be Because he could not conceiue them by reason he thought they could not be but there bee many things done that wee cannot perceiue how they bee done An Adamant stone drawes Yron to it though we cannot perceiue how it dooth it a Diamond stone will write vppon Glasse though wee cannot perceiue how wee see the shadow of a Dyall is gone but we cannot perceiue how it is gone so a childe in a short time is growne but we cannot perceiue how it growes Now if our reason be confounded in so many earthly things how much more in this heauenly worke of regeneration Iesus answered Art thou a teacher in Israel Verse 10 and knowest not these things Seeing he lost his speech on him he fals to rebuking of him as if hee should say takest thou vpon thee to teach and guide other and art ignorant thy selfe and knowest not the principles that are as it were the A. B. C. to religion they had read the Scripture that said Circumcise the foreskin of your heartes turne to God repent c. but they vnderstood it not for if they had they should haue seene it all one with this that Christ saith Yee must be borne againe but Nichodemus knew not these things I doubt there be many men yea some ministers at this day which yet is more strange that can but onely reade the Scripture and repeate the letter but in the spirituall sence are as ignorant as Nichodemus to whome this reproofe doth no lesse but much more iustly belong Our Sauiour Christ hath vsed doctrine and confutation before and now he vseth reprehension but if the two former would haue serued he would haue spared the third so after men haue beene taught conuinced if they will not learne and practise they must be reprooued and so much the more earnestly as their faults are more vnworthy as Christ saith here to Nichodemus Art thou a teacher in Israel the choise people in the world and art ignorant of the chiefe point of religion As if it should be said to a maister art thou a iudge or iustice and dealest vniustly to a rich man art thou wealthy and liuest nigardly to a Christian professest thou trueth and speakest and dealest falsly and this is as necessary a part of the ministry as any other it as the purging part of a medicine that setteth all the rest of working for Nichodemus goeth away and is sharpned by this and by this makes vse of the rest for we heare no more of him till Iohn saith afterwarde hee was a Disciple of Christ indeede and though nowe hee came to Christ secretly yet afterward he professed Christ boldelye and ioyned with Ioseph of Aramathia to burie him honourablie Let Ministers learne by our Sauiour Christes example to vse all meanes doctrine confutation and reprehension euen to great men when neede require they perish else and learne by Nichodemus his example to make vse of these things though it bee long first by doctrine to reforme our ignorance by confutation to reforme our errors and by reprehension to reforme our sinnes and amend our liues Afterwarde the spirite of God in his good time did blowe vpon Nichodemus and by the grace thereof he was made capable of those things which he could not perceiue when hee was a naturall man Therefore let vs learne once more and once for euer that though the Minister vses neuer so great wisedome neuer so great zeale neuer so great faithfulnesse constancie and patience in teaching and admonishing of men yet without Gods blessing and grace all shall be in vaine vnto them and let vs knowe it is wante of grace that men continue ignorant after so much teaching it is wante of grace that men are frowarde and spurne against iust reprehension And to conclude let vs knowe that those onely who conforme themselues in iudgement affection and conuersation to the word of God are gratious men 〈◊〉 The little flocke of Christ. MARK 4. 3. Hearken beholde there went out a sower to sowe 4. And as he sowed some fell by the waye side and the fowles of the heauen came and deuoured it vp 5. And some fell on stonie ground where it had not much earth and by and by sprung vp because it had not depth of earth 6. But assoone as the sunne was vp it caught heate and because it had not roote it withered away 7. And some fell among thornes and the thornes grew vp and choaked it that it gaue no fruite 8. Some againe fell in good ground and did yeeld fruite some thirtie fould some sixtie fould and some an hundred fould 9. Then he said vnto them he that hath an eare to heare let him heare OVr Sauiour Christ being sent to preache glad tidings of mercie fauour and saluation to poore and penitent sinners many came to heare him and at this time the number of hearers being great he left the house where he was and went into a larger roome by the Sea Mat. 13. â— side and went it to a ship that was insteed of a Pulpit which beeing remooued a little from the land that he might be free from crowding and interruption he sate downe and taught the people This place of scripture I haue chosen as I promised in the beginning to shew howe small a number in comparison are pertakers of the misterie of godlinesse These wordes doe containe a Parable wherein our Sauiour Christ as is vsuall in Parables dooth by similitudes and familier examples borrowed from earthly things Prou. 1. set foorth heauenly things Salomon calles Parables darke sayings and so they are if they bee not expounded as this Parable were darke if the explanation that Christ makes of it afterwarde were not added This is called the Parable of the sower and containes certaine borrowed speaches taken from husbandrie and such things as concernes the body whereby is set foorth such things as concerne the soule When Christ had propounded this Parable the Disciples did aske him the meaning Verse 10 of it as wee may â—ee in verse 10. and in the 14. verse hee comes to expound it to them To the sower he compares the Minister 1. Cor. 3. 