againe whosoeuer shall forsake houses or brethren or sisters or father or mother wife or children or lands for my name sake he shall receiue an hundreth fold and shall inherit euerlasting life Isay 55.1 it is the call of thy God and Christ yee that haue no money to buye come buye without penney or penneyworth Behold I set a kingdome on sale euen that of heauen where riches are bought with pouertie peace with persecution glorie with shame mirth with mone Sollace with sorrow life with death for yee must die once that yee may liue alwaies alwaies there where true Ioyes are to be found Fiftly though this treasure be purchased with paine yet it is kept with comfort Earthly riches we so greedily catcht at and gape after they are sharpe as a thorne they pricke to the bone for they pricke in getting they pricke in keeping and they pricke in parting from them Nay Acquirendo Retinendo Erogando in getting keeping and bestowing there is nothing but much sinne with little solace and great daunger with small delight But the treasure wherein our life is hid Ecclus. 15. v. 8. hath in it gladnes of heart as Siracides saith for men of truth haunt it and shall prosper euen to the beholding of God Waue therefore all wearines in the wealth of this wicked world and as the prouerbe is Ito sicut canis per Nilum drink by catches for feare of Crocadils taste of it pleasures but soake not into them least in the sweetnes thereof thou be supped vp Amatores suos nouit deuorare non portare it knoweth better how to crosse then crowne it riuals Lastly ex spiritualibus Componitur This treasurie stands vpon spiriturall store no orient pearle of Peru or Mexico no gold of Hauila no Carbunkle Topas or Chrisolit with are nothing else but Terrae maculae immunditiae Neither any of these or all these with an other world of greater wealth can store the treasurie we ayme at it is filled it is filled with the substance of a more heauenly beeing spiritualibus non mundanis gazis not with transitorie but with eternall store It is filled with righteousnes peace and ioy of the holy Ghost it is filled with mercie grace and glorie It is filled with long life length of dayes and all Aeternitie It is filled with Imperiall maiestie brightnes and immortalitie It is filled with the presēce of God with the sight of the Lambe and with the sweete breath and perfume of the holy Ghost proceeding from both It is filled with Songs of Sion Melodious Musicke and praises of all Saintes and Angells sweeter then the harmonie of the Heauens Finally It is filled with greater ioy thē man can thinke or Angell can speake therfore I leaue it with a Selah to my soule till I finde in glorie what I feele in grace And the Lord increase your Faith till you come to this perfection Pardon mee a while to followe this current till I hauee layde you a sleepe in the sweete Repose and Bosome of your CHRIST And therefore say yet further to the solace of your saued soules Christ in whom your life is secured is that hidden Mannah tendered to the Church at Pergamus and in them to you and so to the conquering Saints all the Worlde To him that ouercommeth Reuel 2. V. 17. I will giue to eate of the Mannah that is hidde Prou. 25. V. 1. It stands with the glorie of God to keepe a thing secret So saith Salomon But the Kings honour will finde it out Christ is a secret a mysterie and a Myne to be digged into our heauenly food our meate and hidden Mannah which we may not find in the barke and rinde which often times seemeth faire to the sillie Eye of flesh and blood but wee must search the Veynes and digge downe to the Roote where Christ his sappe and sweetnes is Reu. 10. V. 10. The little booke was sweete in the mouth but bitter in the belly The lower it went the more passionate it was It feeling was in it fall and till it came to the entrails it entred not So is this hidden Mannah swimming in the eare moulded in the mouth it relisheth not to thy saluation But when it searcheth the veynes of thy heart and soule then is thy life hidde in Christ then is the very soule of thy Soule incorporated into thy Sauiour which made the Prophet crye out in Rauishment of spirit Rasili Rasili My secret to my selfe Isai 24. V. 6. My secret to my selfe As if hee should say If none will feele yet am I filled with the abundance of this Angells foode yea and though all the world lye in darknes yet Christ my Loue my Life my Light and my Saluation shineth vnto my selfe and I shall walke in the brightnes thereof euen from grace to grace till I come to glorie Yea and in the meane time be fedde and filled with that Heauenly Mannah which in these respects I may paralell