on In vaine hast thou receiued thy soule the grace of God the good seede if thou directest not the same to the desires of heauenly things to the fruite of good workes for the obtaining whereof the soule was created other graces giuen of God But to come to some particular men are said to sleep when they neglect abuse the grace of God the good seed whiles they hearken not to the coūsel of the Apostle Take heed that no man fall away from the grace of God Heb. 12. 15. that is that hee abuse not the good seede and neglect the vse thereof Let no roote of bitternesse spring vp and trouble you saith he For euen as through the negligence of the husband mā many noy some weeds spring vp which hinder the growth of the good seed and fret away the corne so the growth of the tares of vices hinder the operation of grace Wherfore said the Apostle a little before Lift vp your hands which hang downe and your weake knees that is shake off all drow sinesse and negligence Who would not iudge that their faith sleepeth yea that it is dead which neuer sheweth forth the vitall motions of godlinesse which are wauering suffer themselues to be carried away like children with euery winde of vaine doctrine by the deceipt eraftinesse of men whereby they lay waite to deceiue Ephes 4. Of which number are they that reuolt from the Gospell to Papistry and wrest religion and the Scriptures vt Lesbiam regulam as the prouerbe is or frame their profession as a nose of waxe vnto all fashions to please mens humours and to serue their turne Doth not their hope sleep which is not fixed on the inuisible heauenly good things which should allure them to the loue of a good life Seemeth not their charity to bee extinct which kindleth no sparkes of the loue of God and of their neighbour in their hearts Doth not their wisedome and reason only proper to man sleep whose office is to foresee imminent dangers discerne betwixt good and euill and to prouide for the life to come when they liue so supine and carelesse of their soules and willingly suffer themselues to be caught in the snares of Sathan He sleepeth yea he is in a dangerous sleepe which liueth in enuy hatred and malice of his neighbour Hee that hateth his brother is in darknesse saith Saint Iohn The carnall filthy lecherous and licencious liuer sleepeth which is not ashamed to commit that filthinesse which a good Christian should bee ashamed euen to name saith the Apopostle Eph. 5. 12. The couetous worldling sleepeth yea and that sweetly as he thinketh when he saith Soule liue at ease eate drinke and take thy pleasure thou hast much goods laid vp in store for many yeares Luk. 12. 19. but the spirit of God intituleth them by the name of fooles saying Thou foole this night shall they fetch away thy soule from thee and then whose shal those things be which thou hast prouided verse 20. The glutton drunkard whose God is his belly sleepeth whom the Apostle Peter stirreth vp with the consideration of his danger saying Be sober and watch for your aduersary the Diuell as a roaring Lyon walketh about seeking whom he may deuoure The negligent secure and sluggish Christian sleepeth who taketh no care of his soule but setteth it vpon sixes and seuens of whom saith Salomon The slothfull man saith a Lyon is without I shall be slaine in the streete Pro. 22 to him all things seeme hard all things pertaining to godlinesse and deuotion seeme vnpossible hee can finde no time as yet to arise from his sins no time with him is fit for repentance But beloued the spirit of God who best knoweth the importance heereof is in nothing more frequent and earnest then in exhorting vs vs I say which are regenerate in Christ the good seede the children of the kingdome to vigilancy and watchfulnesse that we giue not place vnto the Diuell Christ cryeth out and repeateth it againe that hee might impresse it in our memories VVatch saith he and what I say vnto you I say vnto all mē watch Againe if the good man of the house had knowne what houre the thiefe would come hee wold haue watched and not haue suffered his house to bee digged through Luk 12. 39. So that vessell of election Saint Paul reasoneth and exhorteth Gods children saying Yee are all children of the light and of the day we are not of the night neither of darknesse Therefore let vs not sleepe as other doe but let vs watch and be sober 1. Thess 5. 5. 6. And our Sauiour againe counsaileth saying Bee yee like vnto men that waite for their maister when hee returne from the wedding Luk. 12. 