needs smite us downe and take vengeance of us every day and every houre in the day because wee provoke him every day and every houre in the day But the God of Heaven is not as a man that hee should be subject to passions and affections hee is of a most constant and immutable nature For though we provoke him every day with new sins yet is he so farre off from takeing revenge that the next day hee rewardeth us with new mercies and breaketh through all our unkindnesse to shew kindnesse unto us and through all our naughtinesse to doe us good All our infirmities cannot make him breaks off with us or cease to love us Hee is content to take us with all faults and to love us dearly though wee have great faults Hee regardeth not our infirmities though wee be oftentimes wayward and elvish yet for all that hee loveth us neverthelesse Even as a loving Mother though her young suckling cry all the night and be exceeding trease and wayward so as shee cannot rest on houre in the night yea though shee endure much lothsomenesse and trouble with it yet in the morning when shee riseth shee loveth it never the lesse but dandleth it playeth with it smileth and laugheth upon it so the God of all mercies whose love towards us farre passeth the love of mothers though we grieve him with our infirmities continually yet loveth us neverthelesse and is content to put up all to forget and forgive all for hee is a most constant lover Where he once sets and settles his love hee loveth most constantly nothing can alter him nothing can remove him Even as a Father when his little childe catcheth a fall breaketh his shinnes and hurteth his face is so farre from beeing offended or displeased with him therefore that hee doth pity him and bemoane him seeking remedies for his hurt so our mercifull Father is so farre off from being angry and displeased with us for some slips and falls that hee doth the more pitie us and lament our case Even as a loving and wise husband although his wife have many infirmities yet being assured shee loves him dearly and that her heart is with him hee is well content to winke at all her faults to hide them to beare with them yea and to make nothing of them loving her no whit the lesse for them so our deare husband and Spouse Christ Iesus because hee knoweth wee love him and that hee hath our hearts is content to beare with all our infirmities and to make light of them For this cause it is that hee saith to his Spouse in the Canticles though shee was black and full of infirmities Behold thou art all faire Câ—nt 4 1 7. my Love Behold thou art faire thou art all faire my Love there is no spot in thee Mark that hee calleth his Church faire all faire and without spot not because shee was so in her selfe but because shee was made so in him and assuredly the eternall God beholding her in his Sonne doth so esteeme and account of her For as hee that beholdeth any thing through a red glasse doth take it to be red as is the colour of the glasse so God the Father beholding us in his Sonne doth take us to be of the same nature and quality that hee is that is perfectly righteous For this cause it is that hee loveth us and setteth his heart upon us and will not be removeed from us For his love to his children is alwaies one and the same although we have alwaies the like sight and feeling of it as the Moone is alwaies the same in substance and quantity though sometimes it seemeth unto us to be wasted into a very small scantling Let us know then to our great comfort that the love of God towards us in his deare Sonne is constant and alwaies alike and that he will not discountenance us or shake us off for some infirmities no nor yet for many infirmities for the mercifull God doth accept of his children because their generall care is good and the universall tenour of their life tendeth unto righteousnesse howsoever they may greatly faile in many particular actions Two or three fits of an ague doe not prove a diseased body nor two or three good daies a found body then so some few infirmities do not argue a wicked man nor two or three good actions a good man but we must have an eye to the certain 〈◊〉 settled course of a mans life Even aâ—â— men are truely said to walke in a way when they go in it although sometimes they trip and stumble so Gods children do walk in the way of righteousnesse although sometimes they stumble and step out of it or sometimes be violently haled out of it by theeves For Satan and the violence of our lusts do often hale us out of the way but wee must get into it againe as soon as wee are escaped Now then to conclude and draw to an end Sith God is so infinitely mercifull and constant in his mercy sith such great and precious promises are made to us in Christ sith the Lord doth not regard our infirmities when our hearts are with him therefore O Asunetus be of good cheere let nothing trouble you feare not the assaults of the Divel regard not his temptations for assuredly your sinnes are forgiven Christ is yours heaven is yours and all the promises of life and salvation belong unto you So as you need not doubt you cannot miscarry your name is written in the Book of life Asun I am greatly comforted and cheered up with your words Your preaching of the Gospel and laying open of Gods abundant mercy in Christ and of the promises doe exceedingly revive me and even as it were put new life into me they are as Sacke and Sugar unto my soule and sweeter then the honey and the honey-combe they are as Physicke to my sicke soule and as ointment to my spirituall wounds I do now begin to see what misery is in man and what mercy is in God And I know by wofull experience that where misery is not felt there mercy is not regarded but now it hath pleased God to give mee some feeling of mine owne wretchednesse and misery and yet with good comfort in his mercy For I thanke God for it I begin now to grow to some perswasion that the promises do belong unto me my sins are forgiven and that I am one of them that shall be saved Theol. I doe greatly rejoice that God hath according to his rich mercy wrought this good worke in you I do from the bottome of my heart give him the praise and glory of it Happie are you that ever you were borne in whom the Lord hath wrought so gracious a work It is his high favour and speciall mercy towards you for it is the onely priviledge and prerogative royall of Gods owne children truely to repent and deâ—â—eve I beseech God therefore to encrease your faith and to
