and prayed for their good successe Héereby the godly persuaded themselues The man that forgetteth the iniurie of his brother may the better come to God that laying aside all displeasures and forgetting manifold iniuries though it were to seuenty times seauen as Christ teacheth they might with more safe hearts and quiet consciences approach vnto the throane of grace with these and such like petitions Remember not the sinnes of our youthfull dayes O Lord Psalm 25. Forget our iniquities and blot our transgressions out of thy mind Forgiue vs our trespasses as we forgiue them that trespas against vs. The Lord Iesus graunt vs the spirit of pietie and patience to forgiue and forget the offences of our bréethren against vs. Moreouer Dauid in his 45. Psalme teacheth the Church Psalm 45. and therein euery member of the same what should be forgotten that her heauenly wooer Christ Iesus might be pleased in her Another forgetfulnes commanded in Scripture more generall Iohn 3. Forget saith he thine owne people and thy fathers house Therevnto counselleth S. Paule in his Epistle to the Rom. cap. 12. verse 1.2 and in his 13. Chapter of the same verses 12.13.14 This is that new birth which Nichodemus with all his wisedome is not able to conceiue and so difficult and hard for the fleshly man which conceiueth not the things that be of God as nothing is harder And therefore as the valiant Captaine Vlysses being in Affrica and perceiuing that his fellowes did continually languish with the remembrance of their Countrie Wife and Children which they could not forget caused them to taste of the Trée Lotos whereof if a stranger eate it is sayd he forgetteth his owne Countrey so our most excellent Captaine Christ produceth vnto vs his holy Word the trée of life to be tasted eaten and disgested with this commaundement Hearken ô Daughter hearken ô Israel he that hath eares to heare let him heare and happy is he that heareth the Word of God and keepeth it for by eating thereof man liueth he forgetteth old Adam To forget old Adam and the fleshly affections of man he casteth off the shooe from his féete with Moses and draweth néere to the Lord he meditateth on the Lawe of God day and night and is satisfied with goodnes By this was Paul put apart from the world This quencheth out the lust of the flesh the pride of life and loue of the world This bringeth faith to iustifie man before God and vertues to approue him before men This harboureth men in the bosome of faithfull Abraham whome the ruinous habitation of Adam could not preserue This draweth men from earthly Hierico to heauenly Ierusalem and persuadeth Iaphet to dwell in the tabernacles of Shem. Peter tasting of this Genes 9. goeth foorth at the doore and wéepeth for his sinne Ruth Ruth 2. the Moabitisse is hereby taken from her owne countrie and brought into Israel and this pearle being so pretious causeth a man to forsake all that hee hath to sell all his wealth to buy purchace and obtayne it The Lord graunt vs grace to bee in this poynt so forgetfull that we neither remember to commit nor dare bée so bold as to attempt sinne that wee neither dwell in the loathsome tents of Kedar nor so much as sauour of the fleshly affections of impious and vngodly men Thus haue we seene what things we are chiefly to forget and shut out of memorie Now let vs beholde the true substance of memorie What to remember and so in the end descend vnto this particular example of Lots wife If wee would that GOD in goodnesse should remember vs and that our prayers may enter in before him Nehe. 13. verse 31. Ionae 2.7 as Nehemiah and Ionas sayd then must we not be forgetfull of that which he commaundeth to bée kept in minde And except the Lord in his mercie be mindfull of vs Gen. 8.1 Genes 19. verse 29. Psal 115. verse 12. as he hath bene of old time of his seruants Noah Lot Abraham Dauid Ionas Manasses and others to whome in extremitie hee sent comfort and helpe we may be compared to Sodoma and like vnto Gomorrha wee cannot stande in the congregation but bee confounded in iudgement wee shall want that which may helpe vs and finde whatsoeuer anoyeth vs and being banished from the benediction of Gods children shall incurre the heauie curse of his enemies And a most fearefull thing is it to be forgotten of the Lord. For there is nothing remayning but cursings in the towne and in the field going out and comming in in the basket and in the store in the bodie and in the land and in whatsoeuer is taken in hand a sick bodie and a faint heart maymed members and a doubtfull minde in the morning wishing for the euening Deut. 28. in the euening desiring the morning vengeance from heauen an hell vpon earth Of this portion drinketh the vngodly to whom there is no peace saith the Lord seeing they bee aduersaries to the Almightie and banished from his presence Isai 40. as cleane out of his mercifull remembrance The faithfull children remembring these things with considerate mindes haue resorted vnto the Lord praying him in goodnesse to remember them Thus prayed Salomon O Lord God 2. Chro. 6. verse 42. refuse not the face of thine annoynted Remember the mercies promised to Dauid thy seruant And so prayed that noble Captaine Nehemiah Nehe. 1.5.8 cap. 5.19 ca. 13.31 O Lord God of heauen the great and terrible GOD that keepeth