preached Then it followeth thus If wee will have heaven wee must have the word preached Then I conclude that preaching generally and for the most part is of absolute necessity unto eternall life as meet is of absolute necessity for the preservation of our bodies as grasse and fodder are of absolute necessity for the upâ—â—â—â—â—â— of the life of beasts and watâ—â— of â—â—solute necessity for the life of fishes Then this being so men are with great care and conscience to hear the Gospel preached to frequent Sermons to resort much to Gods house and habitation Psal â—â— 4 where his honour dwelleth with David to say One thing have I desired of the Lord that will I require even that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the daies of my life to behold the beâ—utie of the Lord and to visit his holy Temple With godly Mary to say Luk. 14.41 One thing is necessary and so chuse the better part With the poore Cripple at Bethesda John 5.7 to wait for the moving of the waters by the Angel that his impotency may be cured I meane that we should tye our se ves to the first moving of the spirituall waters of life by the Preachers of the Gospel that our spirituall impotency may be holpen and relieved For the ministry of the Gospel is that golden pipe whereby and where-through all the goodnesse of GOD all the sweetnesse of Christ and all heavenly graces whatsoever are derived unto us Which thing was shadowed in the Law by the Pomegranates in the skirts of Aarons garments Eâ—â—â— 33. and the golden Bells between them round â—bout that is a golden Bell and a 〈◊〉 granate a golden Bell and 〈◊〉 granate The golden Bells 〈◊〉 gâ—nifle the preaching of the Gospel and the Pomegranates the sweet savour of Christs death Noting thereby that the sweet savour of Christs death and all the benefit of his passion should be spread abroad by the preaching of the Gospel Thus you see that if ever men purpose to be saved they must make more account of the preaching of the Gospel then they have done and not thinke as most men doe that they may be without it and yet doe well enough and some had as léeve be without it as have it for it doth but disquiet them and trouble their consciences but wo be unto such Phil. Yet wee see where the Word is soundly preached there be many bad people and the reasons thereof in mine opinion are two The one that GOD taketh his holy Spirit from many in heating the Word so that their hearing is made unfruitfull The other that the Divell hath an hundred devices to hinder the effectuall working of the Word so as it shall doe no good at all nor take any effect in multitudes of men But you Master Theologus can better lay open this matter then I I pray you therefore speak something of it Theol. The sleights of Sathan in this behalfe are more and more slie then I or any man else can possibly discover For who is able to desâ—rie or in sufficient manner to lay open the deep subtilties and most secret and sinfull suggestions of the Divell in the hearts of man Hee is so cunning a crafts-master this way that none can perfectly trace him His workings in the hearts of men are with such close and hidden deceits and most methodicall and crafty conveyâ—nces that none can sufficiently find them out But yet notwithstanding I will bewray unto you so much as I know or can conceive of his dealings with them that heare the Word that hee may steale it out of their hearts and make it fruitlesse and unprofitable First of all he bestirreth him and laboureth hard to keep men fast asleep in their sins that they may have no care at all of their owne salvation and therefore disswadeth them from hearing or reading the Word at all lest they should be awaked If this will not prevaile but that they must needs heare then hâ—s craft is to make their hearing unprofitable by sleepinesse dulnesse by-thoughts conceitednesse and a thousand such like If this will not serve the turne but that the Word doth gâ—t within them and worke upon them so as thereby they grow to some knowledge and understanding of the truth then he practiseth another way which is to make them rest themselves upon their bare knowledge and so become altogether consciencelesse If this will not suffice but that men fall to doing and leave some sinnes especially the grosse sins of the world and doe some good then he perswadeth them to trust to those doings without Christ and to thinke themselves well enough because they doe some good and leave some evill If this be not enough but that men attaine unto the true justifying faith which apprehendeth Christ and resteth upon his merits then hee deviseth how to blemish the beauty of their faith and weaken their comfort through many frailties and wants yea grosse down-falls and ranâ—e evils so as they shall be but spotted and leprous Christians If this weapon will not worke but that Christians doe joyne all good vertues with their faith and aboundantly shine forth in all the fruits of righteousnesse then hee casteth about another way which is to daunt and damp them with discouragements as poverty necessity sicknesse reproaches contempt persecutions c. If none of all these will doe the deed but that men constantly beleeve in Christ and patiently and joyfully endure all afflictions then his last refuge is to blow them up with gun-powder that is to puffe them up with a pride of their gifts graces and strength and so to give them an utter overthrow whilest they doe not walke humbly and give God the praise of his gifts Thus have you a little taste of Sathans cunning in making the Word unfruitfull amongst us Asâ—n I pray you good Sir seeing I an ignorant and unlearned give mee some particular directions out of the Word of God for the good guiding and ordering of my particular actions in such sort as that I may glorifie God in the earth and after this life be glorified of him for ever Theol. It were an infinite thing to enter into all particulars but briefly doe this First seeke God earnestly in his Word pray much in all things give thankes eschew evill and doe good feare God and keep his commandements reforme your selfe and your houshold love vertue and vertuous men keepe company with the godly and avoide the societie of the wicked Live soberly justly and holily in this present evill world Speake alwaies gracinication Recompence no man evill for evill but recompence evill with good Be courteous and pitifull towards all men Take heed of swearing cursing and banning Beware of anger wrath and bitternesse Praise your friend openly reprove him secretly Speake no evill of them that are absent nor of the dead Speake evill of no man speake alwaies the best or at least not the worst Reverence Gods Name and
THE PLAIN-MANS PATH-VVAY TO HEAVEN Wherin every man may clearly see whether he shall be saved or damned Set forth Dialogue-wise for the better understanding of the simple By Arthur Dent Preacher of the Word of God at South-Shoobery in Essex The six and twentieth Edition Corrected and amended With a Table of all the principall matters and three prayers necessary to be used in private families hereunto added Zephaniah 3.5 Every morning the Lord bringeth his judgment to light he faileth not but the wicked will not learn to be ashamed LONDON Printed by Ja. Young for G. Lathum in Pauls Church-yard at the signe of the Bishops-head 1643. To the Right Worshipful Sir Julius Caesar Knight one of the Masters of the Request to the Kings Majesty Judge of the high Court of Admiralty and Master of St. Katherins A.D. wisheth all good things in Christ Jesus HAving finished Right Worshipfull and made ready for the Presse this little Dialogue I bethought me sith the common manner of all that write any books in this age is to dedicate the same to one or other of great place to whom I might dedicate thâ—se my poor labours At last I did resolve with my self none to be more fit then your Worship boâ—h in regard of some affinity in the flesh as also because of those manifold good parts wherewith the Almighty hath endued you Having therefore none other thing to present your Worship withall in token of a thankefull heart for your courtesies shewed towards mee behold I doe here send unto you this third fruit of my labours published most humbly beseeching you to take it in good worth not weighing the value of the thing which is of no value but the simple and good minde and meaning of the giver This work doth sharply reprove and evict the world of sin and therefore is like to find many deadly enemies which with cruell hatred will most eagerly pursue it unto death Zoilus also and his fellows I know will bitterly carp at it therefore it slieth unto your Worship for protection and humbly desireth to take sanctuary under your wings Wherefore I humble intreat you to take upon you the patronage and defence of it that by your means it may be delivered both from the calumnious obloquies of evill disposed persons and also from the worlds malignity so as it may take no injury And concerning this little volume the sum of the matter of it you shall find it in the Epistle to the Reader As concerning the maner here is no great matter of learning wit art eloquence or ingenious invention for I have herein specially respected the ignorant and vulgar sort whose edification I doe chiefly aime at yet somewhat there is which may concern the learned and give them some contentment Whatsoever it be I leave it with your Worship beseeching you to give it entertainment And so I doe most humbly take my leave commending both your selfe your good wife and your whole family to the mercifull protection of the everliving God From South-Shoobery in Essex April 10. An. Dom. 1601. Your W ps to command in the Lord ARTHUR DENT The Epistle to the Reader GEntle Reader seeing my little Sermon of Repentance some few yeeres since published hath been so well accepted of I have for thy further good published this Dialogue being the third fruit of my labour wishing it the like successe that God thereby may have the glory thou who are the Reader comfort I have in one part of this Dialogue produced some of the ancient Writers and some of the wise Heathen also to testifie upon their oath in their own language and to bear witnesse of the ouglinesse of some vices which we in this age make light of which I wish may not be offensive to any In other parts of this work I do in a manner relinquish them But in this case I have in my weake judgement thought them to be of some good use to shew forth thus much That if we doe not in time repent forsake our sinnes and seek after God both the ancient Christian Fathers whose eys saw not that we see nor their ears heard what we hear yea the very Heathen also shall rise up in judgment against us Let none therefore stumble at it But if any man do let him remember I am in a Dialogue not in a Sermon I write to all of all sorts I speak not of some few of one sort But that which is done herein is not much more then that of the Apostle As some of your owne Poets have said Acts 17. which is warrantable One thing dear Christian I pray thee let me beg of thee to wit that thou wouldest not read two or three leaves of this book and so cast it from thee but that thou wouldest read it throughout even to the end For I doe assure thee if there be any thing in it worth the reading it is bestowed in the latter part thereof and most of all towards the conclusion Be not discouraged therfore at the harshnesse of the beginning but look for smoother matter in the midst and most smooth in the perclose wind up of all For this Dialogue hath in it not the nature of a Tragedy which is begun with joy and ended with sorrow but a Comedy which is begun with sorrow ended with joy This book meddleth not at all with any controversies in the Church or any thing in the state Ecclesiasticall but onely entreth into a controversie with Sathan and sin It is contrived into six principall heads First it sheweth mans misery in nature with the means of recovery Secondly it sharply inveigheth against the iniquity of the time common corruptions of the world Thirdly it sheweth the marks of the children of God and of the reprobates together with the apparent signs of Salvation and Damnation Fourthly it declareth how hard a thing it is to enter into life and how few shall enter Fifthly it layeth open the ignorance of the world with the objections of the same Last of all it publisheth and proclaimeth the sweet promises of the Gospel with the abundant mercies of God to all that repent beleeve and truely turn unto him The Author of all blessing give a blessing unto it The God of peace which brought againe from the dead our Lord Jesus the great Shepherd of the sheep through the bloud of the everlasting Covenant make us perfect in all good works sanctifie us thorowout amend all our imperfections and keepe us blamelesse untill the day of his most glorious appearing Amen Thine in the Lord A. D. The Contents of this Dialogue FIrst it sheweth mans misery by nature with the means of recovery Secondly it sharply inveigheth against the iniquity of the time and common corruptions of the world Thirdly it sh weth the marks of the children of God and of the reprobates with the apparent signs of Salvation and Damnation Fourthly it declareth how hard a thing it is to enter into life and
he hath These then are four evident signes and tokens whereby wee may certainly discerne that mens hearts and entralls are infected with covetousnesse Phil. You have very well satisfied us in this point Now let us understand the originall causes of covetousnesse Theol. There be two speciall causes of covetousnesse Two causâ—s of coveâ—ousnessâ— The one is the ignorance and distrust of Gods providence The other is the want of tasting and feeling of heavenly things For till men taste better things they will make much of these till they feel heaven they will love earth till they be religious they will be covetous Therefore the cause is soon espied why men are so sharp set upon these outward things and do so admire riches worldly pomp pleasures and treasures Because they know no better they never had taste nor feeling of those things which are eternall Phil. Now as you have shewed us the causes of covetousnesse so let us also hear of the effects Theol. If I once enter into this I shall be entangled and wound up in a maze where I know not how to get out againe For the evill effects of this vice are so many and so great that I know not almost where to beginne or where to end Notwithstanding I will enter into it get out how I can Phil. If you do but give us some taste of them it shall suffice Theol. Then will I briefly dispatch things in order And first of all I reason from the words of the Apostle before alledged That if covetousnesse and the love of money be the root of all evil then it is the root of idolatrie the root of murther the roote of theft the root of lying the root of swearing the roote of symony the roote of bribery the roote of usurie the roote of lawing the roote of all contentions in the Church and the roote of all brabbling and brawling in the Common-wealth Moreover it spreadeth farre and neare it dwelleth in every house in every towne in every â—ttie it pryeth into every corner it creepeth into every heart it annoyeth our Physicians it infecteth our Divines it choaketh our Lawyers it woundeth our Farmers it baneth our Gentlemen it murthereth our Tradesmen it bewitcheth our Merchants it stingeth our Mariners O covetousnes covetousnesse It is the poyson of all things the wound of Christianity the bane of all goodnesse For covetousnesse marres all it marreth all every where in all places in all degrees among all persons It marreth marriages for it coupleth young to old and old to young It marreth hospitality it marreth all good house-keeping it marreth almes-deeds it marreth Religion it marreth Professors it marreth Ministers it marreth Magistrates it marreth all things And therefore what sin so grievous what evill so odious what vice so enormous as this For this cause it was prettily said of one That all other vices are but factors to covetousnesse serve for Porters to fetch and bring in her living Shee maketh symony her drudge bribery her drudge usurie her drudge deceite her drudge swearing her drudge lying her drudge O what a Divell incarnate is this that setteth so many vices a work hath so many factors and underlings to serve her turne Are they not in a pretty case thinke you that are infected with this sinne Oh they are in a most miserable case It had beene good they had never beene borne For being alive they are dead dead I meane in their soules For covetousnes is soules poyson and soules bane Covetousnesse is the strongest poyson to the soul that is It is a confection of all the Spiders Toads Snakes Adders Scorpions Basilisks and all other the most venemous vermine of the whole world If the divell can get us to take downe but one peny weight of it it is enough hee desires no more for presently we fall down stark dead Therefore the Apostle saith 1 Tim. â— They that will be rich hee meaneth in all haste by hook or by crook fall into temptations and snares and into many foolish and noysome lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition For as covetousnesse is rank poyson to the soul so the Apostle compareth it to a deep gulfe wherein thousands are drowned And therefore hee addeth in the same place But thou O man of God flie these things In which words he doth most gravely advise all the Ministers of the word of God to take heed of it For as it is dangerous in all men so is it most dangerous and offensive in Preachers of the Gospel Phil. Indeed it must needs bee granted that covetousnesse is a very grievous sinne yea even a Monster with seven heads Yet for all that wee see in this our iron age how many of all sorts are infected with it and how few will give any thing to any holy use Most men now adayes have nothing to spare for Christ nothing for his Gospel nothing for his Church nothing for the poor children of God and needy members of Christ Christ is little beholden unto them for they will doe nothing for him no not so much as speake a good word in his cause or the cause of his poore saints Every little thing with them is too much for God and good men For when they come to giving unto holy and necessary uses then they will stick at a peny and grudge at a groat and every thing is too much But to bestow upon themselves nothing is too much Nothing is too much for lust for pleasure for back belly and building for cards and dice for whores and harlots for rioting and revelling for tavernes and brothel-houses Hundreds and thousands are little enough and too little for their expences this way It is lamentable to consider what masses of money are spent and bestowed upon these things But alas alas how heavie an account are they to make in the day of the Lord which so spend their lands livings and revenues I quake to think what shall become of them at last It were well for them if they might be in no worse case then a Crocodile or a Cur-dog Theol. It is most certain that you say and wee all have great cause to lament it and to take up the old complaint of the Prophet Jeremy saying From the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given unto Covetousnesse and from the Prophet even unto the Priests they all deale falsly And another Prophet saith Mich. 3.22 They build up Sion with bloud and Jerusalem with iniquity The heads thereof judge for rewards and the Priests thereof teach for hire and the Prophets thereof prophesie for money yet will they lean upon the Lord and say Is not tho Lord amongst us No evil can come unto us But these holy Prophets men of God do fully describe unto us the state of our time wherein though all be corrupted yet wee bear our selves stoutly upon God we presume of his favour because of our outward profession and
