thee but thou must be so vnited and knit vnto him as the soule to the bodie the beames to the Sunne the braunches and armes to the body of the tree The glasse that is obscured and dimmed with dust A similitude presenteth not aright our counterfeit vnto vs If the soule be ouer-layde with the dust of this worlde the image of God after which we were created which is our right face is not to be seene in vs. Such horses as are put to grinde in the mil A similitude haue their eies blinded that they might fitly execute that office we must blind our worldly eies that we may the readier dispatch such dueties which the Lord shall lay vpon vs. In a gentlemans great horse A similitude it is the best grace and quality that commendeth him that he is ruled by the bridle and keepeth his circles lists and roundes that the rider wil putte him to there is nothing that graceth vs more than to liue in the compas and streight course of Gods commandements to suffer gods word to be a bridle to our lusts and a bitte to keepe vs from the race of our sinnes Herod was first dead Math. 2 before that Christ woulde returne out of Egypt into the land of Iudea we must first die to the world and sin before Christ Iesus wil enter into our soules There was a certayne Musitian who of such schollers who were initiated and taught by others before required double the summ of mony which he tooke of others who were informed but by himselfe alone and his reason was because he considered that double the labour must be taken with them first in rooting out their former balld fashions after which they had bin taught and then in planting and fixing in their mindes his owne ordinary compendious course quite contrary to the other by which they might exactly and perfectly be taught So if we will be trained vp in the schoole of Christ and will professe our selues his scholers Christ must needes take double paines with vs Hee must first make vs to forget our olde lessons which our former badde Schoolemaisters the worlde the flesh and the diuell had before taught vs and then to take out new which his holie spirite shall put into our hearts which tacheth vs all wisedome Augustus taking vppon him to beautifie his Empire and to leaue Rome made of marble which he found made of brick acquainted one Apollonius Thyanaeus with his purpose and asked his direction for his better proceeding the Philosopher thus answered him that if hee would happily atchieue that which hee professed he must set before his eyes the course that memorable Musician did take with his sonne whom he would not instruct himselfe but sent vnto an vnlearned Musician to be taught who gaue him this caueat and memento onely to carry away with him and he should speede wel enough to marke wel the fingring lessons of his maister and doe cleane contrary for they were exceeding naught So to beautifie and adorne our soules and to be perfect schollers in Gods worde it is meete for vs to be taught of the world to marke but the worlds fashions and to doe the contrary and wee shall make a good profession forasmuch as the word with this present euill world can neuer be lincked and combined together The condition of mans minde is like his estate A similitude whose middle part of his body is taken with a palsie by reason whereof his ioynts being dissolued that part is so benummed as it is made insensible but the other part that is not strooken with it but is sound and healthfull is nimble and pliable vnto any outward action It fareth thus with the soule and mind of man for when it should apply it self to holy exercises it is snatched away with a worldly palsie which maketh vs senslesse in these kinds of duties but a remainder of it that is not touched is very full of life rauished and transported with the loue of earthly things The pleasures of this world are the diuells baits that he layeth for our soules and this is the poyson which the whore of Babylon tempereth and seasoneth in sauory meate and in her cup of gold As the Moon neuer suffreth an eclips A similitude but when it is at the ful so is thy soul neuer darkned and eclipsed but when it is glutted and fulfilled with the world Moreouer A similitude as the Moone in hir fulnesse is most distant and remooued from the Sune so our saturity and fulnesse of this world as it was with Sodome we forget God that made vs and the strong God of our saluation and are furthest off from the son of righteousnes Christ Iesus our Lord and the light of our saluation Augustine by an elegant and dainty similitude shaddoweth and setteth foorth the nature of the world an extream and irreconcileable enemy vnto God A similitude He likeneth the loue of the world vnto bird-lime which so fast hangeth and cleaueth to the soule as it holdeth it below and suffereth it not to climb to higher motions that it might be saued These are his words Amor rerum terrenarum viscus