36. Nothing truly might more significantly be spoken to incite vs to perpetuall vigilance Seruants doe neuer with greater carefulnesse waite for their maister then when the solemnity of his mariage being ended he returneth home to dinner that nothing bee wanting but all things necessary bee prouided and in reedinesse for such a feast So should all true Christians be euer vigilant waiting for the coming of the Lord that they be not found vnprepared For the son of man will come at an houre when yee thinke not Now let vs see how dangerous and hurtfull it is vnto vs not to watch but liue securely whiles we are in the warfare of this life The enemy now seeing our supine negligence aud stupide carelesnesse of our soules now bestirreth him hee will not loose this fit oportunity this is Sathans sowing season now he casteth abroade his tares now he prepareth his ground that is the hearts of the wicked to receiue his pestilent seede as thou mayest easily perceiue if thou obserue the manners of wicked men if thou seekest at that time to awake them admonish them of their dangers they will perhaps heare approue thy sayings but being pressed downe with the weight of wicked custome they betake them againe to their sleep as the wise man saith who so telleth a foole of wisedome is as a man that speaketh to one that is asleepe Ecclesiasticus chap. 22. As one that is sicke of a feuer to whom sleepe is very hurtfull if thou pull him and with noyse stirre him vp and tell him that sleepe nourisheth and increaseth his disease hee lifteth vp his drowsie eyes and heareth thee but being ouercome with the force of the hurtfull humour hee is drowned againe with sleepe So it happeneth to those that are plunged in the sleepe of sinne and pleasures of the world if wee call vpon them lay before them death iudgement hell perpetuall torments prepared for the wicked their sinnes committed the danger of suddaine death c. Heauen and the most blessed reward prepared for the godly c. they will heare this and confesse it to bee true but being ouercome with the violence
Letchery he hath appropriated to none but prostituted her vnto all that so she might draw the the more vnto hell with her For the rooting vp of this hurtfull tare it shall greatly profit if among many other places of holy Scripture which shew Gods hatred of this sin we would diligently ponder in our mindes the Apostles most patheticall reasons 1. Cor. 6. The summe whereof is By whooredome great iniury is done to Christ our head to whom our bodies are sanctified great reproach to God who shall raise vs vp to glory as hee hath done the body of Christ Great indignity done to the holy Ghost whose temple we are and which dwelleth in vs. Our bodies themselues are hereby dishonoured damnified which are by whoredome pulled from Christ our head ioined to an harlot and made one body with her To conclude thereby wee are made sacrilegious theeues in defiling giuing of that vnto another which is not in our power This is the summe of the Apostles reasons which shewe the horriblensse of this sinne and the incomparable losse that cometh to the whoore monger thereby and should be sufficient to win the most refractary minde if there be left in it one spark of the feare God Hauing in some sort delineated the malice and industry of Sathan the enemy of mankinde in corrupting the good seed with the tares of vices and the oportunity hee watcheth for the same Now the order of prosecution requireth that I should set downe also the weapons and armour which euery good Christian should haue in readines to resist the fury of this enemy and withstand his assaults which the blessed Apostle and expert Champion of Iesus Christ out of Gods armory most excellently prescribeth Ephes 6. verse 14. vnto verse 19. Stand therefore saith he with your loynes girt about you with verity c The Apostle said before Take vnto you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the whole armour of God Now particularly hee expresseth the parts of this armour He setteth downe two kindes of armory necessary to euery Souldier against his enemy Some which are needfull for the defence of our selues and other to strike and repell the enemy Of the first kinde he speaketh verse 14. 15. 16. and part of the 17. Of the other verse 17. and 18. Hee armeth the whole man from the head to the feete that hee might in no part bee hurt of his enemy and of this kinde of armour hee nameth fiue The Girdle the Breast-plate the Shooes the Shield and the Helmet Hee beginneth with the loynes which must bee strengthened with the girdle and the breast as the principall parts in which the life and strength consisteth and which the enemy chiefly assaulteth and therefore the souldier is wont especially to arme those parts in which the strength and life abideth He saith therefore Stand he requiquireth here three things First that euery one should keepe himselfe in his station or calling that hee yeeld not nor turne his backe to the enemy And this calling is two-fold the one generall whereby we are all called into the Church militant that is to the army of Christian Soldiars vnder the conduct ensignes of Iesus Christ The other is a speciall calling whereby a certaine station and office is assigned to euery man in the Church as it is in a military army Euery one ought especially to keepe himselfe in the army of the Church and next in his priuate station First therefore