wordes wanton gestures and daintie fare with manie other pleasures doe becken vnto sinne and if there bee no wine why hanges the bushes and if there be no wantonnesse why is there anie wanton or vnseemely or vngodly attyre Let vs not walke in gluttonie and drunkennesse neither in chambering and wantonnesses nor in strife and enuying It is hard to say which of these sins is most in the world happily some will say I haue bene no glutton no drunkard no whoremonger no murtherer no false image worshipper c. but who can come forth and saie hee is free from strife for strife hath compassed the whole worlde strife in Countrey strife in Citie strife in the Court strife in the Common-weale strife in the Church who can say that he is free frō strife or that he hath not iniured his brother surely that man shall stand alone for it wil light vpon none but Christ I can but exhort you with the Apostle that you would not walke in strife and enuying therefore put away these among the rest for he that hath not put off these hath not put on Christ and if he hath not put on Christ hee is then no Christian Enuie is a sinne and it punisheth it self like gluttonie for it fretteth the heart shortneth the life and eateth the flesh as a fire consumeth the wood it is the mother of strife and a great worker in the Court this is it which brought labour and sicknesse and death into the worlde euen the enuie of the serpent and the diuell and it will condemne thee in thy conscience if thou bee an enuious man Nothing resembleth God more than loue for GOD is loue so if thou hast loue thou resemblest God But if thou hast enuie and art an aduersarie thou resemblest the diuell for thou canst not come neerer the diuell any way than to bee enuious As the dust commeth with the winde so the diuell commeth with enuie and hee that is possessed with enuie is possessed with the diuell Why doth the Apostle say in the third chapter of his Epistle to the Colossians Aboue all things put on loue Because loue is best of all Why doth he call loue the band of perfection Because it bindeth all vertues together If loue be the band of perfection to bind al vertues together then enuie is the band of impietie to binde all sinnes together therefore if we must cast off all but loue wee must cast off enuie Thou canst not come to the kingdome of peace without loue The kingdome of Satan is at peace and shall not Gods kingdome be at peace Shall we be at peace with the flesh the world and the diuell and bee at variance with God and at strife one with another Fire is cruell wrath is raging but who can stand before enuie Prouerbs 27. And if none can stand before enuie how can enuy stand before God If thou canst not forgiue him that dooth offend thee thou prayest against thy selfe and askest vengeance vpon thee therefore the Apostle exhorteth thee not to let the Sunne go downe vpon thy wrath Ephes 5. 26. Charitie enuieth not saith Paul therefore see thou haue charitie lest thou bee counted an enuious person The beastes of the field are armed with hornes with hoofes with tuskes and such like to take reuenge but nature hath left nothing for man to put him in mind of reuenge and yet man aboue al other creatures is most desirous of reuengment for he hateth his owne life therefore it is against nature to enuie Iohn sayth he that hateth his brother is a manslaier and loueth not God neither knoweth God if an enuious man sayth he say he loueth God he is a lyar because he hateth his image if he say he knoweth God he is a lyar how canst thou loue God and hate good men how canst thou loue learning when thou hatest the learned so doth the enuious man all both good and bad therefore this is the worst sinne because it commeth neerest the sinne against the holy Ghost Consider therefore whom thou hatest euen thy image The diuell was appoynted to hate man and not man to hate man and if thou hatest a good man thou hatest God if thou hatest an euil man thou hatest one like thy selfe and if thou hatest one like thy selfe thou hatest thine owne soule therefore as S. Paul sayth Haue peace with all men Canst thou not hate the sinne and loue the person as the Phisition hateth the disease and yet loueth the diseased As a great manie of Bees can lodge together in a hiue so a legion of diuels can nestle together in one man but many although they cannot liue asunder yet they cannot liue together Wherefore now consider the pedigree of peace God is the God of peace the holy Ghost is the Spirit of peace the Angels are the messengers of peace the ministers are the preachers of peace and the Magistrate is the defender of peace shall wee then that haue the God of peace the Spirit of peace the messengers of peace the preachers of peace the magistrates of peace as I may say the Queene of peace bee at enuie and warre one with another Meruaile not though I am so long vpon this sinne for there is none of you that heare me this day but you can giue mee sufficient matter to speake hereof Then can I want words when ye bring matter Shal I not wrastle and seeke to ouerthrowe this giant which challengeth euery man As no man finding a Serpent leaueth him before hee bee dead so let vs slaughter this monster while he is vnder the axe that he neuer rise anie more Consider of the wrong thou doest to thy self when thou enuiest another for the stroake of enuie redounds vnto thee It were better thou didst gratulate them with good things as good men haue done and doe daylie but in stead of imitating their vertues or commending their gifts wee enuie them and maligne them and so their ioye is our sorrow But the enuious man doth pay for his spite for it requoyles vpon himselfe and enuie is punished with enuie and hatred also with hatred for hee which hateth all shall bee hated of all Thus hee is tormented for another as Herode tormented himselfe for Christ the Iewes troubled themselues for Paul for enuie is as gall to the heart as prickes to the stomack and as a canker in the mouth and euer vexeth thee as the euill spirit of Saul vexed him Loue is so contrary to enuie as that it hath more ioy of others welfare then enuie hath of his owne Therefore an enuious man may bee compared to Cain who when hee killed his brother Abel was so troubled that hee said Whosoeuer findeth me shall kill me The couetous man though hee will not communicate his owne goods yet he would haue others to communicate their goods the proud man although hee bee proud himselfe yet he would haue others to be humble but the enuious man careth not who
Thou art bound by this commaundement to doe it with all thy strength Therefore when Dauid went about the seruice of God he called al his powers together summoning them like a Cryer All that is within me praise the Lorde If euery parte looke to be glorified of GOD it is reason that euery part should glorifie him for this is all that they pay As euery subiect oweth loyaltie vnto his Prince so euerie member oweth a duety vnto his Creator The heart to loue him the tongue to praise him the eye to marke him the eare to attend him the hand to serue him the foote to followe him and euery parte shoulde serue GOD as it serueth vs Nay more than it serueth vs because wee are bound to loue GOD more than our selues For it is saide Loue God aboue all therefore we must giue more to Gods desire than to our owne desire Christ hath a parte in euery parte Nay euery parte is his parte because hee gaue all for all Shall the hande saye to the heart serue thou him or the heart say to the tongue serue thou him or the tongue say to the eye serue thou him or the eye say to the foote serue thou him Nay if Christ bee the head euery part will serue him for all the bodie is ruled by the head and therefore if hee bee the head euery parte of the bodie will serue him like a head Nowe if you will knowe how euery part may be a sacrifice thus it is When thou canst say with the Virgin Mine heart doth magnifie the Lorde then thine hearte is a sacrifice to God When thou canst saie with Samuell speake Lorde for thy seruant heareth then thine eare is a sacrifice to God When thou canst saie with Dauid Mine eies are euer towarde the Lorde then thine eie is a sacrifice vnto God When thou canst say with Dauid All the daye long I stretch out mine hand to thee then thine handes are a sacrifice to GOD. When thou canst say with Dauid as it appeareth in the 25. Psalme and the twelfth verse My foote standeth in vprightnes then thy feete are a sacrifice to God So at length by following of these examples euerie member is a sacrifice Hee which offereth this sacrifice is freely excused of all sacrifices besides For since Christ sacrificed himselfe God hath required none other sacrifice of Iewes nor Gentiles But that they sacrifice themselues Nowe when God doth require of thee to sacrifice thy bodie he doth but require thee to sacrifice the sinnes of thy body as you may picke out of the next wordes Be chaunged that is chaunge thy thoughts chaunge thy wordes chaunge thy workes Let thy tongue speake no more idelly Let thine eies looke no more to vanitie Let thine eares hearken no more to folly Let thine handes worke no more iniquitie and then thou hast Sacrificed thy bodie This seemes a deare sacrifice to sacrifice the bodie yet thou seest it is but a cheape sacrifice for it is nothing but to sacrifice thy sinnes which woulde Sacrifice thee If GOD had required thee to Sacrifice thy Sonne to him as hee required Abraham Genesis the twentie two Chapter and the second verse Wouldest thou not giue him But nowe he requireth nothing of thee but thy sinnes it is as if he should sue vnto thee for thy shame and thy trouble and thy guilt and thy feare that he might haue all which hurtes thee What wilt thou parte from if thou wilt not part from thine hurte Therefore sacrifice thy bodie and thou hast Sacrificed all that hurts thee Heere Christ is the alter and we the sacrifice and the fire which kindleth it the loue of God and the smoake which goeth vp the cōsumption of our sinnes but a worldly man killed and a spirituall man reuiued and the sacrifice is ended This sacrifice goeth vnder three titles liuing holie and acceptable Euerie one perswades with the Apostle that they shoulde offer it for in it is a holie sacrifice it cannot but please because hee is holy which takes it in that it is a liuing sacrifice it cannot lose them any thing because there is no death nor losse in it as there was in the Iewes sacrifices in that it is an acceptable sacrifice it must needs benefite thē for when the sacrifice is accepted the sacrificer is accepted too as Abel pleased when his sacrifice pleased First it is called a liuing sacrifice because the beasts died when they were sacrificed but men liue when they are sacrificed nay they die vnles they be sacrificed As Abraham did not lose his sonne when he was cōtent to sacrifice him to God so mē do not lose their pleasures when they sacrifice thē to God But as Christ saith He which leaueth father or mother for me shall receiue an hundred folde So he which leaueth any cōfort for God shall receiue an hūdred comforts for it For Gods demands are not onely demands but gifts Hee bids thee sacrifice thy bodie that thou mightest partak the sacrifice of his body Here then is but one Sacrifice for an other one body for another a beggers body for a Kings body Well may he require a liuing sacrifice which hath giuen a dead sacrifice Christ died for vs but hee desireth not our death but our life that we would serue him with our life It is called an holy sacrifice because our bodies are the temples of the holie ghost that is if they are not they shoulde be the Temples of the holy Ghost But as the Iewes abused the Temple of stone so we haue abused the Temple of flesh and there is no waie to make it holy againe but for the holy ghost to dwell in it that is to sacrifice it to God then it is holie because as vertue came out of Christ to heale the womans disease so holynes commeth out of Christ to heale euerye mans sinnes and then they are holie As nothing dooth please vs vnlesse it bee some waie like vs and agreeable to our nature so nothing doth please God but that which is like God therefore because God is holy no sacrifice doth please him but the holie sacrifice therefore holie goeth before acceptable to shewe that our sacrifice is not acceptable vnlesse it be holie Aliniug holy and acceptable sacrifice 3 It is called an acceptable sacrifice because no sacrifice is so accepted as when we offer our selues Therefore Sāuel saith obediēce is better than sacrifice that is it pleaseth God better than sacrifice Now if we must sacrifice to God we should doe as we doe to Princes that is offer that which may be accepted that we may be accepted for our gift or els better vndone than done When Caine had sacrificed to God because his sacrifice was not accepted therefore Moses saith that his countenance was cast downe but if wee sacrifice our bodies our countenance neede not bee cast downe for Paul saith that this sacrifice is accepted All other sacrifices
the worst like them which call good euill and euill good He praieth Not to be lead into temptation and leadeth himselfe into temptation Surely he doth not feare sinne which doth not shun occasions and hee is worthie to be snared which maketh a trap for himselfe When Salomon the mirror of wisedome the wonder of the world the figure of our Lord by Idolatrous concubines is turned to an Idolater let no man say I shall not be seduced but say how shall I stand where such a Cedar fell The wife must be meet as God sayd Gen. 2. 18. But how is she meet if thou be a christian she a Papist We must marry in the Lord as Paul saith but how doe we marrie in the Lord when we marrie the Lordes enemies Our spouse must be like Christs spouse but Christs spouse is neither harlotte nor heretike nor atheist If she be poore the Lord reproueth not for that if she be weak the Lord reproueth not for that if she be hard fauoured the Lord reproueth not for that all these wants may be dispenced with but none giueth anie dispensation for godlinesse but the diuell Therefore they which take that priuiledge are like them which seeke to witches and are guilty of preferring euil before good This vnequall mariage was the chiefe cause that brought the floud and the first beginning of Giants and monstrous births shewing by their monstrous children what a monstrous thing it is for beleeuers and vnbeleeuers to match together In Matth. 22. Christ sheweth that before parties married they were woont to put on faire and new garments which were called VVedding garmentes a warning vnto all which put on wedding garments to put on truth and holinesse too which so precisely is resembled by that garment more then other It is noted in the fourteenth of Luke that of all them which were inuited to the Lordes banquet and came not onely hee which had married a wife did not desire to be excused but said stoutly I cannot come Shewing how this state dooth occupie a man most and draw him often from the seruice of God and therefore we had not neede to take the worst for the best are combersome enough In the second of Iob it is obserued of the patient man that he did not curse the day of his birth vntill his wife brake foorth into blasphemie shewing that wicked women are able to change the stedfastest man more then all temptations beside Sampson would take a Philistian to wife but he lost his honor his strength and his life by her least any should do the like But what a notable warning is that in the 2. Chro. 21. 6. where the holy Ghost sayth Iehoram walked in the waies of Ahad for he had the daughter of Ahad to wife as though it were a miracle if hee had bene better then he was because his wife was a temptation Miserable is that man which is fettered with a woman that liketh not his Religion shee will be nibling at his praier and at his studie and at his meditations till she haue tyred his deuotions and turned the edge of his soule as Dauid was tired of his malapert Michol she mocked him for his zeale and liked herselfe in her follie Many haue fallen at this stone Therefore as Christ saith Remember Lots wife so when thou marriest remember Iehorams wife and bee not wedded to her which hath not the Wedding garment but let vnitie goe first and let vnion follow after and hope not to cōuert her but feare that she will peruert thee least thou saie after like him which should come to the Lordes banquette I haue married a wife and cannot come Luke 14. 20. Yet the chiefest point is behinde that is our duties The dueties of marriage may be reduced to the dueties of man and wife one towarde another and their dueties towarde their children and their duetie toward their seruants For themselues saith one they must thinke themselues like two birdes the one is the cocke and the other is the dam the cocke flieth abroad to bring in and the dam sitteth vpon the nest to keepe all at home So God hath made the man to trauell abroad and the woman to keepe home and so their nature and their witte and their strength are fitted accordingly for the mans pleasure is most abroad and the womans within In euerie State there is some one vertue which belongeth to that calling more than other as Iustice vnto Magistrates and Knowledge vnto Preachers and Fortitude vnto Souldiers so Loue is the Marriage vertue which signes Musicke to their whole life Wedlocke is made of two loues which I may call the first loue and the after loue As euerie man is taught to loue God before hee be bid to loue his neighbour so they must loue GOD before they can loue one another To shewe the loue which should be betweene man and wife Mariage is called Coniugium which signifieth a knitting or ioyning together shewing that vnlesse there be a ioyning of hearts and a knitting of affections together it is not Mariage in deede but in shew and name and they shal dwel in a house like two poysons in a stomacke and one shall euer be sicke of another Therefore first that they may loue and keepe loue one with another it is necessarie that they both loue God and as their loue increaseth toward him so it shall increase each to other But the man must take heede that his loue toward his wife be not greater than his loue toward God as Adam Sampsons were for all vnlawfull loue will turne to hatred as the loue of Amon did toward Thamar and because Christ hath forbidden it therefore hee will crosse it This made Vriah so fearful least the pleasure of his wife should withdraw his heart from God that he would not goe to his owne house so long as he had cause to mourne and pray although he had a wife which feared God like himselfe that you may see it is no cheape dalliance for the husband to make the wife or the wife to make the husband lesse zealous then they were In Deut. 13. the wife which did draw her husband from God is condemned to die therefore good wiues when their husbands purpose any good should incourage them like Iacobs wife which bade him do according to the word of God and if they see them minded to doe any euill they should stay them like the wife of Pylate which counsayled her husband not to cōdemne Christ For seeing holinesse is called the Wedding garment who shall weare this wedding garmēt if they weare it not which are wedded When one holy hath found another then the holiest seemeth to make the Mariage and his angels come to the feast To passe ouer sleights which seldome prosper vnlesse they haue some warrant The best pollicie in mariage is to
