are meer deceits 3 Thirdly how the same are pricking thorns 4 Fourthly how the same are miserie affliction 5 Fiftly how they strangle a man With a description of the world 6 Sixtly how a man may avoid the danger therof and use the commodities therof to his own benefit The fourth Chapter Of the fourth impediment which is too much praesuming of Gods mercie wherin is declared That prolonging of our iniquities in hope of Gods mercie is to build our sins on Gods bak Of the two feete of our Lord that is mercie and truth Of two dangers of sinners and how Gods goodnes helpeth not them that persevere in sin Whether Gods mercy be greter than his iustice The description of tru fear Of servile fear and of the fear of children and how servile fear is profitable for sinners The fift Chapter Of the fift impediment which is delay of resolution upon hope to do it better or with more ease afterward wherin a declaration is made Of seven special reasons why the devil mooveth us to delay and of six principal causes which make our conversion harder by delay How hard it is to repent in old age for him that is not accustomed to some hardnes before what charge a man draweth to himselfe by delay That the example of the theefe saved on the crosse is no warrant to such as defer their conversion Of divers reasons why conversion made at the last hour is insufficient The sixt Chapter Of three other impediments that is sloth negligence and hardnes of hart wherin is declared The four effects of sloth and the means how to remoove them The cause of Atheism at this day And the way to cure careles men Of two degrees of hardnes of hart How hardnes of hart is in al persecutors The description of an hard hart and the danger therof The conclusion of the whole booke FINIS THE FIRST PART OF THIS BOOKE CHAP. I. Of the end and parts of this Booke with a necessarie advertisement to the Reader THIS first booke hath for his proper end to persuade a Christian by name to become a tru Christian in deede at the least in resolution of mind And for that there be two principal things necessary to this effect therfore this first booke shal be divided into two parts In the first shal be declared important reasons and strong persuasions to provoke a man to this resolution In the second shal be refuted al the impediments which our spiritual enimies the flesh the world and the diuell are wont to lay for the stopping of the same knowing very wel that of this resolution dependeth all our whole seruice of GOD. For he that never resolveth himselfe to doo wel and to leave the dangerous state of sin wherin he liveth is far of from ever doing the same But he that somtimes resolveth to do it although by frailty he performeth it not at that time yet is that resolution much acceptable before God and his mind the redier to return after to the like resolution again and by the grace of God to put it manfully in execution But he that wilfully resisteth the good motions of the holie Ghost and vncurteously contemneth his Lord knocking at the doore of his conscience greatly prouoketh the indignation of GOD against him and commonly groweth harder and harder daily vntil he be given over into a reprobate sense which is the next doore to damnation it selfe 2 One thing therefore I must advertise the Reader before I go any further that he take great heed of a certaine principal deceit of our ghostly adversarie whereby he draweth many millions of soules into hel daily which is to fear terrifie them from hearing or reading any thing contrarie to their present humor or resolution As for example an usurer from reading books of restitution a lecherer from reading discourses against that sin a worldling from reading spiritual books or treatises of deuotion And he useth commonly this argument to them for his purpose Thou seest how thou art not yet resolved to leave this trade of life wherin thou art and therfore the reading of these books wil but trouble and afflict thy conscience and cast thee into sorrow and melancholie and therefore read them not at al This I saie is a cunning sleight of Satan wherby he leadeth many blindfolded to perdition euen as a faulkener carieth manie hawks quietly being hooded which otherwise he could not do if they had the vse of their sight 3 If ignorance did excuse sin then this might be some refuge for them that would live wickedly But this kind of ignorance being voluntarie and wilful increaseth greatly both the sin and the sinners euil state For of this man the holie Ghost speaketh in great disdain Noluit intelligere vt bene ageret He would not vnderstand to do well And again Quia tu scientiam repulisti repellam te For that thou hast reiected knowledge I will reiect thee And of the same men in another place the same holy Ghost saith They do lead their lives in pleasure and in a moment go down vnto hell which say to God Go from vs we will not have the knowledge of thy wais Let euery man therfore beware of this deceit and be content at the least to read good bookes to frequent devout company and other like good means of his amendment albeit he were not yet resolved to follow the same yea although he should find some greefe and repugnance in himselfe to do it For these things can never do him hurt but may do him very much good and it may be that the very contrarictie and repugnance which he beareth in frequenting these things against his inclination may move the merciful Lord which seeth his hard case to give him the victorie over himselfe in the end and to send him much more comfort in the same than before he had dislike For he can easily do it only by altering our tast with a litle drop of his holie grace and so make those things most sweet and pleasant which before tasted both bitter and vnsaverie 4 Wherfore as I would hartily wish everie Christian soule that cometh to read these considerations following should come with an indifferent mind laid down wholy into Gods hands to resolve and do as it should please his holy spirit to move him unto although it were to the losse of all worldlie pleasures whatsoever which resignation is absolutely necessarie to everie one that desireth to be saved so if some can not presently win that indifferencie of themselves yet would I counsel them in any case to conquer their minds to so much patience as to go through to the end of this booke and to see what may be said at least to the matter although it be without resolution to follow the same For I doubt not but God may so pearse these mens harts before they come to the end as
wil not come out of the danger wherin they be but wil headlong cast themselves into everlasting perdition rather than by consideration of their estate recover to themselves eternal life and glorie from which deadlie obstinacie the Lord of his mercie deliver us all that belong unto him CHAP. III. Of the end for which man was created and placed in this world NOw then in the name of almightie God and with the assistance of his holie spirit let the Christian man or woman desirous of salvation first of al consider attentivelie as a good marchant-factour is wont to do when he is arrived in a strange countrie or as a captain sent by his prince to some great exploit is accustomed when he commeth to the place appointed that is to think for what cause he came thither why he was sent to what end what to attempt what to prosecute what to perform what shal be expected and required at his hands vpon his return by him that sent him thither For these cogitations no doubt shal stir him vp to attend to that which he came for and not to emploie himself in impertinent affaires The like I saie would I have a Christian to consider and to aske of himself why and to what end was he created of God and sent hither into this world what to do wherein to bestow his daies he shal finde for no other cause or end but onlie to serve God in this life This was the condition of our creation and this was the onlie consideration of our redemption prophesied by Zacharie before That we being delivered from the hands of our enimies might serve him in holines and righteousnes al the daies of our life 2 Of this it followeth first that seing the end and final cause of our being in this world is to serve God in this life that whatsoever we do or endevour or bestow our time in either contrarie or impertinent to this end which is only to the service of God though it were to gain al the kingdoms of the earth yet is it meere vanitie follie and lost labour and wil turn vs one day to greefe repentance and confusion for that it is not the matter for which we came into this life or of which we shal be asked account at the last day except it be to receave judgement for the same 3 Secondlie it foloweth of the premisses that seing our only end and busines in this world is to serve God and that al other earthly creatures are put here to serve vs to that end we should for our parts be indifferent to al these creatures as to riches or povertie to health or sicknes to honour or contempt and we should desire only so much or litle of the same as were best for vs to our said end that we intend that is to the service of God for whosoever desireth or seeketh the creatures more than this runneth from his end for the which he came hither 4 By this now may a careful Christian take some scantling of his own estate with God make a conjecture whether he be in the right way or no. For if he attend only or principally to this end for which he was sent hither that is so serve God if his cares cogitations studies endevours labours talk and other his actions run upon this matter and that he careth no more for other creatures as honor riches learning and the like then they are necessarie vnto him for this end which he pretendeth if his daies and life I say be spent in this studie of the service of God then is he dowtles a most happy and blessed man and shal at length attain to the kingdom of God 5 But if he find himself in a contrarie case that is not to attend to this matter for which only he was sent hither nor to haue in his hart and studie this service of God but rather some other vanitie of the world as promotion wealth pleasure sumptuous apparel gorgious buildings bewtie or any other thing els that pertaineth not to this end if he spend his time I say about these trifles having his cares and cogitations his talk and delight more in them than about the other great busines for which he was sent then is he in a perilous course â—eading directly to perdition except he alter â—nd change the same For most certain it is that whosoever shal not attend vnto the service he came for shal never attain to thereward promised to that service 6 And bicause the most part of the world not only of infidels but also of Christians do amisse in this point and do not attend to this thing for which they were only created and sent hither thence it is that Christ and his holy saints have alwais spoken so hardly of the smal number that are in state of salvation even among Christians and have uttered some speeches which seeme very rigorous to flesh and blood and scarce trew albeit they must be fulfilled as that It is easier for a camel to go thorough a nedels eie than for a rich man to enter into heaven The reason of which saieng and many mo standeth in this that a rich man or worldling attending to heap riches can not attend to do that which he came for into this world and consequently never attain heaven except God work a miracle and so cause him to contemn his riches and to vse them only to the service of God as som times he doth and we haue a rare example in the Gospel of Zacheus who being a very rich man presently vpon the entering of Christ into his house and much more into his hart by faith gave half his goods vnto the poore and offered withal that whom soever he had injuried to him he would make four-times so much restitution 7 But hereby now may be seene the lamentable state of manie thousand Christians in the world which are so far of from bestowing their whole time and travel in the service of God as they never almost think of the same or if they do it is with very little care or attention Good Lord how many men and women be there in the world which bearing the name of Christians scarce spend one hour of fower and twentie in the service of God! How many do beat their brains about worldlie matters and how few are troubled with this care How manie find time to eate drink sleepe disport deck and paint themselues out to the world and yet have no time to bestow in this greatest busines of all other How many spend over whole daies weeks months and yeers in hauking hunting other pastimes without making account of this matter What shall be come of these people What wil they say at the day of judgement What excuse wil they have 8 If the marchant factor which I spake of before after many yeers spent beyond the seas returning home to geeve accounts to his maister
