had the money in his house Diogenes refused all and craued nothing but the benefit of the Sunne which Alexander Quintus Curtius in the life of Alexander kept from him by standing betweene him and it And when newes was brought vnto Zeno and certaine other that their Ships Goods and Merchandize were lost they reioyced because it was a cause to make them apply themselues to their studies which yeelded them farre greater content Philoxenes hauing purchased a farme whereby hee might liue the better at ease quitted it againe and returned to Athens saying These goods shall not lose mee but I them Therefore Seneca writing to a friend of his said that if he had not lost his riches it might be they might haue lost him Which made Aristides Curius and many other to liue in poore conditions If heathen men by natures light learned such contentment what a shame is it for vs which haue the word of God for our light yet to be so carking and caring for the things of this life For if Gold and Siluer were sent vs wee should hardly find a man that would send it back againe for Quis nisi mentis inops oblatum respuit aurum Wee count him a foole that despises money when it is offered him But if wee would consider that all things we haue we hold them from God as borrowed goods Then we would bee content to let him haue them againe without griefe and giue him thanks for the time we haue had them lest we should bee conuicted of ingratitude But alas the lacke of experience not knowing how to apply our selues to our present estate causeth vs to wrap our selues in a number of passions and torments Wee must therefore striue to know the truth of Gods prouidence that we may not bee dismaide if God doe depriue vs of these earthly blessings It is written of Antiochus that when the Romanes had gotten from him the greatest part of his Kingdome he did not murmure and repine as many of vs would haue done but said he was much beholding to them that had eased him of so much care Philip King of Macedon vpon a time being fallen vpon the sands and seeing the marke and print of his body said Lord what a little plat of the world is nature contented with and yet we couet the world What a shame is it for vs that the heathen should condemne our greedy desires What would they haue done said if they might haue had as much meanes and opportunities as wee haue to get knowledge and to know what the Lord required at our hands Let vs repent of our former repining and let vs returne vnto the Lord with all our hearts and be content to be gouerned by him in all things for there can be no true comfort in any thing in this world for else it may hap vnto vs as it did vnto Dinah who while she wandred to feed her fancies vpon the daughters of a strange Countrey she lost her Virginity among the sons of the country so while wee seeke to fill our mindes with the profits of the world we may lose our sinceritie 1 Tim. 1. 19. and make ship-wrack of a good conscience and so bee forced to goe away as Thamar out of her brother Ammons Chamber with her garment rent So those worldlings which sometimes with Demas followed Paul but now embrace the world are forced many times to goe away with their garments rent and torne And no maruell for if they will venture through the thornes and bushes of worldly cares to get worldly promotion it is no maruell if their zeale be abated and quenched their courage for the performance of holy things cooled their faith blasted their knowledge withered their humility defaced and the whole grament of piety rent in pieces For if with Siserah we looke for any rest in Iaels tent we shall be sure to bee made fast so if we look for any sound comfort in the world we shall be sure to speed as ill as Siserah did 't is a thousaÌ„d to one but our sinceritie and pietie will be nayled to the earth before wee be aware And so by longing after the pottage of the world we lose our birth-right as Esau did Therefore seeing Gods loue or hatred is not knowne by the hauing or want of these outward things therefore let vs desire the Lord to weane our hearts from the things of the world and to giue vs quiet mindes and thankfull hearts But Lord though we are full of impatience and doubting of thy Prouidence Mercy and Goodnesse and so ready to forget what thou hast done for vs all our dayes yet we pray thee forget not thy selfe but continue a God still to doe vs good and if want come then to keep our faith firme and strong in thy Prouidence if sicknesse aduersity come keepe our patience entire if riches and preferment come keepe our zeale vnquenced Remember wee pray thee whereof wee bee made from the earth we come on the earth wee liue delighting in earthly things and at last vnto the earth wee shall returne againe Therefore seeing heauenly things cannot come from so vile a matter and our earthly nature cannot bee changed but by thy heauenly Spirit we pray thee rouze vp our dead affections and make vs to place our hearts onely vpon thee giue vs grace to vse and imploy our riches to thy honour and to purchase vnto our selues the meanes of grace with them that so we passing the time of our pilgrimage in thy feare we may die in thy fauour rest in thy