with my CHRIST and apply as a comfortiue to your pensiue soules who are to dye and now hunger and thirst after righteousnes grace and glorie 1. First as Mannah fell from Heauen So did Christ when hee bowed the Heauens and came downe and said I am the bread of life that came downe from Heauen whereof who Eateth shall neuer hunger any more Now your Eating of CHRIST Io. 6. V. 35. is but your stedfast Faith beleuing in CHRIST For so saith Saint Augustine Edere est Credere And therefore saith Christ Io. 6. V. 40. He that belieueth in mee hath euerlasting life and I will raise him vp at the last day Whervpon I may conclude Quid paras dentem ventrem Crede manducasti Why doest thou bring mee thy tooth and thy belly belieue in me and thou hast eaten me Secondly when the Mannah was fallen some gathered more and some gathered lesse and yet so As he that gathered little Exod. 16. V. 18. had no lacke and he that gathered much had nothing ouer So is CHRIST the foode of our soules hee filleth all that gather though not in like measure And therefore let none iudge of the quantitie of Faith and Sanctitie how much or how little will saue a soule Sithence we are heere taught that if it be any it is enough For he that gathered little had no lacke and he that gathered much had nothing ouer None may presume haue he neuer so much None may despaire haue hee neuer so little But he that hath none at all is remediles of all mercie You are here deiected at Christ his feet your teares prayers and kisses expresse your Faith and Feeling both of Christ his mercies and your owne miseries It may be you thinke you are feeble in Faith and wanting in workes and what of that Tantum velis Deus praeoccurrit Onely bee thou willing and God will supplie thy wants hee will meete thee in the way
vult nihil vult male He is not blessed who enioyeth not all he will and yet willeth nothing but what is good 9 Yee shall heare Melodious Songes euen songes of Sion Psalmes Hymmes and praises more sweete then the harmonie of the heauens when all that Celestiall hoste shall fill that holy vault with an Halaluiah to the Almightie and say Honour Glorie Maiestie Power dominion and might be ascribed vnto him that sitteth vpon the throne both now and euer Thus shall all Angels cry aloude the heauens and all the powers therein Cherubin and Seraphin continually shall crye Holie holie holy Lord God of Sabaoth Beati ergo qui habitant in domo tua Blessed are they that dwell in thy house they shall alwaies praise thee and the praises of God shall be their daily practise 10 Lastly and to your endles comforts all this and all former ioyes shall be for euer and without interruption for of this kingdome shall be no end Nec quoad Regem nec quoad Legem nec quoad Subditos nec quoad fines Imperij The King is Christ the lawe is loue the subiects are Saints and the bondaries of this empire are endles all tyed to no returne either of tearme or time for time shall be no more And for your speedie passage out of this world into that endles glorie yee shall goe Nay yee shall flie Eadem facilitate qua faelicitate as S. Augustine saith with as great hast as happines This day saith Christ Amodo saith Iohn Euen now and in Ictu oculi in the twinkling of an eye saith blessed Paul all shall be chaunged at the day of doome And why not in this day of death For if Corpus erit vbi volet animus If the body shall be where the minde will when it is glorified why shall not the soule be where and when God will when it is deliuered I say deliuered out of the bondage wherein it is to the glorious libertie of the sonnes of God The sillie eye of flesh and blood may happily demurre vpon the distance and thinke how it is possible the soule should passe with such speede from this earthly house and house of clay to that high and heauenly habitation the eight sphere as some write being distant from the earth euery where 20000. Semidiamiters which calculated a right and numbred with our miles maketh a million of German miles which is one thousand thousand Surely I dare determine of no particular but in the general say as Balaam did of Israel Who can number the dust of Israel So who can tell the distance of the heauens Pro. 25.3 The heauens in height and the earth in deepenes and the Kings heart can no man search Howbeit be the distance neuer so great yet speedie may be the soules passage when it is done by the power of God which passeth all possibilitie of man to conceiue how And so to conclude and close with your saued soules who are now by death to make a speedie passage into all these ioyes and so for a while to preuent vs of that glorie Lift vp your herts aboue the height of all Sublimitie where true ioyes are to be found Heauines may endure for a night but ioy commeth in the morning Ioy Ioy Ioy such as neither eye hath seene nor tongue can tell Angels feele it they cannot speake it and therefore I leaue it as a Selah to my soule till I see in glorie what I feele in grace And when euen in an instant and lesse then a thought I shall passe from the bowels of this earth to the bosome of my Christ Whither God bring both you and vs for his sonnes sake To whom be glorie power and praises both now and euer Amen Amen FINIS Errata Fol. 1. For good read God in the second line of the Text. Fol. 18. Line 12. for Bonony read Benony
