we ought But we will obiect that we are Israelites and are circumcised haue receiued the sacrameÌ„t of Christs blood that we might be his people he our God but this wil not excuse vs nor make vs seem any thing the better in the sight of God but rather worse if we haue not cast away the workes of darkenesse and put on the Lord Iesus Christ for it is sayd that Christ came Ephes 6. Rom. 13. Iohn 1. amongest his owne and his owne receiued him not but despised him therfore his owne are accursed so many of them as reâ—ect their owne saluation which being freely offered vnto them would not stretch foorth their hands to receiue it And he came by the motion of the spirit into the Temple c. Luke 8. If we would thinke that his spirit doth leade vs into the Temple we would marke verie diligently the motions thereof when we are there whether it speaketh vnto vs in our owne soules or by the mouth of the minister of God who is the minister not of the 1. Cor. 3. Luâ— 4. letter but of the spirit grace of God The deuill led Christ vnto the top of an high mountaine that he might shew him the glorie of the world which deceiueth vnstable minds so would he do you if you would be led by such a guide but I would not haue you to marke the vaine motions of such a spirit which leads to nothing but to vanitie and pride for after he hath led you vp to the top and allured you by carnall pleasures as much as he can if you then fall downe to worship Mammon and embrace the world the same spirit will afterward leade you nay rather cast you downe from the top of all vnto hell Therefore I beseech you heartily intreate you that you would be the seruants of God and the seruants of the spirit of God to obey it and do nothing contrarie to his will that you can refraine that you would do all those good things which you would were done by you and that you would go thither whither you would come for all would come to heauen but all will not go to heauen If you will all heare I will teach you all yea I wil vndertake this heare and marke my words you shal be conuerted by the power of our Lord Iesus Christ For I pray vnto the Lord that I may neuer preach to the condemnation of any among you all which wisheth that euerie of you were more zelous and more godly then my selfe But to whom shall I compare you euen to the vacabond Iewes of whom Luke Act. 19. 74. mentioneth in the Actes that they tooke vpon them to abiure euill spirits by the name of Iesus whom Paul preached to whom the euil spirits answered saying Iesus we know and Paul we know but who are ye those which had the euill spirits ran vpon them and ouercame them so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded and thus the deuill preuailed against them at that time because they sought to worke with anothers instrument preuaile with anothers weapon If they would haue said in the name of Iesus whoÌ„ we preach they might haue preuailed but they thought it sufficient that Paul preached him though they neuer professed him And so we leane vpon anothers staffe and thinke to be saued because God saueth others We shall be dealt withall as were those vacabond Iewes wherfore he wil answer such I know and such I know but who are ye Therefore it behoueth vs euerie one to pray vnto the Lord that he would furnish vs with weapons to encounter against all the euill motions of the spirit of Sathan that we may ouercome and not be ouercome and put to flight like these vacabond Iewes but that we may haue oyle alwayes in our lamps burning and alwayes armed with watchfulnesse against our enemies lest Sathan steale vpon vs at vnwares and spoile vs and strip vs and giue vs a fall Lord now lettâ—st thou thy seruant depart â—n peace c. If Samuell had heard the first time that 1. Sam. 3. God called him theÌ„ God needed not to call him the second or the third if Peter had Luke 22. marked the crowing of the cocke at the first time as he did at the third the cocke needed not to crow thrise Now therefore when you heare the same sound againe which you haue heard before remember now that the cocke croweth the second time for you know what discommoditie doth come by negligence what commoditie by attention for if you attend and follow iustice shall be swallowed vp of mercie Here is the example but where be they that follow it If nine leapers be cleansed yet but one returneth to giue thankes Luke 17. then one is all Vnthankfulnesse is the first guest that sitteth at the table for some will not sticke to say that they neuer said grace since they were children but if they had said we neuer had grace since they were childreÌ„ I would rather beleeue them Do they not say Giue vs this day our dayly bread If you do for shame say so no more beg no more at Gods hands vntil you be more thankful for that you haue receiued For behold the heauens Leâ—it 26. frown vpon you for your sinnes the earth denieth her fruite and is become barren because of your vnthankfulnesse Lord now lettest thou thy seruant depart c. Here Simeon prayed praysed God yet but a short prayer for God delighteth not in much babling like the Pharisies or like the priests of Bal but Simeon prayed with Mat. 6. 