great multitude that in a maner the whole world agréeth w e them to practise our death Thus the diuell doth cast a mist before their eies and closly lead them away from repentaunce Therefore â—éere brethreÌ„ let vs stand fast in the word of the Lord and not be caried away or bowed quite down with this raging stream of the multitude but let vs knowe it to be one speciall engine of Sathan whereby he driueth vs from repentaunce The fourth let vnto repentance is long custome of sinne For that taketh away all sense féeling of sinne making it as 〈◊〉 were another nature vnto vs So that we may aswel alter nature as shake it of wheÌ„ it is once thus soldred vnto vs through loÌ„g custome Therefore it is saide Iere. 13. 23. Can the blake-More chaunge his skin or the Leopard his spots theÌ„ may ye also doe good that are accustomed to do euil Here the Prophet affirmeth that it is as hard to cure an old disease that is bred in the bone and to remedie a sinne that hath béene hatched and brought vp with vs as to washe a black-more white or to change the spots of a Leopard which cannot be with out destroying of nature And surely trie it who will hee shall finde it as harde a matter to leaue an old custom whether it be of swâ—â—ring of gaming of lying of whoring of euill company or of any other sinne as to wash an Aethiopian Therfore it is written Prou. 27. Though thou shouldest bray a foole in a morter emonge wheaâ—e brayed with a pestell yet will not his foolishnes depart from him So that as longe as we are in custome with sinne the doore of repentance is barred vp against be The fifth hinderance is long escaping of punishmeÌ„t for the wicked therby are staâ—â—â—ed in sinne and driuen of from repentance euen as an olde théefe that hath stollen a long time and escapeth both prison and gallows is animated more boldely to procéede in his wickednesse thinking he shall so alwayes escape So many filthy loose liuers go forward in their abhominations without repentaunce thinking that because God doth not incontineÌ„tly punish them and shew some manifest iudgments signe of his wrath vpon them therefore they shalbe acquited for altogether Wheras contrariwise if God should by and by strike thÌ„ down assone as they had sinned by thundering vpon one and lightning vpon another and raining fire brimstone vpon the third it would make them afraid Hereupon it is said in Pet. 2. 3. 4. This first vnderstand that there shal come in the last dayes mockers which will walke after their lustes and say where is the promise of his comming For since the fathers died al things continue alike from the beginning of the creation But let these men well knowe that when God hath delayed along time prolonged the terme of the wicked at length he will shew y t althoughâ— he waited for their repentance yet he foâ—â—gate not their misdéedes but registreâ— them before him and packed them vp 〈◊〉 a great heape to increase the terrour oâ— his wrath The sixt hinderance is the beholding 〈◊〉 other mens endes For when some meâ— that haue liued a wicked an vngratiouâ— life and haue bene notorious sinners euen to the worldward so that euery man couâ— point at them yet if vpon their death 〈◊〉 they can say a fewe good wordes and crye God mercy and say their praiers and for giue al the world and so die quietly It is merueilous to heare howe the foolish people of the world will exalt them iustifye them saying hee made a very good ende as any man could make and died as quiâ—â— as a Lambe set all things in good orâ—â—â— before he died Herevpon an other wâ—â—ked monstrous verlet is encouraged 〈◊〉 sinne For thinketh he such a man liued 〈◊〉 loosely as I or any man else and yet 〈◊〉 made a verie good ende and why may not I do so too But alas these mens eyeâ— are bleared For to die quietly is no to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to crie God mercie for fashion is not to haue God mercifull to say a fewe â—â—â—yers with téeth outwarde is not to die in the faith of Christ for many may doe all this and yet die miserably The last let is hope of long life for while men féede and besette them selues in this hope they waxe dronken in sin and defer the day of Repentance As the riche man in the Luke 12. dreaming of his long life cast off all thought of God and of the other life and of Christes comming and of Repentaunce and all good thinges and sayid within himselfe Soule thou hast muche goods laid vp for many yeres liue at ease eate drinke and take thy pastime Thus the bleareyed men of this world choke vp Repentance quite smother it by doting themselues with hope of long life Therefore my deare brethren I beséech you by the mecies of God in the bowels of Iesus Christ that none of all these common lets may stay you from spéedy and vnfeigned