9. who is by Paul called Gods labourer to the seed he compares the worde in the 14. 1. Pet. 1. 23. verse which Peter calles immortall seede of our new birth to the ground he compares 1. Cor. 3. 9. the heartes of men which Paul calls Gods husbandrie and â—erem 4. 4. calles them fallowe ground that had neede bee plowed vp to the fruite he compares the duties of holinesse and righteousnes which Rom. 6. the word requires and workes in men The drift of the Parable is to shewe though many doe heare yet the worde takes no effect nor brings foorth no fruite in the most because of their vnfitnesse for it some giue the worde no entertainment at all but it goeth in at one eare and out at the other Some receiues it but so shallowly that
therefore we must here the counsell of Ieremie Plow vp your fallow ground and sowe not among thornes Ier. 4. that is plucke vp these cares couetous carnall and voluptuous affections that doe chaoke the seede of the worde in vs the word should grow in our hartes alone but especially we must not suffer it to be ouergrone They may be calde thornes because they will pricke men for how egerly soeuer men follow the world yet when they die and consider how they haue gotten their riches and how little good they haue done with them they will pricke their hart and the softest and sinfullest pleasure that men haue followed when they die wil be as the sharpest thornes therfore those that liue carnally and couetously cannot but die sorrowfully Marke the seede that is sowne in all these three sortes of ground doe perish but not in all by the same meanes but in some by one meanes and some by another the diuell the world and the flesh be the three great enemies that keepe many men from their duties and so from their happynesse those that follow the diuell those that folthe world and those that follow the flesh are all naughty men they are none good but those that follow the worde and that doe resist the diuell ouercome the world and mortifie the flesh all the three sortes of men spoken of heretofore in this parable are hipocrites that onely haue a shew of religioÌ„ the second more then the first the third more then the second and no substance none are true christiaÌ„s but the fourth sort of men that follow in this parable who are compared to good ground Some fell in good ground This is the last sort of ground that is fit indeed for the seed because it is not hard but soft not stony but mouldry it is not forlorne and grone with thornes but fallowed hath those things plowed and plucked vp this is called good ground and brings forth fruite some more some lesse according to the degrees of the goodnesse of it This our Sauiour Christ expoundes in verse 20. there bee some mens harts like this good ground they are not like the other three the high way men are hard they vnderstand not the word but these vnderstand it as Mathew sheweth these are neither like the stony ground they Mat. 13. 23. continue not but are nipped and blasted with the heate of affliction but these indure those things with pacience and abide all weathers neither are they like the thorny ground for they are choaked with cares riches and pleasures of the world but these ouercome and ouergrow those things and bring forth much fruite But marke Luke Luk. 8. saith these men haue an honest hart God requires not the eare onely to heare but the hart to vnderstand to beleeue and loue that they heare And marke that hee saith They bring foorth fruite so that God requires the hand and the body to practise that we heare aswell as the care to heare the hart to vnderstand some thinke if they heare it is enough but all the three former badde men do that some thinke if they heare and attaine to a little knowledge it is enough but two of the former sorts of ground that are naught come so far but those only are good men that heare the worde with their eares vnderstand it with their hart practise it with their hands as our sauiour Christ saith in another place Blessed are they that heare the word of God and keepe it they be no good subiects that heare the princes lawes obay theÌ„ not they be no good seruants that heare their maisters comandements do them not so they are no good Christians that heare the worde of God and keepe it not therefore heare it is said they be good men that bring forth good fruit if any will aske what fruite the answere is all such good things as the worde of God dooth require of men which are generallye set downe by Paul to Titus Titus 2. the grace of God or worde of his grace hath appeared and teacheth vs to denye