bee without their honour whom Christ will bring with him and whom hee will make to sit with him on thrones in the ayre The Iudges of assise haue much honour And therefore the Iustices that sit with them sit downe on an honourable bench So Christ being exalted Shall not his Saints reioice When Dauid was made King all Dauids children sate neere the throne though not in the throne His sonnes were the kings sonnes and the posteritie he had the Kings children Thus Dauids honour honoured those that come of him And such honour haue all the Saints Such Nay greater For they all are Kings all sit on thrones who come with Christ 1. Cor. 6.2 More is spoken of this in the next doctrine But the Saints are a part of Christs company attendance that is he will bring them with him when hee commeth to giue iudgement against the world of the vngodly Doctr. From whence we learne that the faithull though despised here shall haue the honour from Christ at his comming to bee companions with him in the last Sessions This is the prerogatiue of the Saints and their proper glorie They shall meet Christ in the clouds and raigne with him for euer in heauenly places When the wicked shall stand vpon the earth as vpon a burning floore the fire flaming high about their cares they shall bee receiued into fellowship with Christ and then shall the iudgement begin The Prophet aimed at this Psa 50.4 5 who speaking of this great day of the Lords comming sheweth whom the Lord would call vnto it either to stand before him as witnesses or to be ioined with him as companions The witnesses are heauen and earth They whom Christ will haue in company with him are the Saints And therefore hee saith Gather my Saints together vnto mee Psal 50.5 Math. 24.31 As if hee had said Let heauen and earth come to iudgement but let my elect come to the bench And Dauid speaking of the Saints glorified doth not set them in the outward courts of Gods house but in the presence Psal 16.11 In thy presence saith hee that is in place where thou art This is resembled in the Lambes standing on mount Sion and in those hundred fourtic and foure thousand that were with him hauing his fathers name written in their forheads Apoc. 14.1 For by the Lamb is meant Christ and by the hundred fourty and foure thousand the company of the Saints who shall be with Christ So in the Virgens that went to meete the Bridegroome Math. 2â— 1 But more specially in those who being ready when the Bridegroome went in went in with him to the wedding ver 10. But the Apostle S. Paul speaketh plainely and not in a figure where speaking of the great honour that the Saints shall haue in the sight of the damned he saith They shall be caught vp in the cloudes and meet Christ in the aire 1. Thes 4 17. And addeth So they shall euer be with the Lord. The meaning is and it is as if he had said they shall neuer be strangers but companions Christ himselfe hath said it who speaking to his Disciples and in them to the rest of the thousands of his Saints that haue followed him in the regeneration promiseth that they shall sit on seats or rather on glorious thrones Math. 19.28 Luc. 22.30 Now he is faithfull who hath promised and will surely doe it Therefore shall the righteous abide with Christ for euer The reasons The Saints are Christs seruants Now where the Master is there must the seruants bee that waite vpon him Ioh. 12.26 nay they are Christs friends Ioh. 15.5 and where should a friend be but in the presence of his friend or they are Christs court Therefore where he is there must they be for where the King is there the court is And they be more then of his court for they are of his court and counsell too Ioh. 15.15 And so Christs presence is not only where they are as the Kings is at court but they be his counsell-table or court of power wherein he sitteth gloriously as the King in his throne Secondly and to reason from the lesse to the greater If a good Master will preferre his good followers when himselfe is preferred Christ being so highly exalted in glorie will much more honour those thousands that haue beene of his company and attendance here And so they who haue had fellowship with Christ in his afflictions shall haue fellowship with him in his glorie and they who haue suffered with him shall raigne with him 2. Tim. 2.12 Thirdly Luc. 12.32 this is the hope of the faithfull and shall the hope and patient abiding of the faithfull deceiue them Vse 1 This teacheth the righteous to beare the iniuries of the world quietly and willingly For the day will come when their persecutors shall be troden downe to hell and second death and they presently receiue the crowne of their sufferings who haue suffered for Christ Here hee that refraineth from euill maketh himselfe a prey Esa 59.15 and it is safer to doe wrong then to complaine of an iniury we but let me not too much discourage Gods children for that which is thus and so here shall bee contrary hereafter when the Lord shall requite the furie of his aduersaries with a recompence verse 18. then they who here despised the righteous mans life will say that they whom they thought to bee fooles and their end without honour are now counted among the children of God and their portion among the saints Wisd 5.4.5 what though the companions of the diuell set themselues as in battell array against those whom it pleaseth Christ in a gracious fellowship thus to call his and the companions of his comming after a while they shall be gathered to Christ and be free from all wrongs of men and at Christs comming see the iust iudgement and vengeance of all those who cruelly hurt them themselues sitting on the bench and giuing a kind of iudgement against them with Christ and the thousands that are with him But shall the Saints be in company with Christ at his comming Vse 2 and bee made a part of his attendance Then let vs consider our high calling and not company with sinners that must haue fellowship with Christ We cannot alway auoide those that be such yet we must in affection seperate from them when we cannot in place and not delight to sit down with them on one stoole There is a large fellowship of men in the world whose whole studies and desires are bent to passe the time in drinking gaming rioting and other beastly exercises and hee that will not be combined in fellowship with such loose mates is counted no bodie but Gods children and they who meane to haue fellowship with Christ must abhorre this vngodly fellowship of lewd men and not haue one purse or communion with them who beleeue the communion of saints not communion of light with such darknesse Prou. 1.14 2.
not when they shall die and if they cease from attendance the Master will come in a day when they thinke not Math. 24.50 Therefore they should alway looke for that which whether looked for or vnexpected will most certainly though stealingly come Secondly Christ appeareth vnto saluation onely to those that looke for him Hebr. 9.28 that is that so liue as whether hee come in the second watch or in the third he shall find them waiting in their doore for Him by continuance in well doing But doe they looke for him who continually serue sin in their mortall bodies and continually and ordinarily are holden in those cursed lusts of the world and flesh wherein is nothing but death and hell I speake of fornicators couetous drunkards daily swearers and other monstrous sinners doe they looke for him or would they curse and sweare and riot on the Sabbath and steale and whore as they doe and drinke so many healths till they haue left no foundnesse in them if they thought presenttly to die and presently to come to their terrible account they may presently come vnto it Thirdly wee serue a prentiship of attendance for our worldly freedome and to reason from the lesse to the greater will we not attend seuen yeres perhaps we shall not wait seuen dayes to be free for euer For by the portall of death the godlie passe from bondage to libertie from the land of Aegypt to the land of righteousnesse from the vale of tears to mansions of glorie An instruction to keepe alwayes in mind the day of our death Vse 1 that it preuent vs not by carnall forgetfulnesse or come vpon vs vnlooked for as Iehu furiously came vpon Iehoram 2. King 9.23.24 bee made with al speed to his charet thinking to flie but the arrow that Iehu shot preuented him So some thinking to flie from the flying arrow of death by running to their accustomed refuges as it were Charets of vaine delayes and hopes further to auoide it haue presently receaued into their bodies the fatall dart of death and haue presently died That we may thus remember death we must not be carelesse to spend our short time well as they are whose comfort standeth rather in an vncertain delay of death then in anie certainety of life eternall after death Our care must be to liue well so shall we without our care haue good assurance to die wel If we continue and increase in goodnesse we are well prouided for death and need not to feare the bitter effects of second death Blessed is that Seruant whom the Master when hee commeth shall find so doing Mat. 24.46 The Apostle Paul might well say he was ready to be offered to wit by that end of all the liuing death seeing he had fought a good fight in the battell of his life finished a good course in the race of his pilgrimage and kept faith in a good conscience 2. Tim. 4 6. Hee considered his life as a woman with child reckons her time as neere as shee can because then shee hopes for deliuerance the nerer the day of his last Iubilee or last breath drew the more his ioy increased being sure that then he should goe out of prison Leuit. 25.41.54 Thus had he ioy in death who had so well and long prepared himselfe to die A charge therefore vpon carelesse persons who Vse 2 as if they should say with the euill Seruant spoken of Math. 24.48 My Master doth differre his comming fall into a deep sleepe of false peace without all regard of awaking to righteousnesse 1. Cor. 15.34 till death come to cut them off with sinners Christ speaking of the dayes of Noah doth not say that the Men then were vnmercifull extortioners or idolatours but that they are they drank they married till the flood came that is were first drowned in securitie and after in water Luc. 17.26.27 Further speaking in like manner of the daies of Lot he saith of the men of that time that they ate they dranke they bought they sould they planted they built verse 28. but were these things vnlawfull No not in themselues but in their manner of vsing them for they entended nothing else till God rained fire and brimstone from Heauen vpon them and destroied them verse 29. That is nothing could warne them till death came that giues no warning And here our Sauiour setteth downe three sorts of men the first followed their pleasures onely they ate they dranke The second followed their profit onely they bought they sould The third and worst of all followed both their pleasure and profit for they builded for their pleasure and planted for their profit And doe not some of these or all of these lusts of the world hold carelesse Christians if we may call such Christians so in the loue of earthly things at this day that there is no remembrance of death in their waies Doe not worldlings entring into a dreame of an Heauen vpon Earth dote so vpoÌ„ things that perish with the vse that they neuer thinke of things eternall whether life or death euerlasting till they must no remedie passe from this world to another The foolish Virgines thought not of their oile till the Bride-groome came and there was no opening Mat. 25.8.11.12 And foolish sinners so flatter themselues with a slumbering opinion of preparing time â—inough for death when they goe on their last houre that they will know nothing till the flood come Mat. 24.39 nor looke toward heauen till they bee in hell Luc. 16.23 nor haue oile in their vessels and repentance in their hearts with it to meete the bride-groome Christ till the gate of mercie and of all hope be shut Math. 25.10 Meane while what doe they but follow the pride couetousnesse whoredome drunkennesse and lusts of their owne heart not remembring Ioseph But pray we beloued for a waking conscience and let not this keeper of the house in a heart past feeling so drowse and sleepe in vs that our house be broken digged through and rifled before we haue time or will to say Lord haue mercie on vs. So much for the attendance spoken of the term or continuance followeth Al the daies of mine appointed time c. The time of Iobs attendance or waiting on God for his helpe is the whole terme or act of his life which he calleth not yeeres but daies So hee measureth his short time by the inch of daies rather then by the span of moneths or long ell of yeeres Doctr. Which is to teach vs that the daies of man are few his life short vpon earth And that it is so experience and that which we see in daily vse doth shew besides the word which for this speaking of mans short time vseth to take the shortest diuision in nature to expresse it by as that it is the life of yesterday Ps 90.4 A life which is gone as soone as it comes vers 9. a life of few houres as a watch in the night vers 4.
is meant the peace of their soules as by rest is vnderstood the resting of their bodies in their chambers of peace and this peace as by the knitting of this sentence to the former with the tie of reference may appeare doth come presently vnto them vpon their going hence The meaning is righteous persons so soone as they die and mercifull men vpon the instant of their change enter into a more excellent state both of peace and rest then euer they had here Doctr. The Doctrine gathered from hence is Vpon our going hence by death we are presently happie not before So saith the spirit blessed are the dead from that time that is they are immediately and presently vpon their death blessed not some time after nor at any time before but so soone as they die who die in the Lord or for the Lord. Apoc. 14 13. And this we haue confirmed by that which we reade of Lazarus Luc. 16.22 who was carried imme diately vpon his death into Abrahams bosom before his end no man regarded him at it the Angels came from Heauen to fetch him Iob calleth the daies of man that is his daies on earth the daies of an hireling Iob 7.1 as if hee should call them daies of labour and wearines and speaking of the life of man his life here he cals it a life of short continuance and much trouble Iob 14.1 Months of vanitie and nights of sorrow Iob 7.3 Salomon saith all things are full of labour Eccles 1.8 that is all things here And he that is greater then Salomon hath said speaking of the righteous in the world that is so long as yee walke in it as men and soiourne in it as Pilgrimes ye shal haue affliction Ioh. 16.33 The words are plaine and the meaning is there is nothing in it to or for Gods children but sorrow and misery The reasons of this doctrine are First the spirit saith so Apoc. 14.13 the spirit of truth and the spirit which is truth Secondly there is continuall enmitie as it were daggers drawing betweene vs and Satan and betweene Gods children and his cursed children Gen. 3 1â— Apoc. 12.13 Now what may be looked for in the field of a life full of deadly braules skirmishes and battels Surely as it is said there is no peace to the wicked Esa 57.21 So we may say truly nor peace to be had with the wicked Thirdly experience in all the ages of mans life teacheth this truth For from the first scene of our comming vp vpon the stage of this world to the last act of our going downe what part of our life is not full of vanitie and vexation of spirit Eccles 1.14 The first scene is of our infancie when we are in our nurses armes and doth not that beginne with teares and is not all that vnhappy saue that we want reason that is the vse thereof to apprehend that happinesse when we come out of our nurses armes to goe in our nurses hands or to goe by our selues in our next age doe we not weep long vnder the rod and presently fall into the subiection of a Teacher when we come out of the prison of boyes and girles and are set at some more libertie in a young mans life are we not tossed as vpon a sea of vnquietnesse sailing betweene reason and passion as betweene two contrarie waters and crosse winds then commeth perfect age or mans age and what haue wee here but blasts and stormes of greater vnrest then in any age before from one trauell we passe to another neuer ending but changing our miseries And when we come to old age or haue liued so long that we are come to dotage is there any thing in these ages exempt from miserie and the trauell that is vnder the Sun Surely our infirmities do now if in any age before come vpon vs in multitudes yea so load vs with their weight and number that they make vs to bend and goe double vnder them to the earth And can there be any comfort in these diseases as I may call them and daies of euill wherein doe meete and flocke together so many vultures of life the weakenesse of infancie the seruitude of childhood the sicknesse of youth the carkes of mans age all which come againe and come all together as so many stormes vpon one poore old house that is sore shaken already violently in death to ouerthrow it for euer Here the excesse and riot of youth is recompenced wiâ—â— goutes palsies and sundry fearefull aches the watchings and carkes of manhood are punished with losse of sight losse of hearing and losse of all senses except the sense of paine There is no part in man which death in that age of yeeres doth not take in hope to be assured of him as of a bad pay-master which greatly feareth and would put of his daies of payment and therefore it bringeth him lowe in all parts that he may haue power in none to auoid his creditor end so neere Quest But is there no peace in this life Answ Yes a kind of peace there is in this life but it wanteth two things which should make it sound and happy to wit perpetuity and wholenesse For it is not long not entire but by fits and with mixture of crosses and so may be called a kind of truce rather then true peace And good it is for vs that wee haue these outward good things thuâ— scanted and as it were weighed out vnto vs. For the mind cloyed with them would lothe euen the honiâ— combs of peace Besides all earthly things are full of variablenesse and change which hauing no peace in themselues how can they giue any to vs I speake of outward peace or peace in these outward thinges For the peace which the children of god haue is in inward matters and euery way sound though imperfect many waies This is that peace of their consciences whereby they receaue contentment and practise patience in all their troubles by it they are all one with God and with themselues at one with the good Angels and with good men and haue peace with all the creatures The reason is In the flotes of this life they cast their anchor as deepe as heauen finding no fastning for it vpon the earth The peace they haue or seek to haue is in God and from him in the comfortable testimonie and peace of their consciences which they desire to lay vp as a treasure in all the worlds frownes 2. Cor. 1.12 Therefore whatsoeuer commeth their heart is not moued And hereby they take sieson below of which they shall not fully be possessed of till they receiue their inheritance An instruction to the faithfull Vse 1 to looke for no peace here other then that they haue with God in the peace of their consciences with Gods people in the peace of his Church And here let it be noted that the drunken peace of hypocrites is a dreame of peace and no peace indeede For it can
