Whence we deriue three obseruations 1. Despaire is euer wishing for death often impatiently snatching at it in this world but when the last day comes so greedily longing for it that to be sure of it they desire the mountaines to dispatch them Death by the wicked is now most feared death at the last shall be the thing most wished They shall desire death and shall not find it They that sit in the warme nest of riches hatching vp their brood of lusts quake at the hearing of death There are some feare to die others not so much to die as to be dead The former are cowardly the other vnbeleeuing soules Some feare both to whom nothing in life then life is more desireable But when thâ—s last extremitie comes mâ—…ricupiunt they desire to die And that death like a merciles executioner might not haue too many strokes at their liues they begge helpe of the Mountaines that they might be throughly dispatched at once without need of a second blow Cain at his arraignement for his brother would needs liue God grants it as if it were too much fauour for him to die But hee yeelds it for a curse as if he heard his prayers in anger He liues but banished from God carrying his hell in his bosome and the brand of vengeance in his forehead God reiects him the earth repines at him and men abhorre him Loe now Cain would die himselfe now wisheth the death he feared and no man dares pleasure him with a murther As Nero in the like case Nec amicâ—…m nec mimicum hâ—…beo I haue neyther friend nor enemie or as Sauâ—… found in his Armour-bearer not a will to kill him though he had a will to be killed by him Death these reprobates feared and onely death is now desired They cry to the mountaines Fall on vs. 2 Obserue that rockes and mountaines are farre lighter then sinne Zachary compares it to a Talent of lead Esay cals it a Burden Such a waight bore our Sauiour that he groned vnder it I am pressed vnder you as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaues The wicked that like Babel-builders thinke to aspiâ—…e to heauen by multiplying of earth would bee glad if â—…umulitumuli their bodies might be buried vnder their heapes of wealth where their soules had beene buryed long before But what is a load of earth a mountaine huger then Aetna vnder which Iupiter was sayd subter fulminare Gigantes what is the whole massie bodie of the earth to the waight of sinne Thinke of it ye Theomachor that striue in your rebellions imponere Pelioâ—… Ossae ye rapacious couetous that load your selues with thicke clay you lay heauie burdens on the poore heauier on your owne consciences Sin may seeme light for a season as a packe made vp but not assayed with one of your fingers when Sathan shall lay it on you it will breake your backes You beare it now like corke and feathers at that day you shall iudge it heauier then rockes and mountaines Now in contempt of law and Gospell honestie and conscience earth and heauen they call to pride ambition blasphemie ebrietie luxurie oppression Fall on vs and couer vs wearing pride as a chaine and couering themselues with crueltie as with a garment Siâ—… lyes at the dore and they haue no sense to take it vp The deuill puts his shoulders vnder the waight and thus supported they feele it not But when Gods iustice shall reproue them and set their sinnes in order before their 〈◊〉 yea impose them on their weake and yeelding consciences howe different will their cry be 〈◊〉 fâ—…ll 〈◊〉 â—…ockes couer vs. The swearer saying to these heauie creatures you are lighter then my oathes the â—…uetous you are not so ponderous as my oppressions the adulterer the whole earth is a gentle pressure â—…o the burden of my lustes Custome in sinne obstupefies a â—…sense and still like that Romaine Milo his strength eâ—…creasing with his burden he that first carried sinne a wanton Calfe can at last beare it a goaring Oxe Menlocke vp their iniquities as the vsurer his money in a Chest where the light of reproofe may not finde them out They packe all their iniquities vpon Hâ—… that will beare them for none but His. Or reserue them to an houres repentance setting them a day of cancelling but they breake it as if their last breath could dispell and scatter them all into ayre But alas sinnes then are found heauiest of all and here like malefactors pressing to death they cry out for more waight the accession of rockes and mountaines to dispatch them Loath they are to come before the Iudge therefore would be pressed to death by these ponderous and massy creatures The mountaines haue not beene more barren then they of goodnes the rockes not so hard as their hearts The crosse of Christ hath beene held too heauy repentance too troublesome a guest for their houses faith and obedience haue beene cast off as poore friends all godlynes too waightie now rockes and hils are light Christs yoke was not for their shoulders Satans must His law might not be borne it was so heauy his wrath must be borne and that is heauyer Oh then thrice blessed they whose sinnes God bindeth vp in a bundle and sinkes them in the whirlepoole of forgetfulnes that they may neuer be imposed for they are too heauy to be borne 3. Obserue that before these wicked were Lords of nations and Countreys for they are said to be Princes Captaines Conquerors rich men now they would be glad of one to hide them Of all their dominions they begge but the barrenest parcell a rocke or mountaine and that to doe them a poore office to conceale them How much doth mans auarice and ambition couet here how little contents him hereafter In death the wickedest Potentate must be content with a graue after death he would be content with a graue still yea glad if in the bottome of a mountaine he might be hidden Heare this ye couetous that ioyne house to house and land to land by disioyning the societies of men as if you would leaue the whole earth to your babes Excutit natura redeuntem sicut intrantem Nature shall
with the workes that are therein shall be burnt vp The workes of mens hands the workes of their brines their very thoughts shall perish The Lords voyce shooke the earth and hee hath saide yet once againe I will shake not the earth onely but also heauen O blessed place that is not subiect to this shaking whose ioyes haue not onely an amiable countenance but a glorious continuance The things that are shaken shall be remoued but the things that are not shaken remaine for euer All the terrours of this worlde mooue not him that is fixed in heauen Impauidum ferient ruinae They that put their trust in the Lord shall be as mount Sion which cannot beremoued but abideth for euer But the Tabernacles and hopes of the wicked shall perish together For the world passeth away and the lust thereof but he that doeth the will of God abideth euer Whereon sayth August Quid vis Vtrum amare temporalia transire cum tempore an amare Christum viuere in aeternum Whether wilt thou loue the world and perish with it or loue Christ liue for euer 3. Myracle The rockes rent A wonderfull act to breake stones and rend rockes This giues vs two obseruations 1. This did foresignifie the power and efficacie of the Gospell that it should bee able to breake the very rockes As the death and passion of Christ did cleaue those solid and almost impenetrable substances so the publishing of his death and passion shall rend and breake in pieces the rockie hearts of men So Iohn Baptist said God is able of stones to rayse vp children vnto Abraham The hearts of Zaccheus Mary Magdalene Paul were such rockes yet they were cleft with the wedge of the Gospell This is that Rod of Moses able to breake the hardest Rockes till they gush out with flouds of penitent teares This is Ieremies hammer powerfull to bruise the most obdurate hearts The bloud of the Goate sacrificed of force to dissolue Adamant There is power in the bloud of Iesus to put sense into stones Blessed are you if you be thus broken-hearted for him whose heart was broken for you For the broken heart the Lord will not despise 2. Obserue the wonderfull hardnesse of the Iewes hearts The stones rent and claue in sunder at the cruell death of Iesus but their hearts more stony then stones are no whit moued They rend not their garments much lesse their hearts when as the earth rent the Stones her bones and the rockes her ribbes The flints are softer then they the flints breake they harden They still belch their malicious blasphemies the rocks relent the stones are become men and the men stones O the sencelesnesse of a hard heart rockes will sooner breake then that can be mollified Euen the hardest creatures are flexible to some agents flints to the raine iron to the fire stones to the hammer but this heart yeelds to nothing neyther the showers of mercie nor the hammer of reproofe nor the fire of Iudgements but like the stithy are still the harder for beating All the plagues of Egypt cannot mollifie the heart of Pharaoh It is wondrously vnnaturall that men made the softest hearted of all should be rigidiores lupis duriores lapidibus more cruell then wolues more hard then stones I woulde to GOD all hard-heartednesse had dyed with these Iewes but it is not so Howe often hath Christ beene here crucified in the word preaching his Crosse to your eares in the Sacraments presenting his death to your eyes thinke thinke in your owne soules haue not the stones in the walles of this Church beene as much moued God forbid our obduratenesse should be punished as theirs was since they would be so stony-hearted Ierusalem was turned to a heape of stones and the conquering Romanes dasht them pitifully against those stones which they exceeded in hardnesse Here let the wicked see their doome the stones that will not be softned shall be broken There is no changing the decree of God but change thy nature and then know thou art not decreed to death Stony harts shall bee broken to pieces with vengeance doe not striue to alter that doome but alter thy owne stony heart to a heart of flesh and so preuent it in the particular Wolues and goates shall not enter into heauen thou maiest pull starres out of heauen before alter this sentence but doe it thus Leaue that nature and become one of Christes sheepe and then thou art sure to enter No adulterâ—… nor couetous person sayth Paul shall inherite the kingdoâ—… of heauen this doome must stand but not against thee if thou bee conuerted Such were ye but ye are washed c. You are not such Had the Iewes ceased to be stones they had beene spared God will roote thornes and bryers out of his vineyard if thou wouldst not haue him roote out thee become a Vine and bring forth good grapes God threatens to breake the hairy sealpe of him that goes on in sinne yet mayest thou ward this blow from thy selfe Goe no further on in sinne When God comes in iudgement to visite the earth to shatter rockes and breake stones in peeces thou hast a heart of flesh mollified with repentance Let the earth quake and the rockes teare thy faith hath saued thee goe in peace 4. Miracle The graues were opened and many bodyes of Sanits which slept arose Concerning this two questions are moued 1. Where their soules were all this while before I answere where the scripture hath no tongue we should haue no eare Most probably thus their soules were in heauen in Abrahams bosome and came downe to their bodyes by diuine dispensation to manifest the power and Deitie of Christ. 2. Whither they went afterwards I answere by the same likelyhood that they died no more but waited on the earth till Christs resurrection and then attended him to heauen But these things that are concealed should not be disputed Tutum est nescire quod tegitur It is a safe ignorance where a man is not commanded to know Let vs then see what profitable instructions we can hence deriue to our selues They are many and therefore I will but lightly touch them 1. This teacheth vs that Christ by his death hath vanquished death euen in the graue his owne chamber That gyant is subdued the graues flie open the dead goe out This beares ample witnesse to that speach of Christ. I am the resurrection and the life he that beleeueth in me though he were dead yet shall he liue The bodies of the Saints what part of the earth or sea soeuer holds their dusts shall not be detayned in prison when Christ cals for them as the members must needs goe when the Head drawes them He shall speake to all creatures Reddite quod deuorastis restore whatsoeuer of man you haue deuoured not a dust not a bone can be denyed The bodyes of the Saints shall be raised sayth August Tanta
facilitate quanta faelicitate with as much easynes as happynes Desinunt ista non pereunt mors intermittit vitam non eripit Our bodies are left for a time but perish not death may discontinue life not conclude it Intermittitâ—… non interimitur it may be paused cannot be destroyed 2. Obserue that all the dead doe not rise but Many and those Saints The generall resurrection is reserued to the last day this a pledge or earnest of it Now who shall rise with this comfort none but Saints as here Christ takes no other company from the graues but Saints The dead in Christ shall rise first Christ is called The first borne from the dead He hath risen and his shall next follow him Euerie man in his owne order Christ the first fruits afterward they that are Christs at his comming Wormes and corruption shall not hinder he that sayd To Corruption thou art my mother and to the wormes you are my brethren and sisters sayd also I know that my Redeemer liueth and one day with these eyes I shall behold him The wicked shall also be raised though with horrour to looke vpon him whom they haue pierced But as Christ did here so will he at the last single out the Saints to beare him companie 3. This sheweth the true operation of Christs death in all men We are all dead in our sins as these bodies were in their graues now when Christs death becomes effectuall to our soules we rise againe and become new creatures From the graue of this world we come into the Church the holy Citie But thou complainest of the deadnes of thy hart it is well thou complainest there is some life or thou couldst not feele the deadnesse The houre is comming now is when the dead shall heare the voice of the Sonne of God and they that heare it shall liue If this word hath raysed thee from death and wrought spirituall life in thy heart thou shalt perceiue it by thy breathing words glorifying God by thy mouing in the waies to the workes of obedience 4 Obserue that these Saints which arose are sayd to haue Slept The death of the godly is often called a Sleepe So it is sayd of the Patriarches and Kings of Iudah they slept with their fathers So Paul saith they sleep in Christ. The Coffin is a couch In quo molliùs dormit qui benè in vita laborauit wherein hee takes good rest that hath wrought hard in the worke of his saluation before he went to bed Foelix somnus cum requie requies cum voluptate voluptas â—…um aeternitate It is a sweete sleepe that hath peace with rest rest with pleasure pleasure with euerlastingnes So the godly sleepe till the Sound of a Trumpet shall waken them and then eternall glory shall receiue them 5. Lastly obserue that Ierusalem is called the Holy citie though she were at this time a sinke of sinne and a debaushed harlot Either as some thinke that she is called holy because she was once holy So Rahab is called the harlot because she was a harlot Simon is termed the Leper for that hee was a leper and Mathew the Publican for that he was a Publican Or els she was called holy for the couenants sake in regard of the Temple sacrifices seruice of God and of the elect people of God that were in it Whence we may inferre how vnlawfull it is to separate from a Church because it hath some corruptions Is apostate Ierusalem that hath crucified her Sauiour called still the holy Citie and must England that departeth in nothing from the faith and doctrine of her Sauiour for some scarce discernible Imperfections be reiected as a foedifragous strumpet But there be wicked persons in it what then Shee may be still a holy Cittie Recedatur ab iniquitate non ab iniquis Let vs depart from sinne we cannot runne from sinners Thus we haue considered the Miracles let vs now looke into the causes wherefore they were wrought These may be reduced into fiue In respect of The Sufferer dying The Creatures obeying The Iewes persecuting The Women beholding The Disciples forsaking 1. In regard of Christ to testifie not onely his Innocencie but his Maiestie His Innocencie that hee was as Pilates wife acknowledged a Iust man His Maiestie as the Centurion confessed Seeing the earth quake and the things that were done Truely this was the Sonne of God He seemed a worme no man the contempt and derision of the people forsaken of his confidence in the midst of all God will not leaue him without witnesses but raiseth vp senseles creatures as Preachers of his deitie Est aterni filius qui illic pendet mortuus He that hangs there dead on the Crosse is the Sonne of the eternall God Rather then the children of God shall want witnesses of their integritie God will worke myracles for their testimonie 2. In regard of the Creatures to shew their Obedience to their Creator they are not wanting to him that gaue being to them These demonstrate it was their Lord that suffered and that they were ready to execute vengeance on his murderers The heauen that was darke would haue rained fire on them the earth that quaked shooke them to peeces the rockes that rent tumbled on them and the graues that opened to let out other prisoners haue swallowed them quicke They all waited but his command to performe this revengefull execution Who shall now dare to persecute Christ in his members The stones are thy enemies the earth gapes for thee hell it selfe enlargeth her iawes if the Lord but hisse to them they are suddenly in an vprore against thee Goe on in your malice ye raging persecutors you cannot wrong Christ no not in his very members but you pull the fists of all creatures in heauen earth and hell about your eares flies from the aire beasts from the earth poison from sustenance thunder from the clouds yea at last also though now they helpe you the very deuils from hell against you All creatures shoote their malignancie at them that shoot theirs at Christ. 3. In respect of the Iewes his enemies to shame and confound them The rockes and graues are moued at his passion not they Lapides tremunt homines fremunt The stones rent the huge earth quakes with feare the Iewes rage with malice We see how difficult it is to mollifie a hard heart harder then to remoue a mountaine raise the dead cleaue a rocke shake the whole earth It is a great mryacle to conuert a wicked man greater then rending of rockes Moses rod stroke a Rocke thrice and did it ministers haue stroke mens rocky harts three hundreth times and cannot The graues sooner open then the sepulchers of sinne and darkenes the vast earth sooner quakes then mens hearts at Gods iudgements 4. In respect of the women that stood by that their faith might be confirmed For seeing him on the Crosse at their mercie
Gomer was for Manna Curiositie is the rennet that turnes our milke into curds Not to your selues Let thy fountaines be dispersed abroad sayth the wisest king communicate thy knowledge Math. 5. Christians must be like lights that wast themselues for the good of those in Gods house Scire tuum nihil est nisi te scire hoc sciat alter Hee that will be wise onely to himselfe takes the ready way to turne foole Non licet habere priuatam ne priuemur eâ The closer we keepe our knowledge the likelier wee are to loose it Standing water soone puddles the gifts of the mind if they be not imployed will be empaired Euery wicked man is a foole by comparing their properties 1. It is a Fooles propertie Futuranon prospicere to haue no foresight of future things So hee may haue from hand to mouth he sings care-away So the grashopper sings in haruest when the Ant labours and begges at Christmasse when the Ant sings The wicked takes as litle care what shall become of his soule as the naturall foole what shall become of his body Modo Potiar sayth the Epicure Let me haue pleasure now It is better to a liuing dogge then to a dead Lyon They doe not in faire weather repaire their house against stormes nor in time of peace prouide spirituall armour against the day of warre They watch not therefore the day of the Lord shall come vpon them as a theefe in the night and spoyle them of all their pleasures The maine busines of their soule is not thought of nor dreame they of an Audite till they be called by death away to their reckoning 2. It is a Fooles propertie to affect things hurtfull to himselfe Ludit cum spinis he loues to be playing with thornes Neither yet Quod nocuit docuâ—…t hath that which hurt him taught him caution but hee more desperately desires his owne mischiefe The wicked doe strongly appropriate to themselues this qualitie Cum illis ludunt quae illis laedunt they loue to dally with their owne vexation who else would do at on the world and houer like waspes about the galley-pot till for one licke of the honey they be drownd in it What is your ambition O ye world-affecters sayth August but to be affected of the world what doe you seeke but per multa pericula peruenire ad plura per plurima ad pessima but through many dangers to find more through easier to find the worst of all Like that doating Venetian for one kisse of that painted harlot to liue her perpetuall slaue The world was therefore called the Fooles Paradise there he thinkes to find heauen and there he sells it to the deuill Noxia quaerunt improbi they hast as a bird to the snare the deuill doth but hold vanitie as a sharpe weapon against them and they run full brest vpon it They need no enemies let them alone and they will kill themselues So the enuious pines away his owne marrow the adulterer poysons his owne bloud the prodigall lauisheth his owne estate the drunkard drownds his owne vitall spirits Wicked men make warre vpon themselues with the engines of death 3. It is a Fooles propertie to preferre trifles and toyes before matters of worth and waight The foole will not giue his bable for the kings Exchequour The wicked preferres bodyes of dust and ashes to their soules of eternall substance this sinne corrupted and time-spent world to the perfect and permanent ioyes of heauen short pleasures to euerlasting happines a puffe of fame before a solid waight of glory What follie can be more pitiable then to forsake corne for acornes a state of immortalitie for an apple as Adam did a birthright with all the priuiledges for a messe of pottage belly-cheare as Esau did a kingdome on earth yea in heauen too for asses as Saul did all portion in Christ for bacon as the Gergesites did a royaltie in heauen for a poore Farme on earth as the bidden guest did This is the worldlings follie Villa bones vxor c. Mundus cura caro caelum clausere vocalis To esteeme grace and glory lesse then Farmes oxen wiues manna then onions mecrie then vanitie God then Idols They may be fitly paralelld with the Prodigall Hee forsooke 1. His Fathers house for a strange countrey these the Church Gods house for the world a place wherein they should be strangers and wherein I am sure they shall not be long dwellers 2. His Fathers inheritance for a bag of money so these will not tarrie for their heritagein heauen but take the bags which Mammon thrusts into their hands on the present Who but a Foole will refuse the assured reuersion of some great Lordship though expectant on the expiration of three liues for a ready summe of money not enough to buy the least sticke on the ground This iâ—… the worldlings folly rather to take a piece ofâ—… p-coine in hand then to trust God for the inualuable masse of glory 3. He forsakes his louing friends for harlots creatures of spoile and rapine so these the company of Saints For the Sonnes of Beliall those that sing praises for those that roare blasphemies 4. Lastly the bread in his Fathers house for huskes of beanes so these leaue Christ the true bread of life for the draffe which the swine of this world puddle in Here is their Folly to fasten on transient delights and to neglect the pleasures at the right hand of God for euermore 4. It is a Fooles propertie to runne on his course with precipitation Yet can he not out-runne the wicked whose driuing is like Iehu's the son of Nimshi he driueth as if he were mad As if he had receiued that commission salute no man by the way The wise man seeth the plague and hideth himselfe but the foole runneth on and is punished He goes he runnes he flies as if God that rides vpon the wings of the wind should not ouertake him Hee may passe a pace for he is benefited by the way which is smooth without rubbes and downe a hill for hell is a bottome Facilis descensus Auerni Hast might be good if the may were good and good speed added to it But this is Cursus celerrimus praeteruiam He needs not run so fast for numquamserò ad id venitur a quo nunquam receditur the foole may come soone enough to that place from whence he must neuer returne Thus you see the respondencie of the spirituall to the naturall Foole in their qualities Truly the wicked man is a Foole so Salomon expounds the one by the other Eccl. 7. Be not ouermuch wicked neither be thou foolish why shouldst thou die before thy time Fooles Obserue this is plurally and indefinitely spoken The number is not small Stultâ—…rum plena sunt omnia Christs flocke is little but Satans kingdome is of large bounds Plurima possima vile thinges are euer most plentifull Wisedome flies