est spiritualium pennarum August The loue of earthly thinges is the bird-lime to our spirituall wings Now how we are fettered and entangled with this lime he sheweth vs saying Si concupiuisti haesisti If thou couet thou art catched of it It is impossible but that the world shuld be euery way like it selfe and follow his own nature It is incident to the flesh to fight against the spirit and it is the trick of the world to be at ods with God riches and righteousnes wil hardly be combined A vessell cannot but retaine the sauour of that liquor that is in it A similitude If into a glasse that is full of vinegar thou shalt drop a little honny the sweeter substance being nothing in quantity to the contrary sower subiect it vanisheth away and is consumed of it In our bodies are vessells full of sower affections the little sweet honny of the word of God thorough the redundance of the other is easily ouercome as often as it shall be distilled therevnto He that will loue God A similitude and will not loath the world but thinkes he may haue gold and godlinesse together and chace away sinne and not chace away his sinfull worldly couetousnes is like him that desirous to driue away a dog doth cast a bone or crust of bread vnto him The god of this world is at enmity with God they are two contrary imperious maisters that will not bee serued together He that loueth the world 1. Iohn 2 the loue of the father is not in him Is it possible to performe true allegiance to thy prince A similitude and be in league and pay with his greatest enemy Gal. 5 If we liue in the flesh we shall die But if we shall kill the
painted and varnished yet not fully finished they admire the passing perfection of it deeming that nothing can be added further to it but the Painter himselfe seeth well enough hauing a further worke conceiued to himselfe then others can desire how far it is distant from the hue and brauerie which he mindeth to giue vnto it before he hath done with it So thinke we as we will of the beautie of Gods house of the inestimable treasures and pleasures of his kingdome dispearse them and extend them as farre as we may by all imagination we are bleare eyde with Leah and we see with the blind man not yet fully cured Mark 8. men walking like trees things nothing answerable to that they are indeede Before the chiefe workeman hath put his last hand to his image and counterfeit it will shew it selfe wide and distant from our iudgement Some thinke that Coelum which is called heauen commeth of Coelo which is to engraue and so it may well for we see how it is carued graued and adorned round about with glistering and orient starres But I subscribe to them who thinke that Coelum is taken à coelo which is to couer hide and conceale because the treasure laide vp for vs in heauen is couered concealed 2. Cor. 12. and hidden from our knowlege For whenas Paul was snatched vp to the third heauen he vttered more with silence then he could with speech for he plainely saith he heard such wordes which cannot be spoken which are not possible for a man to vtter for indeed mans tongue in such kinds of cases stammereth and cleaueth to the roofe of his mouth so disable it is to vnfold diuine misteries So that our chiefest commendation of them is our silence of them Isai 24. And this vse did the Prophet make of them to himselfe who being ful of secret Reuelations kept them in a dutifull silence to himselfe saying My secretes are to my selfe God his wondrous workes so exceede all number measure and proportion as it is more commendable to conceale them with a godly admiration then to prie into them with a curious inquisition A similitude Set a round bowle or globe in any place which is of that quantitie that may fill the place and will that vast substance thinke you be dragged out of the narrow and strait passages of the doore of that place there is no reason so to thinke the spirituall ioyes of heauen are of that huge capacitie and substance Cui magno nihil est magnum â—eneca there being nothing great in comparisoÌ„ of this great as they cannot enter into the doores of our soules or be drawne through the portall and passage of our lippes The Queen of the South comming from farre to heare Salomons wisedome â— King 10 it perplexed and astonished her and tooke her spirit from her how much more shal the wisedom of the word farre greater then Salomons put vs to filence and amaze vs sodenly Christ informing Nicodemus but in the rudiments of religion Iohn 3 and beginning with him at the first element of our redemption pointing as it were with his finger at the fountaine and head thereof which is the loue of God to mankind he handleth it so as thereby we are not able to see the nature of it for saying thus of it so God loued the worlde that he gaue his onely begotten Sonne this first word so putteth vs to a non plus For how did he loue it he loued