Rahel and life to come So much for the first of those comforts that are promised namely peace that properly concerneth our soules The second which is rest and belongeth to our bodies followeth And they shal rest in their beds c. By beds the Prophet vnderstandeth the places into which the Lord bestoweth the bodies of his seruants in or after their death whether water or fire or the panches of wilde beasts or the chambers of the earth or sea or aire And these he calleth beds because they shall rest quietly in them as men in their beds till the morning bell or loud trumpet of the last great day warning all flesh to rise shal raise them Therefore it is an vsuall thing in the scriptures so soone as men die to say they fall a sleepe Whereby is meant that they are laid in their beds of peace whether Churchyard or Church and that before their bodies are carried forth for buriall thither the places in which God taketh their soules to his presence are their beds and so the beds of their death are the beds of their peace Beds made for them by God himself in the which after their last long sleep of death they presently enter into their last sweet sleepe of peace The Papists say otherwise who hold that the righteous take no possession of their beds of rest till the Priest haue put them into their beds of earth Indeed men giue them burials then but God doth prouide for them their bed of burial lat their death And they are called beds of rest to put difference betweene these beds of our nights-sleepe and those of our sleepe in death For here bee our beds neuer so soft or well made we often take no rest by reason of some disorder in our bodies or fancies in our head but in these sleeping places which the Prophet calleth beds of rest wee may lay vs downe and sleepe in peace Psal 4.8 the Lord of life being our keeper who will make vs dwell in safetie Indeed in it own nature the graue is an house of perdition rather then bed of rest but being altered to the Iewes in promise to vs in performance by Christs graue who was buried in the earth to change the nature of it it is made to vs a chamber of rest and bed of Downe The point here taught is Doctr. The graues of the righteous which by nature are houses of destruction and chambers of feare are by Christ and the graue of Christ made to them chambers of safetie and beds of rest Christ by his buriall hath consecrated and perfumed our graues making them which were prisons to hell gates to heauen Which made the Apostle speaking of the dead in Christ to say they sleepe not they die As if hee should haue said they goe to their beds and not to destruction 1. Thes 4.15 And the same Apostle speaking of the death of the righteous calleth it not a death but a sleepe 1. Cor. 15.51 as if hee had called it not rottennesse but rest For this cause also is our death in heathen Authors called a sleepe as the Scriptures call it and our graue our bed At night wee take our chambers and lie downe in our beds so when death comes which is the end of life as the night is of the day we goe to the chambers of the earth and there make our beds or lie downe in bed till the day of refreshing which is the day of rising come that commeth from the Lord. The reasons are This was figured in the embalmings which the Iewes vsed And this figure as al other figures of the old Testament must bee performed in one which one is Christ As therefore their embalmings did perfume the graues in which they laid their dead for a season so the most precious blame of Christs buriall did for euer sweeten to the Saints their graues of corruption Secondly as the end of Christs death was that he might vanquish death so it was one end why hee was buried that he might after the manner of conquerours subdue death at his own home and as it were pluck him out of his owne den and cabbin Thirdly the bodies of the godly are parts of Christs mysticall bodie while they are in the graue and when they are turned to corruption and therefore cannot but bee precious in his eyes and grauen vpon the palme of his hand till they be restored For as the Husbandman doth make no lesse reckoning of that corne which he hath sowne in his field and lies vnder the clod of the earth then he doth of that which he hath brought into his barnes So Christ doth as highly esteeme of those bodies as it were graines of corne that are sowne in corruption as of those that yet neuer saw corruption nor came to the graue Therefore wee shall not rest in death though we rest in our graues For that God who raiseth the Sunne daily out of his den will one day raise vs out of our graues to stand before him for euer A confutation of that fancie that hath so long deluded the simple world Vse 1 which is that dead bodies walke after their death and appeare to men For how can that be when the bodies of Gods children rest in their beds so soone as their breath departeth and the bodies of the wicked are in their prisons till the day of assise Whereof if any make question let him open their graue and see And seeing the soule returneth not after it hath left the bodie how can the body walke that wanteth a soule or soule be seene if it should walke that hath no bodie Or if death bee a loosing of our soules from our bodies Phil. 1.23 How can there be any death when soule and bodie are not parted and when the man is not dead but liueth But this fancie came from Pithagoras a Philosopher and is but a Philosophers dreame Pithagoras told his dreame to the world which was that the soules of men departed did enter into the bodies of other men good soules into good mens bodies bad into bad mens The world then beleeued him And since that time Satan who can turne himselfe into all formes did in the darke night of Poperie to deceiue that ignorant age change himselfe into the similitude and forme of some person that was lately or had beene long dead and was beleeued by such a transformation to bee the partie man or woman that hee made resemblance off So entred the errour that Spirits did walke and that dead bodies came out of their graues and haunted sundry houses in the night which were not the bodies of the dead but the Diuell in those bodies or shapes as is to be seene in Samuels counterfet shape raised by the Witch at Endor 1. Sam. 28.8.14.15 And this errour as it deceiued the blind world and somewhat troubled the seeing Math. 14.26 Act. 12.15 So it is still in the mouth and faith of credulous superstition at this day But
learned Father compareth conscience which is the knowledge that we haue with our selues of some good or euill to water in a Well which when it is troubled sheweth no image of any face but waxing cleare doth So if we suffer this christall of our conscience to bee mudded with foule trespasses of habit or impenitencie wee shall neuer see our naturall face in it neither perceiue how deadly we sinne against God and our owne soules Where if we purge daily for our daily offences and greatly for our greater sinnes if we haue an eye alway to the Lord and his proceedings in vs making good vse of those priuie secret pinches that our consciences giue vs when we doe amisse wee shall in so cleare a fountaine of our good conscience as in a true glasse behold with sanctified profit the many faultes of our life and so the sooner and more conueniently bee humbled for them Or if when our consciences reproue vs of our waies wee listen vnto them and make present good vse of the strokes of our heart for euill deedes and that while we be tender and sensible of sinne wee shall auoide the plague of a foolish heart or heart past feeling Ephes 4.19 and not goe desperately on with bold sinners in the way that leadeth to destruction Thus may wee profit greatly by the iudgement that is begunne in vs in these mulcts of our consciences or mid-hearings preparing vs with comfort to the hearing of the last day A confutation of all Atheists Vse 1 whether Atheists in iudgement or in life Atheists who deny the iudgement to come or liue as if there should bee none Of such we reade who slandering the footesteps of Christs comming said where is the promise of that day 2. Pet. 3.4 that is what is become of it and of all this talke about it So there were in Esay who said when they heard of such a day Let him make speed let him hasten his worke that wee may see it as if they should haue said if it shall bee at all let it be now Or he had need to hasten it if we shall beleeue it Esay 5.19 And in Amos time there was a large fellowship of these mates who put the euill day the day of their death and iudgement which they called euill farre off Amos 6.3 But haue we none of this knot and conspiracie in our own time Yes too many whom I leaue to the mercie of God to be amended or as the drosse of the earth to bee consumed with the fire of his comming who will come with fire and his chariots like a whirlewinde Esay 66.15 A reproofe of their securitie Vse 2 who by certaine slumbering delaies and puttings off walke in no reuerence of the Lords comming or remembrance of their owne death For the yong man presumeth that he shall liue long and the oldest that he may liue one yeare longer But knowing these terrours of the Lord what care should bee in vs presently to set our house and nature in some good order for the comming of Christ the iudge or for our own last end in which we shall be iudged 2. Cor. 5.11 Schollars who come to render to their Master the lesson or part giuen them doe it not without feare and shall we not feare to thinke of that day in which wee must giue account to Christ the iudge for all the things that hee hath put in our hand and keeping When Paul willed the men of Athens to repent it was vpon this ground that the Lord had appointed a day wherein hee would iudge the world in righteousnesse Act. 17.31 As if he had said yee shall be sure to be iudged and therefore repent And yet wee liue in sinne and our hearts are not turned If we were sure that Christ would come to iudgement the next May day what an alteration would it worke in many of vs and how would it change vs and moue vs who would set his heart vpon riches who would deceiue and oppresse who would spend so much in apparell and so many daies in vanitie who durst be drunke who durst sweare and lie and commit adulterie what would become of our May-games dauncing greenes and bowres and such conuenticles of spirituall fugitiues from God on his Sabbaths who would not rather passe the time that remaineth in Gods seruice and run to sermons and reade and pray deuoutly and bestow good houres well and not spend time in chambering and wantonnesse But we are not sure that that day shall tarrie till May next And we know not that Christs day will come this weeke or the next or this present day and houre or while I am speaking of it and yet we walke in as great security and as desperately in sinne as if we were certaine it would not come in our time If we heare a sudden crie of fire fire we are astonied out of measure and yet hearing by our Preachers the Lords trumpets so many and fearefull threatnings by the word concerning the fires of hell and iudgement when not a few houses but the whole world shall burne like an ouen we are not moued Euerie one almost will giue his best helpe for the quenching of a materiall fire but who regardeth to saue himselfe or to preserue others from the vnquenchable fire of hell and terrible fire of the Lords comming that will most certainely we know not how soone flame out to the burning of this great Sodom of the Earth in the which the heauens shal passe away with a noise the elements shall melt with heat and all things corruptible shall be dissolued most speedily as if they did flee away 2. Pet. 3.10 Apoc. 20.11 Christ euen now standeth at the doore of thy Christian heart to wit as a guest and stranger that would be entertained Apoc. 3.20 and thou by continuing in sinne deniest to receaue him He threatneth by the law he reproueth by the law and condemneth by it all impenitent sinners By these he knocketh ernestly and crieth vehementlie at the dore of thy heart to open vnto him and wilt thou tarrie till by thy death he breake in or by his particular comming If a great man should knocke at our doore what stirring would there bee to receiue him presently and as is meâ—te Is there any greater or more worthy guest then Christ who knocketh by the ministerie of the Gospell at the gate of our heart who reacheth forth the hand of his threatnings to beate vpon our consciences day and night that we might turne with all speed which is our opening to the sonne of God and shall we giue him no entrance after so long a time of waiting at our hearts for our conuersion A great man will not be so abused and shall we thinke that the mighty God will take it well that after so many knocking 's and long standing without he should finde no dore of admission into vs or opening by vs and should still be deferred and put off or can these
Life and Death FOVRE SERMONS THE FIRST TWO OF Our Preparation To DEATH and Expectation OF DEATH THE LAST TWO OF PEACE and the Iudgement AFTER DEATH Also points of instruction for the ignorant with an Examination before our comming to the Lords Table and a short direction for spending of time well By ROBERT HORNE Auspice Christo. AT LONDON Printed by Iohn Pindley and Iohn Beale for Francis Burton and are to be sold at his shop in Pauls Churchyard at the signe of the greene Dragon 1613. TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVLL GEORGE WILD Esquire of the Inner Temple and one of his Highnesse counsell in the Marches of Wales My good Vncle Grace and peace be multiplyed SIR These first fruits of my publike labours in print I presume to offer to the Church by You to whom aboue others I owe them and the whole crop of that that God hath dealt vnto me A very poor increase I confesse compared with that seede of reliefe which it pleased you with so full a hand to cast vpon me for some yeares togither at Oxford as the alone Christian Founder or Mecaenas of my yonger studies there And yet because I would not haue all lost or accounted so I haue like a barren field of which men doe not receiue their seede againe sent forth these few blades of publike acknowledgement in which my meaning is to confesse publikely vnder mine owne hand that bond and debt of thankefulnesse which I will euer confesse to bee due to your person and house for the beginning and successe of those meanes which in this calling in the Ministerie I haue receiued to edifie with And this I haue done in foure Sermons which containe matter for our turning to GOD and walking in the Spirit A matter if any and at any time needfull in this age of so great vngodlinesse and vnrighteousnesse among men For was there euer I speake of such as know God greater turning from him by impietie and walking in the flesh by diuers strange lusts then at this day The thing is manifest and the Sodome of these times doth too plainely shew it Esay 3.9 For as it was in the dayes of Noah and of Lot so is it in these dayes of the Sonne of Man They eate they drinke they marry and giue in marriage That is they who doe these things are excessiuely and aboue measure giuen ouer vnto them or they doe them securely sinfully and for worldly respects not once remembring God Luk. 17.26 27. For what no care to marrie in the Lord And what excessiue care to marrie for liuing or parentage Religion is no question nor want of religion or setlednesse in a false religion any stay or impediment in such matters Men cry peace saith the Apostle and destruction commeth as the trauell vpon a woman with Child 1. Thes 5.3 She thinketh not of her paine till it come and they forget the floud that is comming Further men buy and sell as if their were no other end of their life they build plant as if their houses should continue euer Luk. 17.28 and there is no remembrance of death in all their waies This is the securitie that Christ spake of and these are the dayes of which Christ said but when the Sonne of Man commeth shall hee finde faith on earth Luk. 18.8 The Apostle Saint Paul hath told vs that in the last daies shall come hard times 2. Tim. 3.1 We know not when the last houre will come or last quarter of that houre But if hard times bee the last times of the world then we are already in them For where iniquitie aboundeth in so great an ouer-measure of sinne as wee see at this day where there is so great and corrupt worldlinesse not onely in wicked persons but in the professors of the truth where appeareth so generall and great a dropsie of getting by right or wrong such oppression and crueltie in all estates such extortion such spoile without mercie of the poore and needie how can such times bee called other then Hard times What carking and caring and pining of the heart with causelesse feares are not many so pinching and miserable without fear of God or common honestie that no liberalitie can bee seene in their hands nor iustice in their liues and a number so laden with worldly dealings that God and religion if they come at all come seldome or late into their mindes seldome and coldly doe they pray by the word reade and meditate in it Often and hotely do they pursue the world and worldly trash euen with a Horse-leech tooth of greedinesse Pro. 30.15 Their heart is a graue for money and they bury their neighbors liuing sometimes life in their vnlawfull couetousnesse Are not such times Hard times Our times are such and such the men who liue in them These and such like fore-runners of the last day bid the wise to prepare for it Indeede the day so much spoken off is not yet come and I feare many beleeue it will not come at all because it staieth so long But what God hath spoken shall and must stand though it were delaied besides the yeeres past sixe thousand yeeres to come And there are certaine signes mentioned in the new Testament by which wee may know both that it will come and that it will come shortly All which signes such I meane as we appointed to goe before that great and notable day of the Lords comming are all of them saue one viz the calling of the Iewes either past or in being The first is the preaching of the Gospell through the world Math. 24.14 This hath beene done successiuelie and at seuerall times The second is the reuealing of Antichrist 2. Thes 2.3 who was euer since the yeere 607. discouered more and more For since that time the Lord hath breathed vpon him and striken him of late time in a maruailous consumption The third is a generall apostasie from the Gospell 2. Thes 2.3 which came to passe vnder Arrius Antichrist for diuers hundred yeeres The fourth is a generall corruption in the manners and liues of men 2. Tim. 3.1.2 which signe hath beene in all ages and is to be found in ours The first standeth in diuers great calamities and troubles that were to come vpon the christian world Math. 24.4.16 which tooke effect and begunne in the tenne first persecutions as it were plagues of Egypt inflicted vpon Christians by Rome heathen and hath further beene cruelly prosecuted and continued by the Rome that now is The sixt is a generall contempt of the Gospell or deadnesse of heart in the hearers of it Luc. 17. And when more generally contemned or carelesly heard then at this day by Schismatiques and Libertines Former ages haue and wee who liue in this may see plainely the Signe of the comming of the Sonne of man in the small fruit that the Gospell is able to bring forth or beget in the liues of men And now that so many signes of this great day
