cast into the fire and burnt vp for euer And first most famous and worthie of all memorie is the example of Gods iudgement vpon Ioab and al his posteritie 2. Sam. 3.29 for murthering so cruelly and deceitfully two valiant Captaines Abner and Amasa as appeareth in their stories at large where Dauid thus threatneth the iudgement of the Lord against him and his whole posteritie saying Let the blood of Abner fall on the head of Ioab and on all his fathers house that the house or issue of Ioab be neuer without some that haue running issues or a leper or that leaneth on a staffe or that falleth on the sword or that lacketh bread Loe here how many wayes for this bloodie fact God will plague punish him First with running issues a sore disease With leprosie a sorer if it can be With lamenes meant by leaning on a staffe Blood for blood according to the Lord his threatning He that sheddeth mans blood by man shall his blood be shed againe Pouertie meant by lacking of bread and Cain for shedding the innocent blood of his brother Abel Genes 4. vvas both he and his posteritie made runnagates ouer the face of the whole earth In the 7. and 8. of Exodus you shall finde how oft the Lorde plagued Pharaoh and the whole land for cruelly oppressing his people euen with ten principall plagues there withall their great and capitall offences 1. King 13. So he dryed the hand of king Ieroboam when he stretched it out against the Prophet of the Lord to take him Take heede of this the couetous men that haue long noses to smell your profit a farre off Ahab and Iezebel because vniustly they tooke away Naboth his vineyard and lead a great number a whoring after strange gods the Lord caused Iezebels daintie carkasse to be eaten vp of dogs by the wall of Izreel yea that his posteritie should neuer haue the honor of a comely buriall but if they dyed in the citie 1. King 21.25 2. King 9.10 1. King 24.10 16.3.4 the dogs should deuoure them and if in the field the foules of the ayre should eate thē vp Euen as the Lorde executed his fierce wrath vpon all Ieroboam his seede and vpon the whole house of Baasha for their Idolatrie Let all couetous cormorants and Idolatrous whoremongers repent for feare the like iudgement should fall vpon them 2. King 1. ver 1 2 3 4. Ahaziah hauing gotten a fall through a lattise window and hurt himselfe very sore despaired of helpe from the true God and therefore sent messengers to enquire of the god of Ekron concerning his recouerie which thing was so abominable to the Lord that he sent a messenger vnto him to tell him that he should not come downe from the bed whereon he lay but dye the death In our sicknes seeke vnto none but God 2. King 6. Beware in our sicknesse wee seeke not vnlawfull meanes for our recouerie The King of Syria his host comming to take the Prophet in Dothan the Lord for their boldnes smote them all with blindnesse A dangerous matter to attempt the persecuting of Gods children Gehezi for coueting that vnlawfully 2. King 5.27 which his master had refused of Naaman religiously when it was offered was smitten with a leprosie And of all other 2. Chro. 21.18.19 most fearfull is the sicknesse and death wherewith the Lord smote Jehoram for vnnaturall murthering his brethren and for abominable Idolatrie he smote him with an incurable disease euen the disease of his bowels so that day by day through the disease his bowels fell out so after the end of two yeeres continuing in this sore disease his guts fell out with the disease And lastly of Herod Act. 12.25 how horrible a thing to bee heard that for his pride and arrogating glorie to himself which was only due to God Pride wil haue a fall was most fearefully throwne downe from his throne of estate and deuoured of wormes To leaue the testimonies of the word and to come to the demonstration of Gods fearefull visitations by strange sicknesses Examples of Gods iudgements vpon wicked persecutors of the Church against wicked persecutors of Christs Church blasphemers of his name recorded and spoken of in ancient histories let this bee the first One Henry a famous Archbishop of Mentz a vertuous and wel disposed prelate being most cruelly dealt withall by the Bishop of Rome and his substitutes and being debarred of all lawfull proceeding and iudgement in law against him mildly answered the wicked Iudges thus Seeing that neither by appeale to the Apostolike sea nor by your vpright sentences of your selues I can haue my innocencie tried I appeale to the Lord Iesus Christ as to the most high and iust Iudge A righteous appeale and cite you before his iudgement there to answer me before the high Iudge for neither iustly nor vprightly but by corruption as it pleaseth you you haue iudged Whereunto