sure it is within these thirty yeers these things were not known nor heard of And what say you then to painting of faces laying open of naked brests dying of hair wearing of periwigs and other hair coronets and top-gallants And what say you to our artificiall women which will be better than God hath made them They like not his handy-work they will mend it and have other complexions other faces other hair other bones other brests and other bellies then God made them Theol. This I say that you and I and all the Lords people have great and just cause of mourning weeping and lamentation because such abomination is committed in Israel Davids eyes gushed out with rivers of teares 〈◊〉 9 because men kept not Gods lawes and an horrible feare came upon him because men forsook the law of God 〈◊〉 5 1. J remie did sigh in secret wishing that his head were full of water and his eyes a fountain of teares because of the sinnes of the people Nehemiah mourned for the transgression of Gods people Nâ—hem 1â— Lots just soul was vexed with the unclean conversation of the Sodomites and sâ—â—ll wee moâ—rne nothing at all for tâ—â—se things shall wee be no whit grieved for the pride of our land shall wee shed no teares for such horrible and intolerable abominations They are odious in the sâ—ght of God and men the aire stinketh of them It is Gods marvellous patience that the Dwell doth not carry them away quick and rid the earth of them or that fire and brimstone doth not come downe from heaven and consume them Antil You are too hot in these matters of attire you make more of them then there is cause Asun I con him thank Gods blessing on his heart I shall love him the better while I know him because he is so earnest against such shamefull and detestable pride Is it not a shame that women professing true religion should make themselves such pictures puppets and peacocks as they doe And yet I hear few Preachers in the pulpit speak against it Antil I marvell you should be so earnest in matters of apparell You know well enough that apparell is an indifferent thing and that religion and the kingdome of God doth not consist in these things Theol. I know right well that apparell in its own nature is a thing indifferent but lewd wanton immodest and offensive apparell is not indifferent For all such abuse taketh away the indifferency of them and maketh them sinfull and evill by câ—rcumstance For otherwise why should the Lord threaten by his Prophet that he would visit the Princes and the Kings children and all such as were cloathed with strange apparell that is the fashions of other countries Zephan 1.8 Againe why should the Lord so plague the proud dames and mincing minions of Jerusalem for their pride and vanity in attire if there were no evill iâ— such kind of abuse The Lord saith thus in the third of Esay against those brave and gallant dames Because the daughters of Sion are haughty and walk with stretched-out necks and with wandring eyes walking and mincing as they goe and make a tinkling with their feet therefore shall the Lord make the heads of the daughters of Sion bald and the Lord shall discover their secret parts In that day shall the Lord take away the ornament of the slippers and the calls and the round tires the sweet balls and the bracelets and the bonnets the tires of the head and the slops the head-bands and the tablets the earings the rings and the mufflers the costly apparell and the veiles and the wimples and the crisping pinnes and the glasses and the fine linnen and the hoods and the lawns And in stead of sweet savour there shall be stink and in stead of a girdle a rent and in stead of dressing of the haire baldnesse and in stead of a stomacher a girding of sackcloth and burning in stead of beauty Then shall her gates mourn and lament and she being desolate shall sit upon the ground Thus we see how terribly the Lord threatneth the gallant dames of Jerusalem for their excessive and abominable pride And this may well be a mirrour for the proud minious of our age which assuredly may well fear the Lord will bring some such judgement upon them as he did upon the daughters of Jerusalem For their sin is as great in this kind as was the daughters of Sion and God is the same God now that he was then to punish it Antil Tush never speak so much of these matters of apparell for we must do as others do and follow the fashion or else we shall not be esteemed Theol. If you follow them not you shall be more esteemed of God of his Angels Saints and all good men As for all others if you esteem them more then these you shew what you are Antil Well for all that say you what you will pride is in the heart and not in the apparell For one may be proud of plain apparell as well as of costly And some are as proud of their falling bands and little sets as others are of their great ruffes Theol. You speak foolishly for how know you that Can you judge mens hearts