through with reward Let the Philosophers stop their mouths Scelus aliquis tutum nemo securum tulit Some guiltie men haue beene safe none euer secure This euerie eye must see Let adulterie plead that nature is encourager and directer of it and that she is vniust to giue him an affection and to barre him the action yet we see it plagued To teach vs that the sin is of a greater latitude then some imagine it vncleane fedifragous periured Broad impudence contemplatiue Bauderie an eye full of whores are things but iested at the committers at last find them no iest when God powres vengance on the body and wrath on the naked conscience Let drunkennes stagger in the robes of good fellowship and shrowdit selfe vnder the wings of merriment yet we see it haue the punishment euen in this life It corrupts the bloud drownes the spirits beggers the purse and enricheth the carcase with surfets a present iudgement waites vpon it He that is a theefe to others is at last a theefe also to himselfe and steales away his owne life God doth not euer forbeare sin to the last day nor shall the bloudy Ruffian still escape but his owne bloud shall answere some in present and his soule the rest eternally Let the Seminary pretend a warrant from the Pope to betray and murder Princes and build his damnation on their tetricall grounds which haue Parum rationis minus honestatis Religionis nihil Little Reason lesse Honestie no Religion Yet we see God reueales their malicious stratagems and buries them in their owne pit Piercies head now stands Centinell where he was once a Pioner If a whole land flow with wickednes it escapes not a deluge of vengeance For England haue not her bowells groaned vnder the heauy pestilence If the plague be so common in our mouthes how should it not be common in our streets With that plague wherwith we curse others the iust God curseth vs. Wee shall find in that Emperiall state of Rome that till Constantines time almost euery Emperour dyed by treason or massacre after the receiuing of the Gospell none except that reuolter Iulian Let not sinne then be made a sport or iest which God will not forbeare to punish euen in this life 3. But if it bring not present Iudgement it is the more fearefull The lesse punishment wickednes receiues here the more is behind God strikes those here whom he meanes to spare hereafter and corrects that sonne which he purposeth to saue But hee scarce meddles with them at all whom hee intends to beate once for all The Almond tree is forborne them who are bequeathed to the boiling Potte There is no rod to scourge such in present so they goe with whole sides to hell The purse and the flesh scapes but the soule payes for it This is Misericordia puniens a greeuous mercie when men are spared for a while that they may be spilled for euer This made that good Saint cry Lord here afflict cut burnt torture me Vt in aeternum parcas that for euer thou wilt saue me No sorrow troubles the wicked no disturbance embitters their pleasures But remember sayth Abraham to the merry-liu'ed rich man Thou wert delighted but thou art tormented Tarditas supplicij grauitate pensatur and hee will strike with iron hands that came to strike with leaden feete Tuli nunquid semper feram no their hell-fire shall be so much the hoter as God hath beene coole and tardy in the execution of his vengeance This is a Iudgement for Sinne that comes inuisible to the world insensible to him on whom it lights To be giuen ouer to a reprobate mind to a hard and impenitent heart If any thing be vengance this is it I haue read of plagues famine death come temperd with loue and mercie this neuer but in anger Many taken with this spirituall lethargie sing in Tauernes that should howle with dragons and sleepe out Sabboths and Sermons whose awaked soules would rend their hearts with anguish Fooles then onely make a mocke at sinne 4. Sinne that shall at last be laid heauy on the conscience the lighter the burthen was at first it shall be at last the more ponderous The wicked conscience may for a while lie a sleepe but Tranquilitas ista tempestas est this calme is the greatest storme The mortallest enemies are not euermore in pitched fields one against the other the guiltie may haue a seeming truce true peace they cannot haue A mans debt is not payd by 〈◊〉 bring euen while thou sleepest thy arrerages run on If thy conscience be quiet without good cause remember that Cedat iniustissima pax iustissimo bello a iust warre is better then vniust peace The conscience is like a fire vnder a pile of greene wood long ere it burne but once kindled it flames beyond quenching It is not pacifiable whiles sinne is within to vexe it the hand will not cease throbbing so long as the thorne is within the flesh In vaine he striueth to feast away cares sleepe out thoughtes drinke downe sorrowes that hath his tormentor within him When one violently offers to stoppe a sourse of bloud at the nostril it finds a way downe the throate not without hazzard of suffâ—…cation The stroken deare runs into the thicket and there breakes off the arrow but the head stickes still within him and rankles to death Flitting and shifting ground giues way to further anguish The vnappeased conscience will not leaue him till it hath shewed him hell nor then neither Let then this Foole know that his now feared conscience shall be quickned his death-bed shall smart for this And his amazed heart shall rue his old wilfull adiournings of repentance How many haue there raued on the thought of their old sinnes which in the dayes of their hote lust they would not thinke sinnes Let not then the Foole make a mocke at sinne 5. Sinne which hath another direfull effect of greater latitude and comprehensiue of all the rest Diuinam incitat iram It prouokes God to anger The wrath of a king is as messengers of death what is the wrath of the king of kings For our God is a consuming fire If the fire of his anger be once throughly incensed all the riuers in the South are not able to quench it What piller of the earth or foundation of heauen can stand when he will wake them Hee that in his wrath can open the iawes of earth to swallow thee sluce out flouds from the sea to drowne thee raine downe fire from heauen to consume thee Sodome the old world Corah drunke of these wrathfull vialls Or to goe no further he can set at iarre the elements within thee by whose peace thy spirits are held together drowne thee with a dropsie bred in thy owne flesh burne thee with a pestilence begotten in thy owne bloud or bury thee in the earthly graue of thy owne melancholy Oh it is a fearefull thing to
propitiate for sinne that were themselues guilty of sinne and by nature lyable to condemnation Wretched Idolaters that thrust this honour on them against their wils how would they abhorre such sacrilegious glory Not the riches of this world We were not redeemed with corruptible things as siluer and gold Were the riches of the old world brought together to the riches of the new world were all the minerall veines of the earth emptied of their purest mettals this pay would not be currant with God It will cost more to redeeme soules They that trust in their wealth and boast in the multitude of their riches Yet cannot by any meanes redeeme their brother nor Giue to God a ransome for him The seruant cannot redeeme the Lord. God made a man master of these things hee is then more precious then his slaues Not the bloud of Bulls or Goates Hebr. 9. Alas those legal sacrifices were but dumbe shewes of this tragedie the meere figures of this oblation mystically presenting to their faith that Lambe of God which taketh away the sinnes of the world This Lambe was prefigured in the sacrifices of the law now presented in the sacraments of the Gospell slaine indeed from the begining of the world Who had power Prodesse to profit vs before hee had Esse a being himselfe None of these would serue Whom Gaue he then Seipsum Himselfe who was both God and man that so participating of both natures our mortalitie and Gods Immortalitie he might be a perfect Mediator Apparuit igitur inter mortales peccatores immortalem iustum mortalis cum hominibus iustus cum Deo He came betweene mortall men and immortall God mortall with men and iust with God As man he suffered as God hee satisfied as God and man he saued He gaue himselfe Se Totum Himselfe Wholy Solum Onely 1. All himselfe his whole Person soule and body Godhead and manhood Though the deitie could not suffer yet in regard of the personall vnion of these two naturs in one Christ his very passion is attributed in some sort to the Godhead So Act. 20. It is called the bloud of God And 1. Cor. 2. 8. The Lord of glory is said to be crucified The Schooles distinction here makes al plaine He gaue Totum Christum though not Totum Christi All Christ though not All of Christ. Home non valuit Deus non voluit As God alone he wold not as man alone he could not make this satisfaction for vs. The Deitie is impassible yet was it impossible without this Deitie for the great worke of our saluation to be wrought If any aske how the manhoode could suffer without violence to the God-head being vnited in one Person let him vnderstand it by a familiar comparison The Sunne-beames shine on a tree the axe cuts downe this tree yet can it not hurt the beames of the Sunne So the God-head still remaines vnharmed though the axe of death did for a while fell downe the man-hood Corpus passum est dolore gladio Anima dolore non gladio Diuinitas nec dolore nec gladio His bodie suffered both sorrow and the sword his soule sorrow not the sword his Deitie neither sorrow nor the sword Deitas in dolente non in dolore The God-head was in the Person pained yet not in the paine 2. Himselfe onely and that without a Partner Comforter 1. Without a Partner that might share either his glory or our thankes of both which he is iustly iealous Christi passio adiutore non eguit The sufferings of our Sauiour need no helpe Vpon good cause therefore we abhorre that doctrine of the Papists that our offences are expiated by the passions of the Saints No not the blessed Virgin hath performed any part of our iustificatiō payed any farthing of our debts So sings the Quire of Rome Sancta virgo Dorothea tua nos virtute bea cor in nobis novum crea Wherin there is pretty rime petty reason but great blasphemie as if the Virgin Dorothy were able to create a new heart within vs. No but the bloud of Iesus Christ clenseth vs from all sinne His bloud and his onely O blessed Sauiour euery drop of thy bloud is able to redeeme a beleeuing world What then need we the helpe of men How is Christ a perfect Sauiour if any act of our redemption be left to the performance of Saint or Angell No our soules must die if the bloud of Iesus cannot saue them And whatsoeuer wittie errour may dispute for the merits of Saints the distressed conscience cries Christ and none but Christ. They may sitte at Tables and discourse enter the Schooles and argue get vp into the Pulpits and preach that the workes of good men is the Churches treasure giuen by indulgence and can giue indulgence and that they will doe the soule good But lie we vppon our death-beds panting for breath driuen to the push tost with tumultuous waues of afflictions anguished with sorrow of spirit then we sing another song Christ Christ alone Iesus and onely Iesus Mercie mercie pardon comfort for our Sauiours sake Neither is there saluation in any other for there is none other Name vnder heauen giuen among men whereby we must be saued 2. Without a Comforter he was so farre from hauing a sharer in his Passion that he had none in compassion that at least might any wayes ease his sorrowes It is but a poore comfort of calamitie Pittie yet euen that was wanting Is it nothing to you all yee that passe by Is it so sore a sorrow to Christ and is it nothing to you a matter not worth your regard your pittie Man naturally desires and expects if he cannot be deliuered eased yet to be pittied Haue pittie vpon me haue pittie vpon me O ye my friends for the hand of God hath touched me Christ might make that request of Iob but hee had it not there was none to comfort him none to pittie him It is yet a little mixture of refreshing if others be touched with a sense of our miserie that in their hearts they wish vs well and would giue vs ease if they could but Christ hath in his sorest pangs not so much as a Comforter The Martyrs haue fought valiantly vnder the banner of Christ because hee was with them to comfort them But when himselfe suffers no reliefe is permitted The most grieuous torments find some mitigation in the supply of friends and comforters Christ after his monomachie or single combate with the deuill in the desart had Angels to attend him In his agonie in the garden an Angell was sent to cofort him But when he came to the maine act of our redemption not an Angell must be seene None of those glorious spirits may looke through the windowes of heauen to giue him any ease And if they would haue relieued him they could not Who can lift vp where the Lord wil cast downe What Chirurgion can
word beleeuing onely so much as you list Faith is holy and catholicke if you distrust part of Gods word you prepare infidelitie to the whole Did God promise Christ and in the fulnes of time to send him Then since he hath againe promised him and appointed a day wherein he will iudge the world by that man he shall come As certainly as he came to suffer for the world so certainely shall he come to iudge the world Christ was once offered to beare the sinnes of many and vnto them that looke for him shall he appeare the second time without sinne vnto saluation He that kept his promise when he came to die for vs followed by some few poore Apostles will not breake it when he shal come in glory with thousaÌ„ds of Angels Neither did God onely promise that Christ should come but that all beleeuers should be saued by him As many as receiued him to them gaue he power to be the sonnes of God euen to them that beleeue on his Name Misit filium promisit in filio vitam He sent his Sonne to vs and saluation with him Wretched and desperate men that distrust this mercie Whosoeuer beleeues and is baptised shall be saued Whosoeuer Qui se ipsum excipit seipsum decipit Did not God spare to send his promised sonne out of his bosome to death and will hee to those that beleeue on him deny life No all his promises are Yea and Amen in Christ may these also be Yea and Amen in our beleeuing hearts A yeelding Deuill could say Iesus I knew yet some men are like that tempting deuill Math. 4. Si filiu Dei sis If thou be the sonne of God Si if as if they doubted whether he could or would saue them Is come There is a threefold Comming of Christ according to the threefold difference of Time Past Present Future As Bernard Venit Ad homines In homines Contra homines 1. First for the time past he came among men Iohn 1. 1. The word was made flesh and dwelt among vs. 2. For the present he comes into men by his Spirit and grace Reu. 3. I stand at the dore and knock if any open vnto me I will come into him 3. For the time to come hee shall come against men Rom. 2. At the day when God shall iudge the secrets of all hearts by Iesus Christ. Or as it is wittily obserued the Sunne of righteousnesse appeareth in three signes Leo Virgo Libra 1. In the Law like a Lyon roaring out terrible things with a voice not indurable And they sayd to Moses Speake thou with vs and we will heare but let not God speake with vs least we die 2. In the Gospell hee appeared in Virgo an Infant borne of a virgin Math. 1. 25. 3. At his last Audite hee shall appeare in Libra weighing all our thoughts words and workes in a balance Behold I come quickly my reward is with me to giue euery man according as his worke shal be Is come He was not fetched not forced sponte venit of his owne accord he is come No man taketh my life from me but I lay it downe of my selfe Ambrose on these words of Christ Are ye come out against a theefe with swords and staues to take me Stultum est cum gladijs eum quarere qui vltro se offâ—…rt It was superfluous folly to apprehend him with weapons that willingly offered himselfe to seeke him in the night by treason as if he shunned the light who was euery day teaching publiquely in the Temple Sed factum congruit tempori personis quia cùm essent tenebrae in tenebroso tempore tenebrosum opus excercebant The fact agrees to the time and Persons they were darknesse therefore they doe the worke of darknesse in a time of darknesse Indeed hee prayes Father saue mâ—…e from this houre but withall hee corrects himselfe Therefore came I to this houre But he is said to feare dâ—…th Hebr. 5. What is it to vs Quòd timuit that hee feared nostrum est quòd sustinuit that hee suffered Christs nature must needs abhorre destructiue things but his Rationall ouercame his Naturall will Hee feared death Ex affectu sensualitatis not Ex affectu rationis Hee eschewed it secundum se but did vnder goe it propter aliud Ex impetu naturae hee declined it but ex imperio rationis considering that either hee must come and die on earth or wee all must goe and die in hell and that the heads temporall death might procure the bodies eternall life behold the Sonne of man is come Neither was it necessary for him to loue his paine though hee so loued vsto suffer this paine No man properly loues the rod that beats him though hee loues for his soules good to be beaten As Augustin sayd of crosses Tollerare iubemur non amare Nemo quod tollerat amat etsi tollerare amat We are commanded to beare them not to loue them No man that euen loues to suffer loues that he suffers Voluntarily hee yeelds himselfe saluting Iudas by the name of Friend Amice â—…r venis He suffered not his followers to offend his enemies nor commands the Angels to defend himselfe O blind Iewes was it impossible for him de paruo slipite ligni descendere qui descendit a coelorum altitudine to come downe from a peice of wood that came downe from heaueÌ„ Nunquid tua vincula illuÌ„ possunt teâ—…ere quem câ—…li non possunt capere Shall your bonds hold him when the heauens could not containe him He came not to deliuer himselfe that was in freedome but to deliuer vs that were in bondage Is come Is Christ come to vs and shall not wee come to him Doth the Sonne of God come to the Sonnes of men and doe the Sonnes of men scorne to come to the Sonne of God Proud dust wilt thou not meet thy maker If any aske Whether is thy beloued gone that wee may seeke him with thee The Church answers My beloued is gone downe into his garden to the beds of spices to feed in the gardens and to gather Lillies You shall haue him in his Garden the Congregation of the faithfull Wheresoeuer a number is gathered together in his Name Behold Venit ad limina virtus Manna lies at your thresholds will you not goe forth and gather it The Bridegrome is come will you not make merrie with him The nice piece of dust like Idolatrous Ieroboam cryes the Church is too farre off the iourney too long to Christ. Hee came all that long way from heauen to earth for vs and is a mile too tedious to goe to him Goe too sede ede perde sit still eate thy meate and destroy thy selfe who shall blame the iustice of thy condemnation But for vs let vs leaue our pleasures and goe to our Sauiour Non sedeas sed cas ni pereas
man should dye by the corruption of the aire from the cocatrice then the cocatrice by the resultance of it owne similitude from the glasse As the harlot will sooner peruert a man then he shall conuert the harlot Indeed they say if they first see vs they kill vs if we first see them they die So if we first see the damnation of a Courtezan we saue our selues if they first see wound vs we dye of it 6. There 's the Catterpillar you all know this to be the Couetous I confesse that other Serpents are also fit emblemes of the couetous as the Toad that eats sparingly of the very earth for feare it should be all wasted no food left for her The Germane Painters to signifie Couetousnes doe picture an old woman sitting vpon a toade Or the Earth-worme these wormes eate vp the fatt of the earth toades eate vp those wormes and dragons eate vp those toades So lightly pettie vsurers eate vp the fatte of the Countrey great oppressors deuoure those litle extortioners and at last the great red dragon swallowes those oppressors But here I especially liken them to Catterpillars Pline sayth that litle wormes bred in the green leaues of plants proue in three dayes catterpillars eate vp those plants The Countrey breeds these couetous wretches and they deuour her He writes also that Catterpillars are bred by a dew incrassated and thicked by the heate of the Sun It is the warmth of prospertie that breedes and feeds our vsurers Others say that they come of butterflies egs the which heate of the Sunne hatcheth working so fit a passiue matter to the forme of a catterpillar So commonly your vsurer hatcheth his riches out of the Butterflies egs laid abroad by prodigall young gallaÌ„ts The Scripture calls them great deuourers Eracam vix pascit hortus vnam A whole couÌ„trey wil not content one auarous catterpillar At last the catterpillars perish of theÌ„selues as ours do wilfully through famine are transformed into a bare emptie bagge or case If they perish in summer out of their rind being broken comes forth a butterfly Iust as wee see often from the ruines of a dead vsurer that was a Catterpillar springs a prodigall Heire that is a painted Butterflie 7. We haue also the Aspeâ—… that 's the traitours Seminary Lucan writes that the originall of Aspes was Affrica and that merchants translated them into Europe Sed quis erit nobis Lucripudor Inde petuntur Huc Lybicae mâ—…tes fecâ—…mus Aspida merces But what is our gaine sayth hee We haue made the Aspos a merchandice So these our Aspes are bred in Italie and ship'd ouer into England as a precious merchandice They speake themselues so gentle that a sucking child may play 〈◊〉 the holâ—… of these Aspes but wee haue found their boroughs the holes of treason and their vaults the vaults of gunpowder There is feud betwixt the Ichneumon and the Aspe they oft fight if the Aspe bite first the Ichneumon dyes if the Ichneumon first the Aspe dyes Let vs strike them with punishment lest they strike vs with death These Aspes kill many soules in our Land Aspidis mersu Loesum dormire fatentur In mortem antidotum nec valuisse ferunt If the be witched people once receiue their poyson they sleepe to death and no helpe preuailes for they will not come to Church to be cured 8. There is also the Lyzard the Embleme of the Slothfull As is also the Slow-worme or the serpentine Tortoice They write of the Lyzard that hauing laid egges shee forgets the very place where shee laid them She will lie still till you cut her in pieces and then the forepart runns away vpon two Legs and the hinder part on other two liuing apart till they meete againe and then are naturally â—…onioyned If the Lazy will follow the qualities let them take the name of Lisards 9. There is also the Sea-Serpent and that 's the Pirate a theefe crosse to all kind of theeues For other theeues first fall to robberie and then are cast into prison but he first casts himselfe into a prison and then falls to robberie In a litle vessell a very iayle with a large graue round about it he does all mischeefe At last when he growes great he ruines himselfe They write of a Sea-dragon that growes to a huge vastnesse but then the winds take him vp into the aire and by a violent agitation shake his body to pieces A noble part of Gods prouidence to tame that himselfe which his creatures cannot 10. There is the Stellion and that is the Extortioner Extortion and Cossenage is prouerbially called Crimen Stellionatus the sinne of Stellature When the Stellion hath cast his skinne hee greedily deuoures it againe which sayth Theophrastus hee doth in enuie because he vnderstands that it is a noble remedie against the falling sicknes So in malice it lines the guts with that couered the backe eats that in summer wherewith it was clothed in winter It destroyes the honey of Bees Stellio saepe fauos ignotus adedit So the extortioner spoiles the hiues deuours al the honey of pooremens gathering It is a beast full of spottes Aptumque colori Nomen habet varijs stellatus corpore guttis The spots that sticke vpon an Extortioner are more innumerable Cosonage is called Stellature It were wel if such Extortioners were serued as Budaus relates a historie of two Tribunes Qui per Stellaturas militibus multum abstulissent whom the Emperor commaunded to be stoned to death 11. The last is the great Serpent of all Draco the deuill who is called the Great red Dragon In idolatrous times and places dragons haue beene worshiped The common distinction is Angneb 〈◊〉 Serpentes terrarum Dracones Templorum Snakes of the water serpents of the earth dragons of the Temple There are too many wicked worldlings that still worship this God of the world the red Dragon The dragons haunt principally trees of frankincense Satan loues to haue men sacrifice to him he tempted the son of God to fall downe worship him Nothing but the smoke of Styrax can driue away dragons not holy water not crossings but onely faith in the Lord Iesus can put the deuil to flight Serpens serpentem deâ—…rando fit Draco The diuel at first was but a Serpent now by deuouring many millios of these serpeÌ„ts the wicked he is become a Dragon I should here shew you two things 1. The remedie to draw out this poyson and to cure the soule which is onely Sanguis medici the bloud of our Phisician As Moses lifted vp the serpent in the wilder nesse so was Christ lifted vp us a serpent that what eye of fayth soeuer lookes on him he may be healed of the sting of those fiery serpents and haue the damnable poyson of sinne drawne out 2. That our next course is Repentance for our sinnes That as the oile of Scorpions is the best remedie
