be for we see them that most offended florish faire and stand as wel as the best and besides his iudgements are but threatned with a peraduenture or perhaps take heed ye catiffes and thrise blinded men of the world For this word least signifieth thus much That hee aduiseth them to beware for if he doe not A bone for such to gnawe vpon assuredly a worse thing will come vpon him And that Gods iudgements threatned against the wicked are without any peraduenture as coÌ„ming froÌ„ a God not vncertain what to do marke what Moses speaketh in the person of the Lord If I whet my glittering sword and my hand take hold on iudgement Deut. 32.41.42 I will execute vengeance on mine enemies and will reward them that hate me I will make my arrowes drunke with blood and my sword shall eat flesh And Dauid saith God shall wound the hairie scalpe of such an one as goeth on still in his wickednesse And the authour to the Hebrewes hauing perswaded to holinesse of life addeth the daunger Heb. 12.29 and saith For our God is euen a consuming fire Again the same author sheweth the danger all such are in as by their continuance in sinne after they haue receiued the knowledge of the truth do crucifie againe the sonne of God addeth as a coÌ„clusion these words It is a fearefull thing to fall into the hands of the liuing God Heb. 10.31 To conclude therfore this point Gods iudgements being threatned against the wicked for sinne they are ineuitable without alteration vnlesse they presently put in practise the holsome counsell of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthes What will alter Gods iudgments aduising them to enter into a serious and sound adiudging of themselues and so they should escape the great and fearefull iudgementes of the Lord 1. Cor. 11.31.32 which was partly begunne alreadie in execution amongest them and partly was readie to be inflicted vpon them It must be an eye to see Gods iudgement a heart to feele Gods iudgement a conscience to condemne and all concurring together to prostrate throwe downe and truly to humble the sinfull man vnder Gods mightie hand crying with the prodigal sonne O father I haue sinned against heauen and against thee and am not worthie to be called thy sonne I say it must be all these wrought most soundly by the worke of Gods spirit in the sinner that must be as a stoppe to Gods iudgements and a stay of his anger manifested Least a worse thing come vnto thee c. These words may be the speech of a master to his seruant thus I haue taken thee napping twise or thrise nay often and haue louingly admonished thee of it but if thou plaiest the like again thou shalt smart for all or of a schoolmaister to his scholler whose waggish trickes and great negligence he hath often pardoned but now threatneth the next time shall pay for all Euen so God from time to time seemed to winke at the sins of this man What the Lord long forbearing requireth yea euen at the sinnes of vs all and like a louing schoolemaster beares a while with our offences but either now cease from sinne learne to doe well and be a good scholler in Christes schoole or else looke thy lord and master the Lord Iehouah will take an account for all and in the ende pay thee home Least importeth necessitie Least this word least vsually in the scriptures importeth great necessitie of the matter in hand to be put in speedie execution as in Ieremie Ierm 4.4 Breake vp your fallow ground sow no more among the thornes be circumcised to the Lord and be no more stifnecked least my wrath breake forth and burne like a fire c. Psal 2.12 And the Psalmist Kisse the sonne least he be angrie and so ye perish sodainely if his wrath be kindled yea but a little c. And that necessarie admonition of our Sauiour Christ to his Disciples Watch and pray least ye enter into temptation Luke 22.40.46 Math 26.36 Mar. 14.32 And last of all that earnest caueat of the author to the Hebr. to all the godly Iewes for perseuerance in the profession of the Gospell and practise of holy daies meete for the measure of the grace of God they had receiued saith thus Take heed brethren least at any time there be in any of you an euill heart and vnfaithfull to depart away from the liuing God Heb. 3.12 vers 13. Out of all these aforenamed phrases may be gathered the vrgent necessitie that was imposed vpon this man healed presently to put in vre the continuall dutie of his deliuerance The vrgent necessitie of performing dutie to the Lord. and insinuateth also vnto euery one of vs or rather as a continuall cry soundeth in our eares O ye negligent coole carelesse disobedient and scornefull people in the North parts of England who deseruing Gods wrath for your manifold sins are