the deserued fall of this you haue which is euermore enuironed with miserable feare and blindnes with feare to loose that they haue by sundrie casualties And so blinde as not able to beholde the miserie of that ende which hath none other heauen then this present earth But Oh come and beholde the state of these blessed that are not godly rich O yée sonnes of men and you shall bée enforced if you hunger to bée truely blessed to pray with that holy rich Dauid Psal 17.14 Deliuer my soule from the wicked with thy sworde from men O Lorde by thine hande from men of the worlde who haue their portion in this life whose bellyes thou fillest with thine hidde treasure their children haue ynough and leaue the rest of their their substance for their children But I will beholde thy face in righteousnesse and when I awake I shall bee satisfied with thine image That is When I shall arise from the sleepe of naturall death it shall bée full felicitie to me that thou in thy mercy O Lord hast made mee thy creature and liuely image formed by and after thée in holynesse and righteousnesse and to enioy the fulnesse of thy face Colloss 2. which is true blessednesse The tormentes of Hell in Diues might sufficiently teach vs howe false is the felicitie of earthly beautie brauerie dignitie riches and greatest glorie If Christ bée not in them your ende shall bée wéeping and woe Iames. Hée was braue but now is the Godly Lazar beautifull he was of great possessions but Lazarus hath the kingdome Luke 16. He gaped after gold gay clothes delicate fare but the despised man of God is truely rich decked with glory delicately fed with the countenance of the Lord. Diues supposed rich is buried in hel And by that he greatly offended in that he is greatly punished For his tongue is vehemently tormented in the flame he cryeth for fauour but cannot obtain for hée had no part of the first resurrectiō which is true beatitude and therefore must he néedes dwell for euer in the seconde death He would haue his brethrē warned that they dreame not of false felicitie but the very way to blessednesses is there taught him and also vs not to bée learned from the deade Luke 16. but of the liuing Lawe of the Lord. They haue Moses the Prophets let them heare them Esai 8.19.20 Be afraide ye gallants of the earth you delicate Nymphes of these deayes which term it now most delicate to you iudge your selues that ye be not iudged of the Lorde 1. Cor. 11. Burie not your mindes in fained felicitie but séeke you after true happinesse If riches honours Castels Lordships Lands Reuenues wordly goods greatly increase set not your hearts vpon them Be not locked into the Coffer of thy gold with Diues but haue a godly liberal hart with Abrahā Rather sit at the doore of thy house ready to benefite thy countrie thē hauing many to runne from al thy homestedes to lye aloofe to féede thy selfe Haue a Christian eye to the whéele of false felicitie For the more swéete shée séemeth the sharper is her loose whom she most fauoureth him maketh she most fottish Truely the prosperitie of fooles destroyeth them Prou. 1.32 But if by grace from God in thy part of the first resurrection thou withstandest her pleasures and vngodly desires Sizach thou crownest then thy life with felicitie in him Which God grant vs for his holy Christs sake And thus much of false flattering felicite But that we may be partakers of this blessednes approued to vs here by the spirite of god let vs lend our hearts to heare Truely this felicitie is first by the Lorde diffused to vs in this life but possessed by vs more amplie in heauen at the houre of death yet neuer fully obtained till the time héere mentioned for the iust namely at the second resurrection When we shal be fréed from all woe and shal be filled with all fulnesse of ioy and bée the priestes of God and Christ to raigne with him a thousand yeare that is for euer and euer Blessed is he that hath part in the first resurrection for on such c. This text doth first then yeld a resolute answere to this demand who are they which be truly blessed Truely saith our text euen whatsoeuer he that hath part in the first resurrection whether he be king or caytiffe prince or potentate preacher or people rich or poore he or she yong or old one or other Come vp hither ye sōns of mē raise vp you your heauy harts for the catholik curse of Adams loines behold an vniuersal beatitude in our common Christ This absolute happinesse is not shut vp to a few but as many as can be partakers of the first resurrectiō so many I say