Conscientia mille testes O but heare in the end what is prepared for such wicked and insolent sinners who hath such pleasure in this world with their abhominations procures the heavie wrath of God even this is prepared for them Cruciabuntur in saecula saeculorum in stagno ardente igne sulphure they shal be tormented for ever ever in a burning lake of fire brimston O that the horror of this sētence might make vs mark our owne blindnes and amend our beastly life Nol ti fieri sicut equus et mulus quibus non est intellectus Be not like the horse or the Mule which hath no vnderstāding as the Prophet would say be not so brutish nor so voyd of reason nor yet set not thy saluation to such a small reckoning O thou reader I will request thee all mankind ever to remember and hold this most worthy and infallible sentence printed in thy heart Hoc momentum vnde pendit aeternitas This short life is the very moment whereon dependeth all eternitie either the eternall joyes of heaven or else the eternall paines of hell O J say againe remember this true sentence and haue a continuall care of this moment and spend it not in such idle vanities Agree with thine aduersarie quickly whiles thou art in the way going with him least thine aduersarie deliuer thee to the Iudge and the Iudge deliuer thee to the jaylor and the jaylor cast thee in prison where thou shalt not come out till thou haue payed all How carefull should we be in this little moment of our life to prevent the intollerable and endlesse burning paines of hell What would the damned soules in hell doe if they were in this world againe how would they spend this moment to escape that vnspeakable torture that ever-burning Gehenna where nothing else is but goashing of teeth and everlasting horrour yea and worse than the tongue or heart of man can tell or thinke out of the which part there is no redemption Good Christian Reader againe I will request thee and all sinners to print this in the depth of thy heart And I my selfe I confesse to be a most greevous sinner when I thinke vpon the losse of pretious time it shrills my wearie soule with griefe it wearies my dayes and disturbs my rest with that holy Prophet Dauid I crie to God with a repenting heart O Lord remember not the sinnes of my youth nor my ignorance but according to thy great mercies remember thou me euen for thy goodnes sake O Lord The workes of our Lord God are great and wondrous they are incomprehensible and yet his mercies exceedes all his stupendious workes therefore once more let vs consider so neere as wee can the great works of God the creating of all things The heauens sayes the Prophet Dauid sets forth his glory and the firmament shewes the workes of his hands The earth the seas and all living creatures therein the strange course of every thing in heaven in earth the naturall inclination of all living creatures Look on the seas how they are limited that they shall not passe their bounds but keepes their due course Looke on the creation of mankinde he hath made vs according to his owne image and of the verie dirt and slime of the earth hath he created and formed vs he hath also made vs subject to many infirmities of Nature the filthinesse of our flesh the excrementall corruption of many sundry and strange diseases which are naturall and insident both to man and woman And what would this carcase of ours be if it had not the change of cleane cloathes it would be naught else but a masse of vermine and with time the smell of our flesh would be loathsom and so in the end wee would putrifie and consume to naught O man why is all this done onely to base our pride and God hath done it to let vs see what stuffe wee are made of and what bath our good God done more Within this earthly vessell of our body he hath placed a soule made of a devine and heavenly substance adorned with all her faculties and garnished with reason The Prophet Dauid sayes Little inferiour to the Angels And besides all this he hath cast vnder our feete all kinde of other creatures and aboue all his workes that work of vdspeakable loue that miraculous worke of our redemption and yet the mercie of our Lord God goes farre aboue and farre exceedes all his wondrous works for the holy Prophet Dauid sayes The Lord is good and kinde to all and his mercies are aboue all his great and wondrous works And heare what our good loving God sayes more with his owne mouth The mountaines shall remoue the hills shall fall downe but my mercie shall not depart from thee neither shall I breake the couenant of my peace saith the Lord that hath compassion on thee What great and true confidence may we then haue in Gods mercie he sayes againe by the mouth of his Prophet The Lord doth attend the sinners conuersion to the end he may take mercy on him and thereby be exalted Yet heare more what God speakes to Ezechiel the Prophet Say vnto them as I liue saith the Lord