peace and rise againe by thy power which grant vnto vs for the Lord Iesus sake And thus much for the first point propounded riches and their insufficiency to profit vs for our soules and our bodies in life and in death The second followes which is Honours and Preferments Tul. in Tusâ— quest Honour according as the wise heathens define it is a vnion of the praises of good men which iudge of vertue without partialitie What is Honour if it be not sanctified but thraldome and bondage the beginning of danger and the occasion of death and so turnes to the ruine of many How many are there which haue striued to enter in at the gate of Honour which haue beene trod vnder foot as the Miâ—e in the street Those which gape after honour may fitly be compared to those which climbe Nut trees some breake their necks with climbing and other their teeth with cracking Did not 2. Sam. 18. 9. Absolon by climbing so high make his owne haire his halter and Haman by his ambitious Esth 7. 9. thoughts raise himselfe fifty cubits high vpon a stately gallows which he had prepared for Mordechai Act. 12. and when Herod thought to deifie himselfe he was quickly brought vnder by the base wormes And do we not see many break their teeth with cracking these Nuts Did not Achan thinke to aduance himselfe by the accursed things but he
little for thy censure as I doe for thy selfe Therefore Cum tua non aedas ne carpas munera lector Carpere vel noli nostra vel aede tua Sith that thy works thou doest conceale Good Reader carpe not mine Leaue off to reprehend our workes Or else goe publish thine And though there is no end in making books seeing much reading brings wearisomnesse to the flesh Eccles 12. 12. Yet this wee doe and pleasure take in toile Although wee doe but plow the barren soile And thus hauing beene ouerbold in presuming vpon your patience I will here end cōmend you to God and to the Word of his grace which is able to build you vp further and giue you an inheritance among Act. 20. 32. them which are sanctified And rest Yours alwayes in the Lord EDMVND COBBES THE WORLDLINGS LOOKING-GLASSE VVherein hee may cleerely see what a woefull bargaine he makes if he lose his soule for the gaine of the world Matth. 16. 26. For what is a man profited if he shall gaine the whole world and lose his own soule or what shall a man giue in exchange for his soule THE time of our blessed Sauiours passion being at hand he tells and forewarnes his Disciples of it that thereby he might confirme and strengthen them against the scandall of his Crosse But yet for all this they dreame of an earthly Kingdome and that our Sauiour should restore them to their ancient liberties which in time past their fathers enioyed in the time of Dauid and Salomon and other Kings of Israel but our Sauiour to put them out of this conceit tells them plainly elsewhere that his Kingdome is not of this world and therefore they are not to expect any earthly pompe and state by him for a Vers 21 he must goe to Ierusalem and suffer many things of the Elders and chiefe Priests and Scribes and bee killed c. Peter who loued him dearely and so was more forward to manifest his loue then the rest takes him aside thinking he had spake vnaduisedly that would die when he might liue and began to rebuke him saying Be it farre from thee Lord this shall not bee vnto thee q. d. Thou art the promised Seed of the Woman in whom all the Nations of the world shall bee blessed thou art an innocent man and therefore oughtest not to die thy life is very profitable vnto all men by feeding their bodies curing their diseases teaching and instructing them in the wayes of godlines therefore thou oughtst rather restore the kingdome to Israel and to free vs out of our captiuity But alas Peter thy counsell is carnall thou vnderstands only the things that belong to thy owne ease and quietnesse but not the things which are of God I was sent to seek and to saue the lost sheepe of the house of Israel and am that scape goate which Leu. 16. 10. must beare the iniquities of the people and that Lambe which must take away the sinnes of the world by my death and suffering must offer my selfe as a sacrifice for the redemption of the world and so by death ouercome him which hath the power of death therefore Peter get thee behind me with thy deuillish counsel thou art an offence to me and an aduersary to my fathers wil which hath appointed set me apart to reconcile the world vnto him therefore if thou wilt be my Disciple indeed as thou professest thy self to bee imitate thou mee in my obedience to my Fathers Will learn thou thy duty which now I teach thee and which I will haue all my Disciples to learne If any man will come after mee let him deny himself take vp his crosse and follow me Teaching all those which will giue vp their names vnto him what must bee their practice and whereto they must trust they must renounce their owne wit pollicie and affection and bee content to endure crosses losses and much affliction which they must beare cheerefully and follow their Captaine Christ Iesus in well doing though they haue neuer so many pullers back and hinderances in the way yet they must imitate the Philistins 1 