promise that as long as wee live we shall never want Let us therefore rejoyce and be merry For heaven is ours earth is ours God is ours Christ is ours All is ours As the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 3.21 All is yours and you are Christs and Christ is Gods The world clap their hands and crow long before it be day saying All is theirs but the children of God may say and say truly All is ours For they have a true title and proper interest through Christ in all the creatures Many are their priviledges great are their prerogatives They are free of heaven and free of earth They are the onely free Denizens of the world Christ hath purchased them their freedome Christ hath made them free and therefore they are free indeed They are free from sinne free from hell free from damnation They are at peace with God Men and Angels They are at peace with themselves They are at peace with all creatures They are young Princes Angels fellowes descended of the highest house of the bloud royall of Heaven States of Paradise and heires apparent to the immortall Crowne Therefore God hath commanded his Angels to guard them being such young Princes as they are yea hee hath given a very strait charge to all his creatures to looke to them to see to them that they want nothing that they take no hurt so jealous so chary so tender is he of them Gen. 3.2 Jonah 2. 1 King 17. Jos 10. The Angels must comfort Jacob The Whale must rescue Jonas The Raven must feed Elias The Sun and Moone must stay for Joshua Exod. 14. The Sea must divide it selfe that Moses and his people may passe thorow The fire must not burne the three Children The Lions may not devoure Daniel Dan. 3. 6. All the creatures must change their nature rather then Gods children should not be holpen and delivered Oh therefore how great is the happinesse of Gods chosen Who can expresse it who can utter it They know not their owne happinesse it is hid from them Afflictions doe cloud it troubles doe over-shadow it crosses doe dim it and there is an interposition of the earth betwixt their sight and it But this is most certaine and sure that the best is behind with the children of God all the sweet is to come Their happinesse doth not appeare in this world 1 John â— 2â— Their life is hid with Christ in God When Christ shall appeare then shall they also appeare with him in glory It doth not yet appeare what they shall be but when he cometh they shall be made like unto him Col. 3.3 4. Their names are already taken and entred into the booke of life and one day they shall be crowned One day it shall be said unto them Come yee blessed c. One day they shall enjoy his presence where is fulnesse of joy Psal 16. and at whose right hand there is pleasure for evermore Therefore let all Gods secret ones rejoyce sing and be merry For howsoever in this world they be contemned troden under the foot made no-bodies walk as shadowes being counted as the very rags of the earth and the objects of the world yet the time will come when their happinesse and felicity shall be such as never entred into the heart of man it is endlesse unspeakable and unconceivable Phil. I doe now plainly see that there is no cause why Gods people should be too heavie and dumpish in their afflictions I see that though they be not free from all afflictions yet are they free from all hurtfull afflictions For no rod no crosse no chastisement is hurtfull unto them but all in the conclusion cometh to a blessed issue Theol. You have uttered a great and a most certain truth For there is no affection or triall which God imposeth upon his children but if they endure it quietly trust in his mercy firmly and tarry his good pleasure obediently it hath a blessed and a comfortable end Therefore the people of God may well be merry in the midst of their sorrowes They may with patience and comfort submit themselves to their Fathers corrections taking them patiently and even kissing his holy rod and saying in themselves Sith my Father will have it so I am content seeing it is his mind I am willing withall As old Eli said It is the Lord 1 Sam. 3.18 let him do what he will And as David in like submission said in a certaine case Behold here am I let him doe to mee as it seemeth good in his owne eyes 2 Sam. 15.16 And againe hee saith I was dumb Psal 29. and opened not my mouth because thou Lord hast done it Behold here then the patience of Gods Saints and their humble submission unto his most holy will They know all shall end well and that maketh them glad to thinke of it I conclude then that the children of God are happie in what state soever they are happie in trouble Deut. 28. happie out of trouble happie in poverty happie in plenty blessed in sicknesse blessed in health blessed at home likewise and abroad and every way blessed But on the contrary the wicked are cursed in what state soever they are cursed in sicknesse cursed in health cursed in plenty cursed in poverty cursed in prosperity cursed in adversity cursed in honour cursed in dishonour For all things work together for their destruction Nothing doth them any good They are not any thing the better either for Gods mercies or judgements All weathers are alike unto them They are alwayes the same in prosperity and adversity they are no changelings And as we say A good yeer doth not mend them nor an ill yeer pair them Phil. You have long insisted upon this point Now proceed to the fourth sign of a mans damnation which is the contempt of the Gospel and lay open both the greatnesse of the sin and the danger of it Theol. This sinne is of another nature then the former It is a sinne against the first Table It toucheth the person of God himselfe For to contemne the Gospel it is to contemne God himselfe whose Gospel it is If to contemne the Ministers of the Gospel hee to condemne God and Christ as our Lord Iesus avoucheth how much more then Luke 10.10 to contemne the Gospel it selfe Therefore it is dangerous meddling with this sinne It is to meddle with edged tooles to meddle with Princes matters to touch the Ark to come neer the holy Mountaine which all were things full of great perill and danger Yea it is to spill the Sacrament It is Noli me tangere It is to raile at a King It is to spet God in the face It is high treason against the King of glory Therefore this sinne of all other can never be endured and may at no hand be borne withall For can a mortall King endure the contempt of his lawes Can he put up the contempt of his
bed they lye upon They know well enough the poore men are not able to wage law with them and therefore they may doe what wrong they will and shâ—w what cruelty they list Hence come the teares of the oppressed henâ—e câ—mmeth the weeping and wailing of the poore But alas poore soules they may well weep to ease their hearts a little but there is none to comfort them remedy they can have none But yet assuredly the everlasting God doth looke upon them and will be revenged For the cries of the poore the fatherlesse and the widowes have entred into the cares of the Lord of Hosts who is an avenger of all such things yea a strong revenger as Solomon saith Pro 23.14 Enter not into the field of the fatherlesse for their revenger is strong hee himselfâ— will plead their cause against thee And againe he saith Rob not the poore Pro. 22.6 because hee is poore neither tread downe the afflâ—cted in the gate for the Lord pleadeth their cause and will spoile their soule that spoile them We see then that the most just God will â—e revenged of these unmerciful tyrants He will not alwayes put up these wrongs and injuries done to the poore In the eighth Chapter of the Prophet Amos he sweares by the excellencie of Jacob that he will never forget any of their works And againe he saith by his Prophet Jeremy Shall I not be avenged on such a nation as this Surely he will set his face against them to root them out of the earth For indeed they are not worthy to crawle upon the face of the earth or to draw breath among the sons of men It is written in the booke of Psalmes that God will set these fellowes opposite against him as a But to shoot at Psal 21.12 that hee will put them apart and the strings of his bow shall hee make ready against their faces Be astonished at this O ye heavens and tremble O thou earth Heare this O ye cruell Land-lords unmercifull oppressors and bloud-suckers of the earth You may well be called bloud-suckers for you sucke the bloud of many poore men women and children you eat it you drink it you have it served in at your sumptuous tables every day Job 24.5 you swallow it up and live by it And as Job saith The wildernesse gives you and your children food that is you live by robbing and murdering But woe woe unto you that ever you were borne For the bloud of the oppressed which ye have eaten and drunken shall one day cry for speedy vengeance against you as the bloud of Abel cryed against Cain Their bloud shall witnesse against you in the day of judgement and the teares of many poore starved children orphans and widowes shall cry out against you 1 Kin. 21. Was the Lord revenged of Ahab for his cruell and unjust dealing with poore Naboth and shall hee not be revenged of you Did the Dogs lap the bloud of Ahab and shall you escape No no you shall not escape The Lord will be a swift witnesse against you as he saith in Malachie Mal. 3. Was the Lord angry with the rich of the people for oppressing the poore so as the cry of the people and of their wives Neh. 5. against their oppressours was heard of the Almighty and do you thinke you shall escape scot-free Doth not the like cause bring forth the like effect the like sin the like punishment Know therefore for certainty that the Lord hath costers full of vengeance against you and one day he will unlocke them and bring them forth into the sight of all men Know also that the timber of your houses and the stones of your walls which you have built by oppression and bloud shall cry against you in the day of the Lords wrath as the Prophet Habakkuk telleth you Hab. 2. The stone saith hee shall cry out of the wall and the bâ—ame out of the timber shall answer it Where the Prophet telleth you that the walls of your houses built in bloud shall cry out loud and shrill and play the Choristers in that behalfe so as they shall answer one another on either side The one side singeth Behold bloud the other Behoâ—d murder The one side Behold deceit the other Behold cruelty The one Behold pilling and polling the other Behold covetousnesse The one Behold robbery the other Behold perjury And thus you see how the stones and timber of your houses shall descant upon you And howsoever you put on your brâ—zen browes and harden your hearts against these threatnings of the most terrible God and Lord of Hosts yet one day you shall spice of your hearts will ye nill yee be brought forthâ—nes judgement you shall once come to your reckoning you shall at last be apprehended convented and arraigned at the barre of Gods Tribunall seat before the great Iudge of all the world Then sentence shall passe against you even that most dreadfull sentence Goe yee cursed into hell fire Mat. 25. there to be tormented with the Divell and his Angels for ever O then woe woe unto you Mat. 16. For what shall it profit a man to winne the whole world and lose his owne soule saith our Lord Iesus Surely even as much as it one should winne a farthing and lose an hundred thousand pound For if he shall be cast into hell fire which hath not given of his owne goods righteously gotten as our Saviour avoucheth where then shall he be cast that hath stollen other mens goods And if hee shall be damned that hath not clothed the naked what shall become of him that hath made naked them that were clothed Oh therefore repent in time O yee cruell oppressors seeke the Lord while hee may be found call upon him while hee is neere lay aside your savage cruelty visit the fatherlesse and widow in their distresse deaâ—e your bread to the hungry help them to their right which suffer wrong deale mercifully with your Tenants Rack not your rents any more pinch not the poore soules for whom Christ di d pity them I say but pinch them not deale kindly and friendly with them remember your great acâ—oâ—nâ—s consider the shortnesse of your dayes and the vanity of your life rent your hearts and not your clothes Turne unto the Lord with all your heart with weeping fasting and mourning prevent Gods wrath with a sacrifice of teares pacifie his anger with the calves of your lips and with a contrite spirit be grieved for that which is past and amend that which is to come stand it out no more at the swords point against God for it will not boot you to strive he is too strong for you Your onely wisedome is to come-in Come-in therefore come-in yee rebellious generation submit your selves to the great King humble your selves under his mighty hand cast downe your swords and targets yeeld unto our God So shall you escape the vengeance to come so shall God
no violence nor shed innocent bloud in this place For if you doe this thing then shall the King sitting upon the Throne of David enter in by the gates of this house and ride upon chariots and upon horses both hee and his seruants and his people And againe Jer. 3.22 O ye disobedient children returne and I will heale your rebellion The Lord also saith by his Prophet Esay If yee consent and obey Esay 1.19 yee shall eat the good things of the Land but if yee refuse and be rebellious yee shall be devoured with the sword For the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it Hos â— 1 The Prophet Hosea saith Come let us returne to the Lord for he hath spoiled and he will heale us hee hath wounded us and hee will bind us up And againe O Israel Hos 13. â—â— returne unto the Lord for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity and I will heale thy rebellion and will love thee freely for 〈◊〉 iâ—â—â—â—â—ed away from thee I will be as the dew unto Israel hee shall grow as the Lilly and fasten his root as the trees of Lebanon His branches shall spread and his beauty shall be as the Olive tree and his smell as Lebanon The Prophet Micah telleth us what is good for us and what is our best course and what the Lord requireth at our hands namely these foure things Micah 6.8 To doe justly to love mercy to humble our selves and to walke with our God The Prophet Amos giveth the same counsell saying Seeke the Lord Amoâ— 5.38 and ye shall live Seeke good and not evill Hate the evill and love the good and establish judgement in the gate It may be that the Lord of Hosts will be mercifull unto the remnant of Joseph And the Lord himselfe saith Jer. 16.8 If this Nation against whom I have pronounced turne from their wickednesse I will repent of the plague I thought to bring upon them Thus we doe plainly see what advice and counsell the Prophets and holy men of God doe give unto us The summe of all is this that if wee doe truly repent and turne unto him with all our hearts studying to obey him and walke in his wayes then he will grant us any favour that wee will require at his hands For even as a wooll-pack or other soft matter beateth backe and dampeth the force of all shot so penitent melting and soft hearts doe beat backe the shot of Gods wrath and turne away his vengeance from us Moreover wee may observe in all experience that when Potentates are offended or any great man hath conceived a displeasure against some poore man then he must runne and ride send presents use his friends breake his sleep and never be quiet untill hee have pacified him Even so must wee deale with our God seeing hee hath taken a displeasure against us O therefore that wee would speedily use all possible meanes to pacifie his wrath Oh that wee would with one heart and voice every one of us from the highest to the lowest humble our selves before our God forsake our former evill wayes be grieved for that wee have done and purpose never to doe the like againe Oh that it might goe to the hearts of us that wee have so often and so grievously offended so loving a God and so mercifull a Father Oh that wee would awake once at last and rowse up our drowsie hearts and ransacke our sleepie consciences crying out against our sinnes that our sins might never cry out against us Oh that wee would judge our selves accuse our selves indite our selves and condemne our selves so should wee never be adjudged accused endited or condemned of the Lord. Oh that all hearts might sob all soules might sigh all loines might be smitten with sorrow all faces gather blacknesse and every man smite himselfe on the thigh saying What have I done Oh that both Magistracy Ministry and Commonalty would purpose and vow and even take a bond of themselves that from henceforth and from this day forward they would set their hearts to seeke the Lord and wholly give up themselves to his obedience Oh that all men women and children would feare God and keep his Commandements would eschew evill and doe good would study to please God in all things and to be fruitfull in all good workes making conscience to perform the duties of their generall callings and duties of their speciall callings duties of the first Table and duties of the second Table that so God might be sincerely worshipped his Name truly reverenced his Sabbaths religiously observed and that every man would deale kindly mercifully justly and uprightly with his neighbour that there might be no complaining no crying in our streets Oh I say againe and againe that if all of us of what estate degree or condition soever would walke in the paths of our God then doubtlesse wee should live and see good dayes all future dangers should be prevented our peace prolonged our state established our King preserved and the Gospel continued Then should wee still enjoy our lives our goods our lands our livings our wives our children our houses and tenements our orchardâ— and gardens yea as the Prophet saith wee shall eat the good things of the Land spend our daies in much comfort peace and tranquility and leave great blessings unto our children and posterity from age to age from generation to generation Phil. You have fully answered my question and well satisfied mee therein out of the Scriptures yet I pray you give mee leave to adde one thing to that which you have at large set downe The Lord saith by the Prophet Amos Amos 4.6 7 that for their sinnes and rebellions hee had given them cleannesse of teeth that is dearth and scarcitie and yet they did not turne unto him Also hee with-held the raine from them and punished them with drought and yet they did not turne unto him Moreover hee smote their Corne their great Gardens their Orchards Vineyards Fig-trees and Olive-trees with blasting and mildew and the Palmer-worme did devoure them and yet they did not returne unto him Last of all hee smote them with pestilence and with the sword and overthrow them as hee overthrew Sodome and Gomorrah and they were as a fire-brand pluckt out of the burning yet for all this they did not turne unto him Yee have not turned unto mee saith the Lord. But now to come to the point Out of this I gather that if wee multiply our transgressions God will multiply his plagues upon us but on the contrary if wee would unfainedly turne unto the Lord our God with all our hearts all plauges should bee stayed all dangers prevented and no evill should fall upon us For because they would not turne therefore he smote them If therefore they had turned hee would not have smote them But now I pray you briefly conclude this point and declare in few words what it is that doth most materially concerne our