they scoffingly answered Goe you first and we will follow Not long after the said Henry dyed whereof the two Cardinals that were the wicked Iudges hauing intelligence said one to the other iestingly Behold he is gone before and vvee must follow after according to our promise And verely they said truer then they were aware of A terrible example for corrupt Iudges to beware for within a while they dyed both in one day For the one sitting vpon a Iakes to ease himselfe voyded out all his guts into the draught and miserably ended his life The other gnawing off the fingers of his hands and spitting them out of his mouth all deformed in deuouring himselfe dyed And one Arnold who became a false Iudas to the good Archbishop in accusing of him when hee should haue excused him Anno Do. 1105. Ex Helmoldo Gotfrido Viterbiensi Act. Mon. Fox pag. 196. shortly after dyed likewise and for certaine daies lying stinking vpon the ground vnburied was open to the spoyle of euery rascall and harlot The like horrible and fearfull stroke of Gods hand was executed vpon a wicked papist and persecutor of the good Merindolians in France who was called Iohn de Roma this wicked wretch of meere malice against the trueth plagued the poore protestants of Merindoll with a strange and vnwonted kind of torment wherein hee most delighted and most commonly practised he filled bootes with boyling grease and put them vpon the legges of Christians tying them backward to a forme with their legges hanging downe ouer a small fire and in this torment he examined them of their faith belike thinking by this intolerable paine to make them reuolt from their faith This monster at length hauing almost finished the date of his wicked daies fell sicke of a most horrible disease strange and vnknowne to any Phisition so vnnaturall were the paynes wherewith he was continually vexed in all his bodie that no oyntment no fomentation nor any thing else could
be for we see them that most offended florish faire and stand as wel as the best and besides his iudgements are but threatned with a peraduenture or perhaps take heed ye catiffes and thrise blinded men of the world For this word least signifieth thus much That hee aduiseth them to beware for if he doe not A bone for such to gnawe vpon assuredly a worse thing will come vpon him And that Gods iudgements threatned against the wicked are without any peraduenture as coÌ„ming froÌ„ a God not vncertain what to do marke what Moses speaketh in the person of the Lord If I whet my glittering sword and my hand take hold on iudgement Deut. 32.41.42 I will execute vengeance on mine enemies and will reward them that hate me I will make my arrowes drunke with blood and my sword shall eat flesh And Dauid saith God shall wound the hairie scalpe of such an one as goeth on still in his wickednesse And the authour to the Hebrewes hauing perswaded to holinesse of life addeth the daunger Heb. 12.29 and saith For our God is euen a consuming fire Again the same author sheweth the danger all such are in as by their continuance in sinne after they haue receiued the knowledge of the truth do crucifie againe the sonne of God addeth as a coÌ„clusion these words It is a fearefull thing to fall into the hands of the liuing God Heb. 10.31 To conclude therfore this point Gods iudgements being threatned against the wicked for sinne they are ineuitable without alteration vnlesse they presently put in practise the holsome counsell of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthes What will alter Gods iudgments aduising them to enter into a serious and sound adiudging of themselues and so they should escape the great and fearefull iudgementes of the Lord 1. Cor. 11.31.32 which was partly begunne alreadie in execution amongest them and partly was readie to be inflicted vpon them It must be an eye to see Gods iudgement a heart to feele Gods iudgement a conscience to condemne and all concurring together to prostrate throwe downe and truly to humble the sinfull man vnder Gods mightie hand crying with the prodigal sonne O father I haue sinned against heauen and against thee and am not worthie to be called thy sonne I say it must be all these wrought most soundly by the worke of Gods spirit in the sinner that must be as a stoppe to Gods iudgements and a stay of his anger manifested Least a worse thing come vnto thee c. These words may be the speech of a master to his seruant thus I haue taken thee napping twise or thrise nay often and haue louingly admonished thee of it but if thou plaiest the like again thou shalt smart for all or of a schoolmaister to his scholler whose waggish trickes and great negligence he hath often pardoned but now threatneth the next time shall pay