God I desire not the death of the wicked but that the sinner should turn frō his sinful life liue And farther with what great cōpassion goes he on to allure perswade his people to convert O sayes he Turne you turne you from your wickednes for why will you perish and die O you house of Israell How many kind loving perswasions doth our loving God giue vs to draw neere and come home to him What gentle kind corrections what large and great space of repentance what wonderfull sweet Parables of our Saviour Jesus Christ in the Evangell Of the good sheepheard who brought back the sheep vpon his shoulders which had gone astray what joy and feasting makes hee with his friends and of the honest woman when shee findes her lost peace of siluer And the pittifull father with teares of mercie compassion receaved his forlorn sonne with what joy and gladnes did hee embrace him Here doth our sweet Saviour Iesus shew what great joy is in heaven at the convertion of a sinner Our loving God again entring in more conference with the sinner he begins to reason with him Thou sayest that I am ritch and encreased with goods and full of substance and that I haue need of nothing and doest thou not know how poore thou art how wretched how miserable how blinde and how naked thou art Then our Saviour goes on with sweet perswading speeches to allure the sinner saying I counsell thee to buy of me gold tried be the fire that thou mayest be made ritch and white rayment that thou mayest be cloathed and that thy filthie nakednesse may not be seene and anoint thine eyes with eye-salue that thou mayest see And
dulnes of our vnderstanding can not reach to this the hypocrit wil sigh grone at a preaching be his behavior he wil appear to the world to be a reformd maÌ„ But ô the villain wil not make restititutioÌ„ of wrangous geir nor wil pay duety for oppression so that the iniquitie of the impious hypocriticall presitian leans alwaies to the mercy of God they never think on his justice O ignorant foole is he GOD of mercie so is he GOD of Justice Vengence is mine saith the Lord I visit the sinnes of the fathers vpon the third and fourth generations Want of feare makes the sinner sensles they builde so much on faith that the pride of their faith makes them faithles in whom I say againe shall the vpright man trust when the world is so full of deceitfull villany Beware of that man sayeth the Italian who giues thee fairer words then he was wont to giue thee for he is either minded to deceaue thee or else he hath deceaved thee alreadie then againe the Italian cryes out De gli ' amici mei guarda me dio d' gli inimici mei guardro benio And yet for all this what if a man had Argus eies to watch deceit Yet hee may be deceiued such is the craft of the subtle deceiuer O thou deceiving Hypocrasie what an Eie-blinding behaviour What an externall shew of chirping pietie putst thou on to mask thy damnable deiling The pride and envy of the heart covered with out-ward dissimulation seemes to correct vyce and spit at sinne thou walkst on the streets with a down-east look to Hell thy modest apparell is the onely coverture of Gluttonie Ambit on and Venery this is the true garment of civilitie thy common and smooth speaches is all compunde with borrowed spcriptures thy be yea and na is no swearing but both crost and curst is he who beleeues thee Quoniam non est in ore cornm veritas How brauelie doeth S. Peter paint such men in their owne collours when he saieth Through couetousnes shall they with fained words make marchandries of you their judgement is not far off and their damnation sleepeth not And againe heare what our Saviour cries out O generation of Vipers how can you speake goode things when you are euill your selues Thou atr a sighing â—ulla-fidian brother who is not ashamed to call thy selfe a brother in Christ sigh sob forth thy villanie and be dambd How many and wondrous damned sectes and opinions are spred on the face of the earth and every one to affirme their owne erraesie will lay hand on Scripture wresting the word of GOD to be a warant to their dreaming inventions O thou Religion how art thou changed And with what strange and divers collours art thou painted with How is thy face dis-figurd and thy apperrell polluted And with in grate wormes of the Earth how art thou transformde How can the simple soule knowe thee Or to what hand shall he turne to when so many contrare opinions are at such a miserable strife It is onely to the humble heart that the treuth is manifested and the true passage of Heaven is discovered because Iesus Christ hath placed his Tabernacle in the Soone and he hath builded his Church like a great Cittie on the top of a Mountaine blind Arrogance can not nor will not see it Our Saviour hath bought it with no lesse price then the price of himself he hath made it a glorious Church without spot or wrinkle hauing no blame at all