begin well for as boords well ioined at the first sit close euer after but if they square at the first they warpe more and more So they which are well ioined are well maried but they which offend their loue before it be setled fade euerie day like a Marigold which closeth her flower as the sunne goeth down til they hate one another more then they loued at first To begin this concord well it is necessarie to learne one anothers nature and one anothers affections and one anothers infirmities because ye must be helpers and ye cannot helpe vnlesse you know the disease All the iarres almost which doe trouble this band doe rise of this that one dooth not hit the measure of the others heart to applie themselues to eithers nature whereby it commeth to passe that neyther can refrain when either is offended but one sharpeneth another when they had neede to be calmed Therefore they must learn of Paul to fashion themselues one to the other if they would win one another and if any iarre doe arise one sayth in no wise deuide beds for it for then the sunne goeth-down vpon their wrath and the meanes of reconcilement is taken away Giue passions no times for if some mans anger stand but at night it turneth to malice which is vncurable The Apostle sayth that there will bee offences in the church so sure there wilbe many offenses in mariage but as he saith these are trials who haue faith so these are but tryals who are good husbands who are good wiues His anger must be such a mood as if he did chide with himselfe and their strife as it were a sauce made of purpose to sharpē their loue when it waxeth vnpleasaunt like Ionathans arrowes which were not shot to hurt but to giue warning Knowing once a couple which were both cholerick and yet neuer fel out I asked the man how they did order the matter that their infirmitie did not make them discord He answered me when her fit is vpon her I yeeld to her as Abraham did to Sara and when my fit is vpon me she yeelds to me and so we neuer striue together but asunder Me thought it was a good example to commend vnto all married folkes for euery one hath his frenzie and loueth them that can beare his infirmitie Whom will a woman suffer if she will not suffer her husband and whose defects will a man beare if he will not beare hers which beareth his Thus much of their duties in generall now to their seuerall offices The man may spell his dutie out of his name for he is called the Head to shew that as the eye and the tongue and the eare are in the head to direct the whole body so the man should be stored with wisdome and vnderstanding knowledge and discretion to direct his whole family for it is not right that the worse should rule the better but the better should rule the worse as the best rules all The husband saith that his wife must obey him because he is her better therefore if hee let her bee better than himselfe he seemes to free her from her obedience and binde himselfe to obey her His first duetie is called Harting that is hartie affection As they are hand fasted so they must be heart-fasted for the eye and the tongue and the hand will be her enemies if the heart be not her friend As Christ draweth all the commaundements to loue so I may drawe all their dueties to loue which is the hearts gift to the bride at her marriage First he must choose his loue then he must loue his choise this is the oyle which maketh all things easie In Salomons song which is nothing else but a description of Christ the Bridegrome and the Church his spouse one calleth the other Loue to shew that though both doe not honour alike yet both should loue alike which the man may doe without subiection The man is to his wife in the place of Christ to his Church therefore the Apostle requireth such an affection of him towardes his Spouse as Christ beareth towarde his Spouse for he saith Husbandes loue your wiues as Christ loued his Congregation that is with a holie loue and with a heartie loue and with a cōstant loue as the Church would be loued of Christ Will not a man loue his glorie Why Paul calleth the woman the glorie of the man for her reuerence makes him to be reuerenced and her praise makes him to be praised Therefore hee which loueth not his wife loueth his shame because she is his glorie Eph. 5. 28. Paul saith Hee which loueth his wife loueth himselfe for thereby he enioyeth peace and comfort and helpe to himselfe in all his affaires therefore in the same verse Paul counselleth husbands to loue their wiues as their bodies And after in the 33. verse as though it were too litle to loue them as their bodies he saith Let euerie one loue his wife as himselfe that is as his bodie and soule too For if God commaunded men to loue their neighbours as themselues much more are they bound to loue their wiues as themselues which are their next neighbors As Elkanah did not loue his wife lesse for her barrennesse but said Am not I better vnto thee then tenne sonnes as though hee fauoured her more for that which she thought her selfe despised So a good husband will not take occasion to loue his wife lesse for her infirmities but comfort her more for them as this man did that she may beare with his infirmities too When Christ saith that a man should leaue father and mother and cleaue to his wife hee signifieth how Christ left his father for his spouse and that man doth not loue his wife so much as he should vntil he affect her more then euer he did his father or mother Therfore when God bad Abraham forsake all his kinred yet he bad him not forsake his wife as though the other sometime might be forsaken for God but the wife must be kept for God like a charge which bindeth for tearme of life His next dutie to loue is a fruit of his loue that is to let all things be common betweene them which were priuat before The man wife are partners like two oares in a boate therefore he must diuide offices and affaires and goods with her causing her to be feared and reuerenced and obeyed of her children and seruants like himselfe for she is an vnder officer in his Commonweale and therefore shee must bee assisted and borne out like his deputie as the Prince standeth with his magistrates for his owne quiet because they are the legs which beare him vp To shew this communitie betweene husband and wife he is to maintaine her as he dooth himselfe because Christ sayth They are no more two but one Therefore when hee mayntaineth her hee
not in heart but in countenance a false comfort like our false worship for he which giueth God his lips in stead of his hart teacheth God to giue him stones in stead of bread that is a shadow of comfort for comfort it selfe Now whē we haue giuen God faire words and long prayers and solemne fastes and mourning countenances hee puts in but a word more to fill vp the Sacrifice Giue me thy heart and it sufficeth It is like the last sute of Abraham when he said to God I will speake but this once so if thou wilt heare him in this he will aske no more therefore nowe conclude whether God shall haue thy heart or nothing if thou consider what right he hath to aske it and what cause thou hast to giue it thou canst not keepe it till I ende my Sermon Of all the suters which come vnto you it seemes there is none which hath anie title to claime the heart but God which challengeth it by the name of a sonne as if he should say thou shalt giue it to thy Father which gaue it to thee art thou my sonne My sonnes giue me their hearts and by this they know that I am their father if I dwell in their hearts for the heart is the temple of God therefore if thou bee his sonne thou wilt giue him thy heart because thy Father desires it thy Maker desires it thy Redeemer desires it thy Sauiour desires it thy Lord thy King thy master desires it which hath giuen his Sonne for a ransome his Spirite for a pledge his Word for a guide the World for a walke and reserues a kingdom for thine inheritance Canst thou denie him anie thing which hath giuen the heire for the seruant his beloued for his enemie the best for the worst Canst thou denie him anie thing whose goodnesse created vs whose fauour elected vs whose mercie redeemed vs whose wisedome conuerteth vs whose grace preserueth vs whose glorie shall glorifie vs O if thou knewest as Christ said to the womā of Samaria when she huckt to giue him water if thou knewest who it is which saith vnto thee Giue me thy heart thou wouldest say vnto him as Peter did when Christ would wash his feete Lord not my feet onely but my hands and my head not my heart onely but all my bodie and my thoughts my words and my works and my goods and my life take all that thou hast giuen For why should we not giue him our hearts aswell as our lippes vnlesse we meane to deceiue him with words for deeds If Abraham gaue Lot leaue to chuse what part he did like shall we not giue God leaue to chuse that which he loueth If he did not loue thee he would not require thy heart for they which loue require the heart The Maister requires labour the Landlord requires seruice the Captaine requires fight but he that requires the heart requires it for loue for the heart is loue We will giue him litle if we will not giue him that which he askes for loue toward our selues though he say Giue it yet indeed he hath bought it and that deerely with the deerest blood that euer was shed He gaue thee his heart before he desired thy heart but a heart for a heart a liuing heart for a heart which died thou doest not lose thy life as he did for thee but thou bestowest thy life to glorifie him thou dost not part from thy hart when thou giuest it but he doth keepe it for thee lest the Serpent should steale it from thee as he stole Paradise from Adam when it was in his owne custodie He can keepe it better than we and he will keepe it if wee commit it to him and lay it in a bed of peace and lap it with ioy and none shall take it out of his hands Therefore if ye aske me why you should giue your hearts to God I doe not answer like the disciples which went for the Asse and the Colt The Lord hath neede but we haue neede for vnlesse we giue our soules how can he haue them and vnlesse he haue them how can he saue them Therefore we haue neede If euer the saying were true It is more blessed to giue than take more blessed are they which doe giue their hearts to God than they which take possession of the world Abigail did not gaine so much by her gift to Dauid as we for our gift to God for she was married vnto Dauid but wee are married vnto Christ of whom the Church dooth sing in the fift of Canticles that no welbeloued is like her beloued what heart would not bee loued of him though it do not loue him VVho can assoyle this riddle VVe would haue Christ our bridegroome and yet we will not be his spouse I would haue him take my heart and yet I will not giue it How should he keepe it or saue it or glorifie it if I hide it away like the seruant that buried his talent in the earth So much as I keepe from God so much I keepe from heauen and wil not suffer him to glorifie it as if I did wish one part to be saued and another damned He which would haue his heart sanctified and comforted and enlightned and wil not giue it to God which should do it is like a woman which would haue her dough leauened and layeth her dough in one place and the leauen in another where one cannot touch the other then commeth the tempter and takes them asunder and seazeth vpon the heart because he findes her alone This is his seed time now he enters into it fils it with his poyson till the temple of God be the sinke of sin the heart which should be the seat of holinesse grace and wisedome a heart of pride a heart of enuy a heart of lust more like a belly than a heart how many things lodge in the heart when God is not there It is a world to thinke how the diuine soule which descended from heauen to bring forth fruit is become a fit soil for euery weed whereby wee may see what hearts wee haue before we giue them to God Therefore now aske your hearts whose they are and how they are moued with these wordes how many here will giue to this collection whose hart is gone vp vnto him since I began to speake Here one and there one runnes vp the ladder like the Angels that Iacob saw in his dreames and sing with Dauid My heart is prepared my heart is prepared and why not thou as well as he Doth not he send for all alike Wilt thou be the thorne or the stone or the high way where the seede dooth loose his fruite Why hadst thou rather bee compelled than inuited since thou art called to a banket How many hearts mo might we drawe to God if all that be here would go to him
as Cham displayed his nakednesse as if he would say come and see the strength of man Hee which was counted so righteous hee which beleeued the threatning like Lot when the rest mocked he to whom al the foules of the ayre and the beastes of the earth flocked in couples as they came to Adam He which was reserued to declare the iudgemeÌ„ts of God and to begin the world againe Noah the example of sobrietie the example of moderation is ouercome with drinke as if hee had neuer been the man How easily how quicâ—ly the iust the wise the prudent hath lost his sence his memorie his reason as though he had neuer been the man And how hard it is to auoyd sinne when occasion is at hand and pleasant opportunitie tempteth to sinne It is easier for the bird to go by the net than to breake the net so it is easier for a man to auoyde temptations then to ouercome temptations Therefore God forbad Balaam not only to curse the people as Balaac would haue him but he forbad him to goe with Balaacs seruants knowing that if he went with them and sawe the pompe of the court and heard the King himselfe speake vnto him and felt the tickling reward it would straine his conscience and make him doubt whether he should curse or blesse Peter but warming himselfe at Caiphas fire was ouercome by a silly damsell to doo that which hee neuer thought euen to forsweare his Lord God therefore Daniel would not eate of the Kings meate least hee should bee tempted to the Kings will shewing vs that there is no way to escape sinne but to auoyd occasion Therefore Dauid prayeth Turne away mine eyes from vanitie as though his eyes would draw his heart as the baite tilleth on the hooke Noah thought to drink he thought not to be drunke but as hee which commeth to the fielde to sound the Trumpet is slaine as soone as he which commeth to fight so the same wine distempereth Noah which hath distempered so many since Where he thought to take his reward taste the fruite of his owne hands God set an euerlasting blot vpon him which sticks fast till this day like a bar in his armes so long as the name of Noath is spoken of that we cannot reade of his vertue but wee must reade of his sinne whereby euerie man is warned to receiue the gifts of God reuerently to vse them soberly and to sanctifie himselfe before he reach forth his hand vnto them that they may comfort and profite vs with that secret blessing that God hath hid in them or else euery thing the best gifts of God may hurt vs as this pleasant wine stayned and confounded the great Patriarch when hee delighted too much in it which hee might haue drunke as Christ did at the last Supper and this disgrace had neuer beene written in his storie but God would haue a fearefull example like the piller of Salt to stand before those beasts whose onely strife is to make triall who can quaffe deepest and shew all their valiantnesse in wine Because there is such warning before vs now we haue the drunkard in schooling I will spend the time that is left to shew you the deformity of this sin if any heare me which haue bin ouertaken with it let him not maruel why he cannot loue his enemies which loueth such an enemy as this which leadeth til he reeleth duls him till hee bee a foole and stealeth away his sence wit his memory his health his credit his friends and when shee hath stripped him as bare as Noah then shee exposeth him like Noah to Cham all that see him do mocke him it is wonder almost that any man should be drunke that hath seene a drunkard before swelling and pussing and foming and spuing and