Lord and in his feare and word to serue him Iob 28.28 to loue the good and hate the euill that oursoules may liue Am. 5.15 wee can encourage one another in wickednesse and say let vs eate and drinke for to worrow we shal die Esay 22.13 that is we remember our end but we remember it not wisely but as beasts to eate and drinke or we put off and make our end long but who prepareth for it and who is wise and of an vnderstanding heart Deut. 32.29 to consider it The rich man maketh his small barnes big as if he would make his short life endlesse Luk 12.18 The euill seruant saith my master deferreth his comming as if that which is put off would neuer come Math. 24.48 Nabal he that yet liueth in the carnall churles of this age applieth all his mind to riches and forgetteth his sudden end 1. Sam. 25.10.11.38 Absalons whol studie is to mount neuer thinking of his destruction so neare whose bodie though it stand at the lower end of the presence yet heart sitteth vnder the cloth of estate practising for the kingdome 2. Sam. 15.1.2.3.4.5 c. In the daies of Noah they eate they dranke they builded and remembred not the flood Luk. 17.27 In our daies men feede themselues without feare and forget their end Let vs therefore be warned better to remember our few and euil daies Gen. 47.9 to do the workes of God while it is day Ioh. 9.4 before the long night of sleepe come out of which there is no awaking till the last great trumpe call vs vp to iudgement Behold now is the accepted time behold now the day of saluation 2. Cor. 6.2 the rich man in hell once might and would not heare Moses and the Prophets afterward that is too late hee would and could not Luke 16.25.29 The enemie that is prepared for hurteth lesse and hee that maketh himselfe readie for the last enemie which is death neede not feare to such it bodeth no danger for such it hath no sting nor breath that can doe hurt If we first see this Basiliske death armed with repentance and with the shield and target of faith in our last houre by preparing for our end there is nothing in it that shall not be for our preferment and the full conquest of our troublesome life for then we may take it by the hand as a most welcome guest and as that last seruant whom the Master will send to bring vs to his great Supper and that at supper time when all things are readie Luke 14.17 when our warrefare is accomplished and our iniquities are pardoned when our weary course is finished and ioy commeth after the night of life which life was not properly nor can be truely called life but the shadow of death The person to be remembred followeth Thy Greatour c. The person in whose eye Salomon exhorteth his young Man to walke reuerently is God his Maker By which name or title hee doth secretly imply the great power of the Maker of all things and of mans Creatorr and sheweth that the end of Mans creation is to glorifie continually God his Creator as if hee should haue said Hee that gaue vs breath is Mightie and if he take away his breath by stopping our mouth and nosthrils we are gone and wherefore did he put his spirit of life into vs Was it to giue vs some large libertie to liue as wee list or was it not rather to prouoke vs to seeke his glorie that made vs This is Salomons meaning where we first are taught that the Al-mightinesse of the Creator and the worke of our strange and fearfull creation should make vs feare to liue in any forgetfulnesse of God by an impenitent and obdurate heart By such an argument the Prophet Amos stirreth vp a carelesse people to turne to God by repentance saying He that formeth the Mountaines and createth the winde which maketh the morning darknesse and walketh vpon the high places of the earth the Lord God of hosts is his name Ames 4.13 as if hee should haue said if God who is your mightie Lord and shall be your righteous Iudge bee able to create the windes to forme the Mountaines and to turne the morning into darknesse then is he able to persecute you with his storme to tumble the Mountaines vpon you and to couer you with the darknesse and shadow of death and to prepare an eternall iudgement of confusion for you to the destruction of soule and bodie For hee that made hell can cast into hell and he that causeth darknesse punish with vtter darknesse Dauid by a like argument inureth himselfe to the feare and reuerence of his wonderfull Maker saying I will praise thee that is I wil acknowledge thy goodnesse in all my life for I am feare fully and wonderfully made Psal 199.14 the meaning is if he should goe on in sinne the God who is fearefull can open hell to deuoure him and can shew himselfe as mighty in his iudgement to his destruction as hee was great in his loue to giue him being when before he was not So in Psal 119. ver 37. the Prophet hath these words thine hands haue made mee and fashioned me giue me vnderstanding therfore that I may learue thy commandements and he reasoneth thus Lord thou hast made mee in thy image therefore new-make me by thy word and as thou hast giuen me the shape of man so by teaching make me a new-man in the shape and soundnesse of a true worshipper Our Creation therefore should teach vs the life not of libertie but of repentance and holinesse in the feare of God The reasons Our life is nothing but a little breath and how easie is it for God to take away our weake life when weake man by stopping our breath is able suddenly and most certainely to send vs to our dust Gal. 2.22 Psal 104.29 And should not this weake and poore life fed with a little breath breath forth continually the praises of that God that so feedeth it from the shop of his prouidence Secondly God hauing greater power ouer vs then the Potter hath of the clay which he fashioneth who yet hath power to put it to some seruice or if it content him not to breake it to fitters Rom 9.21 Esa 45.9 should not this Clay Dust Man striue to please him in newnesse of life who hath power to bring him to glorie in his presence or if he be in no conformitie with his righteous will hath like power to breake him in peeces like a Porters vessell This condemneth those who set out no time for the dutie of meditating on their fearefull creation that the strange worke thereof may warne them to feare alwaies to doe euill Vse One cause why the people of Israel did so often and presumptuously prouoke God was because they forgate his wonderfull workes Psal 78.10.11 And it is said that the workes of God are sought out of all that loue them Psal 111.2.5
ordered bring forth the greatest Masters of vice and Guides to wickednesse and as a weede if it grow in a ranke soile will grow out of measure noisome so the tender youth of great families brought vp in ease and pampered with the delights of gentry if they prooue weeds must needs riot most vnmeasurably and prooue most hurtfull members in the Commonwealth and not members but diseases in the Church Lastly to excite our gentry to traine vp their yong Gentlemen to the feare of God and to good sciences let them remember that a gentleman without vertue learning is like a darke heauen in the night without moone or starres and let them not forget that if they would haue the blessing of being blessed fathers of a blessed seed they must bring them within the couenant endeuouring to make their sonnes by nature the sons of God by grace The like for their daughters if they would haue their daughters by birth to become the daughters of Abraham by new birth and godlinesse An admonition to yong persons Vse 2 to striue against all impediments of godlinesse in yong yeeres For are parents bound to teach youth then are youth bound to learne of their parents or must al feare God yong then young and all must learne betimes to feare him and can none feare him but such as arme against the impediments of his feare then where are most as in youth and where most are hindered as tender youth there must this armor chiefly be put on The first impediment of early godlines in yong men is a reckoning but without their host that they shall liue to be old which causeth theÌ„ to say peace peace Iâ—r 8.11 til with Sisera they fal into their last sleep of destruction Iudg. 4.21 go from their house to graue Psal 49.14 But who can be ignorant that on the stage of this world some haue longer and some shorter parts and who knoweth not though some fruits fall from the tree by a full and naturall ripenes that all doe not so nay that more are pulled from it and wither vpon it in the tender bud or young fruit then are suffered to tarrie till they come to their perfect ripenes and mellowing so do not mo without comparison fall from the tree of time young either violently plucked from it by a hasty death or miserably withering vpon it by a long death perishing in the bud of childhood or beaten downe in the greene fruit of youth then come to their full age of ripenesse by a mellow and kindly death Further doth not God call home from his worke some in the morning some at noone and some at night For as his labourers enter into his vineyard so they goe out that is in such manner and at such houres Math. 20.1.2.3 c. Some dye in the dawning of their life who passe but from one graue to another Some dye in youth as in the third houre some at thirtie and some at fiftie as in the sixt and ninth and some very old as in the last houre of the day Yet more dye young then old and more before tenne then after threescore Besides all this the fresh life which the youngest haue here is cut off or continued by the same decree and finger of God that the oldest and most blasted life is prolonged or finished For say that a man had in his keeping sundrie brittle vessels as of glasse or stone some made fortie fiftie yea threescore yeares age and some but yesterday we will agree that that vessell wil soonest be broken not that is made first but which is first striken or first receiueth a knocke So for these brittle vessels of our earthly bodies they that soonest receiue the blow of death though but made yesterday first perish not that were first made and haue longest liued What then is our life and how vaine and false is our hope of long life seeing no man can tel who hee is that shall receiue the first stroke or knocke to the destroying of this his mortal tabernacle In a prison where are many condemned should some riot and forget death because they first are not drawne out to die or because one goes before another to execution shall he that comes last come forth pleasantly with Agag and say Surely the bitternes of death is past 1. Sam. 15.32 because we die not so soone as others and we shall not all die at once shall we therefore count our selues immortall If we be old wee may bee sure our turne is neere and if we be young it may be as neere for they that be old may trauell longer but we that are yong may haue a shorter way home Seeing then this hope of liuing till we be old is so vaine and deceitfull wee should make as great haste to God at twenty as at fourescore When we heare a solemne knell we say some bodie is departed and why should we not thinke that the feet of them who carried out that bodie is at the doore readie to cary vs out also Act. 5.9 He was not an old man and he had much peace in his dayes to whom it was said O foole this night they will fetch away thy soule Luc. 12.20 So death worketh in vs whether we prepare for it or no. a Mr. Perk. in his right way of dying well A certaine writer vseth this comparison A man pursued by an Vnicorne in his flight fals into a dungeon and in his fall hangs by the arme of a tree as he thus hangeth looking downeward he sees two wormes gnawing at the root of the tree and looking vpward he sees an hiue of sweet hony which makes him to climbe vp vnto it to sit by it and to feed vpon it While he thus feedeth himselfe and becommeth secure or carelesse of what may come the two wormes gnaw in sunder the root of the tree which done both man and tree fall into the bottome of that deepe pit This Vnicorne is swift Death the Man that flieth is euerie sonne of Adam the pit ouer which he hangeth is hell the arme of the tree is his short life the two wormes are day and night which without stay consume the same the hiue of honie is the pleasures of this world to which while men wholly deuote themselues not remembring their last end the root of the tree that is temporall life is spent and they fall without redemption into the pit and gulfe of hell Another impediment of godlinesse in a young man is his strong constitution which perswades him that he shall liue long that therefore he may at leasure inough turne to God hereafter but no constitution in man can enlarge his Charter of life one poore houre Indeed the good complexion of a man may be a signe of long life but he that prolongeth our daies on Earth he onely can make vs to liue long Exod. 20.12 A third impediment of godlinesse is parentage abused For some thinke that God neuer required
Scripture speaketh of such an one crucified at the right hand of the Sonne of God who crauing with faith mercy to saluation receiued this answer To day shalt thou be with me in Paradise But it speaketh but of one that was so saued And it speaketh of another in that very place and at that very time that was damned And here a Father saith Wee reade of one that no man should despaire and but of one that no man should presume This example therefore is a medicine against desperation no cloake for sinne Let vs therefore passe the time of our dwelling here in feare seeing wee are redeemed from our vaine conuersation not with corruptible things as with gold and siluer but with the precious bloud of Christ as of a Lambe vndefiled and without spot 1. Pet. 1.17 To whom with the Father and Holy-ghost be all glory for euer Amen The end of the first Sermon THE SECOND SERMON IOB Chap. 14. Vers 14. All the daies of my appointed time I would waite till my change were come THese words were spoken by Iob of whose patience and prouocations to impatiencie this whole booke and the testimonie of Saint Iames are liuely proofes Iam. 5.11 In the thirteene verse of this chapter Iob hauing as it seemed to him beheld Gods anger in the chastisements that his soule felt wherein as hee said the Lord wrote bitter things against him desiring to bee hid in some secret place of the earth till the Lords face were changed toward him and till hee might see those frownes to goe out of his countenance that had cast such knots vpon his soule In this verse he professeth that if he could perperswade himselfe of any hope yet behinde God shewing himselfe to be an enemie and setting him vp as a marke for all his arrowes he would wait for it euen till death And this I take to bee the occasion of these words of Iob in this Scripture Where it may be thought a strange thing that a man commended for such patience should so distemperately plead the cause of his affliction with God But no man meerely man and clothed with the garment of mortalitie could euer so wait vpon God as not to be led aside from his attendance for a season when he saw the Lord to fasten in him his sharpe arrowes and to let him vp as a Butt to shoote at And in this respect it is that this glorious patterne of patience could not beare his griefe in a minde so battered with sorrowes For the bodie of sinne which in our weakest times and estate thrusteth into the motions of our minde diuers carnall distrusts and fleshly feares will neuer cease to molest keep vs downe so long as we liue here and a wounded spirit who can beare Pro. 18.14 Neuerthelesse Iob stil waited on God for a good end in these matters and lost not his hope as appeareth by the last chapter of this booke where hee receaueth the crowne of his patience and is exceedingly blessed in his person and children And therefore though in the storme he spake with some distemper yet his meaning was that he did and would wait for Gods help and deliuerance though it should bee deferred till hee must put off this tabernacle and change mortalitie for immortall Where let vs consider the attendance spoken of and the terme or continuance The terme is expressed by the mid-times or extremitie of naturall life The mid times are called largely daies and with limitation the appointed daies The extreame point of this is called a change The attendance is in respect of the season wherein hee attended or of the attendance it selfe The attendance was in a time of trouble and much anguish which he quietly endured Doctr. Which doth teach vs in euery hard estate patiently to beare what commeth relying on God and waiting for his word The Prophet was in great miserie who praying to God said My soule fainteth for thy saluation Psal 119.81 His affliction was great and through the infirmitie of the flesh he fainted yet he waited on Gods promise for deliuerance and beleeued his word by which he was deliuered Dauid opened not his mouth in great troubles to any impatience because God had sent them Ps 39.9 The same Prophet Psal 37.5.7 exhorteth others to a like silence and yeelding in trouble because God hath done it and therefore saith Commit thy way to God and trust in him And againe Wayt patiently on the Lord and hope in him His meaning is reason not in your affliction with God but in patience possesse them vnder his mighty hand seeing you haue sinned against him then shall you see your hope and God will surely bring your soule out of aduersitie Also the speech of Moses to the Israelites at the red sea and when they had the sea before them the Egyptians their enemies behind them and steepe mountaines and high hils on euery hand side of them was Stand still and you shall see the saluation of God Exod. 14.13 As if he had said Go not backe by despaire nor forward by presumption and though you see nothing but death in men and destruction in creatures you shall see life in God and the saluation of God for life to euery one of you in your present helpe and deliuerance if you faint not The reasons further prouing this doctrine are first we haue deserued the paines of Hell by our sinnes much more the sharpest paine temporall Now if God inflict a light chastisement and we deserue the chaines of hell if he punish for a short time we deserue for euer to be afflicted haue we cause to complaine though the arrowes of the Almighty sticke in our flesh and his hand lie heauy vpon vs Psal 38.1.2 c. Secondly it is the Lord and we must patiently attend his worke He doth not deuise and leaue the execution to another but whatsoeuer is done he doth it himselfe in the point of correction and sense of paine his head and hand goe together Act. 4.28.2 Sam. 16.10 Thirdly we must be followers of Christ in affection to Gods will Now Christ seeing his father had so appointed desirously entred into his bath and passions for our sakes yea thought the time long and was greeued till he fell into his last agonie and cold sweat in the which he was couered after a sort with clodded blood that ran abundantly from his face downe to the ground Luc. 12.50 22.44 and shall a little so trouble vs who as the theefe said to his fellow receaue things worthie of that we haue done where Christ suffered innocently and so much for vs Luc. 23 41. or shall we see the sonne of God all in goare blood and all in a sweat though no man touched him though no man came neere him and in a cold night when he lay out in the open aire and vpon the cold earth to sweat so plentifully not a thin faint sweat but a sweat of great droppes and those