Let Hereticks bark and hellish spirits rage against the truth what then Et porti inferi non preualerunt Let detestable errors and all the authors of sects let all such vipers I say turne their infectious stings in their owne bosomes Sed vestrum quis basiliscus erit woe be vnto you adulterers of Gods word and woe he vnto you who shuts vp the kingdome of heauen before men for you your selues will not enter nor will ye suffer them to enter who willinglie wolde enter O serpents the generation of Vipers how can ye escape the damnation of Hell Dira tibi cum sis vt Cham execratio certa est nam matrem rides risit ut ille patrem Ye shall knowe them be their frutes of vain glorie pryde emulation sedition contention and vndantoned lust of the flesh And more then all this you shall knowe them by vnpardonable sinnes against the holie Ghâ—st to wit Impugnatio veritatis inuidentia fraternae gratiae presumptio impenitentia obstinatio disperatio The haynous blasphlemie against the holy Ghost shall never be forgiuen in this world nor in the world to come For their vine is of the vine of Sodome and Gomorach ther grapes are of gall their clusters are most bitter their vines are the poyson of Dragons and of the cruell gall of Cockatrises O thou man of God J request thee to say with the Prophet Dauid Iudica me Deus decerne causam meam de gente non sancta ab homine iniquo doloso erue me Deus Let wisdome furnish the patience to contrare-poyson the contagious teeth of such mad dogs in these Canicular dayes what detestable a thing is it to see and heare a fraternitie of obstinat ignorants barking amongst themselues at their owne errors to spoyle scripture wrong Religion and pratle of divinitie stil arrogant and euer scorning to be censurde with the more auncient and grauer judgements Jt is no wonder but the wonder of this wondrous error should make the hearers amasd Who would not smyle at the gesture of a young Philosophical fellow who in his youth-heid hes bene anointed with Oleum Philosophorum to hear him in his tedeus talk of Jugling sophestry in superfluous circumlocutions in his far-fetched exemples in base applications in a never-ending discourse seemeth to himselfe a most rare scoller by art then by nature he proues not else but a redicolus foole these are they whom the Apostle S. Paul bids you be ware of that their vain deceiuing Philosophy corrupt you not which are not else but the traditions of men Let al men of a soled vnderstanding allow the Spanish Proverb A palabras locas orejas surdas y que a mucho hablar mucho errar The Charleton or as the Dutch-man cals him the Quick-siluer This cogging raskall will stand vpon a Market place and there with a boulde errected face he will beginne and tell of many invented miracles how his Oyles and Waters hath done such rare wonders in restoring health to the diseased persons in curing as it were incurable wounds and presentlie he will produce some fained Charter seald with walx to approue his villanie and be this meanes he perswades poore ignorants to buye his poysoning drogs This is he who will vndertake to mend any thing what-som-ever The Mutebanky in Italie are not so full of deceit but I grant in their subtle villanies they goe farre
cares and take vp our crosse and follow Christ His yocke is sweete and his burthen is light we shall not walke in darknesse Let vs say with S. Augustine Et tu Domine vsque quoquam diu quam diu Cras cras quare non modo quare non hac hora finis est turpitudinis meae O Lord how long wilt thou suffer me thus How long How long shall I say to morrow to morrow why should I not convert now Why should there not be an end of my filthy lyfe even at this very instant And let vs all say with the holy Prophet Dauid O Lord create a new heart in me and renew my spirit and that we May cast off the ould man and put on the new man O Lord giue vs grace hereafter that we may walke circumspectly and not like mad and insolent fooles in ignorance blindnesse and errour that we may redeme the time that we haue spent in sleuthfulnesse and idlenesse Try me O GOD and search my heart saieth Dauid proue me and examine my thoghts Consider if there be any way of wickednesse in me and then O Lord lead me in the way of eternitie I pray GOD let vs never like dogs turne to our vomet stay still with vs O Lord because it is neere the night When S. Peter saies And if the righteous scarcely can be saued where shall the vngodlie and the sinner appeare What a perellous speech is this for vs poore and miserarable sinners who still heapes sinne vpon sinne Therefore deare brother let vs cry O Lord enter not into judgement with vs take all our sinnes and iniquities and bury them in the bleeding wounds of thy dearly beloved Sonne Jesus Christ Let the temporall punishments of this life deliver vs and redeme vs from the eternall paines of hell Let vs all say with S. Austein Hic vre hic seca vt