and examine his own works And so be able to judge of himselfe in what case he standeth and if upon this examination he find himselfe awry to thank God of so great a benefit as is the revealing of his danger whiles yet there is time and place to amend No dowt many perish daily by Gods justice in their own grosse ignorance who if they had receaved this special favor as to see the pit before they fel in it may be they would have escaped the same Vse Gods mercie to thy gain then gentle brother and not to thy further damnation If thou see by this examination that hitherto thou hast not led a tru Christian life resolve thy self to begin now and cast not away wilfully that pretious soul of thine which Christ hath bought so deerly and which he is most readie to save and to indu with grace and eternal glorie if thou wouldest yeeld the same into his hands and be content to direct thy life according to his most holy easie and sweet commandements CHAP. V. Of the severe account that we must yeeld to God of the matters aforesaid AMongst other points of a prudent servant this is to be esteemed on principal to consider in everie thing committed to his charge what account shal be demanded touching the same also what maner of man his maister is whether gentle or rigorous milde or stern carelesse or exquisite in his accounts also whether he be of abilitie to punish him at his pleasure finding him faultie and finally how he hath dealt with others before in like matters for according to these circumstances if he be wise he wil govern himselfe and use more or lesse diligence in the charge committed 2 The like wisdome would I counsel a Christian to use in the matters before recited to wit touching our end for which God sent us hither the two principal points therof enjoined for our exercise in this life to consider I say what account we shal be demanded for the same in what maner by whom with what severitie with what danger of punishment if we be found negligent and rechlesse therin 3 For better understanding wherof it is to be noted first with what order and with what ceremonies and circumstances God gave us this charge or rather made and proclaimed this law of our behaviour and service towards him For albeit he gave the same commandement to Adam in his first creation and imprinted it afterwards by nature into the harts of ech man before it was written as Saint Paul testifieth yet for more plain declarations sake and to convince us the more of our wickednes as the same Apostle noteth he published the same law in writing tables upon the mount Synay but with such terror and other circumstances of majestie as also the Apostle noteth to the Hebrues as may greatly astonish the breakers therof Let any man read the nineteene chapter of Exodus there he shal see what a preparation there was for the publishing of this law First God calleth Moises up to the hil and there reckoneth up many of the benefits which he had bestowed upon the people of Israel and promiseth them many mo if they would keepe the law which he was then to give them Moises went to the people and returned answer again that they would keepe it Then caused God the people to be sanctified against the third day to wash al their garments and that no man should companie with his wife also to be charged that none upon pain of death should presume to mount up to the hil but Moises alone and that whosoever should dare but to touch the hil should presently be stoned to death When the third day was come the Angels as Saint Steeven interpreteth it were readie to promulgate the law The trumpets sounded mightilie in the aire great thunder brake out from the sky with fearce lightenings horrible clouds thick mists and terrible smoke rising from the mountain And in the midst of al this majestie and dreadful terror God spake in the hearing of al I am thy Lord God which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt me only shalt thou serve and the rest which foloweth conteining a perfect description of our dutie in this life cōmonly called the ten commandements of God 4 Al which terror and majestie the apostle himselfe as I have said applieth to this meaning that we should greatly tremble to break this law delivered us with such circumstances of dread and fear signifieng also hereby that the exaction of this law must needs be with greater terror at the day of iudgment seeing that the publication therof was with such astonishment and dread For so we see alwais great princes laws to be executed upon the offenders with much more terror than they were proclaimed And this may be a forcible reason to move a Christian to looke unto his dutie 5 Secondly if we consider the sharp execution used by God upon offenders of this law both before it was written and since we shal find great cause of fear also as the wonderful punishment upon Adam so many millions of people besides for his one fault the drowning of al the world togither the burning of Sodom and Gomorra with brimstone the reprobation of Saul the extreame chastisement of David and the like Which al being done by God with such rigor for lesse and fewer sins than ours are and also upon them whom he had more cause to spare than he hath to tollerate us may be admonishments what we must looke for at Gods hands for breach of this law of serving him in this life 6 Thirdly if we consider the speeches and behaviour of our Lord and maister Christ in this matter we shal have yet more occasion to dowt our owne case who albeit he came now to redeeme us and to pardon al in al mildnes humilitie clemencie and mercie yet in this point of taking accounts he is not woont to shew but austeritie and great rigor not onlie in words and familiar speeches with his Apostles but also in examples and parables to this purpose For so in one parable he damneth that poore servant to hel where should be weping and gnashing of teeth only for that he had not augmented his talent delivered him And Christ confesseth there of himselfe that he is a hard man reaping where he sowed not and gathering where he cast not abroad expecting also advantage at our hands for the talents lent us and not accepting onlie his own again And consequently threatning much more rigor to them which shal mispend his talents as the most of us do Again he damneth the servant whom he found asleepe he damned the poore man which was compelled to come into the wedding onlie for that he came without a wedding garment he damned the five foolish virgins for that they had not their oile with them
for so the holy scripture describing divers causes of wickednes among men putteth these two for principal First the flatterie of the world Quoniam laudatur peccator in desiderijs animae suae For that the sinner is praised in his lusts And secondly Quia auferuntur indicia tua a facie eius For that thy iudgements ô Lord are not before his face And on the contrarie side speaking of himselfe he saith I have kept the wais of the Lord and have not behaved my selfe impiously towards God And he geeveth the reason therof immediatly For that al his iudgements are in my sight And again I have feared thy iudgements ô Lord. And again I have beene mindful of thy iudgements And how profitable this fear is he sheweth in the same place demanding this fear most instantly at Gods hands for so he praieth Strike my flesh thorough with thy fear ô Lord. And S. Paul after he had shewed to the Corinthians that We must al be presented before the iudgement seat of Christ maketh this conclusion We knowing therfore these things do persuade the fear of the Lord unto men And Saint Peter after a long declaration of the majestie of God and Christ now raigning in heaven concludeth thus If then you cal him father which doth iudge everie man according to his works without exception of persons do you live in fear during the time of this your habitation upon earth A necessarie lesson no dowt for al men but specially for those which by reason of their sins and wicked life do remain in displeasure and hatred of God and hourly subject as I have shewed to the furie of his judgements which if they once fal into they are both irrevocable and intollerable and they may be fallen into as easily and by as manie wais as a man may come to death which are infinite especially to them who by their wickednes have lost the peculiar protection of God and so consequently of his angels too as I have shewed have subjected themselves to the feends of darknes who do nothing else but seeke their destruction both of bodie and soul with as great diligence as they can What wise man then would but fear in such a case Who could eat or drink or sleepe quietly in his bed until by tru and hartie repentance he had discharged his conscience of sin A little stone falling from the how 's upon his head or his horse stumbling under him as he rideth or his enimie meeting him on the high way or an agew comming with eating or drinking a little too much or ten thousand means besides wherof he standeth daily and hourly in danger may rid him of this life and put him in that case as no creature of this world nor any continuance of time shal be able to deliver him thence again And who then would not fear Who would not tremble 16 The Lord of his mercie geeve us his holy grace to fear him as we should do and to make such account of his justice as he by threatning the same would have us to do And then shal not we delay the time but resolve our selves to serve him whiles he is content to accept of our service and to pardon us al our offences if we would once make this resolution from our hart CHAP. VII Another consideration for the further iustifieng of Gods iudgements and declaration of our demerit taken from the maiestie of God and his benefits towards us ALbeit the most part of Christians throgh their wicked life arrive not to that estate wherin holie David was when he said to God Thy iudgements ô Lord are pleasant unto me as indeed they are to al those that live vertuously and have the testimonie of a good conscience yet at leastwise that we may say with the same prophet The iudgements of the Lord are tru and iustified in themselves And again Thou art iust ô Lord and thy iudgement is right I have thought good to ad a reason or two mo in this chapter wherby it may appeer how great our offence is towards God by sinning as we do how righteous his judgments and justice are against us for the same 2 And first of al is to be considered the majestie of him against whom we sin for most certain it is as I have noted before that every offence is so much the greater and more greevous by how much greater and more noble the person is against whom it is done and the partie offending more base and vile And in this respect God to terrifie us from offending him nameth himselfe often with certain titles of majestie as to Abraham I am the almightie Lord And again Heaven is my seat and the earth is my footstoole And again he commanded Moises to say to the people in his name this ambassage Harden not your necks any longer for that your Lord and God is a God of gods and a Lord of lords a great God both mightie and terrible which accepteth neither person nor bribes 3 First then I say consider gentle Christian of what an infinite majestie he is whom thou a poore woorm of the earth hast so often and so contemptuously offended in this life We see in this world that no man dareth to offend openly or say a word against the majestie of a prince within his own dominions and what is the majestie of al the princes upon earth compared to the thousandth part of the majestie of God who with a word made both heaven and earth and al the creatures therin and with halfe a word can destroie the same again whom al the creatures which he made as the Angels the heavens and al the elements besides do serve at a bek and dare not offend Only a sinner is he which imboldeneth himselfe against this majestie and feareth not to offend the same whom the Angels do praise the dominations do adore the powers do tremble and the highest heavens togither with Cherubins and Seraphins do daily honor and celebrate 4 Remember then deer brother that everie time thou dost commit a sin thou givest as it were a blow in the face to this God of great majestie who as Saint Paul saith Dwelleth in an unaccessible light which no man in this world can abide to look upon As also it appeereth by the example of Saint Iohn evangelist who fel down dead for very fear at the appearance of Christ unto him as himself testifieth And when Moises desired to see God once in his life made humble petition for the same God answered that no man could see him and live but yet to satisfie his request and to shew him in part what a terrible and glorious God he was he told Moises that he should see some peece of his glorie but he added that it was needful he should hide himselfe in the hole of a rock and be covered with Gods own hands for his defence while
