their soules health in English Well let vs take heede that we continue not stil so vntoward to serue God to learne his most glorious will least God giue vs ouer againe in his iust iudgemēt to walke in ignorance to beleeue lies Popery groweth apace in many places Papists are very bold doubtlesse they see it is to be feared too much inclinatiō aptnes both in som teachers much of the people to receiue their Popish trash again that is the matter Popish pictures shew thēselues in euery shop street almost many think there is great deuotiō stirred vp by the sight of thē yea they hope of a mery world towards And doubtlesse the Papists cannot brew so fast but as they hope others will be as ready to drinke Well the Lord in mercy looke vpon vs our Christian gouernors that we may be more more forward apt to the embracing setting forth of his holy truth Gospell to our liues end Amen Now let vs pray THE V. SERMON PROV 6.14 Leud things are in his heart WE haue heard before how vaine and lawlesse the man of Belial is how froward and peeuish how counterfeit cunning in his outward behauiour now we are come to the cause of all and to the digging vp of that which is the fountaine of all his distemperature and disorder and that doth the holy Ghost here shew vs when he saith Leud things are in his heart as if he should say it is no maruell though his behauiour be so bad and barbarous so vile and full of leud actions when his heart which is the fountaine of all his actions is full of leude things Then first here let vs consider what is meant by the hart And next what profitable doctrines may be gathered from this sentence and the coherence thereof with the rest of the wicked mans description By hart in this place he meaneth not the fleshly and materiall heart which is the good creature of God but the corrupted and depraued qualities of the heart For the heart is put sometime for the whole inward man as in 1. Pet. 3.4 Let the hid man of the heart be meeke and quiet sometime for the thoughts and affections for the will and vnderstanding as in 1. King 3.9 Giue me an vnderstanding heart the prayer of Salomon That is giue vnderstanding vnto my hart mind or soule for hee had a hart before So that in the heart is vnderstanding but in the wicked it is leud vnderstanding because he vnderstandeth leude and vile things best And in Gen. 6.5 it is said The imaginations of the thoughts of mans heart were euill continually to shew that thoughts and imaginations lodge in the heart but in the man of Belial they are leude and wicked In the 23. of the Prou. 26. the Lord saith My sonne giue me thy heart that is the affections of thy heart as thy desire thy loue thy ioy thy feare thy trust thy zeale thy delight thy sorrow as if he shold say if thou desirest any thing desire me if thou louest any thing loue me if thou ioyest in any thing ioy in me if thou fearest any thing feare me if thou trustest any trust me if thou be zealous for any thing be zealous for me if thou sorrowest for any thing be sorrowfull that thou canst not do thy dutie to me as thou oughtest and these things I leaue not to thy choise but see thou do them indeed Now all these affections are in the wicked man of Belial but they are leud and not for the Lord. In the fourth of the Hebrewes 12. the word of God is called a deuider of the thoughts and intents of the heart so that in the heart lye thoughts and intents that is purposes conclusions and determinations but in the wicked they are all leud and naught So that the meaning of these words Leud things are in his heart is that the man of Belial vnderstandeth leud things he thinketh and studieth leud things he purposeth and intendeth leud things he desireth and affecteth leud things yea he deuiseth and contriueth nothing else but leud things This anatomizing and discouering of Belials hart in this sort with the rest of his behauiour in other parts of his bodie teacheth vs many excellent pointes of doctrine for our instruction 1. That the man of Belial is no better within then without 2. That whatsoeuer a man is without yet God doth iudge of him by that which is in his heart 3. That the cause of all outward disorder is in the heart 4. That a man cannot be a good man vntill the hart be reformed 5. That the word of God is of that nature that it discouereth the hidden things in the heart 6. That the same word of God which sheweth vs the corruptions of our hearts doth also shew vs to reforme the heart Of the first That a wicked and prophane man such as Salomon here speaketh of is no better within then he is without but rather worse is euident both by this and diuers other places of holy Scripture Here he saith that as he is froward in his speeches and dissolute in his outward behauiour so his heart is leud and wicked So that if the hart be naught all is naught If there be any goodnes in his heart it must be either in his vnderstanding or his will or his affections but the subiect of all these is leudnes therfore within there is no better then without but rather worse In the 6. of Gen. verse 5. it is said That mans wickednesse is great and his heart is also euill continually The Psalmist saith The foole meaning a wicked man hath said in his heart there is no God his waies are corrupt and become abhominable there is not one that doth good no not one The Apostle Paul searcheth euery part of the naturall man within and without and findeth all alike Roman 3. from verse 11. to 19. Let him be asked the question and heare his answer And first of his vnderstanding What vnderstanding hath the vnregenerate or naturall man None There is none that vnderstandeth saith he meaning the things of God How are their affections bent What do they not desire to know God No saith the Apostle There is none that seeketh God What is there none better then another No saith the Apostle They haue all gon out of the way they are made altogether vnprofitable there is none that doth good no not one But let vs make a better search it may be there is some goodnesse in some secret corner or in some of their members What say you of their throat Their throat saith the Apostle is an open sepulcher from whence proceedeth nothing but stinke and rottennesse to infect the aire How are their toungs vsed To deceipt saith the Apostle What is vnder their lippes The poison of Aspes And what in their mouths Abundance of cursing and bitternesse They are swift
the poore the lame the maymed and the blind and thou shalt be blessed because they cannot recompence thee for thou shalt be recompenced at the resurrection of the iust that is if thou regardest a good reward indeed then rather call the poore then the rich What recompence this is that shall be giuen in behalfe of the poore Christ also sheweth in Mat. 25.34 where he sheweth that it shall be said to them on the right hand Come ye blessed of my Father inherite the kingdome prepared for you from the beginning of the world for I was a hungred and ye gaue me meat c. for in asmuch as ye haue done it to one of the least of these my brethren ye haue done it vnto me that is I take it as done vnto my selfe which you haue done vnto these poore ones that beleeue in me and for whom I haue died What manner of reward is this We may well wonder at this reward as Mary did at the Angels salutation for the Angell did not salute her as her neighbours vsed to salute her and God doth not reward his children in whom for his beloued Sons sake he taketh delight as men reward their friends Amongst men ye shall haue a dinner for a dinner and one good turne for another but here is a kingdom giuen for giuing a peece of bread or cloth or drinke or cōfortable speeches which they haue not giuē neither as owners therof but as stewards put in trust from God And what kingdome No lesse then the kingdome of heauen And how not as a lease or a farme or a coppie hold for yeares but as an inheritance of their Father for euer And this shall be giuen them in possession with al the grace and glorie that can be not in the presence of some few persons of this place or that countrey but before all the inhabitants of the whole world at the sight and hearing wherof the wicked and vngodly hypocrites who sold their good deedes for worldly praise and filthie lucre as prophane Esau did his birthright for a messe of pottage shall euen gnash with their teeth for griefe and consume away like the smoke against the wind through extremitie of feare griefe and shame being withall at the same instant ouerwhelmed with the most dreadfull and intollerable sentence of Gods euerlasting curse which in like manner is set downe alreadie Depart from me ye cursed into euerlasting fire which is prepared for the diuell and his Angels from which the Lord for his rich mercies sake in Christ Iesus deliuer vs all Now my brethrē by this time I hope you be perswaded that there is nothing lost by that which a man doth vnto God in secret or vnto any of Gods Church for the loue of God For God that is loue it selfe and infinite in loue cannot but infinitely reward the loue of his children which any way they haue shewed vnto his Maiestie especially seeing as he crowneth not our gifts to him but his owne gifts in vs which we receiued first of him And what can we desire more Would we be seene when we do well behold who seeth vs euen God our heauenly Father who is all in all who cannot deceiue any nor be deceiued by any Wouldest thou be rewarded for that thou doest and would we not loose our labour for a toy or a trifle as many do then behold our heauenly Father is readie able and willing to reward vs with a kingdom of eternal happinesse onely let vs be content with his reward and tarrie his gracious leisure Would we be openly rewarded and graced by some great person before many and before our enemies that they might be ashamed and before our friends that they might with vs reioyce and triumph ouer them then behold we haue our hearts desire our heauenly Father will not onely most bountifully reward vs but also in the open presence view and hearing of all the whole world will blesse vs where all Kings and Emperours and Tyrants shall appeare and stand naked and many of them shall shake and tremble for extreame feare and horrour of their owne conscience and Gods vengeance Blessed be the most glorious name of our heauenly Father for euer Amen As we haue heard what is to be shunned and what is chiefly to be respected in giuing of almes so now it will not be amisse to speake something though but briefly of almes it selfe and therein to see first what this word almes doth signifie Secondly to what end or for what cause God did ordaine that almes should be giuen and taken or why he would haue any occasion thereof in the world Thirdly how men may be moued or induced to giue almes And lastly to whom almes must be giuen For the first the word almes is deriued of the Greeke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth mercie Therefore as that is called grace which is giuen of grace so that is called mercie which is giuen of mercie Almes then is some benefite that is bestowed freely vpon the poore and needie onely of a mercifull and pitifull affection and fellow feeling of his griefe and want So the Samaritane is said to haue shewed compassion and mercie vpon the wounded man when he powred oyle into his woundes and holpe him vp to his beast and laid out money for him at the Inne and gaue his word for him this was a right almes giuer which gaue of pitie and was moued by mercie which is nothing else but a griefe and sicknes of the mind for anothers miserie and makes a man readie to releeue the same And of almes some is true and some is false that is true almes which comes from them that giue of mercie and compassion or feeling of anothers miserie who is sicke and troubled in his mind vntill his brothers miserie be releeued That is a false almes which comes from hypocrites who giue not of any mercie or compassion but of some other straunge affections seeking either to winne fame or to auoid shame or because they are compelled by law to giue something For otherwise if they should see their poore brother in neuer so great need alone and no bodie by them to see them when they giue or if there were not others to giue before them and to wonder at them for their hardnesse of heart or some law to compell them they would go by him and come by him too often inough and let him die too for want before they would part with any thing to saue him That our almes may be true almes or mercies gift indeed it is not so materiall how honest or dishonest how good or how bad he be to whō we giue nor whether it be much or little that we giue but with what mind we giue Discriminat in hac causa non dati sed dantium diuersitas saith a learned Writer It is not the diuersitie of gifts but the diuersitie of giuers that make the difference in this cause