and inward affections Can you say when mens and womens apparell is sober modest and Christian like that they have proud hearts and are proud of that attire You goe very farr indeed to judge the heart You ought to judge charitably of such as goe soverly and modestly attired even that their heart is according to their attire And for you wee may rather think your heart is vain light and foolish because your attire doth strongly argue it And as the Prophet saith The triall of your countenance testifieth against you you declare your sinnes as Sodom and hide them not Esay 3.9 Phil. I pray you then set downe some rules for apparell out of the Scriptures Theol. I may well set down what I will but surely most men and women will doe what they list For verily it may be thought that many of this age have forsworne God and his word and all goodnesse For they are come to this point let God say what he will they will doe what they list For as the Prophet saith They have made a covenant with hell and with death and are grown to an agreement Esay 28.15 And I doe verily think if God himselfe should come downe from heaven in his own person and disswade men and women from this vanity of apparell yet would they still use it as it were in despight of God and as it were to anger him the more For they are so extraordinarily enamoured and so immoderately delighted with it and doe so continually and altogether dote on it and are so wood-mad of it that they will have it though men and Angels and all the world say nay nay which is more though they should goe to the Divell quicke with it And therefore it is but
which hee shall rain upon him in stead of his meat Thus then it is cleere that mans life and good estate dependeth not upon the abundance of outward things but onely upon the blessing and providence of God Prov. 10.12 For his blessing onely maketh rich and it doth bring no sorrow with it Psal 37.16 For better is a little to the just then great abundance to many of the wicked Prov. 25.26 Better is a little with the fear of the Lord then great treasure and trouble therewith Better is a little with righteousnesse Prov. 16.8 then great revenues without equity Thus then I conclude this point Man liveth not by bread but by a blessing on bread not by outward means but by a blessing upon meanes For how can bread being a dead thing and having no life in it selfe give life to others Phil. I do not well understand the meaning of these words By every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God Theol. Thereby is meant the decree ordinance and providence of God which upholdeth all things even the whole order of nature For the Scripture saith Hee spake Psal 33.9 and it was done hee commanded and they were created In which words wee plainly see that God doth but speake and it is done hee doth command and all creatures are preserved For God doth all things 〈◊〉 a word Hee created all with his word hee preserveth all with his word hee speaketh and it is done His words are words of power and authority Whatsoever he saith whatsoever hee calleth for it must be done presently without any delay there is no withstanding of him Hee calleth for famine and behold famine Hee calleth for plenty and behold plenty Hee calleth for pestilence and behold pestilence He calleth for the sword and behold the sword All Angels all men all beasts all fishes all fowls all creatures whatsoever must obey him and be at his beck He is the greatest commander his word commandeth heaven and earth and the sea All creatures must bee obedient to his will and subject to his ordinance This is the cause why all things both in heaven earth and the sea doe keep their immutable and unvariable courses times and seasons even because hee hath charged them so to doe And they must of necessity alwayes at all times and for ever obey for the creatures must obey the Creator This â—ct of Parliament was made the first week of the world and never since was or can be repealed Phil. But to call you back againe to the point wee had in hand Resolve mee I pray you of this whether many of the deare children of God doe not in this life sometimes want outward things and are brought into great distresse Theol. 1 Kiâ—g 17. Yes certainely For Elijah did want 2 Câ—r â— 8 2 Cor. 11.25 and was in distresse Paul did want and was in many distresses The holy Christians mentioned in the Hebrewes did want Heb. 1â— 3â— and were in marvellous distresses Many of Gods dear ones have in all ages wanted and at this day also doe want and are greatly distressed But this is a most infallible truth that howsoever Gods children may want and be low brought yet they are never utterly forsaken but are holpen even in greatest extreâ—iâ—ie yea when all things are desperate and brought even to the last cast To this point most notably speaketh the Apostle saying 1 Cor 4.8 We are affl cted on every side but yet wee despaire not wee are persecuted but not forsaken cast downe but wee perish not The Prophet Jeremie also saith Lâ—â— 3. The Lord will not forsake for ever but though hee send affliction yet will hee have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies For hee doth not punish willingly or from his heart nor afflict the children of men The kingly Prophet saith Psal 94.4 Surely the Lord will not fail his people neither will hee forsake his inheritance The Lord himself saith For a moment in mine anger I hid my face from thee Iâ—a â—5 8 but with everlasting mercy have I had compassion on thee So then wee may fully assure our selves and even write of it as a most undoubted and sealed truth that Gods children shall never be utterly forsaken in their troubles Phil. Sith the care and providence