sinne will then torment me for sinning vntill I cry out with Cain My punishment is greater then I can beare A horse is but a vaine thing to saue a man said the sweet singer of Israel so say I all earthly things are too vaine to saue a man to make him blessed I appeale to the conscience of euery man if thou hast tried the pleasures of vanity and who hath not whether thou maist not take vp the words of Saint Rom. 6. 12. Paul What fruit haue I of those things whereof I am now ashamed Shame and griefe and guilt and punishment are the fruit of vanity enough I thinke to rend our hearts from affecting of it Thinke vpon this thou that art in the trace of vanity that thou maist make a retreat loose no more time herein for thou hast already lost too much redeeme the time because the dayes are euill and why are they euill but because they are vaine Whatsoeuer is without the circumference of euill is about the sphere of vanity Resolue therefore with thy selfe that all things earthly worldly carnall sinfull are vaine the fashion of this world passeth away faith the Apostle 1 Cor. 7. 3. The fashion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a word very emphaticall it signifies first an accidentall and externall figure without substance secondly the habit vesture or cloathing of a thing Saint Paul vseth this word to debase the world by intimating vnto vs that the world is cloathed with a vesture that is wearing and wasting the fashion of it lasteth but for a time it is ready euery houre to put on a new fashion againe by intimating vnto vs that the world is without any substantiall forme like vnto shewes and shadowes that vanish in the representation Saint Luke cals all Agrippa's pompe but a fancie Dauid cals the yeares of a man but a tale Psal. 90. 9. We spend our yeares as a tale that is told As a tale nay as a thought for so much the originall word doth import and how many thoughts may a man haue in an houre Nothing is more changable then a vesture nothing more fugitiue then a shadow nothing more fickle then a fancie nothing more swift then thought What a disproportion therefore is it for the immortall soule of a man to be fastened vnto things which are of such a variable nature What a folly for vs to preferre those which are but momentary for so I may more truely cal them then temporall vnto those things which are indeede eternall Glasses are in great vse amongst vs yet because of their brittlenesse who esteemes them precious We smell to flowers because they are sweet but because they are fading we regard them thereafter It were well if we would deale thus with all other vanities viz. regard them as they are vse the creatures we may but not abuse them serue our selues of them but not serue them inioy them but not ouer-ioy in them Now because examples are are very effectuall whether we vse them by way of dehortation or whether by way of exhortation let me propound one or two in this matter whereof I am treating that by them thou maist be beaten off from the vanities and iniquities of this present euill world When Alexander in the height of his glory kept * a Parliament of the whole Conuentum terrarum orbiâ— world himselfe was summoned by death to appeare in another world It was a wonderfull president of the vanity and variety of humane condition saith the Historian to see mighty Iustin. l. 2. Zerxes flote and flye away in a small vessel who before wanted Sea-roome for his Ships When Belshazzar was laughing and Dan. 5. quaffing with his Princes and Concubines carowsing healths in the sacred Vessels deaths secretary the hand-writing on the wall told him he was weighed in the ballance and his Kingdome was finished And before him his father Nebuchadnezzar at that time the greatest Monarch in the world as he was strouting in his Galleries and boasting of his owne power and honour a voyce from heauen told him that his Kingdome was departed from him that he Dan. 4. should be driuen from amongst men that he should haue his dwelling with the Beasts of the field c. And the sentence was fulfilled on him the same houre So Zedekiah was a liuely spectacle 2 Kin. 25 of this worlds vanity and misery who of a potent King became a miserable captiue saw his children slaine before his face after that had his eyes put out and died miserably in prison I had almost forgotten Salomon the wisest King that euer Eccl. â— was hauing giuen himselfe to take pleasure in pleasant things hauing made great workes built goodly Houses planted Vineyards Gardens and Orchards and planted in them trees of all fruit hauing gathered siluer and gold and the chiefe treasures of Kings and Prouinces being now full of wisedome and schooled with experience he is licensed to giue his sentence of the whole world and euery man knowes what his censure was Vanity of vanities Eccl. 1. â— vanity of vanities all is vanity This wise King trauelled all the world ouer and the further he went the more vanity he did see and the neerer he looked the greater it seemed till at last he could see nothing but vanity Wouldst thou know what is to be seene or heard or had in this vast Vniuerse Vanity saith Salomon yea vanity of vanities and what else Vanity of vanities And whâ—â— else All is vanity Nothing beneath the Moone that hath not a tincture of vanity Nay the Moone it self the Sunne all the Planets all the Starres the whole body of the Heauens is become subiect to Vanitie The creature is subiect vnto Vanity saith the Apostle Rom. 8. 