pardon they for merits we for mercies they for iustifying workes of their own we only for our sweet Sauiour Iesus Christ. 3. They that will neither trust others with their soule not keepe it theÌ„selues but either do sell it for ready money as Esau sold his Birthright Iudas 〈◊〉 Iesus Or pawne it for a good bribe some large teÌ„ptation of profit pleasure or honor they will not sell it out-right but morgage it for a while with a purpose that seâ—…dome speeds to redeeme it Or loose it walking negligently through the streets of this great Citie the world their soule is gone they are not aware of it Or giue away their soule as do the enuious and desperate haue nothing in lieu of it but terrors without horrors within they serue the deuills turne for nothing 4. They that will trust God with their soule but haue no warraÌ„t that God will keep it They lay al the burtheÌ„ vpon the shoulders of Christ meddle no more with the matter As if God would bring them to heaueÌ„ euen whilst they pursue the way to hel or keep that soule for the body when the body had quite giuen away the soule He neuer promised to saue a man against his will As he doth saue vs by his Son so he comands vs. to worke vp our saluation with feare trembling He that lies still in the myrie pitt of his sin trusts to heauen for helpe out without his owne concurring endeuour may hap to lie there still 2. Dying there is no comfort but to trust the soule with God So Dauid Lord into thy hands I commit my spirit So Steuen Lord Iesus receiue my spirit with these words our Lord Iesus himselfe gaue vp the Ghost It is iustice to restore whence we receiue It is not presumption but faith to trust God with thy spirit The soule of the king the soule of the beggar all one to him Dauid a king Lazarus a beggar God receiues both their soules From giuing vp the Ghost the highest is not exempted from giuing it into the hands of God the poorest is not excepted There is no comfort like this when riches bring aut nequam aut nequicquam either no comfort or discomfort when the wardrobe furniture iunkets wine offend thee when thy money cannot defend thee when thy doctors feed themselues at thy cost cannot feed thee when wife childreÌ„ friends stand weeping about thee where is thy helpe thy hope all the world hath not a dramme of comfort for thee this sweetens all Lord into thy hands I commend my soule Thou hast redeemed me O thou God of truth Our Spirit is our dearest iewell howle and lament if thou thinke thy soule is lost But let thy faith know that is neuer lost which is committed to Gods keeping Spiritum emittis non amittis Duriùs seponitur sed melius reponitur That soule must needs passe quietly through the gates of death which is in the keeping of God Woe were vs if the Lord did not keepe it for vs whiles we haue it much more when we restore it While our soule dwels in our breast it is subiect to manifold miseries to manifest sinnes temptations passions misdeedes distemper vs in heauen it is free from all these Let the soule be once in the hands of God nec dolore pro peccato nec peccato prae dolore torquetur it is neither disquieted with sorrow for sinne nor with sinne which is beyond all sorrow There may be trouble in the wildernesse in the land of promise there is all peace Then may we sing Our soule is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the foulers the snare is broken and wee are escaped Inuadit Satanas euadit Christianus It is there aboue the reach of the deuill There is no euill admitted into the citie of heauen to wrastle with the citizens thereof Death is ready at hand about vs we carry deaths enow within vs we know we shall die we know not how soone it can neuer preuent vs or come too early if our soules bee in the keeping of God Man was not so happy when God gaue his soule to him as he is when he returnes it to God Giue it cheerefully and then like a faythfull Creator that thou giuest to him in short paine hee will giue thee backe with endlese ioy And so we come fittly from the Comfort of our Integritie The Boldnesse of this Comfort As vnto a faithfull Creator Wherein our confidence is heartned by a double argument the one drawne ex maiestate the other ex Misericordia from Maiestie from mercie His greatnes a Creator his goodnes a Faithfull Creator 1. Creator not a stranger to thee but he that made the. It is naturall to man to loue the worke of his owne hands Pigmalion dotes vpon the stone which himselfe had carued But much more naturall to loue his owne Images his children the walking Pictures of himselfe the diuided pieces of his owne body God loues vs as our Creator because his owne hands haue fashioned vs. But creauit vermiculos hee also made the wormes yeeld it and therefore non odit vermiculos hee hates not the very wormes Creauit Diabolum hee made the deuill no God made him an Angell hee made himselfe a deuill God loues him vt naturam as he is a nature hates him vt Diabolum as he is a corrupted nature an euill a deuil But we are not onely his creatures the workmanship of his hands but his children so Adam is called The sonne of God His owne Image fecit hominem in similitudinem suam he made man after his likenes in his Image We are more then opus Dei the meere worke of God for Imago Dei the very Image and similitude of God We may therefore be bold to commend our soules to God as a faithfull Creator Diuerse men haue that for their God which neuer was their Creator The proud man makes his Honour his god the couetous makes his gold his God the voluptuous makes his belly his God now whereas God not onely charged in the first Precept Thou shalt haue no other Gods before me but added further in the next Thou shalt not make to thee any Image or Similitude of any thing whether in heauen aboue or earth beneath or water vnder the earth c. These three sinnes seeme to crosse God in these three interdicted places For the proud man hath his Idol as it were in the aire the couetous man hath his Idol in the earth the drunken Epicure hath his Idol in the water Let them take their Gods to themselues let no Rachel that hath married Iacob steale away Labans Idols Our Creator is in heauen boldly giue thy soule to him who should better haue it then he that made it 2. The other argument of our comfort is that he is Fidelis a Faithfull Creator He is faithfull to thee how vnfaithfull soeuer thou hast beene
the Popes gaine He must be Iudge yea he shall be an vnerring Iudge Yet if the Pope haue this infallibility I wonder what need there is of Councells Here they fly to distinctions as to familiar spirits The Pope may erre Argumentatiuè not Definitiuè in his chamber not in his chaire Personaliter non Formaliter as man not as Pope How proue they such an exposition of the Scripture Here they fly to the Pope hee so expounds it How prooue they the Pope cannot erre Here straight they fly back againe to Scripture Peter I haue prayed for thee that thy faith shal not faile These hang gether like a sick mans dreame Insequeris fugio Fugis insequor Yet thus they conclude against their own wills whiles they only proue the Pope by the Scripture spight of their teeth they preferre the Scripture aboue the Pope If this be so that the truth of the Gospell being professed belieued obeyed among vs manifest vs against all aduersaries to be true members of this Generall assembly then two subordinate questions offer themselues collaterally here to be handled First whether corrupters of our Truth and disturbers of our peace are to bee tolerated Secondly whether for some corruptions of doctrine or vices in manners it be lawfull for any of vs to make separation from vs. 1. Seditious and pestilent seedsmen of heresies are to be restrained If a little leuen sowre the whole lumpe what will a little poison do If Paul to his Galatians could not endure Christ and Moses together how would he to his Corinthians endure Christ and Belial together Hee sticks not to ingeminate Anathema's to them that preached another Gospel The Papists cry out against vs for persecution they that shame not to bely the Scriptures will not blush to bely vs. Their prosperity their riches their numbers among vs directly proue that a man may be a Papist in England and liue But if their religion turne to treason shall it scape vnpunished A Papist may liue a Traitor may not liue To perswade that a Christian king at the Popes will may yea must be decrowned or murdered is this the voice of Religion or Treason If this be conscience there is no villany if such an act merite Heauen let no man feare Hell I would aske a Papist vvhether he be not bound by his religion to execute the Popes doctrinall will whether if he bid him kill his King hee may refraine from that sacred bloud and not sinne If he refuse treason he is not constant to his Religion if hee keepe his Religion hee must not sticke at any act of treason So that who knowes whether this day a mere Papist may not on the Popes command to morrow be a Traytor But say they this a supposition as likely as if Heauen should fall the Pope will neuer command it I answere that Popes haue commanded it But we hope his present Holinesse will not we were in a pitious case if our securitie was no better then your hope God blesse our gracious Soueraigne from euer standing at the Popes mercy Why should such Seminaries of heresie and Incendiaries of conspiracie be suffered What atonement of affection can there be in such disparitie of Religion when some cry God helpe vs others Baal heare vs. They to Angels and Saints wee to the Lord that made Heauen and Earth But the euent hath often prooued which of these could best heare prayers As in that memorable fight on the Leuant Seas of fiue English ships against eleuen Spanish they crying for victory to our Lady wee to our Lord it seemes the Sonne heard better then the Mother for the victory was ours The Common-vvealth that stands vpon legges partly of yron and partly of clay is neuer sure One wombe held Romulus Remus in peace one kingdome could not containe them But euery mans mind is as free as the Emperors Conscience is a Castle and there is nothing so voluntarie as religion faith comes by perswasion not by compulsion Yield all this and say with Tertullian Nihil minus fidei est quà m fidem cogere And with Bernard Suspendite verbera ostendite vbera Make a man in error rather blush then bleede But if they breake the foundation Non ferendi sed feriendi First speake to the Conscience by good counsell but if that eare be stopt shake the whole house about it Speake to the eares of the inheritance of the liberty of the body by mulct by prison by exile Let the Liberty say to the Conscience For thy sake I am restrained let the Inheritance say For thy sake I am empouerished let the Body say For thy sake I am afflicted But because heresie dies not with the particular person but kills also others and Centum inficit dum vnum intersicit And because it strikes at the life of a Christian that is his Faith For the iust shal liue by his faith Therfore pereat vnus potius quà m vnitas Haretici corrigendi ne pereant reprimendi ne perimant Heretikes are to be corrected lest they damne themselues to be restrained lest they damne others Persecutio facit Martyres haeresis apostatas plus nocuerunt horum togâ—… quà m illorum galeae Persecution made Martyrs heresie makes Apostates the Heretikes words haue done more hurt then the tyrants swords Apertè sauit persecutor vt Leo haereticus insidiatur vt draco Ille negare Christum cogit iste docet Aduersus illum opus patientià aduersus istum opus vigilantia The persecutor rageth like a Lyon the heretike insinuates himselfe like a serpent To deny Christ he compels this man instructs Against the former wee haue need of patience against the latter of vigilance Excommunication bondage exile haue bin thought fit punishments for heretikes fire and fagot is not Gods Law but the Popes Canon-shot An heretike dying in his heresie cannot be saued therefore Luther thinkes hee that puts an heretike to death is a double murderer destroying his body with death temporall his soule with death eternall But saith Augustine Diligite homines interficite errores Loue the persons kill the errors Presume on the truth without pride striue for it without rage Seueritas quasi sâ—…ua veritas but verity and seuerity doe not agree Fire and sword may put to death heretickes but not heresies See heere the difference betwixt the Papists proceedings against vs and ours against them They dye not among vs for refusing our faith but vs they burned not for denying any article of faith but for not beleeuing Transubstantiation So strange an Article that Bellarmine himselfe doubts whether it may bee proued from Scripture or no but that the Church hath declared it so to be But though faith be aboue reason yet it is not against reason This is my body saith Christ. Hoc This bread this Pronoune demonstratiue they will haue to demonstrate nothing Hoc aliquid nihil est How then this nothing is my body not this bread but this nothing
mouth of Christ. Let mee conclude with that sigh from his soule Could ye not watch with me one houre It will not bee long ere the glasse be runne the houre out Iudas is at hand iudgement is not farre off then may you sleepe and take your rest This day is neerer you now then when you first entred the Church Twice haue the blasted eares eat vp the full corne twice haue the leane kine deuoured the fatte Pharaohs dreame is doubled for the certainty and expedition Yet a little while and he that shall come will come and will not tarry If wee shall haue comfort in this day when it is come wee must long for it before it doe come What comfort shall the Vsurer haue hee desires not this day for then the Angell sweares there shall bee no more time and his profession is to sell time He sels it deare very costly to anothers purse but most costly to his owne soule Such as bribe for Offices farme Monopolies contract an vsurious rent for life doe they desire it Woe vnto you that desire the day of the Lord to what end is it for you the day of the Lord is darkenesse and not light The soule groaning vnder sinne desires it Who shall deliuer me from the body of this death The suffering soule may desire it Come Lord Iesus The faithfull Spouse wedded to Christ desires this comming of her Husband she is now espoused that is the plenary consummation of the marriage Let vs be glad and reioyce and giue honour to him for the marriage of the Lambe is come and the Bride hath made her selfe ready Blessed are they that bee called to this marriage supper To the vngodly it will be a fearefull day Ignis vbique ferox ruptis regnabit habenis there shall follow an vniuersall dissolution Downewards goe Satan his angels and reprobates howling and shriking gnashing of teeth the effect of a most impatient fury to be bound hand and foote with euerlasting chaines of darkenesse Where fire shall torture yet giue no light wormes gnaw the heart yet neuer gnaw in sunder the strings eternall paines punire non finire corpora Small sorrowes grow great with continuance but O misery of miseries to haue torments vniuersall and withall eternall not to be endured yet not to be ended Vpwards goes Christ the blessed Angels and Saints singing with melodie as neuer mortall eare heard The onely song which that Quire sung audible to man was that which the Shepheards heard Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace good will towards men Yet Christ was then comming to suffer what may we thinke are those Halleluiahs euerlastingly chanted in the Courts of Heauen we know not yet we may know one speciall note which an vniuersall Quire of all nations kinred and tongues Angels Elders All shall sing Blessing and glory and wisedome and thankesgiuing and honour and power and might bee vnto our God for euer and euer Amen To the spirits of iust men made perfect The Citizens of heâ—…uen are of two sorts by Creation or Adoption Created and naturall Citizens are the Angels Adopted are Men. Of these be two kindes some Assumed and others Assigned The Assigned such as are decreed in their times to be Citizens said before to bee written in heauen The Assumed such as are already possessed of it here Spirits of iust men made perfect But how then is the Apostles meaning cleared How are the militant on earth said to be come vnto these iust spirits in heauen Yes wee haue a Communion with them participating in Spe what they possesse in Re. Now we are no more strangers and forreiners but fellow-Citizens with the Saints and of the houshold of GOD. Onely our apprentiship of the flesh is not yet out but they haue their freedome But as wee haue all an vnion with Christ so a Communion vvith Christians the combatant on earth with the triumphant in heauen Spirits this word hath diuerse acceptions It is taken 1. Pro animo for the Mind Luke 10. 21. Iesus reioyced in spirit 1. Chron. 5. 26. God stirred vp the spirit of the King of Assyria 2. Pro sede rationis et 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1. Cor. 2. 11. What man knowes the things of man saue the spirit of man which is within him 3. Pro Affectuvel Afflatu for the motion of the mind whether good or bad Luke 9. 55. Ye know not what maner spirit ye are of So there is called the spirit of lust the spirit of pride c. 4. Pro donis spiritus sancti for the gifts of Gods Spirit Act. 8. 15. Peter and Iohn prayed for the disciples at Samaria that they might receiue the holy Spirit meaning the graces of the holy Spirit Gala. 3. 2. Receiued yee the Spirit by the works of the Law or by the hearing of faith 5. Pro efficacia Euangelij for the effectuall working of the Gospel and so it is opposed to the letter 2. Cor. 3. 6. The letter killeth but the Spirit giueth life 6. Pro spiritualibus exercitijs for spirituall exercises Gala. 6. 8. He that soweth to the spirit shall of the spirit reape euerlasting life Iohn 4. 23. True worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit truth 7. Pro regenerata parte for the regenerate part of a Christian and so it is opposed to the flesh Gala. 5. 17. The flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit lusteth against the flesh 8. Lastly Pro anima immortalâ—… for the immortall soule Eccl. 12. 7. Dust shall returne to the earth as it was and the spirit shall returne to God who gaue it This spirit did Steuen commend into the hands of Christ. Act. 7. 59. And Christ into the hands of his Father Math. 27. 50. yielding vp the spirit Thus it is taken here Spirits he doth not say bodies they lie in the dust vnder the hope of a better resurrection Spirits Wee find here what becomes of good mens soules when they forsake their bodies they are in the heauenly Citie There are many idle opinions what becomes of mans soule in death Some haue thought that the soules then though they die not yet are still kept within the body as it were asleepe vntill the last day But the Scripture speakes expresly the contrary for Diues his soule was in hell and Lazarus his soule in Abrahams bosome I saw vnder the Altar the soules of them that were slaine for the Word of God Some haue imagined a transmigration of soules forsakeÌ„ of their owne bodies into other bodies Herod seemes to be of this opinion when newes was brought him concerning the fame of Iesus he said to his seruants This is Iohn the Baptist he is risen from the dead He thought that the soule of Iohn was put into the body of Iesus It is alleaged that Nebuchadnezzar liuing and feeding with beasts vntill seuen times were passed ouer him had lost his owne soule and the soule