in another place Audite coeli auribus percipe terra Harken ye heavens and thou earth bend hither thine eares Filios enutrivi exaltavi ipsi autem spreuerunt me I have norished up children and have exalted them and now they contemn me What a pitiful complaint is this of God against most vile and base worms of the earth But yet God amplifieth this iniquitie more by certain examples and comparisons The oxe saith he knoweth his owner and the asse knoweth the manger of his Lord and maister but yet my people know not me wo be to the sinful nation to the people loden with iniquitie to this naughtie seed to wicked children What complaint can be more vehement than this What threatning can be more dreadful than this wo comming from the mouth of him which may punish us at his pleasure 19 Wherfore deer brother if thou have grace cease to be ungrateful to God any longer cease to offend him which hath by so manie wais prevented thee with benefits cease to render evil for good hatred for love contempt for his fatherly affection towards thee He hath done for thee al that he can he hath given thee al that thou art yea and in a certain maner al that he is woorth himselfe and meaneth besides to make thee partaker of al his glorie in the world to come and requireth no more for al this at thy hands but love and gratitude O deer brother why wilt thou not yeeld him this Why wilt thou not do as much to him as thou wouldest haue another man to do to thee for lesse than the ten thousand part of these benefits which thou hast receaved For I dare wel say that if thou hadst given a man but an almes at thy dore thou wouldest think him bound to love thee for it albeit thou hadst nothing in thee woorth love besides But now thy Lord besides these his gifts hath infinite causes to make thee love him that is al the causes which any thing in the world hath to purchase love and infinite more besides for if al the perfections of al things created in heaven and in earth which do procure love were put togither in one as al their beautie al their vertu al their nobilitie al their goodnes and the like yet thy Lord and Savior whom thou contemnest doth passe al this and that by many and infinite degrees for that he is not only al these things togither but also he is very beautie it selfe vertu it selfe wisdom it selfe sweetnes it selfe nobilitie it selfe goodnes it selfe and the very fountain and welspring where hence al these things are derived by litle peeces and parcels unto his creatures 20 Be ashamed then good Christian of this thy ingratitude to so great so good bountiful a Lord and resolve thy selfe for the time to come to amend thy course of life and behavior towards him Say with the prophet which had lesse cause to say so than thou Domine propitiare peccatomeo multum est enim O Lord pardon me mine offences for it is great in thy sight I know there is nothing O Lord which doth so much displease thee or dry up the fountain of thy mercy and so bindeth thy hands from dooing good as ingratitude in the receavers of thy benefits wherin hitherto I have exceeded al other but I have done it O Lord in mine ignorance not considering thy gifts unto me nor what account thou wouldest demaund again of the same But now seeing thou hast vouchsafed to make me woorthy of this grace also wherby to see and know mine own state and default I hope hereafter by direction of the same grace of thine to shew my selfe a better child towards thee O Lord I am overcome at the lenth with consideration of thy love and how can I have the hart to offend thee hereafter seeing thou hast prevented me so many wais with benefits even when I demanded not the same Can I have hands ever more to sin against thee which hast given up thine own most tender hands to be nailed on the crosse for my sins heretofore No no it is too great an injurie against thee O Lord and wo woorth me that have done it so often heretofore But by thy holy assistance I trust not to return to such iniquitie for the time to come to which O Lord I beseech thee for thy mercy sake from thy holie throne of heaven to say Amen CHAP. VIII Of what opinion and feeling we shal be touching these matters at the time of our death THe holie scriptures do teach us and experience maketh it plain that during the time of this life the commodities preferments and pleasures of the world do possesse so strongly the harts of manie men and do hold them chained with so forcible inchauntments being forsaken also upon their just deserts of the grace of God say and threaten what a man can bring against them al the whole scripture even from the beginning of Genesis to the end of the Apocalips as indeed it is al against sin and sinners yet wil it prevail nothing with them being in that lamentable case as either they beleeve not or esteem not whatsoever is said to that purpose against their setled life and resolution to the contrary Of this we have infinite examples in scripture as of Sodom and Gomorra with the cities about which could not heare the warnings that good Lot gave unto them Also of Pharao whom al that ever Moises could do either by signes or saiengs mooved nothing Also of Iudas who by no faire means or threatnings used to him by his maister would change his wicked resolution But especially the prophets sent from God from time to time to dissuade the people from their naughtie life and consequently from the plaegs hanging over them do give abundant testimonie of this complaining everie where of the hardnes of sinners harts that would not be mooved with al the exhortations preachings promises and thunderings that they could use The prophet Zacharie shal testifie for al in this matter who saith of the people of Israel a litle before their destruction Hoc ait Dominus exercituum c. This saith the Lord of hosts iudge iustly And so foorth And presentlie he addeth And they would not attend but turning their baks went away stopped their ears to the end they might not heare and they did put their harts as an adamant stone to the end they might not heare the law and the words which God did send in his spirit by the hands of the former prophets wherby Gods great indignation was stirred up 2 This then is and alwais hath been the fashion of worldlings reprobate persons to harden their harts as an adamant stone against any thing that shal be told them for the amendement of their lives and for the saving of their souls Whiles they are in helth prosperitie they wil not know God As in
could suffer this Or what mortal hart can shew such patience But now if al this should not be requited with severitie of punishment in the world to come upon the obstinate it might seeme against the law of justice and equitie and one arm in God might seeme longer than the other Saint Paul toucheth this reason in his epistle to the Romans where he saith Dost thou not know that the benignitie of God is used to bring thee to repentance And thou by thy hard and impenitent hart dost hoord up vengeance unto thy selfe in the day of wrath and appeerance of Gods iust iudgements which shal restore to everie man according to his works He useth here the words of Hoording up of vengeance to signifie that even as the covetous man doth hoord up monie to monie dailie to make his heap great so the unrepentant sinner doth hoord up sin to sin and God on the contrarie side hoordeth up vengeance to vengeance until his mesure be ful to restore in the end Measure against measure As the prophet saith and to pay us home According to the multitude of our own abhominations This God meant when he said to Abraham That the iniquities of the Amorrheans were not yet ful up Also in the revelations unto Saint Iohn the Evangelist when he used this conclusion of that book He that doth evil let him do yet more evil and he that lieth in filth let him yet become more filthy for behold I come quikly and my reward is with me to render to everie man according to his deeds By which words God signifieth that his bearing tollerating with sinners in this life is an argument of his greater severitie in the life to come which the prophet David also declareth when talking of a carelesse sinner he saith Dominus irridebit eum quoniam prospicit quòd veniet dies eius The Lord shal scof at him foreseeing that his day shal come This day no dowt is to be understood the day of account and punishment after this life for so doth God more at large declare himselfe in another place in these words And thou son of man this saith thy Lord God the end is come now I say the end is come upon thee And I wil shew in thee my furie and wil iudge thee according to thy wais I wil lay against thee al thy abhominations and my eie shal not spare thee neither wil I take any mercie upon thee but I wil put thine own wais upon thee and thou shalt know that I am the Lord. Behold affliction commeth on the end is come the end I say is come it hath watched against thee and behold it is come crushing is now come upon thee the time is come the daie of slaughter is at hand Shortlie wil I poure out my wrath upon thee and I wil fil my furie in thee and I wil iudge thee according to thy wais and I wil laie al thy wickednes upon thee my eie shal not pittie thee neither wil I take any compassion upon thee but I wil laie thy wais upon thee and thy abhominations in the midst of thee and thou shalt know that I am the Lord that striketh Hitherto is the speech of God himselfe 6 Seeing then now we understand in general that the punishments of God in the life to come are most certain to be great and severe to al such as fal into them for which cause the Apostle saith Horrendum est incidere in manus Dei viventis It is an horrible thing to fal into the hands of the living God let us consider somwhat in particular what maner of pains and punishments they shal be 7 And first of al touching the place of punishment appointed for the damned commonly called hel the scripture in divers languages useth divers names but al tending to expresse the greevousnes of punishment there suffered As in Latin it is called Infernus a place beneath or under ground as most of the old fathers do interpret But whether it be under ground or no most certain it is that it is a place most opposite to heaven which is said to be above And this name is used to signifie the miserable suppressing and hurling down of the damned to be troden under the feet not only of God but also of good men for ever For so saith the scripture Behold the day of the Lord commeth burning like a fornace and al proud and wicked men shal be straw to that fornace and you that fear my name shal tread them down and they shal be as burnt ashes under the soles of