have the reward of Gods children This is most 〈◊〉 case but they will not doe the workes of Gods children They would have the sweete but they will none of the sowre They would have the Crowns but they will sight never a stroke They would faine come to Canaan but they are loth to travell that long and dangerous way which leadeth unto it Therefore those men being the sons of idlenesse will step short in the end of that they looke for Prov. 1â— 4 For the Spirit saith The sluggard lusts but his soule hath nought Wee must therefore leave bare words and come to deeds For our Lord Iesus saith Mat. 7. â—1 Not every one that saith Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdome of heaven but hee that doth the will of my Father which is in heaven Where wee see Christ in plaine termes excludes out of his kingdome all those whose Religion consisteth only in good words and smooth speeches but make no conscience to practise the Commandements of God David having made some good preparation for the building of the Temple and perceiving his son Solomon to have stuffe provision enough to perfect and finish it doth most wisely encourage him to the worâ— in these words 1 Câ—â— 12.16 Up and be doing and the Lord shall be with thee Oh that men would follow this counsell of David that they would up and be doing and not fit still and doe nothing that they would leave words and countenances and set upon the practice of Gods Law and study with all care and conscience to be obedient to his will Then assuredly God would be with them and blesse them and much good would come of it For the Scripture saith Prov. 14.32 In all labour there is profit or increase but the talke of the lips onely bringeth want Phil. Most mens minds are so wholly drowned in the love of this world that they havâ— no heart to obey God nor any delight in his commandements Theol. The greatest part of men are like to the Gadarens which esteemed their Swine more than Christ As wee see in these our daies how many make more account of their kine and sheepe than of the most glorious Gospel of Christ They highly esteeme dung and contemne pearle They are carefull for trifles and regard not the things of greatest moment and therefore may very fitly be compared to a man who having his wife and children very sicke doth utterly neglect them and is altogether carefull for the curing of his hogs eares Phil. Wee are somewhat digressed from the matter wee had in hand I pray you therefore if you have any more matter of good counsell to give to Asunctus that you would presently deliver it Theol. I have little more to say save onely I would advise him often to remember and much to muse on these things The evill he hath committed Nine things much to be thought of The good he hath omitted The time he hath mispent The shortnesse of this life The vanity of this world The excellencie of the world to come Death then the which nothing is more terrible The day of judgement then the which nothing is more fearfull Hell fire then the which nothing is more intolerable Phil. This is short and sweet indeed You have touched some of these points before in this our conference But I am very desirous to heare somewhat more of the two last which yet have not been spoken of Theol. Sith you are desirous I will briefly deliver unto you that which I have received from the Lord. First concerning the day of judgement I finde in the volume of Gods booke that it shall be very terrible and breadfull For the Son of man shall come in the clouds of heaven Mat. 24 3â— with power and great glory St. Peter saith 2 Pet. 2.10 The day of the Lord shall come as a theefe in the night in the which the heavens shall passe away with a noise the elements shall melt with heat and the earth with the workes that are therein shall be burnt up The Apostle tells us that at Christs coming the whole world shall be of a light â—â—re and that all castles towers goodly buildings gold silver velvets silkes and all the glittering hue glory and beauty of this world shall be consumed to powder and ashes 2 Pet. 3 7. For hee saith plainly The heavens and the earth which are now are reserved to fire against the day of Judgement and of the destruction of ungodly men Moreover hee strongly proves that as the world was once destroyed by water so the second time in the end thereof it shall be destroyed with fire The Apostle S. Paul witnesseth the same things for he saith 2 Thes â— 1 Christ shall come from Heaven with all his mighty Angâ—â—s in naming fire And in another place he notes the terrour of his coming to Iudgement saying 1 Thes 4.10 Hee shall come with a shout with the voice of the Arch-angel and the Trumpet of God We see by experience that the coming of mortall Princes to any place is with great pomp and glory They have great traines and troups behind them and before them They are accompanied with many Nobles goodly Lords and gallant Ladies doe attend upon them The Sword-bearer Trumpetters and Harbengers goe before many slaunting and stately Personages follow after Now then if the coming of mortall Princes be so pompous and glorious how much more glorious shall the coming of the Sonne of man be in whose sight all mortall Princes are but dust The Scriptures doe affirme that his second coming unto judgement shall be with such resplendent and unspeakable glory that even the most excellent creatures shall blush at it For the Sunne shall â—e darkned 〈◊〉 24.29 the Moone shall not give her light and the Stars shall fall from heaven Meaning thereby that the most glorious and bright-shining Creatures shall be clouded and obscured by the unconceiveable brightnesse of Christs coming Moreover the 〈…〉 Christs coming is noted unto us in this that immediately before it the very Sea shall quake and tremble and in his kinde crie out For it is said that the Sea shall roare and make a noise in most dolefull and lugubrious manner and mens hearts shall faile them for feare Luk. 21.25 and for looking after those things which shall come on the world for the powers of heaven shall be shaken O what shall become of swearers drunkards whoremongers and such like in that day They shall seeke to creepe into an anger-hole to hide their heads They shal then cry Woe and alas that ever they were borne They shall wish that they had never been borne or that their mothers had borne them toads And as it is in the Apocalyps They shall say to the mountaines and rockes Fall on us and hide us from the presence of him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of
his wrath is come and who can stand We see therefore that the coming of Christ shall not be base and contemptible as in his first visitation but it shall be most terrible princely and glorious And as the Scriptures doe affirme that his coming shall be with great terrour and dread so also they doe shew that it shall be very sudden and unlooked for 2 Pâ—t 3.10 For the day of the Lord shall come as a theefe in the night 1 Thes 5.1 Luk. 21.35 as the travell that cometh upon a woman As a sâ—are it shall come on all them that dwell on the face of the earth That is it shall suddenly catch and intangle all men wheresoever they be in the world As the earth-quake which was neere thirty yeares agone did suddenly take the world tardy they not thinking of any such matter So shall the coming of the Son of man to judgement take the world tardy and unprepared for few there be that think of any such matter Sith therefore the second appearing of Christ shall be with such suddennesse let us feare and tremble for all sudden things are to be feared Phil. Well Sir as you have shewed us the terrour and suddennesse of Christs coming so shew us the purpose and end of his coming Theol. The principall end of his coming shall be to keep a generall audit to call all men to an account to have a reckoning of every mans particular actions and to reward them according to their deâ—ds as it is written Mat. 26.27 The Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his Angels and then shall hee give to every man according to his deeds Againe the Apostle saith to the Corinthians 1 Cor. 5.10 Wee must all appeare before the Judgement-seat of Christ that every man may receive the things which are done in his body according to that which he hath done whether it be good or evill Here wee doe plainly see that the end of Christs coming shall be to judge every man according to his workes that is as his workes shall declare him and testifie of him and of his faith 2 Thes 1.9 In another place the Apostle saith that the end of his coming shall be to render vengeance unto them which know not God and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ who shall be punished with everlasting perdition from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power Woe then unto two sorts of men the ignorant and the disobedient for the Apostle saith flatly they both shall be damned Me thinkes both the ignorant and disobedient and all other profane men should tremble to thinke of this that Christ shall come to render vengeance unto them If wee did certainly know that a forreign enemy should invade our Nation over-run it and make a conquest of it that he should shed our bloud destroy us and make a massacre amongst us yea that wee should see our wives our children our kindred and deare friends slaine before our faces so as their bloud should streame in the streets what a wonderfull feare and terrour would it strike into us wee would quake to thinke of it Shall wee not then be much more affraid of the damnation of our soules shall wee not quake to thinke that Christ shall come to take vengeance If the Lion roare all the beasts of the field tremble and shall not wee be affraid of the roaring of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah But alas we are so hard-hearted and so rockt asleep in the cradle of security that nothing can move us nothing can awake us Phil. Now as you have shewed us the terrour aâ—â— end of Christs coming so also declare the manner of it Theol. The manner of it is this that the whole world shall be cited to appeare personally at the generall Assises before the great Iudge No man shall be admitted to appear by his Atturney but all must appeare personally None shall be suffered to pâ—â— in sureties but all must come in their owne persons without baile or mainprise as it is written Wee must all appeare high and low rich and poore king and begger one and another as it is plainly set downe in the twenty Chapter of the Revelation where the Spirit saith I saw the dead both great and small stand before God and the sea gave up the dead which were in her and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them So then it is cleere that all without exception shall make their appearance at the great and dreadfull Assises O what a great day will that be when as the whole world shall appeare together at once If a King marry his sonne and bid other Kings Emperours Dâ—kes and Nobles to the marriage with all their pomp and trâ—ine wee use to say O what a marriage what a meeting what adoe what a great day will there be but when the universall world shall be assembled together not onely all Monarkes Kings and Princes but all other that ever have beene from the beginning of the world all that are and shall be what a day will that be No marvell therefore though the Scriptures call it the day of God and the great day of the Lord. Now then when all flesh is come together to make their personall appearance then shall the Sonne of God ascend unto his tribunall seat with great majesty and glory For a fiery streame shall issue and come forth before him thousand thousand Angels shall accompanie him and minister unto him and ten thousand thousand shall stand before him he judgement shall bee set and the â—oâ—k s opened All the Saints also and true worshippers of God shall attend him and accompany him unto his judgement seat And not onely so but they shall sit upon the Bench and Throne with him as it is written 1 Corinth 6.2 The Saints shall judge the world they shall judge the Angels that is the Divels the Angels of darknesse Our Lord Iesus himselfe did avouch the same thing when he said to his Disciples and in them to all true Christians Mat. 19 28. Verily I say unto you that when the Sonne of man shall sit in the Throne of his Majestie yee which followed mee in the regeneration shall sit upon twelve Thrones and judge the twelve Tribes of Israel That is the Saints of God shall beare witnesse that the judgement of Christ and sentence of condemnation which hee passeth against all unbeleevers is according to justice and equitie Thus then wee see how Christ shall be accompanied to his Throne and with what glory and majesty he shall ascend unto it Experience teacheth that when mortall Iudges hold their Sessions and generall Assises they are brought unto the Bench and Iudgement-seat with pomp and terrour For the Sheriffe of the Shire and Halberd-men with many Iustices of Peace and traines of others doe accompany them unto the Bench. Then with how much more glory
the true Sanctuary but is entred into the very Heaven Heb. 9. to appeare now in the sight of God for you The Apostle saith 2 Cor. 5.21 He hath made him to be sinne for you that knew no sinne that you might be made the righteousnesse of GOD in him Gal 3.13 Christ was made a curse for you that he might redeeme you from the curse of the Law Oh therefore how happy art thou that hast such a Mediatour and high Priest Rest therefore wholly upon him and upon that perfect eternall and propitiatory Sacrifice which he hath once offered Apply Christ apply his merits apply the promises to your selfe and to your owne conscience so shall they doe you good and bring great comfort to your soule For put case you had a most excellent and soveraigne salve which would cure any wound if it were laid to yet if you should locke it up in your chest and never apply it to your wound what good could it doe you Even so the righteousnesse and merits of Christ are a spirituall salve which will cure any wound of the soule but if wee doe not apply them to our soules by faith they can doe us no good You must therefore apply Christ and all the promises of the Gospel to your selfe by faith and stand fully perswaded that whatsoever hee hath done upon the Crosse hee hath done for you particularly For what is justifying faith but a full perswasion of Gods particular love to us in Christ The generall and confused knowledge of Christ and his Gospel availes not to eternall life Labour therefore to have the true use of all these great and precious promises and sticke fast to Christ for through him onely wee have remission of sins and eternall life Acts 10.45 To him all the Prophets give witnesse saith Saint Peter that through his Name all that beleeve shall receive remission of their sins Where the Apostle tells us that if a great Iury of Prophets were pannelled to testifie of the way and meanes to eternall life they would all with one consent bring in a verdict that remission of sins and eternall life are onely in Christ Let us heare the Fore-man speake and one or two of the rest for in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word stand The Prophet Esay saith Esay 54.5 He was wounded for our transgressions he was broken for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes wee are healed This great Prophet we see plainly affirmes that Christ suffered for our sins and by his suffering we are saved The Prophet Jeremy testifies the same thing Jer. 23 5. saying Behold the day is come saith the Lord that I will raise to David a righteous branch and a King shall reigne and prosper and shall execute judgement and justice in the earth In his dayes Judah shall be saved and Israel shall dwell safely and this is the name whereby they shall call him The Lord our righteousnesse This Prophet jumps with the other For he saith that Christ is the righteous branch and that he is our righteousnesse which is all one as if hee had said our sinnes are pardoned onely through him and through him we are made righteous Moreover hee affirmes that Juda and Israel that is the Church shall be saved by him The Prophet Zachary that I may speake it with reverence telleth the same tale word for word He avoucheth the same thing with the other two Prophets for hee saith In that day a fountaine shall be opened to the house of David Zach. 13.1 and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sinne and for uncleannesse The meaning of the Prophet is that in the dayes of Christs Kingdome the fountaine of Gods mercy in Christ should be opened and let-out to wash away the sinnes and uncleannesse of the Church So then we see that these three great witnesses doe all agree in this that through Christ onely we are washed from our sinnes and through him onely wee are made righteous Seeing then that eternall life is onely in the Sonne therefore he that hath the Sonne hath life Be of good courage therefore O Asunetus for no doubt you have the Sonne and therefore eternall life Feare not your sinnes for they cannot hurt you for as all the righteousnesse of Abraham Isaac and Jacob and all the most righteous men that ever lived on the face of the earth if it were yours could doe you no good without Christ so all the sinne in the world can doe you no hurt being in Christ Rom. 8.1 For there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus Plucke up a good heart therefore be no more heavie and sad for if you be found in Christ clothed with his perfect righteousnesse being made yours through faith what can the Divell say to you what can the Law doe They may well hisse at you but they cannot sting you they may grin at you but they cannot hurt you For who shal lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect It is God that justifies Rom. â— 33 who shall condemne It is Christ which is dead or rather which is risen againe who also sitteth at the right hand of God and makes request for us Phil. 4.4 Rejoyce in the Lord therefore againe I say Rejoice for greater is hee that is in you then hee that is in the world Our Lord Iesus is stronger then all None can pluck you out of his hands hee is a strong Mediator hee hath conquered all our spirituall enemies hee hath overcome hell death and damnation hee hath led captivity captive Col. 1.15 hee hath spoyled principalities and powers and hath made an open shew of them and triumphed over them on his crosse Hee hath most triumphantly said O death Hos 13.14 I will be thy death O grave I will be thy destruction O death where is thy sting 1 Cor. 15.55 O hell where is thy victory Seeing then you have such a Mediator and high Priest as hath conquered the hellish army and subdued all infernall power what need you to doubt what need you to feare any more Moreover you are to understand and to be perswaded that Gods mercy is exceeding great towards penitent sinners and all such as mourne for their transgressions according as hee saith At what time soever a sinner doth repent him of his sinnes from the bottome of his heart hee will put them all out of his remembrance The Prophet David doth most lively and fully describe unto us the mercifull nature of God in the 103. Psalme where hee saith The Lord is full of compassion and mercy slow to anger and of great kindnesse hee will not alwaies chide neither keepeth his anger for ever hee hath not dealt with us after our sinnes nor rewarded us according to our iniquities For as high as the heaven is above the earth so great is his mercy towards those that feare him
The answers of ignorant men to the grounds of religion pag. 334 The meanes to get out of ignorance pag. 346 347 Ignorance a most dangerous thing pag. 348 The charge of Ministers exceeding weighty and most carefully to be looked unto pag. 353 What is the best course for Ministers to take to bring the people out of ignorance pag. 357 What is the best course for the people to take that they may be brought out of the bondage of sinne and captivity of Sathan pag. 358 359 Preaching a matter of absolute necessity unto eternall life pag. 363 Without preaching the people are in great danger of losing their souls pag. 364 Satans cunning in frustrating the hearing of the Word and making all preaching utterly unprofitable pag. 365 The Preachers counsell to the ignorant man pag. 367 Six great dangers of sin pag. 368 Six most fearfull events of sin pag. 369 God in all ages hath severely punished the transgressors of his Law pag. 370 371 Every sin though never so little in our eyes is hainous and capitall because it is against a person of infinite Majesty pag. 371 Nine profitable considerations pag. 372 If men would leave words and fall to doing great good would come of it pag. 374 Nine things much to be thought upon pag. 376 The description of Christs comming to judgment pag. 376 377 The terror the suddennesse the end the manner and the use of Christs second coming described pag. 378 379 The torments of hell with the extremity perpetuity and remedilesnesse thereof described pag. 389 The ignorant man upon the hearing of the day of judgement and hell fire laid open is pricked in his conscience bewailes his former life repents earnestly for his sin and ignorance and desires spirituall physicke and comfort of the Preacher pag. 398 The Preacher ministers unto him much spirituall comfort and doth in ample manner lay open unto him all the sweet promises of the Gospel and the infinite mercy of God in Christ to all true penitent and broken-hearted sinners pag. 402 403 The ignorant man being afflicted in his conscience is exceedingly comforted with the hearing of Gods abundant mercy preached unto him and thereupon gathers great inward peace converts unto God with all his heart and exceedingly blesseth God for the Preachers counsell pag. 422 FINIS A Morning Prayer to be used in private Families O Lord our God and heavenly Father we thy unworthy children do here come into thy most holy and heavenly presence to give thee praise and glory for all thy great mercies and manifold blessings toward us especially for that thou hast preserved us this night past from all the dangers and fears thereof hast given us quiet rest to our bodies and brought us now safely to the beginning of this day and dost now afresh renew all thy mercies upon us as the Eagle reneweth her bill giving us all things abundantly to enjoy as food raiment health peace liberty and freedome from many miseries diseases casualties and calamities which we are subject to in this life every minute of an houre and not onely so but also for vouchsafing unto us many good things not onely for necessity but even for delight also But above all dear Father wee praise thy name for the blessings of a better life especially for thy most holy Word and Sacraments and all the good wee enjoy thereby for the continuance of the Gospel amongst us for the death of thy Sonne and all that happinesse which wee have thereby also because thou hast chosen us to life before wee were and that of thy meere goodnesse and undeserved favour toward us and hast called us in thine appointed time justified us by thy grace and sanctified us by thy Spirit and adopted us to be thine owne children and heires apparent to the great Crowne O Lord open our eyes every day more and more to see and consider of thy great and marvellous love to us in all these things that by the due consideration thereof our hearts may be drawne yet neerer unto thee even more to love thee feare thee and obey thee that as thou art enlarged towards us in mercy so we may be enlarged towards thee in thanksgiving and as thou dost abound towards us in goodnesse so we may abound towards thee in obedience and love And sith deare Father thou art never weary of doing us good notwithstanding all our unworthinesse and naughtinesse therefore let the consideration of thy great mercy and fatherly kindnesse towards us even as it were force our hearts and compell us to come into thy most glorious presence with new songs of thanksgiving in our mouthes Wee pray thee O most mercifull God to forgive all our unthankfulnesse unkindnesse profanenesse and great abusing of all thy mercies and especially our abuse and contempt of thy Gospel together with all other the sinnes of our life which we confesse are innumerable and more then can be reckoned up both in omission of good things and commission of evill We most humbly entreat thee to set them all over to the reckoning which thy Son Christ hath made up for them upon his Crosse and never to lay any of them to our charge but freely forget all and forgive all Naile down all our sinnes and iniquities to the Crosse of Christ bury them in his death bathe them in his bloud hide them in his wounds let them never rise up in judgement against us Set us free of the miseries that are upon us for sin and keep back the judgements to come both of soule body goods and good name Be reconciled unto us in thy deare Sonne concerning all matters past not once remembring or repeating unto us our old and abominable iniquities but accept us as righteous in him imputing his righteousnesse to us and our sins to him Let his righteousnesse satisfie thy justice for all our unrighteousnesse his obedience for our disobedience his perfection for our imperfection Moreover wee humbly beseech thy good Majesty to give us the true sight and feeling of our manifold sins that we may not be blinded in them through delight or hardened in them through custome as the reprobates are but that we may be even weary of them and much grieved for them labouring and striving by all possible meanes to get out of them Good Father touch our hearts with true repentance for all sinne Let not us take any delight or pleasure in any sinne but howsoever we fall through frailty as wee fall often let us never fall finally let us never lye downe in sin nor continue in sin but let us get up on our feet againe and turne to thee with all our hearts and seek thee whilest thou maist be found and whilest thou dost offer grace and mercy unto us O Lord increase in us that true and lively faith whereby wee may lay sure hold on thy Sonne Christ and rest upon his merits altogether Give us faith assuredly to beleeve all thy great and precious promises made in the