Sam. 6. Kine which bare the Arke of GOD though they were milche and had their Calues at home yet without any turning to the right hand or left they kept on their way to Bethshemesh So the Disciples of Christ which haue giuen vp their names vnto him and doe beare the Arke of his law vpon their shoulders though they haue many allurements of the world the flesh and the Deuill to draw them backe which are as dear vnto them as the calues were vnto the Kine yet for all this they must keepe on their course in the pathe of a holy life and conuersation without turning either to the right hand or left vntill they come to Bethshemesh the house of the Sun for he that puts his hand to the Plough and afterwards lookes backe makes himselfe vnfit for the Kingdome of God Therefore our blessed Sauiour plainly tels his Disciples what their profession would cost them and what they should looke for that is to bee hated of all men for his sake and to endure all manner of crosses and bee content to beare them patiently and weare them as a crown vpon their heads and to cary death alway before them as a seale vpon their fingers Now because the heart of man is full of doubts and out of selfe-loue is readie to call the truth of God in question our blessed Sauiour is carefull to fence his doctrine against all doubts and to preuent all scruples which carnal men can make against the truth thereof as thinking it very harsh to flesh and blood Therefore in the 25 and 26 verses hee answers a secret obiection which some obiectour might reply vpon him in these or the like words That so hee should lose at least the worlds goods and perhaps his life too To the one Christ answers in the verse preceding my Text that to lose life was the way to find it meaning eternall life q. d. for the worst that Tyrants can doe is but to send them to heauen and the desire to saue life by refusing the crosse was the way indeed to lose it to wit eternall life And to the other he answeres in the words of my Text that the gaine of the world is nothing if it be compared with the soules losse which he layes downe in an hypotheticall proposition question wise For what is a man profited if he shall gaine the whole world if he lose his soule Which categorically turned is he that winnes euen a whole world but loseth his owne soule for it gaines not which is confirmed by the latter part of the verse that there is nothing worth the soule nothing equiualent to it which he propounds question-wise also because in this forme a proposition hath most life and power to work vpon the heart and conscience of the hearer For what thing is there
to picking and stealing the wit to quarrell the strength to murder the feet which can scarce stand are swift to shed blood and the mouth to belch out blasphemy against their Maker And thus I haue shewed you what drunkennesse is and that wee may the better auoid it we will set downe the fearefulnesse of the sinne and that it is condemned in the high Court of heauen in the inferiour court of mens Consciences as a capitall crying sinne against which the Lord of heauen thunders out his sentence of eternall malediction against all those that are guiltie of it be they of neuer so great qualitie and esteeme in the world saying Woe vnto them that rise vp early to follow drunkennesse Isay 5. 1. and vnto them that continue vntill night till the Wine doe inflame them And againe Woe to Isay 28. 1. the drunkards of Ephraim Which terrible woe that it may not take hold vpon the seruants of Christ hee forewarnes them and aduises them to take heed Luk. 21. 34 that their hearts bee not oppressed with drukeÌ„nes Thus we see what entertainment this sinne findes at the hands of God hee tels vs plainly that Drunkards shall not 1 Cor. 5. inherite the Kingdome of God Now let vs also see what countenance it hath had of men in all ages The Fathers in their time condemned â—brietas est flagitiorum omnium mater culparumque materia Ad sacras virg Esi blandus daemon dulce venenum Quid ebriâ—tate miserabilius Chrys Ebriâ—sus cum absorbet Vinum absorbetur a Vino Aug. de paenit it Augustine saith Drunkennesse is the mother of all Villanies the matter of faults and the fountaine of vice And in ather place he cals it An alluring deuill and a pleasing poyson And another father by asking a question sets forth the fearfulnesse of this sinne saying What is more miserable then the sinne of drunkennesse seeing the liuing creature by drunkennesse is become as it were dead Againe When the drunkard deuoureth the Wine hee is deuoured of wine This sinne is condemned by the wise Heathen by Natures light Solon ordained in his law that if a Prince were found drunke he should bee punished with death Then much more a priuate man The Indians ordained that if a women would aduenture to kill the King in the time of his drunkennesse shee should for her reward marry his successor And Seneca cals drunkennesse a voluntary madnesse Thus wee see what verdict GOD and man passes vpon this sinne of drunkennesse That we may the better see it in its owne colours we will shew how and wherin the Maiesty of GOD is offended by this filthy sinne 1. The drunkard sinneth against GOD in making of his belly his Idoll nay his god so saith the Apostle Whose god is Phil. 3. 