euery one that praieth in publike assemblies and heareth the word diligently and turne ouer their Bibles and sing reuerently the holy Psalmes and praises of God confer of that which they heard and call their families to account for that which they haue heard at the Sermon c. all most holy actions but take heed now when thou doest all these or any of these that the messenger of Sathan come not like a cunning companion and poison all these Take heed I say euen then when thou art about these seruices for euen as cut-purses and pilfering rogues watch their times till they see men busie in buying and selling or come in a preasse so do these vagrant affections watch our harts when we are about holy businesse and in deuout conference with our God to rob God of his honour and to poison that which we offer him and if it be poisoned he will none of it A strange thing and a hidden mysterie this is that a man should then rob the Lord of his honour when he is honoring and seruing him that we should take from him that which we giue vnto him Verily so we do if we take not heed and nothing is more common then that euil Thou art deuout in thy prayer in hearing in sighing in singing in eleuating eyes and hands to heauen it is well done but then take heede of the theefe with the poison that thou seest not and that is that affection that maketh thee to cast thy eye aside perhaps to looke whether such a man seeth thee or no and that affection that tickleth thy heart and saith now I am a good man I shall be counted a zealous professor for this I shall be well esteemed for this I shall by this meanes get familiaritie and so commoditie with him her and a thousand such odde conceits that come wharting and crossing of thy heart in the best things that thou canst do All which if thou take not heede of them euen then at that instant and pray against them they will get within thee and plucke off the garment of puritie and holinesse which in Christ Iesus should commend thy action vnto God And thus thou seest how God is robbed when he is serued and therefore euen then without any further delay or dallying take heed and watch ouer thy heart and pray against these vile and vaine affections desiring God to reforme and correct them that so thou maiest giue him his due clad in such holy and pure affections as are desirous that all the glorie should be giuen vnto him from whom and for whom all things are and shall be And in so doing thou maiest safely shew what God hath done for thee Take for example in the old Testament Iacob and in the new Testament the Virgin Mary and Zacharie the father of Iohn Baptist. Iacob he sheweth his brother how God had blessed him since his comming ouer Iordan with onely a poore staffe in his hand and now had giuen him troupes or bands of children and seruants and blessed him with flockes of sheepe beeues and camels but in all these things his desire was that God might he glorified and therefore he said I am not worthy of the least of these mercies that is all that I haue set forth the great and vndeserued fauour of God vnto me So farre was he from seeking thereby to be counted a great man as the maner of the world is So when Elizabeth reioyced with her cosin for the great fauour and goodnesse of the most high in chusing her to be the mother of the Lord Iesus and sayd Blessed art thou amongst women she was not proud thereof but presently gaue the glorie vnto God and sayd My soule doth magnifie the Lord and my spirite reioyceth in God my Sauiour I shall be magnified indeede but he that is mightie hath magnified me and holy is his name and so made that whole song to set forth the glorious praises of God in that singular worke which he had done to her In like sort when Zachary knew that Iohn was borne to be the forerunner of Christ he presently gaue the glorie to God saying Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for he hath visited and redeemed his people c. And thou ô child shalt be called the Prophet of the most high for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare the way before him to giue knowledge of saluation vnto his people for the forgiuenesse of their sinnes But then commeth forth the holy affection wherein God is delighted and saith Through the tender mercy of our God c. And this shall we do if we take heed and still watch ouer our hearts in euerie action by secret prayer vnto God that his name may be hallowed This wise course being taken we shall be able by the grace of God in a short time to discerne a false harted affection from a true and a holy affection a double heart from a single and sincere heart for in euery man that is regenerate there is a double motion the one of the flesh the other of the Spirite the one of God the other of Sathan and in euerie action if he watch narrowly he shall find and feele a striuing betweene them Now here is wisedome to discerne how much is of God and how much of Sathan that we may cherish the one and crush the other in the head before he grow to any strength There will be two fires kindled and both burning together in one heart the one must be quenched and not maintained the other must not be quēched but be maintained for so saith the Scripture quench and quench not quench the firie darts of the diuell but quench not the Spirit of God whereby ye are sealed vp to the day of redemption Now then seeing the glory of God is set vp for one marke to aime at and the good of the Church of God for another let vs learne by our leuelling and aiming at them or besides them to iudge of our affections and cogitations If thy cogitations be studying and deuising how to auoide vaineglorie and how to get glorie to God by casting about to make others to praise God in thy graces and to loue and feare him for the same then is that cogitation kindled by Gods Spirite quench it not but cherish it If thy affections be longing and desiring to bring the same to passe which thy minde by Gods Spirite hath deuised then is that a holy affection of God quench it not but maintaine it reioyce in God for it But if one the contrarie thy mind be deuising what to do and what to say and how to bring things to passe to please men and not God and to win credit and estimation amongst men Gods glory being cast behind thy backe know that those thoughts and affections are fierie darts of Sathans kindling quench them and cherish them not take heede of them in time In taking this
honoured and rewarded of God then all the world beside Oh happie man and woman that professing Christianitie or faith in Christ or repentance for sinne or patience in affliction or contempt of the world or zeale to Gods glorie or deuotion in Gods worship or liberalitie to the Saints or mercie to the miserable can in all these haue the company of sinceritie and vprightnesse of heart then may they say thus nay our suretie the Lord Iesus wil pleade for vs in this manner Father despise not these little ones they are my friends and though their faith and repentance be weake and imperfect and other graces of thy Spirit be but small and feeble and for want of nourshing and good looking vnto be not so well growne nor so well ordered as they should haue bene yet forasmuch as they come before thee and haue called vpon my name in sinceritie and truth which thou louest without counterfeiting dissembling and hypocrisie which thou abhorrest thou wilt not despise them Their fruit though they be but little in quantitie like a graine of musterd seed yet it is right fruite of the Spirit true faith though little faith true loue though litle and small loue not like the fruites of hypocrites which are like the apples of Sodome faire in shew and ashes in substance What hath soundly comforted all the Saines of God here on earth but the testimonie of an vpright heart And is not sound comfort a good reward What hath encouraged and emboldned them to come before God in prayer but the testimoniall of a sincere heart and holy affection And is not boldnesse in Gods presence a good reward What hath made the prayers of the faithfull auaileable with God for other but the sinceritie and vpright affection of them that haue craued their prayers and are not these sweet odours that is the prayers of the Saints a good reward What made Iacob to be honoured with the new name of Israel that is preuailing with God for a blessing but that his wrestling was not in shew but in good earnest in sinceritie and truth of heart with a constant purpose of perseuering till he had gotten that which he stroue for And is not preuailing with God a good reward All the daies of the afflicted are euill saith Salomon that is troublesome grieuous and bitter to flesh and bloud but a good conscience is a continuall feast that is he that hath an vpright heart and sincere affection before God feeleth no want Now such a feast as it is continuall so is it prouided by God himselfe serued in with the Spirit of God where the Angels do waite and reioyce and the worst dishes are the assurance of Gods loue forgiuenesse of sinnes peace of conscience and ioy of the holy Ghost There all the communication is secret and heauenly between Christ and the soule the Musitians are the faithfull and their musicke is praising of God and their harmonie is the communion of Saints and all are of one heart and mind and is not such a feast a good reward Nay more then this if this be not inough whosoeuer will earnestly hegge this gift of God by prayer and louingly embrace and keepe her as his deare spouse shall haue with her a large dowrie a great reward in heauen in heauen saith Christ. For such gifts come not without crauing and of our selues we cannot haue it for if a good wife be the gift of God much more is a good heart which God in creating doth giue in giuing doth create therfore Dauid saith Create in me ô Lord a cleane heart to shew that we can no more make the hart sincere then we can create a hart But whē such a hart is created by God he giueth thee a singular gift a great portion belongeth vnto it Part of it shall be payd thee in this life but the greatest part in the life to come In this life thou shalt be loued of Christs friends and moned of good men when thou art wronged the more thou dost seek to honor God the more he will honor thee as he told Samuel The more thou fliest the vainglorie of the world for sinceritie sake the more wil true glorie follow thee according to the Prouerb Honos fugientem sequitur sequentem fugit It followeth those that flye from her like friends which enforce gifts and other curtesies vpon modest persons which refuse them but flyeth them that follow her as men do impudent beggers But besides al this when death comes thy deare friend sincerity shall more comfort thee then all the Phisitions in the world And after death thy name shall liue and walke vp downe in the world to warne some to comfort some to admonish some and to shame some and to condemne many But yet here is not all for then shalt thou first receiue commendation of God whom thou hast serued and secondly enter into full and euerlasting possession of thy maisters ioy which is no lesse then a weightie crowne of glorie immortall then a kingdome and inheritance of eternall blessednesse with the Saints and Angels and God himselfe where all teares shall be wiped from thy eyes and thou shalt reioyce for euermore Where thou shalt enioy for euer and euer such things as no eye hath seene no eare hath heard nor heart to man can conceiue and nothing shall euer obscure or eclipse the same nor crosse nor diminish the same And what is all this or whatsoeuer else can be sayd of it but scarce a shadow of sincerities reward Alas a drop taken out of the sea and a moate out of the mountaines like the hem of Christs garment which did comfort the woman that touched it but she found more comfort in him then in the hem So the description of sincerity is delightsome the picture is pleasing but whosoeuer hath sincerity it selfe shall find at his left hand the fulnesse of ioy and at his right hand pleasure for euermore Whosoeuer after this Sermon shall find so much fauour with God as to meete with sinceritie and vprightnesse of heart in all his actions and such an affection that preferreth Gods glorie before his owne and seeketh praise of God and not of man shall say as the Queene of the South sayd when she came to King Salomon That which I heard of thee I did hardly beleeue it but now I perceiue that the report which went of thee is nothing answerable to that which thou art indeed And though no man deserueth such a reward at Gods hand no nor any reward at all but shame and confusion which is our due desert yet both for his promise sake as also for his honour sake he will so reward his children If mortall men will keepe their promise one towards another as all that haue but common ciuility and honestie will them much more will Almightie God who is all truth and righteousnesse it selfe and can no more breake his promise then he can denie himselfe
their soules health in English Well let vs take heede that we continue not stil so vntoward to serue God to learne his most glorious will least God giue vs ouer againe in his iust iudgemēt to walke in ignorance to beleeue lies Popery groweth apace in many places Papists are very bold doubtlesse they see it is to be feared too much inclinatiō aptnes both in som teachers much of the people to receiue their Popish trash again that is the matter Popish pictures shew thēselues in euery shop street almost many think there is great deuotiō stirred vp by the sight of thē yea they hope of a mery world towards And doubtlesse the Papists cannot brew so fast but as they hope others will be as ready to drinke Well the Lord in mercy looke vpon vs our Christian gouernors that we may be more more forward apt to the embracing setting forth of his holy truth Gospell to our liues end Amen Now let vs pray THE V. SERMON PROV 6.14 Leud things are in his heart WE haue heard before how vaine and lawlesse the man of Belial is how froward and peeuish how counterfeit cunning in his outward behauiour now we are come to the cause of all and to the digging vp of that which is the fountaine of all his distemperature and disorder and that doth the holy Ghost here shew vs when he saith Leud things are in his heart as if he should say it is no maruell though his behauiour be so bad and barbarous so vile and full of leud actions when his heart which is the fountaine of all his actions is full of leude things Then first here let vs consider what is meant by the hart And next what profitable doctrines may be gathered from this sentence and the coherence thereof with the rest of the wicked mans description By hart in this place he meaneth not the fleshly and materiall heart which is the good creature of God but the corrupted and depraued qualities of the heart For the heart is put sometime for the whole inward man as in 1. Pet. 3.4 Let the hid man of the heart be meeke and quiet sometime for the thoughts and affections for the will and vnderstanding as in 1. King 3.9 Giue me an vnderstanding heart the prayer of Salomon That is giue vnderstanding vnto my hart mind or soule for hee had a hart before So that in the heart is vnderstanding but in the wicked it is leud vnderstanding because he vnderstandeth leude and vile things best And in Gen. 6.5 it is said The imaginations of the thoughts of mans heart were euill continually to shew that thoughts and imaginations lodge in the heart but in the man of Belial they are leude and wicked In the 23. of the Prou. 26. the Lord saith My sonne giue me thy heart that is the affections of thy heart as thy desire thy loue thy ioy thy feare thy trust thy zeale thy delight thy sorrow as if he shold say if thou desirest any thing desire me if thou louest any thing loue me if thou ioyest in any thing ioy in me if thou fearest any thing feare me if thou trustest any trust me if thou be zealous for any thing be zealous for me if thou sorrowest for any thing be sorrowfull that thou canst not do thy dutie to me as thou oughtest and these things I leaue not to thy choise but see thou do them indeed Now all these affections are in the wicked man of Belial but they are leud and not for the Lord. In the fourth of the Hebrewes 12. the word of God is called a deuider of the thoughts and intents of the heart so that in the heart lye thoughts and intents that is purposes conclusions and determinations but in the wicked they are all leud and naught So that the meaning of these words Leud things are in his heart is that the man of Belial vnderstandeth leud things he thinketh and studieth leud things he purposeth and intendeth leud things he desireth and affecteth leud things yea he deuiseth and contriueth nothing else but leud things This anatomizing and discouering of Belials hart in this sort with the rest of his behauiour in other parts of his bodie teacheth vs many excellent pointes of doctrine for our instruction 1. That the man of Belial is no better within then without 2. That whatsoeuer a man is without yet God doth iudge of him by that which is in his heart 3. That the cause of all outward disorder is in the heart 4. That a man cannot be a good man vntill the hart be reformed 5. That the word of God is of that nature that it discouereth the hidden things in the heart 6. That the same word of God which sheweth vs the corruptions of our hearts doth also shew vs to reforme the heart Of the first That a wicked and prophane man such as Salomon here speaketh of is no better within then he is without but rather worse is euident both by this and diuers other places of holy Scripture Here he saith that as he is froward in his speeches and dissolute in his outward behauiour so his heart is leud and wicked So that if the hart be naught all is naught If there be any goodnes in his heart it must be either in his vnderstanding or his will or his affections but the subiect of all these is leudnes therfore within there is no better then without but rather worse In the 6. of Gen. verse 5. it is said That mans wickednesse is great and his heart is also euill continually The Psalmist saith The foole meaning a wicked man hath said in his heart there is no God his waies are corrupt and become abhominable there is not one that doth good no not one The Apostle Paul searcheth euery part of the naturall man within and without and findeth all alike Roman 3. from verse 11. to 19. Let him be asked the question and heare his answer And first of his vnderstanding What vnderstanding hath the vnregenerate or naturall man None There is none that vnderstandeth saith he meaning the things of God How are their affections bent What do they not desire to know God No saith the Apostle There is none that seeketh God What is there none better then another No saith the Apostle They haue all gon out of the way they are made altogether vnprofitable there is none that doth good no not one But let vs make a better search it may be there is some goodnesse in some secret corner or in some of their members What say you of their throat Their throat saith the Apostle is an open sepulcher from whence proceedeth nothing but stinke and rottennesse to infect the aire How are their toungs vsed To deceipt saith the Apostle What is vnder their lippes The poison of Aspes And what in their mouths Abundance of cursing and bitternesse They are swift
the mother the second is the daughter The first is the poyson the other is the signe thereof or the breaking out The first is the fountaine the second is the streame The first is the coale the second is the flame The first is the cause the second is the effect of the same The first is the theefe the second is his accessary The first robbeth God of his honour the second doth publish it Therefore both the first and the second be damnable neither the first nor the second are sinnes veniall as the Papists say but both the first and the second the mother and the daughter without faith and repentance are sinnes eternally mortall And therefore our Sauiour Christ saith here Take heede of them as if they were some dangerous enemies to the soule The first thing therefore to be taken heed of is all inward desire of vaineglory or worldly praise and that is forbidden in the first verse where our Sauiour saith Giue not to be seene of men that is with an intent purpose or desire that men should see thee and commend thee for it Publicke giuing is not forbidden for Christ saith Let your lights shine before men that they may see c. But vaineglorious giuing in publicke is forbidden and therefore he doth not simply say Do not your almes before men but addeth to be seene of them condemning that end which is first in heart though last in act So in Math. 5.16 he saith not Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good workes and glorifie you but that they seeing your good workes may glorifie God your heauenly father who worketh both the will and the deed So then we see that it is not simply euill to do good workes in the view of men nay rather it is good so to do to glorifie God and encourage others God is much glorified when his children walke like their father being mercifull as their heauenly father is mercifull though not in that degree of mercie yet in mercy of the like nature heauenly bountifull free and harmelesse By the death of Christ he was knowne to be the naturall sonne of God and by the good life of Christians aswell as by their death it may be knowne that they are the adopted sonnes of God For when Christ died there was a strange alteration of nature the earth did shake the powers of heauen lost their power the graues opened the dead arose there was darknesse vpon the face of the earth as if day had bene turne into night which when men saw they confessed yea the very enemies of Christ himselfe confessed to the glorie of the diuine power saying doubtlesse this was the sonne of God So when Christians dye to the world and liue vnto God when they by the power of Gods spirit do crucifie sinne and quicken righteousnesse there is also a great alteration in nature their nature is refined by grace their night is turned into day and their day into night their present shame is their glorie and their former glory is their shame their dead affections are raised vp the deuowring graues of their hard harts being opened and now they speake and do and studie otherwise then they did and not like other men In a word as Christs death was not like other mens death so Christians liues are not like other mens liues Christs funerals were solemnized by the Sunne and the Moone by the powers of heauen by the graues and the dead by the earth and the stones and all the insensible creatures whereof in their kind some blushed some trembled some fainted and all mourned for the death of their Lord and feared seeing such things happen to their Soueraigne an vtter dissolution of themselues and all nature These things were not looked for in the world nor regarded at worldly mens funerals yea such as beseeme not the Princes of the nations so Christians liues and deaths too are solemnized and graced with the ornaments of the spirit and the ioy of heauenly Angels with the fruites of righteousnesse the applause of the godly things not regarded of the wicked nor beseeming the helhounds of this world But doubtlesse when men see these lights they must needes glorifie God and say God hath done great things for them and when the wicked themselues see such an alteration in them as they may stand a farre off and wonder at but neuer attaine vnto they must be enforced spite of their hearts to giue God the glorie as Achan did saying this is the truth and so it was and as the Iewes did doubtlesse these were good men the sonnes and daughters of God A man may by their behauiour know of whose bringing vp they were by their habite and spirituall attire a man may discerne them to be the Citizens of the heauenly Ierusalem Blessed be God in so much as they must go a little farther with the wicked in the book of Wisedome and say we are fooles and they are wise howsoeuer we counted their life madnesse before we are they that played the madmen and haue wearied our selues in the wayes of vnrighteousnesse And with Balam Oh that we might dye the death of the righteous and that our last end might be like vnto theirs And thus we see how for the glorifying of God in this life it is necessary for Christians to exercise workes of mercy as giuing of almes and other good workes appointed of God in his word euen before men As it is necessary for the glory of God so also is it as necessary for the encouragement of the godly And first of the painefull Pastor and Minister of the word and then of other Christians To the godly Minister it is no small comfort and encouragement when he shall see the Lords people vnder his charge fruitfull in good workes aswell as in good words For then shall he see the fruite of his labours when after his labour he seeth them fruitfull in all maner of good workes and on the other side when they receiue the word in vaine he may feare that he hath laboured in vaine in vaine I say as touching their conuersion though not simply in vaine otherwise for the word of God is neuer preached in vaine whether men beleeue it or no heare it or no being euer either a sauour of life to life or of death vnto death and comming as the raine which neuer returneth in vaine but either watereth the earth or drowneth it and maketh the ground to bring forth either corne or cockle sweet flowers or stinking weedes whereof the one shall be preserued and the other rooted vp and cast out vpon the dunghill The husbandman is encouraged to follow his husbandry when his vines are fruitfull and his haruests plentiful growing timely ripening kindly yeelding abundantly and no lesse is Gods husbandman the minister of the word encouraged by the timely growing kindly ripening and plentifull yeelding of his charge the Lords husbandrie after he hath taken
paines amongst them The shepheard loueth not only to heare his flocke bleate like sheepe and go to the greene pastures but also when time commeth he expecteth their fleece for his gaine and their yong for the increase of his flocke So the shepheards of our soules loue more to see the flocke of Christ yeeld their loue to the encouragement of their shepheards and the increase of good workes for the enlarging of the flocke of Christ then only to heare them speake and â—alke like Christians It was an incouragement to Paule to trauell in birth among the Galathians when he was in hope to bring them foorth vnto Christ or to beger Christ in their hearts What had that blessed Apostle to boast of when he came at Macedonia but of the zeale of the Corinthians and when he came at Achaia what ioy was it vnto him to report of the forwardnesse and liberality of the Macedonian Christians Euen so no lesse comfort is it to godly Ministers still in places abroad to commend the zeale and loue and knowledge and patience and godlinesse and charity of their people at home and the contrarie to all these is as great a crosse and discouragement as the former is ioyfull comfortable and encouraging As the minister of Christ is encouraged by the lights that is the good workes of Christians shining before men so are other Christians also no lesse confirmed and drawne forward to do the like So the readinesse of the Corinthians was a spur to the Macedonians and Achaians yea their zeale saith the Apostle prouoked many to be zealous Iron sharpneth yron sayth Salomon so the face of a friend sharpneth a friend that is one man quickneth another One peece of wood being set on fire and layed to another doth also kindle the other so one zealous Christian maketh other zealous which were cold before Examples are very forcible either to good or euill for in the affections of men there is a certaine vnity and vnited league so that when one is moued another by the same is moued like a chaine of many linkes one within another draw one and draw all or like a clocke which hath many wheeles which all stand still vntill one be set a worke but if one be set a going that will moue his fellow and his fellow will moue his next fellow and so one will moue another the greater the lesser and the lesser in some place the greater the lower the higher vntill at the last the clocke sound and tell all the world thereof And this spirituall mouing of affection by the like affection and drawing on of one action by another like which the same affection embraceth is effected by vertue of the communion of Saints which we rather beleeue then expresse Thus Nathaniel is drawne by Philip to see Christ and Philip is drawne by Simon Peter and Simon by his brother Andrew Thus the woman of Samaria being moued by Christ moueth the best of her neighbours to come out and see Christ. And herein appeareth the vnity of the Spirit which the Apostle speaketh of Ephes. 4.3 and willeth Christians to hold and maintaine with the bond of peace for the Spirit of God is alwayes one and the same in all men in all ages and at all times and looke what it commendeth to one it commeth to another and what it perswadeth one vnto vnto the same it perswadeth another So that one man being moued by Gods Spirit to shew workes of mercy he doth it his affection liking the same commendeth them vnto another that mans affections also being ruled by the same Spirite cannot chuse but affect and entertaine the same things and so they go from one to another and all being moued by one and the same spirit And yet euery one is moued by meanes and in his seuerall degree and measure whether it be of faith or charity or patience c. Dauid was a meane to make many zealous with him in fetching home the Arke and in other religious actions no doubt but how he first heareth the word then he beleeueth then he speaketh then others heare him speaking then they beleeue that which they heare from him and then they affect that which they beleeue and then they practise that which they affect as all men do whose harts are where their treasure is and their tongues are occupied about that which their harts are set vpon To conclude therefore this point seeing as the doing of good workes before men maketh much for the glorifying of God and the encouraging and drawing on of others both the godly Minister in his place seeing some fruite of his labours and also of other Christians by the example of their brethren and by vertue of the spirite which vniteth their affections let no man condemne the giuing of almes or exercise of other workes of charitie before men but do them rather but alwaies take heede as our Sauiour willeth that ye giue not your almes before men to be seene of men that is with a desire of praise and vaine-glorie It is the affection that maketh or marreth all our actions and is the thing that is more respected with the Lord then the outward action it selfe be it neuer so good Salomon is witnesse for he saith The Lord pondereth the spirits that is he considereth with what affections things be done And the Lord loueth not a giuer but a cheerefull giuer Now the gift is in the hand but cheerefulnesse lodgeth in the heart and appeareth in the countenance which the Lord doth more respect then the gift No one thing doth so soone and so much poison all our actions as vaineglory doth a sinne indeed that waiteth on the best as it did vpon S. Paule who therefore had a messenger of Sathan sent to buffet him that is he had a part vnregenerate to humble him lest he should be exalted aboue measure by reason of those reuelations which he had giuen him to shew that the best men are giuen to thinke well of themselues How many do giue and forgiue to be seene of men How many haue Sermons and Dole at their burials only to be praised of men How many heare the word and daily frequent the exercises of religion onely to be seene of men How many do lend and giue their word vainegloriously to be praised of men How many do build aloft like Nimrods euen till Babel that is to say confusion fall vpon their heads and onely to get a name amongst men How many haue euen confessed their faultes and wept for their sinnes too euen to be seene of men How many comming through Cathedrall churches kneele downe by a pillar as though they prayed onely to be seene of men And might not Osorius the Papist himselfe be as vaineglorious as another when he wrote a booke de contemnenda gloria in contempt of vaineglorie As many rufflers in the Church make most glorious Sermons in praise of mortification and sanctification
