thinke few be proud of their soules and none but fooles will be proud of their bodyes Quid superbis terra Why art thou proud O earth Man of earth is called earth and I cannot passe this poynt before I haue fixed your considerations vpon this obseruation How the Lord insinuates his contempt of the wicked by cutting off their names as not worthy to stand in his booke The mention of which would be a blur to his sacred leaues This is the estemation that the wicked beare with God How thinke ye then that their persons shall sit in his kingdome whose names may not stand in his booke Thus God crosses the worlds fashion some times giuing them no names at all As that reall parrable glues the rich man no name at all but Diues Some times by cutting off their names as the seruants of Dauid were serued by the Princes of Hannon Who cut off their garments by the buttocks and shaued off halfe their beards So God cutteth off halfe their names As Aram is called Rame leconia is called Conia Surely when God takes letters from their names he intendeth also to take blessings from their persons Some times he giues them a by name as the Bulles of Basan And here the earth or fallow ground as vnworthy of any other name or title of Honor. It is not alwayes true that Quanto ornatior tanto nequtor The more adorned the more wicked For surely greatnes is the fairest obiect to the eye of the world and goodnes to the eye of heaven There is a glorious splendor in pompous honor if it come by the hand of God For They that honor me I will honor saith the Lord. And it is made as a promise of God to the righteous Zecer fsaddik The memoriall of the iust shall be blessednes full of honor Good lucke haue such with their honor But there are many to whom our bonnets vaile and our knees bowe whom the sight of heaven scornes as not worthy of those titles and complements giuen vnto them For Deus vbinon est ibi nihil eft Where God is not there is nothing For he that hath not Christ. How can he haue right vnto any thing For the condition runnes thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 All is yours and you Christs But first you must be Christs before any thing can be yours Feede not your selues then with shadowes O iudex quisque sui Let euery man be a Iudge of himselfe Cum te quis laudet iudex tuus esse memento When any man prayseth thee remember to be thine owne Iudge Whether these things doe belong vnto thee or no. Plus aliis de te quam tu tibi credere noli Do not thou beleeue other men more concerning thy selfe then thou doest beleeue of thy selfe If you desire your names to be registred with the pehne of eternity in the kingdome of glory write them your selues in the kingdome of grace with the penne of obedience and there reade them to your comfort They stand sure with God before not sure to vs vntill now If you would haue God to dignifie your names with titles of honor then honor his name with songs of prayse and the fruite of odedience Remember his great and glorious name saith Moyses And fitly said Dauid that our helpe standeth Beshem Iehouab in the name of the Lord. Maintayne the glory of it then with your strenghts and sound it out with your prayse that so God may write you not without a name nor with a by-name nor with a curtolled name but that your names may stand at the full length in his booke That he reading the same as Ahashuerosh did Mordecayes then your service shall be found out with rewards arayed with the Kingds robe titles of honor set on the Kings Horse and Proclamation made This is the man whome the King will honor Honor him with reputation on earth before men and with glory in heauen before Angels O blessed are they that stand registred in the Chronicles of heauen with the penne of the eternall spirit and read in the leaues of obedience in the kingdome of grace I haue not yet don with the subiect This earth is a diuine spirituall and immortall nature called the fallow ground by a metaphor This ground is incapable of suffering terrene fragillity This is Gods ground and that in an high and mysticall sence yet proper enough The earth is the Lords Yet he hath not such respect to this ground as he hath to man for whome he made it but chiefely to the soule of man which is this fallow ground There is a wonderfull mixture of the elements in man First the Heart is placed in the midst as the earth or the center 2. The Liuer like the Sea from whence the springs of blood doe flowe 3. The veines like Rivers spreading themselues abroade into the vtmost members 4. The Braine which is placed 〈◊〉 like the Sunne giuing light and vnderstanding 5. The Senses like Starres set rounde about like ornaments And therefore man may well be called earth yea Microcesmot a little world The Earth is called Terra which betokeneth the roundnes of the earth Or it is called Terra and hath that name of the over part qua 〈◊〉 That is trod vpon as being the foundation and ground worke of all And is also called Humus and hath that name of the Sea that is moyst for without moysture the earth is vnprofitable They must be ioyned together For if it be drie which is either by too much cold and then it turnes to sande and gravell or by too much heate and then it turnes to Chauke and Oker The earth must haue moysture to make it fruitfull This moysture is Gods grace that makes the soule as profitable as the showers from heaven cause the earth to be fruitfull The heart and grace must be myxed together for it is necessary to divers ends I Illuminat intellectum It doth lighten the vnderstanding 2. Inflamat affectum It inflameth the affection 3. Frangit it cordis duritiam It breaketh the hardnes of the heart Thus when the heart and grace are ioyned together they are fruitfull Therefore the earth is called Tellus because we take fruite therof And Ops for it heapeth with fruite Such is the heart of a good christian that it floweth with the works of righteousnes as appeareth Cant 2. 