your feet in that day And this shal be one of the greatest miseries that can happen to the prowd and stout potentates of the world to be thrown down with such contempt and to be troden under feet of them whom they so much despised in this world 8 The Hebrew word which the scripture useth for hel is Seol which signifieth a great ditch or dungeon In which sense it is also called in the Apocalyps Lacus irae Dei The lake of the wrath of God And again Stagnum ardens igne sulphure A poole burning with fire and brimstone In Greek the scripture useth three words for the same place The first is Elades used in the Gospel which as Plutarch noteth signifieth a place where no light is The second is Zophos in Saint Peter which signifieth darknes it selfe In which sense it is called also of Iob Terra tenebrosa operta mortis caligine A dark land and overwhelmed with deadly obscuritie Also in the Gospel Tenebrae exteriores Vtter darknes The third greek word is Tartaros used also by Saint Peter which word being derived of the verb Tarasso which signifieth to terrifie troble and vex importeth an horrible confusion of tormentors in that place even as Iob saith of it Ibi nullus ordo sed sompiternus horror inhabitat There dwelleth no order but everlasting horror 9 The Chaldie word which is also used in Hebrew and translated to the Greek is Gehenna first of al used by Christ for the place of them which are damned as Saint Ierom noteth upon the tenth chapter of Saint Mathews gospel And this word being compounded of Gee Hinnom signifieth a vally nigh to Ierusalem called the vally of Hinnom in which the old idolatrous Iews were woont to burn alive their own children in the honor of the devil and to sound with trumpets timbrels and other loud instruments whiles they were doing therof that the childrens voices and cries might not be heard which place was afterward used also for the receit of al filthines as of doong dead carions and the like And it is most probable that our Savior used this word above al other for hel therby to signifie the miserable burning of souls in that place the pitiful clamors and cries of the tormented the confuse and barbarous noise of
The rich glutton might have escaped his torments and have made himselfe an happie man by help of worldlie wealth if he would and so might manie a thousand which now live and wil go to hel for the same Oh that men would take warning and be wise whiles they have time Saint Paul saith Deceive not your selves looke what a man soweth and that shal he reap What a plentiful harvest then might rich men provide themselves if they would which have such store of seed and so much ground offered them daily to sow it in Why do they not remember that sweet harvest song Come ye blessed of my father enter into the kingdome prepared for you for I was hungrie and you fed me I was thirstie and you gave me to drink I was naked and you appareled me Or if they do not care for this why do they not fear at least the blak Sanctus that must be chaunted to them for the contrarie Agite nunc divites plorate ululantes in miserijs vestris quae advenient vobis Go to now you rich men weep and howl in your miseries that shal come upon you 60 The holie father Iohn Damascen reporteth a parable of Barlaam the hermite to our purpose There was saith he a certain citie or common welth which used to choose themselves a king from among the poorest sort of the people and to advance him to great honor wealth and pleasures for a time but after a while when they were wearie of him their fashion was to rise against him and to despoile him of al his felicitie yea the very cloths of his bak and so to banish him naked into an iland of a far country where bringing nothing with him he should live in great miserie and be put to great slaverie for ever Which practise one king at a certain time considering by good advise for al the other though they knew that fashion yet through negligence and pleasures of their present felicitie cared not for it took resolute order with himselfe how to prevent this miserie which was by this means He saved every day great sums of money from his superfluities and idle expenses and so secretly made over before hand a great treasure unto that iland wherunto he was in danger daily to be sent And when the time came that indeed they deposed him from his kingdom and turned him away naked as they had done the other before he went to the iland with joy and confidence where his treasure lay and was received there with exceeding great triumph and placed presently in greater glory than ever he was before 61 This parable drawing somwhat neer to that which Christ put of the evil steward teacheth as much as at this present needs to be said in this point For the citie or common wealth is this present world which advanceth to authoritie poore men that is such as come naked into this life and upon the sudden when they look least for it doth it pul them down again turneth them naked into their graves and so sendeth them into another world where bringing no treasure with them they are like to find little favor and rather eternal miserie The wise king that prevented this calamitie is he which in this life according to the counsel of Christ doth seek to lay up treasure in heaven against the day of his deth when he must be banished hence naked as al the princes of that citie were At which time if their good deeds do follow them as God promiseth then shal they be happie men and placed in much more glorie than ever this world was able to give them But if they come without oil in their lamps then is there nothing for them to expect but Nescio vos I know not you And when they are known Ite maledicti in ignem eternum Go you accursed into fire everlasting CHAP. IIII. Of the fourth impediment which is too much presuming of the mercie of GOD. THere are a certain kind of people in the world who wil not take the pains to think of or to allege any of the said impediments before but have a shorter way for al and more plausible as it semeth to them and that is to lay the whole matter upon the bak of Christ himselfe and to answer what soever you can say against them with this only sentence God is merciful Of these men may Christ complain with the prophet saieng Supra dorsum meum fabricaverunt peccatores prolongaverunt iniquitatem Sinners have built upon my bak they have prolonged their iniquitie By which words we may account our selves charged that prolonging of iniquities in hope of Gods mercie is to build our sins on his bak But what followeth Wil God bear it No verily for the next words insuing are Dominus iustus concidet cervices peccatorum God is iust he wil cut in sunder the neks of sinners Heer are two cooling cards for the two warm imaginations before Mean you Sir to prolong your iniquitie for that God is merciful Remember also that he is just saith the prophet Are ye gotten up upon the bak of God to make your nest of sin there Take heed for he wil fetch you down again and break your nek downward except ye repent for that indeed there is no one thing which may be so injurious to God as to make him the foundation of our sinful life which lost his own life for the extinguishing of sin 2 But you wil say And is not God then merciful Yes truly deer brother he is most merciful and there is neither end nor measure of his mercie He is even mercie it selfe it is his nature and essence and he can no more leave to be merciful than he can leave to be God But yet as the prophet heer saith he is just also We must not so remember his mercie as we forget his justice Dulcis rectus Dominus Our Lord is sweet but yet upright and iust too saith David and in the same place Al the wais of the Lord are mercie truth Which words holie Barnard expounding in a certain sermon of his saith thus There be two feete of the Lord wherby he walketh his wais that is mercie and truth and God fasteneth both these feete upon the harts of them which turn unto him And every sinner that wil truly convert himselfe must lay hand fast on both these feet For if he should lay hands on mercie only letting passe truth and justice he would perish by presumption And on the other side if he shuld apprehend justice only without mercie he would perish by desperation To the end therfore that he may be saved he must humbly fal down and kisse both these feet that in respect of Gods justice he may retain fear and in respect of his mercie he may conceive hope And in another place Happie is that soul upon which our Lord Iesus
Christ hath placed both his feet I wil not sing unto thee judgement alone nor yet mercie alone my God but I wil sing unto thee with the prophet David mercie and judgement joined togither And I wil never forget these justifications of thine 3 Saint Austen handleth this point most excellently in divers places of his works Let them mark saith he which love so much mercie and gentlenes in our Lord let them mark I say and fear also his truth For as the prophet saith God is both sweet and just Dost thou love that he is sweet Fear also that he is just As a sweet Lord he said I have held my peace at your sins but as a just Lord he addeth And think you that I wil hold my peace stil God is merciful and ful of mercies say you it is most certain yea ad unto it that He beareth long But yet fear that which commeth in the verses end Et verax that is He is also tru and iust There be two things wherby sinners do stand in danger the one in hoping too much which is presumption the other in hoping too little which is desperation Who is deceived by hoping too much He which saith unto himselfe God is a good God a merciful God and therfore I wil do what pleaseth me And why so Bicause God is a merciful God a good God a gentle God These men run into danger by hoping too much Who are in danger by despair Those which seeing their sins greevous and thinking it now unpossible to be pardoned say within themselves Wel we are once to be damned why do not we then whatsoever pleaseth us best in this life These men are murdered by desperation the other by hope What therfore doth God for gaining of both these men To him which is in danger by hope he saith Do not say with thy selfe The mercie of God is great he wil be merciful to the multitude of my sins for the face of his wrath is upon sinners To him that is in danger by desperation he saith At what time soever a sinner shal turn himselfe to me I wil forget his iniquities Thus far S. Austen beside much more which he addeth in the same place touching the great peril and follie of those which upon vain hope of Gods mercie do persevere in their evil life 4 It is a very evil consequent and most unjust kind of reasoning to say That forsomuch as God is merciful and long suffering therfore wil I abuse his mercie and continu in my wickednes The scripture teacheth us not to reason so but rather quite contrarie God is merciful and expecteth my conversion and the longer he expecteth the more greevous wil be his punishment when it commeth if I neglect this patience And therfore I ought presently to accept of his mercie So reasoneth S. Paul which saith Dost thou contemn the riches of his long suffering and gentlenes Dost thou not know that the patience of God towards thee is used to bring thee to repentance But thou through the hardnes of thy hart and irrepentant mind dost hoord up to thy selfe wrath in the day of vengeance at the revelation of Gods iust iudgement In which words Saint Paul signifieth that the longer that God suffereth us with patience in our wickednes the greater heap of vengeance doth he gather against us if we persist obstinate in the same Wherto Saint Austen addeth another consideration of great dread and fear and that is If he offer thee grace saith he to day thou knowest not whether he wil do it to morrow or no. If he give thee life and memorie this week thou knowest not whether thou shalt enjoy it the next week or no. 5 The holie prophet beginning his seventith and second psalme of the dangerous prosperitie of worldlie men useth these words of admiration How good a God is the God of Israel unto them that be of a right hart And yet in al that psalme he doth nothing