for all Euen so God from time to time seemed to winke at the sins of this man What the Lord long forbearing requireth yea euen at the sinnes of vs all and like a louing schoolemaster beares a while with our offences but either now cease from sinne learne to doe well and be a good scholler in Christes schoole or else looke thy lord and master the Lord Iehouah will take an account for all and in the ende pay thee home Least importeth necessitie Least this word least vsually in the scriptures importeth great necessitie of the matter in hand to be put in speedie execution as in Ieremie Ierm 4.4 Breake vp your fallow ground sow no more among the thornes be circumcised to the Lord and be no more stifnecked least my wrath breake forth and burne like a fire c. Psal 2.12 And the Psalmist Kisse the sonne least he be angrie and so ye perish sodainely if his wrath be kindled yea but a little c. And that necessarie admonition of our Sauiour Christ to his Disciples Watch and pray least ye enter into temptation Luke 22.40.46 Math 26.36 Mar. 14.32 And last of all that earnest caueat of the author to the Hebr. to all the godly Iewes for perseuerance in the profession of the Gospell and practise of holy daies meete for the measure of the grace of God they had receiued saith thus Take heed brethren least at any time there be in any of you an euill heart and vnfaithfull to depart away from the liuing God Heb. 3.12 vers 13. Out of all these aforenamed phrases may be gathered the vrgent necessitie that was imposed vpon this man healed presently to put in vre the continuall dutie of his deliuerance The vrgent necessitie of performing dutie to the Lord. and insinuateth also vnto euery one of vs or rather as a continuall cry soundeth in our eares O ye negligent coole carelesse disobedient and scornefull people in the North parts of England who deseruing Gods wrath for your manifold sins are yet now in the multitude of his mercies An Alarme to the North parts of England freed deliuered from the effect of his wrath sinne no more least if you againe tempt and prouoke the liuing Lord to anger he call you to recken and giue an account for your selues Heb. 3.9 so ye shall neuer be able to answere one of a thousand Further in that our Sauiour Christ heere admonisheth the man healed of his daily danger if euer after hee doe not crucifie the olde Adam with the lustes thereof God euer warneth before he plagueth we note the louing care mercy of God not to bring destruction vpon any before he hath both largly louingly forewarned them of the danger yea he desireth not the death of a sinner but rather that he conuert and liue according to the rule of the Apostle Ezech. 18.23 the Lord is not slack as some men count slacknes but is patieÌ„t towards vs would haue no maÌ„ to perish 2. Pet. 3.9 but would haue all men come to repentance and all are inuited to the mariage of the Kings sonne To conclude therefore this point Matth. 22. No cause to censure the Lord of hard dealing in iudgement we learne heere that all excuse or censuring the Lord of hard dealing in iudgmeÌ„t is remoued froÌ„ the wicked seing all of theÌ„ before they vndergo the intollerable burtheÌ„ of his wrath are offred most abundaÌ„tly to drinke of his loue A worse thing For the consideration of the measure and greatnes in some sort of this punishment which heere is threatned the man if he offend againe View in particuler I wish thee diligent wise reader to gâ—ue a glaunce backe to the viewe of his former sicknesse and certainly that will giue thee some probable demoÌ„stration of the measure of his punishment againe Cal. in Ioh. Cap. 5. vers 14. It is very likely that his correctioÌ„ was laid vpon him in his youth and the verie time which by
forbid them And a little after he saith If you will feare men he will laugh at you if God you shall be reuerenced of men Surely I will rather yeeld my bodie to death and suffer my blood to be shed then to be partaker of this pollution For the example of the practise of Christian Churches one example likewise shall suffice which shall bee the example of the Greeke Church in former times The example of the Greeke Church 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A congregation of the faithfull who had such a reuerent estimation of this holy banket that the very name wherewith they called it argueth the same First Vocarunt eam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is to to say a congregation of the faithfull which was so religiously obserued Quod quamuis tolerabantur in concion publicis prophani verùm vbi inchoanda erat ipsa Dominicae caenae communicatio iubebantur illi discedere accedere c. Although the wicked and open prophane were permitted to bee