groueling like a beast for who would be like a beast for all the world Looke vpon the drunkard when his eies stare his mouth driuels his tongue faulters his face flames his handes tremble hys feete reele how vglie how monstrous how loathsome doth he seeme to thee so loathsome dost thou seeme to others when thou art in like taking And how loathsome then doost thou seeme to God Therfore the first law which Adam receiued of God was abstinence which if hee had kept he had kept all vertues beside but intemperancie lost all In abstinence the law came to Moses he fasted when he receiued it to shew that they which receiue the word of God receiue it soberly A temperate man seldome sinneth because the flesh which dooth tempt is mortified least it should tempt but when the handmaid is aboue the mistres and a man hath lost the Image of God and scarce retayneth the image of man all his thoughts and speeches and actions must needs be sinne and nothing but sinne because sobrietie the bond of vertue is broken which kept all together When didst thou want discretion to consider When didst thou want patience to forgiue When didst thou waÌ„t coÌ„tinencie to refraine When didst thou want hart to pray but when sobrietie is fled away and intemperancie filled her roome If shame let to sinne it casteth out sinne if feare let to sinne it casteth out feare if loue let to sinne it expulseth loue if knowledge let to sinne it expulseth knowledge like a couetous Land-lord which would haue all to himselfe and dwell alone There is no sinne but hath some shew of vertue onely the sinne of drunkennes is like nothing but sinne there is no sin but although it hurt the soule it beautifieth the body or promiseth profite or pleasure or glory or something to his seruants onely drunkennesse is so impudent that it descryeth it selfe so vnthankful that it maketh no recompence so noysome that it consumeth the body which many sinnes spare least they should appeare to bee sinnes Euery sinne defileth a man but drunkennesse makes him like a beast euery sinne defaceth a man but drunkennesse taketh away the image of a man euery sinne robbeth a man of some vertue but drunkennesse stealeth away all vertues at once euery sinne deserueth punishment but drunkennesse vpbraids a man while the wine 〈◊〉 in his stomacke and though hee would dissemble his drunkennesse yet hee is not able to set a countenance of it but the childe descryeth him the foole knowes that he is drunke because his face bewraieth him like the leprosie which burst out of the forehead so worthily hath he lost the opinion of sobrietie which hath lost it selfe His sonne thinkes himselfe more maister now than his father his seruant makes him a foole his children leades him like a childe his wife vseth him like a seruant and although his drunkennes leaueth him when he hath slept yet no man seckes to him for counsell after no man regards his word no man reckons of his iudgment no man is perswaded by his counsell no man accounts of his learning no man hath any glorie to accompany with him but so soone as
like Peter if hee see one loue one vertue he maketh him loue another vertue if hee see one hate one vice hee maketh him hate another vice if he see one like one Sermon hee maketh him like another Sermon when hee hath him in his schoole and hee commeth once to this to say like Samuel Speake Lord for thy seruant heareth then hee taketh him vp to the mount like Moses and openeth his heart vnto him teaching him a waie to make vse of all that he seeth and of all that hee heareth and of all that hee readeth and of all that hee feeleth Thus when God hath strayned and fined him he is apt to euerie good worke and takes all occasions to doe them If hee but see one praye his heart burneth to praye too if hee see one reading he hath a minde to reade too if hee see one meditating he hath a zeale to meditate too if hee see one sorrowing hee hath a desire to sorrowe too like the Disciples which when they heard Peter say wee goe a fishing they said we will goe a fishing too After this euery benefit maketh him thankfull euery instruction maketh him fearefull and he is neuer well but when he is walking with God like Enoch or when Christ is speaking to him or when he is speaking to Christ for when God meeteth with his children like a nurse hee emptieth himselfe of his milke according to this text which we now handle To him which hath shall be giuen Thus when you vse those giftes well which you haue the Lorde will come vnto you and say that your heart may heare him Good seruant and faithfull I will make thee Lorde ouer much thy seede shall become a tree thy spirite shall be doubled First thou shalt haue a loue to heare reade and meditate after thou shalt haue a little knowledge to iudge and speake of Gods Worde of the spirite and of doctrines then thou shalt ascend to faith which will bring thee vnto peace of conscience then thou shalt meete with good bookes and God will send thee Teachers to instruct thee and incourage thee like the Angels which came to Christ when hee hungred Thus a Trauailer passeth from towne vnto towne vntill hee come to his Inne so a Christian passeth from vertue to vertue vntill hee come to Heauen which is the iourney that euery man must endeuour to goe till death It followeth And whosoeuer hath not from him shall bee taken euen that which it seemeth that he hath As the Lorde saith to his faithfull Seruant Thou shalt bee ruler ouer much so hee saith of his slothfull seruant Take his talent from him Heere is one like Iaacob whome God loueth to him hee saith shall bee giuen here is another like Esau whome God hateth from him hee saith shall bee taken so one may say like Iob The Lorde hath giuen and the other may say like Iob The Lord hath taken But from whom dooth he take From him which hath not And to whom dooth he giue To him which hath In this God seemeth not to deale his giftes charitablie for he should giue to them which want Ioseph maruailed to see Iaacob lay his left hand vpon Manasses and his right hand vpon Ephraim as though the younger should bee more blessed than the elder Ishai maruailed to see Samuel choose the least of his sonnes before the tallest as though the vnfittest were the fittest so it is maruaile that hee which commandeth vs to giue vnto them which want should take from them which want and giue to them which haue Isaac would not haue blessed Iaacob but Esau but God would haue him blesse Iaacob and not Esau Ioseph would that Manasseth shoulde haue more than Ephraim but God would that Ephraim should haue more than Manasseth As God loueth not as man loueth so hee giueth not as man giueth Why should Abraham haue three Angels and Lot but two and Balaam but one and Balaac none Why should not Philip goe vp the mount as well as Iames Why should not Aaron behold God as well as Moses Why should not Moses go to Chanaan as well as Caleb According to our loue is Gods loue and according to our hatred is Gods hatred Reuben should haue had as good a blessing as Iudah but when Iaacob blessed him Genesis the 35. chapter 22. verse he remembred his sinne with Bilhah and therefore curbed his blessing for when he blessed him he said Thou shalt not be excellent as if hee should saye Reuben thou shalt haue some thing but thou shalt not haue so much as thou shouldest haue because of thy vncleannesse with Bilhah So Moses should haue gone to Canaan as well as Caleb but GOD remembred his murmuring at the waters of bitternes And when he desired to goe vnto it God would not heare him but let him see it from an hill and so hee dyed So the third seruant should haue receiued as many Talents as his fellowes but the Lorde remembred how hee hid the Talent which hee had and therefore would giue him no more least he should hide them too so wee should haue more vnderstanding more iudgement and more knowledge but God seeth what wee doe with this and therefore stayeth his hand lest we should abuse any more This is Saint Iohns meaning when hee saith God Giueth grace for grace That is where he findes one grace there he giueth another This is Saint Paules meaning Rom. 1. where he saith The righteousnesse of God is reuealed from faith to faith signifying that they which haue faith shall haue more faith Therefore this is the fearefullest signe that wee haue no faith nor grace if God do not increase our faith and his graces in vs For to him which hath shall be giuen Therefore if we had faith wee should haue loue if wee had loue wee should haue knowledge if wee had knowledge we should haue zeale if we had zeale we should haue holines As he which hath broken one commaundement is made guiltie of all so hee which hath one vertue is made partaker of all It is said so long as Iehoiada liued Ioash prospered and did well because Iehoiada instructed guided him but when Iehoiada dyed Ioash goodnes died with him and he was neuer like himselfe after but turned like his fathers So there is a seed in the heart which while it liueth and is fostered wee sprowt and prosper as Ioash did but when that seede dyeth for want of cherishing then wee beginne to droope and fade and decay againe as loash did If one vertue bee offended she lureth all her fellowes from vs as many of Ishbosheths friends shronke with Abner Dauid setteth forth the godly man like a tree planted by the waters side Which sprowteth and grwoeth and bringeth foorth fruite Straight vpon this he saith It is not so with the wicked When hee spake of growing and flourishing and fructifying hee saith It is not so with the wicked That is it is contrarie
owne brethren yet God hath prouided one comforter for him like Ionathans armour-bearer that shall neuer forsake him that is another selfe which is the onely commoditie as I may tearme it wherein the poore do match the rich Without which some persons should haue no helper no comforter no friend at all But as it is not good to be alone so Salomon sheweth That it is better to be alone then to dwell with a froward wife which is like a quotidian ague to keepe his patient in vre Such furies do haunt some men like Saules spirite as though the diuell had put a sworde into their handes to kill themselues therefore choose whom thou maist enioy or liue alone still and thou shalt not repent thee of thy bargaine That thou mayst take and keepe without repentance now we will speake of the choise which some call the way to good wiues dwelling for these flowers growe not on euerie ground therefore they say that in wiuing and striuing a man should take counsell of all the world least he light vpon a curse while hee seekes for a blessing As Moses considered what spies he sent into Chanaan so thou must regarde whom thou sendest to spie out a wife for thee Discretion is a warie spie but fancie is a rash spie and liketh whom she will mislike againe In the Reuelation Antichrist is described by a woman and in Zacharie sinne is called a woman which sheweth that women haue many faultes therefore hee which chuseth of them had need haue iudgement and make an Anatomie of their hearts and mindes before he say This shalbe mine For the wisest man saith I haue found one man of a thousand but a woman among them all haue I not found Although this may be vnderstoode of his Concubines yet it implyeth that generally there is a greater infirmitie in women than in men because hee compareth them together as though there were a dearth of good women ouer the world For helpe hereof in 1. Cor. 7. 39. we are taught to marrie in the Lord then we must chuse in the Lord too therefore we must beginne our marriage where Salomon beganne his wisedome Giue vnto thy seruant an vnderstanding heart So giue vnto thy seruant an vnderstanding wife If Abrahams seruant praied vnto the Lord to prosper his busines when he went about to chuse a wife for another how shouldst thou pray when thou goest about a wife for thy selfe that thou mayst say after My lot is fallen in a pleasant ground To direct thee to a right choise herein the holie Ghost giues thee two rules in the choise of a wife Godlinesse and fitnesse Godlines because our Spouse must bee like Christes Spouse that is graced with gifts and imbrodered with vertues as if we married holinesse her selfe For the marriage of man and woman is resembled of the Apostle to the marriage of Christ and the Church Now the Church is called holie because shee is holie In the sixt of the Canticles she is called vndefiled because she is vndefiled In the 45. Psal she is called faire within because her beautie is inward So our Spouse should be holie vndefiled and faire within As God respecteth the heart so we must respect the heart because that must loue and not the face Couetousnesse hath euer bene a suiter to the richest and pride to the highest and lightnesse to the fairest and for reuenge hereof his ioy hath euer ended with his wiues youth which tooke her beautie with it The goods of the world are good and the goods of the bodie are good but the goods of the minde are better As Paul commendeth Faith Hope and Charitie but saith the greatest of these is charitie so may I commend beautie and riches and godlinesse but the best of these is godlinesse because it hath the things which it wāts and makes euery state alike with her gift of contentation Secondly the mate must be fitte It is not inough to be vertuous but to be sutable for diuers women haue many vertues and yet do not fitte with some men diuers men haue many vertues and yet doe not fit to some women and therefore we see many times euen the godly couples to iar when they are married because there is some vnfitnesse between them which makes oddes What is oddes but the contrary to euen therefore make them euen saith one and there will be no oddes From hence came the first vse of the Ring in weddings to represent this euennesse for if it be straiter then the finger it will pinch and if it be wider then the finger it will fall off but if it be fitte it neither pincheth nor slippeth So they which are like striue not but they which are vnlike as fire and water Therfore one obserueth that concorde is nothing but likenesse all that strife is for vnfitnesse as in thinges when they fitte not together and in persons when they suite not one another How was God pleased when he had found a King according to his owne hart So shall that man be pleased that findes a wife according to his owne heart whether he be rich or poore his peace shall affoord him a cheerfull life and teach him to sing In loue is no lack Therfore a godly man in our time thanked the Lord that he had not onely giuen him a godly wife but a fitte wife for he sayd not that she was the wisest nor the holiest nor the humblest nor the modestest wife in the world but the fittest wife for him in the world which euery man should thinke when that knot is tied or else so often as he seeth a better hee will wish that his choice were to make againe As he did thanke God for sending him a fit wife so the vnmarried should pray God to send him a fit wife for if they be not like they will not like The fitnesse is commended by the holy Ghost in two words one is in the second of Genesis and the other is in 2. Cor. 6. 14. that in Genesis is Meet God saith I will make man a helpe Meet for him Shewing that a wife can not helpe wel vnlesse she be meet Further it sheweth that man is such an excellent creature that no creature was like vnto him or meet for him till the woman was made This meetnesse God sheweth againe in the 22. verse where Moses sayth That of the rib which was taken out of man God built the womā signifying that as one part of the building dooth meet and fit with another so the wife should meet and fit with the husband that as they are called couples so they may be called paires that is as a paire of gloues or a paire of hose are like so man and wife should be like because they are a paire of friends If thou bee learned chuse one that loueth knowledge if thou be martial