it but so as cannot be expressed And he cannot speake otherwise because hee knoweth Gods loue to be vnspeakable The blessed Apostle entreating of the passion Heb. 12 not being able in particulars to extend it thus generally comprehendeth it Consider him who hath suffered such shame for you But Paul what was this shame why rippest thou not vp his stripes and his blowes his mockes and his mowes the crowne the nailes the speare the crosse because howsoeuer they were liuely and sensible yet were not sufficiently explicable and intelligible We will you likewise to consider of the word as of a Treasure and a Pearle of great price If further we would know the vttermost of his worth the spirit answereth here that it is hidden from vs it is more then any is able to declare The treasure of inward heauenly inspiration the pleasure of diuine celestiall consolation the crowne of glorie laide vp as a reward of our bitter persecution and finally God our father his most gracious compassion by the tongue of men or Angels cannot be spoken of they are hidden mysteries that are too deep for vs. This Treasure is hidden because it hath neede of spirituall Reuelation It is not so hidden but that whatsoeuer is needful to saluation is opened vnto vs. God dealeth not as Poets and Philosophers with the truth who with the darke clowdes of their fabulous inuentions haue so eclipsed and obscured the cleere light therof as the minds of the readers are confounded with them and can giue no iudgement of it Gods spirit hath not so mocked dallied with vs as to set actuaries and penne-men a worke to engrosse such books which being so perplexed can minister no instruction comfort vnto vs in this kind of vaine may Apollo please himselfe â— Pet. 1 God his worde is a light that shineth vnto vs out of a darke place This booke howsoeuer it is sealed vp by the Lion that is of the tribe of Iudah is broken open to vs. Howsoeuer heretofore Exod. 19 vpon the publication and giuing of the law the Lord ouershadowed all Mount Horeb with a clowde and with a thick clowd obscured the temple that was made by Salomon and couered the Arke of the couenant with a vaile 1. Reg. 10 Christ the image and brightnesse of his Father hath dispelled this darknesse chased away this cloud taken away the vaile So that as Elias when he went vp to heauen 2. Reg. 2 left his mantle to Elizeus behind him whereby he diuided the deep waters of Iordan so Christ going vp on high Ephes 4 left his wisedom and gifts among men whereby they might diuide the deepe misteries of the spirit contained in the scriptures If Pharao be nothing skilfull in his dream let him send for Ioseph who is able to interprete it If Nabuchad-nazzar his vision doth perplex him Gen. 41 if he calleth Dauiel he wil presently vnfold it Dan. 2. 4 Ananias will informe and acquaint Saul what he ought to do Actes 9. The Aethiopian Queenes Chamberlaine vnderstandeth what he readeth by the helpe of Phillip So Acts 8. if we find the Scriptures to be hidden let vs send for preachers who may lay them open for vs. But aboue all 1. Cor. 3. let vs pray for the assistance of the spirit of God knowing that it is neither Apollo in watring or Paul in planting that doth vs any good but God that giueth increase wee may haue
deeds of the stesh with the sword of the spirit we shal liue for euer Be we circumspect therfore and let vs look about our selues and let this holy Canon be alwaies in our minds If ye loue God Psal 97 hate the thing that is euill We make our boast of God all the day long Psal 44 and his name is in our lippes but it is in vaine since the loue of the world is wholy seated and ingrafted in our hearts Whenas God before he would couenant with vs would we should be circumcised it is plaine enough that his mind is that first we should circumcise the outward man and cut off with the knife of the spirit our ingenerate corruption or else he wil not haue any doings with vs. Themistocles on a time made asolemne sermon to the people of Athens giuing them to know that he could acquaint them with that which was most behooueful and needfull for their estate but it was a secret and not to be blurted out published vnto all but only to be priuatly imparted vnto some few of trust such whom the magistrats in this case should depute to haue audience of this matter Herevpon with the general consent of al the cause was referred to Aristides his hearing authorised by them to determine of it and according to his iudgement to approue or disallow of it now al the mystery and secrecy was this that it was meete to set on fire the whole Grecian Nauy that thereby so weakning and infeebling their power the Athenians might be lords and commanders of all Grecia Aristides repairing to the Senate with his newes certified the bench that Themistocles his counsaile was most profitable but therewithall most vnlawful Thus this Pagan