life secure you in your sinnes there be different deaths for different sinnes which must be repented for otherwise yee shall die in your sinnes penitentiam dare possum securitatem non possum vpon your repentance I dare pronounce remission but vpon your rebellions I dare giue no securitie Nusquam est securitas there is no safetie where sinne seazeth if Angels sinne in heauen out they must if Adam sinne in Paradice away he must and if Iudas shrinke at the side of Christ he must be gon Malorum eiecto bonorum glorificatio then are the good and godly glorified when the wicked and wayward are mortified There be two sinnes sensible in this dissolute age wherein we liue and they are written in so great and capitall letters that a man may reade them running the first is the fawning sinne of presumption the other is the fearefull sinne of desperation In our presumption we soare too high and the fire vpon the mount doth scorch vs In our despaire wee houer too lowe and the furies of hell doe haunt vs In our presumption weare too much exaulted and we dare to sinne notwithstanding Gods iudgements In our despaire we are too much deiected and we doe not repent notwithstanding his mercies Medio Tutissimus ibis A meane is best and that is to goe by Christ in whome mercie and Trueth meete together righteousnes and peace kisse each other Surely wee can goe to no Pulpit but Paules passion dooth pearce our hearts to prouoke our speech against the outrage of both Many walke of whom I haue tolde you often and now tell you weeping they are enemies to the crosse of Christ their bellie is their God their glorie is their shame and they doe but minde Earthly things Nay you are well worse in your vnrepentant liues then these poore sinners are in their penitent deaths For they haue their conuersation in Heauen From whence they looke for the Sauiour Euen the Lorde Iesus Christ who shall change these our vile bodies that they may be fashioned like vnto his glorious bodie according to the working whereby he is able euen to subdue all things vnto himselfe Yea that I may cōclude with my Text These haue their liues so hidden in Christ as they are well assured that when Christ which is their life shal appeare then shall they appeare with him in glorie And so I passe to the last Wheele turning and tending to that glorie which shall be euen vpon your dissolution in soule and vpon the restauration of your bodies in the day of your Redemption when Christ who is your life shall appeare Now in this Apparition what shall I see I shall see the second comming of my CHRIST attended vpon Not with twelue poore Fishermen but with all the Powers of heauen I shall see him come Ad Sententiandum ad Seperandum when those that haue done good shall goe into euerlasting life whither God bring you and those that haue done euill into euerlasting Condemnation from which the Lord deliuer you But what shall ye see vpon Christ his Apparition Nay rather what shall yee not see vpon your dissolution Words spoken in season as Salomon saith are like apples of siluer in pictures of gold therefore flye out my voyce and be strong my spirit euermore to expresse the glorie of those vnspeakable Ioyes yee shall both see and feele within these fewe houres when dead in body but rauished in soule yee shall see the heauens open to giue you readie passage to eternall blessednes 1 Where yee shall see God as he is face to face I say God of so great Maiestie might bountie beautie and loue as if a man were filled with all other blessings both temporall and eternall and yet without that as Plotinus saith all were but miserie and accursednes 2 Yee shall see the comfortable face and countenance of Iesus Christ fairer then the sonnes of men and whom the very Angels desire to behold 3 Yee shall see the holy Ghost proceeding from both and breathing vpon your saued soules like a softe ayre vpon a garden and more sweete then all the trees of incense 4 Yee shall see the bright