couenant and mercie for them that loue him and obserue his commandements c. I beseech thee remēber the worde that thou commandest thy seruant Moses Againe Remember me sayth he in goodnesse That patient man Iob in his great afflictions cryed out vnto the Lord Remember that my life is but a wind And King Hezekiah turning his face to the wall 2. Kin. 20.3 prayed in this manner I beseech thee O Lord remember now how I haue walked before thee in trueth and with a perfect heart and haue done that which is good in thy sight Baruch in the behalfe of the captiue Israelites Remember not sayth he the wickednesse of our fathers but thinke vpon thy power and thy name at this time The Prophet Dauid being moued with an excellent spirit Psa 74.20 and 137. Psal 119. verse 49. singeth vnto the Lord Remember thy couenant and promise Remember Sion be mindful of thy mercies c. Finally the condemned théefe on the Crosse with our Sauiour sayth vnto him Lord remember me when thou comest into thy kingdome These godly desires vttered with a faithfull heart haue not bene put backe nor was the Lord vnmindfull of his loue but as he remembred Noah and euery beast and all the cattel that was with him in the Arke and as Christ remembred Peter Mary Paule the théefe on the Crosse Psal 115. verse 12. So sayth Dauid in the behalfe of
alleadge causes also for themselues whose imaginations the Wise man descrieth in his 2. Chapt. of the booke of Wisedome Sap. 2. where he telleth that the vngodly being not fully persuaded of a better life after this and therefore minding to take their fill of pleasure heere in despight of Gods threatnings in contempt of his promises without any cōtroulment or contradiction of the righteous which can not but speake against them they thus resolue and conclude against the righteous Let vs oppresse the poore man that is so righteous Will ye oppresse nay rather deale iustly Will ye hurt the poore nay rather helpe him Will ye do violence to the righteous man nay rather do him good But ye will not be restrained ye will oppresse him and why he is not for our profit he is contrary to our doings he checketh vs for offending he accounteth vs transgressors of discipline he bosteth himselfe of the knowledge of God he saith he is Gods sonne he is made to reproue our thoughts it greeueth vs to see him his life is not like other mens his wayes are of another sort he accounteth vs as bastards he abhorreth our wayes he commendeth only the latter end of the righteous therefore we will examin him with rebukes and torments we will condemne him to a shamefull death Alas ye miserable caitiffes be these your profound arguments Indéed these beseeme him that saith in the pride of his heart Sic volo siu iubeo stat pro ratione voluntas I will haue it so so I commaund it to be done my will is an argument forcible ynough This is the manner of dealing of the worldlings against the righteous So is Lot entertained Now séeing the case thus standeth The godly are to ioyne together in loue oh how ready should the godly be to ioyne together and liue in concord together a thing both godly and profitable as Dauid singeth Ecce quam bonum c. for the house is not desolate nor the kingdome confounded where loue and concord dwelleth and raigneth It is good for birds of one flight to flye together chickens of one hen to couch together shéepe of one fold to flock together strings of one instrument to sound in harmonie together members of one bodie to ioyne together and Christians of one calling to loue together as sonnes of one father brethren of one Christ and Saints of one God This is expressely commaunded by Christ this is the badge or recognizance whereby we be knowne and heereby we be assured of our translation frō death to life as S. Iohn saith And the Apostles speaking heereof lay oftentimes our Sauiour for a patterne before vs who commaunded his Disciples to loue together as he had loued them that was as one noteth Veraciter sine simulatione prudenter sine corruptione temperanter sub Dei dilectione generaliter sine exceptione That is without simulation truly without corruption wisely vnder the loue of God temperately without exception generally Heere is not taught the loue of Cayne to Abel of Saul to Dauid of Iudas to Christ but heere is the loue of Dauid to Ionathas of Ruth to Naomi of Paul to Barnabas of Christ to Iohn Againe heere is taught to loue not the errors but the vertues of our brethren to hate the sinne with loue of the person to loue not for wealth nor fauour nor strength but for that he is thy brother a Christian Yet so as this loue must not exceede the loue of our God whome aboue all things we must loue that in regard of that we must euen forsake all other things which may hinder vs from the same For whosoeuer loueth either father or mother wife or children yea or his owne life more then me saith Christ is not worthy of me heerein then is temperance learned Let vs loue hartely but yet in the feare of God and vnder his loue yet so reuerently as we may honor God in our loue Lastly we are taught by this rule to loue generally I say not all men alike for although God in mercie maketh his sunne to shine aswell on the euill as on the good and so they féele as it were the beames of Gods loue whereof they be most vnworthy yet hath he