19. his belly he better loues it and is more careful to please it then he is his God 2. A drunkard is vnfit to serue God for if the Lord will be worshipped in spirit and in truth how farre are drunkards from this seruice which hee requires Or how vnfit for any good exercise Take him from the pot and hee is as dead as a doore naile let him goe to Church and he will sleepe out the Sermon and so wraps himselfe vnder that curse of doing the worke of the Lord negligently exhort him to sobriety and he will say that is the way to engender melancholly examine him of worldly affaires and he will talke of that tomorrow the onely meanes to make him speak of sense is to tel him that there is good Wine comming home from Spaine or France and then he will be sure to prepare him a doublet a quarter wider in the waist then his former that he may powre the wine downe the more freeer into his panch which gapes like hell for Wine and strong drinke and then when is belly is full of Wine and his head void of wit then you shall see him in his right cue belching out oathes against God and scoffing at the Magistrate and Minister and questioning of matters of State too high for his shallow wit to reach vnto so that by this meanes hee is neither fit to serue God nor to do any profit vnto the common wealth For a Drunkard can neither bee a good Magistrate nor a good subiect for how can hee rule others which cannot rule himselfe and as hee cannot rule others so he cannot obey Plutarch makes mention of certaine men who in the midst of their cups reuiled their King Pyrrhus in a very reproachfull manner and being conuicted of their misdemeanor brought before the King they stood mute hauing nothing to say for themselues at last seeing they could not deny the fault nor defend it one of them more bold then the rest stept forth and confessed truth saying O King it is true we spake much euill of thee and should haue spoke much more if our Wine had not failed vs. By which we may see that drunkennesse is accompanied with backbiting and slandering 3. As the Drunkard sinneth against GOD and his neighbour so in especiall manner hee sinneth against the poore in that by his great expence in drinking hee hath not wherewith to relieue them for his wealth was not giuen him to spend in tipling but that hee should breake his bread to the hungry powre out his drinke to the thirsty 4. In a speciall manner hee sinneth against his owne family against his wife in spending her portion in his drunken excesse against his Children in depriuing them of their patrimony and of other necessaries and as he sheweth himselfe a theefe abroad in depriuing his family of their due so he playeth the tyrant at home for either hee railes fights or sweares when he comes home or else he disgorges his vnsauory stomack in such a shamefull manner that hee is more fit to lie in a hogs Stye among swine then among those which feare God and so by making himselfe a slaue to his sinne hee vtterly depriues himselfe of all good report among men and at last pouerty like an armed man arests him so that as in his youth he would drinke nothing but Wine and strong drinke in his age he shall be forced to drinke water or else perish for thirst For so saith the Wise man Hee that loueth Pro. 21 17 Wine and Oyle shall not be rich And this sinne doth not onely bring pouerty but also infatuates and depriues the vnderstanding of reason and common sense as may bee seene in Lot who committed incest with his daughters and yet was not aware of his down-lying nor of his vp-rising so that drunkennesse Gen. 19. 35 produceth the same operation that deadly poyson doth it depriueth of reason and exposeth to danger Cyrus in his Childhood being asked by his Grandfather why he did not drinke Wine at the feast answered Because saith he I tooke it to be poyson for at the last feast I obserued that those
for heauenly our labour here may procure vs maintenance and what we want may be supplyed by the Charitie of our friends but no man can redeeme his soule Wee may win the world as Alexander did and yet for all this lose our soules Oh consider this all yee that forget GOD and are carelesse of your saluation we will bee at great cost for the assurance of our lands and for gaine wee will trauell farre and to bee sure of promotion we will endure much toyle and drudgery and shall we take no paines to be assured of heauen the gaine of glory and the saluation of our soules Naturally we are moued to seeke after those things by which wee may escape losse and gaine some good but oh the carelesnes of the most of vs for the saluation of our soules Men study to become learned they labour for friends striue for riches and seeke for promotion because the benefit of theÌ„ is much for mans welfare the want of them is held to be very hurtfull without them men are iudged but miserable yet riches honour are nothing so auaileable for vs here learning and friends cannot make them happy that haue them vnlesse they be assured of the saluation of their soules but alas we are like Balaam wee can wish that our soules may die the death of