yet now in the multitude of his mercies An Alarme to the North parts of England freed deliuered from the effect of his wrath sinne no more least if you againe tempt and prouoke the liuing Lord to anger he call you to recken and giue an account for your selues Heb. 3.9 so ye shall neuer be able to answere one of a thousand Further in that our Sauiour Christ heere admonisheth the man healed of his daily danger if euer after hee doe not crucifie the olde Adam with the lustes thereof God euer warneth before he plagueth we note the louing care mercy of God not to bring destruction vpon any before he hath both largly louingly forewarned them of the danger yea he desireth not the death of a sinner but rather that he conuert and liue according to the rule of the Apostle Ezech. 18.23 the Lord is not slack as some men count slacknes but is patieÌ„t towards vs would haue no maÌ„ to perish 2. Pet. 3.9 but would haue all men come to repentance and all are inuited to the mariage of the Kings sonne To conclude therefore this point Matth. 22. No cause to censure the Lord of hard dealing in iudgement we learne heere that all excuse or censuring the Lord of hard dealing in iudgmeÌ„t is remoued froÌ„ the wicked seing all of theÌ„ before they vndergo the intollerable burtheÌ„ of his wrath are offred most abundaÌ„tly to drinke of his loue A worse thing For the consideration of the measure and greatnes in some sort of this punishment which heere is threatned the man if he offend againe View in particuler I wish thee diligent wise reader to gâ—ue a glaunce backe to the viewe of his former sicknesse and certainly that will giue thee some probable demoÌ„stration of the measure of his punishment againe Cal. in Ioh. Cap. 5. vers 14. It is very likely that his correctioÌ„ was laid vpon him in his youth and the verie time which by
Psalme to all men in his tâ—… 〈◊〉 â—…red out of dangers O that we would therefore praise the Lord for his goodnesse Psal 107.5 and declare abroad the workes that he doth for vs most sinfull men Further in that he healed this man which had been possessed with a lamenes or numnes so long a space as thirtie eight yeeres in his whole body appeareth the exceeding great power of almightie God for in that the disease was vniuersall ouer the whole body and besides had continued so long till he was old The power of the Lord set forth there is no rule in phisicke that euer could giue him any hope of recouerie yet herein note the vnspeakable power of the Lorde that by speaking a word or two he healed him perfectly in mans hope past healing By the like power hee healed the woman of the bloodie issue Luk. 8.42 who had spent all her substance vpon Phisitions and could not be healed By this power he healed the woman who had a spirit of infirmitie eighteene yeres and was bowed together Ioh. 11.43 44. Mar. 7.32 and 9.26 Matth. 11.5 24.36 Mar. 1.42 Ioh. 6. Matth. 14.19 By this power hee raised Lazarus from death to life who had lien in his graue foure daies By this power he made the deaffe to heare the dumbe to speake the lame to go and clensed the leper By this power hee fed fiue thousand with fiue barly loaues and two fishes I may in like sort speake of this mightie and exceeding great power towards all those that are translated and deliuered out of the kingdome of darknesse and Satan into the kingdome and cleere light of the Gospell of Iesus Christ What a great power of the Lord was it Act. 9.1.20 that persecuting Saul was healed of his sinne made zealous Paul preaching Christ Iesus and him crucified What a great power was it that Mary Magdalene in whoÌ„ raigned dwelled 7. The true conuersion of a sinner manifesteth Gods power Luk. 7.37.38 c. diuels was cleaÌ„sed made whole and a woman euer after to weepe for her sins and to wash Christ his feet with her teares But greater was the manifestation of his power wheÌ„ he healed the man which had a legion of diuels in him And at this day may euery true conuert say oh the exceeding greatnes of Gods power towards me poore wretch who being vnder the bondage of sinne and thereby the bondslaue of Satan all the power that was in me or that I was able to make could neuer make me free from that thraldome till that the exceeding power of GOD by the sounding ministerie of his word cryed vnto me Awake thou that sleepest Ephes 5.14 and stand vp from the dead and Christ shall giue thee light Such a miraculous power and a powerfull miracle is the raising vp of a sinner from his snorting in iniquitie to walke and runne the race of a Christian Moreouer Note his mercie as we note his power in healing him of such a long continuing sicknesse so note wee his compassionate mercie in hauing a feeling