in aeternum parcas O good GOD mollifie our hearts and let vs not be hardned when we heare thy voyce giue vs that strength of grace that the filthy vapors of our sinnes extinguish not thine holy spirit in vs. Da seruo tuo Domine cor docile Giue vnto thy servant O Lord a tractable heart to receaue instruction And O GOD we pray thee to remember thy promise Ad quem respitiam nisi ad pauperculum contritum corde timentem sermones meos To whom will I haue regard or shew my favour but vnto the poore and humble of heart vnto the contreat spirit and to such as trimble at my speeches Thou never yet O Lord despised the sacrifice of a contreat heart So long as the sinner remaines within the darkned and misty vapors of all wickednesse he can not beholde the odeous and vylde leprosie nor the filthy apparell which sinne cleideth his soule with all the devill blinds him but when he reteares himselfe from wickednesse and walkes on the faire way of Repentance or when he stands vpon the Mountaine of Amendement and then lookes forth from the turrat of a good-life beholding the filthy shape and the ougly portrate of sin O how will he then detest himselfe that hath bene so long swatring in that filthie myre in that stinking puddle of sinne putrified with all abhominations and how loathsome will such company be to him thereafter he will eschew them as a contagious pest and say with the Prophet Dauid Discedi te à me omnes qui operamini iniquitatem quoniam exaudiuit Dominus vocem fletus mei Goe from me all ye workers of iniquitie because my GOD hath heard my weeping voice and hath receaved my prayer or else he will intreate the wicked man with gentle perswasions with good examples and loving admonitions to shake off that filthie and contagious habiet which infects the soule and keepes him back and debarres him from the loue of GOD and makes the Death of Christ to be for him in vaine S. Iohn the Evangelest sayeth It is onely to them who beleeveth in him that hee hath given power to be the sonnes and children of GOD. It is most sure that onely want of faith maketh the sinner obstinate he is a lyer and can not beleue in GOD. O thou poore and distressed creature looke vpon thine owne miserable estate how thou gallops post to hell and will not looke back but goeth on thy cairlesse journey When we walke alone on the fields when we walk solitare in our chalmer when we ly in our bed will we but meditate vpon the fearfull and terrible Majestie of GOD whom all the Heavens can scarce containe of his vnspeakable glory of his Almightie power And it is onely this great and Omnipotent Iehouah that we offend To thee onely haue I sinned saith Dauid And let vs remember how for the eating of a sillie apple contrare the Lords commandement he condemned all mankinde and nothing could appease his wrath nor yet ransome the world but the bloud and death of his owne dearly beloved Sonne Jesus Christ When wee thinke on this severitie and of GODS terrible anger against sinne how loath should we be to offend GOD and yet in very contempt of GOD the wicked man will perseveir in all kinde of wickednesse and still deferre his Repentance till at last there shall be no time given him yea not the halfe quarter of an houres minute granted to him Heare how the Prophet Dauid saieth of such men Convertentur ad vesperam famem patientur vt canes circuibunt civitatem And in the evening they shall convert they shall runne about the Cittie and barke like dogs they shall houle for meate but surelie they shall not be satisfied O that in time we wold take heed to this woful speech And what more GOD will mock them and hold them in derifion It is to these that our Saviour will say Nescio vos I knowe you not Why Because you had no Oyle in your lampes And when he hath knowen them and all their wicked deedes which shall be accusers of them and laid open to beare testimonie against them O what will he then say to them Ite malidicti in ignem aeternum Goe you accursed vnto the eternall fire of Hell And besides all this remember the sharpe reckoning must be made when the least idle word we speake we must giue a count of it O GOD according to the multitude of thy mercies be mercifull to vs miserable sinners in that fearfull and terrible day of judgement In time convert vs O Lord and we shall be converted How happie is that man who can withstand the dangers of this life with a well resolved minde and still calles on GOD to assist him in all his actions for the temptations of this world are many and wondrous strong The devill is subtle and we are easily insnared and this our flesh is exceeding subject to many infirmities So that without Gods helpe we are not able of our selues to fight Then with the Prophet Dauid Let vs