12. The flowers appeare in the earth saith Salomon Obserue with me First the place Baarets in the earth This earth is the heart and soule that is the fountaine of them 2. Nireu they appeare Inward grace bringes forth outward fruite 3. The quantitie of them Hannitsanim the slowers set downe in the plurall to shewe the abundance of them as our Lord witnesseth This Earth is fruitfull when the ayre of Gods grace hath giuen influence with the seasollable dewes of his spirit and the Sunne of righteousnes hath bestowed his kindly heare then followes a plentifnll
Corpore deposite liberam si scandis in aethram Tunc dem aeternus fies mortalia linquens If quite from earthly drosse thou soare Then shalt thou be a God and dye no more But as yet all our labours are like vnto the husbandmans seede castinto the earth which seemes to rot and vtterly to perish It is reported of Hillary that from the fourteenth yeere of his age to the 84. had serued the Lord in sowing this seede yet it seemed to him lost while he vttered this sentence Goe foorth O my soule goe foorth why art thou afraide why doubtest thou Likewise Iob saide What shall I doe whether shall I turne when the Lord shall-comc to iudgement Thus the godly are subiect to trouble of spirit and vexation of conscience The world sees not the fruite and we perceiue not the fulnesse of our sowing as yet onely here is our comfort our workes are with the Lord and the crowne of righteousnesse shall come hereafter Secondly the husbandman receiues not the benefit of his labours as soone as he hath sowne his seede it is long in growing vppe in ripening and at the length is cut downe and brought into the barne Euen so is it with the godly now they sowe and reape hereafter This world is the seede time the next is the haruest time and so much the wise man shewes saying Cast thy bread vp on the waters and after many dayes thou shalt finde it The like saith the Apostle Paul I haue fought a good fight I haue kept the faith Here is his seēde time the haruest sollowes Hence foorth is laide vp for mee the crowne of righteousnesse In this world the children of God are but in their apprentiship to learne their arte they shall be truely free men onely in heauen this is their time of feare and trembling the haruest of full-ioy and happinesse is hereafter The Church is compared to a vineyard that is first digged then planted groweth bloweth and afterward commeth the liquor Sometime also to a shippe that goes to the Sea and is beaten with the waues tossed with the windes and then at the length comes home full fraughted with Merchandies Also to a building wherein there is much hewing squaring and great paines taking before it be a fit habitation To a fielde that is plowed sowne harrowed growes ripens and then comes the haruest The child of God is a planter a Merchant a builder and a husbandman but the wine is not yet tasted of the shippe is not yet returned the house is not yet inhabited and the seede is not yet in the barne Therefore I say vnto you as the Apostle said to his hearers ye haue neede of patience 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that after yee haue done the will of God yee may receiue the promise yet a little and hee that shall come will come Post lacramas risus post exilium Paradisus After weeping comes laughing and after banishment comes Paradise After sowing comes haruest and after obedience comes glory The husbandman comforts himselfe with the presedence of his labours and feedes vpon future hopes His well dunged and manured ground his seasonable tillage and his good seed will surely bring a plentiful haruest in the end more then answerable to his paines The husbandman cannot so much hope for an ensuing crop as the child of God hath an assurance of his future glory His well manured soule with the grace of God his seasonable and good seed of obedience puts him in such an hope and giues him such assurance of a blessed haruest that he will not sell his future estate for a present Monarchy Moyses had rather forgoe his present dignities then loose his future hopes Thirdly it is fitly compared to sowing because as one corne brings foorth many and a little increaieth much so the seede of righteousnesse brings foorth an vnspeakable weight of glory Eye hath not seene care hath not heard neither hath it entred into the heart of man what God hath laid vp for those that loue him so great is the reward as