euer had an especiall loue to his own children The houshold of faith must be preferred before the worldlings as Iacob before Esau Isaac before Ismael Abel before Cayne Dauid before Saule Salomon besore Absolon Iohn before Iudas but I speake heere only of the brethren This rule is enioined to the flock vnder one shepheard to loue and embrace of what nation kinred toong or sexe soeuer they be Thus let vs loue without exception so shall we yeeld and obey as good childrē to our heauenly father so shall we shew our selues his schollers so shall we assure election to our selues so shall we be strong in our selues so shall we withstand our enemies on euery side and shine as lights in the middest of a crooked generation and thus haue we seene the entertainement of Lot in Sodom Now are we to consider how that this good man 5 The deliuerie of Lot notwithstāding the hatred of his Citizens obteined the loue and mercy of the Lord through whom not only himself was wonderfully deliuered from destruction bu also his aduersaries for a time fared the better for his presence P. Mart. in Gen. 19. It may be that now the prayer of Abraham had his effect in this that God destroyeth not Lot with Sodom For it is said that God remembring Abraham and therein his prayer tooke Lot out of the middest of the ouerthrowe Heereof it was that God was mercifull vnto him and therefore sent his Angell to deliuer him yea and when he delayed the Angell did euen perforce constraine him to flie But so much the rather in that Lot was also a righteous man whereof Dauid argueth no doubt among the semblable examples I neuer sawe the righteous forsaken And why Gen. 18. Gen. 18. should not the Iudge of all the world do according vnto right and who is righteous euen Lot in that by his faith he obteined mercie and therefore he is saued though by nature sinfull yet by the mercie of the Lord made righteous But frō what other example might Dauid gather this assurance was not Noah saued from perishing by water with his family when all the world was ouerwhelmed was not Abraham and Sara preserued in a strange land was not Isaac wonderfully preserued by the Angell when his father held vp the knife to haue killed him was not Iacob 〈…〉 Lords prouidence heere is his fault fall such is mans wisedome and therevnto it tendeth a note of disgrace in so godly a mā But God is yet mercifull vnto Lot yea and spareth for a time Sodom through him And heere obserue that whereas the Lord stayed the wrath of his rod from his enemies till time that Lot was gone out of Sodom least happely the righteous had
abide that for there is nothing more contrary to the crosse of Christ than Pride Except ye humble your selues and become as children ye cannot enter into the kingdome of heauen sayth Christ Pride bringeth men with speede to Babel yeeldeth confusion shame and fall I would to God there were not found too many possessed with this deuil among vs who albeit they bee called Christians whose méekenesse they should followe do yet in the pride of their hearts disdaine simple Iesus and his word and that were it not for the loue of worldly estimation and wealth would euen openly contemne the profession of humble Iesus The Lord stop the great inconuenience of this sinne to the casting downe of proud Lucifer and his members that the glorie of Iesus Christ might be the better embraced euen in humilitie Another fault we note in this vngracious woman that is wanton and worldly pleasure 4 Worldly pleasure which was of force to withstand her proceeding Sodom was a pleasant Countrie as the garden of Eden so well watred and the Apples and fruites therein most beautifull to the eye Video meliora proboque c And hereon Appetite tooke occasion to contend with reason and in her preuayled that with Medaea she could now dispute and thus resolue yet wil I follow my pleasures be they neuer so noysome and eate these apples be they neuer so venimous though I see that which is wholsomer and cannot but commend it These snares doth Satan cast before the hungrie foules to take them merily singeth when he deceiueth The Syrenes sing sweetly the Lamaei shine beautifully the Serpent suggesteth subtiltie and the deuill promiseth al the glorie of the world to them that worship him But they reason for themselues and will coyne excuses although he that had maried a wife had none excuse at all Shall I abandon worldly pleasures I am yet but a yong man Shal I not haue a wanton eye I am but a girle Shal I loose the assurance of my delights here and trust to an vncerteyntie Take heede O yong man Eccle. 