of their first loue and with Demas haue embraced the world and yet are no whit dismaied at al Look vpon her all you that are priuie to your selues and guiltie of blacksliding in your zeale and loue to the Gospell She was turned into a pillar of salt and remaineth a spectacle of Gods vengeance for al such as thou art She was turned into a durate substance without speedie repentance hee will turne thee into a heauie iudgement and that is hardnes of heart which is harder then salt for it is the plague of all plagues You then that of religious seruants are become irreligious masters you that are priuie to your hearts that 10.20.30 yeeres agone you were more forward and zealous in Gods worship and now are decaied and cold looking backe to the pleasures and profits of this world looke one Lots wife shee as it were hangs in chaines for a wofull spectacle to behold Let her moue you to labour to recouer that you haue lost lest the Lord make you spectacles to others as she is made a spectacle to you And for this citie and others is Ierusalem in the Scripture to bee a perpetuall example her special sinnes were pride contempt of Gods word and abuse of Gods Prophets Her doome is recorded for England and for thee London whose pride is as great if not greater then euer hers was And for whose contempt and abuse of Gods Ministers it is a wonder the Lord smites not the land Let vs all then hereafter in reading stories of the Lords iudgements on others make them examples and warnings for vs else to make account the same God that was reuenged on them will not let vs escape The second sort that this doctrine reprooueth 2. Sort. are such as in setting their children to read in the Lords booke they heare the storie of Lots drunkennesse of Dauids adultery of Peters deniall and thereby they doe blesse themselues and strengthen and comfort their hearts yea they haue learned to alleage them as examples to extenuate their sinnes Am I a drunkard so was that good man Lot Am I an adulterer saies another so was that man after Gods owne heart Dauid Shall I despaire of my saluation saies the wicked persister in sinne and I reade the theefe repented on the crosse and found mercie at the last houre O vile wretches who hath bewitched you to peruert Gods word to your destruction It is as much as to poison thy soule Looke on their repentance Lot fell of infirmitie and no doubt repented with much griefe yet looke vpon Gods iudgement vpon that incestuous seed Looke vpon Dauid reade the 38. Psalme it made him goe crooked his sinnes were as fire in his bones he had not a good day to his death but the griefe of his sinnes made him to roare out Thou wouldest be loth to buy thy sinne as he did And as for the example of the theefe First the Lord knocked but once by one sermon and he repented but thou hast had many sermons and hast had many callings and cryings to thee yet repented not Secondly this is an extraordinary example and there is not the like in all the Scripture againe And the end is that thereby wee should neither despaire nor presume one that wee should not despaire and but one that we shuld not presume This example is for all penitent sinners who vpon their repentance may assure themselues the Lord will receiue them to mercy Now if thou canst promise to thy selfe the same repentance and faith in Christ that hee had then maiest thou promise thy selfe the same felicitie hee now enioyes But looke thou on his fellow who had no grace to repent and who hangs as an example to all impenitent wretches to looke vpon that they despise not the mercie of God nor reiect his call by vs lest it come to passe that when thou wouldest repent thou canst not To thee that doest strengthen thy selfe in thy sinne vpon presumption of mercie to other Deut. 29.19.20 I referre thee to the words that the Lord himselfe speakes Deut. 29.19.20 He that when he heareth the words of the curse blesseth himselfe in his heart saying I shall haue peace though I do walke according to the stubbornenesse of mine owne heart thus adding drunkennesse to thirst the Lord will not be mercifull vnto him but the wrath of the Lord and his ielousie shall smoake against that man and euery curse that is written in this Booke shall light vpon him c. Looke thou on this and the like threatnings of God against such as strengthen their hearts in their sinne Thus much at this time being loth to be ouertroublesome referring the rest till euening Prayer Let vs pray for a blessing vpon that wee haue been taught FINIS THE SECOND SERMON HEBREVVES 12.16.17 Let there bee no fornicator or prophane person as Esau which for one portion c. YOu haue heard in the forenoone beloued in Christ the summe and drift the holy Ghost aimes at which is a certaine dehortation therein disswading euerie good Christian from two great vices which hee calles by the names of the rootes of bitternesse which are Fornication and prophanenesse Of the one