1. Kings 18. Exod. 14. the heart like Moses and was heard Though you sing all Dauids Psalmes ouer and not haue Dauids spirit it profiteth nothing and though Dauid was heard when he song theÌ„ yet you can not be heard Therfore let vs pray so that our prayers may be heard and let vs heare so that by hearing we may profit by it Let vs not heare still so vnprofitably as we were wont to do if we do it shall be required at our hands for do you thinke that you shall neuer be called to account of that which I haue preached vnto you but as soone as ye are gone out of this place all is shut vp and all is forgotten God is exeÌ„pted from your minds our Sauiour Christ saith Iohn 12. 48 the word that I speake vnto you shall iudge Iohn 12. 48 Luke 10. you at the last day Marie is commended for that she heard our Sauiour very dâ—ligently laying vp his words in her heart and Iacob was wiser then all his children in that he Gen. 37. 11. remembred the dreame of Ioseph vntill he saw it fulfilled Those that loue the Lord with an vnfayned loue do gladly heare his voyce and become obedient My sheepe heare my voyce saith Christ and they that loue the Iohn 10. 27. Arke as Dauid
reuealed vnto whole nations And so solemne is our calling as that in so manie places of the scripture it is foretold whereby we see how dearely the Lord tendereth our saluation like as a kind spouse which was longed for while she was in a strange countrie so Christ longed for the gentiles till they came home againe vnto him Therefore let vs now consider what he giueth vs namely righteousnesse and saluation first righteousnesse then saluation first repentance and then forgiuenesse of sinnes the sunne of the gospel least we should see heauen in hell and light in darknesse and ioy in anguishes Let vs not contemne our light or grow carelesse of it let vs not build with one hand ouerthrow with the other by prophanesse like those men which while they surfetted at their gluttonous tables did call vpon God for health Christ is not receyued with the hand if the father offering a gift do see the sonne stretch foorth his left hand he will withdraw his gift from him I say let vs not contemne our light as the Iewes contemned their glorie For what is light to him that will shut his eies against it What is this light It is such a glorious light and such an excellent reuelation that great and mightie kings haue earnestly desired to see and princes haue laid downe their crownes to reueale it Let vs embrace this light Let vs take put on the wedding garment and go to the banket vnto which a thousand messengers haue inuited vs and do alledge none excuses I haue married a wife I haue bought oxen I go to see a farme Mat. 22. c. and therefore I cannot come neither will I come Well do so if that ye will needes but remember that thou wast inuited and therfore the blessing shall be giuen to another Therefore shall Esau weepe for the blessing but shall not haue it Heb. 1â— But giue me a reason I pray thee why thou wilt be called the seruaÌ„t of God which doest not serue him or the child of God which dost not loue him or the disciple of Christ which dost not learne of him yet his raine falleth vpon all the iust vniust and he giueth thee al things for nothing â— the sun doth giue his light for nothing the dewe doth giue his moisture for nothing the â—â—uers do giue their waters for nothing and the earth doth giue her fruit for nothing What shall we do then when the sunne shineth We must not do as we do in the darke for then men ought to betake them to their labour Learne of the sauage beasts who as soone as the day springs betake theÌ„ to their trauell and euery bird welcommeth it with many a sweet song Christ is light and this light is come Therefore he that seeth not now is blinde and he that heares not now is deafe and he that workes not now is maimed But we will not worke holy workes according to the word neither in light nor darkenes we can see to sin in the darke as well as in the light for the light discouereth both the harlot â—â— the theese for he is afraid of the light where light is not Christ is not but Christ Iohn 1. is light and let none be afraid to seeke this light which is so good so excellent and so profitable for vs. For it doth not onelie desoâ—e it solfe but al other things round about it Therfore if thou hast this light thy faith thy feare thy loue will shew it selfe good things