glory and the great peace and comfort of our owne consciences Strengthen us good Father by thy grace and holy Spirit against the common corruptions of the world as pride whoredome covetousnesse contempt of thy Gospel swearing lying dissembling and deceiving O deare Father let us not be overcome of these filthy vices nor any other sinfull pleasures fond delights wherewith thousands are carried head-long to destruction Arme our soules against all the temptations of this world the flesh and the Divell that wee may overcome them all through thy help and keep on the right way to life that wee may live in thy feare and dye in thy favour that our last dayes may be our best dayes and that wee may end in great peace of conscience Furthermore deare Father we intreat thee not onely for our selves but for all our good brethren thy deare children scattered over the face of the whole earth most humbly beseeching thee to blesse all them to cheere them up and glad them with the joy of thy countenance both now and alwayes Guide them all in thy feare and keep them from evill that they may praise thy Name In these dangerous dayes and declining times wee pray thee O Lord raise up nursing Fathers and nursing Mothers unto thy Church Raise up also faithfull Pastours that thy cause may be carried forward Truth may prevaile Religion may prosper thy Name onely may be set up in the earth thy Sons Kingdome advanced and thy will accomplished Set thy selfe against all adversary power especially that of Rome Antichrist Idolatry and Atheisme curse and crosse all their counsels frustrate their devices scatter their forces overthrow their armies When they are most wise let them be most foolish when they are most strong let them be most weake Let them know that there is no wisdome nor counsell power nor policie against thee the Lord of hosts Let them know that Israel hath a God and that thou which art called Jehovah art the onely Ruler over all the world Arise therefore O most mighty God and maintain thine owne cause against all thine enemies smite thorow all their loines and bow downe their backes yea let them all be confounded and turned backward that beare ill will unto Sion Let the patient abiding of the righteous be joy and let the wicked be disappointed of their hope But of all favour wee intreat thee O Lord to shew speciall mercie to thy Church in this Land wherein wee live Continue thy Gospel amongst us yet with greater successe purge thy House daily more and more take away all things that offend Let this Nation still be a place where thy Name may be called upon and an harbour for thy Saints Shew mercy to our posterity deare Father and have care of them that thy Gospel may be left unto them as a most holy inheritance Defend us against forraigne invasion keep out Idolatry and Popery from amongst us Turne from us those plagues which our sins cry for For the sins of this Land are exceeding great horrible and outrageous and give thee just cause to make us spectacles of thy vengeance to all Nations that by how much the more thou hast lifted us up in great mercy and long peace by so much the more thou shouldest presse us downe in great wrath and long warre Therefore deare Father woe most humbly intreat thee for thy great Names sake and for thy infinite mercies sake that thou wouldest be reconciled to this Land and discharge it of all the horrible sins thereof Drown them O Lord in thy infinite mercy through Christ as it were in a bottomlesse gulfe that they may never rise up in judgement against us For although our sins be exceeding many and fearfull yet thy mercie is farre greater For thou art infinite in mercy but wee cannot be infinite in sinning Give us not over into the hands of the Idolaters lest they should blaspheme thy Name and say Where is their God in whom they trusted But rather deare Father take us into thine owne hands and correct us according to thy wisdome for with thee is mercie and deep compassion Moreover wee most heartily beseech thy good Majestie to blesse our most gracious Soveraigne King Charles Queene Mary Prince Charles and the rest of the Royall Progenie We beseech thee also to blesse his Majesties most honourable privie Counsellors counsell them from above let them take advice of thee in all things that they may both consult and resolve of such courses as may be most for thy glory the good of the Church and peace of this our Common-wealth Blesse the Nobility and all the Magistrates of the Land giving them all grace to execute judgement and justice and to maintaine truth and equitie Blesse all the faithfull Ministers of the Gospel increase the number of them increase thy gifts in them and so blesse all their labours in their severall places and congregations that they all may be instruments of thy hand to enlarge thy Sons Kingdome and to win many unto thee Comfort the comfortlesse with all needfull comforts Forget none of thine that are in trouble but as their afflictions are so let the joyes and comforts of thy Spirit be unto them and so sanctifie unto all thine their afflictions and troubles that they may tend to thy glory and their owne good Give us thankfull hearts for all thy mercies both spirituall and corporall for thou art very mercifull unto us in the things of this life and infinitely more mercifull in the things of a better life Let us deeply ponder and weigh all thy particular favours toward us that by the due consideration thereof our hearts may be gained yet neerer unto thee and that therefore we may both love and obey thee because thou art so kind and loving unto us that even thy love towards us may draw our love towards thee and that because mercy is with thee thou maist be feared Grant these things good Father and all other needfull graces for our soules or bodies or any of thine throughout the whole world for Jesus Christs sake in whose Name wee further call upon thee as he hath taught us in his Gospel saying Our Father which art in Heaven c. A Prayer to be used at any time by one alone privately O Lord my God and heavenly Father I thy most unworthy childe do here in thy sight freely confesse that I am a most sinfull creature and damnable transgressour of all thy holy Lawes and Commandements that as I was born and bred in sin and stained in the womb so have I continually brought forth the corrupt and ugly fruits of that infection and contagion wherein I was first conceived both in thoughts words and workes If I should goe about to reckon up my particular offences I knew not where to begin or where to make an end For they are more then the haires of my head yea far more then I can possibly feele or know For who knoweth the height and depth
sure it is within these thirty yeers these things were not known nor heard of And what say you then to painting of faces laying open of naked brests dying of hair wearing of periwigs and other hair coronets and top-gallants And what say you to our artificiall women which will be better than God hath made them They like not his handy-work they will mend it and have other complexions other faces other hair other bones other brests and other bellies then God made them Theol. This I say that you and I and all the Lords people have great and just cause of mourning weeping and lamentation because such abomination is committed in Israel Davids eyes gushed out with rivers of teares 〈◊〉 9 because men kept not Gods lawes and an horrible feare came upon him because men forsook the law of God 〈◊〉 5 1. J remie did sigh in secret wishing that his head were full of water and his eyes a fountain of teares because of the sinnes of the people Nehemiah mourned for the transgression of Gods people Nâ—hem 1â— Lots just soul was vexed with the unclean conversation of the Sodomites and sâ—â—ll wee moâ—rne nothing at all for tâ—â—se things shall wee be no whit grieved for the pride of our land shall wee shed no teares for such horrible and intolerable abominations They are odious in the sâ—ght of God and men the aire stinketh of them It is Gods marvellous patience that the Dwell doth not carry them away quick and rid the earth of them or that fire and brimstone doth not come downe from heaven and consume them Antil You are too hot in these matters of attire you make more of them then there is cause Asun I con him thank Gods blessing on his heart I shall love him the better while I know him because he is so earnest against such shamefull and detestable pride Is it not a shame that women professing true religion should make themselves such pictures puppets and peacocks as they doe And yet I hear few Preachers in the pulpit speak against it Antil I marvell you should be so earnest in matters of apparell You know well enough that apparell is an indifferent thing and that religion and the kingdome of God doth not consist in these things Theol. I know right well that apparell in its own nature is a thing indifferent but lewd wanton immodest and offensive apparell is not indifferent For all such abuse taketh away the indifferency of them and maketh them sinfull and evill by câ—rcumstance For otherwise why should the Lord threaten by his Prophet that he would visit the Princes and the Kings children and all such as were cloathed with strange apparell that is the fashions of other countries Zephan 1.8 Againe why should the Lord so plague the proud dames and mincing minions of Jerusalem for their pride and vanity in attire if there were no evill iâ— such kind of abuse The Lord saith thus in the third of Esay against those brave and gallant dames Because the daughters of Sion are haughty and walk with stretched-out necks and with wandring eyes walking and mincing as they goe and make a tinkling with their feet therefore shall the Lord make the heads of the daughters of Sion bald and the Lord shall discover their secret parts In that day shall the Lord take away the ornament of the slippers and the calls and the round tires the sweet balls and the bracelets and the bonnets the tires of the head and the slops the head-bands and the tablets the earings the rings and the mufflers the costly apparell and the veiles and the wimples and the crisping pinnes and the glasses and the fine linnen and the hoods and the lawns And in stead of sweet savour there shall be stink and in stead of a girdle a rent and in stead of dressing of the haire baldnesse and in stead of a stomacher a girding of sackcloth and burning in stead of beauty Then shall her gates mourn and lament and she being desolate shall sit upon the ground Thus we see how terribly the Lord threatneth the gallant dames of Jerusalem for their excessive and abominable pride And this may well be a mirrour for the proud minious of our age which assuredly may well fear the Lord will bring some such judgement upon them as he did upon the daughters of Jerusalem For their sin is as great in this kind as was the daughters of Sion and God is the same God now that he was then to punish it Antil Tush never speak so much of these matters of apparell for we must do as others do and follow the fashion or else we shall not be esteemed Theol. If you follow them not you shall be more esteemed of God of his Angels Saints and all good men As for all others if you esteem them more then these you shew what you are Antil Well for all that say you what you will pride is in the heart and not in the apparell For one may be proud of plain apparell as well as of costly And some are as proud of their falling bands and little sets as others are of their great ruffes Theol. You speak foolishly for how know you that Can you judge mens hearts and inward affections Can you say when mens and womens apparell is sober modest and Christian like that they have proud hearts and are proud of that attire You goe very farr indeed to judge the heart You ought to judge charitably of such as goe soverly and modestly attired even that their heart is according to their attire And for you wee may rather think your heart is vain light and foolish because your attire doth strongly argue it And as the Prophet saith The triall of your countenance testifieth against you you declare your sinnes as Sodom and hide them not Esay 3.9 Phil. I pray you then set downe some rules for apparell out of the Scriptures Theol. I may well set down what I will but surely most men and women will doe what they list For verily it may be thought that many of this age have forsworne God and his word and all goodnesse For they are come to this point let God say what he will they will doe what they list For as the Prophet saith They have made a covenant with hell and with death and are grown to an agreement Esay 28.15 And I doe verily think if God himselfe should come downe from heaven in his own person and disswade men and women from this vanity of apparell yet would they still use it as it were in despight of God and as it were to anger him the more For they are so extraordinarily enamoured and so immoderately delighted with it and doe so continually and altogether dote on it and are so wood-mad of it that they will have it though men and Angels and all the world say nay nay which is more though they should goe to the Divell quicke with it And therefore it is but
I finde saith hee more bitter then death the woman whose heart is as nets and snares and her hands as bands Hee that is good before God shall bee delivered from her but the sinner shall be taken by her Wee doe therefore plainly see in what a labyrinth and dangerous case they be that are left of God and given over to whoredome and harlots and therefore it is said Prov. 6.5 Desire not her beauty in thine heart neither let her eye-lids catch thee for by a whorish woman a man is brought to a morsell of bread and the adulteresse hunteth for life which is precious Pro. 5.3 4. Againe hee saith Albeit the lips of an harlot drop as an honey-comb and the roofe of her mouth is softer then oyle yet her latter end is bitter as wormwood and as sharp as a two-edged sword All these prudent speeches of the holy Ghost doe most evidently shew unto us what a fearfull thing it is to commit whoredome and so to fall into the hands of whores and harlots Therefore Job saith of the wicked Job 36.14 Their soul dieth in youth and their life among the whoremongers Phil. You have very well shewed out of Gods book the great danger of whoredome and adultery And it is greatly to bee lamented that men in this age make so light of it as they do and that it is so common a vice nay that some alas with griefe I speak it do professe it live by it and prostitute themselves wholly unto it Theol. Such men and women may justly fear the plaguing hand of God for the Lord saith by his Prophet Though I fed them to the full Ier. 5.7 yet they committed adultery and assembled themselves by companies in harlots houses They rose up in the morning like fed horses for every man neighed after his neighbours wife Shall I not visit for these things saith the Lord Shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation Phil. Me thinks if men were not altogether hardened in this sinne and even past feeling and past grace this threatning and thundering of God himselfe from heaven should terrifie them Theol. A man would think so indeed but now we may take up the old complaint of the Prophâ—t Ieâ— 8.6 I hearkened and heard and loe no man spake aright no man repented him of his evill saying What have I done Every one turneth to their race as the horse rusheth into the battell Antil Tush whoredom is but a trick of youth and we see all men have their in perfections Theol. You speake profanely and wickedly For shall wee count that but a tricke of youth 1 Cor. 1â— 8 for the which the Lord smote three and twenty thousand of his owne people in one day Shall wee count that but a tricke of youth for the which the Lord threatned David his owne servant 2 Sam. 12.10 that the sword should never depart from his house Shall wee count that but a tricke of youth for the which Hamor and Sechem the father and the sonne Gen. 34.25 and many other both men women and children were cruelly murdered by Simeon and Levi the sonnes of Jacob Shall wee count that but a trick of youth for the which the Lord slew Hophni and Phineas 1 Sam. 4.11 the two sonnes of Eli the Priest in the battell of the Philistines Shall we thus set all at six and seven and make light of such horrible villanies Doth not the severity of the punishment shew the greatnesse of the sinne Doth not the Apostle say 1 Cor. 10.11 These things came unto them for our examples upon whom the ends of the world are come And yet you passe it over with a tush and a trick of youth as if God were to be dallied with No no be not deceived God is not mocked They which will not bee moved now in hearing shall one day bee crushed in pieces in feeling And they which now call whoredome a tricke of youth shall one day howle and cry yell and yelp for such tricks with woe and alas that ever they were born Antil Oh Sir you must beare with youth youth you know is fraile and youth will bee youthfull when you have said all that you can Theol. Yea but God doth allow no more liberty unto youth then unto age but bindeth all upon paine of death to the obedience of his commandements Titus 2.6 The Apostle saith Let yong men be sober minded David saith Wherewith shall a young man cl anse his way Psal 119.9 In taking heed thereto according to thy word The wise man saith Remember thy Creatour in the dayes of thy youth Eccles 12.1 And further addeth that if they will needs follow their lusts their pleasures and their own swinge yet in the end hee will bring them to judgement arraigne them condemn them and tame them in hell fire well enough Phil. Yet wee see men are so violently carryed after their lusts and so desperately bent that they will have the present sweet and pleasure of sin come of it what will Come sicknesse come death come hell come damnation they are at a point they will pay the highest price for their lust They will purchase their plâ—asures with the losse of their soules O wofull purchase O damnable pleasures Thâ—ol Sweete meate will have sowre sauce and a dram of pleasure a pound of sorrow Such cursed câ—itifes shall at last pay a deare shot for their pleasures Such desperate wretches shall one day know to their everlasting woe what it is to provoke God and to sin with so high an hand against him They shall well know in spight of their hearts that vengeance is prepared for the wicked and that there is a God that judgeth the earth Heb. 1â— 4 Let all men therefore take heed in time for whoremongers and adulterers God will judge And the Apostle saith flatly That whorâ—mongâ—rs and adulterers shall not inherit the kingdome of God 1 Cor. 6.9 Heb. 12. Let therefore no fornicator or unclean person be found among us as was Esau but let us abstaine from fleshly lusts which fight against the soul 1 Pet. 1.2 And let every one know how to possesse his vessell in holinesse and honour and not in the lust of concupiscence as the Gentiles which know not God 1 Thes 4.5 Herein let us consider the wise speech of an ancient Father Sinne Chrysost in Matth. while it is in doing ministreth some pleasure but when it is committed the short pleâ—sure thereof vanisheth away and long sorrow cometh in stead of it Neither let us here reject the saying of a wise Heathen Isocrat ad Demon. Shun pleasure for fear of smart Sowr things follow sweet and joy heavinesse Antil Yet for all this you shall not make mee beleeve that whoredome is so hainous a matter You make more of it then it is Theol. True indeed for you and such as you are will beleeve nothing against your