one acts their parte and then makes an eternall retret without returne Heavens inclostred powers looks downe and they see all the dulfull Tragedies of vnrecalled time and marks the vnspeakable wickednesse of mankinde how many folies are acted vpon this stage for the most parte playes the Buffone and all their life is but a pleasant Comedy and with the Ethnick they cry out Ede bibe dorme post Mortem nulla voluptas Vpon the other parte we may beholde the picture of true repentance painted with ten thousand miseries the pittifull gesture of men how vnlawfull Law hes made miserable the beggerd Marchant who hath bankerd-out his credit the Artisan whom age and sicknes brings to poverty and we may see how the threed-bare Cationer goeth with melancholious grones dispersing the sighs of his greeved minde in the Aire we may see how the curious Alchamist in seeking the Philosopher-stone with continuall travell and far-soght inventions hath wrung out all the substance of his wits and seeking to finde wealth hath lost all his wealth so till at last his sweating labors rypes nothing else but smooke O then his repentance beginnes to challenge time when all his smooking hopes are vanished in the aire in end he payeth his debt to Death and dyeth a begger And we may see the Necromancer one who hath studied the black Art for a little borrowed and yet a very vncertaine tyme dambs his owne soule and giues it as a proper tribute to Hell and why because with the Arch-deuils direction he will command all the infernall spirits O most vaine illusion and deceatfull pleasure which brings nothing with it but eternall horror Now when all men hath acted their parte vpon this vniversall stage then comes Al-commanding Death swiftly cryes to every one Away gette you gone your parte is playde So with his Imperiall Darte he streaketh all kinde of Creatures without respect and then with his reuthles hand he draweth the darke Courtaine of the Graue over the paill bodie of mankinde So shall thy soule compeare before the Great Spectator of Heaven who hath seene all thy actions and how thou hast plaide thy parte in this world there the booke is opened where all thy doings are in Register if they be vpright then art thou crowned in the Majesticall Throne of Eternall Glory if thy actions and doinges be false and found deceatfull if thou hast stopped thy eares and woulde not hearken nor heare vnto the voice of Gods Messingers then shall thy name be blotted and scraped out of the Booke of lyfe and thy soule and bodie shall be condemned to burne perpetuallie in the Everlasting fyre of Hel. O what a pittifull thing is it to see so many catiue creatures careles of the life to come and what great debt they take on their soule to be payed at the letter day The wicked abhominations of mans heart made GOD in his great wrath Cry out and say I repent that ever I made man And why did our Saviour Christ hate this world he telleth the reason Quia mundus totus in maligno positus est Because the Worlde altogether is placed in wickednesse For we may beholde what wickednes possesses mankinde even from their verie youth-head of what evill inclination how perverse in their actions and how contemptious to age how will they mock scorne and disdaine the reverend Father and the aged Matrone O sayes the word of God Age is the crowne of glory therefore we should honour age helpe and reverence age the pernitious nature of man is such that it breeds contention emulation and continuall discords how vncharitable without law reason or religion so that man to man are the most cruell enemies of any other creatures when the Neronicall heart of man being in a tirannicall humor what kinde of strange tortures will they devise one against another how vnnaturall is this and how farre is it against all Christianitie it hath kindled the wrath of the Almightie when anger calleth Israell Gentem apostatricem dura facie indomabili corde an apostaticall Nation with a shamelesse face encourageable heart who will not acknowledge the wondrous mercies of our loving God Miseros facit populos peccatum sinne maketh people miserable and when holy Iob speaking of wicked men and of carelesse sinners he sayeth Bibit quasi aquam iniquitatem they drink vp sinne like water even like a thirstie stomack with as little care and as much pleasure drinke they vp wickednes and that thou who readest this may the better beleeue me goe and with experience thou shalt see goe I say walke abroad into the streetes and behold the doings of mankinde looke and marke well their behaviour and fashions consider well and attentiuely what is done in Market-places in Kings Courts in Justice houses in common meeting places what lying deceaving what slander shamelesse villany thou shalt see nothing in this world so little accounted of as sinne thou shalt see Justice corrupted with briberie and variety sold for money and impudent faces despise equity thou shalt see the innocent cōdemned the wicked and malitious malefactor delivered and set free the villaine advanced the vertuous despised