court of Angels Cherubines and Zeraphines attending the Deitie and euer pressing to doe his will faithfully speedily willingly and neuer wearie of watching because they are neuer wearie of well doing 5 Yee shall see the faire assemblie of the Saints of God Patriarkes Prophets and Apostles with Abraham Isaac and Iacob in that his glorious kingdome yee shall be tyed with them in the bundle of the liuing neuer to be loosed any more yee shall returne as they haue done into your rest as into a retyring campe after the day of battell there shall yee followe the lambe whither soeuer he goeth and there shall yee walke before the Lord in the land of the liuing for euermore 6 Yee shall see new Ierusalem come downe from heauē as a Bride prepared for her husband a Citie of solace whose portes are euer patent whose streetes are paued with gold garnished with all manner of pretious stones the Iasper the Saphir the Chalcedonie the Emarod the Sardonix the Sardius the Crisolite and the Berill the Topas the Crisoparus the Iacinth and the Amathist euer splendent shall this Citie be it shall neede no Sunne for the Lambe is the light of the place the people that are saued shall walke in the Light of it and the Kings of the Earth shall bring their glorie and honour vnto it The Gates of it shall not be shut by day August in Epistol Ioh. Tract 4. for there shall be no night there and the glorie both of Iewe and Gentill shall be brought vnto it What should I say more Quomodo potuit Lingua sonuit Caetera corde cogitentur As I could so haue I tolde let the heart conceiue the rest and yet so as Amoenissima Ciuitas Amantissima Societas Iucundissima Foelicitas A most pleasant place A most ioyfull presence And a most happie estate of blessednes shall be your portion in an endles glorie 7 I cannot speake as I would and yet my heart is full breake it will if it may not vent it Pardon mee therefore a while to beate backe these fearefull passions of your mortalitie with further impressions of your aeternitie yee shall haue Eyes without teares hearts without sorrowe soules without sinne greene youth without greeuance of olde age health without sicknes fulnes without sacietie freedome without bondage beautie without blemish glorie without shame and life without death your knowledge shall be without either doubting or discourse for ye shall see God and all goodnes all at once your loue shall leuell at the highest nor shall it faile to fall vpon the lowest of his Saints 8 Yee shall haue what yee can desire and yee shall desire nothing but what is good Aug. lib. 13. de triniti cap. 5. For as one hath truely said Beatus non est nisi qui habet omnia que
THE DAMPE OF DEATH BEATEN backe with the glorious light and life of Iesus Christ In a Sermon Preached at Lancaster Assises in Lent last to the condemned Prisoners there and before the Honourable Iudges and Worshipfull of that Countie By William Leigh Bachelor in Diuinitie and Pastor at Standish 1. Cor. 15. v. 57. Thankes be to God which hath giuen vs victorie through our Lord Iesus Christ LONDON Printed by Tho Creede for Arthur Iohnson dwelling in Pauls Church-yard at the signe of the white Horse 1613. TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVLL THOmas Tildesley Esquire his Maiesties Atturney generall within the Countie Palantine of Lancaster and Vice Chancellor of his Highnes Court of Chancerie there Grace be multiplied in this world and blessednes in the world to come Worshipfull Syr. YOur loue hath ouerawed me much in this busines wherein it hath pleased God and you to put me and for because your place and praise is in the Gospell I durst not consult with flâ—sh and blood but haue as you may see most willingly obeyed the heauenly call The Sermon being ended at Lancaster in Lent Assises last where I was enioyned by authoritie to preach to the prisoners then condemned to die it was your desire to have a copie in priuate of that which was then deliuered in publique at what time I truely tolde you my Notes were scattered and vndisgested rather carried in my heart then in my hand yet would God assisting me in conuenient time binde them together ere they were too farre fallen out of my minde and memorie which I haue here done accordingly and sent them to your worship as a constat of my vnfained loue yet with this Caution you neuer thinke what was then deliuered by voyce can be carried so powerfully in papers as it was in speech The words contained in the two tables which God gaue to Moses from the holy Mount were first spoken by the mouth of God ere they were written by the finger of God and then carried into the valley to be