cannot now hide themselues for he that is light doth delight to please God in the light It is no maruell though a man stumble in the darke but he which stumbleth in the light is not verie strong because he seeth his way before him Once we stumbled at euerie straw when we walked in darknesse for then light had a fall pride had a fall lust had a fall drunkennesse had a â—al penurie had a fall ignorance had a fall or if you will pride rose and we fell lust rose and we fell c. Were Egypt as light as Goshen that is whether the Iewes haue receiued their glorie or no yet if thou sin in the darke the light wil bewray thee and thy conscience will accuse thee and condemne thee for it Therefore now giue ouer darknes and arme thee with light for your life shineth like the light therefore now we should be Israel for Israel is reuolted But many scrolles may be written of our sinnes and thus the gentiles are as gentiles still He that beleeueth not the word is an infidell he that beleeueth not God is an Atheist he that worshippeth anie thing more than God is an idolater euerie mans conscience shall condemne himselfe Men will leaue godlinesse for riches but they will not leaue their riches for godlinesse The Iewes neuer serued God at any time with such deuotion as they doe now their gold and their riches Many theâ—e are which could be content neuer to die but liue here with their riches and pleasures Is not the godly more despited for his godlinesse than the wicked for his wickednesse Are not the members of Christ more hated and worse entertained by vs then the limmes of Sathan So dearely doth euerie one loue sinne and drawes sinne vpon sinne like a chain or monsters drawne in a chain pride sheweth drunkennesse sheweth euerie man his sinne They came vnto vs and said your fathers loued vs well and said vnto vs if you wil be faire you shall be wise if you will be drunke you shall be rich and so euerie one pointeth at and sheweth vs the way which leadeth to destruction and how few are the number of them which sheweth vs the way of vertue and godlinesse And thus we are euen as forward as those Iewes which striue who shall come to hell first Who did euer thanke God that he was not borne an hundred yeares ago when ignorance spred ouer all and all Egypt was smitten with darknesse or that the Lorde hath not left him to himselfe to become an Atheist or an Epicure which liues without God in the world VVe haue all Gods gifts offered vs but we haue refused them Christ brought light but we had rather he had brought darknesse for we loue darkenesse more then light The Angels the heauens the word the spirit are light and we which see it are darknesse for we can not abide light but are like an Owle which flieth out of a haâ—e field from the light of the day such a death is day vnto vs. Faith is flowen away truth is become a pilgrim and euerie string is out of tune He which should weep and bee sorrowfull laughes and truth is brought to the ground yea poore truth is euen persecuted to the death therefore sinners are stubble and their sentence is burne them How fine would be the way of vertue if you would pare away the rubs that are in it if you would take away all occasions of
him Gehezi durst neuer haue takeÌ„ a bribe if he had thought that god beheld his doings Wilt thou steale the owner looking on thee wilt thou speake treason in the kings hearing Neither would we lye nor sweare nor steale nor hurt nor be prophane at any time if we considered that the Lord seeth vs and remembred that he watcheth vs if we would do thus sin might go â—begging for want of seruice Therefore if you will marke but this part of my sermoÌ„ that God seeth all you would refraine from those things secretly that are to the offence of god which you for feare or shame wil not do before men you would say euen when your hand is at it I wil not do it because the Lord seeth vsâ— Now therefore repent thee of all the euill that thou hast done runne and â—ie thee as fast as euer thou canst and striue who goes fastest thy sinne or thy prayers These are the faint spies that went to see the land of Canaan which say that iourney is farther then you are able to go all your life the way is like a thicket and the doore like a needels eye therefore it is impossible for you to come thither But when you send faith hope and loue those messengers of peace and truth they will bring you word saying your ruffes must be ruffled and your fardingales crusht and none shall be kept out but such as loue the world better then heauen or such as wil take their sinnes with them for that it is not the fashion of that countrey but we must leaue them like the shadow when we go into the doore and we must shake hands with them and bid them fare-well Now it followeth how Ionah