present at their publike preachings sermons yet whensoeuer the Supper of the Lord was to bee administred then they vsed these words Depart ye wicked and prophane and draw neere ye that truly and sincerely professe Christ and his Gospell Againe Vocarunt eam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A holy table they called it a holy table both in regard of the holy and heauenly foode of the soule there offered as also in regard of those holy people who alone are admitted to the eating thereof So that these being well considered I will conclude this point concerning the pastors abuse in the aforesaid prophanation with this earnest wish that all who are called to this waightie calling of the worke of the ministerie with care and conscience so to behaue themselues therein as they that shall giue account in the great day of the Lord for euery soule that hath perished within their charge through their negligence For the peoples prophaning this holy Sacrament Secondly it is prophaned by the people and how I my selfe haue bin oft an eye witnesse God is my record to my griefe when I haue seene great multitudes of people in the house of the Lord My self an eye witnesse with striuing thronging pressing forwarde contend who should first receiue the outwarde elements at the hands of their minister making no better then a common banket of it or as though they were in extreame haste Againe the Parsons proctor to be reckoning for his fees in the very time of administring the Supper Great prophanation and worthie punishment and that within the Lords house not farre from the minister as great a noise of brauling about him as of singing Psalmes amongst the Communicants yea farre greater for the one is often vsed the other very seldome or neuer I might bee large in laying downe such manifold abuses as these Many moe besides these which I haue seene with mine eyes as euery one after they haue gotten their rightings for so our sillie ignorant people call it to hasten out of the congregation neuer reuerently abiding till all be partakes that they might all depart with a ioynt thanksgiuing But these are sufficient to the reader to testifie how iustly I am perswaded Ex vnguibus leonem astima that for these and such like abuses the Lorde hath rightly plagued our countrie After the receiuing of this holy Sacrament and seale of the true Christians saluation they hold on à malo in peius they then goe for good fellowship to the tauerne or alehouse altogether The Magistrates coldnes in correcting a great cause of these abuses and thence they come not till they are inflamed and made drunke with strong drinke and then out they must but otherwise then they came in for now they run out to purge themselues and their heauie stomackes by belchings and beastly vomiting others to brawle and fight so as it would wound a Christians hart to see how the senselesse soules worse then brute beasts This cryeth for vengeāce without speedy repentance doe in receiuing the bread and wine at the Supper of the Lord eate and drinke their owne condemnation Others there be more nise in outward shew As euill as the other it may be will walke solitary that day abstaine in outwarde appearance from their wonted course of sinne but if they do this for one day two were too many and therefore the morow after the Supper is as the day before euen to drinke sinne like water and draw iniquitie as it were with cartropes A third sort of vnworthie receiuers there be in our countrie whom I may very well call carnall gospellers and lip-professors Too many of such amongst vs. who doe receiue this holy Supper together with Gods deare children and thereby doe make their solemne profession of newnes of life but after a season it proueth rather worse with them then with the former for they are such that though they crie Lord Lord voce yet they deny to doe the will of their heauenly father What dangerous effect follow such wicked dealing vita and so are an occasion to the wicked and professed enemies of Gods trueth of blaspheming that glorious Gospel of Christ Iesus whereof they make profession though vnsoundly and after an vncleane manner These men to speake plainly they are very neere vnto if not the same men whereof Christ testifieth Matth. 