word without further trial If Paul had bid vs examine others we would haue sifted them like Sathan Sathan hath desired to sift thee sayth Christ to Peter so we haue a desire to sift others Euen Peter which was sifted of sathan longed to sift Iohn knowe what he should do before hee hearkened to his owne charge Therefore the helpe of examination is a needfull preseruatiue although we were as sound as Peter They which are suspected of a crime doe not examine themselues but are examined of others least they should be partiall but a Christian must examine himselfe of his crime and be his owne iudge his owne accuser and his owne condemner for no man knoweth the spirite of man but the spirit which is in man which will condemne him if he be guiltie and tell him all that hee hath done and with what minde he did it and what he deserueth for it This is the priuate araignment or close sessions when Conscience sits in her chaire to examine and accuse and iudge and condemne her selfe because she will not bee condemned of God Thus holie men haue kept their sessions at home and made their hearts the fore-man of the iurie and examined themselues as wee examined others the feare of the Lord stood at the doore of their soules to examine euerie thought before it went in and at the dore of their lips to examine euery word before it went out wherby they escaped a thousand sinnes which we commit as though wee had no other worke So thou shouldest sitte in iudgement of thy selfe and call thy thoughts and speeches and actions to giue in euidence against thee whether thou be a Christian or an infidell a sonne or a bastard a seruaunt or a rebell a Protestant or an hypocrite if thou find not faith nor feare nor loue nor zeale when thou examinest thy selfe let no man make thee beleeue that thou art holie that thou art sanctified that thou art a Christian that thou art a beleeuer that thou art a Gospeller because thou art worse then thou seemest thy selfe for euery man is partiall to himselfe when he is most humbled Therefore if my heart tell mee that I doe loue God whome shall I beleeue before my selfe As Salomon sayth No man can search the heart of the king so Paul sayth No man knoweth the spirite of any man but the spirite which is in man that is no man feeleth the heart of man so wel as himself And yet himselfe although hee haue liued with it euer since he was borne doth not know his owne heart vnlesse hee examine it narrowlie no more than hee knoweth his owne bones or his veines or his sinewes or his arteries or his muskles how many are in his bodie or where they lie or what they doe This seemes strange that a man should not know his owne heart yet it is true that the best of all dooth not knowe his owne heart though he hath dwelt with it from his mothers wombe For Christ saith to his Disciples euen to his Disciples you know not of what spirit you are that is you thinke better of your selues then you are and know not what the clocke striketh within There is a zeale without knowledge there is a knowledge without zeale there is a fayth without obedience and there is an obedience without faith there is a loue without feare and there is a feare without loue and both are hypocrites Therefore as Dalilah searched where Sampsons strength lay so let euery man search where his weakenesse lieth and alwaie be filling the emptie gap Now this examination must goe before vs to the Sacrament Euerie meate worketh according as it is digested this meate worketh according as it is receiued Therefore when Christ had taught what we should doe in receiuing the Sacrament now Paul sheweth what we should doe before wee receiue the Sacrament Let a man examine himselfe But some will come before they examine themselues and therefore as the Priestes of the lawe had authoritie to put by lame and blinde sacrifices so the ministers of the Gospell haue power to put by lame and blind receiuers and he which doth not so giueth a sworde into their handes to kill themselues If the Pastor would vse this examination duly it were the onely way to make euery one examine himselfe least he be put by like Non proficients As Iiphtah discerned the Ephramites because when they should pronounce Shibboleth they pronounced Sibboleth so all which cannot pronounce Christ that is giue a reason of their faith are to bee thrust from this table There is a hearing a preparatiue before hearing There is a praying and a preparatiue before praying There is a receiuing and a preparatiue before receiuing which if it be wanting the receiuer receiueth vncomfortablie the prayer praieth idlely the hearer heareth vnfruitfullie like those which doe eate before hunger and drinke before thirst This preparatiue before hearing and praying and receiuing dooth signifie that there is a kind of phisicke in these three for preparatiues are ministred alwaies before Phisicke and as the preparatiue which goeth before maketh way to the phisick or els it would do no good but hurt so vnlesse examination go before the sacrament we seale vp the threatnings which are written against vs in steade of the promises which are made vnto vs for the sacrament is a seale and therefore sealeth good or euill as euerie other seale doth The preparatiue before wee receiue is to Examine As Iohn was the fore-runner of Christ so examination is the fore-runner of the sacrament like the Harbinger which rideth before to prepare the roome For if Iob commaunded his sonnes to sanctifie themselues before they did come to his sacrifice how should we sanctifie our selues before we come to Christes sacrament wherein we are commaunded to doe as the Lorde himselfe did which instituted it It is sayd that the chamber wherein Christ did institute this sacrament was trimmed the chamber wherein the Apostles receiued this sacrament was trimmed If Iudas chamber his inner chamber had bene trimmed so too he had receiued this Sacrament with as much comfort as the other disciples did but because his heart was not trimmed therefore he was the first which was condemned for the vnworthie receiuing of this Sacrament Adam did not thinke that death had bene in an apple so you would not thinke that death should bee in bread but as a coale hath fire in it beside the coale it selfe which fire dooth either warme or burne so this meate hath another meate in it beside that which is seene which dooth either saue or destroy therefore he which commeth to this spiritual meat must examine whether he haue a spirituall mouth as well as a carnall mouth or else he shall receiue no more than he seeth that which he seeth not shall destroy him No man saith Christ putteth new wine into olde vessels lest the
which shall he on their death-bed Three things do giue me hope One is that all hearts are in the hands of God to call them at what houre he list and therfore Saul may become an Apostle The next is that the third crow doth waken moe than the former and therefore after the crowing of other this Crow may happily bee heard The last is that there is no sinne but some men haue bene reclaimed from it and so may Vsurers from their sinne Therefore goe my booke like Dauid against Goliah and fight the Lordes battels against Vsurers The Lord giue that successe to his doctrine in these leaues that it may consume Vsurers as Ioshuah droue out the Chananites before him If I could take but this one weede out of the Londoners garden I were answered for my health and my strength spent amongst them Reade with thy best mind thou shalt profit more Thine H. S. THE EXAMINATION OF VSVRIE THE FIRST SERMON Psal 15. verse 1. 5. 1 Lord who shall dwell in thy Tabernacle Who shall rest in thine holy mountaine 5 He that giueth not his mony to vsurie THese two verses must be considered together because one is the question and the other is the answere Dauid demaundes who shall come to heauen and God tels him that Vsurers shall not come thither as if he should say they goe to hell Therefore as Paul taught Timothie to warne them which are rich as though they had more neede to bee warned than other so this sentence seemeth to be penned for a warning to the rich because it strikes vpon the rich mans vice I haue spoken of Briberie and Symonie and now I must speake of their sister Vsurie Many times haue I thought to speake of this Theame but the arguments which are alleadged for it haue made me doubtfull what to say in it because it hath gone as it were vnder protection At last you see it falleth into my text and therefore now I cannot bauke it any longer Therefore if anie heere haue fauoured this occupation before let him now submit his thoughts to Gods thoughts for I will alleadge nothing against it but that which is built vpon the rocke Vsurie is the sin which God will trie now whether you loue better than his word that is whether you will leaue it if hee forbid it For if he flatly forbid it and yet you wilfullie retaine it then you loue Vsurie better than Gods word Therefore one saith well that our Vsurers are Heretikes because after manie admonitions yet they maintaine their errour and persist in it obstinately as Papists do in Poperie For this cause I am glad that I haue anie occasion to gripple with this sinne where it hath made so manie spoiles where it hath so manie patrones for it is sayd that there be moe of this profession in this Citie then there be in all the Land beside There be certaine sinnes which are like an vnreasonable enemie which will not bee reconciled to death and this is one of these euerlasting sinnes which liue and dye with a man For when he hath resigned his pride and his enuie and his lust yet Vsurie remaineth with him and hee saith as Naaman saide Let the Lord be mercifull vnto me in this let mee haue a dispensation for this as though this were a necessarie sinne and he could not liue without it There be three sinnes which are counted no sinnes and yet they doe more hurt then all their fellowes and those are Briberie Nonresidencie and Vsurie these three because they are gainfull are turned from sinnes to occupations How manie of this Citie for all that they are vsurers yet wold be counted honest men and would faine haue Vsurie esteemed as a trade whereas if it were not so gainefull it would be counted as great a sinne as anie othe and so it is counted of all but them which liue by it This is the nature of pleasure and profite to make sinnes seeme no sinnes if we gaine anie thing by them but the more gainfull a sinne is the more dangerous it is and the more gainefull vsurie is the more dangerous it is I will speake the more of it because happely you shall not heare of this matter againe First I will define what Vsurie is Secondly I will shew you what Vsurie doth signifie Thirdly I will shew the vnlawfulnesse of it Fourthly I will shew the kindnes of it Fiftly I will shewe the arguments which are alleadged for it Sixtly I wil shew the punishment of it Seuenthly I will shew you what opinion we should holde of them which doo not lend vpon Vsurie but borrow vpon Vsurie Lastly I will shew you what they should do which haue got their riches by Vsurie Touching the first Vsurie is that gayne which is gotten by lending for the vse of the thing which a man lendeth couenaunting before with the borrower to receiue more then was borrowed and therfore one cals the Vsurer a legall theefe because before he steale he tels the partie how much he will steale as though he stoale by lawe This word more comes in like a sixt finger which makes a monster because it is more then should bee Another defining vsurie calleth it the contrarie to Charitie for Paul saith Loue seeketh not her owne but vsurie seeketh anothers that is not her owne therefore Vsurie is farre from loue but God is loue saith Iohn therfore Vsurie is farre from God too Now all the Commaundements of God are fulfilled by loue which Christ noteth when hee draweth all the commaundements to one commaundement which is Loue God aboue all things and thy neighbour as thy selfe as if hee should say hee which loueth God will keepe all the Commandements which respect God and he which loueth his neighbour will keepe all the Commandements which respect his neighbour therefore to maintaine loue God forbiddeth all things which hinder this loue and amongst the rest here he forbiddeth Vsurie as one of her deadliest enemies For a man cannot loue and be a Vsurer because Vsurie is a kind of crueltie and a kinde of extortion and a kinde of persecution and therefore the want of loue doth make vsurers for if there were Loue there would be no vsurie no deceipt no extortion no slaundering no reuenging no oppression but we should liue in peace and ioy and contentment like the Angels whereby you see that all our sinnes are against our selues for if there were no deceipt then we should not be deceiued if there were no slaunder then wee should not be slaundered if there were no enuie then wee should not be enuied if there were no extortion then wee should not be iniured if there were no vsurie then we should not be oppressed Therefore Gods law had bene better for vs than our owne law for if his law did stand then we should not be deceiued nor slaundered nor enuied nor iniured nor oppressed God hath
this vsurie let vs pray that the words which we haue heard out of this Psalme may dwell with vs till we dwell in heauen FINIS THE BENEFITE OF Contentation To the Reader HEaring how fast this Sermon hath vttered and yet how miserably it hath bene abused in printing as it were with whole limmes cut off at once and cleane left out I haue taken a little paines as my sicknesse gaue me leaue both to perfect the matter and to correct the print Now as the Angell said to Iohn Take this booke and eate it so I wish that thou hadst so digested this doctrine that all the parts of thy bodie and soule were strengthened by it But if all this will not make thee content with that thou hast sorrowe that thy couetousnesse is greater then others and neuer loue thy selfe vntill thou canst find in thy hart to be blessed Farewell Thine H. Smith THE BENEFITE OF Contentation 1. Tim. 6. 6. Godlinesse is great gaine if a man be content with that he hath BEcause when wee preach wee know not whether we shall preach againe my care is to chuse fit and proper texts to speake that which I would speak and that which is necessarie for you to heare Therefore thinking with my selfe what doctrine were fittest for you I sought for a text which speaks against couetousnes which I may cal the Londoners sinne Although God hath giuen you more then other which should turne couetousnes into thankefulnesse yet as the Iuie groweth with the Oke so couetousnesse hath growne with riches euerie man wisheth the Philosophers stone and who is within these walles that thinkes he hath enough though there be so manie that haue too much As the Israelits murmured as much whē they had Manna as when they were without it so they which haue riches couet as much as they which are without them that conferring your minds and your wealth together I may truely say this Cittie is rich if it were not couetous This is the diuell which bewitcheth you to thinke that you haue not inough whē you haue more then you neede If you cannot choose but couet riches I will shewe you riches which you may couet Godlinesse is great riches In which wordes as Iacob craued of his wiues and his seruants to giue him their Idols that he might burie them so Paule craueth your couetousnes that he might bury it And that ye might be no losers hee offereth you the vantage in stead of gaine hee proposeth great gaine Godlinesse is great gaine as if he should say Wil you couet litle gaine before great You haue found little ioy in money you shall find great ioy in the holy ghost you haue found little peace in the world you shall finde great peace in conscience Thus seeing the worlde striue for the worlde like beggers thrusting at a dole Lawyer against Lawyer brother against brother neighbour against neighbour for the golden Apple that poore Naboth cannot hold his owne because so manie Achabs are sicke for this vineyard when he had found the disease like a skilfull Physition hee goeth about to picke out the greedie worme which maketh men so hungrie and setteth such a glasse before them that will make a shilling seeme as great as a pound a cottage seeme as faire as a pallace a plough seeme as goodly as a diadem that he which hath but twentie poundes shal be as merrie as hee which hath an hundred and he which hath an hundred shal be as iocund as he which hath a thousand and he which hath a thousand shal be well contented as hee which hath a million euen as Daniel did thriue with water and pulse as well as the rest did with their wine and iunkets This is the vertue and operation of these words If you heare them with the same spirite that Paul wrote them they will so worke vpon your hearts that you shall goe away euerie man contented with that which hee hath like Zacheus which before he had seene Christ knew nothing but to scrape but as soone as he had heard Christ all his mind was set vpon giuing This was not the first day that Zacheus seemed rich to others but this was the first daie that Zacheus seemed rich vnto himselfe when riches seemed dung and godlines seemed riches Christ doth not will other to giue all their goods away to the poor as he bad the yong man to see what he would do but hee which forbad him to keepe his riches forbids vs to loue riches which makes our riches seem pouertie When ye contemne riches ye shal seem rich because no man hath inough but hee which is contented but if ye couet groue thrist as Iacob gaue Ruben a blessing but said Thou shalt not be excellent so God may giue you riches but he saith You shall not be satisfied for ye wil be couetous vntil ye be religious He that will haue contentation must leaue his couetousnes in pawne for it This is the spirit which we would cast out if ye will leaue but this one sinne behind you shall depart out of the Church like Naaman out of Iordan as if you had bene washed and all your sins swept away like the scales from Paules eyes For what hath brought Vsury simonie briberie crueltie subtiltie enuy strife and deceit into this Citie and made euerie house an inne euery shop a market of lyes and fraud but the superfluous loue of money Name couetousnes and thou hast named the mother of all these mischiefes other sinnes are but hirelings vnto this sinne Vsurie and briberie and simony and extortion deceit and lyes and oathes are factors to couetousnesse and serue for Potters to fetch and bring her liuing in As the Receiuer maketh a theefe so Couetousnesse maketh an Vsurer and Extortioner and Deceiuer because shed receiueth the bootie which they steale Euen as Rachel cryed to her husband Giue me children or else I dye so Couetousnesse crieth vnto Vsurie and Briberie and Simonie and Crueltie and Deceit and Lies Giue mee riches or else I dye how they may saue a little and how they may get much and how they may prolong life is euerie mans dreame from sunne to sunne so long as they haue a knee to bow vnto Baal so many vices budde out of this one that it is called The roote of all euill as if hee would saie the Spawne of all sines Take away couetousnesse and he will sell his wares as cheape as he he will bring vp his children as vertuouslie as hee hee will refuse bribes as earnestly as hee he will succour the poore as hartely as hee hee will come to the Church as lightlie as hee If ye could feele the pulse of euerie heart what makes Gehezi to take the bribe which Elisha refused What makes Demetrius to speake for images which Paul condemned What makes Naball deny Dauid that which Abigail gaue him What
