as hath not onelie giuen lyfe and beeing vnto hys chyldren but also as S. Paule saith hath poured into theyr harts the diuine spyrite of hys onelie eternall Sonne styrring them vp to most assured confidence and inuincible hope in hys fatherlie goodnes and protection And vpon assuraunce of thys hope haue as well sinners as Saints from the beginning fledde vnto him confidently vnder this tytle of paternitie and neuer were deceiued So the Prophet Esay as well in his owne name as in the name of the sinfull people of Israel doubted not to cry Thou art our father Abraham hath not knowne vs and Israell is ignorant of vs Thou O Lorde art our father thou art our redeemer And to confirme thys assuraunce vnto vs Christ sent that most sweete and comfortable embassage vnto his Disciples presently vpon his resurrection Goe tel my brethrē that I doe ascend vnto my father and vnto your father vnto my God and vnto your God By which two wordes of Father and God the one of loue and the other of power the one of will the other of abilitie he tooke away all doubt of not speeding frō each man that should make recourse to thys mercifull Lord Father God himselfe also after many threates vsed by the Prophet Ieremie against the people of Israel for their sins in the end least they shoulde dyspaire turneth about his talke and changeth hys style assuring them of many graces and fauours if they would returne vnto him telling the house of Israel that hee had loued her from the beginning and had sought to drawe her vnto him by threates to the ende hee might take mercie vpon her and that now he intended to builde her vp againe to adorne her with ioy exultation to gather her children from all corners of the earth to refresh them wyth the waters and riuers of life and all thys sayth he Quia factus sunt Israeli Pater for that I am become nowe a Father to Israel And in the same place to wicked Ephraim the heade Cittie of the rebellious kingdom of Samaria he saith Ephraim is becom my honorable son my delight deerely beloued child therefore my bowels are moued with compassion vpon him in aboundance of mercy wil I take pitty of him So much attributed God to this respect of being a father vnto Israel Ephraim of theyr beeing his children that for this cause only notwithstanding their infinite enormous sinnes hys bowels of endlesse mercie were mooued wyth loue and compassion towardes them And these are those tender and mercifull bowels which holie Zacharie father to Saint Iohn Baptist protesteth to be in almightie God towardes mankinde that had offended hym These are those which were in that good olde father mentioned in the Gospell who beeing not onely offended but also abandoned by his younger sonne yet after he sawe him returne home againe notwithstanding he had wasted all his thrift and substaunce and had wearied out his bodie with wicked life hee was so farre off from dysdaining to receiue him as he came forth to meete with him fell vpon his necke and kyssed him for ioy adorned him wyth newe apparrel rich iewels prouided a solemne banquet for him inuited his freendes to bee merrie with him and shewed more exultation and tryumph for hys returne then if he had neuer departed from him By which parable our Sauiour Christ endeuoured to set forth vnto vs the incomprehensible mercy of his heauenly father towards sinners in which respect hee is trulie called by his Apostle Pater misericordiarum the father of mercies For that as Saint Bernard well noteth thys sea and Ocean of mercies doth flowe peculiarly from the hart of a father which cannot be said so properlie of the gulfe and depth of his iudgments For which cause he is called in Scripture the God of iustice and reuenge and not the Father And finally thys blessed name of Father in God dooth import vnto vs by Gods owne testimonie all sweetnesse all loue all freendshippe all comfort all fatherly prouidence care and protection all certaintie of fauour all assuraunce of grace all securitie of mercie pardon and remission of our sinnes whensoeuer vnfainedly we turne vnto him And in thys poynt his diuine Maiestie is so forward and vehement to giue vs assurance that beeing not content to sett foorth his loue vnto vs by the loue of a fathers hart he goeth further protesteth vnto vs that hys hart is more tender towardes vs in thys behalfe then the hart of any mother can bee to the onely childe and infant of her owne wombe For thus he saith to Sion which for her sinnes beganne to doubt least he had forsaken her Can the mother forget her owne infant or can she not be mercifull to the childe of her owne wombe if she could yet can I not forget or reiect thee beholde I haue written thee in the flesh of mine owne hands And thys for so much as God is called our father There remaineth yet a third consideration which more setteth forth Gods inestimable loue then any of the other demonstrations before handled And that is that he gaue the life and blood of his onely begotten and eternal sonne for purchasing and redeeming vs when we were lost a price so infinite and inexplicable as no doubt his diuine wysedom wold neuer haue giuen but for a thing which hee had loued aboue all measure Which our Sauior himself that was to make the payment doth plainly signifie and therefore also seemeth as it were to wonder at such a bargaine when hee saith in