is caught with the Lime-rodde and the Fish that is taken in the Net the more they striue the more they entangle themselues So the more impatient men are of Gods corrections the more stripes they purchase to themselues in the snare and vnder the net of that their humiliation the more intolerable also they make the tie of their crosse and the more improbable their issue and going out Hee that carrieth a weightie burthen the more he stirres and moues it the more it oppresseth him and so the more vnquiet and vnruly we are vnder the heauy burthen of the Lords chastisements for sinne the more we gall our soules and bruse our flesh in vaine where by our patience wee may auoide such needelesse vexation and tirings out it being truly said which is commonly spoken that of sufferance commeth ease Some haue no faith more then sense teacheth them who beleeue as farre as they can see and further then their sight leadeth them they will not set one foote downe toward faith Some know not the word neither what God hath promised in it to those that feare him and therefore when they come into trouble they despaire of help themselues with shifts and fetches of their owne head not attending the Lords help because they know not his power by his word nor what mercie hee will shew to those who put trust in his saluation as the word doth teach Iob knew his mercie and power and therefore did not fume against the Caldeans nor murmure against the Lord but bore his losse quietly and thankefully trusting in God Iob 1.21.22 Dauid meditated much often in the Lawe and therefore fretted not against Shimei who railed against him but searched his conscience and went vnto his sin making the Lord his hope 2. Sam. 16.10.12 And He who was like a bottle in the smoke forgate not Gods statutes that is knew Gods promises in his word and truth in his righteous testimonies and therfore receiued comfort that is that word or rather the truth of God in that word sustained him in all troubles Psal 119.147 So much for the season of his attendance The attendance it selfe followeth I would wait c. The action of Iobs attendance is deliuered by a word that signifieth to wait or to wait by hope for a thing or to tarie and abide the deferring of it till it come and to looke as seruants for their Master when hee will returne in the euening His meaning therefore is that he will wait and be ready alwaies for his happy death till it come how long soeuer it bee in comming Doctr. The point here taught is Christians must bee alwaies in a readinesse to receiue their change or to speake plainly Christians must euer bee prepared for their death Something hath been spoken of this already in the first Sermon and second doctrine but it is a matter worthy our further search Our Sauiour Christ therefore to shew that this should be the expectation and mind of Christians exhorteth them to bee as men that wait for their Master when hee will returne from the wedding which was in the night as is euident by their receiuing of him with lights and by the custome that was obserued in mariages then which was to bring the Bride from her fathers house to the mans house in the night Luke 12.35.36 And so modestie was the mufler of the maids of those daies Now they that wait for their Master that is that wait diligently for his comming home in the night will set vp lights in the house haue some in their hands These lights are the Word which as a light shineth in a darke place This world is a wildernesse and we naturally blind that is without vnderstanding and therefore we must haue the light which is put in the lanthorne of the Law to guide and direct vs stil in the dangerous waies of it Psal 119.105 and this light must be burning in vs that is wee must adde zeale to our knowledge for it is of no vse if it want fire and burning And it must bee in our hands our hands must handle the word of life 1. Ioh. 1.1 and we must not bee hearers onely but doers Iam. 1.22 Secondly they that wait for their Master stand at the gate or before the doore looking for his returne So they that wait for the day of their redemption must stand with Abraham in their tent doore and with Eliah in the mouth of the caue waiting for it Gen. 18.1 1. King 19.9 that is they must dwell in the world as in tents and as strangers in these caues of the earth wait for their house aboue Thirdly they that looke with attendance for their Masters comming will haue his house in a readinesse against his comming to it and whatsoeuer may offend shall be taken out of the way so they that looke for Christ and wait by hope for the day of his comming will purge by repentance all the roomes of his spirituall house put away sinne and bring in righteousnesse into euerie power and member of soule and bodie Fourthly they that wait for their Master with a louing and chearefull desire of his comming will take vp the time with talking and thinking of him so they that looke for Christ will reuerently talke of Christ and as Christians thinke thoughts of Christ and haue Christian musings or thinke much of death and often that they shall die which must needes keepe them in a continuall loue and expectation of Christ and of death In the booke of Esay one of the exercises of the godly is said to be their waiting for God or which may haue this meaning their waiting for his saluation by death that they may goe to God Esa 25.9 where it is entended that they did not onely reioice in his saluation but so liue that death might bring them in the Charet of their godly life to the God of their saluation Thus did Simeon that embraced Christ and thus did Ioseph that embalmed Christ waite for the kingdome of God Luc. 2.25 23.51 and their saluation by death Luc. 2.25 23.51 They liued not contented with their present estate but waited for a better and as Elijah came out of the caue when the Lord came to him so they were ready alwaies to come out of the caue of their bodies to meet the Lord. 1. King 19.11 And thus they stood in their dore who waited for the appearing of the Lord Iesus Christ 1. Cor. 1.7 that is thus they waited who waited for the day of their death wherein they might goe to the Lord and for the day of the Lords appearing wherein he would come to them Lastly this is the propertie of the sonnes that they waite for the adoption that is looke for the fulfilling of it in death by their owne full redemption Rom. 8.23 The reasons And that the faithfull ought thus to waite and bee prepared for death at all houres may further be proued First they know
their bed of death they go to it in vtter darknesse where is weeping and gnashing of teeth So farre for the time which is called largely dayes that which is limitted called the appointed time followeth Of mine appointed time c. By appointed time Iob here meaneth his bounded life which can no more be extended beyond the appointed time then the Sea can passe her bounds Ps 104.9 Doctr. From whence this doctrine may be gathered that we liue by Gods decree not at our owne pleasure So Paul told the men of Athens for hauing taxed their superstition who wold bound the boundlesse presence of God to a temple made with hands and to Idols the worke of mens hands he she wecht hat the Almighty Maker of this Worlds-masse is not to be straitned who hath shut in with the straites of time fore-seâ— by himselfe all men and creatures hauing assigned their times and the bounds of their habitation Act. 17.26 And in this Booke of Iob it is moued by a question but taken for granted that there is an appointed time to man vpon Earth Iob 7.1 or a set time of mans warrefare here that is he is a Souldier and his life militant but how long and for how short a time he shall be and continue in this field of his bodie vnder corruption fighting against the strangelusts that are in the world it is ordered by him who hath summed vp all the number of his daies and measured his short time with a decree or Law which he cannot passe after it is said that God hath set Mans daies and numbred his moneths and limited his time that is that he hath set bounds to all the moments of his life here Iob 14.5 By which it is plaine that the maker of man hath in his hand the whole number of mans time such as it hath pleased himselfe to adde to the Moneths and yeeres that he hath giuen him in this vale of miserie The reasons First if God had not numbred the daies of man vpon earth they who loue the world would neuer leaue it nor they who suffer in it without speciall grace waite till God should worke their deliuerance from it They who liue in pleasure would neuer resolue to die and they would presently seeke their owne death and find it who liue in paine Secondly as wee are not borne at our owne pleasure so it is reason we should liue and die at his pleasure who hath formed vs in the wombe Thirdly God taketh small matters into his hands to order them Mat. 29.30 and shal we think that he hath not taken to himselfe the great matter of life and death to dispose of it A confutation of those who think that man can either shorten his owne life Vse 1 or draw it beyond the Lords score to make it longer Indeed man may by offering violence to himselfe become an vnnaturall instrument of the Lords iustice to cut of those daies that God hath finished but no man can later or sooner die then the Lord of death and time hath set his end Quest But hath not the Magistrate power ouer the life of a Malefactor and is it not in his hand to giue him his life or to take it from him when his sinne hath giuen him into the power of the Law and of the Magistrate vnto death Answ In this case the Magistrate hath no power but what is giuen him as when either the spite of time or sinne of Man shall accomplish what God hath purposed Ioh. 19.11 So Christ told Pilate who because he had the soueraignty of iudgement thought he had also the soueraigntie of life verse 10. But he had no power but what the decree of God and determined moment of mans saluation had then giuen vnto him If then the Magistrate saue a man who is iudged to die it is secretly to fulfill Gods time concerning him which is not yet come or if he cut him of it is because the time appointed to him by God is first come and he is Gods Minister to doe what God hath purposed to be done An instruction Vse teaching vs patience and contentment when any of our friends shall be taken from vs for God hath taken them from vs their time was come which as we cannot preuent so we may not enuie 2. Sam. 12.20.21 c. So for our own death we must willingly beare it seeing that God hath appointed that we shall once die and that once must once come Hebr. 9.27 It is I confesse naturall to all to be loth to lay downe this tabernacle but our obedience to the will of God must correct nature in so direct an opposition to his decree that hath made vs we must call to our remembrance not what we could wish but God hath purposed reasoning euerie man apart and priuately in his heart thus I must needes die because it is Gods ordinance and I will willingly die that I may shew my obedience to his will I must needes die to put of corruption and I will willingly die that I may see God Or I must needs die Looke Deerings 11. Lecture on the Epistle to the Hebrues that sinne may haue his pay the wages of sinne is death Rom. 6.23 and I will willingly die that sinne may be no longer and death may loose his sting and power So much for the mid-times of that naturall life in which Iob became attendant and did waite for a better life the period of time which he expected followeth Till my change were come Here Iob sheweth how long hee would waite by hope in his afflicted estateâ— euen till that period of time should come which he calleth the time of change when hee should finish the daies of his warre-fare on Earth and receaue the Crowne of his sufferings in glorie And here by the day of change he meaneth the day of death which is therefore called a change because it is the remoue of the faithfull from labour to rest in their bodies and from an Earthly to an Heauenly life in their soules which are taken vp to God Somewhere it is called the losing as of a Prisoner from the Prison and fetters of the flesh that hee may be with Christ Philip. 1.23 Also the godly in their blessed death are for this said to be taken away Esa 57.1 In their bodies from their house to graue from feare to security from sense of paine to ease and from their bodies of labour to their beds of rest in their soules from an house of clay to an house not made with hands from Men to Angels from Earth to Heauen from prison to libertie from mortalitie to immortall and from death to liue And we reade of the gathering of the righteous as of things scattered and straying from home to their people fathers Gen. 25 8. Iudg. 2.10 Thus we haue heard why Iob and other scriptures call the death of the godly a change From whence the doctrine is Doctr. That there is nothing in
of paine for the fruition of that which is perfectly pleasing and good Or to change death for life Or to passe from a wearie pilgrimage to their desired homes where they shall not onely neuer feele miserie but bee euer happie and blessed with the full sight of that the glimpse wherof shining vpon the face of our Sauiour in his transfiguration made Peter to say Master it is good to be here Math. 17.4 Salomon saith Better is the day of death then the day in which wee were borne Eccles 7.3 And why better except because when we are borne we come into misery when we die we goe out our death beeing changed by the death of Christ and made vnto vs not a death as the Law maketh it but our path and mid-way betweene this life and the other which is eternall or our doore and little wicket out of this world into that world and kingdome which is prepared for the Saints inhabited of the Angels and receiueth honour from God who is the light and temple of that Cirie Lastly death hath lost his sting his hell his victorie I speake in regard of the righteous that which remaineth if wee liue in the spirit and die in the Lord is profitable for vs. For it shall bring an end of all our labours and giue vs vp into the hands of Iesus Christ Now what feare is in all this Let them feare therefore who haue giuen vnto them a spirit of bondage and of feare in which they tremble at their owne estate and which maketh them to carrie in their breast tormenting furies that hold them day and night in the feare of endlesse death Let them feare who rest in sinne liue in errour and ignorance follow the lustes of the world and walke in all the waies of death but let not them feare who are at a couenant with themselues to haue no pleasure in such fond courses and direct waies of death but to haue their pleasure onely in the word of God to vnderstand it and in the mysterie of Christ to bee lightened with it who hate sinne that they may haue hope and walke in righteousnesse that they may walke with Christ Let not such feare for the power of death Satan is broken before such and such may haue boldnesse when they goe out of the world that they shall goe to God A comfort therefore to the faithfull Vse 3 who haue born the brunt of life for such may be comforted in death as a Souldiour who hath endured the skirmishes and scarres of warre is glad and may haue ioy that the enemie is spent and the warre ended where others because they haue spent no time or so little in the Lords seruice and giuen so few strokes if any in the cause of his truth and glorie may feare at the approach of death and iustly complaine of that day as of a day of death indeede and that eternall In the eleuenth Chapter to the Hebrewes the Apostle sheweth what great troubles the seruants of God endured and how ioyfull they were as at a royall feast in all those troubles and sufferings for Christ that they might enter vpon the comfortable death of the righteous They were so farre from fearing death as worldlings feare it that they ranne gladly to it in their hope of the resurrection and reioiced in the welcome day of death as in a day of the greatest good that could befall them The reasons were they knew with Sampson that they should slay moe at their death then they slew in their life Iudg. 16.30 As first that they should slay their last enemie by death which is not slain but by dying And secondly that they should kill the spawne of all enmitie sinne 's sinne which bred death 〈◊〉 4.7 and the miseries of eternall death Which death in the Saints bred by sinne as the worme in the flower killeth the corrupt flower that bred it that is that sinne that caused death And this made c I doubt not but the Prophet here sinned by impatiencie but his hope was in death Eliah to desire death not life and rather to die then to liue saying It is enough 1. King 19.4 It made Dauid to lay vp his flesh in hope Psal 16.9 It made Paul to say I am readie not to bee bound onely but to die at Ierusalem for the name of the Lord Iesus Act. 21.13 And as Simeon said Lord now lettest thou thy seruant depart in peace Luke 2.29 So the godly haue such comfort in death that they say with old Simeon and all Saintes Come Lord Iesu come quickly Apo. 22.20 apprehending death as their onely way to Christ and guide to happinesse and applauding death as Iacob applauded the Chariots that Ioseph his sonne sent for the bringing of him out of a land of miserie into a land of plentie and fulnesse where hee should haue foode inough the best in the land Gen. 45.27.48 The hope of Iob and expectation of the Saints is that they shall see God and come to Christ by death presently in their soules and in their bodies at the last day when all the bones in Golgotha shall rise at that voice that shall say returne yee sonnes of Adam Psal 90.3 For though death shall swallow them vp as the Whale did Ionah and shall binde them as the Philistims did Sampson and the shroude did Lazarus hand and foote Ioh. 11.44 yet the Whale of the earth shall not hold them nor the snares of death and shroude of darknesse preuaile against them when God shall speake by his last trumpet to the graues of the earth and they shall cast out all the Lords Ionahs Ion. 2.10 The bands of death shall fall asunder as corruption and rottennesse in that day in which Christ shall command the holds of darkenesse to deliuer his Saints saying loose them and let them goe Ioh. 11.44 This then beeing all that the righteous shall loose by their gainfull death For they shall loose a short miserable life and receiue a long euer blessed life in glorie what losse can there be in death and what greater aduantage then by dying This the godly know and therefore reioyce in death as they that finde great spoiles They finde that their bodie such as it is now in the estate of corruption is an image of golde which is disfigured that it can be brought to no shape till the owner melt and refound it to a new similitude Euen so the bodie that at first was beautifull hauing such a grace and maiestie set in the face of it that after a sort and outwardly it resembled the Creators image fairer then any of Gold they finde so to bee troden in the mire and so mishapen by sinne that it can neuer receiue the beautie and condition of the first worke till it bee dissolued and new-moulded by the hand of GOD at the resurrection of all bodies and therefore they desire death as the first necessary and blessed work-house of this their