fled to Tarshish We can not stand to speake of Tarshish nor what it is to flie from God but how Ionah was sent to Niniuie and how he went to Tarshish this shall be our meditation Ionah the Prophet was commanded to go to Niniuie and there to crie out against sinne to preach against pride and all kinde of vngodlinesse therby to reclaime them stir them vp in laying open their sinne and the punishment which hanged ouer them that they might speedily repent and so turn away from them the wrath of God thereby deserued What a happie message was this and what a happie thing for Niniuie that the Lord would vouchsafe theÌ„ so great mercie O but still one flie or other marres the whole boxe of ointment as soone as he was Eccles. 10. 1â— commanded to go thither Sathan stood in the gap and entised him to go to Tarshish lest the Niniuites kil him or some way hurt him Ionah was no sooner tempted and thus entised by Sathan to go to Tarshish but he forthwith yeelded and hauing yeelded then he to go and so Ionah made him selfe a run-away and a disobedient seruant to his God And thus Sathan is euer entising or crossing vs when we are addressing our selues to do the will of our God There is no commaundement of God but the deuill commaunds the contrarie and he is euer vnsaying that which God sayth for our good God sayth vnto Adam if you eate of the forbidden Gene. 2. 17. fruite you shall die the deuill came and he told them no you shall not die but you shal be as Gods if you eate theof God saith Gen. 3. 4. submit your selues one to another in brotherly 1. Pet. 5. 5. loue the deuill saith be proud and lustie scornfull and ambitious God sayth loue thy neighbour as thy selfe the deuill Mat. 22. saith be enuious but loue thy self and none but thy selfe God saith labor for the food Iohn 6. 27. which perisheth not the deuill bids labour for such food which perisheth as dainties and plentie of pleasant things God sayth forsake the world the deuill saith loue and Rom. 12. 2. 1. Ioh. 3. 18. esteeme the world with the things of the world and we do it at his commandement And thus is man led captiue to destruction with the chaines of sin One said God spake and it was done but I say the deuill speaketh Gen. 1. 3. 9. and it is done for he is such an Orator that no man can denie him This made Demas to embrace the world Iudas to betray 2 Tim. 4. 10â— Mat. 26. 48. 70. Iud. 14 17. Gen. 4. 8. 2. King 5. 22. 24. his maister Peter to denie his Lord Sampson to reueale his secret Cain to kill his brother Gehezi to take a bribe and there is such harping in the ballance that constancie is put out of her place Yet this priuiledge hath God giueÌ„ vnto vs that if we resist the deuill Iames 5. he wil flie away from vs. But the deuil hath not this promise that when he resists we shall flie from him notwithstanding the deuill is euer as busie as if he had such a promise yea full often doth ouercome which is a sign that we do not resist him any thing throughly but rather as it should seeme we ioine with him rather to do his wil theÌ„ gods will and this made foolish Balaam to aske Num. 22. againe and again till God seeing him bent contrarie to his will left him vnto himselfe and so Balaam went on in sin so long til the verie asse wheron he rode was constrained to reproue him and crie out against him But Ionah rose vp to go downe to Tarshish and he went to Iapho They that should preach at Niniuie are loytering at Tarshish and like a drone doth the Nonresident keepe his benefice but for shame wilt thou keepe it still either go and preach at Niniuie as you are coÌ„mmanded or leaue your priuiledge and benefice But they stand staggering ashamed to keepe it and loath to leaue off for the sweet morsels of Bels priests are so pleasant vnto them that they cannot find in their harts to leaue them as long as they are able to keepe it Ionah was sent to Niniuie but he went toward Tarshish And so it is alwayes with vs either we say or do euill or else we do nothing or we take one thing for another and so we are euer doing that we should not do And as Ionah tooke Tarshish for Niniuie so wee take the Deuill for an Angell light for darknesse pride for handsomnesse sinne for godlinesse and euil for goodnesse No maruell it was that Ionah fled least hee should go to Niniuie for this is a stumbling vocation amoÌ„g men yea hated and reiected by the children of this world which alway Exod. 18. 4. Iere. 20. 7. kicke against it and therefore it was that Moses murmured and Ieremie complained If you would aske for a paineful vocation this is it if for a contemptible vocation this is it for reprouing we are reproued it is as easie to wash a Blackemoore as to coÌ„uert a sinner because Sathan is euer crossing men from doing the will of God and as earnest as the Lord was