may condemne vs Christians who while we respect wordly gaine too much do esteem of the gain of godlines too little Euen as a ring that is vpon one finger A similitude can not be put vpon another vnlesse it be first drawn off from the former so the heart being lincked to earthly things it cannot be fit for heauenly matters before it hath put off the former disposition Wherefore since both these treasures will not be consorted and the purchase of this heauenly and hidden treasure exceedeth by infinite degrees all the riches that the world may yeeld vs we do wel if with this Marchant we take hold of this excheat whatsoeuer it doth cost vs. CHAP. X. ¶ Of the necessitie of our mortification and the adiuration of all our worldly lustes vnder the person and example of this Ieweller who made a simple sale of all that he had for the purchase of this Treasure and Pearle of great price euidently euicted ONE thing is necessary Luke 10 saith Christ to Martha and of this with Mary this Ieweller maketh choice For the purchase whereof he doth not sticke to renounce and giue vp his state and property in all his worldly hereditaments and emoluments of whatsoeuer nature and condition they are He dodgeth not with God Act. 5 as Ananias did with Peter keeping part behind He putteth not his hand to the Lords plough and hath an eie with Lots wife vnto Sodome Luke 9 He minceth not God of any part of his dew as the King of Arams muster-master 2. King 5 excepting with the Prophet his worship with his master in the house of Rimmon It is not the pleasure or profit of the world that he standeth at with God Phil. 3 but he reputeth all things with the Apostle as doing for the gaine of godlinesse This man is euery christian mans looking-glasse in whom we may behold that image of perfection that is pleasing vnto God and by which we may see how to reforme such blemishes which disguise vs so much and make vs so vnclean and laothsom in his sight We are reasonably contented to part stakes with God and willing enough with the false mother 1. King 3 who pleaded for the diuision of the child before Salomon to diuide him out halfe of that all which is his portion dealing with God altogither like as Hanun with the seruants that were sent from Dauid 2. Sa. 10. who shaued off half their beards from their faces and slashed off their garments from the middle to the buttockes But God may not indure such paltring at our hands The true mother may not abide to heare of the mangling of her child and Dauid may not digest such barbarous indignity offered to his seruants and God may not suffer him selfe to be so mocked as to haue his glory of which he is so iealous communicated vnto others Very many we find howbeit otherwise of very proper parts induments of nature who halt with God too much and cannot without strugling to one way or other keep in the right way we are as the graine that wanteth measure and the gold that will not hold weight There is in euery one of vs somewhat which blemiseth and disgraceth all our beauty Many albeit they are of chaste behauior of very ciuil nature and as by outward appearance it seemeth of religious disposition yet are their minds fixed vpon couetousnes they go after worldly thoughts and incomber themselues with Martha about many things Luke 10. They cannot be parted by any meanes from their profit or stride ouer those blockes that lie in their way or deuote themselues wholy with this Ieweller vnto God Wee find other some of liberall and bountifull affections yet violently miscaried with a desire of ambition There was death in the pot 2. King 4 which marres al the broath of the children of the prophets so some sinnefull profit or pleasure alwayes spoyleth whatsoeuer good graces the Lord giueth vs beside There is none of vs who doth not hucke with God who is not ready for some excuse or other we ask our flesh our lusts our pleasures leaue and if they consent not to it God is answered as Pharao answered Moses Nabal Dauid Matth. 21 1. Sa. 15. and the Lord of the vine-yard was aunswered when he demaunded fruites Who is the Lord saith Pharao vnto Moses that I should let Israel got who is the Lord saith the stubborne soule that I should let my sinfull pleasures go Who is Dauid and who is the sonne of Ishai saith Nabal that I should take my bread my water my flesh which I haue killed for my shearers and giue it vnto men whom I know not whence they be These be the termes wherer vpon we do stand we commune the case in this wise with Nabal who is Christ the sonne of Dauid that I should take that which I haue deputed to my pleasure and my sin and giue it vnto him Be not deceiued God will not be stinted he will haue all or nothing at all of thee and when thou giuest all thou giuest him but his owne Thou dost but like the coppy holder that payeth his rent and performeth his bounden homage and seruice vnto his Lord the