the Gospell So deerely hath God my father loued the world that he hath giuen for it his only begotten sonne In which wordes hee ascribeth this most wonderfull dealing of his Father vnto the vehemencie and exceeding aboundance of loue as dooth also his deerest disciple and Apostle S. Iohn saying In thys appeareth the great loue charitie of God towards vs that he hath sent his only begotten sonne into the worlde to purchase lyfe for vs. In thys I say is made euident his exceeding charitie that we not louing him he loued vs first and gaue his own sonne to be a raunsome for our sinnes Whereunto also the holy Apostle S. Paule agreeth admiring in like manner the excessiue loue of God in these wordes God doth meruailously commend and set forth his great loue vnto vs in that we beeing yet sinners he gaue his sonne to the death for our redemption And in an other place framing out as it were a measure of Gods mercy by the abūdance of his loue saith thus God who is rich in mercie thorowe the exceeding loue which he bore vnto vs wee beeing deade in sinne he reuiued vs in Christ and raysed vs vppe euen vnto heauen making vs to sitte downe there with him to the ende he might declare to al ages and worlds ensuing the
369. What we promise in our Baptisme 373. The sixt Chapter Of the onely impediment which is wont to let sinners from resolution which is the mistrust and diffidence in Gods mercie through the multitude and greeuousnesse of their offences Dispaire an ordinarie temptation to the greatest sinners page 377. The shipwrack of soules ouerloden with sin 378. The wofull miserie of desperation page 379 The thing wherein GOD most delighteth is mercie 380. A merueylous example of GODS Clemencie page 381. An other example of Gods wonderfull mercie 382. Iudgment and Iustice to be vsed in true repentaunce that is Iudgement vpon our selues and iustice towards others 383. The deuision of this Chapter into four especiall partes 384. The first part touching the loue that God beareth towards man 384. The first cause why God loueth vs for that he is our Creatour and we are his own workes 385. Euery mā is giuen by nature to loue his own 386. The confidence of Iob in that GOD made him 386. The assured hope Dauid had in that hee was Gods wormanshippe 387 The second reason of assuraunce of Gods loue for that he is our Father 388. What a Father God is 390. Christes most comfortable embassage 390. Howe greatly the respect of a Father mooueth GOD. 391. The Fathers liberall harte to the prodigall sonne 392. What the name of Father doth importe 393. The third argument of Gods loue the giueing of his Sonne for vs. 394. The conclusion of this pointe made by Saint Paule 395. The second part how God expresseth his loue towards sinners 396. Two rare pointes of clemencie in God 397. God that is offended seeketh attonement with vs. 398. Gods wooing of Ierusalem his protestation his cunctation his chiding his fayre speech his complaynt his kinde speech his conference his sweete conclusion 398. 399. 400. A consideration vppon the former treatie of God with Ierusalem 400. Gods tender loue to Ierusalen when he was to destroy it 401. A pitifull complaint vsed by God for the wilfulnes of his people 402. The wonderfull proceding of God with Ierusalem 403. The obstinacie of the Iewish nation 404. Epithetons giuen by God to the people of Israell 404. A wounderfull poin includedt in Gods promise to a sinner 405. What ioy there is made at a sinners conuersion 405. The third part what assuraunce GOD giueth to them that repent 406. The promises of GOD to sinners that repent 407. Foure vniuersalities in Gods promises to sinners 409. Three especiall pointes of great comfort 409. How God hath performed his promises to sinners that haue repented 410. Neuer sinner repented that was not pardoned 411. The reiection of Caine and Esau. 412. The infinite sinnes of the Iewish people and their infinit pardons receiued at gods handes 412. The examples of Manasses and the Niniuites 413. A speech of GOD to be heedefully considered 415. Examples of mercies in the new Testament page 416. The wonderfull clemencie of Iesus our Sauiour 417. Great and many causes of assured hope in Christ. 418. The fourth part being the aplication of all that hath beene said before 420. Saint Paules exhortation to confidence 420. An excellent discourse and exhortation of Saint Chrisostome 421. The speach of the deuill to a soule loden with sinne 422 Saint Chrisostomes counsaile against the Deuilles temptation 423 No time to late to repent 424. An exhortation and admonition of Saint Augustine 425. A similitude of the bodie to expresse the miserie of the soule by multiplying sinne 426. Godly mens wordes ought to mooue vs greatlie 427. A notable ciscourse of S. Augustine touching our conuersion 428. Hell was not made for man but for the Deuilll 429. In this life repentaunce is auaileable but not after 429. FINIS OF THE MANIFOLD PERILS THAT ENSVE TO THE WORLDE by inconsideration And howe necessarie it is for euerie man to enter into cogitation of his owne estate CHAP. I. THE Prophets and Saints of GOD who frō time to time haue been sent by his mercifull prouidence to aduertise and warne sinners of their perilous estate condition for sin haue not onely foretold them of their wickednes and imminent dangers for the same but