good for vs as the Nurse knoweth better then the child when the milke is readie for it Therefore Christ saith in Mathew 6. 32 Your heauenly Father knoweth what you haue need of He sayth not that we know what we haue neede of but that our Father knoweth as if hee should say When you haue neede of health your Father will send you health when you haue neede of riches your Father will send you riches when you haue neede of libertie your Father will send you libertie for hee sayth not onely that his Father knoweth what wee haue neede of but that Hee will giue vs the things which wee neede Matth. 7. Verse 11. Therfore as children take no care for their apparell what cloathes they shall weare nor for their victuals what meat they shall eate but leaue this care for their father so sayth Christ Take you no care for my father careth for you He was not content to cal Godlinesse gaine but he calleth it Great gaine as if hee woulde say gaine and more then gaine riches and better then riches a kingdome and greater then a kingdome As when the Prophets would distinguish betweene the idoll Gods and the liuing God they call him the Great God so the gaine of godlines is called Great gaine The riches of the world are called earthlie transitorie snares thornes dung as though they were not worthie to be counted riches and therfore to draw the earnest loue of men from them the holy-Ghost brings them in with such names of disdaine to disgrace them with their louers but when hee comes to Godlines which is the riches of the soule hee calleth it great riches heauenly riches vnsearchable riches euerlasting riches with al the names of honor and al the names of pleasure and all the names of happinesse As a woman trimmes and deckes her selfe with an hundred ornaments onely to make her amiable so the holy-Ghost setteth out godlinesse with names of honor names of pleasure and names of happines as it were in her Iewels with letters of commendation to make her to bee beloued Lest anie riches should compare with godlinesse he giues it a name aboue other and calleth it great riches as if hee would make a distinction betweene riches and riches betweene the gaine of couetousnes the gaine of godlines the peace of the world and the peace of conscience the ioy of riches and the ioy of the holy Ghost The worldly men haue a kinde of peace and ioy and riches but I cannot call it great because they haue not inough they are not contented as the godlie are therefore onely godlinesse hath this honour to be called great riches The gaine of couetousnesse is nothing but wealth but the gaine of godlinesse is wealth and peace and ioy and loue of God and the remission of sinnes and euerlasting life Therefore onely godlines hath this honour to be called Great gaine Riches make bate but godlines makes peace riches breede couetousnesse but godlines brings contentation riches make men vnwilling to dye but godlines makes men readie to dye riches often hurt the owner but godlines profiteth the owner and other Therefore onely godlines hath this honour to be called great riches such gayne such ioy such peace is in godlinesse and yet no man couets it for this is the qualitie of vertue it seemeth nothing vnto a man vntill he hath it as Salomon saith of the buyer while hee is in buying hee dispraiseth the thing which hee buyeth and sayth It is naught it is not worth the price which ye aske but when he hath bought it so soone as he is gone he boasteth of his peni worths and saith it is better than his money So godlines before a man haue it hee saith it is not worth his labour and thinks euerie houre too much that hee spendeth about it but when he hath found it he would not lose it againe for al the worlde because hee is nowe come to that which followeth To be contented with that he hath Heere Paule sheweth with what a man should bee contented not with a thousande poundes nor a hundred pounds nor twentie poundes but with that hee hath and there is great reason why hee should so because no man knoweth what is fit for him so well as his Caruer And therefore euerie one should esteeme so reuerently of God that hee thinke nothing better for him for that present time than that which God measureth forth vnto him For when Christ had no money hee was contented and when hee wanted money to paie tribute hee sent for no more than hee needed hee might haue commanded twentie poundes as well as twentie pence But to shewe that we should desire no more than will serue our turne hee would haue no more than serued his turne Now because Contentation is of such a nature that it can please it selfe with pouertie as well as riches Therefore it is called the great gaine as though it had all which it wanted And this Contentment saith the Apostle Paul we owe to Godlines because it is not possible for a wicked man to be contented for as he is not satisfied with sinne so he is satisfied with nothing Riches come and yet the man is not pleased honor comes and yet the man is not pleased libertie comes yet the man is not pleased pleasure comes and yet the man is not pleased vntill God come and then he saith My cup is full Shewe vs thy Father sayth Phillip and it sufficeth Iohn 14. 7. Nay shewe vs thy trueth and it sufficeth Now my soule sayth the Churle take thy rest Nay now my soule take thy rest for thou hast laide vp for many yeares The godly man hath foūd that which al the world doth seeke that is inough Euery word may bee defined and euerie thing may bee measured but inough cannot bee measured nor defined it changeth euerie yeare when we had nothing we thought it inough if we might obtaine lesse than wee haue when we came to more we thought of another inough now we haue more we dreame of another inough so inough is alwaies to come though too much be there alreadie For as oyle kindleth the fire which it seemes to quench so riches come as though they would make a man contented and make a man more couetous Therefore seeing Contentation was neuer found in riches the Apostle reacheth to seeke it in godlinesse saying Godlinesse is riches as though it did not onely make a man contented but make a man contented with it selfe Hee speakes as though hee had found a newe kinde of riches which the world neuer thoght of that are of such a nature that they will satisfie a man like the water that Christ spake of Hee that drinkes of this water shall thirst no more so they that tast of these riches shal couet no more but as the holie Ghost filled all the house so
infect it torment it condemne it Will a seruant reach the cup to a stranger when his Master cals for it Or will a man sell his coate if he haue no moe What doost thou reserue for God when thou hast giuen Sathan thy heart Christ hath promised to come and dwell with thee where shall he staie where shall he dine if the chamber be taken vp and the heart let foorth to another Thou art but a Tenant and yet thou takest his house ouer his head and placest in it whom thou wilt as if thou wert Landlord Canst thou possesse another mans goods but he will molest thee and trouble thee vntill he haue his owne and doost thou thinke to keepe that which is Gods and holde it in peace No hee will neuer suffer thee to rest but crie vpon thee daie and night as Moses vexed Pharaoh vntil he let the people goe so thou shalt bee distracted with feares and thoughts as one plague followed another vntill thou let thy heart goe that it may serue God for as if a man should pull out thy heart and take it from thee so greeuous is it to God to keep thy heart from him Therefore let all Sutors haue their answere that thy heart is married alreadie As Isaac answered Esau Iacob haue I blessed and he shalbe blessed so thou maist say God hath my heart and he shall haue it and them that craue it hereafter send them to Christ for it for it is not thine to giue if thou haue giuen it to God alreadie But take heede thy heart do not lye to thy selfe and say it is Gods when it is the worldes like Ieroboams Wife which woulde not seeme to bee Ieroboams Wife By this thou shalt knowe whether thou hast giuen it to him or no if the Heart be gone all will followe As the Sunne riseth first and then the beastes arise from their dennes the Fowles from their neastes and men from their beddes so when the Heart sets forwarde to God all the members will follow after it the tongue will praise him the foote will follow him the eare will attend him the eye will watch him the hand will serue him nothing will staie after the heart but euerie one goes like handmaydes after their mistresse this Christ verifieth saying make cleane within and all will bee cleane therefore the Publican did beat vpon his hart as though hee were angrie with it because it did not waken all the rest shewing that as the Father gaue vs all when hee gaue his son so we giue him all when wee giue our heartes This is the melodie which Paul speaketh of Ephes 5. 19. Make melodie in the Lord in your hearts shewing that there is a consort of all the members when the heart is in tune and that it soundes like a melodie in the eares of God and makes vs reioyce while wee serue him Wee haue example heereof in Christ which said it was meate and drinke vnto him to doo his fathers will and in Dauid which daunced to see the Arke and in the Israelites of whom it is saide that they reioyced when they offered from their heart vnto the Lord. Therefore Salomon pricking out the heart for God spake as though he would set out the pleasantest and fairest easiest way to serue him without any grudging or toyle or wearinesse touch but the first linke and all the rest will follow so set the heart a going and it is like the poize of a clocke which turnes all the wheeles one way such an Oyle is vpon the heart which makes al nimble and currant about it therfore it is almost as easie to speak well and doe well as to thinke well If the heart indite a good matter no maruel though the tongue be the Pen of a readie writer but if the hart be dull all is like a left hand so vnapt and vntoward that it cannot turne it selfe to any good Therfore Gods sutes haue so hard passage in mens counsailes iudgements and Parliaments because they doe not giue him their harts which should be the first offering of all if they woulde giue him their hearts before they sit downe to heare his cause they could not denie him anie thing that is for his honour though it were against their profit but as Christ saieth Not my will but thy will so they would say It is not our Kingdome but thy Kingdome it is not our Church but thy Church therefore not our will but thy will not our law but thy law not our discipline but thy discipline raigne in it and all that giue their hearts subscribe to this the rest say not thy wil but our wil not thy law but our law not thy discipline but our discipline because as the Apostle sayth They seeke their owne glorie and not Christs Phil. 2. 21. This hath bene the rub euer since Antichrist was first resisted Herode could not see how hee should be King if Christ should raigne therfore as the Image-makers cried and stormed when Images should goe downe alleadging that they liued by that craft so if you marke what kind of men they were which did preach and write and labour so hotly against religion it is they that were like to loose some of their dignities or their commodities by it The Scribes and Pharisies resisted Christ more than the people because hee denounced woe to them and misliked that they should bee called Rabbi how hard it is to follow Christ when he saith Leaue all nay if he bid vs leaue any thing for him though we should leaue our selues Matt. 16. 24. The tongue wil not praise because the heart doth not loue the eare doth not heare because the heart doth not minde the hand doth not giue because the heart doth not pitie the foote will not goe because the heart doth not stirre all staie vpon the heart like the Captaine that should giue the onset Thus to shew that hee deserueth all the Lord requireth that which bringeth all Secondly God requireth the Heart shewing that all the things of this worlde are not woorthie of it nor a peece of it nor a thought vnles it be to contemne them as Salomon thought of vanitie for if the heart be the Temple of God hee which giueth it to anie thing else committeth Sacriledge and breaketh that Commaundement Giue vnto GOD that which is Gods Matthewe 22. 21. Thirdly that all should consent so with the heart that wee should speake as if our heart did speake pray as if our heart did pray heare as if our heart did heare giue as if our heart did giue remit as if our heart did remit and counsell as if our heart did counsell as the Apostle sayth Doe all things heartely Col. 3. 23. which if we could keepe nothing that wee doe should trouble vs because nothing is troublesome but that which goeth against the heart Fourthly that wee should
serue God for himselfe and not for our selues as he which giues his heart doth all for loue this Christ requires when he casts off that Disciple that offred to follow him for aduantage The birds haue neastes and â—he foxes haue hoales saieth Christ but the Sonne of man hath not a place to hide his head shewing his Disciple if hee will follow him 〈◊〉 must not looke for a place to hide his head we must leaue all to follow Christ as Peter did not seeke all by following him as they that weÌ„t after him for bread Fiftly that wee should not serue God by fits as we vse to pray when the night comes to heare when the Sabboath comes to fast when Lent comes to repent when death comes but the seruice of the heart is a continuall seruice like that in 1. Thess 5. 16. Reioyce euermore praye continually in all things giue thankes Who is this which reioyceth and prayeth and thanketh continually The tong prayeth but sometime the eare attendeth but sometime the hand giueth but sometime but the heart prayeth and praiseth and worshippeth alwaies a man may serue God alwaies with his heart and neuer bee wearie because the heart cannot serue him vnles it reioyce in his seruice and therefore the Israelites praised God with musicke which did not delight God but shewed that they delighted in his seruice as they did in musicke But if the tongue or the hande or the eare thinke to serue God without the heart it is the irksomest occupation in the world the houre of tediousnesse like a long sicknesse he is tyred before he begin and thinketh himselfe in the stockes vntill the Sermon bee ended and vntill his Prayer bee done that hee may bee at libertie and returne to his olde byas againe Lastly this shewes how God mislikes our coldnesse in hearing or praying if we cannot say with the Virgin in Luke the first Chapter and sixe and fortieth verse My hart doth magnifie the Lord. All that comes short of this is hypocrisie pleaseth God like the offering of Cain As Ioseph charged his brethren that they should not come to him for corne vnlesse they brought Beniamin vnto him whom they left at home so God will not haue vs to speake to him nor come to him for any thing vnlesse we bring our heart vnto him which we leaue behinde The tongue without the heart is a flattering tongue the eye without the heart is a wicked eye the eare without the heart is a vaine eare the hand without the heart is a false hand Doest thou thinke that God wil accept a flattering tong a wicked eye a vaine eare a false hand which reiecteth a sacrifice if it be but leane or brused No saith Paule in his first Epistle to the Corinthians the thirteenth Chapter and first verse If I giue all that I haue and haue not loue that is giue not my heart it auailes me nothing he saith not that they which giue not their heart giue nothing but that they shall haue nothing for such offerings he which brings but a myte and brings his heart brings more than he which offers a talent and hee shall goe away more iustified than he which sayd All these haue I kept from my youth vpward for God is not mocked but knowes howe much is behinde though Ananias seeme to bring all He markes how I speake and how you heare and howe wee pray in this place and if it come not from the heart hee repelles it as fast as it goes vp like the smoke which clymes towardes Heauen but neuer comes there Man thinkes when he hath the gift he hath the heart too but God when he hath the gift calls for the heart still the Pharisies prayer the harlots vowe the traytors kisse the Sacrifice of Cain the fast of Iezabel the oblation of Ananias the teares of Esau are nothing to him but still he cries Bring thy heart or bring nothing like a iealous husband wheÌ„ he hath a wife yet he is iealous whether he hath her heart so whatsoeuer thou do yet God is iealous still and respectes not what thou doest but whether thou do it from thy heart that is of meere loue toward him If Pilate had washed his heart when he washed his hands he had bene cleaner than Naaman when hee came out of Iordan if the Sichemites had circumcised their hearts when they circumcised their flesh they had saued their soules when they lost their liues if Cain had offered his heart when hee offered of the fruites his offering had bene as acceptable as Abels But as Swines flesh was like Sheepes flesh yet was not accepted because it came from an vncleane beast so Cains offering Pilates washing the Sichemites circumcision the Pharisies prayer and fastes and almes were as faire as the Apostles yet they had no reward but Wo to you hypocrites because they wanted the heart which is like the fire that kindleth the Sacrifice But will he require our prayers and fastes and almes as he did theirs Yea saith Christ Except your righteousnesse exceede the Pharisies that is Except we giue our hearts beside our lippes and our eares our almes which they gaue wee shall not enter into the Kingdome of Heauen because our righteousnesse doth not exceede the righteousnesse of the Pharisies but their righteousnesse verie farre exceedeth ours Christ doth not bid them wo because they were Pharisies as we are not but because they were hypocrites as we are God delights him selfe in giuing and therefore he loueth a cheerefull giuer but he cannot giue cheerfully which giues not his heart Therefore as Iudas thought the Oyle spent which was powred vpon Christ and wished the price of it in his purse so they grutch grieue when they should doe good and thinke Shall I giue it Can I spare it What will it bring So the good worke dieth in the birth like a bird which droupeth in the hand while the head considers whether he shall let her goe or hold her still as easie to wring Hercules club out of his fistes as to wring a penitent teare from their eyes a faithfull prayer from their lips or a good thought from their heart which cannot affoord the heart it selfe all is too much which they do and they thinke God more beholding to them for blurting out a Pater noster or staying a Sermon or fasting a Friday than they to him for all his benefites and when they haue done what is their reward Woe bee vnto you like the Scribes and Pharisies because you giue not your hearts but your mouthes therefore we do but vexe our selues and loose our labour thinking to make God beleeue that we pray when indeed our lips do but pray whereby it comes to passe as we serue him so he serueth vs our peace is not in deed but in word our ioy is