of God is so great for his children as you have largely declared what then I pray you is the cause why God suffereth his to bee brought into so many troubles and necessities Theol. Their profit and benefit is the cause and not their hurt For he loveth them when hee smiteth them Hee favoureth them when he seemeth to be most against them Hee aimeth at their good when hee seemeth to bee most angry with them He woundeth them that hee may heale them Hee presseth them that hee may ease them Hee maketh them cry that afterward they may laugh Hee alwaies meaneth well unto them hee never meaneth hurt Hee is most constant in his love towards them If he bring them into necessities it is but for the triall of their faith love patience and diligence in prayer If he cast them into the fire it is not to consume them but to purge and refine them If he bring them into great dangers it is but to make them call upon him more earnestly for help and deliverance He presseth us that wee might cry wee cry that wee may be heard wee are heard that we might be delivered So that here is no hurt done we are worse scared than hurt Even as a mother when her childe is way-ward threateneth to throw it to the Wolfe or scareth it with some poker or bul-begger to make it cling more unto her and be quiet So the Lord oftentimes sheweth us the terrible faces of troubles and dangers to make us cleave and cling faster unto him and also to teach us to esteeme better of his gifts when wee enjoy them and to bee more thankfull for them as health wealth peace liberty safety c. So then still we see here is nothing meant on Gods part but good as it is written Rom. 5. All things worke together for good to them that love God For Heb. 12 10. Heb. 12.14 even the afflictions of Gods children are so sanctified unto them by the Spirit 1 Thes 1.6 that thereby they are made partakers of the holinesse of God Gal. 6.14 Phil 3.10 Thereby they enjoy the quiet fruit of righteousnesse Thereby they attaine unto a greater measure of joy in the holy Ghost 2 Cor. 11.32 Thereby the world is crucified to them and they to the world Rom. 5.3 4. Thereby they are made conformable to the death of Christ Thereby they are kept from the condemnation of the world Thereby they learne experience patience hope c. So that all things considered Gods children are no losers by their afflictions but gainers It is better for them to have them than to
otherwise with a thousand oathes Antil It is the custome to sweare Theol. But a wicked and divellish custome Antil I hope Sir wee may sweare as long as we swear truly and swear by nothing but that which is good Theol. It hath beene answered before that in vain matters you may not swear at all Antil As long as wee do no worse than that I hope God will hold us excused Theol. God will not hold you excused when you break his commandements and continue so doing Antil What say you then to them that sweare wounds and bloud and such like in a bravery thinking that it setteth out their speech very well Theol. Hell gapeth for them and they shall know one day what it is to blaspheme God Antil What may wee thinke of such as sweare by Gods life Gods soule Gods body Gods heart Theol. That their case is most wofull and dangerous and I quake at the naming of them They are most horrible monstrous and outragious blasphemies enough to make the stones in the street to cracke and the clouds to fall upon our heads And wee may thinke that all the Divels in hell are in a readinesse to carry such blasphemous villaines headlong into that lake which burneth with fire and brimstone for ever Antil Do you find in Scripture that God will so severely punish swearers Theol. Yes verily For besides that which hath beene spoken before wee have diverse other examples First of Senacherib the King of Ashur who for his outragious blasphemies against the God of Heaven was in most fearfull and tragicall manner slaine by his owne sons Adramalech and Sharezor and that in the temple when hee was worshipping his Idol-god Nisroch And yet behold a more fearfull example of Gods wrath against blasphemers 2 Kin. 19.37 Wee read that an hundred thousand of the Aramites were slaine by the Israelites in one day for blaspheming God 1 King 20.29 and seven and twenty thousand being left and flying into the city of Aphek for refuge were all slaine by the fall of an huge great wall What shall I here speake how the seven sonnes of Saul the King of Israel were hanged up before the Lord in mount Gibeah for the breach of the oath made to the Gibeonites long before 1 Sâ—â— â—1 In these examples we may plainly see that the just God even in this life somtimes will be revenged of blasphemers and oath-breakers And therefore the very heathen in all ages have beene very carefull for the performing of oathes as Pharaoh King of Egypt willed Joseph to go up into the land of Canaan to bury his father according to his oath made to his father Phil. Mee thinketh these so terrible and fearfull examples of Gods vengeance against swearers and blasphemers should strike some terrour into the hearts of our blasphemers Theol. One should think so indeed if any thing could do it But alas they are so hardened in it and in all other sinne that nothing can move them except peradventure there were a law made that every swearer and blasphemer should hold his hand a quarter of an houre in boyling lead This or some such like severe law might peradventure curb them a little and make them bite in their oathes But otherwise they will never feare any thing till they are in hell fire when it will be too late to repent Phil. What may be the cause of this so often and great swearing for surely it is no inherent and inbred sin