God hauing giuen eyes to vs to see his truth and the light of iudgement to see it by let vs not walke in so great darknesse as they who know not the truth nor whether they goe Here also we learne to put difference betweene the condition of the righteous Vse 2 and the state of the vngodly in their graues and buriall the godly hauing their graues for their beddes of rest the wicked contrarily for their prisons out of which they shall come to the resurrection of death Ioh. 5.29 as malefactors to their execution And where the godly as honest men of the countrey shall stand before the Iudge without feare they shal stand as the guilty Prisoner at the barre of shame to receaue the sentence of their iust condemnation in soule and bodie And what comfort can this be to shamelesse sinners in the night of the putting off of their tabernacle seeing they goe not to their beddes as doe the righteous but to their dungeons of darknesse and horrible feare For as if a man should be bidden to goe to his rest that after he had slept and was risen the punishment of some terrible death might be inflicted vpon him So is the state and condition of all impenitent sinners in their death For they must lie downe for some time in their beddes of dust and rise againe that a second fearefull death may be inflicted vpon their soules and bodies Now could any poore man goe comfortably to his bed that is bidden so as we haue heard to goe vnto it with what comfort then can desperate sinners remember their graues of earth from which they must passe to their graues of fire for euer Indeed as a man that is out-lawed may take his pleasure and walke at large for a time but whensoeuer or wheresoeuer he is taken he must yeeld to the punishment that law hath awarded so the wicked vpon whom sentence of damnation is past alreadie by an out-lawrie and iudgement that cannot be reuoked may for a season goe vntaken taking their libertie and fetching their friskes as if it would neuer be otherwise or as if that iust God who is their creditour and must be their Iudge would neuer serue an execution vpon them by death his Minister but the time will come when they shal be arrested and after some short repriuie of their bodies in the gaole of the graue be violently haled to the prison and pit of hell from which there is no redemption It were well for such if they had beene cast into their graues as a dogge into a ditch for though his buriall be homely yet his case is much better then theirs who are buried gorgeously and goe to hell The dogge endeth his misserie with his death but when such die they beginne their miserie and end their â—oyfull daies for euer For man shall not die like a beast though he liue like a beast nor be senslesse of paine hereafter though here he was senslesâ—e of sinne free from paines and smart that others felt As before in respect of their soules that presently enter into peace Vse 3 so here in regard of their bodies which sleepe in their beddes of rest the godly may be comforted for their godly friends departures at least it may stay all sorrowing without hope For who would be sorrie for his friend because after his hard labour he goeth to his rest in a bedde of much ease prepared for him or to vse an other comparison A man locketh vp his best apparrell in a chest meaning hereafter to weare it will he mourne and be sorrie that it is so kept till there come a high daie to weare it So the faithfull concerning their bodies which are the vesture of their soules are shut vp by death in the coffers of the Earth And shall their friends take on because their friend hath his best clothing so preciously laid vp that euerie soule vpon the highest day of the daies of the yeere may haue the seuerall robe and vesture of it owne body to be put vpon it or will any man thinke much that his friend hath put off his old rags to put on robes of glorie This is the very case of the righteous when they lay downe their bodies They put off vile bodies to put on glorious and their bodies are but chested in the earth when they returne to their dust that in the solemne and high day of resurrection they may be brought forth againe and restored but with farre greater beautie and shining to the soules that were owners of them So much for the comforts promised The persons follow to whom such comforts are promised Euerie one that walketh c. The persons whose soules shall enter into peace and bodies be put in their sepulchers no otherwaies then if they should be laid in their beds of rest so soone as they goe hence are they who walke before the Lord or walke that is liue as in his sight And here the Prophet setteth downe two things the generality of the promise euerie one and condition vnder which it is made that walketh before Him that is the Lord. For the generalitie and where the Prophet saith euerie one his meaning is that neither countrey nor parentage nor diuersitie of sexe and calling nor any outward thing shall make his end vnhappy whose life by reason of his godly life is happie where learn That Doctr. God is no accepter of persons that is respecteth not the person of man but his grace in man Whosoeuer beleeueth in him or hath receaued the grace of faith to put faith in him and to liue vnto him let him be borne wheresoeuer and let his degree be whatsoeuer such an one saith Amen shall not perish But so it may be that is one may not perish and yet misse of peace therefore it is added and haue euerlasting life as if it had beene said he shall not be miserable and he shall be happie euer he shall not die and he shall liue eternally in glorie Ioh. 3.16 Peter perceiued this and in a vision comming from heauen saw this and therefore as God opened the vision Act. 10.15 so hee opened his mouth and said Of a truth I perceiue or to say the truth I now know that God is no accepter of persons or God doth giue his grace indifferently to one and other whether born in Iewrie or fearing God in Caesarea and therefore in euerie nation he that feareth him and worketh righteousnesse no matter what countrey-man so he be a good man he that reuerenceth him shall haue his part in him Act. 10.34.35 whether Iew or Gentil circumcised or vncircumcised rich or poore bond or free he shall haue life if he walke before the God of life Blessed is euerie one that feareth the Lord and walketh in his waies Psal 128.1 All that walke in the sunne-shine of Christ shall receaue the die of his fauour as all that walke in the Suâ— are tanned They shall gaine peace and find rest
where others meete with shadowes and shall liue in miferie that liue in vnrighteousnesse The reasons The things that cause errour in iudgement and accepting of persons are imperfect knowledge and respects in the world of good to our selues or of our bond to others But these are not in God whose knowledge is wonderfull who needeth no mans good and is no Mans debter Ps 139.3.4.5.6 16.2 Math. 20.15 Secondly God forbiddeth his Seruants who are the Iudges of the Earth to accept the persons of men and commandeth them to iudge indifferently not accepting faces 1. Sam. 16.7 2. Chr. 19.7 It was Iehosaphats charge to his Iudges or rather the Lords by him And so being Gods law to others and a law of great iustice will he himselfe breake it and will not the Iudge of the world doe iudgement Gen. 18.25 Thirdly God hath made many promises to those that walke before him and vprightly in his commandements The scriptures plentifully speake of this And will an honest man keepe his word and shall God falsifie his truth Ps 51.4 shall he say it and shall he not doe it God forbid wee should so thinke As Gods promises are generall to all that walke before him Vse 1 so they that endeuour so to please God and to walke in his truth must haue bands of particular faith to receaue them God is generall in his gifts and we must be particular in our receit and euerie man liue by his owne faith Habac 2.4 Anothers good life will not bee imputed to vs nor anothers faith saue vs. Therefore all that thine hand shall find to doe doe it saith Salomon with all thy power Eccles 9.10 He saith thine hand not anothers hand For he that will not doe good but by a deputie shall goe to heauen by a deputie and to hell in his owne person Some say let Ministers liue precisely and let Diuines walke before God but for themselues because they are not in that calling they take liberty and giue themselues leaue by a dispensation sealed by themselues to walke other wise as much as if they should say let Ministers be saued and diuines goe to God but for vs let vs perish if we must perish and because God will not haue vs let the diuell haue vs. This is fearefull and their case no lesse fearefull who post off goodnesse to others Let this confute superstitious poperie and carelesse Atheisme One saith well why art thou proud of another mans gift and thou giue nothing Euerie one that will haue peace must walke vpon his owne feete and worke with his owne hands Ephes 4.28 And Papists who with the foolish Virgins trust vnto the store of the wise shall receaue answere we haue not inough for our selues and for you Math. 25.9 But some feare too much as others feare too little who though they haue liued orderly and are sorrie with the sorrow of true repentance where they haue not yet are short-handed in receauing what God hath promised to those who walke before him But will a condemned malefactor at the barre not faile to apply the Kings generall pardon to himselfe for life and shall a iustified sinner feare to make the generall promise to all beleeuers particular to himselfe who is a beleeuer that be may liue Paul saith Christ came to saue sinners of whom I am chiefe 1. Tim. 1.15 He pleaded the Lords generall pardon though a sinner and the chiefe of sinners So the father of Iohn the Baptist Zacharias in his canticle putteth in for the horne of saluation Christ drawing that great redemption in him to himselfe as he applied it to others saying for vs that is for others in Israel and for Mee an Israelite Though in other cases a man cannot with good manners be importunate in matters and for things which concerne himselfe in commoditie or preserment yet here a godly man can neuer be too earnest nor lay too much vpon such a foundation Somtimes we wil applie hastily catch where we should not but if we wold be prouidently captious without offence let it bee here And as it is written of the seruants of Benhadad who were sent to the King of Israel that they tooke diligent heed if they cold catch any thing from him towit for his aduantage who sent them which made them when the King of Israel had said Is Ben-hadad yet aliue hee is my brother Presently to reply saying Thy brother Ben-hadad so let faith and hope our seruants confessing guilty with humbled necks and ropes about them watch what the King of the Kings of Israel hath spoken and set downe vnder his hand in his word concerning repentant sinners and we shall finde it written in the volume of the book concerning them Is he yet aliue he is my brother That is Doth the hungry soule pant for my saluation and the thirstie for my righteousnesse Doth it yet trust in God Doth it still beleeue Behold saith the mercifull King of Christendom Christ Iesus and hee that saueth vs from our sinnes I haue brought many brethren to my father and many sonnes to glorie and this is one Let vs now well obserue and diligently marke what hee saith Benhadad is the Kings brother Therefore say we thy brother Benhadad and catch him in his words that is God my father and Christ my elder brother The father will not cast away his penitent child nor one most kinde brother betray another to death 1. King 20.33 Indeed the deiected soule of man cannot alwaies being laden with troubles thus raise vp it self into confidence and some in the brunt haue complained that they haue been cut off from God whose voices in their feare haue been these or such as these Christ indeed came into the world to saue sinners but not such as we are and was appointed a Sauiour but not for vs singling out themselues Some in their hast haue said Here is the fire and wood but where is the Lamb for sacrifice Ge. 22.8 But let such remember that peace shall come to euery one that walketh before God or that would that is vnfainedly would walke before him We see not the Lambe for sacrifice but God will prouide nay God hath prouided it and open wee the eyes that blind distrust hath shut vp and wee shall see it Christ spake as one forsaken and a man would thinke that he had despaired when he twice said My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Math. 27.46 But if we dig through the bitter barke of the letter deeper into the words we shall finde an hony combe in them of perfect consolation Iudg. 14.8 For he calleth him yet his God and as if he wold adde another cord of faith to his first and make it a two-fold cord that cannot be broken he calleth him againe the second time his God that is the God in whom he trusted in whom hee will trust If God shall fashion any of vs to our head in the similitude of such a sorrow euer let
our eyes bee vpon Christ and vpon those whom God hath scaled to be faithfull and we shall not be confounded in the perilous day Let vs but say with Isaac my father Gen. 22.7 And though we can say no more God will presently answere Here I am my sonne For this is a trne saying and worthy of all men to be receiued that Iesus Christ came into the world to saue sinners The Apostle saith it is worthy the marking and let us marke it well 1. Tim. 1 15. For it is as true as worthy to bee receiued and teacheth that though we be sinners and great sinners or chiefe of sinners yet if as repentant sinners we can beleeue the remission of sins by Christ not too popishly harpe vpon a satisfaction for sin by our owne doings our part is in his great saluation For Christ came to saue sinners and the chiefest sinner There wanteth not a hand to giue but wee want hands who should receiue his gift The bloud of Christ is able to cure as most soueraigne physick all infirmities and sinnes repented off If we be neuer so great sinners and haue a hand of faith in our harts to receiue that grace of God that hath brought saluation Tit. 2.11 neither wee nor our sinnes can disanull the promise of God which is that he will be mercifull to our sinnes Then let our sinnes be neuer so many and those many sinnes neuer so great being truely repented off God is greater who hath forgiuen vs all our sinnes The voice that saith to all come Apoc. 22.17 excludeth none and shall wee being bidden to the great Kings wedding by turning the point of crueltie vpon our selues strike our owne names out of the roule of the guests that are bidden to the Lambes feast Math. 22.4.5 Therefore sinne doth not simply hurt vs but impenitencie in sinne hurteth the wicked For Herod had rather loose Iohn then his brothers wife Mat. 14.3.5 And some had rather part with their preachers then with their sinnes So they hinder the effect of the physick which in mercie by good application is appointed to heale them Saluation is come to their houses and into their houses but they iudge themselues vnworthy of euerlasting life Act. 13.46 Thus the godly in temptation dare not apply Christ and the wicked in sinne cannot But Vse 2 doth not God accept mens persons Then his Magistrates on earth which are called Gods Psal 82.6 should not in causes be partiall betwixt man and man For they execute not the iudgements of man but of the Lord who is with them in the matter of iudgement 2. Chro. 19.6 The Magistrates seat must bee the throne that iudgeth right and when he giueth sentence in a matter he must lay iudgement to the rule and righteousnesse to the ballance Esay 28.17 as if hee would waigh out an equall euen proportion of iustice to rich and poore Deut. 1.17 And this measure must bee scaled at the Lords standard with testimonie of an vpright conscience Therefore one setteth forth a good Iudge with a sword in the one hand and a paire of scales in other The meaning is that hee must not strike by iudgement til the cause to bee iudged haue receiued an indifferent ballance in hearing Though a Noble man speake by a letter and a rich man intreat by a gift hee must not heare to peruert the straight steps of iustice To be short as God is no respecter of persons so these Gods should know no difference of person wher right is one nor bend their cares to credit a tale that first is d Prou. 18.7 told them nor corrupt their iudgement with their censure before they hear the cause nor seperate betweene their verdit and the truch of their knowledge which should goe together nor vse sudden resolutions nor be hastie in iudgement So shall iustice be free not partial nor hired which God detesteth A reproofe of those proud christians who grace religion in a veluet hood Vse 3 but scorne it in vile raiment hauing the faith of the Lord Iesus Christ in respect of persons Iam. 2.1.2.3 or who bid rich religion home vnto them but will not take poore religion by the hand for either they turne from it as strangers or against it as enemies So the poore is seperated from his neighbour Pro. 19.4 that is his carnall friends will not helpe him the godlie that are poore cannot And hence it is that they who want wealth and countenance though neuer so religious are despised as abiects They who haue riches and fauour though neuer so prophane are admired as Angels But it is a marke of the heire of life to respect the vertue not the riches or person of a man Ps 15.4 And he who is such an one will bee affected towards men as he perceiueth men to bee affected towards God if they contemne God hee will not regard them though neuer so honourable and if they feare God he will make much of them though neuer so vile This is to iudge righteous iudgement and not according to the appearance which iudgement Christ the Iudge hath forbidden Ioh. 7.24 So S. Paul chargeth Timothie in his ministrie to do his duetie without preferring one to another to wit for outward matters and to do nothing partially 1. Tim 5.21 that is not to spare to reproue for affection nor to rebuke bitterly for displeasure and euill will A good item for the partiall in the ministrie among our selues at this day who will scarce giue counsel but such as shal please where they loue and yet drawe out reproofs as salt as brine the same many times causelesse where they spleenishly hate Which what is it but to make God himselfe their officer to reuenge their quarel and to scrue their malicious humor To spare some for great faults and bitterly to inuey against others for no fault because they bee our carnall friends whom we spare and suspected foes whom we so fiercely prosecute and falsly reproue Is it not to make the word it selfe and the author of it God himselfe partiall and to prophane that which is holy Which may bee spoken of priuate persons as well as of publike ministers who in their enemy can see the mote of a small fault and haue no eyes to see the beame of a great one in their friend and louer Math. 7.3 If he offend whom we malice or like not it is horrible but if hee greatly offend whom for kindred or wealth or acquaintance wee esteeme of it is nothing What is this but to affect for respects not of vertue or vice but of kindred or person A comfort to the poore that bee godly Vse 4 For pouertie doth not make a man lesse accepted of God or of good men The Prophet Dauid saith That God hath chosen to himselfe a godly man Psal 4 3. he saith not a rich man if he be not godly And he further saith be sure of this as if hee should say beleeue it