11. and knowe that an accompt shall bee called of thy youthfull yeeres and a payne will ensue these pleasures The Apples of Sodom bee fayre to behold but touch them and they fall to sinders and the stinging Hydra lyeth vnder the golden swarth Remember that Heuah lost the true pleasures of Paradise by following her pleasant appetite Esau for a messe of pottage and his worldly pleasure did lose both the birthright and blessing the man that had wedded himselfe to his delights could not enioy the benefite of the mariage feast and Lots wife for the wanton pleasures of Sodom lost the saftie of Zoar and turning from heauen was deuoured of hell Remember what our Lord sayd Whosoever loveth either father or mother wife or children or any thing in the world more than me is not worthie of me And remember what father Abraham sayd to the proude rich man in hell Sonne sayth he remember that thou in thy life time haddest thy pleasure but contrariwise Lazarus received paynes but now he is comforted and thou art punished Arguing a matter of Iustice to giue torments and paynes after death to them that haue giuen themselues to pastime and pleasure in this life which also S. Iames Iam. 5. in a manner confirmeth in his 5. Chapter Remember that Moses hauing hereof right consideration did not only put off his shooes from his feete the clogges that might haue hindred him from comming to the Lord and from doing his duetie Exod 3. but also he chose affliction with the people of God in the wildernesse Heb. 11. before the pleasures of sinne in Egypt for a season The Lord in his mercie perswade vs with Iaphet to departe from the societie and pleasures of Cham and 〈◊〉 dwell in the tabernacles of blessed Shem that we may not serue the deuill among the manie of this world in these vaine and fleshlie pleasures which confounded Sodom and with them Lots wife Further wee note in this woman a distrust of Gods prouidence mixt with worldly carefulnesse 5 Distrust of Gods prouideÌ„ce worldly carefulnes inconueniences which alway followe infidelitie O woman thou distrusting one thing takest care for many things Doest thou thinke that the great omnipotent God is not thereby ritch and liberall mightie and most willing to prouide for his children Could not he haue giuen thee enough without Sodom And wilt thou distrust him and care for thy selfe without him Wilt thou looke backe to the things left behinde thee in Sodome The Hebrew text hath it thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is his wife looked back behind her Which the Greeke translation yeeldeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is She looked backe or had respect to the things behind her or on that which she had left in Sodom She thought that God would not haue so well prouided for her elswhere as she was prouided for in Sodom therfore she had a carefull desire of the things left behinde her and a mind to prouide for her self Thus the Israelites in the Wildernesse distrusting God wished for the flesh and fare of Egypt agayne Oh that she had remembred the goodnesse of God to Abraham and her owne husband Lot She neuer sawe the righteous forsaken nor his seede to begge Behold he feedeth the yong Rauens that crye vnto him and will he not feed his own children Do bodily fathers offer vnto their childreÌ„ not stones but bread and not Scorpions but fishes and shall not our heauenly father giue good things to such as aske theÌ„ of him Shall the birdes feede their Chickens and the beastes their young and will not he feede his children O woman what meanest thou Would to God this maladie had not also infected vs then would we not by such indirect meanes as wee vse endeuour to prouide for our backe and our bellie then would wee not so murmur agaynst God as we do with mindes neuer content But some do decipher themselues hereby to be not true sonnes but bastards For if we assure our selues to bee his children and be our father then also do wee assure our selues of his prouision for vs that he â—eepeth vs as the apple of his eye and not suffer one hayre of our head to perish much lesse our life He fed Eliah by the ministerie of Rauens he sent meate to Daniel in the Lions denne he fed an hundred Prophets by the hand of Obadiah in Caues he gaue water to Sampson from the Iaw bone of an Asse and honie from the dead carcasse of a Lion the widowes had their oyle and flower encreased in the famine He gaue Manna from heauen water from the Rocke and Quayles from the ayre vnto the Israelites In Samaria there is plentie of flower on a sodayne and our Sauiour Christ feedeth sometime 4000. sometime 500. persons with fine loaues and two fishes and yet more is taken vp in fragments then was layd downe
all the faithfull The Lord hath bin mindfull of vs and he shall blesse vs and he will blesse the house of Israel he will blesse the house of Aaron he will blesse them that feare the Lord both small and great Psal 105. verse 8.42 He hath been alwaies mindfull of his couenant and promise that he made to a thousand generations Therefore let not the vngodly any longer say vnto the Lord Depart from vs Iob. 21.14 Sap. 2. wee desire not the knowledge of thy waies Who is the Almightie that we should serue him And what profite should we haue if we should pray vnto him For the candle of the vngodly shall bee put out their destruction hasteneth on them their hope is as a drie thistle flower blowen of the winde they leade their liues wantonly and sodainly they go downe into hell And as for vs let vs put our trust in the Lord and consider deeply and duely to what ende the Almightie hath bestowed on vs that excellent treasure of Memorie Let vs endeuour rightlie to vse the same by printing therein enough these fiue worthie things following viz. 1 The Lord God and his actions both of mercie and iudgement 2 Our brethren and that duetie wee owe them 3 Our owne selues what wee are and wherevnto subiected 4 The finall and generall Iudgement for which wee must wayt and prepare our selues 5 Lastly this memorable example of