spoken Be of good cheere This same But is like a happy oare that turnes our vessell from the rocks of despaire and lands it at the hauen of comfort But c. Thou Thou onely without helpe or succour of either man or Angell that art able to saue with a few as well as with many that art A man of vvarre Exod. 15. and commest armed against thine enemies with a speare of wrath and a sword of vengeance Thou of whose greatnesse there is no end no limits no determination Thou O Lord without any partner either to share thy glory or our thanks Thou broughtest vs out Thou of thy owne goodnesse so well as by thy ovvne greatnesse hast deliuered vs. No merite of ours procured or deserued this mercy at thy hands but our freedome comes onely by thy Maiestie of thy mercy Here were no armes of flesh nor Armies of Angels in this worke of our Redemption but Thou hast brought vs out that vvee might praise thy Name Therefore wee say Blesse the Lord O our soules O Lord thou art very great thou art clothed vvith honour and maiesty Eduxisti Broughtest out Great workes become a great God Opera testantur de me saith our Sauiour My workes beare witnesse of mee I heale the sicke cleanse the Leprous giue sight to the blinde raise the dead cast out deuils Will you not belieue O ye carnall eyes vnlesse you see will you trust your fiue senses aboue the foure Gospels vers 5. Come then and see the workes of God See workes not a fancie speculation or deceiuing shadow but reall visible acted accomplished workes Eduxists Sensus assensus Let demonstration conuince you the Snare is broken and we are deliuered The Lord workes potenter and patenter There is not onely manifold mercy but manifest mercy in his doings He brought vs out When the vngodly see vs so low brought that persecutors ride ouer our heads they are ready to say Where is now their Gâ—…d Behold hîc est Deus our God is heere where there was need of him opus Deo a work fit for the Deity to performe Misery had wrapped and entangled vs the wicked hands had ty'd vs as the Philistines did Samson with the bands of death Here then was Dignus vindice nodus a knot worthy the finger of God to vntie He looked downe from the height of his Sanctuary from heauen did the Lord behold the earth For what purpose To heare the groning of the prisoner to loose those that are appointed to death Behold the waters went ouer our soule yet we were not drowned Malice had doomed vs to the Fire but our comfort is Nihil potestatis in nos habuâ—…sse ignem that the fire had not power ouer vs. They trode vs vnder their cruell insultations but the Lord hath lifted vs vp The Lord of Hosts was with vs the God of Iacob was our refuge Vs. To this act of God if we tye the Subiect wherein hee workes and knit to Eduxisti Nos which I called verbum solitudinis a word of former wretchednesse and calamitie we shall finde our misery a fit obiect for GODS mercy Especially if you set the others malice against our meeknesse their wickednesse against our weakenesse the persons whom God deliuers the persons from whom will greatly commend the mercy of our deliuerance It is a pleasure to God to haue his strength perfected in our infirmitie When the danger is most violent in it own nature and our sense then is his helping arme most welcome Esa. 17. In the day of griefe and of desperate sorrow the haruest shall be great a plentifull croppe of ioy Qui Deus est noster Deus est salutis He that is our God is the God of saluation and vnto God the Lord belong the issues from death He delights to haue vs say in this deepe extremity Eduxisti Thou hast brought vs out When Ionas was taken vp by the Mariners put from the succour of the Shippe no helpe in any Rockes nor mercy in the waters neither means nor desire to escape by swimming for he yeelds himselfe into the iaws of death with as mortified affection as if a lumpe of lead had beene throwne into the sea a man would haue thought that saluation it selfe could not haue saued Ionas Yet Ionas shall not die Here is now a deliuery fit for God a cure for the almightie hand to vndertake Mans extremity is Gods opportunity Distressed desire is importunate It is time that thou haue mercy vpon vs yea the time is come But if God doe not presently answere we are ready to pant out a groane of despaire The time is past If our importunity preuaile not wee thinke all opportunity is gone But God sayes Tempus nondum venit the time is not yet God waites the maturity of the danger the more to increase his honour As Alexander cheared himselfe when hee should fight with men and beasts haughty enemies and huge Elephants Tandem par animo meo periculum video I see at last a danger somewhat equall to my minde Will you heare when this time is come Iohn 11. Martha tells Christ Master if thou hadst beene heere my brother had not died Christ knevv this before vers 15. Lazarus is dead and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there that you might belieue Obserue the different thoughts of God and man Martha is sorry Christ is glad She thought that the time of helpe was past Christ thought that the time was not opportune till now Iairus his seruant comes and tels him Thy daughter is dead trouble the master no further This was the word Christ expected to heare And now he sayes Be not afraid onely beleeue Heare the Israelites desperate complaint The waters of the Sea roare before their faces the wheeles of the Chariots rattle behinde their backs hereon they cry to Moses Were there no graues in Egypt that thou hast brought vs hither to die Now saith Moses Feare not stand still and see the saluation of God From that hath beene spoken and that which follows we may obserue two workes of Gods mercy Which consist Remouendo Promouendo the one remouing avvay much euill the other preferring to much good Eduxisti shewes his kindenesse in freeing vs from calamity In locum opulentum his goodnesse in exalting vs to dignity The former is an act of deliuerance the latter of aduancement So there is Terminus à quo from whence vvee are freed and Terminus ad quem to which vvee are exalted For the former wee haue God heere Educentem bringing out of trouble Sometime wee finde GOD Ducentem leading guiding directing Wilt not thou O Lord goe forth vvith our hoastes And Hee ledde them through the wildernesse by the hand of Moses and Aaron Sometimes Inducentem vers 11. Thou broughtest vs into the net thou hast laid affliction vpon our loynes Sometimes Adducentem Thou O Lord hast brought vs home to thy selfe
this dutie Of Trauellers Captiues sick-men sea-men others subiect to the manifold varieties of life For Trauellers They wander in the Wildernesse in a solitary way hungry and thirstie their soule fainting in them They cry vnto the Lord in their trouble and he deliuers them out of their distresses For Captiues They sit in darknesse and in the shadow of death fast bound in affliction and yron Their prayers find a way out of the prison to God and God deliuers them out of the prison to liberty For Sick Because of their transgression they are afflicted their soule abhorreth all manner of meat and they draw neere vnto the gates of death The strength of their prayers recouers the strength of their bodies For Mariners They reele to and fro staggering like a drunken man and are at their wits end They by their prayers appease the vvrath of God and hee appeaseth the wrath of the vvaues and winds Now the burden of the Song to all these deliuerances is this O that men vvould therfore praise the Lord for his goodnesse and for his wonderfull works to the children of men And because these foure dangers are short of the innumerable calamities incident to mans life therefore in the end of the Psalme much misery is heaped vp and the Lord is the scatterer dissoluer of that heape that all flesh might sing Saluation is of the Lord. And because these mercies are infinite so that vvhat Christian may not say with Dauid Thy goodnesse hath followed mee all the dayes of my life Therefore I infer with Paul In all things giue thanks So our Psalmist My mouth shall be filled with thy praise all the day long What is meant by All the day saith Augustine but a praise without intermission As no houre slips by thee without occasion let none slippe from thee without manifestation of gratitude I will praise thee saith he O Lord In prosperis quia consolaris in aduersis quia corrigis In a prosperous estate because thou dost blesse me in affliction because thou doost correct me Fecisti refecisti perfecisti Thou madest mee when I was not restoredst me when I vvas lost supplyest my wants forgiuest my sinnes and crownest my perseuerance But as Quò acerbior miseria eò acceptior misericordia the more grieuous the miserie the more gracious the mercy So the richer benefite requires the hartier thanks Great deliuerances should not haue small gratitude vvhere much is giuen there is not a little required To tell you what God hath done for vs thereby to excite thankfulnesse would be to lose my selfe in the gates of my Text. I told you this was the ground and module of the Psalme But I know your curious eares care not so much for plaine-song you expect I should runne vpon Diuision Heare but the next generall point and I come to your desire reseruing what I haue more to say of this to my farewell and last application I come from the Debt to be paid to his Resolution to pay it I will goe into thy house I will pay c. Though he be not instantly Soluendo he is Resoluendo He is not like those Debters that haue neither meanes nor meaning to pay But though he wants actuall he hath votall retribution Though hee cannot so soone come to the place where this payment is to be made yet hee hath already paid it in his heâ—…rt I will goe I will pay Here then is the Debters Resolution There is in the godly a purpose of heart to serue the Lord. This is the child of a sanctified spirit borne not without the throbs and throwes of true penitence Not a transient and perishing flower like Ionah's Gourd Filius noctis oriens moriens but the sound fruit which the sap of grace in the heart sends forth Luke 15. VVhen the Prodigall Sonne came to himselfe saith the Text as if he had been formerly out of his wits his first speech was I will arise and goe to my Father and will say vnto him Father I haue sinned And what he purposed he performed he arose and went I know there are many that intend much but doe nothing and that earth is full of good purposes but heauen onely full of good works and that the tree gloriously leaued with intentions without fruit was cursed And that a lewd heart may be so farre sinitten and conuinced at a Sermon as to will a forsaking of some sinne VVhich thoughts are but swimming notions and vanishing motions embrions or abortiue births But this Resolution hath a stronger force it is the effect of a mature and deliberate iudgement wrought by Gods Spirit grounded on a voluntary deuotion not without true sanctification though it cannot without some interposition of time and meanes come to performe that act which it intends It is the harbinger of a holy life the little clowd like a hand that Eliah's seruant saw pointing to the future showres of deuotion Well this is but the beginning and you know many beginne that doe not accomplish but what shall become of them that neuer begin If he doth little that purposeth and performes not what hope is there of them that vvill not purpose It is hard to make an Vsnrer leaue his extortion the vncleane his lusts the swearer his dishallowed speeches when neither of them saith so much as I vvill leaue them The habite of godlinesse is farre off when to vvill is not present we despaire of their performance in whom cannot be wrought a purpose But to you of whom there is more hope that say vve will praise the Lord forget not to adde Dauids execution to Dauids intention God loues the present tense better then the future a Facto more then a Faciam Let him that is President ouer vs be a precedent for vs. Hebr. 10. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Behold I come not I will come but I do come to doe â—…y will O GOD. You haue heard the matter and manner of the Song the Substance is Gratitude the Forme a Resolution to giue it To set it in some Diuision or Method That euery present soule may beare his part heere be three straines or staires and graduall ascents vp which our contemplations must mount with Dauids actions 1. An entrance into Gods house I will goe into thy house It is well that Dauid will bring thither his praises himselfe But many enter Gods house that haue no businesse there that both come and returne empty-hearted that neither bring to God deuotion nor carry from God consolation 2. Therefore the next straine giues his zeale he vvill not come empty-handed but with burnt offerings Manifold and manifest arguments of his harty affection Manifest because burnt offerings reall visible actuall and accomplished works Manifold because not one singular oblation but plurally offerings vvithout pinching his deuotion 3. But yet diuerse haue offered Sacrifices and burnt sacrifices that stunke like Balaams in Gods nosthrils tendring
honour as to be Denisons of this Citie whereof once made free how contemptibly they will looke at the vaine endeuors of worldly men Thinke Beloued yea knowe how sweet soeuer the gaines of this lower Citie be it is yet far short of the gaines of heauen And you will one day say There is no Citie to the Citie of GOD. Where shall be no more death nor sorrow nor crying nor any more paine Death with all his Apparitors that cite the whole vvorld to his Court sorrow crying paine shall be no more They shall persecute you from Citie to Citie saith Christ till at last we come to this Citie and then out of their reach O that this clay of ours should come to such honour Well may we suffer it to endure the Worlds tyrannie and to be afflicted by the Citizens thereof alas wee are but Prentises and they will vse vs hardly till our yeres be out When that day comes we shall be free possessors of this Citie You heare now the gate and the Citie what should you doe but enter Passe through the gate of grace a holy sanctified life and you shall not faile of the City of glorie Whither once entred you shall sing as it is in the Psalme Sicut audiâ—…imus ita et vidimus As we haue heard so haue we seene in the Citie of our God VVee see that now which was preached to vs yea and tenne thousand times more then euer could be vttered You shall say to Christ as the Queene of Sheba to Salomon I heard much of thy glory but behold the one halfe was not told me You saw Ierusalem before in a Mappe now you shall walke through the streets and obserue the towres and bulwarkes fully contemplate the glorie But my discourse shall giue way to your meditation The ioyes are boundlesse endlesse the Lord make vs free of this Citie Amen SPIRITVALL EYE-SALVE OR THE BENEFIT of Illumination EPHES. 1. 18. The eyes of your vnderstanding beeing enlightned that â—…ou may know what is the hope of his calling and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance is in the Saints THE speciall grace that heere Paul prayes for his Ephesians is Illumination wherein is described to vs an Eye Obiect The eye is spirituall the obiect celestiall The Instrument isâ—…gracious the spectacle glorious The eye inlightned there is the organ the hope of Gods calling and the rich inheritance of the glorified Saints there is the obiect The Eye is described by the Situation Qualification The Site is the Understanding the Qualification is Inlightned The Eye Is the most excellent organ of sense Saint Augustine applies Seeing to all the senses Heare and see touch and see and the Psalmist hath Taste and see how gracious the Lord is Other senses discerne onely things neere them this remote and distant obiects Some say the roundnesse of the Eye resembles the Vnity of the Deity which is one and perfect and the triangular sight the Trinity of persons This is too curious happy is that intellectuall eye whose obiect is the blessed Vnity in Trinity and Trinity in Vnity whose delight is good yea God In a cleare eye the looker sees his owne image so God in a sanctified vnderstanding sees a limited resemblance of his infinite selfe And as some Physicians say that if looking in a sicke mans eyes they see their image there is hope of life but the want of this resultance is held an argument of instant death whereby they giue themselues a prognosticke signe whether the Patient will dye of that sicknesse or recouer it by the reflection of his eyes But it is certaine if Gods image be not in the vnderstanding instat mors animae the soule is in danger if it shine there there is comfort of life yea life of comfort Hence it is that the God of this world doth so striue to blind the minds of them that beleeue not ne imago Dei c. that the light of the glorious Gospell of Christ who is the Image of GOD should not shine vnto them God hath set two liddes to defend the corporall eye from annoyances So hee hath giuen the vnderstanding duas palpebâ—… Faith and hope to shelter it For the eye is not more tender to the body then the vnderstanding is to the soule And therefore Satan seekes by all meanes to hurt it eyther by offering it violent blowes which the shield of Faith beares off or by throwing dusts into it gifts blinde the eyes which the other lidde of hope for better riches keeps out The Situation Of this spirituall eye is in the Soule God framing mans soule planted in it two faculties the Superior that is the Vnderstanding which perceiueth and iudgeth the Inferiour that is the will which being enformed of the other accordingly followes or flies chuseth or refuseth The Scripture fauouring the simplest capacity compares these two powers of the soule to two knowne parts of the body The vnderstanding to the Eye the Affections to the Foote the eye directing the foote walking Euery man is naturally borne blinde and lame as Zedekiah captiuated to the King of Babylon first they put out his eyes and then they lamed his feete with fetters of brasse So is euery man by nature and therefore easily made a slaue to the king of infernall Babylon if the mercy of Christ should not redeeme him This consideration reacheth foorth to vs two vses the one of Instruction the other of Reprehension 1. This teacheth vs to desire in the first place the Inlightning of our eyes and then after the strengthening of our feete So that sweet Prophet ordereth his prayers Psal. 25. First Shew me thy wayes O Lord teach mee thy paths Then Lead me in thy truth First cleare my eyes then enable my feete Psal. 119. Make mee to vnderstand the way of thy precepts And then I will runne the way of thy Commandements Hee that would saile safely must get a good Pilot before good rowers Swift horses without a skilfull waggoner endanger more Hee that labours for feet before he hath eyes takes a preposterous course for of the two the lame is more likely to come to his iourneyes end then the blind Could hee runne as swift as Hazael and outstrip the young Hart on the mountaines yet being blinde he would hardly hitte the way to Heauen There is but one way thither by-paths innumerable it is a thousand to one against him that he misseth the right If he be set into it yet there are so many blockes rubbes obstacles put before him by the Deuill and the world that hee can no more goe into the true way then he could discerne it from the false But if a man hath eyes there is hope he will creepe to heauen though on lame feet Hee sees where Ierusalem stands and hath direction for the way as trauellers in scroles from such a village to such a city c. so the word of God
whom the world commendeth is approued but whom the Lord commendeth An ounce of credit with God is worth a talent of mens praises Frustra commendatur in terris qui condemnatur in coelis The world commends but God condemnes which of these iudgements shall stand I might heere inferre doctrinally that all Couetous men be fooles and that in his censure that cannot deceiue not be deceiued but I should preuent the issue of this Text to say and shew this now I therefore content my selfe to say it now to shew it anon It may be cauill'd that Follie is rather a defect in the vnderstanding Couetousnes in the affections For so they distinguish the soule into the intellectuall and affectionate part How then is this attribution of foole proper to the worldling The truth is that the offence of the will affections doth mostly proceed from the former error of the mind Our desire feare loue hatred reflecting on euill obiects arise from the deceiued vnderstanding So there is a double errour in the couetous mans mind that makes him a foole 1. He conceiues not the sufficiencie of Gods helpe and therefore leaues him that will neuer leaue his Hee thinkes Gods treasury too empty to content him he sees not his glory and therefore will not trust him on bare promises The good man sweetens his most bitter miseries with this comfort The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance But all Gods wealth cannot satisfie him O nimis auarus est cui Deus non sufficit He is vnmeasurably couetous whom God himselfe cannot satisfie Heere is one argument of his folly 2. Hauing left God who rested on would not haue left him hee adheres to the world which cannot helpe him The minde of man like the Elephant must haue somewhat to leane vpon and when the Oliue Fig tree Vine are refused he must put his trust vnder the shadow of the Bramble When the Israelites had forsaken the King of Heauen they make to themselues a Queene of heauen Moses is gone vp make vs gods which shall goe before vs. Admiratur mundum reijciens Dominum He falls off from God and falls in with the world Here be both the parts of his folly He hath committed two euils for saken the fountaine of liuing waters and hewed himselfe a broken cesterne We see the Patient let vs come to The Passion or suffering This is the point of warre which my Text sounds like a Trumpet against all worldlings This night shal thy soule be required of thee Fauour them in this and they thinke all well but in this of all they must not be fauoured This suffering is aggrauated by foure circumstances Quid. What the Soule A quo of whom of thee Quomodo how shall be required Qando when this night What. The Soule thy soule not thy Barnes nor thy croppe neither the continent nor content not thy gods which thou holdest deare not thy body vvhich thou prizest dearer but thy soule which should bee to thee dearest of all Imagine the whole conuexe of heauen for thy Barne and that were one large enough and all the riches of the world thy graine and that were crop sufficient yet put all these into one ballance and thy soule into the other and thy soule out-waighes out-values the world What is the whole world worth to him that loseth his soule The Soule is of a precious nature One in substance like the Sunne yet of diuers operations It is confined in the body not refined by the body but is often most actiue when her layler is most dull Shee is a carefull hous-wife disposing all well at home conseruing all formes and mustring them to her owne seruiceable vse The senses discerne the out-side the circumstance the huske of things she the inside the vertue the marrow resoluing effects into causes compounding comparing contemplating things in their highest sublimity Fire turnes coales into fire the body concocts meat into bloud but the soule conuerts body into spirits reducing their purest formes within her dimensiue lines In mans composition there is a shadow of the Trinity For to make vp one man there is an elementary body a diuine soule and a firmamentall spirit Here is the difference In God there are three persons in one essence in vs three essences in one person So in the Soule there is a trinity of powers vegetable sensitiue rationall the former would onely be the second be and be well the third be be well and befor euer well O excellent nature in whose cabinet ten thousand formes may sit at once which giues agitation to the body without whom it would fall downe a dead and inanimate lumpe of clay This Soule shall be required Thy Soule which vnderstands what delight is and conceiues a tickling pleasure in these couetous desires But to satisfie thy soule thou wouldst not be so greedy of abundance for a little serues the body If it haue food to sustaine it garments to hide it harbour to shelter it liberty to refresh it it is contented And satietie of these things doth not reficere sed interficere comfort but confound it Too much meat surfets the body too much apparell wearies it too much wine drownes it onely Quod conuenit conseruat It is then the soule that requires this plenitude and therefore from this plenitude shall the Soule be required Thy Soule which is not made of a perishing nature as the body but of an euerlasting substance And hath by the eternity therof a capablenes of moreioy or moresorrow it must be euer in heauen or euerin hell This night must this Soule receiue her doome thy Soule shall be required That Soule which shall be the bodies perpetuall companion sauing a short diuorce by the hand of death in the graue but afterwards ordained to an euerlasting re-vnion Whereas all worldly goods being once broken off by death can neuer againe be recouered The soule shall returne to the body but riches to neyther and this Soule must be required This is a losse a crosse beyond all that the worldlings imagination can giue being to How differ the vvickeds thoughts dying from their thoughts liuing In the daies of their peace they forget to get for the soule any good Eyther it must rest it selfe on these inferiour props or despaire of refuge The eye is not scanted of lustfull obiects the eare of melodious sounds the palate of well rellishing viands But the soules eye is not fastned on heauen nor her eares on the Word of God her taste sauours not the bread of life she is neither brought to touch nor to smell on Christs Vesture Animas habent quasi inanimata vivunt regarding their flesh as that pamperd Romane did his and their soules as he esteemed his horse who being a spruce neat and fatte Epicure riding on a leane scragling Iade was asked by the Censors the reason His answer was Ego curo meipsum statius verò equum I looke to my selfe but my