minister vnto him so we so soone as Christ hath done any thing for vs should rise vp immediatly to serue him And as Annah when she had receiued a sonne from God did consecrate him to God againe so whatsoeuer wee receiue of God wee must giue it to God againe that is vse it to his glorie and make it one of our meanes to serue him for all things which wee receiue in this life are giuen vnto vs lest we should want any means to serue God Then because the Apostle requireth Thankes for all things I shewed you that hee is not thankfull before God which thankes him onely for his benefites but he is thankfull indeede which thankes him for his chastisement It may be while the Lord giueth many will say Blessed be the name of the Lord. But when the Lord taketh who wil say Blessed bee the name of the Lorde When the Lord did take Iob sayd Blessed be the name of the Lord. There is one example then of Pauls doctrine which in all things gaue thankes The Prophet Dauid saith Thy staffe and thy rodde haue comforted me there is another example of Paules doctrine which gaue thankes vnto God for his rod for an obedient childe doth not only kisse the hand which giueth but the rod which beateth After speaking of these wordes Quench not the Spirite I shewed you that Spirit doth signifie the giftes and the motions of the Spirite The Spirite in the third of Matthew is likened to fire and therefore Paul saith well Quench not the Spirite because fire may bee quenched Heere I tooke occasion to speake of zeale which is the fire of the spirit shewing you that God is pleased with zeale as men are pleased with loue but as Christ did baptize with fire so Iohn did baptize with water and as the holy Ghost descended with fire so he did descend with winde that cooleth fire shewing that our zeale should be a temperat zeale as our Maisters was Esaiah was commaunded to crie but not to roare the Iewes might not gather too much Manna no more than they might gather too little As there is a measure in knowledge so there is a measure in zeale that is Be zealous according to discretion as Paule saith Be wise according to sobrietie The Disciples were commended for their zeale when they left all to followe Christ but Christ reprooued them for their zeale when they would pray for fire from heauen to consume the Samaritanes Therefore zeale and discretion vnited together are like vnto the two lyons which supported the Throane of Salomon and hee which hath them both is like Moses for his mildnesse like Phineas for his feruencie therefore as wine is tempered with water so let discretion temper zeale But I neede not bring water to quēch that fire which is out alreadie I would rather I could say of you You are too zealous as Paule told the Athenians they were too superstitious But our sicknesse is not a hot sicknesse but a colde sicknesse the hot bodie is distempered but the colde bodie is dead Zeale was neuer infamous before our dayes the Papists are commended if they be zealous but the Protestant if he be zealous is held in derision Then I shewed you how the spirit is quenched as a man doth quench his reason with ouermuch wine and therefore we say when the wine is in the wit is out because before he seemes to haue reason and now he seemes to haue none so our zeale and our faith and our loue are quenched with sinne Euerie vaine thought and euery idle word and euery wicked deed is like so many drops to quench the Spirit of God Some quench it with the busines of this world some quench it with the lustes of the flesh some quench it with the cares of the minde some quench it with long delayes that is not plying the motion when it commeth but crossing the good thought with bad thoughts and doing a thing when the Spirite sayth Doo it not as Achab went to battell after he was forbidden Sometime a man shall feele him selfe stirred to a good worke as though hee were led to it by the hand and againe he shall be frighted from some euill thing as though he were reprooued in his eare then if hee resist hee shall straight feele the spirit going out of him and heare a voyce pronouncing him guiltie and hee shall hardly recouer his peace againe Therefore Paule saith Grieue not the Spirite shewing that the spirite is often grieued before it be quenched and that when a man begins to grieue and checke and persecute the spirit lightly he neuer ceasseth vntill he haue quenched it that is vntill he seeme to haue no spirit at all but walketh like a lumpe of flesh After Quench not the Spirite followeth Despise not prophecying In the ende of this Epistle Paule speaketh like a father which is come to the ende of his life who because he hath but a while to speake heapeth his Lessons together which he would haue his sons remember when he is gone so Paul as though he were set to giue good counsel and had not leasure to speake that he would sendeth the Thessalonians a briefe of his minde which their meditation should after amplifie expound vnto them His first aduice is Quench not the Spirite that is when a good motion commeth welcome it like a frend and crosse it not with thy lusts The second admonition teacheth how the first should be kept Despise not prophecying and the spirite will not quench because prophesying doth kindle it The third admonition teacheth how to make fruite of the second Trie the doctrines of them which prophecie and thou shalt not beleeue errour for truth but hold the best The fourth admonition is the summe of all and it commeth last because it is longest in learning that is Abstaine from all appearance of euill This is the summe of all for he which can abstaine not onely from euill but from the appearance of euill is so perfect as a man can be in this sinfull life put all these together and it is as if Paule should say Quench not the spirite by despising of prophesying neither despise prophesying because all do no prophecie alike but rather when you heare some preach one way and some another when you see some follow him and others follow him do you trie the doctrines by the Scripture as the men of Beroea did and chuse that which is best and soundest and truest hauing alway such an eye to the truth that you abstaine from all appearance of error so iealous the holy ghost would haue vs of our faith that we set no article vpon our religion but that which is an vndoubted truth As Moses did nothing in the Tabernacle but that which was shewed in his patterne It seemes that there were some among the Thessalonians as there be among vs which did forsake all
he poares and gapes vpon it by little and little the loue of it growes more and more in his heart vntill at last he haue mind on nothing else This was the first dotage of Nabuchadnezzar the second was which I haue built by the might of my power What a vaunt was this to say that he built Babylon when al histories accorde that it was built by Semyramis before Nabuchadnezzar was borne therfore why doth he boast of that which an other did The answere is easie why doe other men so now wee see that euery one doth labour to obscure the fame of others that they may shine alone beare the names themselues especially in great buildings for if they doe but adde or alter any thing in Schooles or Hospitals or Colledges they looke straight to bee counted the founders of them and so the founders of many places are forgotten So it is like that Nabuchadnezzar did adde or alter some thing in this Citie and therfore hee tooke all to himselfe as the fashion hath bin euer since but if none had built it but he had been the founder of it as some would seeme yet this had been a proude and arrogant speech to say which I haue built by the might of my power for it was not he which could build Babel no more then Nemrod could finish Babel but vnles the Lord build the house the builders build in vaine Therefore when he sayth By the might of my power he should haue sayd by the might of Gods power But by this you plainely discerne how hard and difficult a thing it is to hit vpon a right word or a good worke which hath not a good thought to bring it foorth Therefore make the roote sweete or the fruite will bee sower counterfaite as cunningly as you can Lastly when he putteth in for the honour of my maiestie hee sheweth that he was of Absoloms humour who although he had deserued shame yet he would haue fame because hee had no children to keepe his name in remembrance therefore he erected a piller which hee called Absoloms place so many stately houses and places in England beare their names of those Lords or others that do possesse or owe them for the like vanitie Heere Absolom thought to bee buryed as Nabuchadnezzar thought to dwell in his pallace but he was cast into a pit as Nabuchadnezzar was turned into the wildernesse So Shebna made his sepulchre in one Countrie and was buryed in another for why should pride haue the reward of humilitie Humilitie saith Salomon goeth before honour that is to say honour is the reward of humilitie yet Nabuchadnezzar would bee honoured for his pride What had he or Shebna or Absolom done that they should erect such monuments to bee praised after death which were not worthy to be praised in their life before the building Nabuchadnezzar had done nothing worth speaking of for because he liued alwayes like a beast therefore GOD punished him like a beast and did hee deserue now to bee spoken of in all ages for heaping stones together Wee may see that great men are proude of a small matter and they looke to bee praised for euerie thing they doe But looke how GOD ouerthwarteth them for oftentimes in that they looke to make theyr greatest glorie they shame themselues most of all and that which they practise to exalt them doth disgrace them that which they doe to winne them loue getteth them hatred sinne so deceiueth them like the blinde Aramites that they take a cleane contrarie way to their desires as wee may see in the eleauenth of Genesis they which built Babel said they would build it to get them a name but they got shame for they could not finish it when they had begun it but were cōfounded in such sort that they knewe not what they did so sodainly they vnderstoode not what one another said So when Nabuchadnezzar came to himselfe againe he shewed that when hee sought his owne honour honour departed from him and hee was made like a beast but when hee sought Gods honour honour came to him againe and hee was made a King This would pull away many toyes from womens backs if they did cōsider how God maketh them ridiculous by that they weare to make thēselues amiable if they did thinke that the apparell which they clogge on to please the world by the secret iudgement of God did not please but displease they would be ashamed of their attire as Eue was of her nakednesse would they weare such gardes and paint their faces but to please See now how God doth mocke them for they are not liked but disliked and worse thought of for it than they which go in russet coates seeke no praise at all they think am I not braue others thinke is she not proud they think am I not sweete others thinke is she not light yet they dreame that euerie man praiseth them for their brauery as Nabuchadnezzar thought that euery one would honor him for his pallace If their brauerie condemne them before men how will it condemne them before God Therefore when Nabuchadnezzar saith For the honor of my Maiestie he should haue saide for the honour of Gods Maiestie and then this had been recorded for his honour indeed and his house had bin the house of God for as we should speake and studie labour to Gods glorie so we should build also to Gods glorie that our houses may bee like temples as Obadiahs was But few seeke glorie that way they had rather pull downe than build in such sort Thus you haue heard what Nabuchadnezzar spake in secret as though GOD would display the thoughts and pride of such builders These are the meditations of Princes noble men whē they behold their buildings or open their coffers or lookvpon their traine swinging after them they thinke as Nabuchadnezzar thought Is not this great Babel is not this great glorie is not this the traine that maketh me reuerenced in the streets are not these the things which shall make my children rich is not this the house that shall keepe my name and cause me to be remembred and make them which are childrē now speake of me hereafter when they shall passe by and looke vp and see these antikes and knackes ouer their heads they will say oh he which built this was a great man he bare a sway both in court and countrie who but he while he liued Although this king be dead buried yet his pride is escaped come to vs. Nabuchadnezzar hath children yet aliue which build as high as he looke as high as he goe as braue as he spend as vainly as he and are as proud as he although they bee not Kings nor Dukes nor Earles nor Knights nor yet good Squires looke vpon their pallaces and think whether they bee of Nabuchadnezzars brood Is not this great Babel and is not Nabuchadnezzar Lord of it Oh if they might liue to walke in
that day that pride is borne in the heart of man as the false Prophets were schooled to speake as the King would haue them so their eyes and feete and tongues are bound to speake and looke and walke as the proud heart doth prompt them If GOD were in loue with fashions hee were neuer better serued than in this age for our world is like a pageant where euery mans apparell is better then himself Once Christ said that soft clothing is in Kings courts but now it is crept into euerie house then the rich glutton ietted in purple euerie day but now the poore vnthrift iets as braue as the glutton with so many circumstances about him that if yee could see how pride would walke herselfe if she did weare apparell she would euen goe like manie in the streetes for she could not goe brauer nor looke stouter nor mince finer nor set on moe laces nor make larger cuts nor carrie more trappings about her then our ruffians and wantons doe at this day How far are these fashions altered from those leather coates which God made in Paradise if their bodies did chaunge formes so often as their apparell chaungeth fashions they should haue more snapes then they haue fingers and toes As Ieroboams wife disguised her self that the Prophet might not know her so we may think that they disguise themselues that God might not knowe them nay they disguise their bodies so till they knowe not themselues for the seruant goeth like his master the handmaide like her Mistresse the subiect like the Prince as though he had forgotten his calling and mistooke himselfe like a man in the darke which puts on another mans coate for his owne that is too wide or too side for his bodie so their attires are so vnfit for their bodies so vnmeete for their calling so contrarie to nature that I cannot call them fitter then the monsters of apparell For the Giants were not so monstrous in nature as their attires are in fashion that if they could see their apparell but with the glance of a spirituall eye how monstrous it makes them like Apes and Puppets and Vices they would fling away their attire as Dauid flung away Sauls armour and bee as much ashamed of their clothes as Adam was of his nakednesse Pride hath been the deuiser of all these vanities which now neither shame nor lawes nor preaching can take away therefore had we not need to shew you how God resisteth this vice that careth not for any else Who can tell how this weede groweth seeing wee haue nothing to be proud of but more cause to be ashamed of our selues and flie from the face of God and man too then Adam our father had we were earth we are flesh and we shall bee wormes meate what cause hath earth or flesh or wormes meate to be proud We are borne in sinne we liue in miserie we shal die in corruption what cause hath sinne or miserie or corruption to puffe vs but to humble vs there is nothing good which we are proud of but a wise man is ashamed of the same things whereof we boast It is a wonder to see how a gay coate or a gold ring or a wrought handkerchiefe can braue a mans minde that he thinkes better of himselfe that day when he weareth them then any day els and speakes and walkes and lookes after another fashion then he did before If ye could say as the disciples said Luk. 10. 