12. that they expulse out the vncleane spirit but after a season the same spirit returneth againe he bringeth seuen other spirits with him worse then himselfe and finding all cleane swept and garnished they reenter and take possession in the man and make their dwelling there whose latter end horrendum dictu is worse then the beginning And such as Peter painteth out 2. Pet. 2. ver 20 who after they haue in shew throwne and shaken off sinne and bidden the world adiew doe notwithstanding after all this enter couenant to bee Satans seruant againe in whom the prouerbe is too true Vers 22. The dogge is returned to his vomit and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mare The Lord for his mercies sake Amen Amen work reformation hereof both in pastor and people which reformation if presently it appeare not I feare me a worse day I feare the sequell then hitherto hath been seene will insue whereof more at large hereafter And let this suffice also for proofes out of the word how the Lord for sinne sendeth troubles and sicknesses both of body and minde vpon his owne people Let vs now in a word shew how he doth it vpon the wicked wherein I may fitly vse the speech of the Apostle that if for sinne iudgement begin at the house of God what shall be the end of the wicked A fearfull end without all doubt And if hee deale thus with the greene tree what may wee thinke will be the end of the drie and withered tree but to be
full of faintnes when the fat buls of Basan and the deuouring lions shall be sent emptie away yea they shall clap their handes and lift vp their heads for ioy of that In terror and feare wherof the wicked shall gnash with their teeth grin like a dog and for auoyding of it though all in vaine they shall wish the rockes to open the hils to couer and the mountaines to be as a shelter vnto them from the glorious presence of him that sitteth vpon the throne Thus death against the godly hath no sting hell against the Christian hath no victorie Reade Heb. 12 11. Psal 30.8.9 34.18.19 119.71 affliction is not our confusion as husbandmen vse to bring dead trees and burne them in the fire but our affliction is for our firmer further consolation and edification like as a good husbandman purgeth his vine that it may bring forth more fruite Psal 30.5 Heauinesse with the godly may endure for a night but assuredly peace ioy commeth in the morning Seeing then that thus happily it goeth with vs all in our greatest afflictions if we belong vnto Christ I will conclude as Saint Paul concludeth his treatise of our immortall state in the life to come that seeing death once had dominion ouer vs but is now destroyed afflictions hurted vs but now they profit vs sicknesse affraied vs but now comforteth vs euen thankes and all thankes be giuen for euer to God the father 1. Cor. 15.57 who hath giue vs this happie victorie through our Lord Iesus Christ Now for the wicked their sicknesse sores As for the wicked it is not so with them griefes and vexations are still vnto them as stipends of sinne tokens of Gods wrath and vnlesse they speedily repent euen beginnings as I said before of the flashings of hell fire I denie not but the godly man may haue for the outward operation the same sicknesse sore For the outward operation of the sicknesse they may agree Cal. in Psal 37.19 A difference betweene the afflictions of the godly and vngodly Psal 1.4 griefe and trouble that the wicked and vngodly haue yet inwardly euer this difference shall be found Quòd Deus suis in necessitate manum porrigens impios deferit God in time of his childrens necessities bee they neuer so great still stretcheth out his hand for helping them and vpholding them least they fall but as for the wicked it is not so with them he vtterly reiecteth them forsaketh and giueth thē ouer vnto their owne hearts lust Propter peccatum Flagellantur iusti propter probationem iniusti ad perditionem The godly are afflicted for their greater triall but the wicked are afflicted for their cōfusion because of their great sinnes Esay 9.13.14 For the people saith Esay turneth not vnto him that smiteth them neither doe they seeke the Lord of hosts Therefore will the Lord cut off in one day from Israel head and tayle branch and rush Pijs afflictio est disciplina qua docetur iram Domini effugere voluntati eius obsequi Afflictiō to the godly is for discipline in themselues whereby they are taught to auoide the Lords wrath by reformation of their liues and willingly to yeeld obedience to his commandements Whereupon Paul saith When we are iudged 1. Cor. 11.32 wee re chastened of the Lord because we should not be condemned with the world Impijs verò afflictio est obduratio qua a malo in peius progrediuntur sicut Pharaoh But vnto the wicked In euerie affliction two things to be considered afflictiō is a meane of hardening their hearts whereby they proceede from worse to worse In euery affliction two things are to be considered first Gods iudgement secondly Gods mercie The wicked partaker of the former but neuer of the latter The wicked in their afflictions are partakers of the one which is Gods iudgement but neuer of the other The godly are partakers of both iudgement for