his mercy is despised like a Prince that sendeth not his army against rebells before he hath sent his pardon and proclaimed it by an Herauld of armes like Tamberlaine who the first day set up his white tents and received all that came the next day blacke betokening the death of the rulers the third day red betokening the bloodshed of all So the Lord hath his white tents of mercy his blacke and red of iustice and iudgement if the one bee despised the other shal be felt hereupon saith Paul But thou after thy hardnesse Rom. 2. 5. and heart which cannot repent treasurest up unto thy selfe wrath against the day of wrath and declaration of the iust iudgement of God who will reward every man according to his works More particularly God delivered this people mercifully yea miraculously their shoulders from burdens and their fingers from making of bricke hee drew them out of a fiery oven like the three children he put off their sacke-cloth and girded them with gladnesse and compassed them about with songs of deliverance hee carried them on the Wings of Eagles He brought a vine out of Aegypt hee cast out the Heathen and planted them in Thou madest roome for it and diddest Dan. 2. Exod. 19. Psal 80. 9 10 11. cause it to take roote and it filled the land She stretched out her branches unto the sea and her boughs unto the river God separated them from all the Sonnes of Adam For the most high God who divided to the nations their inheritance kept them as the apple of his eye And as an Eagle stirreth up her nest fluttereth over her birds stretcheth out her wings taketh them and beareth them on her wings So the Deut. 32. 8. 11 12. Lord alone led Israel But for orders sake I will divide the mercies of God into three severall sections or times Their deliverance in Aegypt the first Their comming out of Aegypt the second Their deliverāce after they were come out the third the last For First for their deliverance in Aegypt first it was much that Gods judgements upon the Aegyptians God should love them being come of the Amorites and Hitites wallowing in their blood that he should love them and choose them for his people as Moses said The Lord your God did not set his love upon you nor chose you because yee were moe in number than Ezech. 16. 3. 6. Deut. 7 8 9. any people for yee were the fewest of all people but because the Lord loved you There was nothing in them why God should choose them for they were no more righteous than others and therefore saith Moses againe unto them Speake not thou in thy heart saying For my Cap. 9. 4 5. Cap. 32. 9 10 11 12. Exod. 1. righteousnesse hath the Lord brought me in to possesse this Land c. For thou shalt inherit this land not for thy righteousnesse or for thy upright heart but for the wickednesse of those nations c. Israel was Gods portion Iacob the lot of his inheritance hee found him in the land of the wildernesse in a wast and roring wildernesse he led him about he taught him and kept him as the apple of his eye As an Eagle stirreth up her nest fluttereth over her birds stretcheth out her wings taketh them and beareth them on her wings So the Lord alone led him and there was no strange God with him God multiplied them not by meanes but by miracle For from seventy soules they grew in few yeares to 600000. and which is more the more that they were kept down the more they prospered like to Camomill the more it is troden the more it groweth or to a Palme-tree the more it is pressed the further it spreadeth or to fire the more it is raked the more it burneth God gave them Moses and Aaron and Miriam Mich. 6. Psal 78. 44 45 46 47 48 49 50. and God plagued the Aegyptians for their sake and did marvelous things in the land of Aegypt even in the field of Zoan He turned their rivers into blood and their flouds that they could not drinke hee sent a swarme of flies among them which devoured them and frogges which destroyed them hee gave also their fruits unto the Caterpiller and their labour unto the grashopper he destroyed their vines with haile and their wild figge-trees with the hailestone he gave their cattell also to the haile and their flockes unto the thunderbolts hee cast upon them the furiousnesse of his anger indignation and wrath and vexation by the sending of evill Angels he made a way to his anger hee spared not their soule from death hee Act. 12. Exod. 8. 17. gave their life to the pestilence If it were much to eate up one man with lice what is it to eate up a whole land If it was much to Iohn 2. Exod. 7. 19. Gen. 19. 2 Reg. 6. turne water-pots into wine what was it to turne all the waters of Aegypt into blood If it was a great thing to smite a few Sodomites Aramites with blindnesse what was it to smite a whole land with darkenesse that no man could rise for three dayes So much for the benefits bestowed upon them in Aegypt Now let us see what he did for them in their deliverance out Exod. 10. Exod. 12. Gen. 50. 3. Ier. 31. 17. of Aegypt In their deliverance he smote al the first borne in Aegypt the chiefe of their strength passed by Israel And wheras there was a great cry in Aegypt like that for Iacob for whom was made a great and an exceeding sore lamentation and like that of Rachel who weeping for her children would not be comforted because they were not there was joy in the land of Goshen hee inclined the hearts of the Gods mercy to Israel after their deliverance out of Aegypt Aegyptians to doe them good and they received of them Iewels of silver and Iewels of gold hee strengthened them so that there was not one feeble person among them Aegypt was glad at their departing for the feare of them had fallen upon them All the Idolls of Aegypt fell downe at their departure even as all the oracles Psal 105. 38. of the world ceased at the comming of Christ even that at Delphos Dodo Delos God brought them as a vine out of Aegypt God did cast out the Heathen and planted them hee made Psal 80. 8 9. a roome for them and caused them to take roote and they filled the land 3. After their deliverance when the red sea was before them the Aegyptians behind them the mountaines on each side of them God made a ready passage for them And caused the sea to runne Exod. 14 21 22. backe by a strong East winde all the night and made the Sea dry land for the waters were divided and the children of Israel went thorough the middest of the Sea upon the dry ground but the Aegyptians pursuing them Psal 105.
comparative and the superlative and all good Accedens ad flumen tantum haurit quantum urna capere potest A man comming unto the river or fountaine he draweth as much as his vessell will hold the defect or want is not in the flood or fountaine but in the vessell so draw from Christ from his word and Sacraments as Rebecca out of the well of Iacob there is no defect in Christ or in the word and Sacraments but in the vessell the heart that doth not beleeve Accede aegrotus sanaberis debilis confortaberis famelicus satiaberis Come thou sicke man and thou shalt bee healed Esa 55. thou weake one and thou shalt be strengthened thou hungry one and thou shalt be satisfyed But come Non pedibus corporis sed cordis not with the feet of thy body but of thy heart Non ambulando sed credendo not in walking but in beleeving Faith is Illuminatio mentis the light of the minde Infidells are blind and shall not see heaven they are filii irae children of Luk 15. Act. 15. wrath and they that beleeve not cannot be saved Faith is Gods gate whereby God enters into our soule the light that found the lost groate the purifier of our heart the conqueror in the race the pole-starre for the sayler the life of the soule and by Faith Christ dwells in our hearts O help us Lord wee beleeve ô help our unbeleefe he must beleeve that comes to God and as is our faith so is our blessing faith is the victory that overcometh the world O Lord increase our faith The second example used for Confirmation of his former proposition That we must strive for faith is taken from Gods vengeance upon the Angels who because they kept not their estate but left their habitation he hath reserved in everlasting chaines of darkenesse to the Iudgement of the great day So that here in these Angels Observe First Their sinne Secondly Their punishment Thy sinne of these Angels I will not precisely discusse their sinne like Adams sinne was not alone but many First there was pride in them as it appeareth by Pauls words to Timothie where handling the office of a Minister among other 2 Tim. 3. 6. things he would not have him to bee a young scholler Lest hee being puffed up fall into the condemnation of the Divell that is lest being proud of his degree hee bee likewise condemned as the Divell was for lifting up himselfe by pride so that it is manifest What was the Angels sinne that pride was the sinne of the Angels But besides pride there were many other sinnes in them as Infidelity Ingratitude Envy and Rebellion Denique quid non to conclude what not not one vice but many even a troope an armie of sinnes For sinnes are like Pismires in a moll-hill like Bees in an hive like Motes in the Sunne there are many ever together not one sinne alone they grow like clusters of grapes sinne is like the linke of a chaine take hold of one linke and draw the whole chaine so take hold of one sinne and draw a number Other things concerning Angels as their names their number their orders I dare not define 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let us bee Rom. 12. 3. Iob 4. 18. 1 Tim. 3. 6. 2 Pet. 2. 4. Psal 78. 49. Iohn 8. 44. Wisd 2. 24. wise unto sobriety Iob nameth folly or pravity in the Angels as if that were their sinne Paul nameth pride Peter onely calleth it their sinne Asaph calleth them evill but noteth not the kindes of of their evill what the evill or sinne was which they committed Christ nameth murther to be their sinne and saith That the Divell was a murtherer from the beginning The Wise man nameth envie Iude here nameth Apostasie but the time the manner and the circumstance of their fall is not plainely expressed in the Scripture and in that they are not it teacheth us Sapere ad sabrietatem not to presume to understand above that which is meete to understand but Rom. 12. 3. Pro. 25. 27. Ro. 11. 33. Col. 1. 18. that we understand according to sobriety Too much honie is not good who hath knowne the minde of the Lord Many are puffed up with a fleshly minde as though with Moses God had revealed to them the Creation of the world as though with Stephen they had seene Gen. 1. Act. 6. 2 Cor. 12. Apoc. 1. Ezra 4. the heavens open as though with Paul they had beene lifted up to the third Paradise as if the Angell had talked with them as he did with Iohn in Pathmos and with Ezras in Ierusalem Such are Holcot Briccot Dionysius Areopagita whom they call Aquilam seu volucrem Coeli the Eagle or bird of heaven and make nine orders of Angels but no man hath so tasted Ionathans honie combe but he may see and oversee many things in this and in all other questions If any man aske what Angels be I say that they be spirits of essence but having neither body nor soule For they differ from bodies in that they have no flesh from soules in perspicuity understanding what the soule cannot Indeed they sometimes take bodies unto them as the Angell that appeared to Abraham Mat. 22. 30. Gen. 18. Iudg. 13. Mat. 26. to Manoahs wife to Marie So that in respect of their essence they are called spirits and as the Apostle speaketh Ministring spirits but in respect of their office they are called Angels Wherupon David He shall give his Angels charge over thee to keepe thee in all thy wayes Angell is a name of office not of nature Some make them of a fiery nature as Hemingius in his Enchiridion I see no soundnesse in it For sometime they have their denomination from heat as the Seraphins sometime for knowledge and brightnesse The Apostacy of the Angels irrecoverable as the Cherubins sometime they have appeared in a firy nature so they appeared to Elisha and his servant for the mountaine was full of Chariots and horses of fire that is Angels to defend them from the Syrians And so againe while Elias and Elisha Esay 6. 2 Reg. 6. 17. 2 Reg. 2. 11. Psal 114. went walking and talking together Behold there appeared a Chariot of fire and horses of fire and did separate them twaine And David saith He maketh his spirits his Messengers and a flaming fire his Ministers And as they have appeared in these formes so have they appeared in other formes also as pleaseth the Creator but to leave this The sinne of Angels is notorious and their punishment is as famous they are falne from light to darkenesse from Heaven to hell from felicity to misery Valerian fell from a golden chaire to a cage of iron Dionysius fell from a King to a Schoolemaster Alexander the third fell from being Pope to be a Gardener in Venice Nabuchadnezzar fell from a man to a beast but the celestiall Dan. 4. spirits
abate your sinnes that God may abate your punishment Nay cast away all your workes of darkenesse that yee may never come into the place of darkenesse the Divels dungeon where the worme dyeth not where the fire goeth not out but continuall weeping and gnashing of teeth howling yelling and crying without ease of paine or comfort of mind that is such endlesse misery as the griefe thereof can neither be conceived of us nor expressed of them that feele it THE FIVE AND TVVENTIETH SERMON VERS XIV XV. And Enoch the seventh also from Adam prophesied of such saying Behold the Lord commeth c. Antiquity with Verity bring Authority to Doctrine HEre hee describeth the judgement of God at large which is ready to hasten nay to full upon these Epicures and Hypocrites and all proud swelling men yea and upon all ungodly persons whatsoever For as the power of the Lord had her day in the creation of the World and the mercy of God her day in redemption of man the little World so the justice of God must have her day in the just punishment of the unjust and wicked of the world This text of judgement devides it selfe into foure branches 1 That there shall bee a judgement 2 That the Lord shall be the Iudge 3 The manner of the judgement 4 The end of it To condemne all the ungodly of their evill deedes and cruell speakings against God But first he citeth his Author and saith that Enoch the seventh prophesied of such men that is of such Epicures of such proud swelling persons of such hypocrites Enoch is named the seventh Though some Scripture bee lost yet it is supplied in others and is perfect from Adam for Adam Seth Enos Kenan Mahalaleel Iared lived before him and dyed onely he was taken up alive into Heaven as was Elias in a firie chariot Tanquam candidati resurrectionis as the forerunners of the resurrection So that note here the antiquitie of the Prophesie of Enoch which Iude citeth to purchase authority unto the doctrine antiquity joyned with verity is of great force Quod primum illud verum quod posterius illud falsum whatsoever is first that is true what is later that is false Ieremy sendeth men to the old wayes Stand in the way saith he and behold aske for the old way and walke Ier. 6. 16. therein ye shall finde rest unto your soules Christ debating a question sendeth them to Antiquity saying Ab initio non fuit sic from Mat. 19. 8. the beginning it was not so Ab initio non Papae non Cardinales c. from the beginning no Popes no Cardinals no Patriarches c. therefore shall they not continue for ever sed eradicabuntur but shall be rooted out So reasoned the Wise man for idols saying Wisd 14. 12. cap. The inventing of Idols was the beginning of whoredom and the finding of them is the corruption of life for they were not from the beginning neither shall they continue for ever Sed vetusta consuetudo sine veritate vetustus Cypr. error an old custome without truth is but an old error The Papists to warrant their traditions and unwritten verities mightily urge the Prophesie of Enoch but this prophesie is not counterfeit or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 inscriptum quiddam but wee must know that much Scripture is lost which we have not which might bee when Antiochus and Maximine caused the bookes of the Law to bee burnt We lacke many of Salomons workes who wrote of all things from the Cedar of Lebanon to the Hysop on the 1 Reg 4. wall In that God hath not given us the bookes of Nathan of 1 Chro. 29. 2 Chro. 9. Gad of Iado of Shemaia of Athia the Shilonite of Iohn the sonne of Hanani c. It is not for that the Scriptures are unperfect and to bee supplied with unwritten verities but for some other causes best knowne to God They say the Scriptures are unperfect and therefore have added their unwritten traditions which they call Apostolicall unto the Scriptures to make the totall rule of Faith the Scriptures making but one part thereof and their traditions another as it appeareth by the late Trident Councell and of Bellarmines exposition thereof The Councell saith Omnes libros veteris novi Testamenti necnon traditiones ipsas Sess 4. decret 1. tum ad fidem tum ad mores pertinentes tanquam vel ore tenus a Christo vel à Spiritu Sancto dictatas continua successione in Ecclesia Catholica conservatas pari pietatis affectu reverentia suscipit ac veneratur Tridentina Synodus that is All the bookes of the old and new Testament as also the traditions themselves pertaining both to Faith and manners as being either pronounced by the mouth of Christ or delivered by the holy Ghost and by continuall succession preserved in the Catholike Church the Councell of Trent receiueth and honoreth with like and equall affection of pietie The Papists hold the Scriptures insufficient without traditions and reverence And Cardinall Bellarmine writeth thus Asserimus in Scripturis non contineri expressè totam doctrinam necessariam sive de fide sive de moribus proinde praeter Verbum Dei scriptum requiri etiam Verbum Dei non scriptum idest divinas Apostolicas traditiones that is Libro de verbo Dei non Script cap. 3. We affirme that in the Scripture is not contained expressely all necessary doctrine whether of faith or manners and therefore beside the written Word of God is required also the unwritten word of God namely divine and Apostolicall traditions And againe he saith Scripturae sine traditionibus nec fuer unt simpliciter necessariae necsufficientes The Scriptures without traditions were Ibid. cap. 4. neither simply necessary nor yet sufficient And againe Dico Scripturam etsi non sit facta praecipuè ut sit regula fidei esse tamen regulam Ibid. cap. 12. fidei non totalem sed partialem totalis enim regula fidei est Verbum Dei sive revelatio Dei Ecclesiaefacta quae dividitur in duas regulas partiales scripturam traditiones I say that the Scripture though it were not made especially to be the rule of faith yet it is the rule of faith not in whole but in part For the whole rule of faith is the Word of God or the revelatiō of God made unto the Church which is devided into two partie-rules Scripture and traditions Besides they further alledge that the Church was 2249. yeeres before the Word written but how shall that appeare that the Church then had not the written Word Why Moses citeth a booke called The warres of the Lord and in Iosua the booke of the iust is cited and it may bee that Noah Abraham Numb ◠Ios 10. and Isaac wrote those things that did belong to those times Iude also in this Epistle eiteth the booke of Enoch Papists alledge that
which is written in Ieremie I will put my Lawes in their minds and in their hearts will I write them And they alledge the saying of Ier. 51. Paul Yee are our Epistle written not with inke but with the Spirit of the living God Nay they say further that the Apostles went beyond 2 Cor. 3. yond their Commission when they did write the Scriptures for they were commanded to preach not to write But the Apostle Mat. 28. 19. to the Hebrewes while he doth write the doctrine of the new Covenant alledgeth the forenamed sentence of Ieremy and Paul had already written two Epistles to the Thessalonians and the former Epistle also to the Corinthians when as hee said Tee are our Epistle witten not with inke c. But as Carpocrates Cerdo Manes rejected the bookes of the Law and Cerinthus all the Gospell except Mathew and Severianus and Paulinus the Epistles and Actes of the Apostles so Papists doe accuse the whole Scripture of imperfection and ambiguity Paul being ready to finish his course and to bid a farewell to the world as appeareth in his second Epistle to Timothie when as already the bookes of the New Testament were written saith thus unto Timothie The whole Scripture is given by inspiration and is 2 Tim. 3. 16. profitable to teach to improve to correct and instruct in righteousnesse All things necessary to salvation contained in Scripture where hee bringeth the whole Scripture unto foure heads doctrine redargution correction instruction doctrine is occupied about the chiefe points of faith and religion Redargution confuteth errours in faith and religion instruction comprehendeth information of manners correction is occupied in reproving and punishing delinquents If the Word of God be a two-edged sword to wound the Divell If it bee the hatchet to cut off the head of all hereticks If the Word be mighty in operation entreth thorow even to the dividing asunder of the soule and of the spirit of the ioints and of the marrow If it bee a lanterne unto our feeâ— and a light unto our paths If Christ used no other weapon to repell the Divell but the Word saying It is written If Apollo confuted the Iewes openly proving by the Scriptures Iesus to be Christ If Christs proofes were Scriptum est and his demands Quomodo legis How read you and his Apologies Scrutamini Scripturas search the Scriptures certainly in the Scriptures is contained alone all things necessary to salvation I will therefore conclude this point with the saying of Augustine Neither will I alledge the Councell of Nice neither shalt thou August lib. 3. cap. 14. aduers Maxim alledge the Councell of Arimine against me by the authority of the Scriptures Let us weigh matter with matter cause with cause reason with reason There is no cause therfore why Papists should take the wings of the morning and fly from the written Word unto unwritten verities that the fathers of Colen should call the Scriptures A nose of waxe that Pighius should tearme it The Leaden rule of the Lesbian building that other Papists should tearme it A shipmans-hoase A black Gospell Inken divinity If any will adde or Apoc. 22. detract from it let the curse be pronounced upon him and let all the people say Amen It is false that we have the Baptisme of infants the celebration of the Sunday the distinction of the persons in the Trinity the number of the bookes of the Scripture by tradition not by the written Word God hath kept his law in the Arke and all Popish Philistines could not keep the Arke 1 Sam. 5. Iohn 20. from us These things are written that yee may beleeve Traditions are gathered of an evill egge digge the Papists never so deep they shall not find the myne nor spring of them in the Primitive Church they labour to put life into a dead carcasse of them but it will not be Avant therefore yee Anabaptists with your revelations Avant yee Montanists with your new comforter Avant yee Iewes with your Cabal and Talmud Avant Trent Councell and Papists with your Traditions our salvation is Christ for There is no other name given unto men whereby they shall be saved save only by the name of Iesus The way to salvation is faith the guide Act. 4. 12. to this way is the Scripture Hereupon saith Paul Yee are no longer forenners and strangers but Citizens with the Saints and of the houshold of God and are built upon the foundation of the Apostles and There is a foure-fold iudgement Prophets Iesus Christ himselfe being the chiefe corner stone So much for the Author cited Enoch the seventh from Adam Now to the thing prophesied which is judgement and therein Ephes 2. 19 20. first we have to observe that there shall be a iudgement There is a fourefold judgement The first judgement was that that was accomplished of man and Angels at their first fall The Angels that fell were judged and throwne out of Heaven Adam that fell was judged and throwne out of Paradise Gen. 3. Secondly There is a middle judgement and so God judgeth the wicked and the godly every day Visiting â—â—eir sinnes with Psal the rod and their offences with the scourge There is a third a particular judgement in the day of every mans death of Lazarus and good men to Heaven of Dives and bad men to Hell and of this particular judgement the Author Luk. 16. of the Epistle to the Hebrewes speaketh thus It is appoynted for all men once to dye and then commeth the Iudgement Hebr. 9. 27. Fourthly there is generall judgement of quicke and of dead whereof Enoch prophesied here saying The Lord will come with thousands of his Saints to give iudgement c. But some will say Why should God judge man after death since hee hath his judgement at his death I answere that in death wee have a particular judgement but God will also have his generall Aug. judgement Secondly In death we have the judgement of the soule But God will judge both body and soule Thirdly In death wee have a secret Doome But God will have an open Assise a publike Sessions and a manifest Iudgement Concerning which generall Iudgement I could produce a cloud of Scriptures to avouch it both out of the old and new Testament Ezechiel saith An end is come an end is come it is looked for Behold it is come Moses also prophesied of this Iudgement Deut. 32. and David Psal 50. and Salomon Eccles 11. 9. and Daniel Cap. 7. 13. and Ioel Cap. 3. and Malachy Cap. 4. So did Christ himselfe Mat. 24. and Paul the Apostle of us Gentiles 2. Thes 5. and Peter 2. Pet. 3. and Iohn 9. Apoc. 20. Neither is this assurance of the judgement to come warranted by the words of Gods servants onely but the Lord hath left many workes of his own to teach us that hee will once at length for all judge the whole
World for sinne The drowning of the old World the burning of Sodom the destruction of Ierusalem were assured tokens that the Lord would not put up the infinite iniquities of the World but will judge it and punishit the pleading of the Conscience foretelleth a judgement to come the sentence of of death pronounced in Paradise and renewed with such terrour on mount The Lord Iesus Christ shall iudge Sinai did evidently assure us that God meant to call men to judgement the lesser judgements in this life are fore-runners to this great and last judgement the dragging of men out of the World by death is nothing else but an Alarum to judgement God hath promised that there shall be a judgement I will contend with thee in iudgement saith God The nations shall see my iudgements saith God I will sit and iudge the people saith God Now all the promises of God are Yea and Amen so firmely ratified that Heaven and Earth shall passe away but his Word and promise shall not passe The day and the night may faile in their courses the Sunne and Moone may faile in their motions the Earth may faile and totter upon her props the Sea and Rivers may faile and bee emptied of their waters but the promises of God shall not faile God promised a floud and it came Et qui verus erat in diluvio cur non in iudicio He that performed it in the one why should he not performe it in the other The Iustice of God requireth that there shall be a judgement Hîc optimi pessimè agunt Here the best men are the worst used and most wronged Here Iezabel sits braving in a window whilest Ieremy lies sticking in the mud Here Dives sits in his palace cloathed richly faring daintily while Lazarus lies at his gates naked and hungry Here Herod will please Herodias though it be with the head of Iohn the Baptist Nonne visitabit haec shall not God visit come to iudgement for these things Certainly iudgement will come and then downe go the wicked and up the godly horrour hell and death shall be the doome of the wicked heaven ioy and life shall be the lot of the righteous Thus yee see there shall be a Iudgement I will passe on to the next Who shall be the Iudge in this Iudgement The Lord The Lord saith Enoch commeth with thousands of his Saints to give iudgement c. And in that the Lord shall be our Iudge there will be first rectum iudicium a right and true iudgement for the Lord is true and cannot faile either Ignorantia legis as not knowing the Law For he gave the Law and will iudge according to the Law nor yet Ignorantia facti as not seeing the fact for his seven eyes goe thorow the World Yee may interpret them if yee will seven thousand thousand eyes Zach. 4. Againe if the Lord bee the Iudge there will bee aequum iudicium his Iudgement will be righteous and good for Necerrat ipse nec sustinet errantem He can neither sinne himselfe nor yet indure a wilfull sinner wee cannot corrupt him he hath no need of our goods But when he saith The Lord shall be the Iudge and come to iudgement yee shall understand that this word Lord is taken sometime essentially and then it signifieth all the three persons in the Trinity and so it is taken in the Psalme The Lord even the most mighty hath spoken and called the round World c. And indeed in Christ shall iudge in his humanity respect of authority the whole Trinity shall be the Iudge but sometime this word Lord is taken personally and then it signifieth the second person in the Trinity as here in this my Text The Lord shall come to Iudgement For in respect of the execution of this iudgement Christ alone shall iudge And why Christ And not the Father and the Holy Ghost First because Saint Iohn tells us The Father hath given all iudgement to the Sonne Iohn 5. And as Saint Bernard expounds the words non ut Filius suus sed ut Filius Hominis not as hee is the Sonne of God but as hee is the Sonne of the blessed Virgin borne in the world 2. The Sonne iudgeth and not the Father because it best befitteth a King to iudge his owne subiects and we are now the immediate subiects of the Sonne Indeed in our creation wee were absolutely the subjects of God but by rebelling against God we became the slaves and vassals of the Divell and not the subjects of God yet now being redeemed from death and from him that hath the power of death the Divell by the precious bloud of the Sonne of God we are become the subjects of the Sonne not that this is to be understood Exclusive as excluding from the worke of our redemption the Father and the Holy Ghost sed AppretiativeÌ„ as the Schoolemen speake but because the price of our redemption was paid by the Sonne and not by the person of the Father or Holy Ghost and in that the Sonne did sustinere poenas undergoe our punishment et procurare praemia purchase our reward hee must dispensare praemia poenas both dispose of our punishment and reward But forasmuch as there be two natures in Christ the Divine and humane it may be questioned in what forme or Nature hee shall iudge Saint Augustine answereth Eadem forma iudicabit te qua sub Iudice sâ—etit pro te In the same nature he shall iudge thee wherein he stood before the Iudge for thee he shall iudge us not as God but as man according to that in the Gospell Yee shall see the Sonne of Man not of God but of Man comming in the clouds of Heaven with power and great glory Veniet qui Deus non qua Deus he that shall iudge us is God but he shall not iudge us as he is God Vrsinus in his Catechisme pag. 451. giveth three reasons of this Quia per eum Mediatorem glorificanda est Ecclesia per quem iustificata est because the Church is to bee glorified by that Mediator by which she was iustified SecundoÌ„ ob consolationem nostram dum scimus illum fore Iudicem qui redimit nos est enim frater noster caro nostra Secondly for our comfort to give us to understand that he shall bee our Iudge which redeemed vs and is our brother and our flesh Tertio propter iustitiam Dei quia filium hominis contumelia affecerunt Thirdly for the Iustice of God because the Sonne of Man hath beene much reproched with many contumelies and slanders If any man will object that Christ saith That Though Christ shall come in humanity yet with power and great glory he came not to iudge the World but to save the World I answere that these words are not to be understood of his second but of his first comming into the World then indeed he came to save the World but now to iudge the