Repentance But that you may ouerstride them all least vnhappily you being found without Repentance and taken tardie in your sinnes should all perish and be damned according to Christs sentence Whâ—â—â— fore in conclusion let vs with godly Eâ—chias be afraide of Gods threateninges sorrow aforehand stand in awe of GOD examine our conscience mourne for our sinnes lament inwardly that when the wicked which haue swimmed in pleasures here belowe shall enter into their eternal paynes we may then I say there haue euerlasting peace rest that when Iesus Christ shall appeare from heauen with all his holy Angels we may haue crownes of glory and victory clapped on our heades and raigne with our God our sauiour his sonne and all his Sainctes and Angels in the middest of all ioy in the heauens for euermore To the which ioy he bring vs all which hath so bearely bought vs Iesus Christ the righteous to whom with the father the holy Ghost be all honour glory praise power empire and dominion now and for euermore Amen FINIS
visitation Our Sauiour Christe wepte ouer Ierusalem because they knew not the time of their visitation Hée reproueth the Iewes because they coulde discerne the face of the Skye but could not discerne the signes of the times And surely in the ende it will turne to our destruction if wée will not knowe this to bee the daie of mercie the time of Grace wherein God stretcheth foorth his hande vnto vs and wisedome crieth out in the stréetes Therefore nowe whilest wée haue the light let vs walke as children of the light the nighte commeth when no manne can woorke It shall be too late to call for mercie after this life when the gates of mercy are shut vp and Repentaunce will bée too late Oh deare christians let vs remember the fiue foolishe Virgins whiche because they forslowed the time had heauen gates barred vp against them Let vs also remēber the fearefull dolefull example of the riche Glutton which beeing in Hell torments yelled and yelped for the least ease and help that might be and could not haue it An hundred thousande times therefore better it is for vs to leaue our sinnes now to mourne for them now and now to Repente then hereafter alas when it shall be too late Better nowe a great deale to take some paine to strayne our selues to leaue our sinnes and to make our hearte smarte for them then to bee condemned for euer and to cry in the bottome of Hell we haue wearied our selues in the way of wickednesse and Destruction and wee haue gone through daungerous waies But we haue not knowen the way of the Lorde What hath pride profited vs Or what profite hath the Pompe of riches brought vs All these thinges are possed awaie like a shadowe and as a Paste that passeth by We haue set our selues against the children of God we had them in derision and in a parable of reproch Wée fooles thought their life madnesse and their ende without honour but loe they are counted emongst the children of God and their portion is emonge the Sainctes Therefore let vs knowe the tyme of our calling and let vs not be worse thē the foules of the ayre the Storke knoweth her appointed tyme the Turtle the Crane and the Swallowe obserue the time of their comming The Husbandman taketh his times The Mariner watcheth his tide Therefore let vs also take the time turne vnto the Lorde whilest it is saide to day which grace God graunt vs. Nowe let vs returne vnto the fourth pointe concerning the causes which may moue vs vnto Repentance Herein I haue obserued nine especiall thinges First the great mercie of God leadeth vs vnto Repentaunce As Rom. 2. The bountifulnesse of God leadeth vs vnto Repentance sayth the Apostle God doth continually followe vs with his mercies and benefites both concerning our soules bodies wée haue no good thinge which wee haue not receyued at his hands we hold all that we haue of him and to him wee are beholding for all Great is his mercie towarde our bodies but much greater towardes our soules and euerie mercie and benefit eyther towarde soule or body calleth vs to repenaunce Hée giueth vs meate drinke and clothing these call vs to repentaunce Hée kéepeth vs at his owne costes and charges here below this calleth vs to Repentance the Sunne the Moone and the Starres calleth vs to Repentance The birdes of the ayre the fishes of the Sea the fruites of the yearth crie out vpon vs both loude and shrill Repent repent All creatures mooue vs to Repentaunce Our creation calleth our redemption crieth our sanctification knocketh and our Election mooueth to Repentaunce What could God do more for his vineyard y ◠he hath not done Therefore let vs repent Secondly the iudgements of God moue vs vnto repentance for al y e thunderbolts plagues and punishments which God hath throwen downe vppon obstinate