of lowlinesse and of zealousnesse and of constancie and of sinceritie and of loue and of charitie and of true deuotion which thou hast seene or heard of in the Saints and holy men and women of God for euen they are lights and comfortable lights too when Christians meane to keepe Christs watch ouer their hearts and affections But all these are to no purpose to thee except thou haue one light within thee as well as without thee When God hath bestowed these outward lights vpon thee then pray thou for the gift of the holy Ghost that he being in thy heart may open thy eyes of vnderstanding and iudgement to see the wonderfull things of Gods lawe as he opened the heart of Lydia when Paule preached and also to frame thy will and affections to take pleasure and delight in the Saints and their examples who excelled in vertue vpon earth and so much for thee that sittest in darknesse Now to those that haue lights that is preaching inough and good bookes inough and good knowledge inough and can discourse of good examples inough but are oppressed with sleepe and a spirit of deadnesse and drowsinesse that is are carelesse of that they heare and forgetfull of that they both heare and reade and make no conscience of any thing longer then it is rung into their eares I cannot tell well what to say vnto them to discourage them I am loath and to incourage them as they are I am afraid but let vs see is there no way to make them vigilant that they may take heed of the enemy when he commeth verily yes First they must desire their fellowes and neighbours to call vpon them by exhortation and awaken them as men do that meane to ride a iourney together then if they fall asleepe againe they must cause the watchmen of the streetes that is their publicke teachers and pastours to smite them and pinch them euen with speciall application of the doctrine vnto their owne hearts and consciences then they must resolue to be patient and contented that they be often and loud so called vpon as Christ did often call vpon his Disciples when they were heauy and therefore often and loud because they were heauy To which ende the congregation should not be pestred with an ignorant nor a cold teacher nor a strawbury Sermon man that either cannot or will not or will but coldly and seldomly rouze vp mens drowsie consciences but such as shall be instant in season and out of season that is vppon all occasions to lift vp their voices like trumpets and to tell the Lords people of their sinnes both in generall and also in particular And lastly they must take heede of eating and drinking such things as are like sleepy and drowsie meates that is that they delight not in such carnall company and fleshly pleasures as will in time both breed a consumption of Gods graces in them and also harden and besot them so in their sins that in time they may grow past all feeling for consuetudo peccandi saith Augustine tollit sensum peccati the custome of sinne taketh away the feeling of sinne Now for those that are discouraged through fearfulnesse of their owne abilitie and affrighted with the fearfull sights of their enemies like Elisha his seruant at the sight of the Aramites there be of two sorts which haue need of good instruction and great incouragement The first sort are dismayed at that which is past the second is affraid of things to come The first are such as haue bene in the battell and haue beene foiled and ouermatched with rebellious thoughts and vnsanctified affections and these like a weake porter at a gate hauing opened the doore to some one whom he had a mind vnto were not onely so troubled by that one sinne of theirs whom they meant not to keepe alwayes that they could not tell how to be rid of him any more but also by that same one false and fained friend haue bene betrayed in letting in a presse of many other sinnes which they neuer thought of to the spoiling of all that was within which they thought to keepe out but finding themselues ouermatched with the preasse without and wanting strength within haue euen in a kind of desperate manner sit downe and let all alone to come in and do what they will wishing when it is too late as they imagine that in time they had taken heede of that one false and deceitfull affection which they entertained To these men a man cannot say obstate principijs withstand the beginnings for that the fray is already begunne and they almost nay altogether put to the worse But the best counsell for such a one is redime te captum quam queas minimo get out of their hands so soone as thou canst and as Christ said to the woman taken in adulterie go and sinne no more least a worse thing happen vnto thee that is take better heede another time But how shall I get out of their hands wilt thou say verily of thy selfe a thing impossible thou must craue helpe of a stronger then thy selfe or then the enemie that hath thee in possession and that is Iesus Christ the victorious Lion of the tribe of Iuda who hath alreadie dispossessed the strong man of his hold and purchased the possession to thy vse if thou sue to him by earnest prayer and embrace him by a holy faith thou shalt recouer thy hold againe And without these two weapons it is not possible for thee by all thy heede taking to auoide the sleights of Sathan And what though thou carrie a scarre and weare some shakles of the vnregenerate part yet be content and thanke God for thy victorie by Christ. Iacob could not get the blessing without wrestling and in wrestling he was smitten and being smitten he halted and continued lame euer after and thus was it with Israel that is he that preuailed with God And so shall it be with euery true Israelite and member of Christ while the world standeth But what of all that Gods power is made manifest in the weakenesse of his children and so thou may in the end preuaile with God for his blessing be content to receiue with the blessing of God many a blow knowing that it is better to go lame and blind into heauen then otherwise after all ease and carnall pleasure to go into hell Now for those that are afraid to stand vpon their spirituall watch for feare that they should be foiled and spoiled they are to be encouraged and admonished Great cause of encouragement they haue for that if God once open their eyes they shal see more with them then be against them as the seruant of Elisha did God himself hath an eye ouer the righteous and an eare alwaies open to their prayer Therefore let them watch and feare not Gods Angels are charged to pitch their tents about them therefore let them watch and feare not With their hands they shall hold thee
them arraigne them endite them and condemne them and feare them not but still pray for prayer is flagellum diaboli as Augustine calleth it the whippe of the Diuell which he more feareth then all the coniurations of Poperie then all holy water and crossings yea more then the dog doth the whip and as when the dogge heareth the bell at the whips end he runneth out of the house so when Sathan perceiueth a Christian addresse himselfe to prayer though it be neuer so weakely and with great striuing yet he then feareth the rebuke of God and giueth place Oh then let vs pray good brethren euen then then when we are about to giue almes or to heare a Sermon or to preach the word or to reproue sinne boldly or to handle doctrine soundly or to deale roundly with the consciences of men and in all other spirituall exercises and not only in them but also in our ciuill affaires in buying and selling if thou meanest to deale truly and vse plaine and simple dealing and to be at a word Oh then pray also in inuiting thy friends and neighbours to thy house when thou entertainest the preachers of Gods word at thy table when thou art troubled in making prouision and to haue all things cleane and handsome oh then pray when thou callest foorth thy children to shew their wit their aptnesse and towardnes to learne their profiting in learning and such like oh then pray too when thou cariest thy friend to shew him thy house and thy roomes and thy riches and the workes of thine owne hands and thy fine gardens and walkes and thy fruitfull Orchards and thy fatte cattell and thy great dealings and thy daily expenses c. Oh in all these go not without thy whippe of prayer to driue away Sathan and all his theeuish suggestions and vaineglorious cogitations for euen then when thou thinkest to do all for the best thou shalt be circumuented and deceiued of thy reward before thou be aware if thou then euen then I say do not take heede Then shalt thou heare the whispering feel the tickling of a number of spirituall and inuisible theeues in thy hart Oh saith one to him that studeith for a Sermon when he readeth a trim discourse or fine simile that pleaseth himselfe Oh this will do well to grace thy Sermon withall oh men will commend thy wit and thy inuention for this and thy boldnesse for that and thy iudgement in that c. Oh here is a tickling theefe in the heart driue him out by prayer take heed of him yeeld not vnto him but pray then and say Lord none of all these come of my selfe thou art the giuer of them they are thy mercies to me ô Lord I am not able nor worthie my selfe to carrie such treasures of thy Spirite to thy people Lord be mercifull vnto me and sanctifie my heart that I may seeke thy glorie and not my owne Oh hallowed be thy name Lord hallowed be thy name not vnto vs ô Lord not vnto vs but to thy name let the praise be giuen Lord humble my swelling heart with the feeling of my sinne and my speciall corruptions Oh Lord driue out these proud thoughâ—s these vaine imaginations these wicked and sacrilegious affections which go about thus to rob thee of thy honour both in me the speaker and in others the hearers let them not commend thy gifts in me or in any man but alwayes to thy praise and glorie And thus must we be exercised continually while we liue In like sort when thou art about to shew thy reading and discoursing veine at the table pray for then a theefe within thee will be ready to tell thee that all the company will and do admire thee for thy gift that way Yea or if thou sit still and be silent and neuer speakest but when thou art required and then very modestly too yet then watch and take heede for euen then commeth a spirituall theefe perswadeth thee to thinke with thy selfe surely men will commend me aswell for my silence and modestie as such a one for his learning wit but where is the Kings Atturney all this while to pleade for Gods right I meane the spirite of sanctification to perswade thy soule to giue the glorie to God who gaue thee those gifts and that grace with God and man where is he Oh therefore then when thou doest these things euen then I say take heede watch and pray Hallowed be thy name Lord rebuke Sathan quench these his fierie dartes humble my proud heart make it to affect thee and thy glorie aboue all things and in all things In like sort in doing the parts of a ciuill man entertaining of preachers or thy honest friends and neighbours in shewing them thy faire houses thy well contriued roomes thy wealth thy gaines thy great expences thy great reuenewes thy toward children c. doest thou not feele a theefe within thee tickling and dallying with thy false heart and telling thee that thou shalt be highly commended for these things and thy fame shall be spread farre and neare and thou shalt be spoken of for it and reuerenced and admired c. doest thou not feele such a theefe within thee speaking such things And what is all in effect but to perswade thee to rob him who hath enriched thee to disgrace him who hath graced thee and to wound him who hath healed thee whereas thou oughtest then to say I will shew these things and tell what goodnesse I haue receiued of my mercifull God and heauenly father that men may commend his goodnesse therein and spread the fame of his name farre and neare and may reuerence and admire his wisedome and power and mercifull workes towards mortall man and may both feare and loue his Maiestie for the same And to this end let vs watch pray that God in al things and for all things may haue his due praise and glorie In like manner when thou giuest thine almes or buildest anie hospitall or giuest any thing to the poore of such and such a parish c. if thou doest not take great heed and examine thy heart and stand with prayer at the doore then will Sathan be busie and a spirituall theefe will stand vp in thy hart and say Oh now this being knowne how will the poore commend me how will the world commend me I shall now get a name that I am a good man to the poore I hope to come into the Chronicles for my good deeds one day c. Oh then scourge these corrupt and diuelish affections chase them away by prayer let them not dwel in thy heart giue theÌ„ no entertainement desire to giue all the glorie to God and desire others to do the same for thee for that he hath made thee both able and willing to giue and hath made thee his steward and deputie to giue euery one his portion that his fatherly goodnesse hath appointed them The like is to be done of
timely heed thou shalt by the grace of God be able easilie to espie the beginnings of thy speciall sinnes and all the degrees of them and the growth of them and all the shifts and sleights of Sathan and shalt euer get the victorie ouer them in Christ Iesus And albeit thou be haunted and molested and buffeted with such messengers of Sathan and pained and humbled by such prickes and goades in thy flesh while thou liuest yet here remaineth thy comfort when death commeth thou shalt be able to say with the Psalmist By this I know ô Lord that thou louest me because these my spirituall enemies haue not triumphed ouer me blessed be the name of the Lord God for euermore But one other side if thou be carelesse and put off the matter still from time to time thinking to repent and leaue thy sinne when thou art olde or a dying as many do thou doest miserably deceiue thy selfe for doubtlesse any one sinne that is growne into a custome will be too hard for thee before age come or sicknesse come And for proofe of that I say do but try thy strength with one of thy sinnes which thou hast accustomed thy selfe vnto and when thou wouldest leaue it see how many shifts and delayes and deuises and excuses it hath still pulling thee backe againe when thy foote is in the stirrop and thou ready as thou thinkest to ride away from it Now if it be so with one sinne that thou hast bene familiar withall what wilt thou do when all thy sinnes are proued customes Is it not an vsuall answer of most men that haue vsed swearing or lying or prophane mirth or sluggish seruing of God c. It is my custome I cannot leaue it Those young men which were Ieroboams companions before his raigne would be his Counsellors when he did raigne so those sinnes which are thy companions now will be thy Counsellors and maisters too hereafter Therefore say not thou wilt take heed of them hereafter for hereafter thou art likely in all common sense and reason to be euery way more vnfit and vntoward then thou art now but when time and occasion serue watch sinne and thou take him and destroy him which else in time will ouerthrow thee THE III. SERMON WE haue heard what it is that Christians must take heede of in doing of good deedes and the manner how to take heed thereof Now we are further to consider of the reasons which our Sauiour giueth hereby to make men the more fearefull of that which he warneth them of and more carefull to follow his counsell And his reasons containe two propositions the one is negatiue the other is affirmatiue The first is these words For else you shall haue no reward of your heauenly father The other is in these words Verily I say vnto you they that is hypocrites haue their reward The first reason is very soueraigne and auaileable against the inward euill namely all inward desire and affection of popular praise and vaineglorie and the other is as forcible to disswade from the outward euill that is ostentation and shew of vaine-glorie The former telleth vs what we loose if we take not heed and keepe not good watch ouer our hearts against vaineglorious affections and that is Gods reward Our fathers blessing a heauenly reward and in the second reason we are told what we shall get in stead thereof namely the reward of hypocrites and no more and that is the praise of men the wind of mens mouthes the good opinion of mutable minds then the which there is nothing more vaine nor transitorie nor friuolous nor ridiculous a miserable reward indeede a punishment and a torment to a godly mind Now we see that by this bargaine a man if he take not heede may be a great looser and by taking heed he may be a great gainer Againe we see that the vaineglorious Christian that is to say a plaine hypocrite is a gainer by his hipocrisie but his gaine is nothing to that which he expecteth and nothing comparable to his losse These reasons are vsed by our Sauiour Christ in most high wisedome as proceeding from one that best knoweth euery mans disease and euery ones humour and euery ones delight and accordingly he fitteth both his medicines and his motiues Now seeing as all men are much moued with hope of rewards especially when for a small matter they are in hope to obtaine a great and a good reward what could our Sauiour Christ propound of greater force to moue men to embrace sinceritie in all their actions then Gods reward which is the greatest and the best And because hypocrisie is of that bewitching nature and besotting humour that it maketh her suters attendants beleeue that they shal be both honored here amōgst men and glorified hereafter amongst Angels in heauen and so by feeding them with a vaine hope of a double reward for their double dealing our Sauiour Christ here doth notably coole their courage by abating no lesse of their wages then heauen commeth to assuring them that whatsoeuer they dreame of it wil proue but a dreame And least any man should thinke that it is otherwise and God will be better to them then so as all hypocrites do our Sauiour Christ bindeth vp the matter with an earnest asseueration or constant affirming the matter and saith not I feare me they haue their reward I doubt they will loose their reward in heauen I cannot tell but I stand in great doubt of the matter for then yet there were some little hope left like a bone for the hypocritie to picke vpon but the goeth more directly to the point then so saying verily and out of all question build vpon it know for a certaine what to trust vnto if you take not heede of hypocrisie you haue your reward here there is nothing to be looked for hereafter at Gods hand but the hypocrites portion and that is hell fire with the diuell and his Angels for euer for when men haue rewarded them God will punish them And thus you see the force of Christs reasons and the drift of his words wherein we haue two excellent points offered vs to consider of First the reward of sinceritie secondly the reward of hypocrisie The reward of sinceritie and vprightnesse of heart verily is great for the Psalmist saith that in keeping of the commandements of God there is great reward Sinceritie is commaunded in the first commaundement of the first Table and more largely in other places of Scripture which bid vs to serue God with all our hearts and with all our soules and to praise him with all that is within vs. And therefore out of all doubt there is a great reward laid vp for those that are sincere harted Christians and vpright professors of the Gospell of Christ. Thou hast shewed great mercy to Dauid saith King Salomon when he walked before thee in truth and vprightnesse of heart to shew that great mercies belong
to vpright harted men But what it is or how great it is or how good it is few yet do know fewer beleeue it and fewest of all do so feele it as to be moued therewith We know what we haue here say some we know not what we shall haue hereafter Now ignoti nulla cupido of a thing vnknowne there is no desire Therefore that men may desire it it is fit they should know it Others there be that hauing heard of it are desirous to see it as Philip sayd to Christ Shew vs thy father and it suffiseth so say they Shew vs the reward of sinceritie and it suffiseth Dreaming as the Disciples of Christ did awhile of some earthly and temporall preferment But as Christ sayd to Philip He that hath seene me hath seene my father because the Sonne was in the Father and the Father in the Sonne so we say to them he that hath seene sinceritie hath seene the reward of sincerity because sincerity of it selfe is the gift of God and Gods reward goeth with his owne gift according to the saying of a learned father Sua munera coronat Deus in nobis God doth crowne his owne gifts in vs. Other some there be which haue seene the reward of sincerity a good part of it that is haue knowne it and beleeued such a thing but haue bin no more moued therewith to preserue themselues against the poison of vaineglorie then they of the old world were moued with the report and sight of Noahs Arke to prepare for them selues against the floud Others there be that haue both seene it by faith and tasted of it too but afterward haue lothed the same and lusted after vaineglorie as the vnthankfull Israelites lothed Manna which did nourish them when all other foode failed and sell to lusting for the flesh pots of Egypt It fareth with those that haue left their sinceritie as it did with those that left Christ after they had heard him awhile When they heard Christ speake of eating his flesh they said this is a hard saying who can beare it and so came no more So the other hearing that sincerities men shall haue Gods reward they like that well inough but when we tell them nay when Gods word telleth them that they shall loose the worlds reward and in stead of commendations shall be condemned and hated and scorned they say this is a hard saying and so giue ouer their sincere courses But what saith our Sauiour Christ to the woman of Samaria If thou knewest the gift of God and who it is that saith vnto thee giue me drinke thou wouldst haue asked of him and he wold haue giuen thee water yea water of life So it may be said to those that make a iest of sinceritie or preferre the glorie of the world before the reward of sinceritie If they knew the gift of God the excellent reward of sinceritie and who it is that saith Take heede of vaineglorie and who it is that will reward the embracers of sinceritie they would seeke to him for credite and aske glorie of him and he would giue them an euerlasting reward euen a crowne of glorie which neuer should end As when Dauid asked life the Lord gaue him a long life and as when Salomon asked wisedome before riches the Lord gaue him both wisedome and riches too But now all the enquiring will be what this same gift of God should be and what reward they shall haue that giue entertainment to sincerity Verily as the Church saith of Christ her beloued My beloued is white and ruddie the chiefest of ten thousands so may the louers of sinceritie say our beloued is white and ruddie that is she is like the kings daughter all glorious within she is the chiefest often thousand she hath many faire sisters but she passeth them all her sisters be patience and humility and meeknesse and zeale and courage and long suffering and contempt of the world and loue of God with faith hope and charitie and all these are glorious and beautifull vertues yea sweet children of the holy Ghost when thâ—y come from God but sinceritie and singlenesse of heart doth excell them all The Sunne doth giue light to all the starres and the Queene doth grace her Ladies of Honour with her presence So sinceritie or truth of heart doth beautifie and grace all other vertues for without that they are but naked and counterfeit She goeth before them and speaketh for them all like a foreman of a Iurie when all the rest though they be her faire sisters must hold their peace Faith is seeble and weake and loue her handmaid is lazie and careth for none but her selfe patience hath a scarre on her face giuen her by intemperancie deuotions is so frozen with cold that she can scarce go humilitie is so tired with wrestling against pride that she looketh very leane and bare and as for repentance that is so trampled vpon with custome of sinne that it is scarce to be discerned from hardnesse of heart Now all these go from vs that haue abused them into the Lords presence as Thamar did from her brother Amnon when he had enforced her with their garments of diuerse colours rent and torne with ashes vpon her head in token of sorrow and with great weeping griefe and shame For that they must come before their Lord and King their father so defaced so ragged so basely and so beastly as they are as if they had lien all their life time since they went from heauen in some stinking ditches with vermine or in vile stables amongst beastes or in the woods and fieldes of wandring cogitations amongst the euish conceipts of vaineglorie and vnwholesome affections of anger and wrath and couetuousnesse and vncleannesse for so they haue indeed But when they meet with ther sister sinceritie and vprightnesse of heart oh how glad and ioyfull are they for her sake they know they shall all fare the better Oh sinceritie sinceritie where hast thou bene all this while say they vntill thou camest we could haue no grace nor fauour no entrance into the Court gate of our heauenly Ierusalem no our owne father would not know vs but tooke vs for counterfeits vntill we fetched thee as Ioseph tooke his brethren for spies vntill they fetched Beniamin whome he loued better then they And now that we haue met with thee we are glad our hearts are comforted thou shalt be heard for vs all being altogether in Christ Iesus our Mediator But otherwise though we said we are Christians and haue professed Christianitie and offered to put in for our suretie no worse baile then the Kings owne naturall sonne Iesus Christ all would not serue we could not be heard vntill we brought sinceritie with vs. For she as respecteth God more then all the world and setteth more by his loue and anger then by the loue and anger of all the world so in Christ Iesus she is more respected and