say in our hearts No evill can come unto us Asun You say very true Sir The world was never so set upon covetousnesse and men were never so greedily given to the world as now adaies And yet in truth there is no cause why men should bee so sharp-set upon this world For this world is but vanity and all is but pels trash Fâ—e on this muck Phil. Many such men as you are can skil to give good words and say Fie on this world all is but vanity yet for all that in your daily practice you are never the lesse set upon the world nor never the more seek after God You hear the word of God no whit the more you reade no whit the more you pray never the moâ—e which evidently sheweth that all your faire speeches and protestations are nought else but hypocrisie and leasing Your heart is not with God for all this All is but words there is no such feeling in the heart And therefore I may justly say to you as God himselfe said to his people This people have said well all that they have said Oh D ut 5.28 that there were an heart in them to feare me and keepe my commandements Theol. His words indeed are good if his heart were according For all things considered there is no cause why men should bee so given to this world for they must leave it when they have done all that they can As wee say To day a man to morrow none And as the Apostle saith 1 Tim. â— Wee brought nothing into this world and it is certaine wee shall carry nothing out Wee must all dye wee know not how soon why therefore should men set their hearts upon such uncertainties and deceiveable things for all things in this world are more light then a feather more brittle than glasse more fleeting than a shadow more vanishing than smoake more unconstant than the winde Doubtlesse saith the Prophet David man walketh in a shadow Psal 3â— 6. and disquieteth himselfe in vaine hee heapeth up riches and cannot tell who shall gather them I wonder therefore that these moles and muck-worms of this earth should so minde these shadowish things and so dote on them as they do If they were not altogether hardened and blinded by the Divelâ— they would not be so neerly knit to thee â—â—od and the penny as they are thinking and alwayes imagining that there is no happinesse but in these things which are but dung and drosse and at last they will give us the slip when wee think our selves most sure of them The wise King who had the greatest experience of these things that ever man had for hee enjoyed whatsoever this world could afford upward and downeward backward and forward yet could he finde nothing in them but vanity and vexation of spirit Moreover hee flâ—tâ—y avoucheth That all these things riches wealth honour pleasures and treasures will most notably deceive us in the end give us the slâ—p and be gone For he compareth riches and all the glory of the world to an Eagle or Hawke which a man holdeth upon his fist stroketh her maketh much of her taketh great delight and pleasure in her and saith hee will not take ten pounds for her yet all on the sudden shee taketh her flight and flyeth up into the aire and hee never seeth her more nor shee him The words of the holy Ghost are these Pâ—oâ— 25.5 Wilt thou cause thine eyes to flie after them meaning riches Thou maiest but they will not be found For they wil make themselves wings like to the Eagle which slieth up to heaven From thence wee may learne that though wee set our hearts neversomuch on any thing here below yet at the last it shall bee taken from us or we from it Therefore all worldly men doe but weave the spiders web and may fitly bee compared to the silly spider who toyleth her selfe and laboureth all the weeke long to fluish up her web that shee may lodge her selfe in it as in her owne house and free-hold But alas at the weeks end a maid in a moment with one brush of a broom dispossesseth her of her inheritance which shee had purchased with great labour and much adoe Even so when the men of this world have with much care and travell purchased great lands and revenues and gathered all that they can yet on the sudden death with one stroke of his â—â—refull dart will make them give up the ghost and then where are they It was prettily therefore said of a man in the light of nature Seneca No man hath ever lived so happily in this life but in his life time many things have befallen him for the which hee hath wished rather to die than to live And assuredly I thinke there was never any man lived any one day upon the face of the earth but some griefe or other either did or justly might invade his minde ere night either in the temptations of the World the Flesh or the Divell or in regard of soule body goods or name in regard of wife children friends or neighbours in regard of dangers to Prince Staie Church or Common-wealth in regard of casualties and losse by water by fire by sea or by land What a life therefore is this that hath not our good day in it Who would desire to dwell long in it For it lieth open every day to manifold miseries dangers losses casualties reproaches shame infamy poverty sicknesse diseases cholicks agueâ— tooth-ache head-ache back-ache bone-ache and a thousand calamities Phil. You have very well described unto us the vanity of this life and that no day is free from one sorrow or other one griefe or other the which thing our Lord Jesus ratifieth in the reason which hee bringeth why men should not distrustfully care for to morrow For saith hee sufficient to the day is the evill thereof Or as some read it The day hath enough with his owne griefe Wherein hee doth plainly shew that every day hath his sorrow his evill his griefe and his thwart But I pray you proceed further in this point Theol. This I say further That when men have swinked sweat carked and cared mosled and turmosled drudged and droiled by night by day by sea and by land with much care and sorrow much labour and griefe to rake together the things of this life yet at last all will away againe and wee must end where wee began For as Job said Iob. 1. Naked wee came into the world and naked wee must go out For even as a winde-mill beateth it selfe maketh a great noise whistleth and whisketh about from day to day all the yeare long yet at the yeares end standeth still where it begunne being not moved one foote backward or forward soe when men have blustered and blowne all that they can and have even runne themselves out of breath to scrape up the commodities of the earth yet at last they must spite
it For God is true and all men lyars Hee is faithfull that hath promised His word is more then the faith of a Prince more then ten thousand obligations Why then doe wee not rest upon it why goe wee any further why doe we not take his word why doe wee not depend wholly upon him why are wee still covetous why are we still distrustfull why doe we dissemble and deceive Oh wee of little faith Our Lord Iesus knowing right well the distrustfulnesse of our nature and the deep root it hath in us is not only content to make these great and royall promises unto us which were enough but also strengtheneth and backeth us with many strong reasons to support our weaknesse in this behalfe He therefore bringeth us back to a due consideration of things Consider saith hee the Ravens Luke 12. consider the fowles of the heavens for they neither sow not reap nor carry into barnes and yet God feedeth them they want nothing Consider the lillies how they grow they neither labour nor spinne yet Solomon in all his royalty was not clothed like one of these Oh therefore that wee would consider these Considers Oh that wee would consider that our life is more worth then meat and our bodies then raiment Oh that wee would consider that with all our carking and caring wee can doe no good at all no not so much as add one cubite to our stature Truely truely if wee would deeply ponder these reasons of our Saviour and apply them to our selves they might serve for a bulwark and sure defence against covetousnesse If men would consider how that great King of heaven who hath his way in the whirle-wind Nahum 1.3 and the clouds are the dust of his feet careth for the little Wren and silly Sparrow how hee looketh to them how he tendreth them how hee provideth for them every day both break-fast dinner and supper it might serve to correct our distrustfulnesse For who ever saw these or any other fowle starve for hunger so good a Father and so good a Nurse have they And are not wee much better then they Hath not God more care of us then of them Yes verily a thousand times For he loveth them but for our sakes how much more then doth he love our selves Therefore I say again and againe If wee would consider these things and lay them to heart they would nip covetousnesse on the head and drive it quite out of our hearts Let us consider therefore that God provided for man before man was then how much more will hee provide for man now that hee is Is hee our Father and will hee not provide for us Is he our King and will he not regard us Is hee our shepherd and will hee not look to us Hath hee provided heaven for us and will hee not give us earth Hath hee given us his Sonne Christ and shall hee not with him give us all things Doth hee provide for his enemies and will hee not provide for his friends Doth hee provide for whoremongers and will hee neglect his chosen Doth hee send his rain and cause the sunne to shine upon the unjust and shall hee not upon the just Doth he provide for them which are not of the family and will hee not provide for his owne family Will a man feed his hogges and not care for his servants Or will hee care for his servants and not regard his own children Oh then let us consider these reasons let us remember that our heavenly Father hath as great care for the preservation of his creatures as once hee had for their creation Let us therefore remember that he which giveth the day will provide for us the things of the day Let us remember that God alwayes giveth for sustentation though not for satiety Let us remember Pâ—â—v 10.28 that God will not famish the souls of the righteous Let us remember how God never faileth his For who ever trusted in the Lord and was confounded Phil. What then is the cause that many do want these outward things Theol. The cause is in themselves because they want faith For if wee had faith wee could want nothing For faith feareth no famine as saith an ancient Father Hieron ad Heliodorum Cypr. in oratione Dominica Another saith Forasmuch as all things are Gods hee that hath God can want nothing if himselfe bee not wanting unto God Therefore to have God is to have all things for if we have him our friend wee have enough we need goe no further For hee will make men our friends yea hee will make Angels and all creatures to bee serviceable unto us hee will give them speciall charge to looke to us to guard us and to doe continuall homage unto us Therefore let us make God our friend and then have we done all at once that may concerne our good both for this life and a better But if hee stand not our friend if wee have not him on our side if hee back us not then all other things whatsoever can doe us no good All is not worth a button For August Quid prodest si omnia habes cum tamen qui omnia dedit non habeas What is a man the better though hee have all things and bee without him which is the author of all things Phil. Herein you speak very truly no doubt For we see many have great plenty of outward things but because they have not God they can have no true comfort in them or blessing with them Theol. True indeed For Matth. 4. Man liveth not by bread only saith our Lord Iesus but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God And again heâ— saith Lâ—ke 12. Though a man have abundance yet his life consisteth not in the things that hee hath For without Gods blessing there can bee no sound comfort in any thing Wee see by daily expeâ—ience how the Lord curseth the wicked though they have abundance For some having abundance yet are visited with continuall sicknesses Some having abundance pine away with consumptions Others having abundance dye of surfeiting Others are snatched away by untimely death in the midst of all their jollity Others are visited with great losse both by sea and by land Others are vexed with curst wives and disobedient children Some againe commit murthers and treasons and so lose all at once Others are wasted and consumed by the secret curse of God no man knoweth how Some having great riches are given over to the murtherer some to the thiefe some to the poysoner Therefore the wise King saith There is an evill sicknesse under the sun riches reserved to the owners thereof for their evill Eccl. 5.12 Zophar also the Naamathite saith When the wicked shall have sufficient and enough Job 20.23 hee shall be brought into straits The hand of every troublesome man shall be upon him When hee shall fill his belly God will send upon him his fierce wrath
be without them they are very good for them For when Gods children are chastised it is as it should be For to them the crosse is mercy and losse is gain Afflictions are their schooling and their adversitie their best Vniversity It is good for mee saith the holy man of God that I have been afflicted Psal 118. that I might learn thy statutes By his afflictions therefore hee learned much and became a good schollar in Gods booke and well seen in his statutes and lawes Hee grew to great wisedome and judgement by his chastisements All things turned about in Gods mercifull providence to his everlasting comfort For I say againe and againe That all things tend to the good of Gods chosen people And therefore that estate which God will have his children to be in is alwayes best for them because he who can best discern what is best seeth it to bee best for them whether it bee sicknesse or health poverty or plenty prison or liberty prosperity or adversity For sometimes sicknesse is better for us then health and poverty then plenty Are therefore the children of God sick It is best for them Are they poore It is best for them Are they in any trouble It is best for them because their good Father will turne it to the best Hee will oftentimes cut us short of our lusts and desires because hee seeth we will bane our selves with them Hee in fatherly care will take the knife from us because hee seeth wee will hurt our selves with it Hee will keep us short of health and wealth because hee knoweth wee will bee the worse for them Hee will not give us too much ease and prosperity in this world for hee knoweth it will poyson us Hee will not allow us continuall rest like standing ponds for then hee knoweth wee will gather scum and filth Hee dealeth fatherly and mercifully with us in all things even then seeking our greatest good when wee thinke hee doth us most harme And to speak all in a word he bringeth us into troubles and straits to this end especially that hee may hear of us For he right wel knoweth our nature he is well acquainted with our disposition hee knoweth we will not come at him but when wee stand in need of him we care not for him so long as all goeth well with us But if wee come into distresse or want any thing that we faine would have then hee is sure to heare of us as he saith by the Prophet Hos 3.15 In their affliction they will seek me early And another Prophet saith Lord Isa 26.26 in trouble have they visited thee They poured out a prayer when thy chastisement was upon them So then now I hope you do plainly see the cause why the Lord bringeth his children into so many troubles and necessities Phil. I do see it indeed and am very well satisfied in it But yet let mee aske you one thing further Are Gods children alwaies sure to be delivered out of their troubles Theol. Yes verily and out of doubt so farre forth as God seeth good for them For it is written Great are the troubles of the righteous Psal 34.19 but the Lord delivereth him out of them all Saint Peter saith â— Pâ—â—â— 1 9. The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation As if hee should say Hee is well beaten to it and well seen and experienced in it so as hee can doe it easily and without any trouble at all It is said of Joseph being in prison That when his appointed time was come Phil. 105 1◠〈◊〉 and the counsell of the Lord had tryed him the King sent and loosed him the Ruler of the people delivered him And againe the Scripture saith Psal 34. The righteous cry and the Lord heareth them and delivereth them out of all their troubles The Angell of the Lord tarrieth round about them that feare him and delivereth them And in another place the Lord himselfe saith concerning the righteous man Psal 91.17 Because he hath loved me therefore I will deliver him I will exalt him because hee hath knowne my name He shall call upon me in trouble and I will heare him I will be with him in trouble I will deliver him and glorifie him Job 5. So also saith Eliphas the Temanite Hee shall deliver thee in six troubles and in the seventh the evill shall not touch thee Come my people saith the Lord Isa 25.22 enter thou into my Chambers and shut the doores after thee hide thy selfe for a very little while untill the indignation passe over And the Prophet saith Obad. 27. â—â— Upon Mount Sion shall be deliverance and it shall be holy and the house of Jacob shall possesse their hereditarie possessions Almost innumerable places of the Scriptures might be alledged to this purpose but these may suffice Therefore let us know for a certainty that so sure as trouble and affliction are to the children of God so sure also is deliverance out of the same As we may write of the one and make reckoning of it as sure as the coat on our backe so may wee also in Gods good time write of the other and make full account of it as sure as the Lord is true Abraham was in trouble but delivered Job in trouble but delivered David in great trouble but delivered The three children in the furnace but delivered Daniel in the Lions den but delivered Jonas in the Whales belly but delivered Paul in innumerable troubles but yet delivered out of all Phil. All this being true that you say it followeth that Gods children are chastised only for their good and evermore sure of deliverance in his appointed time Which thing being so mee thinks there is no cause at all why they should bee over-heavie or too much cast down in their afflictions Theol. Assuredly there is no cause at all but rather cause why they should rejoyce clap their hands and sing Care away For can a father forsake his children a King his subjects a master his servant or a shepherd his sheep Doth not Jehovah say I will not leave thee nor forsake thee Heb. 13. Doth not our heavenly Father know wee have need of these things Hath not God given us his word that we shall not want outward things Hath hee not said they shall bee cast upon us Why then should wee bee dismayed Why should wee hang down our heads Why doe wee not plucke up good hearts and be of good cheere God is our dear Father hee is our best friend hee is our daily Benefactor or hee keepeth us at his own cost and charges he grudgeth us nothing he thinketh nothing too much for us hee loveth us most deadly hee is most charie and tender over us hee cannot endure the winde should blow upon us hee will have us want nothing that is good for us If we will out gold wee shall have it He hath given us his faithfull