and before touched with our infirmities We haue an high Priest Heb. 4.15 who cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities but was in all things tempted in like sort as we are sinne only excepted This his compassion and mercie made him to weepe ouer Ierusalem Luk. 19.41 viewing their great sins and his fathers wrath readie to fall vpon them for the same It made him pitie the great multitude of people that came pressing vpon him when hee saw them as sheepe without a shepheard It made him to sigh and groane at the hardnes of the peoples hearts yea so forcible and plentifull was it in him that hee neuer denyed helpe to the miserable comfort to the comfortlesse nor heaueÌ„ly counsell to them that carefully sought for it His loue to vs for our saluatioÌ„ is as large as the East is from the West Psal 103.12.13 and the North from the South as great and greater then the loue the father hath to his sonne or the mother to the babe sucking her breasts for that hee euen spreadeth out both his armes of mercie readie to embrace euery sinner truly turning vnto him and clocketh vs vnto him by his liberall mercies Matth. 23.37 Deut. 32.11 12 13. euen as the hen gathereth her chickens vnder her wings Yea this one thing doth greatly extoll the largenes of his loue and fauour in that he extendeth it to vs without any of our merits or deserts For he loued his owne before euer the foundation of the world was laid Rom. 9.23 ere euer Iacob had done good or euill he loued him and hated Esau The Apostle Paul saith Rom. 10.12 He that is Lord ouer all is rich vnto all that call vpon him Rich he is in power able to helpe rich he is in mercie most willing and readie to heare all those that call on him faithfully I should be endlesse if I should repeate the proofes of this great loue mercie of God The loue of God to vs in his son Christ is endlesse in and by his Sonne Christ Iesus But because his loue to vs is endlesse I wil here end the speaking of it with that admiration wherewith the Apostle Paul endeth his speech of Gods election and reprobation O the deepnes of the riches both of the power and mercies of God Rom. 11.33 how infinit is the one and the other not able sufficiently to be expressed by the tongue or penne of any man Our dutie hence Our dutie hence that we must learne is regeneration and true repentance otherwise wee shall treasure and hoord vp wrath and clowdes of witnesses against the day of wrath and declaration of the iust iudgement of God Rom. 2.3.4 Seeing the bountifulnes of God ought to leade vs to repentance The comfort we may hence reape is great The comfort Art thou sicke art thou afflicted art thou pressed downe with the sight of thy sinnes criest thou after Christ and desirest with blind Bartimeus to be healed of thy infirmitie No sore to the Christian but Christ will serue it then continue thy crying labour that thy sighs and groanes may be increased yea if it were possible euen to pearce into the heauens And though thou findest not present remedie dispayre not consider Gods power is able to raise thee vp when thou art fallen consider also his mercie to bee such that although the wife play the harlot and her husband giue her a bill of diuorcement hee will neuer receiue her againe yet saith our gratious and mercifull God vnto our sick soules turne again thou disobedient man whosoeuer thou bee and though thou hast committed whoredom with thy louers Ierem. 3.2 3 4. yet will I receiue thee into my fauour againe And thus much for the second circumstance to bee considered in healing of the man vz. how long hee had beene
sinne and the poison thereof till that mortalitie be swallowed vp of immortalitie and we enioy the presence of him that sitteth vpon the throne The measure then of our sinning no more that the Lord requireth of his children as the duetie of their deliuerance is the verie same which the Apostle Paule vrgeth to the Rom. Let not sinne raigne in your mortall bodies that ye should obey it in the lusts therof Neither giue ye your members as weapons of vnrighteousnes vnto sinne but giue your selues vnto God VVherein the Apostle willeth the Rom. to straine and striue that being by Iesus Christ deliuered from the bondage of sin and the slauerie of their spirituall Pharaoh sin get not the dominion ouer them againe that it should not like a mercilesse tyrant rule ouer them againe neither that euer their powers and strengthes should serue to Sathans becke and bend againe but to labour continually that sin may die the old Adam may be slaine in them and a continuall care and principall studie to serue God should beare the rule and haue the preheminence in them Calu. in Rom. Cap. 6. ver 12. Tamet