that it cannot be numbred so precious as that it cannot be valued so lasting as that it euer endureth O ioy aboue all ioyes mirth without sorrow life without labour light without darkenesse aglorious reward for so small a worke Here is a blessed increase and yet no vsurie an hundred for tenne yea a thousand for one yet no extortion our seede finite the reward infinite A cup of cold water giuen to a pious vse shall be put in the Chronicles of heauen and rewarded with no lesle then a kingdome Fourthly obserue that out of one hand comes many graines and cornes which are dispersed into many parts of the field So the good childe of God must bee as plentifull in good workes doing good vnto many The seruant is not aboue his Lord. If Christ so sowed wee ought to follow For omnis Christi actio nostra debet esse instructio Euery action of Christ ought to be our instruction who went about doing good vnto all people Among the Iewes none might be a Rabbin till he could speake seuen languages the tree is not accounted a good tree till it bring forth much fruit and who can bee a good Christian till hee bee found fruitfull in good workes A Christian must be like the tree that Clusius reports of calling it the Indian figgetree and Gorobius calleth it the tree of Adams transgression Let it be what it is it groweth vp with one faire body the branches spreading themselues very large reaching downe vnto the earth taking hold thereof and springeth vp againe into little trees that often it comes to passe that the ground is couered and ouerspread for the space of a mile with the ouer spreading branches The Christian is compared in Scripture to a figge tree It seemes that this is the cause of it to teach the childe of God to be as farre spreading with his workes We reade that when Christ fed the people he fed them by multitudes to teach vs to doe good vnto many While wee haue time saith the Apostle let vs doe good vnto all When the ayre hath giuen influence the cloudes sent downe the seasonable deawes of grace and the sunne of righteousnes bestowed his kindly heat then a Christian becomes fruitfull Man is compared to the earth that brings forth herbes of all colours and fashions and of seueral smelles These herbes are as dumbe masters to teach vs our duety to be plentifull in good workes of all sorts as Peter teacheth Ioyne vertue with faith and with vertue knowledge with knowledge temperance with temperance patience with patience godlinesse with godlinesse brotherly kindnes and with brotherly kindnesse loue See what a golden chaine of vertues are here linked together That which was prophesied of vs must bee made true in vs Our roabes namely our workes must bee wrought with diuers collours It must not bee with vs as it
a coniunction copulatiue ioyning of things together and this is ruach Elohim God the Spirit In a word the Father hath but one respect that is he is produceus non productus producing and not produced The Spirit hath one respect likewise hee is productus produced not producens producing But the the Sonne hath two respects that is he is productus a Patre vna cum Patre producens spiritum sanctum produced from the Father and is one with the Father producing the holy Spirit This is the Trinitie in vnitie and the vnitie in Trinitie three Persons yet but one God And now what is it that you would haue Is it Power to protect you Mercy to forgiue you and Grace to sanctifie you Then seeke eth Iehouah for as Salomon sayde get wisedome get vnderstanding so get Iehouah and get all things For they alone possesse all things which possesse the possesser of all things Well might Dauid say our helpe standeth besham Iehouah for there we haue power and protection mercy and redemption grace and sanctification But this is a Sunne so glorious that wee are not able to behold it a Sea so deepe we cannot sound it and a maiestie so great wee cannot comprehend it I must say with Barnard To enquire of the Trinitie is a peruerse curiosity to beleeue and to hold as the holy Church holdeth is faith and securitie to see it as it is is most perfect and chiefe felicitie And now I say vnto you as Alanus saide to his auditours who told them that hee would open the misterie of the Trinitie and when hee was to speake hereof at the time appointed saide Sufficit vobis vidisse Alanus It is sufficient that you haue seene Alanus So it is sufficient that you haue heard thus much of the incomprehensible Trinitie and this great glorious name Iehouah Eth Iehouah wee will not so let him goe but as Iacob would not let the Angell goe before hee had got a blessing so we will not giue ouer till we haue found the Lord for though we cannot come neere him because of his glory yet let vs tread in his footsteps and that will bring vs to him at length For as the onely way to come to the sea is to follow the streame to the nearest way to follow the Lord is to follow him in his word and this will bring a man peace at the last saith Dauid And this is that which the Lord commaunded saying Seeke mee and you shall liue but seeke not Beth. el. His meaning is that they should obey his word and follow the same and not Ieroboams calues at Beth el. This was