20. that is the whole frame of the world consisting of the coelestiall and elementary region the visible heauens with all their goodly furniture of Starres and of coelesti all bodies and the earth with her ornaments and the other elements The heauens shall perish Psal. 10◠〈◊〉 and they shall waxe old as doth a garment and the Lord shall change â—hem as a vesture and they shall be changed As a garment the older it waxâ—th the lesse comely it is the lesse able to warme him that weares it so the materiall heauens by continuance of yeares decrease in beauty and vertue The neerer the Sunne drawes to the end of his daily course the lesse is his strength in the euâ—ning we feele the Sunne to decay in his heat and he waxeth alway the weaker Now if those superiour bodies then much more things inferiour and sublunary are included within the compasse of vanity But it was my purpose when I first set vpon this subiect so ample and large to be so much the more short euery vnderstanding can of it selfe discourse where such plenty of matter is offered I haue therefore according to the modell of that gift which God hath giuen me contriued a great picture
that running headlong into so manifest a danger thou art not at all afraid Especially considering the sinfull state wherein thou liuest and the horrible paines and torments which doe attend for thee and the time which thou hast lost and the endlesse repentance which thou shalt haue therefore in the most horrible torments of hell Assuredly it goes beyond the compasse of all common sence conceit of humane reason to consider That there should be such negligent wilfull grosse carelesse blindnesse able to enter and take such deepe rooting in the soule of man The Conclusion of all the Premises IF now all this be so I beseech thee euen for the bitter passion of our sweet Sauiour Iesus Christ to remember thy selfe and consider that thou art a Christian and that thou beleeuest assuredly for a most vndoubted truth whatsoeuer the true faith instructeth thee This faith telleth thee that thou hast a iudge aboue that seeth all the steps and motions of thy life and that certainly there shall a day come when he will require an account of thee euen for euery idle word This faith teacheth thee That a man is not altogether at an end when he dieth but that after this temporall life there remaineth another euerlasting life and that the soules dye not with the bodies but that whiles the body remaineth in the graue vntill the generall day of iudgement the soule shall enter into another new country and into a new world where it shall haue such habitation and company as the faith and workes were which it had in this life This faith telleth thee also that both the reward of vertue and the punishment of vice is a thing so wonderfull that although the whole world were full of bookes and all creatures were writers yet should they all be wearied and the world come to an end before they should end their description and make a perfect declaration what is comprehended in each one of these points This faith informeth thee also that the debts and duties which we owe to almighty God are so great that albeit a man had so many liues as there be sands in the Sea yet would they not suffice if they were al employed in his seruice And this faith likewise telleth thee that vertue is such an excellent treasure that all the treasures of the world and all that mans heart can desire are in no sort comparable vnto it Wherefore if there be so many and so great respects that doe inuite vs vnto vertue how commeth it to passe that there be so few louers and followers of the same If men be moued with gaine commodity what greater coÌ„modity can there be than to attain life euerlasting If they be moued with feare of punishment what greater punishment can be found than the most horrible euerlasting dreadfull torments in the lake of fire and brimstone to continue euer world without end If that bonds of debts and benefits what debts are greater than these which we owe vnto almighty God as well for that he is which he is as also for that which we haue receiued of him If the feare of perils doe moue vs what greater perill can there be than death the houre thereof being so vncertaine and the account so strait If thou be moued with peace liberty quietnesse of minde and with a pleasant life which are things that all the world desires it is certaine that all these are found much better in the life that is gouerned by vertue and reason than in that life which is ruled by the affections and passions of the minde forsomuch as man is a reasonable creature and no beast Howbeit in case thou account all this as not sufficient to moue thee thereunto yet let it sussice thee to consider further that euen almighty God so abased himselfe for thy sake that he descended from heauen vnto the earth and became man and whereas hee created the whole world in sixe dayes he bestowed three and thirty yeares about thy redemption yea and was also contented for the same to loose his life Almighty God dyed that sinne should dye and yet for all this doe we endeauour that sinne might liue in our hearts notwithstanding that