The rich men of their aboundance cast much into the treasurie and the poore widow cast in two mites which makes a farthing Now by the iudgement of Christ she cast in more then the rich men did because they of their superfluitie gaue some but she gaue all that she had And so it is we see by daily experience that many a meane man considering his abilitie or rather his inabilitie doth giue more when he giueth a peny then some rich man doth when he giueth a pound And perhaps as he giueth all that he hath in coÌ„parison of some other so he parteth from it with a better mind then some that giue more and can better spare it then he Diuerse do examine in giuing of almes whether he be a good man or no to whom they giue as though it were of necessitie required to the truth of almes that he must be a good man to whom almes is giuen and not rather a good man that giueth it Facile dignus est pauper hoc ipso quod miser est egenus vt eleemosynam accipiat saith Musculus A poore man is capable inough of an almes in that he is in miserie and want Some say they would giue almes if they were able but let them giue of that small abilitie that they haue a little and it shall be acceptable before God being giueÌ„ of a pitiful mind There is the alms of the hand the almes of the tongue and the almes of the eyes the almes of the heart The almes of the hand is some visible thing giuen as gold siluer bread cloth c. The tongues almes is two fold first good counsell and comfortable speeches which oftentimes do more good then gold and siluer such an almes did Peter bestow vpon the creeple when he said Siluer and gold I haue none but such as I haue I giue thee in the name of Iesus arise and walke Act. 2. Secondly earnest prayer vnto God such an almes did the Church bestow vpon Peter when he was in prison and it releeued him more then mony for it caused the prison doores to open alone and Peter escaped Act. 12. The eyes almes are teares for the calamities of other proceeding from a sorrowfull heart such an almes did the women of Ierusalem bestow vpon our Sauiour Christ when he went to suffer death And Christ noted theÌ„ in gracious termes for it saying Weepe not for me daughters of Ierusalem but weepe for your selues c. The almes of the heart is a certaine griefe and sorrow arising from the feeling of anothers miserie and is the mother of all the rest if abilitie serue and of all thâ—se he that cannot giue one may affoord another Some giue but it is grudgingly and angerly and some in pollicie onely to please vnruly persons and stay a further mischiefe for feare that else they should lose all like those that cast bread to a dogge for feare of biting these giue no good almes No more do those that giue somewhat of that which they haue ill gotten to the end they might keepe the rest in the better securitie Nor they that giue of a vainglorious affection to seeme to be mercifull when they be nothing lesse We are not to iudge any mans hart but euery man by this doctrine is to examine and iudge his owne heart Now we are to see why the Lord will haue almes to be giuen that is why it is his pleasure to haue poore men in the world that shal stand in neede of the rich mans almes for it cannot be denied but that this is the Lords doing as Salomon saith The rich and the poore meete together but the Lord is the maker of all He could haue made many women for one man saith the prophet for he had abundance of spirit meaning he had power inough to giue many wiues to one husband but he made but one wife for one husband and why but one because he sought a godly seede So he could haue made all rich or those rich which he made poore those poore which he made rich for he had abundance and inough for euery one if euery one had bene a world and yet he would not do so but would haue some to be rich some to be poore And why so Surely to giue thereby occasions of patience as he doth vnto the poore by their pouertie and of liberalitie and doing of good as he doth vnto the rich by placing of poore and needy amongst them God could haue brought to passe that sinne should neuer haue bene in the world if it had so pleased him but then how should his iustice haue appeared in punishing the vessels of his wrath and the riches of his mercie bene manifested in pardoning his elect Euen so if he had made all rich and none poore what should then the rich haue had to exercise their liberalitie vpon and wherwithall should the patience of the needy haue bene tried Both rich and poore therfore hath he made for the manifesting of the singular worke of his Spirit to his own praise and glory in both Let not therefore the rich contemne the poore because they haue not their aboundance for themselues but as stewards appointed of God to releeue therewith those which want Neither let the poore enuie the rich or impatiently beare their burden because God hath prouided that their want should be supplied by the rich but let both poore and rich glorifie God in their estate and calling and know that if they vse the same to that end that God hath ordained them for they shall reape vnto themselues the most sweete fruits of the sanctifying spirit vnto the sealing vp of their euerlasting election and adoption in Christ. In the next place we are to consider how men may be moued or induced to giue almes willingly and chearefully First because almes giuing is nothing else but a worke of mercie as almes it selfe is mercies gift it can haue no better inforcer to worke then mercie it selfe that is a compassion or fellow feeling of another mans miserie which naturally should be in al meÌ„ But because that is by natural corruption deaded in some turned into a sottish kind of inhumanitie in others weakned in all Therefore secondly it is needfull that we be regenerated made new men by the Spirite of God who by his heauenly grace and effectuall working in vs may restore that which is lost and cause mercie to appeare in her liuely hew and beautifull colour againe Thirdly when we are borne againe it is a motiue of no small force to consider that Christ in his members is miserable poore and needie and that whosoeuer doth succour them is iudged to haue succored Christ himselfe as appeareth by the testimonie of Christs owne mouth in Mat. 25. verse 24. and so forward Now if it be so that Christ is releeued wheÌ„ his poore meÌ„bers are releeued what reason hath any hard harted Nabal to be so close
will not sticke to say that though he doth accustome his mouth to swearing and filthie talking and all maner of vile ribaldrie yet he hath as honest a heart as the best of them all and meaneth no hurt Of the same mind also are they that find eares to heare and memorie to beare away all such filthie communications yea they can remember such things better then words of grace but they are deceiued saith the Apostle for euill words do corrupt good manners And as they do corrupt good manners so do they ingender euill and wicked manners for corruptio vnius est generatio alterius the corruption of one thing is the generation of another as in nature we see the corruption of the egge is the breeding either of a bird or else of rottennesse and stink and the turning of the wine is the making of that which was sweete wine to become sharpe vineger and the corrpuption of the graine in the earth is the generation either of a new blade of corne or else of a weed euen so the corruption of good manners is the generation of euill conditions the corruption of chastitie is the begetting of incontinencie the death of humilitie is the life of pride the corruption of faith is the generation of infidelity the corruption of sobrietie is the procreation of drunkennesse and the decay of pietie is the setting vp of prophanenesse And is all this no hurt Is there no hurt in euill words which be as infectious and daungerous to good manners as any plague sore is to the bodie As they be hurtfull to others so are they no lesse euill to ourselues and signes also of much euill in our hearts For as a rotten sore argueth a rotten disease and an vnsound bodie so a corrupt and froward mouth argueth a corrupt and froward heart and as a stinking breath doth bewray an vnsound stomach so a filthie mouth doth argue a filthie mind which is within like a swines stie or rather a diuels stie and therefore in verse 27. of the 4. to the Ephesians when the holy Apostle doth disswade Christians from sinfull anger and from dwelling in wrath he saith giue not place to the diuell as if the diuell did lodge in a wrathfull heart Which cannot be but to the grieuing of the spirit of God who is thereby as much as lieth in vs dispossessed of his hold inheritance For wold it not grieue any man to be either annoyed in his owne house or put out of his inheritance which he hath dearely purchased and paied for And will it not much more grieue and offend Gods spirit to be dispossessed of his owne inheritance which God hath purchased with his owne bloud Act. 20.28 and to haue the diuell set vp in his place like an vsurper And therefore in the 30. verse of the former fourth to the Ephesians he addeth And grieue not the holy spirit of God vsing that as a reason why we should not suffer corrupt communications to proceed out of our mouthes For though there be in all men naturall corruption and infirmitie which is bred and borne with them yet by the grace of God it is so suppressed and corrected in the regenerate that it hath no full sway nor domineering power in them And therefore he saith not let no corruption be at all in your minds but he saith Let no corrupt communication proceede out of your mouths For it is said in Gen. 6.5 that the imaginations of mans heart are euill continually But if lewd speeches haue libertie to proceede out of our mouthes that is at pleasure to go and come like a maister of a familie that is a signe that Sathan hath wonne the hold and keepeth possession of the heart And on the contrarie when good words are frequent and vsual in the mouth it is a signe that Gods spirit doth beare rule though now and then by reason of our naturall corruption that still remaineth in vs some crooked thoughts wil breake in to our minds and some froward speeches will breake foorth at our mouthes by force or by stealth while we be not so watchfull as we should be The Apostle S. Iames also agreeth with the former as touching the vse of the toung in his third chapter verses 3. and 4. where by two similitudes he sheweth that the tongue hath a double vse both in regard of our selues as also in regard of others And namely first our maker and then our neighbour For with our tongues we must blesse God that is praise God and with our tongues we must also blesse our neighbour that is pray for him wish him well and speak well of him c. How this little member must be gouerned he sheweth by two similitudes First of a bit in a horse mouth which the rider vseth for his owne safetie which also must be moderated for if it bee let loose too much the horse will stumble or go which way he lift or cast his rider if it be pulled in too much the horse will either stand still or else go backe or rise vp to the daunger of the rider So the tongue if it be too silent too fearefull and too much restrained the owner shall make no way in his heauenly iourney he shall not be able to keep companie with others it will make his affections rise vp with desperate cogitations to his own hurt neither shall God haue his due praise of that member which he ought to haue neither shall man reape that benefite thereof which we owe vnto him as it falleth out when men are so tong-tyed that they will not preach nor reproue sinne when they are called thereunto and when others will not affoord their neighbour their testimonie or witnesse in time of neede to do him good And againe if it be let go too loose and suffered to be too bold then it will fling out and runne riot as the saying is to the shame of the speaker and griefe of the hearers Secondly he likeneth it to the rudder of a shippe which is to rule the ship and to direct her course whose benefite if it be well stirred redoundeth to many to the Pilote himselfe who doth guide it to the owners to the mariners and to the whole ship with all that is in it and so on the other side is the daunger as great and manifold if it be not well ordered and stirred So the tongue is so to be vsed as that thereby the bodie may be well ordered the affections may be bridled others may be preserued and all may be edified by counselling some by instructing some by admonishing others by comforting others and by praying for all and interpreting all things in the best part Which graces whosoeuer hath attained vnto hath attained to an excellent thing Iam. 3.2 Yea a man of wisedome saith Salomon spareth his speech and he that vnderstandeth is of an excellent spirit Prou. 17.27 So that by the testimonie
externall behauiour gestures of the body at one time or another Hypocrites are greatly deceiued who thinke to do well inough so long as they can keep their harts secret for so they imagine but all sinne in generall and hypocrisie in speciall is like poyson and leauen Now if poyson be drunke into the bowels it cannot be kept there frō his working but it wil breake forth and make the whole body to swell the very nailes of the fingers haire of the head will tell that poyson is within And leauen though it be but a litle in quantity being buried in a great lumpe of dough will haue his operation in such sort that euery part and crumbe of the whole lumpe shall taste of it so that by the very taste of it a man shall be able that hath a sound taste to say surely here was leauen And therefore saith Christ Take heed and beware of the leuen of the Pharisees which is hypocrisie as if he should say take heed of hypocrisie for it is like leuen it will not only sower and make vnsauory all your actions before God but it will breake forth by the very taste of your deeds it will be perceiued of men Yea this poyson will appeare in your faces and gestures for all will be distempered and out of order It may be that Belial may with his cunning deceiue some but the seruants of God which haue the spirit of discretiō cannot so easily be deceiued Ahijah knew Ieroboams wife before he saw her though she came in disguised apparel that could he do because he was a Prophet now though we be not such Prophets as he was yet folowing the directiō of Gods word we may easily discerne an hypocrite if we cōuerse lōg with him marke him wel By one letter missed in the pronuntiation of one word the Ephraimites were knowne frō the Gileadites so many times by one word in a sentence or by one sentence in a sermon or in a booke or by the very style and phrase a man may easily discerne the humour and disposition of a man by such a little matter it will be no hard matter to coniecture whether he hath borrowed any popish tooles patternes to forge his worke by so whether he be inclined to popery or no. When Peter was familiar both with Iewes Gētiles soothed vp both sides in their contrary opinions Paul thought him not sound So likewise whē we see men professing the Gospel to be alike familiar both with Papists Protestants giue the right hand of fellowship as soone to the one as to the other to cōmend the Church of the one to be no lesse the family of Christ then the Church of the other we may iustly suspect that they are not so sound as they should be Oh their halting iugling wil easily be espied if men be awake Let Felix pretend what he wil yet by his often sending for Paul by his oftē cōmuning with him with so many sleeuelesse messages sent to him it will easily be perceiued that he looketh for a bribe Let the close harlot prate neuer so much of religiō yet by her impudent behauior it will appeare what she is what she desireth Let Absalō pretēd what he list vows made at Hebron c. yet by the greatnes gallantnes of his traine it wil be no hard matter to gesse wherabout he goeth that his vow was to play the traitor ex pede Herculē ex vngue leonē Hercules was known by his footsteps the lion is known by his paw though he shew nothing else the wolse by his howling though he be clothed in a sheeps skin the asse howsoeuer he be disguised by his braying by the length of his eares wil be known to be but an asse So in Popery the nūber of duckings crossings eleuatiōs kneelings stādings turnings windings do shew that Balaam popish Balamites are but hipocrites to build so many altars to offer vpon thē as they do as though they knew not without al those ceremonies what they shold do only to blind the eies of the foolish king of Moab his people But Balaam hath not in all points so much wit as his asse which beareth him the mouth doth not alwaies bewray the hart yet it is true prouerbially that Christ saith in Mat. 12. Out of the abūdance of the hart the mouth speaketh And there are other signes also to know a mā of Belial by we see as well as by his mouth his hypocrisy wil break out into gestures whē he hath so many irōs in the fire he cannot plie them all well A fault surely it is in Christians not to marke those things which God hath set down for marks of a wicked mā therfore they are deceiued Iacob gathered by Labans countenāce that his hart was not towards him Iehoram gathered by Iehues marching that he came not peaceably Salomon taketh the winking with the eye for a note of a man that worketh or soweth sorrow and trouble But as we haue al these marks here together so we shall do wel to take them all together and not to iudge of any man by one of them alone and then we shall be sure not to be deceiued for a man may be by nature hasty and soone displeased yet not a man of Belial another may be earnest in contending for some point that he imagineth to be truth yet no mā of Belial another may somtime against his will through humane frailty imagine euill of a thing that was well intended yet not man of Belial another may be a meanes vnawares of some strife contention whē perhaps he intended the cōtrary yet no man of Belial and another may haue a naturall imperfection weaknesse of winking with the eye or looking downward or another way in talke yet no mā of Belial another may be merily pleasantly conceited yet no Ish-auen no vaine man And lastly another may be somwhat stiffe in his opinions hard to perswade yet no man of Belial But this is for certaine he that is lawlesse incorrigible wilful obstinate inflexible he whose wil must stand for a law against al reason and force of argument he is a man of Belial he that delighteth in dūghil filthy vain sports spēds his time vnprofitably as one that hūteth after the wind pursueth the smoke he that walketh with a froward mouth hath no care to vse his toung to the praise of God benefit of his neighbour he that counterfeith signes of that which is not in him which he desireth not to be in him he that is cunning to couer a leud heart with counterfeit gestures in like manner to practise teach leud things he that imagineth euill cōtinually knowes not how to giue a good interpretatiō of any thing
in his heart whatsoeuer shew he maketh outwardly Thirdly that the cause of all outward disorder and scandalous behauiour is in the wicked mans owne heart Now it remaineth that we consider of the three other points which being propounded in the former Sermon for want of time I could not intreat of Whereof the first is this that so long as the heart is vnreformed and continueth stored with leud things it is not possible to be a good man For vntill then as we may perceiue by this anatomie of Belial the affections will be rebellious and lawlesse the speech will be froward and peeuish our religion will be hypocriticall and counterfeit our prayers will be lippe-labour and cold babling our zeale will be either none at all or very bitter rash our faith will be meere historicall our loue will proue onely self-loue our anger reuengefull and iniurious our life dissolute and scandalous our repentance desperate and faithlesse and our death dreadfull and comfortlesse Therefore if any would reforme his life he must first reforme his heart from whence as from a spring floweth continually a streame of corruption and vnrighteousnesse vnto death if it be not reformed and altered or of holinesse and righteousnesse vnto life if it be well reformed and kept Therefore Salomon pointing to the right way that leadeth to the reformation of maners saith Keepe thy heart with all diligence and addeth this as a reason for thereout cometh life and thereout cometh death And out of the heart saith our Sauiour Christ proceede euill thoughts adulteries murthers fornications debate strife c. speaking of an euill and vnregenerate heart to shew that a wicked mans heart is like a filthie dunghill which both breedeth and harboureth all kind of venimous vermine and as a snake on a sunnie day commeth foorth of her hole so the wicked when fit time and occasion serue do set foorth and shew the ware and stuffe which was hidden in their heart saying in the meane time as Esau did When the daies of mourning for my father Isaac do come then I will kill my brother Iacob which agreeth with that that Dauid speaketh of his enemie in Psal. 41.6 His heart heapeth vp iniquitie within him and when he commeth foorth he vttereth it Many counterfeit holinesse deuotion sobrietie loue and kindnesse and indeede they do but counterfeit for holy and deuout and sober and louing and kind c they cannot be so long as the heart or inward man is vnreformed In vaine do we sweepe the channels of the streete except we stop the fountaines from whence they flow In vaine do we crop the weedes except we dig vp their rootes from whence they receiue their nourishment In vaine do we plaister the sore except it be searched and cleansed to the bottom So in vaine do we labour to bring forth good actions without except first we labour to beget good affections within How canst thou say that thou louest me when thy heart is not with me said Dalilah to Sampson which she vttered as a common knowne principle in nature to be denyed of none that all loue is but counterfeit and false which cometh not from the heart And therefore whosoeuer will loue indeed must beginne first at his heart and frame that to loue And the like is to be said of other affections and all the actions or effects that proceed froÌ„ them The hart among the members of the bodie is like a great commaunder among his souldiers looke which way he goeth that way go they Well may we preach and long may we heare of the reforming of our liues of mortifying our pride our strange fashions our wantonnesse our couetousnesse our malice c. the tongue will make but a iest at the matter so long as the heart is vnreformed as appeareth by the testimonie that the Lord giueth against Ezechiels Auditours They heare thee saith the Lord as my people vse to heare but with their mouths they make iests at thee and thy Sermons their hearts run after their couetousnesse to shew that there is no outward obedience to be looked for where the heart yeeldeth not to obey for all actions outward wil follow the affections of the heart On the other side winne the heart and all is wonne without which there is no rowing but against the streame A readie heart maketh a readie hand to giue a readie tongue to speake a readie eare to heare and a readie foote to goe And a holy religious heart maketh a holy and religious hearing speaking and liuing Who were they that brought so bountifull gifts to the building of the Lords holy tabernacle among the Iewes as we reade in Exod. 35.21.22 verses It is said in the 29. verse Euery one whose hearts moued them willingly to bring brought some gold some siluer some silke some badgers skinnes some stones c. yea vntill they were forced to stay by proclamation to shew that when the heart is wonne to be willing and to like of the worke the worke shall go well forward and nothing will seeme hard to a willing mind When Dauids heart was enditing or framing of a good matter then was his tongue readie like the pen of a swift writer to declare the same And whosoeuer can say with Dauid O God my heart is prepared shall follow with Dauid and say so is my tongue also I will sing and giue praise to shew that when the heart is not readie to serue God nothing is readie for all tarrie for the heart Therefore it is that the Scripture doth so much call vpon vs to reforme our harts In the three and twentieth of the Proverbs the twelfth verse Salomon saith Apply thy heart to instruction and thine eares to the wordes of knowledge But first the heart and then the eares will follow and in the seuenteenth verse Let not thy heart be enuious against sinners but let it be in the feare of the Lord continually In the nineteenth verse O my sonne heare and be wise and guide thy heart in the way And in the 26. verse My sonne giue me thy heart and let thine eyes delight in my wayes And no maruell for what shall the Mariners do if the Pilote be false at the helme of the ship What shall the souldiers do at the hold if the captaine of the hold be a traitour A false heart is like such a Pilote and such a captaine yea a false heart is like Iudas among the disciples who carried the purse and made the prouision for all the rest laying vp one groate for his maâ—ster and tenne for himselfe A bad Cater being a cunning theefe and a secret traitour So the heart is the storer if that be secretly false and trecherous it will store the bodie with leudnesse and if it chaunce to speake one word for Gods glorie he will addresse and set foorth in most braue sort a thousand for
repentance may be soueraigne and not deadly there must be faith ioyned therewith whereby we applying the promises of God to our hearts may be assured that our sinnes are both fully punished and freely pardoned in Christ Iesus For by faith our harts are purified sayth Saint Peter For our preseruatiue against the corruption and contagion of a leud heart in time to come there are also two things required The first is heedfull watchfulnesse The second is continuall prayer and calling vpon God That this is true it is very euident by the words of our Sauiour Christ in the Gospell Take heede watch and pray sayth he least ye fall into temptation To shew that if we be carelesse and negligent in prayer we shall soone fall into the hands of the tempter And in another place Take heede least at any time your hearts be surfeted and ouercome with the cares of this world To shew that our hearts must be kept and looked vnto like little children which else would euery houre eate and drinke that which should hurt them or fall into the fire or water or incurre one mischiefe or another And this is that which Saint Paul meaneth when he requireth vs to walke circumspectly and is all one with that of Salomon in the fourth of the Prouerbes Keepe thy heart with all diligence as if there were no hold in the world so much assaulted nor any mans daughter or goods so much layed for as the heart of man is and therefore that must be kept with all diligence and watched most narrowly This diligent keeping and heedfull watching of our hearts must be after the manner of souldiers with our armour and weapons about vs. And what those are the Apostle teacheth vs in Ephes. 6.12 c. and he calleth it the armour of God because all the world could not tell how to make an armour for the soule but God who created it and knoweth what enemies and assaults it is subiect vnto A helmet she must haue but that must be of hope which causeth her with patience to expect the performance of Gods promised saluation and this beareth off all the blowes of Sathan Then a brest-plate she must haue but that must be of righteousnesse to shew that the louers of vnrighteousnesse and wrong are easily thrust through and spoyled yea as Paule saith they pierce themselues through with many noysome lusts and temptations Then she must haue a girdle to keepe all her armour close about her and that must be of truth and sincerity or soundnesse of heart and a good conscience which is opposite to hypocrisie Then a sword she must haue in the one hand and a shield in the other to defend her selfe withall and to offend her enemies But this sword must be the word of God not the Popes Legenda aurea which hath wel-neare as many lyes as lines in it nor any of his dirtie Decrees And her shield must be a liuely iustifying faith which must still apply Christ and his merits and oppose him against all that euer Sathan cannot obiect against her Then she must be shod with shooes but they must be affections prepared and alwayes in a readinesse to heare and beleeue the Gospell whereby she shall speedily and easily trauell and come to all the rest And to all these she must ioyne continuall and feruent prayer both for her selfe that she may betime put on and skilfully vse this armour as also for others and namely first for her Captaines and Leaders the Ministers of the word and next for all the Saints and members of the Church that be her fellow souldiers And thus we see a Christian man in armes appointed to keepe diligent watch ouer his heart being thus appointed with armour of Gods making and of the Spirits putting on he is diligently to examine euery thought before it enter and euery word and gesture before it passe from him hauing the feare of God in stead of a gard alwayes to keepe the doore and passage Now further that we may watch and pray to good purpose we must know and remember First what we are to pray for Secondly what we must pray against The things that we must pray for are principally foure First that God would create in vs a cleane heart and renue a right spirite within vs Psal. 51.10 That is in stead of an ignorant heart to giue vs a heart endued with knowledge in stead of a dull heart an vnderstanding hart as Salomon prayed 1. King 3.9 in stead of an adulterous heart a chast heart in stead of a subtill and crafty heart a simple and discrete heart in stead of a proud and high minded heart an humble and lowly heart in stead of a foolish heart a wise heart in stead of a malicious hart a charitable hart in stead of a hard hart a soft tender hart in stead of a vaine and profane heart a holy and religious heart in stead of a stubburne and rebellious heart an obedient and tractable heart and in stead of a counterfeit and dissembling heart an vpright and a sound heart And a heart thus altered and renued by God Dauid calleth a heart new created to shew first that we can no more of our selues reforme our owne hearts whatsoeuer Papists prate then we can create a heart Secondly that vntill our hearts be renued by the grace of Gods Spirite they are as if they were not at all And thirdly that as all the workes of creation belong to God onely so doth also the reforming and altering of the inward man and euery affection and power belonging to the same The second thing that we must pray for is that it would please his diuine Maiesty to ioyne sanctification and illumination together in our minds that is not onely to enlighten our hearts with the vnderstanding of his will but also to worke in vs the loue of righteousnesse and obedience to his will yea that he would to that ende giue vs an vnderstanding heart or a heart enlightened that we may keepe his law with our whole hearts So Dauid prayeth in Psalme 119.34 Giue me vnderstanding and I will keepe thy law yea I will keepe it with my whole heart And that is the way indeed to come vnto a sound and a sauing knowledge of God as our Sauiour Christ sheweth in the seuenth of Iohn verse 17. If any man will do his will he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God of no. Not the idle hearer or vaine disputer or the carping cauiller c but the doer yea he that is resolued to followe Gods counsels shall know Gods counsels and none else And vntill we haue an actiue vnderstanding in the law of God not the forme of doctrine onely or a formall knowledge of the same but the power of it as the Apostle teacheth vntill then I say we be like