in our nature as some of the other sinnes be Theol. No verily But these three I judge to be the causes of it Custome Want of admonition Want of punishment Phil. What then are the remedies of it Theol. The remedies are these Disuse Prayer Friendly admonition Some sharpe Law Phil. Well Sir now wee have heard enough of swearing I pray you proceed to the next sign of condemnation which is lying Theol. Swearing and lying bee of very neere kindred For hee that is a common swearer is for the most part a common lyer also For hee that maketh no conscience of swearing will make no conscience of lying And as the Lord hateth the one so also he hateth the other And as he punisheth the one so will hee punish the other Therefore Solomon saith Prov. 12.23 Lying lips are an abomination unto the Lord. Rev. 21.25 St. John saith Without shall be dogges enchanters whore-mongers murtherers and whosoever loveth or maketh lyes Rev. â—1 8 Againe the same holy man of God saith The lyers shall have their part and portion in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone which is the second death Phil. These Scriptures which you alledge doe manifestly declare that God abhorreth lyers and hath reserved great torments for them Therefore the Princely Prophet David saith that hee would banish all lyers from his house Psal 101.7 He that telleth lyes saith hee shall not remain in my sight Prov. 6.16 17. A lying tongue is one of the six things which God doth hate and his soule abhorre Yet for all this we see by lamentable experience how many have even taught their tongues to lye as the Prophet saith and there is no truth in their lips Jer. 9. This vice is almost as common as swearing For it is hard to finde a man that will speake the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth from his heart in simplicitie and plainnesse at all times in all places and amongst all persons without all glozing or dissembling either for feare gaine flatterie men-pleasing hiding of faults or any sinister respect whatsoever Where I say is thâ—s man to bee found I would faine see him I would faine looke upon such a man it would doe my heart good to behold him I would rejoyce to set mine eyes upon such a man Theol. Such a man as you speake of is hardly to bee found among the sons of men They bee bâ—ack Swans in the earth they bee white Crowes they be rare birds For there bee very few that will speake the truth from their heart yet some such I hope there be But for the most part and amongst the greater sort lying dissembling and fraud doe beare all the sway There is no truth no honesty no conscience no simplicity no plaine dealing amongst men in these most corrupt times Faith and truth are parted cleane away And as the Kingly Prophet saith Psal 1â— The faithfull are failed from among the children of men They speake deceitfully every one with his neighbour flattering with their lips and speaking with a double heart Men now adayes study the art of lying flattering fawning glozing and dissembling they have a heart and a heart They have honey in their mouth and gall in their heart Their tongues are as soft as butter and oyle but their hearts are full of bitternesse poyson and worme-wood They are full of outward courtesie and civility full of Court-holy-water when there is no truth nor plainnesse in their inward
not trouble any widow or fatherlesse child If thou vex or trouble such and so hee call and cry unto mee I will surely heare his câ—ie Then shall my wrath be kindled and I will kill you with the sword and your wives shall be widowâ—s Deut. 12. and your children fatherlesse Againe he saith Thou shalt not oppresse an hired servant that is needy and poore but thou shalt give him his hire for his day neither shall the Sunne goe downe upon it for hee is poore and therewith sustaineth his life lâ—st hee cry against thee unto the Lord and it be sinne unto thee Exod. 22. Moreover the Lord saith Thou shalt doe no injury to a stranger for yee were strangers in the and of Egypt Mal. 3. And God himselfe threatneth that hee will be a swift wi nesse against those which keep backe the hirelings wages and vex the widow and the fathe lesse 1 Thes 4.6 The Apostle saith Let no man oppâ—esse or defraud his brother in any matter For the Lord is an avenger of all such things Eccl. 5.6 Solomon also saith It in a countrie thou seest the oppression of the pooâ—e and the defrauding of justice and judgement be not astonied at the matter for hee that is higher then the highest regardeth and there be higher then they All these holy Statutes and Lawes enacted and provided against oppressors doe plainly shew what care the Lord hath for his poore distressed no desolate people Phil. But these oppressing hell-hounds are such as care for nothing No law of the Almighty can bridle them nothing can feare them nothing can restraine them they have made a covenant with hell and death They are frozen in their dregs they are past feeling And as Job saith Job 24.14 These are they that abhorre the light they know not the waies thereof neither continue in the paths thereof Their hearts are as hard as the Adamant Nothing can move thâ—m nothing can worke upon them There is great crying out every where of the stone in the reines which indâ—ed is a great torment to the bodie buâ— th re is no complaining of the stone in the heart I meane a stony heart which is the sorest disease that possibly can fall into the soule of a man and yet in thâ—se times it groweth very rife For mens hearts are as hard as brasse and as the neather Mill-stone as the Scripture speaketh For many especially of these unmercifull and oppressing tyrants s y in their hearts God will doe neither good nor