holy things neither is there any true feare of God before your eyes Antil I tell you plainly we must tend our businesse we may goe beg else we cannot live by the Scriptures If wee follow Sermons we shall never thrive What do you thinke every man is bound to reade the Scriptures Have we not our five wits Doe wee not know what we have to doe you would make fooles of us belike But we are neither drunke nor mad Theol. That every man of what condition soever is bound in conscience to heare and read the word of God hath been shewed and proved in the beginning of our conference but as for your five wits they will not serve your turne in these matters though you had fifteene wits For all the wit reason and understanding of naturall men in Gods matters is but blindnesse and meere foolishnesse The Apostle saith 1 Cor. 3.15 Rom. 8.7 That the wisedome of the most wise in this world is not onely foolishnesse with God but indeed very enmity against God And againe he saith 1 Cor. 2 14. That the naturall man with all his five wits understandeth not the things of the Spirit of God because they are spiritually discerned Most prudently to this point speaketh Elihu saying Job 32.2 There is a spirit in man but the inspiration of the Almighty giveth understanding Antil I understand not these Scriptures which you do alledge they do not sinke into my head Theol. I thinke so indeed for the holy Ghost saith Prov. 24.7 Wisedome is too high for a foole Antil What do you call me foole I am no more foole then your selfe Theol. I call you not fool but I tell you what the Scripture saith which calleth all men though otherwise never so wise politick and learned very fooles till they be truly enlightened and inwardly sanctified by the Spirit of God as appeareth Tit. 3.3 where the Apostle affirmeth that both Titus and himselfe before they received the illuminating Spirit of Gods grace were very fooles without wit and without all sense in Gods matters Phil. I pray you good Mr. Theologus let him alone for hee will never have done cavilling I see hee is a notable caviller Let us therefore proceed to speake of the fift signe of condemnation which is swearing Theol. It may well indeed be called a signe of condemnation For I think it more than a signe it is indeed an evident demonstration of a Reprobate For I never knew any man truely fearing God in his heart that was an usuall and a common swearer Phil. I am flat of your mind for that For it cannot bee that the true feare of God and ordinary swearing should dwell together in one man sith swearing is a thing forbidden by flat statute And God addeth a sore threat to his Law That hee will not hold him guiltlesse that takes his name in vaine but will most sharply and severely punish that man Theol. You say true And God saith moreover that if wee do not feare and dread his glorious and fearfull Name JEHOVAH Deut. 18.53 he will make our plagues wonderfull He saith also by his Prophet Mâ—lachy Mâ— 35. that hee will bee as a swift witnesse against swearers The Prophet Zachary saith Zach. 5.24 that the flying booke of Gods curse and vengeance shall enter into the house of thâ— swearer and he shall be cut off Therefore let all swearers take heed and look to themselves in time for we see there is a rod in pisse laid up in stor for them Phil. These threatnings being sâ— great and grievous and that from thâ— God of heaven himselfe a man woulâ— think should cause mens hearts to quake and tremble and make them affraid to nap out such oathes as they do if they were not altogether hardned past feeling and past grace Theol. True indeed But yet wee see by lamentable experience how men are given over both to sweare and forsweare For at this day there is no sinne more common amongst us than swearing for many there bee which cannot speak ten words but one shall bee an oath And numbers have got such a wicked custome of swearing that they can by no meanes leave it no more than a Black-moore can change his skinne or a Leopard his spots For it is made naturall unto them through custome and they have got the habit of it I do verily think if it were high treason to sweare yet some could not leave swearing And sure I am as light as we make of it that it is high treason against the Crowne of heaven yea it is a sinne immediatly against God even against his owne person and therefore he hath forbidden it in the first Table of his law Phil. Questionlesse this vice of swearing is of all other sinnes most rife in this Land For you shall have little boyes and children in the streetes rappe out oathes in most fearfull manner It would make a mans heart quake to heare them Wee may think they have sucked them out of there mothers breasts but sure wee are they have learned them from the evill example of their parents And now adayes wee cannot almost talk with a man but in ordinary speech he will belch out one oath or another Theol. I will tell you a strange thing and with great grief I speak it I do verily thinke there are sworn in this Land an hundred thousand oathes every day in the yeere Phil. No doubt Sir you are within compasse For now almost so many men so many oathes excepting some few in comparison Nay I know divers of mine owne experience which if they may be kept in talke will sweare every day in the yeare an hundred oathes for their parts Theol. O what a lamentable thing is it wee may well take up the old complaint of the Prophet Jeremy who saith Jer. 23.20 that in his time The land did mourne because of oathes And wee may well wonder that the Land sinketh not because of oaths For if God were not a God of infinite patience how could he endure his most sacred and glorious Name to bee so many thousand times blasphemed in one day that by such miserable wretches as we be Phil. Wee may indeed admire and wonder at the patience and long-suffering of God that he spareth us so long giveth us so large a time of repentance But sure it is that the Prophet saith That howsoever the Lord is slow to anger yet hee is great in power Nah. 1.3 and will not surely cleare the wicked Though he may winke at their monstrous oathes for a time yet hee forgetteth them never a whit but scoreth them up and registreth them in his book of accounts so as they stand in record against them And when the great day of reckoning shall come hee will fet them all in order before them and lay them to their charge Let not the wicked swearers and blasphemers therefore thinke that they shall alwaies scape scot-free because
him but let us draw neer to the winding up of this matter and tell us in a word which be the chiefe causes of drunkennesse Theol. The causes are these Causes of Drunkennesse Ill company Ale-houses Idlenesse A wicked humour Phil. Which be the true remedies Theol. The remedies are these Remedies for Drunkennesse Avoiding of evill company Shunning of Ale-houses Labouring in your callings A good course of life Phil. Well Sir you have waded farre enough in this point Let us now come to the eighth signe of condemnation which is idlenesse Theol. Concerning idlenesse this I say briefly that it is the mother of all vice and the stepdame of all vertue yea it is the very bel-dame of all enormities It is the mother of whoredome the mother of pride the mother of theft the mother of drunkennesse the mother of ignorance the mother of error the mother of poverty the mother of flandering and backbiting pratling and gossiping brawling scolding quarrelling and what not Ydlenesse was one of the principall sinnes of Sodome as the Prophet Ezekiel testifieth saying Pride fulnesse of bread Ezek. 16 19 and abundance of idlenesse was in her and in her daughters Solomon is very plentifull in this matter Pro. 13.4 For saith hee The sluggard lusteth and hath nought And againe The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit Pro. 26 1â— then seven men that can give a sensible reason That is he taketh himselfe the wisest of many because hee spareth his body when others take paines Pro. 24 3â— hee saith Yet a little sleep yet a little slumber yet a little foulding the hands and his povetty commeth like a traveller that is unawares and his necessity like an armed man that is Eccles 4.5 strongly Then hee fouldeth his hands together and eateth his owne flesh Pro. 26.15 For Hee hideth his hand in his bosome and it grieveth him to put it to his mouth againe In another place the holy Ghost saith The sloathfull man will not plough because of Winter therefore hee shall beg in Summer and have nothing Againe Pro. 9.18 The sloathfull man is brother to him that is a great waster Moreover it is said Pro. 26.14 that the sluggard turnes himselfe upon his bed as the doore doth upon the hinges That is he keepeth his bed as if he were fastned to it And because the Spirit will abound in this point it is further written of the sloathfull man that he saith An huge Lyon is in the way Pro. 26.13 I shall be slaine in the streets That is when any good matter is in hand as preaching praying reading giving to the poore c. then hee draweth back hee shrinketh into the shell he findeth one let or other one excuse or other Then profit and pleasure businesse and idlenesse matters at home and matters abroad company and a thousand occasions will lye in his way as so many Lions to let and hinder him So then wee see how lively and plentifully the holy Scriptures do paint out the lazie lubbers of this world and sonnes of idlenesse which are as hardly drawne to any good thing as a Beare to the stake As for the duties of Religion they go as lively and as cheerfully about them as a theefe goeth up the ladder to be executed for his theft Phil. I do plainly see that this sinne of idlenesse is a very grosse evill and the root of many vices yet for all that there be a great number which thinke they were borne to live idlely as many young Gentlemen and such like which imagine they came into the world for no other purpose but to hunt and hawke card and dice riot and revell and so spend their daies in pleasure and vanity Againe there be many lazy lozels and luskish youths both in townes and villages which doe nothing all the day long but walke in the streetes sit upon the stalles and frequent Taverns and Ale-houses Many rich citizens especially women do ordinarily lye in bed till nine of the clock and then forsooth rise and make themselves ready to goe to dinner And after they have well dined they spend the rest of the day and a good part of the night also in playing prattling babling cackling prating and gossiping fie on this idle life Many profane serving-men also doe falsly suppose that they were borne onely to game riot swear whore ruflle it and roist it out and to spend their time in meer idlenesse But of all these well said the Heathen Philosopher Illos pariter indignantur dii homines Aristot quisquis otiosus Both God and men do hate the idle person Theol. It is a lamentable thing to see so many men and women live so idlely and so unprofitably as they do For alas there be too many which follow no honest calling live to no use no body is the better for them They doe no good neither to the Church or common-wealth They are like Drone-Bees they are improfitable burthens of the earth God hath no use of them the Church no good the Common-wealth no benefit their neighbours no profit the poore no reliefe They imagine they came into the world to do nothing but eat drinke and sleep and rise up to play They thinke they would spend their time in diceing and dancing in whordome and bravery in gluttony and belly-cheere in masting themselves like Hoggs of Epicurus Heard in pampering their panches and cramming their bellies in fatting themselves like Boares in a Franke till they bee well brawned Job 15.27 21.12 and as Job saith till their bones run full of marrow their faces strout with fatnesse and they have collops in their flanke Oh what a beastly life is this Fie upon it fle upon it It is more meet for Epicures than Christians for swine than for men for Sardanapalus and Heliogabalus and such like belly-gods than for the professors of the Gospel But of all such Job saith enough Job 11. They spend their dayes in pleasure and suddenly go downe to bell Phil But may it not be allowed unto Lords and Ladies Gentlemen and Gentlewomen and other great ones to live idlely sith they have wherewith to maintaine it Theol. God doth allow none to live idlely but all great and small are to be employed one way or other either for the benefit of the Church or Common-wealth or for the good government of their owne housholds or for the good of townes and parishes and those amongst whom they doe converse or for the succour and reliefe of the poore or for the furtherance of the Gospel and the maintenance of the ministery or for one good use or other To these ends our wits our learning our reading our skill our policie our wealth our health our wisedome and authority are to be referred knowing this that one day wee shall come to give an account of our Bailywick and to be reckoned withall for the employments of our Talents Job 5.7 For
not trouble any widow or fatherlesse child If thou vex or trouble such and so hee call and cry unto mee I will surely heare his câ—ie Then shall my wrath be kindled and I will kill you with the sword and your wives shall be widowâ—s Deut. 12. and your children fatherlesse Againe he saith Thou shalt not oppresse an hired servant that is needy and poore but thou shalt give him his hire for his day neither shall the Sunne goe downe upon it for hee is poore and therewith sustaineth his life lâ—st hee cry against thee unto the Lord and it be sinne unto thee Exod. 22. Moreover the Lord saith Thou shalt doe no injury to a stranger for yee were strangers in the and of Egypt Mal. 3. And God himselfe threatneth that hee will be a swift wi nesse against those which keep backe the hirelings wages and vex the widow and the fathe lesse 1 Thes 4.6 The Apostle saith Let no man oppâ—esse or defraud his brother in any matter For the Lord is an avenger of all such things Eccl. 5.6 Solomon also saith It in a countrie thou seest the oppression of the pooâ—e and the defrauding of justice and judgement be not astonied at the matter for hee that is higher then the highest regardeth and there be higher then they All these holy Statutes and Lawes enacted and provided against oppressors doe plainly shew what care the Lord hath for his poore distressed no desolate people Phil. But these oppressing hell-hounds are such as care for nothing No law of the Almighty can bridle them nothing can feare them nothing can restraine them they have made a covenant with hell and death They are frozen in their dregs they are past feeling And as Job saith Job 24.14 These are they that abhorre the light they know not the waies thereof neither continue in the paths thereof Their hearts are as hard as the Adamant Nothing can move thâ—m nothing can worke upon them There is great crying out every where of the stone in the reines which indâ—ed is a great torment to the bodie buâ— th re is no complaining of the stone in the heart I meane a stony heart which is the sorest disease that possibly can fall into the soule of a man and yet in thâ—se times it groweth very rife For mens hearts are as hard as brasse and as the neather Mill-stone as the Scripture speaketh For many especially of these unmercifull and oppressing tyrants s y in their hearts God will doe neither good nor evâ—ll Zeph. 1.23 Therefore they put the evill day far from them and approach to the seat of iniquity They are at â—ase in Sion they lye upon beds of I vorie and stretch themselves on their beds and eat the Lambs of the flocke and the calves out of the stall They sing to the sound of the Viol Amoâ— 6.3 9. they invent instruments of musick like David they drink wine in bowles and no man is sorry for the affliction of Joseph that is the troubles of Gods people The Prophet Esay also complaines of these kinde of men Isa 5.12 saying They regard not the work of the Lord neither consider the worke of his hands And another Prophet saith Psal 10.11 They say in their hearts God hath forgot he hides away his face and will never see They are so proud that they seek not for God They thinke alwayes there is no God his Judgements are farre out of their sight their wayes alway prosper and therefore they say in their hearts Tush wee shall never bee moved nor come in danger Theol. You have spoken very well touching the steelinesse and hardnesse of these mens hearts who are so unmercifull to their poore neighbours that almost none can live by them They doe so disturbe and disquiet all things that poore men can dwell in no rest by them Therefore truly saith the wise King A mighty man molesteth all both hireth the foole hires those that passe by but the poore man speaketh with prayers That is by the way of entreaty and supplications For the poore are affraid â—im they quake when they see them as the beasts quake at the roaring of a Lion Many poore Farmers poore Husbandmen poore Herds poore Labourers poore Widowes and Hirelings doeâ— quake and tremble when these greedy Wolves come abroad And as Job saith The poore of the earth hide themselves together For alas Job 24.4 in their hearts they cannot abide the sight of them they had as leeve meet the Divell as meet them for feare of one displeasure or another For either they feare that they will warne them out of their houses or parley about more Rent and straiter covenants or beg away their best kine or borrow their horses or command their carts or require a weeks work of them and never pay them for it or a twelve-months pasture for a couple of Geldings or that they 'le make one quarrell or another unto them one mischiefe or another So that these poore soules cannot tell what to doe or which way to turne them for feare of these cruell Termagants They are even weary of their lives For they have no remedy for these things but even to beare it off with head and shoulders Therefore they often wish they were out of the world and that they were buried quicke They say it any will knock them on the head they will forgive him O most piteous case O lamentable hearing These poore silly creatures are faine to drudge and moile all the yeare long in Winter and Summer in frost and snow in heat and cold to provide their Rents that they may be able to pay their cruell Land-lord at h s day For else how shall they be able to looâ—e him in the face Yet their Rent is so rack't that all they can doe is little enough to pay it and when that is paid alas the poore man and his wife and children have little left to take to or to maintaine themselves withall they are faine to gnaw of a crust to fare hardly and goe tâ—inly clad Sometimes they have victuals and sometimes none The poore children cry for bread Poore widowes also and poore fatherlesse children are found weeping and mourning in their housâ—s and in their streets So that now we may with Solomon Eccl. 4.1 Turne and consider all the oppressions that are wrought under the Sunne We may behold the teares of the oppressed and none comforteth them For the mighty ones doe wrong the weaker even as the stronger beasts doe push and harme the feebler These giuing oppressors doe pinch the poore even to the quicke They pluck away from the fatherlesse widowes that little which they have If there be but a cow or a few sheep left they will have them If there be a little commodity of house or land oh what devices they have to win iâ— in and to wring it away Those tyrants will goe as nigh as the
accept you have mercy upon you receive you to favour grant you a generall pardon for all your rebellions and admit you into the number of his faithfull and loyall subjects Phil. I conceive by divers speeches which you have alledged that goods got by oppression and cruelty will never prosper long For oppressors coine their money upon their neighbours skins How then can it be blessed Theol. You have spoken a truth For as it hath been shewed before that those goods which are got by swearing and lying are cursed so all these that are got by oppression and violence are more cursed Therefore the Lord saith by his Prophet Jeremy As the Partridge gathers the young which she hath not brought forth Jer. 17.11 so hee that gathers riches and not by right shall leave them in the midst of his daies and at his end shall be a foole and his name shall be written in the earth Phil. Would to God our Magistrates and Governours would take speedy order for the remedying of these things and for the redressing of such grievous enormities as are among us or that they themselves would step in and deliver the oppressed from the hand of the oppressour Theol. Job was an excellent man for such matters For it is said of him Job 29.27 that He brake the jawes of the unrighteous man and pluck't the prey out of his teeth Where we see how Job was a meanes to deliver the innocent and to pull the Lambe out of the Lions clawes Moreover Job 29.25 it is written of him in the same Chapter that the blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon him and that hee caused the widowes heart to rejoyce that he was the eye to the blind the feet to the lame and the father to the poore and when he knew not the cause he sought it out diligently O what a notable man was this O that we had many Jobs in these daies Wise Solomon doth most gravely advise us all to follow Jobs example in this behalfe Pro. â—4 12 Deliver saith he them that are oppressed and drawne to death for shouldest thou withdraw thy selfe from them which goe downe to the slaughter Would to God this counsell were well weighed and practised amongst us Phil. I marvell much with what face these cruell oppressors can come before God in his holy Temple to pray and offer up their sacrifices unto him For we see many of them though they have such fowle hands and fowle hearts as wee have heard yet for all that will most impudently presume to come to the Church and pray or at least when they are laid in their beds at nights and halfe sleep then will they mumble over their praiers or be pattering some Pater-nosters Theol. Alas alas poore soules all that they do in matters of Gods worship is but hypocrisie and dissimulation For in truth they are not for God they love him but from the teeth outward their mouths are with him but their heart goes after covetousnesse and their hands are full of bloud And therefore God doth both abhorre them and their prayers For saith he Isa 1.15 Though they stretch out their hands yet will I hide mine eyes from them and though they make many praiers yet will I not heare them For their hands are full of bloud Moreover the holy Ghost saith Pro. 28.9 He that turnes away his eare from hearing the Law even his praier is abominable Psal 66.18 David saith If I regard wickednesse in my heart God will not heare my praier Our Lord Iesus also affirmeth Joh. 9.31 that God heares not sinners that is stubborne and carelesse sinners So then we may cleerly sâ—e by all these testimonies of holy Writ what â—ccount God makes of the praiers of oppressors and all other profane and ungodly men namely that he doth hate them and abhorre them as loathsome and odious in his sight Phil. Now in conclusion shew us the causes of oppression Theol. The causes are these Causes of oppresâ—ion Cruelty Covetousnesse Hard heartednesse An evill conscience The Divell Phil. Let us heare also the remedies Theol. The remedies be these Remedies of oppression Pity Contentation Tender affections A good conscience Much prayer Phil. Now Sir you have at large uttered your mind concerning these grosse corruptions of the world and have plainly and evidently proved them to be the deadly poyson of the soule so also I pray you satisfie us in this whether they be not hurtfull also to the body goods and name Theol. I have dwelt the longer in these common vices of the world because almost all sorts of men are stained with one or other of them and therefore they can never be enough spoken against For the whole world lyeth in them 1 John 5. as Saint John testifieth If men therefore could be recovered of these diseases no doubt there would be a ready passage made for the abundance of grace and wee should have a most flourishing Church and Common-wealth but as long as these doe lye in the way there is small hope of greater mercies and blessings to be poured upon us or that ever we shall come to have an inward conversation with God For these vices blind our eyes burthen our hearts Jer. 5. â—5 and as the Prophet Jeremy saith hinder good things from us But touching your petition I must needs grant that as these vices are the very bane of the soule and most certaine signes of condemnation so are they very dangerous to the body goods and name yea and to the whole land both Church and Common-wealth Phil. Shew us out of the Scriptures what danger they bring to the body Theol. The Lord our God saith that if wee will not obey him nor keep his commandements but break his covenant hee will appoint over us hastie plagues consumptions Levi. 26.16 and the burning ague to consume the eyes and to make the heart heavie So also hee saith that if wee will not obey his voice to observe all his commandements and ordinances that then hee will make the pestilence cleave unto us Levit. 28.21 untill hee have consumed us that hee will smite us with the Feaver with the botch of Egypt with the Emrods with the Scab and with the Itch that also hee will smite us with madnesse and with blindnesse and with astonishment of heart So then you see what great evills the Lord threatens to inflict upon our bodies in this life for these and such like sinnes But on the contrary the holy Ghost saith Pro. 5 7. Feare God and depart from evill so health shall be to thy navell and moisture to thy bones Phil. What evill do these forenamed sins bring upon us in our goods and outward estate Theol. They cause God to curse us in all that wee set hand unto as plentifully appeareth in the forenamed chapter where the Lord saith thus If thou wilt not obey the commandements of the Lord