sinners from the beginning of y e world are so manie warning péeces vnto vs to awake vs out of the dead sléepe of sinne to prick vs to Repentaunce As in the 1. Cor. 10. When the Apostle hath cited diuers greate iudgementes of God against the olde Israelites for diuers sinnes he concludeth now all these things came vnto them for examples and were writtē to admonishe vs vppon whome the endes of the worlde are come So that all the Iudgementes wee reade of in the Scriptures are so many admonitions and as it were carteropes to drawe vs to Repentaunce All the iudgementes we haue read of heard of do sée and heare of euery day knocke with mayn strokes beate downe right vpon our consciences to repentance The vgly monsters straunge byrthes fiery constellations vnknowen Cometes sodaine deathes marueilous droughtes vnwonted snowes horrible inundations forraine wonders straunge apparitions threatning of heauen aboue w e streaming and shooting fire trembling of the earth vnder our féete and our houses ouer our heades as of late dayes What are al these but as it were great Cranes with beams and Cable Ropes to drawe vs vp to the Lord by Repentance Thirdly the word of God haleth vs to repentance For as God in olde time sent his Prophets both early and late to call the rebellious Iewes to Repentaunce so he sendeth abroad his preachers and messengers in those daies to sounde vp the trumpe of his word to ring the swéet bel of Aaron emongst thē to awake thē to repentance but alas how lightly are they regarded Who heareth their voice But surely this is the last remedie y t God hath apointed if this wil not moue vs to repentance if this wil not cure vs then are we altogether vncurable Fourthly the infinite number of sinnes we haue committed ought to be so manie spurres in our sides to pricke vs to repentaunce It is sufficient saith Saint Peter that we haue spēt the time past of our life after the lustes of the Gentiles walking in wantonnesse lustres drunkennes gluttonie drinkinges and abominable Idolatries Therfore it is time now to repent Oh that men would looke backe to themselues and consider themselues as they were fortie thirtie twentie or ten yeares ago Oh that they would call to mind theyr open secret sins me thinketh it should make their heart bléed within their belly to thinke vpon them Oh y t they would consider how much time they haue mispent how many good things they haue neglected and altogether omitted Fiftly the shortnesse of our life calleth earnestly vpon vs to repent The time of our life is sixtie yeares ten if they bee of strength eightie yeeres yet the strength is but labour and sorrowe so it is cut off quickly and we flie away saith the Prophet Dauid we haue spent our yeres as a thought Therefore he addeth Teach vs to number our dayes that wee may apply our heartes vnto wisdome Our life for the shortnesse and inconstancie of it in the scripture is compared to grasse to a vapour to smoke and to a Weauers
shuttle which glideth away swiftly Euen so the daies of man passe away no man knoweth how Man is of short continuaunce saith Iob full of trouble Experience teacheth that to day a man to morowe none Hence away we must al here is no abiding place for vs how soone we know not Therefore let vs repent Sixtly the small number of those which shal be saued ought to thrust vs forward to repentance Striue to enter in at the narrow gate for many I say vnto you will séeke to enter in and shal not be able saith Christe Luke 13. 24. And in an other place he saith the gate is straight and the way narrowe that leadeth vnto life and fewe there be that finde it If men would consider of this it would make them looke better about them and trie with them selues whether they be of that small number or no. Seuenthly Death threatneth vs who is very terrible to the flesh and the remembraunce of it very bitter to a man that is soused and soked in the pleasures of this worlde It flattereth no man it regardeth not persons it weigheth not friendship it careth not for rewardes it is very grim vglie and cruel and killeth downe right where it hitteth Therefore let vs repent Eightly the day of iudgement and seconde appearing of the Sonne of man ought to quicken vs. The day of the Lord will come as a Théefe in the night in the whiche the heauens shal passe away with a noyse and the Elements shall melt with heate and the earth with the workes that are therein shal be burnt vp séeing therefore that all these things must be dissolueâ— what manner of persons ought ye to be in holy conuersation and Godlines saith S. Pet. 2. 