he shall find that his heart is not like the heart of Belial who is still fraught with leud things and consequently that he shall not neede to stand in feare of that destruction which so speedily so suddenly and so irrecouerably shall fall vpon lawles Belial and Ish auen the man of vanitie and so much for the phisick or means restoratiue preseruatiue to purge preserue the hart from leudnes But here it will be obiected by some that I speake of things impossible Who can do all this will they say Can any man so serue God that there shall be no leudnes nor euill in his heart The heart is deceitfull aboue all things saith Ieremy who can know it if not know it much lesse reforme it And who can say my heart is cleane saith Salomon And although Dauid that man of God wished that his wayes were so directed that he might keepe the statutes of the Lord alwayes and protesteth that with his whole heart he hath sought the Lord yet by his grieuous falles it is euident that there was much leudnesse in his heart and therefore he prayeth that God would create in him a cleane heart and deliuer him from bloud-guiltinesse Was Dauid then a man of Belial or is euery one to take himselfe for a man of Belial and Ish auen a vaine person that hath any wicked imagination or purpose at any time in his heart All this is true and yet betweene the heart of Belial and of a true seruant of God there is great difference For first God speaking of Belial saith not simply leud things haue bene or may be in his heart or go and come by stealth at vnawares or annoy or haunt his hart but leud things are in his heart speaking in the time present take him when you will he hath alwayes a leud heart to shew that there is a continuall residence of leudnesse and diuels in him No man can say his heart is cleane as touching perfection of puritie No man can say but that leud things haue bin in his heart haue haunted his heart through the deceitfulnes of sin haue stolen in and gotten a lodging there awhile like the counterfeit Gibeonites which deceiued Ioshua with their old shooes bottels c. may steale vpon him vnawares as theeues do when a man sleepeth but yet the child of God regenerate may say sometimes truly through the grace of Christ I thanke God these leud motions and perswasions be now gone and put to flight sinne dwelleth not in me like a freeholder much lesse raigneth like a tyrant these leud things haue no quiet rest nor residence in me Gods Spirite keepeth the hold and Iesus Christ with his bloud and Spirite doth cleanse me from all my sinne and doth make vp the breach againe which Sathan made And comfortable is the note that Dauid giueth of himselfe in Psal. 66.18 If I regard wickednesse in my heart the Lord will not heare me to shew that though wickednesse get into the heart so we regard it not nor like it not but thinke the time long til he be gone againe all is well so cannot the man of Belial say for he is glad of such a guest he regardeth leud things delighteth in them as in those that he liueth by and is angry with euery man with euery Sermon with euery sentence with euery word yea with euery looke that seemeth to dislike of his waies or that go about to disquiet or disturb his hart or once to speake of it or to meddle withal yea for feare that any man should come neare him and touch any thing that is in his hart he will either sit far inough off from the Preacher that he shall not heare him or haue his armor of vnbeleefe vpon him that whatsoeuer is said shal not enter or wil shape him a short answer that shall seeme to meddle with him or to iudge of his heart how vile soeuer his life be saying O you must not iudge who made you a iudge my heart is knowne to God looke to your owne I thanke God I haue as good a heart to God as any of you all I loue not this pricisenes or this purenesse a man may be too holy and serue God too much what a man that wil liue must dissemble a little and play the good fellow and must haue some deuises in his head that all the world know not of c. And this is Belials reckoning cast it ouer who list set euery speech in his place and the Summa totalis wil be a compound summe like that which standeth vpon pounds shillings and pence and this is the summe of all it amounteth iust to Atheisme Epicurisme Libertinisme a Christian in name a Protestant at large and the summe of this point for an answer final to the former obiection is this He that in truth and vnfainedly studieth to please God in the part regenerate may be said to haue a good heart and a heart reformed Paul professed that in a good conscience he serued God and yet in Rom. 7. sayth I do not the good that I would I find that when I would serue God euill is present with me c. O wretched man that I am who shall deliuer me from this bodie of sinne Then he answereth himselfe I thank God through Iesus Christ my Lord. Yet this followeth as a heauy burden of his song while he liued Euill is present with me I am led captiue to the law of sinne that is vnwillingly enough therefore to end let none thinke that no body serueth God with a good hart but he that hath no corruption in his hart as Anabaptists and Puritanes indeed say so was it not with Dauid nor Paul nor any of Gods children in this life And happie is he that now can go home and find by this Sermon leud things chased out of his heart with a stedfast purpose to serue the Lord with all his heart Now let vs pray THE VII SERMON PRO. 6.14 He imagineth euill continually Fabricatur malum saith Tremelius that is he forgeth or frameth euill IN this part of Belials Anatomie the holy Ghost alludeth to Carpenters or Smiths which do by art and skill contriue their worke and of rude stuffe shape out what they list shewing hereby that the man of Belial in like sort like an artificer doth of the rude stuffe of his heart frame and forge vnto himselfe in the shop of his owne braine what he listeth but yet this difference is betweene this artificer other artificers they of that which was bad do make something that will be good he of that which is good doth forge out matter that is naught they of that which was deformed and without shape do frame something of good forme and fashion he of that which was of forme good inough doth by his art and skill make a deformed thing they do somtime through ignorance or want of experience
Secondly his owne euil affections Gods anger is one cause for God and he being at oddes Belial cannot be at peace with Gods children For he that imagineth euill continually must imagine euill of all men he that imagineth euill of all men must also imagine as he may well inough that he is hated of all he beleeueth no man and is beleeued of none he trusteth no body is trusted of none and being thus hatefull hated it grieueth him to see others at vnitie therefore to bring others into his own case he raiseth vp contentions between partie and partie like the Diuel who being at enimitie with God himself did not cease vntil he had set enimity between God mā And this mutuall or ciuill dissention doth commonly follow amongst men vpon the contempt and neglect of the word of God and that is an effect of Gods most iust reuenging wrath for when men refuse to submit thēselues vnto the Gospell of peace and so to be reconciled vnto God it is iust with God to giue them ouer and to set them at contention amongst themselues that they may be deuoured one of another According to that which the Prophet Esay saith The wicked are like the raging sea that cannot rest whose waters cast vp mire and dirt There is no peace vnto the wicked saith my God he doth not say that the wicked do not rest or will not rest but they cannot rest And why Because God denyeth them peace And the Apostle saith Euill men shall waxe worse and worse deceiuing and being deceiued He saith not that they may but they shall waxe worse and worse and they shall deceiue and be deceiued as a thing ordained for them this euill shall come vpon them And the wise man saith As the cole maketh burning coles and wood a fire so the contentious man is apt to kindle strife Therfore whosoeuer he be that doth studie contention and reioyce to heare of strife let him feare his estate If he cannot chuse but contend and desire it euen for it selfe sake let him know that he is branded for a wicked man of Belial and one whome Gods anger doth euen burne vpon vntill it hath consumed him The second cause which moueth him to moue contention are his own euill and leud affections or desires and chiefly the pride of his heart as Salomon saith Onely through pride a man causeth contention And this proud contentious humour of his doth chiefly respect his own vainglorie and the furtherance of impietie and mischiefe Let nothing be done saith S. Paul through contention or vaineglorie to shew that the vaine-glorious are contentious and the one feedeth and maintaineth the other And this is that which Salomon speaketh plainely in the 28. of the Prouerbs verse 25. He that is of a proud heart stirreth vp contention to shew that pride is of a stirring nature and a proud heart by stirring of contention may easily be knowne The second thing that Belials proud contentious heart respecteth is in diuellish pollicie the more freely to practise his mischieuous deuises imagining that he may the more quietly proceede in his wicked enterprises without any question or molestation of himselfe Yea out of the contentions of other men some haue sucked no small aduantage Saul pursued Dauid till he heard that the Philistines were come foorth to inuade and destroy his land and then be returned by which means Dauid escaped his hands for that time 1. Sa. 23.27 While there was dissention among the people no man layed handes on our Sauiour Christ but euery man went to his owne house Iohn 7.43 44.53 and Christ went his way to mount Oliuet Iohn 8. the first verse While the Pharisees and Sadduces were at oddes and deuided about Paules words Paule escaped for that time Act. 23.6.7 By this pollicie also did the seditious that were in the citie of Ierusalem raise a third armie when they saw the Citie alreadie deuided to the vtter spoile and ouerthrow of the whole Citie so the contentions of the Citizens was a vantage to the seditious And no doubt but there are many such amongst vs that would be glad to see ciuill dissention in the land which God for his mercies sake if it be his will turne from vs that they might then the more freely follow the spoile and fall vpon the pray And by what other pollicie I pray you doth the vicar of hell still hold his place but by the contentions of Princes and Nations To this end did Pope Hildebrand neuer leaue hitching and encroching vpon the Emperours right vntill he had put him quite beside the cushion as they say And because the Princes of the world should haue no leysure to see the villanies and outragious practises that lurke vnder his triple Crowne much lesse to call him into question and least of all to suppresse and deiect him his practise hath bene and is to set variance and contention betweene Prince and Prince betweene nation and nation that while they are busie in defending of themselues one against another he may both quietly hold that which he hath gotten and also more easily enlarge the borders of his Popedome and all forsooth vnder the name of Saint Peters patrimonie yea that he with his cup-shorne Cleargie may play Rex and in time ouerrunne all So Hildebrand like a hell firebrand first by excommunicating of Henry the Emperour of Germany set his subiects and him at variance that they rebelling against him and the Pope at the same time excommunicating him might driue him to submit himselfe vnto the Pope which indeed the Emperour most slauishly did with his Queene and his child who waited bare footed and bare legged in a cold winter three daies and three nights at the gates of that proud Luciferian Prelate and at the last was let in and admitted to the Pope where he was constrained to yeeld vnto such base conditions as pleased that proude Prelate to bind him vnto surrendring his Crowne and kingdome vnto the Pope and receiuing the same againe at his hands Afterward fearing lest the Emperor would be reuenged of him for his good entertainment that he gaue him he excommunicated the Emperor againe and set vp Rodulphus Duke of Sueuia in his place during which contention the Emperor was at no leisure to deale against the Pope as afterward he was whē he had subdued Rodulph and was setled againe in his Empire in peace In the same steppes do all Hildebrands successors walke to this day setting all Christendome together by the eares that in the meane time they may easily get and quietly keepe whatsoeuer he can get The like practise is taken vp by our home-bred Papists both couchant and dormant who endeuour by all meanes to set contention betweene the Church-gouernours and the Pastours of the Church about matters of circumstance that in the meane time they with the rest of common aduersaries may do what they
euill custom may be broken off The folly of those that thinke custome will excuse them and grace theÌ„ Another difference betweene the wicked and the godly Zeale in the godly seemeth to be frowardnesse The smoth words of the wicked are dangerous The minister of Christ shall be counted froward and malicious if he reproue sin Reprehension wholesom thogh not toothsome 2. Tim. 4.3 True loue appeareth in plaine dealing The more the minister loueth truly the lesse he shall be loued Ier. 20. Eze. 33. Act. 17.18 Act. 26.25 Act. 2.13 Psal. 1.1 Ro. 6.1 Act. 9. Of blind gestures He coÌ„uterfeiteth in religion He counterfeiteth in ciuill affaires Pro. 7.14 Euery meÌ„ber of the body is bound to his good behauiour Gen. 4.6 Pro. 7.13 Esa. 3.16 Mat. 6.16 Psal. 44.13.14 Mat 27.39 Against the slander of Papists Tit. 2.11.12 Our behauiour must be in Sobriety Simplicity How charity is broken by signes Chastity is assaulted by signes Pro. 17.24 Luk. 19.40 This precisenesse doth much trouble Libertines Luk. 19.27 Psal. 2.3 Psal. 12.4 This precisenesse is called in Scripture circumspect walking Why we must walke circumspectly The second point Sins walke Ro. 6.12.13 The tyranny of sinne described Mat. 8.9 How sinne entreth Of the subtilty of sin We are to pray against the trecherous motions to sinne The third point How hypocrites are deceiued Sin is like poyson And like leauen Luk. 12. 1. Kin. 14.6 Iudg. 12. Slubboleth Halting iudgling in Gods matters will easily be espied if meÌ„ be awake Act. 24.27 Pro. 7.10 c. 2. Sam. 16. The hypocrisie of popery how it is discouered Num. 23. It is a fault in Christians not to marke how God doth note out the wicked Pro. 10.10 All these notes must be taken together The fourth point The wicked are cunning and painefull to their owne confusion Esa. 36.21 37.1 Ioh. 8.6 We may reproue sinne by our gestures How vainâ— men shew their dislike of the truth Especially at Sermons The force of outward signes and gestures The fift point The pronenesse of men to euill and vntowardnesse to learne the truth is a great cause of Anti-christs aduancement Those that are apt to learne lies shall be giuen ouer of God to beleeue lyes Mens inclination to popery maketh Papists and popery to grow The cause of Belials distemperature What is meant in the Scripture by the hart The first point If the hart be naught al is naught Psal. 41.1 A description of a naturall man The second point 1. Sam. 16.7 Ier. 17.10 The skill of Papists The villanies of Papists Their ceremonies Prayers InquisitioÌ„s 2. Sort. Politicke Protestants Psal. 10. Amnons disease Absaloms practise Machiauels name opened How carnall pollicy doth make much of religion Religions complaint Deuouring gulfes Politicke practises against the Ministers of Christ. Politicke and cruell practises against the common wealth Of the fox and the lion Vsurers kindnes in lending of money Pro. 23.6.7 Pro. 26.24.25 Mat. 2. Mat. 22. A necessary admonitioÌ„ The third point Iosh. 7. Of good cometh no thing but good Christ is called a rocke of offence but is no cause of offence Ioh. 1. How Christ is an occasion of falling Cal. de scandalis Some are like the Spider Psal. 55.12 Iam. 1.13.14 15. 2. points to be obscrued in the words of Iames. Into a leud heart the word cannot enter In an euill heart the word cannot abide Similiâ— A leud hart maketh a leud report of a Sermon Mat 15.18.19 A man of a leud hart doth most shame and annoy himselfe 4 4 The heart must be reformed before one can be a good man Pro. 4.23 Mat. 15.19 Gen. 27. Psal 41.6 Similitude Iudg. 16.15 The heart like a great coÌ„mander Ezec. 33.31 Exod 35.21 22.29 Psal. 45.1 Psal. 108.2 Pro. 23. Vers. 12. 17. 19. 26. Too many such now adaies The principall care of most meÌ„ when the sabbath day commeth The hart is still of the old fashion We blame others wheÌ„ our selues are in fault How a good heart is to be grounded and bounded What religion will do if it be lodged in the heart Luk. 19. Ioh. 5. Light excuses serue them that haue no list to serue God 5 5 Of the nature and power of the word of God God needeth no informatioÌ„s What maner of God we serue Psal. 119.9 Ier 20.9 1. Cor. 14. A double vse of the former doctrine 1. King 19.14.18 Psal. 19.12 1. Ioh. 3.20 How a man may be acquainted with his owne hart Pro. 5.23 Note that Ier. 43.3 2. King 6.8 Heb. 4.12 The sixt point Psal. 119.9 Psal. 103.3 Ier. 17.14 Act. 8.22 Act. 15.9 Our preseruatiue Mar 13.33 Luke 22. The soules armour Ephes. 6.12.13 c. A helmet A brest-plate A girdle A sword A shield Shooes Prayer continuall and feruent 1 1 For her selfe 2 2 For others 4. things to be prayed for 1 1 The heart renued and cleansed 3. things to be learned by the words of Dauid in Psal. 51.10 1. 2. 3. 2 2 Sanctification Psal. 119.34 A sauing knowledge 2. Sa. 11.15 3 3 Perseuerance or constancy Psa. 86.11 Gen. 34. 4 4 A quiâ—kning spirit or cheerfulnesse The first enemy neglect of the meanes Outward Psal. 119.9 Heb. 4.12 Inward Act. 16. Gen. 1.2 Ioh. 1.3 How daungerous a thing it is to giue ouer the hearing of the word A desperate kind of reasoning God hath fore ordained the meanes as well as the end Mal. 3.14 Iob. 21.15 Of recusaÌ„ts that refuse to heare the word there be two sorts 1. Schismatikes 2. Afflicted conscieÌ„ces Cant. 3.1.2.3.4 1. Enemie vnbeleefe Mat. 13.58 Mar. 9.23 1. Tim. 1.13 3. Enemie custome of sinne Io. 2.4 Heb. 3.12 The Apostles counsell A double reason of the former counsell A cursed guest a wretched hoast Brotherly loue how it worketh Obiection Ier. 17.9 Pro. 20.9 Psal. 119 5. verse 10. Psal. 51.10 Answere Act. 23.1 Gen. 6. Imaginations come of thoghts Of Belials meÌ„tal images why they are so called Esa. 46. Dan. 3. Of Belials maisters workhouse warehouse and ware The greatnesse of Sathan Reue. 12. 2. Sam. 15.7 1. Kim 21.9 Pro. 7.14 Ezec. 33.31 1. Sa. 25.10 2. Sam. 10.3 Mat. 11.18 Act. 28.4.6 Ioh. 12.5 Ioh. 3. Tit. 2.5 Obiection Answer Act. 15.9 2 2 Of the quaÌ„titie of Belials euill imaginatioÌ„s Pro. 4.16 Rom. 6.1 The wisedome of a Christian. Gen. 20.11 Gen 31.2 Gen. 38.15 2. Kin. 9.20 1. Sam. 5.16 What imaginatioÌ„s the godly haue of theÌ„selues Nehe. 13.22 1. Cor. 4.4 What the wicked do being blinded bewitched and benuÌ„med Pro. 5. Hobby horses Iudg. 5.30 Luke 12.19 Psal. 55. An exhortation vpoÌ„ the premises ContentioÌ„ like a dog and a lion Stirred vp by Belial The tree of wickednes The wicked loue to be soothed flattered Esa. 57.20 2. Tim. 3.13 Pro. 26.21 Pro. 13.10 Phil 2.3 Pro. 28.25 1. Sam. 23.27 Ioh. 7.43 Ioh. 8.1 Act. 23.6.7 The Pope raiseth contention betweene Princes and why Pope Hildebrand Why Papists set strife betweene the Ministers Church gouernors Sathans drift in raising contention betweene Teachers Pastor and people Neighbour and neighbour Man and wife The secoÌ„d point How Pro. 26.20 Of talebearers Pro. 25.23 Two theeues 1. The reporter 2. The receiuer Of beleeuing tales 2. Sam 16.3.4 Mat. 10. Mat. 5. 1. Sam. 31.20 Ruth 2.11 2 2 Taking all things in ill part Ioh. 8.22 Ioh. 9.34 3 3 Intermedling in other mens matters 1. Tim. 5.13 Pro. 21.9 19. 2 Sam. 6.7 Pro. 21.27 Iob. 21.21 22. Luk. 12.14 2. Sam. 15.2.3.4 The practise of petty foggers and hungry Lawyers Mat. 5. We may meedle to make peace but not strife A necessary question Answer Luk. 19.40 Hest. 4.19 Act. 19.14 1. Sam. 25. The greatnesse of this sinne is shewed 1 1 By the testimony of God against it Pro. 6.16.17.18 The second consideration sheweth the greatnesse of this sin of raising contention The daughters of contention Pro. 20.12 A strange yet a common monster Contention destroyeth vnity Phil. 2.2 What true vnity is 2. Kin. 9.22 1. Ki. 18.18 Eph. 4.3 The excellency of Christiâ—n vnity Col. 3.14 Psal. 133. Psal. 1.1 Pro. 22.10 The make-bates annoy themselues Pro. 26.27 Ier. 7.19 Pro. 24.21 Gal. 5.22 4 4 The difference betweene the coÌ„tentions of the wicked and of the godly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. Tim. 2.24 Ier. 15. Luk. 13.24 Gen. 6.3 Psal. 95.10 Apo. 12.7 1. Cor. 9.24 What it is to trouble Simile When men are in greatest danger Achab and Elijah contend Who troubled Israel How Elijah behaued himselfe before the king How to answer Papists and Atheists when they call the professors of the Gospell troublesome fellowes Iosh. 7. Gen. 34. Gal. 1.6 Peter Mart. loc com How the magistrate is to be obeyed Act. 4.19 Nehe 13.17 Who are now adaies accounted troublesome 2. Cor. 6.8 Tit. 1.9 1. Cor. 11.19 Gal. 5.20 Gen. 1.9 The truth cannot come forth without striuing Ioh. 16.21 Apo. 12.2 Gen. 29.32 Ier. 9.3 Two spurs Apo. 3.15 A preseruatiue A restoratiue The manner of contending is to be respected Act. 24. The armes of a Christian The wisedome of the serpeÌ„t 4. Things noted in the doue 1 1 Meeknes 2 2 Harmelesnesse 3 3 Ielousie 4 4 Mourning Esa. 38. 1. King 3. Speciall rules to contend by 1 1 In Gods matters Pro. 6.4 Iam. 1.19 Psal. 131.1 Act. 15.7.12 c. 1. Cor. 14.29 2 2 What to do in our owne causes c. 1. King 3. Pro. 23.6 Pro. 18.23 An Embleme of two pots Pro. 26.24.25 Pro. 22.24.25 Pro. 26.9 Sinne like a Bee Heb. 11.25 Luk. 16.25 Pro. 5.3 Psal. 73.5 c. Iob. 21.8.9 â— Esa. 57. Pro. 14.13 Rom. 6. Why the wicked shal be destroyed Psalm 1. Psal. 119. Mal. 4.1 No respect of persons with God 1. Cor. 11. Eccle. 7.31 Pro. 10.7 Pro. 19.9 1. Pet. 3. Psal. 55.23 Luke 12.19 Iob. 20. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Sodainly Mat. 24. Mar. 13. Obiection Answere Fallacia accidentis Phi. 3.18.19 Esa. 28.15 1. Ki. 1â— 24 1. Pet. 4.17 Eccles. 9.1.2 Iâ—h 1◠〈◊〉 2. Men caÌ„not repent wheÌ„ they list Psalm 7. Iob. 20.12 Eccles. 11.3 A Popish errour That is hell fire Esa. 30.33 Plessy de verita Christ. relig 1. Obiect Answere A notable speech of Alexander What be the goods of good men 2. Obiect Eccles. 7.17 Esa. 57.1 Answere The world like a stage play 3. Obiect Answere 4. Obiect Answere The vses of the former doctrine Psal. 37.1.2 Mat. 11.23 Ioh. 9.3 Psal. 41.1.4 Num. 16.26 Luke 13.3.5
TEN SERMONS VPON THE FIRST SECOND THIRD and fourth verses of the sixt of Mathew Containing diuerse necessary and profitable Treatises viz. A Preseruatiue against the poyson of vaine-glory in the 1. 2. The reward of sincerity in the 3. The vncasing of the hypocrite in the 4.5 and 6. The reward of hypocrisie in the 7. and 8. An admonition to left-handed Christians in the 9. and 10. Whereunto is annexed another Treatise called the ANATOMIE OF BELIAL Set foorth in ten Sermons vpon the 12.13.14 and 15. verses of the 6. Chapter of the Prouerbes of Salomon Imprinted at London by Richard Field for Thomas Man 1602. TO THE RIGHT VVORSHIPFVLL RODVLPH WARCVP ESQVIRE AND ONE OF THE IVSTICES FOR THE PEACE IN OXfordshire W. B. wisheth all prosperity in this life and true felicity in the life to come RIGHT worshipfull musing with my selfe where to find a fit patron for these poore Sermons you comming to my mind I resolued to go no further for that matter as not knowing indeed where to better my selfe For things spirituall I know you to be of holy Isaaks diet who longed not so much for curious and dainty meate as for sauory meate In regard of humane variety and carnall curiosity you shall not find them very dainty or rare yet in regard of the spirituall simplicity and plainnesse which I haue endeuoured to shew therein I hope they will not be altogether vnsauory and distastfull The doctrines therein handled I presume you will grant to be most necessary for these times For first though through the abundant light of the Gospell many are both allured and enforced to speake do more good things then they could do in the times of darknesse ignorance yet considering the subtilty of Sathan the corruption of our nature we haue need to stand vpon our gard for when he cannot make vs desist from holy actions yet he will then vse all his art and skill to poyson our affections with the staine of vaineglory And such is the pronenesse of our corrupt nature to be tainted therewith that neither touch-wood or gun-powder are more capable of fire then our nature is of that poyson of vaineglory hypocrisie Againe sincerity and plaine dealing be had in so little regard that of most they be despised no lesse then the high way to beggery and misery and on the otherside that Machiuilean principle we know is too well maintained Qui nescit dissiumulare nescit viuere no dissembling no trading And further most men yea euen the better sort are as vntoward to good workes as they that do all with the left hand consulting still with flesh and bloud and calling their worst affections to counsell Now seeing these things are so what could I propound more necessary then this preseruatiue against the foresayd poyson and what more needfull to be set foorth then the commendations of sincerity taken from her beauty from her riches and inestimable reward And knowing you to be so sincere a friend to sincerity it selfe and so vnfained an enemy to fained hypocrisie and glosing vaineglory as you are what could I present vnto your Worship more suting with your so Christian and sanctified affections then these poore Treatises of sincerity and hypocrisie As for the second part of this booke it containeth as the title sheweth An anatomy of the man of Belial and vaine man who liuing only as the saying goeth by the finenesse of their wits are more vnprofitable then the smoke and for any religion or goodnesse to Godward scarce worth the ground they tread vpon Yet the onely men with most men now adayes who being very witty and expert to exalt vanity are very highly exalted themselues but it is onely of such as are as vaine as themselues Here you shall see Belial set forth by his names by his gestures by his speeches by his imaginations and by his contentions By his names you shall at first see his nature By his gestures you shall perceiue his dexterity in teaching and his facility in learning of euill By his euill imaginations and lewd affections you shall see that his hart is not so secret but it may be and wil be discouered well inough But by his delight in contentions and his maner of contending you shall easily discerne his turbulent spirite and soone iudge of what house he commeth And by his fearefull doome that is awarded him it will be no hard matter to perceiue how well he may be spared and how ill the Church of Christ will thriue where the lawlesse libertine is suffered to harbour But by all together who but the wilfull blind will not see and confesse what a monstrous monster the carnall gospeller or libertine Protestant is what dayes we are now fallen into wherein so much liberty to euill is so freely on all sides both giuen and taken to the great endangering of the whole body both of Church and common-wealth To you these Treatises I do offer in a double respect First to testifie my thankfull mind for so many Christian kindnesses and religious fauours which to my great comfort and encouragement in my poore Ministery I haue receiued from your hands And next for that by reason of that place which in your countrey you hold you haue right good experience of these things For you that are to iudge as long you haue daily you do betweene party and party betweene plea and plea cannot chuse but be acquainted with all sorts of men who in their turnes haue all of them played and do daily play their parts before you yet as Salamon by the wisedome of God which was with him that he might gouerne well could discerne the true mother from the false so can you by the same wisedome easily discerne a counterfeit from one of a sincere and simple hart though with Ieroboams wife he disguise himselfe neuer so much And as all men did then feare and râ—uerence that renowned king because they saw the Lord with him to do iustice and iudgement so I know nothing that hath so much aduanced your name and credite in your countrey and caused the sweete sauour thereof to spread it selfe like a precious ointment both farre and neare and round about you but that all men do euidently see besides your loue of learning and trauell for the same that God is with you to do iustice and iudgement to releeue the poore and distressed to encourage the vertuous and well disposed but especially to heale the breaches of the common-wealth and to bind those fast together with the bond of godly vnity which by vnkind iarres and contentions haue bene likely for euer to haue bene disioyned distracted and dismembred in mind and affection the one from the other Blessed are the peace makers saith our blessed Sauior Prince of peace And who doth not see how abundantly God hath blessed you whose heart he hath enclined and whose trauels he hath imployed and still doth employ for the greatest part of