evâ—ll Zeph. 1.23 Therefore they put the evill day far from them and approach to the seat of iniquity They are at â—ase in Sion they lye upon beds of I vorie and stretch themselves on their beds and eat the Lambs of the flocke and the calves out of the stall They sing to the sound of the Viol Amoâ— 6.3 9. they invent instruments of musick like David they drink wine in bowles and no man is sorry for the affliction of Joseph that is the troubles of Gods people The Prophet Esay also complaines of these kinde of men Isa 5.12 saying They regard not the work of the Lord neither consider the worke of his hands And another Prophet saith Psal 10.11 They say in their hearts God hath forgot he hides away his face and will never see They are so proud that they seek not for God They thinke alwayes there is no God his Judgements are farre out of their sight their wayes alway prosper and therefore they say in their hearts Tush wee shall never bee moved nor come in danger Theol. You have spoken very well touching the steelinesse and hardnesse of these mens hearts who are so unmercifull to their poore neighbours that almost none can live by them They doe so disturbe and disquiet all things that poore men can dwell in no rest by them Therefore truly saith the wise King A mighty man molesteth all both hireth the foole hires those that passe by but the poore man speaketh with prayers That is by the way of entreaty and supplications For the poore are affraid â—im they quake when they see them as the beasts quake at the roaring of a Lion Many poore Farmers poore Husbandmen poore Herds poore Labourers poore Widowes and Hirelings doeâ— quake and tremble when these greedy Wolves come abroad And as Job saith The poore of the earth hide themselves together For alas Job 24.4 in their hearts they cannot abide the sight of them they had as leeve meet the Divell as meet them for feare of one displeasure or another For either they feare that they will warne them out of their houses or parley about more Rent and straiter covenants or beg away their best kine or borrow their horses or command their carts or require a weeks work of them and never pay them for it or a twelve-months pasture for a couple of Geldings or that they 'le make one quarrell or another unto them one mischiefe or another So that these poore soules cannot tell what to doe or which way to turne them for feare of these cruell Termagants They are even weary of their lives For they have no remedy for these things but even to beare it off with head and shoulders Therefore they often wish they were out of the world and that they were buried quicke They say it any will knock them on the head they will forgive him O most piteous case O lamentable hearing These poore silly creatures are faine to drudge and moile all the yeare long in Winter and Summer in frost and snow in heat and cold to provide their Rents that they may be able to pay their cruell Land-lord at h s day For else how shall they be able to looâ—e him in the face Yet their Rent is so rack't that all they can doe is little enough to pay it and when that is paid alas the poore man and his wife and children have little left to take to or to maintaine themselves withall they are faine to gnaw of a crust to fare hardly and goe tâ—inly clad Sometimes they have victuals and sometimes none The poore children cry for bread Poore widowes also and poore fatherlesse children are found weeping and mourning in their housâ—s and in their streets So that now we may with Solomon Eccl. 4.1 Turne and consider all the oppressions that are wrought under the Sunne We may behold the teares of the oppressed and none comforteth them For the mighty ones doe wrong the weaker even as the stronger beasts doe push and harme the feebler These giuing oppressors doe pinch the poore even to the quicke They pluck away from the fatherlesse widowes that little which they have If there be but a cow or a few sheep left they will have them If there be a little commodity of house or land oh what devices they have to win iâ— in and to wring it away Those tyrants will goe as nigh as the
with faith in those that heard it And again Heb. â— 1â— They could not enter in because of unbeliefe Here we sâ—e that unbeliefe did bar out the old people from entring into the Land of Promise which was a figure of Gods eternall Kingdome And sure it is that the same unbeliefe doth barre out thousands of us For many will beleeve nothing but their owne fantasies They will not beleeve the Word of God especially when it is contrary to their lusts and likings profits and pleasures Though things be manifestly proved to their faces and both the Chapter and the Verse shewed them yet will they not beleeve or though they say they beleeve yet will they never goe about the practice of any thing but reply against God in all their actions And for the most part when God saith one thing they will say another when God saith yee they will say nay and so give God the lye Some againe will say If all be true that the Preachers say then God help us Thus you see how infidelity doth bar men out of Heaven and cast them into Hell Phil. Let us heare of the second gate which is Presumption of Gods mercy Theol. This is set downe in the 29. Chapter of Deuteronomie where the Lord saith thus When a man heareth the words of this curse and yet flattereth himselfe in his heart saying I shall have peace although I walke according to the stubbornnesse of mine owne heart thus adding drunkenness to thirst that is one sinne to anotâ—er the Lord will not be mercifull unto him but the wrath of the Lord and his jealousie shall smoake against that man and every curse that is written in this booke shall