we haue spoken it now resteth we speak of the other vice hee disswades them from And because I suppose the most of you were present in the forenoone I will not stand to make any large repetition of that which was then handled but onely of so much as may make a better preparation to that which shall be now deliuered You must note that the holy Ghost in his dehortation from this sinne of Prophanenesse propounds Esau the elder sonne of Isaac for an example and hauing set downe the vse and end euery one should make in the reading of such examples of Gods seuerity in scripture and not to take the name of God in vaine by either lightly passing by them as making no vse at all or else abusing them to strengthen themselues in their sinnes by the example of the Lords mercie on others wee proceeded no further in the morning Now I come to that which followeth which is the person that is set foorth as an example to all prophane men It is Esau as you haue heard the eldest sonne of Isaac And this may seeme very strange that Esau should be a man hated of God before he was borne and that he should bee hung vp as an example to all prophane men to take warning by First he was honourablie descended for Abraham was his grandfather and Isaac was his father Secondly hee was a man whom God had blessed with great riches and one of the wealthiest in all the countrie Thirdly we doe read of great blessings to his posteritie Gen. 36.41 for of him came fourteene Dukes and were in great account Yea further if yee read in the booke of Genesis of his cariage and behauiour you shall find hee had diuers good morall vertues and kind partes in him and such as I
euen then when hee punisheth sore whereby he seemes to frowne vpon them they can run to him in prayer and make their mone to him as example of Dauid who cries out O Lord rebuke me not in thine anger Psalm 6.1 neither chasten mee in thy displeasure though the Lord seeme to bee angrie by afflicting of them yet they runne to him as to a father It grieues them to see their father displeased being like to a louing sonne who grieues to see his father angrie yea euery wrinkle in his fathers browe makes him to feare yet so as that that is grounded on loue and therefore runnes vpon his knees to him for pardon So is it with Gods children though their father chastise them with heauie and bitter afflictions yet they run to their father with this perswasion that though they haue failed in the dutie of a sonne yet he cannot faile in the affection of a father Contrarie to this the hypocrite and vnregenerat man vnder Gods heauy hand vpon him or his wife children goods c. he runs from God fleeing from him as from a tyrant and betakes him to his monie friends sports merrie companions yea to witches coniurers wizards or any vnlawfull course if they haue hope of reliese The fourth is a ioy and delight to meete the Lord in those places and by those meanes hee doth vsuallie meete his in It is true Gods presence is in all places but yet he is said to be more ordinarie present in those places where is word is preached where there are holy and religious exercises of praver meditations conference of scripture singing of Psalmes or the like Indeede hypocrites will come to Church but it is not with ioy and with delight it is not of conscience to meete the Lord to hearken what hee saith vnto them and to put it in practise in their liues but rather some worldly busines driues them or for custome or neighborhood or to auoid the name of a Papist A second vse hereof serues for the reproofe of two sorts of hypocrites and first Those who take themselues good Christians and in good state if they liue a ciuill life especially if they can make a faire shew of louing religion and can talke of it though their conscience accuse them of some sin they doe liue in and they can say to themselues as Lot said by Zoar Oh is it not a little one Gen. 19. But hearken to me thou that thinkest it a small matter to liue in one I tel thee liue and die impenitent in the one and it will be thy destructiō Did not Herod make outward shew of many things yet because he would not leaue the one sin of incest God cast him off and reiected him I tell thee one hole in a ship will in a short time sinke the whole ship Tell me thou that with thy outward holines liuest an vsurer a drunkard a carelesse wreth darest drink but one dram of poison so one raging sinne will bring thee to hell The second sort are those who hauing sinned and liue in some raging sinne yet if they can now and then thrust out a few teares thinke it good repentance and haue repēted in an high degree But alas they be much peceiued for their teares bee but hypocriticall And that appeares in that either they bee shed in aduersitie as were Sauls Iudas Esaus or else in the congregation at the sermons as hypocrites do but in their closets or in secret they cannot shed one teare I tell thee deceiue not thy selfe