shal be blessed frō the second death which is the infernall lake of fire brimstone But for your better helpe to the comfort of this place note héere with mée two thinges The first what is this first resurrection The seconde how we may assure our selues to be partakers therof Now we must cōsider our text doth insinuate vnto vs a duple resurrectiō namely a corporal a spiritual 2. Cor. 5.2.20 The corporal resurrection is the supplie of this article I beleeue the resurrection of the deade and is common to all for all fleshe shall die and ryse agayne to iudgemente But the spirituall resurrection is particular to the sōnes of God alone is called the first because in this life his holy spirit doeth kill the members of sinne to death in vs rayseth vs vp togither in Christ Ephesi 2. to a newnesse of life But so necessarie a doctrine it is to bée delyuered vs of either resurrection that I may not omit but speake of them both And as many scriptures doe testifie the first so it is my purpose to charge your memories but with one but that so sufficiēt as may alone suffice our purpose at this time and your vnderstanding of Gods good pleasure in that iudgement viz. Apoc. 20.11.12.13.14.15 And I sawe a great white throne and one that sate on it from whose face fled away both the earth and heauen and their place was no more founde And I sawe the dead both great and small stand before God the books were opened and an other booke was opened which is the booke of life and the deade were iudged of those things which were written in the books according to their workes And the sea gaue vp her dead which were in her and death and hell deliuered vp the deade which were in them and they were iudged euery man according to their workes And death and hel were cast into the lake of fire this is the seconde death And whosoeuer was not founde in the booke of life written was cast into the lake of fire This holy scripture beloued doth most playnely
that dayly we so grieue him by our sinne This I take to be Pauls comfort to vs where he saith But God setteth out his loue towardes vs Rom. 5.8.9.10 seeing that while we were yet sinners Christe died for vs much more then being now iustified by his bloode wee shall be saued from wrath through him For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his sonne much more being reconciled wee shall be saued by his life 2 The seconde argument is of the absolute sacrifice of Christ Gods sōne for vs. we cannot fall from naturall death into popish purgatorie which are graft into his death for the same hath fully satisfied the iustice of God for vs pacified his anger and obteined vs eternall redemption 1. Pet. 3.18 For Christ also hath once suffered saith Peter the iust for the vniust that he might not sende vs to purgatorie but bring vs to God And this Christ in his owne bodie bare our sins on the trée 1. Pet. 2.24 that being deliuered from sinne then of good consequent from the rewarde of sinne which is death wee shoulde liue in righteousnesse by whose stripes and not by popishe purgatories purging we are soundly healed The fathers wrath in this sacrifice is fully pacified for he hath giuen vs twice warrant thereof by his owne voyce saing 1. Pet. 2.24 Mat. 3.17 17.5 1. Pet. 1.17 This is my beloued sonne in whom I am well pleased It resteth therefore according to our heauenly fathers commaundement that we onely heare and beléeue him No feare of death or iudgement to hell much lesse to purgatorie can come then to vs which liue in the first resurrection by newnes of life For the Lorde our redemer hath payed the full price of our ransome and is therefore our Lutron and Lutrosis so as the vttermost farthing is tendred to Gods iustice in his death for mans sinne not by petition of sparing or bearing for day of further payment Matt. 20. but by his blood he hath paide himselfe once for all a full and absolute price for our redemption to his father Col. 2.14.15 and hath therfore triumphed on the crosse against principalities and powers and hath taken vs in his victorie from the handes of captiuitie translated vs into his grace putting out the whole hand writing that was against vs. Totum Chyrographum he hath taken away the whole obligation not parte of it in discharge of our debts that be graft in him And therfore there can not remayne a remnaunt of redemption for our selues in a popishe purgatorie For to suppose this were the greatest iniurie that coulde be to the blood of our full ransome Iesus Christ Last of all the promise of Gods mouth which can not lie whose wordes are alwayes yea and shall be alwayes true though heauen and earth runne together to perfourme them is a further assurance to the conscience of the godly man that hee shall passe from death presently vnto life For their purgatorie is say they but to punish those sinnes which at a mans death remaine vnpardoned and not purged before But to the penitent God saith thus At what time so euer a sinner doeth repent him of his sinne Ezech. 