si peccatum in nobis residet tamen absurdum est vt ad exercendum suum regnū vigeat Although sinne while we liue will haue some resiancie with vs yet is it verie absurd and vnmeet that it should ouerrule vs. Totis viribus extinguēdo in nobis peccato Bucer in Rom. Cap. 6. vitae Dei excitanda insistere debemus Striue we must with all our strength that sinne in vs may more and more be lessened and the spirituall life of God raised and quickned in vs by Iesus Christ our Lord. This proofe of the Apostle Paule being so pregnant for confirming this point of the measure of our ceasing from sinne performing obedience to the Lord I wil as God shall guide me by his holy spirit insist a little further in laying downe the reasons and arguments that the Apostle vseth in the two aforesaid verses That sinne in the godly ought not to rule and raigne and carie them captiue after their conuersion as it did before Let not sinne raigne in your mortall bodies The first argument The first argument he alleadgeth to proue that sinne ought not to raigne in them is drawne from the filthinesse and power of sinne it is a most filthie and daungerous matter to suffer sinne to rule in you and to exercise power in you But vnlesse you withstand sinne with all your strength and keepe continuall watch against him he will breake in vpon you and bind the keeper of the house this part is drawn out of these two words sinne raigne The second argument The second reason is drawne from the effect of sinne which is death for it is sinne that causeth our bodies to be mortall as hath beene proued at large before this the Apostle noteth in these words mortall bodies The third argument The third argument is drawne from the comparison of our worthinesse in Christ clothed with his righteousnes with the filthinesse of vnrighteousnes For if we giue our members vnto sinne we make them the weapons of vnrighteousnes by meanes whereof issueth nothing from them but that which is vnrighteous altogether whereas God hath created them in Christ to be instruments of righteousnes drawne out of these words Your members weapons of vnrighteousnes The fourth argument The fourth reason is drawne from the comparison of sinne God viz. of eternall death and eternall life for when as the Apostle had said Giue not your members to sinne he annexeth the contrarie and saith But giue your selues wholly to God And that he may expresse with what seruice and endeuour we ought to addict our selues to God and his worship he doth not say barely Giue your members to God as he forbiddeth them to giue them to sinne but hee saith Exhibete vos ipsos vtique totos Giue your whole selues vnto God euen all that euer is in you The fift argument The fift argument is drawne from the precious gift of God which is bestowed vpon vs by Christ viz. That when as through sinne we were dead now we liue being endowed with the life of God then why should we not apply our selues and whole strength for the continuall enioying of it especially when as to make a relapse into sinne againe is to fall into euerlasting death without Gods great mercie in Christ from eternall life contained in these words as they that are aliue from the dead The sixt and last argument is drawne from the excellencie of righteousnes The sixt argument the weapons and defence whereof we make our members when as we giue them vnto God and dedicate them vnto all holinesse the speciall end for which they were giuen vs of the Lord. Now by the due and carefull consideration of all these arguments the diligent and carefull Christian out of this one proofe shall finde himselfe compassed about with many reasons and sound argumēts all enforcing this point After thy deliuerances bestowed vpon thee by God Sinne no more Viz. suffer not sinne to make thee his slaue no more to make thee his carthorse to rule and raigne in thee to obey his lustes to giue eare to his inchantements but hauing the vncleane spirit driuen out of thee entertaine him no more being escaped from the filthinesse of thy sins fall not into thy old wont and vomit of sinne againe but striue and straine to be lead forward to perfection Phil. 3.24 1. Cor. 9.24 Philip. 