At the first he came as a Lambe now shall he come as a Lion Venit tunc salvare nunc iudicare he came then to save us now he shall come to judge us And yet to speake fully his first comming was not without glory two contraries were conjoyned Summa humilitas summa sublimitas the deepest humility and the highest sublimity Aug. he lay among the beasts yet praised of Angels which sung Gloria in excelsis Glory bee to God on high What is hee Luk 2. that is so base and so glorious so little and so great so poore and so rich poore in the flesh poore in the manger poore in the stable but great and rich and glorious in heaven whom the starres obey great and glorious in the aire Mat. 2. where the Angels sing great and glorious in earth for Herod and all Ierusalem were moved at the tidings of him It is the greatest basenesse Luk 2. for God to bee conceived and the greatest glory to bee conceived by the Holy Ghost the greatest basenesse to be borne Esay 7. of a Woman and the greatest glory to be borne of a Virgin the greatest basenesse to be borne in a stable and the greatest glory to shine in the Heavens the greatest basenesse to deplore among beasts and the greatest glory to be sung of Angels the greatest basenesse to be baptized among sinners and the greatest glory to have the heavens open the spirit to descend and to heare the Father of heaven speaking from heaven This is my beloved Sonne Mat. 3. 16. in whom I am well pleased It is the greatest basenesse to suffer death upon the Crosse and the greatest glory to rise againe from the dead formosus erat in Coelis formosus erat in terra he was faire and beautifull in heaven faire and beautifull in earth faire and beautifull in his throne of glory faire and beautifull in the manger faire and beautifull among the Angels faire and beautifull among the beasts Quid facitis ô Magi puerum ne adoratis What doe yee ô yee Wise-men doe yee worship the child Is he not therefore a King I but where is the Kings Court Where is his Throne Where the continuall resort and haunt of this Court Is not his Court the stable his Throne the Manger They that resort and haunt this Court the Oxe and the Asse Yet vndique formosus est on every side he was faire and glorious The Lords two Courts one of Mercy the other of Iustice For when he spake the sea was calme when he commanded the windes were whist when he called the dead did rise and when he died the Sunne was eclipsed when he rose the earth trembled when he ascended the heavens opened so farre Augustine Thus his first comming was not without glory but his second shall be glorious indeed He shall come in the glory of his Father with Mat. 24. all the holy Angels One speaking of this comming of Christ to iudgement saith Posterior Christi adventus non erit mitis sed terribilis Christs latter comming shall not bee gentle but terrible and fearefull For measure me the greatnesse of one arme by the quantity of another the Iustice of God by the mercy of God If he was so mercifull in his first comming as to take our flesh and to suffer death upon the Crosse for us and how iust how severe will hee bee in his second comming to all those that have either contemned or abused his mercy Quam facilis fuit in primo adventu Looke how facile gentle and propice he was in his first comming tam difficilis erit in secundo adventu so hard so uneasy to bee intreated will he be in his second comming infinit in mercy infinit in Iustice ready to pardon and ready to punish God shall arise and his enemies shall be scattered they also that hate him shall fly before him As Psal 88. 1 2. the smoke vanisheth so shalt thou drive them away and as Wax melteth before the fire so shall the wicked perish at the presence of God And as the Prophet saith God is jealous and the Lord revengeth even the Lord of anger the Lord will take vengeance on his adversaries and he reserveth Nahum 1. 1 2. wrath for his enemies the Lord is slow to anger but great in power and will not surely cleere the wicked As we treasure up our sinnes so hee treasureth up his wrath Indies crescunt peccata indies crescit ira our sinnes increase daily and his wrath daily Bernard saith that the Lord hath two Courts the one of mercy the other of iustice the one in this life the other in the life to come when he shall come with thousands of his Saints to judgement Here is forum miscricordiae the Court of mercy there shall be forum Iustitiae the Court of Iustice for there he will reward every man according to his Works Augustine bringeth in Christ thus Rom. 2. 6. speaking at the last day Ecce fabri Filium quem irrisistis Behold the Carpenters Sonne whom yee have derided Ecce eum in quem non credidistis Behold him in whom yee have not beleeved behold the wounds which yee have made in my hands and feet behold the side which yee have pierced behold the face which you have beraide with your spittle Behold the glory that shall presse and overwhelme you and the Majesty that shall breake and bruise you For our Iudge will iudge righteously and iustly Hee will reward every man according to his worke that is to them which by continuance Rom. 2. 6 7. in well doing seeke glory and honour and immortality eternall life but unto them that are contentious and disobey the truth and obey Wee must meditate as well on the Iustice of God as on his mercy unrighteousnesse shall be indignation and wrath tribulation and anguish shall be upon the soule of every man that doth evill And here note the blindnesse of the World All men prate of mercy but few talke of Iustice like the Benjamites we cast stones with one hand like Iudg. 19. Mat. 26. Polipheme we see but with one eye with Malchus wee heare but with one eare like the Vnicorne we defend our selves with one horne from God like the Amazones many brethren give sucke to the Church with one pap delivering but one doctrine namely that of mercy But let me speake familiarly If a fellon will not trust only on the mercy of the Iudge at the Assise Let us not deceive our selves against that great Assise day Whatsoever Gal. 6 7 8. a man soweth that shall he reape for he that soweth to the flesh shall of the flesh reape corruption but he that soweth to the spirit shall of the spirit reape life everlasting In quo statu novissimus vitae dies relinquet in eo resurrectionis primus dies inveniet qualis in isto die quisque moritur talis in die illo iudicabitur In
jury into the world Ex multis iâ—ramentis perventum est â—andem in peâ—iuâ—ia in multilâ—quio non deest peceatum From many oathes men Chrysost came at last to perjury and in much speaking there is sinne with much water there goeth some gravell with much fire some smoke and with many words some lies as among many wounds some skarres Aquinas saith that we must use an oath as we use physicke which is not used but in necessity in diseases So an oath is to be used in necessity when the trueth otherwise cannot appeare Parcè utenda medicina parcè iur amentum A medicine Aquin. is to be used sparingly and an oath sparingly yet a number cannot talke but they must sweare As the girle said of Peter Thou art of Galilee for thy speech bewrayeth thee So these Mat. 26. swearers that thus speake against God are of the Divell By thy barking I know thee to bee a dog by thy hissing to bee a serpent and by thy swearing to bee a vile man Shall I call that a sweet fountaine that sendeth out nothing but brine salt water and sulphurous Shall I call that good earth that yeldeth nothing but briers and brambles And shall I call him a Christian The generall Iudgement most certaine that cannot speake five words but one shall bee against God one shall be an oath by God and by God As she said Call me not Naomi but call me Mara So call not these Christians but beasts monsters Divels as Christ called Iudas These men Iohn 6. 70. as S. Iohn said have the hornes of the Lambe but they speake like the dragon they have a shew of religion but they sweare like reprobates they speake by the mouth of a greater beast Apoc. 13. then themselves These men are like belles that hang in the steeple but they are not seene but heard so these men though they be nor seene they may be heard in the Ale houses and Tavernes as men passe by there they roare and sweare and speake against God and count it a gentlemenly quality In times past Gentlemen were knowne by three properties Learning Armes and Gentlenesse but now by swearing wantonnesse and taking of Tobacco I speake not of all God hath his number Lord how are men degenerated from that they have beene What a Metamorphosis is in the world Have men drunke of Circes cup or are they changed with Hecuba for railing at the siedge of Troy into dogges that they barke thus against God Well they shall come to Iudgement one day for this Christ will come and we expect it To give iudgement against all men and to rebuke all the ungodly among them of all their wicked deeds that they have committed and of all their cruell speakings which ungodly sinners have spoken against And Come Lord Iesus come quickly Apoc. 22. One thing further let me observe unto you that he saith Behold the Lord commeth with thousand of his Saints to give iudgement against all men c. That hee speaketh in the present tense not in the future tense to note the certainty of his comming So Esay Esay 9. said of Christ Vnto us a Child is borne yet was he not then borne but five hundred yeeres at the least after So Iohn spake Ecce venit Apoc. 1. 7. in nubibus Behold he commeth in the clouds and yet hee is not come but to note the trueth of his comming he affirmeth that he commeth The Apostle saith That Faith overcommeth the World and yet we are striving with the world as yet wee are in the 1 Iohn 5. 1. mayne battell as yet the plowers plough long furrowes on our backs as yet we strive unto bloud and yet he saith We have overcome the world because wee shall overcome it The Shepheards said that the words of the Angell were come to passe yet had they Luk 2. 15. Rom. 3. Numb 23. 19. not been a Bethelem Let God be true and all men liers He is not a man that hee should lye neither as the Sonne of man that hee should repent hath be said and shall he not doe it and hath he spoken and shall he not accomplish it Heaven and earth shall passe before one iot or tittle of his Luk 16 17. Word shall passe As for him that thinkes that the Lord will never come to iudgement nor that this body shall rise againe Let him remember that he who bringeth the Sunne out of his Chamber daily who reneweth the dead hornes of the Moone Psal 19. Psal 104. every moneth who dried up the sea in one night who caused None so vile but sometime feareth iudgemeÌ„t inwardly Aarons withered rod in one night to beare ripe Almonds who quickened Sara her dead wombe who revived the dead corne in the ground can raise againe this body and howsoever the Exod. 14. Gen. 18. 1 Cor. 15. wicked seare up their consciences with a hot iron yet I am perswaded there is none so wicked but sometime trembleth at the iudgement That the Lord shall come with thousand of his Saints to give Iudgement on all flesh c. None so riotous but sometime he saith Esca ventri venter escis Meate for the belly and the belly for 1 Cor. 6. 13. meate but God shall destroy both it and them None so covetous but sometime saith The rust of these things will be a witnesse against me None so blasphemous but at one time or other Iam. 5. 3. saith The plague departeth not from the house of the swearer None so adulterous but saith I may not make the Ecclus 23. 12. members of Christ the members of an harlot I may not make the 1 Cor. 6. temple of God the stable for the Divell And to conclude none so past all feare of God but sometimes saith This geare will not last alway what shall become of me when I stand before Gods iudgement seate Foelix trembled when he heard Paul preach of Iudgement and Adrian the Emperour said at his death Animula Act. 24. vagula blandula quo nunc vagaris O my little wandring tender soule whither doest thou now goe Thou wouldest not have the conscience of a damned creature to gaine tenne thousand worlds and to bee the Monarch of them for so many thousand yeers Well yee see there shall be a Iudgement yee see the person that shall be our Iudge The Lord he shall come in his owne person to iudge us and what a comfort will this be that hee shall come for us that went up to send the Comforter unto us Yee see the manner of his comming with thousand of his Saints The end of it to rebuke all the ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed and of all the cruell speakings that wicked sinners have spoken against And now to make some use of all this that hath been spoken concerning this Iudgement The use of it is triple 1. For terrour 2. For comfort
We should prevent iudgement by iudging our selves in so much as God hath appointed a day wherein he will judge the world with righteousnesse by that Man whom he hath appointed Act. 17. 31. Woe will bee unto us if that day come upon us unawares before we have made our peace and humbled our selves before God and by true repentance turne from sinne to sanctity It is an unspeable favour that God shewes us when he offers us this mercy that if we judge our selves we shall not be judged of the Lord in that day 1 Cor. 11. 34. And it will on the other side kindle his wrath extremely when having such grace offered wee neglect it and death and judgement find our sinnes unremitted on Gods part and unrepented of ours 5. Seeing that all these things shall be dissolved it should stirre us up to an holy conversation So reasoneth S. Peter Seeing that all those things must be dissolved what manner persons ought we to be in holy conversation and godlinesse looking for and hasting to the comming of the day of God c 2. Pet. 3. 11 12. We are Gods stewards let us arme our selves as they that must give accounts of their stewardship and let us jmploy such talents as God hath lent us to Gods glory and our neighbours good Lastly since the day of Iudgement is the day of our full and finall Redemption and since hee shall come as a theefe in the night even the houre that we thinke not Let us therefore watch and be ready alwayes carefull and diligent sighing and groning longing and praying hasting to and looking for this glorious comming of our Lord and Saviour Christ to judgement THE SIXE AND TVVENTIETH SERMON VERS XVI These are murmurers complainers walking after their owne lusts c. Many discontented with Gods dealing with them HEE proceedeth to describe the wicked and that foure wayes 1 By their Impatiencie 2 By their Lusts 3 By their Pride 4 By their Flattery For they yeeld many sinnes as Nilus yeeldeth many Crocodiles and the Scorpion many Serpents at one birth This impatiencie is two-fold Against God and against man And first for God many are never content but if they have one thing they would have another like the daughter of Caleb when wee have pasture ground wee must have arable and when wee have that we must have wood ground for fewell and parkes for pleasure like some Clergy men that must have one benefice for corne ground another for glebe land like Aesops Lion they must have the first second and third part and except God give them the fourth part also they will fall out with him they will murmur and as the Prophet speaketh In the evening they will Psal 59. 15. goe to and fro and barke like dogs and grinne if they be not satisfied Paul noteth this sinne in Israel and applieth it to Corinth and in them to all Churches saying Neither murmure ye as some of them murmured and were destroyed of the destroyer but to see it plainly Murmuring the sinne of the Israelites read Exod. 16. and there yee shall finde that the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron in the wildernesse and said Oh that we had dyed by 1 Cor. 10. 10. Exod. 16. 2 3 4 5. the hand of the Lord in the land of Aegypt when we sate by the flesh-pots when wee ate bread our bellies full But Moses told them That God heard their grudgings against them and further said At even shall the Lord give you flesh to eate and in the morning your fill of bread for the Lord saith hee hath heard the murmurings that yee murmure against him c. and so at even quailes came and covered the ground and in the morning he rained Manna upon them Againe God having given them bread and flesh no sooner wanted they water but they were as vile Wherefore the people contended with Moses and said Give us water that wee may drinke and the people murmured against Moses and said Wherefore hast thou brought us out of Aegypt to kill us and our children and our cattell with thirst Thus like dogges except their mouthes were filled they barked continually like the Gangrene or the disease called the Woolfe which gnaweth ever except it be fed For no sooner had God delivered them out of Aegypt but except he would deliver them from Pharaoh also they would raile Hereupon they said unto Moses Hast thou brought us to dye in the Wildernesse because there were no graves in Aegypt Wherfore hast thou served us thus to carry us out Exod. 14. 11 12. of Aegypt did not we tell thee this thing in Aegypt saying Let us bee at rest that wee may serve the Aegyptians for it had bin better for us to have served the Aegyptians then that wee should dye in the wildernesse Thus they dealt with God for water at another time Why have yee brought the Congregation of the Lord into this Wildernesse Numb 20. 4. 5. that both wee and our cattell should dye there Wherefore now have yee made us to come up from Aegypt to bring us to this miserable place which is no place of seede nor figges nor vines nor pomegranats neither is there any water to drinke Cyrill noteth upon the 6. of Iohn Vers 52. that this sinne of murmuring is hereditary to the Iewes it was morbus haereditarius like the stone the Fathers conveyed it ever to their children and this sinne like the heads of Hydra drew many other sinnes after it as disobedience ingratitude impatience distrust tempting of God blasphemy it was never alone The whole course of the sacred Scriptures crieth out against this sin specially in men professing God Do all things saith the Apostle Phil. 2. 14. without murmuring or reasoning and Saint Peter Be yee harborous one to another without murmuring and Wisedome bids us Beware 1 Pet. 4 9. Sap. 1. 10. Gen. 4. 14. of murmuring Cain murmured and the Scripture noteth it as his sinne The Israelites were grievous murmurers Sometimes for their Labour Sometimes for Drinke Exod. 5. 21. Cap. 16. 25. Cap. 17. 3. Sometimes for Flesh as ye heard before Sometimes in distrust to obtaine the City so strongly The punishment of murmurers walled Sometimes for feare to be killed of their enemies Sometimes for want of dainties as figges pomegranats Num. 13. 3. Num. 14. 2. Cap. 16. 42. Cap. 20. 3. vines c. Sometimes for that they were over-layed with Manna And for other like causes upon which the holy Ghost setteth a brand of dislike and so by their sinnes admonisheth us to beware For this sinne never went unpunished There is murmuring for good done on the Sabbath day For not washing before meate for the oyntment that was powred upon Christ and not rather sold and given unto the poore that widowes were neglected that Mary did not helpe Martha but sate and heard Christs words But still observe that
the beginning and abode not in the truth but now they abound like Bees in Hibla like Serpents in Iohn 8. 44. Sinai like lice in Aegypt Cornelius Agrippa derided Moses calling him a coozener and said that the sea dried not up but that hee marked the tides and course of the Moone that hee drew no water out of the rocke but marked the haunts of the wild beasts The Philosophers called Christ a Magician that hee did all by Necromancie The Libertines contemne all the Apostles they call Mathew an usurer Peter an Apostata Luke a pelting physician Paul vas confractum a broken vessell Iohn adolescentem stolidum a foolish yong man The Novatians called Cyprianus Caprianus the Arrians called Athanasius Sathanasius but all this is nothing to the contempt of these dogs We may say now as the Prophet said The children shall presume against the ancient and the vile against Esay 3. 3. 2 Reg. 2. the honorable The boyes of Bethel scorned Elisha and the sawcy boyes of England scorne at all doctrine Veni Domine Iesu Come Lord Iesus come quickly O beloved our time is now to bee wise To kisse the Sonne if we do not Mercy passeth and Iudgement Psal 2. commeth and warned men must die in their sinnes and their bloud be upon them Lastly he noteth in these mockers that they live at randon They walke after their lusts like beasts they fulfill their sensuall appetites they doe what seemeth good in their owne eyes They make provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts of it All their care is for Rom. 13. 14. the flesh none for the spirit all for the body little or none for 2 Cor. 10. 3. the soule all for earth little for heaven they walke after the flesh and they warre after the flesh For so doth Paul distinguish Rom. 16. 18. them these men are the slaves of the flesh they serve not the Lord but their belly they thinke themselves the only men of the world and count their life the happiest promise to themselves liberty yet are they worse then gally-slaves the vilest prisoners in the world other prisoners have mē to be their Iaylers these have 2 Tim. 2. 26. Mat. 22. 13. divels For they are in the snare of the Divell and are taken of him at his will Others have chaines of iron these have chaines of darkenes others are for a time these for ever Thou shalt not come out thence Mat. 5. 26. till thou hast paid the utmost farthing but that will never be now that 2 Pet. 2. 19. they are prisoners Note Peters reason Of whomsoever a man is overcome even unto the same is he in bondage but their malice their envy their pride overcommeth them therfore be they in bondage to them Pius etsi serviat liber est a godly man though he serveth yet is he a free man I will walke at libertie saith David for I seeke thy precepts Malus etiamsi regnat seruus est a bad man although he ruleth yet is he a servant et tot dominorum quot vitiorum and that of so many masters as he hath vices Hereupō saith our Saviour Iohn 8. 34 35. Whosoever committeth sinne is the servant of sinne and the servant abideth not in the house for ever His leachery envy malice covetousnesse The Vnderstanding and Will the subiects of Wisedome mastereth him Be not therefore overcome of evill but overcome evill with goodnesse Vincimur non vincimus wee are not overcome wee not overcome Let not sinne therefore raigne in your mortall bodies that yee should obey it in the lusts thereof And againe Rom. 6. 12. 21. Rom. 12. 14. Let not sinne have dominion over you In these men all the members of their body are defiled they bee arma injustiviae weapons of unrighteousnesse and all the powers of their soule are corrupted peccati enim sedes est anima the soule is the seate of sinne the two powers of the soule are Vnderstanding and Will either wee know not that which is good or wee cannot performe it for the weakenesse of our understanding The naturall wise man 1 Cor. 2. 14. whose knowledge is not cleered by Gods Spirit perceiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishnesse unto him neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned And further the Apostle saith that the wisedome of the Flesh is death and the reason hee rendreth after in the next verse saying Because Rom. ◠6 7. the wisedome of the flesh is enmity against God for it is not subject unto the Law of God neither can be Naturally our cogitations are darkened and wee strangers from the life of God through the ignorance that is in Ephes 4. 18. us Thus wee either know not that which is good or wee doe it not by reason of the weakenesse of our understanding Or otherwise wee know Gods Commandements and doe them not ob voluntatis defectum because our wils are defective our wils are readily carried unto lusts to fulfill them not to the commandements of God to obey them Video meliora proboque I see better Ovid. things ct I allow them quoth Medea We fulfill the lusts of the flesh and of the minde serving lusts and divers pleasures Vnderstanding Ephes 2. Tit. 33. and Will are the two subjects of true Wisedome in the one Knowledge in the other Affection cleaveth and sticketh and both are to be holpen by Grace the Vnderstanding without the Will is weake and profiteth not and the Will without it is blinde To know God and not to love him is very little and who can love him except hee know him Knowledge and Vnderstanding is the gate by which things at pleasure enter but wee must not stand in the gate wee must goe further for God respecteth not how much a man understandeth but how much hee loveth affectus subiugat and how much he subdueth his affections The Vnderstanding is to be enlightned the Will to be moved the Vnderstanding to be instructed the Will to be defended the Vnderstanding to be lightned by Faith the Will to be inflamed with love to trample tread all lust under the feete Hee that can overcome his lusts as Samson the Philistines with the jaw-bone of an Asse as David did Goliah Iudg. 13. 1 Sam. 18. with a sling he that can overcome this tower of Babylon pull downe these walles of Iericho hee shall see the goodnesse of the Lord Psal 27. in the land of the Living We talke of Christianity but it is true in the Land of the living wee talke of Christianity but it is true Mortification a signe of Iustification Christianity true manhood to master thy lusts For they that are Christs have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts This is Christianity indeed this is to professe to know God both in Gad. 5. 24. Tit. 1. 15. 2
So Christ doth regenerate and sanctifie us by the vertue of his Spirit quo homo Deus est as he is man and God not as he is man alone or as he is God alone and yet he doth not transferre his essence into us and therefore Osiander is much deceived The place of Paul quoted by him helpeth him nothing for we are the righteousnesse 2 Cor. 5. 21. of Christ ut ille fuit peccatum pro nobis as he was sinne for us but sinne was not really in Christ no more is Christs righteousnesse really in us but onely imputatively faith as the hand applyeth it unto us and flyeth into heaven and there maketh us partakers of his Sanctity Our faith wrastleth with God in heaven our charity wrastleth with men here below on earth both of them are exercised neither idle nor unfruitfull and therefore the Apostle joyneth Faith in Christ and love toward Col. 1. 4. all Saints together O Brethren how many bee there that can tell a smooth tale of Christ and yet cannot speak one wise word of Iustification and Sanctification and yet Peter requireth it of all Hence am I to derive an exhortation to all men to holinesse and sanctification seeing that Rahabs house was knowne by a Ios ◠Iudg. 11. Mat. 26. 2 Reg. 9. red thread and the Ephramites by lisping and Peter by speaking and Iehu by driving his Chariot So Christians are knowne by sanctification Every child of God is sanctified Secundum plus aut minus either more or lesse But first let me speake of the diverse acceptions of the word ne inpingamus ubi non est lapis lest we stumble where there is no stone 1. It is taken for that which is pure and perfect and cleane Levit. 19. 2. So God alone is said to be holy 2. It is taken for that which is lawfull as 1 Cor. 7. 14. The unbeleeving husband is sanctified by the wife and the unbeleeving wife is sanctified by the Husband else were your children uncleane but now they are holy 3. For that which is separated and set apart from common uses and reserved to sacred and holy uses Thus in the Law those things were called holy and sanctified which were taken from the common use of the people and set apart for the use and service of God as the Oyle Shew bread first fruits vessels of the Tabernacle In this sense the Priests were called holy because they were separate from the common life of men to serve in the Tabernacle Thus the people of Israel separated from the rest of the Nations were called by Moses a sanctified people to the Lord and by Ieremy a thing hallowed to the Lord. 4. For that which is consecrated to a godly and holy use Wee must bee holy because God is holy In which respect it is opposite to prophanenesse So the Temple was holy Ieremy was sanctified that is consecrated to be a Prophet So Christ sanctified himselfe that is dedicated himselfe to be a sacrifice for the sinnes of the world 5. It is taken for purity of body and minde as 2 Cor. 7. 5. So it is taken here And that wee should bee holy that is pure both in body and in minde it is the will and commandement of God Would you know his will and doe it that thou maist enter into heaven For not every one that saith Lord Lord shall enter into heaven but hee that doth the will of my Father which is in heaven then be holy For Mat. 7. 21. this is the will of God even your holinesse 1 Thes 4. 3. There be many reasons to move us to Sanctification to Holinesse whereof one is often used drawne from the person of God our Father that children must resemble their Father else are they Bastards rather than sonnes So reasoneth God Ye shall be holy for I the Lord your God am holy repeated by Peter As hee Levit. 19. 2. which hath called you is holy so be ye holy in all manner of conversation because it is written Be ye holy for I am holy All that is in God our Father is holy all that pertaineth to Gods name is holy Holy is his name His person is holy Hereupon the Seraphins cryed Luke 1. 49. one unto another and said Holy holy holy is the Lord of Hosts the whole world is full of his glory his workes are holy So saith David Esay 6. 3. The Lord is righteous in all his wayes and holy in all his Workes His Iudgements are holy O my God saith the Prophet in his distresse Psal 45. 17. I cryed by day but thou hearest not and by night but have no audience but thou art holy c. His Temple or House is holy so Psal 22. 1 2. saith Paul The Temple of God is holy which ye are His Mountaine is holy and therfore called A holy Mountaine His Kingdome is 1 Cor. 3. 17. holy for no uncleane thing shall enter his Kingdome neither whatsoever Psal 15. worketh abomination or lyes Therefore we must be holy if wee Apoc. 21. 27. looke to live with God Extra sunt Canes without bee dogges prophane and polluted persons Apoc. 22. 15. The same reason holdeth for holinesse that doth for mercy clemency love meeknesse and all other attributes of the Lord. Let mee reason as the Scripture reasoneth God is mercifull therefore wee must bee mercifull God forgiveth his enemies therefore we must forgive So reasoneth Christ himselfe Love your enemies blesse them that curse you doe good to them that hate you and pray for them that hurt you and persecute you that you may bee the Children of your Father which is in Heaven God is love therefore we must love So reasoneth Saint Iohn Beloved let us love one another 1 Iohn 4. 7 8. for love commeth of God and every one that loveth is born of God and knoweth God he that loveth not knoweth not God for God is love God is meek therfore we must be meek Learn of me saith Christ for I am meek c. So God is holy therefore we must be holy Mat. 11. 29. Another reason is taken from the end of our Redemption urged Holinesse the end of our Redemption without it wee shall not see God by the Apostle saying The grace of God that bringeth salvation to all men hath appeared and teacheth us that we should deny ungodlinesse and worldly lusts and that wee should live soberly righteously and holily in this present world Hath Christ sweat water and blood hath his heart beene molten like waxe his strength dryed up Tit. 2. 11 12. Psal 22. 14 15. like a potsheard hath his tongue cloven to his iawes and brought to the dust of the earth that wee should be wantons O caecas hominum mentes O pectora caeca nati sumus è silice nutriti lacte ferino O blinde mindes of men O blind hearts wee are borne of a flint-stone and nourished