vngodlynesse and worldlye lustes and to liue godlye iustlie and soberlye in this present worlde The perticuler fruites are set downe by Peter to be faith patience temperance brotherly kindenesse c. And by Iohn in 2. Pet. 1. his first Epistle loue and liberallity and by Paul Rom. 12. and many other places For as good men must bring foorth fruite so not strange fruite but such as spring from the seede of the word of God that is sowne in their hearts The Papists will build Abbies giue money to maintaine Tapers weare hayre cloath goe of pilgrimage and seeme to be very deuoute and religious but these bee such things as springs from their owne inuention and not from the word of God Hipocrites also in the Church will seeme to bring foorth fiuite but it is eyther in doing such things which the worde commands not or in doing them otherwise then the worde commands them they will come to church on the Lordes day because the Prince commands it not because the word requires it they will giue something weekely to the poore keepe hospitalitie at Christmas because shame ciuilitie and others companie in it mooues them and not because religion mooues them in their best actions they want faith in God loue to men and humilitie in themselues that should giue a taste to their fruites and without which they are vnsauerie to God Trees that are transplanted from hotte countries may beare fruite here but not kindely not timely because they are not in their naturall soyle so of all that heares the word there neuer growes good fruite in any but those that haue honest and good harts So that those that bring forth bad fruite as it were wilde grapes those that bring foorth no good fruite and those that bring foorth fruite that seemes to bee good and yet with bad mindes are all naughty men onely those are good men that bring forth good fruite indeede with honest and good harts the want of obseruing this difference hath moued some to thinke theÌ„selues good Christians when they haue bin hipocrites these men are called good ground not that they be so of themselues or as if the word did finde them good but because they bee by the word and grace of God framed to goodnesse and made good when the other three sortes of men not withstanding all meanes doe remaine naught The worde beeing a sharpe two edged sword dooth wound the ould man in Hâ—b 4. them kill the corrupt affections of their natures as dulnes fearefulnes couetousnes voluptuousnesse that liue and raigne in the other and dooth quicken inlighten and sanctifie them making them fit to beare fruite Marke those that bee made good men are ready and doe shewe foorth the goodnesse that is wrought in them by doing the good things which the worde requires of them and not one or two good
come it is wofull to thinke how many we shall see then of this kinde of ground Some doe continue till the gowte layes holde of them as King Asa some till the worlde layes holde of them as Demas and some doe continue till persecution layes holde of them as Francis Spera some men are like the Snaile that put out a long paire of hornes but if yee doe but touch them in they goe others will stand out some small matters but the threatning of death is the death of their religion but our Sauiour Christ saith to the Church of Smirna continue faithfull to the death and I will giue thee a crowne of life our Sauiour Christ hauing tould his Disciples of warres of enemies and dangers saith he that continues to the end shal be saued and bids them not feare him that killes the body Mat. 24. for the feare of a thing is many times worse then the thing it selfe for though persecutioÌ„ be threatned we know not what the intent of it is We reade of Domicianus the Emperor of Rome who made a proclamation that all those that would not worship an image should be banished wherevpon many of his subiects because they would keepe good consciences fled the rest yeelded became idolaters Then the Emperor called againe those that fled and placed them next vnto him and those that worshipped the image he banished from him saying they that wil not be faithfull to God will not be faithfull to me But if there should be a ful purpose of the maiestrate to shed the bloud of the Saints they cannot doe it except vntil God will suffer them for Christ saith A haire of your head shall not perish without your fathers prouidence he can change the kings hart it may bee we shall suffer but a few lewd words as they caled the christians in queene Maries daies holy knaues holy whores but remember the seruant is not better then his maister it may be a little imprisonment yet he can giue vs fauour in the eyes of the keeper of the prison as he did Ioseph he can open the prison dores and loose our fetters as he did Peter and if God giue liberty to the persecuters Acts. 10. yet they can but kill the body and if Gods will be we should die why should wee haue a will to liue if Philemon did owe to Paul not onelye that which hee had but himselfe how much more doe wee owe our selues to God as one saith If God had but giuen mee my life Iowe it him againe but seeing he hath giuen for mee the life of his sonne what am I to that gift in the 11. to the Heb. we reade of many