in his heart whatsoeuer shew he maketh outwardly Thirdly that the cause of all outward disorder and scandalous behauiour is in the wicked mans owne heart Now it remaineth that we consider of the three other points which being propounded in the former Sermon for want of time I could not intreat of Whereof the first is this that so long as the heart is vnreformed and continueth stored with leud things it is not possible to be a good man For vntill then as we may perceiue by this anatomie of Belial the affections will be rebellious and lawlesse the speech will be froward and peeuish our religion will be hypocriticall and counterfeit our prayers will be lippe-labour and cold babling our zeale will be either none at all or very bitter rash our faith will be meere historicall our loue will proue onely self-loue our anger reuengefull and iniurious our life dissolute and scandalous our repentance desperate and faithlesse and our death dreadfull and comfortlesse Therefore if any would reforme his life he must first reforme his heart from whence as from a spring floweth continually a streame of corruption and vnrighteousnesse vnto death if it be not reformed and altered or of holinesse and righteousnesse vnto life if it be well reformed and kept Therefore Salomon pointing to the right way that leadeth to the reformation of maners saith Keepe thy heart with all diligence and addeth this as a reason for thereout cometh life and thereout cometh death And out of the heart saith our Sauiour Christ proceede euill thoughts adulteries murthers fornications debate strife c. speaking of an euill and vnregenerate heart to shew that a wicked mans heart is like a filthie dunghill which both breedeth and harboureth all kind of venimous vermine and as a snake on a sunnie day commeth foorth of her hole so the wicked when fit time and occasion serue do set foorth and shew the ware and stuffe which was hidden in their heart saying in the meane time as Esau did When the daies of mourning for my father Isaac do come then I will kill my brother Iacob which agreeth with that that Dauid speaketh of his enemie in Psal. 41.6 His heart heapeth vp iniquitie within him and when he commeth foorth he vttereth it Many counterfeit holinesse deuotion sobrietie loue and kindnesse and indeede they do but counterfeit for holy and deuout and sober and louing and kind c they cannot be so long as the heart or inward man is vnreformed In vaine do we sweepe the channels of the streete except we stop the fountaines from whence they flow In vaine do we crop the weedes except we dig vp their rootes from whence they receiue their nourishment In vaine do we plaister the sore except it be searched and cleansed to the bottom So in vaine do we labour to bring forth good actions without except first we labour to beget good affections within How canst thou say that thou louest me when thy heart is not with me said Dalilah to Sampson which she vttered as a common knowne principle in nature to be denyed of none that all loue is but counterfeit and false which cometh not from the heart And therefore whosoeuer will loue indeed must beginne first at his heart and frame that to loue And the like is to be said of other affections and all the actions or effects that proceed froÌ„ them The hart among the members of the bodie is like a great commaunder among his souldiers looke which way he goeth that way go they Well may we preach and long may we heare of the reforming of our liues of mortifying our pride our strange fashions our wantonnesse our couetousnesse our malice c. the tongue will make but a iest at the matter so long as the heart is vnreformed as appeareth by the testimonie that the Lord giueth against Ezechiels Auditours They heare thee saith the Lord as my people vse to heare but with their mouths they make iests at thee and thy Sermons their hearts run after their couetousnesse to shew that there is no outward obedience to be looked for where the heart yeeldeth not to obey for all actions outward wil follow the affections of the heart On the other side winne the heart and all is wonne without which there is no rowing but against the streame A readie heart maketh a readie hand to giue a readie tongue to speake a readie eare to heare and a readie foote to goe And a holy religious heart maketh a holy and religious hearing speaking and liuing Who were they that brought so bountifull gifts to the building of the Lords holy tabernacle among the Iewes as we reade in Exod. 35.21.22 verses It is said in the 29. verse Euery one whose hearts moued them willingly to bring brought some gold some siluer some silke some badgers skinnes some stones c. yea vntill they were forced to stay by proclamation to shew that when the heart is wonne to be willing and to like of the worke the worke shall go well forward and nothing will seeme hard to a willing mind When Dauids heart was enditing or framing of a good matter then was his tongue readie like the pen of a swift writer to declare the same And whosoeuer can say with Dauid O God my heart is prepared shall follow with Dauid and say so is my tongue also I will sing and giue praise to shew that when the heart is not readie to serue God nothing is readie for all tarrie for the heart Therefore it is that the Scripture doth so much call vpon vs to reforme our harts In the three and twentieth of the Proverbs the twelfth verse Salomon saith Apply thy heart to instruction and thine eares to the wordes of knowledge But first the heart and then the eares will follow and in the seuenteenth verse Let not thy heart be enuious against sinners but let it be in the feare of the Lord continually In the nineteenth verse O my sonne heare and be wise and guide thy heart in the way And in the 26. verse My sonne giue me thy heart and let thine eyes delight in my wayes And no maruell for what shall the Mariners do if the Pilote be false at the helme of the ship What shall the souldiers do at the hold if the captaine of the hold be a traitour A false heart is like such a Pilote and such a captaine yea a false heart is like Iudas among the disciples who carried the purse and made the prouision for all the rest laying vp one groate for his maâ—ster and tenne for himselfe A bad Cater being a cunning theefe and a secret traitour So the heart is the storer if that be secretly false and trecherous it will store the bodie with leudnesse and if it chaunce to speake one word for Gods glorie he will addresse and set foorth in most braue sort a thousand for
thou hast sought his loue and canst not find it therefore thou wilt seeke no longer oh do not so but heare what the bodie sayth to thee a member of the same In my bed by night I sought him whom my soule loueth but I found him not What then did she giue ouer seeking No verily I will rise sayth the Church and go about in the Citie by the streetes and by the open places I will seeke him whom my soule loueth I sought him but I found him not The watchmen that went about the Citie found me meaning that she went to the Ministers of the word for comfort to whom I said haue you seen him whom my soule loueth When I had passed a little from them I found him whom my soule loueth I tooke hold on him and left him not c. Meaning that she hauing long vsed all meanes both priuate and publike then found him when she was out of all hope to find him and so do thou that art troubled in thy soule because thou canst not yet find that alteration of thy heart and that inward obedience and that truth of heart and that comfort and ioy by hearing the word and prayer c. which thou desirest and lookedst for vse all means continue stil seeking asking and knocking seeke priuatly at home in thy bed by priuate examination and meditation then conferre with thy Christian neighbors about the state of thy soule then go to the Ministers of the word and frequent the publike holy assemblies with an earnest desire of finding and doubtlesse at last when thou art out of al hope thou shalt find comfort And as in taking of bodily phisicke many through the weakenesse of their stomackes do cast vp that which they take and yet take the same thing stil though their stomake loath it so in taking of spirituall phisicke though yet thou doest in a manner loath it and distaste it yet take it still and at the length strength and delight will grow The second enemie that will hinder the reformation of the heart if it be not auoided is vnbeleefe which like armour of proofe Sathan commonly putteth vpon the hearts of the wicked that no perswasion counsell nor threatning will enter where the soule is armed with that therfore it is said in the Gospel that Christ could do no great work in his own country because of their vnbeleef to shew that vnbeleef doth as much as lieth in vs bind the hands of the Lord and hinder his gracious worke vpon vs. Therefore commonly Christ asked this question of those which came to be healed of him Canst thou beleeue And to those that did beleeue he would say in commendation of faith Thy faith hath saued thee go in peace O woman sayth he to one that would haue no nay great is thy faith be it vnto thee as thou beleeuest and her daughter was healed the same houre this was the Cananite a Gentile Another suing to Christ for his sonne that was possessed with a dumbe spirite and being asked of Christ if he did beleeue that Christ was able and willing to dispossesse that spirite cried out with teares and sayd I beleeue Lord helpe my vnbeleefe to shew that we are to pray against vnbeleefe of heart euen with teares The best Christians are subiect vnto it as appeareth in that Christ reproued his Disciples for their vnbeleefe and hardnes of heart because they would not beleeue them that had seene him after he was risen again Mar. 16.14 Where we are also to note that vnbeleefe and hardnesse of heart do go together And the Apostle Paul confesseth freely against himselfe that he was sometime a blasphemer and a persecutor but he did it ignorantly he sayth through vnbeleefe to shew that vnbeleefe doth not onely hold men in ignorance and blindnesse longer then otherwise they should be but also doth nourish in them many grosse sinnes Therefore whosoeuer would haue a better heart then Belial hath let him pray against vnbeleefe The third enemie which hindreth our sanctification is custome of any one sinne whatsoeuer S. Augustine sayth Consuetudo peccandi tollit sensum peccati the custome of sinne taketh away all sense and feeling of sinne It is a despising of the long suffering and patience of God which should leade vs to repentance and it breedeth two dangerous diseases hardnesse of hart and impenitencie for as that way must needs be hard which is drie and much trampled vpon so that hart must needs be hardned in sinne which is voide of the softning grace of Gods Spirite and is accustomed to sinne therefore such a hearer is compared to the high way Luke 8.5 that in three respects first because it is crooked and winding this way and that way like the high way Secondly because it is common for all that come men and beasts God and the diuel for good company for bad like the high way And thirdly because it is hardned by oftē sinning as the high way is by oftē treading therfore he that goeth about to reforme his hart and yet accustometh to lodge any sin therein with loue and delight doth but deceiue himselfe Now further to withstand these enemies and to put them to flight the Apostles counsel is to be folowed in Heb. 3.12 Take heed saith he lest there be in any of you an euill heart and vnfaithfull to depart away from the liuing God but exhort one another dayly while it is said to day lest any of you be hardned through the deceitfulnes of sin The summe of his counsel is this First that euery man by himself must looke vnto himselfe that he hath not resident in him a filthy standing puddle a wicked vngodly heart or a heart that makes a practise of sinne that is wauering and inconstant in the seruice of God Secondly that euery Christian be carefull one for another and by mutuall and dayly exhortations stirre vp one another vnto godlinesse for which he giueth a double reason the first is from the nature of sinne which is deceitfull and at a blush like vertue secondly from the effects of sinne which are hardnesse of heart and impenitencie Though the profane person with Esau seeke the blessing with teares yet shall he find no place for repentance so doth this cursed guest reward this wretched hoast who giueth him welcome and entertainement And because brotherly loue can see the deceit of sin better then self-self-loue as another mans eye shall see how a mans garment sitteth better then he that weareth it therefore the Apostle willeth euery man in brotherly loue to note and to notifie vnto others such things as they see amisse in thē And this holy course who soeuer doeth wisely speedily carefully continually obserue shall do good both to his owne heart and to other mens and shall find in the end that the gaine will answer the paine the fruite will defray the charges and that will be this
of lowlinesse and of zealousnesse and of constancie and of sinceritie and of loue and of charitie and of true deuotion which thou hast seene or heard of in the Saints and holy men and women of God for euen they are lights and comfortable lights too when Christians meane to keepe Christs watch ouer their hearts and affections But all these are to no purpose to thee except thou haue one light within thee as well as without thee When God hath bestowed these outward lights vpon thee then pray thou for the gift of the holy Ghost that he being in thy heart may open thy eyes of vnderstanding and iudgement to see the wonderfull things of Gods lawe as he opened the heart of Lydia when Paule preached and also to frame thy will and affections to take pleasure and delight in the Saints and their examples who excelled in vertue vpon earth and so much for thee that sittest in darknesse Now to those that haue lights that is preaching inough and good bookes inough and good knowledge inough and can discourse of good examples inough but are oppressed with sleepe and a spirit of deadnesse and drowsinesse that is are carelesse of that they heare and forgetfull of that they both heare and reade and make no conscience of any thing longer then it is rung into their eares I cannot tell well what to say vnto them to discourage them I am loath and to incourage them as they are I am afraid but let vs see is there no way to make them vigilant that they may take heed of the enemy when he commeth verily yes First they must desire their fellowes and neighbours to call vpon them by exhortation and awaken them as men do that meane to ride a iourney together then if they fall asleepe againe they must cause the watchmen of the streetes that is their publicke teachers and pastours to smite them and pinch them euen with speciall application of the doctrine vnto their owne hearts and consciences then they must resolue to be patient and contented that they be often and loud so called vpon as Christ did often call vpon his Disciples when they were heauy and therefore often and loud because they were heauy To which ende the congregation should not be pestred with an ignorant nor a cold teacher nor a strawbury Sermon man that either cannot or will not or will but coldly and seldomly rouze vp mens drowsie consciences but such as shall be instant in season and out of season that is vppon all occasions to lift vp their voices like trumpets and to tell the Lords people of their sinnes both in generall and also in particular And lastly they must take heede of eating and drinking such things as are like sleepy and drowsie meates that is that they delight not in such carnall company and fleshly pleasures as will in time both breed a consumption of Gods graces in them and also harden and besot them so in their sins that in time they may grow past all feeling for consuetudo peccandi saith Augustine tollit sensum peccati the custome of sinne taketh away the feeling of sinne Now for those that are discouraged through fearfulnesse of their owne abilitie and affrighted with the fearfull sights of their enemies like Elisha his seruant at the sight of the Aramites there be of two sorts which haue need of good instruction and great incouragement The first sort are dismayed at that which is past the second is affraid of things to come The first are such as haue bene in the battell and haue beene foiled and ouermatched with rebellious thoughts