our Lord purposed to take away the life of sinne with his owne death If this matter were to be discussed with reason surely this already spoken might suffice to preuaile with any reasonable creature for not onely in beholding almighty God vpon the crosse but whethersoeuer we doe turne our eyes we shall finde that euery thing crieth out to vs and calleth vpon vs to receiue this so excellent a benefit for there is not a thing created in the world if wee duely consider it but doth inuite vs to the loue and seruice of our Sauiour Iesus Christ insomuch that looke how many creatures there be in the world so many preachers there are so many bookes so many voices and so many reasons which doe all call vs vnto almighty God And how is it possible then that so many callings as these are so many promises so many threatnings and so many prouocations should not suffice to bring vs vnto him What might almighty God haue done more than he hath done or promised more greater blessings than hee hath promised or threatned more grieuous and horrible torments than he hath threatned to draw vs vnto him and to plucke vs away from sinne And yet all this notwithstanding how commeth it to passe that there is so great I will not say arrogancy but bewitching of men that doe beleeue these things to be certainly true and yet be not afraid to continue all the dayes of their life in the committing of deadly sinnes yea to goe to bed in deadly sinne and to rise vp againe in deadly sinne and to embrue themselues in euery kinde of loathsome detestable and odious sin euen as though all their whole endeauours intended by the practise of sinne to resist all grace and fauour in the sight of God And this is done in such sort so without feare so without scruple of minde so without breaking of one hoâ—â—â—s sleepe and without the refraining of any one delicate morsell of meat for the same as if all that they beleeued were dreames and old wiues tales and as if all that the holy Euangelists haue written were meere fiction and fables But tell me thou that art such a desperate wilfull rebell against thy Creator and Redeemer which by thy detestable life and dissolute conuersation doest euidence thy selfe to be a firebrand prepared to burne in those euerlasting and reuenging horrible fires of hell What wouldest thou haue done more than thou hast done in case thou haddest beene perswaded that all were meere lyes which thou hast beleeued For although that for feare of incurring the danger of the princes lawes and the execution of their force vpon thee thou hast somewhat brideled thine appetites yet doth it not appeare that for any feare of Almighty God thou hast refrained thy
then follow not sinners to the fire of hâ—ll lest thou be constrainâ—d at last when it shall be too late to bewaile thy folly to câ—y out with those that haue mispent their time in vanity Oh that now I might dye the death of the righteous oh Thus â—ran cis Spiâ—ra crieâ— out after he had renouÌ„ ced the profession of true pietie for the possession of earths vanity that I might not dâ—e at all oh that I might fâ—ele in my conscience the least hope of pardon which is as vnpossible as to vnlade all the water in the vast Ocean with a spoone Oh that God would giue mee the least dram of grace which is as impossible as for the least graine of Mustardseed to fill the whole earth preuent this betimes which thou maist doe by abandoning the vanity of the world and so liue that wheresoeuer or howsoeuer thou dyest whether abroad or at home by day or by night slâ—eping or waking whether asâ—d in death or a deliberate death thou maist willingly commend thy spirit vnto the hands of God â—s vnto the hands of a faithfull creator and maist say with the Bride Come Lord Iesu euen so come Lord Iesu come Reu 22. quickly my heart is prepared to enter into thy rest receiue me into the armes of thy mercy entertaine mee into thy owne kingdome that leauing the vanity of this world I may with thy glorified Angels and blessed Saints enioy that euerlasting felicity of a better world which neuer shall haue an end Adew therefore vain world with all worldly delights whatsoeuer and now solitary soule begin to take thy solaâ—â— in better things And to proue the world vaine and consequently thy selfe vaine behold these shapes read thâ—se Verses and in order open the leaues that are folded vp Herein as in a mirrour behold thy owne estate read and consider what thou readest that thou maist know and see thy owne vanity Here thou shalt see what thou wert what thou art and what thou shalt be Dust thou wert dust thou art and vnto dust thou shalt returne dust in thy creation dust in thy constitution dust in thy dissolution I. THough long it were since Adam was Yet seemes he here to be A blessed creature once he was Now naked as you see Whose wife was cause of all my care To say I may be bold Turne backe the leaues and then you may My picture there behold II. To thinke vpon the workes of God All worldly men may wonder But thinking on thy sinnes O man Thy heart may burst asunder The sinner sits and sweetly sings And so his heart beguiles Till I come with my bitter stings And turne to griefe his smiles III. Muse not to gaze vpon my shape Whose nakednesse you see By flattering and deceitfull words The Diuell deceiued me Let me example be to