3.12 Follow hard toward the marke so run that thou maist obtaine and comprehend that for whose sake also thou art comprehended of Christ Iesus out of all which I may inferre this conclusion no striuing no ouerruling no victorie ouer our sinnes wee haue had most certainly no conuert no true Christian no dutifull man for his manie and great deliuerances Heretikes Papists Cath. Coelest Donat. Perfect See Cal. in Ephes 1. ver 4 Now because the arguments of the Papists Catherans Caelestins Donatists and vnpure Perfectists for prouing and confirming an absolute obedience to the law of God a totall puritie from sinne amongest the godly in this life seeme to the reader at the first view to carrie some weight I will a little more stand vpon the confutation of their obiections the right sense and meaning of those testimonies of scripture which they falsely peruert to their owne destruction the endangering of manie Ierom. aduersus Pelag. ad Ctesiphon And first let me set downe what Ierome his iudgement is of them in these wordes What greater rashnesse can there be then for a man to chalenge to himselfe not onely to be like but to be all one with God which poyson hath issued from the impure fountaine of the Philosophers and especially Pythagoras and Zeno who affirmed that those which the Graecians call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we passions as griefe hope fear ioy
make him returne from the water with Naaman and come to offer the rich and precious gift of his whole heart to the Lord as an acceptable sacrifice wherewith hee in mercie is euer well pleased The like course if euery one of vs would take after our great and marueilous deliuerances euen with the Ruler Ioh. 4.52.53 whose sonne Christ had healed being at the point to dye to enter into a serious and through search This particular course is meete for all of vs the more to moue vs to thankfulnes of the very particular circumstances of the daunger wherein we were and the deliuerāce thereout in Gods mercie it could not but vrge the efficacie of this point wonderfull much Sinne no more And first I will by some examples and proofes out of the Scriptures shew how from time to time the godly being deliuered out of any dangers either spirituall or corporal the Lord hath required and they willingly haue acknowledged some speciall dutie therefore Moses with the Israelites hauing enioyed the great and memorable mercies of the Lord in ouerthrowing Pharaoh and deliuering them from him letting them goe through the red sea as on drie land doe present y ioyne all together with hart and voyce to praise the Lord Moses beginning and they all following in the heauenly melodie of thanksgiuing thus I will sing vnto the Lord Exod. 15.1 for he hath triumphed gloriously the horse and him that rode vpon him hath he ouerthrowne in the Sea Vers 4. The deliuerance Pharaohs charets and his hoste hath he cast into the Sea his chosen captains also were drowned in the red Sea Therfore as his dutie he acknowledgeth saith Ver. 2. The duetie The Lord is my strength and my praise and he is become my saluation He is my God and I will prepare him a tabernacle He is my fathers God and I will exalt him Iudg. 5. Ver. 27. The Lord hauing giuen Deborah and Barak a triumphant victorie ouer their cruel enemie Sisera Deborah thereupon reasoneth of the miracle in her song and resolueth of performing a most excellent dutie as thus They that remaine The deliuerance haue dominion ouer the mightie the Lorde hath giuen me dominion ouer the strong Ver. 13. He meaning Sisera bowed downe at her feete he fell downe and lay still at her feete he bowed him downe and fell and when he had sunke downe he lay there dead Therefore as our dutie Vers 2.3 The duetie Praise ye the Lord for auenging of Israel for the people that offered themselues willingly Vers 12. J will sing vnto the Lord I will sing praises vnto the Lord our God Vp Deborah vp arise and sing a song arise Darak and loade thy captiuitie captiue thou sonne of Abinoam Psal 107. The deliuerance Dauid rehearsing in the 107. Psalme many and great deliuerances as first of dispersed strangers and their miserie vers 3.4.5.6.7 deliuerance out of captiuitie and prison vers 10.11.12.13.14 and lastly the deliuerance of poore tossed shipmen from the dangers of the seas vers 25.26.27.28.29.30 addeth the dutie of all such as are deliuered therefrom thus Ver. 8.15.21.31 The duetie O that men would therefore praise the Lord for his goodnesse and declare the wonders that he doth for the sonnes of men In the 105. Psalme Dauid from the beginning thereof vnto the latter end thereof Psal 105. The deliuerance is wholly occupied in expressing Gods miraculous and merciful power in protecting Israel from Abrahams time when they were but a few in number and strangers in the land till such time as by a mightie hande and out-stretched arme he brought them into the pleasant land of Canaan And in the last verse he noteth what vse they must make of so many mercies and what dutie diligently they must walke in for Gods fauourable dealing with them thus That they might keepe his statutes and obserue his lawes Praise ye the Lord. Ver. 45. The duetie Many moe proofes I might alleadge out of