and vnsanctified affections and these like a weake porter at a gate hauing opened the doore to some one whom he had a mind vnto were not onely so troubled by that one sinne of theirs whom they meant not to keepe alwayes that they could not tell how to be rid of him any more but also by that same one false and fained friend haue bene betrayed in letting in a presse of many other sinnes which they neuer thought of to the spoiling of all that was within which they thought to keepe out but finding themselues ouermatched with the preasse without and wanting strength within haue euen in a kind of desperate manner sit downe and let all alone to come in and do what they will wishing when it is too late as they imagine that in time they had taken heede of that one false and deceitfull affection which they entertained To these men a man cannot say obstate principijs withstand the beginnings for that the fray is already begunne and they almost nay altogether put to the worse But the best counsell for such a one is redime te captum quam queas minimo get out of their hands so soone as thou canst and as Christ said to the woman taken in adulterie go and sinne no more least a worse thing happen vnto thee that is take better heede another time But how shall I get out of their hands wilt thou say verily of thy selfe a thing impossible thou must craue helpe of a stronger then thy selfe or then the enemie that hath thee in possession and that is Iesus Christ the victorious Lion of the tribe of Iuda who hath alreadie dispossessed the strong man of his hold and purchased the possession to thy vse if thou sue to him by earnest prayer and embrace him by a holy faith thou shalt recouer thy hold againe And without these two weapons it is not possible for thee by all thy heede taking to auoide the sleights of Sathan And what though thou carrie a scarre and weare some shakles of the vnregenerate part yet be content and thanke God for thy victorie by Christ. Iacob could not get the blessing without wrestling and in wrestling he was smitten and being smitten he halted and continued lame euer after and thus was it with Israel that is he that preuailed with God And so shall it be with euery true Israelite and member of Christ while the world standeth But what of all that Gods power is made manifest in the weakenesse of his children and so thou may in the end preuaile with God for his blessing be content to receiue with the blessing of God many a blow knowing that it is better to go lame and blind into heauen then otherwise after all ease and carnall pleasure to go into hell Now for those that are afraid to stand vpon their spirituall watch for feare that they should be foiled and spoiled they are to be encouraged and admonished Great cause of encouragement they haue for that if God once open their eyes they shal see more with them then be against them as the seruant of Elisha did God himself hath an eye ouer the righteous and an eare alwaies open to their prayer Therefore let them watch and feare not Gods Angels are charged to pitch their tents about them therefore let them watch and feare not With their hands they shall hold thee
honoured and rewarded of God then all the world beside Oh happie man and woman that professing Christianitie or faith in Christ or repentance for sinne or patience in affliction or contempt of the world or zeale to Gods glorie or deuotion in Gods worship or liberalitie to the Saints or mercie to the miserable can in all these haue the company of sinceritie and vprightnesse of heart then may they say thus nay our suretie the Lord Iesus wil pleade for vs in this manner Father despise not these little ones they are my friends and though their faith and repentance be weake and imperfect and other graces of thy Spirit be but small and feeble and for want of nourshing and good looking vnto be not so well growne nor so well ordered as they should haue bene yet forasmuch as they come before thee and haue called vpon my name in sinceritie and truth which thou louest without counterfeiting dissembling and hypocrisie which thou abhorrest thou wilt not despise them Their fruit though they be but little in quantitie like a graine of musterd seed yet it is right fruite of the Spirit true faith though little faith true loue though litle and small loue not like the fruites of hypocrites which are like the apples of Sodome faire in shew and ashes in substance What hath soundly comforted all the Saines of God here on earth but the testimonie of an vpright heart And is not sound comfort a good reward What hath encouraged and emboldned them to come before God in prayer but the testimoniall of a sincere heart and holy affection And is not boldnesse in Gods presence a good reward What hath made the prayers of the faithfull auaileable with God for other but the sinceritie and vpright affection of them that haue craued their prayers and are not these sweet odours that is the prayers of the Saints a good reward What made Iacob to be honoured with the new name of Israel that is preuailing with God for a blessing but that his wrestling was not in shew but in good earnest in sinceritie and truth of heart with a constant purpose of perseuering till he had gotten that which he stroue for And is not preuailing with God a good reward All the daies of the afflicted are euill saith Salomon that is troublesome grieuous and bitter to flesh and bloud but a good conscience is a continuall feast that is he that hath an vpright heart and sincere affection before God feeleth no want Now such a feast as it is continuall so is it prouided by God himselfe serued in with the Spirit of God where the Angels do waite and reioyce and the worst dishes are the assurance of Gods loue forgiuenesse of sinnes peace of conscience and ioy of the holy Ghost There all the communication is secret and heauenly between Christ and the soule the Musitians are the faithfull and their musicke is praising of God and their harmonie is the communion of Saints and all are of one heart and mind and is not such a feast a good reward Nay more then this if this be not inough whosoeuer will earnestly hegge this gift of God by prayer and louingly embrace and keepe her as his deare spouse shall haue with her a large dowrie a great reward in heauen in heauen saith Christ. For such gifts come not without crauing and of our selues we cannot haue it for if a good wife be the gift of God much more is a good heart which God in creating doth giue in giuing doth create therfore Dauid saith Create in me ô Lord a cleane heart to shew that we can no more make the hart sincere then we can create a hart But whē such a hart is created by God he giueth thee a singular gift a great portion belongeth vnto it Part of it shall be payd thee in this life but the greatest part in the life to come In this life thou shalt be loued of Christs friends and moned of good men when thou art wronged the more thou dost seek to honor God the more he will honor thee as he told Samuel The more thou fliest the vainglorie of the world for sinceritie sake the more wil true glorie follow thee according to the Prouerb Honos fugientem sequitur sequentem fugit It followeth those that flye from her like friends which enforce gifts and other curtesies vpon modest persons which refuse them but flyeth them that follow her as men do impudent beggers But besides al this when death comes thy deare friend sincerity shall more comfort thee then all the Phisitions in the world And after death thy name shall liue and walke vp downe in the world to warne some to comfort some to admonish some and to shame some and to condemne many But yet here is not all for then shalt thou first receiue commendation of God whom thou hast serued and secondly enter into full and euerlasting possession of thy maisters ioy which is no lesse then a weightie crowne of glorie immortall then a kingdome and inheritance of eternall blessednesse with the Saints and Angels and God himselfe where all teares shall be wiped from thy eyes and thou shalt reioyce for euermore Where thou shalt enioy for euer and euer such things as no eye hath seene no eare hath heard nor heart to man can conceiue and nothing shall euer obscure or eclipse the same nor crosse nor diminish the same And what is all this or whatsoeuer else can be sayd of it but scarce a shadow of sincerities reward Alas a drop taken out of the sea and a moate out of the mountaines like the hem of Christs garment which did comfort the woman that touched it but she found more comfort in him then in the hem So the description of sincerity is delightsome the picture is pleasing but whosoeuer hath sincerity it selfe shall find at his left hand the fulnesse of ioy and at his right hand pleasure for euermore Whosoeuer after this Sermon shall find so much fauour with God as to meete with sinceritie and vprightnesse of heart in all his actions and such an affection that preferreth Gods glorie before his owne and seeketh praise of God and not of man shall say as the Queene of the South sayd when she came to King Salomon That which I heard of thee I did hardly beleeue it but now I perceiue that the report which went of thee is nothing answerable to that which thou art indeed And though no man deserueth such a reward at Gods hand no nor any reward at all but shame and confusion which is our due desert yet both for his promise sake as also for his honour sake he will so reward his children If mortall men will keepe their promise one towards another as all that haue but common ciuility and honestie will them much more will Almightie God who is all truth and righteousnesse it selfe and can no more breake his promise then he can denie himselfe
or cease to be God The Prince promiseth to pardon a traytour and he keepeth promise with him this is of the Princes goodnesse and not of the traytors desert We are all traytors to God he hath promised vppon our true repentance to pardon vs it is of his goodnesse to make vs such a promise and not of our desert childish therfore are the Papists who whensoeuer they reade of a reward comming from God do straite way dreame of some desert or merite to proceede from man and fetch the same Againe in that it pleaseth God so liberally and aboundantly to reward the poore trauels and endeuours of his children and so gloriously to crowne his owne gifts in them when notwithstanding they are so stained and abused as they are let no man maruell thercat for that is done according to the worthinesse of his Maiesty and the greatnesse of his owne honour and not according to the basenesse of our persons This did Alexander the great consider when a poore souldier came vnto him to begge a reward for his seruice that he had done What wouldest thou haue quoth he A hundreth crownes quoth the souldier Well quoth the King though that be too much for thee to aske and more then thou deseruest yet is too little for me to giue that am thy Emperour so we according to the basenesse of our mindes and cogitations would begge of God worldly preferment and credit in the world gold and siluer house and land honour and worship Well content thy selfe saith our Soueraigne and heauenly father that is too much for thee to aske and too litle for me to giue being Lord of heauen and earth I will giue thee that that is fit for thee here and a kingdome hereafter if thou serue me in sinceritie and truth of hart respecting more my glorie then thy owne glorie or thy life either For it standeth not with the honour of Gods Maiesty to recompence trauels of his seruants with trifles God dealeth with his children that are most sincere harted in this world as great men deale with their children in their minoritie whom they intend to make their heires they put them to schoole and giue them correction and allow them from hand to mouth and abridge them of their libertie and keepe them in awe but when their fathers are dead and they come to mens estate they are then rewarded with no lesse then all their fathers lands which if they should haue had before they would haue spent riotously and wantonly so God keepeth his children here in this world vnder schooling and nurturing them correcting and crossing them and giueth them their stint and allowance of wealth of health of credit of friends c. But when they come to a perfectage and are perfect men growne in Christ which will not be vntill after tearme of this life then loe they are made fellow heires of the kingdome of heauen with the Lord Iesus himselfe blessed be his name for euer Now by this time my good brethren you haue I hope well considered of the matter and will not denie but that the reward of sinceritie is a great reward like vnto him that giueth it a fathers reward yea a heauenly fathers reward and a heauenly reward Consider well you whose hearts yet long for the vaine praise and estimation of men like sucking weanlings that cry still after the breast can the world affoord you any such reward Can your father and mother can your friends an kindred can Kings Princes can al the world Let vs see sincerity is rewarded with sound comfort as Christ sayd to the sicke man Sonne be of good comfort You that desire to be seene of men you desire sound comfort can the world giue it you when God denieth it you Or can the world take it from you if God doth giue it you Sinceritie is rewarded with courage in prayer and boldnesse before Gods throne of grace You that desire to be seene of men desire also to stand boldly before the face of God but consider can all the commendations of the world giue you that boldnesse and courage when God doth denie it you or can al the condemnations and euill speeches of the world take it from you if God doth giue it you Sincerity preuaileth with God You that desire to be seene of men you desire also to preuaile with God but consider well can all the praises of men make you preuaile with God if God himselfe doth not like you or can all the world by disgracing of sincere harted Christians hinder their suite in the Lords Court if God doth like of them Sincerity is rewarded with a cōtinual feast of the loue of God of ioy in the holy Ghost of peace of conscience◠of the merits of Christ. About whose dwelling places God hath charged his owne gard of Angels to pitch their tents that the man of earth may not make them affraid nor the sonne of violence do them any harme You that desire to be seene of men you commend this feast you also desire to be at such a feast but consider well can all the men Princes in the world make you such a feast when God will make you fast or can all the world cause you to fast or to want when the Lord hath prouided you such a feast Sincerity shall be rewarded with a crowne of glorie and inheritance immortall the kingdome of heauen for our heauenly father giueth heauenly rewards and infinite like himselfe Now you that desire to be seene of men desire also such a reward as the sonnes of Zebedeus did desire each of them a place in the kingdome of heauen but consider well when you haue won the commendations of all men yet cannot all the men in the world giue you that reward for Christ sayd it was not his to giue if not his to giue as he was man then much lesse is it the worlds to giue vnto men neither can all the world with the helpe of all the diuels in hell take it from you nor molest you in it when God hath giuen it vnto you But least any man should yet stand in doubt of that I say let witnesses be examined let their records be searched aske Enoch he walked with God that is he had his conuersation as in the sight of God his care and study was to please God and not men and he was translated from men vnto God Aske Ioseph thy heart was vpright toward thy maister as in the sight of God insomuch that thy maister tooke no account of thee for anything neither didst thou care for the loue of thy light mistresse but in the feare of God didst chuse rather to please him then hir It is true saith Ioseph neither did I loose any thing by my vprightnesse and sincerity for though I was a while in trouble and disgrace for it yet the Lord that gaue me the gift of sinceritie he tooke my part caused me to be set at liberty and