did with Ieremy Qui loquuti sunt ampullas Ier. 11. 21. sesquipedalia verba which spake proud haughty great and stout words Let us reprove in love not as Saul who breathed Act. 8. out threatenings and slaughter against the Congregation of Christ but Let all things be done in love For love is like honey 1 Cor. 16. 14. in bitter broth and sugar in sowre wine it is like the Sunne unto the world and a candle unto the house a light for our journey a line for our life and a rule for our reprehensions Si diligis fac Aug. in Epi. Iohn quicquid vis If thou beest in love doe what thou wilt speake or be silent exhort and rebuke call or cry so it bee in love all is well But wee are like the dogges of Coriben wee speake not but barke and bite one at another Such were the men that Paul Phil. 3. 2. gives us warning of saying Beware of dogges beware of evill workers beware of concision The mother of Nero shewed him her wombe to move him but he unnaturally ript it up but the mother of the seven children shewed them her brests in token 2 Mach. 7. of love and they would not eate Swines flesh to dye for it Sic Bern. ministri proferant ubera non verbera so let Ministers shew their breasts not their battes Docendo non jubendo movendo potius quà m minando procedant let them proceed and goe forward in teaching not in commanding in monishing not in menacing Nam Aug. plus penetrant mollia quam aspera verba milde and gentle speeches doe more penetrate and pierce than tart and bitter As for example the milde zeale of Paul preaching before Agrippa perswaded Chrysost him almost to become a Christian They that goe about In Gods matters we must be diligent and zealous to perswade with roughnesse Quos volunt meliores plerumque faciunt deteriores whom they would amend and make better many times they marre and make worse Ministers must be like unto Paul and handle their people as he did the Philippians kindly Act. 26. 28. Aug. Phil. 4. and lovingly My brethren beloved and longed for my ioy and my Crowne they must strengthen the weake heale the sicke binde up the broken bring againe that which is driven away they must seeke up the lost and not rule with crueltie and rigour they must bee as the Pelicane that feedeth her yong with her heart bloud like the Eagle that carrieth her yong on her wings so much for the first reason Another reason drawne from Iude's person is taken from his paines He gave all diligence to write of Faith In Gods matters wee must be diligent like the Dromedaries of Aegypt like the wilde Asse used to the Wildernesse that snuffeth up the winde Ier. 2. 24. at her pleasure c. wee must bee swift as Hazael or the wilde Roe in the cause of God not creepe nor goe nor run but flye Wee must march on in Religion like Iehu in his Chariot swiftly and couragiously wee must be like the ships of Merchants that bee good under faile Esay compareth the Church unto Esa 60. 8. Doves Who are these that flye like a Cloud and as Doves to their Windowes Doves they flye swiftly and they flye in companies so should we in matters of Religion Demosthenes was ashamed if hee heard the Smiths hammer goe before hee read his booke in the morning Plus olei quà m vini expendisse dicitur hee wrote more than hee dranke If this diligence was in him for humane learning what should be in us for divine Knowledge It is said of Alphonsus King of Naples that hee read the Bible over fortie times in his life such paines did he take for Salvation and so diligent was hee in the worke of the Lord and so must wee Many for the goods of the World Rise early goe to bedde late eate the bread of carefulnesse Psal 127. Looke upon the covetous man hee runnes through thicke and thinne for gold the voluptuous he refuseth no paines in pursuing his pleasures Now this care must bee in the Church for the Religion and the worship of God Let us learne husbandry for our Soules from the husbands of our bodies they are diligent to provide for the body let us be as provident for our Soules let us say with the faithfull Wee o Lord have waited for thee in the way of thy Iudgements the desire of our Soule is to thy Name and to the remembrance of thee with my Soule have I desired thee in the Esa 26. 8 9. night and with my Spirit within mee will I seeke thee in the morning Wee must take all paines to doe the Church good Iewell said oportet Episcopum mori concionantem a Bishop must dye preaching Paul for the space of three yeeres ceased not to warne every one Act. 20. 31. night and day hee was as diligent in teaching as Iude was in writing and as diligent must wee be in reading and hearing like Most men more diligent in earthly than heavenly things the men that followed Christ into the Wildernesse and abode with him three dayes hearing him and eating nothing The Artificers left their trades the Chapmen their shops the Merchants their exchange the Mariners their nets the husbandmen their fields and vineyards yea blind Bartimaeus left his cloke Iohn 6. 2. to follow Christ and to heare him Salomon would have men labour for Wisedome as they doe for Silver and then they should have it If it concerne our profit or our pleasure Lord what paines will wee take Impiger extremos currit mercator ad Indos the unwearied Merchant runnes to the furthest Indies Againe as touching pleasure pernoctant venatores in nive pugiles cestibus contusi non ingemiscunt the Huntsmen sleepe in the Snow watch Tulli. in Tuscuk upon turffes though bruised they are not moved Onely for Faith wee will take no paines though Christ cry unto us Ho every one that thirsteth come unto the Waters and yee that have no mony Esa 55. 1. come buy and eate come I say buy wine and milke without silver and without money yet wee come not But to proceede why was Iude so carefull and earnest that hee gave all diligence to write unto them It was because he wrote to them of Salvation 〈◊〉 was it that carryed him into this heate as the Apostle said They could not but speake the things which Act. 4. 20. they had heard and seene So Iude gave all dilgence to write of Salvation which hee had heard and seene If a man had as many hands and pennes as Argus had eyes all were too little to write of Salvation the worthinesse and rarenesse of the Argument is such What a care had Paul of his Salvation it carried him away in such sort that hee said Behold I goe bound unto Ierusalem and know not what things shall come
Sabboth the Sacrifice and after tooke them away againe yee shall understand that hee gave them as figures and shadowes and therefore no mutability in the Lord The shadow must give place to the body the figure to the truth the greene blossome to the ripe fruit the seed time to the harvest So reasoneth Paul Let no man condemne you in meate and drinke or in respect of an Holy day or of the new Moone or of the Sabboths which are but a shadow of things to come but the bodie is in Christ The day-starre must give place to the Sunne-rising and that to the Sunne at Noone-day Chrysostome compareth Though types cease yet truth and substance remain ever the same the Iewes to a candle the Christians to the brightnesse of the Sunne The Iewes to the first draught of an Image in bare lines the Christians to the same Image filled up with all due proportion and furniture of colours the one to the seed-time Hom. 10. in Mat. Gal. 4. the other to the harvest and reaping of the Corne So Paul compareth the Iewes to a Child the Christians to a perfect man the same light though not in the same quantitie the same Image though not with like furniture the same corne though not growne to the like ripenesse the same person though not in the like perfection of age The Iewes note five things wanting in the Gospell and in the latter Temple that were in the first to disprove this that I have said First the fire that came downe from heaven to burne the Holocausts Secondly the glory of the Angells appearing among the Cherubins Thirdly the inspiration of Gods spirit speaking in the Prophets Fourthly the prefence of the Arke Lastly Vrim and Thummim But all this is nothing for there is now a fuller knowledge of God and greater liberty to the conscience yet the same faith still For the Fathers and we have all Col. 2. Ier. 23. 5. but one faith they beleeved that Christ should come according to Ieremies prophecie Behold the dayes come saith the Lord that I will raise unto David a righteous branch and a King shall raigne and prosper and shall execute iudgement and iustice in the earth We beleeve that he is come and that Christ our Passeover is sacrified for us 1 Cor. 5. 7. Esa 7. They said Virgo concipiet a maid shall conceive and bring forth a Sonne we say Virgo concepit a maide hath brought forth her Sâ—â—ne For when the dayes were accomplished that she should be delivered Luk. 2. 7. she brought forth her first begotten Sonne and wrapped him in swadling clothes and laid him in a Cratch They had sacrifices that prefigured his comming we have Sacraments that represent his comming Heb. 9. and being with us they and wee had but one light they had Lucem matutinam the moning light wee Lucem meridianam the light at noone-day Wee differ but In plus minus therefore saith Christ Blessed are the eyes that see the things that yee see Mat. 10. 24. For I tell you that many Prophets and Kings have desired to see the things that yee see and have not seene them and to heare those things that yee heare and have not heard them If any object that God giveth us daily new Paith new graces I answere that God giveth not a new a strange faith but addeth to our old faith to our old graces God increaseth faith and his graces in us but not a new a diverse faith like the Arrians that had Fidem annuam menstruam a yeerely and a monthly The Gospell immutable Traditions uncertain Faith For whom God loves hee loves to the end This also commendeth unto us the Gospell that whereas other Lawes and Doctrines are changed altered augmented and diminished Gods Law is not The Law of the Lord is perfect Iohn 13. 1. Psal 19. The Lawes of the Romanes written by Numa Pompilius in Gold The Lawes of the Athenians written by Draco in Bloud the Lawes of the Persians written in Brasse The Lawes of the Lacedemonians written in Milke were altered but Gods Lawes are not Quoad substantiam as concerning their substance Sed quoad maledictionem as concerning the curse 2 Cor. 3. All traditions therefore all Gospels of Thomas Nicodemus Thaddeus and the eternall Gospell invented in Saint Cyrils time by abusing the place in the Revelation which runneth thus I saw another Angel flying in the middest of Heaven having an Apoc. 14. 6. everlasting Gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the Earth c. must fall to the ground like the house built upon the sand as also all those Revelations of the Paraclete devised by Montanus together with all those that came after the giving of the Gospell which is perfect for ever and so perfect that If any man shall adde unto it God shall adde to him the plagues that are written in Apoc. 22. 18 19. the Booke and if any man shall diminish from the words of the Prophecie of Gods Booke God shall take away his part out of the Booke of Life and out of the holy Citie c. Let us not then adde nor diminish from the Gospell being so perfect for there is but one God one Faith one Baptisme one Christian Hope once revealed Ephes 4. for all But of the late Romish traditions which have entred long since the Gospell entred one may say to Rome as Esay said to Ierusalem Thy Gold is turned into Drosse thy Wine is mixed with Water thy Seede with Cockle thou wert sometime a faithfull Esay 1. City but now become an Harlot thou wert once the house of God but now turned into a cave of theeves Thou sayest that thou art rich and increased in wealth and standest in neede of nothing Apoc. 3. 17. but thou art poore and blind and naked as God said to the Church of Laodice poore and blind and naked indeed God give them hearts to understand and eyes to see their poverty and nakednesse But to passe with this heavenly Scripture as Moses did with the people to the land of Canaan Thirdly this Faith is given to the Saints By Saints hee meaneth the children of God truely converted not because they are perfectly holy and without sinne but in these foure respects First in respect of Separation for they they are elected and gathered out of this world and joyned to Gods people and dedicated to holy services and uses Secondly In respect of Vocation and therefore the Apostle The Saints the subiects of Faith and all Graces when hee said they were sanctified he said by explication that they were Saints by calling Thirdly In respect of Regeneration because they are now new creatures 1 Cor. 1. 2. And lastly In respect of Iustification or imputation because the holinesse and sanctity of Christ is imputed unto them For men may be Saints in this life For there are Saints in Earth as well as in Heaven
est causa discordiae mori possum tacere non possum If Truth bee the cause of our discord I may dye but I may not be silent Wee cannot but speake the things Act. 4. 20. wee have seene and heard But to come to the description of these Adversaries they are here described two wayes By their Life End By their Life they are described foure wayes First they creepe into the Church Secondly they be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 men without God Thirdly they bee Libertines Fourthly they are Blasphemers Denying God and Christ By their End also they be described they are ordained to Iudgement written in the blacke Booke not of Life but of Death But first they are described by their Life and they are said first to creepe into the Church The Greeke word signifieth a craftie entrance into the Church they come not in by the Doore Iohn 10. into the Sheepefold but clime up some other way they come not in the Day but in the night like theeves they are Woolves in Sheepes clothing Caterpillers to devoure the vineyard of Christ Mat. 24. they thrust in themselves like Iudas amongst the Apostles therfore the more to bee resisted for no enemy is so dangerous as a secret enemy It was not an open enemy quoth David that did defame mee for I could have borne it neither did my Adversary exalt Psal 55. 12 13. himselfe against me for I would have hidden mee from him but it was thou ô man even mine own companion and guide and my familiar They pray with us in one Church and dip their hand with us in one dish these creepers are the most dangerous hell-hounds above all others they have Butter in their mouths but Swords in their hearts A Dogge that barketh may bee prevented before hee bite and the serpent that hisseth before hee sting and the fire Satan assaults sometime by cruelty sometime by subtilty that smoketh before it burne so may a knowne enemy but a secret enemie a creeper is hard to prevent Satan prevaileth many wayes sometime as a Lion sometime as a Serpent sometime by force as a Lion as in Nero Domitian Trajane Vulerian sometime by fraud as a Serpent as in Herod in the Pharisees in Iulian the Apostata who corrupted by the faith more by lenitie and rewards than all the bloody persecutors did by the sword wherupon one distinguisheth of Divels and saith that some are blacke and some are white to teach that he hurteth not one way but many wayes he sheweth himselfe a blacke Divell when He goeth about like a roaring Lion seeking to devoure a white Divell 1 Pet. 5. 8. Luk. 4. 41. Act. 16. 17. when hee cried Thou art Christ the Sonne of God and againe hee shewed himselfe a white Divell when as he cried These men are the servants of the living God which shew untous in the way of salvatio meaning Paul and Silas But whether Divells be white or blacke yet they be Divells still yea and so much the more vile that they be Mat. 26. Mat. 7. 2 Cor. 11. 14. white For there is no kisse to the kisse of Iudas no woolfe to him that is clad in a Lambes skinne no teare to the teare of a Crocodile so no Divell to him that appeareth in the shape of an Angell Satan hath sore wounded the Church every by open tragicall persecutions as in the dayes of Christ Even among the cheefe John 12. 42. rulers many beleeved in him but because of the Pharisees they did not confesse him lest they should be excommunicate And in the ten persecutions Satan raged against the Church horribly but never so much as by inward enemies in the bosome of the Church For when the Officers that were sent to apprehend Christ told the Pharisies saying Never man spake as this man The Pharisees answered Are yee also deceived Doth any of the rulers or the Pharisees Iohn 7. 48. beleeve in him Christ had no greater enemies than the Church the Synagogue For who resisted him not Atheists but the Church the Scribes and Pharisees the expounders of the Law the friends of the Gospell Paul had more adoe with false Apostles than with the uncircumcised the infidells the Pagans Some would destroy the purity of majesty the Gospell by their eloquence some would bring in Iudaisme The subtle Gibeonites troubled Iosua more than the open Canaanites The Manichees did more hurt the Church than all heretikes and that under the colour of not marrying not eating of flesh not drinking of wine None will weep faster than a Crocodyle none will make a greater face of godlinesse than these hedge-creepers Ismael will Ier. 41. weep to Gedaliah Herod will bid the wise men seeke diligently for Christ and when they have found him to bring him word Mat. 2. that he may come and worship him The Herodians will salute Christ Mat. 22. with many goodly titles saying Master we know that thou art true and teachest the way of God truly for thou carest for no man thou considerest not the outward appearance of men c. Dalila will pretend all love to Sampson O I love thee Sampson The adversaries of Iuda Popery prevailes more by fraud than by force and Benjamin will say to Zorobabel and to the rest Wee will build with you wee will sacrifice with you but Ismael killed Godaliah Herod would have butchered Christ the Herodians tempted him Dalila betraied Sampson and the adversaries of Iuda would have pulled downe the Church and not built it up Such trees without Iudg. 15. Esder 4. fruit such eares without corne such nets without fish such lampes without oyle such clouds without raine shall perish As they have lived without feare so shall they did without hope as they have a body without an heart so have they a soule without God They in felle nequitiae even in the gall of bitternesse in the bond of iniquity and therefore they have neither part nor fellowship in Gods Kingdome To apply this to the present state of the Church Satan hath prevailed more in Popery by fraud than by force by creeping than by breaking in with a skaling ladder The first Romane Monarchie stood of unjustice maintained by armes and this latter of impietie maintained by fraud and hypocrisie Whose comming is by the working of Satan with all power and signes and lying 2 Thess ◠9 10. wonders and in all deceiveablenesse of unrighteousnesse The Popes Kingdome is not described by force and armes but by sleights and wiles by the names of women enchantments cups Apoc. 17. 19. fornications The beast representing the Romane Empire had the hornes of a Lambe and the mouth of a dragon In all the Kingdome of Popery in Pope Cardinals Bishops Monks Friers Nunnes what was there but hypocrisie How deceived they the world with their Prayers Almes Fastings Crossings Greasings Purgatory Auricular confessions Trentas Dirges Masses Prayer for the dead going
divine power have yee not heard it hath it not beene told you from the beginning have yee not understood it by the foundation of the Earth Hee sitteth upon the circle of the Earth and the inhabitants thereof are as Grasse-hoppers he stretcheth out the Heavens as a curtaine and spreadeth them out as a Tent to dwell in And Salomon reasoneth thus Who hath ascended up to Heaven and descended who hath gathered the Wind in his Prov. 30. 4. fist who hath bound the Waters in a garment who hath established all the ends of the World what is his name or his Sonnes name if thou canst tell And God reasoning with Iob saith Where wast thou when Job 38. 4 5 6. 8. I layd the foundations of the Earth declare if thou hast understanding who hath layd the measures thereof if thou knowest or who hath stretched the line over it whereupon are the foundations thereof set or who hath layd the corner-stone thereof or who hath shut up the Sea with doores When it issued and come forth out of the Wombe c. The world is Schola Dei the Heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament sheweth his handy worke And the Apostle affirmeth Psal 19. 1. that God left not himselfe without witnesse in that hee did good and gave us raine from Heaven and fruitfull seasons filling our hearts with food and gladnesse O every showre of raine is a Preacher and tels us there is a God Note this that nothing was made of it selfe nor for it selfe but for another The Heavens we see doe serve the Ayre the Ayre serveth the Earth the Earth the Beasts the Beasts serve Man Man therefore not made of himselfe was made to serve another which can bee no other but God The Lord hath made all things for his owne sake If all things therefore Man which Pro. 16. 4. confuteth Atheisme Againe it is an arrow yea a hammer against Atheisme that all men have a conscience of sinne and are affraid of it Conscience is a witnesse either with us or against us either to excuse us or accuse us It beareth witnesse of what of secret particular actions Against whom against thy selfe To whom to God seeing neither men nor Angels know the secrets of thy heart Let all Atheists barke against the God-head as long as they will Intùs est vermis qui illos mordet within there is a worme that gnaweth them In that men are afraid and ashamed of sinne it argueth that there is a God we see that all creatures purge themselves of their corruption The Sea her froth the water her skumme the earth her vapours the birds their feathers the wine his lees the fire his smoke the oile his some Man therfore that would avoid his sinne and be rid of it hath a conscience of God and proveth there is a God But alas Religion beggeth in these dayes Probitas laudatur alget our religion is in imagination not in faith in opinion not in judgement in the braine not in the heart in word not in deed and effect They professe they know God but inwardly in their works they doe denie him being abominable disobedient and unto every Few truly religious but many Epicures and Atheists good worke reprobate they have a shew of godlinesse but have denyed the power thereof O vile times the worst that have beene ever since the creation of the world and if these dayes should not be shortned no flesh should be saved but for the Elects sake God hath shortned them We Tit. 1. 16. 2 Tim. 3. 5. Mat. 24. 22. Esa 58. 1. 1 Reg. 19. Mar. 3. had need crie aloud and not spare lift up our voices like trumpets For ordinary speaking hath no proportion with extraordinary sinning We cannot come to you as God came to Elias in a still wind in a soft voice we must have Stentors voice be like Iames and Iohn the sonnes of thunder The Heathen said of their infidels Plus amant bovem quā Iovem they love the oxe more than Iupiter we may say of many Christians Plus amant coenam quam coelum cibum quam Christum they love more their supper than heaven more their meat than Christ they be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 like lapwings that delight in dung like Vespatian who took a tribute of urine Many nations have lived without cloaths without King without armour but never any without God as Tullie said Nulla gens tamfera tamimmanis c. never nation was so wilde so cruell so barbarous but have acknowledged and confessed that there was a God Neere the river Ganges in India be men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without mouthes that live by the sent of flowers among us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 men without hearts that beleeve nothing Socrates said Hoc scio quod nihil scio I know this that I know nothing and they hoc credo quod nihil credo I beleeve this that I beleeve nothing they have set downe their rest Non esse Deum non esse daemonem non esse coelum non esse infernum there is no God there is no divell there is no heaven there is no hell and therefore they say Our life is short and tedious and in the death of a man there is no recovery neither was any knowne that have returned Wisd 2. 1 2 3. 4 5. from the grave wee are borne at all adventure and wee shall be hereafter as though we had never beene for the breath is as smoake in our nosthrills and the words as a sparke raised out of the heart which being extinguished the body is turned to ashes and the spirit vanisheth as in the soft ayre c. Come therefore let us enjoy the pleasures that are present c. These wilde Bores roote up the Lords vineyard these Foxes destroy the grapes these Ionas's trouble the ship of England For Christs Psal 80. 13 14. Church is Christs ship tossed with waves but let us runne with the Apostles and awake our Saviour that hee may hurle out Mat. 14. these Ionas's Thirdly the wicked are here described by their carnalitie and libertie they turne grace into wantonnesse for ungodlinesse hath two branches iniquitie in life and manners and impuritie in religion of the first he saith They turne grace into wantonnesse of the second it is said that they denied God and Christ Iesus Of the Act. 6. Rom. 8. first sort were the Libertines that disputed with Steven Paul had to doe with such hereticks vile men that said faciamus mala ut inde veniat bonum Let us doe evill that good may good come thereof Gods grace ought to lead to repentance Or let us be evill that God may be good let us commit iniquitie that Gods glorie may bee revealed let sinne abound that grace may superabound But their judgement is just and their damnation sleepeth not such are all presumptuous sinners Rom. 6. 1. that will sinne of purpose