3. The Lorde Iesus shall shewe himselfe from heauen with his mighty angelles in flaming fire rendering vengeaunce vnto them that know not God and obeye not vnto the Gospell of our Lorde Iesus Christ saith the Apostle 2. Thes 1. I sawe saieth Saint Iohn Apoc. 20. A great white Throne and one that sate on it from whose face fledde away both the earth and the heauen and their place was no more founde And I sawe the deade both great and small stand before GOD and the bookes were opened and another booke was opened which is the booke of life and the dead were iudged of those thinges which were written in the bookes according to their woorkes And the Sea gaue vp her deade whiche were in her and death and hell deliuered vp the deade which were in them and they were iudged euery man according to his woorkes In these places we sée both the sodainnesse the fearefulnesse and glory of Christs comming For he shall not come poorely and contemptuously as in his first visitation but he shall come very princely royally and triumphantly to the great terrour of all his enemies when a consuming fire shall goe before him and ten thousand thousands of Angels waite vpon him at what time the Kinges of the earth the great men and the rich men and the chiefe Captaines and the mightie men and euery bondman and euery fréeman shall hyde themselues in dennes and amongest the rockes of the mountaines and say to the rockes and mountaines fall on vs hide vs from the presence of him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lambe for the great day of his wrath is come and who can stand Apoc 6. Therfore let vs repent The last thing is Hell tormentes then the which nothing is more vntollerable Therefore saith Christe Marke 9. If thine hand cause thee to offende cut it off It is better for thee to enter into life maymed then hauing two handes to goe into Hell into the fire that neuer shall bee quenched where the worme dieth not and the fire neuer goeth out The Scripture speaketh very terribly to our senses concerning the estate of the damned persons calling it hel fire damnation the lake that burneth with fire brimstone for euer In 30. cha of the prophesie of Esai it is called Tropheth and it is euen prepared of old it is euen prepared for y e king he hath made déepe large y e burning therof is fire and much wood the breath of the Lorde like a Riuer of Brimstone doeth kindle it these spéeches are terrible to our senses may maruellously amaze vs. But if I had the tongue of an hundred men nay of an hundred Angels yet were I not able to vtter them as some shall one day féele them much lesse were you able to conceiue theÌ„ If al the tortures and cruel torments that can be deuised by the wit of man were executed vpon some one yet were it nothing to this We poore wretches thinke there is no paine to a Collike or a cruell Ague But if all Collikes Agues and all other strange diseases could possibly light vpon one man yet were it but a fleabiting to that which is to come The pain is endlesse easelesse and remedilesse The daies of their hellish torments shal neuer weare â—ut nor their yeares come to an ende the longer they continue the lesse hope haue they When as many yeres are expired as there be men in the world starres in the heauens when as many thousand yeares are ended as there be stones and sands by the Sea shore yet still there be ten huÌ„dred thousande times so many moe to come Those that wil not now be moued in hearing shall then be crushed to péeces in féeling Al dronkards swearers whoremongers vsurers extortioners liers mockers contemners secure persons iolly felowes roisting ruffians lustie bloudes the braue laddes of this world and all other vnbeleuers shal one day be apprehended and arraigned before the barre of Gods tribunal seate where the Maiesty of GOD shall stand aboue them with a naked sworde of vengeance and a scepter of Iustice The Deuil that olde Satanas shal stand on the one side to accuse them and their own conscience on the other side to condemne theÌ„ and the gasping gulfe of Hell vnderneath them ready to swallow them vp for euermore Then shall the dreadfull sentence of eternall woe and damnation procéede against them Go ye cursed into hel fire c. There they shall drinke as a iuste recompence for their iniquitie the bitter cup of Gods eternall wrath and indignation in the kingdom of darknes and in the fearefull presence of Sathan all the cursed enemies of Gods grace where the dolefull Droome of Gods anger shall euer sounde through their eares where shalbe wéeping gnashing of téeth where shall bée confusion woe and endles lamentation Their gripes shall bée so greate their groanes so déepe and their garboiles so vntollerable that they shall grinne like a Dog in their infernall conuâ—lsions and with howling and yelling crie out woe alas that euer I was borne Oh that I had neuer béene borne or that my mother had borne mee a Tode For then should my condition haue bin better