their sinnes mercie for Iesus Christ his sake Hereupon saith Nahum Nah. 1.7 Good is our God and comfortable to his owne children in the day of trouble And Dauid Call vpon me in the day of trouble and I will deliuer thee Loe his mercie whereof the wicked are neuer partakers So that herein appeareth againe wherein the godly are commō partakers with the wicked in afflictions and where they differ Psal 85. The last thing that I will note out of this part and so end it is this That in the words sinne no more we may note that the Lord was priuie to al his former sinnes and offences that euer before he had committed and therefore it is as if he should say I haue seene noted and obserued all such sins as euer before this thou hast committed either publikely or priuately inwardly or outwardly by thought word and worke and for the same haue afflicted thee and also in the end deliuered thee take heede therefore thou sinne no more Hence note the Lord hath Eagles eyes to see the corners of our hearts and all our sinnes neuer so closely committed nothing so secret but it shall bee made manifest Mat. 10. Read Psal 138. and that which is committed in corners shal be published on the house top Then euer hereafter let euery man worke as in the day time walke as in Gods presence behaue themselues as hauing the Lorde an eye vvitnesse who if we doe well in his mercie vvill accept of vs but if wee doe euill Gen. 4.7 then know sinne standeth at the doores who will neuer cease crying in the eares of the Lord for vengeance till such time as it bee powred downe vpon the wicked in fearfull manner and executed vpon the vnbeleeuers to their euerlasting destruction And thus much for the second part of the words of exhortation which is that sinne was the cause of his long sicknesse THE THIRD SERMON OF THE DVTIE OF OVR DELIVERANCE The third Sermon NOw followeth the third part vz. what must be the effect of his health recouerie or what must bee the dutie of his deliuerance drawne out of the same wordes that the other part was though not in the same sence Sinne no more This is the subiect of the whole treatise describing the dutie that this man healed must euer bee mindfull of to his louing and mercifull father for his great and large deliuerance and in him may fitly bee gathered the dutie of all Gods children to the Lord for so many liberall and louing mercies as continually he powreth vpon them Particulars shewing the mercies of God How greatly this poore man was bound to render thankes to the almightie for his deliuerance I haue before set down in some particulars as the dangerous disease ouer his whole body the long continuance of it euen most of his life the little good that any likely meanes of outward medicine did for him with some other moe the consideratiō whereof could not but
nature yeeldeth pleasure to the bodie was altogether painefull Cap. 5. vers 5. continuing with him the space of 38. yeares all that while no vse of his bodie to minister any comfort Whereupon I may say with Clauin Cal. cap. â—od to euery man that considereth hereon Quà m grauis fuerit tot annorum poena reputa Waigh well with thy selfe how painefull was the continuance of such a grieuous paine for the aggrauating whereof this one thing did not a little worke that when this poore soule so long had beene soaked and bathed in his affliction full 38 yeares he grew to be forlorne forsaken and helpelesse altogether in respect of any man continually many diseased by helpe of others brought to the poole and so healed and yet he a distressed soule pitied of none relieued by none expecting stil some would cary him but all in vaine crying for comfort but comfortlesse still so that with Iob we may well say that he seemed to be euen as a butte or marke that God had set to shoote at and to pierce through with the arrowes of his anger and that to mans iudgement hardly a more comfortlesse sorrow could be laid vpon him and yet lo at last healed by him Christ healeth when it seemeth to be past healing who euer healeth when all meanes of healing seemed to fayle this man I say is now by Christ admonished to looke to the dyet of his soule that he do not surfet with sinne againe least a sorer plague befall both bodie and soule 〈◊〉 befell him before a sorer will you say how can that be for in his former visitation he was comfortlesse A glance to his former griefe helpelesse and hopelesse in regard of man oh how then can a worse thing come vnto him I wish all men aswell those that haue felt great and grieuous troubles either in bodie or soule or both themselues as also those that haue beene eye witnesses or eare witnesses of their neighbours or countries great afflictions Beware of coÌ„plaining against Gods