brought me with my great credit her great shame to high preferment and now am I free from all troubles and liue like a king in heauen as sometime I was a ruler in Aegypt Aske Dauid and he will tell thee that when he could say vnto God With my whole heart I haue sought thee then could he most boldly call vpon God and say Let me not wander from thy commandements Aske Saint Paule and he will tell thee that he would not presume to craue for the prayers of the Church but when he could also certifie them that he had a good conscience in all things and desired to liue honestly Againe Paule speaking of himselfe and his fellow labourers saith thus We are not as many which make marchandize of the word of God but as of sinceritie but as of God in the sight of God we speake in Christ. We walke not in craftinesse neither handle we the word of God deceitfully but in declaration of the truth we approoue our selues to euerie mans conscience in the sight of God And what hast thou gotten Paule for thy labour In how many dangers hast thou bene both by sea and by land By thy owne confession thou hast bene whipped and beaten with roddes cast into prison stoned and laied for dead hunted from one place to another and at the last lost thy head hadst not thou beene better to haue pleased thy honest neighbours by preaching Christ after their fashion No no sayth Paule neuer tell me of these matters I was crucified to the world and the world to me that is I cared no more for the world then the world did for me the power of God did appeare in my weaknesses when I was in prison I was at liberty when I went from the whip to the dungeon I sung Psalmes yea all this was an honour vnto me that I was not worthie of From all my daungers the Lord deliuered me And where I lost my life there I found it againe euen euerlasting life In a word I haue fought a good fight and haue finished my course I haue kept the faith For henceforth is layed vp for me the crowne of righteousnesse which the Lord the righteous Iudge shall giue me at that day and not to me onely but to all them that loue his appearing Aske King Hezechiah what was most comfortable to him in his sicknesse when he looked for nothing but death Oh sayth he I payed and sayd I beseech thee ô Lord remember how that I haue walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart that is a sound and vpright heart without dissembling and haue done that which is good in thy sight to shew that when all faile yet sincerity and truth of heart shall comfort vs like a good keeper and kind nurse at the houre of death Now then what remaineth for this point but that we gather vp the summe of all that hath bene sayd of it and make the conclusion and that is this Seeing that sinceritie shall be rewarded by our heauenly father both in this life with sound comfort in time of trouble with courage and boldnesse in time of prayer with the prayers of the Saints in time of neede with a continuall feast in the time of affliction with heauenly consolation in the time of death and in the world to come with the kingdome of heauen let euery man confesse that the reward of sincerity is a great reward And seeing as it is so great for quantitie and so good for qualitie that all the world cannot affoord so much as a shadow thereof nor tell how to commend it let euery one of vs be more moued therey to embrace sinceritie and to seeke praise at Gods hand rather then all the vaine praises of the world And seeing as sinceritie is of all vertues the chiefest and that which graceth all our vertues before God and man let vs aboue all looke in all our affaires that nothing be done without it Lastly seeing as both Enoch and Ioseph and Dauid and Hezechiah and Paule besides many else haue giuen such testimonie thereof let no man doubt to beleeue nor feare to follow it for out of all doubt those that are approued in Gods sight shall be well rewarded of their heauenly father And so much for the reward of sinceritie THE IIII. SERMON MATH 6.2 As hypocrites do in the Synagogues and streetes to be seene of men WE haue heard heretofore the excellent nature and heauenly reward of sinceritie now brethren that we may be as much out of loue with hypocrisie as we are in loue I hope with sinceritie let vs see the nature and reward of hypocrisie because contraries being layed together do the better appeare And first of the nature of of hypocrisie vpon these wordes as the hypocrites do c. Of the second branch when we come to the next words Verily I say vnto you they haue their reward At this time onely of these wordes as hypocrites do wherein our Sauior Christ doth giue vs to vnderstand two things First that whosoeuer professeth a shew of that which he is not is an hypocrite secondly that the doings of hypocrites are to be made knowne that euery one seeing the hypocrite laid out in his colours with his reward that belongeth to him may take heede that he play not the hypocrite or if he hath played that part to be ashamed thereof and repent and follow the Lord euer after in sinceritie and truth of heart Now seeing as our Sauiour Christ would haue hypocrites knowne by their doings I will endeuour my selfe at this time by Gods helpe to vncase the hypocrite who hath plaid his part so long so impudently and so vncontrolledly carying away all the credit of the world euen to the vndermining of the house of God endangering the whole estate of Christian Religion And call this Sermon if you list the vncasing of the hypocrite for I will if God will do my best endeuour to vncase him Wherein perhaps I shall not behaue my selfe so handsomly and finely to please all parties as some could do but yet I hope both soundly and plainly I shall go to worke You know brethren that plaine dealing is my profession though it be counted a iewell for beggers flattery and curiositie and hypocrisie I leaue to them that will dye rich men and therefore I speed accordingly and I must needes confesse that I am wellinough serued to be so well belaboured as I am with the strife of tongues Well if I could handle this matter more learnedly then I can yet I would of purpose deceiue all such itching eares as come rather to haue their humours fed then their liues reformed A peece of worke both thanklesse and dangerous yea a most vnpleasant argument haue I taken in hand especially as the case standeth now when most men come to catch and to cauill and quot homines tot sententiae euery mans head swarming with as many odde
except God did giue them repentance and work a strange alteration God deliuer me out of their handes and giue them better minds if it be his will It were a strange alteration to see some that now bring Bibles to the Church and turne to places after the Preacher one day to be instruments to burne so many Bibles as they can come by It were strange to see such as are now most attentiue in hearing the preacher and most kind in giuing him entertainment one day to throw a faggot at his head or to be a witnesse against his doctrine or to helpe to burne him Well such times haue bene and such times may come again for our sinnes and then shall the approued be knowne as the Apostle speaketh and hypocrites with their light and chaffie profession shall then be discouered blowne away with the wind Many now would answer as Hazael did to the Prophet if any should say to them as the Prophet said to him I weepe saith the Prophet to remember what thou shalt do to the children of Israel when thou art king of Aram how thou shalt burne their cities and put their young men to the sword and dash their infants in peeces and rent their women with child What said Hazael is thy seruant a dogge that I should do this great thing So would many answere now no doubt Are we dogges that we should so vse God seruants c No doubt of it in King Edwards daies he that should haue warned some persons of such things that were hearers of those reuerend Martyrs and Bishops Hooper Latimer Ridley Cranmer other faithfull Ministers D. Taylor Bradford and others they would haue bene at defiance with thē yet for al that they when time serued stood foorth to accuse these godly Fathers to persecute them to death that a man wold litle haue thought of be actors in such ttagedies Wel God blesse vs all my brethren keep vs in his holy feare and make vs vpright harted constant in the profession of religiō for I do feare greatly else that if euer time should serue which God for his mercies sake forbid if it be his will too too many would play Hazaels part though they make a faire shew now and stand at open defiance for such matters Well let no man bragge of his own strength that he will do this and he will not do that for manie good men euen sincere Christians may promise and vowe a standing for the truth with Peter and because they rely vppon their owne strength may fall with Peter but I trust God will giue them mercie and repentance to rise againe with Peter but as for hypocrites and time-seruers whose hearts are best knowne vnto God out of question they will then shew themselues in their colours Let them now pretend with Iudas neuer so much care for the poore or loue to Christ they will one day proue theeues to the poore and traytors to Christ as Iudas did and if they once fall with Iudas let them take heed that they hang not themselues with Iudas for betraying and persecuting innocent bloud For it is not the approbation of the Elders that will iustifie Iudas nor his officious kisse that will couer him nor the law of the land that will warrant him nor the siluer bribe that will enrich him nor the praise of men that wil comfort him nor his forced restitution that wil restore him nor his constrained confession that will conuert him nor his faithlesse repentance that will saue him when his money his friends his owne tongue and heart hand conscience as a thousand witnesses and God himselfe shall be against him God grant that all counterfeits and hypocrites and dissemblers in religion may in time take heede by his example There be many both honest and godly religious Christans whose desire is with all their harts to please God by doing those things which his word requireth of them And these for the loue that they beare vnto the truth and their hatred that they carry against wickednesse are by an odious name called Puritanes and if they fall at any time through occasion as oftētimes they do through some infirmity against their wils then are they condemned as hypocrites but most vniustly For though all our actions smell of hypocrisie as maister Bradford well perceiued when he desired the Lord to forgiue him all his hypocrisies and confessed a little before his death that all his prayers and all his best seruing of God were but hypocrisie meaning in comparison of that sinceritie that is required of euerie Christian yet notwithstanding are none to be tearmed hypocrites which fall by occasion through infirmitie and are onely stained with the dust of it and infected with the contagion thereof as men that draw in one and the same aire with hypocrites but onely such are to be counted for hypocrites which make a shew of that which they are not nor meane to be but with their tongues can hold men cunningly with a faire tale of religion and godlinesse while their hearts are resolued to practise all kind of mischiefe and iniquitie of such I speake and not of simple harted and well meaning Christians who haue no doubt their faults as well as other men though they make not an art of sinning as hypocrites do This secret hypocrisie of Gods children doth not a litle trouble many of them neither can many be perswaded but that all that they do is done in hypocrisie as maister Bradford writing to one of his friends in most of his letters condemneth himselfe for a painted hypocrite and being thus troubled in their tender consciences they are still afraide of that woe that our Sauiour Christ pronounceth against hypocrites But for the comforting of such tender consciences whose feare is euer that they shall not deale vprightly and sincerely inough in Gods sight we are to distinguish of hypocrisie for some hypocrisie respecteth men onely seeking only praise of men and not of God and some hypocrie there is that respecteth God also yea most of all and that stealeth in this fort vpon vs. A Christian that feareth God goeth in priuate by himselfe to call vpon God by prayer Now in his priuate prayer somtime his mind is drawne away into a nūber of by-thoughts and wandering imaginations insomuch as he oftentimes thinkes least of God when he calleth vpon him neither is throughly moued with an inward desire of obtaining those things that he prayeth for nor with a hartie loathing of those sins that he prayeth against then commeth Sathan and suggesteth thus Surely thou art an hypocrite for thou hast not prayed with all thy heart nor with all thy soule nor with all thy might Againe sometime the Christian soule prayeth earnestly with great feeling and groning of spirite and hath his mind wholy intent and bent vpon God that he is euen rauished as it were in prayer thinking of nothing but heauenly things when