thy brother God shall disappoint him of all Whose shall these things be no not thy brothers To the sinner the Lord giues trauaile to gather and to heape vp but at last hee bestowes that heape of treasure vpon him that is good before God Thou bequeathest it to thy brother but God disposeâ—…h it to his children But thou hast no brother Yet thou hast kinred and friends and to helpe thy Couzens to wealth thou wilt couzen thy owne soule Alas it is a mysterie of knowledge to discerne friends Wealth maketh many friends they are friends to the wealth not to the wealthy They regard not Qualis sis but Quantus not how good thou art but how great They admire thee to thy face but inwardly consider thee onely as a necessary euill yea a necessary deuill and when thou dyest are ready to sing thy soule a Dirige to hell If thine eyes be euer opened thou wilt hate such suborners of bastard thoughts to thy heart as a recouered man hauing drunke a lothsome potion in his sicknesse doth euer after hate the very cruze it was brought him in But say thy friendes sticke truer to thee and one holds thy aking head another runnes for Physike a third by helping thee to change sides seekes to mitigate thy paines yet still thou complainest of vnremedied torments Oh then hadst thou not better make the God of comfort thy friend vvho would neither be wanting in his presence nor scanting in his consolations Worldly friends are but like hote water that when cold weather comes are soonest frozen Like Cuckooes all Summer they will sing a scuruy note to thee but they are gone in Iuly at furthest sure enough before the fall They flatter a rich man as we feed beasts till he be fat and then feed on him A true friend reprooues thee erring though perhaps not suddenly Iron is first heat then beaten first let him be heat with due and deserued praise for his good then coole and worke him with reprehension for his euil As Nurses when their children are falne first take them vp and speake them faire and chide or correct them afterwards These friends loue not thy soules good but thy bodies goods let them not carry away thy hart from Christ. But if thou so resoluest that these friends shall enioy thy riches yet God saith Cuius erunt whose shall they be Thy kindred or friends shall not eate the grapes of thy planted vineyard no a stranger shall eate thereof God giueth not thee power to eate thereof no nor him thou desirest but a stranger eateth it Dabitur digniori it shal be giuen to one good in Gods sight Perhaps to such a mans posterity whom thou now scornest The wicked heape vp siluer as the dust and prepare rayment as the clay They may prepare it but the iust shall put it on the innocent shal deuide the siluer Now see thy follie O couetous Churle whose desires were all set on a Nunquam satis Whose shall those things be Not whom thou chusest but whom God appointeth Thy children are Gods charge if thou wilt faithfully trust him with them otherwise couldst thou bind thy lands and bequeath thy goods settle thy whole estate so sure as either strength of Law or wit of Lawyers can deuise yet Cuius erunt whose shall these things be Lo now thou hast enough thy head akes thy conscience pricks death requires thy body Satan thy soule couldst thou not wish that thy Barnes had beene lesse and thy charitie more That as GOD blessed thy store so thou hadst returned some liberall testimonie of thankfulnesse to his Church poore againe Especially when neither thy selfe nor thy Assignes shall enioy these things Whose shall they be All these particulars suruaied giue the couetous Cosmopolite three brands He is branded in his Soule in his riches in his good name In his Soule Thy Soule shall be fetched away In his riches Whose shall these things bee vvhich thou hast prouided In his name Thou foolâ—… Whereupon we may iustly inferre this Conclusion as the Summe Of all that abundant wealth can bring no good eyther to Soule Body or Name Man is said to haue three liues Spirituall Corporall and Ciuill as the Lawyers call it the life of his good name Neyther to this nor to the life of his Soule or Body can multitude of riches conferre any good This Text shall prooue it in all the particulars 1. To the Soule can opulency procure no benefit All Christians know that good for the Soule is the passion and merits of Christ faith to apprehend these repentance to mortifie sinnes sanctification to giue vs celestiall liues and saluation to glorifie our persons But can any of these be bought with money Thou and thy money perish together that thinkest the gifts of God may be purchased with money God will not barter away his graces as the Indians their gold for thy gawdes and rattles Hee wil not take the morgage of a Lordship for the debt thou owest him The smoake of thy sacrifice smells neuer the sweeter because thou art cloathed in silkes or canst sit downe to tell thy Michaelmasse thousands Thy adulteries cannot be commuted for in heauen nor thy vsuries be answered by a fine before the Tribunall of the highest Thou mayest as soone and easily mount vp to heauen with wings of lead as by feathers of wealth Indeed they can doe a man as much good in distresse of conscience as to haue his head bound with a wette cloth in a cold morning can cure the head-ach If wealth could keepe a man from hell how few rich men would be damned But he is not sanctior quiditior nor is saluation vendible to a full purse The doctrine of Rome may affirme it but the decree of God will not afford it This Cosmopolite had barnes and barres but these cannot hedge in his Soule that is required 2. To the body perhaps there is some more expectation of good but no more successe Thou art anguished will thy wealth purchase health Sleepe is denied thy senses and after many changed sides and places thou canst finde no rest goe now empty thy coffers and try what slumber the charmes and chimes of gold can ring thee Thy stomake loathes meate all thy riches are not sufficient sawce to get thee an appetite Couldst thou drinke Cleopatra's draught it will not ease thy head-ache The Physician will take thy money and giue thee Physike but what Physike will giue thee infallible health But the rich man hath a fire when the poore sits cold the rich an harbour attendance and delicate prouision when the poore wants both house and home meate and money garments and company For though riches gather many friends the poore is separated from his neighbors No part of my Sermon hath denied but the competency of these earthly things is a blessing neyther dare I infer that the want of these is a curse for the best haue wanted them
Whosoeuer shall sweare by the Temple it is nothing but whosoeuer shall sweare by the Gold of the Temple hee is a debter Ye fooles and blind for whether is greater the gold or the Temple that sanctifieth the gold That was their doctrine this was Christs reproofe So the Papists haue their distinctions betwixt a materiall and a formall oath one to bind the conscience the other not Out of such an vnlucky copulation of fraud and malice was that monstrous stigmatike Equiuocation engendred A damned egge not couered by any faire bird but hatch'd as the Poets faine of O sprayes with a thunderclap A meere bastard whosoeuer was the Father Iesuites keepe the child and bring it vp as their onely darling But they haue their Bulls of dispensation for it fit they should all speed as some did once with their buls Two Seminaries came into England with their two Bulls but being apprehended those two Bulls call'd in a third Bull which was Bull the hangman to dispatch them both Lastly the Pharises vsed to deuoure widowes houses for a pretence to make long prayer It is euill to deuoure a mans house worse to deuour a widowes house worst of all when their lips seemed to pray to be chewing that morsell Ierusalem had neuer worse Pharises then Rome these were meere bunglers to the Iesuites The new Pharises haue made very Proselytes and Novices of the ancient A widowes cottage fill'd the pauch of an old Pharise Large Patrimonies and faire reuenues wil not stoppe the throte of the Iesuite They deuoure the Land as Pharaohs leane kine and yet looke hunger-starued still You shall haue them first fall in with the wife as the deuill did with Eue but they couzen the husband of his inheritance as the deuill couzoned Adam Euen other Orders among them cry shame vpon the Iesuites they prole away all with a face of sad pietie and sterne mortification Forgiue my vnseasonable prolixitie you see one dangerous Leven 2. The next is the Leven of the Sadduces heare their doctrine Math. 22. They say there is no resurrection Act. 23. The Sadduces say there is no resurrection neither Angel nor spirit I would we had no matches for them but we haue too many that either deny futurum aliquid post mortem that any further thing is to be done or suffered or enioyed after death or else affirme faeliciter fore vniuersis that euery man shall be happy They haue studied reasons against the Resurrection The flesh turnes into rottennesse rottennesse to dust c. But St. Aug. cuts them off with reason Qui potuis formare nouum non poterit reperare mortuuÌ„ He that could make man of nothing surely can reuiue him of a small thing Facilius est restituere quà m constituere It is farre easier to repaire then to prepare They tell vs It is better to a liuing dogge then a dead Lion which is true among beasts like themselues but among men a dead beast is better theÌ„ a liuing Atheist Like dogs they barke at heauen but they cannot bite it it is out of their circumference Though they build vp reasons and treasons like Babel yet they prooue but Confusion They would pull God out of his Throne if it were possible but he is safe enough out of the reach of their malice else it had gone ill with him before this Their song is Let vs eate and drinke they thinke of no reckoning to pay for to morow we dye They promise to morow yet kill themselues to day This is their song but the Holy Ghost addes the burden After death commeth the Iudgement It is appointed vnto men once to dye to all men once to Atheists twice for there is a second death Their first death makes way to their last Iudgement They are in some respect worse then the Deuill he knowes and acknowledgeth a Deitie these say There is no God The deuils belieue and tremble these haue neither faith nor feare The deuill quakes at the day of Iudgement these deride it Art thou come hither to torment vs before thâ—…ime There 's their terror Where is the promise of his comming For since the Fathers fell asleepe all things continue as they were from the beginning of the Creation There 's their derision The deuils say Iesus vve know these are like that doubting spirit Si filius Dei If thou be the Sonne of God as if they made question whether he was so or not Strange â—…euen the father of sinnes commeth short of his sonnes and there be Atheists vpon earth when as there are none in hell But they professe some religion among vs it may be so but they fit and square it to their owne humors as that Giant dealt with his guests for all whom he had but one bed if they were too short for it he rack'd them out longer if too long he cut them shorter But Insculptum est omnibus esse Deum it is vvritten in all hearts by the pen of nature that there is a God It is not possible to get out these indeleble characters Say vvhat they will they would giue much to be sure that the Scripture was not true The discourse of reason confutes them Aske now the beasts and they shall teach thee the fowles of the ayre and they shall tell thee Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of GOD hath wrought this Praesentemque refert qualibet herba Deum The little pile of grasse tells vs there is a God that made it Besides they haue a conscience within them Gods deputy in the soule which will speak for the Maker and Master and be heard too Qui negat esse Deum mihi negat et tibi non sibi Hee that denies there is a God denies it to me and to thee but neuer to himselfe You may sooner pull his heart out of his brest then this conception out of his heart Thus is their leuen toss'd backe into their owne teeth they will not now acknowledge this they shall one day feele this Oculos quos culpa clausit poena aperiet the eyes vvhich Atheisme hath shut damnation shall open This is a cursed Leuen 3. The next Leuen is that of the Herodians heere crafty and dissembling hypocrits might be thought their fittest and most sutable paralells because Christ calls Herod a Foxe Goe and tell that Foxe But the Herodians were rather noted for profane fellowes and so wee must seeke out other matches Such as carry in their gestures a tepidity of religion a loosenesse of life that turne the grace of God into wantonnesse and make that which brings saluation to all a meanes of confusion to themselues This disease is Interius within and quickly becomes Interitus a violent destruction Profest Atheists and open Heretikes are through the manifestation of their malice preuented these are bosome Serpents that sting in silence Aristotle saies that Extreme is lesse hurtfull which is neerest to the medium and doth
him from walking to standing from standing to sitting stil and this is limen inferni the very threshold of hell Wee iudge of sinne as of the Sunne little because far off yet indeed it is bigger then the earth The neerer wee come to the sense of iniquity the greater it appeares Was it such a sinne for Adam to eate a forbidden Apple Yes the greatnes is remonstrable in the euent it brought destruction vpon himselfe and his posterity Is it such a haynous offence for Dauid to know the number of his people Doe not Princes make good their Muster-books by such a Quare and numeration The plague witnessed the greatnesse of it and himselfe cryes Peccaui I haue done wickedly Looke on the least sin in Satans false glasse and it seemes contemptible behold it in the true glasse of Gods Law and it appeares abhominable The Deuill stands betwixt wicked men and their sinnes all their life but placeth their sinnes betwixt heauen and themselues in death writes them in Text letters on the Curtaines that their amazed soules cannot chuse but read them Thus he that led them liuing by sin to presumption now driues them dying by sinne to desperation Satan seemes modest and will bee contented vvith a little when hee can get no more he will play at small game before he sit out Wilt thou not cut throats yet quarrell and appoint fields not so yet hate thine enemies not professe hatred yet watch occasions to hinder his good if thou wilt not iniure his estate yet at least scandalize his good name He will take little rather then nothing The Israelites in the Desart had no rich and costly sacrifices to offer to Baal Peor They had not such store of beasts but the oblations to God tooke them vp I cannot see what they should haue fit for this sacrifice to Baal except Manna and water too good for the Deuill but hee â—…s content with this Yet it is euident that they committed Idolatry Neyther be yee Idolaters as were some of them as it is written The people sate downe to eate and drinke and rose vp to play Rather then want their custome Satan will take such as they had Will Naaman worship God yet let him worship Rimmon too no hee will not doe so yet let him bow to Rimmon no nor so much yet let him bow before Rimmon the Deuill is glad of this where he can get no more Thus Pharaoh minceth and limits with Moses concerning the dismission of Israel Gods charge was Let my people goe three daies iourney in the wildernesse to celebrate a feast to the Lord. Now marke how Pharaoh would compound it First Sacrifice to God in this land no saith Moses wee must goe into the wildernesse Then saith Pharaoh If there be no remedy Goe and goe to the wildernesse and sacrifice to your God but goe not farre nay wee must goe three dayes iourney Then Pharaoh Goe ye the men but leaue your children behinde you nay we must goe old and young sons and daughters Then Pharaoh Goe ye men women and children so farre as your feet can measure in three dayes but your flocks and your heards shall be stayd nay we will not leaue a hoofe behinde vs. So when the Deuill perceiues no remedy hee falls to indenting with niggardly grants and allowances Somwhat hath some sauor giue him at least a thought a word a looke as Lots wife and it something pleaseth him Among the Heathen they vsed to ioyne together Epula and Sacrificia with solemne sacrifices to their gods solemne bankets among themselues So the Apostle deliuers the custome of the Moabites 1. Cor. 10. 7. In the midst of their Idolatry they sate downe to eate drinke So the Psalmist writes of that cursed commixtion of Israel with Moab that they had Idolatrous feasts They ioyned themselues to Baal-Peor and did eate the sacrifices of the dead One nation had a custome in these superstious feasts to sacrifice to their Idol Capita some Noble mens heads according as it fell to their lots together with their hearts and their liuers It came to the turne of the Kings speciall fauourite thus to lose his life the King resoluing both to keep the custome yet to saue his friend obiected that God was no murderer nor delighted in the bloud of men That if he were a God he was certainely good and goodnesse stood not in the desire of his owne creatures destruction Therefore in stead of the mans head he offered the head of an onyon and for bloud heart and liuers of men all these of birds or beasts The Deuill must be pleased with this hee saw that this little homage was some acknowledgement of his soueraignty Satan can hold a mans soule in by a little as a bird that hangs in the net by a claw Perhaps shame feare keepes some from eruption into scandalous things the appearance is vizarded the affection is not mortified Like an Eunuch he doth not beget palpable grosse turpitudes yet hath a lust itch and concupiscence this little serues the Deuils turne Satan would keepe away the light of the Truth from a man well he is so seated that hee will haue it by knowledge he seemes to cast out Satan Yet if he can but insinuate into his affection this little cord will pull him in againe with ease Must he lose the Sconce of thy vnderstanding Let him hold the Cittadell of thy desires this little gate will let him in at his pleasure I draw to conclusion let this teach vs all to make a scrutiny in our soules and seriously to repent of this little leuen Little in quantity great in quality little in estimation powerfull in operation Little in the sight of men iudging by outward appearance great in the sight of God iudging in truth Lot said of the City of Zoar Is it not a little one and my soule shall liue thou sayest of thy sinne Is it not a little one and why should my soule die A little Posterne opened may betray the greatest City Ionathan tasted but a little honey on the top of his wand and hardly he escaped death for it A little leauen makes the head heauy and the heart sicke Eschevv this little if thou wouldst be great in heauen For whosoeuer shall breake one of these least Commandements hee shall bee called least in the kingdome of heauen Minimus that is indeed Nullus the least there because he shall not be there at all Let no tang of corruption come to thy least part if thou desirest to preserue body and soule blamelesse to the appearing of our Lord Iesus Christ. Repentance must be to all dead workes sanctification takes liberty in no sinne Nullum peccatum retinendum spe remissionis No euill must be reserued vnder the hope of forgiuenesse God gaue a Law but no dispensation for any breach of it his Generall rules haue no exceptions vnlesse it please the Diuine Oracle
Libera nos Domine wee are naturally downe do thou O Lord graciously raise vs vp 3. Wee must Arise before we can Goe First arise then goe thy way saith Christ. Hee that is downe may creep like a serpent cannot go like a man Thou art to sight with cruell enemies Not flesh and bloud but Principalities and Powers wicked spirits in high places Thou wilt performe it poorely whiles thou art along on the ground The flesh will insult ouer thee with vndenyed lusts Quicquid suggeritur caeteris aggeritur there is not a sinfull motion suggested but it is instantly embraced and added to that miserable dunghill of iniquity And is not this wretched to haue Chams curse vpon thee to be a slaue to slaues The world will hold thy head vnder his girdle whiles he tramples on thy heart thou shalt eate no other food then he giues thee he will feed thee with bribes vsuries iniuries periuries blasphemies homicides turpitudes none of these must be refused The deuill will tyrannize ouer thee thou canst hardly grapple with that great Red Dragon when thou art mounted like Saint George on the backe of faith Alas how shouldst thou resist him being downe vnder his feet Arise therefore and take the whole armour of God that you may both Stand and Withstand Arise lest God comming and finding thee downe strike thee lower From him that hath not shall bee taken away that he seemed to haue Pauper vbique tacet is a Prouerbe more plentifully true in a mysticall then temporall pouerty We say Qui iacet in terris non habet vnde cadat hee that lies on the ground hath no lower a descent to fall to yes there is a lower place Iudas found a lower fall then the earth when hee departed In locum suum into his owne place Such was that great Monarchs fall How art thou fallen from heauen O Lucifer how art thou cut downe to the ground This was a great descent from heauen to earth But ver 15. Thou shalt be brought downe to hell to the sides of the pit This was a greater descent from heauen to hell Wee esteeme it a great fall ceremonially from a Throne to a Prison and the deuill meant it a great fall locally from the Pinacle to the ground But there is Abyssus inferna a lower precipice Dauid beginnes a Psalme of prayer De profundis Out of the depths haue I cryed vnto thee O Lord. But there is a depth of depths and out of that deepe there is no rising Arise now lest you fall into that deepe then Arise for if thou wilt not thou shalt be raised Si non surrexeris volenter suscitaberis violenter If thou refuse to rise willingly thou shalt be rowsed against thy will If thou wilt not heare the first Surge which is the Ministers voice thou shalt heare the last Surge which is the Arch-angels voyce Dicis Surgam thou saist I will rise but when Modo Domine modò Anon Lord all in time Will not this be a silly excuse at the day of Iudgement I will rise anon Thou must rise in a moment in the twinkling of an eye at the last Trumpe Though thou cry to the Mountaines Fall on me and to the Rockes Hide me yet Nulla euasio thou must arise and appeare There are two voices that sound out this Surge one Euangelicall and that is of mercy yet we drowne this as Italians do thunder by Drums Bels Cannons The other Angelicall and that is of Iustice a voice vnpossible to be auoided This is that last Sermon that all the world shall heare Arise ye dead and come to iudgement Arise let vs now raise vp our selues from corruption of soule that we may one day be raised from corruption of body They that will not rise their soules must must and carry their bodies to iudgement This vvorld was made for man not man for this world therfore they take a wrong course that lye downe there He that lyes downe when he should arise and goe shall rise and goe when he would lie downe He that sleepes in the cradle of securitie all his life sinnes soundly without starting when he once starts and wakes he must neuer sleepe againe The deuill and mischiefe are euer watching and shal man whom they watch to hurt sleepe Hee that would deceiue the deuill had need to rise betimes The Lyon is said to sleepe with one eye open the Hare vvith both the worldling with both eyes of his soule shut He neuer riseth till he goes to bed his soule wakens not till his body falls asleepe on his death-bed then perhaps he lookes vp As sometimes they that haue been blind many yeeres at the approching of death haue seene whereof Physicians giue many reasons so the death-bed opens the eyes of the soule Indeed at that time there is possibilitie of waking but hazard of rising That poore winter-fruit wil hardly rellish with God Miserum incipete viuere cum definendum est It is wretched for a man then to begin his life when hee must end it It is at the best but morosa et morbosa panitentia a wearish and sick repentance wheras God requires a quicke and liuely sacrifice this is as sick as the person that makes it This indeed is not a Conuersion but a Reuersion or meere refuse To raise the secure from their vnseasonable vnreasonable sleepe God doth ring them a peale of fiue Bells 1. The first Bell is Conscience this is the trebble and doth somewhat trouble especially if the hand of GOD pulls it Many thinke of their consciences as ill Debtors doe of their Creditors they are loth to talke with them Indeed God is the Creditor and Conscience the Seriant that will meet them at euery turne It makes a syllogisticall conclusion in the mind Reason like Dauid drawes the sword and Conscience like Nathan knocks him on the brest with the hilts Dauid made the Proposition The man that hath done this shall dnee the death Nathan the Assumption Thou art the man Conscience the Conclusion Therefore thou must die If you heare not yea feele not the sound of this bell suspect your deadnesse of heart for that Citie is in danger where the Alarme-bell rings not 2. The second Bell is the Stint or certaine to all the rest Uox Euangelij the voice of the Gospell This Bell of Aaron is so perpetually rung amongst vs that as a knell in a great mortalitie quia frequens non terrens so cōmon that no man regards it Indeed if some particular clapper ring melodiously to the eare we come to please that rather then the soule Luxurient wits thinke the Scripture-phrase grosse nothing delights them but a painted and meretricious eloquence There are some that vvill not heare this Bell at all like Ieroboam they will not trauell to Ierusalem for a Sermon but content themselues with a Calfe at home Others looke that the Preachers tongue should incessantly walke but let their