thou shalt see the proud oppressour triumph theeues command vsurers and Brokers deceaving their neighbours extortioners at liberty to execute their owne desires and thou shalt see ignorant fooles preferred to great authority because they are ritch worthlesse men reverenced honored and drawen vp to great dignities and thou shalt see how the eager desire of ambition cuts innocent throats treason covered and cloaked with flattery and to conclude thou shalt heare the general voyce of the people to be nothing else but of vanities bawdrie and whoring detraction backbiting pride envie deceit drunkennes dissimulation wantonnes dissolation flatterie lying swearing perjuring blaspheming And so this shal cōfirme that in their perrillous and latter dayes how mischief abounds what abominations are spred on the face of the earth having no regard to law or justice to reason nor religion but in an vnsatiable appetite of beastlinesse are become drunk with sinne how glad may the man of an vpright mind be how quiet may his soule be at what sweet repose may his conscience be when all his actions are vpright before GOD the Scripture sayes Secura mens juge conuiuium a secure conscience is a blithe banquet but O thou wicked man O thou malitious oppressour O thou deceitfull and avaritious villaine how shalt thou haue thy soule and conscience tortured the terrour of thy vnrighteousnesse shall torment thee thy nights shall be voyde of rest and thy soule shall be wrapped vp in the pricking thornes of thy owne wickednesse everie thing shall affray thee all objects shall threaten thee and restlesse despaire shall hant thee with ten thousand devillish temptations Salomon sayes the wicked man flieth though no man pursue him Hee will start at his owne shadow the heart of him is alwaies aloft
when he with chaines of loue keepes his owne fast to him he sayes As many as I loue I rebuke and chasten be zealous therefore and amend Now againe at last he concludes with fervent compassion Behold I stand at the dore and knock if any man heare my voice and open the dore I will come in vnto him and I will sup with him and hee with mee What more comfortable speeches would the heart of mankinde craue or what greater consolation can wee Caitiue and distressed sinners desire who would refuse to open the dore of his heart to entertaine such a worthie guest of infinite loue and mercie even Christ Jesus the onely sonne of God omnipotent he gaue his life to ransone the soules of sinners he left the glorious heavens for our cause and cloathed him selfe with our wilde and filthy nature Many yeeres did he preach he suffered cold hunger and reproach he was tempted and fasted forty dayes in the wildernes in the agony of his Prayers he sweat bloud he was tortured sold and imprisoned his head was crowned with sharpe thornes his body torne with scourges he was mocked buffeted and spet in the face his body hung on the Crosse betwixt two theeues and his armes out-stretched his hands and feete peirced with nailes of iron and his side and heart wounded to death neither was we bought with siluer gold or pretious stones but with the infinite price of the bloud and life of our Sauiour Iesus Christ the onely sonne of our ever-living God O it was our sinnes and wickednes put him to death and laid all his cruell torments on him it was our wickednes made him fast forty dayes when he was tempted in the wildernes we crowned his Imperiall head with sharpe thornes we bound his delicate armes with cords wee mocked him wee stripped him naked and scourged his blessed bodie we buffeted and spat in his most glorious face we laid the Crosse on his patient shoulders we cast lots for his vpper garments we crucified him betwixt theeues and nailed his innocent hands and feet to the Crosse it was for vs he sweat bloud and water in his prayers and it was we even onely we who peirced and wounded his heart and it was wee who made him in his cruell paines of death cry out in his last passion My God my God why hast thou forsaken me All this and much more hath our wickednes done to the incomprehensible Majestie of almighty God Heare with what great admiration the Prophet Isay cries out speaking of the Passion of Jesus Christ long before his comming Who will sayes he beleeue our report and to whom is the arme of the Lord reuealed Then he begins and tells of his sufferings torments for our sinnes saying Surely he hath borne our infirmities and caried our sorrowee yet we did judge esteeme him plagued and smitten of God and humbled but hee was wounded for our trasgressions it was for our iniquities he was punished The burthen of our sinnes was laide on his backe like a simple sheepe so was he led to the slaughter in patient silence suffered he all sorts of paines neither was wickednes with him fraud nor deceit was never found in his mouth this Innocent was put to death amongst theeues and