the messenger looke for at king Dauids hand when he told him of Absaloms death and behold the King fell to weeping and crying out for the death of the traytor What praise and encouragement did Ioab the Kings Generall with all the Captaines of the armie looke for at the Kings hand and loe they were deceiued of their expectation for the King would not so much as once shew himselfe vnto them till he could not chuse Dauid deserued both loue and commendations at Hanuns hands whē so kindly he sent Embassadours to see how he did but instead thereof that wicked Ammonite construed euery thing to the worst suspecting them to come as spies into his land and so vsed them accordingly with all spite and shame shauing their beards off by the halfes and curtalling their garments by their buttockes And euen so many times it falleth out in the world when a man thinketh to do for the best it falleth out for the worst Is there any thing then more miserable then to hunt for the praise of men Achitophels counsels were for a while esteemed of as the Oracles of God but at the last his wisedome was turned into folly by Hushai Dauids friend whereupon the foolish hypocrite and hypocriticall traitor went home and for sorrow hanged himselfe And so is it vsually in the world many carrie all the credite for a time and afterwards when others come in place that shal excell them in one thing or other then they are no bodie What is then more miserable then to make the praise of men the end of our labor The children of God see this and beleeue it and haue good experience of it and therefore they make no reckening of it but resolue with themselues as the Apostle hath taught them We must passe through honour and dishonour through good report and badde report through praise and dispraise The counterfeit secketh onely for honor and there he resteth the hypocrite hunteth after praise and commendation and there he resteth but through dishonour and bad report he would passe and not stay there but as if one were no more to be regarded then the other but both to be despised alike The Apostle telleth vs that we must passe through both and go on in our holy courses like waies that bring vs to our iourneis end wherof some be faire and some be soule so must we accompt of the praise and dispraise of men For we haue a iourney to make vnto the kingdome of heauen wherein we must imitate wise trauellers who when they come to a fowle way they are not much troubled though it doth moile them and somewhat hinder their pace but they go on the more warily And whē they come to faire waies and pleasant fields and well furnished Innes they do not there set downe their rest but go on their iourney with more boldnesse and comfort The chiefest thing that they respect is not so much the foulenesse or fairenesse of waies or weather as that they be not out of their right way Euen so in our spirituall iourney while we walke the pathes of God we shall passe through the blind lanes and deepe sloughes of reproches and priuie slaunder through many a storme of tempestuous spirites What then We must go on for all that but so much the more circumspectly and warily After that we shall meete with friends and come to faire waies of peace and tranquilitie and the pleasing winds of good report and commendation wil blow vpon vs what then shall we there rest as though the end of our iourney were for to come to a greene way or to a pleasant wind no but we must go on still keeping a good conscience to cheare vs vp withall and the better our way be and the more temperate the aire be the more chearefully and comfortably should we persist in our heauēly iourney not so much standing vpon these accidents of praise and dispraise of liking and disliking of stormes and calmes as whether we be in the right way or no taking heede that we go not too fast for feare of tyring nor too slow for feare of casting behind and comming too late But vaine hypocrites onely talke of going this iourney they do not meane to trauell it indeede but make a shew of such a thing trauelling and professing religion and ciuilitie so long as they may be assured of easie iourneis good prouision faire weather and pleasant waies or else they are vndone If they know that dishonour and bad report lye in their way they will not set out And if they see that they shall be praised and well esteemed for their labour they will then go and run themselues out of breath too for all that they do is to be praised of men but of all men they are most vaine and miserable for they haue their reward and what is that else for the vncertaintie thereof for the deceitfulnesse thereof for the breuitie thereof for the vnprofitablenes thereof for the daunger thereof considering also the paines they take for it and the feares and cares that they are vexed withall for it and the manifold siftings and censurings they endure for it and how often they loose their expectation reaping the clean contrary to that which they looke for These things being well considered I say what else is the reward of hypocrisie compounded of but of vanitie and misery it selfe THE VIII SERMON MAT. 6.2 Verily I say vnto you they haue their reward IF godlinesse should be no better rewarded then with the praise of men then were true Christians of all men the most miserable and Christianitie it selfe were a miserable profession For in this life their lot is to be hated and scorned molested and persecuted for their vertues sake The world loueth his owne saith Christ but me it hateth and you it shall persecute for my names sake yea for my names sake they shall speake all manner of euill saying against you falsely If the world will not loue vs then it cannot like of vs if it doth not like of vs then it cannot commend vs if it cannot commend vs then it must condemne vs if it cannot loue vs then it must hate vs and if it can neither like nor loue vs what reward then must we looke for in the world not promotion but persecution not life but death Sometimes the wicked will seeme to commend and loue those that feare God and hate wickednesse but then I would wish the godly to beware most of all and to cast a double feare First least they haue put forth their hands vnto some wickednesse that is done something that liketh the wicked and offendeth God Secondly if they be free that way then let them feare lest some snares and baites be laid to entrap them in their goings The Scribes and Pharisees and Iewish Elders did often commend Christ but neuer for his good Good Maister say they we know that thou carest for no man and teachest
Paul when he came to preach the resurrection of Christ And too much learning maketh thee madde saith Festus And were not the Apostles words esteemed as words of drunken men when they were filled with the holy Ghost And Christ hath told vs that men shall speake all maner of euill saying falsly against vs for his names sake euen as they did of the Prophets before So that in outward shew all zealous Christians in generall and euery true and faithfull Minister of Christ in particular whose mouthes are still open to find fault and reproue sinne shall seeme to the blind world of all men most froward but we know and so many as are taught of God do know that none but the man of Belial and Ish-auen that is lawlesse and vaine persons are those which walke with a froward mouth As for the regenerate though they be as hath bene sayd through weakenesse sometime ouertaken with a froward speech yet blessed are they saith Dauid because they walke not in the counsell of the wicked nor stand in the way of sinners The grace of God is abounding sayth Paule through our sinne but not if we continue still in our sinne and therefore to conclude as Paule going to persecute the Church was obedient to the heauenly vision and returned a true conuert so let so many as haue walked in froward waies now take warning by this heauenly vision and so shall he returne home truly conuerted Now let vs praise God THE IIII. SERMON PROV 6.13.14 He maketh a signe with his eyes he signifieth with his feete he instructeth with his fingers Lewd things are in his hart WE haue heard before of Belials froward mouth and how he is to be discerned thereby for a lawlesse and a vaine man Now it remaineth that we consider of his outward gestures and then of the internall shop of his heart and the stuffe that he keepeth there together with the matter that he frameth of the same And first for his outward gestures they are such as if we marke them well do shew that all his behauiour is counterfeit The meaning is that the man of Belial and the vaine man is very cunning and skilfull both in playing the hypocrite before God and also in practising of other lewdnesse before the world In actions religious wherein consisteth the outward seruice of God he counterfeiteth very cunningly making great signes shewes of deuotion piety by eleuating or lifting vp his eyes vnto heauen as the Pharisee did and by running a pace or making great expedition to the Temple as Ezechiels auditours did and by turning ouer with his fingers the Bible to places alledged by the Preacher c. All which be signes and instructions vnto the world that he or she that doth so is very deuoute and godly and haue their harts wholly possessed with the loue and feare of God and their minds employed about the study and practise of righteousnesse sincerity and honesty All which gestures may well beseeme the godly whose harts indeed are vpright with the Lord but as for Belial and Ish-auen they are odious in them because when they make such signes and giue soorth such shewes and instructions the Lord seeth and telleth vs here in our text that leud things are in their harts They are only signes without the things signified like an Iuy-bush ouer a doore where no wine is in the house The wicked that make them are like the wicked Scribes and Pharises who vnder colour of long prayer studied how to deuoure yea deuoured indeed as Christ saith widowes houses They are also not vnlike to players on a stage who come forth with long beards and side gownes like graue Senators and wise Counsellors when notwithstanding there is neither grauity nor wisedome in them And as Belial playeth the counterfeit in religious exercises to couer with signes of holinesse the leud things of his hart so also in his ciuill conuersation and dealing amongst men doth he by making shewes and signes in his outward gestures of that which he hath not couer much leudnesse and practise much mischiefe What was the kisse of Iudas but a signe of loue yet treason was in his hart and couered therewith What were Ioabs courteous embracings and kind salutations but signes vnto Abner of a kind friend yet murther was in his hart and couered therwith What is the harlots talking of paying her vowes and offering her peace offerings but a signe of a godly woman yet euen then is leudnesse in her heart and it is couered therewith How many in the world do make signes with their eyes and countenance of great loue and kindnesse with bending the body to embrace and hastening their feete to meete euen those whom they hate in their heart How many againe haue put finger to the eye and seemed to weepe and taken vp great lamentation with wringing of hands and refraining their meate with other signes of griefe and sorrow for the hurt and death of some whose death perhaps they haue procured for whose losse they laugh and reioyce in their harts What signes of humility also shall we see or not see euen in the proudest persons that are what signes of grauity in the lighest and vainest what signes of charity in the cruellest what signes of liberality from the most niggardly and what signes of manhood valour euen in the most cowardly persons that are Long lockes sterne countenances bigge lookes great bragges monstrous oathes cruell threatnings and like Saule breathing nothing but slaughter as if they were more then Lions and when it commeth to the triall they are lesse then men like empty vessels which make the greatest sound when they are empty Of all which with many moe the like it may be sayd as it is in our text They make signes with their eyes they signifie with their feete instruct with their fingers but leud things are in their harts And againe as the man of Belial and vaine man doth oftentimes play the counterfeit both in religion and ciuility making signes of that which is not in him yea only to couer the leudnesse that is in him so sometimes also doth he both openly declare by signes and gestures the vanity and lightnesse of his heart and as cunningly likewise by signes and gestures both practise and also teach mischiefe and leudnesse when he is amongst his companions And certainly when the outward gestures of the body and the parts thereof are not according to simplicity it must needs proceed from some euill that is in the hart Now this noting and marking of a lawlesse person by his gestures externall behauiour doth teach vs many very profitable lessons worthy our best consideration 1 The seuere precisenesse and precise seuerity of the word of God which looketh into the very gestures of the body as the motion of the eyes of the feete and the fingers c. 2 The tyranny of sin which exerciseth all the parts of