iudgement to beware of such like complaints as there or aggrauating their punishments so greatly as though God had not in store a greater for them if they offend againe and to make all that shall reade this more circumspect in this point I will set downe the excellent saying of the afore-recited author Caluin touching this one point Caluin cap. eod Non dubiuÌ„ est quin sibi horrendas saepè prodigâ—o soâ— cruciatus miseri homines improbis suis quaerimonijs accersunt dum nigant mala sua augeri posse VVithout all question wicked men do heape vpon their owne heads many great and fearfull iudgements Complaining against God hastneth condemnation while after a complaining manner they cry out and say their griefes are so great and punishments so intollerable that God can lay no greater vpon them let this euer be a warning vnto vs all Patience in paines is profitable patiently to abide willingly to wait for our deliueraÌ„ce out of dangers and being deliuered carefully to put in practise the dutie that we owe for our deliuerance least if we doe not a worse thing come vnto vs. A worse thing Two waies especially Christ here threatneth to bring a worese punishment vpon him then before if hee offend againe First though the former punishment for continuance was long for paines extreame for remedie almost hopelesse yet is the Lord of power to inflict and here threatneth that hee will inflict a greater and more grieuous punishment in all circumstances then before out of which learne this doctrine following namely Caluine Nullas esse tam atroces saeuas poenas quibus non aliquid addere Dominus possit quoties visum fuerit There are no punishments so great laid vpon the wicked which the Lord Iehouah is not of power to aggrauate and make greater whensoeuer the same shall seeme good vnto him Secondly if the maÌ„ healed by Christ offend and sinne againe as before a worse thing shall befall him in regard of the Lords protection For though in the former his griefe was great and his sicknes of long continuance yet from the beginning thereof till the perfect healing of the same the Lord euer assisted him by his power prepared him by patience and though of the one hand the poore man semed to bee forlorne yet with the other hand the Lord still vpheld him as faithfull in his promises laying no more vpon him but as he gaue him streÌ„gth to beare and in the midst thereof gaue him a comfortable issue thereout But loe the next time that the Lord commeth agaianst him he will not onely by his infinit power lay vpon him a sorer plague but that also which is more fearfull he will withdraw from him his louing protection which blessed protection did in his former sicknesse euer vphold him from perishing In his former visitation he dealt like a father Comparison whose tender affection and loue to his childe euer ouercommeth his anger but his next visitatioÌ„ as I said before shal be in iudgement giuing him ouer to his owne strength and in the midst of his agonie leauing him to shift for himselfe Which oh alas when that commeth to passe hee shall neuer bee able to shelter himselfe from Satans tyranny nor saue him as he was before saued from deaths dominion Hereafter let all mouthes be stopped from murmuring against their sorrowes or saying they are so great that God can make them no greater seeing two waies haue been told you how the same may be effected 1 By greater plagues The first by his great power which is without bound or limitation The second 2 By spirituall desertion and by withdrawing his former protection which more fearfull is by spirituall desertion giuing them ouer to their owne strength and by withdrawing from them his gratious and fatherly protection in the time of their fearfull affliction The vse Then let all in generall and particularly all of vs my countrimen make this particular vse and application hereout to the benefit of our owne soules euen throughly to examine and search Search the particulars of your late visitation both by dearth and the pestilence with what sicknesse sore trouble or danger we haue been afflicted in what manner measure and how long and after this that if extreame was our affliction great our danger and our case vtterly remediles without the sole saluation and deliuerance of him who is vnto his owne Church all in all surely then to determine for a most certaine trueth that hereafter unles our Lord maister finde vs more carefull schollers in learning of his will and more obedient sonnes in doing his commandements as sure as we breathe so to looke that ere it be long a heauier lode shal be laid vpon vs which we shall hardly disburtheÌ„ vs off If before this yea euen of late the Lord hath beaten vs blacke and pale by his seuere punishments