him but deale kindly with him nor run from him but towards him to bid him welcome not to bid him be gone Luc. 15.11 c. His very miserie was sufficient matter to worke vpon his fathers heart would not this ouercome a man the Lord is kinder to vs and how can we setting him before vs in so great loue but breake of the course of sinne and with a yeeding heart returne to our father Fourthly we must set the Lord before vs in his prouidence not onely generall to all but particular to vs which being well considered must needs doe something with vs for a better course For who will not seeke to please him or her vpon whom he must rely for al the turnes of life Seeing then wee depend on God for all things and that our life is at his only pleasure who breath in the aire of his mercies how can we thinke of this and thinke indeed and earnestly thereof and not striue to obey him in his word of whose prouidence we moue and haue beeing Acts 17.28 Fiftly and lastly for it were infinite to speake of all we must set the Lord before vs in Christ in whom he so loued vs not then friends but enemies Ro. 5.8.10 that he gaue his Son to death for vs Ioh. 3.10 Now what enemie will not bee reconciled and dearely loue him who shall but offer to die for him Christ died and made not an offer onely to die for vs and is not this sufficient beeing well and deepely thought of to reconcile vs to God by submission to Christ by spirituall life By all this wee may easily iudge why God is so little regarded among vs. Vse For we set him seldome before vs and as seldom we appeare before him rather we say Depart from vs wee desire not the knowledge of thy waies Iob. 21.14 So did Dauids enemies of whom hee maketh complaint in diuers Psalmes For he saith they sought not God and which made them more securely to doe euill they thought there was no God And after he giueth this for a reason of their so desperate and bold madnesse The iudgements of God were high aboue their sight that is they set them so farre off that they neuer looked after them nor did remember them Ps 10.4.5 Further speaking of strangers that rose vp against him and of tyrants that sought his life that which made them so cruell as he saith was they set not God before them Ps 54.3 86.14 God was not in their thoughts nor the feare of God before their eies therefore they kept no measure in sinning Let vs for our selues remember this who haue the Lord set before vs in the preaching of the Gospell euerie sabbath day Let vs remember him in his Sonne and not forget him in his iudgements specially in his last iudgement The end of our daies and the beginning of that draweth on the Sun is long since past the meredian line and death we know will not be answered with an I pray thee haue mee excused Luc. 14.19 Let vs not therefore put off till the flood come not of waters but of insufferable fire or till the Lord come with deuouring fire and with his tempest of the last iudgement to kindle it Let vs rather frame that course for our selues now that hereafter may proue in our dying houre or at this worlds last houre an arke for our bodies and a tabernacle for our soules If we would set the word before vs or God in it we should see our dangerous waies and by so cleare a light better direct our steppes Ps 119.105 If we would well remember Gods prouidence ouer vs and care for vs we should not doe as we haue done we would beare euils more patiently and doe euill more vnwillingly seeing whatsoeuer commeth to vs commeth by his appointment and whatsoeuer euill is done against him by vs is done against his bounties and loue And if we would set him before vs in Christ how could we sinne against the sacrifice of such a Redeemer or if we wold set Christ before vs in that day wherein this world that must be destroied shall crackle about our cares being all on fire and the large Ierusalem of the earth be brought downe by him who will send forth his voice and that a mighty voice Ps 50.3.4 how little would we regard the short and deare-prized pleasures of this our momentany and fading life But because God is so farre out of our sight and so late in our hearts therefore doe offenders so multiplie among vs and sinne so abound that the regions begin to grow white and we cannot but thinke that the Angell will shortly thrust in his sicle Men are at no paines and bestow no care in Gods seruice Men are mercilesse without naturall affection false accusers and despisers of them which are good 2. Tim. 3.3 Men want faith and some goe cleane against it both in word and in bookes written Sin is full ripe now which in our fathers daies was but greene in the eare and iniquitie that then stroue with righteousnesse hath now gotten the vpper hand what doe all these shew but that God is forgotten and that the fearefull God is cast behind vs in this age of so great liberty and fulnes of sinne The Lord giue vs the due consideration of these things pardon our great sinnes for his owne great names sake to whom be praise and glory for euer The end of the third sermon THE FOVRTH SERMON IVDES Epistle verses 14.15 Vers 14 Behold the Lord commeth with thousands of Saints Vers 15. Togiue iudgment vpon all men and to rebuke all the vngodly among them of all their wicked deeds which they haue vngodlily committed and of all their cruell speakings which wicked sinners haue spoken against him THis prophecy was ancient for he to whom this testimonie is ascribed was the seuenth from ADAM And it is like it either passed as Enocks from hand to hand by tradition or was found in the daies of the Apostles extant in some booke bearing Enochs name For the Iewes had some vnwritten truths which were profitable and good for instruction and yet were not made articles or rules of faith to saluation This prophecie of Enochs and testimonie of Iudes might bee one yet was it as common water till it passed through the sanctuarie Ezech. 47.1 Till the Apostle Iude or the holy Ghost by him set it down in scripture it was to be receiued but as other truths which are to haue their allowance from the booke of faith But now that the Lord hath brought it into his treasurie among the other golden plates which beare for letters of credence the stampe of his Spirit wee must take it for his owne coine and sacred metall distinguishing it from baser metall that hath receiued but common impression and is marked with the finger of man That which the Apostle would proue by this testimoniâ— is that those seducers of Gods people of whom he had spoken
already in the fourth verse should perish being fore-written to condemnation As if he should haue said God will giue iudgement to destruction against all vngodly men And of this number are these deceiuers Therefore they also shall perish and be damned This is the Apostles drift in the allegation of the prophecie Wherein to say nothing of the preface to it wee haue speech of the last generall iudgement ver 14. and of the ends of the Iudges comming ver 15. In the first the Apostle speaketh of the certaintie of the thing and with what solemnitie it shall be performed The ends of the Iudges comming are general surely as concerne the wicked first in their deeds whereof they shall be iudged and secondly in their words for which they shall giue answere In the certaintie of this last iudgement two things may bee considered as first who shall be Iudge the Lord and secondly the manner of propounding this iudgement in the word commeth Hee that is iudge is the Lord to wit the Lord Iesus Christ who shall hold the Court of assise in the clouds and cite all nations before him with the sound of the last trumpet Hee shall be iudge who is of pure eyes and cannot behold euill Habac. 1.13 Who iudgeth the world with righteousnesse and his people with equitie Psa 98 9. And who is gracious to his seruants and terrible to Sinners From whence this point is taught Doctr. that the day of the last iudgement is kept by Christ onely who will come both as a Sauiour and as a Iudge and in a day of as great ioy as may be and feare as euer was Christ himself saith the father iudgeth no man Ioh. 5.22 To wit directly but by the sonne to whom he hath committed all iudgement that is to whom onely he hath giuen the hearing of the last day Peter in his Sermon to Cornelius and his company saith as much saying that Christ is ordained of God a iudge of quicke and dead Act. 10.42 His meaning is it was the decree and will of God from eternitie that Christ properly should be iudge and that hee should condemne the world who was condemned in the world and saue his owne who died for his owne And the Apostle Paul charging Timothy by the charge of an adiuration to preach the word giueth him a commandement so to doe before God and before Iesus Christ whom he describeth by a proper effect which is that hee shall indge the quicke and dead at his appearing and in his kingdome that is in that day of his great glorie 2. Tim. 4.1 Also the same Apostle Paul telleth the men of Athens that God will iudge the world by that man to wit Christ God and Man whom hee hath appointed or whom by a decree elder then the world hee hath made iudge And hee saith the Apostle shall iudge the world in righteousnesse Act. 17.31 Others may sell iudgement but he wil giue true iudgement and execute iudgement with righteousnesse Quest You will say Must not the Father and holy Ghost be Iudges as well as Christ Answ I answere that iudgement is an action belonging to all the three persons in Trinitie but the execution of it is proper to the Sonne by whom the Father and holy Ghost doe iudge the world Quest But what say you to those places of Scripture where it is said that the Apostles shall sit vpon Thrones and iudge the tribes of Israel Mat. 19.28 and that the Saints shall iudge the world 1. Cor. 6.2 Answ I say that the authoritie of iudgement doth not belong either to Apostles or Saints and that in their manner of iudgement they resemble Iustices who at an assise are in a manner Iudges and yet giue no sentence but onely approue the sentence that is giuen The Iudges for the time haue the whole authoritie Iustices on the bench are but assistants and witnesses So here the definitiue iudgement is proper to Christ who is Iudge himselfe The Saints and Apostles are not Iudges but as Iudges hauing no voices of authoritie but of assent Thus it hath been shewed that Christ onely is iudge it must be further shewed that he is both a Sauiour and a Iudge Our conuersation saith the Apostle is in heauen He speaketh of himselfe and of the Saints whose conuersation and life is not carnall but spirituall And from thence we saith the same Apostle that is all the godly looke for the Sauiour meaning Christ the Lord who is a Sauiour to the righteous and a Iudge to the vngodly Phil. 3.20 Also the grace of God that hath appeared as the bright sunne-shine in our saluation teacheth vs to liue soberly righteously and godlily as they that looke for the appearing of their Sauiour Tit 2.13 that is for the comming of Christ who will saue his people and iudge the wicked and sinners So he is called the Sauiour of his bodie which is the church Ephes 5.23 because at the last day and at his last comming hee will come as a Sauiour to it as a Iudge to the enemies of it And that this will be a terrible day to the wicked and day of as great reiolcing to the righteous appeareth in Psal first verses 3. 4. Where that Prophet speaking of the different estates of the godly and sinners in their apparances at the great Sessions of the last iudgement saith that the leafe of the righteous shall not fade but the chaffe of the vngodly shall be driuen away Christ saith that it shall be a day of such tribulation to the vngodly men that their hearts shall faile them for feare when they thinke of it or looke after it Luke 21.26 But speaking of and to the righteous by shewing what manner day it shall bee to them hee biddeth them for the peace it bringeth and ioy it promiseth to all such to looke vp and to list vp their heads for it is the day of their redemption saith he draweth neere ver 28. And the Prophet Daniel aimeth at this where speaking of the diuers manners and ends of their rising who sleep in the dust of the earth saith that some shall awake to euerlasting life some to shame and perpetuall contempt Dan. 12.2 as if hee had said all the dead shall not haue a like resurrection for some shall be raised to life some to condemnation some shall haue a ioyfull some a dreadfull rising to some it shall be a bitter day to some their marriage day Ioh. 5.29 Thus the righteous shall reioice when hee seeth the vengeance Ps 58.10 But the strange children shall shrinke away and feare in their priuie chambers Ps 18.45 saying to the mountaines fall vpon vs and to the hils couer vs. The godly shall appeare with boldnesse comming before Christ who will be their aduocate not Iudge except to acquit them and to giue them the crowne of righteousnesse The wicked not so for the wicked shall not stand in iudgement nor sinners in the assemblie of the righteous
Psal 1.5 Thus the doctrine standeth fast being proued in euery part particularly Other reasons may be giuen for further illustration The reasons And first there is great reason that Christ should be Iudge himselfe For he alone is the Sauiour and therefore he alone must be Iudge He that saueth his elect must condemne the world Secondly he is the head of his Church to saue it from harmes and to wring out the dregs of his wrath vpon their heads that harme it Eph. 5.23 Esa 63.1.2.6 And how can he thus deliuer his Church if he be not her Sauiour and thus be reuenged on his Churches enemies if he be not there Iudge Thirdly it shall be a day of ioy vnspeakable to the godly and of terrour importable to the wicked For the godly shall meet the Lord in the 2 1. Thes 4.17 aire The fornace that is appointed to purge the world and to consume sinners shall haue no power ouer such nor the smell of it come vpon them Dan. 3.27 The Iudge will be their Sauiour The witnesses the Angels the Saints and the great inquest of all the creatures will cleere them And who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect Rom. 8.33 The things that they shall be iudged off are condemned in Christ and the sting of conuiction is departed from them to his death who hath conquered all the power of the enemie The tribunall that face of it that is toward them shall put off feare and become a session-house of mercie and of plentifull redemption The sentence pronounced shall send them to their houses of ioy and blisse endlesse and their father will giue them the kingdome Luc. 12.32 But as the godly shal thus heare a most blessed sentence of absolution so the wicked shall then heare their iust sentence of seperation from God Where all things shall make them to melt away with an horrible dread and minister great matter of all feare and terrour in that day For first it shall be a most fearefull thing to see and consider the number of them without number that shall run hither and thither to hide themselues in the holes of the earth The place ground on which they must stand will be fearefull for it shall be all on a flaming fire The Iudge will be fearefull for God is Iudge himselfe The things that they shall be iudged off will be fearefull for their secret and darke vngodlinesse shall then euerie thought of it come to light and be iudged in the sight of fire in the sight of water in the sight of Angels in the sight of all the elements in the sight of men and presence of God the Iudge of quicke and dead on whose head are many crownes and who is clothed with a garment dipt in blood Apoc. 19.11.13 The witnesses will be fearefull which will be their owne griping conscience and Gods all-seeing prouidence the accusing Angels their offended brother and millions of creatures abused by them The bench will be fearefull for it shall be to them a tribunall of iudgment without mercie The sentence will be if any thing most fearefull as that which shall proceed against al vnrighteous persōs in the fearefull forme Go ye accursed into euerlasting fire prepared for the Deuil and his Angels And the fire that to which they are appointed shall haue no end of feare For this fire is a far other thing then the fire of the chimney the fire of Gehenna then materiall fire The vses of this point concerne the godly and sinners Vse 1 It is comfortable to the godly that Christ shall be Iudge and they who haue followed him in the regeneration may lift their head to their redemption at hand when he commeth who will iudge his people with equitie that is with sauour For he must be Iudge who hath communicated to all his seruants the sweete and louing names of his a Mar. 33. mother sisters brethren b Cant. 4.9 10.11.12 spouse c Iohn 15.14.15 friends Now we are his mother if we beare him in the wombe of our hearts by faith as Marie bore him in the wombe of her bodie And we are his brethren and sisters if we loue him as brethren and cherish him as sisters in his weake and despised seruants among vs. And if we keepe our selues to him alone by matrimoniall faithfulnesse we are his spouse wife And we are his friends if we doe whatsoeuer he command vs. We being these and doing thus what need we feare for if we be his mother may we not come to him with as great boldnesse and expectation of successe as did Bath-sheba to Salomon the naturall mother to her Sonne 1. King 2.19 If we be his spouse shall we feare to make him our Iudge who is one with vs in spirituall marriage and by the espousall of faith our husband and friend or will one kind brother feare to make another his Iudge Can he condemne vs to death who hath redeemed vs from death eternall He is our Iudge who also is our aduocate at his fathers right hand and maketh intercession for vs. Art thou afraide that thy Iudge will be vnmercifull O what a vaine feare is that seeing he is thy Iudge who condemned himselfe to saue thee from iudgement who emptied himselfe for thy filling bestowed and spent himselfe for thy restoring and gaue his life which passed out at all the gates of his bodic for the life of thy soule Can the sentence be sharpe that commeth from the throne of grace in the hand of a Redeemer from whom commeth saluation or will he who stood at the barre to deliuer vs go vp to the bench and sit downe in the throne to condemne vs Rom. 8.1 or shall we feare any longer when our aduocate is made our Iudge And when he who came to saue vs may saue or condemne But shall Christ bee iudge Vse 1 The other was not more comfortable to the Saints then this shall bee terrible to vngodly sinners For what a hart-breaking will it bee to the wicked and death beyond all kindes of death temporall to see him who is their chiefe enemie in chiefe place What comfort can it bee to a couetous man or woman to be iudged by him for auarice who limited all his cares to the present day and spake so much earnestly against the morrowes care Or to a proud person to haue him his Iudge who humbled himselfe as a child being God of maiestie and set the low doore of humilitie before the courts of his fathers house Or to fleshly persons to appeare at his barre of iudgement whose whole life was lead in temperance and commandement was that we should be sober Or to Whoremongers and Adulterers whom God will iudge Heb. 13.4 to receiue sentence of death or absolution from his mouth who himselfe was born of a pure Virgin and hath those for his followers who were not defiled with women Apoc. 14.4 Or to the vnmercifull to be