also haue reuealed the causes thereof whereby they might the easier prouide remedie for the inconueniences to come Such is the charitable proceedings of our most mercifull Lord with the children of men And among other causes none is more generall or more often alledged then the lacke of consideration by which as by a cōmon snare deceipt of our aduersarie most men fall into sinne and are holden also perpetually in the same to their finall destruction and eternall perdition So Esay the Prophet speaking of the carelesse nobilitie and gentrie of Iurie that gaue thēselues to banquetting and disport without consideration of their duties towards God repeateth often the threat of woe against them and then putteth downe the cause in these words The lute and harpe and tymprel and shalme good wine aboundeth in your banquets but the works of God you respect not nor haue you consideration of his doings And then ensueth Therefore hath hell enlarged his soule opened his mouth without all measure or limitation and the stout and high and glorious of this people shall discend into it Heere are two causes as ye see two effects lincked together of these Iewes damnation the one depending of the other For as good cheere and sensualitie brought these men to inconsideration of Gods workes and proceedings towards sinners so inconsideration brought them to the mouth and pits brimme of hell I say that inconsideration of Gods works towards sinners brought them to this perrill for that it followeth in the verie same place And the Lord of hostes shall be exalted in iudgement and our holy God shall be sanctified in iustice as if he had said that albeit you will not consider now Gods iudgments and iustice amidst the heate and pleasure of your feastings yet shall he by excercising the same vppon you heereafter be known exalted and sanctified throughout the world The like discourse maketh God himselfe by the same Prophet to the daughter of Babilon and by her to euery sinful and sensuall soule figured by that name Come downe saith he and sitte in the duste thou daughter of Babilon thou hast said I shall be a Ladie for euer and hast not put vppon thy hart the things thou shouldest nor hast thou had remembraunce of thy last end c. Now therfore harken thou delicate daughter which dwellest so confidently there shall come vpon thee an euill whereof thou shalt not know the of-spring and a calamitie shall rush vpon thee from which thou shalt not be able to deliuer thee A miserie shall ouertake thee vpon the suddain which thou shalt not knowe c. Holie Ieremie after hee had weighed with himselfe vvhat miseries for sinne the Prophets Esay Amos Osee Ioel Abdias Micheas Nahum Sophonias and himselfe all which Prophets liued
agreemeÌ„t and coherence in one spirit But now further saith the learned Iewe if you will but open the booke it selfe and looke into the Texte and that which therin is contained you shal see Gods owne hand Gods owne charecters Gods owne signe and seale and subscription to the paper You shall see Gods omnipotencie Gods spirite Gods prouidence no lesse in these letters of his booke then you beheld the same before in the tables of hys creatures Nay much more sayth hee for that these letters were deuised for declaration of those tables to the end that such as for theyr blindnesse could not see him in his creatures might learne at least to reade him in hys scriptures THE FIFT PROOFE OF SCRIPTVRES COnsider then first saith hee the subiect or argument which the Scriptures doe handle together with theyr scope and ende whereunto they doe leuell You shal finde that the first is nothing els but the acts and gestes of one eternal God as before hath been mentioned and the second nothing els but the onely glorie and exaltation of the same great GOD together with the saluation of man-kinde vpon earth And shall you finde any wrytings in the worlde besides that haue so worthy an argument or so high an ende Reade all the volumes monuments of the Pagans turn ouer all theyr Authors of what kinde name or profession so euer and see what meÌ„tion they make of these two things I meane of the honour of God and the saluation of man Read theyr Phylosophers see whether euer they name or pretende these things Read theyr Historiographers and marke how many battailes and victories they attribute vnto God They wil describe to you often the perticuler commendation of euerie Captaine they will defraude no one Souldiour of hys prayse in the victorie they wyll attribute much to the wysedom of their Generall much to his courage much to â—â—s watchfulnes much to his fortune They wyll attribute to the place to the winde to the wether to the shyning of the Sunne to the raysing of the duste in the enemies eyes to the flying of some little byrde in the ayre and to a thousande such pettie obseruations besides but to God nothing Where as contrariwise in the scriptures it is in euery battayle recorded God deliuered them into theyr enemies handes God ouerthrewe them God gaue the victorie Againe consider the Lawes and Lawemakers among the Gentiles as Lycurgus Solon Draco Numa and the like and see whether you may finde any one such Lawe or tending to such an ende as thys of the Iewes Thou shalt loue the Lord thy God with all thy hart and with all thy soule and shalt loue thy neighbour as thy selfe Consider