commended in Iofiah which sought the Lord that is the will and word of the Lord to doe accordingly Which thing beingsoneedful that the apostle saith Proue that good and acceptable will of the Lord that is to doe it for this is truely to seeke the Lord. When Christ said Seeke the kingdome of God and his righteousnesse hee meaneth that we should doe that righteousnesse And whosoeuer thus seekes the Lord shall finde him to his comfort But here take heede you seeke him not in Poetry Philosophie or in Historiographie for non est hic He is not here The wisedome of the world knew not God in the wisdome thereof Therfore well might the Apostle say Take heede that no man spoyle you through Philosophie A disease whereof many are sicke hauing more delight and being better experienced in humane stories then in godly Diuinity In the one they are cunning in the other they are ignorant When they come to the word they must doe as men that want their sight which put on their spectacles before they can reade so these must turne to the Table before they can finde the Booke Surely it is not like there can be a strong faith when the knowledge is so weake The men of this age are taken with a kinde of giddinesse in the braine and are sicke of curiositie in Religion more ready to enquire after Melchi sedecs father then the way to finde God Much like Adrian who would needes know who was Euandars nurse and great grandfathers granfather to Priamus Maximus reports that Eucledes who being asked wherewith the gods were delighted answered for other things I know not but this I am sure of they hate all curious persons It was strange that the Iewes should forsake the Manna and loue the Garlike and Onions of Egypt But more strange it is to see the men of this time to forsake the word of God and to loue the foame of mens inuentions How are our Sermons now despised if they bee not garnished ouer with historie or Philosophie How many come hither rather for affected wordes then to learne how to practise obedience and to fill their eares with curiositie rather then their hearts with grace There is no great difference betweene the foode of the body and the foode of the soule for good meate must be set out with floures good clothes with toyes and so sound Diuinitie with history These are seekers but for deuils diuintie Looke on the drunkard and you shall finde him a diligent searcher not for the Lord but for strong drinke Hee beginnes with the Sunne-rising and continues till it set and often hee calles for a candle because the whole day is too short and there he and others search till neither witte in their heads grace in their soules nor money in their purses is to be found The adulterer is a searcher not after the Lord but harlots He seekes all in the darke by owle-light lest the chaste birds of honestie should see him and wonder at him and at length findes a bodie going to the graue full of sores and a soule going to hell miserably sinfull The Incloser is a great seeker but to the poore mans cost and his beasts destruction he hedges in the poore mans Common and keepes pasture from his beast and so he is a murderer both of man an beast Not long since by God such an Incloser was strucken dead suddenly from heauen in the very acte of his sinne I could name him I will not The Ingrosser is a great seeker euen to the foure corners of the Land but in all this inambulation hee cannot or will not find the Lord not so much as set a foote in the path of obedience like those dogs running by the riuer Nilus not once giuing a lap at Iacobs Well These seeke not for grace but graine and commodities like the Pharises that compasse sea and land to fill their ware-houses with commodities Surely wee neede not complaine for want of bread were it not for these Inclosers The ambitious man is a diligent seeker hee lookes high and seekes in the ayre yet not for the Lord but for the honour of promotion like Haman that seeke to ride on the Kings horse and thinke the highest step of promotion too low for them
The robbe-Altar that seekes to drinke in the goblets of the Temple and take away the Ministers sheafe that should make him bread and his fleece that should make him clothes Some of the rob-Altars find whole Churches at once and yet not so much as the sweepings will they giue to the minister But let them take heede for the stones will goe neere to choake them one day and the belles ring them a peale to hell and keepe such a shaking in their consciences that they will wish they had neuer swallowed them and then when it is too late begin to evacuate themselues of the same The Vsurer is a seeker not other mens good but his owne profit Hee seekes to lend not to enrich others but himselfe Many a yong gallant is found by the Vsurer to his cost that they could neuer find their inheritance since the Vsurer found them What say you to the Lawyer is hee not a diligent seeker but not of the Lord rather to peruert the Law and to make a poore mans case intricate For it is not for his profit quickly to finish a Cause And often we see after some good Gamaliel hath brought a cause to a period and day of sentence that one Achithophel or other ouerturnes all