18. from the bottome of his heart at that time will I saith the Lord I shall the Pope then punish put all and not part of his wickednesse out of my remembraunce And our sauiour Christ Io. 6. hath promised vs which is the author of trueth He that beleeueth in me yea though he were deade yet shal he liue And he that beleueth in me hath euerlasting life Againe that which aboue all other is most plaine Hee that beleueth in mee Io. 5.24 shall not come into cōdemnation but hath passed from death to life Héere is plaine pardon and free immunitie from iudge and gaoler or corpus capias to bring to the barre for them that die in the true faith of the Lord for they are blessed and holy shal not sée death but shal be presently taken vp to life to be the priestes of God and Christ to raign with him for euermore But now to ende this my tedious labor O my deare brethrē both tyring you and much toyling my self gods spirite doth heere tell vs howe the faithful whose sinnes Psa 32.1.2 though they haue many are not laid to their charge are so farre from being plunged in a popishe purgatorie that farre contrary they are exalted into the height of heauen and called to the companie of those sanctified soules which daily follow the lambe and offer vp to God the holy sacrifice of praise and thankesgiuing for their redemption in the bloude of the Lambe saying Apoc. 7.12 Amen Praise and glorie and wisdome and thankes and honour and power and might be vnto God for euer more Amen These are they which came out of great tribulations saith the elder vnto Iohn and haue washed their robes white in the bloud of the Lambe Therfore are they in the presence of the throne of God and serue him day and night in his temple and hee that sitteth on the Throne will dwel among them This is not a paineful purgatorie for it followeth They shall hunger no more neither thirst any more neither shall the sunne light on them neither any heate therefore no hott purgatory fire for the Lamb which is in the midst of the Throne shall gouerne them and shall lead them vnto the liuely fountaines of waters and God shal wipe al teares away from their eyes Behold héere a most blessed felicitie god grant vs al that be héere to day if it be his blessed will to be partakers hereof And now somthing to say of this reuerend person whose christian corps doth lye yet before vs according to the truth of his demerit with man for whose sake we are héere assembled Somewhat I knew the man my selfe But I am further assured of him by such as doe not fawne but truly feare the Lord That he was according to gods prouidence born vnto Christ he hath béene trained vp in Christianity mercifully called from the pestilent sinke of popery and from his first féeling of Christ hath euer cōstantly in heart embraced true religion and very comfortably made confession therof in the whole course of his life so as his handworking hath borne good testimonie of his beléeuing heart and hath so vprightly receiued these great blessings cast vnto him of God that this offer is made by such as it doth most concerne If any man bee able iustly to charge him to haue at any time willingly done wrōg to him or by brybery in his office to haue enriched himselfe vppon due proofe hereof Zacheus tribute shall bée paide vnto him that is he shal be restored foure fold And though this man had his imperfectiōs with the sons of god yet he comfortably felt his beatitude in his sauiour Christ euen the forgiuenes of his sins in the mercy of God through him therefore as he liued a partaker of the first resurrection so hee ended this life without feare of the seconde death And as he saw with holy Symeon the Lord Christ to be onely his saluation So we may pronounce of him with good confidence that his soule doth rest in peace And no doubt it is taken vp of Angels vnto the mount Syon the citie of the liuing God the celestiall Ierusalem Heb. 12.22 and to the companie of innumerable Angels and to the congregation of the first born which are written in heauen and to god the iudge of all and to Iesus the mediator of the newe Testament and to the bloude of sprinkling that speaketh better things then that of Habell For it asketh vengeance more forcibly to the wicked and promiseth life and pardon most assuredly to the sonnes of GOD. Wherefore to thée our deare father our sauiour Christ and the holy ghost thrée persons distinct but one immortall god be all glorie wisedome thankes honor power and might for euer more Amen Laudes Deo per Christum seruatorem nostrum