in all the South-sayers and Diuines among the Gentiles whether they vsed to say in theyr predictions as the Prophets of Israell did Dominus dixit the Lord hath spoken it or els Ego dico I doe speak it Compare theyr versifyers and Poets with those of the scripture and see whether they haue laboured in the prayse of men or of God And whereas heathen Poets haue filled vppe theyr Bookes as also the most part of ours at thys daie wyth matter of carnall loue marke where any of theÌ„ euer brake foorth into such panâ—â— of spirituall chaste loue as holie Dauid did when he said I wyll loue thee my God my strength my firmament my refuge my deliuerer my helper my protector the horne of my saluation And again in another verse What haue I desired vpoÌ„ earth besides thee my flesh and hart haue fainted for thee thou God of my hart thou GOD art my part and portion euerlasting By all which is euident that as prophane wrytinges and writers which doe treate of men extoll men seeke the grace of men referre all to the commoditie and good liking of men doe proceede of the spirite of man and are subiect to those infirmities of falsehoode errour and vanitie wherewith man is intangled in thys life so the Scriptures which handle matters aboue the compasse of flesh and bloode that referre all to God and supernaturall endes could not proceede of nature or of humaine spirit For that by nature the Iewes were men as the Gentiles were and had theyr infirmities of fleshe and blood as the other had And therfore it must needes be concluded that these high and supernaturall writings among them proceeded from God that specially directed them and gaue them light of vnderstanding aboue all other nations and people in the world THE SIXT PROOFE OF SCRIPTVRES NExt after the argument and end of the Scriptures the Iewe wylleth vs to consider the peculier style phrase which they vse for that saith he it beeing different froÌ„ all manner of wrytings in the world and vnimitable to man it dooth dyscouer the finger of God by which it was framed For wher as humaine writers doe labour much in adoring theyr stile and in reducing their words to number weight measure and sound with addition of many figures and other ornaments for allurement of the Reader the Scripture taketh quite another course and vseth a most meruailous simplicitie therby to accomodate it selfe to the capacitie of the weakest but yet alwaies carrying with it so great profunditie as the best learned in the search thereof shall confesse theyr owne ignoraunce For examples sake consider but the very first wordes of the Bible In the beginning God created heauen and earth and the earth was emptie and voide and darkenes was vpon the face of the depth and the spirit of God was carried vpon the waters and GOD saide let light be made light was made c. What can be more plaine simple theÌ„ this narration to instruct the most vnlearned about the beginning creation of the world and yet when learned men come to examine euery point therof how and what where and in what manner and when things were doone it astonisheth them all to consider the difficulties which they finde and the depth of so infinite inscrutable misteries Besides thys there goeth in the same simplicitie a strange maiestie and grauitie of speeche declaring sufficiently from howe great and potent a Prince it proceedeth For as great Monarches in theyr Edicts and proclamations are wont to speak vnto their subiects not in figures or rethoricall phrases but plainly breefelie and peremptorilie to shewe theyr authoritie so the scriptures to declare whose Edicts they be do vse the like manner of phrase and style to al the worlde without alluring or flattering any man and without respect of Monarche Emperour King Prince or Potentate Fac hoc et viues doe thys and thou shalt liue Si peccaueris in me morieris in aeternum if thou sin against me thou shalt die euerlastinglie And albeit as I haue sayde the Scriptures doe vse this simplicitie of speech and doe not admitte that kind of paynted and
aboundantly beare witnesse it followeth most euidently that the origine fountaine wel-spring of all these fauours graces and good turnes must needes be infinite immeasurable and farre surpassing all compasse of mans vnderstanding If you require of me the cause and reason why Almightie God should so wonderfullie be affected towards man I can directlie yeelde you none at all but rather meruaile thereat wyth holy Iob why so soueraigne a Maiestie shoulde sette hys hart vpon so base a subiect Notwithstanding the holy scripture seemeth to alleage one principal reason of thys loue whē it saith Nihil odisti eorum quae fecisti parcis omnibus quia tua sunt Domine qui diligis animas That is Thou ô Lorde which louest soules canst not hate those things which thou hast made but dost vse mercie towards all men for that they are thyne And the like manner of reasoning vseth God hymselfe when hee sayth by hys Prophet Ezechiell Behold all soules are mine and heereuppon hee inferreth a little after Numquid voluntatis meae est mors impii Can I haue the wyll to damne a wicked man seeing that his soule is mine created and redeemed by me as who woulde say thys were a case against all order and equitie And the reason of this manner of speech and argument is for that euery man naturally is enclined to loue the