of men and yet no cause of that evill Another useth this Simile That as in cutting with a bad knife the cutting is of my selfe but the evill cutting is of the knife So the action is of God but the evill of the action is of our selves Augustine affirmeth Deum per malos agere Lipsius August in Enchiridion ad Laurentium that God worketh by evill men Deus enim inquit ille jussit Shemei Davidimaledicere for God saith he commanded Shemei to curse David Againe he saith In peccato peccatoris nihil esse positivum sed privativum In the sin of a sinner nothing is positive but privative So God is said to make blind whom he inlightneth not to harden whom he softeneth not and to reprobate whom he calleth not effectually But I will conclude this point with the saying of two worthy men Augustine and Fulgentius Augustine The causes of Reprobation are hidden but iust saith thus Deus operatur in cordibus hominum ad inclinandas voluntates eorum quocunque vult sive ad bona pro sua misericordia sive ad mala pro ipsorum meritis God worketh in the hearts of men to incline their wils to whatsoever hee will either to good things by his mercy or to evill by their deserts And Fulgentius saith thus Deus licet author non sit malarum cogitationum ordinator est tamen malarum voluntatum de malo opere cujuslibet mali non desinit ipse bonum operari Although God be not the Author of evill cogitations yet is hee the orderer of evill wils and of the evill worke of every evill man hee ceaseth not to worke a good worke Beza hath three Aphorismes against Castellio Primùm causas reprobationis esse à nobis absconditas sed tamen justas alioquin judicium esset penes lutum non penes figulum First the causes of reprobation are hid from us yet they bee just otherwise the judgement were in the power of Clay not of the Potter Secondly Deum non simpliciter creare quenquam ad exitium that God not simply hath created any to destruction but the causes 1 Hosca 13. 2 Pet. 2. of destruction are of himselfe Perditio tua ex te O Israel thy destruction is of thy selfe O Israel and the Apostle saith that the wicked perish through their owne corruption Thirdly Deum non spectare reproborum exitium ut ultimum finem sed gloriam suam quae in eorum justa condemnatione lucet that God beholdeth not the destruction of the wicked as the last end but his glory which shineth most brightly in their condemnation As Salomon saith The Lord hath made all things for his glory even the wicked for the day of evill So that the justice of God shall appeare to his glory even in the destruction of the wicked The second opinion is of them Qui dicunt Deum omnia permittere sed non velle which say that God permits and suffers all things but hee willeth not all things but God saith that it is his will and that nothing is done without his will Our God saith Psal 115. 3. Psal 135. 6. David is in heaven hee doth whatsoever hee will No impediment can let his worke but hee useth even the impediments to serve his will And whatsoever hee willeth that doth hee in Heaven and in Earth in the Sea and in all deepe places That appeareth in the affliction of Iob Satan envied Iob and the Chaldees robbed him Iob 1. 1 Reg. 22. yet Iob said Dominus dedit dominus abstulit the Lord hath given and the Lord hath taken away In the deceiving of Achab the Divell is sent of God to bee a lying spirit in the mouthes of the foure hundred Prophets Si ista execatio est Dei nudum permissionis figmentum evanescit If this execation bee the judgement of God this bare and naked figment of permission must vanish as smoke and as the untimely fruit of a woman An earthen pitcher shall drive away the Madianites Trumpets of Rammes hornes shall blow downe the wals of Iericho a peble stone shall God worketh by evill men and not in them overthrow the great Goliah that is the scripture shall overthrow the conceit the imagination and fiction of bare permission As Iael with one nayle stroke Sisera to the ground so will I with one example beate downe the paper-wals of this opinion Absalom defiled his fathers bed and committed a notable villany yet God calleth it his worke Verba enim Dei sunt they are Gods owne words Tufecisti occultè ego vero palam coram 2 Sam. 16. hoc Sole thou hast done it secretly but I openly before this Sun To strengthen this for Vis unita fortior The Iewes Pilate Herod crucified Christ yet the Apostle said that they did nothing but that which the hand and counsell of God had decreed And yet againe Act. 4. that a threefold cable may not easily bee broken the Ier. 5 cruelty of the Chaldees in Iudaea Ieremy calleth the worke of God In which since Nebuchadnezzar is called Servus Dei the servant of God and God calleth the King of Assyria the rod of his wrath Esa 10. I doe but crop some few examples of millions and infinite that might bee alleaged Nothing is clearer than these speeches that God blindeth men that he giveth them the spirit of slumber Esa 29. Exod. 9. Rom. 1. 28. that hee hardeneth their hearts and so is hee said to have hardned Pharoahs heart and to give men up into a reprobate sense And of the inhabiters of Canaan Moses said that God hardneth their hearts to fight against the Church And Paul calleth the wisedome of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 These bee not matters of reason but of faith Et ubi fides incipit ratio desinit where Ios 11. Ephes 3. 10. Ambr. faith beginneth reason endeth But I answere with Calvin that though God willeth all things yet hee neither commandeth nor compelleth the wicked Though God would revenge the Adultery of David by the Incest of Absalom yet God neither commanded nor compelled him which freeth God The third opinion is of them that say all things come to passe by Gods providence that our actions as they proceed from God are just and as they come of our selves unjust Hereupon Beza distinguisheth thus Deum agere in bonis per bonos that God worketh in good men and by good men Per malos vero 1 parte quaesâ—ionum agere at non in malis and that hee worketh by evill men but not in evill men In his enim duntaxat agit quos spiritu suoregit Hee worketh in them onely whom he ruleth by his spirit In malis igitur non agit aliquid hee worketh not therefore in evill men Ephes 2. 2. for Satan not God worketh in them And Master Calvin against the Libertines produceth two exceptions Primò sic Deum agere periniquos
up thy Dan. 5. 2. 22. selfe against the Lord of heaven c. And so a number that see the judgement of God upon their fathers and friends and yet they come not their owne hearts and say with David It is I that have sinned and my fathers house and what have these sheepe done let thy 2 Sam. 24. 17. hand be upon mee and my fathers house and not upon this people The fall of Adam was the juster in that he tooke no heed by the fall of Angels The sinne of the old world was the greater they saw Gen. 8. and heard both of the fall of Angels and of the fall of Adam and yet these examples could not make them beware Thus Paul reasoned with the Romanes for that they learned not by the example of the Iewes he calleth them to a second view of it Behold saith hee the bountifulnesse and the severity of God towards them which have fallen severity but towards thee bountifulnesse if Rom. 11. 22. thou continue in this bountifulnesse or else thou shalt be cut off This is the end of all Scripture to apply examples and doctrines to us for the increase of knowledge and conscience Thus Absalom is an example to all rebels how they lay their hands on the Lords 2 Sam. 17. 2 Sam. 15 Acts 5. 2 Pet. 2. 2 Reg. 9. annointed Achitophel to all bad counsellors Ananias to all lyers Herod to all persecutors Balaam to all greedy wretches Iezâ—bel to all proud women Therefore Moses upbraideth Israel that they seeing the examples of them that worshipped Baal-peor yet runne into the same sin he maketh them stocks blocks beasts without eyes saying The Lord hath not given you an heart to perceive and eyes to see and eares to heare unto this day Deut. 29. 4. To apply this Hath France been plagued so that their channels have overflowed with blood not with water Hath God plagued Flanders that their children be fatherlesse their wives widdowes their houses turned over unto strangers their lands to aliens hath Germany been grieved Scotland distressed and we regard it not we are blinder than Pharoah and more beasts than Nebuchadnezzar To tame a Lion they use to beat a little dogge before him So to tame us of a Lion-like nature God hathbeaten France Flanders Germany c. Tune tua res agitur paries cum proximus ardet O England looke unto thy selfe end let thy neighbours fire make Examples not regarded aggravate punishment thee take heede of approching flames As God said of Babell Come downe and sit in the dust so virgin daughter Babel c. So say I Come downe and sit in the duste o virgin daughter England There is no throne o daughter of the Chaldeans For thou shalt no more be Esa 47. 1. called tender and delicate Take the milstones and grinde meale lose thy locks make bare thy feete uncover thy legges passe thorow the flouds Thy filthynes is discovered and thy shame shal beseen Thou shalt no more be called the mother of kingdomes Lay thy hand therfore O virgin daughter England upon thy heart repent of thy sinnes and God will repent of his plagues turne away from thy sinnes and God wil turne his face from thy sinnes and blot out all thy misdeeds And thus much being spoken as touching the end of Sodomes punishment I come now unto the punishment it selfe and that is double First fire Secondly Eternall fire But first fire For among the judgements of God fire ever hath beene a principall We use to say that fire and water have no mercy and it is so therefore when God would punish notorious sinnes he plagued them with fire When the uncleane lusts of Sodome cried up to heaven The Lord rained fire and brimstone from Gen. 19. the Lord out of Heaven upon them and destroied them When Israell lusted after flesh God sent fire into the host which burnt amongst Numb 11. 1. them and consumed the utmost part of the Host When the Captaines of Ahaziah came prowdly against Elisha the man of God they 2 Reg. 1. and their Fifties were consumed with fire The two notable whoremongers of Iuda were burnt with fire in so much as it Luk. 9. grew to a proverbe in Iuda The Lord make thee like Zedekiah and Gen. 6. like Abab whom the King of Babell burnt in the fire The Samaritans refusing to lodg the Lord Iesus the Apostles would have prayed 2 Pet. 3. for fire to come from heaven to destroy them When Christ Iesus will come to judgement he will come in fire Once the world was drowned and then it shal be burned For The heavens shall passe in manner of a tempest the Elementes shall melt for servent heat the earth Mat. 25. 41. and all that is therupon shall burne And when he will judge the 2 Thess 1. 8. world to a certaine set punishment it is to fire Goe yee cursed into everlasting fire This is the punishment of the damned For when the Lord shall shew himselfe from heaven with his mighty Angels In flaming fire they shal be throwen into a burning Lake The paines of hell are described many wayes they are called Vermis conscientiae a worme of Conscience Tenebrae exteriores utter Mar. 9. 4. Mat. 22. 13 Apoc. 20. Luk. 6. 25. Mat. 25. 41. 2 Thes 1. 8. Esa 30. Apoc. 19. darkenesse Secunda mors the second death fletus stridor dentium weepings and gnashing of teeth the place of Divels losse of Gods presence want of his countenance Tophet and the vallie of mourning but chiefly fire and the burning lake O what an horror is it ever to feele a gnawing worme ever to lie in darknesse to see death ever to weepe and gnash our teeth to be among Divels to fry in fire But as the Poet unable to se out the sorrowes of Niobe Fire fearefull hell fire more fearefull was driven to wrappe up her heade in a cloud so words fayle me you cannot heare it my tongue cannot expresse it all our hearts cannot comprehend it the paines of hell are unspeakeable as the joyes of heaven are incomprehensible As the one cannot be 1 Cor. 2. 8. perceived by the eye nor received by the eare nor conceived by the heart no more can the other If a man were in the fire an hower He would give a hundred thousand pound to come out of it and yet our fire is no more to hell fire than a painted fire is to our fire Horresco referens I tremble I quake rehearsing it Tremble o tremble yee blaspemers that tosse Gods name like to a tennis balle The flying booke of Gods vengeance which is Zach. 5. 1. 2. 3. twenty cubites long and tenne cubites broad wherein is written Ier. 5. 8. 9. the curse that goeth forth oyer the whole earth will seize upon them and cut them of on this side and on that Tremble yee whoremongers which like stoned
earth Ezech. 22. 14. shall tremble before him All faces shall gather blackenesse the earth shall tremble before him the heavens shall shake the Sun and the Moone Ioel 2. 6. 10. shall be darkned and the starres shall withdraw their shining If a Barne were full of Corne having tenne thousand quarters of wheate in it and a bird should every yeere carry away one kirnel in her neb it would have an end at last If a Mountaine were twenty miles high and but one shovell full of earth in a yeere taken from it in time it would deminish and come to nothing but hell deminisheth not there is no end of it When the wicked have beene frying in hell so many hundred yeeres as there be piles of grasse growing upon the face of the earth nay so many thousand yeeres as there be sands or drops of water in God usually proportions punishment to sinne the Sea nay so many million of yeeres as there be creatures in heaven and in earth yet are they as farre from being delivered out of the captivity of hell as they were the first day of their entrance I say therefore of Gods judgements as Paul said of Gods wisedome O alitudo O the depth of the riches both of the wisedome and knowledge of God! O the depth of the justice and judgements of God how unsearchable are his judgements and his wayes past finding out Now the very Papists make foure places of torment 1. Infernum Hell 2. Purgatorium Purgatory 3. Limbum puerorum non baptizatorum A place where were children that dye without baptisme and 4. Limbum patrum A place where the Fathers were Now saw they Christ never descended into Hell to deliver any from thence but he brought the Fathers E limbo patrum in his passion for in hell there is no redemption Sermones discipuli Ser. 156. By the way note that as the Sodomites burned in the fire of uncleane lust so God burned them with the fire of his vengeance Poena saepe peccato respondet the punishment is oftentrmes answerable to the sinne committed and done God punisheth men Aug. according to the quality of their sinnes The Philistines adored 1 Sam. 5. Mice and rattes so they were plagued with mice and rattes And as they drew the arke out of his boundes so God drew their intrales out of their course And as Ieroboam overthrew Gods worship in one Altar erected at Ierusalem So God overthrew his 1 Reg. 13. Altar at Bethel And as he restrayned the hands of Israel to offer to the true God but to his golden Calves so his hand dried up God punisheth drunkards with dropsies and then Woe to the Crowne of pride the drunkards of Ephraim And he punisheth the Esa 28. 1. covetous men with theeves who spoise them as they have spoiled Cap. 30. And he punisheth the adulterers with pox and such like evills For the Adulterer many tymes carieth a body to the grave full of maladies and a soule to hell to eternall fire full of iniquities and he punisheth Tyrants by men as bloody as themselves and thus he punished Adonizedeck For he had cut off the fingers and toes of many kings at last his owne fingers and toes were Iudg. 1. cut off For With what measure we mete to others the same shall be measured to us againe The howse of valois having druncke blood voided blood and of English persecuters died many strangely oh then let us take heed how we offend For God will come in judgement he will be a swift witnesse and a sharpe Iudge against vs as here against the Sodomites who were not only destroied with fire and brimstone from Heaven temporally but also suffer the vengeance of eternall fire And this example of Gods vengeance is so famous that it is recorded by most writers both prophane and divine Among prophane Solinus Cornelius Tacitus Strabo Stephanus Pliny Aristotle have written of it Among divine Moses Deut 29. and Esay cap 1. Sodome not punished alone but those that partooke with her and 13. Ieremy also cap. 23. and 44. Ezekiel in like manner writeth of it as it appeareth cap. 16. Amos in his fourth chapter Sophany in his second chapter and the Lord Iesus in the 16. of Mathew mentioneth it and so also doth S. Paul Rom. 9. and S. Peter in his second Epistle and second chapter and S. Iohn in the 11. of the Apocalips Let us therfore make profit and Clense our selves 2 Cor. 7. 1. of all filthynes of the flesh and spirit lest we also suffer The vengeance of eternall fire And further observe with me that not only Sodome was destroied and suffered the vengeance of eternall fire but many Cities besides Moses Deut. 29. and the Prophet Hosea cap 11. besides Sodome nameth 3. Citties more Gomorra Zeboim Admah and unto these some other writers ad Phagor so that five Cities suffred the vengeance of eternall fire Egesippus and Stephanus say that 10. Cities were destroied and some say 13. Iosephus Tertullian Augustine and others write that the aire there is so infectious that if a bird flieth over it it dieth presently and that no creature can live there and the apples and other fruite that grow there howsoever they seeme pleasant unto the eye yet if you do but touch them they fall to Cinder and ashes The summe of all is to admonish us not to follow strang flesh as they did But to keep our vessels in holynesse and not in the lust of concupiscence As Sodome and Gomor 1 Thess 4. And the Cities about them did lest God destroy vs with fire as hee did them and lest we suffer The vengeance of eternall fire as they doe And now brethren you looke that I should say some thing as touching the fearefull accident of fire that since my last being in this chaire of Moses have happened among you and hath burnt up and consumed not an house or two but almost your whole towne and that no small towne but the chiefest and the greatest in these parts being the chiefest mart towne in all the hundred as the Lord hath come to Dereham and Aylisham Beckles and other neighbour townes so now at the last hee is come to you your sinnes have brought downe this judgement of God upon you therefore Washe you make you Esa 1. 16. 17. cleane put away your evill intents from before God cease from doing evill learne to doe well otherwise the Lords hand wil be Amoâ— 3. stretched out still against you and doe not thincke that this fire came by chance For There is no evill done in the City but the Lord doth it himselfe And note the providence of God that the Psal 118. Lament 2. 1. doctrine of burning of Sodome should be now handled when this fearefull judgement of fire fell upon you This is the Lord doing and it is marveilous in our eyes As David speaketh in another case As The Lord
hold of Hell And Chrysostome saith Vncleanenes harply eschew ed wee have so many motives to it Quid moecharis quid semen jaces in aquas unde nihil es messurus aut si metes ad ignominiam futures est fructus Ex adulterio enim nascitur Nothus qui te vivo carebit honore te mortuo extabit ad ignominiam monumentum Why doest thou commit adultery Why doest thou cast thy seed upon the waters where nothing is to bee reaped Serm. de non sectando concupiscentias carnis or if thou reapest any thing the fruit will turne to thy ignominy and dishonour A Bastard is borne of Adultery who as long as thou livest will deprive thee of honour and being dead hee shall be as a monument erected to thy reproach and infamy And as some say it shall bee a fire brand in Hel to burne the parents Quot nothi tot taedae ardentes in inferno ad comburendum parentes How many Bastards so many burning torches to burne the parents in Hell Bernard goeth further Qui scortum osculatur pulsat inquit inferni januam Hee that Bern. kisseth or imbraceth an harlot rappeth and knocketh at Hell gates to bee let in For her feet goe downe to death and her steps Prov. 5. 5. take hold of Hell Moechus Vt Sus plus amat lutum quà m lectum Eburnium The Adulterer loveth to wallow in the dirt and clay more than in a bedde of Ivorie hee burneth Apoc. 21. 8. in the fire of Leachery and hee shall burne in Hell fire Now because this temptation of uncleanenesse is one of the strongest in the world and most hardly resisted under Heaven the enemy that wee carry in our bosome being so strong that is Lust and our flesh so weake to resist it Mat. 26. 41. Gen. 3. Chrysostome cryeth out against all Adulterous Women and saith that the adulterous Woman is Acutum telum diaboli the sharpe dart of the Divell Per mulierem Adamus foelicissimus 2 Sam. 11. 1 Reg. 11. Iudg. 15. Mat. 14. perdidit Paradisum per mulierem David piissimus homicidium perpetravit per mulierem Salomon prudentissimus in idolatriam incidit per eam fortissimus Sampson vinctus est per eam mundi lucerna Iohannes Baptista decollatur By a Woman Adam the happiest lost Paradise by a Woman David the holiest perpetrated Murder by a Woman Salomon the wisest fell to Idolatry by a Woman Sampson the strongest was fettered and bound and by a Woman the light of the World John the Baptist was decollated beheaded I speake onely against wicked Women For good Women shall bee Heires with men of the grace of life and shall see thee goodnesse of the Lord in the Land of the Living To conclude this point let us learne to keepe our vessels in holinesse and not to bee of the number of the defilers of 1 Tim. 2. 15. the flesh as bee Whoremongers Adulterers Fornicators Wantons c. and let us shunne the occasion of this sinne which is surfetting and drunkennesse For Sine Cerere Baccho friget Venus without Corne and Wine Venus starveth and where Ceres and Bacchus is there Venus reigneth And take idlenesse Surfeting and drunkennesse occasion of Whoredome away and Cupids bow will soone decay Let us make a Covenant with our eyes as Iob did Let us meditate upon the Word of God which is a forcible meane against this sinne It shall keepe us from the bad Woman which flattereth Iob. 31. Prov. 6. 22. 24. with her lips forsaketh the husband of her youth and breaketh the Covenant of thy God THE SEVENTEENTH SERMON VERS VIII And despise government and speake evill of them that are in authoritie The Divell the first rebell and author of all rebellion THis is the third vice objected against the wicked They despise government A vice objected to the like men by Saint Peter who seemeth to have drawne his water from this fountaine and his words from this Apostle hee saith The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation 2 Pet. 2. 9 10. and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgement to bee punished and chiefely them that walke after the flesh in the lusts of uncleanenesse and despise governement These men as they rebell against God like the old Giants 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So they resist man ordained of God Gen. 11. Luke 8. they are like the unrighteous Iudge that neither cared for God nor man And no marvell For the Divell their master-head Captaine and father rose against God and cast off his obedience whereupon Paul calleth pride the sinne of the Divell noting both 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Reatum condemnationem The guilt and the 1 Tim. 36. punishment Thus hee set upon Christ For being come unto him he said If thou bee the Sonne of God command these stones to bee made bread Thus hee warred with Michael and his Angels I saw saith Iohn a great battell in Heaven Michael and his Angels fought Christ and his Apostles taught and preached obedience to heathenish Princes with the Dragon and the Dragon and his Angels fought and prevailed not He is the Dragon that opened his mouth To blaspheme against God to blaspheme his name and his Tabernacle and they that dwell in heaven He is the beast that shall goe out To deceive the people which are in the foure quarters of the earth even Gog and Magog to gather them together to battell whose number is as the sand of the Apoc. 12. 7 Apoc. 13. 6. Cap. 28. 8. Iohn 8. 44. Sea As Christ said of the Pharisees that they were like their father the divell in lying So say I of the wicked that they are like their father in rebellion hee inspired them with the spirit of pride and rebellion For he worketh in them It was well said of Samuel Hath the Lord as great pleasure in burnt offrings and sacrifice as when the voyce of the Lord is obeyed Behold to obey is better than sacrifice Ephes 2. 2. 1 Sam. 15. 22. 23. and to hearken is better than the fat of rammes but rebellion is as the sinne of witchcraft and transgression is wickednesse and idolatry which words may extend aswell to the civill as celestiall government I know that obedience to God is obedience to man and on the contrary disobedience to God disobedience to man haec tamen conjungi magis quà m confundi velim quoth Calvin I had rather conjoyne these than confound them Calvin The Lord Iesus performed all obedience to Rulers even then when they were heathen and knew not God note his precept note his practise note both his precept was Da Caesari give to Caesar the things that are Caesars and unto God the things that are Mat. 22. 21. Gods his practise was that he paid to Caesar tribute and to that end willed Peter to goe to the
〈◊〉 misery but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 good order is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 prosperity then Kingdomes flourish All the villanies and iniquities of Israel are imputed to this Non erat Rex there was no King Iudg. 19. 21. in Israel Magistrates have a sparke of Gods Majesty in them or rather a reflexion of a sparke of Gods power and so extensive are called Gods I have said that ye are Gods and that ye all are the children Psal 82. 1. of the most highest They be Gods 1. by Analogie 2. By Deputation 3. By Participation First by Analogie for as God hath his seate of judgement in Heaven so these their tribunals and judiciall thrones wherein to judge the actions of men Tanquam in hoc Deum imitantes as Theodor. in Psal 81. it were imitating God in this and their authority though it be not transcendent yet without controll of any save of the Rex Regum the King of Kings Secondly they be Gods by deputation Ye judge not for men but for the Lord saith Iehosaphat The judgement is Gods saith Moses 2 Chro. 19. 8. Magistrates are his mouthes to pronounce and his hands to Anabaptists and Papists enemies to magistratâ—y execute it Thirdly Gods by Participation because God dealeth with them as Kings and Princes doe with their children to whom they communicate some part of their glory Participando sunt Aug. dii they bee Gods in participating with God As Starres participate their light from the Sunne the primum lucidum So these their authoritie from the supreame Majestie God hath two hands by the one he governeth in the common-wealth the other in the Church by the one he reacheth good things unto the body by the other to the soules that is by magistrates ministers By some magistrates he reacheth peace by some wealth by some order by some Iustice by some Mercy For the magistrate is like the frog called Borexo which hath two Livers one for poyson the other for treacle So the magistrates hath two hands one for justice the other for mercy his song is of mercy and judgement habet poenam proemium Vt apis habet mel Psal 101. 1. aculeum He hath punishment and reward as the Bee hath both hony and a sting But to speake properly magistrates are fingers of that great hand that ruleth the World yet some thinke the magistracy began in Lucifer for which they quote Esai 14. Esa 14. And that it was seconded by the Giants in Gen. 6. and continued by Nimrod that mighty Hunter and inlarged by the Gen. 6. cap. 10. 11. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Fighters against God that builded the tower of Babel But it is evident to all the World that it came from God who governed his owne people sometimes by Prophets as by Moses and Aaron For hee led his people like sheepe by the hands of Moses and Aaron Sometime by Iudges that foure hundred thirty Psal 77. 20. yeeres together sometime by Kings sometime by Princes Act. 13. 1 Sam. 1. 11. 1 Pet. 2. 17. Rom. 13. 1. as after the captivity And Saint Peter saith Honour all men love brotherly fellowship feare God and honour the King For the powers that are are ordered and ordained of God and There is no power but of God sivè jubente sivè sinente quoth Augustine by Aug. contra â—auâ—â—um maâ—â—â—haeum libro cap. 7. Gods either commission or permission the persons sometime are intruders as in case of Vsurpation somtime abusers of their authoritie as when they Tyrannize but the powers themselves have God for their Author Saint Peter indeed cals them Humane ordinances but he speaketh of the severall formes not of the substance of governement 1 Pet. 2. 13. But to let all this goe here I am to deale with two sorts of men that be enemies to magistrates and as I may say Despise governement the one the Anabaptist the other the Papists For these two hell-hounds joyne together against the Magistrate like Sampsons Foxes that were tyed by the tailes and burnt up the corne of the Philistines Like the two shee-beares that came out of the wood and devoured the children of Bethel like Ephraim and Manasses against Iuda like Herod and Pilate against Christ And no marvaile For these two like the Edomites The manifold benefits that come to the Church by magistracy and Babylonions shake hands in many sinnes The Anabaptist despise the Word flying to Revelations The Papist condemne it as insufficient sending us to Tradition For the Iewes had their Thalmud the Turkes their Alcoran the Anabaptist Iudg. 15. 2 Reg. 2. Esa 9 Mat. 26. 2 Tim. 3. 16. Revelations the Papist Traditions the Protestants Scripture The Anabaptist rejecteth Baptisme utterly the Papist defileth it with Grease Creame Oyle the Anabaptist denieth the whole supper of the Lord the Papist mingleth it giving but the halfe onely unto the people The Anabaptist denieth all Magistracy the Papist subjecteth it to the Pope The Anabaptist object that the Kings of Iuda were figures of Christ and therefore now ceased Which is true in part for in part they were shadows figures but yet they were more than figures For the Levitical Priest-hood took Hebr. 9. an end but the Political government hath no end For the office of Kings is established Honor the King saith the Apostle and Paul reckoning 1 Pet. 2. 13. 1 Cor. 12. 28. up the gifts of God for the right ordering of the Church in the New Testament mentioneth Governmentes that is gifts of government Rom. 13. 4. The title of Magistrates is to be Ministers of God their end use the good of the Church Pauls counsel is to pray for Kings and those in authority that they may bee converted Withall he intimates the good uses flowing from their conversion Peace Honesty Godlinesse to the people of God their governement therefore is not to be despised To conclude this point it is promised as a blessing to the Church of the New Testament that shee should have Kings her nursing fathers and Queenes her nursing mothers And at the conuersion of Constantine to Christianity this promise was accomplished and never before except to sucke the bloud of the Church were to bee nurses unto the Church It remaines then that magistracy hath Gods ordinance to commend it to the perpetuall use of the Church and Common-wealth unto the end of the World But to proceed still with these Anabaptists they condemne the sword utterly and thinke Excommunication to be the last punishment that can be in a Christian Church Which is true in respect of God and the soule but not in respect of men and their bodies 1 Cor. 5. 5. Esra 10. For one man was punished both by losse of goods civilly and by separation from the congregation Which was spirituall The Magistrate may punish him who despiseth the censure of the 1 Pet. 2. 14. Rom. 13. 4.