lay abroad the order and maner of iudgemēt at the last day And first the maiestie of the iudge in his comming is described Secondly the maner of the iudgement who they be and wherof the Apparants be iudged The Lords comming is with great glory he sitteth on a mightie seat farre passing the iudicial thrones of the greatest princes And of necessitie that must bée a greate Seate Titus 2.13 Luk. 1.32 which must beare the God of might It is a bright shining seate all glorious not with corruptible golde or precious stone but with the heauēly gleames more bright then the Sunne beames euen lightned with the brightnesse of his diuine glorie as Christ hath saide Matt. 25.31 The sonne of Man shal come in his glorie and he shall sit vppon the seate of his glorie and all the holy Angels shall come with him Whose glorious throne doth euen teach vs that the Lords iudgements are pure and without spotte No pleading at the barre no bribing of the iudge no frending by aquest no fauour found for siluer nor loue or hate shall beare a sway but equitie alone in him shall then bee séene Also his brightnesse in comming shal perce into the hearts and actes of al men to manifest and lay open the hidden secrets of the conscience according to the sentence of Paul 1. Cor. 4.5 Iudge nothing before the time vntill the Lord come who wil lighten things that are hide in darkenes make the councels of the hearts manifest and then shal euery man haue praise of God viz. as his labour asketh Likewise the shinning sunne and moone the glittering starres yea heauen earth shall be darkened faile of their brightnes before him For like as the glorious sunne shinning causeth the blasing torch to loose his brightnes in respect of him So shall that most beawtifull planet be as darkened with the great glorie of this shining throne in the comming of the Amightie Christ But my beloued if these glorious creatures shal flée from the presence of this mighty CHRIST comming to iudgement which euer haue béene obedient to his holy will yea that but when he is comming how shal it fare with vs when he is set vpon that terrible throne whose sinnes haue béene so many and the accusers so ready as the Lord his witnes sathās accusation Zopho and thine owne conscience which is to thée 1000. witnesses when the sunne is blacke the Moone as blood the stars fall Malach. like the gréene figges from their trées in a mightie wind the heauens depart away like a scroll Reue. 6.12 and all ysles and montaines are moued out of their places And the kinges the of earth the great men and the rich men the chiefe captaines and the mightie men and euery bondman and euery frée man hide them selues in dennes Esa 2.19 Hos 10.8 Luk 23.30 and amongst the rocks of the mountaines and shall say to the mountaines and rockes fall on vs and hide vs from the presence of him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the lambe In cause hereof let me say vnto vs with that holy Dauid Oh Psal 50.22 cōsider this you that forget God least the Lorde teare you in péeces and there bée none to deliuer you Séeing therefore that all these thinges must be dissolued and come to passe what manner of persons ought we to bée 2. Pet. 3.11 in holy conuersation godlinesse But when this iudge our Lorde Christ is thus gloriouslyset then these foresaid persons of ech degrée shall stand before him euen great smal for neither heauen nor earth can hid them or their crownes their dignities Lordships or warrelike courage wealth wil or wit shall be able to kéepe them from his presence or escape the iust iudgemēt which the balance of his equitie shal cast vnto thē Looke to this now ye knights and gentils here present and you rich in possessions be not careles of your life for godly preuention nowe shal embolden your persons then to lift vp your heades because your redemption is thē at hand Luk. 21.28 This order then shall be obserued The bookes shal be laid open before the Lorde and euery man high and low rich and poore shall be iudged with the scepter of trueth euen according as his déedes are written in those bookes Note héere beloued by an