his own Here is much ado when the Lords day cometh to reforme and decke the bodie the apparell must not haue a spot or wrinckle the house fine and euery thing neate and trimme but no care to reforme the heart and therefore the word of the Lord is vnto vs as a tale that is told which we like not in at one eare and out at the other or as water to the Blackemoore great washing but we neuer the whiter When we go to a feast and when we meete our friends we haue much care to set our gestures our words and our lookes after the ciuillest manner but the heart is still after the old fashion badde inough leude things are in that reforme that and all the rest will be well Thou wouldest serue God but thou thinkest that thou art not fine enough nay rather thinke that thou hast a proude heart and seekest thy owne selfe Thou wouldest giue to the poore but for feare of wanting for thy selfe nay rather feare that thy heart is not enlarged with the bowels of mercie and liberalitie Thou wouldest goe to thy neighbour that hath offended thee and is offended at thee but for feare that he should thinke thou art glad to seeke vnto him and so shouldst be more contemned of him but rather thinke that thy heart is not humble and peaceable Thou haddest not committed such nor such sinnes but for such and such persons thou sayest who enticed thee thereunto Nay rather say that thy heart was not well bounded with the feare and loue of God but lay open like a common field whose hedge is plucked vp to the ground for all vnchast vnpure and vile thoughts to breake in Iosephs heart was surely grounded in the knowledge of Gods will in the obeying of his word and strongly bounded with the feare of God and therfore do his mistresse what she could she could not by any meanes breake into the hold of his chastitie though she did strongly assault it Let religion be in thy heart and that will make thee serue God with the congregation of his people in such as thou hast yea through heate and cold no weather will keep thee from the publique seruice of God It will make thee with Zacheus to climbe a tree to see Christ and with the creeple in the fifth of Iohn desire some bodie to carrie thee into the poole of the heauenly waters and liuely fountaines of Gods word when the Angell Gods Minister doth stirre them So farre thou wilt be from saying the weather is too cold or too hote I am not well I am troubled with a murre and I know not what as the manner of many daintie ones is to do when they haue no loue of God or his truth in their hearts So also let loue and humilitie and mercie and zeale be in thy heart and they will cause thee to giue to forgiue and to seek peace and to speake of the Lords statutes euen before Kings and wilt not be ashamed except it be that for want of those graces thou couldest not performe those duties any sooner And so much for that point in discoursing whereof we see plainely that vntill the heart be reformed a man cannot be a good man nor an honest man and how they take a wrong course that beginne to reforme their outward partes and not their hearts first i the next place we are to consider of the piercing nature and searching power or powerfull searching of the word of God which dealeth with the heart searcheth the heart maketh lawes for the heart findeth out the leudnesse of the heart and reproueth the thoughts of the heart searching and discouering euen the most secret corners and closets of the heart to see how those lawes are kept or broken for as the Lord doth see the heart himselfe and cannot otherwise do because he maketh it and ruleth it so by his word he searcheth and gageth the same Not to be better enformed himselfe of any thing that is there for he from euerlasting at one instant had and for euer hath all the thoughts intents imaginations and purposes of all hearts in the world open before him knowing them all before they be conceiued with the meanes and maner of their entrance and all the effectes of them being conceiued but it is to shew vs his poore creatures and vnworthy children that we serue such a God and Father as doth know vs truly euen to the very heart and the most secret thoughts thereof and further that we also might hereby learne to know our selues and reforme our owne hearts which without the light of the word we could neuer do And therefore Dauid asking the question how a yong man may reforme his wayes meaning how he shall bridle his affections and order his wordes and his deedes he maketh no other aunswere but this Euen by taking heede thereunto according to thy word And to this end he hath giuen giftes vnto men Ephes. 4. euen his spirite of wisedome and of vnderstanding and of counsell and of courage Esa. 11.3 Nowe therefore whosoeuer being endued with that searching and powerfull spirite in any measure handleth and deuideth the word aright cannot choose but rifle the very thoughts of the hart Yea the faithfull Minister of God shall search the hearts of his hearers whether he will or no and sometimes shall be in their bosomes when he hath no such purpose Some say to themselues as Ieremy did when he was had in contempt and hatred for speaking against the speciall sinnes of his time They will not make any more mention of God nor speake any more in his name but the word of the Lord is in their heart as a burning fire shut vp in their bones and they are wearie with forbearing yea they cannot stay but must vtter it And then they speake so to the consciences of men that if a stranger or an vnlearned man come in in the meane time he feeleth his heart discouered and is rebuked of all men as he thinketh for he thinketh that his secret thoughts are then knowne to all men and he confesseth plainely that God is amongest them as the Apostle sheweth 1. Cor. 14.24 which is a very sure argument that this word which we preach is the word of God for what lawes or writings can deale so with the heart and consciences of men but onely the lawes and Scriptures of the most high who onely searcheth the heart Of this point we may make a double vse first it may teach vs for a certaine truth that there is no thought in the heart but that God is priuie to it for when he shall giue man a spirite to search and knowledge to iudge the hearts of men which aboue all thinges are so deceiptfull that they cannot be knowne as the Prophet Ieremy telleth vs meaning that no man by his owne skill can throughly sound the depth of any mans heart nor
repentance may be soueraigne and not deadly there must be faith ioyned therewith whereby we applying the promises of God to our hearts may be assured that our sinnes are both fully punished and freely pardoned in Christ Iesus For by faith our harts are purified sayth Saint Peter For our preseruatiue against the corruption and contagion of a leud heart in time to come there are also two things required The first is heedfull watchfulnesse The second is continuall prayer and calling vpon God That this is true it is very euident by the words of our Sauiour Christ in the Gospell Take heede watch and pray sayth he least ye fall into temptation To shew that if we be carelesse and negligent in prayer we shall soone fall into the hands of the tempter And in another place Take heede least at any time your hearts be surfeted and ouercome with the cares of this world To shew that our hearts must be kept and looked vnto like little children which else would euery houre eate and drinke that which should hurt them or fall into the fire or water or incurre one mischiefe or another And this is that which Saint Paul meaneth when he requireth vs to walke circumspectly and is all one with that of Salomon in the fourth of the Prouerbes Keepe thy heart with all diligence as if there were no hold in the world so much assaulted nor any mans daughter or goods so much layed for as the heart of man is and therefore that must be kept with all diligence and watched most narrowly This diligent keeping and heedfull watching of our hearts must be after the manner of souldiers with our armour and weapons about vs. And what those are the Apostle teacheth vs in Ephes. 6.12 c. and he calleth it the armour of God because all the world could not tell how to make an armour for the soule but God who created it and knoweth what enemies and assaults it is subiect vnto A helmet she must haue but that must be of hope which causeth her with patience to expect the performance of Gods promised saluation and this beareth off all the blowes of Sathan Then a brest-plate she must haue but that must be of righteousnesse to shew that the louers of vnrighteousnesse and wrong are easily thrust through and spoyled yea as Paule saith they pierce themselues through with many noysome lusts and temptations Then she must haue a girdle to keepe all her armour close about her and that must be of truth and sincerity or soundnesse of heart and a good conscience which is opposite to hypocrisie Then a sword she must haue in the one hand and a shield in the other to defend her selfe withall and to offend her enemies But this sword must be the word of God not the Popes Legenda aurea which hath wel-neare as many lyes as lines in it nor any of his dirtie Decrees And her shield must be a liuely iustifying faith which must still apply Christ and his merits and oppose him against all that euer Sathan cannot obiect against her Then she must be shod with shooes but they must be affections prepared and alwayes in a readinesse to heare and beleeue the Gospell whereby she shall speedily and easily trauell and come to all the rest And to all these she must ioyne continuall and feruent prayer both for her selfe that she may betime put on and skilfully vse this armour as also for others and namely first for her Captaines and Leaders the Ministers of the word and next for all the Saints and members of the Church that be her fellow souldiers And thus we see a Christian man in armes appointed to keepe diligent watch ouer his heart being thus appointed with armour of Gods making and of the Spirits putting on he is diligently to examine euery thought before it enter and euery word and gesture before it passe from him hauing the feare of God in stead of a gard alwayes to keepe the doore and passage Now further that we may watch and pray to good purpose we must know and remember First what we are to pray for Secondly what we must pray against The things that we must pray for are principally foure First that God would create in vs a cleane heart and renue a right spirite within vs Psal. 51.10 That is in stead of an ignorant heart to giue vs a heart endued with knowledge in stead of a dull heart an vnderstanding hart as Salomon prayed 1. King 3.9 in stead of an adulterous heart a chast heart in stead of a subtill and crafty heart a simple and discrete heart in stead of a proud and high minded heart an humble and lowly heart in stead of a foolish heart a wise heart in stead of a malicious hart a charitable hart in stead of a hard hart a soft tender hart in stead of a vaine and profane heart a holy and religious heart in stead of a stubburne and rebellious heart an obedient and tractable heart and in stead of a counterfeit and dissembling heart an vpright and a sound heart And a heart thus altered and renued by God Dauid calleth a heart new created to shew first that we can no more of our selues reforme our owne hearts whatsoeuer Papists prate then we can create a heart Secondly that vntill our hearts be renued by the grace of Gods Spirite they are as if they were not at all And thirdly that as all the workes of creation belong to God onely so doth also the reforming and altering of the inward man and euery affection and power belonging to the same The second thing that we must pray for is that it would please his diuine Maiesty to ioyne sanctification and illumination together in our minds that is not onely to enlighten our hearts with the vnderstanding of his will but also to worke in vs the loue of righteousnesse and obedience to his will yea that he would to that ende giue vs an vnderstanding heart or a heart enlightened that we may keepe his law with our whole hearts So Dauid prayeth in Psalme 119.34 Giue me vnderstanding and I will keepe thy law yea I will keepe it with my whole heart And that is the way indeed to come vnto a sound and a sauing knowledge of God as our Sauiour Christ sheweth in the seuenth of Iohn verse 17. If any man will do his will he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God of no. Not the idle hearer or vaine disputer or the carping cauiller c but the doer yea he that is resolued to followe Gods counsels shall know Gods counsels and none else And vntill we haue an actiue vnderstanding in the law of God not the forme of doctrine onely or a formall knowledge of the same but the power of it as the Apostle teacheth vntill then I say we be like
Balaams Asse who indeede could do that which other beasts could not do and that was to speake and reproue his maister with a mans voyce and yet was still a beast or like Vriah who caried letters in his owne bosome to his owne destruction Or like vnto the diuels who sayd in the fourth of Luke that they knew Christ but it was to their torment Therefore whosoeuer would keepe his heart well and haue it purged and preserued from the leud things of Belial let him pray that the truth may not swimme aloft in his braine as it doth in many wicked men but that it may sinke downe into his heart and worke righteousnesse and true obedience to Gods will Thirdly because our harts are very false to God and like run awayes new fangled mal-contented and desirous of liberty therefore in the next place it will not be amisse to pray with Dauid O Lord knit my heart vnto thee that I may feare thy name And then indeede are we in safety and security for in his seruice is freedome and protection But if we wander out of his seruice and Iust after carnall libertie then are we in danger and it will fall out with vs as it did with Dinah the daughter of Iacob who was not rauished vntill she wandred abroad among the Sichemites from her fathers house Fourthly because we are dull and lazie in the seruice of God we must also desire the Lord to quicken vs with his grace that is to rouse vs vp by calling vnto vs by his Ministers or by pinching vs with some fatherly and mercifull corrections when we fall asleepe and are hard to be awaked and so to make vs liuely when we are heauy and fainting away vnder our burthen and still to set an edge vppon our zeale How needfull this prayer is it may sufficiently appeare vnto any one that will but consider that Dauid prayeth in one Psalme the 119. no lesse then seauen or eight times for this grace And these are the things which I finde at this time most necessarie to be prayed for of euery one that would haue his heart well purged and reformed not excluding other things which others presently or hereafter vppon further meditation and experience may finde requisite to bee prayed for Now as we must pray for these graces and fauours of God before specified so also must we beware of foure most daungerous enemies and pray earnestly against them that through Gods gracious helpe and power we may be deliuered from them The first is neglect and abuse of the meanes whereby the heart is to be regenerated sanctified established and quickened These meanes are of two sorts the outward and inward the outward meanes are the word and Sacraments The word of God saith Dauid will redresse the young mans waies if he take heede thereunto And the word of God saith the Apostle is mighty and liuely in operation as hath bene shewed before Heb. 4.12 the Sacraments are also very effectuall signes and seales of Gods fauour towards vs in Christ and be called of Augustine visible words because they do in a manner visibly demonstrate vnto our sight that which we heard with our eares and the more we are assured of Gods loue the more are our hearts inflamed againe with the loue of his Maiesty The inward meanes is the Spirite of God working faith conuersion and obedience in our hearts by the outward So was the heart of Lydia opened and conuerted at the Preaching of Paule not Paule but the Lord opened her hart that she beleeued Paules preaching And as at the first