but to draw the party to remembrance And so there is place left in the Church as well for Cursing as Blessing for rough as for milde speech so that Gods glory bee sought in the suppression of sinne Vt omne os obstruatur that every mouth may be stopped and that all glory may bee given to God Thus we Gen. 3. cap. 9. Deut. 27. read that God cursed the Serpent that Noah cursed Cham of the twelve tribes sixe of them stood on Mount Garazim to blesse and sixe on mount Hebal to curse all the people to say Amen Iacob uttered a dire imprecation upon Simeon and Levie saying Curbe Gen. 49. 7. Mat. 23. Mat. 13. their wrath for it was fierce and their rage for it was cruell And lest any should restraine this to time of the Law Note that Christ pronounceth many woes against the Scribes Pharisees and Hypocrites in one Chapter And hee cried woe to the impenitent saying Woe be to him by whom offences come And againe Woe bee Mat. 11. Mat. 26. to thee Corazim Woe bee to thee Bethsaida c. And againe Woe to that man by whom the Sonne of man is betraied it were good for that man if 8 Cor. 16. hee had not beene borne And againe Woe to the World because of offences And Simon Peter cursed Simon Magus saying Thy money perish 2 Tim. 4. 14. with thee And Paul cried Maranatha Anathema to them that love not the Lord Iesus And hee cursed Alexander the Copper-smith Act. 13. 10. Gen. 49. He hath done mee saith Paul much evill the Lord reward him according to his workes And so hee cursed Elimas the sorcerer and called him the Child of the divell an enemy to all righteousnesse But yet wee must curse the sinnes not the party So Iacob cursed Apoc. 2 the rage of his Sonnes not themselves So God hated the deeds of the Nicholaitans not the men Yea sometimes both sinnes and men may be cursed if they give signes of reprobation So the Church prayed against Iulian not for him And Saint Iohn 1 Iohn 5. 16. tels us that there is a sinne unto death I say not that thou shouldest pray for it But to leave all this Michael striving with the Divell durst not give him a railing sentence but saith The Lord rebuke thee Let us learne this lesson of Michael in all reproaches and bitter speeches of our brethren to say unto them The Lord reprove thee for passion must not overmaster us But these railers wee must answere sometime with silence for unto many natures to answere againe is to put fuell to the fire for anger is fire and words are fuell But if silence will not serve the turne then it is good to give place unto it I meane to goe away from Rem 12. 19. a railing person till his anger be over and if that will not serve the turne then answere him as Michael did here the Divell The Lord reprove thee And in any wise take heed you prouoke We must give account of idle much more of evill words not anger for the forcing of Wrath bringeth forth strife as the churming of milke bringeth forth butter and wringing the nose bringeth forth bloud Let us therefore avoyd the customary sinnes of passions and not answere evill for evill or rebuke for rebuke but say with Michael The Lord rebuke thee And with David Iudge me o God and Prov. 30. 33. Psal 43. 1. defend my cause against the unmercifull people that is the cruell company of mine adversaries deliver me from the deceitfull and wicked man The Lord rebuke thee This teacheth us as to avoyd all railing so to study carefully and diligently the government of the tongue and to beware of rotten speeches The mouth is the messenger of the heart and from the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh A filthy tongue argueth a filthy heart an unbridled tongue a licencious heart A poisoned tongue that belcheth out nothing but banning and cursing railing and reviling speeches doth manifest a cursed and corrupt heart Our Saviour saith A Mat. 12. 13 good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth goodthings and an evill man out of the evill treasure of his heart bringeth forth evill things but I say unto you that of every idle word that men shall speake they shall give account thereof at the day of judgement If then at the end of the end of the world and day of judgement wee must reckon and account for idle words How much more for our railing reviling speeches Let us therefore hearken unto the counsell of the Apostle Let not corrupt communion proceed out of your mouths but that which is good to the use of edifying that may Ephes 4. 29. minister grace unto the hearers Wee should be of a patient nature and follow the example of Michael who striving with the Divell durst not give him a railing sentence but say The Lord rebuke thee If an Archangell abstaine from all railing having to doe with the Divell the greatest enemie of God and his people wee that have to do with bad men must not take liberty to our selves to use reviling speeches We must commit revenge unto God who hath said Vengeance is mine I will repay THE NINETEENTH SERMON VERS X. But these speake evill of those things they know not c. Malice turnes men into dogs THis is the fourth note that he giveth unto the wicked you shall know them by their evill speaking they are like unto blacke-mouthed Rabshakeh they rayle on God and good men He calleth them first sleepers secondly defilers of the flesh thirdly despisers of government and here raylers they speake evill of all things As fire lyeth not long in the stubble or in the flaxe but the flame breaketh out so hatred lyeth not long in these mens hearts but breaketh out in evill speeches and many times They will speake evill of things they know not Munster writeth of men in India Qui non loquuntur sed latrant which speaketh not like men but barke like dogs so these barke like dogs against the Moone Gorgon turned men into stones and Circe changed them into swine and malice turneth these men into doggs like Hecuba at the siege of Troy for their rayling David saith The wicked speake evil from their mothers wombe even from their belly have they erred and speake lyes their poyson is even as the poyson of Psal 58. 3 4. a serpent like the deafe Adder that stoppeth her eare that is they passe in malice and subtilty the crafty Serpent the first thing they doe is to speake evill it is Alpha and Omega first and last with them As the serpent vomiteth up her poyson before she drinketh Malice in the heart â—he cause of rayling in the tongue of a cleare fountaine so this is the sinne that must bee avoided before we drinke of the water of life the Word of God Lay
and Sacraments was not utterly rejected Paul acknowledgeth them a glorious Church Certainely tares and uncleane vessels are in the Church yet let us endeavour our selves to be good corne and not goe out of the Churh but follow the counsell of Augustine Corripiat homo quod potest quod non potest patienter ferat let a man reprove what he can without danger of Schisme and what he cannot let him patiently suffer but let him never make separation For first in the Church there be many more that feare God and worke righteousnesse than the outward eye can discerne this deceived Elias but the foundation of God standeth firme God knoweth who are his Secondly 2 Tim. 2. 19. even of them that are vile and naught some of them are touched with griefe of conscience for their sinnes and hunger and thrist after righteousnesse Thirdly a man is not to be condemned for some particular fact for the brightest fire hath some smoke the clearest water some mud the face of Venus a Molle and the most heavenly affection some infection of earth In multis peccavimus Iam. 3. 2. omnes In many things we offend all But I may fitly apply that to our Brownists and Separatists which the religious Emperour said to one of that humour Si tam sanctus sis c. If you bee so holy that you will not communicate in the Word and Sacraments with us your even fellow Christians set a ladder to the clouds and clime up to heaven alone In this point the Donatists were ridiculous who meeting in an assembly with the Catholikes for the allaying of some controversies and being intreated by the Tribune to sit downe with the rest answered they stood of purpose because it is written Cum sceleratis non sedebo I will not sit downe with the wicked To whom Saint Augustine wittily and effectually replyed Cur ergo ad nos intrare vobis non fuit religio c. why then make you no conscience to enter the same place with us seeing it is written also in the precedent words Ad mulignos non ingrediar I will not goe unto the wicked and with the ungodly I will not sit downe But let the Brownists and all of the Separation leave their evill speaking let them returne home to their mother the Church of England for doubtlesse The eye that mocketh his father and despiseth the governement Prov. 13. 17. of his Mother the Ravens of the Vallies shall picke it out and the young Eagles eate it and so to leave our evill-speaking Separists An evill speaker is a murtherer with his tongue By the way observe that if men will doe evill they must heare evill it is no rayling to rebuke him sharpely that doth wickedly Some finding fault with Saint Augustine for his tartnesse and sharpenesse in reproving answered wittily Emendate vitam ego emendabo verba mend you your wayes and I shall mend my words Cessate perversè agere cease you from doing evill and I shall cease to reprove and rebuke For where sinne is ranke and red Boanarges the sonne of thunder is more necessary than Barnabas the sonne of consolation They speake evill An evill speaker is a murtherer Et gladium portat in lingua non in vagina and the sword that murthereth with all he carryeth in his tongue not in his scabbard A man may say to these evill speakers as Christ said to Peter Pone gladium in vagina put up thy sword into thy sheath These are like Cockes fed with garlicke that overcome others with ranknesse of breath not with strength of body Vincunt clamore non veritate they overcome with clamours and out-cryes not with verity and truth But if at the day of Iudgement they must give an account for every idle word Mat. 12. 36. what for their evill words And if the wrath of God is wont to fall on the children of unbeleefe it must needs fall upon these evill speakers for they are altogether wrapped in unbeleefe If Sodome and Gomorah were destroyed from heaven for sinning against nature what vengeance remaines for these evill speakers that offend the God of nature If then Thou longest after life and wouldest see good dayes refraine thy tongue from evill and thy Psal 34. 12 13. lips that they speake no guile Pambo a man utterly unlearned in the Scriptures on a time came to Saint Hierome to be taught some Scripture without booke he turned him to the first verse of the 39. Psalme I said I will take heed unto my wayes that I offend not in my tongue A lesson that our evill speakers will not learne for they offend more in the tongue than in hand foot eare eye or any member besides their tongues are like unto the sting of Adders to a sword yea a sharpe sword to a razor and to arrowes their tongues are fire yea a world of wickednesse being set on fire of Hell They speake evill of those things which they know not c. They rayle in their ignorance on things which they know not Scientia non habet inimicum praeter ignorantem the birds have no such enemy as the Owle nor the Passenger no such enemy as the blind worme nor the Mariner no such enemy as the Mermaid so the learned no such enemy as the ignorant Saint Peter speaking of the Epicures and Atheists of the world saith They knew not and that willingly And Paul said of the Gentiles that they walked In mentis vanitate in the vanity of their mind having 2 Pet. 3. 5. their cogitation darkned and being strangers from the life of God thorow Divers kindes of ignorance the ignorance that is in them The like he said of the Idolaters That they were vaine in their imaginations and their foolish heart was full of darknesse and when they professed themselves to be wise they became Ephes 4. 17. Rom. 1. 21 22. Esa 40. 21. fooles c. So Esay said of the Iewes Know ye nothing have ye not heard it hath it not beene told you from the beginning have yee not understood it by the foundation of the earth Thus Christ said of the Pharisees for denying the resurrection Yee erre not knowing the Scriptures neither the power of God Paul imputed all his malice Mat. 22. 29. and his blasphemy to his ignorance I was saith he a blasphemer a persecutour an oppressor but I was received into mercy for that I did it ignorantly through unbeleefe As there be degrees in sinne so is 1 Tim. 1. 13. there a gradation in ignorance It is a sinne to be ignorant in that we should know but a greater to be ignorant in that wee are bound to know There is Ignorantia Simplex and Affectata Simple and affected Ignorance Or there is Ignorantia Ideotarum of Idols Sophistarum of crafty men Or as some Invincibilis inconquerable Vincibilis conquerable Or as others Voluntaria willing Involuntaria unwilling Or as others Negativa negative
by breathing some by poyson some by worrowing So is it among the wicked some hurt as beasts one way some another If hee be not an usurer yet is he an oppressor if not a Papist yet a prophane man if not covetous yet prodigall if not voluptuous yet superstitious if not a Lion yet an Aspe But let us put off our beastly affections Nam pejus est bestialiter vivere quà m bestiam esse hoc fuit à natura illud à Diabolo It is worser Seneca to live beastly than to be a beast the one is of nature the other of the Divell Let us then no longer live beastly lest we perish with the beast but live Christianly that so we may see the goodnesse of the Lord in the land of the living THE TWENTIETH SERMON VERS XI Woe be unto them they have followed the way of Caine. Execrable sinners may be execrated FRom the description and confuration of the wicked hee commeth to execration hee riseth by degrees as the Eagle mounteth in her flight like fire that first smoaketh and then flameth he casteth them out of the savour of God and state of salvation Woe be unto them saith he Psal 69. 22 23. c. let their table be made a snare before them and their prosperity their ruine let their eyes be blinded that they see not and make their loynes alway to tremble Powre out thine anger upon them and let thy wrathfull displeasure take them let their habitation be void and let none dwell in their Tents Lay iniquity upon their iniquity and let them not come into thy righteousnesse let them be put out of the Booke of life and let them not be written with the righteous Thus with Esay he lifteth up his voyce like Esa 58. 1. Mich. 3. 2 Cor. 4. Ier. 5. 24. a trumpet with Micah he is full of power and judgement hee commeth to them as Paul to the Corinthians with a rod with Ieremy his words are as fire and the people as wood and straw to be devoured of this fire Saint Iude had hitherto tempred his stile but now comming to their arch-metropolitan sinnes hee cannot forbeare but breaketh out into these words Woe bee unto them with Iames and Iohn he is become Boanarges the Sonne of thunder he telleth them of nothing but destruction that God Ministers must not in their owne cause be rigorous but in Gods hath bent his bow and made his arrowes ready that God will arise and his enemies shall bee scattered that God will meet them as a shee Beare robbed of her whelps There is no doubt but the Apostle would have spoken mildly unto them would have blessed them as Aaron did the tribes if there had beene any Psal 7. Psal 68. 8. Hos 13. 8. Numb 6. goodnesse in them but seeing their sinnes execrable he commeth to execration and saith Woe be unto them Hee dealeth here with them as Christ did with Corazin and Bethsaida Woe to thee Corazin Woe to thee Bethsaida And as Christ did with the Mat. 23. Pharisees Woe to you Scribes and Pharisees and Hypocrites and as Paul did with the Corinthians when he said Maranatha Anathema be unto them that love not the Lord Iesus Men are unwilling to 1 Cor. 16. heare execrations and woes they would have pillowes sowne under their elbowes with the men of Anathoth they love to be soothed in their sinnes with Achab they cannot abide that Micah should prophesie otherwise unto them than they would have him they would not have the Lords sword drawne against them nor no woe denounced upon them but woe woe and woe againe to them that cause us to sharpen our stile and to cry Woe be unto them And note here that no private revenge no sinister affection carried him to this execration but being moved by the Spirit of God he was inforced to lay the Axe of Gods vengeance to the rootes of their trees and to cry Woe be unto them The Prophets and Apostles in their owne causes are like doves Sine felle without gall or bitternesse but in Gods cause they rowse themselves like Giants Moses prayed for Aaron and Myriam the cause was his Stephen prayed for his persecutors the cause was his but when he commeth to handle the cause of God he calleth them Acts 7. hard-hearted and stiffe necked Iewes So Christ in his owne cause was meeke as a Lambe but in his Fathers cause he rowsed himself like a Lion for he that prayed for his enemies thundred many woes against his Fathers adversaries as the Scribes Mat. 23. Pharisees and Hypocrites Well the Apostle having thus denounced Gods judgement against them saying Woe be unto them he commeth to set downe the cause of this execration the first whereof was envy malice First he calleth them malicious envious like Caine whose sinne the Apostle noteth and dehorteth men not to be As Caine which was of the wicked one and slew his brother and wherefore slew he him because his owne workes were evill and his brothers good A miserable 1 Iohn 3. 12. thing not to hate the man but the vertue of the man the goodnesse of the man this is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to fight against God like the old Giants we should love good men Lord who shall dwell in thy Tabernacle saith David who shall rest upon thy holy hill God Psal 15. answereth him In whose eyes a vile person is contemned but he honoureth them that feare the Lord All Davids delight was upon Envy ever ascendeth maligne vertue and glory them for so he protesteth in the Psalme All my delight is upon the Saints that are on the earth and upon such as excell in vertue We should doe so even Hate the evill and love the good and establish Psal 16. 3. Aâ—os 5. 15. judgment in the gate but we have inverted that order and good men are in most detestation with us As there is no Sunne beame without motes no Tree without barke no garment without mothes no fruit without Catterpillers so no vertue no honour without envy There 's no Iacob whom Esau will not perfecute no David whom Saul will not maligne no Isaak whom Ismael Gen. 27. will not revile and no good man upon the earth whom the envious will not bite teare and devoure For this cause one resembleth envy to certaine Flies called Cantharides for as they light specially upon the fairest wheat and most blowne Roses so envy commonly opposeth herselfe against the best men Invidia virtutis Comes envy is the companion of vertue One resembleth envy unto fire for as fire coveteth the highest places so envy aimeth at the worthiest men As for example Themistocles when he had conquered the navy of Xerxes which in number was most infinite through envy was forced to leave his Country and to live in miserable banishment Aristides which for his vertues was called the just yet through envy as an unprofitable member was
their followers were hanged and it were overlong to speake at large of Iohn and Francis Throgmorton Brooke Redman Parry Babington Arden with divers others who received according to their deserts Let every soule therfore learne to Rom. 13. 1. submit himselfe to the higher powers and never to resist For we must suffer the Princes will to be done aut à nobis aut de nobis either of us or on us of us when he commands for truth on us when he commands against truth either we must be patients or agents Agents when he is good and godly Patients when he is tyrannous and wicked If we resist our end will be damnation either temporall for The wrath of a King is as the roring of a lion he that prouoketh him to Pro. 20. â— anger sinneth against his owne soule or eternall as is manifest in Chore who went downe quicke to Hell If murther be a crying sinne then treason may well be called a roring sinne and calles for speedy judgement But for as much as I have spoken before of this point I will proceed no further with it VERSE XII Metaphors very vsefull in teaching These are spots in your feasts of charity when they feast with you without all feare feeding themselves c. IN this Text are contained two things A detection of their sinnes and A denouncing of Iudgement The sinnes here are three The first is Epicurisme in that they eate and drinke without feare feeding themselves The second is Pride in that they are like the waves of the Sea swelling on high The third is Hypocrisie in that they are as clouds promising raine and yet have nothing but drynesse in them empty clouds in that they are as Trees which promise fruit and yet have nothing but leaves corrupt trees in that they are as starres which promise light and yet have nothing but darknesse in them wandring starres Their Iudgement is to be reserved to blacke darknesse that is Hell fire hell paines and there hee amplifieth it by setting out Gods Iudgement how hee shall come with thousands of Angels and that he shall judge all men namely them Dan. 7. that speake against him Lastly that he shall judge them for every evill worke and word so fearefull shall it be But first for the manner and then for the matter The manner of handling is plaine he teacheth them by plain things as spots waves clouds trees starres things sensible and objected to our eyes because he had a desire to profit them So Christs similitudes are fetched from light salt fannes corne chaffe trees Mat. 3. 5. 10. 13. 6. sheepe wolves seed pearles So Pauls Metaphors and borrowed speeches are taken from planting watering building tilling running fighting leaven sweet dough 1 Cor. 3. 1 Cor. 5. 9. c. Who had better gifts than Paul more learning more Philosophy more tongues he was brought up at the feet of Gamaliel he was not inferiour to the very chiefe Apostles for though hee Act. 22. was rude in speaking that is though he used no worldly eloquence yet for knowledge and understanding hee did exceed and spake with tongues more than they all his Epistles are as the shop of an Apothecary 1 Cor. 11. 5 6. a man cannot read them but he shall carry away the smell ofexcellent learning yet came he not in the wisdome of words 1 Cor. 1. 1 2. for hee regarded not to know any thing save Iesus Christ and him crucified We come to the Word in the pride of our heart and have our eares tickled not our hearts edified to heare some strange thing that may bring us into a wonderment of things Gods Word hath its elegancy and eloquence we know not God in his justice suffereth us to depart empty yea worse than we came If the Preacher fil not the Pulpit full of fine words trim Phrases Fathers Doctors Councels Poetrie Philosophy if hee doe not aucupari syllabas hunt after syllables to please itching eares wee crie out that hee was unlearned and a plaine homely teacher and English Doctor But wee must desire wholesome not tooth-some meat For as we must teach wholesome Doctrine For if any man teach otherwise 1 Tim. 6. 3 4. and consenteth not to the wholesome words of the Lord Iesus Christ and to the Doctrine which is according to Godlinesse hee is pust up and knoweth nothing so yee must heare wholesome doctrine not be like unto those of whom Paul prophesied saying The time will come when they will not suffer wholesom doctrine but having their eares 2 Tim. 4. 3 4. itching shall after their own lusts get them an he ape of teachers and shall turne their eares from the truth and shall be given to fables to false and unprofitable doctrine We must speake and you must heare as the words of God All Doctors Councels Poets Philosophers are but darkenesse the Word is light onely so saith David 1 Pet. 4. 11. Thy word is a Lanthorne to my feet and a light to my pathes The Word must sit on the Bench when all these shal stand at the bar Psal 119. those that bom-baste their Sermons that fill the Pulpit full of these Authors either they deliver little doctrine or else unprofitable doctrine not as Paul did Hee kept backe nothing that was profitable but shewed and taught openly and through every house Act. 20. 20 21. witnessing both to the Iewes and to the Grecians the repentance towards God and faith towards our Lord Iesus Christ Such builders either have no mortar or else untempered mortar like the false prophets Such Cookes either have no salt or unsavoury salt Ezech. 13. 10. Mat. 5. 13. such nurses either have no milke or else corrupt milke that hath taken wind the Word is sincere milke and yet I deny not but Gods Spirit hath his eloquence and no writings more eloquent 1 Pet. 2. 2. than they To give you a little taste speaking of Iuda and Ierusalems punishment for their idolatry hee saith I will stretch over Ierusalem the line of Samaria and the plummet of the house of Ahab and I will wipe Ierusalem as a man wipeth a dish which hee wipeth and turneth upside-downe And David speaking of the Sunne-rising and wherrying about the Heavens hee saith that hee commeth forth as a bridegroome out of his chamber and rejoyceth as a mighty man to run Psal 19. 5. Esa 5. his race So the Prophet Esay speaking of the sinne of the people he saith that they did draw iniquity with cords of vanity and sinne with cart-ropes And speaking of Gods power hee setteth it out with such eloquent words as the like have not beene heard for marke his phrases Who hath measured the Waters in his fist and counted Heaven with his spanne and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed the mountaines in a waight and the hils in a Esa â—0 12. ballance For Esay was a
that we could learne to abhorre pride Pride hath been in all places in all sorts even in the godly and swelling by considering how much the Lord abhorreth it as many Scriptures shew Salomon saith that The feare of the Lord is to hate evill as Pride and arrogancie c. And againe hee saith All that are proud in heart are an abomination to the Lord. And Prov. 8. 13. Cap. 16. 5. 19. againe he saith He that exalteth his gate seeketh destruction And againe the Holy Ghost affirmeth that the Lord beholdeth every one that is proud and abaseth him For certainely when the Lord shall Iob 40. 6. come to judgement that day of his comming shall burne like an Oven and all the proud yea and all that doe wickedly shall bee as stubble and Mal. 4. 1. the day that commeth shall burne them up and shall leave them neither root nor branch therefore let us not be high-minded proud and swelling as many are for it is a thing most vaine 1 Tim. 64. First in respect of God for he resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble he putteth downe the mighty from their seat and exalteth Luke 1. 51. the humble and meeke Secondly in respect of men who will not regard it When pride commeth saith the Wise man then commeth shame for when men Prov. 11. â— will be exalted above their vocation then God bringeth them to confusion Thirdly in respect of themselves who inherit nothing by it but folly for The foolish that is the proud inherit folly yet Cap. 14. 18. this sin of Pride hath troubled all places yea the whole world it troubled Paradise for Adam was proud and would be like unto Gen. 3. Aug. God Sed dum rapere voluit Divinitatem amisit foelicitatem but whilest he endeavoured to snatch the Divinity he lost his felicity It troubled the Israeliticall Church they would be as good as Moses in the Kingdome and as Aaron in the Priest-hood it troubled the Apostles for they strove for superiority yea it Numb 16. Mat. 18. 2. Pet. 2. 4. troubled heaven it selfe for pride was the sinne of the Angels Let all men therefore beware of this sinne for first it is naturall for every one hath some sparkes of pride in him Againe whereas all other sinnes are occupied about evill subjects or about indifferent things as drunkennesse about wine whoredome about women covetousnesse about wealth gluttony about meat only pride is to be feared in well doing and therfore the better that a man doth the more jelous let him be of himselfe to look to himselfe that this sinne of pride overtake him not for what hast thou that thou hast not received Nay Paul beganne to be proud through the abundance of his revelations but lest he should be exalted above 1 Cor. 4. 7. measure there was given unto him a pricke in the flesh the messenger of Satan to buffet him because he should not be exalted above measure Augustine 2 Cor. 12. 7. having overcome many sinnes yet overcame not the sinne of pride it did dog him like a blood-hound Luther strove more with this sinne than any sinne doe what hee could like a sea it came upon him This stained all the workes of the Pharisees they fasted but then they disfigured their faces they prayed Mat. 6. but it was in the Market-place they gave almes but yet they Pride expressed many wayes in things that pertaine to God and man blew the trumpet Habet quisque naevos superbiae every man hath staines and markes of pride in him secundum plus aut minus either more or lesse the most godly have it but some are all pride as Erasmus said of the Fryer that hee was all belly Generally pride is expressed either in things concerning God Ierome or in things appertaining to men In the things that concerne God there is the pride of the Atheist whereby he striveth to remove the sense of the being of God and the pride of the heretike when he assaults the attributes of God or his persons and the pride of the Papist who will scale the high Fort of heaven by the broken ladder of his owne merits and the pride of the curious who will search into things not revealed and the pride of the persecutor who will pursue by slaunders or violence the power of Gods ordinances and the pride of the impenitent who dare live and dye in his sinnes without care of Gods threatnings Againe pride is expressed against God as first when a man imagineth himselfe to be God and would bee so conceited of men as Caligula who being an open mocker of all religion at length fell to thinke that there was no other God but himselfe Secondly when men imagine that what they have they have it of themselves and so sacrifice to their nets as the Prophet speaketh Thirdly when in their hearts they say He shall not raigne over us Who shall controle us and so contemne the ordinances of God his Word his Sacraments their worke their power Fourthly when a man shall thinke he is perfect and breakes not the Law and that they can by their owne strength runne the way of Gods Commandements Psal 119. Fifthly when in heart they say We will do this and this who shall let us we will go thither and thither who shall hinder us Sixthly when men will disobey the will of God breake his yoke and burst his bonds asunder Thus is pride against God shewed manywayes Pride against man discovereth it selfe sundry wayes also As by oppugning the fame of the best men By bragging and boasting By striving for offices and highest places By costly apparell of purpose to be counted better men then they be By painting of the face to be thought a beautifull creature not being so By envying the good of another as if he deemed himselfe either only worthy or else the most worthy The proud man will acknowledge no superiour nor equall by his good will hee useth his equals as inferiours his inferiours as servants his servants as slaves his slaves as beasts and when he is climed up on high he pluckes up the ladder Vsually the basest are proudest after him if he can that no man shall come up after or but such as he pleaseth Thus pride is expressed both to God and man David was farre from this pride Lord saith he I am not Psal 113. 1. high-minded I have no proud lookes I do not exercise my selfe in matters that are too high for me c. But few are like David many men forget themselves to be men they take to them the name of God Act. 12. Esa 14. 13. as Herod did they will make their nests in the starres as Nabuchadnezer did The Bactrians said of Alexander that his pride was such that if his body had been answerable to his heart he would set one foot on the land and the other on the sea For