where the Lord saith thus Run to and fro by the streets of Jerusalem behold and enquire in the open places thereof if yee can find a man or if there be any that executeth Judgement and seeketh the truth and I will spare it Oh then marke and consider what a man may doe yea what one man may doe what an Abraham may doe what a Moses may doe what an Eliah may doe what a Daniel what a Samuel what a Job what a Noah may do Some one man by reason of his high favour with the Eternall is able sometimes to doe more for a Land by his prayers and teares then many prudent men by their counsell or valiant men by their swords Yea it doth evidently appeare in the sacred Volumne of the holy Ghost that some one poore Preacher being full of the Spirit and Power of Eliah doth more in his Study either for offence or defence either for the turning away of wrath or the procuring of mercy then a camp royall even forty thousand strong yea as the Spirit speaketh Though they all have their swords girded to their thighs Cant. 3.7 and bee of the most valiant men in Israel And this is cleerly proved in one verse of the booke of Psalmes where the Prophet having reckoned up the sinnes of the people addeth Psal 106.23 Therefore the Lord minded to destroy them had not Moses his chosen stood in the breach to turne away his wrath lest hee should destroy them See therefore what one man may doe with God Some one man doth so bind the hands of God that when he would strike he hath no power to doe it as it is said of Lot Gen. 29.30 I can doe nothing till thou be come out See how the Lord saith hee can doe nothing because hee will doe nothing Hee doth wittingly and willingly suffer his hands to be manacled and bound behind him for some fewes sake which he doth make more account of then all the world besides so precious and deare are they in his sight Likewise it is written that the Lord was exceedingly incensed against the Israelites for their Idolatrous Calfe which they made in Horch yet hee could doe nothing because Moses would not let him And therefore he falleth to entreating of Moses that Moses would let him alone and entreat no more for them Oh saith the Lord to Moses let mee alone Exod. 32 1â— that my wrath may wax hot against this people and that I may consume them Thus we see that except Loâ— goe out of the City and Moses let him alone he can doe nothing O the profoundnesse and altitude of Gods mercy toward mankind O the height and depth length and breadth of his love toward some O that the most glorious and invisible God should so greatly respect the sons of men For what is man that he should be mindfull of him or the son of man that he should regard him Let us therefore that are the Lords Remembrancers give him no rest nor let him alone untill we have some security and good assurance from him that he will turne away from us the wrath which we most justly have deserved that he will spare us and be mercifull unto us Yea as the Prophet saith Isa 62.7 Let us never leave him nor give him over till hee repaire and sâ—t up Jerusalem the praise of the world lest for default hereof that be charged upon us which was charged upon the head of some of the Prophets in Israel that they were like the foxes in the waste places that they had not risen up in the gaps neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel Ezâ—k 13.4 5 For now adaies alas wee have many hedge-breakers few hedge-makers many openers of gaps few stoppers many makers of breaches to let in the flouds of Gods wrath upon us but very few that by true repentance go about to make up the breach and to let downe the sluces that the gushing streames of Gods vengeance may be slopt and stayed Phil. I do now plainly see that there be some in high favour with God and as wee say greatly in his books â—â—th his love is so great unto them that for their sake he spareth thousands Theol. It is written in the Proverbs of Solomon that the righteous in a land are the establishment of the Kings throne and the wicked the overthrowing of the same The words are these Pro. 25.4 Take away the drosse from the silver and there will proceed a vessell for the finer Take away the wicked from the King and his Throne shall be established in righteousnesse Likewise in another place the wiseman affirmeth that the righteous are the strength and bulwarks of Cittes Townes and Corporations but the wicked are the weakening and undoing of all Pro. 27.8 Scornfull men saith he set a City on fire but the wise turne away wrath To this purpose most excellent is that saying of Eliphas in Job Job 21.30 The innocent shall deliver the Iland and it shall be preserved by the purenesse of their hands 2 Chro. 11.14 16 17. Wee read in the booke of the Chronicles that when the Levites and the Priests were cast out by Jeroboam they came to Jerusalem and all such as set their hearts to seeke the Lord God of Israel came with them And then afterward it is said they strengthened the Kingdome of Juda and made Rehoboam the sonne of Solomon mighty By all these testimonies it is evident that Princes Kingdomes Cities Towns and Villages are fortified by the righteous therein and for their sakes also great plagues are kept back Which thing one of the Heathen did well see into as appeareth by his words which are these When God meaneth well to a City and will doe it good then hee raiseth up good men but when hee meaneth to punish a City or a Country and do ill unto it then he taketh away the good men from it Phil. It is very manifest by all that you have alledged that the wicked fare the better every day in the yeare for the righteous that dwell amongst them Theol. All experience doth teach it and the Scriptures do plentifully avouch it Geâ— 30 2â— For did not churlish Laban fare the better for Jacob his kinsman Doth hee not acknowledge that the Lord had blessed him for his sake Did not Potiphar fare the better for godly Joseph Gen. 39.5 Doth not the Scripture say that the Lord blessed the Egyptians house for Joseph his sake and thee the Lord made all that hee did to prosper in his hand 2 Sam. 6.1 Did not Obed-Edom fare the better for the Arke Act. 27.24 Did not the seventy and sixe soules that were in the ship with Paul speed all the better for his sake Did not the Angell of God tell him in the night that God had given unto him all that sailed with him for otherwise a thousand to one they had beene all drowned
My Father which gave them mee is greater then all and none is able to take them out of my Fathers hand We ought therefore to be as sure of our salvation as of any other thing which God hath promised or which we are bound to beleeve For to doubt thereof in respect of Gods truth is blasphemous against the immutability of his truth Phil. But are there not some doubts at some times even in the very elect and in those which are growne to the greatest perswasion Theol. Yes verily For he that never doubted never beleeved For whosoever beleeveth in truth feeleth sometimes doubtings and waverings Even as the sound body feeleth many grudgings of diseases which if hee had not health hee could not feele so the sound soule feeleth some doubtings which if it were not sound it could not so easily feele For we feele not corruption by corruption but we foole corruption by grace And the more grace we have the more quicke we are in the feeling of corruption Some men of tender skins and quick feeling will easily feele the lightest feather in softest maner laid upon the ball of their heads which others of more slow feeling and hard flesh cannot so easily discerne So then it is certaine that although the children of God feele some doubtings at some times yet the same doe no whit impeach the certainty of their salvation but rather argue a perfect soundnesse and health of their soules For when such little grudgings are felt in the soule the children of God oppose against them the certainty of Gods truth and promises and so do easily overcome them For the Lords people need no more to feare them then he that rides through the streets upon a lusty Gelding with his sword by his side needs to feare the barking and bawling of a few little curs and whappets Phil. Shew yet more plainly how or in what respect the child of God may both have doubtings and yet be fully assured Theol. Even as a man set on the top of the highest steeple in the world and so fast bound unto it that hee cannot fall though hee would yet when he looketh downward he feareth because mans nature is not acquainted nor accustomed to mount so high in the aire and to behold the earth so far beneath but when hee looketh upward and perceiveth himselfe fast bound and out of all danger then he casteth away all care Even so when we looke downward to our selves we have doubts and feares but when we look upward to Christ and the truth of his promises we feele our selves cock-sure and cease to doubt any more Phil. Declare unto us what is the originall of these doubts and feares and from whence they spring in the children of God Theol. They spring from the imperfection of our regeneration and from that strife which is in the very mind of the elect between faith and infidelity For these two doe mightily fight together in the most regenerate and strive to over-master and over-shadow one another By reason whereof sometimes it cometh to passe through the prevailing of unbeliefe that the most excellent servants of God may fall into fits and pangs of despaire as Job and David in their temptations did And even in these dayes also some of Gods children at some times are shrewdly hindled this way and brought very low even unto deaths doore but yet the Lord in great mercy doth recover them both from totall and finall despaire Onely they are humbled and tried by these sharp fits for a time and that for their great good For as we use to say that an ague in a young man is a signe of health so these burning fits of temptations in the elect for the most part are signes of Gods grace and favour For if they were not of God the Divell would never be so busie with them Phil. Is it not meere presumption and an over-much trusting to our selves to be perswaded of our salvation Theol. Nothing lesse For the ground of this perswasion is not laid in our selves or any thing within us or without us but onely in the righteousnesse of Christ and the mercifull promises of God For is it any presumption for us to beleeve that which God hath promised Christ hath purchased and the holy Ghost hath sealed No verily it is not any presumption but a thing which wee all stand bound unto as we will answer it at the dreadfull day of judgement As for our selves wee doe freely confesse that in Gods sight we are but lumps of sinne and masses of misery and cannot of our selves move hand or foot to the furtherance of our salvation But being justified by faith we are at peace with God and fully perswaded of his love and favour towards us in Christ Phil. Cannot the reprobates and ungodly be assured of their salvation Theol. No. For the Prophet saith There is no peace to the wicked Esay 57.22 Then I reason thus They which have not the inward peace cannot be assured But the wicked have not the inward peace Therefore they cannot be assured Stedfast faith in the promises doth assure But the wicked have not stedfast faith in the promises Therefore they cannot be assured The Spirit of adoption doth assure But the wicked have not the Spirit of adoption Therefore they cannot be assured To conclude When a man feeleth in himselfe an evill conscience blindnesse profanenesse and disobedience he shall in despight of his heart sing this dolefull song I know not whether I shall be saved or damned Phil. Is not the doctrine of the assurance of salvation a most comfortable doctrine Theol. Yes doubtlesse For except a man be perswaded of the favour of God and the forgivenesse of sins and consequently of his salvation what comfort can hee have in any thing Besides this the perswasion of Gods love towards us is the root of all our love and cheerfull obedience towards him For therefore wee love him and obey him because we know hee hath loved us first and written our names in the Booke of life But on the contrary that generall doctrine of the Papists which would have men alwayes doubt and feare in a servile sort is most hellish and uncomfortable For so long as a man hoâ—ds that what encouragement can he have to serve God what love to his Majesty what hope in the promises what comfort in trouble what patience in adversity Antil Touching this point I am flat of your mind For I thinke verily a man ought to be perswaded of his saluation and for mine owne part I make no question of it I hope to be saved as well as the best of them all I am out of feare for that For I have such a stedfast faith in God that if there should be but two in the world saved I hope I should be one of them Theol. You are very confident indeed You are perswaded before you know I would your ground were as good as your vaine confidence But who is
4. Antil 〈◊〉 18. But how answer you this God willâ— not the death of a sinner therefore he hath predestinated none to destruction Theol. God wils not the death of a sinner simply and absolutely as it is the destruction of his creature but as it is a meanes to declare his justice and to set forth his glory Antil God did fore-see and fore-know that the wicked would perish through their owne sin but yet he did not predestinate them unto it Theol. Gods prescience and fore-knowledge cannot be separated from his decree For whatsoever God hath fore-seene and fore-known in his eternall counsell he hath determined the same shall come to passe For as it appertaines to his wisdome to fore-know and fore-see all things so doth it appertain to his power to moderate and rule all things according to his will Antil What doe you call prescience in God Theol. Prescience in God is that whereby all things abide present before his eyes so that to his eternall knowledge nothing is past nothing to come but all things are alwaies present and are they so present that they are not as conceived imaginations formes and motions but all things are alwaies so present befoâ—e God that he doth behold them 〈◊〉 their 〈◊〉 and perfection Antil How can God justly determine of mens destruction before they have sinned Theol. This objection hath been answered in part before For I told you that God condemneth none but for sin either originall onely or else both originall and actuall For howsoever he doth in himselfe before all time determine the reprobation of many yet he proceeds to no excecution till there be found in us both just desertâ— and apparent cause Therefore they deale unsoundly and foolishly which confound the decree of reprobation with damnation it selfe sith sinne is the cause of the one and only the will of God of the other Phil. Well Sir sith we are so far proceeded in this question by the occasion of this mans objections and cavile I pray you now as you have spoken much of reprobation and the causes thereof so let us heare somewhat of election and the causes thereof and shew us out of the Scriptures that God hath before all worlds chosen some to eternall life Theol. Touching the decree of election there are almost none that make any doubt thereof therefore small proofe shall serve for this point Onely I will construct it by one or two testimonies out of holy Scripture First the Apostle saith Blessed be God Ephes 1.3 even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spirituall blessings in heavenly things in Christ as hee hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world that wee should be holy and without blame before him in love You see the words are very plaine and pregnant for this purpose Another confirmation is taken out of the eight chapter to the Romans in these words Those whom hee knew before did he also predestinate to be like to be like to the image of his owne Sonne that hee might be the first-borne of many brethren Phil. Which be the causes of election Theol. The causes of election are to be found onely in God himselfe For his eternall election dependeth neither upon man neither yet upon any thing that is in man but is purposed in himselfe and established in Christ in whom we are elected This is fully proved in these words Ephes 1.5 6. Who hath predestinated us to be adopted through Jesus Christ in himselfe according to the good pleasure of his will to the praise of his glory wherewith he hath made us freely accepted in his beloved Where we see the Apostle telleth us that his free grace and the good pleasure of his will are the first motives or moving causes of our election Phil. But the Papists fetch the first motive of election out of mans merits and fore-seen workes For say they God did fore-see who would repent beleeve and doe well and therefore he made choice of them Theol. But they are greatly deceived For I say againe and againe that there is nothing in us which did ever move God to set his love upon us and to chuse us unto life but he ever found the originall cause in himselfe as it is written Rom. 9. Hee will have mercy upon whom hee will have mercy and whom hee will hee hardneth And againe It is neither in him that willeth nor in him that runneth but in God that sheweth mercy Deut. 7.7 The Lord himselfe also testifieth that hee did chuse his people not for any respect in them but onely because he loved them and bare a speciall favour unto them 〈◊〉 then it is a certaine truth that Gods eternall predestination excludeth all merits of man and all power of his will thereby to attaine unto eternall life and that his free mercy and undeserved favour is both the beginning the midst and the end of our salvation that is to say All is of him and nothing of our selves Phil. Whether then doth faith depend upon election or election upon faith That is whether did God chuse us because we doe beleeve or whether doe we beleeve because we are chosen Theol. Out of all doubt both faith and all fruits of faith do depend upon election For therefore we beleeve because we are elected and not therefore elected because wee beleeve As it is written Act. 13.41 So many as were ordained to everlasting life beleeved Antil If men be predestinate before they be borne to what purpose serve all precepts admonitions lawes c. It sorceth not how wee live For neither our godly or ungodly life can alter the purpose of God Theol. This is a very wicked and carnall objection and sheweth a vile and dissolute mind in them that use it But I would wish such men to consider the end of election which is that we should lead a godly 〈◊〉 As it is plainly set down in the first chapter to the Ephesians ver 3. where the Apostle saith God hath chosen us before the foundation of the world But to what end that wee should live as wee list No no saith hee But that wee should be holy and unblameable before him Againe he saith Rom. 9.16 Wee are predestinate to be made like the image of his Sonne that is to be holy and righteous For most certaine it is that wee can judge nothing of predestination but by the consequents that is by our calling justification and sanctification For when once we feele the work of grace within us that is that wee are washed by the new birth and renued by the holy Ghost finding in our selves an unfeigned hatred of sinne and love of righteousnesse then are we sure and out of all doubt that we are predestinated to life And it is even as much is if God had personally appeared unto us and whispered us in the eare and told us that our names are taken and written in the