And before the poore man can bring his cause to an other day of sentence either his dayes or his estate is ended I would some good body would pray to God that hee would either conuert the bad of them or to send them to the deuill for a new-yeeres-gift that we may be rid of them And to adde this petition into the latanie from wicked Lawyers good Lord deliuer vs for the seeke not the Lord but our estates What should I speake of the swearer who seekes for newe oathes the proude person for newe fashions the tradesman for to deceiue the officer for bribes and the like so that as the Apostle saith all seeke their owne but not the Lord. Yet there are a fewe which seeke the wayes of the Lord with Iosia pure in heart with Nathanel vpright in life with Zacharias and shall bee blessed with Abraham These are they which say with Samuel speake Lord for thy seruant heareth and with Esaiah here am I send me Whom this verse concernes Duc me summe Pater altique dominator olympi Quocunque placuerat nulla parenda mora est Assum impiger fac nolle comitabor gemens Lead me great Lord King of eternitie Euen where thou wilt I le not resist thee Change thou my will yet still I vowe subiection Thus the children of God are resolued to seeke the Lord howsoeuer the wicked are bent to seeke their owne Eth Ichouah a word more The Lord that is the loue and fauour of the Lord such a seeking Dauid speakes of Seeke yee my face thy face will we seeke O Lord. This is that the Church prayeth for saying Let him kisse mee with the kisses of his mouth that is shewe me the signes of his loue for it is not the least fauour of God to loue vs and therefore saith Christ. If any man keepe my word my father and I will loue him As if the loue of God were the summum bonum chiefe good and so it is For it is causa causarum the cause of causes and causa cansati the cause of the thing saying of Christ God so loued the world that he gaue his sonne to redeeme it So that Gods loue is the cause of our redemption so the Church sings First 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to him that loued vs and then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hee washed vs. And as it is the cause of all good so it is the life and ground of faith and repentance for wee beleeue and repent not because of the iustice of God but the mercy of God So saith Dauid there is mercy with the Lord therefore wee feare him for that faith without the feeling of Gods loue is carnall securitie and that repentance without the feeling of mercy is desperation And as it is the life and ground of faith and repentance so it is that which makes the conscience at peace with God as saith the Apostle Then being iustified by faith we haue peace with God If a man had Achithophels pollicy Samsons strength Absoloms beautie Felix his honour Salomens wisedome and Belshazzars kingdome yet all would not make peace in the conscience if Gods loue be wanting Make the vse of it thus is it so that we should seeke the loue and fauour of God then miserable is the condition of those that prouoke the Lord to anger God is saide to be a consuming fire fire is a denouring and mercilesse element if it be before vs nothing more comfortable if vpon vs nothing more deuouring nothing more cold then lead if it bee melted nothing more scalding Nothing more mercifull then God but if hee be mooued nothing more fearefull and consuming for as the loue of God is the cause of all happinesse so his wrath is the cause of all confusion Secondly let this worke vpon you as an exhortation to make you seeke this loue and fauour of the Lord. O that you were sicke of loue that prayer might bee your physicke and faith your hand-maide this would bring long life to your dayes and happinesse to your soules if you could once say with the spouse ani te dodi vedodi li 〈◊〉 my well beloued and my well beloued is mine Foelix illa Conscientia in cuius corde c. Happy is the conscience of that man in whose heart this loue of God is for st Deus pro nobis quis contra nos if God be for vs who shall bee against vs. And thus much briefely for the obiect whom we are to seeke namely the Lord. The compelling cause THere is an appointed time for all things saith the wise man which being done in their time are like apples of gold with pictures of siluer A thing so pleasing to God that hee commends it in the dumbe creatures the Storke knoweth her appointed time and the swallowe obserues the season How much more then doth God looke for it at our hands as my text saith ve-gneth and time it is first in regard of the time past and secondly in regard of the time to come First of the time past which is lost and not to bee recouered againe Arte cannot produce it where it is to come nor reduce it when it is gone It was painted like an olde man with long haire before and all bare behind to shewe that wee are to make vse of it when it is before vs. For all the time that God hath giuen thee shall be required at thy handes how thou hast spent it Time is not our owne but the Lords and giuen to vs for his vse therefore doeth God call vpon vs for the spending of this time in his seruice as here in my text for it is time because many