malefactors for the sinnes of the world The Evangelist S. Iohn sayes For God so loued the world that he hath giuen his onely begotten sonne Iesus Christ that whosoeuer beleeueth in him should not perish but haue life euerlasting And what shall this life everlasting be the Apostle tells thee That eye hath not seene nor care hath not heard nor yet the heart of man can not imagine what happinesse and glory is prepared for them that shall be saued Now deere and loving Reader consider with what little paines thou may in this little moment of thy life prevent the everlasting paines of hell and make conquest of the eternall glory of heaven to see and behold the vnspeakable Majestie of God set on his triumphant Throne evironed compast with the glorified Saints the innumerable Martirs who hath suffered for the faith of his sonne Iesus Christ when the woman in travaile and bitter paines of hir birth is releeved of her naturall burthen how will the pleasure of her child expell the paines and giue her comfort Even so after the weariednesse of this world the paines and anguish then comes the joyfull pleasure of heavens which expells all our vexations comforts our soules and wipes all the teares from our eyes what persecution what crosse or worldly temptation should hold or keepe vs backe from such an infinite treasure from such an endlesse joy Let vs say with that constant and blessed servant of Jesus Christ Who shal separate vs from the loue of Christ shall tribulation or anguish or persecution or famine or nakednes or perrill or sword as it is written for thy sake are wee killed all the day long wee are counted as sheepe for the slaughter neuerthelesse in all these things we are more then Conquerours through him that loued vs for I am perswaded that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to seperate vs from the loue of God which is in Christ Iesus our Lord. And a little before this happy and godly Apostle sayes in this same Chapter For I count the afflictions of this present life are not worthy of the glory which shall be showne to vs in the life to come And for this respect When hee considered of the joy of heauen hee esteemed all the ritches all the glorie and all the honour of this world but vayled filth and stinking dirt How carefull then should wee be of this word Eternall and that in this moment wee should be good provisors Our Saviour desires vs saying Negotiamini dum venio Be diligent and lay much treasure to thee fore against I come and seeke for a reckoning of thee For behold sayes he I come quickly and my rewardis with mee to giue euery man according to his workes And what shall this reward be if thou be vpright constant and continue firme and faithfull to the end Be thou faithfull vnto the death and I will giue thee the crowne of life In hope of this glorious Crowne how gallantly should thou fight against all the wofull miseries of this world and still contemne all their earthly temptations In the word of GOD the wise man forwarnes the saying My sonne when thou art to come to the seruice of GOD stand fast in Iustice and in feare and prepare thy minde for temptation Heere thou art forwarned in what estate thou shalt be in time of battell and howe to lye at thy guard against thy three ghostlle enemies The Deuill the World and the Flesh Stand therefore and your loynes girde about with viritie hauing on the
breast-plate of righteousnesse What should hinder vs to fight against our owne infirmities having such a Captain to encourage vs and fight for vs to strengthen vs to holde vs vp and helpe vs. Our Saviour sayes You are they who haue stoode with me in my temptations and therefore I prepare for you a Kingdome And I pray thee heare good Keader what a Kingdome even to be pertataker of his owne glory to sit crowned with him in all eternall joy and happinesse but our infirmities and weaknesse and want of faith and our strengthlesse hearts and our great faintnesse hath made our Captaine Christ to say You haue left me in time of temptations this lets vs see how feeble wee are of our selues and that without the helpe of God wee are nothing nor can doe nothing Our omnipotent God diminished the Camp of Ierubaall and with a very small number made him overcome the great strong armie of the Midianites least Ierubaall should haue said It is the strength of man hath woone the victorie and so taken away the honor glory power from God Non nobis domine non nobis sed nomine cuo da gloriam O man base thy pride for of thy selfe thou art naught else but a miserable and strengthlesse worme and all thy resolutions are but meere folly for behold the foolish hearts and thou shalt see what course and what straunge decree they will make to them selues What vowes and promises sealed with oathes will they make to performe wonders but O let the foolish man heare what the wisedome of God sayes Many deuises are in a mans