to enioy for euer and euer Now yet further to encourage our going let vs thinke vpon our company Foure sweet associates go with vs in our Iourny good Christians good Angels good works our most good Sauiour Iesus Christ. 1. Good Christians accompany vs euen to our death If thou go to the Temple they will go with thee Many people shall say Come and let us go vp to the Mountaine of the Lord to the house of the God of Iacob If thou say Come let vs build vp the walles of Ierusalem they will answer Let vs rise vp and build So when Ioshua protested to Israel do what you will but as for mee and my house we will serue the Lord they ecchoed to him God forbid that we should for sake the Lord to serue other gods we also will serue the Lord. Thou canst not say with Elias I am left alone there be seuen thousand and thousand thoâ—…sands that neuer bowed their knee to Baal 2. Good Angels beare vs company to death in our guarding after death in our carrying vp to heauen Angelis mandauit He hath giuen his Angels charge over vs There are malicious deuils against vs but there are powerfull Angels with vs. That great Maiestie whom wee all adore hath giuen them this commission Are they not all ministring spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be heires of saluation An Angell counsels Hagar to returne to her Mistresse an Angell accompanies Iacob in his iourney an Angell feeds Elias an Angell pluckes Lot out of Sodome Gaudent Angeli te conuersum illorum sociari consortijs The Angels reioyce at our conuersion that so their number might haue a completion 3. Good workes beare vs company Good Angels associate vs to deliuer their charge good workes to receiue their reward Though none of our actions bee meritorious yet are none transient none lost They are gone before vs to the Courts of ioy and when wee come they shall welcome our entrance Virtutis miseris dulce sodalitium What misery soeuer perplexeth our voyage vertue and a good conscience are excellent company 4. Lastly Iesus Christ beares vs company Hee is both Via and Conuiator the way and companion in the way When the two Disciples went to Emaus Iesus himselfe drew neere and went with them If any man go to Emaus which Bernard interpreteth to be Thirsting after good aduice he shall be sure of Christs company If any man entreate Iesus to goe a mile he will go with him twaine None can complaine the want of company whiles his Sauiour goes along with him Truely our fellowship is with the Father and with his Sonne Iesus Christ. There we finde two Persons of the blessed Trinity our Associates the Father and the Sonne now the Holy Ghost is not wanting The grace of the Lord Iesus Christ and the loue of God and the communion or fellowship of the Holy Ghost be with you all Amen Goe we then comfortably forward and God will bring vs to our desired Hauen But Pauci intrant pauciores ambulant paucissimi perâ—…nt Few enter the way fewer walke in the way fewest of all come to the end of the way their saluation Men thinke the way to heauen broader then it is But straite is the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth vnto life and few there bee that finde it All say they are going to glory but the greater number take the wrong way A man somewhat thicke-sighted when he is to passe ouer a narrow bridge puts on spectacles to make it seeme broader but so his eyes beguile his feete and he fals into the brooke Thus are many drowned in the whirle-poole of sinne by viewing the passage to heauen onely with the Spectacles of flesh and bloud They thinke the bridge broad so topple in Happy eyes that well guide the feete and happy feet that neuer rest going till they enter the gates of heauen Thus much for the Pasport now we come to The Certificate Thy faith hath made thee whole Wherein Christ doth comfort and encourage the Leper First he comforts him that his faith was the meanes to restore health to his body then thereby hee encourageth him that this faith encreased would also bring saluation to his soule I might here obserue that as faith is onely perceiued of God so it is principally commended of God The Leper glorified God and that with a loud voyce there was his thankfulnesse he fell downe at Christs feet there was his humblenesse The eares of men heard his gratitude the eyes of men saw his humility but they neither heard nor saw his faith But how then saith Saint Iames Shew mee thy faith Himselfe answeres By thy workes It cannot be seene in habitu in the very being yet may easily be knowne in habente that such a person hath it No man can see the winde as it is in the proper essence yet by the full sailes of the ship one may perceiue which way the winde stands The sap of the tree is not visible yet by the testimony of leaues and fruites we know it to be in the tree Now Christ sees not as man sees man lookes vpon the externall witnesses of his gratitude and humility but Christ to that sap of faith in the heart which sent forth those fruits Thy faith hath saued thee The words distribute themselues into two principall and essentiall parts The Meanes Thy faith Effects Hath made thee whole The meanes is partly Demonstratiue Faith partly Relatiue Thy faith The Quality and the Propriety the Quality of the meanes it is Faith the Propriety it is not anothers but Thy faith Faith This is the demonstratiue quality of the meanes of his healing But what was this Faith 1. There is a faith that beleeues veritatem historiae the truth of Gods word This we call an Historicall Faith but it was not this faith King Agrippa beleeuest thou the Prophets I know that thou beleeuest 2. There is a faith that beleeues Certitudinem Promissi the certainety of Gods promises that verily is perswaded God will bee so good as his word that he will not breake his couenant with Israel nor suffer his faithfulnesse to faile vnto Dauid yet applyes not this to it selfe but it was not this faith 3. There is a faith that beleeues Potestatem Dicentis the Maiestie and Omnipotencie of him that speakes so the deuill that God is able to turne Stones into brâ—…d so the Papist that he can turne bread into flesh and cause one circumscribed body to supply millions of remote places at once But it was not this faith 4. There is a faith beleeues se moturam Montes that it is able to remoue Mountaines a miraculous faith which though it were specially giuen to the Apostles In my name shall they cast out deuils take vp Serpents cure the sicke by imposition of hands say to a Tree
euill will persecute the good and the good may not partake of the vices of the bad What agreement hath the temple of God with Idols Wherefore come out from among them and be ye separate saith the Lord and touch not the vncleane thing and I will receiue you Out of the Egypt of this world hath God called his Sonnes We are forbidden all fellowship with the vnfruitfull workes of of darkenes not altogether with the workers For then wee must needs goe out of the world It is commanded Ierem 15. that the precious be separated from the vile yet so that they may returne to the good though the good may not turne to them It is good for the good to sunder themselues from the incorrigible wicked as being the first stayre of the ladder that leaues the earth and sets the first step of our iourney to heauen God in his eternall decree separated the elect from the Reprobate in his Vocation he sequesters them from nature and sinne When hee executes particular iudgement hee takes Israell from the Tabernacles of Corah when he will giue the generall he will seuer the Sheepe from the Goates Christ then who is the Prince of Peace causeth not quarrels betweene man and man as they are creatures but betwixt goodnesse and euill as they are contrarie natures That the sonnes of Beliall hate the sonnes of God Christ is not the cause but the occasion For when the Gospell separates vs from the world the world then bends his malicious forces against vs. So that Peace in sinne Ver. 51. Christ came not to send but Peace of conscience Phil. 4. The peace of God which passeth all vnderstanding c. Which because the wicked will not embrace therfore Fiue in one house shall be diuided the Father against the Sonne and the Sâ—…nne against the Father c. The Gospell doth not otherwise worke this diuision then the Law is sayd to make sinne because it made sinne knowne Or the Sunne is sayd to cause mothes because it causeth their appearance Let Paul continue a Pharise and the Pharises will loue him conuert he to a Christian and they will hate him Whiles we liue after the world we haue peace with the world none with God when we are turned to Christ we haue peace with God none with the world This ground laid we will consider for the better exposition of the words fiue circumstances The Fire Fewell Kindlers Smoake Bellowes Wherein we shall find Christs willing and the fires kindling Who wils goodnesse to his chosen which he is sure will enrage the wicked to their persecution The cause thus giuen the fire is left to be kindled by others For though Non sine Deo patimur yet non a Deo petimur The instruments of our afflictioÌ„ will be found vngodly who though they plead we haue done the will of the Lord shall goe to hell for their labour The Fire Is discord debate contention anger and hatred against the godly Euery man is composed of foure elementall humours whereof one is Choler resembled to Fire In whom this Choler is most adust puissant they are vsually most hote furious fiery But I speake here of nature for grace can alter nature and purge this corruption Regeneration is the best physicke to purge Choler Many medicines hath Philosophie prescribed against this spirituall disease but in vaine The Philosophers seruant could scoffe his Maister He inueighes against anger writes volumes against it ipse mihi irascitur and yet he is angry with me Onely grace can more then giue rules giue power to master this madnesse Fire and Contention haue some resemblances 1. Debate is like Fire for as that of all elements so this of all passions is most violent The earth is huge yet we walke quietly on it it suffers our ploughes to rend vp the entrals of it to teach vs patience The aire is copious yet admits our respiration The waters boystrous yet sayle we vpon them against them But Fire especially getting the vpper hand is vnmercifully raging it left nothing behind to witnesse the former happynes of Sodome The worlds last destruction shall be by Fire and God vseth that of all elements to expresse the very torments of hell adding Brimstone to it To this is the anger of God likened Our God is euen a consuming fire So doth debate exceede all passions flouds of correction can quench the turbulent an fiery spitit which is set on fire of hell Onely one extreame may driue out another as we hold our burnt finger to the fire by a new heat to extract the former So the fire of grace onely must draw out the Fire of debate or send it to the euerlasting fire to purge it 2. Contention is like Fire for both burne so long as there is any exustible matter to contend against Only herein it transcends fire for fire begets not matter but consumes it debate begets matter but not consumes it For the wicked study cause of contention as Benhadad against Ahab 1. king 20. So when the Pope could find no iust exception against Fredericke the Emperour he quarrell'd with him for holding the wrong stirrop when the great Prelate should mount his palfrey and thought he might easily mistake for Emperours are not vsed to hold stirrops yet hee was persecuted almost to excommunication for it It is wofull dwelling amongst debatefull men whose soules hate peace that are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without naturall affection which Paul makes a reprobates marke striking all that stand in their way and not ceasing to burne till all matter cease to feede them Salomon discribes such with a firie comparison First ver 17. he cals him a Busi-body he passeth by and meddleth with strife belonging not to him he thrusts himselfe into impertinent busines and is like one that taketh a dog by the eares which hee can neither hold nor well let goe ver 18. He notes his politicke villanie As a mad-man who casteth firebrands arrowes and death and saith Am I not insport he scattereth abroad mortall mischiefes vnder the colour of iest And ver 20. lest the fire should goe out hee administers fewell himselfe Where no wood is there the fire goeth out ver 21. when he hath kindled this flame hee striues to spread and disperse it and is as coales to burning coales and wood to the fire The words of a tale-bearer are wounds and they goe downe into the innermost parts of the belly They penetrate and cruciate the most tender and sensible places 3. As a litle sparke growes to a great flame so a small debate often proues a great rent Behold how great a matter a litle fire kindleth The wind at first a small vapour yet gets such strength in going that it ouer-turnes trees and towers A back-biting tongue hath pulled downe strong citties and ouerthrowne the houses of great men Warre is compared to fire
consequence for priuate ends 1. First he begets in a mans minde a dislike of the word for it selfe This man esteemes preaching but follie he sees no good it doth to haue one pratling an houre or two in a Pulpit He is a parishioner to two parishes to the Congregation he liues with Quoad corpus to the Synagogue of Satan Quoad animam 1. Cor. 1. The preaching of the Crosse is to them that perish foolishnes but vnto vs which are saued it is the power of God It is horrible when man dust and ashes meere follie shall censure the Wisedome of God Let them haue their wils be it in their account follie yet it pleaseth God by the foolishnes of preaching to saue them that beleeue And without this they must liue in errour and die in terrour hell fire will make them change their opinions 2. Others are wrought to hate it onely for second and simister respects The Masters of that Damosell Act. 16. Possessed with a spirit of diuination seeing the hope of their gaines gone brought Paul and Silas to scourging and neuer left them till they saw them in prison When Demetrius perceiued the ruine not so much of the Ephesian Diana as of his owne Diana gaine and commoditie in making of siluer shrines he sets all Ephesus in a tumult The losse of profite or pleasure by the Gospell is ground enough of malice and madnesse against it Cannot a tyrant be bloudie cannot an oppressor depopulate an vsurer make benefite of his money a swearer braue with blasphemies a drunkard keepe his tavern-session but the Pulpets must ring of it Downe shall that Gospell come if they can subiect it that will not let them runne to hell vntroubled Non turbant Evangelium â—…um ab Evangelio non turbentur let them alone and they will let you alone But if you fight against their sins with the sword of the Spirit they will haue you by the eares and salute you with the sword of death You see the fires that the Deuill Kindleth It is obiected 1. Satan knowes that hee can do nothing but by the permission of God Ans. Therefore not knowing Gods secret will who are elect who reprobate hee laboures to destroy all And if he perceiue that God more especially loues any haue at them to chuse If he can but bruise their heeles O hee thinkes hee hath wrought a great spight to God 2. He knowes that though with his taile he can draw stars from heauen discouer the hypocrisie of great Professors yet he cannot wipe the name of one soule out of the booke of life which the Lambe hath written there Answ. It is the Devils nature to sinne against his owne knowledge Contra scientiam peccabit qui contra conscientiam peccavit 3. He knowes he shall receiue the greater damnation and the more aggravated torments And the Devill that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire brimstone where the beast the false prophet are shall be tormented day night for ever ever Ans. He sins alwaies with purposed malice of heart proudly against God and blasphemously agaynst the holy Ghost though he receiue the smart himselfe We perceiue now the Fire the Fewell and the Kindler let vs looke to The Smoke There goes lightly a Smoke before this Fire Reu. 9. He opened the bottomlesse pit and there arose a smoke out of the pit as the smoake of a great fornace and the Sunne and the ayre were darkened by reason of the smoake of the pit And there came out of the smoke Locusts vpon the earth When we see smoke wee conclude their is fire Christ will not quench the smoking flaxe for the smoke without shewes a sparke of faith within When Abraham saw the smoke of the countrey going vp as the smoake of a fornace He knew that the fire was begun in Sodom This smoke is the signe of persecution ensuing and it is either Publique or Priuate Publique is two fold 1. The threatning of Tyrants this smoke came out of the mouth of Saul Act. 9. And Saul yet breathing out threatnings Such were the Romish vaunts of the Spanish ships but God quenched that fire in water and it was but a smoke Hee that could forbid the fire to burne can also forbid the smoke to become a 〈◊〉 Onely the massacre at Paris was a fire without a smoke vnles it be smoke enough as indeed it is for Papists to liue among Protestants 2. Securitie is a publique Smoke when men cry Peace peace this is the smoake of warre The carelesse liues of the old world and Sodom were portentuous smoakes of their enkindled destruction Our secure and dead-harted conuersations are arguments of the like to vs. God both auert that and conuert vs. We feast reuel daunce sin and sing like swannes the prognostickes of our owne funerals We are not circumspect to looke vp on those which watch vs with the keene eyes ofmalice our sleepâ—… giues themhope our selues danger Neglect of defence hartens on a very coward enemie Our comfort only is He that keepeth Israel doth not sluÌ„ber nor sleepe The priuate Smoke particularly laid to a Christian is a gentler more soft teÌ„tation But if this Smoke preuaile not Satan coms with a fiery trial Ifhe cannot peruert Io seph with his tempting mistres a kind smoke he will trie what a Iayle can doe If the deuill can draw thee to his purpose with a twine threed what needes he a Cable rope If Sampson can be bound with greene withes the Philistines need not seeke for iron chaines But Sathan knows that some will not like Adam and Esau be wonne with trifles that some will sticke to Christ whiles the weather is faire and there is peace with the Gospell yet in time of persecution start away When he comes with tempests and flouds then the house not built on a rocke fals If our foundation be straw and stubble we know this fire will consume it but if gold it shall rather purge and purifie it He will not goe about that can passe the next way If a soft puffe can turne thee from Christ Sathan will spare his blustring tempests if a smoake can doe it the fire shall be forborne If Ioâ—… could haue beene brought to his bow with killing his cattell seruants children perhaps his bodie had beene fauour'd So that after gentle temptations looke for stormes as thou wouldst after smoake fire Inure thy heart therefore to vanquish the least that thou mayst foile the greatest let the former giue thee exercise against these latter as with wooden Wasters men learne to play at the sharpe Be thy confidence in him that euer enabled thee and affie his promise that will not suffer thee to be tempted aboue thy strength Onely handle this weapon with more heedfull cunning and when thou perceiuest the dallyings of the Deuill play not with his baites Corrupt not thy conscience with a little gaine
is the Lord himself annointed And here all tongues grow dumbe admiratio sealeth vp euery lippe This is a depth beyond sounding You may perhaps drowsily heare this and coldly be affected with it but let me say Principalities and Powers Angels and Seraphins stood amazed at it We see the Ascent shall we bring downe againe this consideration by as many stayres 1. Consider him Almightie God taking vpon him Mans nature this is the first steppe downe wards The word was made flesh and dwelt among vs. And God sent forth his Sonne made of a woman And this was done Naturam suscipiendo nostram non mutando suam by putting on our nature not by putting off his owne Homo Deo accessit non Deus a serecessit He is both God and man yet but one Christ one not by confusion of substance but by vnitie of person Now in that this Eternall God became man he suffered more then man can suffer either liuing or dead That man should be turned into a beast into a worme into dust into nothing is not so great a disparagement as that the glorious God should become man He that thought it not robbery to bee equall with God was made in the likenesse of man Hee that is more excellent then the Angels became lower then the Angels that hee might aduance vs as high as the Angels Euen the brightnesse of Gods glorie takes on him the basenesse of our nature and hee that layd the foundations of the earth and made the world is now in the world made himselfe This is the first descending degree 2. The second stayre brings him yet lower He is made man but what Man Let him be vniuersall Monarch of the world and haue fealtie and homage acknowledged to him from all kings and Emperors as his viceroyes Let him walke vpon Crownes and scepters and let Princes attend on his Court and here was some Maiestie that might a little become the Son of God No such matter Indust formam serui He tooke vpon him the forme of a seruant He instructs vs to humilitie by his owne example The Sonne of man came not to be ministred vnto but to minister O Israel thou hast made me to serue with thy sinnes He gaue himselfe for a Minister not for a Master ad seruitutem non ad dominationem He that is Gods Sonne is made mans seruant Proudly blind blindly poore man that thou shouldest haue such a seruant as the Sonne of thy maker This is the second steppe downewards 3. This is not low enough yet I am a worme no man sayth the Psalmist in his Person Yea the shame of men and contempt of the people He is called Psal. 24. the King of glory Be yee open yee euerlasting doores and the King of glorie shall come in But Esa. 53. He is despised and reiected of men we hid as it were our faces from him he was despised and wee esteemed him not O the pittie of God that those two should come so neare together the King of glory and the shame of men Quo celsior maiestas eò miserior humilitas Thus sayth the Apo stle hee made himselfe of no reputation Hee that requires all honour as properly due to him makes himselfe not of little but of no reputation Here was deiection yea here was reiection Let him be layd in his poore cradle the Bethlemites reiect him the manger must serue no roome for him in the Inne Yea Hee came to his owne and his owne receiued him not All Israel is to hote for him hee is glad to flie into Egypt for protection Come hee to Ierusalem which he had honourd with his presence instructed with his Sermons amazed with his myracles wet and bedewed with his teares they reiect him I would and ye would not Comes he to his kindred they deride traduce him as if they were ashamed of his alliāce Comes he to his Disciples They goe backe will walke no more with him Will yet his Apostles tarry with him So they say ver 6. 8. Lord to whom shall we goe thou hast the words of eternall life Yet at last one betrayes him another forsweares him all forsake him Iesus is left alone in the middest of his enemies Can malice yet adde some further aggrauation to his contempt Yes they crucifie him with malefactors The qualitie of his companie is made to encrease his dishonour In medio Latronum tanquam Latronum immanissimus In the middest of theeues as it were the Prince of theeues sayth Luther He that thought it no robbery to be equall to the most holy God is made equall to theeues and murderers yea tanquam Dux as it were a Captaine amongst them This is the third step 4. But wee must goe yet lower Behold now the deepest stayre and the greatest reiection Affligit me Deus the Lord hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger It pleased the Lord to bruise him he hath put 〈◊〉 to griefe No burden seemes heauy when the comforts of God helpe to beare it When God will giue solace vexation makes but idle offers and assaults But now to the reiection of all the former the Lord turnes his backe vpon him as a stranger the Lord wounds him as an enemie He cryes out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me How could the Sunne and starres heauen and earth stand whiles their maker thus complained The former degree was deepe he was crucified with euill doers reckoned amongst the wicked Yet theeues fared better in death then he We find no irrisio no insultation no taunts no invectiues against thē They had nothing vpon them but paine hee both contempt torment If scorne and derision can vexe his good soule he shall haue it in peales of ordinance shotte against him Euen the basest enemies shall giue it Iewes Souldiours Persecutors yea suffering malefactors spare not to flowte him His bloud cānot appease them with out his reproch But yet the disciples are but weake men the Iewes but cruell persecutors the Deuils but malicious enemies all these doe but their kind but the lowest degree is God forgets him and in his feeling hee is forsaken of the highest Weigh all these circumstances and you shall truely behold the Person that gaue himselfe for vs. What We come to the Action Dedit Giuing is the argument of a free disposition Ioh. 10. I Lay downe my life No man taketh it from me but I lay it downe of my selfe I haue power to lay it downe and I haue power to take it againe He that giues life to vs gaue vp his owne life for vs. Hee did not sell set let or lend but giue Oblatus est quia ipse voluit He was offered because he would be offered No hand could cut that stone from the quarrey of heauen no violence pull him from the bosome of his Father but Sua misericordia his owne mercie he gaue