brought me with my great credit her great shame to high preferment and now am I free from all troubles and liue like a king in heauen as sometime I was a ruler in Aegypt Aske Dauid and he will tell thee that when he could say vnto God With my whole heart I haue sought thee then could he most boldly call vpon God and say Let me not wander from thy commandements Aske Saint Paule and he will tell thee that he would not presume to craue for the prayers of the Church but when he could also certifie them that he had a good conscience in all things and desired to liue honestly Againe Paule speaking of himselfe and his fellow labourers saith thus We are not as many which make marchandize of the word of God but as of sinceritie but as of God in the sight of God we speake in Christ. We walke not in craftinesse neither handle we the word of God deceitfully but in declaration of the truth we approoue our selues to euerie mans conscience in the sight of God And what hast thou gotten Paule for thy labour In how many dangers hast thou bene both by sea and by land By thy owne confession thou hast bene whipped and beaten with roddes cast into prison stoned and laied for dead hunted from one place to another and at the last lost thy head hadst not thou beene better to haue pleased thy honest neighbours by preaching Christ after their fashion No no sayth Paule neuer tell me of these matters I was crucified to the world and the world to me that is I cared no more for the world then the world did for me the power of God did appeare in my weaknesses when I was in prison I was at liberty when I went from the whip to the dungeon I sung Psalmes yea all this was an honour vnto me that I was not worthie of From all my daungers the Lord deliuered me And where I lost my life there I found it againe euen euerlasting life In a word I haue fought a good fight and haue finished my course I haue kept the faith For henceforth is layed vp for me the crowne of righteousnesse which the Lord the righteous Iudge shall giue me at that day and not to me onely but to all them that loue his appearing Aske King Hezechiah what was most comfortable to him in his sicknesse when he looked for nothing but death Oh sayth he I payed and sayd I beseech thee ô Lord remember how that I haue walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart that is a sound and vpright heart without dissembling and haue done that which is good in thy sight to shew that when all faile yet sincerity and truth of heart shall comfort vs like a good keeper and kind nurse at the houre of death Now then what remaineth for this point but that we gather vp the summe of all that hath bene sayd of it and make the conclusion and that is this Seeing that sinceritie shall be rewarded by our heauenly father both in this life with sound comfort in time of trouble with courage and boldnesse in time of prayer with the prayers of the Saints in time of neede with a continuall feast in the time of affliction with heauenly consolation in the time of death and in the world to come with the kingdome of heauen let euery man confesse that the reward of sincerity is a great reward And seeing as it is so great for quantitie and so good for qualitie that all the world cannot affoord so much as a shadow thereof nor tell how to commend it let euery one of vs be more moued therey to embrace sinceritie and to seeke praise at Gods hand rather then all the vaine praises of the world And seeing as sinceritie is of all vertues the chiefest and that which graceth all our vertues before God and man let vs aboue all looke in all our affaires that nothing be done without it Lastly seeing as both Enoch and Ioseph and Dauid and Hezechiah and Paule besides many else haue giuen such testimonie thereof let no man doubt to beleeue nor feare to follow it for out of all doubt those that are approued in Gods sight shall be well rewarded of their heauenly father And so much for the reward of sinceritie THE IIII. SERMON MATH 6.2 As hypocrites do in the Synagogues and streetes to be seene of men WE haue heard heretofore the excellent nature and heauenly reward of sinceritie now brethren that we may be as much out of loue with hypocrisie as we are in loue I hope with sinceritie let vs see the nature and reward of hypocrisie because contraries being layed together do the better appeare And first of the nature of of hypocrisie vpon these wordes as the hypocrites do c. Of the second branch when we come to the next words Verily I say vnto you they haue their reward At this time onely of these wordes as hypocrites do wherein our Sauior Christ doth giue vs to vnderstand two things First that whosoeuer professeth a shew of that which he is not is an hypocrite secondly that the doings of hypocrites are to be made knowne that euery one seeing the hypocrite laid out in his colours with his reward that belongeth to him may take heede that he play not the hypocrite or if he hath played that part to be ashamed thereof and repent and follow the Lord euer after in sinceritie and truth of heart Now seeing as our Sauiour Christ would haue hypocrites knowne by their doings I will endeuour my selfe at this time by Gods helpe to vncase the hypocrite who hath plaid his part so long so impudently and so vncontrolledly carying away all the credit of the world euen to the vndermining of the house of God endangering the whole estate of Christian Religion And call this Sermon if you list the vncasing of the hypocrite for I will if God will do my best endeuour to vncase him Wherein perhaps I shall not behaue my selfe so handsomly and finely to please all parties as some could do but yet I hope both soundly and plainly I shall go to worke You know brethren that plaine dealing is my profession though it be counted a iewell for beggers flattery and curiositie and hypocrisie I leaue to them that will dye rich men and therefore I speed accordingly and I must needes confesse that I am wellinough serued to be so well belaboured as I am with the strife of tongues Well if I could handle this matter more learnedly then I can yet I would of purpose deceiue all such itching eares as come rather to haue their humours fed then their liues reformed A peece of worke both thanklesse and dangerous yea a most vnpleasant argument haue I taken in hand especially as the case standeth now when most men come to catch and to cauill and quot homines tot sententiae euery mans head swarming with as many odde
conceits and vncharitable surmises as there be heads to heare But it is no matter my brethren thinke and speake of me at your pleasure so long as I haue the truth on my side I care the lesse words are but wind and truth will preuaile in the end and iudge them that now condemne it Saint Paule telleth me that I must passe through good report and bad report and I thanke God so I haue doue meetly well and to the Galathians he saith thus Am I Paul become your enemy because I tel you the truth to shew that whosoeuer will speake the truth shall be counted an enemy But what sayth the same Apostle If I seeke to please men I cannot please God and therfore I am at a point God gaue me an vpright heart in his sight and then as for the fauour and disfauour of the world his will be done But now to the matter in hand Do not your almes that is your good deedes to be seene of men as hypocrites do Our Sauiours purpose is to illustrate his precept by an example of counterfeits and players who do all their feats of purpose to be seene of men to which end they haue a stage erected that mē may see them making proclamation that whosoeuer come to such a place at such an houre shal see such a mans players that is such a mans hypocrites make a play that is play the hypocrites by counterfeiting and shewing diuerse mens actions and diuerse mens persons which they are not neither act they indeede Therefore seeing that the nature and practise of players doth most fitly serue to set foorth the nature practise of such as do but counterfeit and dissemble in the profession and practise of religion when they would be thought to be in good earnest and seeing that for their counterfeiting plaiers were the first that were termed amongst prophane writers hypocrites therefore I say the Scripture hath borrowed that name of them translated it to all that play the dissemblers counterfeits in Gods businesse or otherwise Of this iudgement is master Caluin whose words are these in his Euangelicall Harmony vpon this place Nam quum hypocritae profanis scriptoribus dictifuerint histriones qui in scena ludis fictas personas agebant Scriptura hoc nomen ad homines duplices corde simulatos transtulit that is seeing as players which in Enterludes and on stages did faine and counterfeit the persons of other men were termed hypocrites by prophane writers the Scripture hath translated that name vnto dissemblers and men of a double heart And most fitly are they both called hypocrites because they both counterfeit alike and make a shew before men of that which they are not before God yea so like are they one to another as things cast both in a mould or as those men are that for their likenesse in fauour and condition or for their neerenesse in affinity or office do call one another brothers Amongst Players one counterfeiteth the King and yet is no King but a base fellow in comparison another counterfeiteth a merchant and yet is no merchant but a beggarly companion others come to fight and yet do not fight but dally one with another others scold and brawle and seeme to be at mortal enmitie one against another like some kind of Lawyers at the barre for their Clients but when they are gone they are as good friends as euer they were and laugh at them whom they haue made fooles But indeed certaine persons amongst Players are to be excepted which are not counterfeited for some play the fooles part and are fooles indeed some play the varlets part and are varlets indeede some play the rogues part and are rogues indeede some play the cousiners part and are cousiners indeed some play the parts of lewd men and lewde women and are lewde indeede so that these I thinke haue wrong done them to be tearmed hypocrites because they do not counterfeit the parts they play but are the same indeed that they make shew of except it be in regard of the persons which they represent that they be called hypocrites for those persons they are not indeede though the qualitie of those persons they haue indeed In like manner is it with men of a double heart in religion or otherwise Some seeme to pray when they do not pray but babble with their lips wordes which their minds thinke not of and their hearts consent not vnto and keepe a stir for thrise a weeke seruice not caring for the Sabbath day and come perhaps of contention too rather then of any deuotion These are in shew deuout but in truth deuout hypocrites Some pretend friendship while with the lion they offer to lick poore men whole with a dinner at Christmas or the loane of a little money or the sale of some rotten commoditie while with their teeth that is by cruell practises ill neighbours to a smooth tongue they meane to pray vppon them these are in shew friends but in truth friendly hypocrites Some make a shew of zeale to the glorie of God when their zeale is nothing but bitter malice and malicious bitternesse a thing that too many in the ministerie are guiltie of and wherewith many zealous and faithfull Preachers are vniustly charged by hypocrites But our comfort is that God doth acquite vs when the wicked do condemne vs but they that are maliciously zealous are zealous hypocrites Some in their humble and courteous behauiour seeme altogether to be compounded of humilitie with kind speeches and friendly offers as yours to commaund I owe you any seruice that I can meaning indeed euer to owe it and neuer to pay any I haue the courtesie of the towne for you and I maruell when you will come to our house and I wote not what when indeed they meane no such matter these are humble and kind hypocrites Some seeme very carefull for the poore like Iudas when they would oppresse the Church and either disburden themselues or else enrich themselues with the spoiles of the Church these are charitable benefacting hypocrites Some make a shew of a troubled conscience and seeme desirous of resolution in their pretended doubts when they purpose onely to entrappe the Preacher these are afflicted hypocrites Some seeme to harken to the Preacher very attentiuely and deuoutly when in their hearts they turne most of that they heare into a iest because they like it not these are attentiue hypocrits Some make as though they desired nothing more then the obseruation of the Princes lawes when in the meane time they freely violate all lawes themselues these are lawlesse hypocrites Some crie God forbid but that euery man should haue his due and in the meane time practise all the deuises that may be to defeat euery man these are conscionable or rather vnconscionable hypocrites Some pretend the discharge of their office when they meane thereby to play their parts against some whom they owe a grudge vnto now
he hath done goeth his way thinking with himselfe that he hath done very well and no doubt but God doth highly commend him for it and flattereth and commendeth his own heart for so doing The like corrupt thoughts motions shall we feele in performing other holy duties of reading our task in the Bible or meditating or giuing secret almes c. And whē we bewaile these corruptions yet stil we shal be readie to think wel of our selues for it as one that wept bitterly for his secret hipocrisie thē was troubled because he thought he shold be cōmēded for that In a word whatsoeuer the Lord worketh in vs or by vs we are readie straightway to thinke well of our selues for it euen this secret hypocrisie is a sinne and a great staine and is the last sinne that shall be subdued in the godly and needeth also great repentance and must be washed away by faith in the merits of Christs bloud I deny not but that a Christian soul may reioyce and take comfort vnto himself in the performance of such holy duties in priuate for that it is a liuely signe of the sanctifying grace of Gods spirit with him but yet there is matter sufficient to humble him remaining if he doth not still continually returne all the glory vnto God and not thinke the better of himselfe in so doing neither But this is not that grosse hypocrisie against which I deale all this while vpon this next nor against which Christ crieth woe so often for that is a domineering sinne in the wicked who study to do al that they do to be seene of men and thereunto to blind the eyes of the world bend all their wits and yet for the most part do not so much as once thinke neither will they be knowne to play the hypocrites these make an art of sinne and thinke they do well to liue thereby Now those that make an art of sinne and put on profession of religion for their cloake deale artificially indeed for being giuen to lying and dissembling they will inuey egerly against lying and dissembling like the theefe who hauing found more money about the true man then he would be acknowne of cried out Good Lord what a world is this whom can a man beleeue now a dayes Art thou not ashamed to lye diddest not thou tell me thou haddest no more c. when notwithstanding he was busie in committing of his robbery Againe they will extoll commend humility condemne the proud to the pit of hel that a mā wold think they were the meekest men in the world whē all the matter is to haue all submission and reuerence shewed to themselues as an vsurer of Londō who willed the preacher to cry out against vsury that all might come to him for money Againe they will not sticke to frequent Sermons to commend honest men to intrude themselues into good company all to make the world beleeue that they are such themselues as they are whom they do commend and conuerse withall If you bewaile the corruptions of the time they can bewaile them asmuch as you If you condemne hypocrisie and dissimulation they can do it as iudicially as you If you speake of the Ministers duty they can tell it as well as you If you alledge Scripture for proofe of any matter they can be as deepe in Scripture as you If you will be an Apostle or amongst the Apostles they are for you nay they will go a little beyond you and them too they wil ease you al of your burden and care for none shall carry the bagge nor make the prouision but they because they meane with their brother Iudas to play two parts in one that is the tray-God and the theefe too Is this true will you say how shall we then know hypocrites from honest Christians if we cannot know them how then shall we auoide them Well inough by their fuites you shall know them sayth Christ speaking of those that are sheep without and wolues within as all hypocrites be by their fruits you shal know them To shew that we must wait a time for the matter for fruite is not presently ripe so soone as it sowne but it must haue a time to bud and to blossome and to harden and to ripen and then taste it when it is ripe and you shall then by it know what name to call the tree by One of you is a diuell sayth Christ meaning Iudas and one of you shall betray me Now when Christ sayd that Iudas was a diuell the same Iudas was a grosse hypocrite but it was not knowne vnto men vntill he had betraied his maister and hanged himselfe There was a time for Iudas to conceiue diuellish purposes and there was a time to bring forth the same So hypocrites haue a time to conceiue mischiefe which lyeth hidden in the heart like the infant in the mothers belly but when the fulnesse of time commeth forth it must come and cannot be dissembled any longer no more then it is possible for a woman to keepe her infant within her beyond the appointed time of nature God knoweth them now and men shall know them hereafter God seeth when the seed is sowne how it groweth and how it ripeneth yea he knoweth the thoughts of mens hearts long before they are The Pharisees come to Christ Good maister thou art a good man and teachest the way of God truly and carest for no man Tell vs or resolue vs of our doubt Is it lawfull to pay tribute to Caesar or no In shew these are good trees Christ seeth the roote and the sap and the bud and presently determineth what they are Why tempt ye me ye hypocrites and afterward when they accused him to be an enemy to Caesar then the fruite ripened and all men knew them to be hypocrites Herod was a craftie fox and Christ knew him to be one long before the world espied him Herod had one sinne that he loued well and lodged it in his heart But as Rahell couered her fathers idols with the asses litter so he had a faire couering for his sinne he would heare Iohn preach he would reuerence the man seeme to be glad of him and what was all this but so much litter to couer a beast withall a faire couering to cast ouer a foule sinne For who would haue thought now that such an auditour of such a Preacher had loued his brothers wife and kept her as his wife He seemed to like well of Iohn Baptist but the dancing damsell pleased him better and his brothers wife best of all and when for the sauing of his credite before men in performing of a wicked promise rashly made to a lewd wanton he careth not to shed the innocent bloud of the man of God whom before he seemed to reuerence then is Herods fruite ripe taste it now and tell me if he was not an hypocrite and are not all they such hypocrites as do to their power
in deede only to watch and catch at a word and a halfe taking only what will serue their turne like the diuell himselfe to intangle thereby the preacher if they like him not You shal haue many of these come orderly and marke attentiuely as if they would latch euery word with their mouthes but as it was with the Prophet Ezechiels auditors so is it with them their harts runne another way and they meane not to follow any thing that is giuen in charge and therefore when they are gone with their mouthes they make iestes of the Sermon And to the Minister of Christ commonly their answer is you do well sir to tell vs our dutie and to tell euery man his owne well fare your heart you do well sir you do well to discharge your conscience and if we do not as you bid vs that is our fault we must answer for it and though we do as our honest neighbourt do yet we hope God is a good God will hold vs excused he is not so hard as many would make men beleeue The last sort of open hypocrites that are not yet vncased are common cauillers deprauers of the truth and of those that teach the same Some carpe and cauil at that which they vnderstand but like not as the Lawyer in Luke 14. Maister in so saying thou puttest vs to rebuke also when Christ touched Lawyers and as the couetous Iewes which mocked Christ when he preached against couetousnesse Luke 17. Some cauil at that which they vnderstand not as the Iewes which called Paules preaching babling and new doctrine when he preached the resurrection Oh but will some say he reuengeth his owne priuate quarrels and grudges in the pulpit yea he speaketh of malice and therefore we cannot regard that which he preacheth Doth he so verily the greater is his sinne if he doth so But if those be Gods quarels which thou callest his quarrels and if that be spoken in the euidence of the Spirite with plaine demonstration of the truth which thou sayest is in malice against thee then is it euident that thou hast played the grosse hypocrite so vncharitably to accuse so rashly to iudge and so wrongfully to condemne the Minister of the truth and pretendest thou carest not what and all to put by the blow of Gods sword that so thy sinne might not be launced and yet in the meane time be a professour of religion And what art thou oh man sayth the Scripture that thou iudgest another mans seruant whose heart is knowne to his God and not to thee and to God he either standeth or falleth and not to thee Alas this is an old obiection and slaunder of great antiquity common to all the true Preachers of the word and it hath euer bene the common practise of all hypocrites which meant to liue and dye in their sinnes when they knew not what to say for themselues and fearing that the truth would choke them if they should swallow it to cast it vp againe saying that it was spoken of malice and reuenge So played king Achab who had sold himselfe to worke wickednesse he could not deny but that Micaiah was a true Prophet a plaine dealing man but yet he could not away with him and why so forsooth because he doth not prophecie good but euill vnto me that is he speakes that that likes me not so many cry now adaies he hath not the good-wil of his hearers and why because he doth not seek to please them he is too tart he hath a bitter spirite he doth not heale but wound they do not complaine that he hath a flattering spirite or a lying spirite or a soothing spirite or a fearefull spirite or a pleasing spirite for all this hypocrites can away withall well inough because such a spirite is toothsome but that he hath a quicke and sharpe spirite and his reproofes are sensible and bitter this is wholesome but not toothsome and therefore not to be brooked of hypocrites But now let vs consider my brethren whether this will go for currant payment in the day of the Lord or no Why hast thou cast my word behind thy backe will the Lord say Our aunswer will be because we did not loue him that deliuered it But why did you hate him Because he did not please vs. Not please you why did he preach errours and lyes No we could not find any fault with his doctrine that is sound but yet we cannot away with him he was too plaine and round with vs. Too plaine why that was for your good if planè and sanè if both plaine and sound Oh but Lord we like not his life he was couetous and hard and proud and had no loue in him he was not sociable no good companion not one of his neighbours do loue him Well shall the Lord say thine own conscience thou hypocrite shal giue euidence against thee and conuict thee of false witnesse bearing against many of my seruants in these respects if I now do acquite them what are they the worse for thy bad constructions and hard words And if thy conscience do now proue to thy face that all these allegations were but counterfeit deuises to couer thy sinne withall what art thou the better though all thy neighbours take thy part for thou knowest and I know it much more that many of my seruants haue sought peace at thy hands and then hast thou prepared thy selfe to warre they haue vsed all good meanes to procure thy loue and good liking in the truth and thou hast then construed euery thing in the worst part against them that thou couldest imagine to their faces thou hast spoken faire words and behind their backes thou hast vsed all lying slanderous speeches wherby thou hast made them odious in the world when they would haue taken al paines to do thy soule good thou hast complotted by al waies and meanes to discourage them and to greeue and quench my spirite in them So doe hypocrites which loue not the pure light of truth and so hast thou done And admit that all this were true which thou pretendest yet so long as they came in my name vnto thee with my message reuealed in my word which thou couldest not disproue but carpe at yet oughtest thou to haue heard them to beleeue them and to feare at my word comming out of their mouthes in charity to haue iudged the best of their affections or praied for thē knowing that I which am the searcher of the hart would surely call them to reckning for their affections if they were not vpright in my sight but now in that thou hast deuised mischiefe of thine owne head and put it before thee as a stumbling blocke of purpose to fall vpon and to cause others to fall with thee seeing as thou hast through my seruants sides euen pierced my name my glory and not stayed there but pearked vp Lucifer-like into my seate to