for teares be no more signes of true repentance then are words Text. He was reiected Now followes the third degree of his punishment which is that hauing set the time of mercie so light hee is now denied though hee vseth meanes to obtaine it The date is out at the glasse is run therefore no meanes will preuaile Doct. 8 Whence wee doe learne that such as by their prophanenesse doe wilfully refuse the offer of Gods mercie and doe preferre their pleasures and profits before it may run so farre that all the meanes they can vse shal neuer obtaine mercie at the hands of God I say as there is a time in which the Lord will wooe vs yea he sends his Ministers to entreate vs Hosea 6.4 yea he will chide and expostulate the matter with vs why wee will not accept of his mercie so there is and will be a time that after the refusing of grace and contemning of mercie offered the Lord will shut vp and bolt vp the gate of mercie so as he will not be entreated at our hands any more Psalm 95.7.8 This is prooued to vs by the Prophet Dauid in one of the Psalmes where hee exhorts the people that they will take and accept of the time the Lord offers them lest it come to passe by their contempt and refusing the time of grace the Lord cast them off and reiect them I denie not but that in respect of vs til God haue manifested his wil there is hope but in respect of Gods secret decree the time of Gods mercie may bee out euen during this life therefore when mercie is offered we must take heed wee wilfully contemne it not lest we prouoke the Lord to be gone and vtterlie reiect vs. One of the fearefullest signes of a castaway is to delay and put off the Lords gratious offer of mercie as wee reade of Pharaoh Exod. 8.9.10 who when Moses offered himselfe to pray to the Lord for him he put it off till the next morrow so hee that hath the graces and mercies of God offered to him to day and puts them off from his youth to his age and from his old daies to his death-bed may iustly feare an vtter reiection euen then when he hopes of most comfort For the further pressing this doctrine on our consciences let vs obserue some places of Scripture And first let vs see what the Lord saith to such as despise Wisdomes call being of three sorts The first that like fooles content themselues with ignorance The second that scoffe at the Lords offer by his seruants The third which are carried away by their owne lusts Because I haue called and yee refused Prou. 1.24 I haue stretched out mine hand and none would regard Verse 28. And then shall they call vpon me but I will not answere they shall seeke me earelie but they shall not find me Noting that as they refused the time in which he called so they should call in hope of mercie but they should not obtaine The like we reade how the Prophet Esay calling Ierusalem to repentance in sackcloth and ashes for their sins Esay 22.12.13 she fell to sporting and feasting despising the Lords message and offer of grace by his Prophet what came of it you may reade presently that their contempt comming to the Lords eares he answeres Surely Vers 14. this iniquitie shall not be purged from you till yee die saith the
very senselesse creatures witnesse it against whom timber stones lands bands monie doe crie apace for vengeance from God The third sinne is abuse of the good creatures God hath ordained for our nourishment by drunkennesse gluttonie c. Yea how rageth the sinne of drunkennesse in this Citie your owne consciences bee iudge How many wretched men powre the good creatures of God downe their throats into their bellies as a man should powre it into a â—un and that vpon their knees as it were asking Gods curse vpon them for the same And let vs proceed to the next punishment namely the plague Plague which you know in this Citie the Lord hath of late visited you withall and in very short space took away to the number of fortie thousand But what profit hath followed hereof amongst you a man cannot perceiue any sinne reformed Would you know the vsuall sinnes procure this they are speciallie foure The first is whoredome and adulterie of which this Citie is horriblie infected and for which it is no maruell though the Lord continue his striking hand among you The second is secrecie of sinne some defending sin some outfacing sinne some pleading for sinne some buying sinne some selling sinne Oh Lord who sees not our land besotted in this for what small conscience is made of any sinne that may be kept from the eies of men hauing no respect to the eies of God! The third is securitie in sinne And this cannot bee denied amongst vs as appeares by our groping after our sinnes with the Sodomites euen then when Gods hand is vpon vs. The fourth is vnworthie comming to the Lords Table 1. Cor. 11.30 a sinne common amongst vs and no sinne lesse accounted of For come to many on their deathbeds you shall heare them to confesse they haue been drunkards whoremongers vsurers