heard and kept of all the people So may I likewise say of the Gospell Voyces and Prophesies went of the blood of Christ ere euer it dropt out of his veines But if gratious words had not fallen from the mouth of Christ Christians had neuer conceiued either the power or vertue of his death For as there is a blood of redemption so there is a word of reconsiliation and surely where the word teacheth not there the blood droppeth not you are religiously wise to conceiue whereat I ayme To wit that reading preaching and practizing of pietie may all goe together like Saul and Ionathan of whom it is said that they were louely in their liues and at their deaths were not diuided Learned you are in your owne lawes and therefore knowe better then I can tell that though the body of your lawes lie in your bookes yet the soule thereof is in your mootes and pleadings as also that the barre and bench doe more powerfully end and profitably determine our causes then the bookes in your chambers can doe I speake in no desperagement either of your bookes or our Bibles which in themselues are learned sacred and holy but to intimate to all the world that if you pleade not and we preach not neither states can long stand nor soules can be ordinarily saued For though holy bookes be holy Oracles and registers of Gods truth Malachi 2. v. 7. Yet must the Priests lippes preserue knowledge and the people must seeke the lawe at his mouth for he is the messenger of the Lord of Hosts Good Sir take what I haue written in lieu of my loue may it pleasure you and benefit Soules either liuing in this world or dying to a better it is all I wish in my heart it is all I begge in my prayer and what is in my power or Element to doe it shall be alwaies yours my penne is yours my paines are yours my selfe am yours to be commaunded in him who commandeth all with my daily prayer to God for you and yours euer to be kept vnder his holy and helping hand of prouidence and protection And so I cease your further trouble but neuer leaue to loue and honour you as I am much bounden Standish this seuenteenth day of Aprill 1613. Your worships euer and so assured in his loue William Leigh THE DAMPE OF DEATH BEATEN BACKE WITH THE glorious light and life of Iesus Christ Colloss 3. verse 3.4 For yee are dead and your life is hidde with Christ in good When Christ which is our life shall appeare then shall yee also appeare with him in glorie WHen I last supplied this place in your honourable presence as now I doe and preached vnto those poore delinquents then readie to die by the doome of iustice I was sharpely censured of some that I preached too much mercie and too little Iudgement and that like an vnskilfull Samaritan I powred into the sores of those wounded soules and broken hearts ouer much oyle and too little vineger Which and if I did I might well say with the Prophet Ieremiah in a cause not much different Ierem. 20.7 O my God if I be deceiued thou hast deceiued me thou hast deceiued me with the extent of thy mercy which reacheth farre euen from the nethermost hell to the highest heauens Thou hast deceiued me with the height of thy mercie which is aboue all thy workes for thy mercie O Lord stretcheth it selfe vnto the heauens and thy truth vnto the cloudes thou hast deceiued me with the depth of thy mercie for one depth calleth vpon an other but that of mercie swalloweth vp all Nay thou hast deceiued me with thine holy offerings of mercie vpon thine holy Altar who hast said I will haue mercie and not sacrifice But oh my God thou art not deceiued neither can thy mercies be limited in thy bountie and why shall they be straitned in my bowels It may be Nature hath made me ouermilde and the sinnes of the world require I should be seuere yet this must I say withall that neither my ouermilde disposition nor yet the worlds transgression shall euer make me cruell against the penitent And such you are whose salt teares this day doe well expresse your sorrowfull hearts who hauing beene humbled at the barre of Gods Iustice why should you not appeale to the barre of his mercie to seeke and sue for grace to helpe in time of need For when is need if not now when the feare of death is before your face when the horrour of your sinnes cryeth vengeance against your soules wheÌ„ your best friends faile you and this whole world forsaketh you when Sathan winnoweth you like wheate because he knoweth he hath but a short time when is need if not now to pray that your faith faile you not that the Lord would be propitious and that no temptation fall vpon you greater then you are able to beare but that euen in the middest of the temptation