els but shew the heavie justice of God towards the wicked even when he giveth them most prosperities and worldlie wealth and his conclusion is Behold O Lord they shal perish which depart from thee thou hast destroied al those that have broken their faith of wedlok with thee By which is signified that how good soever God be unto the just yet that pertaineth nothing to the releefe of the wicked who are to receive just vengeance at his hands amidst the greatest mercies bestowed upon the godlie The eies of the Lord are upon the iust saith the same prophet and his ears are bent to hear their praiers but the face of the Lord is upon them that do evil to destroy their memorie from out the earth 6 It was an old practise of deceiving prophets resisted strongly by the prophets of God to crie Peace peace unto wicked men when indeed there was nothing towards them but danger sword and destruction as the tru prophets foretold and as the event prooved Wherfore the prophet David giveth us a notable and sure rule to govern our hope and confidence withal Sacrificate sacrificium iustitiae sperate in Domino Do you sacrifice unto God the sacrifice of righteousnes and then trust in him Wherwith Saint Iohn agreeth when he saith If our hart or conscience do not reprehend us for wicked life then have we confidence with God as who would say If our conscience be giltie of lewd and wicked life and we resolved to dwel and continu therin then in vain have we confidence in the mercies of God unto whose just judgement we stand subject for our wickednes 7 It is most woonderful and dreadful to consider how God hath used himselfe towards his best beloved in this world upon offence given by occasion of sin how easily he hath changed countenance how soon he hath broken off frindship how streightly he hath taken account and how severely he hath punished The Angels that he created with so great care and love and to whom he imparted so singular privileges of al kind of perfections as he made them almost very gods in a certain maner committed but only one sin of pride against his majestie and that only in thought as Divines do hold and yet presently al that good wil and favor was changed into justice and that also so severe as they were thrown down to eternal torments without redemption chained for ever to abide the rigor of hel fire and intollerable darknes 8 After this God made himselfe another new frind of flesh and blood which was our father Adam in paradise where God conversed with him so frindly and familiarly as is most woonderful to consider he called him he talked with him he made al creatures in the world subject unto him he brought them al before him to the end that he and not God should give them their names he made a mate and companion
asked it thrise upon his knees with the sweat of blood what reason hast thou to think that he wil let passe so many sins of thine unpunished What cause hast thou to induce thy imagination that he wil deal extraordinarily with thee and break the course of his justice for thy sake Art thou better than those whom I have named Hast thou any privilege from God above them 15 If thou wouldest consider the great and strange effects of Gods justice which we see daily executed in the world thou shouldest have little cause to persuade thy selfe so favorably or rather to flatter thy selfe so dangerously as thou doest We see that notwithstanding Gods mercie yea notwithstanding the death and passion of Christ our savior for saving of the whole world yet so many infinite millions to be damned daily by the justice of God so many infidels heathens Iews and Turks that remain in the darknes of their own ignorance among Christians so many that hold not their profession truly or otherwise are il livers therin as that Christ truly said that few were they that should be saved albeit his death was paid for al if they made not themselves unwoorthy therof And before the comming of our savior much more we see that al the world went a-wry to damnation for many thousand yeers togither excepting a few Iews which were the people of God And yet among them also the greater part it seemeth were not saved as may be conjectured by the speeches of the prophets from time to time and specially by the saiengs of Christ to the Pharisies and other rulers therof Now then if God for the satisfieng of his justice could let so many millions perish through their own sins as he doth also now daily permit without any prejudice or impechment to his mercie why may not he also damn thee for thy sins notwithstanding his mercie seeing thou dost not only commit them without fear but also dost confidently persist in the same 16 But heer som man may say If this be so that God is so severe in punishment of everie sin and that he damneth so manie thousands for one that he saveth how is it tru that The mercies of God are above al his other works as the scripture saith and that it passeth and exalteth it selfe above his iudgements For if the number of the damned do exceed so much the number of those which are saved it seemeth that the work of justice doth passe the work of mercie To which I answer that touching the smal number of those that are saved and infinite quantitie of such as are damned we may in no wise dowt for that beside al other prophets Christ our Savior hath made the matter certain and out of question We have to see therfore how notwithstanding al this the mercie of God doth exceed his other works 17 And first his mercie may be said to exceed for that al our salvation is of his mercie and our damnation from our selves as from the first and principal causes therof according to the saieng of God by the prophet Perditio tua Israel tantum modo in me auxilium tuum Thy only perdition is from thy selfe O Israel and thy assistance to do good is only from me So that as we must acknowlege Gods grace mercy for the author of every good thought and act that we do and consequently ascribe al our salvation unto him so none of our evil acts for which we are damned do proceed from him but only from our selves and so he is no cause at al of our damnation and in this doth his mercie exceed his justice 18 Secondly his mercie doth exceed in that he desireth al men to be saved as Saint Paul teacheth and himselfe protesteth when he saith I wil not the death of a sinner but rather that he turn from his wickednes and live And again by the prophet Ieremie he complaineth greevously that men wil not accept of his mercie offered Turn from your wicked wais saith he why wil ye die you house of Israel By which appeereth that he offereth his mercie most willingly freely to al but useth his justice only upon necessitie as it were constrained therunto by our obstinate behavior This Christ signifieth more plainly when he saith to Ierusalem O Ierusalem Ierusalem which killest the prophets and stonest them to death that are sent unto thee how often would I have gathered thy children togither as the hen clocketh hir chickins underneath hir wings but thou wouldest not Behold thy house for this cause shal be made desart and left without children Heer you see the mercie of God often offered unto the Iews but for that they refused it he was inforced in a certain maner to pronounce this heavy sentence of destruction and desolation upon them which he fulfilled within fortie or fiftie yeers after by the hands of Vespasian emperor of Rome and Titus his son who utterly discomfited the citie of Ierusalem and whole nation of Iews whom we see dispersed over the world at this day in bondage both of bodie and soul. Which work of Gods justice though it be most terrible yet was his mercie greater to them as appeereth by Christ words if they had not rejected the Son 19 Thirdly his mercie exceedeth his justice even towards the damned themselves in that he used many means to save them in this life by calling upon them and assisting them with his grace to do good by mooving them inwardly with infinite good inspirations by alluring them outwardly with exhortations promisses examples of other as also by siknes adversities and other gentle corrections by giving them space to repent with occasions opportunities and excitations unto the same by threatening them eternal death if they repent not Al which things being effects of mercie and goodnes towards them they must needs confesse amidst their greatest furie and torments that his judgements are tru and justified in themselves and no wais to be compared with the greatnes of his mercies 20 By this then we see that to be tru which the prophet saith Misericordiam veritatem diligit Dominus God loveth mercie and truth And again Mercie and truth have met togither iustice and peace have kissed themselves We see the reason why the same prophet protesteth of himselfe I wil sing unto thee mercie and iudgement O Lord not mercie alone nor judgement alone but mercie and judgement togither that is I wil not so presume of thy mercie as I wil not fear thy judgement nor wil I so fear thy judgement as I wil ever dispair of thy mercie The fear of Gods judgement is alwais to be joined with our confidence in Gods mercie yea in verie saints themselves as David saith But what fear That fear truly which the scripture describeth when it saith The fear of the Lord expelleth sin the fear of God hateth al evil he that
feareth God neglecteth nothing he that feareth God wil turn and looke into his own hart he that feareth God wil do good works They which fear God wil not be incredulous to that which he saith but wil keep his wais and seek out the things that are pleasant unto him they wil prepare their harts and sanctifie their souls in his sight 21 This is the description of tru fear of God set down by the scripture This is the description of that fear which is so much commended and commanded in every part and parcel of Gods word of that fear I say which is called Fons vitae radix prudentiae corona plenitudo sapientiae gloria gloriatio beatum donum that is The fountain of life the roote of prudence the crown and fulnes of wisdome the glorie and gloriation of a Christian man a happie gift Of him that hath this fear the scripture saith Happy is the man which feareth the Lord for he wil place his mind upon his commandements And again The man that feareth God shal be happy at the last end and shal be blessed at the day of his death Finally of such as have this fear the scripture saith that God is their foundation God hath prepared great multitude of sweetnes for them God hath purchased them an inheritance God is as merciful to them as the father is merciful unto his children And to conclude Voluntatem timentium se faciet God wil do the wil of those that fear him with this fear 22 This holy fear had good Iob when he said to God I feared al my works And he yeeldeth the reason therof For I know that thou sparest not him that offendeth thee This fear lacked the other of whom the prophet saith The sinner hath exaspered God by saieng that God wil not take account of his dooings in the multitude of wrath Thy judgements O Lord are remooved from his sight And again Wherfore hath the man stirred up God against himself by saieng God wil not take account of my dooings It is a great wickednes no dowt a great exasperation of God against us to take the one halfe of Gods nature from him which is to make him merciful without justice to live so as though God would not take account of our life wheras he hath protested most earnestly the contrarie saieng that he is an hard and a sore man which wil not be content to receive his own again but also wil have usurie that he wil have a rekoning of al his goods lent us that he wil have fruit for al his labors bestowed upon us and finally that he wil have account for every word that we have spoken 23 Christ in the three score and eight psalm which in sundry places of the Gospel he interpreteth to be written of himselfe among other dreadful curses which he setteth down against the reprobate he hath these Let their eies be dazeled in such sort as they may not see powre out thy wrath my father upon them let the furie of thy vengeance take hand fast on them ad iniquitie upon their iniquitie and