another mans mouth hauing layed of purppse a heape of preiudicate conceipts and vnchristian surmises before them as so many stumbling blockes and erected a number of proud and disdainfull opinions and euill constructions of euery thing as rampiers or bulwarks against the truth because they meane not yet to forgo their sins nor to part with their painted visor I cannot tell what to say vnto them but euen leaue them to the Lord their hypocrisie I will not censure it is like the darkenesse of Aegypt that might be felt I am sorry to heare that any should haue the word of God in respect of persons contrarie to the rule of Saint Iames pretending to regard it if one man speake and professing a contempt of the same because another man hath spoken it whom they hate as Achab did hate Micaiah for no other cause but because he prophesied not good but euill vnto him that is he did not flatter him in his sinne as others did and therefore he hated him these men shew with what good deuotion they come to the preaching of the word of God If they might chaunge their Minister they thinke that they should chaunge affections but they are deceiued for as the Poet could say and that truly so say I Coelum non animum mutant qui transmare currunt they change the aire and not their nature which go beyond the sea as appeareth by those that haue separated themselues from our Church assemblies in England Schismatikes they were here and so they are there In like manner hypocrites which haue the word in respect of persons Non mentem sed ministrum mutant they may well change their Minister but their mind they change not their sinnes they leaue not it is no part of their meaning what shewes soeuer they make except God of his great mercy worke a wonderfull alteration It seemeth that such persons are of that opinion that Diues was of in hell who thought that his brethren which were aliue would repent if Lazarus might haue bene sent vnto them from heauen he was well acquainted with their humour for belike when they were all liuing together on earth neuer a one of them cared for their ordinary teachers but saith the holy Ghost they haue Moses and the Prophets amongst them if they wil not heare them let them pretēd what they list neither would they repent though one should come from the dead vnto them Many will tell vs that another man hath sayd as much and more then such and such whom the people mislike and it is well taken Such a one may say any thing say they and no offence will be taken against him we maruell that they should take it so ill from one more then another to these we answer 1 How well soeuer they take it from one or from another nothing is reformed they will giue all the hearing but see if any reformation follow from one more then another 2 The cause why they do not so breake out against one man for the same doctrine aswell as against another is because his time is not yet come as Christ sayd in Luke 22.53 When I was daily in the Temple with you you layed no hands on me but this is your houre and the very power of darkenesse Euery man hath a time appointed him of God a time to be promoted and a time to be persecuted a time to be regarded and a time to be reiected a time to be made much of and a time to be set at naught and when the date of the one is expired then the other taketh place Now to conclude if any man thinke that I haue dealt too seuerely against hypocrites or that I might haue caried a lighter hand toward them then I haue done seeing as there is no man but is stained with some hypocrisie much or little in the sight of God at the least or that in the applicatiō of any point of doctrine in the vncasing of the hypocrite I haue too particularly and directly aimed at some and namely at the partialities and wilfull winking at grosse abuses by Churchwardens and other Ecclesiasticall officers with them contrary to their oath and a good conscience whereby God is dishonoured and his worship is contemned his Sabbaths are polluted his Church vnreformed and whereby the wicked are strengthened and the godly despised whereby his blessings are restrained and his iudgements hastened vpon vs then this is my answer That in both as I take it I haue had my warrant from the word of God which is a sufficient stay vnto my conscience howsoeuer amongst the vnregenerate and wicked hypocrites it is a matter of least waight and therefore with them of all authorities least regarded And for the first haue I dealt more seuerely against hypocrites then the Scripture and namely our Sauiour Christ or haue I handled it worse then it deserueth Hath the hypocrite any wrong to haue no more but the truth sayd and proued against him Or what is his seruice so well pleasing to God or the Church of God so much beholding vnto him for his shewes and shadowes or rather his trecheries and cousinages that he of all other may not be vncased I speake not now of secret hypocrisie whereof euen the regenerate faithfull are guilty in their best actions before God and for which all of vs must desire mercy at Gods hand in the bloud of Christ but of that hypocrisie which raigneth in the wicked and of such hypocrites as are professed hypocrites professed I meane in their owne hearts whose desire is nothing else but to be seene of men and nothing lesse then to approue themselues and their doings in the sight of God Euery one is stained with some lust which is adulterie before God with some malice which is murther before God and with some enuie which is theft before God and with some couetousnesse which is idolatrie before God and yet euery one is not to be called an adulterer nor a murtherer nor a theefe nor an idolater because those grosse sinnes are not the studie nor the profession of the regenerate but they studying professing and indeuouring to serue the Lord in sinceritie truth and vprightnesse of heart and to deale with men in all good conscience are called sincere and iust men as Iob was and being in Christ Iesus through his righteousnesse imputed vnto them they are iust before God Hypocrisie properly is a sinne against the third Commaundement for none more then the hypocrite doth take the name of God in vaine who still for the most part maketh religion a cloke for all maner of iniquitie which cloke of theirs when it is once espied or taken from them they cry out and rage as men vtterly forlorne and vndone For take away their clokes their signes and their shewes and then are they naked and ashamed both before God and man and as sinceritie graceth the godly before God so hypocrisie graceth the wicked before men which is
all that they desire or delight in Giue me the substance of religion saith sinceritie and me the ceremonie saith hypocrisie giue me the bodie of Christianitie saith sincerity and me the shadow saith hypocrisie let me haue praise of God saith sinceritie and me the praise of men saith hypocrisie let not me lack the thing without which I cannot serue the Lord saith sinceritie and me to serue the time and my owne turne saith hypocrisie giue me a good conscience before God saith sinceritie tush conscience was hanged long ago giue me goods and worldly riches saith hypocrisie giue me vertue and honestie saith sinceritie and let me borrow their clokes to play my part in and that shall serue my turne saith hypocrisie giue me peace with God saith sinceritie and me with my honest neighbours saith hypocrisie as for God I shall do well inough with him Handle the matter castè that is purely saith sinceritie cautè that is warily saith hypocrisie Take heede for God seeth thee saith sinceritie nay take heede that the world see thee not and then good inough saith hypocrisie It is against the word of God saith sinceritie therefore leaue it tush so long as he can haue no vantage against me by law I care not saith hypocrisie Qui vadit planè vadit sanè that is he that goeth plainely to worke goeth safely to worke saith sinceritie Qui nescit dissimulare nescit viuere that is he that cannot tell how to dissemble cannot tell how to liue saith hypocrisie You see then the difference between the nature of sinceritie and the nature of hypocrisie The one you see is like a rich King in a beggars cote amongst men Because as Christ our head said of himselfe when he liued poorely and contemptibly vpon earth My kingdome is not of this world and I haue meate to eate that you know not of so must Christs members say we are poore and despised in this life because our riches are not of this world and we haue friends that the world know not of The other is like a King in a play who for the time maketh a braue shew domineering ouer such counterfeits as himselfe is hauing vpon him cloth of gold and with the same perhaps are couered a number of scurfe and scabbes lice and vermine and when the Play is done the poore beggarly fellow must be faine to returne home his borrowed coat againe to the right owner and pay well for the hire thereof Now you haue heard the difference consider the matter consult and giue sentence whether this honest man the hypocrite hath so plaied his part before God or mā that he deserueth stil to go on without noting and neuer to be vncased or no. And so much shall suffise for the vncasing of the hypocrite and descrying of his nature Now it remaineth that you see his reward by that time I hope you wil not greatly desire to be an actor in his Play but of that in the next Sermon Now as for those that thinke I haue too particularly applyed this doctrine let them know that if Eliah did well in telling of Achab that it was he that troubled Israel and if Iohn Baptist did well in telling King Herod that he might not haue his brothers wife and the Ministers of the Gospell haue the same authoritie that they had then do we not amisse to make speciall application of our doctrine as they did Againe if the Apostle said well when he said Those that sinne openly rebuke openly that others may feare 1. Tim. 2. then do not they well which find fault with vs for following the Apostles rule For whom haue I admonished or reproued but publike persons by office and publike abuses and scandals by them committed and giuen to the great dishonour of God and hurt of this Church Lastly if a Preacher may speak to the Prince when he preacheth before the Prince and to the Iudges of Assizes and to the Iurours and to the Lawyers particularly and to the Bishops and to Iustices all being publike persons and charge them in Gods name to looke to their office and amend that which is amisse and that safely without daunger yea boldly with good warrant then do not I see but that any Pastour by his pastorall authoritie may in his owne congregation speake particularly to a Churchwarden or a Sideman and tell them what they ought to do yea more and charge them to do their office faithfully too yea and more then that if they haue bene admonished priuately and friendly and yet will not be admonished but take vpon them still to dispense with their oath and suffer Gods Church as much as lyeth in them to go to wracke then to reproue them both openly and roundly that themselues may repent if they belong to God or others may feare as the Apostle saith And vntill the Maior of a towne and the Churchwardens and other officers of a parish can shew me by Scripture or common reason that they be of greater state then Kings Queenes and Princes be of or then Noblemen Iudges and Bishops be of or that they be more priuiledged and exempted from the reproofe and censure of the word especially when their offences are publike and desperate then others be whom I haue named before and take to be farre aboue them surely I must and shall by Gods grace both hold my former opinion and as occasion shall serue declare the same by practise that is by making of speciall application of the doctrine to the generall and publike offenders and offences of this congregation Let him that hath an eare to heare heare what I say and let him that hath an heart sanctified consider well of it and let him that hath grace from God make a good vse of that that hath bene said As for the rest I say as Ioshua said let them chuse what they will do whether they will make a conscience of their dutie or dispense with their oath as they haue done I for my part will surely by Gods grace do that which belongeth to a true Pastor of Iesus Christ. And as Saint Iohn said he that is filthie let him be more filthie and he that is froward let him be more froward and he that will be obstinate let him be more obstinate and he that will be an hypocrite let him be more hypocriticall that their sinnes may be full ripe against the day of Gods vengeance But so many as feare the Lord in truth of heart and are truly humbled to endure the sifting and triall of the word of God and are desirous vnfainedly to yeeld obedience to the holy will of God let vs go on forward in our good courses without feare or fainting and God our heauenly Father in whom is our trust will surely keepe vs from finall falling away and in his rich mercie will pardon all our sinnes in the merite of Christ his bloudy passion blessed be his name for euer Amen Now let vs praise God THE VII
SERMON Of the reward of Hypocrisie MAT. 6.2 Verily I say vnto you they haue their reward OF the nature of hypocrisie we haue heard sufficiently in the three former Sermons and as sinceritie graceth all our good actions before God so on the contrarie side we haue seene that hypocrisie disgraceth and shameth vs yea maketh euen our best deedes to stinke as most loathsome filth before his heauenly Maiestie yea and before men too when once it breaketh out And this might serue sufficiently to perswade vs to take heed of hypocrisie and counterfeiting in Gods religion or any religious duties commaunded by God but because the hypocrite dreameth of some great reward whereby he shall become some great man both in this world and in the world to come imagining that as he is liked of men so he cannot chuse but be loued of God therefore our Sauiour Christ affirmeth most constantly and in earnest manner that hypocrites haue all the reward that they shall haue For the praise of men haue they hunted for and that they haue more then that they shall not haue to reward them but to punish them a portion they shall haue with the Diuell and his Angels in hell The praise of men what is it surely euen as men are themselues as they are affected men are but men when they are at the best and at the highest Whether it be in wisedome or in authoritie or in goodwill or in abilitie or whatsoeuer else that is vaine and vanishing mutable and inconstant blind and partiall A simple reward then is the praise of men euen fit for such vaine fooles as seeke for nothing else The hypocrite taketh great paines for the obtaining notwithstanding of this vaine reward as fooles which hunt after a fether blowne vp and down in the wind they cannot get it vnlesse they will sweate and almost runne themselues out of breath and when they haue gotten it it is but a fether and nothing lighter The praise of men what is it surely but words proceeding from inconstant minds false hearts and from those whose hands cannot accomplish the deuises of their hearts And what are such wordes but wind and what is more inconstant then the wind He that obserueth the praises of men is like him that obserueth the wind and is fitly resembled to a Windmill that whirleth about apace so long as the wind bloweth a main but when the wind slacketh his gale then he slacketh his pace and as the Windmill is turned with the wind so the hypocrite also turneth with the time If he may be praised for well doing then he will do well still but if he be reproched or threatned or not highly esteemed then he altereth his course and is gone But here perhaps it will be obiected by some that the Scripture commendeth a good name in many places and thereby admonisheth men to get a good name and to keepe it being gotten And what is that but to be praised of men and to get the good opinion and estimation of men Indeede this is true a good report is to be sought for amongst men and carefully to be kept too when it is obtained But this must be propter aliud non propter se for some other end then simply for it selfe But the meaning and drift of our Sauiour Christ here is that we should not make that the end and scope of our well doing as if that were our summum bonum that is our felicitie and happinesse as hypocrites do that looke no further and desire no better thing then the praise of men To get and keepe a good name there be many reasons to perswade vs but to make the praise of men the end of our well doing we haue no one reason to perswade vs but diuerse to disswade vs as we shall see anone For the getting of a good report amongst men we haue reason for Salomon preferreth it before riches and before precious oyntment that is before all pleasures and profites whatsoeuer Before riches he preferreth a good name and saith that it is better then riches and that for three causes For first few riches are hardly obtained without much euill a good name is not obtained without some good deedes Secondly riches are meanes by reason of our corruption to call vs from God They that will be rich fall into temptations and snares and many foolish and noisome lusts which drowne men in perdition and destruction saith Saint Paule A good name prouoketh vnto golinesse Your zeale saith Paule to the Corinthians hath prouoked many Meaning that the good report which he made of them to others where he came did through the blessing of God prouoke many to the like zeale Thirdly riches are vncertaine here to day and gone to morrow Trauell not too much to be rich saith Salomon for riches take them to their wings like an Eagle but a good name is more permanent then life for it liueth after death As a good name is better then riches so is it also better then a precious ointment For first the best ointment that is may be purchased for money as appeareth by that which Mary a meane woman bought for our Sauiour Christ but a good name cannot be bought for thousands Secondly precious ointment onely suppleth the outward parts and is soueraigne for outward wounds but a good name doth comfort the heart The light of the eye reioyceth the heart and a good name maketh the bones fat saith Salomon Thirdly a good ointment onely profiteth the annointed but a good name is profitable to others Nobis necessaria vita nostra alijs fama nostra saith S. Augustine our life is necessarie for our selues and our good report for others to encourage them to godlinesse as we haue heard Lastly ointment is pleasant in smell onely to those that are nigh The house was filled saith the Euangelist with the smel of that ointment which Mary bestowed vpon Christ but a good name flieth farre and neare And this brute went of Christ saith the Euangelist Mathew through the land Againe a good name is in part a reward of righteousnesse All these saith the Apostle to the Hebrewes speaking of the faithfull whom he nameth and commendeth in that place through faith haue obtained a good report All which commendations of a good name do serue not onely to perswade vs to get it and keepe it for the glorifying of Gods name and encouraging of our brethren but also they do greatly condemne two sorts of men in the world First those that so they do well care not what men say of them but so farre as we can we must with doing well keepe a good name for the causes before alleadged Secondly those that make no conscience of detracting a mans good name being so excellent but make a continuall practise of slaundering and backbiting their brethren And these are worse then theeues for a theefe may make
one a proper man saith another he touched all degrees and spared none sayth another he had but a soft voyce saith another no vtterance it is pitty with a little practise he would do well he was too long sayth another he hath no learning sayth another What Vniuersitie was he of where dwels his friends what liuing hath he hath he no more benefices then one He sayd well sayth another if he can follow it himselfe when he hath done c. And afterward perhaps if he stay long amongst them or chance to haue charge ouer them they that before praised him to the skies will be the first that shall picke quarrels against him for one thing or another and all to remoue him Is it not then a labour well bestowed to set our selues onely to get praise of men can there be a greater misery were we not in a good case thinke you if we had hope of no better reward then this no maruell though But blessed be God our hope is and our comfort is that we dealing faithfully and vprightly in Gods businesse shall be rewarded of God himselfe in Christ his sonne with another manner of reward then all the world can giue vs or take from vs either In a farre more miserable case me thinke is the hypocrite then many a mans horse or beast is The horse is rid hard and trauelled sore all day and at night is turned into a sorry stable with a galled backe and spurred sides but yet with his maisters reward and that is a good baite and a good word Let him be well dressed and well meated sayth the owner he hath gone well to day it is as good a horse as euer man put legge ouer And if he chance to be stolen or lost or to dye his maister maketh great enquirie and searcheth for to find him againe or great moane besides high commendations of his beast because he cannot be had againe In like maner fareth it with the hypocrite in part whom euery man rideth and derideth at his pleasure as the spurre makes the horse to go so vaine glorie and praise makes the hypocrite to go and therefore it was well sayd in the Prouerbe Gloria calcar habet praise is a spurre as if the vaineglorious foole were a iade that would not go without spurring When the hypocrite hath ended his iourney he is turned home againe with a gald conscience well may he haue a good word as It was well done c. but scarse many times the worth of an asses baite And if he be missing perhaps there is not so much enquiring after him as after the strayed horse except peraduenture as Laban sought after Iacob to call him to account for the manner of his departure And if he dye some moane may perhaps be made for him and a good word from a false heart may chance be cast after him but it may be more moane will be made for a good seruiceable beast and the one shall be as soone forgotten as the other But when death comes it were happy for hypocrites if then they were horses or asses or vile toades for then should their miserie ende with their liues but they cannot haue that priuiledge and therefore they are farre more miserable then the bruite beast which perisheth Consider well of it my good brethren and let vs not be any longer bewitchâ—d with this tickling humour and most vaine vaine as I may call it of carping and caring and studying and seeking how to please men against God or to please men not God but let vs labour by all good meanes and call instantly vpon God by humble prayer that we may be so gouerned by his holy Spirit and grace that all our desire and study may be to do chose things and that in such manner as may get praise and commendation at his hand and we may be approued in his sight Lastly let his doctrine serue to worke patience in all those that hauing deserued commendation and loue and good liking of those amongst whom they haue laboured cannot get the fame or hauing once gotten it through their faithfull and plaine dealing or the inconstancie and frowardnesse of men lost the same Euery man hath his time as Salomon saith there is a time to reioyce and a time to be sorry so there is a time to be praised and a time to be dispraised a time to be lifted vp and a time to be cast downe againe least we should looke for our heauen vpon earth And let it not greeue any man to be dispraised nor greatly puffe vp any to be commended but rather be we grieued that we cannot studie to please God better then we do and be we glad that we haue the testimonie of a good conscience before God that we haue deserued better of men then we find at their hands and shall find farre better of Gods hands then euer we desired or deserued And seeing as the praise and commendation of men is so vaine and miserable a reward both for the vncertaintie of it for the deceitfulnesse of it for the breuitie of it for the vnprofitablenesse of it and for the danger of it let vs neither straine with a good conscience nor keeping a good conscience according to Gods word greatly regard it when we haue lost it For so do miserable hypocrites who as Christ sayth here in our text haue their reward If any body hath now put vppon him the Diuels armour of proofe I meane vnbeleefe as commonly all hypocrites do that this doctrine may not enter into his hart let them but consider and weigh well who hath sayd it and how he affirmeth it that hypocrites haue their reward He that hath said it is the Lord Iesus himselfe who being the wisedome of the father knoweth what he sayth and being truth it selfe cannot erre let no man now suspend his iudgement for the matter or stay his repentance vntill he heare it confirmed by some Doctours or Fathers or Councels for he hath spoken it that cannot deceiue any nor be deceiued by any yea vpon whose word and authoritie all the Doctours and Councels in the world haue builded and must build whatsoeuer they teach or else they build beside the foundation As Christ hath sayd it against whom I say there is no gainesaying so hath he affirmed it in most earnest and confident maner Verily I say vnto you they haue their reward that is in good earnest I speake it and for a most vndoubted truth I affirme it And all little inough for such is the cunning of Sathan to beguile mens soules that he will still feede them with some hope that it is not so hard as the Preacher saith it is Thou shalt dye the death saith God to Adâ—m if thou eatest of that tree No sayth Sathan ye shall not dye that is God doth not meane to deale so hardly with you as he sayth he is mercifull and that was but to make you afraid So playeth the hypocrite
and as we are appointed by order of law and ciuill pollicie yet still in compassion As for counterfeits idlepacks they must be wisely looked vnto and seuerely punished when they are found out as Iosua did who punished the Gibeonites when they counterfeited themselues to be farre trauellers when they were his next neighbours Some become miserable through gaming tipling carrowsing through idlenesse and bad companie keeping to these belong a threefold almes instruction correction and yet some contribution too as is allowed vnto malefactours in prison vntill by order of law and sword of iustice a riddance may be made of them if otherwise they will not be reformed for by the rule of the word he that will not labour must not eate Now let vs praise God THE ANATOMIE OF BELIAL SET FORTH IN TEN SERMONS vpon the 12.13.14 and 15. verses of the 6. Chapter of the Prouerbes of Salomon The summe whereof is set foorth in the next Page Imprinted at London by Richard Field for Thomas Man 1602. A Table shewing the generall contents of the Sermons following The Anatomy of Belial hath two parts 1. The description of a wicked man and he is described here two wayes 1. By his names that are here giuen him viz. 1. A man of Belial that is a lawlesse man 2. A man of vanitie that is vnprofitable 2. By his actions and they be two fold 1. Outward and they be two fold 1. His speeches and they be described by two adiuncts 1. Of their quality which is euill for they be froward 2. Of quantitie which is great for they are cōtinually froward 2. His gestures al which be significāt and tending to mischiefe and they be of his Eyes Fingers Feete 2. Inward of the hart and they are set forth 1. Generally Lewd things are in his hart 2. Particularly by noting two vile odious properties springing frō a lewd hart 1. That he is giuen to imagine and surmise whose imaginations are 1. Euil 2. Continually euill 2. That he raiseth vp contentions 2. His destruction and that is amplified by noting 1. The maner of the comming which is fearful in regard of 1. The speedinesse 2. The suddennesse 2. The continuance of it which is long yea euerlasting without ende for he shall neuer recouer THE I. SERMON PRO. 6.12.13.14.15 The vnthrifty man or the man of Belijal and the wicked man or the man of vanity walketh with a froward mouth 13. He maketh a signe with his eyes he signifieth with his feete he instructeth with his fingers 14. Lewd things are in his heart he imagineth euill continually and raiseth vp contentions 15. Therefore his destruction shall come speedily he shall be destroyed suddenly without recouery THis text may well be called the Anatomy of Belial because it searcheth and openeth euery veine of him and euery sinew of him to the very heart and to that which is in the heart as Anatomies do and sheweth the causes of euery spirituall disease and the effects of euery cause and what it is that bringeth the wicked man to his wofull end as Anatomies doe And that so liuely that if any man desire to see a liuely picture and a true Anatomy of Belial indeede let him with patience marke and behold the hand of Gods Spirit while Belial is a ripping vp and he will say as the people sayd of another action of our Sauiour Christ we neuer saw such a thing Mark 2.12 But all is done and must be done to this end that we may know our selues And this indeed is therefore made the Anatomies speech or poesie Nosce teipsum know thy selfe as if he should say why dost thou stand still gaping and gazing vpon my naked bones or prying into my bowels entrails or iudging of my heart c. good leaue hast thou so to do but learne by me then what thou art and what thou shalt be thy selfe This Anatomie is altogether spiritual and hath in it two parts First the description of a wiked man secondly his iudgemēt He is described two waies first by his name secondly by his actions His name setteth out his nature and it is double first he is called in the Ebrew tongue A man of Beliall that is a lawlesse person Secondly he is called in the same tongue A man of vanitie that is a man altogether vnprofitable As he is described by his names so also is he knowne by his actions and they be of two sorts outward and inward his outward actions are also two fold his speeches and his gestures His speeches are set forth by two adiuncts or circumstances first of their quality then of their quantitie for their qualitie they be very euill for they be altogether froward for their quantitie they exceede for he walketh with a froward mouth that is he is continually froward His gestures are also obserued the gestures of his eyes of his fingers and of his feete and all of them are very significant and tending to set forward sinne The inward actions of his heart are layed forth two wayes First 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or in generall tearmes saying Lewd things are in his heart Secondly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or in particular obseruations by noting two vile properties arising from a lewd hart First that he imagineth euill continually Secondly he raiseth vp contentions After his description commeth his iudgement and that is to be destroyed and this destruction is amplified further by shewing the fearefull manner of the coming thereof for it shall come speedily without delay and suddenly without any warning before he looketh for it Secondly the euerlasting continuance of it for it shall be without recouery In the Scripture we reade of a Leuite that cut his wife in peeces when others has wickedly abused her to the death and sent her quarters vnto the twelue tribes of Israel with this motion and message Consider the matter consult and giue sentence But here the Lord hath cut Belial in peeces who was the cause of his owne death and hath hanged vp his quarters as it were in his word which he hath sent into all parts of the world that his people might consider the matter consult and confirme the sentence of the Lord and also take example by him least we come into the same case But before we come to the particular examination of Belials markes it shall not be amisse to enquire of three very necessary points The first is to what end this description is made Secondly whether we may by the same description take vpon vs to iudge who is a man of Belial And thirdly what may be learned from the coherence of this text with the rest of the Chapter For the first point Machiuels and Atheistes thinke that all the Bible and all preaching and all religion is but matter of pollicy to keepe men in awe and so consequently that this that is sayd of Belial is so too For that diuell that told Adam that