World and he shall not iudge it as God because that as Esay saith Tollatur impius The wicked must be taken away that he may never see the glory of God but Iohn 12. 47. as man Vt homines videant that men might see the Iudge of men August saith Quamvis non recedat pater à filio unum enim sunt tamen ad iudicium veniet filius non Pater although the Father departeth not from the Sonne for they are one yet the Sonne shall come to iudgement and not the Father Quia ibi nec Deitas Filij nec Patris videbitur for there neither the Deity of the Father nor of the Sonne shall be seene The third thing to bee handled is the manner of his comming to iudgement it will be a most fearefull yet a glorious comming he will come with thousands of his Saints For if other Benches be furnished with Iustices of Peace Gods Bench shall bee furnished with Angels Thousand thousands shall minister unto him and tenne thousand thousand shall stand before him and when hee shall thus come in his glory fulminabit è Coelo the Lord will thunder from Heauen and the highest will give his voyce Now if the thunder and and crackling of a cloud be so terrible what terror shall there be when hee shall thunder that sitteth above the clouds The thunder doth but demolish Mountaines and roote up trees but when God shall thunder out his judgements hee will crush and cast downe King Prince and People that have not made him their fortresse and their tower The thunder doth but shake the clouds make them to flye up and downe as birds in the ayre but when God shall thunder out his judgements hee will shake and astonish the heart and conscience Yet shall there bee then a great difference betwixt a good and a guilty conscience for a good conscience shall bee moved sed ut folium but as a leafe with a little winde and breath of Gods displeasure but the guilty shall bee removed as the foundations of the Earth are shaken with the full rigour of Gods wrath For then as Saint Ierome hath it Terra tremet mare mugiet the Earth shall quake the Sea roare the Ayre ring the World burne And all this all becommeth as a fire-brand or burning coale O miserable sinner how wilt thou tremble when the Lord shall come with thousands of his Saints to judgement and if the just and upright man Iob was afraid of this judgement and therefore cryed out and said Quid agam quo me convertam cum veniet Dominus ad iudicum What shall I doe or whither shall I turne Iob 31. 14. me when the Lord commeth to judgement If Blessed Hillary who from the fourteenth yeere of his age served the Lord in feare and rejoyced before him with trembling as David did By the terror of particular iudgements we may gather the generall who was affraid of this day as it appeareth by his speech upon his death-bed Egredere anima egredere quid dubitas quid times Goe forth O soule go forth why art thou afraid why doubtest thou thou hast served God these seventy yeeres and art thou Psal 14. afraid now to depart If these holy men were afraid of this day how oughtest thou O sinner which hast drunke iniquity like water hast not served thy God one day as thou oughtest to doe I say how oughtest thou to quake and to tremble If the iust shall scarce be saved where shall the poore wretch appeare then thou wilt cry to the Mountaines Fallon us and to the Hils Cover us hide us from the presence of the Lord and from the wrath of the Lambe For the great day of the Lords wrath is come and who can abide it but all will be in vaine If Zephanie spake so tragically of the particular judgement of God by Nebuchadnezar saying The great day of the Lord Zeph. 1. 14 15. is come a day of wrath a day of trouble and heavinesse a day of destruction and desolation a day of obscurity and darkenesse a day of cloudes and blackenesse a day of the trumpet and alarme If Ieremy spake sorrowfully and lamentably of the particular judgement of God upon Ierusalem saying How is the gold become dimme the most fine gold is changed and the stones of the Sanctuary are scattered in the corner of Lament 4. 1. 2 4 5 10 11. every streete The noble men of Sion comparable to fine gold how are they esteemed as earthen pitchers the tongue of the sucking child cleaveth to the roofe of his mouth for thirst and the young children aske bread and no man breaketh unto them They that did feed dilicately perish in the streets and they that were brought up in scarlet imbrace the dung The hands of the pittifull women have sodden their Children which were their meate in the destruction of the daughter of my people The Lord hath accomplished his indignation he hath powred out his fierce wrath he hath kindled a fire in Sion which hath devoured the foundations thereof what may be said of the generall judgement when not one Citie but all Cities shall bee destroyed The reprobates shall see above them an angry Iudge beneath them Hell fire on the right hand their Sinnes accusing them on the left hand the Divels tormenting them within them their gnawing conscience without them the damned spirits bewayling on every side the World burning Vbi regredi impossibile progredi intolerabile where to goe backeward it is impossible and to goe forward intolerable The glorious manner of Christs comming is described by the Apostle The Lord saith hee shall descend from Heaven with a shout and with the voyce of the Archangell and with the trumpet of God then hee shall come not with twelve poore Apostles but with twelve thousand thousand Angels Wel the Lord shall come with thousands of his Angels where note that his second comming shal not be like his first At the first he came in poverty now shall he In Christs humility his glory appeared come in glory at the first he came in humility now shall hee come in Majestie at the first he came with the tongues of men now shall he come with the voice of an Archangell and trumpe of God At the first he came in misery now shall he come in Mat. 24. Luk. 9. 58. Majesty at the first he came with Glory be to God on high now shall he come with vae vae vae with a threefold woe upon them that dwell upon the face of the earth At the first he came with tidings of great joy that shall come upon all people now shall he come with feare and trembling upon all the nations of the earth At the first he came 1 Tim. 1. 17. Apoc. 1. 7. Apoc. 5. as a servant now shall he come as a King At the first he came as a prisoner betweene two theeves now shall he come as a Iudge
what estate or condition the last day shall leave thee in the same the first day of thy resurrection Augustine Hesichio Epistola 80. shall find thee As every one dieth this day so shall he be iudged in that day And againe he saith Potentia Dei est insuperabilis Aug. lib. 4. de Symbolo 1 Cor. 1. 25. Heb. 4. the power of God is insuperable For the weakenesse of God is stronger then men Eius scientia est infallibilis his knowledge is infallible For all things are naked and before him Eius iracundia est implacabilis his anger is implacable If his wrath be kindled yea but a little Psal 2. 12. blessed are all they that put their trust in him Ejus justitia est inflexibilis his Iustice is inflexible For he is a God of Gods and Lord of Lords a great God mighty and terrible and regardeth no mans person Contra ejus potentiam nil valebit tyrannorum crudelicas against his power the cruelty of tyrants shall nothing prevaile neither against his knowledge shall the subtilty of Advocates prevaile nor against his wrath shall simplicity of words prevaile nor against his Iustice shall abundance of money prevaile Nec gratia praeventura nec misericordia flectetur nec poenitentia mitigabitur nec pecunia corrumpetur he will neither be prevented by grace nor moved with mercy nor mitigated with repentance nor corrupted with money Againe how soever men flatter themselves now in this or that thing that which we esteeme a vertue now will be then in Gods sight an abomination our wayes and judgements are not Gods â—udgements Luk. 16. 15. Esay 55. 8. Pro. 1. 31. to follow our owne hearts is with God a kind of whoredome The very Heathen Orator could say that similem lacte nutricis errorem suximus we sucked in with our mothers milke alike error Nadab and Abihu offered strange fire The Ammonites burnt their children to Moloch The Cananites sacrificed their children to Idols Baal and Astaroth every Vzziah will play the Levite every Gedeon will have his Ephod every Saul will have his sacrifice Peter will plead to Christ his good meaning The Iacobites in Aethiopia circumcise their yong ones The Indians All must come to Iudgement worship Zemes that are Divels but when it commeth to the judgement of God it is reversed there is a writ of errour sued Nadab perished with fire from heaven The Ammonites Levit. 10. cap. 20. Psal 106. 2 Sam. 6. Iudg. 8. 1 Sam. 15. Mat. 16. 23. were accursed The Cananites were destroyed Vzziah was striken Gedeons posterity was plagued Saul was deposed Peter was called Divell The Aethiopians foolish The Indians blasphemers wee have not our Quietus est till God hath iudged us Againe howsoever we slaunder the iudgements of God yet are they just Iudicia Dei saepe occulta nunquam iniusta Gods judgements are many times secret and hid but never unjust I say with Aug. Augustine Cave praecipitium take heed of a break-necke The Iudgements of God are fite come not too neere them lest they burne thee they are Abyssus a bottomlesse pit swimme not in them lest they drowne thee they are as a steep and high mountaine clime not too high lest thou come downe againe headlong Paul durst not wade too farre in the cause of Election Vis Rom. 11. 32 33. disputare mecum mirare mecum ô altitudo Petrus negat Latro credit ô altitudo Wilt thou dispute with me wonder with me ô depth Peter denieth the theese beleeveth ô depth Secreta Dei sunt adoranda non scrutanda Gods secrets are to bee adored not searched Aug. Doe yee know these things Happy are yee if yee doe them The end of his comming to iudgement is the next thing to bee considered and that is to judge all men the mighty the honorable shall not escape in that day neither shall they be able to defend thee that in obeying them thou hast desobeyed God For let me see if any Ruler King or Keisar shall come forth in that day and say I bad thee doe this I gave thee my warrant to doe it No no he shall be iudged himselfe We shall all appeare before the Iudgement seate of Christ that every man may receive the 2 Cor. 5. 10. things that he hath done in his body according to that he hath done whether it be good or evill No man can redeeme another mans soule Let no Psal 47. 7. man thinke to hide himselfe yee know what counsell the wise man giveth you Say not I will hide my selfe from the Lord for Eccles 16. 17 18. who will thinke upon me from above I shall not be knowne in so great an heape of people for what is my soule among such an infinite number of creatures Behold the heaven and the heaven of heavens are for God the depth and the earth and all that therein is shall bee moved when hee commeth to iudge Thou shalt no more hide thy selfe and go away without thy iudgement than the guest at the wedding could go Mat. 22. Soph. 1. 14. unespied The strong man shall then cry bitterly many that now sit at the Bench shall then stand at the barre he is the Lord-Chiefe-Iustice of Heaven For every worke and word shall come to judgement so saith Salomon God will bring every worke unto iudgement with every Eccles 12. 14. secret thing whether it be good or evill Nothing so secret but shall God knoweth every sinne therfore none can escape iudgement be disclosed neither hid that shall not be known for whatsoever hath been spoken in darknesse it shall be heard in light and that which yee have spoken in the eare in secret places shall bee preached on the houses openly that all men may heare Of every idle word wee must give an account God is greater than our Luke 12. 2. 3. Mat. 12. 36. 1 Iohn 3. 20. hearts hee beginneth where wee leave hee remembreth that which wee have forgotten his memorie is as himselfe is infinite he will set downe our sinnes in order and say In such and such a place and such a time and upon such an occasion hast thou committed this or that sinne Vnto the wicked saith God Why dost Psal 50. 16 18 19 20 21. thou take my Covenant within thy mouth and hatest to bee reformed when thou sawest a theefe thou consentedst unto him and hast beene partaker with the adulterers thou givest thy mouth to evill and with thy tongue thou forgest deceit thou sittest and speakest against thy brother and slanderest thy mothers sonne These things hast thou done and I held my tongue therefore thou thoughtest that I was like thee but I will reprove thee and set before thee the things that thou hast done He calleth all the Starres by their name He numbreth our steps Iob 26. 6. Iob 14. 16. Mat. 10. Mat. 10. 29. Psal 56. 8. Psal 50. Psal 139. He telleth the Sparrowes
3. For Instruction But first it serveth for terrour it is a wonderfull terrible doctrine to the wicked for how can it be but terrible when the Lord shall come with thousand of his Saints to give iudgement against all men and to rebuke c their hearts shall faile them for feare Luk 21. Apoc. 9. 6 They shall seeke death in those dayes and shall not find it This hath been their day wherein so farre as they could they have done their will The next is the Lords day wherein they must suffer his will how can it be but terrible when they shall see the Sonne of man in the clouds above to condemne them beneath hell mouth open ready to devoure them before the Divels haling No way for the wicked to escape Iudgement them behind them the Saints and all their dearest friends forsaking them on their left hand their sinnes accusing them on the right Iustice threatning them on all sides the world made a bone-fire terrifying them how can it be but terrible when the hilles cannot hide them nor the Mountaines cover them from the presence of the Iudge For hee is here and there and every where If they mount and soare up to heaven he is there if they goe into hell he is there too So that pati intolerabile latere impossibile it is not possible to indure nor possible to avoid the iudgement How can it be but terrible when God shall raine upon them fire and brimstone storme and tempest This shall be their portion to drinke when God shall powre even the vials of his wrath upon them and they shall feele the masse of his displeasure Here the wicked are iudged that they may bee amended but there their iudgement shall be that they may be confounded For there will be no place for repentance If Foelix trembled to heare tell of iudgement What will poore Foelix doe when he must feele Iudgement both in the sentence and execution If Iohn and Daniel at the sight of a mild Angell fell upon the earth as dead Dan. 4. 8. Apoc. 1. 17. How shalt thou miserable sinner indure the presence of the terrible Iudge If Haman could not abide the angry countenance of Assuerus Hest 7. 9. how shalt thou ô wicked man iudure the angry countenance of this frowning Iudge If Adam for the commission of one sinne ranne from God in great feare and hidde himselfe among the trees that were in the garden Gen. 3. 8. whither shalt thou runne ô sinnefull Adamite that hast committed as many sinnes as starres in the sky or sands by the sea Imo horum numerus numero non clauditur ullo Yea the number of them is not to be numbred Whither I say wilt thou run or where shalt thou hide thy selfe from this terrible Iudge If the drowning of the old World the burning of Sodom the opening of the earth to swallow up Corah c. and such like the Iudgements have such horrour in them who can expresse the horrour of this day when many millions of wicked shall be turned into hell with all the people that forget God If it be such a shame to doe penance for one fault in one congregation where men will pray for the offendour what a shame will it be when all our faults shall bee discovered before all the whole world without all hope of pitty and help and all workers of iniquity shall be cast alive into that lake that burneth with fire and brimstone Looke therefore to your selves yee generation of Vipers and wash your hands and clense your hearts For certainly the Iudge of all the world will doe right 2. This doctrine of Iudgement serveth for comfort to all penitent Christians they may lift up their heads rejoice with joy unspeakable and glorious For the Lord shall then come be glorified 2 Thess 1. 10. in his Saints and made marvailous on them that beleeve Hereupon The consideration of the general iudgement should instruct us saith Augustine Quare non gaudes cum venerit iudicare te qui venit iudicari propter te Why dost thou not rejoyce when he shall come to judge thee that came to be judged for thee hee hath beene thy advocate to pleade thy suites to God his Father and certenly when hee comes to judgement hee will not goe against his owne pleading He is thy brother and carries a most brotherly affection unto thee and will he condemne his owne brother He is thy head and hath performed all the offices of an head unto thee and can he then faile thee when thou hast most need of him hee died for us to redeeme us a people peculiar unto himselfe and will he faile us in the last act of our redemption Oh no no lift up your heads then and in patience possesse your soules What though hee bee terrible to the wicked to thee hee will bee kind and mercifull thou shalt not bee wronged by false witnesses neither shalt thou bee iudged by common fame or outward appearance The Iudge will not be transported either by passion or spleene nor will condemne thee to satisfy the people as Pilate did Iesus and besides nothing shall be remembred but what good thou hast wrought and done thy sinnes shall be cleane blotted out of remembrance they shall bee buried in the heart of the earth and drowned in the bottome of the sea they shall never rise up to Iudgement against thee Rejoice therefore poore penitent thou shalt find Christ a friend no foe a Iesus no Iudge a Saviour no confounder thou shalt find Heaven and not Hell Angels not Divels Gods right hand not his left hand everlasting life and not everlasting death 3. This doctrine of judgement serveth for instruction First it should restraine uncharitable censuring and judging one another Who art thou that judgest another mans servant hee standeth or falleth to his master Christ is the Lord of quicke and dead Iudge therefore nothing before the time If wee could consider that we should every one give accompt to God himselfe as Rom. 14. 12. wee should find worke enough to looke to our owne score and little leasure to forestall God in this matter of judging 2. Are there matters of difference among us Let the Saints judge them and end them God will bee contented to put his cause to them at the last day For we know that the Saints shall judge 1 Cor. 6. 2. the World and therefore why should we refuse their arbitrement 3. It should order and moderate our sorrowes for our dead friends We should not sorrow as people without hope seeing we beleeve that all that sleepe in Iesus God will bring with him 1. Thess 4. 13 14 17 18. we shall meet together againe in that day and ever live together with the Lord and therefore wee should comfort one another with these words 4. This summons to judgement gives a dreadfull warning admonition to the world even to all men every where to repent
with any conscience Tertullian telleth of a water in Paphlagonia called Salmacis of the which they that drinke either fall into a phrensie or into a lethargie so are wee not either mad or fallen into a dead sleepe to heare God so often and remember him so little Shame appertaineth unto us and confusion may cover us as a cloake O deafe eares dumbe Dan. 9. tongues dead hearts dull soules How long shall Wisedome crie How Prov. 1. 20 21 22. long shall shee utter her voyce in the streetes shee calleth in the highstreete among the prease in the entring of the gates and uttereth her words in the City saying O yee foolish how long will yee love foolishnesse and the scornefull take their pleasure inscorning and the fooles hate knowledge But let us leave this sinne and learne to remember more and keepe more else the more shall be our judgement But what must we remember we must remēber the words of the Apostles not of the Rabbines Fathers Doctors of the Church therefore it is noted of the three thousand that they continued in the Act. 2. 42. Apostles doctrine It is Basis Ecclesiae so saith Paul Yee are built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Iesus Christ himselfe being Ephes 2. 20. the chiefe corner stone Peter calleth it a most sure word We have 1 Pet. 1. 19. saith hee a most sure word of the Prophets to the which yee doe well that yee take heede as unto a light that shineth in a darke place c. Esay sendeth all men to the Law To the Law to the testimonie saith the Prophet If they speake not according to this Word it is because Esa 8. 20. there is no light in them Ieremy calleth all mens traditions dreames chaffe How long doe the Prophets delight to prophesie lyes Ier. 23. 26 27 28 29. Even prophecying the deceit of their owne heart Thinke they to cause my people to forget my name by their dreames which they tell every man unto his neighbour as their fore-fathers have forgotten my Name for Baal The Prophet that hath a dream let him tell a dream he that hath my Word let him speake my Word faithfully what is the Chaffe to the Wheat saith the Lord Is not my word even like a fire saith the Lord and like a hammer that breaketh the stone These Saint Peter calleth deceivable fables Wee followed not quoth he deceivable fables when wee opened 2 Pet. 1. 16. unto you the power and comming of our Lord Iesus Christ What neede we to run to the channell when wee may drinke of the The Scripture the rule of faith the touch stone to trie Scripture fountaine or to feed of Acornes when we may have the pure Wheat Or to see with a Candle when we may have the Sun light All mens writings they are as puddles and cesternes that can hold no water they are Labruscae sowre grapes I looked saith the Lord that my vineyard should have brought forth good grapes Ier. 2. Esa 5. 3. and it brought forth wild and sowre grapes Now by these sowre grapes hee meaneth errors in doctrine as well as in life The Zuingsius Word of God must sit on the Bench when Fathers Councels Doctors Rabbines Poets Philosophers must stand at the barre Paul discussing the question of Iustification he saith not What saith reason What say the Rabbines The Thalmud The Caball What say the Bishops Doctors of Ierusalem But What saith the Scripture So Peter proveth all from the Scripture Wherefore it is contained in the Scripture Behold I put a stone in Sion Rom. 4. 3. c. This is to build on the Rocke but a most miserable state it is when a man buildeth on the sand The house must needs fall when the Church goeth from the doctrine Apostolicall to Luk. 6. the doctrines of men then is the Sunne as sackecloth the Moon turned into bloud the starres have lost their light then the three Apoc. 6. uncleane Frogges be come out of the mouth of the Dragon when Popes Cardinals Schoolemen rule the Church Removeantur Chartae Apoc. 13. 16. Aug. Donato nostrae procedat in medium Codex Dei Let our writings be taken away let Gods Booke bee produced and brought in the place Let us take away our deceitfull ballance and let Gods ballance weigh and sway the truth of our cause Martin refused Scripture and fled to traditions and therefore Tertullian calleth him Apostaticall not Apostolicall He calleth the Marcionites Owles Lucifrigas scripturarum saith that Tertull. lib. 4. contra Marcionitas the Waspes make nests aswell as the Bees and that the Marcionites erect Churches aswell as Christians but in their nests is no hony and in the Churches of the Marcionites is no Truth no Scripture they teach for doctrine precepts of men they are like unto Ravens which conceive not with seed but with wind their Mat. 15. doctrine is the doctrine of the wind and the speech of the East-wind Wee are borne againe not of mortall but of immortall seed 1 Pet. 1. 23. even by the Word of God which liveth and indureth for ever that is the true seed The Papists are like the Marcionites and the Valentinians qui prius persuadent quà m docent which first perswade and after teach but Christians doe first teach and after perswade and teach too out of the Scriptures as Apollo did He proved by the Scriptures Iesus to be Christ for he was a man eloquent and Act. 18. 24 28. 1 Thess 4. 15. mighty in the Scriptures Thus Paul taught This say we unto you by the Word of the Lord thus must wee say for every point of Doctrine Againe in that Iude bids them Remember the Words which were spoken before of the Apostles of our Lord Iesus Christ some gather from these words that this Epistle is not Canonicall not written by The Saints of God are meek and gentie Iude the Apostle But I answere that Iude naming other Apostles excludeth not himselfe but rather useth the authority of others then of himselfe So Iohn calleth himselfe Iohn at every word not an Apostle yet avoucheth his calling against Cerinthus Apoc. 1. 4 9. and Ebion saying that the Lord Iesus commanded him to write Apoc. 1. So Paul modestly and humbly having to do with God renounceth his titles and saith that he was not worthy to be called an Apostle hee saith that he was among them in much weakenesse that 1 Cor. 15. 8. 1 Cor. 2. 3. he persecuted and wasted the Church of God that he preached in infirmity that he was mad in his Iudaisme but having to do with the false apostles and Pharises hee avoucheth his calling and rowzeth himselfe like a Lion I certify you brethren that Gal. 1. 13. Act. 26. 11. Gal. 1. 12. 1 Cor. 9. 1. 1 Cor. 13. 10. Gal. 2. 8 9 11. the Gospell which was preached of me
another Nay one man is a Woolfe unto another Nay one man is a Divell unto another we are not now Christians but Woolves Leopards Lions Divels Nay worse for one Lion eateth not another and the divels strive not among themselves but maintaine one anothers kingdome Let Tygers and Beares and Leopards teare one another Let Scythians and Canibals eate one another who know not God nor good humanity but are without all naturall affection But let us love as brethren bee pittifull be courteous not rendring evill for evill nor rebuke for rebuke but contrariwise blesse knowing that wee are thereunto called that wee should bee heires of blessing and if enemies will not be pacified recommend the cause to God till wee meete in Heaven where all injury shall be forgotten and in the meane while I beseech you as Saint Paul did the Saints of Corinth I beseech you I say by the name of our Lord 1 Cor. 1. 10. Iesus Christ that yee all speake one thing and that there bee no discension among you but that yee bee knit together in one minde and in one judgement and whatsoever things are true whatsoever things are honest whatsoever things are just whatsoever things are pure whatsoever Phil. 4. 8. things pertaine to love c. thinke on these things and the God of Love and Peace shall bee with you and the Lord increase your love and make 1 Thess 3. 12. it abound more and more one towards another Christs commandement is all love his Spouse is all loving and Iohn will preach nothing but love and wee must follow after love and above all have fervent love among our selves for that shall cover a multitude of sinnes But marke that the love whereunto Saint Iude exhorteth is called the love of God and keep your selves in the love of God so that not all love is commended but such love onely As is Holy Iust True Constant For first our love must bee Holy love it is for God and not against God under God and not above God for hee loves not God that loves not his neighbour with God whom hee loves not for God and hee that loves his neighbour more than God is unworthy of God and makes his neighbour to be his God Secondly Our love must bee just wee must not love one another in evill but in good and for good Pacem cum hominibus bellum cum vitijs wee must have peace with men warre with their vices We must love their persons but hate their manners if they Foure properties of the Love of God be evill Thirdly our love must bee true Love Wee 〈…〉 and in tongue but in worke and in truth Nemo potest 〈…〉 â—â—â—hn 3. 18. hominis nist primitus fuerit amicus ipsius veritatis 〈…〉 August be a true lover of man unlesse first he be a lover of th◠〈…〉 must love one another not for their riches honours greatnesse but for themselves their good must bee sought not their goods Weâ— must not love one another as dogges doe bones for the flesh that is on them or as men doe trees for their fruit but wee must love them for themselves for this that they are men but especially for that they are vertuous and good men Lastly our love one towards another must bee constant with some friends are like flowers no longer regarded then whiles they are fresh Many mens love is like the harlots love who love while there is lucre and when gifts goe hence their love goes hence they are like the puttocks in the fable that followed the old wife bearing tripes to the market but forsooke her home-ward when her tripes were sold En ego non paucis quondam munitus amicis c. A man shall be loved in prosperity but in adversity as rats forsake an house when it is ready to fall and as lice forsake a mans head when he is dying so his lovers and his friends will forsake him Thus our love should be holy just true constant this is true Christian love wherein men should keep themselves For among murtherers theeves and drunkards there is a kind of love but not the Love that Iude would here to bee among us First therefore the love of Atheists is condemned which comes from profit or from pleasure It is not Charitas ex corde puro Love out of a pure heart Love and good works must goe together 1 Tim. 1. 5. to gloze eate play drinke game bee no good workes therefore this is not love wee call it good fellowship but such good fellowes will goe to the good-fellow the Divell if they repent not For if wee sinne willingly after that wee have received the Hebr. 10. 26 27. knowledge of the truth there remaineth no more sacrifice for sinnes but a fearefull looking for judgement There is a carnall love but ours must bee a spirituall love such as was among the Colossians of whose Col. 1. 8. love Paul speaketh Who hath also certified us of your love which yee have by the Spirit There is a worldly love and there is an heavenly Love and knowledge giveth life to this love without it Love is as a dead picture Lovers glorious the name is honorable the praise of it is from the rising of the Sunne unto the going downe of the Sunne One saith that love is like hony in bitter broth and sugar in sowre wine it is like unto the Sun unto the world a candle unto the house a light for our journey a line for our life and a rule for our reprehensions Si diligis fac quicquid vis If Calvin in Iohn Aug. thou beest in love doe what thou wilt speake or bee silent exhort or rebuke call or cry so it bee in love all is well Yet it must be a godly love an holy charity but it is impossible to have it with all some are so wicked If thou canst have Most love for lucre sake the favour and love of men with the favour and Love of God take it it is precious but if thou canst not have the favour and Psal 133. 1. love of men but with the disfavour and dislike of God let it go For certenly The amity of the World is enmity with God Wee must Iam. 4. 4. love men in the Lord God for himselfe man for God Diligendus est Deus propter se homo propter Deum I may compare the love of Atheists to the agreement that is among a kennell of hounds who sleep together play together hunt merrily together but if a man hurle a bone they grinne snatch and bite one another So Atheists agree together till some matter come of private gaine but then there is grinning biting fighting one with another for the best of them is as a brier and Mich. 7. 4. the most righteous of them is sharper then a thorne hedge for from the least of them to the greatest of them every one is given to covetousnesse and Ier.