will his person be glorious who shall come to iudge the world The reasons There must be a difference between Christs first comming in the flesh and second comming to iudgement Now his first comming was base therefore his second comming must be glorious His first was obscure his second therefore must be manifest In the first he came into the world in the second he comes against it His first was to receiue iudgement his second is to giue iudgement His first in mercie his second with rebuke Then he came as a seruant poore and without shew but now he commeth as the mighty God with power and great glorie Tit. 2.13 And if Iudges of assise doe not ascend to their seats of iudgmeÌ„t but as we haue said with great state solemnity shal we think that the Lord of the Angels iudge of man wil go meanly attended to his tribunall in the clouds 2. Christs second coÌ„ming is to coÌ„demnÌ„ the world to cast fear in the face of euery sinner It is requisite therfore it should be with power with signes of power 3. Christ shall haue at his coÌ„ming all that may set forth the state roialtie of such a King Now a part this glorie is in the attendants about his person For in the multitude of the people is the honor of the King saith Salomon Pro. 14.28 Therefore shal his day be manifest his comming glorious A confutation of their madnes who think with their multitudes as Giants here to put Christ out of countenance Vse 1 Christs seruants out of heart For what are their numbers to Christs thousands nay what are they al to one Angell and what a nothing to those troups of Angels who shal come with him froÌ„ heauen now stand about his throne in heaueÌ„ Euen they who band the world to resist Christ notwithstanding that they boast so much of their thousands whom they haue numbred against religion shall know one day and may know within few daies that there is no health but vnder his wings whom they haue defied For what saith the Lord to such Assyrian Spoilers gather on heapes and yee shall be broken gird your selues and yee shall be broken in peeces so saith the Lord and he saith it twise because it is ratified and God will doe it Esa 8.9 They were many against a few and heapes of men to there here and there a man yet did they stumble and fall and were broken and snared and taken verse 15. look Nahum 2.1 2. 13. Ioel 3.9.11 There was a conspiracie of Kings against Christ and Dauid prophecied of a world of kingdomes that should bee against him and yet what could they doe against him put him to death and he rose from death tread him downe by his owne sufferance and will for a little while and he is King for euer Iudge him here and he will be their iudge at his terrible comming Ps 2.2.3.4 But Vse 2 will Christ come with such power and signes of power then how terrible shall his comming be to presumptuous and vnrepentant sinners what will become of vnpardoned swearers drunkards whooremongers breakers of the sabbath liars slaunderers and such sinners at that great day of the Lords comming whether will they runne to saue themselues and into what holes of the earth to hide themselues how will they resist Christ who commeth so strong against them and if they must yeeld vnto him as is without question they must how will they abide the rebukes of his comming If the people could nor endure his glorie when he descended on mount Sinai in a storme of fire in tempest thunder and darknesse but fled and stood a farre off Exod. 20.19 And if the sight was so terrible that Moses himselfe said I feare and quake Heb. 12.21 And yet Christ came then but to giue the law as Mediatour not to visit for it as Iudge how shall his despisers stand before his great glorie and second comming when he shall burne with wrath stirring vp himselfe like a man of Warre till the houses of pride and children of disobedience bee destroyed for euer Or if the brethren of Ioseph could not tell what to say vnto him because of one trespasse against him Gen. 45.3 What shal these bastard brethren say to this glorious Ioseph our brother their Iudge for innumerable contempts and trespasses wherewith they haue pierced him being not ouer one kingdome only and vnder an higher as Ioseph ouer Egypt and vnder Pharao but ouer all the kingdomes of the world And if they who came to take Christ being a well prouided company when he himselfe was not countenanced with worldly meanes to resist and was onely followed by a few vnarmed men fell to the earth after he but spake vnto them Ioh. 18.6 how shall they fall back or rather altogether flat vpon their faces with horrible feare who shal come quâ—uering before him not attended as then with eleuen Apostles onely but with thousands of his Saints nor meanely furnished but gloriously arrayed not speaking gently whom seek yee But threatning sharpely and saving roundly Depart from me ye cursed into euerlasting fire which is prepared for the Diuell and his Angels Mat. 25.41 If men should pitch against vs we would feare with the seruant who said Alas Master what shall wee doe 2. King 6.15 We would more feare if many Kings should ioine to make an hoast against vs. Yet the power of men might be forced yea the power of Princes but if an Angell should come against vs as sometimes against Balaam with a drawne sword Num. 22.23 Who can compell an Angell to returne to heauen What then when mighty troupes of Angels shall threaten the world at Christs comming Who shall daunt so strong a power the strong power of the Angels when they shall keep their march in the aire and professe to rebuke the vngodly and sinners that shall be turned into hell with all that forget God The Sunne Moone and Starres that neuer sinned cannot endure this wonderfull and astonishing maiestie of the Sonne of God and therefore shall by a kinde of blushing darknesse presently loose their light and glorie and shall the race of men that haue beene such sinners and stand not in any borrowed corruption as those heauenly lights doe but in their proper transgression and filthinesse appeare without shame and without the confusion of their faces before Christ the iudge of all flesh at that day nay if the sea and waters not infected by their owne but by mans sinne shall then roare and cry out because of those things which shall come on the world Luk. 21.25.26 How shall the wicked roare out for the disquietnesse of their harts and how shall the vngodly and sinners feare and be troubled who haue stained themselues and cast into the world those defilings that cannot bee washed but with a floud of fire A comfort to the righteous For Vse 3 shall Christs comming bee glorious then they shall not
chuse but come And the Euangelist Iohn the third witnesse of this truth vnto vs saw this in a vision wrote it in a booke His words are And I saw the dead both great and small stand before God Apoc. 20.12 Not some dead but all the dead little and great And they were iudged Not some men but euerie man according to his workes ver 13. But shall the dead onely stand before Christ not they who shal be found aliue at his comming Yes euen they shall stand before Him and the elect then aliue shall come vp vnto him 1. Thes 4.16 The elect shall be with him in the Mount the wicked and sinners shall stand at the foote of the hill The reasons First euerie thought and worke must bee brought into iudgement Eccles 12.14 11.9 and if euery secret thing and worke then the persons out of whose hearts those thoughts came and in whose hands those workes were must be iudged Secondly among the sonnes of Adam some are gold and they must be purged and some drosse and they must be burnt vp with the fire of the Lords comming Here goates and sheepe feede together as in one common pasture and here tares and wheat grow vp together as in one common field But when they come to the fold the Porter of heauen not Peter but Christ will open the doore of life to his sheepe and open hell for damned goates and reprobates and when they come to the haruest the Master of the field will command his Reapers the Angels to gather the wheate of his election into his garner but for the chaffe of his wrath he will scatter it with the wind of his iudgement and burne it vp with the vnquenchable fire of hell Math. 3.12 13.30 It is necessary therefore for the triall of euery mans worke and person that there should be a generall iudgement and a generall appearing at it Thirdly it is more for the glory of God and the solemnitie of the day that all without exception shall be cited to it and be present at it It is more to the glorie of God for then the glory of his iustice shall more appeare in the reprobation of sinners and the glorie of his grace be more and more gloriously manifest in the saluation of his people And for that daies magnificence what can be imagined to make it more solemne stately and glorious then to haue all countreyes tongues and kindreds of the earth to come together to it for what a great day will that be and how full of maiestie beautie and honour when the whole world shall appeare together at once that is at one session and iudgement If a King should marrie his eldest sonne and bid many Kings and some Emperours to the marriage would not that be a great marriage but at the day of Christs marriage wherein he shall be eternally espoused to his Church all the world shall be present all Kings and Emperors that euer were shall be at it some as guests to honour it some as enemies to be driuen from it Math. 22.11.13 Quest But if the godly shall be iudged and if all persons both the godly and sinners shall and must appeare before Christ in iudgement how is it true that the Saints shall come with Christ and that no iudgement shall passe by Christ against the saints and why doth Saint Iohn say that he who beleeueth in the Sonne shall not come into iudgement Ioh. 3.18 For answere I say that Answ though all persons must come vnto iudgement yet the righteous onely shall stand in the iudgment Ps 1.3 and with boldnesse before Christ the Iudge Luc. 21.36 who therefore shall receiue sentence with them not as the wicked against them and here the sentence of come yee blessed not the wofull sentence of goe ye cursed into euerlasting fire Math. 25.34.41 where it is said that he who beleeueth shall not come into iudgement the meaning is and so our bookes haue it into iudgement of condemnation Quest Answ But the text hath against all men I answere the me anng is and the greeke preposition may well be rendred vpon all men and so the last translated Bible copie hath it Will Christ giue iudgement vpon all men Vse 1 good and bad then the bodies of all men that sleepe in the dust good or bad must be raised For if they be not raised how shall they be iudged or shall they be iudged in their soules onely then not men but the soules of men onely are to be iudged This point of the resurrection is a point or article of faith to saluation wherein we professe to beleeue by the scriptures that when the soule goeth out of the bodie to rest or paine the bodie it selfe is laid in some graue till the day come wherein the Lord Iesus will raise it by his voice in an Archangell either to eternall happinesse or to eternall miserie I speake of the soules going out of the body For some haue thought that the soules of men which die not are kept in still within the body that dieth as in a sleepe or swoune till the last day But we reade to the contrarie in the word of God as of soules vnder the altar not still in the body and of crying soules not of soules asleepe or soules in a traunce Apoc 6.9 So Lazarus soule was carried to heauen Therefore not least in the bodie but taken out of the bodie Luc. 16.22 Other groser opinions of the soules estate after death I leaue to the Mowles and to the Backes from which they came Esa 2.20 My purpose being to speake of the bodies estate as it shall be at the last day not of the soules as it is at the day of our death And here for the resurrection of bodies which we beleeue with all the true Churches of Christ Satan hath raised some in all ages to cauill against it or flatly to denie it For all haue not altogether denied it who were enemies to it as Himineus and Philetus who granted there was a resurrection but said it was past 2. Tim. 2.17.18 And the Sadduces did not generally resist it but had their false glosses and diuers interpretations of it Indeed the Stoikes and Epicures among the Philosophers were peremptorie adâ—ersaries to it Act. 17.18 and Libertines among Christians doe in their liues denie it But the truth of it shineth brighter in scripture and reason then that it can be darkned by any cloude how blacke soeuer of humane opposition Iob saith that after the wormes haue done with his bodie yet euen in that bodie he shall see God Iob. 19.26 Ezechiel foresheweth the bringing againe of the people out of captiuitie vnder an excellent figure of the rising and restoring of our flesh at the last day Ezech. 37.5.6 as if he should haue said He that can restore flesh and breath to rotten bones can restore the Israelites to their country Esay speaketh plaine of this matter saying Thy dead men
shall liue together with my dead bodies shall they rise Esa 26.19 where the Prophet testifieth without any figure his hope in the resurrection both of his owne bodie and the bodies of all beleeuers His drift is to proue that same thing whereof we spake before out of Ezechiel namely the restoring of Israel after their long captiuitie in Babylon where he sheweth that as herbs which in winter seem dead are fresh again in the spring so the people who seemed to die as winter herbs in their captiuitie shall in the spring of their return rise as it were from death to life And yet hee plainely sheweth that the bodies of the faithfull though they seeme vtterly to porish when they are in the earth shall rise at the last day through that seed which they haue in Christ Daniel speaketh yet more plainely and saith Many of them that sleepe in the dust of the earth shall awake Dan. 12.2 He saith many as if he should say an infinite number shal awake an infinite number of the iust and an infinite number of the wicked Or by many hee vnderstandeth all as the Apostle in a like case doth Rom. 5.15.19 Where speaking of many dead by the sinne of Adam he sheweth in the 18. verse that by those many hee meaneth all The Iewes gather from the text in Daniel that there shall be no resurrection of the wicked which also they doe from the first Psalme But they gather that the holy Ghost neuer scattered And they may as well say that all the godly shall not rise because it is said many not all as that the wicked shall not be raised But to proceed wherefore did Dauid lay vp his flesh in such hope but because hee had greater faith in the resurrection Psal 16.9.10 Martha neuer staggered at the resurrection but confessed it as a doctrine of the faith of those times For when Christ had said thy brother shall rise againe shee readily answered I know that hee shall rise againe in the resurrection at the last day Ioh. 11.23.24 As if hee had said I doubt nothing of that Saint Paul in the whole 15. chapter of his former Epistle to the Corinthians maketh the resurrection the subiect of all his disputes there And this was his hope that he had toward God that the resurrection of the dead should bee both of the iust and vniust Act. 24. The Epistle to the Hebrews speaking of the manifold martyrdomes of the Saints sheweth that they quietly endured al those sharpe stormes in their faces because their hope was to receiue a better resurrection that is better then any deliuerance here Heb. 11.35 Also how could Christs argument hold that God is the God of the liuing being the God of Abraham Isaac and Iacob if Abraham Isaac and Iacob should not liue as now in their soules which are before God so hereafter in their bodies which are in Gods keeping Mat. 22.32 Neither doth the Lord say I am the God of Abrahams soule but the God of Abraham that is of Abrahams whole man Thus the point of the resurrection is plaine by Scripture It followeth briefely to shew what euidence it hath in reason that we may take heauen earth to witnesse against the oppugners of it Deut. 30.19 It is sufficient to weigh these matters in the weights of the sanctuarie and not needfull to trie them at the bulke of humane reason yet to giue them ouer measure that will not receiue this truth Let it first bee considered that as the soule of the righteous did not please God without the body nor the soules of the wicked sinne against him but in their bodies so it is requisite that as the soule of the one is glorified and the soules of the other are condemned to hell that I say their bodies also should in Gods time bee brought to pleasures or torment Secondly without the bodie the soule is imperfect And beeing imperfect how can it enter into an entire estate of happinesse till the body bee raised that the bodie may bee ioined to it Thirdly if the bodie should not bee raised the fulnesse of grace should not be shewed to the Saints nor the fulnesse of wrath to sinners Fourthly if there were no resurrection God shold promise that which he minded not to giue who promiseth a reward to the iust but it is at the resurrection Luke 14.14 Fiftly the reuolutions of so many springs summers haruests hard winters as it were so many deaths and resurrections the dying of the day in the night the graue of that day and the vprising againe of it in the morning from that den of darknesse are and doe become so many liuely testimonies to the world of the generall great resurrection of all bodies at the last day Sixtly doe we not see in the spring how that from a dead dry tree leaues proceed and sprout forth by a kinde of resurrection And doe wee not see the same tree to beare further fruit and to be adorned with a new rinde as it were fresh and beautifull skin do wee not fee in a small seede a tall and great tree is that which is sowne quickened except it die 1. Cor. 15.36 Doe not our Meddowes pastures and pleasant gardens which in the winter appeare dead without all beautie returne with the returne of the Sunne to their former full life and glorie This winter is our death and this spring our rising from death to life Seuenthly the swallowes wormes and flies which lie dead all winter doe with the returne of the Sunne and comming of Summer receiue a new life Now shall the force of this earthly Sun worke so in birds and wormes and shall the Sunne of righteousnesse be lesse able to giue life then the sunne of the heauens And if it was an easie thing with God at first to make man of nothing is it a lesse easie thing with him to make him againe though he be as nothing seeing hee is not meerely nothing but nothing out of that which was before Before we were borne where was our forme and matter Yet wee feee to what bignesse wee are come and what forme wee haue and what being Where was the seede of Leui when to speake as the Scriptures do hee was in the loines of Abraham his great grand-father Heb. 7.20 Many alterations corruptions and changes came between yet God purposed that Leui should be so borne that is of the feede of Abraham and not all the corruptions that came betweene could alter his purpose Lastly all the resurrections that we reade of in the Scriptures of the old and new testament as of the Shunamites sonne 2. Kin. 4.33 Of the body that was cast into the Prophets graue 2. King 13.21 of Lazarus Ioh. 11.43 of Iairus daughter Mat. 9.25 yea of the bright Sunne himself and of many Saints with him Mat. 27.52.53 are as so many pledges to vs of the resurrection that shal be of all dead bodies at Christs comming But must all