be merry These and such like speeches are rife in the world but it is onely amongst the men of Belial and Ishim auen lawlesse and dissolute persons vaine and foolish people such as haue cast off Gods yoke from them and like them that sayd of Christ. We will not haue this man to raigne ouer vs come let vs breake their bands asunder and cast their cords from vs our tongues are our owne we may speake what we list who shall controule vs and so are our eyes too and our fingers too and our feete too we will looke and go and gesture it as we list and what hath any man to do with our gestures These are right men of Belial indeed whom the Lord that sitteth in the heauens doth laugh to scorne and shall haue in great derision when destruction shall come suddenly vppon them in his wrath yea he shall vexe them in his sore displeasure and breake them in peeces like a potters vessell if they be not wise vnto repentance in time euen before his wrath be kindled yea but a little This precisenesse that the profane Belials of the world haue in so much contempt is nothing else but that circumspect walking which is commended and commanded vnto vs by the Apostle from the Lord in Ephs. 6. Walke circumspectly saith he like wise men as if our life were a iourney to be walked vpon a narrow bridge ouer a deepe water ouer which there is no safe passage if a man go leaping and skipping and gazing about him as those that wander and roue at scope in the wide fields but we must looke to our feete and to euerie step that we set or else we are quickly gone and being downe very hardly recouered againe without Gods great mercy and grace So much for the first point Now the second thing that we haue to obserue is the tyranny of sinne hauing once gotten possession in the hart If lewd things lodge in the heart surely they will take vp all the outward parts of the body to serue at their pleasure and from one member to another will leudnesse fetch his continual walke Therefore saith the blessed Apostle Let not sinne raigne in your mortall bodies to obey the lustes thereof neither giue you your members as weapons of vnrighteousnesse and vncleannesse To shew what a tyrant sinne is who when he hath gotten hold in the heart of a wicked man will domineere ouer his whole bodie and euery member shall serue as a weapon to fight withall in the defence of sinne and to the offence of vertue When a tyrant raigneth no man that is vnder him is his owne man no man can say what is his owne so where sinne raigneth the most cruell subtill and vnsatiable tyrant that euer was is or can be euery member of the body and euery cogitation and affection of the soule is held in most miserable bondage and slauery nothing is free to serue the Lord but all are at Sathans becke and ready to obey his suggestions This tyrant wil not be closed vp in the heart but will looke out at the eyes as at a window will walke abroad nay rather be caried abroad like a Pope vpon mens shoulders the hand must feele and reach him that which he liketh and giue what he will bestow and where he will bestow it and strike whom he liketh not The eye must seeke out such pleasures as he delighteth in and the tongue must call for them Yea of such bewitching power is this tyrant sinne that he poysoneth like the Crocodile with his very sight and countenance he hath greater power ouer his seruants the members of the body nay his seruants the members haue greater power ouer others then the Centerion in the Gospell had ouer his souldiers I say to one come and he commeth to another go and he goeth saith the Centurion but this tyrant doth but looke vppon men and they feare him he doth not fawne vpon men and they affect him he doth but make a signe with his eyes and signifie with his going and instruct by holding vp of his finger and it is inough to make men go and come at his pleasure And all his fawning flattering terrifying of mē is for nothing else in the world but to get in to a man and to raigne ouer a man which he can easily do He can by little and little yea with a little intreating where Gods grace is not to make resistance enter in at the eye or at the eare or by touching the body and tickling the senses and so from thence into the heart and there he sitteth like a commander and a cruell tyrant euen ouer al those members and affections by which he was first let in and which first gaue him any entertainement Adonijah begged onely Abishag the Shunamite to wife when Dauid had done with her a small request in shew but he had a further reach his mind was to the kingdome which wise Salomon perceiued well inough So Sathan will request but a little dalliance with the fingers and will but borrow they feete to carry him to such a place such a place to heare or see a play or the like vanity and thy countenance to braue or beard such such or thy eye to looke out at as theeues that will craue a standing in a mans shop to see some straunge sight when they meane to rob and steale a small request in shew But sinne is deceitfull and Sathan is an old subtill serpent trust him not he hath a mind to a kingdome and that is to rule like a hellish tyrant in thee to get all the members of thy body and all the affections of thy soule from out of Gods seruice into his slauery and subiection and this can none espie but those that haue heauenly wisdome as Salomon had And therefore as Adonijah made his subtill request against his owne life when wise Salomon had espied his treachery so let all wise harted Christians who by the light of this doctrine haue receiued any inckling of the subtill pollicy of sinne and Sathan in entring and of their tyranny being entred into the heart desire of God by continuall and earnest prayer that through the gracious assistance of his blessed Spirit his feare keeping the passage all these fawning treacherous motions solicited in the vnsanctified gestures and behauiour of the body may be made against their owne life that is that they may be so crushed and checked at the first that neither eye nor eare nor hand nor foote nor tongue nor looke may euer haue any list or ioy to serue sinne or Sathan or the man of Belial any more And so much briefly for the tyranny of sinne which hath all the parts of the body at commandement Now come we to the third point and let vs see how the sinne of hypocrisie in particular doth breake foorth and appeare in the very
in going whereabout is it It may be they plie it so fast to saue some bodie that is in daunger or to visite the poore and needie No saith the Apostle Their feete are swift to shed bloud But yet it may be their trade and manner of liuing is good and profitable to the Commonwealth No saith the Apostle Destruction and calamitie are in their waies But yet it may be their life is harmlesse and peaceable amongst their honest neighbors No saith he the way of peace they haue not knowne But yet for all this they may feare God in their hearts may they not No saith he The feare of God is not before their eyes Why then we perceiue that a meere naturall man wholly vnregenerate such as Salomon calleth The man of Belial is all one mā both within and without in his life lawlesse and in his heart leude and wicked The vse of this first point is to be made against those wicked mē that being altogether sold vnto sinne and hating reformation will reason in this sort Whatsoeuer my sayings and my doings be or howsoeuer my gestures and outward behauiour be or whatsoeuer my religion be yea though I come not at Church to heare the Sermons nor take any pleasure in the Scriptures c. yet I would you should know it I loue God and I regard Gods word yea I haue as good a hart to God as the best of you But he is deceiued for if a leud heart be a good heart then so it is but a good heart sendeth foorth good things being first renewed by the spirite and grace of God but if thou be a wicked lawlesse Belial and a vaine man that walkest in froward customes c. then know for a certaine that thy heart is full of leude things from whence proceed all thy outward disorders And how can that hart be a good hart to God-ward that is stored with leud things And so much for the first point The second conclusion that ariseth from this place is this that God iudgeth of a man according to that which is in his heart whatsoeuer he be in shewe yea though a false heart may be and is commonly shrowded vnder a ciuill behauiour yet it is seene of God and iudged by him too God seeth not as man seeth saith Samuel man looketh on the outward appearance but God looketh vnto the truth of the heart The hart of man is deceiptfull aboue all things saith Ieremie yet I the Lord search the heart and trie the reines to giue to euery one according to his wayes to shew that the wayes of man are in his heart and none can knowe them throughly but the Lord whose proper office is to search the heart and that he will surely do A needfull point this is for two sorts of people especially to think well vpon The first are Papistes of all sorts Church Papistes and all They are skilfull in their Popish eleuations idolatrous crossings down low duckings demure countenances holy habites and obseruations of times but they keepe their consciences to themselues and the Lord looketh vpon the leudnes and villanies that are lurking in their harts till a fit time serue for the bringing of them foorth as murthering of Princes vndermining of kingdomes and states subuerting the Gospel enriching the kingdome of Antichrist vnder colour of wilfull pouertie besides their whoredomes and other abhominations which make them now so to storme and rage because they are discouered vnto the world But let them looke vnto it God will iudge them for the leude things that are in their hearts Many ceremonies they make like Balaam with his seuen altars c. but both his and their hearts go one way and God seeth it well inough Many prayers and great deuotion they pretend but after the Pharisees fashion who when they seemed to pray most deuoutly then they deuoured most greedily and cruelly poore widowes houses Their Inquisitions are full of such prancks euen amongst their holy fathers but I will not nowe stand raking in those puddles Leude things are in their hearts and God seeth them well inough and will iudge them not so much by that which soundeth in their mouths although he will also iudge them for that but especially by that which is in their hearts This is also to be thought vpon of our politicke Protestants who say they defie Poperie but yet are not many of them very sound at the heart They are too well read and practised in Machiauell to be good Christians they will not sticke to promise to protest to say and vnsay to do any thing for profite and gaine These ciuill honest men can outwardly behaue themselues in print with kind kissings and curteous embracings with courting and saluting but in their heart God seeth much crueltie and couetousnesse deceipt prophanenesse and trecherie like a legion of Diuels in a common Inne for all that come from hell so they bring no godlinesse but gold with them They creep and crouch saith the Psalmist to make the poore fall by heapes into their nets their courtesie and kindnesse is framed rather by art then by heart yet all this artificiall dissembling is seene to God and in time to the world Wo be vnto them if they repent not for Leude things are in their hearts as in the heart of Belial Many are sicke of Amnons disease who seemed to long for cakes of his sister Thamars making but he could not be well till he had his pleasure of his sister And as Absolom inuited his brother Amnon to a great feast of purpose to murther him which he most leudly effected so can many as pollitikely inuite those to their feasts whom they meane to snare and catch at their tables of al which it may be said as it is said here of Belial Whatsoeuer is in their lippes yet Leud things are in their hearts and accordingly will God iudge of them and iudge them too for leud and wicked persons Many of our gilded Polititians and varnished Protestants at large are no whit behind their tutour Machiauel nor his brother the Pope in shrowding a leud heart vnder ciuill pollicie and politicke ciuility to no small endamaging of the Church of Christ but perhappes they thinke that God doth not note it and will not iudge them for it A man may descant vpon Machiauels name as Abigail did vpon Nabals Nabal is his name saith she and folly is with him So Macheuil is his name he matcheth all in euill and an euil match also hath he made for he hath matched a Princesse and a pesant together Christian religion and carnall pollicie together or diuellish pollicie rather who agree like the bondwoman and the freewoman that were in Abrahams house the one hating scoffing and persecuting the other so that there could be no peace in the house vntill they were parted asunder yea vntill the bondwoman and her sonne were cast out of the
dores And this rude companion Carnal pollicie who neuer had any other bringing vp or schooling then in the flesh which is altogether for it selfe is fallen grieuously at debate with Pietie and with his cruell long nailes hath almost scratched out Religions eyes and yet saith he loueth Religion wel yea and protesteth that he maketh much of her too and of all her friends And verily I do beleeue him but I beleeue withall that it is as Iudas made much of Christ who being pursebeater stole what he could frō his maister and at the last sold him right out for what he could get So this same Heliogabalus carnall pollicie I mean by purloyning and stealing from Religion and her friends the Church all that he can get doth make much of Religion and of the Church And surely not without iust cause doth true religion complaine in many places of the land that her seruants the Ministers are so shauē and curtalled in their maintenance by pollicie as Dauids embassadours were by Hanun king of Ammon that they are almost ashamed to shew their heades and so weak brought that they cannot follow her with that courage and chearefulnesse which should be in them And in most places generally the course is this to let passe those gulfes that swallow vp whole liuings of Colledges and Churches and allow their shepheard or some other smokie Sir Iohn like vnto him some twentie nobles a yeare and a cast doubler to serue the Cure in most places I say where liuings are laid to the Church the course is this If a preaching Minister be called to a place a pastorall charge I meane where great ones dwell who must pay their tithes as well as other men and they perceiue that he be but a nouice in the world then pollicie is called to counsell who doth giue him entertainement by art but not from the heart for leud things are in his heart Now sir maister Pollicie will for a time be a diligent hearer of his Sermons and with his presence and countenance draw on others to like of him inuite him to his table commend him for his giftes in courteous and familiar maner to conferre with him yet with some straunge countenances sometime among lest perhaps he grow too bold with him in reprouing his faults and demaunding of his owne due Now all this while the world imagineth that here is such a friend that he were better lose half his liuing then loose him And the poore simple man thinketh that he which pretendeth such friendship vnto him which so earnestly intreateth him so highly commendeth him so stoutly defendeth him so louingly embraceth him so zealously followeth him and so diligently heareth him will not deny him any part of his due but will let him haue all yea with the more rather then with the lesse But he is deceiued for the miserable worldling is all this while but practising by pollicie to get into his hands the spoiles of the Lords inheritance And in his heart perhaps he thinketh thus with himselfe Surely I shall so fill him with my morsels and make him so beholding vnto me for one thing or another that except he will incurre the note of an ingratefull person he shall not choose but let me haue his churchright as good cheape as Esau sold his birthright for a messe of pottage or halfe for nought if not then actum est de amicitia farewell friendship I will meete with him some other way and make him wearie of his place Verily whosoeuer practise thus haue leud things in their harts But it may be they thinke that God doth not note them neither will he iudge them for it But they are deceiued for surely he that telleth vs here that leude things are in Belials heart doth also tell vs that euen therefore his destruction shall come speedily and suddenly vpon him without recouerie And let them thinke well of this point also who in the commonwealth vnder colour of dealing well with poore men carrie a leude heart and a cruell hand against them As Achab was sicke for Naboths vineyard which lay hard by his so many rich men are sicke for poore mens liuings and commodities because they lye somewhat commodiously for them if a faire offer of some base exchange will serue so it is if not then practise his ouerthrow or by ouerburdening him with taxes and paiments or by some other deuice to wearie him and so to make him giue ouer but first speake him faire and giue him a dinner Herein they play the Lion that came to the sicke foxe and offered to lick him whole with his tongue when in his heart he purposed to teare him in peeces with his teeth which the foxe perceiuing he made him answer that his tongue indeed had a soueraigne vertue in it but it had a companie of ill neighbours meaning his teeth and vntill they be remoued quoth he I thinke your Lordship will haue but a few patients And like to the Lions Phisick is the kindnesse of vsurers in lending their money but their deuises be indeed innumerable and therefore I will not meddle with them at this time In these and such like cases it were good for poore men to remember to follow the counsell of the holy Ghost in Prou. 23.6.7 Eate not the bread of him that hath an euill eye saith he neither desire his daintie morsels For as though he thought as he saith he will say vnto thee eate eate when his heart is not with thee Thou shalt vomite vp all thy morsels and shalt loose all thy sweet words that is thou shalt be vpbraided by them and thou shalt neuer digest them well they shall do thee no more good then meat which thou art enforced to cast vp againe which doth not nourish but pine and paine the bodie And the like caueat he giueth vs in Pro. 26.24.25 He that hateth will counterfeit with his lippes but in his heart he layeth vp deceipt though he speake fauorably beleeue him not for there are seuen that is many abhominations in his heart Others there be who to spie out the libertie of their Christian brethren come with Herod that foxe pretending a desire to worship with them when they mean nothing lesse Leud things are in their hart and God seeth them Others like the Herodians Is it lawful to pay tribute to Caesar or no So what say you to bishops what think you of the booke of Cōmonprayer Others are like Saul who encouraged Dauid to the wars in hope there to haue made him away Most men come to heare as Gods people vse to do lending very attentiue eares and sober countenances to the preaching of the word but God seeth many leud things in their hart and much bad stuffe and filthinesse which man cannot perceiue of a long time all which they must giue account for For it is a most vile thing to dissemble with his Maiestie by whom we
God but to his owne destruction Now thē when we haue by the grace of God found out the cause of our euill to be an euill heart in our selues we may truly say of our harts as Dauid did of Doeg and prophetically of Iudas Psalm 55.12 Surely mine enemy did not defame me but it was thou my familiar friend which was bred and borne with me euen thou my heart with whom I haue bene so familiar that hast wrought me the greatest part of my woe Of the same iudgement is the Apostle Iames Let no man say when he is tempted I am tempted of God for God cannot be tempted with euill neither tempteth he any man But euery man is tempted when he is drawne away by his owne concupiscence and is enticed Then when lust hath conceiued it bringeth forth sinne and sinne when it is finished bringeth forth death Erre not my deare brethren Where the Apostle plainely sheweth vs two things first that such is our impudencie shamelesse ignorance and presumptuous blind boldnesse by nature that rather then we will acknowledge our selues to be in fault and to be the cause of our owne euill we will not sticke to lay the fault vpon God and make him the cause of euill As our first parents did the woman blamed the serpent and the man blamed not simply the woman nor himselfe at all but the woman forsooth which God had giuen him Secondly that whosoeuer thinketh that God is the cause of his euill and not that his owne corrupt hart is wholly the cause thereof the force whereof is so great both to entice and draw vnto euill to conceiue and to bring foorth euill doth erre and is deceiued Hereof it commeth also that the word of God cannot enter into many it cannot fasten vpon their hearts because their hearts are full of leud things Like the Inne where Christ was borne there was no roome for him in the Inne and therefore he was faine to lye in the stable And in many though it enter yet it tarieth not but departeth away presently saying as Christ said when the Iewes sought after his life Arise let vs go hence as being vnwilling to lodge in so filthie a place and amongst his enemies And hence it is likewise that the Preachers words come out from many when they repeat a Sermon as Thamar did from Amnon when he had defiled her with her garments all rent and torne If pure wine be put into a filthy and vncleane vessell in powring it foorth againe it will appeare what stuffe was in the vessell for they come out together so if wholesome doctrine be deliuered to a leud heart in the rehearsing thereof it will appeare with what manner of vnderstanding and affection he heard it Such caskes do many bring with them to put our Sermons in that either runne out like Siues or else are defiled with ignorance or malice or preiudicate conceipts that it wold loth a man to heare it come from them For though it came to them in a princely robe yet it commeth from them like a beggers cloke yea though it came to them with a louely countenance yet it commeth from them like a filthie carrion dragged and haled in the miry streetes amongst dogges that a man would thinke the Preacher had bene out of his wits to deliuer such matter or in such manner as they vtter it or else which is the right that they wanted both wit and vnderstanding or grace or conscience or honestie or all that heard the Sermon to report it in such a leud manner But the best is the shame turneth to themselues and no bodie is so much defiled with such hearts as the owners thereof So saith our Sauiour Christ Those things which proceede out of the mouth come from the heart and they defile the man for out of the heart come euill thoughts murders adulteries fornications false testimonies slanders these are the things which defile the man meaning him that is troubled with them as if he did but vomite vpon his owne clothes that speaketh from a filthie heart And verily they are but fooles that do so for what wise man will carrie one with him still that shameth him wheresoeuer he goeth A leud vnreformed hart is such an vnmanerly companion that doth nothing else but discredite our persons deface our religion grieue our friends harden our foes aduance the Diuell prouoke the Lord marre all the good things that come neare it and alwaies annoy shame and vexe the owner Lot had much ado with the Sodomites but none did more dishonour him then his owne daughters Noah was vexed with the old world but none did him so much shame as his owne sonne Dauid had many enemies but none put him in such feare and danger as his owne Absalom Sampson had much ado with the Philistines but his owne heifter his wife ploughed vp his riddle to the aduantage of his enemies Our Sauiour Christ had many enemies yet none like Iudas who was alwaies in his companie So euery man yea euery true Christian shall haue many enemies crosses troubles and dangers but his owne heart is his greatest enemie which doth flatter him most and deceiue him soonest which for want of godlinesse cannot be content with that it hath which for want of contentation cannot be in quiet for want of quietnesse cannot haue any ioy of any thing that it enioyeth which for want of heauenly wisedome cannot deuide his times aright nor tell how to deale with all sorts of people which for want of patience cannot beare an iniurie or put vp a wrong for want of mercifull affections cannot tell how to forgiue offences for want of charitie cannot tel how to construe things well for want of the feare of God cannot haue a good vnderstanding for want of a good vnderstanding peruerteth the straight waies of the Lord which for want of humilitie cannot see the meaning of Gods wayes which for want of a lowly affection cannot tell how to seeke peace for want of Gods grace cannot acknowledge his fault and for want of remorse of conscience cannot repent him of his leudnesse Such a heart is the heart of the wicked Belial which being fraught with leud things disordereth distempereth and shameth all the life of that man that hath it and is ruled by it And so much for the third point in handling whereof we haue seene that all the cause of outward disorder and trouble is within a mans owne hart of the other three points in the next Sermon Now let vs pray THE VI. SERMON PRO. 6.14 Leud things are in his heart OVt of these words ioyned with the rest of Belials description we haue hitherto learned three excellent and worthy points of doctrine First that Belial is no better within then without Secondly that the heart and whatsoeuer is in the heart of man is knowne to God who will also iudge a man according to that which is