light upon him and the Lord shall put out his name from under Heaven Here we see how the mighty God doth thunder downe upon such as goe-on in their sins presuming of his mercie and saying in their hearts If I may have but a Lord have mercy upon mee three houres before death I care not But it is just with God when these three houres come to shut them up in blindnesse and hardnesse of heart as a just plagne for their presumption Therefore the Prophet David seeing the grievousnesse of this sinne prayeth to be delivered from it Psal 19. Keep me O Lord saith he from presumptuous sins let them not reigne over mee Let all men therefore take hood of presumptuous sins For though God be full of mercy yet will hee shew no mercy to them that presume of his mercy But they shall once know to their cost that justice goeth from him as well as mercy Phil. Let us come to the third gate which is the Example of the multitude Theol. This is proved in the 23. of Exodus verse 22. where the Lord saith flatly Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evill In another place the Lord saith Levit. 18.3 After the doing of the Land of Egypt wherein ye dwelt shall ye not doe and after the manner of the Land of Canaan whither I will bring you shall ye not doe neither walke in their ordinances Against this Law did the children of Israel offend when they said in the stubbornnesse of their heart to the Prophet Jeremie The word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the Lord wee will not heare but we will do whatsoever goeth out of our mouth and we will do as we have done both we and our Fathers our Kings and our Princes in the Cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem Jer. 44.16 Note here how they doe altogether refuse the Word of the Lord and how they follow the example of the multitude Wee see in these our dayes by lamentable experience how thousands are violently carried downe the stream and for defence of it some will say Do as the most men do and the fewest will speak ill of you Which is a very wicked speech For if we will follow the course of the most we shall have the reward of the most which is eternall perdition Let us therefore take heed of bending with the sway for the sway of the world doth weigh down all things that can be spoken out of the Word of God and openeth a very wide passage into hell Phil. Proceed to the fourth gate into hell which is the Long custome of sinne Theol. This is noted by the Prophet Jeremy to be a very dangerous thing For hee saith Jer. 13.23 Can the Black moore change his skin or the Leopard his spots Then may yee also doe good which are accustomed to doe evill Noting thereby that it is as hard a matter to leave an old custome of sinne as to wash a Black-moore white or to change the spots of a Leopard which because they are naturall is most impossible So when men through custome have made swearing lying adultery and drunkennesse as it were naturall unto them oh how hard it is to leave them For custome maketh another nature and taketh away all sense and feeling of sin Phil. Let us heare of the fifth gate which is the Long escaping of punishment Theol. This is avouched by the Wise man in these words Ecclâ—s 8.11 Because sentence against an evill worke is not executed speedily therefore the hearts of the children of men are set in them to doe evill Where hee sheweth that one cause why men are so hardened in their sinnes is because God winketh at them and letteth them alone not punishing them immediatly after they have sinned For if God should forthwith strike downe one and raine fire and brimstone upon another and cause the earth to swallow up a third then men would feare indeed But it hath beene shewed before that God taketh not that course but though he meet with some in this life yet he lets thousands escape and that makes them more bold thinking they shall never come to their answer even as an old theefe which hath a long time escaped both prison and gallowes thinkes he shall alwaies so escape and therefore goeth boldly on in his thefts But let men take heed For as the Proverb saith Though the Pitcher goeth long to the Well yet at last it cometh broken home So though men escape long yet they shall not escape alwaies for there will come a day of reckoning a day that will pay it home for all Thus you see how impunity leadeth numbers to destruction that is when men are let alone and neither smitten by the hand of God nor punished by the Law of the Magistrate Phil. Let us come to the sixth gate which is the Hope of long life Theol. This is affirmed by our Lord Iesus concerning that rich worldling who when hee felt the world come in upon him with full streame said he would pull dâ—wne his barnes and build greater and say to his soule Soule thou hast much goods laid up for many yeares Luke 12.19 live at ease eat drinke and take thy pastime But our Saviour calleth him