all That once from God doe range Turne backe the leaues and then behold Another sight as strange IV. Had Adam and Eue neuer beene As there you saw their shape I neuer had deceiued them Nor they ere made debate But turne behold where both doe stand And lay the fault on me Turne backe the vpper and nether erests There each of them you see I. III. Here we doe stand in perfect state All formed as we were But what the Serpent did by hate Shall sodainely appeare Then here behold how both doe stand And where the fault did lye Th' almighty power did so command That once we all must dye II. IV. See what comes of wicked deed As all men well doe know And for the same God hath decreed That we should liue in woe The dust it was my daily food Vnto it we must turne And darknesse is my chiefe abode In sorrow so we mourne Of the punishments which the Lord threat neth vnto such as liue a sinfull life ONe of the principall meanes that our Lord hath vsed oftentimes to bridle the hearts of men and to draw them vnto the obedience of his commandements hath beene to sâ—t before their eyes the horrible plagues and punishments that are prepared for such persons as be rebels and transgressours of his Law For although the hope of the rewards that are promised vnto the good in the life to come may moue vs very much hereunto yet are we commonly more moued with things that beirkesome vnto vs than with such as be pleasant euen as we see by daily experience that we are vexed more with an iniury done vnto vs than delighted with any honour and we are more troubled with sicknesse than comforted with health and so by the discommodity of sicknesse we come to vnderstand the commodity of health as by a thing so much the better perceiued by how much more it is sensibly felt Now for this cause did our Lord in times past vse this meane more than any other as it appeareth most clearely by the writings of the Prophets which are euery where full of dreadfull sayings and threatnings wherewith our Lord pretendeth to put a terrour into the hearts of men and so to bridle and subdue them vnder the obedience of his Law And for this end he commanded the Prophet Ieremie That he should take a white booke and write in the same all the threatnings and calamities which hee had reuealed vnto him euen from the first day he began to talke with him vntill that present houre and that he should read the same in the presence of all the people to see if peraduenture they would be moued therewith vnto repentance and to change their former life to the end that he might also change the determination of his wrath which he had purposed to execute vpon them And the holy Scripture saith That when the Prophet had done according as he was commanded by almighty God and had read all those threatnings in the presence of the people and of the Rulers there arose such a feare and terrour amongst them that they were all astonished and as it were bestraughted of their wits looking one in anothers face for the exceeding great fear which they had conceiued of those words This was one of the principall means which almighty God vsed with men in the time of the Law written and so he did also in the time of the Law of grace in which the holy Apostle saith That as there is reuealed a iustice whereby God maketh men iust so is there also reuealed an indignation and wrath whereby he punisheth the vniust for which cause S. Iohn Baptist the glorious forerunner of our Sauiour Christ was sent with this commission and embassage to preach vnto the world That the axe was now put to the root of the tree and that euery tree that brought noâ— forth good fruit should be cut downe and cast into the fire Hee said moreouer That there was another come into the world more mighty than hee that carried in his hand a fanne to winnow and cleanse therewith his floore and that he would put vp the corne into
standing vpon a pan of burning coales for the space of repeating the Lords prayer What shall it be thinke you to stand body and soule burning in the midst of those euerlasting hot raging fires in hell in comparison of which the fires of this world are but painted fires Is there any wit or iudgement in this world Haue men their right sences doe they vnderstand what these words import or are they peraduenture perswaded that these are onely the fables of Poets or doe they thinke that this appertaineth not to them or else that it was onely ment for others None of all this can they say for so much as our faith assureth vs most certainly herein And our Sauiour Christ himselfe who is euerlasting truth crieth out in his Gospell saying Heauen and earth shall faile bâ—t my word shall not faile Of this misery there followeth another as great as it which is that the paines are alwayes continuing in one like degree without any manner of intermission or decreasing All manner of things that are vnder the cope of heauen doe moue and turn round about with the same heauen and doe neuer stand still at one state or being but are continually either ascending or descending The sea and the riuers haue their ebbing and flowing the times the ages and the mutable fortune of men and of kingdomes are euermore in continuall motion There is no feauer so feruent that doth not decline neither griefe so sharp but that after it is much augmented it doth forthwith