his own Here is much ado when the Lords day cometh to reforme and decke the bodie the apparell must not haue a spot or wrinckle the house fine and euery thing neate and trimme but no care to reforme the heart and therefore the word of the Lord is vnto vs as a tale that is told which we like not in at one eare and out at the other or as water to the Blackemoore great washing but we neuer the whiter When we go to a feast and when we meete our friends we haue much care to set our gestures our words and our lookes after the ciuillest manner but the heart is still after the old fashion badde inough leude things are in that reforme that and all the rest will be well Thou wouldest serue God but thou thinkest that thou art not fine enough nay rather thinke that thou hast a proude heart and seekest thy owne selfe Thou wouldest giue to the poore but for feare of wanting for thy selfe nay rather feare that thy heart is not enlarged with the bowels of mercie and liberalitie Thou wouldest goe to thy neighbour that hath offended thee and is offended at thee but for feare that he should thinke thou art glad to seeke vnto him and so shouldst be more contemned of him but rather thinke that thy heart is not humble and peaceable Thou haddest not committed such nor such sinnes but for such and such persons thou sayest who enticed thee thereunto Nay rather say that thy heart was not well bounded with the feare and loue of God but lay open like a common field whose hedge is plucked vp to the ground for all vnchast vnpure and vile thoughts to breake in Iosephs heart was surely grounded in the knowledge of Gods will in the obeying of his word and strongly bounded with the feare of God and therfore do his mistresse what she could she could not by any meanes breake into the hold of his chastitie though she did strongly assault it Let religion be in thy heart and that will make thee serue God with the congregation of his people in such as thou hast yea through heate and cold no weather will keep thee from the publique seruice of God It will make thee with Zacheus to climbe a tree to see Christ and with the creeple in the fifth of Iohn desire some bodie to carrie thee into the poole of the heauenly waters and liuely fountaines of Gods word when the Angell Gods Minister doth stirre them So farre thou wilt be from saying the weather is too cold or too hote I am not well I am troubled with a murre and I know not what as the manner of many daintie ones is to do when they haue no loue of God or his truth in their hearts So also let loue and humilitie and mercie and zeale be in thy heart and they will cause thee to giue to forgiue and to seek peace and to speake of the Lords statutes euen before Kings and wilt not be ashamed except it be that for want of those graces thou couldest not performe those duties any sooner And so much for that point in discoursing whereof we see plainely that vntill the heart be reformed a man cannot be a good man nor an honest man and how they take a wrong course that beginne to reforme their outward partes and not their hearts first i the next place we are to consider of the piercing nature and searching power or powerfull searching of the word of God which dealeth with the heart searcheth the heart maketh lawes for the heart findeth out the leudnesse of the heart and reproueth the thoughts of the heart searching and discouering euen the most secret corners and closets of the heart to see how those lawes are kept or broken for as the Lord doth see the heart himselfe and cannot otherwise do because he maketh it and ruleth it so by his word he searcheth and gageth the same Not to be better enformed himselfe of any thing that is there for he from euerlasting at one instant had and for euer hath all the thoughts intents imaginations and purposes of all hearts in the world open before him knowing them all before they be conceiued with the meanes and maner of their entrance and all the effectes of them being conceiued but it is to shew vs his poore creatures and vnworthy children that we serue such a God and Father as doth know vs truly euen to the very heart and the most secret thoughts thereof and further that we also might hereby learne to know our selues and reforme our owne hearts which without the light of the word we could neuer do And therefore Dauid asking the question how a yong man may reforme his wayes meaning how he shall bridle his affections and order his wordes and his deedes he maketh no other aunswere but this Euen by taking heede thereunto according to thy word And to this end he hath giuen giftes vnto men Ephes. 4. euen his spirite of wisedome and of vnderstanding and of counsell and of courage Esa. 11.3 Nowe therefore whosoeuer being endued with that searching and powerfull spirite in any measure handleth and deuideth the word aright cannot choose but rifle the very thoughts of the hart Yea the faithfull Minister of God shall search the hearts of his hearers whether he will or no and sometimes shall be in their bosomes when he hath no such purpose Some say to themselues as Ieremy did when he was had in contempt and hatred for speaking against the speciall sinnes of his time They will not make any more mention of God nor speake any more in his name but the word of the Lord is in their heart as a burning fire shut vp in their bones and they are wearie with forbearing yea they cannot stay but must vtter it And then they speake so to the consciences of men that if a stranger or an vnlearned man come in in the meane time he feeleth his heart discouered and is rebuked of all men as he thinketh for he thinketh that his secret thoughts are then knowne to all men and he confesseth plainely that God is amongest them as the Apostle sheweth 1. Cor. 14.24 which is a very sure argument that this word which we preach is the word of God for what lawes or writings can deale so with the heart and consciences of men but onely the lawes and Scriptures of the most high who onely searcheth the heart Of this point we may make a double vse first it may teach vs for a certaine truth that there is no thought in the heart but that God is priuie to it for when he shall giue man a spirite to search and knowledge to iudge the hearts of men which aboue all thinges are so deceiptfull that they cannot be knowne as the Prophet Ieremy telleth vs meaning that no man by his owne skill can throughly sound the depth of any mans heart nor
Balaams Asse who indeede could do that which other beasts could not do and that was to speake and reproue his maister with a mans voyce and yet was still a beast or like Vriah who caried letters in his owne bosome to his owne destruction Or like vnto the diuels who sayd in the fourth of Luke that they knew Christ but it was to their torment Therefore whosoeuer would keepe his heart well and haue it purged and preserued from the leud things of Belial let him pray that the truth may not swimme aloft in his braine as it doth in many wicked men but that it may sinke downe into his heart and worke righteousnesse and true obedience to Gods will Thirdly because our harts are very false to God and like run awayes new fangled mal-contented and desirous of liberty therefore in the next place it will not be amisse to pray with Dauid O Lord knit my heart vnto thee that I may feare thy name And then indeede are we in safety and security for in his seruice is freedome and protection But if we wander out of his seruice and Iust after carnall libertie then are we in danger and it will fall out with vs as it did with Dinah the daughter of Iacob who was not rauished vntill she wandred abroad among the Sichemites from her fathers house Fourthly because we are dull and lazie in the seruice of God we must also desire the Lord to quicken vs with his grace that is to rouse vs vp by calling vnto vs by his Ministers or by pinching vs with some fatherly and mercifull corrections when we fall asleepe and are hard to be awaked and so to make vs liuely when we are heauy and fainting away vnder our burthen and still to set an edge vppon our zeale How needfull this prayer is it may sufficiently appeare vnto any one that will but consider that Dauid prayeth in one Psalme the 119. no lesse then seauen or eight times for this grace And these are the things which I finde at this time most necessarie to be prayed for of euery one that would haue his heart well purged and reformed not excluding other things which others presently or hereafter vppon further meditation and experience may finde requisite to bee prayed for Now as we must pray for these graces and fauours of God before specified so also must we beware of foure most daungerous enemies and pray earnestly against them that through Gods gracious helpe and power we may be deliuered from them The first is neglect and abuse of the meanes whereby the heart is to be regenerated sanctified established and quickened These meanes are of two sorts the outward and inward the outward meanes are the word and Sacraments The word of God saith Dauid will redresse the young mans waies if he take heede thereunto And the word of God saith the Apostle is mighty and liuely in operation as hath bene shewed before Heb. 4.12 the Sacraments are also very effectuall signes and seales of Gods fauour towards vs in Christ and be called of Augustine visible words because they do in a manner visibly demonstrate vnto our sight that which we heard with our eares and the more we are assured of Gods loue the more are our hearts inflamed againe with the loue of his Maiesty The inward meanes is the Spirite of God working faith conuersion and obedience in our hearts by the outward So was the heart of Lydia opened and conuerted at the Preaching of Paule not Paule but the Lord opened her hart that she beleeued Paules preaching And as at the first the Lord by his word and Spirite created the world so the Lord by his word and Spirit still createth the hearts of men new againe Therfore let vs frequēt the preaching vse reading of the word of God let vs delight to conferre and meditate vpon the word in all reuerence sobriety vse the meanes and the vse will in time beget a blessing Let vs neuer my good brethren giue ouer hearing of the word as many haue done for Sathan neuer hath men at such aduantage to worke vpon them what he will as when men haue giuen ouer hearing the word preached And seeing as the Spirite is the meane whereby our saith and conuersion are wrought through the preaching of the word let vs nourish that by all good meanes taking great heed that we neither quench it nor greeue it 1. Thes. 5. by taking away the exercises of hearing and prayer and meditation and conference whereby it is nourished nor by dispensing with any sin in our harts where the Spirit must raigne If we want these meanes thē are we to pray for them Pray to the Lord of the haruest saith our Sauiour Christ that he would send foorth labourers into his haruest And for the spirit we must pray as Dauid doth O Lord take not thy holy spirit away from me and open my eyes that I may see the wonderfull things of thy law Wo be to them that despise prophecying thinke these meanes to be more then need as they that profanely and desperatly reason thus without reason If I be elected I shall be saued do what I list if not I shall be damned do what I can These be the speeches of the mē of Belial whose harts are pestered with leud things neither can they wisely consider that as God hath foreordained mē to a certaine end so also hath he fore ordained the meanes wherby they shal come to that end Of such contemners and beastly hogs and dogs as Christ calleth them we may reade more in Mal. 3.14 and in Iob. 21.15 The effect of both which places is one that such wicked persons thinke there is no profit in seruing the Almighty and therfore they say vnto God Depart from vs we desire not the knowledge of his wayes and spending their dayes in all iolity and carnall prosperitie like oxen set vp a fatting neuer vsed to the yoke at last they go downe suddenly to hell Let them also beware and look to themselues who giue ouer hearing of Sermons of which there be two sorts schismatikes and afflicted consciences schismatikes are they that cut themselues off from our assemblies whose propertie is to iustifie themselues and to condemne others and therein they haue no small felicity of these some be Papists some Brownists some Anabaptists c. To the first sort we may say as the Apostle doth in Gal. 1.6.7 I maruell that you are so soone turned away vnto another Gospell from him that hath called you which is not another Gospell But some among you intend to trouble the Church of God And if we be not Apostles and Ministers of Christ vnto them yet doubtlesse we are vnto others who are the seale of our ministerie vnto God in Christ. To the second sort we say as the Church saith in Canticles 3.1.2.3.4 Thou wouldest find Christ and canst not
faile in their workmanship he of malice and peeuishnesse rather then of ignorance doth alwayes faile in his imaginations for he imagineth euill continually Now then we are come to the ripping vp of Belials imaginations which are described vnto vs First by their qualitie which is bad for he imagineth euill Secondly by their quantitie which is great and vniuersall for he imagineth euill continually The euill qualitie and badde nature of Belials imaginations will the better appeare if we consider first the materiall cause of them which is leud things in his heart secondly the formall cause and that is artificiall forging and framing of them for of matter and forme doth euery thing consist and first of the material cause of his images Immediatly before he saith leud things are in his heart now he sheweth what he doth with them surely nothing but of that abundance of leudnesse which is in his heart forge and frame out euill imaginations wrong iudgements crooked conceits pestilent perswasions and false resemblances according to that which is said of man in the 6. of Genesis when he had vniuersally corrupted his wayes The Lord saw that the wickednesse of man was exceeding great vpon earth and that the imaginations of the thoughts of his heart were onely euill continually to shew that imaginations proceede of thoughts and if the thoughts of the heart be euill the imaginations which come of them cannot but be euill also And further as the stuffe is bad so is the forme and fashion also of his imaginations naught for as of leud thoughts in the heart he imagineth so he imagineth nothing but that which is euill and leud And therfore these crooked conceits of his are called imaginations as if he were an image maker and they his images or idols and indeed they are the images of his mind and so they may well be tearmed in two respects first because like images they haue shew or shape put vpon them both to credit a bad matter and also the more strongly to delude the beholder for if one should take a block of wood and set it vp and say that is to be worshipped for a god no bodie would beleeue that saying And therefore idolaters and idoll makers do not go so to worke but as the Prophet Esai sheweth they hew it and frame it and make it in shape like a man or some other creature and then couer it with gold a thing which draweth loue and delight vnto it and then it is of more credit and estimation then it was before for though it be but a blocke as it was before in regard of the substance yet do not foolish idolaters so call it but they call it either a god as the Israelites did their golden calfe which they erected in the wildernesse when Moses was absent and as the Babilonians did call that image which Nebuchadnezzar set vp or else a Saint as the Papists call their images S. Peter S. Paul their Ladie c. Euen as one in base apparell of beggerly education is called a clown one of no credit but afterward being in braue aparel wearing rings of gold hauing a litle wealth about him is called a gentleman a wise man a substantial man of the parish thogh indeed he be as base rude in conditions as he was before and hath no more wit theÌ„ before So the bad wretched coÌ„ceits of Belial must haue some color or shape put vpon theÌ„ or els they wil be of no credit SecoÌ„dly they are called images because as images be false and vaine and nothing like the things they are made for I speake now of idolatrous and popish images so are Belials imaginations for shall we thinke that the Saints weÌ„t as they are painted in Popety And therfore we truly say of the one it is as it pleased the painter as truly of the other as it pleaseth the forget Now that which hath so bad stuffe for the matter and so ill fauoured a fashion for the forme must needes be of a bad qualitie but such are the imaginations of Belial for they are made of the leud thoughts of his hart and forged after a false fond and strong deluding fashion therefore for the qualitie thereof they cannot be good howsoeuer many times the wicked are so shamelesse that when they haue vttered most vile conceits of others without cause too yet will not sticke to say that they iudge charitably of them and thinke the best and will not make the worst of things And now a little by the way of Belials master for whom he worketh of these mens ware-houses where they lay their stuffe of which they make these images and of their worke-houses where these false and vaine mentall images be forged Surely the Lord created the wicked at the first though not wicked he preserueth them and prouideth for them though not to be wicked therefore they should both in bodie and soule serue and glorifie him but they do not The diuell hath bewitched them and taught them to bewitch others with his faire promises he hath inueigled them and taught them to inueigle and deceiue others And therefore God withdrawing his grace and turning Sathan loose vpon them and so iustly hardning their hearts and giuing them ouer to themselues Sathan they beleeue and not God him they obey and not the Lord. Their heart is Sathans store-house their head is his worke-house they are his apprentises and bond-slaues and do worke for the Diuell all kind of workes sauing good workes And for euery one of his apprentises and iourneymen Sathan hath a ware-house and a shoppe after the manner of Merchaunts and great occupiers for the Diuell is as great a dealer as any in the world and therefore hath neede of many shops and of many ware-houses of many factours and many seruants and of a legion of diuels He hath the greatest but not the godliest Monarkes of the world to rule for him the learnedst but not the holiest doctours of the world to teach for him he hath the craftiest but not the conscionablest lawyers of the world to plead for him he hath the vainest not the valiantest captaines of the world to fight for him he hath the most rich not the most religious Merchants of the world to trafficke for him he hath the cunningest and the cruellest vsurers and extortioners to exact for him he hath a legion yea a million of brokers to hunt for him to buy and sell for him to play the baudes for him to cousin and deceiue for him of bloudy murâ—herers to kill slay for him in euery market and shop he hath some to lie and to sweare to deceiue for him some setting false colors vpon their clothes by false lights some learning the trick with the finger some pinching others and enriching themselues by false waightes and measures and some by extreme prises exacting vpon the buyers and some purloyning from their
was not wel towards him and not without iust cause for he saw that his vnkle Labans countenance was not towards him as in times past and againe he marked how Labans sons murmured against him Iudah imagined Thamar his daughter to be a whoore though he knew not then who she was and not without iust cause for she sate by the waies side with her face couered after the maner of whores in those daies in that country The watch-men of the tower in Israel imagined rightly that it was Iehu who came towardes that place because his marching was furious like the marching of Iehu who belike was knowne to be a hote man All which examples do teach vs that when there is iust cause of suspition and likely tokens of danger and euill we should not be secure simple but wise to see danger and prouident to auoide it for that is the part of a wise man saith the Wise man to see the plague a farre off and to flie from it as Eliah saw by a cloud that arose raine comming a farre off and caused the King to prouide for it before it came And someime the godly haue imagined in good pollicie of a thing otherwise then they haue known the thing to be as Ioseph did when he made his brethren beleeue that he tooke them for spies when he knew them to be no spies And somtime by the outward likelihoods as they coniecture of a thing and are deceiued as Isaac by feeling of Iacob in rough skins imagined it had bene Esau and Samuel by the countenance and stature of Eliah imagined that he was the man that should be the Lords annointed but he was deceiued So Elijah seeing none to stand for the glory of the God of Israel but himselfe imagined that he in that case was left alone but he was deceiued In the imaginations also which commonly men haue of themselues there is great difference betweene the wicked and the godly for the godly being in some measure through the grace of God priuy to their owne corruptions and infirmities do still imagine and that truly that they come short of doing their dutie to God suspecting and fearing their owne ignorance and negligence as that godly zealous and couragious reformer of religion Nehemiah did who when he had most exactly and stoutly reformed the Saboth day he desired God to be mercifull vnto him euen in that point And though S. Paul that worthy Apostle of Christ knew nothing but wel by himselfe in his ministerie yet did he imagine and that rightly that something might be amisse and therefore said Though I know nothing by my selfe yet am I not thereby iustified And sometime the godly do imagine that they are forsaken of God when they are not forsaken which fearefull coniectures and desperat imaginations do arise somtime by the slie suggestions of Sathan through want of faith to resist him sometime of melancholy impressions in the godly and those are to be helped by phisick and good company keeping and sometime from the affliction and wound of conscience groning vnder the hand of God especialy after some relapse into some old sinne againe Which kind of imaginations are to be altered into more comfortable and wholesomer perswasions by spirituall phisicke that is by the wise handling and discreete applying of the promised mercies of God in the Gospell tempering therewithall the threatnings of the law either more or lesse according as the spirituall phisition shal see the partie more or lesse humbled or not at all if he be too much humbled and cast downe alreadie But the wicked being blinded with selfe-loue and bewitched with the vanities of this world and benummed with the long custome of sin go on still drinking in sinne as the horse drinketh in water and imagineth that he is well when he is gotten into the fooles paradise and goeth after his filthy pleasures as a bird to the snare and like an oxe to the slaughter Pro. 5. Nebuchadnezzar the King of pride strouting himselfe in his pallace imagined that he was admired of all the world but was deluded as it were by his owne shadow and derided of God and man In like maner vaine men and women ietting vp and downe in the world like hobby horses in all brauerie with their traines after them and pedlers packes about them with a companie of circumstances in strange and wild fashions imagine that they are honored and admired of all men whereas indeede they are wondred at of the wise and almost of all men for their vanitie and excesse Againe where there is no feare they imagine feare to be and where there is both feare and shame and deadly danger too they promise vnto themselues al peace and security suspecting nothing like the mother of Sisera the Ladies of King Iabins Court who imagined and could imagine no otherwise that the cause of Sisera his long staying was for no other end but to deuide the spoile when indeede he was spoiled himselfe and that by a woman too So the rich man in the Gospell hauing gotten much wealth about him imagined that he should liue many yeares at ease but he was deceiued for euen that very night following was his soule fetched away Wherein is verified the prophecie of the Psalmist The wicked whatsoeuer they imagine vnto themselues shall not liue out halfe their dayes namely that themselues dreame of Therefore to shut vp this point as before we haue bene taught by the names of Belial which signifie lawlesnesse and prophanenesse to looke to our selues that we be not lawlesse and prophane by the mouth of Belial to looke to our speeches that we walke not with a froward mouth by the gestures of Belial to looke to our outward behauiour that it be in sobrietie and simplicitie and by the heart of Belial to watch ouer our owne hearts that leud things haue no residence in them so now by the imaginations or mentall images of Belial framed in the shop of his braine of the leud stuffe in the store-house of his heart let vs be admonished to looke carefully vnto our imaginations that they be not euill false vncharitable vaine wrong crooked Let vs take heed that we make not our hearts which should be the temples of God Sathans ware-houses or store-houses nor our heads his shops and worke-houses let vs learne to iudge the best and alwayes charitably of other mens persons and actions where it is possible to affoord a good construction And where there is iust cause of feare and suspition there let vs learne to be wise and not too simple and carelesse Let vs take heed that we be not deceiued with the enchantments and bewitching vanities of the world nor yet blinded with the false loue of our selues In a word seeing as the imaginations of Belial are for their qualitie euill and for their quantitie vncessantly euill and seeing that continuance or dwelling in
CapernauÌ„ was lifted vp to heaueÌ„ but they should be a cast downe to hell Secondly seeing that the life of the wicked in regard of their wickednes is so base and miserable and their end so wretched and fearefull let vs not desire to liue their life in regard of their pleasure but let vs chose rather to suffer affliction with the godly for righteousnesse sake as Moses did assuring our selues that as God doth lift the wicked vp to cast them down and to make them haue the sorer fall so doth the Lord cast his children downe to lift them vp againe This point is confirmed by our Sauior Christ in Mat. 5.4 Blessed are they that mourne now for they shal be comforted and this vfe are we taught to make of the wicked mans end Psal. 37.21.22 where Dauid confesseth that before he knew the end of the wicked which he learned in the house of God his heart was vexed at their prosperitie but when he saw whereunto they were going and what was their end then he saith that he in desiring their estate shewed himselfe both foolish ignorant and beastly before the Lord. Thirdly seeing as these outward things are common both to good and bad this should teach vs to suspend our rash iudgement of the godly that are vnder the hand of God because we know not for a certaintie whether he be so afflicted for his wickednesse or for some other cause as the blind man in the Gospell by the testimonie of Christ was blind neither for his own sin nor for the sinne of his parents but for the glorie of God And this vse are we taught in Mat. 7.1 Iudge not lest ye be iudged that is iudge not rashly And blessed is he saith the Psalmist that considereth wisely of the poore needie the Lord shall deliuer him in time of his distresse Fourthly seeing as God doth plague the wicked for our warning and as it were hang them vp in chaines before the world let vs feare at Gods iudgements vpon wicked men and not ioyne our felues vnto them least we be partakers of their iudgements like those that were ioyned in the conspiracie of Corah c. Num. 16.26 nor stand and gaze or wonder at them as the maner is but learne by their examples to auoide their wayes least we not repenting do also perish Fiftly and lastly seeing as this fearefull vengeance commeth vpon the wicked in this life for sin whensoeuer we feel the hand of God vpon vs let vs examine our selues for our sins which are the cause thereof and not do as the wicked who neuer looke into that cause but into secondarie and outward causes like the dog who biteth the stone but looketh not vnto the hand that cast it And as we dayly fall so let vs pray dayly and hourely for the renuing grace of Gods Spirit that we may rise againe and recouer our selues by true repentance and liuely faith in Iesus Christ to whom with the Father and the holy Ghost be all glorie and praise for euer Amen FINIS Faults escaped in the printing PAge 5. line 35. for commeth reade commendeth p. 10. l. 37. monet r. mouet p. 11. l. 17 two r. too p. 14. l. 5. lothsome r. toothsome p. 36. l 33. gaue r. giue p. 49. l. 1. censurers r. censures p. 55. l. 10. ias r. iah l. 18. r. Pashur l. 19 r. Naomi p. 68. l. 19. r. this is not well p. 89. l. 36. r. buried p. 92. l. 30 r sinners p. 94. l. 1. r. attaine p 96. l. 11. blot out Mo maruell though p. 98. l. 19. r. God will be more mercifull p. 154 l. 16. swimming r. â—inning p. 156 l. 27. we r. were p. 163. l. 15. not r. but. p. 170. l. 24. r. do shew vs how to reforme c. p. 191 l. 32. cannot r. can p. 206. l. 36. is r. in p. 225. l. 1 r. we haue heard to what ends c. Ibid. l. 7. blot out at all p. 233. l. 3. Apostle r Prophet p. 243. l. 32. r. Nehustan p. 248. l. 32. out r. vp p. 250. l. 40. r. vpon p. 253. l. 13. r. into l. 33. r. so to be clothed Mat. 5.16 2. Cor. 8. 2. Cor. 8.1 2. Pro. 27.17 Ioh. 1.43 Psal. 116 10. Pro. 16.2 2. Cor 9.7 2. Cor. 12.7 Psal. 115. 1. Thes. 5.22 1. Sa. 15.21 Gen. 3.10 Ioh. 12.5.6 2. Sam. 15.7 1. Kin. 1.39 2. Ki. 11.14 1. Cor. 14.8 Mar. 6.3 Iud. 9.15 2. Point Mar. 13. Mat. 26. Eccles. 9. Luke 8. 1. Cor. 11. Heb. 2.12 Luke 12.1 Mar. 13. Mat. 24. Gen. 32.10 Luke 1.46 Psal. 41. Psal. 19.11 Deut. 6.5 Psal. 103. 1. King 3.6 Iob. 14. Ioh. 6.60 Iob. 4.10 Psal. 21.4 1. Kin. 3.13 Cant. 5.10 2. Sa. 13.18 19. Pro. 15.15 Psal. 51. 1. King 10. Gen. 5.24 Psal. 119.10 Heb. 13.18 2. Cor. 2.17 Chap. 4.2 2. Tim. 4.7.8 Esa. 38.3 2. Cor. 6.8 Gal. 4.6 Cal. Har. Iam. 1.27 Mat. 23.13 Verse 14. Verse 15. Verse 16. Verse 17. Verse 23. Act. 5. Ier. 43. Act. 5. Schismatiks 2. Chron. 36.15.16.17 Iosh. 14. Verse 25. 27. 28. Cal Hâ—â— Euang Mat. 23. Iudg. 18. Verse 33. Verse 34.37 2 Chron. 24.22 2. King 8.12.13 Math. 7. Math. 22. Obiect Answer Mat. 5. Ier. 20. Eze. 33. Act. 16. Mat. 22. Mat. 18.6 1. Cor. 3. Mat. 8.22 1. The. 5.12.13 Priuate hypocrites Pro. 7. Iob. 1.1 Obiection Answer Pro. 22.1 1. Tim. 6.9 2. Cor. 9.2 Pro. 23.5 Iob. 12.3 Mar. 143. Luk. 10.34 Pro. 15.30 Aug. de bono viduita Iob. 12.3 Mat. 9.26 Heb. 11.39 Luk 6. Mat. 5. 1 Pet. 4.4 Pro. 28.3 Hest. 4 16. The deceiptfulnes of worldly praise Of the breuity of praise The vnprofitablenesse of worldly praise Mat. 16.26 The danger or it Pro. 17.4 1. King 22. Act. 12. The miserie of the hypocrite Gen. 31.40 Gen. 31.5 Gen. 11. 2. Sam. 1.15 2. Sam. 10. 2. Sam. 10. 2. Sa. 17. â—3 2. Cor. 6. Simile A double feare when the wicked commend the godly Mat. 22.18 Act. 16.18 Psal. 69.22 1. Tim. 4.8 The godly shall haue praise and renowne in this life 1. Sam. 2.30 2. Cor. 8.18 1. Pet. 2.19 Phil. 4.8 Mat. 26.13 1. Sam. 2.30 1. Kin. 3.12.13 Psal. 115.1 Math. 25. Pro. 10.7 Pro. 13.9 Simile Simile Their iudgemeÌ„t Mat. 24.51 The vse of the former doctrine 1. It sheweth the sottish vanitie of men that seeke after praise of the world Building Apparell Dainty fare Great gifts Play The hypocrite is more to be pitied for his misery then the beast Mat. 25. Psal. 56. Psal. 95. Hab. 1.16 Luke 18.11.12 1. Cor. 7.30.31 2. Cor. 6.9.10 Gal. 5.17 Esa. 64.6 Ioh. â—6 29 Philip. 1.29 Philip. 1.9 Philip. 1.11 Ioel. 2. Psal. 51. 1. Cor. 4.7 Nâ—h 13.22 Luk. 17.10 Exod. 3.5 Eccl. 4.17 Exod. 35. Ioh. 12.3 Mar. 12.42 Neh. 13. 2. Sa. 23.16 1. Sam. 25. Act. 5. Ioh. 12.4 Pro. 26.13 Cant. 5. Abusers of these words Psal. 139. Psal. 94. Ier. 17.10 Num. 23. Eccles. 11.1 Luk. 14.13.14 Mat. 25.24