he requireth that euery one abide in the Church and that hee depart not from the army for if hee depart actum est farewell to him as to him that going from the army is either slaine of the enemy or of his owne company by the command of his Prince Secondly hee requireth that euery man should conteine himselfe within the limits of his owne station or calling for in an army nothing is more pernicious then ataxia and confusion First therefore euery man must constantly remaine within the limits and bounds of the Church and next in his owne proper condition to which he is peculiarly called and not to giue place to the Diuel which diligently laboureth to draw him from both Thirdly vigilancy and watching is signified by this word stand This is necessary also and opposed to security For while men slept this enemy came and sowed tares Bee sober and watch for your aduersary the Diuell as a roaring Lyon goeth about seeking whom hee may deuoure Therefore wee must watch euery one in his seuerall station lest Sathan oppresse vs at vnawares But that we may stand in the battell and ouercome these things are required First Constancy in doctrine or in the truth this is the baltheus or girdle wherewith the Apostle would haue our loynes girded The loynes are as the foundation whereon the inferiour and superiour parts of the body doe rest and leane For against the Diuell this first is necessary that we stand fast in the truth of religion grounded vpon the word of God for this is the first thing which Sathan seeketh to shake and take from vs namely the truth of doctrine and obtrudeth vnto vs lyes and false doctrine This then is the first part of the armour of God the Girdle of truth vpon which the Church is founded to which pertaineth this of the Apostle 1. Tim. 1. 19. Hauing faith that is the truth of doctrine vpon which faith resteth and a good conscience which is the second part of this armour The second part he calleth the Brest-plate of righteousnesse for after that the minde is fortified with the verity of doctrine there must follow the Breast-plat of righteousnesse and of a good conscience that is of a holy life For euen as the breast-plate defendeth the breast of the Souldier so the care of righteousnes holines fortifieth the minde of a Christian man and conserueth his heart against the assaults of the Diuell that hee bee not wounded with his darts The Saints of God do slide and sinne they receiue wounds but not to the heart they sinne but not from the heart according to this of Saint Iohn VVhoso is borne of God sinneth not and why so because his heart is armed with the loue of righteousnesse holinesse and of a good conscience Dauid which at first had his heart fensed with the knowledge of the truth and did set his loue vpon righteousnesse yet hee fell and that shamefully and was wounded with the weapons of the diuell but these weapons did not pierce so farre as his heart they remained but in his flesh and why because his heart was fortified with this Breast-plate of righteousnesse This place of the Apostle agreeth with that of Christ Luke chap. 12. Let your loynes bee girded about and your lights burning These lightes are the holinesse of life and the workes of righteousnesse and a good conscience And this is the brest-plate of righteousnesse The third part of this Christian panoplie is
expressed in these words ver 15. And your feete shod with the preparation of the Gospell of peace The metaphor is thus They that go to the warres prouide themselues of good bootes and shooes and with them do fence and arme their legges and feete from the cold wet and stripes of their enemies and that they may bee the more prompt and ready to fight So the Christian Souldier should arme the feete of his minde with these spirituall shooes to wit readinesse in all places to confesse and if we be called of God to preach the Gospell to all men It is called the Gospell of peace because it preacheth reconciliation with God through Iesus Christ and because by the name peace among the Hebrues are signified all felicity and all good things and the Gospell bringeth all happinesse vnto vs. And aboue all take the Shield of Faith wherewith yee may quench all the fiery darts of the wicked Here is the fourth part of the spirituall armour In the warre ye know that the shield is necessary with which the whole body is couered the strokes repelled and the darts receiued if a man knoweth in battell how to vse it And in our spirituall fight the shield of faith is most necessary aboue all the rest but to what end The Apostle addeth wherewith ye may quench all the fiery darts of the wicked that is of the Diuell When hee saith fiery darts he alludeth to the ancient manner for in old time as it is yet in vse among the Indians and other barborous nations they were wont to cast their darts infected with poison against their enemies by which the bodies of the wounded were so inflamed that they might hardly bee cured The darts