lest we deprive him of hope so we may not be too soft with an obstinate man lest we increase his pride the one may be driven to desperation the other to presumption we may not incidere in Scyllam evitare Charybdim We must not fall into Scylla to avoid Charibdis but draw out Gods sword and lay Gods axe to the roote of their trees so S. Paul in one of his Epistles to Mat. 3. the Corynthians used oyle to mollify in the other wine to search 1 Cor. 5. the wounds hee brought not a search-cloth but a searing iron For there bee foure uses of the Scripture to teach 2 Tim. 3. 16. trueth to confute errour to instruct in manners to reprove viciousnesse of life this aggravated the sinne of Ananias that hee Act. 5. 4. sinned willingly and this extenuated the sinne of the Iewes that they did it ignorantly Ignorantia enim liberat non à toto sed à tanto If Elymas had beene a weake brother Paul would not have used the Act. 3. 17. roughnesse that he did but because he was an inveterate enemy steeped in his Lees frozen in his dregs he rattleth him up and saith O full of all subtilty and mischiefe the child of the Divell and Act. 13. 10. enemy of all righteousnesse wilt thou not cease to pervert the straight wayes of the Lord So Saint Peter dealt with Simon Magus Thy money Act. 8. 20. perish with thee because thou thinkest that the gift of God may be obtayned with money Iames and Iohn were filij tonitrui sonnes of thunder wee had need now not speake but thunder not use tongues but trumpets men are so asleepe that they will not awake except we thunder It is said of the three Ministers of Geneva Vireto nemo fatur dulcius Farrello nemo tonuit fortius Calvino nemo docuit doctius None ever spake more sweetly then Viret none thundred more strongly than Farrell none taught more learnedly than Calvin He that could doe all these three were a perfect Minister A Christian must not be afraid to reprove sinne Noah reproved the old world Lot Sodom and Gomorah Samuel Saul Nathan David the King Iaddi and Ahias Ieroboam the Idolater Hanani 1 Reg. 13. 1 Reg. 14. Asa Elias Ahab Ieremy but what should I rip up all the Prophets Christ Iohn the Baptist the Apostles Ignatius reproved Trajane Ambrose Theodocian Polycarpe Martion Chrysostome the Clergy Gelasius Anastasius All these reproved sinne and are presidents to us to doe the same If Herod will marry his brothers wife Let Iohn tell him Non licet it may not be if Ahab will goe The Prophets of God have terrified the wicked to Ramoth in Gilead Michea must tell him hee shall never returne if Amazia forbid Amos to preach hee may tell him Thy wife shall be an harlot in the Citty and thy sonnes and thy daughters shall fall by the sword and thy land shall be divided by line and thou shalt dye in a Mat. 14. 1 Reg. 22. Amos 7. 17. polluted Land and Israel shall surely goe into captivity If the men of Ierusalem will scorne us and our doctrine Let us say unto them Heare the Word of the Lord yee scornefull men Thus saith the Esa 23. 14 17. Lord Iudgement will I lay to the rule and righteousnesse to the ballance and the haile shall sweepe away your vaine confidence c. This teacheth Ministers to deale plainely and roundly not to blanch not to bring honey in stead of wormewood not to do as the false prophets did of whom God speaketh thus They have healed the hurt of Ier. 6. 14. the daughter of my people with sweet words saying Peace peace when there was no peace This was their sinne the prophets looked out Lamen◠2. 14. vaine and foolish things for you they have not discovered your iniquities but have looked out false prophesies and causes of banishment Esay said of the prophets of that time Qui ducunt te Esay 9. 15. seducunt te The leaders of the people cause you to erre and they that are ledde by them are devoured they should have mourned not piped Ieremy cried out against these prophets I have seene in the prophets of Ierusalem filthinesse they commit adultery and walke in Ier. 23. 14. lyes they strengthen also the hands of the wicked that none can returne from his wickednesse they are all unto me as Sodom and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorah therefore thus saith the Lord of Hostes Behold I will feed them with wormwood and make them drinke the water of gall for from the Prophets of Ierusalem is wickednesse gone foorth into all the land Heare not the words of these prophets saith the Lord of Hosts that prophesie unto you and teach you vanity and speake the vision of their owne heart and not out of the mouth of the Lord they say still unto them that despise me The Lord hath said yee shall have peace and they say to every one that walketh in the stubbornnes of his owne heart No evill shall come upon you So did Ezechiel at Gods owne commandement cry out against these prophets saying Wo unto the foolish prophets that follow their owne spirit and have seene nothing O Israel thy prophets are Ezech. 13. 3 4. like the Foxes in waste places they have seene vanity and lying divinations c. And of these prophets Almighty God cōplaineth sore Ezeth 22. 25 26 28. saying The prophets are like roaring Lions ravening for the prey they have devoured soules they have taken the riches and precious things they have made her many widowes her priests have broken my Law and have defiled mine holy things They have put no difference betweene the holy and prophane neither discerned betweene the cleane and uncleane they have hidde their eyes from my Sabbaths and I am prophaned among them they dawbe with untempered mortar seeing vanities and divining lies c. Ministers must not be of the number of these prophets but they must cry alowd and not spare they must lift up their voices like trumpets they must shew the people their offences and the house of Esay 58. 1. Iacob her sinnes Christ who brake not a bruised reede yet thundered against the Pharises and denounceth many woes against They that reproove profit more thā they that sooth them This also teacheth the people to suffer the Word of Exhortation but flatterers are most esteemed of them such as can sow Mat. 12. 20. cap. 25. Esay 30. 10. 1 Reg. 22. 8. pillowes under their elbowes and can preach placentia pleasing things unto them Ahab cannot abide Michea if he prophesy otherwise than hee would have him This is the difference betweene a wise man and a foole the wise will heare rebukes but the foolish will not so saith Salomon Rebuke not a scorner meaning them that are incorrigible such as Christ calleth dogges Prov. 9. 8. and hogges or he
fault betweene him and thee if he heare thee thou hast wonne thy brother If parents were as carefull to winne the soules of their children as they are to save their bodies and masters to do the same to their servants by instructing their family God should have more glory and they more comfort but to complaine of this Vbi incipiam aut ubi desinaem Where should I beginne and where should I make an end All the foundations of the earth are out of course most men have no conscience of them that be under them and an heauy judgement remaineth for them their judgement is just and their damnation sleepeth not Paul would not 2 Pet. 2. have the husband to leave the wife nor the wife the husband for that the one may save the soule of the other for marke his words For what knowest thou ô wife whether thou shalt save thy husband 1 Cor. 7. 16. or what knowest thou ô man whether thou shalt save thy wife Even so what knowest thou ô Father whether thou shalt save thy child And what knowest thou ô master whether thou shalt save thy servant doe thou thy duty leave the successe to God For neither is hee that planteth any thing nor he that watereth but God 1 Cor. 3. 7. that giveth the increase So the Minister is said to save men Take heed saith Paul to Timothy to thy selfe and to thy doctrine and continue 1 Tim. 4. 16. therein for in so doing thou shalt save thy selfe and them that heare thee And yet to speake strictly and properly there is no Saviour but God for there is salvation in no other neither is there any Act. 4. 12. other name given unto men whereby they shall bee saved that is no other cause or meane Yet it is said that grace saveth The grace Tit. 2. 11. of God bringeth salvation to all men And that the Word saveth For it pleaseth God by the foolishnesse of preaching to save them Many coÌ„curre in the worke of Salvation that beleeve And that faith saveth By grace are yee saved through faith And that the Sacraments save us so saith Saint Pâ—ter The figure that now saveth us even Baptisme c. 1 Cor. 1. 21. Ephes 2. 8. 1 Pet. 3. 21. And that Ministers save us so said Paul afore Agrippa that God had appeared unto him for this purpose To open the eyes of the Gentiles that they may returne from darkenesse to light from the power Act. 26. 18. of Satan unto God meaning that they might bee saved and that God saveth us Ego sum ego sum praeter me non est Salvator I am Esa 42. I am and besides mee there is no Saviour that Christ saveth us for the Apostle saith That hee is the Saviour of all men but especially 1 Tim. 4. 10. of them that beleeve That the Holy Ghost saveth us and all this is true in a godly sense grace saveth as the origen the roote of all 1 Iohn 5. the Word as a meanes under God faith as the instrument Sacraments as helpes and leaders to Heaven Ministers as Legates from God God as the efficient cause Christ as the materiall Iohn 3. 16. 1 Iohn 3. 2. 1 Cor. 6. 11. the Holy Ghost as the applying cause And by the way note that if the Minister under God saveth men how then dare some say that they doe no good Doe they no good that save mens soules Yes their lips feed many The Prov. 10 11 20 21. mouth of a righteous man is a well of life the tongue of a just man is as fined silver the lippes of the righteous doe feed many But many thinke that the Preacher doth no good they thinke that they can goe to heaven without a guide they thinke themselves wise and to see into all duties as farre as the Minister Well it may be that they are wise in some respect yet as the little eye of the Eagle can see from the height of Heaven and the great eye of an Owle cannot see the Sunne so great men and old men may oversee that which base men and poore men may see being learned in the Word Hereupon said Elihu Surely there is a spirit in man but Iob 32. 8 9. the inspiration of the Almighty giveth understanding Great men are not alway wise neither do the Ancient alway understand judgement David said I have had more understanding than all my teachers Psal 119. 99 100. for thy testimonies are my meditation I understand more than the ancient because I keepe thy precepts As Polypheme had but one eye so these Cyclopeans see but with one eye they see but the world they see not Heaven Oh how long shall wee charme these Psal 55. Mat. 7. deafe Adders How long shall wee give holy things to dogges and cast pearles to swine How long shall wee play on Orpheus harpe to these Asses How long shall wee sow seed in this barraine ground We pray to bee delivered from these unreasonable 2 Thess 3. 2. and evill men Shall Titius Sabinus his dogge bring meate to the mouth of his dead Master and hold up his head in Tyber from sinking because sometime hee gave him a crust of bread And shall not the people love the Pastour that giveth theÌ„ the Bread of Heaven and saves their soules Shall dogges be kinder than men Or is there no good to bee done to a Parish but bodily The saving use should bee made of the Word good Christ fedde foure or five thousand with five barly loaves and two fishes but we reade not that hee did it above twice and that in necessity But hee bestowed three whole yeeres in preaching to them the greatest good that hee did in his life was in Iohn 6. Mat. 14. Mat. 5. Mat. 13. Luke 24. Luke 10. Mat. 12. Act. 10. 38. teaching them In the Mount In the Ship In the Temple In their Houses In the Fields Yea in all places for he went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the Divell These men therefore that say that wee doe no good have lost their senses and their soules also For the living soule as touching the naturall life hath foure powers and foure touching the spirituall life that is Appetitive Retentive Digestive Expulsive It must desire the Word Hereupon saith S. Peter As new borne babes desire the sincere milke of the Word so did David I will saith 1 Pet. 2. 2. he go to the Altar of God even unto the God of my joy and gladnes c. 2. It must keepe for Blessed are they that heare the Word and Luk. 11. 28. keepe it So did the Corinths for which cause Paul did much praise them saying Now I commend you brethren that yee remember all my 1 Cor. 11. 2. things and keepe the ordinances as I delivered them to you 3. It must digest it into good manners and to this purpose
evill communications that is often conversation with the wicked noted by the plurall number corrupt good manners yea the Apostle is so severe in this point that hee will not have a wicked person suffered in the Congregation and therefore hee commandeth the incestuous Corinthian to bee cast out that is excommunicated and hee giveth the reason Know yee not that a 1 Cor. 5. 5. little leaven sowreth a whole lumpe Intimating thereby that one evill person might corrupt the whole Church and a little Colloquintida marreth a whole messe of pottage one scabbed sheepe 1 Reg. 4. 39. infecteth a flocke one sparke of fire may burne an house and one infected house may spoyle a Citie one roote of bitternesse Hebr. 12. 15. suffered to spring up may trouble and defile many sinne is as contagious as any disease and wee are as apt to take the contagion of sinne as of the plague This knew David well enough and We must hate sinne because God hates it in all therefore hee crieth out Depart from me yee wicked keepe aloofe come not neere me to infect my Royall person For I tell you plainely I will keepe the Commandements of my God Even so wee Psal 16. should not brooke the society of them that bee vile and wicked and hate to bee reformed and cast Gods Words behind them Psal 50. 17. But some will say This is a doctrine of precisenesse they say wee need not be so severe against sinners peccata eorum sunt parva pauca their sinnes be but small and few But small sinnes may wound the conscience and damne us if wee looke not to them to strive against them A mouse is but litle yet killeth he an Elephant if he get into his truncke a Scorpion is little yet able to sting a Lion unto death the Leopard being great is poysoned with an head of garlicke a little spittle of a man fasting will kill a serpent and the Divell by little sinnes will wound us to death The sinne and the coate of the sinne is to be hated quoth Ambrose Lib. 6. Hexameron A reason may be drawne from the blessed Trinity God the Father hateth sinne The foolish shall not stand in his sight and hee hateth them that worke iniquity Therefore we his children must hate Psal 5. 5. it God the Sonne hateth sinne saith the Apostle Thou hast loved righteousnesse and hated iniquity therefore we his fellow brethren Hebr. 1. 9. fellow heires must hate it that wee may be like our elder brother God the Holy Ghost hateth it therefore it is said Greeve not the Spirit by whom we are sealed unto the day of Redemption Ephes 4. Gen. 3. 15. Therefore wee the temples of him must hate it wee must hate the serpent and the seed of the serpent By the hatred of God against the sinne of Achan judge of all sinne As great as the Eagle is yet one may see her vertue in a feather for it consumeth all feathers as mighty as the fire of Aetna is yet one may feele the heate of it in a sparke as huge as the sea is yet one may taste the saltnesse of it in a droppe as great as the Whale is yet we may feele the power of him in one breath Hercules body was knowne by the length of his foote and wee by this sinne of Achan may know Gods hatred against all sinnes For the theft of Achan buried close under the ground brake forth such a stinch in the nostrils of God as that his garment brought the plague to the whole host and God no lesse hateth it in all men Finely saith Augustine Deus in non renatis odit peccata personas God hateth in the not regenerate both their sinnes and also their persons in renatis verò odit peccata non personas in the regenerate hee truly hateth their sinnes but not their persons as the physician hateth the disease of the sicke man not his person or body of the sicke Againe From whence commeth sinne but from the Divell What meane we then to joyne with Satan our enemy and the enemy of God Hee that committeth sinne is of the Divell for the Divell sinneth from the beginning Resist the Divell therefore give 1 Iohn 3. 8. no place to him He is an adversary and shall wee love him Hee Sinne must be hated as it tends to Gods dishonor is a serpent and shall we trust him Hee is a murderer and shall we intertaine him Sin is furthered by him therefore let us hate it I grant that some enemies are to bee loved because they are our enemies onely whereupon saith our Saviour Love your Iam. 4. 7. 1 Pet. 5. 8. Apoc. 10. â—ohn 8. 44. Mat. 5. 44. enemies doe good to them that hate you pray for them that persecute you And some are to be hated because they are Gods enemies and the friends of Satan so Iohn the sonne of Hanani the Seer went out to meete Iehosaphat and said unto him Wouldest thou helpe the 2 Chro. 19. 2. wicked and love them that hate the Lord Therefore for this thing the wrath of the Lord is upon thee And so the wrath and judgement of God is over all those that support the wicked and will not shew themselves enemies to all such as hate the Lord. Wicked men must be hated but yet for their evill not as the evill concerneth any way us but as the evill tendeth to the dishonour of God Simeon and Levi hated the Sychemites for the Gen. 34. 25. sinne of their sister Dinah but this hatred sprang not in that God was dishonoured by this sinne but from a regard of themselves because that hereby they might receive some disgrace So Absalon is said to have hated his brother Amnon because hee had forced his sister Tamar and two yeeres after he murdered his 2 Sam. 23. 22. brother for this fact this hatred of Absalon against Amnon though it were for Amnons wickednesse yet it was not good but wicked for the originall of this his hatred was not simply the sinne of Amnon as committed against God but because Absalon had some speciall disgrace hereby For Tamar was borne to David of the same woman that was mother also to Absalon But we must hate the wicked for their dishonoring of God and not suffer them to goe unreproved nor unpunished Immmunity and impunity cause much iniquity I would learne this Are Papists the friends of God or his enemies If they bee friends Why have wee professed otherwise these many yeeres If they bee enemies then doe wee well not to suffer them You know what Christ said to the Church of Pergamus I have a few things against Apoc. 2. 14. thee because thou hast there them that maintaine the doctrine of Balaam which taught Balac to put a stumbling blocke before the children of Israel Vers 15. that they should eate of things sacrificed unto Idols and commit fornication even so
serpent must pull out his sting Now death is a serpent and his sting is sinne one may put a serpent in his bosome when his sting is out and wee may Earth-quakes upon extraordinary occasions let death into our bosome when sinne is gone the venim and poison gone But to draw us to a greater hatred of sinne let me apply this late judgement of the earth-quake unto you These judgements Anno Domini 1601. Decembr 24. have never beene but upon great and rare occasions and for horrible and notorious sinnes to note the wonderfull power of God and to presage some rare events some strange plagues to fall upon the world When God gave the Law the earth shooke God did it in fearefull manner to teach Israel that if the earth shooke when God spake much more should their hearts shake The like earth quake was at the restoring of the Law in the dayes of Elias And indeed to whom is the Word of God powerfull 1 Reg. 19. Esay 66. 25. profitable but to him that trēbleth at it Of these former judgements David speaketh O God when thou wentest forth before the Psal 68 7. 8. people when thou wentest thorow the wildernesse the earth shooke and the Heavens dropped at the presence of God even Sinai was moved at the presence of God even the God of Israel Againe in the horrible rebellion of Corah Dathan and Abiram Numb 16. the one in the Church the other in the Commonwealth the one against the Lords Priest the other against the Lords Magistrate there was an earthquake to teach that hell shall swallow us as it did them if we rebell so Of all judgements these most manifest the power of God and foreshew his great anger so David spake The earth trembled and quaked the foundations also of the mountaines moved and shooke because hee was angry smoke went out of Psal 28. 7 8 9. his nostrils and a consuming fire out of his mouth coales were kindled thereat he bowed the Heavens and came downe and darkenes was under his feete c. When Vzziah would usurpe the Priests office and Zach. 14. ◠confound Church and Commonwealth and make a Chaos of all religion and goodnesse God shooke the earth and when Iericho fell it is thought by the learned to have bene by an earth quake Iosh 6. And when the wicked Iewes crucified the Lord of glory all creatures Mat. 27. shewed their disliking the Sunne was eclypsed the Heavens lost their light the starres were moved the vaile of the Temple rent asunder the graves opened the dead rose the earth quaked O dura obdurata indurata corda hominum quae non contremiscunt O durate and obdurate and indurate hearts of men that cannot tremble David speaketh of the rare Iudgement of God in this case and thereby stirreth up all men to feare God Shall the wildernes quake and shall not our hearts quake Absit The voice of the Lord maketh the wildernes to tremble and shall not Psal 26. 5. wee tremble In the great persecution of the Church S. Iohn speaketh of an earthquake Let us not thinke that these judgements Apoc. 6. 12. bee ordinary and rise altogether of naturall causes for great hurt hath ensued The three famous Cities of Asia Laodicea for wealth Hierapolis for learning and Colossos for strength were all overthrowne with earth-quakes Constantinople was tormented with shaking a whole yeere together In the dayes of Boniface Earth-quakes fore-runners of fearefull Iudgements there happened an Earth-quake and after followed such a plague of scabbes and botches as a man could hardly tell his owne dead from other mens Burdeam was mightily shaken with Anno. 741. an earth-quake And in the yeere of our Lord 1171. the City Tripolis a great part of Damascus in Antiochia and Halapre the chiefe City of Loradin and other Cities of the Saracens either perished utterly or were wonderfully defaced And An. 1539. in divers places as at Venice Florēce there were great earth-quakes which did much hurt In Anno 1579. April the 6. an earth-quake tolled the great bell at Westminster and threw downe a piece of Dover Castle and part of Sutten Church in Kent to note unto us that our sinnes overburden the earth the earth grones and would be eased God shakes his hand the earth trembles man is carelesse beware it gapes not and swallow thee up quicke When Arrius heresy was entertained in Antioch God punished it with earth-quakes to give a Caveat how wee admit of heresy and six great Cities in Greece in the dayes of Tiberius and twelve Cities of Campania in the dayes of Constantine And wee all now might have beene swallowed up if Gods mercy had not bene the Anno. 1601. greater Blessed bee God who kept us and hee keepe us evermore But surely this earth-quake prognosticateth that God is comming to Iudgement As the City of Rome was never shaken but it presaged some strange event The yeere before the Carthaginian warre there were 57. earthquakes at Rome but there presently followed a lamentable warre After an earth-quake in Venice there followed a famine and upon the necke of that a plague which beginning farre North spred over the whole earth but so raged at Venice as scarcely one lived of an hundred but as a wonder lasteth but nine dayes so this earth-quake will be forgotten of many When Ananias fell downe dead suddenly Act. 5. at the feete of Peter all the Church trembled and this should make us all tremble For in my judgement it is a forerunner of Christs comming or else of some fearefull judgement of warre Mat. 26. 7. Pliny or famine or of pestilence For an heathen man could say that earth-quakes portend and foretell fearefull matters ensuing And note that God sent it at this time to begin our Christmas with it so mis-spent of all men The Heathen had their Floralia Bacchanalia Cerealia they went naked surfeted and were drunken and they light torches to Proserpina going naked and what else doe wee Wee eate and drinke and rise up to play and goe up and down showting and revelling Hath the grace of God appeared to Tit. 2. 11. this end Brethren hath the Lord Iesus gotten twelve dayes of his Father for prophanenesse swearing revelling c I am ashamed that the Turke the Iew the Persian should know this Propter nos male audit nomen Christi The name of God is blasphemed Rom. 2. 24. among the Gentiles through us The heathen had their Cerealia Fearefull earth-quakes and comets warne to repent as I said before wherein they surfeted to Ceres and their Bacchanalia wherein they were drunken to the honour of Bacchus they had their Floralia wherein they were idle and gave themselves to lust and Venerie Wherein differ our Christmas feasts from theirs it being spent only in eating drinking nay gluttony and drunkennes riot cards dice swearing swaggering toying fooling and what not