the word of God for corporall deliuerances bestowed vpō the Church from time to time and what must be the duty of such deliuerances but these may suffice for the plaine proofe of outwarde deliuerances and their duties Of spirituall deliuerances The deliuerance Luke 1.74 Vers 77. Vers 79. Now of spirituall deliuerances and their duties Being deliuered out of the hands of our enemies knowledge of saluation giuen vnto vs by remission of our sins in Iesus Christ light giuen to vs that sit in darknes and in the shadow of death and guiding our feete into the way of peace must of necessitie in the partakers of this deliuerance bring forth this duty euen to serue the Lord without feare Vers 74.75 The dutie in holines and righteousnes all the daies of our life The Apostle Paul in his Epistle to the Romanes Rom. 13.12 The deliuerance noteth a great deliuerance in a fewe words The night is past and being so neuer forget the dutie which followeth therefore let vs cast away the workes of darknes Vers 13.14 The dutie and put vpon vs the armour of light hereafter to walke honestly as in the day time not in gluttonie and drunkennes chambering and wantonnes strife and enuying but put yee on the Lorde Iesus Christ 1. Cor. 6.20 The deliuerance The dutie Vers 20. Paul telleth the Corinthians of a great deliuerance thus Ye are bought with a price and therefore your dutie is to glorifie God both in your soules bodies for they are the Lords And againe Seeing ye are so dearely bought and purchased with such a pretious pearle therfore be not the seruants of men 1. Cor. 7.23 1. Pet. 2.18.19 The deliuerance Peter speaketh of a most comfortable deliuerance Yee know that yee were not redeemed with corruptible things as siluer and gold from your vaine conuersation but with the pretious blood of Iesus Christ as of a lambe vndefiled and without spot And therefore seeing the purchasing of our saluation was a matter of such difficultie for siluer and gold could not doe it a matter of such necessitie for the diuell ruled ouer vs as a cruell tyrant a purchase at such a high rate and the matter of it of such a pretious valuation for it was the blood of Christ being most pretious and the lambe of God vndefiled and without spot 1. Pet. 1.17 The dutie all Christians duties therefore it is that are partakers hereof euen hereafter to passe their time and spend the daies of their dwelling here on earth in Gods most holy feare Now out of all these testimonies and examples which haue hetherto beene alleadged concerning Christians duties for deliuerances either spirituall or corporall may further very fitly bee gathered what is the end of the grace and fauour of God towards vs in The end of Gods mercies towards vs. by and through his sonne Christ Iesus euen thus Vt Deo reconciliatus
peccator salutis suae authorem piè sancteque vtuendo colat That the sinner being reconciled to God must euer after glorifie the author of his saluation by leading a holy and vncorrupt life Yea Eodem verbo quo venia nobis offertur simul vocamur ad poenitentiam By that same powerfull word of the Lorde whereby health life libertie or forgiuenes of sinnes is offered vnto vs by the very same word is sounded out vnto vs Sinne no more Now it followeth more throughly to search into the naturall sense and meaning of these words The naturall sense meaning of the word Sinne no more and to set down chiefly what is meant hereby the which words vttered by our Sauiour Christ to the man healed I take it may bee thus resolued Whereas thou from the first time of thy cradle till now that I looked vpon thy distressed case hast been no better then a dead man in thy sinnes and trespasses Ephes 2.1 Esay 5.18 drinking sinne like water and drawing n sin as it were with cart ropes sin raigning in thee Rom. 6.12 and Satan triumphing ouer thee by captiuating and enthralling all the powers of thy soule to his owne bend and obedience making thee come when he called and runne when he bad thee this sicknesse in thy soule made sores in thy body and thy senselesse and secure conscience brought an vniuersal lamenes to thy carkasse so that as the parts of thy soule being bereaued of their powers were no better then withered and vnprofitable branches Iohn 15 5.6 euen so the whole constitution of thy diseased body lay withered and dead no part able throughly to minister comforts to another till such time as I viewing thy case had compassion on thy calamities and in my power healed that disease with a word which all outward medicines could neuer doe by continual practise Seeing it is so the wages I wish is a continuall watch against sinne my fee a feare to offend and all the reward I require is true heartie