17. Lord the diuels are subiect vnto vs Yet saith the Lord glorie not in this how manie things doe we glorie in which we should not if wee may not glorie in the gift of miracles Euen as a couetous man is greedie of an halfpenie and an enuious man is angrie for a word so the proud man is proud of a fether Therefore shall not God resist them which glorie in all things but himselfe and should glorie in nothing but in him as he did emulate the loftie Babel so he dooth resist these loftie minds But for Pride the angels which are in hell should be in heauen but for pride we which are in earth should bee in paradise but for pride Nabuchadnezzar which is in the forest should be in his pallace but for pride Pharaoh which lies with the fishes should be with his nobles no sinne hath pulled so many down as this which promised to set them vp Of all the children of pride the Pope is the father which sitteth in the temple of God and is worshipped as God The Lords ministers are called seruants and his ministers are called Lords but for pride the Pharisies would haue receiued Christ as gently as his disciples but for Pride Herod would haue worshipped Christ as humbly as the shepheardes but for pride our men would goe like Abraham and our women like Sara as they would bee called their children but for pride Noble men would come to Church as well as the people but for pride Gentles would abide reproofe as well as seruants but for pride thou wouldest forgiue thy brother and thy brother would forgiue thee and the Lawyers should haue no worke But when thou thinkest of these things Pride comes in and saith Wilt thou goe like a hagler wilt thou follow Sermons wilt thou take the checke wilt thou put vp wrong what will men say that thou art a mome and a cowarde and a foole and no man will reuerence thee but euerie man will contemne abuse thee Thus men are faine to put on the liuerie of pride as they put on the liueries of Noble men to shrowd and defend them from the contempt of the world Who hath not felt these counsailes in his heart which would not beleeue that any pride was in him Yet as Absolon was a worse sonne then Adoniah because Adoniah rebelled against his brother but Absolon rebelled against his father so pride hath worse children than vanitie of apparell Tyrannie in Princes ambition in Nobles rebellion in Subiects disobedience in Children stubbornnesse in seruants name Pride and thou hast named their mother therfore shall not GOD resist pride which hath sowed so many tares in his grounde that scarse a man can say like Dauid I am not high minded Psal 131. 1. Giue me the mindes of all men humbled and there is nothing left to raise strife in the worlde But as Iames saith The heart of man lusteth after enuie so the heart of man lusteth after pride though he haue many hart breakes and pull downes and many times no countenance to shew it yet if a little sparke be put to the tow you shal see how soon this flaxe will flame therefore Salomon saith Eccles 3. 10. that all the troubles that God layeth vpon a man haue this purpose to humble him as though al troubles were little inough to humble pride and that but for pride there were no need almost of our troubles For the auoiding
when you heare that saying then remember these examples how he hath fulfilled it before After come the apostles and they shew some hardened some bewitched some blinded Paule tels how Demas fel away and Iohn sheweth how many fel away Thus the Prophets and Apostles on either side and Christ in the mids hold vp this threatning as if it were a pit which all are falling into The soule of man is called the temple of the holy Ghost As God pulled downe his temple when it became a den of theeues so he forsaketh the temple of the soule taketh his graces with him as frō a diuorsed spouse when it lusteth after other loues With any Talent he giueth this charge Vse increase it vntill I come being left at last the commeth againe to see what we haue done The seede was sowen this yeere the Lord cals for fruite none will come the next yeere the next after and none comes at last the curse goeth foorth Neuer fruit grow vpon thee more Then as the figtree began to wither so his giftes begin to paire as if a worme were still gnawing at them his knowledge leeseth his relish like the Iewes Manna his iudgement rustes like a sworde which is not vsed his zeale trembleth as though it were in a Palsie his faith withereth as though it were blasted and the image of death is vpon all his religion After this he thinketh like Sampson to pray as he did and speake as he did and hath no power but wondereth like zedekias how the spirit is gone from him Now when the good spirit is gone then commeth the spirit of blindenesse and the spirit of errour and the spirite of feare and all to seduce the spirite of man After this by little and little first he falles into error then he comes vnto heresie at last hee plungeth into dispaire after this if he enquire God will not suffer him to learne if he read God will not suffer him to vnderstand if he heare God will not suffer him to remember if hee pray God seemeth vnto him like Baal which could not heare at last hee beholdeth his wretchednes as Adam looked vpon his nakednes and mourneth for his gifts as Rachel wept for her children because they were not All this commeth to passe that the Scripture might bee fulfilled Whosoeuer hath not from him shall be taken that which he seemeth to haue As the ship sinketh vpon the Sea while the merchant sporteth vpon the Land and makes him a banquerout when he thinketh that his goods are comming in so while wee are secure and the heart spendeth and the eare bringeth not in by little and little the stocke decaieth and moe become banquerouts in Religion than in all trades beside When a man sinneth he thinketh with himselfe I will doe this no more after another sinne promiseth as much profite as that and hee saith againe I will doe this no more presently another sinne promiseth as much profite as that and hee saith againe I will doe this and no more There goeth strength and there commeth a wound so the soule bleedeth to death and knoweth not her sicknesse till she be at the last gaspe Euen as a man vndresseth himselfe to bed first hee casteth off his cloake and then his coate and then his dublet so when GOD rifleth our hearts he pulleth away one feather after another first he wounds his faith after he strikes his loue then he blindeth his knowledge thē he shall haue no delight to heare the word after he shall growe to hate the Preachers of the word at last he shall euen hate the word it selfe This is the bleeding of the soule or the spiritual consumption when graces drop away as the haires fall from an hoarie head before death Let Achitophel be a spectacle for all to feare he was counted a wise man and a deepe Councellor yet because it was the wisedome of the flesh the storie saith that GOD turned his wisedome into follie and that he might seeme foolish as he was in deede God made him to hang himselfe whereby his follie was more notorious then his wisedome But most notable is the example of persecuting Saul when he began to fall he ran headlong First he fell in hatred of Dauid then he fell in hatred of GOD after God fell in hatred of him Anon the spirit departed from him At last hee sought for helpe at Witches which he had condemned before This is the propertie of sin to spurre a man forward vntill he commit that which he condemneth himselfe that he may be tormented of his owne conscience Now if I might applie this scripture as Christ sayth are there no mo sinners but they vpon whom the Tower of Shilo fell So I may say is the Talent taken from none but from him which hid it in the ground Nay Saul was but a type of many which should loose the spirit Sampson was but a type of manie which should lose their strength Demas was but a type of many which shoulde imbrace the world as Dauid cryeth How are the mightie ouerthrowne So wee may mourne and say how are the zealous cooled how are the diligent tired They which should season others are become like the white of an egge which hath no taste once they seemed to haue fruite but now they are not hanged with leaues As God cryed vnto Adam Adam where art thou so they may cry Zeale where art thou Learning where art thou Conscience where art thou Loue where art thou They which shined like the Sun when they rose seeme now to be eclipsed of their light The world hath won the flesh the flesh hath won the spirit and Iordaine is turned backe As God tooke heat from the fire when it would burne his Children so he taketh knowledge from the learned when they turne it to euill Now when they see such ruines of their gifts with what heart can they thinke I am the tree whom Christ accurseth or I am the seruant of whom it is sayd Take his Talent from him Therefore I say to you as Christ sayd remember Lots wife as her bodie was turned into salt so your wisedome may turne into follie your knowledge may turne into ignorance your vnderstanding may turne into blindnesse your zeale may turne into coldnes therefore let al which haue a Talent take heede how they vse it Three thinges I note in these words then end First Christ saith not It shall be taken from them which haue but from them which seeme to haue Lest they which stande should feare to fall Paul saith not Let him which standeth take heed lest he fall but let him which thinketh he standeth so lest they which haue the Spirit shuld feare Christ saith It shall bee taken from them which seeme to haue Marke how warilie the Scripture speaketh for this speech doth shew that many shall fall and yet it doth shew that none shall fall but they which seem to stand that none shall lose
God Nowe if the companie of wise men can so change one that in a shorte time he representeth their speeches qualities how will them nature and their maners alter which are still talking with God like the beloued Disciple which learned on Christes bosome Fiftlie it is such a sweete thing aboue other things that we do for God that in Reue. 7. the Praiers of the Saints are called incense because when they ascend to Heauen God seemes to smell a sweet sauour like incense Sixtly it is such a profitable things that it doth more good than 〈◊〉 for with mine almes I helpe but three or foure but with my praier I helpe thousandes Praier is the rich-mans almes as well as the poore mans For Pharaoh begged for praiers as well as Lazarus begged for cromes Lastlie it is victorious and powerfull that it ouercommeth God himselfe which ouercommeth all things For if we will ouercome our Lord as Iacob did we must ouercome him with praier This God sheweth when he saith to Ieromiah Pray not for this people Shewing that the praier of the righteous is of such force and power that God is faine to forbid them to pray when he would not graunt lest he should be ouer come This Christ sheweth againe when he resembleth his father to the deaffe Iudge and his suppliants to the importunate woman which cryed vpon him and made him hearken to her as if she had compelled him Therefore one compareth prayer vnto Samsons haire As all Sampsons strength lay in his hayre so all our strength lyeth in praier I haue read of many which write that they did learn more by praying than they could by reading And I haue heard some saie that they haue done that by prayer which they could not doe by counsell In the 17. of Exodus we reade that the Iewes preuailed more by prayer than they could by fight Therefore one saith that he which can pray can do all things because hee can ouercome God which helpeth him to do al things And he which can ouercome God can ouercome the diuell too which hindereth all things Whoeuer fell into heresie or into Apostasie or into despaire before hee fell from praier the preseruatiue of the soule If thou hadst beene heere saith Martha my brother had not died So if prayer had beene heere these euils had not happened This is the Holie water which driueth awaie vncleane spirites as Christ sheweth when he speaketh of the Diuell which is not cast out but by fasting and praier This is the Crosse which saueth vs from euill as Christ sheweth when hee teacheth vs to praie as it is wrtten in the 11. Chapter of Luke Deliuer vs from euill This is the oyle which healeth our sicknesse as Iames sheweth in his fifth Chapter verse 15. when hee saith The praier of faith shall saue the sicke It hath such a hand in all thinges that it is like the sanctifier of euery thing it blesseth our thoughts and blesseth our speeches and blesseth our actions As Abraham blessed his seruaunt before hee wente from so prayer blesseth our workes before they goe from vs. Whatsoeuer thou doest before thou haue blessed it with praier thou haste no promise that it shall prosper nor doe good because hee which should blesse it is not made a counsell to it Therefore we shoulde not presume to vse anie of Gods giftes or anie of Gods graces without prayer lest that which is good doe not good but hurt vnto vs. For this cause S. Paule in the 14. to the Romans and the sixth verse teacheth vs to pray before wee eate For this cause Paule prayed before hee iournied For this cause Eliah prayed before hee sacrificed as it appeareth in 1. King 18. 36. For this cause the Israelites praied before they fought and for this cause wee pray before we preach It is a good thing to preach and yet you see wee doe not presume to preach before wee pray because Paule planteth and Apollo watereth but GOD giueth the increase Euen so wee should not presume to giue Almes nor to giue counsell nor to giue helpe before wee haue prayed that it may doe good Nay wee shoulde not presume to exercise our faith nor our repentance nor our obedience without prayer because there is no faith so Perfect but it had neede of Prayer to strengthen it Also there is no loue so perfect but it had neede of praier to confirme it There is no repentance so perfect but it had neede of prayer to continue it There is no obedience so perfect but it had neede of praier to direct it Therefore hee dooth sinne which presumeth to doe anie good worke without praier because hee seemes to doe it by his owne power for that he craueth not assistance from GOD which giueth power to faith to bring forth works as well as he doth to trees to bring foorth fruites or to Phisicke to bring forth health Therefore no vertue hath done so much as praier hath done For all vertues haue had their power from prayer and therefore one saieth that prayer hath done as manie exploites as all vertues beside The Apostle Paule in the 11. to the Hebrews saith that by faith Noah did this and Abraham did this and Dauid did this and Enoch did this but did their faith anie thing without praier For their faith was strengthened by praier and therefore the Disciples praied Christ to strengthen their faith By praier Eliah made the clowdes to fall By prayer Iosua made the Sunne to stande still By praier Elisha raised the dead to life By praier Moses made the enemies to flie By praier Salomon obtained wisedome So that as Paule in the first to Timothie and fourth Chapter saieth of godlinesse Godlinesse is profitable to all things So I may saie of praier Prayer is profitable to all things The Doue coulde finde no rest for the soale of her foote vntill shee returned to the Arke So the sinner when hee can flye no longer nor suffer anie longer nor helpe himselfe anie longer at last he turneth to praier which is like the Citie of refuge where no enemie where no aduersitie and where no temptation hath power to hurte him Lastly as prayer is excellent in respect of GOD to whome onely it is offered so it is excellent in respect of the godlie who onely offer it For as Paule saieth of Faith in the second to the Thessalonians All men haue not faith So I may say of prayer all men haue not the gift of prayer and therefore Zachariah speaketh of a spirit of prayer And when wee pray Paule sayeth That the spirite helpeth our infirmities prayeth in vs as though there were a peculiar spirite for prayer and none could praye but they which had that spirit I haue knowne many wicked men heare and I haue knowne many wicked men studie and I haue knowen many wicked men fast and I haue knowne