ever Amen So concluded the other Apostles The God of peace that brought againe from the dead the Lord Iesus the great Shepheard of the sheepe through the Heb. 13. 20 21. bloud of his everlasting covenant make you perfect in all good workes to doe his will working in you that which is pleasing in his sight through Iesus Christ to whom bee praise for ever and ever Amen And thus concluded Saint Peter Grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ to him be glory both now and evermore 2 Pet. 3. 18. Amen Augustine said Tu Domine sic excitas ut laudare te delectet fecisti nos pro te inquietum est cor nostrum donec requiescat in te thou August lib. 1. confess cap. 1. Lord doest so excite mee that to praise thee it delighteth mee thou hast made us for thee and our heart cannot be quiet till it rest in thee Vae tacentibus de te taceat laâ—des tuas qui miserationes tuas non novit Woe bee to them which speake not of thee hee setteth not foorth thy praise who is ignorant of thy mercies Again saith the father Si omnia membra nostra verteventur in linguas si tot haberemus quot Argus oculos nequaquam sufficerent If all our August lib. Meditationum members were converted into tongues if wee had as many tongues as Argus had eyes they were not sufficient to set foorth thy praises thou art a Lord exceeding great and infinite without measure and end and oughtest to be praised and beloved of all Paul could not name Christ but abruptly but breaketh out into thankesgiving having often other matters inhand yet cannot he stay but soundeth out his gratitude as with a trumpet as writing to Timothy handling other matters on a sudden he leaveth the thing in hand and crieth out Now unto the King everlasting immortall invisible unto God onely wise be honour and glory for 1 Tim. 16. 17. ever and ever Amen So writing to the Romans and handling the priviledges of the Iewes on a sudden he leaveth off and breaketh out into thankesgiving saying Of whom concerning the flesh Christ came who is God over all blessed for ever Amen So writing Rom. 9. 5. to the Corinthians and handling the resurrection from the dead on a sudden hee breaketh out to gratitude saying Thankes bee to God which hath given us victorie through Iesus Christ 1 Cor. 15. 57. our Lord. Iude here useth a figure called Pleâ—nasmus to expresse his zeale hee doubleth and redoubleth tripleth and multiplieth his words till they be many in number hee is full as the Moone he Iob 32. floweth as the Sea hee is as the new vessels which have no vent for if the fountaine be full the channels cannot bee empty if The Saints plentifull in thanksgiving there bee moysture in the roote the branches cannot wither if there bee heate in the chimney the house cannot bee cold if the heart abound the mouth will bee full of Gods praises Ex abundantia cordis os loquitur out of the abundance of the heart Luke 6. the mouth speaketh Note this in all the Saints of God how plentifully doth David describe his thankefulnesse My soule praise thou the Lord and forget not all his benefits And againe Praise the Lord ô my Psal 103. 1 2. Psal 146. 1. soule I will praise the Lord during my life as long as I have any being I will sing unto my God With how many words commendeth hee the Law What variety hee useth What cornucopia hee hath Marke his words The Law of the Lord is perfect converting the soule the testimony of the Lord is sure and giveth wisedome Psal 19. 7 8 9. unto the simple The Statutes of the Lord are right and rejoce the heart the Commandement of the Lord is pure and giveth light unto the eyes The feare of the Lord is cleane and indureth for ever the judgements of the Lord are truth and righteous altogether Marke I pray you how hee calleth it the Law the Testimonies the Statutes the Commandements the Feare the Iudgements of the Lord then what Epithites hee giveth it the Law Perfect the Testimonies sure the Statutes Right the feare Cleane the iudgements Truth then what fruits he ascribeth to it that it converteth the soule giveth wisedome rejoyceth the heart endureth for ever Thus let us learne to measure our selves and to know the goodnesse of our hearts by the mouth if wee can speake scantly of God and good things plentifully of the world and the vanities of it our heart is naught it is withered like grasse all the dewes of Gods grace are dryed up in it but wee must rowze up both our hearts and tongues and say with David My heart is prepared O my Psal 57. 7 8 9. God my heart is prepared I will sing and give praise Awake my tongue awake viole and harpe I will awake right early I will praise thee O Lord among the people and I will sing unto thee among the nations But to come to a more particular description of Gods attributes and the attributes wherewith hee is described are Wisedome Salvation Glory Majestie Dominion and Power And yet this description is but in part not a full description for who can describe him perfectly hee is shadowed out unto us by the holy Ghost after this manner The Lord the Lord strong Exod. 34. 6 7. mercifull and gracious slow to anger and abundant in goodnesse and truth reserving mercie for thousands forgiving iniquity and transgression and sinne not making the wicked innocent visiting the iniquity of the Fathers upon their Children unto the third and fourth generation And againe Salomon King Salomon wise King Salomon shadoweth him out after this manner Who hath ascended up to Heaven and Prov. 30. 4. descended Who hath gathered the Winde in his fist Who hath bound All men ignorant till inlightened the Waters in a garment Who hath established all the ends of the World What is his name or what is his Sonnes name if thou canst tell Oh who can tell his name or his Sonnes name Est bonus sine qualitate magnus sine quantitate praesens sine situ sempiternus sine tempore sine initio sine fine Hee is good without quality great without quantitie present without situation everlasting without time without beginning and without end Seditut aequitas dominatur ut majestas novit ut veritas amat ut charitas hee sitteth as equity ruleth as majesty knoweth as verity and loveth as charitie For these be not qualities but of the essence of God Of Rom. 11. him and for him and through him are all things Hee calleth him onely wise wherein hee bestrippeth all men and bereaveth them of wisedome as the Cumane Asse of the Lions skinne as Aesops Crow of her feathers except they have it of God Hereupon saith the Apostle If any man want
243 The envious is fretted at good and glad at the evill betides any ibid. Cain was prophane and grudged at Gods sacrifice 244 Many like Cain grudge to give that is good to God ibid. Gods Ministers are to have honourable maintenance 245 Sacriledge odious among the Heathen they have observed the vengeance of their gods have followed such as have beene sacrilegious ibid. God himselfe hath punished sacriledge in all ages 246 Hypocrites and dissemblers pretend good intend evill ibid. God detesteth hypcrisie and falshood 247 Desperation the bane of the soule excluding Gods mercie ibid. Sermon 21. COvetousnesse the roote of evill and ruine of good 249 Many woes against covetousnesse 250 The covetous man trusteth more in his riches than in the blessed Trinity ibid. Covetousnes deprives the covetous of the 8. beatitudes and makes them subject to the contrary curses 251 Covetousnesse insatiable 253 Covetousnes excludes out of Heaven ibid. Riches unprofitable to soule and body credit and estate 254 A couetous minde never satisfied 255 Vsurers more cruell than wilde beasts ibid. Riches uncertaine not to bee relied on 256 Riches unprofitable if in superfluity 257 Riches preserve not neither from temporall nor spirituall evils 258 Riches not hurtfull by nature but by corruption ibid. Riches hurtfull to the outward and inward man 259 Sermon 22. GOds mercy contemned draweth on judgement 261 The utility and necessity of both Magistracie and Ministery in Church and Common-wealth 262 Government necessary for preservation of states ibid. Three formes of Government viz. Monarchy Aristocracy Democratie ibid. Reasons why Monarchy the best 263 All lawfull government of God ibid. Rebellion pernicious not onely to states but to the Rebels themselves 264 Resemblances being ordinary teach best 266 Preachers may use humane learning but the Word must be his ground to give light 268 The creatures afford a double consideration one naturall another morall or spirituall 269 Epicurisme hath many sinnes accompanying it ibid. Drunkennesse and glutonny odious and pernicious 270 Nature teacheth temperance and sobrietie 271 Wee are most prone to sinne in our drunkennesse ibid. Drunkennesse makes uncapable of Gods spirit and spirituall graces 272 Gluttonous Epicures neither glorifie God nor releeve the poore ibid. Dangerous to converse with Epicures lest stained by them 273 How one may converse with the wicked 274 Love-feasts how used abused abolished 275 Sermon 23. PRide many wayes occasioned every way odious to God 277 Pride vaine in three respects 278 Pride hath beene in all places and all sorts ibid. The godly sometime overtaken by it ibid. Pride is expressed in the things that pertaine to God sixe wayes 279 Pride shewes it selfe many wayes ibid. The proud man insulteth over all 280 Though all prone to pride yet usually the basest proudest ibid. Pride the cause of contention ibid. Pride makes us forget our mortalitie ibid. The proud odious to all God Angels Men onely please the Divell 281 God detesteth pride ibid. Pride is both in Church and Common-wealth and causes heresie in the one and disorder in the other 282 Pride so puffes up men as they become not onely foolish but phrentike ibid. Pride brings shame and destruction 283 Pride will shew it selfe after the death of the proud 284 Knowledge and riches the cause of pride ibid. True zeale like fire that kindleth and burneth by degrees till it come to a full flame 285 Hypocrisie most odious to God and severely punished by him ibid. Sincerity most pleasing to God 286 Christ pronounced against no sinne so many woes as against hypocrisie 289 Hypocrisie blasphemy ibid. Hypocrites make faire showes without truth inwardly pretend religion when they intend the subversion of it 290 Sincerity very rare hypocrisie hath banished 292 Men often compared to trees to shew that God lookes for fruits or wee must looke for the axe ibid. Many carnall gospellers few true professours 293 Most like trees twice dead both in words and deeds 294 Wee must take heed of the sinne of hypocrisie lest wee indure the punishment ibid. Sermon 24. HEll set out by divers names yet none sets it out sufficiently but are as shadowes or the beginning of sorrowes 213 Hell torments amplified being opposed to the joyes of Heaven 297 The damned every way tormented 298 The effects of Gods wrath in afflicting Christ bearing our sinnes and punishing others temporally may serve to set out the torments of the damned whom he punisheth eternally 299 The damned suffer all punishments both of losse and sense 300 The horror of hell should make us abhorre sinne 301 Nothing more hard then the impenitent heart 302 Hell torments as unspeakable so everlasting and irremissible 303 Hell fire compared with our elementary fire in five respects 304 Iudgement and damnation necessary to be preached in time of sinne and security 306 The wicked shall be tormented according to their sinnes the greater sinnes the greater punishment 307 Sermon 25. THere must bee a tyme of manifesting Gods Iustice as well as his power and mercy 301 Antiquity with verity most authentike 308 Traditions equalled with Scriptures by Bellarmine and the Papists ibid. The Scriptures all sufficient for faith and manners 311 Though some scriptures are lost yet so much as is necessary to salvation is preserved ibid. Iudgement fourefold 312 Iudgement generall must needs be as prooved by Scripture ibid. The second person of the Trinity shall judge 313 Christ shall judge as man and why 314 Though Christ shall come in his humanity to judge yet with power and great glory 315 Iudgement fearefull to all much more to the wicked ibid. Christs second comming to judgement compared with his first 316 Christs glory appeared in his humility at his first comming 317 The greatnes of Gods mercy at first aggravates the severity of his justice at the last 318 God hath two Courts Forum misericordiae Forum justitiae Ibid. Gods judgement impartiall 319 Iudgement shall be generall of all men and of every Worke Word Thought 320 Swearers blasphemers most abominable 322 Gods judgement most certaine 324 The conscience of the wicked tell him there will be a judgement 325 The consideration of Christs comming to judgement ought to terrify the wicked comfort the godly instruct all 326 Sermon 26. MVrmuring two-fold against God and against men 329 Murmuring and discontent in most ibid. Murmuring the sinne of the Israelites 330 Murmurers never content ibid. Murmurers severely punished 331 We must patiently subject our wils to Gods 332 The remedies against murmuring ibid. The Saints have bene discountenanced yet subjected their wils to Gods will and have been pacified and comforted 334 Man murmures against man for diuers causes 335 All estates are discontent and murmure against others 336 Murmuring the property of base and envious persons ibid. The lusts of the flesh must be tamed 337 God uses many meanes to teach us to tame our lusts ibid. Most men rather follow their lusts than obey Gods Word 338 Evill thoughts and inordinate affections must be vanquished ibid.
19. Rom. 9. thy day the things that belong unto thy peace The like wee reade in Paul who wished himselfe to be separate from Christ for his brethren the Israelites And it is all our parts to greeve at sinne in another man and to take pitty upon him according to the words of my Text Have compassion on some but where shall we single out one among the sonnes of Adam that is so compassionate as that hee will sorrow for sinne in another man When he seeth his brother to bee a vicious liver one wedded to wickednesse and sunke in sinne hee will salve it up with humanum est Cato is said never to laugh except once and that was when hee saw an Asse eate thistles that the senslesse beast should take pleasure in prickes which should have been spurs to him to take paines so we seeing our brethren eating up sinne as bread and drinking iniquitie like water rather laugh with Democritus at their follies than with Heraclitus lament their faults And what compassion is in this Cadit asinus est qui sublevet perit anima non est qui curat men will pitie the poore Asse for when hee falleth they will helpe him up againe but they will shew no compassion on mens soules for though they perish they care not herein they are like the base-minded Gergesites who had more care of their swine than of their soules Mat. ◠25. The Elephant if hee meete a wounded person in the Wildernesse hee bringeth him into his way againe and the like is fathered on the Dolphin who when Arion was cast into the Sea speedily conveyed him unto the shoare I could wish that men were Elephants or Dolphins in sparke of good nature one to another To sorrow one for anothers sinne it is not our custome The compassionate Samaritane to the poore passinger may teach us to shew mercy unto sinners his wounds resemble afflicted sinners Mat. 18. his descension from Ierusalem to Iericho his falling from the service of God his spoyling by theeves sinners overthrow by Satan the Priest and Levite which went aloofe Sunt mali ecclesiae ministri bad ministers Now the stranger that infused Oleum misericordiae vinum justitiae the oyle of mercie Lir◠and the wine of Iustice is any good man moved with mercy and compassion at a sinners wretched estate and useth all good meanes to reclaime him To this purpose tendeth the counsell of the Apostle Beare yee one anothers burden and as Christ stretched out his hand to take fast hold on Peter when hee was ready Gal. 6. 2. to sinke into the Sea so ought we towards our faithfull brethren overwhelmed with the waves of wickednesse to have compassion on them and by counsell and comfort out of the Word of God We should not envy the sinner but pitty him to save their soules and this is compassion indeed Augustine speaking of the drunkennesse and other sinnes in Africa said Tollantur ista sed tamen cum commisseratione non asperè non duriter Let these sinnes quoth August be taken away yet with compassion with mercy not sharpely not bitterly Docendo potius quà m jubendo monendo non minando by teaching rather than by commanding by monishing rather than by menacing for those Iewes whom the thunders of Sinai could not terrifie Saint Iohn with the sweete song of Sion did Mat. 3. perswade Againe the same Father aforenamed saith thus Qui phreneticum ligat lethargicum excitat hee that bindeth a phranticke man and awaketh a man sicke of a Lethargie ambobus molestus ambobus tamen utilis hee is troublesome to both yet profitable for them both Rogat charitas hunc ligare illum excitare ambos tamen amare Charitie obligeth a man to binde the one and to awake the other yet to love both Let all bee done in love and pittie and as the Apostle counselleth us Let us follow the truth in Ephes 4. 15. love The Drunkards Vsurers Swearers raile on us in all places in all Faires and Markets What then O pittie them Have compassion on them alas poore soules their state is pittifull Luke 23. not odious Nesciunt quid faciunt they know not what they doe Nec deludendi nec minandi sed plangendi these men are not to bee Aug. mocked nor menaced but mourned for I say to them as Christ said to the woman of Samaria If thou knewest the gift of God and Iohn 4. 10. who it is that saith unto thee c. so if these men knew the gift of God the power of the Word they would not doe as they doe fret not then at these men as David counselleth thee saying Fret not thy selfe because of the ungodly neither bee thou envious for the evill doer for they shall soone bee cut downe as the grasse and wither Psal 37. 1 2. like a greene hearbe And as Christ commandeth thee Breake not a Mat. 12. 20. bruised Reede quench not the smoaking flaxe Paul that so hated sinne and sharpely reproved it in Elymas the Sorcerer saying O full of Acts. 13. 10. all subtilty and all mischiefe the Childe of the Divell and enemy to all righteousnesse wilt thou not cease to pervert the straight wayes of the Lord Yet writing to the Corinthians hee saith I feare lest when 2 Cor. 12. 21. I come againe my God abase me among you and I shall bewaile many of them which have sinned already and have not repented of the uncleanenes and fornication and wantonnesse which they have committed For as there was nothing that did so much rejoyce his heart as when his preaching profited so nothing did more cast downe his heart then when his labour did no good and againe hee saith We are fooles for Christs sake and yee are wise in Christ wee are weake and yee 1 Cor. 4. 10 11 12 13 21. are strong yee are honourable and wee are dispised unto this houre wee both hunger thirst and are naked and are buffeted and have no certaine dwelling place and labour working with our owne hands wee are reviled and yet we blesse Wee are persecuted and suffer it wee are evill spoken of and we pray we are made as the filth of the world the off scouring The godly bewaile the fearefull estate of the wicked of all things unto this day He came not with a rod but in love and in the Spirit of meeknes he wept over the Philippians Ieremy cries out against the sinnes of the Iewes saying I harkened and heard but no man spake aright no man repented him of his wickednesse saying What have I done every one turned to their race as the horse Phil. 3. 18. Ier. 8. 6 7. into the battell even the Stork in the ayre knoweth her appointed time and the Turtle and the Crane and the Swallow observe the time of their comming but my people knoweth not the judgement of the Lord Yet did he it with great
compassion as appeareth by his own words saying Oh that my head were full of water and myne eyes a fountaine of teares that I might weepe day and night for the slaine of the daughter of Ier. 9. 1. my people How greeved it Samuel after that God had cast away Saul The text doth say that Samuel mourned for Saul and God did chide him for it saying How long wilt thou mourne for Saul seeing 1 Sam. 15. 25. Cap. 16. 1. I have cast him away for reigning over Israel Samuel did not say as many doe Let him perish Let him die He is a reprobate Let him goe but mourned and sorrowed for him Yea the Lord Iesus wept over Ierusalem so saith the Evangelist When he came neere and beheld the City he wept over it saying Oh if thou haddest Luk. 19. knowne at the least in this thy day the things that do belong unto thy peace c. As if hee should have said Alas poore towne alas poore people yee are now merry and jocund but oh poore soules you know not your state how neere your fall is whereupon one noteth We read that Christ was hungry weary sorry angry how he wept often but wee read not that hee laughed for even this Mat. 21. Iohn 4. Iohn 11. Mat. 3. Mat. 12. 25. laughter proceedeth from vanity Ea sola ridentur quae notant turpitudinem aliquam non turpiter As Christ was God he said I give thee thanks O Father Lord of Heaven and Earth because thou hast hidde these things from the wise and prudent and hast opened them to children But as he was man he sorrowed for the wicked and here by the way note for the weake and penitent that when wee speake roughly and denounce menaces wee doe it not to them but to the impenitent For as a Father sometimes layeth Rats-bane to kill mice and the children ignorantly fall upon it so the weake apply the menaces done to the reprobate to themselves but yet they pertaine not to them but to the bastards to the impenitent The Lord will try the righteous but the wicked and him that loveth Psal 11. 5. 6. iniquity doth his soule abhorre upon the wicked hee shall raine snares fire and brimstone and stormy tempest this is the portion of their cup. Wherefore heare the Word of the Lord ye scornefull men You say that you made a Covenant with death and are with Hell at agreement but your Covenant with death shall bee dissolved and your agreement with Hell shall not stand but the scourge shall runne over you and passe thorow you c. Againe though we must have compassion of some and pitty them yet this compassion and pitty must chiefely extend to the We must imitate Christ in mercy compassion soule of a sinner as partly was touched before for Saint Iude speaketh here of the soule this is the highest and greatest point of compassion in the world to pitty the soule to helpe it Learne this of the Schoolemaster of the world of the wisdome of the Col 2. Hebr. 2. Apoc. 1. Father of the brightnesse of glory the Ancient of dayes for he had pitty on the ignorance of the people saith the Evangelist When he saw the multitude he had compassion upon them because he saw Mat. 9. 36. them destitute as sheep wanting a shepheard He weepeth now over many a congregation in England that is without a pastour hee pittieth all sinners He is a mercifull and faithfull high Priest and hee Hebr. 2. 17. cap. 4. 15. is touched with the feeling of our infirmities Wee are all to learne of Christ to have pitty on our ignorant brethren to instruct them to teach them to exhort thē to do them good blessed are such so saith Salomon He that winneth soules that is that bringeth thē to the knowledge of God is wise the tongue of such a one is as fined Prov. 11. 30. Prov. 10. 20. silver those pastours feed best that are pittifull and compassionate Papists pretend to follow Christ in those things that are impossible as in fasting forty dayes in giving the Holy Ghost to their shavelings in opening the eyes of the blind in doing miracles but in teaching and preaching shewing mercy to the peoples soules they never come neere him they seeke not the rest of their soules as Christ did I am commanded to have compassion on the body of my brother as To deale bread to the hungry to bring the poore that wandreth into my Mat. 11. 29. Esay 58. 7. house to cover the naked and never to hide my face from mine owne flesh but specially I must have compassion on the soule of my brother for the more precious that a thing is the more care is ever to be had of it herein standeth the love of a father to his children of the Prince to his subjects of the minister to his flocke of one friend to another for you know the Commandement Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart but thou shalt Levit. 19. 17. plainely rebuke thy neighbour and suffer him not to sinne It is strange to see how wee pitty an Oxe or an Asse fallen into a ditch but not a brother drowned in sinne it is vile to set an house on fire but it is vile also to passe by it and not to quench it when it is in our power it is vile to wound a man but it is vile also to passe by him as the Levite did and as the Priest did and not to helpe him as the Samaritane did it is vile to sinne it Luk. 10. is vile also not to reprove a sinner and in time of need not to comfort him to save a soule He that hath converted a sinner from going Iam. 5. 20. astray out of the way shall save a soule from death and he shall hide a multitude of sinnes We thinke it a great matter to give a penny or two to a poore man but what though I helpe his need fill his belly cloath his nakednesse and yet pitty not his ignorance blasphemy and to increase knowledge zeale and the feare of the Lord in him our liberality is maimed wee pitty but the worst and weakest part that is the body follow therefore the Obstinate sinners must bee terrified counsell of the Apostle Instruct with meeknesse them that are contrary minded meaning such as are not come to the knowledge of the trueth but fall through ignorance proving that God at any 2 Tim. 2. 25. time will give them repentance that they may know the trueth Againe as some men are to be pittied so other some are to be reproved and must have the judgements of God denounced against them and must be terrified with menaces for that they sinne of malice not of weakenesse in knowledge not in ignorance they be pertinaces stubborne obstinate opinionative so to be handled For as we must not be too sharpe against a weake brother