one take a handfâ—…ll out of this sheafe put it into his own bosome So â—…rning this Fâ—…r vs into For me As Paul Gal. 2. I liue by the faith of the Son of God who loued me gaue himselfe for me Blessed faith that into the plurall Vs puts in the singular soule Me. Se dedit pro me Euery one is a rebell guiltie conuicted by the supreme Law death waites to arrest vs and damnation to receiue vs. What should we doe but pray beseech cry weepe till we can get our pardon sealed in the bloud of Iesus Christ and euery one find a sure testimonie in his owne soule that Christ gaue himselfe for me 2. This should moue vs was all this done for vs and shall we not be stirred Haue ye no regard Is it nothing to you that I suffer such sorrow as was never suffred All his agonie his cries and teares and groanes and pangs were for vs shall he thus grieue for vs and shall wee not grieue for our selues For our selues I say not so much for him Let his passion moue vs to compassion not of his sufferings alas our pittie can do him no good but of our sinnes which caused them Daughters of Ierusalem weepe not for me but weepe for your selues and for your children For our selues not for his paeynes that are past but for our owne that should haue beene and except our faith settes him in our stead shall bee Shall hee â—…eepe â—…o vs for vs and shall wee not mourne Shall he drinke so deepely to vâ—… in this cup of sorrow and shall we not pledge him Doth the wrath of God make the Sonne of God shriâ—…ke oâ—…t and shall not the servants for whome he suffered tâ—…mble Omâ—…s creatura compatitur Christâ—… 〈◊〉 Euery creature seemes to suffer with Christ. Sunne earth rockes sepulchers Solus miser 〈◊〉 non compatitur pro quo solo Christus patitur Onely man suffers nothing for whome Christ suffered all Doth his passion teare the Uaile rent the stones cleaue the rockes shake the earth open the graues and are our hearts more hard then those insensible creatures that they cannot be penetrated Doth heauen and earth Sunne and elements suffer with him and is it nothing to vs We wretched men that wee are that were the principals in this murder of Christ whereas Iudas Caiphas Pilate Souldiours Iewes were all but accessaries and instrumentall causes We may seeke to shift it from our selues driue this haynous fact vpon the Iewes but the exeâ—…utioner doth noâ—… properly kâ—…l the man 〈◊〉 peccatum 〈◊〉 est Sin our sinnes were the murderers Of vs he suffered and for vs he suffered vnite thâ—…se in your thoughts and tell me if his passion hâ—…th noâ—… cause to moue vs. And yet so obdurate are our hearâ—…s that wee cannot endure one houres discourse of this great busines Christ was many houres in dying for â—…s we cannot sit one houre to heare of it O that wee should find fault with heat or cold in harkning to these heauenly â—…isteries when he endured for vs such a 〈◊〉 such a sweat such agonie that through his flesh and skinne hee sweate drops of bloud Doth hee weepe teares of gorebloud for vs and cannot wee weepe teares of water for our selâ—…es 〈◊〉 how would wee die for him as hee dyed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we are wâ—…ry of hearing what he did foâ—… vs 3. This should 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Christ deliuered 〈◊〉 to death for ouâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vs from death and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 deâ—…troy the deuill but to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Neither doth he take onely from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the power to condemnâ—… 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the power to rule and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chriâ—… death as it answers the Iustiâ—… of 〈◊〉 for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so it must kill in 〈◊〉 the will of 〈◊〉 Christ in â—…ll parts suffered that â—…e in all parts might 〈◊〉 mortified His â—…fferings were so abundant that men câ—…not know theâ—…r number nor Angels their naâ—…ure neiâ—…her 〈◊〉 nor Angels their measure His Passion â—…ound an end our thoughts cannot He Suffered At all times In all places In all senses In all members In body and soule also All for Vs 1. At all times in his childhood by pouertie and Herod in the strength of his dayes by the powers of earth by the powers of hell yea euen by the powers of heauen In the day hee lackes meate in the night a pillow Euen that holy time of the great Passouer is destined for his dying When they should kill the Paschall Laâ—…be in thankfulnesse they slay the Lambe of God in wickednes They admire the shadow yet condemne the substance All for vs that all times might yeelde vs comfort So the Apostle sweetly He dyed for vs that whether we wake or sheepe wee should liue together with him 2. In all places in the cradle by that Foxe in the streets by reuilers in the mountaine by those that would haue throwne him downe headlong in the Temple by them that toâ—…ke vp stones to cast at him In the high Priests hall by buffeâ—…rs in the garden by betrayers by the way loden with his crosse Lastly in Caluary a vild and stinking place among the bones of malefactors crucified Still all for vs that in all places the mercy of God might protect vs. 3. In all Senseâ—… For his tast loe it is â—…icted with gall vineger a bitter draught for a dying man His touch felt more the nailes driuen into his hands and feete and in those places wounded lies the greatest paine being the most sinewy parts of the bodie His Eares are full of the blasphemous contumelies which the sauage multitude belcâ—…ed out against him Not him but Barabbas they crie to Pilate preferring a murderer before a Sauiour Will you reade the speeches obiectuall to his hearing See Math. 27. ver 29. 39. 42. 44. 49. In all consider their blasphemie his patience For his Eyes whether can hee turne them without spectacles of sorrow The dispight of his enemies on the one side shewing their extremest malice the weeping and Lâ—…menting of his mother on the other side whose teares might wound his heart If any Sense were lesse afflicted it was his Smelling yet the putrified bones of Caluarie could be no pleasing sauour Thus suffered all his Senses That Tast that should be delighted with the wine of the vineyard that goeth downe sweetly is fed with vineger He lookes for good grapes behold Sower grapeâ—… he expects wine 〈◊〉 receiues vineger That Smell that should bee refreâ—…hed with the odorâ—…ferous sent of the beds of spices the pietie of his Saints is filled with the stence of iniquities Those hands that sway the Scepter of the heauenâ—… 〈◊〉 faineto carry the Reed of Reprâ—… endâ—… the â—…ailes of death Those eyes that were as a 〈◊〉 of Fire in respect of whom the very Sunne was darknes must be hold the
Antichrist fils hell and his owne coffers The light that must bring vs out is Iesus Christ Which lighteth euery man that commeth into the world And his Word is a laâ—…pe vnto our feet and a light vnto our pathes Thus you see there are many places to be lost in but one way to be found and that is this The Sonne of man is come to seeke and to saue that was lost O Iesus turne our wandring steps into the narrow way of righteousnesse Come to vs that we may be sought seeke vs that we may be found find vs that we may be saued saue vs that we may be blessed and blesse thy name for euer Amen A GENERATION OF Serpents OR The Poyson of Wickednesse PSAL. 58. 4. Their poyson is like the poyson of a Serpent like the deafe Adder that stoppeth her eare THis verse spends it selfe on a double comparison of Persons Conditions The Persons compared are Men and Serpents The Conditions or Qualities vppon which the similitude stands are Poyson and Deafenesse The former whereof is indefinite Their Poyson is as the Poyson of a Serpent any Serpent The latter is restrictiue Their deafnesse is like the Adders one kind of Serpents I will beginne with the Conditions for if the same qualities be found in Men that are in Serpents there will follow fitly too fitly a comparison of their Persons The first Qualitie here ascribed to the wicked by the Psalmist is Poyson There is such a thing as Poyson but where to bee found Vbi cumque fuerit in homine quis quareret Wheresoeuer it is in Man who would looke for it GOD made mans bodie of the dust he mingled no Poyson with it He inspireth his soule from heauen he breaths no Poyson with it He feeds him with bread he convayes no poyson with it Vnde venenum Whence is this Poyson Didst not thou O Lord sow good seed in thy field Vnde Zizaniae From whence then hath it tares Whence Hoc fecit inimicus the Enemie hath done this We may perceiue the Deuill in it That great Serpent the red Dragon hath powred into wicked hearts this Poyson His owne Poyson Malitiam wickednes Cùm infundit peccatum infundit venenum When hee poures in Sinne he poures in poyson Sinne is Poyson Originall pravitie is called Corruption actuall Poyson The violence and virulence of this venemous qualitie comes not at first Nemo fit repente pessimus No man becomes worst at first dash Wee are borne corrupt wee haue made our selues Poysonus There be three degrees as it were so many ages in sin 1. Secret sin an vlcer lying in the bones but skin'd ouer with hypocrisie 2. Open sin bursting forth into manifest villanie The former is corruption the second eruption 3. Frequented and confirmed sinne and that is ranke poyson enveneming soule and bodie When it is impostumated to this ripenes and rankenesse it impudently iustifies wickednes for goodnesse venenum pro nutrimento poyson for nutriment It feeds on swallowes digests sinne as if it were nourishment As Hemlocke is good meate for Goates and Spiders for Monkeys It despiseth all reproofe sitting in the scorners chaire Which for the poyson is called by diuines Sedes Pestilentiae the Seat of Pestilence Peccator cùm in profundum venerit contemnet When a wicked man comes to the depth and worst of sinne â—…hee despiseth Then the Hebrew will despise Moses Who made thee a Prince and a Iudge ouer vs Then Ahab will quarrell with Micheah because he doth not Prophecie good vnto him Euery child in Bethel will mocke Elisha and bee bold to call him Bald pate Here is an originall droppe of veneme swolne to a maine Ocean of Poyson As one droppe of some Serpents poyson lighting on the hand gettes into the veines and so spreads it selfe ouer all the bodie till it hath stiffled the vitall spirits In this Poyson there is a double pestilent effect Inficit Interficit It is to themselues death to others a contagious sicknesse To themselues It is an epidemicall corruption dispersing the venime ouer all parts of bodie and soule It poysons the heart with falshood the head with lightnesse the eyes with adulterie the tongue with blasphemie the hands with oppression the whole bodie with intemperance It Poysons beautie with wantonesse strength with violence witte with wilfulnesse learning with dissension deuotion with superstition religion with treason If they be greater gifts it poysons them with pride putting Cantharides into the oile-pot If meaner it poysons them with hypocrisie putting Colocinthis into the porredge-pot And where the Cantharides of Pride or Coloquintida of hypocrisie are there is venenum exitium Poyson and death This poyson faster then a Gangrene runnes from ioynt to ioynt as an enemie takes Fort after Fort till he hath wonne the whole Countrey 1. It is in the Thought the imaginations are full of poison Euery euil thought is not thus poisonous There is malum innatum and inseminatum sayth Bernard An euill bred in vs and an euill sowne in vs. Sinnes like Weeds will grow fast enough without sowing but Qui 〈◊〉 he that sowes to the flesh shall of the flesh reape corruption hee that shall sow this venemous seed poysons his soule Clense thy heart from iniquitie that thou mayest be saued How long shall thy vaine thoughts lodge within thee Lodge he doth not speake of transient but permanent sinnes Such as meditate mischiefe studie to bee naught Whose imaginations sucke poyson out of euery Obiect yea though it bee good as the Spider suckes poyson from the sweetest flower Vanishing thoughts that passe through a good man without approbation not without suppression are properly Nec mors nec morbus animae sed deformitas neither the disease nor death of the soule but the deformitie They are imâ—…issae Satans darts shot through vs in corde non de corde in the heart not of the heart Which the godly Sentiunt non consentiunt feele but giue no liking to They are our Crosses not our sinnes Such a thought is but morbus mentis the disease of the mind the other morsus serpentis the wound or poyson of the Serpent The allowed filthy cogitation is the poyson Thus are the thoughts poysond 2. From thence it runs to the Senses and sets open those windows to let in the poisonous aire of wickednesse The fiue Senses are the Cinque Ports where all the great traffique of the Deuill is taken in They are the Pores whereby Sathan conveyes in the stinking breath of temptation The eare is set wide open to receiue in the poyson of scurrilous songs obscene â—…ests seditious libels It is not onely an Atheman eare nouitatis auida greedie of newes but a Cretian eare prauitatis auida greedie of euill It listens to heare of ciuill warres vnciuill treasons it would faine haue heard the great thunderclappe which the Gun-powder should haue made at the blowing vp of the Parliament house Here is an eare
panis thou wantest bread God is thy bread of life We want a pillow God is our resting place We may be Sine veste non sine fide sine cibo non sine Christo sine Domo non sine Domino Without apparell not without faith without meate not without Christ without a house neuer without the Lord. What state can there be wherein the stay of this heauenly assurance giues vs not peace and ioy Are we clapt vp in a darke and desolate Dungeon there the light of the Sunne cannot enter the light of mercie not be kept out What restrained bodie that hath the assurance of this eternall peace will not pittie the darknes of the prophane mans libertie or rather the libertie of his darkenesse No wals can keepe out an infinite Spirit no darkenes can be vncomfortable where the Father of lights and the Sunne of righteousnesse shineth The presence of glorious Angels is much but of the most glorious God is enough Are we cast out in exile our backes to our natiue home all the worlds our way Whether can we goe from God Whether shall I goe from thy face or whether shall I flie from thy presence If I ascend c. That exile would be strange that could separate vs from God I speake not of those poore and common comforts that in all Lands and coasts it is his Sunne that shines his elements of earth or water that beares vs his aire we breath But of that speciall priuiledge that his gracious presence is euer with vs that no sea is so broad as to deuide vs from his fauour that wheresoeuer we feed he is our host wheresoeuer we rest the wings of his blessed prouidence are stretched ouer vs. Let my soule be sure of this though the whole world be traytors to me Doth the world despise vs We haue sufficient recompence that God esteemes vs. How vnworthy is that man of Gods fauour that cannot goe away contented with it without the worlds Doth it hate vs much God hates it more That is not euer worthie which man honours but that is euer base which God despises Without question the world would bee our friend if God were our enemie The sweetnes of both cannot bee enioyed let it content vs wee haue the best It may be pouertie puts pale leannes into our cheeks God makes the world fat but withall puts leannesse into the soule We decay in these temporall vanities but we thriue in eternall riches The good man laughes at destruction and dearth Doth sicknes throw vs on our weary beds It is impossible any man should miscarry that hath God for his Physitian So Martha confessed to Iesus Lord if thou hadst beene here my brother had not dyed Thy bodie is weake thy soule is strengthened dust and ashes is sicke but thy eternall substance is the better for it It is good for me that I haue beene afflicted that I might learne thy statutes Lastly doth the ineuitable hand of death strike thee Egredere anima mea egredere Goe forth my soule with ioy and assurance thou hast a promise to be receiued in peace Happie dissolution that parts the soule from the bodie that it may knit them both to the Lord. Death like the proud Philistine comes marching out in his hydeous shape daring the whole Hoast of Israell to match him with an equall combatant The Atheist dares not die for feare non esse that hee shall not be at all the couetous vsurer dares not die for feare male esse to be damned the doubtfull conscience dares not die because he knowes not an sit an non sit an damnatus sit whether he shall be or be damned or not bee at all Onely the resolued Christian dares die because he is assured of his election he knows he shall be happie and so lifts vp pleasant eyes to heauen the infallible place of his eternall rest He dares encounter with this last enemie trample on him with the foote of disdaine and triumphantly sing ouer him O death where is thy sting O graue where is thy victorie He conquers in being conquered and all because God hath sayd to his Soule I am thy Saluation The poore Papist must not beleeue this such an assurance to him were Apocryphall yea hereticall He must lie on his death-bed call vpon what Saint or Angell he list but must not dare to beleeue hee shall goe to heauen O vncomfortable doctrine able to loose the soule What can follow but feares without and terrours within distrustfull sighes and heart-breaking grones Goe away he must with death but whither he knows not It would be presumption to be confident of heauen How should Purgatory stand or the Popes kitchin haue a Larder to maintaine it if men might be sure of their saluation Herefore they bequeath so great summes for masses and Dirge's and Trentals to bee sung or sayd for them after they are dead that their soules may at the last be had to heauen though first for a while they be reezed in Purgatory If this be all the comfort their Priests Iesuites and Confessors can giue them they may well say to them as Iob to his friends Miserable comforters are ye all But he that hath Stephens eyes hath also Pauls heart and the Saints tongue He that with Stephens eyes can see that Sonne of man standing on the right hand of God as if his armes were open to wel-come and embrace him must needs with Paul desire to be dissolued and to be with Christ and with the Saints cry Come Lord how long Amen euen so come Lord Iesus Thus much for the matter of the Assurance let vs now come to the manner Dic Animae Say vnto my soule Say but is God a man hath he a tongue how doth Dauid desire him to speake That God who made the eare shall not he heare he that made the eye shall not â—…e see he that made the tongue shall not he speake He that sees without eyes and heares without eares and walkes without feete and workes without hands can speake without a tongue Now God may be sayd to speake diuerse wayes 1. God hath spoken to some-by his owne voice To Adam vocem audiuerunt they heard the voyce of God c. To Israel The Lord spake vnto you out of the midst of the fire ye heard the voyce of the words but saw no similitude onely you heard a voyce To Christ I here came a voyce from heauen saying I haue both glorified it and I will glorifie it This S. Peter testifies There came a voyce from the excellent glory This is my beloued sonne in whom I am well pleased 2. To omit visions and dreames and cloudes and Cherubins and Angells vrim and thummim God speakes also by his workes The heauens declare the glory of God and the firmament sheweth his handie worke Mâ—…nus loquuntur his workes haue a tongue Opera testantur de me