the Lord by his word and Spirite created the world so the Lord by his word and Spirit still createth the hearts of men new againe Therfore let vs frequēt the preaching vse reading of the word of God let vs delight to conferre and meditate vpon the word in all reuerence sobriety vse the meanes and the vse will in time beget a blessing Let vs neuer my good brethren giue ouer hearing of the word as many haue done for Sathan neuer hath men at such aduantage to worke vpon them what he will as when men haue giuen ouer hearing the word preached And seeing as the Spirite is the meane whereby our saith and conuersion are wrought through the preaching of the word let vs nourish that by all good meanes taking great heed that we neither quench it nor greeue it 1. Thes. 5. by taking away the exercises of hearing and prayer and meditation and conference whereby it is nourished nor by dispensing with any sin in our harts where the Spirit must raigne If we want these meanes thē are we to pray for them Pray to the Lord of the haruest saith our Sauiour Christ that he would send foorth labourers into his haruest And for the spirit we must pray as Dauid doth O Lord take not thy holy spirit away from me and open my eyes that I may see the wonderfull things of thy law Wo be to them that despise prophecying thinke these meanes to be more then need as they that profanely and desperatly reason thus without reason If I be elected I shall be saued do what I list if not I shall be damned do what I can These be the speeches of the mē of Belial whose harts are pestered with leud things neither can they wisely consider that as God hath foreordained mē to a certaine end so also hath he fore ordained the meanes wherby they shal come to that end Of such contemners and beastly hogs and dogs as Christ calleth them we may reade more in Mal. 3.14 and in Iob. 21.15 The effect of both which places is one that such wicked persons thinke there is no profit in seruing the Almighty and therfore they say vnto God Depart from vs we desire not the knowledge of his wayes and spending their dayes in all iolity and carnall prosperitie like oxen set vp a fatting neuer vsed to the yoke at last they go downe suddenly to hell Let them also beware and look to themselues who giue ouer hearing of Sermons of which there be two sorts schismatikes and afflicted consciences schismatikes are they that cut themselues off from our assemblies whose propertie is to iustifie themselues and to condemne others and therein they haue no small felicity of these some be Papists some Brownists some Anabaptists c. To the first sort we may say as the Apostle doth in Gal. 1.6.7 I maruell that you are so soone turned away vnto another Gospell from him that hath called you which is not another Gospell But some among you intend to trouble the Church of God And if we be not Apostles and Ministers of Christ vnto them yet doubtlesse we are vnto others who are the seale of our ministerie vnto God in Christ. To the second sort we say as the Church saith in Canticles 3.1.2.3.4 Thou wouldest find Christ and canst not
maisters to purchase the gallowes here and hell hereafter if they repent not In a word Sathan hath more offices and officers and greater reuenewes and takings and dealings and pleasures in his kâ—nde and kingdome then euer Salomon had in his He is the greatest Monarke in the world Monarch said I nay tyrant for he ruleth with great wrath and crueltie Wo to the inhabitants of the earth that be his subiects And besides all this outward trading he hath many shops and shop-keepers ware-houses and factors in secret that all men know not of Yea in many he occupieth freely that spit at his name and manie crie out that they defie the diuell and all his workes when they doe nothing else poore slaues but serue him and do his workes In euery wicked man there is a shoppe and a ware-house the heart is his ware-house wherein is store of leud things his braine is his shoppe and in that doth he worke and forge out euill images or imaginations So much in generall of Belials maister his storehouse and his ware-house and his ware Now in particular as it were in a bill of parcels let vs see what wares are stored vp in his hart and what workes he frameth thereof in the shop of his braine There is in his heart store of malice and of that he forgeth slaunderous reports impudent lyes and vniust reuenge There is in his heart store of obstinate wilfulnesse and wilfull obstinacie and of that he forgeth out peruerse disputations and crosse languages There is in his heart store of enuie and of that he forgeth false suggestions and impatient murmurings against the prosperitie of his neighbours and brethren as Esau did against Iacob because of his blessing and Achab against Naboth for his vineyard There is in his heart store of hatred against the truth and of that he forgeth cruell deuises against those that professe the truth There is in his heart store of disdaine and of that he forgeth reprochfull speeches high lookes and straunge countenaunces against poore simple men There is in his hart store of arrogancie and pride and of that he imagineth himselfe to be the only man in the world when he beholdeth his wealth and brauery like Nebuchadnezzar when he beheld his pallace There is in his hart store of lightnes inconstancy and of that he forgeth strange fashioÌ„s new fangled deuises There is in his hart store of vncleanenes and of that he frameth filthie conueiances for his beastlines adulteries and fornications There is in his heart store of grosse ignorance in the Scriptures and thereof he forgeth grosse errors superstitious worshippings base conceits of the Almighty thinking him to be like them selues Psal. 50. There is in his heart store of disloyaltie and of that he forgeth trecherous practises against his Prince and Countrey and slie conueiances to carrie them out with all like Iudas with his kisse and Absalom with his vow at Hebron There is in his heart store of hypocrisie and of that he frameth counterfeit holinesse to couer his wickednesse like Iezabel with her fast and the harlot talking deuoutly of her vows and peace-offrings There is in his heart store of couetousnes and of that he forgeth deceit and wrong a thousand deuises to get the world into his hands There is in his heart store of prophanenesse and vngodlinesse and of that he frameth iests against the Preachers of the word like the scoffing auditours of Ezechiel There is in his heart loue of sinne and thereof he forgeth arguments to maintaine sinne withal and deuises how to smite him with the tongue that shall tell him of it And as of the leud stuffe that is in their hearts the wicked frame and forge out euill imaginations both against God and man so do they also misconstrue and interprete in the worst part euen the most holy things of God and of the best intended actions of the godly do they frame wrong iudgements euill surmises like spiders who make poison of honie If Dauid in his distresse shall send to churlish Nabal for releefe the foolish churle will imagine euill against Dauid and not sticke to say that he is runne away from his Master and al to saue his purse If kind Dauid send to visit the wicked King of Ammon Hanun will imagine that his messengers come as spies If Iohn Baptist will not eate and drinke with men but be strange and austere then they will imagine and say that he hath a diuell If Christ come eating and drinking they wil imagine him to be a glutton a drinker of wine a friend of Publicans sinners so that do what one can he caÌ„not please the wicked man of Belial If Paul be troubled with a viper then he is a murtherer if he shake off the viper without any harme then he is a God so are men commonly in their extremities whose hearts are either ignorant or vnsanctified If any cost be bestowed vpon Christ in his meÌ„bers such as Iudas will imagine it to be bestowed in waste In like maner is it now in the light of the Gospell Aske thy due thou art couetous crauest thou helpe then looke for a churlish answer Doest thou offer kindnesse thou shalt be suspected and ill rewarded for thy good will Wilt thou be familiar with men they wil imagine that thou seekest to burden them Wilt thou be merie thou shalt be taken for a scoffer and without grauity Wilt thou be strange then art thou lordly proud stout and high minded Dost thou intreat for peace then thou art afraid of them so they will imagine Wilt thou eate and drinke with men they wil imagine that thou art beholding to them as some thinke that we are beholding to them for hearing the Sermon Dost thou talk in priuate with a woman they that are leud will imagine that thou art leud with her Art thou troubled with a generation of vipers as Iohn was then thou art a bad maÌ„ If thou escape their malice by the goodnesse of God then it was more by thy friendes then by the goodnes of thy cause If thou dost any strange and vnwonted thing they will imagine thou workest by the diuell If the wicked man prosper he imagineth that he hath serued God wel If any maÌ„ be familiar with them whoÌ„ they loue not they imagine him to be their enemy also If any common calamitie happen they imagine that the Gospell is the cause of it If any speed better then they then they imagine themselues to haue wrong And thus we see al their ciuill affaires to be ful of euil imaginations Now from home let vs follow him to church as they say and see if his iudgement in matters religious be any better and first of Belials imaginations or forgeries as touching the man of God that teacheth and then of the matter that is taught If the Minister speake scholastically then he seeketh himselfe if plainly then he is
was not wel towards him and not without iust cause for he saw that his vnkle Labans countenance was not towards him as in times past and againe he marked how Labans sons murmured against him Iudah imagined Thamar his daughter to be a whoore though he knew not then who she was and not without iust cause for she sate by the waies side with her face couered after the maner of whores in those daies in that country The watch-men of the tower in Israel imagined rightly that it was Iehu who came towardes that place because his marching was furious like the marching of Iehu who belike was knowne to be a hote man All which examples do teach vs that when there is iust cause of suspition and likely tokens of danger and euill we should not be secure simple but wise to see danger and prouident to auoide it for that is the part of a wise man saith the Wise man to see the plague a farre off and to flie from it as Eliah saw by a cloud that arose raine comming a farre off and caused the King to prouide for it before it came And someime the godly haue imagined in good pollicie of a thing otherwise then they haue known the thing to be as Ioseph did when he made his brethren beleeue that he tooke them for spies when he knew them to be no spies And somtime by the outward likelihoods as they coniecture of a thing and are deceiued as Isaac by feeling of Iacob in rough skins imagined it had bene Esau and Samuel by the countenance and stature of Eliah imagined that he was the man that should be the Lords annointed but he was deceiued So Elijah seeing none to stand for the glory of the God of Israel but himselfe imagined that he in that case was left alone but he was deceiued In the imaginations also which commonly men haue of themselues there is great difference betweene the wicked and the godly for the godly being in some measure through the grace of God priuy to their owne corruptions and infirmities do still imagine and that truly that they come short of doing their dutie to God suspecting and fearing their owne ignorance and negligence as that godly zealous and couragious reformer of religion Nehemiah did who when he had most exactly and stoutly reformed the Saboth day he desired God to be mercifull vnto him euen in that point And though S. Paul that worthy Apostle of Christ knew nothing but wel by himselfe in his ministerie yet did he imagine and that rightly that something might be amisse and therefore said Though I know nothing by my selfe yet am I not thereby iustified And sometime the godly do imagine that they are forsaken of God when they are not forsaken which fearefull coniectures and desperat imaginations do arise somtime by the slie suggestions of Sathan through want of faith to resist him sometime of melancholy impressions in the godly and those are to be helped by phisick and good company keeping and sometime from the affliction and wound of conscience groning vnder the hand of God especialy after some relapse into some old sinne againe Which kind of imaginations are to be altered into more comfortable and wholesomer perswasions by spirituall phisicke that is by the wise handling and discreete applying of the promised mercies of God in the Gospell tempering therewithall the threatnings of the law either more or lesse according as the spirituall phisition shal see the partie more or lesse humbled or not at all if he be too much humbled and cast downe alreadie But the wicked being blinded with selfe-loue and bewitched with the vanities of this world and benummed with the long custome of sin go on still drinking in sinne as the horse drinketh in water and imagineth that he is well when he is gotten into the fooles paradise and goeth after his filthy pleasures as a bird to the snare and like an oxe to the slaughter Pro. 5. Nebuchadnezzar the King of pride strouting himselfe in his pallace imagined that he was admired of all the world but was deluded as it were by his owne shadow and derided of God and man In like maner vaine men and women ietting vp and downe in the world like hobby horses in all brauerie with their traines after them and pedlers packes about them with a companie of circumstances in strange and wild fashions imagine that they are honored and admired of all men whereas indeede they are wondred at of the wise and almost of all men for their vanitie and excesse Againe where there is no feare they imagine feare to be and where there is both feare and shame and deadly danger too they promise vnto themselues al peace and security suspecting nothing like the mother of Sisera the Ladies of King Iabins Court who imagined and could imagine no otherwise that the cause of Sisera his long staying was for no other end but to deuide the spoile when indeede he was spoiled himselfe and that by a woman too So the rich man in the Gospell hauing gotten much wealth about him imagined that he should liue many yeares at ease but he was deceiued for euen that very night following was his soule fetched away Wherein is verified the prophecie of the Psalmist The wicked whatsoeuer they imagine vnto themselues shall not liue out halfe their dayes namely that themselues dreame of Therefore to shut vp this point as before we haue bene taught by the names of Belial which signifie lawlesnesse and prophanenesse to looke to our selues that we be not lawlesse and prophane by the mouth of Belial to looke to our speeches that we walke not with a froward mouth by the gestures of Belial to looke to our outward behauiour that it be in sobrietie and simplicitie and by the heart of Belial to watch ouer our owne hearts that leud things haue no residence in them so now by the imaginations or mentall images of Belial framed in the shop of his braine of the leud stuffe in the store-house of his heart let vs be admonished to looke carefully vnto our imaginations that they be not euill false vncharitable vaine wrong crooked Let vs take heed that we make not our hearts which should be the temples of God Sathans ware-houses or store-houses nor our heads his shops and worke-houses let vs learne to iudge the best and alwayes charitably of other mens persons and actions where it is possible to affoord a good construction And where there is iust cause of feare and suspition there let vs learne to be wise and not too simple and carelesse Let vs take heed that we be not deceiued with the enchantments and bewitching vanities of the world nor yet blinded with the false loue of our selues In a word seeing as the imaginations of Belial are for their qualitie euill and for their quantitie vncessantly euill and seeing that continuance or dwelling in