bodies bee raised O then let vs so prepare for death by a good life that the day of our resurrection may bee a day of refreshing to vs from the Lord. Act. 3.19 When the wicked as seede that rotteth in the earth which God doth not blesse shall arise without comfort let vs endeuor to lie downe in that fauour of God wherein who so falleth a sleep shal out of the same be sure to awake comfortably and ioifully hauing no more woe nor sorrow And as Christ is the first fruits of them that sleepe 1. Cor. 15.20 there resurrection beeing yet in the blade and greene eare and their bodies at rest in their graues as it were beds of peace in which they sleepe quietly till he shal raise them who raiseth the Sunne daily from his den So let vs so liue in Christ by our good consciences that when the night shall come that night or hour in the night whereof our Sauiour spake when hee said the night commeth when no man can worke Ioh. 9.4 we may goe down peaceably to our sepulchers as into our beds with confidence to stand before God in the resurrection of the iust The day will come let vs thinke of it earnestly when we must meete the Lord face to face It is good therefore to meete him heere in his word and in our honest conuersation seeking the things aboue Col. 3.1 that when we shall goe forth to meet him with the Virgins that had oile in their lampes and store of oile that is grace in their hearts wee may not bee ashamed Math. 25.1.10 If we will attaine to the resurrection of the iust we must begin it here in the New birth of a Christian and new life of one that is so borne For as in the first birth man is brought forth consisting of soul and body so in this second of our spirituall resurrection wee must haue a new soule and bodie as it were new heauen and earth created in vs. Of flesh we must be made spirit and of fleshly diuine so wee may comfortably looke for the last resurrection or our parts in it a day that sweeteneth more then sugar the crosses and miseries of our hard life here The comfortable day of the Saints and Christs glorious and welcome day after which he will raigne in the middes of the people for euer Againe shall the iudgement be of all men good and bad then it concerneth vs all if we meane to receiue from Christ the Iudge a comfortable sentence in that day to looke well to our estate and matters here that we bring a good cause and the witnesse of a good conscience to that iudgement seat He that hath a matter to be heard before some earthly Iudge and vpon some certaine day will at the time and about the day appointed be in some good readinesse That is He will bring his sufficient counsell to the barre be sure that his matter be good and euâ—dence without exception haue his witnesses to speake for him and the truth of the cause to speake for it selfe And shall we negligently deale in so waighty an action as that which must come to hearing before so great a Iudge of quicke and dead The day is set and we know not how suddenly it will come and in how short time Besides the matter to be heard concerneth not lands or goods but life or death eternall Christ is our onely Counsellour or Aduocate in that court our good deedes are our good euidence The witnesses are the word that must iudge vs and our owne consciences And shall we now despise the Son of God and count his couenant a prophane thing shall we crucifie by our sinnes Christ our Aduocate and thinke to haue him on our side and part or dreame that he will be for vs whom we haue crucified should we not rather kisse the Sonne with the kisse of our reconcilement to Christ who must speake for vs and be for vs if euer we be saued our good deedes are our best euidence and shall we follow after vnrighteousnesse doe bad deeds with greedinesse and shew no good euidence why we should not be damned our witnesses are the word and our owne consciences and shall we make a mocke of the word and not regard the witnesse of our conscience whether it be with vs or against vs if we despise the Gospell it cannot speake for vs and if we goe against our conscience it will surely be against vs. And should not man feare to bring a witnesse specially in such a court that will fearefully speake against him Let vs therefore endeuour by making much of the word by preferring it to our chiefe ioy by hearing it diligently by being moulded in it and fashioned like vnto it to get one witnesse for vs that is more worth then all the pleasures and profits of sinne that wretched men so admire And for the waies of our heart and actions of our life let vs so approue them to God who will giue an vpright sentence vpon them and vpon vs for them and doe them in such an integrity before God and innocencie before men when we either deale with God or haue dealing with our Neighbor that wee may haue two witnesses clearely for vs in that great day of hearing Lastly Vse 3 if all matters and persons must be iudged by Christ they are here reproued who take from God his seat and iudge their brother that is iudge him to condemnation For this Christ hath forbidden who is Iudg. Math. 7 1. And the Apostle Saint Paul would not haue vs thus to iudge our brother giuing this for a reason for we must all appeare before the iudgement seate of Christ Rom. 14.10 as if he should haue said by iudging in this manneâ— we would seeme to step before God and to preuent his sentence exposing our brother with great wrong to a double iudgement one which we pronounce another which Christ will giue at the last day So our brother shall be twice iudged once by vs who are vsurpers and againe by Christ who is Iudge indeed or by such manner iudgement we argue Gods righteous iudgement of insufficiencie and iudgement seat of corruption and so wrong the Lord and not only our brother when we so iudg him But though rash iudgement be forbidden yet all iudgement is not For the Iudge may censure a fault that deserueth death with death and may condemne a malefactor to the gallowes whom he may not condemn to hell The Minister may censure faults by the doome of the word of God and by ecclesiasticall correction Nay the priuate man may iudge a wicked person by his life so farre as he may know him by it and iudge him by the word though he may not iudge him to hell nor iudge him before the time 1. Cor. 4.5 we may iudge the tree by the fruit because by the fruit we may know it Math. 12.33 and so as farre as we know we may speake so we speake charitably
Depart from mee I know you not Gen. 27.30.33.38 Mat. 7.23 It is a plague of all plagues and the very bottome of the viall of Gods wrath to bee separated from Christ For as in the presence of God is the fulnesse of all ioy Ps 16.11 So to depart from the Lord is the perfection of all miserie Absalon could say Let mee see the Kings face and if there bee any trespasse in mee let him kill me 2. Sa. 14.32 His meaning was rather let me not liue then liue in disgrace an exile from my fathers court and fauour And what will the wicked say who must in this rebuke of their euerlasting banishment from the face and saluation of Christ depart neuer to returne And if the comming of the Sunne to a place promise ioy and the againe departing of it from the same place cause sorrow and darkenesse what ioy must needs be lacking and sorrow abound where the Sunne and God of saluation shall neuer in the sunne-shine of his presence bee seene any more Where shall be no gleames of fauour but darke tempests of iustice raining snares vpon all the wofull inhabitants of the earth And yet this punishment is not all though insufferable For the damned Cains of hell shall not onely haue this cursed marke set vpon them to goe from the presence of the Lord Gen 4.16 but shall dwell for euer in the Tophet of damnation Esay 30.33 where besides their not endurable pain of losse they shall haue inflicted vpon them paines of sense that are intolerable For spirituall Tophet is a place wherin is fire and much burning Our ordinarie fire the hottest we make and greatest we kindle is but as painted fire to this fire indeede Yet a man would not be in it one quarter of an houre to gaine the world How much then and itolerably shall the wicked suffer who shal be tormented in this fierce fire not a quarter of an houre or yeare only but yeares vppon yeares yea millions of yeares world without end or if a little disease and that but in one part onely so troubled vs lying vpon a soft bed How shall we abide the rebuke of the Lord in all the parts of our body and tender powers of our mind and not vppon our pallats of ease but beds of glowing fire The rage of the fiercest enimy may be qualified or if it might not yet he shall perish and his wrath with him But in this large winepresse of the Lords indignation the worme dieth not and Gods anger endureth for euer as himselfe is eternal The couenant that God hath made with the day and night shall be broken But his iudgment of rebuke is inuiolable They whom he condemneth shall bee euer damned and whom he sendeth to hel shall neuer returne Some doe here idly aske how fire can euer burne the flesh of the damned and neuer consume it To this Ianswere materiall fire cannot but this fire appointed so to doe by the powere and will of the Creator shall The bush that Moses saw in the fire burned and consumed not Exod. 3.2 And it is saide of the Salamander that shee liueth in the fire and is not burnt So why may not these bushes of the curse ordained to burning and hellish Salamanders iudged to perpertuall fire be day and night tormented in a fornace of intollerable heat and yet their flesh neuer be diminished nor their bodie consumed in those flames Some are curious to know what manner fire that shall be Quest that is able to burne vpon not the bodies onely but soules of damned wretches To this curious question I only answere Answ God knoweth And let vs who haue the hope of the Saints endeuour rather neuer to feele it then to know it For as when a mans house is on fire we stand not to enquire how it came but doe our best to quench it so it should be our wisdome hearing that the Lord will rebuke the world with fire and sinners with hell fire rather to quench the matter of it in our so many increasings against God by the meanes of sinne that dwelleth in vs and to take from it the wood-pile that fedeth it then curiously to dispute or search how fire can fasten vpon a spirituall substance and with what kind of burning Thus haue we showed that the Lords comming at the last day shal be a putting of the wicked frō God and a putting of them into hell where they shall be tormented day and night for euer and that therefore it will be a day to all vngodly men of intolerable wrath from God and vexation from the effects of his comming The reasons All things which then they shall see and feele shall be if any thing may be terrible most terrible They shall see and feele sinne on their right hand and Satan on their left hell vnder their feet and an angry Iudge aboue their head the world full of destruction without and a worme gnawing the heart within Or to speake as b Anselme one sometimes fearefully spake Aboue them shall be their Iudge offended with them for their wickednesse beneath them hell open and that burning furnace wide gaping to receiue them on the right hand their sinnes accusing them on the left hand fierce diuels ready to execute this wrathfull sentence of the Lords rebuke vpon them within them their conscience gnawing without them all damned soules bewailing on euerie side the world burning Be not these sights terrible and will not these things worke terribly Secondly the wrath of a Lyon is terrible Am. 3.8 what then when the Lord shall roare from heauen and giue forth his voice and that a glorious voice who will not then be afraid or if the wrath of a King that is if a Kings anger or fire iust kindled burne to death vpon the offendours for Salomon saith The wrath of a King is as messengers of death Prou. 16.14 how terrible to eternall death shall the Lords anger be prouoked by sinners how insufferable to all those who haue by rebellious wickednesse offended him If the King passe sentence who will denie execution For where the word of the King is saith the Preacher there is power Eccles 8.4 And yet the King may command where the Subiect will not see done as when Saul would haue put Ionathan to death and the people would not let him die 1. Sam. 14.44.45 But if God once passe sentence who will stop it nay who will not be readie both good and bad Angels to execute it If Gods wrath be to be feared in man how fearefull is that wrath in the God of wrath Dauid saith if his wrath be kindled but a little blessed are they that trust in him then when it is all on fire how miserable are they who hauing trusted in themselues and prouoked him can haue no hope from him nor comfort from his comming Thirdly the signes that shall keepe company with or be ioined to the comming of the sonne of man to iudgement
as the darkning of the Sunne and Moone the roaring of the Sea and waters not by an ordinary but strange vnquietnesse the failing of mens hearts the generall palsey or shaking disposition that shall be in all the heauenly powers which shall be so violent and with such perturbations of all lights and elements that the starres shall fall that is shall seeme to fall from heauen and the signe of the Sonne of Man which I take to be the burning of the high heauens and this lower earth which at the instant of his comming shall be set on fire these and the like signes not of peace but of warre to the world and not of fauour but of great wrath to sinners how can they but pierce with feare all such as shal come before the Lord in their sinnes without repentance at this day If the winds keepe vs in some awe when they be high and loud and if we feare the sea when it is but a little mooued if euerie sudden noise and cracke at mignight fright vs and if the thunder make vs afraid what shall their feare be and how great the confusion of their faces who shall stand in no faith and therefore with no boldnesse before the Sonne of God when all these matters of intolerable feare shall come together and meete vpon the then firie stage of this world and be ready to execute in their fiercest wrath and greatest power the law and will of their most excellent Creator against all faithlesse reprobates Fourthly this will be a day not of mercie but of rebuke to all Gods enemies and therefore intolerable to such For if the Lord doe straitly marke what is done amisse who shall abide it Psal 130.3 An admonition Vse 1 seeing it shall be thus to all the enemies of Christ presently to make our peace with Him while we are in the way Mat. 5.25 Our Sauiour doth exhort all the faithfull to this wisdome by the example of a King going to warre who being wise confidereth if hee be able with tenne thousand to meere him that commeth against him with twenty thousand or if he be not will send an ambassage and desire conditions of peace Luc. 14.31.32 Haue we our ten thousands to incounter with Christ who commeth that is will come with thousands of his Saints to giue iudgement vpon all men Surely as the men of Samaria reasoned concerning Iohn two Kings could not stand before him how then shal we stand 2. King 10.4 so we may more truly and better say concerning Christ not two Kings but not all the Kings of the earth though they banded themselues and assembled in troupes against him could yet euer preuaile or stand before the fierce wrath of his comming Psal 2.2.4.9 and shall we poore wormes when Christ will come to rebuke sinners thinke to abide or stand against the chiding voice of his iudgement so intolerable and righteous therefore yeeld we must or be broken in peeces Should we not therefore while this King is I cannot say a great way off for he may be neeter then we are aware but in his way yet toward vs by his singular patience send forth an ambassage of humble supplication and teares and present amendment of life desiring peace and that he would not turne against vs but to vs in mercy that we may be saued Therefore while our feet are at libertie and before wee bee bound hand and foot let vs runne the way of the Lords commandements while we haue tongues and before we become speechlesse Mat. 22.12 let vs vse our tongues well and not suffer our mouthes to sinne and while we haue hands and before our hands fall from our arme and arme rot from our shoulder let vs worke with our hands the thing that is good Ephes 4.28 and procure things that bee honest in the sight of all men and while wee haue breath before God stop our breath let breath and all praise the Lord and while we haue eares and before our eares these daughters of singing bee abased Eccles 12.4 let vs lift vp our eares to the word and not vnto vanitie For if here we stop our eares against the trumpet of the Gospell we shall heare to our griefe the trumpet of the last iudgement which whether wee sleepe in the ayre or fire or sea or holes of the earth will awake vs. Some nay many like some players at the game of cardes who though the night be farre spent will not giue ouer till their candle faile them will not leaue off to doe wickedly till the candle that Iob speaketh of bee put out And some flatter themselues with an imagination of a longer day then God hath set vnto them or perhaps to the world for the last houre thereof But let such know that thogh the day of iudgement were far of yet the day and houre of euery mans particular iudgement in death cannot be it being a common and true saying to day a man to morrow none And for the day of the generall death of this languishing world he that wisely considereth the waines and declinings that haue been found in it within these few yeares and how like a woman with child which hath many panges fits before the throwes of her great labour come it is now in paine till it be deliuered hauing much complained in those signes and alterations that are gone before I say hee that well obserueth to the true purpose of his saluation these such like throws or rather downe throwes of things in the womb of this old and sickly world so neare to the trauell and time of her appointed end by fire cannot but say that it cannot continue long and that the Lord will come shortly among vs. When wee see a man in whose face wearing age hath many wrinckles and deepe surrowes we say This man can not liue long so when we see the furrowes of old age to appeare and bee manifest in so many wastes and consumptions as this feeble world is entred into why doe we not see that the death of it is neare More particularly and specially as there is no greater signe that a man is drawing towards death then that hee is alway catching at the sheetes and blankets and alway snatching and pulling at somewhat so seeing that euerie one catcheth what hee can in this griple and couetous age and seeing that there is so insatiable a minde of hauing in all conditions and callings of people now it is a sure signe to the heart of a wiseman that this world is sicke vnto death and so as it cannot hold out long And if there be no greater signe of death then that the bodie is so cold that no heate will come vnto it surely the cold charitie of the world mens no zeale to religion our nullitie of faith or poore growth in faith insomuch as Sermons are seldom heard or with small amendment can not but testifie that the world it selfe came to be of no long life