suffer commit c. What. The Soule and the keeping thereof The Soule is a very precious thing it had need of a good keeper For what is a man profited if he shall gaine the whole world and loose his owne soule We trust the Lawyer to keepe our Inheritance the Physitian to keepe our body the coffer to keepe our money shepheards to keepe our flockes but the Soule had need of a better keeper Howsoeuer it goes with thy libertie with thy loue with thy land with thy life be sure to looke well to thy soule that lost all is lost The bodie is not safe where the Soule is in hazard Non-anima pro corpore sed corpus pro anima factum est The soule is not made for the bodie but the bodie for the Soule He that neglects the better let him looke neuer so well to the worse shall loose both He that looks well to the keeping of the better though he somwhat neglect the worst shal saue both The Body is the instrument of the soule it acts what the other directs so it is the externall actuall and instrumentall offender Satan will come with a Habeus corpus for it But I am perswaded if hee take the Body hee will not leaue the Soule behind him To whom To God he is the best Keeper Adam had his Saluation in his owne hands hee could not keepe it Esau had his Birth-right in his owne hands hee could not keepe it The Prodigall had his Patrimonie in his owne hands he could not keepe it If our Soule were left in our own hands we could not keepe it The world is a false keeper let the soule runne to ryot hee will goe with it The Deuill is a Churlish keeper he labours to keepe the soule from saluatiō The Body is a brittle inconstant keeper euery sicknes opens the doore and lets it out God onely is the sure keeper Your life is hid with Christ in God This was Dauids confidence Thou art my hiding place thou shalt keepe mee The Iewells giuen to thy little children thou wilt not trust them with but keepe them thy selfe O Lord keepe thou our onely one doe thou Rescue our soule from destructions our Darling from the Lyons Trust vs not with our owne soules wee shall passe them away for an Apple as Adam did for a morsell of meate as Esau did for the loue of a harlot as that Prodigall did Lord doe thou keepe our Soules Now the Christian patient must commit the keeping of his Soule to God both in Life Death 1. Liuing the Soule hath three places of being In the body from the Lord in the Lord from the body in the body with the Lord. The two last are referred to our saluation in heauen either in part when the Soule is glorified alone or totally when both are crowned together Now the soule must be euen here in the Lords keeping or else it is lost If God let goe his hold it sinkes It came from God it returnes to God it cannot be well one moment without God It is not in the right vbi except the Lord be with it It is sine sua domo if sine suo Domino Here be foure sorts of men reprouable 1. They that trust not God with their soules nor themselues but relie it only vpon other men 2. They that will not trust God with their soules nor others but onely keepe it themselues 3. They that will trust neither God with their soules nor others nor keepe it it themselues 4. They that will neither trust others with their soules nor themselues but only God yet without his warrant that he will keepe it 1. They that trust their soules simplie on the care of others they are either Papists or prophane Protestants The Papist trusts Antichrist with his soule he 's like to haue it well kept If Masses Asses can keepe it for so the Iesuites terme their secular Priests it shall not bee lost The deuill fights against the soule the Pope interposeth an armoury of Agnus Dei's sprinklings crossings amulets prayers to Saints But surely if this Armour were of proofe S. Paul forgot himselfe in both these places where he describes that Panoply or whole armour of God He speakes of a plate of righteousnesse for the breast shooes of patience for the feete the shield of Faith the helmet of saluation the sword of the Spirit To the Thessalonians indeed hee somewhat varies the pieces of armour but in neither place doth he mention Crosses Crucifixes aspersions vnctions c. Or they will trust the Saints in heauen with their soules Sancta virgo Dorothea tua nos virtute bea cor in nobis nouum crea What that Prophet desired of God they as if they were Ioth to trouble the Lord about it and could haue it neerer hand beg of their Saint Dorothy to create a new heart within them Such a rithme haue they to the Virgin Mary Virgo mater maris stella Fons hortorum verbi cella ne nos pestis aut procella peccatores obruant But the Saints are deafe non audiunt They would pray them to forbeare such prayers they abhorre such superstitious worship They that were so iealous of Gods honour on earth would be loth to robbe him of it in heauen So our carnall professors onely trust the Minister with their soule as if God had imposed on him that charge which the Prophet gaue to Ahab keepe this man if by any meanes he be missing then shall thy life be for his life But indeed if he doe his duty in admonishing If thou warne the wicked of his way to turne from it if he do not turne from his way he shall die in his iniquitie but thou hast deliuered thy soule 2. They that will not trust others with their soule but keepe it themselues They wrapit warme in the nest of their own presumptuous merits as if good workes should hatch it vp to heauen But the soule that is thus kept will be lost He that wil goe to heauen by his own righteousnes and climbers by no other ladder then his owne Iust workes shall neuer come there The best Saints that haue had the most good workes durst not trust their soules with them I know nothing by my selfe yet am I not hereby iustified In many things we sin all All in many things many in all things And the most learned Papists whatsoeuer they haue said in their disputations reserue this truth in their hearts otherwise speaking in their deaths then they did in their liues Now non merita mea sed misericordia tua not my merits but thy mercies O Lord. All our life is either vnprofitable or damnable therfore O man what remaines Nisi vt in tota vita tua deplores totam vitam tuā but that during al thy life thou shouldest lament al thy life workes cannot keepe vs but grace let them boast of perfection we cry for
shall manumit and set free our soules from the prison of the body there shal be a second meeting Many haue come from east from west farre remote in place and haue met with Abraham and Isaac and the holy Patriarches which liued long before them in this world in the kingdome of heauen So already in Mount Sion are the Spirits of iust men made perfect The purer part is then glorified and meets with the triumphant Church in blisse This meeting exceeds the former in comfort 1. In respect that our miseries are past our conflict is ended teares are wiped from our eyes The very release from calamitie is not a litle felicitie So Austin meditates of this place negatiuely Non est ibi mors non luctus c. There is no death nor dearth no pining nor repining no sorrow nor sadnes neither teares nor feares defect nor lothing No glory is had on earth without grudging emulation in this place there is no enuie Non erit aliqua inuidia disparis claritatis quum regnabit in omnibus vnitas charitatis None sâ—…all malice anothers glorious clearnesse when in all shall be one gratious dearenesse God shall then giue rest to our desires In our first meeting we haue Desiderium quietis in this second Quietem desiderij Here we haue a desire of rest there we shall haue rest of desire 2. In regard that we shall see God behold him whose glory filleth all in all This is great happinesse for in his presence is the fullnesse of ioy at his right hand are pleasures for euer We shall not only meete with the spirits of iust men made perfect but also with him that made them iust and perfect Iesus the mediatour of the new couenant euen God himselfe 3 Our last meeting which is called the Generall assembly and Church of the first borne written in heauen is the great meeting at the end of the world When our re-vnited bodies soules shall possesse perfect glory and raigne with our Sauiour for euer When as no mountayne or rocke shall shelter the wicked from doome terrour so no corruption detayne one bone or dust of vs from glory We shal be caught vp together in the cloudes to meet the Lord in the ayre and so shall we be euer with the Lord. Who We. There is a time when the elect shall meete in one vniuersalitie Though now weare scattered all ouer the broad face of the earth dispersed and distressed yet we shall meet There is now a Communion of Saints 1. As of all the members with the Head all haue interest in Christ. For he is not a garden flower priuate to few but the Rose of Sharon and the Lillie of the valleys common to the reach of all faythfull hands So Iude calls this our common saluation 2. So of one member with another euen of the Church triumphant with this militant They sing Hosanna's for vs we Halleluia's for them they pray to God for vs we prayse God for them For the excellent graces they had on earth and for their present glory in heauen We meete now in our affections to solace one another and serue our God there is a mutuall sympathie betweene the parts If one member suffer all suffer with it But this meeting shal be voyd of passion and therfore needlesse of compassion though loue shall remaine for euer This Instruction is full of comfort We part here with our parents children kinred friends death breakes off our societie yet there shall be a day of meeting Comfort one another with these wordes Hast thou lost a wife brother child you shall one day meete though not with a carnall distinction of sexe or corrupt relation which earth afforded No man carries earth to heauen with him the same body but transfigured purified glorified There shall be loue hereafter not the offals of it A wife shall be knowne not as a wife there is no marriage but the Lambes Thou shalt reioyce in thy glorified brother not as thy brother according to the flesh but as glorified It is enough that this meeting shall affoord more ioy then we haue knowledge to expresse This giues thee consolation dying with griefe thou leauest those thou dearely louest Yet first thou art going to one whose loue is greater then Ionathans that gaue his life to redeeme thee And well pondering the matter thou art content to forsake all to desire a dissolution that thou mayest be with Christ. Yet this is not all thou shalt againe meet those whom thou now departest from and that with greater ioy then thou hast left in present sorow This comforts vs all if it be a pleasure for friends to meet on earth where Satan is still scattering his troubles of dissention what is it to meete in heauen where our peace is free from distraction from destruction where if there be any memorie of past things meminisse iunabit it shall rather delight vs to thinke of the miseries gone and without feare of returning It is some delight to the merchant to sitte by a quiet fire and discourse the escaped perills of wrackes and stormes Remoue then your eyes from this earth whether you be rich for whom it is more hard or poore for whom it is easier and know it is better liuing in heauen together then on earth together So then run your race that in the end you may meet with this blessed societie the Congregation of Saints in glory We yea All we In this world we must neuer looke to see an vniuersall Church but at that generall day we shall All meete In heauen there are none but good in hell none but bad on earth both good and bad mingled together I confesse that the Church militant is the Suburbes of heauen yea called the Kingdome of heauen because the King of heauen gouernes it by his celestiall lawes but still it is but heauen vpon earth In Gods floore there is chaffe mixed with the wheat in his field cockle with corne in his net rubbish with fish in his house vessells of wrath with those of honour The Church is like the moone somtimes increasing somtimes decreasing but when it is at the full not without some spottes Now this mixture of the vngodly is suffred for two causes either that themselues may be conuerted or that others by them may be excercised Omnis malus aut ideo viuit vt corrigatur aut ideo vt per illum bonus excerceatur 1. For their owne emendation that they may be conuerted to embrace that good which they haue hated So Saul a persecutor becomes Paul a professor Mary Magdalen turpissima meretrix fit sanctissima mulier a putrified sinner a purified Saint Zacheus that had made many rich men poore will now make many poore men rich when he had payed euery man his owne and that now he iudged their owne which he had fraudulently got from them Behold halfe my goods
I giue to the poore The theefe after a long lewd life hath a short happy death and goes from the Crosse to Paradise If these had bene rooted vp at the first Gods Garner had wanted much good wheat He that is now cockle may proue good corne 2. For the excercise of the godly For the reprobate doe not onely fill vp the measure of their sinnes that so not beleeuing the truth they might be damned for their vnrighteousnes making their condemnation both iust and great But they serue also for instruments to exercise the faith and patience of the Saints Babilon is a flaile to bruise the nations at last it selfe shall be threshed They are but the rubbish where with the vessells of honour are scowred the vessell made bright the scowring stuffe is throwne to the dunghill They are Apothecaries to make vs bitter potions for the recouerie of our spirituall health but so that they cannot put in one dramme more then their allowance and when they come to be payd for their bills they find the sum totall their owne vengance They are like shepheards dogges that serue to hunt the lambes of Christ to the sheepfolds of peace but their teeth are beaten out that they cannot worry vs. Frâ—…mit lupus tremit agnus the wolfe rageth and the Lambe quaketh but feare not little flocke he is greater that is with you then all they that are against you Illorum malitia est veâ—…ra militia their malice is your warfare but in all you shall conquer They shall make you better not worse Hence let vs learne 1. Not to flie from the Church because there are some wicked men in it Non propter malos boni sunt deserendâ—… sed propter bonos mali sunt tolerandi Forsake not the good because of the euill but suffer the euill because of the good when we can brooke no imperfection in the Church know then Diabolum nos tumeâ—…acere superbia that the Deuill doth blow vs vp with pride sayth Caluin I hold the Church saith Augustin full of both wheat and chaffe I better whom I can whom I cannot I suffer Fugio paleam ne hoc sine non aream ne nihil sim. I auoid the chaffe least I become chaffe I keepe the floore least I become nothing We sinne all in many things and many in all things let vs flie from all sinnes not from all sinners for then we must goe out of the world out of our selues But I beleeue the holy catholicke Church I beleeue it though through the shadowe of infirmities I cannot see it Intelligit fides quae non vides If it was perspicuous to sence there was no place to faith no vse or excercise of beleeuing But here we walke by faith not by sight All the glory of the Kings daughter is Intus within Psal. 45. shee is glorious within wretched are they that forsake her and when they speake of her blesse themselues that they are fled out of Babel Blind fooles that will not know Ierusalem from Babel Their fault is the more hainous for two causes 1. They seemed our most zealous professors and a lewd seruant is easilyer brook'd then an vndutifull sonne 2. They know so much that their owne conscience tells them Ignorance cannot excuse their separation An ignorant iniurie is in more hope both of amends and mercie All their hote vrging was our purging not from our vices but our good order which when they could not effect they purged themselues out of our companie And their very malice did vs good for I am sure we haue beene euer since the cleaner They send vs word of many vnreformed vncensured euills among vs for which they separate It cannot be denyed it cannot be auoided but that among so many millions of men there will be some lepers but what must their vncleannes needs infect all Certè nullius crimen inficit nescientem Let me not participate of their sinne not shunne the Church because they are in it yea I am commanded to come though they be there If a man will come vnworthy the sinne is his but if I come not because he comes the sinne is mine God sayes to the wicked guest How cammest thou in hither not to the prepared How came you in with such a guest His fault cannot dispense with my dutie nor shall my dutie be charged with his fault But our euills are innumerable I would to God they were lesse yet I am sure the Gospell is faire though our liues be fowle Our profession is good though many mens conuersation be full of euill And yet the number of our euills is somewhat abated by their absence we cannot complaine of all euills whiles we want them To the vncleane they say all things are euill yet they are content to take some euill from vs. They will eate victualls yea and eate them vp as if for anger rather then hunger They will purse vp our moneys take advantages of their forfeted bonds and plead a prouidence in it their owne prouidence they meane and so though not pray with vs yet pray vpon vs. If all our things be euill I perceaue they loue some of our euill Let them goe they from vs not vs from our selues But rather 2. Seeing there are wolues among the Lambes let vs be wise to saue our selues and patient to suffer others The good are for thy comfort the wicked for thy excercise let thy life be good to the consolation of the one and conuiction of the other Non valdè laudabile est bonum esse cum bonis sed bonum esse cum malis For as it is a wretched fault not to be good among the good so it is a worthy prayse to be good among the euill Let your light so shine that others may glorifie God for your good and be ashamed of their owne euill You are the light of the world if there be any dimnesse in your shining the whole Countrey is full of snuffers In the Temple were golden snuffers we haue not many of those to make vs burne brighter but base stinking ones that would rather put vs out 3. Let vs abhorre wicked societies knowing that they shall be conuented againe in hell There must be some acquaintance with them must be no familiarity A meare commerce with them is not vtterly in it selfe vnlawfull but dangerous Factum licitum prohibetur propter vicinitatem illiciti Thou hadst better lose a good bargaine at a worldlings hand then purchase some of his wickednesse The second Chariot of Egypt taught Ioseph to sware by the life of Pharaâ—…h Let them see thy good life heare thy gratious words thy true detestation and wise reprehension of their wickednesse Gods seruants would haue all serue their master that they might haue the more companie with them to heauen But let thy delight be with the Saints on earth and with those that excell in vertue Let vs meete now in synceritie
that herafter we may meete in glory I am a companion of all them that feare thee and keepe thy precepts Death may breake off for a while this gratious meeting but our glorious second meeting shall triumph ouer death it shall be Generall it shall be eternall Wherin In the vnitie A perfect vnitie is not to be expected in this life it is enough to enioy it in heauen Indeed the Church is euer but one There are threescore Queenes and fourescore concubines and virgins without number My doue my vndefiled is but one shee is the onely one of her mother Though a kingdome haue in it many shires more Citties and innumerable Townes yet is it selfe but one because one King gouernes it by one law So the Church though vniuersally dispersed is one kingdome because it is ruled by one Christ and professeth one faith There is one bodie one spirit one Lord one faith So much Vnitie now But that vnitie which is on earth may be offended in regard of the partes subiectuall to it What familie hath not complained of distraction What fraternitie not of dissention What man hath euer beene at one with himselfe There must be diuisions sayth Paul are and must be by a kind of necessitie But there is a twofolde necessitie One absolute and simple God must be iust a necessitie of infallibilitie The other exhypothesi or of consequence as this there must be heresies Satan will be an aduersarie man will be proued a necessitie vpon presupposition of Satans malice mans wickednesse But woe vnto them by whom offences come we know not the hurt we bring by our diuisions Thus sayth the Lord of Hostes. Zach. 8. Loue the truth and peace Some loue peace well but they care not for truth These are secure worldlings let them alone in their sinnes and you would not wish quieter men Pacem quaerunt Pietatem fugiunt they seeke peace but they flie righteousnesse as if they would disvnite those things which God hath ioyned together righteousnesse and peace Righteousnesse and peace shall kisse each other Others loue truth well but not peace Let them fabricke a Church out of their own braines or rather a discipline to manage it and they will keepe within verges of the maine truth They cannot be content to haue good milke but they must chuse their spoone to eate it with They are wanton children and worthy the rod of correction let them be whipt onely discipline may mend them I would our eyes could see what hurt the breach of vnitie doth vs. Scilurus his arrowes taken singly out of the sheafe are broken with the least finger the whole vnseuered bundle feares no stresse We haue made our selues weaker by dispersing our forces Euen the encouraged Atheist walkes to Church in the lane of our diuisions and is still no lesse an Atheist then the deuill was a deuill when he stood among the sonnes of God It is the nature of our controuersies to fight peremptorily at both ends whiles truth and pietie is left in the middle and neglected Whiles men haue contended about the body of Religion some haue thought it quite dead as no doubt Moses body was when the Archangell disputed with the Deuill about it As one sayd of his Donatists Betwixt our Licet and your Non licet many soules stagger and excuse their irresolution by our want of peace Indeed this is euentually one good effect of many controuerted poynts the way is cleansed for others though not for themselues Theeues falling out true men come by their goods Two flints beaten together sparkles out fire and by the wrastling of two poisons the health is preserued So are some vnited to the truth by these diuisions of peace But others are more vnsetled they condemne all for the dissension of some our comfort is God doth not so The diuisions of a few and that about the huske of Religion Ceremonie cannot redound to the condemnation of a whole Church In Gods iudgement it shall not we must care little if in theirs Doe not we know that Satan by his good will would allowe vs neither Truth nor Peace but if we must haue one will he not labour to detaine the other If he can keepe vs from Truth he cares not much to allow vs peace The wicked haue securitie the deuill lets them alone What fowler sets his ginnes for tame birds that will come gently to his hand But if we embrace the truth then haue at our peace Shall the Prince of darknesse bee quiet when his Captiues breake loose from him The good are soonest tempted Inuidia fertur in magnos It was the king of Syria his command to his 32. captaines Fight neither with small nor great saue only with the King of Israell It is the Deuils charge to his souldiers fight against none but the godly that fight against mee Dauid was safe among his sheepe and Moses leading a priuate life No man layes snares for his owne birds nor the Deuil for such as are taken captiue by him at his will But pax conscientiae is bellum Satanae and this iust warre is better then an vniust peace Let all this giue condemnation to peace-haters and commendation to peace-louers There are some quite gone not diuerse but aduerse to vs with these warre and no peace for they haue no peace with Christ. Sinewes cut in sunder can neuer be knitte nor can there be Integralis vnitas in solutione continui They will be gone let them goe I would we were as well ridde of all those whose soules hate vnitie The Christians of of the first age were nether Albinians nor Nigrians the report of faction was scarce heard Athanasius on whose shoulder our mother the Church leaned in her sharpest persecution to take her rest reioyced that though the aduersary hate was violent the loue of brethren was sound Peter was commanded to put vp his sword euen when Christ was at his elbow to heale the greatest wound he could make why doe we smite and hurt that haue not such meanes of cure King Richard the holy warriour hauing taken a Bishop in coate-armour in the field was requested by the Pope calling him his Sonne to release him The King sent not him but his coate to the Pope and asked him An haec esset Filij sui tunica whether this was his sonnes coate alluding to the coate of Ioseph which his brethren brought to their Father The ashamed Pope answers Nec his Sonnes vndertakes wit conscience prepares scrupâ—… and Peace suffers And now 〈◊〉 â—…hey 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vnum but 〈◊〉 not to 〈◊〉 out 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…ake their malice on but to dissolue and vndoe the vnited strength of all â—…her the sceâ—…r must stoope to the miter or no peace Betweene the rootes of Iudah and Leui by Moses law the separations and distances were 〈◊〉 â—…de that neither need to crosse anothers walke nor 〈◊〉 â—…clipse anothers dignitie The rod of Moseâ—… was