couetous enuious c. but you shall neuer heare them confesse their vnworthie comming to the Lords Table And yet this sinne hath brought Gods hand on them aboue the rest And for the third punishment Sword viz. the sword a punishment long threatned to vs and of which long sithence wee had tasted of had not the Lord in mercie kept vs from it which is strange Deut. 32.41 considering our land swarmes with those sinnes that doe daily whet the Lords glittering sword to strike vs And they are specially three The first is pride in apparrell Esa 3 16-25 which the Prophet Esay told the Iewes would bring the sword vpon them Which sinne who sees not that euen this Citie is so infected withall that were not the Lord patient it could not choose but haue brought the sword long ere this day The heads and backes of women who are as proud as their husbands are couetous crie to the Lord for reuenge The second is hollow-harted repentance Hos 7 14-16 For which sinne the Prophet Hosea tels Israel Because in their shew of repentance they cried not to the Lord in their hearts when they houled on their beds they should fall by the sword And how hollow-hearted our repentance hath been appeares plainely by the want of the reforming of our grosle sinnes that ouerspread the land The third is the contempt of Gods Ministers as appeares in the second booke of the Chronicles where the Lord telles Ierusalem 2. Chron. 36.16.17 Because she did mocke his messengers and despise their admonitions and withall misused them he would bring the sword of the Chaldeans vpon them and would spare neither young man nor virgin ancient nor old God gaue all to the sword And how can we looke God should keepe the sword away when his seruants are thus hardlie entreated Nay I appeale to your harts if at this day many be not at more quiet and find more fauour that commit sinne then those that zealouslie reprooue sinne Yea how are these daies to be lamented when many vile notorious wretches and base drunken companions doe abuse the Lords Ministers I tell you plaine it is a generall complaint of all the faithfull Ministers in the land of their disgrace and discouragement they be offered in their Ministerie If we were many of vs either Lawyers or Physitians you would honour and reuerence vs but in that wee bee the Lords Ministers wee bee hated and abused Yea many account no better of vs but as their drudges to burie the dead to christen their children and to church their wiues as they terme it yea a rare thing to find one sound sincere louer of Gods word and Gods Minister And further who liues so quiet and at ease in the Ministerie as those that lead thousands to hel who liues more merrier then hee that hath gotten two or three benefices and dischargeth none of them Who liues more in the pleasure of the world and bee so fatted vp that their eies are readie to start out of their heads then such as preach by deputies And yet these carrie the honour and applause of the people when the faithfull Minister finds course entertainement And what shall let the Lord to execute vengeance vpon vs and to make his arrowes drunke with our blood Deut. 32.42 Seest not these things shame will follow thee Grieuest thou not at it woe wil ouertake thee The Lord Iesus open our harts to accept of his offered mercy giuevs grace to meete him betimes by repentance lest his wrath break out on vs like fire there be none to quench it Vse 2 A second vse hence we should make is for reproofe of many who post off the time of the Lords offer till age sicknes death of these there are specially two sorts The first sort 1. Sort. are such as plead the sweete promises of the Gospell At what time soeuer a sinner doth repent c. Come to me all yee that trauaile and are heauie laden and I will refresh you To the which I answere It is true and most true But to whom are these promises made and to what sinners They bee made to all repentant sinners that turne to the Lord with all their hearts But thou art an vnrepentant wretch and continuest in thy sinnes therefore these comfortable promises belong not to thee And what sinners doth he bid come to him those that be wearie and heauie laden that is whole sinnes pinch and wound them at the heart and withall desire to be eased of the burden thereof Therefore take no occasion to presume of the promises of the Gospell vnlesse thou turne from thy euill waies and repent of thy sinnes they belong nothing to thee The second sort are such 2. Sort. as doe alleage the example of the theese conuerted at the houre of his death presuming they shall find the like mercie To which I answere this was an extraordinarie example and the Lord hath set out but one and yet one But one that no man must presume by this example For what mad man will spurre his horse till hee speake because Baalam did so