Martirs that were diuersely persecuted and would not bee deliuered it is reported of a French Martir who beeing offered this fauour to bee spared of his chaines and fetters as hee went to execution aunswered no but the more contemptible his death was the more honourable Remember whatsoeuer we suffer for Christ he suffered more for vs shall a fire of stickes that lastes but an houre daunt a Christian man that so many women yea so many children haue indured cannot he that caused the fire that it should not touch the three children make it burne thee quicklve cannot hee that caused the Lions that they should not touch Daniel cause them to crush thee softely let vs remember that the honour of Martyrs hath alwayes bin great in the Church and their reward is great in heauen therefore saith wise Salomon buy the trueth but sell it not no Mat. 5. not for thy life and on contrarywise let vs consider what an vnwise thing it is to deny the trueth for the company of friendes to loose the familiarity of God and his Angels for hope of preferment to loose the inheritance of heauen for feare of paine to throw our selues into the torments of hell for regarde of the body to cast awaye the soule besides that it may be a man that so saues his life shall loose it within a weeke after by some disease or mischance yet if he should liue twenty yeares he shall finde his life worse then death for better is a happy death then an vnhappy life for the torment of conscience that will follow the denying of the trueth is worse then persecution as yee may see in Dauid who found the torment of his sinne of adultery from which there was no escape a heauier thing to beare then all the persecutions of Saule how much more heauy thinke we will be the occasion of the sinne of Apostacie as yee may see in Francis Spera who beeing a professor of religion for feare of persecution fell to imbrace Popery then he cryed out of himselfe that he was a reprobate and wished that he might be ten thousand yeares in hell fire so that at length hee might be deliuered Seeing it is so let vs pray to God to soften our hartes that the worde may take deepe roote in vs that as we know professe it so we may beleeue and bring forth fruite of it for those that doe not beleeue and practise it will not dye for it those that will doe nothing for it will suffer nothing for it and let vs pray to God that we may cleaue vnto it not for a time but alwayes for our reward shall not be a reward of dayes and yeares but for euer Also they that receiue the seede among thornes Verse 18. There is a third sort of ground that were fitter to beare fruit then the two former but that there are thornes bryers and weedes in it vnpulled vp that springes higher branches further and spreds wider then the Corne and choake the seede that it cannot beare fruite to this kinde of ground our Sauiour Christ compares those men that haue wit reason and capacity enough and might become good men and doe good duties but other things which hee callâ—â— thornes takes vp the roome in their harts that they cannot Our Sauiour Christ shews also what these thornes be that chaoke the word that is to say the cares of the world deceitfulnesse of ritches Luke addeth voluptuousnesse in a word hee meanes by thornes the corrupt lustes of mens nature that doe carry them so egerly after the profits pleasures of the world that they neglect the duties of godlines that are prescribed in the word By cares of the world oâ—â— Sauiour Christ doth not meane moderate care for that the word doth command and may stand well with religion Salomon reprooues carelesnesse and telles vs that the Pro. 6. little Emit that wantes reason dooth prouide in Summer for winter much more should a man that hath reason and most of all a man that hath religion as Paul saith He that prouides not for his house and familye 1. Tim. 5. hath denied the faith and is worse then an infidell But by cares of the worlde heere our Sauiour Christ meaneth immoderate and excessiue cares that the worlde
it vanishes againe quickly some doe more deepely consider of it But there be other things that spred further and thriue better which choake the worde so that it comes to nothing onely there bee a fewe of manie that doe heare the worde conceiue it retaine it and bring foorth the fruite of it But before we come to the perticulers of the parable let vs marke generally that the Minister who is called Gods labourer must sowe the seede of the worde that is he must preach the Gospell or else he hath the name of a sower in vaine This our Sauiour Christ commaunds his Disciples saying Goe to all nations and preach and Mat. 28. Paul commaundes Timothie and others to preach in season and out of season 2. Tim. 4. and sayth of himselfe Woe vnto mee if I 1. Cor. 9. preach not the Gospell The reason is that Salomon speakes Where Prophesiyng or Preaching fayles the Prou. 29. people perish And that the Lorde speakes Eze. 33. to Ezechiel If thou tell not the people of their sinnes they shall dye in their sinnes but their bloud I will require at thy band Secondly let vs marke that as the Minister must preach so the people must heare for it is a necessarye consequent from the preaching