Lots wife and this last do I referre to the second part of my generall dunsion as the onely matter or subiect for the action commanded in my present text A good memorie is here required Now if a man could remember with Cyrus King of Persia who was able as Solinus reported to call euery one of his Souldiers by his proper name when as his hoast was exceeding great Or if a man had the mindfulnesse of that mayde which can hardly forget her attire as Ieremy said yet could we not reach herein to a sufficient perfection But as for our selues I feare me we be so farre of that we may rather be iustly compared to one Messala Coruinus who albeit he was sometime a graue Senatour in Rome and much commended by eloquent Cicero for many vertues did yet a two yeeres before his death become so forgetfull that he remembred not his owne name Which kinde of forgetfulnesse hath come vnto diuers other also either by infirmitie of nature or by extreame sicknesse or by dotage or by excessiue cares And would to God that our naturall infirmities our sinfull agonies our damnable dotings in blind affections and our worldly carefulnes had not maymed vs with this maladie then might we haue escaped that reproach of the Israelites The Oxe knoweth his owner Isay 1. vers 3. and the Asse the cribbe of his maister but my people haue not knowne me they haue forgotten me Although wee cannot denie but that we haue our earthen vessels with Agathocles thereby to remēber our originall and with Peter haue heard the Cock crowing thrise in our eares to put vs in minde of things memorable yet it is true that we haue forgotten oftentimes that we should minde hauing our cogitations blinded with Satans enchantments that sometimes we will not heare to obey the Word of God be it preached neuer so wiselie This point of folly noteth S. Iames in the man Iam. 1.23 that beholding his bodily face in a glasse but going his way forgetteth immediatly what manner of one he was Héeere is great forgetfulnes from the which the Lord kéepe vs. Let vs vse the talent lent vs knowing that as well for that one as for the tenne an accompt is required and a reckoning must be made and that good seruant shall be commended with a double reward when the vnprofitable wretch shall haue his talent taken from him and himselfe double punished Remember God and his Workes Eccles 12. verse 1. Let vs remember the Lord and his meruailous works The wise Salomon commandeth vs to remember God and therewith to obserue the time conuenient saying Remember thy Creator in the dayes of thy youth whiles the euill dayes come not nor the yeeres approach wherein thou shalt say I haue no pleasure in them To this duty did Moses often incite and stirre vp the forgetfull Israelites who neuerthelesse after innumerable benefites receiued of the Lord remembred him not Iudg. 8.34 but forgat the Almighty that begat them God that formed them Deut. 32. verse 18.19.20 c. which caused him in anger to correct them to whet vp his glittering sword for them and his hand to take hold of Iustice against them to execute vengeance on them and to reward them that hate him This Dauid hauing considered exhorteth thus Seeke the Lord and his strength Psal 105. ◠Seeke his face continually Remember the meruailous works he hath done his wonders and the iudgements of his mouth And thus let vs remember the goodnes of the Lord first generally on all mē next on his Church and holie congregation and then on euerie particular member thereof and considering the same let vs ascribe all prayse honor thanks and maiestie to him for euer He hath not only created man The mercie of God but in mercie preserued him and prouided louingly for him He maketh the Sunne to shine as well on the vniust as on the iust and giueth raine to them both mouing all men to remember them and without this dutie they be touched with intollerable ingratitude But as for his Spouse the Church Dauid singeth of his louing mercies and goodnes vnto thē in this manner Psal 115. He blesseth them aboundantly that feare the Lord both small and great he encreaseth his graces towards them euen towards them and their childrē for they be the chosen generation the royall Priesthood the holie Ierusalem and blessed of the Lord that made heauen and earth And therefore this especiall little flock hath the Lord wonderfully defended and kept vnto himselfe holy safe and vndefiled before him Although the holy Church is as a bush in fire burning yet is it not consumed though as a Ship tossed yet not ouerturned though as a woman trauailing yet neuer dead and though as a Vyne pruned yet neuer sterued And as for this particular branch of the Church wherein we liue the verie land sauoring of the swéetnes of Gods mercie we are forced to confesse that the Lord hath not dealt with euery Nation as he hath dealt with vs and do find by full experience that the Nation is blessed which hath the Lord for their God Lastly if euery particular man shall duely consider with himselfe and remember how many excellent blessings he hath receiued of the Lord to the beawtifying of his body and soule oh God how shall he be forced to prayse and blesse him in the same with endlesse comfort Aboue all when there was neither sufficiencie of wood for burnt offerings in Libanus The goodnesse of God in Christ nor Cattell