heart but the counsell of the Lord God shall stand Thou mayest flatter thy selfe with many faire promises but all in vaine because God almightie must be the chiefe actour of all things This made the Apostle Saint Paul say I am able to doe all things through the helpe of Christ which strengthneth me and when it pleases God to lay a crosse vpon the shoulders of any Christian that he may be glorified and to be a chaine of loue to bring thee to him and to keepe thee fast with him how will he helpe thee to beare thy Crosse how will he draw the forward and how will he peace and peace releeue thee and set thee free is it not written Our God is faithfull and he will not suffer vs to be tempted aboue our strength Hee will lay no more on thee then thou art able to beare he will not suffer one haire of thy head to perish he sayes I chastice them whom I loue for the Lord your God doth try and proue you to know if you loue your Lord God with all your heart and with all your soule Now in this meane time of his aduersitie what comfortable speeches and what great assurance giues he by his Prophet Dauid He called on me sayes he and I heard him when he is in trouble I am with him and I will deliuer him and set him free and I will glorifie him Now when a man or woman is burthened with any worldly crosse can he goe to a better or can he goe to a more loving and wiser Counsailer to discharge the burthen of his griefe to then to our Lord Jesus Christ who knowes what is meetest for the Intellectum tibi dabo et instruam te in wia hac qua gradieris firmabo super te occulos meos J will sayes he giue thee vnderstanding and I will teach thee how and what way thou shalt winne free of thy trouble and I shall ever fixe my eyes vpon thee Now wilt thou but looke on all the great rulers and principalities in this world From the mighty and ritch Monarch to the base and poore begger And tell me who can say he hath no Crosse beleeue me not any for that man hath not beene nor for the present is not but he hath vexation a griefe and a continuall crosse What although hee appeare to the eyes of this worlde most content in earthly glory in ritches or authority yet for all that before night that day was never but hee had somwhat to repent him selfe of Then thou who art crost wil thinke in thy heart and say O this man or woman are happie they haue no tribulation they haue no fighting with this world their minde is in peace and quietnesse they liue secure and are crowned Kings of their owne desires O foole thou art deceaued for what is all our chiefest joy in this vale of miserie euen nothing else but a sunne-shine pleasure bringing nothing with it but a grievous storme of infinite cares O but what remedie euen this must be thy onely remedie to say with the Prophet Dauid Tribulationem dolorem inueni nomen domini inuocaui In the time of my tribulation and griefe I called vpon the name of the Lord hee is the true Phisitian that must heale thy sores and be assured he will say to thee as hee said to S. Paul in his great temptations Sufficit tibi gratia mea My grace is sufficient to strengthen thee to keepe thee and defend thee in thy greatest conflict and to be a strong and mightie bulwarke against all temptations and aboue all things let vs that are sinners and grievous offenders of GOD thinke and assure our selues that it is onely our owne iniquities and wicked life which procures our crosse of tribulation O then let vs not murmure against GOD but let vs looke to our owne sinfull life that is the onely originall of all our miseries how ought we then to repent for it is onelie sinne displeases GOD and nothing can please him but repentance and mourning Heere I will set thee downe this comparison Take eye-salue and applie it to any feastred part of thy bodie it will neither helpe nor releeue thee of thy paine but take that eye-salue and applied to thy eye it will helpe and releeue thy eye Euen so take mourning and applie it to the losse of ritches it doth no good applie mourning to the losse of friends it doeth no good applie mourning to the losse of honour it doeth no good but applie the teares of mourning to thy feastred soule it will doe good it will bathe thy feastred soule it will embalme and mollifie her wounds and giue thee a true comfort in thy sweete Redeemer Iesus Christ It is onely he who will heare thy lamentations consider thy distresse and exhaust vp thy remēbrance in his mercy When thou art wearied faints he is the true fountaine who will refresh thy wearied spirit he calls vpon all that are fatigated and oppressed If any man be thirstie let him come vnto me and hee shall haue drinke How joyfull may the thirstie sinner be to haue accesse to come and drinke of the true fountaine of life heare yet againe what sweete consolation hee powres in thy heart by his Prophet I haue afflicted thee alreadie and I will not afflict thee againe As he