As farre as is the East from the West so farre hath hee removed our sinnes from us As a Father hath compassion on his children so hath the Lord compassion on them that feare him For he knowes whereof wee be made he remembreth that wee are but dust The History of the lost sonne doth most notably set forth the wonderfull mercy of God towards penitent sinners There is shewed how the Lord doth embrace tender Luke 1â— 20 and made much of such poore sinners as have broken and contrite hearts for their sinnes for it is said that when the Father saw his repenting Sonne a great way off hee had compassion on him and ranne and fell on his neck and kissed him and cloathed him with the best robe put it on him put a ring on his hand and shooes on his feet and caused the fat calfe to be killed for him Even so the everlasting Father doth rejoyce at the conversion of any of his lost sonnes Yea there is joy in the presence of the Angels of God for one sinner that converteth Moreover the Lord most lively expresseth his mercifull nature and disposition in this That he is very loth we should perish and willingly cast away our selves Therefore often in the holy Scriptures he mournes for us bewailes our wretchednesse and takes up many pitifull complaints and lamentations for us Psal â—1 13 saying O that my people had hearkened unto mee and Israel had walked in my waies Psa 48.18 And againe O that thou hadst hearkened unto my commandements then had thy prosperity been as the floud and thy righteousnesse as the waters of the sea Againe hee mourningly complaines by his Prophet Hosea saying O Ephraim what shall I doe to thee O Judah how shall I intreat thee And in another place Isa 5. What could I doe more to my Vineyard that I have not done Marke here how compassionately the Almighty God doth yerne over us and even as it were blood upon our wounds The Apostle also notes the rich mercy and marvellous love of GOD to mankind in this that hee doth beseech us and pray us by the Ministers of the Gospel that wee would be reconciled unto him The words are these Now then are wee Embassadours for Christ as though God did beseech you through us wee pray you in Christs stead that you be reconciled unto God Is it not a strange thing that the omnipotent God should fall to entreating of us poore wretches It is all one as if a King should intreat a begger whom hee may will and command But the abundant mercy of God towards mankind doth most of all consist in this That hee hath given his onely Sonne for us when wee were his enemies as it is written God so loved the world that hee hath given his onely begotten Sonne John â— that whosoever beleeves in him should not perish but have everlasting life Againe Gods sets out his love towards us seeing that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us much more then being now justified by his bloud wee shall be saved from wrath through him Rom. 5.1 For if when wee were enemies wee were reconciled to God by the death of his Sonne much more being reconciled we shall be saved by his life In all this then wee may cleerely behold the infinite mercy of God towards us poore sinners For is it not a great matter that the Son of God should take our nature upon him should be so abased as he was and should humble himselfe to death Phil. 2. â— even to the death of the crosse For as the shadow of the Diall went backe ten degrees that Ezechias might receive length of dayes and much happinesse so Christ the Sonne of righteousnesse hath gone backe many degrees that we might have eternall life His humiliation therefore is our exaltation his sufferings our joy his death our life For wee have no other remedy or refuge but only his merits and righteousnes He is our City of refuge whither we must flie and where wee must take sanctuary Jer. 9. He is the balme of Gilead whereby our soules are cured He is that poole of Bethesda John â— 2 where every man may be cured of what disease soever he hath 2 Kin. 5. He is the river of Jordan where Naaman may wash away all his leprosie He is that Pelican who by pecking a hole in his owne breast doth restore his young to life againe by his bloud Yet one thing wee must note by the way which hath been partly touched before That all the mercies of God and merits of Christ are to be restrained only to the Elect only to the true members of the Church as plainly appeareth in Psal 103. where the mercies of God which are there largely described are restrained onely to them that feare him keep his Covenant and thinke upon his Commandements to doe them And touching Christ it is said that hee is a Prince and a Saviour unto Israel and that he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities Againe it is written Psal 130. that Christ being consecrate was made the Authour of eternall salvation to them that obey him Heb. 5.6 None doe or can obey him but only the Elect therefore hee is the Authour of salvation onely to the Elect. And consequently the profane world whatsoever they say whatsoever they brag and boast have no true title or interest in him This thing was figured in the Law in this that the Mercy-seat which was a type of Gods mercy in Christ and the Arke which was a figure of the Church were by the expresse commandement of GOD fitted each to other Exod. 25.10 both in length and breadth For as the Arke was two cubits and a halfe long and a cubit and a halfe broad just so was the Mercy-seat Noting thereby that the mercy of God in Christ should onely be fitted to his Church and belong onely to the Church so as not one without the Church should be saved For hee that hath not the Church for his Mother cannot have God for his Father Lastly we are to observe that as God is infinite in mercy and of great compassion toward penitent sinners so also is hee most constant in the course of his mercies towards his children And therefore one of the Psalmes carries this foot Psal 156. His mercie endureth for ever his mercie endureth for ever his mercie endureth for ever Noting thereby both the constancie and eternitie of Gods mercy To the same purpose it is thus written Lam. 3 2â— It is the Lords mercie that wee are not consumed it is because his compassions faile not Let us know therefore that God as touching his mercy to his children is of a most constant and unchangeable nature As hee saith I am the Lord I change not For if GOD were of a changeable nature as we are and subject to passions then were wee in a most miserable case then must hee
fill you full of joy and peace in beleeveing that you may abound in hope through the power of the holy Ghost Antil The Sunne drawes low Asunetus it is time for you and mee to be going Phil. Indeed the night will approach by and by and therefore we must of necessity break off Theol. Sith it is so wee will here surcease and go no further Asun Sir I will now take my leave of you I can never be thankfull enough for all the good instructions and comforts which I have heard from you this day I hope I shall remember some of them whilest I live I do therefore praise God for you and for your counsell and for this day which I hope shall be the first day of my repentance and true conversion unto God Theol. The Lord for his infinite mercies sake grant it And I most humbly beseech the Almighty God to establish you with his free spirit that you may proceed and go forward in a Christian course unto the end Phil. I pray you good M. Theologus pardon my boldnesse for you see I have been very bold to propound many questions unto you wherein you have fully satisfied me to the great joy and comfort of my soule I do therefore praise God for you and I hope I shall never forget some things you have uttered But I will now commend you to God and to the word of his grace which is able to build us further Theol. Farewell good Philagathus The Lord blesse you and keepe you in all your wayes and the God of heaven preserve us all and continue us in his feare unto the end All glory be given to God A Table containing all the principall matters handled in this Booke and directing to the Page where they are set down MAns naturall corruption pag. 5 Mans misery in nature pag. 6 Mans nature corrupted but not destroyed by Adams fall ibid. Some sparks of Gods image still remain after the fall pag. 7 Man in the state of nature cannot do any thing that pleaseth God pag. 8 Man naturally neither sees nor feeles his misery ibid. Man in nature is under the tyrannie of Satan and curse of the Law pag. 10 Man growne to yeeres living and dying in the state of nature perisheth for ever pag. 12 Man continueth cursed till he be borne againe ibid. None can be saved but onely the Regenerate ibid. Regeneration what pag. 13 The quality of Regeneration pag. 14 Remnants of sin after Regeneration ibid. Regeneration unperfect in this life pag. 15 Meanes of Regeneration pag. 24 Eight infallible signes of salvation pag. 30 Eight signes of damnation pag. 31 Nine manifest tokens of damnation ib. Pride described pag. 33 Pride of gifts condemned pag. 35 Pride in apparell condemned pag. 42 Rules of the Word for apparel pag. 52 53 54 Whoredome and the dangers thereof pag. 58 Excuses of whoredome pag. 59 The fearfull effects of whoredome pag. 60 The punishment of whoredome pag. 61 62 The causes of whoredome pag. 65 66 Remedies against whoredome pag. 69 Covetousnesse what pag. 70 Covetousnesse wherein it doth consist ibid. Foure notes to discerne the inward covetousnesse of the heart by pag. 72 The evill effects of covetousnesse pag. 74 The vanity of this world and all worldly things pag. 77 Excuses of covetousnesse pag. 94 Remedies against covetousness pag. 101 102 Gods providence for his children in the things of this life pag. 103 For the things of this life Gods blessing is all in all pag. 119 Outward meanes alone doe not uphold us pag. 120 Gods children sometimes are brought to great distresse pag. 123 Gods children alwaies sure to be delivered out of trouble pag. 128 The great priviledges of Gods children pag. 129 Contempt of the Gospel a grievous sin pag. 135 136 Contempt of the Gospel punished pag. 137 Contempt of the Gospel the sin of this Age. pag. 138 Contempt of the Gospel a sure signe of wrath to the Land pag. 147 Swearing and the punishment thereof pag. 154 Excuses for swearing pag. 163 Causes of swearing pag. 166 Remedies against swearing pag. 167 Lying flattering and dissembling ibid. Punishments for lying pag. 175 176 Excuses for lying pag. 177 Causes of lying pag. 178 179 Remedies against lying ibid. Drunkennesse and the evil effects thereof pag. 110 181 Excuses of drunkennesse pag. 184 Causes of drunkennesse pag. 185 Remedies of drunkennesse ibid. Idlenesse and the wofull effects thereof pag. 190 Causes of idlenesse pag. 197 Remedies against idlenesse ibid. Oppression a most horrible sin pag. 198 Many woes denounced against oppressours pag. 199 Sundry kinds of oppression pag. 200 201 Causes of oppression pag. 215 Remedies of oppression ibid. Sinne hurts men in their bodies goods and name pag. 216 Sinne brings great danger to the whole Land pag. 224 Nine predictions of wrath to the Land pag. 229 The prayers and teares of the faithfull keep back the wrath of God from the Land pag. 322 323 Prayers of the Elect of great force ibid. The wicked fare the better for Gods children pag. 242 The best course to prevent Gods judgements and to keep backe his wrath from our Land pag. 244 Ten speciall things concerning the continuance of our peace pag. 250 251 Nine signes of a sound soule pag. 252 Saint Peters eight markes of salvation ibid. Seven infallible tokens of salvation pag. 253 Assurance of salvation in this life proved pag. 254 255 Objections against the assurance of salvation answered pag. 259 The ground-worke of our salvation pag. 261 Some doubts may stand with the assurance of faith pag. 262 It is no presumption to be perswaded of our salvation pag. 265 The wicked cannot be assured of their salvation pag. 266 The security of salvation which the wicked brag of is vaine pag. 267 268 Nine things required of all that shall be saved by Christ pag. 271 272 Many say they hope to be saved by Christ but few can give a reason why Christ died for them particularly and by name pag. 273 Few shall be saved proved by Scriptures reasons and examples pag. 277 278 But few even in the visible Church shall be saved pag. 284 Objections against the small number of the Elect answered pag. 285 Objections of Atheists and unbeleevers answered pag. 286 Reading of the Scriptures much commended pag. 294 Deferring of repenting dangerous pag. 299 God no Authour of mans condemnation but himselfe pag. 300 Objections against Predestination answered pag. 301 302 Gods decree no cause of Adams fall pag. 305 The decree of reprobation proved pag. 306 Prescience in God what pag. 307 The decree of election proved pag. 308 The first motive of election is in God himselfe pag. 309 Fore-seen faith and fore-seen workes no motives of salvation ibid. Faith dependeth upon election not election upon faith pag. 311 A reason yeelded why there is no end of cavilling and objecting against the truth pag. 315 Nine bars out of heaven pag. 316 Nine gates into hell ibid. The ignorance of the world pag. 32â—
Gospel and strengthen us from above to walk and abound in all the true and sound fruits of faith Let us walke not after the flesh but after the spirit Let us feele the power of thy Sonnes death killing sin in our mortall bodies and the power of his resurrection raising us up to newnesse of life Let us grow daily in the sanctification of the Spirit and the mortification of the flesh Let us live holily justly and soberly in this present evill world shewing forth the vertues of thee in all our particular actions that wee may adorne our most holy profession and shine as lights in the midst of a crooked and froward generation amongst whom wee live being gainfull to all by our lives and conversation and offensive to none To this end wee pray thee fill us with thy Spirit and all spirituall graces as love wisdome patience contentment meeknesse humility temperance chastitie kindnesse and affability and stirre us up to use prayer and watchfulnesse reading and meditation in thy Law and all other good meanes whereby wee may grow and abound in all heavenly vertues Blesse us in the use of the meanes from day to day make us such as thou wouldest have us to be and such as wee desire to be worke in us both will and deed purpose and power For thou O Lord art all in all thou wilt have mercie upon whom thou wilt have mercie and whom thou wilt thou hardenest Have mercy upon us therefore deare Father and never leave us to our selves nor to our owne wills lusts and desires but assist us with thy good Spirit that we may continue to the end in a righteous course that so at length wee may be received into glory and be partakers of that immortall Crowne which thou hast laid up for all that love thee and truly call upon thee Further wee intreat thee O heavenly Father to give us all things necessary for this life as food raiment health peace liberty and such freedome from those manifold miseries which we lie open unto every day as thou seest meet Blesse unto us all the meanes which thou hast put into our hands for the sustenance of this fraile life Blesse our flocke and store corne and cattell trades and occupations and all workes of our hands for thy blessing onely makes rich and it bringeth no sorrowes with it Give us therefore such a competencie and sufficiencie of these outward blessings as thou in thy heavenly wisdome seest most needfull for us Moreover wee humbly beseech thee most loving Father in great mercie looke downe from Heaven upon thy whole Church and every member of it Be favourable unto Sion and build up the walls of Jerusalem Behold with the eye of pitie the great ruines and desolation of thy Church Heale up the wounds and make up the breaches thereof in all Nations Regard it as thine own flocke tender it as thine own family dresse it as thine owne Vineyard love it as thine owne Spouse Thinke thoughts of peace to it and alwayes looke upon it in deep compassion Blesse it with thy grace guide it with thy Spirit and defend it still with thy mighty power scatter the devices consound the counsels and overthrow the forces of all that fight against it Specially wee intreat thee deare Father to set thy selfe against that Antichrist of Rome that man of perdition which setteth himselfe against thee and against all thy people In thine appointed time wee pray thee give him a deadly downfall Beat downe all his power and authority daily more and more give free passage to thy Gospel in all Kingdomes that Babylon may fall and never rise up againe The more the favourites and adherents of Rome labour to uphold their Idolatrous Kingdome the more let it fall downe even as Dagon before the presence of thine Arke Poure downe the Vials of the fulnesse of thy wrath upon the Kingdomes of the Beast and let their riches wealth credit and authority dry up every day more and more as the river Euphrates Let it pitie thee O Father to see thine owne Spouse sit as a deformed and forlorne woman here below weeping and mourning with her haire about her necke having lost all her beauty and comelinesse Cheere her up deare Father glad her with the joy of thy countenance and so decke her and trim her up that thou maist delight in her as a Bridegroome in his Bride Specially wee intreat thee have mercie upon thy Church in this Land intend good unto us and not evill Give us not over into the hands of our cruell enemies as our sinnes have deserved Scatter we pray thee O Lord the devices and breake the plots of all such as have plotted the overthrow and utter subversion of this Church and Common-wealth Blesse this Church more and more with the continuance of true Religion amongst us for thy great Names sake and infinite mercies sake deale graciously and favourably with us and our posterity Turne from us that vengeance which is due unto us for our sinnes For thou seest how iniquity prevaileth and the wicked goe away with the goale Atheisme over-spreadeth every where and Popery seemeth to get a head againe Now therefore deare Father we most humbly beseech thee to take order speedily for the remedying and repressing of these manifold disorders and grievous enormities that are amongst us Be intreated of thy poore children to be good to this English Nation Heare the cries of thine Elect heare the mourning of them that mourne in Sion Let the cries of thy children cry downe all the cries of the sins of the Land and be reconciled unto us in the multitude of thy compassions that so thou maist still continue a most mercifull protectour of this thine English Vineyard Wee pray thee good Father shew speciall mercy to our most Noble and gracious King Charles thine anointed Servant blesse him and keep him in all his wayes blesse his government unto us Let thine Angels encamp about him and let thy holy hand be alwayes over him keep him from treasons and deliver him from the treacheries of his enemies give him to see what belongs to his peace and give 〈◊〉 a heart earnestly bent to set upon the practice of the same give him all graces necessary for his place and necessary for his salvation continue his government peaceable and prosperous amongst us and as thou hast made him the breath of our nostrils and a gracious instrument for the saving of many thousand soules so let his owne soule be saved in the day of thy Sonne Christ Blesse his Majesties most honourable privie Counsellours and give such good successe unto all their counsels and policies in matters of State that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godlinesse and honesty Blesse all the Nobility worke in them a care to glorifie thy Name in their places make them faithfull to thee and faithfull to the Land Direct with thy good Spirit all such as beare the sword of Justice