of the Diuell are all temptations and his tares wherewith hee laboureth to draw vs vnto all manner of sinnes against which wee pray in the Lords prayer And leade vs not into temptations but deliuer vs from euil They are called fiery because they are dangerous and deadly if they bee admitted and do easily kindle the heart vnto infinite sinnes so that it cannnot easily bee cured for one sinne inflameth the heart vnto another as drunkennesse to wantonnesse wantonnesse to murther We see in Dauid who for the loue of Bathshaba he deuised how to slay her innocent husband Vrias 2. Sam 11. The darts of the Diuell therefore are indeed fiery but they are quenched with a sound faith in Christ Iesu VVhom resist strong in the faith saith the Apostle Peter And Saint Iohn This is the victory that ouercometh the world euen our Faith 1. Ioh. 5. 4. Heere wee see that all temptations of the Diuell are as artificiall fires more to bee feared then all the fires or fireworkes in the world which if they enter once into our hearts they kindle a most deadly fire Marke but them that are wounded with malice or wrath doe they not burne with a desire to bee reuenged And those whose hearts auarice hath seized how they are inflamed with a desire to haue all Those who once are pierced with the flames of fornication and whooredome doe wee not see how they burne to haue their fill of their most infamous filthy and inordinate lusts Those who are inflamed with anger and wrath doe they not cast out fire out of their mouthes their eyes do sparkle their nosthrils smoake their mouthes breath out fiery threatnings and rayling speeches And those who are caried away with ambition desire of honour or vaine-glory c. But if thou say that thou neuer didst feele any paine but rather pleasure in thy passions how then can they bee so fiery I answer so much the worse is it with thee for this argueth thy wound to be incurable when thou art past feeling and that this fire wil draw vnto it another to wit the fire of Gods wrath and heauy displeasure which will precipitate and throw thee downe headlong into the fire of hell They then that yeelde and are ouercome with these fiery darts of Sathan shew plainly that they are destitute of this impenetrable shield of Faith wherewith we may easily driue backe and extinguish all his fiery darts on which side soeuer they be For if by faith wee haue feeling of Gods fauour and loue towards vs and are fully assured that he will be a good and mercifull father vnto vs then his loue which is kindled in our hearts by faith his spirit which he hath giuen vs doth cause vs to hate abhor and detest all euill and strongly resist temptations Next he cometh to the Helmet Take the Helmet of saluation vers 17. It is called Galea 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of saluation â—er metonimiam because it bringeth saluation or is salutaâ—is holsome for it defendeth the head But what this spirituall Helmet is the Apostle teacheth 1. Thess 5. 8. Putting on the hope of saluation for an helmet The Diuell by all meanes laboureth to bring vs to desperation for then hee thinketh himselfe sure of vs. The Apostle therefore willeth that euen as in earthly battels Souldiers couer their head with an Helmet So we should fortifie our heart and minde against all the insults of the Diuell with a sure hope of eternall saluation obtained freely for vs by Christ without our merites And most certain it is that there is no kinde of temptation which may not be ouercome if we hold fast the most certaine hope of eternall saluation and therefore Rom. 8. We are saued by hope They that despaire of the victory fight no more but yeeld themselues into the hands of the enemy as they that conceiue an assured hope of the victory fight couragiously and strongly And as the Helmet or head-peece is very necessary for him that is in the brunt of battell among so many arrrowes and shot which flye on euery side for without the same hee should quickly bee wounded and slaine So is hope most necessary for vs which is the companion of patience to withstand and beate backe all the assaults of Sathan For the assurance of saluation that wee haue promised vnto vs in Christ doth make vs inuincible in this fight Take heede therefore brethren that in any case the diuell shake not our hope of saluation in Iesus Christ but still let vs go armed with this Helmet that wee bee not wounded by this enemy Vita vitae mortalis spes est vitae immortalis saith Saint Augustine The life of our mortall life is the hope of the life immortall Spes animum in aeternitatem erigit idcirco nulla mala exterius quae tolerat sentit Greg. Hope erecteth our minde into eternity and therefore it feeleth no euils which it outwardly suffereth The sixth part of this spirituall armour is the sword of the spirit which is the word of God Now hee cometh to describe that part of armour wherewith we must strike and expel the enemy from vs as are Sword Speares Gunnes c.