powred vpon him shall come with this note also and signe of extreame wrath My soule doth hate and abhorre him all which is spoken after the maner of men for our better vnderstanding for otherwise and indeed in God there be no such passions nor motions nor perturbations of mind as there be in men but these speeches and the like do shew what God in his euerlasting counsell and iustice hath from eternall decreed and what according to the sayd decree of his his Maiesty will execute against the wicked The second thing that sheweth the greatnesse of this sinne is as I said before the consideration of those blessings and benefits whereof contention is the bane destruction Yea if we consider the excellency of those benefits which by contention and her daughters are taken away we shall see great cause why the Lord doth hate and abhorre him that raiseth vp contentions amongst neighbours I say by her her daughters for she is the mother of 4. daughters whereof euery one doth her part in this tragicall and vntimely destruction of those benefits which by them we are depriued of The daughters of wicked Contention are Warre Sedition Schisme and Brawling and euery one of these bring foorth children like themselues and whatsoeuer is their meate bloud is the drinke that they thirst after Contention is the mother of war when she commeth among strangers goeth betweene nation nation beweene Prince Prince Of sedition when she trauelleth at home in her owne coūtry Of schismes rents in the body of Christ when she falleth in the Church about matters of religion whether they be of substance or of circumstance And of brawles and vnquietnesse when she is entertained in families betweene man wife neighborhoods between one neighbor another Whersoeuer they come they are the death of 2. most noble excellēt vertues namely of order of vnity Order is a disposing of all things in their right place for the Lord who is a God of order and not of confusion hath set amongst men many differences and degrees of rulers and subiects of parents and children of maisters and seruants of husbands and wiues of old and yong according to the testimony of the Wiseman in Pro. 20.12 The Lord hath made euen both these the eare for to heare and the eye for to see And mens actions are not well ordered vnlesse they be well tempered according to the worthinesse and condition of these degrees And that cannot be vnlesse it be done according to the prescript rule of the law of God which is the head and fountaine of all good order for he that is the God of order made a law of order Now by cōtention her impes Gods order is peruerted subiects rule Princes obey parēts yeeld to their childrens affectiōs wiues domineere ouer their husbāds seruants beare sway against their maisters and yong men despise their elders God hath distinguished diuerse members in one body one from another set one aboue another placed them all in wonderfull maner The head as a tower the eies in the same as watchmē the eie-lids as windowes for light the mouth as a doore to let in prouision the toung as a porter to cal for that which is needfull to examine that which is doubtful the eares as spies to harken to listen the hands as seruitours souldiers the feet as messengers and porters to carry and recarry the teeth as grinders of natures prouision the pallate as taster the stomach as a cook-roome wherin all things are prepared againe for the benefit of nature the whole body so to be preserued for the benefit of the soule who sitteth within as a Queene commāder with a Princely companie of heauenly attendants called animales virtutes the powers of the soule as reason vnderstanding and memory will affections and all together seruing God who made them doth preserue them who redeemeth repaireth them to the end he may for euer glorifie himselfe in their euerlasting glorification by Christ in his heauenly kingdome All which being beheld in that order that God hath set thē in do shew the high wisdom of God but being either wanting or abounding or displaced they make a man not a man but a monster As when one is borne without head or eyes or eares or hands or feete or is borne with two heads many eyes c. more then nature requireth or hath his eares where his eies should be his feet where his hands should be c. In like sort God in his lawes hath set downe a rule measure for euerie thing which being kept doth make a seemly sight but being brokē doth breed a confused and monstrous being whether it be in Church or cōmon wealth whether in citie or countrie in publicke or in priuate Now contention displaceth all setting as it were the feet vpward turning the head downward placing the mouth where the eares should be and the hands where the feet should be the eares where the eies should be that is he is a speaker whē he should be a hearer he is silent whē he should speake he is an actour when he should be a beholder a talker when he should be a doer So that cōtention bringeth forth no Christans but monsters See you one whether man or woman cōtending to talke whē they ought to be silent and to heare others there is a monster for then is their mouth where their eares should be See you a Minister silent when he should preach there is a monster in the Church for his eares are where his toung should be See you a Magistrate ruled by his officers who should but see out of him he hold a monster in the common-wealth for then are the eies become head and all this is a monstrous peruerting of Gods order and is then commonly to be seene when wicked contentions haue bene raised vp against the truth As contentious Belial is the bane of good order so also is he the destruction of godly vnity loue and concord For whereas Gods order is peruerted ouerturned whether in nature or in grace the minds of Christians cannot chuse but be distracted estranged one frō another which is as deformed a spectacle as to see the members of a mans bodie displaced or torne in peeces When S. Luke would set out the fellowship of the Christians in the time of the primitiue Church he saith They had all one mind and one hart To shew that where diuerse but especially contrary minds are there can be no society except it be such society as is amongst maried persons when the one is a Papist and the other a Protestant they are tyed together indeed but it is like Sampsons foxes taile to taile euerie one looking a contrarie way striuing with firebrands at their tailes to be parted one from another and therefore they striue to be asunder
against the land but as for me I recall them vnto the God of my fathers stand for the lawes of God giuen in mount Sinai Therefore I am not he that troubleth the land the controuersie is raised by thy selfe for thou contendest with God and his word which I stand for In like sort may we also answer all Papists and Atheists when they call vs troublesome fellowes We stand for the true worship of Iesus Christ and the glory of God we receiue the holy Scriptures as containing all things necessary to saluation so do not they we vse the Sacraments not in part but in whole so do not they not with any Popish eleuations or superstitious adoration or kneeling to the Sacrament as they do we will not worship idols or the creature for the Creator as they do therefore not we but they are contentious disturbers of the Church of God Happy is that Church and common wealth which is gouerned by the word of God then vnhappy are those that follow the inuentions of men reiect the commaundements of God It was a strong argument that Elijah vsed wherewith he brake the kings hart and made him to yeeld And in other places of the Scripture also is this word troubling vsed in that same sence as in Iosh. 7.25 Achan troubled Israel because he did contrary to Gods commandement take vnto himselfe by stealth also things excommunicate and accursed Simeon and Leui also are sayd to trouble Iacob their father because trecherously they slue the Sechemires Gen. 34 29. I maruell saith S. Paul that you are so soone turned away vnto another Gospell which indeede is not another Gospell but some among you trouble you and intend to peruert the Gospell of Christ. All which places do shew that they are the troublers of Gods Church which violate Gods commandements which adulterate his worship which deale falsly with his couenant which hinder the course of the Gospell and labour to draw away men from the loue of the truth Thus then we see that all are not to be condemned which haue contended for that in euery contention there are two parts each contrary to other and if the cause of the one be good the other must needes be bad They that defend Gods right or the Churches right or their owne right are not to be called contentious persons but defendants And they that complaine of wrong offered to God or to his Church or to the common wealth or to themselues are not contentious persons but plaintiues as they are termed in law But because the Magistrate as Peter Martyr saith is Lex animata a liuing law and representeth the person of God therefore he is to be receiued obeyed without contending or resisting so long as he commaundeth and ruleth by the word of God or by honest and ciuill decrees not repugnant to the word of God and in things indifferent also he is to be obeyed although to some they may seeme grieuous euen as seruants must obey seeke to please not only their curteous and gentle maisters but also those that are froward and hard to please But if he shall command any thing against the word of God he is not to be obeyed for the Apostle sayth It is better to obey God then man And as we ought not in such cases to obey him so neither ought we to rebell against him but meekely to submit our felues vnto such penalties and punishments as he by his lawes shall inflict vppon vs. Or if he shall giue bad example in his owne person or suffer euill to go vnpunished we may hauing a lawfull calling thereunto and ought to reproue him for it or rather to admonish him as a father as Paule teacheth Neither can we be iustly condemned for contentious Belials if in such cases we do lawfully contend against him Nay more as impiety must not be obeyed so it must be reproued with all zeale and earnestnesse of afaffection so much as lyeth in vs by the examples of Christ Iohn Baptist the rest of the Prophets and Apostles who cannot without great impietie be counted raisers of contention but sowers of peace and vnitie by contending for the truth Moses and Aron troubled Pharaoh when they told him of his wicked detaining the Israelites Iosiah Hezekiah and Asa good Kings troubled the idolaters when they suppressed their groues their images and their hill Altars Daniel and his fellowes troubled Nebuchadnezzar when they told him that they would not fall downe before his image that he had caused to be set vp to be worshipped So Michaiah troubled Achab when he told him that he should not returne in peace if he went to warre against Ramoth Gilead So Iohn Baptist troubled Herod when he told him that it was not lawfull for him to keepe his brothers wife and all these were in their time counted troublesome seditious and contentious persons And so are they in our time also counted who reproue the abuses and disorders of Princes Courts the negligence of Bishops and the corruptions of their Ecclesiasticall Courts the couetousnesse of corrupt Patrones and Nonresidents the ignorance of idoll shepheards the lazinesse idlenesse of others that haue knowledge the cruelty of Lādlords the biting of vsurers the vanity of gentlemen the bribery of officers the profanation of the Sabbath and such like but what then He that hath not yet learned that all mē as they are affected will giue their verdict hath learned nothing and he that hath not learned with the forenamed constant souldiers of Iesus Christ to go through honour and dishonour through good report and bad report for the truths sake 2. Cor. 6.8 hath learned but a little The Minister of Christ must not onely teach sound doctrine saith S. Paul Tit. 1.9 but also maintaine the same against gainesayers to shew that one cause why the Lord will suffer his truth to be gainesaid is to trie how his seruants will defend it And there must be heresies saith the same Apostle that the approued may be knowne The heresie we know is of Sathan and a worke of the flesh Gal. 5.20 but the good that commeth thereof is of God who doth still bring good out of euill as he did light out of darknes Ge. 1.9 The flint the steele are violently stricken the one against the other yet without this violence there will no fire come they both weare one another yet the benefite of light doth recompence the losse of them both There was a striuing betweene Iacob and Esau in their mothers belly which could not choose but be painfull to their mother yet without this striuing they could not be born and the birth of the one being the Lords beloued was sufficient cause of ioy to his mother though the other had perished in the birth The Church militant also is our spirituall mother in whose body while we liue there is and will be a strife