hee brought forth almost a Christian Shall we nowe behold our face in Agrippaes Glasse whether wee bee altogether like Paule or almost like Agrippa or like Festus not at all Christians or no Christians or what kind of Christians are wee There bee many degrees vppon earth but this is the highest degree There be many names of honour but this is the honourablest name there bee many professours of men but this is the best profession to be a Christian that is the Sonne of GOD the fellowe of Angels the heire of heauen yet whether we should be Christians or Christians almost or Christians altogether is a question which troubleth euery man and when altogether is approoued for best yet wee choose almost before it There is some thing alwaies behinde like the eye which looked to Sodome as an Owle peeps at the Sunne out of a barne but dares not come to it so we peepe at Religion and will not come neere it but stande a loofe off pinking and winking as though we were more afraid of GOD than the diuell For self-selfe-loue and regarde of persons and feare of lawes and sway of time more are afraide to be too holie than too prophane because holinesse is worse intreated than prophanesse Goe away and sinne no more because thou art healed Nay goe away and sinne againe because thou art healed As Naaman intreated for one sinne that he might stand before the Idoll when his Lorde leaned vppon his shoulder So this sinne and that sinne will not let vs passe the compasse of almost lest we should haue a perfect reward God would haue nothing so perfect as a Christian for whome he hath giuen his welbeloued Sonne his spirit his Lawe and his prophets That the man of God may be perfect as Paule saith Yet euery thing growes vntill it be perfect the builder buildes till it bee an house The Tailour soweth till it be a garment The painter paints till it be a picture Onely the Christian leaues off before he attaine to bee a Christian and makes a full period at almost That which GOD would haue to be perfectest of all hee had rather haue vnperfect than perfect halfe than all a little wealth a little rest a little honor and a little pleasure seems nothing but a little faith is enough although it be neuer so small a mite We haue a waight of al kinde of mettals a touchstone for gold a measure for grame and we will not take one iot lesse than measure of any man onely wee cut GOD of his waight and measure and waigh our seruice in halfe ballances This I will doe and this I will not doe God shall haue one part and the the world shall haue another part and the flesh shall haue another part and the diuell shall haue another part Thus wee haue brought GOD to his stint aske while hee will hee shall haue no more but almost Almost zealous almost faithfull almost righteous as though almost were better than altogether that is the counterfeite than the truth the shadow than the bodie Paul saith that the Athenians were too religious in worshipping an Idoll Act. 17. 22. But where doth Paul find that excesse in worshipping God we are not too diligent but too negligent where we should be diligent Iames speakeing of our sinnes cals them the superfluity of our maliciousnes whereby he sheweth that though our wickednes be a superfluous and vaine thing yet it ouerfloweth and exceedeth the bankes But Christ speaking of his Disciples progresse in righteousnesse calles them all by this name O ye of little faith c. So he may say of little loue of little zeale c. for all our vertues are little ones and the waters of life are at such an ebbe that the least temptation may wade ouer them and not be drowned God hath a controuersie with vs as he saith with Israell and this is it wee were borne when wisedome cried in the streetes and yet she may call vs fooles and say How long wilt thou hate knowledge Pro. 1. For what could God doe more vnto this vineyard that he hath not done Thirtie yeares we haue been dressing and pruning and watering and yet what is in Ierusalem more than in Samaria In th Vineyarde than in the Mountaines which were neuer tilled nor dressed Howe long shall hee dresse a barraine figge tree which is dead at the roote Our Church is in a consumption her heads are sicke her members weake her Phisitians fearefull From little to little our zeale is come to the last gaspe readie to take her leaue of all because shee see not that wee loue religion but chase it from vs. Her enimies are placed about her shee growes amongest thornes shee is fed with checkes shee mourneth in a corner shee speakes on a reed Her garments are clipt Her friendes dare not defend her for her enimies What shall I saye Wee had rather bee whole sinners than halfe Christians White is counted no coulour so zeale is counted no vertue But meere hypocrisie is counted true Christianitie and true Christianitie is counted by hypocrisie Our wealth is in an Epha our zeale is in a Gomer Our sinne like an Oake our faith like a Mustard seede They which haue no religion are counted honest men for they count it as easie a mater to be a Christian as to saie the Lordes prayer the Apostles Creede the tenne Commaundementes and goe to the church this is countrie Diuinitie this is Citie Diuinitie and I may say Saint Clements Diuinitie He which can sweare that the Pope is Antichrist and that flesh is good on Fridaies is a protestant at least a Christian euerie inche hee hath zeale knowledge and religion in Folio This is the rampier in our daies like a Lion in the passages Almost standeth in the waie before wee can come to altogether and they which wil goe beyond Almost are counted curious factious precise phantasticall as though Almost were more than altogether and altogether were not so much as almost If his righteousnes exceed the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisies which is but Hypocrisie he shal be punished for his righteousnes as if it were a fault as Caine persecuted Abell because his sacrifice was better than his Our sauiour saith Learne of me to be hūble zealous and righteous But now we must learne of other and set a crooked paterne before vs lest we goe too straight We may preach like Iohn as in Matthew 3. Bring forth fruites But wee may not preach like Christ Bring foorth much fruites Iohn 15. For that is counted an vnreasonable seruice of God If we giue him the seauenth daie the seauenth part the tenthes or tithes of our life and of our thoughtes and of our speeches and of our workes it is enough so wee define Altogether out of measure Thus wee dodge with GOD and drawe backe from our promise which we made in baptisme as though hee were not worthie of such a goodly creature to haue
which was after broken If the crowne did lie in the midde way then thou needest run but halfe the way but to shew that there is no reward for them that begin well all the promises are made to him that continueth to the end Hee is cursed not onely which doth euill but hee which dooth the worke of the Lorde negligently or by halfes that is hee which offereth a maymed sacrifice for a sound almost a Christian for altogether Therefore Dauid before hee prayes summoneth his thoughts his speeches actions and saith All that is within mee praise the Lorde as a man giueth that which he thinketh wil be accepted that he may be welcome for it If we did serue an vngratefull master then we might thinke almost enough But Christ did not loue almost when he shed his heart bloud for vs therefore he cannot aske more than he gaue and yet the inheritaunce of his blessings is behinde why shouldest not thou giue as much for them as Abraham or Dauid or Simeon which would haue serued God till this time if they had liued still reformed themselues yet thought they had done nothing as Iacob counted his seruice for Rachel nothing because he loued her but thou thinkest that if thou giuest thy pleasures thou shalt want thy pleasures No as Abrahā did not lose his son when he would haue sacrificed his sonne so God can keepe his pleasures when thou resignest thy pleasures Thou thinkest that God will not misse it as Ananias thought that Peter woulde not misse it but if Peter did misse it will not God misse it So we pare the offering like Elies sonnes which kept the best and fatest to themselues which made the people abhor the sacrifices and shall not God abhor such sacrifices If Ely reprooued his sons how wil God reproue them which reproued Ely for not reprouing thē enough A spirituall eare can heare GOD reprouing this land for this mincing of his worship Can the preaching of the word the signes of heauen the shaking of the earth the victorie of your enemies and all the blessings of God make you but almost Christians almost religious almost thankefull Is this my reward saith God as though you were afrayde to bee too good If you thinke that you shall bee mocked if you bee too zealous as Micholl scorned Dauid when he daunced before the Arke Dauid tels you how you shal stop such scorners mouthes O saith Dauid I will be more humble yet before my God When Michol sawe his resolution she mocked him no more but reuerenced him euer after So tell the Diuell and all his mockers I wil be more zealous more feruēt and more holy yet vntill I be like him which said Follow me and they which mocke thee shall reuerence thee as Michol did Dauid This when thou art in the way to heauen remember that thou must goe forwarde or backward for Iacob did see none stand vpon the ladder which ascended vp to heauen but either thy went vp or down they which go not forward go backward They which will not come so forward as altogether shall not stay at almost but fal from their faith loue and knowledge and zeale by descents till Christes threatning be fulfilled That which they seeme to haue shall be taken from them as though they neuer had any taste at al. Thus I haue set you a glasse to beholde whether you are in almost or altogether Yet Paul lured for Agrippa Now he sues to the people When he had caught the King hee spred his net for the people I would to God that not onely thou but all that heare mee were not onely almost but altogether as I am Hee might wish rather than hope and therefore hee praies I would to God that all were Christians As Moses wished that all coulde prophesie Peter was taught both to feede the sheepe and the lambs great and small and old an young rich and poore So Paul praies for the King and for the people too wisheth that they were all Christians This prayer we may say for them that doe not praye for themselues to make them ashamed when they see other more careful for their soules than they thēselues The Pastours care extendeth to all although some are more to be laboured yet none is to be despised which is but a lamb of the flock Paule doth not wish Agrippa more honour or more wealth or more friēds but more religion which is the greatest want of Princes Although they haue receiued a kingdome yet they are not so thankfull as they which haue receiued nothing but from hande to mouth Though they haue done a thousand times more euil yet they are not so penitent as he which hath done least of all They sit in Gods seat are called Gods but are not like God but like Mammon more than their names and their Crownes except Dauid or Salomon or Iosua a fewe which remember whose person they bear the rest are like Herod and Saul and Nabuchadnezzar which know not from whō their kingdoms come As I am saith Paul directly Paul shoulde haue replied altogether a Christian and not altogether as I am but who shall teach the Spirit to perswade Hee chose to say as I am that Agrippa might see his single heart and loue toward him who went not about to seduce him but wisht it vnto him as vnto him selfe Euen as I am If any thing will perswade most fit is the example when he which teacheth vs goes before vs for then we see that hee dealeth plainly and speakes of loue and meanes no deceit when we see him doe as he saith Saul hath slaine his thousand but Dauid his ten thousand So where another conuerts a thousand hee shall conuert ten thousand which can say like Christ Follow mee Oh what is this when a Christian and I am all one that ye might say to your children I woulde to God thou were a Christian when you say I woulde to God thou were like me The king shoulde bee like Paule by this saying How then doe some say with Festus Too much zeale hath made thee mad If the people know the Lords prayer the ten cōmandemēts the Articles of beleefe it is enough is this to be like Paul No Festus the knowledge of the word doth not make a mā mad but makes him wise to saluation Can that which makes a mā wise make him mad Therefore they which say that we are the worse for knowledge or worse for religion or worse for zeale are like Festus which had neither knowledge zeale nor religion in him And they which teach the people that they shall not neede to be as Paul but that a mediocritie will serue incurre that curse of Paule Hee which teacheth another doctrine than that which yee haue receiued of vs which wished all as perfect as himselfe Let him bee Anathema that is accursed They which loue you like Paul doo not wish you zeale by waight and knowledge by
as though he desired not pardon for their sinnes past but rather leaue for them to sinne still Lastly we doe not see by any circumstance of the storie that they abused their feasts either in suspected houses or prophane cōpany or corrupt speeches or impure gestures or wanton dauncings or vnlawfull daliances or vaine superfluities but that our feasts might be allowed if they were like vnto theirs For first they did feast in their owne houses they did not run to Ordinaries or Ale-houses or Tauernes as they which seeke for the strongest wine or hunt after newes or worse purposes but like good neighbours they inuited one another home and kept their hospitalitie in their owne houses as our Gentlemen should doe that lye about London which are a kind of Non-residents from their poore neighbours Secondly they did not feast euery day like the rich Glutton in Luk. 16. euery one kept his day in the yere whē their feastings came so it is not ment that the sonnes did nothing but feast and the father nothing but pray but as the feasts of the Iewes came at certaine times of the yeare to celebrate some blessings of God so they obserued their feasting times to celebrate their good wils one to another Lastly they did not ioyne themselues with ruffins swearers and tiplers as all are wont to meete together at a feast neither did they inuite the rich to their tables as Iames saith which are feasts of flatterie but they were all of one kinne and one heart brethren and sisters like the Disciples which sate downe together All this doth shew that their meetings tended to nourish amitie that they had respect to the continuance of their peace encrease of their loue one towards another which was the first cause that feasts were instituted in the Primitiue Church therfore called the feast of charitie only that friends and kinsmen and neighbours might meet one with another to receiue the blessings of God reioyce together like Ioseph his brethren lest Christian familiaritie should weare out of vse be forgotten For ye may see in Eccles 2. 24. and 3. 12. and 5. 17. where Salomon speaketh of the ioy and pleasure and delight which we maie take in Gods creatures And againe in Psal 104. 15. where Dauid sayth that as bread was made to strengthen so wine was made to cōfort the heart that God would not only haue vs fed but of his exceeding goodnes he wold haue vs cheered and comforted beside as he sheweth by this aboundance of his creatures in that he hath ordained so many things moe thē we need Why did God create mo things then we need but to shew that he alloweth vs needful comfortable things for al good things which were not created for need were created for delight Therfore euen the Scriptures haue commended solemne feasts in Le. 10. Num. 29. Exo. 23. where ye may reade of sundrie feasts cōmanded by God himselfe as the feasts of gathering fruits the feasts of trūpets the feasts of Tabrnacles the feasts of new Moones the feasts of reconciliation the feasts of dedication of the temples c. Beside it is said that Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned Gen. 21. 8. So it is sayd of Sampson that he made a feast whē he was married Iud. 14. 10. and at a feast in Canaan Christ shewed the first miracle that euer he wrought turning water into wine Ioh. 2. If feasts had been vnlawfull Christ would not haue been there therefore the wiseman saith there is a time to laugh as well as he saith there is a time to weepe Eccl. 3. 4. whē he saith there is both a time to laugh weepe he implieth that the time to laugh is not euery day as it is said of Diues that he fared deliciously euerie day Luke 16. for then there were a time to laugh but no time to weep Therfore if ye wil know the time whē to laugh whē to weep God hath set Vriah for an example when the Church was quiet his countrie safe Vriah could reioyce aswell as other but when the Church was troubled his countrie in daunger though the king bad him go home eate and drink solace with his wife he would not doe so but said the Arke of Israel and Iudah dwelleth in tents and my Lord Ioab and the seruants of my king abide in the open field and shall I go to my house and eate and drink and be merrie with my wife by thy life by the life of my soule I will not doe this thing See what a sin he coūted it to feast then which at another time he counted no sin Therfore if ye aske whē it is time to feast when to fast learne of Vriah he forbad not to feast but if he shuld see your feasting now he would say as Elisha sayd to Gehezi Is this a time to take a reward Is this a time to make feasts nay the father and the sons both had need to rise earely now and sacrifice together for if euer the house were falling vpon our heads as it did vpon theirs now the Diuell hath sent foorth his windes now the Pope hath layd his Ordinance nay our owne hands which should proppe it are digging as busily as the enemies with reproaches and slaunders and suggestions to vndermine the Church which is falling alreadie that wee might die like the Philistines with the temple vpon our heads Is this a time to feast Vria when the house of God is beset like the house of Lot when the armies of Antichrist are preparing against Gods people As the voyce asked Zacharie and Amos and Ieremie what they did see So if ye aske your Prophets what they doe see they may say they doe see the woolfe deuouring the lambes We see a darke ignorance running ouer the lande like the blacknesse of Aegypt wee see the Romanes comming in againe as they came to Ierusalem and sacking the temple we see the Papists caruing of Images the people kneeling before them we see the professors of the Gospell shrink away as the Disciples fled frō their Master when he was taken Is this a time to feast Vria Is this a time to flatter Is this a time to dissemble Is this a time to loyter Is this a time to keep silence Is this a time to gather riches Is this a time to reuenge wrōgs Is this a time to set forth pageants No saith Ezekiah 2. King 19. 3. This is a time of tribulation in which the Prince Nobles people should humble themselues as the Citizēs of Niniuie left the Arke be taken from England as the Arke was takē from Israel which God grant that our eyes neuer see Thus much of Iobs childrē how euery one had his seuerall house which sheweth how God blessed thē with riches as he did their father what care Iob had like a father to prouide for them then how