And yet one That no man should despaire but to know God is able to call at the last houre And by this he did declare the riches of his mercy to al such as haue grace to turne vnto him Where contrarie we see many thousands of those who hauing deferred their repentance haue bin taken away in their sinnes and died impenitent To thee then that are priuie thou hast had many calles many offers of grace yea the hast seene vs spend our wits our strength yea ouerspent our selues for thy good What diuell hath bewitched thee to post off all and willingly cast away thy selfe What a shame is it that the children of this world are wiser in their kind then the children of light The traueller will take his time in his iourny and will hasten when he sees night approach lest darknesse ouertake him The smith wil smite while the iron is hot lest it coole vpon him and so hee lose his labour The mariner will not let the tide passe him The lawyer will take the Terme because hee knoweth it being ended his clients will be gone so wee ought to make euerie day the day of our terme Thy verie tongue will condemne thee in thy trade If thou trust a man with thy wares thou dost require a bill or bond saying all men be mortall but let the preacher exhort thee to accept of the gracions time of the Lord and tell thee thou art mortall and at an houres warning for death yet thou wilt not beleeue him but so leade thy life as if thou hadst it in fee farme And to thee that callest thy neighbours friends and companions to the cardes tables bowles saying Oh come let vs goe passe the time away Is time so slow that it must bee driuen I tell thee there are at this day many a thousand in hel if they had a kingdome would gladlie giue it all for one houre of that time whereof thou hast manie not to passe it away or to driue it from them but in hope to recouer that which thou graceleslie dost contemne Vse 3 A third vse hence is seeing there is a time in which after refusing of grace the Lord will be gone it serues to exhort vs all to accept of this mercifull time of the Lords fauour Esay 55.6 and to seeke the Lord whilest hee may be found For so long as we doe enioy the preaching of the Gospell amongst vs so long the Lord offers his mercie vnto vs and great hope the time is not past els if we abuse this time to feare that either he will remoue the Gospell from vs else blind our eies and harden our hearts so as nothing wee doe either heare or see shall preuaile with vs to saluation I will grow to an end lest I wearie you and ouerspend my selfe with that saying of our Sauiour to his Disciples Iohn 9 4. I must worke the works of him that sent me whilest it is day the night commeth when no man can worke In which he sets vs all an example by himselfe how to redeeme the time wee liue in here and to labour in the duties belonging to our calling and take euery opportunitie of doing good lest the night come that is death fetch them away and then they shal not stay or returne againe to worke any thing they haue left vndone here Remember the often warning of our Sauiour with this watchword Watch. In which he warnes vs to accept of the time of mercy and to prepare for the day of account that so with ioy wee may yeeld vp our reckonings And how must this be euen by making our benefit of the time of grace and spending it faithfullie in that place calling God hath called vs vnto For euerie one hath his place publike or priuate to God to his Church one to another And I pronoūce to euery one be he Magistrate Minister Father Child Seruant Husband or Wife that hath neglected his time being in place and so louingly offered thee time by the Lord to performe it the if thou be carelesse and negligent in this time a time will come that thou shalt be hurried away and shalt not stay one day one houre or one minute to performe any of that work in thy place thou hast left vndone To conclude let vs cal to remembrance these foure motiues to moue vs to accept of this time of grace this acceptable day of saluation 2. Cor. 6.2 First how mercifull the Lord hath been to vs who might haue cut off our time in our youth in which it may be we were vnthriftie or in the midst of some grieuous sinne we haue committed heretofore or of late daies and so haue sent vs to hell Secondlie consider how many good motions of his Spirit wee haue let slippe and made light account of and sent him away from vs with griefe which it may be we shall neuer enioy againe Thirdly call to thy mind how he hath this day and by mee his vnworthie Minister offered thee his Maiesties gracious pardon vpon willing accepting of it which for ought either thou or I know hee will neuer offer it thee againe either by me or by any other Fourthly consider that as the Lord hath giuen thee a time so hee hath giuen thee thy senses thy wits thy memorie which he hath depriued others of and may doe thee too for ought thou knowest because thou hast made no better vse of them for his glorie or for thine owne saluation Let vs pray for a blessing vpon this we haue heard FINIS