let him not enter into thy righteousnes let them be blotted out of the book of life and let them not be inrolled togither with the iust Heer lo we see that the greatest curse which God can lay upon us next before our blotting out of the booke of life it is to suffer us to be so blinded as to ad iniquitie upon iniquitie and not to enter into consideration of his justice For which cause also this cōfident kind of sinning upon hope of Gods mercie is accounted by divines for the first of the six greevous sins against the holie Ghost which our Savior in the gospel signifieth to be so hardly pardoned unto men by his father and the reason why they cal this a sin against the holie Ghost is for that it rejecteth wilfully one of the principal means left by the holie Ghost to retire us from sin which is the fear and respect of Gods justice upon sinners 24 Wherfore to conclude this matter of presumption me think we may use the same kind of argument touching the fear of Gods justice as Saint Paul useth to the Romans of the fear of Gods ministers which are temporal princes wouldest thou nor fear the power of a temporal prince saith he Do wel then and thou shalt not only not fear but also receive laud and praise therfore But if thou do evil then fear For he beareth not the sword without a cause In like sort may we say to those good felows which make God so merciful as no man ought to fear his justice Would ye not fear my brethren the justice of God in punishment Live vertuously then and you shal be as void of fear as lions are saith the wise man For that perfect charitie expelleth fear But if you live wickedly then have you cause to fear For God called not himselfe a just judge for nothing 25 If the matter had been so secure as many men by flatterie do persuade themselves it is Saint Peter would never have said unto Christians now baptised Walk you in fear during the time of this your earthly habitation Nor S. Paul to the same men Woork your own salvation in fear and trembling But heer some men wil ask how then doth the same apostle in another place say That God hath not given us the spirit of fear but of vertu love and sobrietie To which I answer That our spirit is not a spirit of servile fear that is to live in fear only for dread of punishment without love but a spirit of love joined with fear of children wherby they fear to offend their father not only in respect of his punishment but principally for his goodnes towards them benefits bestowed upon them This Saint Paul declareth plainly to the Romans putting the difference between servile fear and the fear of children You have not received again the spirit of servitude saith he in fear but the spirit of adoption of children wherby we cry to God Abba father He saith heer to the Romans you have not received again the spirit of servitude in fear for that their former spirit being gentils was only in servile fear for that they honored and adored their idols not for any love they bare unto them being so infinite as they were and such notable lewdnes reported of them I mean of Iupiter Mars Venus and the like but only for fear of hurt from them if they did not serve and adore the same 26 Saint Peter also in one sentence expoundeth al this matter For having said Timorem eorum ne timueritis Fear not their fear Meaning of the servile fear of wicked men he addeth presently Dominum autem Christum sanctificate in cordibus vestris cum modestia timore conscientiam
hither the things required at thy hands in particular the account that wil be demanded of thee his goodnes towards thee his watchfulnes over thee his desire to win thee his reward if thou do wel his infinite punishment if thou do evil his callings his baits his allurements to save thee And on the contrarie part heer are discovered unto thee the vanities deceits of those impedimēts hinderances or excuses which any way might let stay or discourage thy resolution the feigned difficulties of vertuous life are remooved the conceited fears of Gods service are taken away the allureing flatteries of worldly vanitie are opened the foolish presumption upon Gods mercie the danger of delay the dissimulation of sloth the desperate peril of careles stonie harts are declared What then wilt thou desire more to moove thee What further argument wilt thou expect to draw thee from vice and wickednes that al this is 30 If al this stir thee not what wil stir thee gentle reader if when thou hast read this thou lay down thy book again and walk on thy carelesse life as quietly as before what hope I beseech thee may there be conceived of thy salvation Wilt thou go to heaven living as thou dost It is impossible As soone thou maist drive God out of heaven as get thither thy selfe in this kind of life What then Wilt thou forgo heaven yet escape hel too This is lesse possible whatsoever the Atheists of this world do persuade thee Wilt thou defer the matter and think of it heerafter I have told thee my opinion heerof before Thou shalt never have more abilitie to do it than now and it may be never halfe so much again If thou refuse it now I may greatly fear that thou wilt be refused heerafter thy selfe There is no way then so good deer brother as to do it presently whiles it is offered Break from that tyrant which deteineth thee in servitude shake off his chains cut a sunder his bonds run violently to Christ which standeth readie to imbrace thee with his arms open on the crosse Make joiful al the angels and court of heaven with thy conversion strike once the stroke with God again make a manly resolution say with the old couragious soldier of Iesus Christ Saint Ierom If my father stood weeping on his knees before me and my mother hanging on my nek behind me and al my brethren sisters children kinsfolks howling on every side to retain me in sinful life with them I would sling off my mother to the ground despise al my kinred run over my father and tread him under my feet therby to run to Christ when he calleth me 31 Oh that we had such harts as this servant of God had such courage such manhood such fervent love to our maister Who would lie one day in such slaverie as we do Who would eat husks with the prodigal son among swine seeing he may return home and be so honorably received and intertained by his old father have so good cheer and banketting and hear so great melodie joy and triumph for his return I say no more heerin deer brother than thou art assured of by the word and promise of Gods own mouth from which can proceed neither falshood nor deceit Return then I beseech thee lay hand fast on his promise who wil not fail thee run to him now he calleth whiles thou hast time and esteem not al this world worth a straw in respect of this one act for so shalt thou be a most happie and thrise happie man and shalt blesse heerafter the hour and moment that ever thou madest this blessed resolution And I for my part I trust shal not be void of some portion of thy felicitie At leastwise I dowt not but thy holie conversion shal treat for me with our common father who is the God of mercies for remission of my many sins and that I may serve and honor him togither with thee al the dais of my life which ought to be both our petitions and therfore in both our names I beseech his divine majestie to grant it to us for ever and ever Amen The end of this booke of Resolution A TREATISE TENDING TO PACIFICATION BY LABOring those that are our adversaries in the cause of RELIGION to receive the GOSPEL and to join with us in profession therof By Edm. Bunny Hosea 3 4 5. The children of Israel shal sit a great while without king without prince without sacrifice without image without Ephod and without Teraphim But afterward the children of Israel shal be converted and seeke the Lord their God and David their king in the latter dais they shal worship the Lord and his loving kindnes A Table declaring the effect and method of the Treatise following This Treatise following consisth of two principal parts In the former of which there is set down matter to move them that is First on our parts it is declared that if we should turn unto them The benefit that we should get therby would be very little Section 1. The inconvenience very great First in matters concerning religion Sect. 2. Then concerning our civile estate Sect. 3. Then on their parts it is declared likewise that if they should ioin in profession with us The benefit that they should get therby were gret First in matters of religion Sect. 4. Then as touching their civile estate Sect. 5. The inconveniences very smal cōcerning which First it is declared what they are Sect. 6. Then of how smal importance they are which is declared First in them al generally Sect. 7. Then more specially in the doctrine of iustification Sect. 8. In the latter such lets are remooved as are woont to hinder of which there be two special sorts Some that are of lesse importance Of which likewise there are Som that cheefly respect their person which also are two One that proceedeth from regard of their credit which so they think should be overthrown Sect. 9. The other ariseth from their bodily punishment wherin they think we deal hardly with them Sect. 10. One that doth somwhat respect their cause likewise which is that our translations of the holy scriptures are now in their iudgement found to be so far from the truth of the text that it seemeth to them that we have not the word of God among us to direct us in this our profession as heertofore it was thought that we had Concerning which First there is a breefe recital of those points of doctrine for which we are charged to have translated so corruptly Sect. 11. Then is declared how it may very easily appeer that the matter is not so great as they pretend First by consideration of certain general points to them al belonging Sec. 12 Then by a more special treatise of everie one apart by it selfe Sect. 13. One that is of special force with manie and most of al hindereth those that stay upon conscience in deede which is that
threatnings of holy scriptures to al admonishments of Gods servants and to al the other meanes which God doth use for their salvation 12 Good Lord who would wittingly commit any sin for the gaining of ten thousand worlds if he considered the infinite damages hurts inconveniences and miseries which do come by the committing of one sin For first he that in such sort sinneth leeseth the grace of God which was given him which is the greatest gift that God can give to a creature in this life consequently he leeseth al those things which did accompany that grace as the vertues and gifts of the holy Ghost wherby the soul was beautified in the sight of hir spouse and armed against the assaults of hir enimies Secondly he leeseth the favor of God and consequently his fatherly protection care and providence over him gaineth him to be his professed enimie Which how great a losse it is we may esteem by the state of a worldly courtier which should leese the favor of an earthly prince and incur mortal hatred by the same Thirdly he leeseth al inheritance claime title to the kingdome of heaven which is du only by grace as S. Paul noteth and consequently depriveth himselfe of al dignities and commodities folowing the same in this life as the condition and high priviledge of a son of God the communion of saints the protection of Angels and the like Fourthly he leeseth the quiet ioy and tranquillitie of a good conscience and al the favors cherishments consolations and other comforts wherewith the holy Ghost is woont to visit the minds of the just Fiftly he leeseth the reward of al his good works done since he was born and whatsoever he doth or shal do while he standeth in that state Sixtly he maketh himselfe giltie of eternal punishment and ingrosseth his name in the booke of perdition and consequently bindeth himself to al those inconveniences wherto the reprobate are subiect that is to be inherit or of hel fire to be in the power of the devil and his angels to be subiect to al sin and temptation of sin and his soul which was before the temple of the holy Ghost the habitation of the blessed Trinitie and place of repose for the Angels