things that be of his owne making So wee see that if a man haue an Orcharde wherein be great varietie of trees and plants yet if there be but one of his own peculier grafting that florisheth and prospereth well he taketh more delight therein then in any of the rest for that it is hys owne workmanship So in like manner if a man haue a Vineyarde of his owne planting and trymming For which respect the holie Prophet Dauid finding himselfe and the whole kingdome of Iurie in great affliction and calamitie thought no other meanes so forcible to drawe God to compassion and commiseration of their case as to cry out to him in this maner Thou which gouernest Israell looke towards vs and be attent Thou hast brought forth a vineyard out of Egipt thou hast purged the same from Gentiles and hast planted it Thou O God of all power turne towardes vs looke vpon vs from heauen and visite thys thy vineyard which thine owne right hand hath planted The like manner of perswasion vsed the holy Prophet Esay to moue God when he sayd Looke vpon vs I beseech thee O lord which are the worke of thine owne hands But aboue all other the blessed man Iob standeth as it were in argument and dysputation wyth God about thys matter saying haue not thy handes made mee haue they not framed me of clay and earth hast not thou compacted me as cheese is made of milke hast not thou knit my bones and sinowes together and couered my flesh wyth skyn hast not thou giuen me life conserued my spirit with thy cōtinuall protection howe soeuer thou seeme to dissemble these matters hide them in thy hart yet I know that thou remembrest them all and art not vnmindfull of them By which wordes thys holy man signified that albeit God suffered him greatly to be tempted and afflicted in thys life so farre forth as he might seeme to haue forgotten him yet was he well assured that his diuine maiestie coulde not of hys goodnes forsake or despise him for that hee was his creature and the proper workemanshyp of his own hands In which very name of workemanshippe holy Dauid tooke such great comfort considering that the workeman cannot chuse but be louing and fauourable towards his owne work especiallie so excellent and bountifull a worke-man as is almightie GOD towards a worke made as man is to his own shape and likenes that in all his necessities yea euen in his greatest infirmities of fleshe and most greeuous offences committed against his Maiestie he conceaueth most assured hope of mercy pardon vpon this consideration that he was hys workmanship cōsequently wel known to his diuine wisdom of how brickle infirme a metal he was made For thus at one tyme among other hee reasoneth of thys matter Looke how farre distant the East is from the West so far off hath God remooued our iniquities from vs. Euen as a father doth take compassion of his owne children so doth the Lord take mercy vpon vs for that hee well knoweth the moulde whereof wee are made and doth remember that wee are nothing els but dust In which discourse the holy Prophet maketh mention of two thinges that dyd assure him of Gods mercie the one that God was his Creator and maker and therby priuie to the frailtie of hys constitution nature th'other that he was his father whose propertie is to haue compassion on his chyldren this is a second reason more strong and forcible perhaps then the former why euery man may be most assured of pardon that hartilie turneth vnto almightie GOD considering that it hath pleased his diuine Maiestie not onelie to be vnto man a Creatour as he is to all other things but also a father which is the title of the greatest loue and coniunction that nature hath left to things in thys world Wherof a certain Phylosopher said well that no man coulde conceiue the loue of a Parents hart but he onelie that had a childe of his owne For which respect our Sauior Christ to put vs in mind of this most feruent loue and thereby as it were by one fire to enkindle another wythin our harts did vse oftentimes and ordinarilie to repeate thys sweete name of Father in hys speeches to his followers and theruppon founded diuers most excellent comfortable discourses as at one time when hee exhorted them from ouer-much care and worldly solicitude hee addeth thys reason Your father in heauen knoweth that you haue neede of these thinges As who would say hee knowing your wants and beeing your Father you shall not neede to trouble your selues wyth too great anxietie in these matters for that a Fathers hart cannot but bee prouident carefull for hys chyldren The like deduction maketh he in the same place to the same effect by comparison of the byrdes of the ayre and other irreasonable creatures for which if God doe make saith hee so aboundant prouision as al the whole worlde may witnesse that hee dooth much more carefull wyll he be to prouide for men that are his owne children which are more deere vnto him then any other terrestiall thing created All which speeches and reasons of our Sauiour are deriued from the nature and propertie of a Parent which cannot but affecte and looue hys children especiallie such a Father whom Christ calleth celestiall who in thys perfection of true fatherly loue so farre exceedeth al earthly Parents put together as in power clemencie goodnes almightie GOD surpasseth the infirmitie of hys feeble creatures Such a father