of the Minister to the hearing of the people therefore it is a great and common accusation in the scripture against the people that God sent hiâ— Prophets early and they would not heare It is in the end of this Parable and often in other places said Hee that hath an eare let him heare and he that will not is compared to the deaâ—e Adder that stoppes his eares and will not heare the voyce of the charmer charme hee neuer so wisely As there can bee no fruite looked for where seede is not sowne so there can bee no goodnesse in them that doe not heare for although all bee not good that doe heare yet there bee none good but those that are to bee picked out among hearers both which are shewed by the course of this parable Thirdly let vs marke it is not enough to heare for in this Parable Christ shews manye doe so and are neuer the better but men and women must obey and practise that they heare as Iames saith Be doâ—ers of Iam. 2. the word and not hearers onely deceiuing your owne selues For our Sauiour saith They are Luk. 12. blessed that heare the worde of God and keepe it And the Apostle to the Hebrews saith Those that doe not are cursed Now because Heb. 6. the most hearers do not practise the word our Sauiour Christ in this Parable shewes where the fault is not in the sower or minister hee is one to all nor in the seede or worde of God that is one in all but in the ground that is the peoples hearts they are not one but diuers some are hard harted some are fickle minded some are couetouslie and carnally affected fewe are carefully and conscionablie disposed to the loue reuerence and obedience of that they heare Now we come to the parts of the parable Some fell by the highway Our Sauiour Verse 4. Christ saith When the sower sowes his feed some falls by the highway side in the filding countries the highway for trauellers to walke and ride in lyes hard by their corne grounds and headlands vppon the which when the husbandman sowes his seed some of the corne doth sprinckle and fall but the ground whereon it fals is hard trampled and vnfit therefore the seed cannot enter but lyeth aloft and the fowles that followe the sower pick it vp so saith Verse 15. our Sauiour Christ some mens hearts are like to this kinde of ground they are harde earth the custome of sinning trampling of sathan and vnfit to receiue instruction In Luke it is said These men vnderstand noâ— Luk. 8. the word the reason is the deuill comes takes it away as the fowles doe picke vp the seede this is that Paul saith of such men The God of this worlde hath blinded 2. Cor. 4. their eyes that the light of the Gospell should not shine vnto them These be such men as Esay speakes of that must haue precept Esa 28. vpon precept line vpon line here a little and there a little and yet are neuer the wiser they grow no better in their iudgment nor in their affection they sit at the Sermon like blocks haue neither discerning noâ— estimation of heauenly things neither the law humbles them nor the Gospell comforts them these be such men as the Apostle Heb. 5. speakes of You that for your time ought to haue bin teachers haue need to be taught the first principles of the word of God Of this sort of men we haue many which Iam. 2. Iames calles forgetfull hearers who though they can marke a tale of Robin-hood as we say though they can repeat a story or olde wiues fable yet they cannot rehearse any profitable point of the Sermon but are like those that goe to a faire or market neither to buy nor sell but to see be seene such be these church Papists that come to spare their 20. pound a month ciuill men that come to spare their 12. pence a sunday but not to seeke nor serue God nor edifie theÌ„selues the reason of their vnprofitable hearing is because the deuill is present with them either to rock them a sleep that they might not heare at all or to cast in by-thoughts of other matters to occupie their mindes that though they heare a sound they might vnderstand or beare away nothing or if they doe marke any thing it is some sentence of Fathers or Heathen writers if there be any aleaged to garnish their talke withall that they might be like Butter-flies who fasten vpon the flowers only to paint their wings Or if they marke any thing out of the word the deuill causes theÌ„ to put it of to others to thinke that it coÌ„cernes not them as some wil say such a one had a good lesson to day but if they take any thing to be spoken to themselues the deuil perswades them the preacher speakes of malice and so reape no good by it but Luk. 8. rather hurt S. Luke shewes the reason why the deuill seekes thus to take away the seed that is sowne in their hearts least they should beleeue and be saued Therefore as M. Gyfford saith vpon this Parable When we goe to heare the worde let vs thinke wee goe about a hard businesse wee shall haue much a doe to keepe our eyes from sleeping to keepe our thoughts from wandring and our hearts from rebelling and if we pray not to God striue not against the deuil we shall either not heare though we come to heare or else as the prouerbe is As good neuer a whit as neuer the better Some fell on stonie ground This ground is somwhat better theÌ„ the former for