decrease To be sho't all the tribulations and miseries are by little and little worne away with time and as the common saying is Nothing is sooner dried vp than teares Onely that paine in hell is alwayes greene onely that feauer neuer decreaseth onely that extremity of hear knoweth not what is either euening or morning In the time of Noahs flood almighty God rained forty dayes and forty nights continually without ceasing vpon the earth and this sufficed to drowne the whole world But in that place of torment in hell there shall raine euerlasting vengeance and darts of furie vpon that cursed land without euer ceasing so much as one onely minute or moment Now what torment can be greater and more to be abhorred than continually to suffer after one like manner without any kinde of alteration or change Though a meat be neuer so delicate yet in case we feed continually thereupon it will in very short time be very loathsome vnto vs for no meat can be more precious and deli cate than that Manna was which almighty God sent down vnto the children of Israel in the Desart and yet because they did eat continually thereof it made them to loath it yea and prouoked them to vomit it vp againe The way that is all plaine they say weaâ—ieth more than any other because alwayes the variety yea euen in punishment is a kinde of comfort Tell me then if things that be pleasant and sauory when they be alwayes after one manner are an occasion of loathsomenesse and paine what kinde of loathsomenesse will that be which shall be caused by those most horrible paines and torments in hell which doe continue euerlastingly after one like sort What will the damned and cursed creatures think when they shall there see themselues so vtterly abhorred and forsaken of almighty God that he will not so much as with the remission of any one sinne mitigate somwhat their torments And so great shall the fury and rage be which they shall there conceiue against him that they shall neuer cease continually to curse and blaspheme his holy name Vnto all these paines there is also added the paine of that euerlasting consumer to wit the worme of conscience whereof the holy Scripture maketh so oftentimes mention saying Their worme shall neuer dye and their fire shall neuer be quenched This worme is a furious raging despight and bitter repentance without any fruit which the wicked shall alwayes haue in hell by calling to their remembrance the opportunity and time they had whiles they were in this world to escape those most grieuous and horrible torments and how they would not vse the benefit thereof And therefore when the miserable sinner seeth himselfe thus to be tormented and vexed on euery side and doth call to minde how many dayes and yeeres he hath spent idly in vanities pastimes and pleasures and how oftentimes he was aduertised of this perill and how little regard he tooke thereof What shall he thinke What anguish and sorrow shall there be in his heart Hast thou not read in the Gospell that there shall be weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth The famine of Aegypt endurd onely seuen yeares but that in hell shall endure euerlastingly In Aegypt they found a remedy though with great difficulty charge but for this there shall neuer a ny remedy be found Theirs was redeemed with money and cattell but this can neuer be redeemed with any manner of exchange This punishment cannot be pardoned this pâ—ine cannot be exchanged this sentence cannot be reuoked Oh if thou knewest and wouldest consider how euery one condemned to hell shall there remaine tormenting and renting himselfe weeping and wailing and saying O miserable and vnfortunate wretch that I am what times and opportunities haue I suffered to passe invaine A time there was when with one cup of cold water I might haue purchased to my selfe a crowne of glory and when also with such necessary workes of mercy in relieuing the poore I might haue gained life euerlasting Wherefore did I not looke before me How was I blinded with things present How did I let passe the fruitfull yeares of abundance and did not enrich my selfe If I had beene brought vp amongst Infidels and Pagans and had beleeued that there had beene nothing else but onely to be born and to dye then might I haue had some kinde of excuse and might haue said I knew not what was commanded or prohibited me but for so much as I haue liued amongst Christians and was my selfe one of them professed and held it for an article of my beleefe that the houre should come when I should giue vp an account after what order I had spent my life forsomuch also as it was daily cried out vnto me by the continuall preaching and teaching of Gods Embassadours whose aduertisements many following made preparation in time and laboured earnestly for the prouision of good workes forasmuch I say as I made light of all these examples and perswaded my selfe very fondly that heauen was prepared for me though I tooke no paines for it at all what deserue I that haue thus led my life O ye infernall furies come and rent me in peeces and deuoure these my bowels for so haue I iustly deserued I haue deserued eternall famishment seeing I would not prouide for my selfe while I had time I deserue not to reap because I haue not sowne I am worthy to be destitute because I haue not laid vp