and vnfained repentance for all thy sinnes Psal 51. an acceptable sacrifice wherewith I am alwaies well pleased And as before through sinne thou wast sicke through sinne thou wast weake and by reason of thy sinnes thou couldest not stand vpright so now thy sinnes being pardoned thy sicknesse healed and thy former strength restored rise vp from sinne awake from sleepe and liue no more the life of the wicked Thus then I gather the scope and drift of our Sauiour Christ his exhortation to bee to draw the man healed to true repentance the acceptable price he must pay to his God for all his mercies And the phrase of wordes are euen the very same both in sound and sense that the first part of true repentance is described by vnto vs in the olde Testament As in Esay 1.16 Wash you make you cleane take away the euill of your workes from before mine eyes cease to doe euill And Psal 34.15 Eschue euill And againe Esay 55. vers 7. Let the wicked forsake his waies And in Iere. 14. O Ierusalem wash thy heart from wickednes And in Ezech. 16.61 Remember thy waies and be ashamed And Iere. 4.4 Breake vp your fallow ground circumcise the foreskin of your hearts and be no more stiffenecked And in the new Testament for the same purpose are these words vsed Crucifie the old Adam Colloss 3.5 Two partes of true repentance mortifie the earthly affections c. For whereas there are two parts of true repentance the first called a killing the second a quickening the first a dying the second a renewing the first a forsaking the second an embracing the first a casting off the second a putting on And to conclude the first a ceasing from sinne the second a continuance in care of a good conscience the man is here exhorted by our Sauiour Christ to true repentance by killing the olde Adam dying to his iniquities casting off the vnfruitfull workes of darknes and neuer sinning as he hath done before Ephes 5.11 which is the former part of true repentance For this is the first degree of repentance to saluation that the sinner forsake his former follies which before he hath frequented renounce his former life wherein before hee liued and frame his whole doing to the rule of righteousnesse which before were out of frame So that I may conclude where there is no forsaking no remouing nor better framing there is neuer brought forth any thing but fained hypocriticall and pharisaicall repentance Hence out of all this which hath been deliuered may it first be said to the man healed and in him to all in generall who haue tasted and inioyed in abundance the sweete mercies of God in the mediatour of the new Testament Christ Iesus and especially to you my countrimen who cannot deny but Gods mercies haue bin multiplied vpon you in most sweete manner Applie it to yourselues euen like vnto the dew of Hermon that fell vpoÌ„ the hil of Sion watered the dry earth that gaped for it that for the man he was like the tâ—â—e that was throughly dunged and manured about and of ourselues it may be said what could the Lord haue done more for vs his vineyard then already he hath done seating it in a fruitfull hill hedging it gathering out the stones of it and planting it with the best plants building a tower in the middest Looke to thy self wel seeing this is thy case and making a wine-presse therein That therefore to the man Christ said in effect this is my last yeere of my dunging and manuring either cease from thy folly and offend me no more or else looke for nothing but hewing downe with the axe of my iudgements and to bee burne vp for euer But happy man and thrice happy so healed by Christ in his body for it wrought in him euer after the sauing health of his soule And to you my beloued neighbours let me in the behalfe of our gracious God cry that the matter and case on his part going so with you as it doth either now or neuer bring foorth fruites worthie amendment of life you that haue hitherto been awake but not with wine Our wicked and damnable course enforce our effectuall calling dead when you seemed to liue Atheists aliants and strangers from the common-wealth of Israel stopping your eares at the voyce of the crier senselesse at the stroke of Gods hammer persecuting those that prayed for you contemning those that gaue you holesome counsell and finally you that all your liues long hitherto haue sported and solaced your selues with sinne as Sampson with Dalilah shake off your sinne awake from sleepe and stand vpright open your eares and circumcise your hearts and let the Lords voyce enter into your soules crying worke as in the day heare as from the Lord and walk as in his presence to whom let vs all make answer with a sweete resounding eccho thus Thy voyce thy call