elegant Metaphor howe the spirite of GOD doth display the iudgementes of the Lorde He alludeth vnto the iudiciall courtes of kinges and Potentates where the bookes of recorde beare memorie of the faultes of men conuicted by good proofe Not that the Lord hath néede of bookes for he knoweth the thoughts words and workes of all men of euery idle word Math. 12.36 shall man be iudged but that héereby he would sende vs to our owne senses to knowe and féele that all our actions and heartes are in his sight and cannot be wiped out of his remembrance by other pensill then onely by true faith repentance And as we are fallen into this Metaphor of the Lords bookes So let vs know that the holy scriptures Ezech. 18. Heb. 6. attribute thrée bookes vnto God viz. liber prouidentiae Iudicii vitae The booke of his prouidence The booke of his iudgement and the blessed booke of life Of his prouidence Dauid saith thus Psal 139 16. Thine eyes did see mee when I was without fourme for in thy booke were all things writtē which in continuaunce were fashioned when there was none of them before O Lorde sayth hée when as yet I was not formed in my mothers wombe thine eyes did see me in the book of thy foreknowledge prouidence of thy diuine mind were all men written from the foūdation of the earth when as yet there was not one begotten The booke of his iudgementes this former text doth enforce the consideration of which bookes were opened and signifieth the certaine knowledge of al the words and workes of euery man from Adam tyll that instant according to the which they shall be all then iudged For those things which the Lord now knoweth as if he had them written in bookes those thinges that either our heartes wordes or workes haue imagined spoken or done the same then shall he then lay before vs as if he redde them out of them Apoc. 20. and shall thereby builde a reason vnto vs all why some shall by iudgement goe to hell some other vnto life Be not deceiued therefore good people God is not mocked or beguiled Gal. 6.7 for we shall be adiudged of euery idle worde that shall be spoken howe much more of wicked déeds as of idolatrie whordome blasphemie and such like Nowe go too you that put farre away the euill day Amos. 6.3 and approch the seat of iniquitie which take singular pleasure in ribauldry and filthy iesting which can laughe the lowdest when your lewde seruants are most disposed to lie Doe
A Sermon of sure Comfort preached at the Funerall of Master Robert Keylwey Esquire at Exton in Rutland the 18. of Marche 1580. By Anthonie Anderson Preacher and Parson of Medburne in Leicestershiere AT LONDON Printed by H. Middleton dwelling in Fleetstreete at the signe of the Falcon. ANNO 1581. A SERMON OF sure comfort preached at the Funerall of Maister Robert Keylway Esquier the 18. day of March 1580. As we are assembled in the name of our good God so let vs pray for his vniuersall Church c. The text Blessed and holy is hee that hath part in the first resurrection for on such the seconde death hath no power but they shall bee the Priestes of God and Christ and shall raigne with him a thousand yeare Apocalips 20. IT hath béene from auncient time receiued and verie long vsed in the Church of God right worshipfull and Christian audience at the Funerals of the godly to haue the worde preached to the people Not thereby to profite the deade which no way after life can chaunge this departing state but by it to instruct the lyuing that they may learne to die in the Lorde and so rest from the labour of sinne and hell And why may not the godly preacher take occasion at funeralls to preach the worde of God Nay why shoulde they omitte any occasion but rather with Christ and his Apostles waite oportunitie to preach the worde whensoeuer the people be gathered together So Christ at Ierusalem Iohn in the wildernesse Iohn 7. c. Math. 3.1 Mar. 1.45 Act. 17.22 and Paul in Mars stréete preached the worde where and in what place the people were assembled The fathers likewise of the Church of auncient time haue at such assemblies taken occasion to teach the liuing euen when the funeralles were solemnized ouer the deade Whereby it was that those men did not only benefit the Churh during their liues but euen their corps as it were did afforde a finall benefite to the same at their departure to the earth And though the Papistes haue abused much this sacred vse so as at this day some vse it and suppose it rather to benefite the dead then séeking to profit the liuing thereby yet is this no reason why we should abstaine