to visite now to be the nest of scorpions and dungeon of devils and himselfe a companion of the miserable damned Lastly he abandoneth Christ and renounceth the portion he had with him making himselfe a persecuter of the same by treading him under his feete And crucifieng him again and defiling his blood as the Apostle saith in sinning against him which died for sin and therfore the same Apostle pronounceth a marvelous heavie sentence against such in these words If we sin wilfully now after we have receaved knowledge of the truth there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins but rather a certain terrible expectation of iudgement and emulation of fire which shal consume the adversaries To which Saint Peter agreeth when he saith It had beene better not to have knowen the way of iustice than after such knowledge to slide back again from the holie commandement which was given 13 Now then let our worldlings go and solace themselves with sin as much as they wil let them excuse and pleasantly defend the same saieng Pride is but a point of gentrie gluttonie good felowship lecherie and wantonnes a trik of youth and the like they shal finde one day that these excuses wil not be receaved but rather that these pleasant devises wil be turned into teares They shal prove that God wil not be jested with but that he is the same God stil and wil aske as severe account of them as he hath done of others before although it please not them now to keep any account of their life at al but rather to turn al to disport and pleasure perswading themselves that howsoever God hath dealt with others before yet he wil forgive al to them but the holie scripture reasoneth after another maner which I would have every wise Christian to consider 14 Saint Paul comparing the Iewes sins with ours maketh this collection If God spared not the natural boughs take heed least he spare not thee And therupon he inferreth this admonition Noli altum sapere sed time Be not too high minded but fear Again the Apostle reasoneth thus upon the old and the new law he that broke the law of Moises being convicted by two or three witnesses dieth for the same without commiseration or mercie how much more greevous punishment doth he deserve which breaking the law or Christ by wilful sin treadeth the Son of God under his feet polluteth the blood of the new testament and reprocheth the holie Ghost In like maner reasoneth Saint Peter and Saint Iude touching the sin of Angels and ours If God spared not the Angels when they sinned but did thrust them down to hel there to be tormented and to be kept unto judgement with eternal chaines under darknes how much lesse wil he spare us And again If the Angels which passe us in power and strength are not able to bear Gods execrable judgement against them what shal we do Again in another place he reasoneth thus If the just man shal hardly be saved where shal the wicked man and sinner appeere By which examples we are instructed to reason in like sort if God have punished so severelie one sin in the Angels in Adam and in others before recited what shal I look for which have committed so many sins against him If God have damned so many for lesser sins than mine be what wil he do to me for greater If God hath born longer with me than he hath done with many other whom he hath cut off without geving them time of repentance what reason is there that he should bear longer with me If David and others after their sins forgeeven them were nevertheles so sharply chasticed what punishment remaineth for me either here or in the world to come for so many and so greevous sins committed If it be tru that our Savior saith that the way is hard and the gate narrow wherby men go into heaven and that they shal answer for every idle word before they enter there what shal become of me which do live so easie a life and do keepe no account of my deedes and much lesse of my words If good men in old time did take such pains in the way of their salvation and yet as Saint Peter saith the very just were scarce saved what a state am I in which take no pain at al but do live in al kind of pleasure and worldly delites 15 These kinds of consequents were more tru and profitable for us wherby we might enter into some consideration of our own danger and into some fear of the judgements of God for want wherof the most part of sins amongst Christians are committed
to do it I swear to thee saith he by my selfe that I wil multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven and the sands of the sea and among them also one shal be Christ the Saviour of the world Was not this a good pay for so little pains King David one night began to think with himselfe that he had now an house of Cedar and the Ark of God lay but under a tent and therfore resolved to build an house for the said Ark. Which onlie cogitation God took in so good part as he sent Nathan the prophet unto him presentlie to refuse the thing but yet to tel him that for so much as he had determined such a matter God would build an house or rather a kingdome to him and his posteritie which should last for ever and from which he would never take away his mercie what sins or offences soever they committed Which promise we see now fulfilled in Christ his church raised out of that familie What should I recite manie like examples Christ giveth a general note hereof when he calleth the workmen and paieth to ech man his wages so dulie as also when he saith of himselfe Behold I come quickly and my reward is with me By which places is evident that God suffereth no labor in his service to be lost or unpaid And albeit as after in place conveneent shal be shewed he paieth also and that abundantly in this life yet as by those two examples appeereth he deferreth his cheefe pay unto his comming in the end of the day that is after this life in The resurrection of the iust as himselfe saith in another place 3 Of this paiment then reserved for Gods servants in the life to come we are now to consider what and what maner a thing it is and whether it be woorth so much labor and travel as the service of God requireth or no. And first of al if we wil beleeve the holie scripture calling it a kingdome an heavenly kingdome an eternal kingdome a most blessed kingdome we must needs confesse it to be a marvelous great reward For that worldly princes do not use to give kingdoms to their servants for recompence of their labors And if they did or were able to do it yet could it be neither heavenly nor eternal nor a blessed kingdome Secondly if we credite that which S. Paul saith of it That neither eie hath seen nor eare heard nor hart of man conceived How great a matter it is then must we yet admit a greater opinion therof for that we have seen manie woonderful things in our dais we have heard more woonderful we may conceive most woonderful and almost infinite How then shal we come to understand the greatnes and valu of this reward Surely no tong created either of man or Angel can expresse the same no imagination conceive no understanding comprehend it Christ himselfe hath said Nemo scit nisi qui accipit No man knoweth it but he that enioieth it And therfore he calleth it Hidden manna in the same place Notwithstanding as it is reported of a learned Geometrician that finding the length of Hercules foot upon the hil Olympus drew out his whole bodie by the proportion of that one part so we by some thing set down in scripture and by som other circumstances agreeing therunto may frame a conjecture of the matter though it come far behind the thing it selfe 4 I have shewed before how the scripture calleth it an heavenly an everlasting a most blessed kingdom wherby is signified that al must be kings that are admitted thither To like effect it is called in other places A crown of glorie a throne of maiestie a paradise or place of pleasure a life everlasting Saint Iohn the Evangelist being in his banishment by special privilege made privy to som knowledge feling therof as wel for his own comfort as for ours taketh in hand to describe it by comparison of a citie affirming that the whole citie was of pure gold with a great and high wal of the pretious stone called Iaspis This wal had also twelve foundations made of twelve distinct pretious stones which he there nameth also twelve gates made of twelve rich stones called Margarits and every gate was an entire margarit The streets of the citie were paved with gold interlaid also with pearls and pretious stones The light of the citie was the cleernes and shining of Christ himselfe sitting in the middest thereof from whose seat proceeded a river of water as cleer as cristal to refresh the citie and on both sides of the banks there grew the tree of life giving out continual and perpetual fruit there was no night in that citie nor any defiled thing entered there but they which are within shal reign saith he for ever ever 5 By this description of the most rich and pretious things that this world hath S. Iohn would give us to understand the infinite valu glorie and majestie of this felicitie prepared for us in heaven though as I have noted before it being the princely inheritance of our Saviour Christ the kingdom of his father the eternal habitation of the holie Trinitie prepared before al worlds to set out the glorie and expresse the power of him that hath no end or measure either in power or glorie we may very wel think with Saint Paul that neither tong can declare it nor hart imagin it 6 When God shal take upon him to do a thing for the uttermost declaration in a certain sort of his power wisdome and majestie imagin you what a thing it wil be It pleased him at a certain time to make certain creatures to serve him in his presence and to be witnesses of his glorie and therupon with a word created the Angels both for number and perfection so strange and woonderful as maketh mans understanding astonished to think of it For as for their number they were almost infinite passing the number of al the creatures of this inferior world as divers learned men and som ancient fathers do think though Daniel according to the fashion of the scripture do put a certain number for an uncertain when he saith of Angels A thousand thousands did minister unto him that is unto God ten thousand times an hundred thousand did stand about him to assist And for their perfection of nature it is such being as the scripture saith spirits and like burning fire as they far surpas al inferior creatures in natural knowledge power and the like What an infinite majestie doth this argu in the creator 7 After this when many of these Angels were fallen it pleased God to create another creature far inferior to this for to fil up the places of such as had fallen and therupon created man of a peece of clay as you know appointing him to live a certain time in a place distant from heaven created