the righteous but are vnwilling to liue their life we would with Diues fare delicately euery day and yet with Lazarus looke for heauen at our ending Thus we passe our dayes in the sinfull vanities of the world and are carelesse of our owne saluation and so spending our dayes in pleasure suddenly we sink down into hell Oh but may some say God forbid wee should bee so carelesse for our soules as to lose them for the world wee hope we haue more care then so Vnto whom I answere if you be so carefull as you say you are what meanes that rising vp early and going to bed late what toyling carking caring for the world like the bleating lowing of the Amalekites sheep and Oxen what meanes that excessiue care for the belly and backe these cry so loud that men may see that the care of the most is for the world and the least care is for the soule the most precious Iewel we haue But thou that sayest thou art so careful for thy soule let me aske thee a question or two and let thy Conscience answer before God that knows the secrets of thy heart Doe you feele as great thirst after righteousnes as euer at any time you haue felt after drinke to refresh your drie body or as great a desire after Gods Kingdome as the Couetous man hath after money is your principall care night and day how you may please God canst thou sorrow and mourne more for sinne and for the losse of Gods fauour then for the losse of any worldly estate Canst thou put vp wrongs and iniuries done thee patiently and quietly and see Gods hand in them as Dauid did the cursing of Shimei If these things thou doest out of a good Conscience then I say thou art carefull for thy soule But on the contrary art thou a willing seruant of sinne more willing to doe what thy lust leads thee vnto then what God commands Doest thou bestow vpon the world that loue feare ioy delight strength and time which God challengeth and the godly in all ages haue beene carefull to performe and giue vnto him then where is thy care for thy soule doth thy life and couersation agree better with the wil of the Deuill then with the Will of God dost thou take more care paines to fulfil the Will of the flesh and Sathan then in doing what God requireth If thus thou doest for shame neuer say thou takest care for thy soule for the deuils take as much care as thou doest If the righteous can hardly bee saued where shall the prophane sinners appeare if they which haue set their faces towards heauen all the dayes of their life shall scarce be saued what shall become of those that haue set their faces against heauen all their life If wee haue care of our soules as wee ought where is our zeale to God-ward where is our reuerend feare of his Maiesty where is our seruice and obedience wee yeeld vnto our Lord and God where is our very reason that makes vs differ from beasts which by the instinct of Nature follow those things which are profitable to them and shunne those things which are hurtfull yet we hauing direction from the Word of God haue no desire of euerlasting happinesse nor feare of endlesse destruction Ob. Oh but may some say I mean to take care for my soule but as yet I haue no leisure I haue many businesses in hand and within short space I meane to put off my trade and by that time I shall haue got money and then I meane to betake my selfe to a religious course of life A. But doth not God in the first place command thee to seeke his Kingdome which is the greatest principall work and wilt thou seeke that last which hee hath commanded to seeke first Thou sayest thou wilt serue God when thou art rich but how doest thou know that thou shalt haue a heart then to serue God haue not wee seene many rich men haue made their riches their god and so haue withdrawne their hearts from God Againe no Calling must bee a calling from God euery man can finde time to spare out of his Calling to eate drinke sleepe and many times to prate game and the like and canst thou finde time to fill thy belly and no time to prouide for thy soule Oh but may some say I will repent when I am sicke then will I humble my selfe and seek for my soules health for sicknes will put me in minde of death Vnto which I answere suppose thou bee neuer sicke wilt thou neuer take care for thy soule haue wee not heard of many that haue died suddenly and so haue had no time to prepare for their soules health Was not Zimry and Cosby taken in the very act of sinne and so by the hand of Iustice sent to Hell without any time to repent in If old Ely had had his repentance to seeke and the prouision for his soule to get when he fell downe and his neck was broken in what a fearfull case had he beene Doe we not see many in their sicknesse to haue died senselesse like Nabal and it is iust with GOD that Soepe morieâ—s obliui scitur sui qui dum viâ—eret oblitus est Dei. they which haue forgotten him in their life should forget themselues in their death Did not the Israeliâ—es die suddenly with the Quailes in their mouthes and Ananias and Saphira his wife before they were summoned by sicknesse or thought of their soules and how many are there which are taken away by senselesse diseases as the Apoplexie dead Palsie or other diseases which