from food or our parentes shoulde foreslow to féed vs with the bread of life bicause the enemies of God haue abused it Let vs then looke vpon this heauenly bread which God in mercie by the occasion of this christiā corps here present hath new in the seruice of mine endeuour offered vnto you It is a cōfortable consolation to the children of God spoken and commanded to be written to them that they should not be swallowed vp in the sorowes of sharpe persecution and tyrannie of Antichrist Or be beaten from the anchor of hope in God whilest they are accursed of the world or be driuē to dispaire vnder the crosse by the multitude of afflictiōs but should assure thēselues of his loue towards them of their estate in him howsoeuer the malignaunt mindes of wicked men should bend their force against them Blessed and holy is he c. This scripture compriseth a resolute aunswere to that often asked matter namely who is he that is truly blessed what it is to bée blessed indéed In answere whereof the spirite of God obserueth this order First he declareth who they bée which be truely blessed Secondly he doth elegantly set downe the condition and state of them which are so blessed Touching the first Who is blessed he aunswereth Blessed is he that hath part in the first resurrection Concerning the seconde And what is their blessednes He faith For on such the seconde death shal haue no power but they shal be the priestes of God of Christ shall raigne with him 1000. yeares that is to say for euer That we may take sufficient profite of this Godly labour let vs well obserue the text Bessed is he that hath part c. There hath béene no state so accursed but the same hath desired to be blessed Nor any people so sottish that haue not in cause of happy desire sought after felicitie But such as the dispositions of the persons were such for the most part was their supposall of felicitie Symonides Some sort supposed it an happie thing to bée beautifull and braue Pindarus Some other déemed happinesse to consist onely in rule and dignitie And therefore haue tendered with hazarde their soules to Hell atchiuing by wicked practizes some stately seates in earth Aristot Some haue supposed ciuill honestie to be the habite of true felicitie and hauing obteined a faire course therein haue onely rested there as in the chaire of heauenly happinesse But others more lewde haue sonke themselues to hell Rom. 2. with gaping after earthly treasure haue thesaured to themselues in déede the malediction of God against the day of wrath Of this sort was that Diues in the 12. of Luke and likewise his companion Luke 12. in the 16. of the same Luke 16. In whose earthly beatitude appeare these deadly miseries Namely in obtaining riches a greedie desire and in possessing them a double mischiefe To themselues they did abounde in great prodigalitie but vnto all other they were imprisoned in the déepe dungeon of needlesse nigardie For thēselues they gathered still fared alwaye delicately aparelled euer costly stil open harted to their owne delights but very narrowly chested to al others which would haue ben resonably satisfied with the least part of their superfluous prouision Oh that the states of our dayes would looke to this Those Lords these knightes and you the rich of this age you suppose it your chiefe happines to ioyne house to house and lande to land bloude to bloud and thousands to thousands and yet yee hunger after more But alas the most of these doe suppose it their blessednes to haue a Rowlande for an Oliuer To banquet and furfette with Bacchus to disporte and sléepe with Venus To haue store of children great wealth sound bodies stately buildinges and noble names of the vulgar sorte But beholde both reason in earth and tormentes in hell shall teach you in trueth that this is rather follie then true felicitie For if this be true happines to be frée from al sorts of misery and to abounde in all sacietie of good things without appetite of farther or desire of more howe can you reiecte reason which telleth you O earthly happie that you are yet in great misery For though in riches yée surpasse Cresus in carnal venery Sardanapalus in delicate disshes either the Epicure or Bacchus in conioyned possessions euen Alexander the conqueror yet your miserable mindes thinke though we haue much yet haue we not ynough We are sorie our throtes be no déeper our bellies no greater our nights no longer our patrimonies no larger For had you wonne the whole world yet would you couet to haue another and miserably yée feare