the true Sanctuary but is entred into the very Heaven Heb. 9. to appeare now in the sight of God for you The Apostle saith 2 Cor. 5.21 He hath made him to be sinne for you that knew no sinne that you might be made the righteousnesse of GOD in him Gal 3.13 Christ was made a curse for you that he might redeeme you from the curse of the Law Oh therefore how happy art thou that hast such a Mediatour and high Priest Rest therefore wholly upon him and upon that perfect eternall and propitiatory Sacrifice which he hath once offered Apply Christ apply his merits apply the promises to your selfe and to your owne conscience so shall they doe you good and bring great comfort to your soule For put case you had a most excellent and soveraigne salve which would cure any wound if it were laid to yet if you should locke it up in your chest and never apply it to your wound what good could it doe you Even so the righteousnesse and merits of Christ are a spirituall salve which will cure any wound of the soule but if wee doe not apply them to our soules by faith they can doe us no good You must therefore apply Christ and all the promises of the Gospel to your selfe by faith and stand fully perswaded that whatsoever hee hath done upon the Crosse hee hath done for you particularly For what is justifying faith but a full perswasion of Gods particular love to us in Christ The generall and confused knowledge of Christ and his Gospel availes not to eternall life Labour therefore to have the true use of all these great and precious promises and sticke fast to Christ for through him onely wee have remission of sins and eternall life Acts 10.45 To him all the Prophets give witnesse saith Saint Peter that through his Name all that beleeve shall receive remission of their sins Where the Apostle tells us that if a great Iury of Prophets were pannelled to testifie of the way and meanes to eternall life they would all with one consent bring in a verdict that remission of sins and eternall life are onely in Christ Let us heare the Fore-man speake and one or two of the rest for in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word stand The Prophet Esay saith Esay 54.5 He was wounded for our transgressions he was broken for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes wee are healed This great Prophet we see plainly affirmes that Christ suffered for our sins and by his suffering we are saved The Prophet Jeremy testifies the same thing Jer. 23 5. saying Behold the day is come saith the Lord that I will raise to David a righteous branch and a King shall reigne and prosper and shall execute judgement and justice in the earth In his dayes Judah shall be saved and Israel shall dwell safely and this is the name whereby they shall call him The Lord our righteousnesse This Prophet jumps with the other For he saith that Christ is the righteous branch and that he is our righteousnesse which is all one as if hee had said our sinnes are pardoned onely through him and through him we are made righteous Moreover hee affirmes that Juda and Israel that is the Church shall be saved by him The Prophet Zachary that I may speake it with reverence telleth the same tale word for word He avoucheth the same thing with the other two Prophets for hee saith In that day a fountaine shall be opened to the house of David Zach. 13.1 and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sinne and for uncleannesse The meaning of the Prophet is that in the dayes of Christs Kingdome the fountaine of Gods mercy in Christ should be opened and let-out to wash away the sinnes and uncleannesse of the Church So then we see that these three great witnesses doe all agree in this that through Christ onely we are washed from our sinnes and through him onely wee are made righteous Seeing then that eternall life is onely in the Sonne therefore he that hath the Sonne hath life Be of good courage therefore O Asunetus for no doubt you have the Sonne and therefore eternall life Feare not your sinnes for they cannot hurt you for as all the righteousnesse of Abraham Isaac and Jacob and all the most righteous men that ever lived on the face of the earth if it were yours could doe you no good without Christ so all the sinne in the world can doe you no hurt being in Christ Rom. 8.1 For there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus Plucke up a good heart therefore be no more heavie and sad for if you be found in Christ clothed with his perfect righteousnesse being made yours through faith what can the Divell say to you what can the Law doe They may well hisse at you but they cannot sting you they may grin at you but they cannot hurt you For who shal lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect It is God that justifies Rom. â— 33 who shall condemne It is Christ which is dead or rather which is risen againe who also sitteth at the right hand of God and makes request for us Phil. 4.4 Rejoyce in the Lord therefore againe I say Rejoice for greater is hee that is in you then hee that is in the world Our Lord Iesus is stronger then all None can pluck you out of his hands hee is a strong Mediator hee hath conquered all our spirituall enemies hee hath overcome hell death and damnation hee hath led captivity captive Col. 1.15 hee hath spoyled principalities and powers and hath made an open shew of them and triumphed over them on his crosse Hee hath most triumphantly said O death Hos 13.14 I will be thy death O grave I will be thy destruction O death where is thy sting 1 Cor. 15.55 O hell where is thy victory Seeing then you have such a Mediator and high Priest as hath conquered the hellish army and subdued all infernall power what need you to doubt what need you to feare any more Moreover you are to understand and to be perswaded that Gods mercy is exceeding great towards penitent sinners and all such as mourne for their transgressions according as hee saith At what time soever a sinner doth repent him of his sinnes from the bottome of his heart hee will put them all out of his remembrance The Prophet David doth most lively and fully describe unto us the mercifull nature of God in the 103. Psalme where hee saith The Lord is full of compassion and mercy slow to anger and of great kindnesse hee will not alwaies chide neither keepeth his anger for ever hee hath not dealt with us after our sinnes nor rewarded us according to our iniquities For as high as the heaven is above the earth so great is his mercy towards those that feare him