considerations Saint Paul used when he said The sufferings of this life are not woorthy of the glorie which shal be revealed in the next The second Saint Peter used when he said Seeing the heavens must be dissolved and Christ come to iudgement to restore to every man according to his works what manner of men ought we to be in holie conversation As who would say No labor no pains no travel ought to seem hard or great unto us to the end we might avoid the terror of that day Saint Austen asketh this question what we think the rich glutton in hel would do if he were now in this life again Would he take pains or no Would he not bestir himselfe rather than turn into that place of torment again I might ad to this the infinite pains that Christ took for us the infinite benefits he hath bestowed upon us the infinite sins we have committed against him the infinite examples of saints that have troden his path before us in respect of al which we ought to make no bones at so little pains and labor if it were tru that Gods service were so travelsome as many do esteem it 3 But now in very deed the matter is nothing so and this is but a subtil deceit of the enimie for our discouragement The testimony of Christ himselfe is cleer in this point Iugum meum suave est onus meum leve My yoke is sweet and my burden light And the deerly beloved disciple Saint Iohn who had best cause to know his maisters secret herein saith plainly Mandata eius gravia non sunt His commandements are not greevous What is the cause then why so many men do conceive such a difficulty in this matter Surely one cause is beside the subtiltie of the devil which is the cheefest for that men feele the disease of concupiscence in their bodies but do not consider the strength of the medicine given us against the same They cry with Saint Paul that They find a law in their members repugning to the law of their mind which is the rebellion of concupiscence left in our flesh by original sin but they confesse not or consider not with the same Saint Paul That the grace of God by Iesus Christ shal deliver them from the same They remember not the comfortable saieng of Christ to Saint Paul in his greatest temptations Sufficit tibi gratia mea My grace is sufficient to strengthen thee against them al. These men do as Helizeus his disciple did who casting his eies only upon his enimies that is upon the huge armie of the Sirians ready to assault him thought himselfe lost and unpossible to stand in their sight until by the praiers of the holie prophet he was permitted from God to see the Angels that stood there present to fight on his side and then he wel perceived that his part was the stronger 4 So these men beholding only our miseries and infirmities of nature wherby daily tentations do rise against us do account the battel painful and the victory unpossible having not tasted indeed nor ever prooved through their own negligence the manifold helps of grace and spiritual succors which God alwais sendeth to them who are content for his sake to take this conflict in hand Saint Paul had wel tasted that aid which having rekoned up al the hardest matters that could be addeth Sed in his omnibus superamus propter eum qui dilexit nos But we overcome in al these combats by his assistance that loveth us And then falleth he to that woonderful protestation that neither death nor life nor Angels nor the like should separate him and al this upon the confidence of spiritual aid from Christ wherby he sticketh not to avouch That he could do al things David also had prooved the force of this assistance who said I did run the way of thy commandements when thou didst inlarge my hart This inlargement of hart was by spiritual consolation of internal unction wherby the hart drawn togither by anguish is opened and inlarged when grace is powred in even as a dry purse is softened and inlarged by annointing it with oil Which grace being present David said he did not only walk the way of Gods commandements easilie but that he ran them even as a cart wheel which crieth and complaineth under a smal burden being dry runneth merilie and without noise when a little oil is put unto it Which thing aptly expresseth our state and condition who without Gods help are able to do nothing but with the aid therof are able to do whatsoever he now requireth of us 5 And surely I would ask these men that imagin the way of Gods law to be so hard and ful of difficultie how the prophet could say I have taken pleasure O Lord in the way of thy commandements as in al the riches of the world And in another place That they were more pleasant and to be desired than gold or pretious stone and more sweeter than hony or the hony comb By which words he yeeldeth to vertuous life not only du estimation above al treasures in the world but also pleasure delite and sweetnes therby to confound al those that abandon and forsake the same upon idle pretensed and fained difficulties And if David could say thus much in the old law how much more justly may we say so now in the new when grace is given more abundantly as the scripture saith And thou poore Christian which deceivest thy selfe with this imagination tel me why came Christ into this world Why labored he and why took he so much pains here Why shed he his blood Why praied he to his father so often for thee Why appointed he the sacraments as conduits of grace Why sent he the holie Ghost into the world What signifieth this word Gospel or good tidings What meaneth the word grace and mercy brought with him What importeth the comfortable name of Iesus Is not al this to deliver us from sin From sin past I say by his only death From sin to come by the same death and by the assistance of his holie grace bestowed on us more abundantly than before by al these means Was not this one of the principal effects of Christ his comming as the prophet noted That craggy wais should be made straight and hard wais plain Was not this the cause why he indued his church with so many blessed gifts of the holie Ghost and with divers special graces to make the yoke of his service sweet the exercise of good life easie the walking in his commandements pleasant in such sort as men might now sing in tribulations have confidence in perils securitie in afflictions and assurance of victory in al temptations Is not this the beginning middle end of the Gospel Were not these the promises of the prophets the tidings of the Evangelists the
down again and imagin with thy selfe which was greater either the joy in getting or the sorow in leesing it Where are now al these emperors these kings these princes and prelates which rejoiced so much once at their own advancement Where are they now I say Who talketh or thinketh of them Are they not forgotten and cast into their graves long ago And do not men boldly walk over their heads now whose faces might not be looked on without fear in this world What then have their dignities done them good 12 It is a woonderful thing to consider the vanitie of this worldly honor It is like a mans own shadow which the more a man runneth after the more it flieth and when he flieth from it it followeth him again and the only way to catch it is to fal down to the ground upon it So we see that those men which desire honor in this world are now forgotten and those which most fled from it and cast themselves lowest of al men by humilitie are now most of al honored honored I say most even by the world it selfe whose enimies they were while they lived For who is honored more now who is more commended and remembred than Saint Paul and his like which so much despised worldly honor in this life according to the saieng of the prophet Thy frinds O Lord are too too much honored Most vain then is the pursuit of this worldly honor and promotion seeing it neither contenteth the mind nor continueth with the possessor nor is void of great dangers both in this life and in the life to come according to the saieng of scripture Most severe iudgment shal be used upon those that are over others the mean man shal obtain mercy but the great and strong shal suffer torments strongly 13 The third vanitie that belongeth to ambition or pride of life is nobilitie of flesh and blood a great perle in the eie of the world but indeed in it selfe and in the sight of God a meer trifle and vanitie Which holie Iob wel understood when he wrote these words I said unto rottennes thou art my father and unto worms you are my mother and sisters He that wil behold the gentrie of his ancestors let him look into their graves and see whether Iob saith truly or no. Tru nobilitie was never begun but by vertu and therfore as it is a testimonie of vertu to the predecessors so is it another of vertu unto the successors And he which holdeth the name therof by descent without vertu is a meer monster in respect of his ancestors for that he breaketh the limits of the nature of nobilitie Of which sort of men God saith by one prophet They are made abhominable even as the things which they love their glorie is from their nativitie from the bellie and from their conception 14 It is a miserable vanitie to go beg credit of dead men when as we deserve none our selves to seek up old titles of honor from our ancestors we being utterly uncapable therof by our own base maners and behavior Christ cleerly confounded this vanitie when being descended himselfe of the greatest nobilitie that ever was in this world and besides that being also the son of God yet called he himselfe ordinarily the son of man that is the son of the virgin Marie for otherwise he was no son of man and further than this also called himselfe a shepheard which in the world is a name of contempt He sought not up this and that old title of honor to furnish his stile withal as our men do Neither when he had to make a king first in Israel did he seek out the ancientest blood but took Saul of the basest tribe of al Israel and after him David the poorest shepheard of al his brethren And when he came into the world he sought not out the noblest men to make princes of the earth that is to make apostles but took of the poorest and simplest therby to confound as one of them saith the foolish vanitie of this world in making so great account of the preeminence of a little flesh and blood in this life 15 The fourth vanitie that belongeth to ambition or pride of life is worldly wisdom wherof the apostle saith The wisdom of this world is folly with God If it be folly then great vanitie no dowt to delite so in it as men do It is a strange thing to see how contrarie the judgements of God are to the judgements of men The people of Israel would needs have a king as I have said and they thought God would have given them presently some great mightie prince to rule over them but he chose out a poor felow that sought asses about the country After that when God would displace this man again for his sin he sent Samuel to annoint one of Isai his sons and being come to the house Isai brought foorth his eldest son Eliab a lustie tall felow thinking him indeed most fit to govern but God answered Respect not his countenance nor his tallnes of personage for I have reiected him neither do I iudge according to the countenance of man After that Isai brought in his second son Abinadab and after him Samma and so the rest until he had shewed him seven of his sons Al which being refused by Samuel they marveled said there was no mo left but only a little red headed boy that kept the sheep called David which Samuel caused to be sent for And assoon as he came in sight God said to Samuel this is the man that I have chosen 16 When the Messias was promised unto the Iewes to to be a king they imagined presently according to their worldly wisdom that he should be some great prince and therfore they refused Christ that came in povertie Iames and Iohn being yet but carnal seeing the Samaritans contemptuously to refuse Christs disciples sent to them and knowing what Christ was thought streightway that he must in revenge have called down fire from heaven to consume them but Christ rebuked them saieng You know not of what spirit you are The apostles preaching the crosse and necessitie of suffering to the wise gentils and philosophers were thought presently fooles for their labors Festus the emperors lieftenant hearing Paul to speak so much of abandoning the world and following Christ said he was mad Finally this is the fashion of al worldly wise men to condemn the wisdom of Christ and of his saints For so the holie scripture reporteth of their own confession being now in place of torment Nos insensati vitam illorum aestimabamus insaniam We fond men esteemed the lives of saints as madnes Wherfore this is also great vanitie as I have said to make such account of worldly wisdom which is not only follie but also madnes by the testimonie of the holie Ghost himselfe 17 Who would not think but that
by to watch the same The prophet David to signifie the very same thing that is the infinite multitude of snares in this world saith God shal raign snares upon sinners That is God shal permit wicked men to fal into snares which are as plentiful in the world as are the drops of rain which fal down from heaven Every thing almost is a deadly snare unto a carnal and loose harted man Every sight that he seeth every word that he heareth every thought that he conceiveth his youth his age his frinds his enimies his honor his disgrace his riches his povertie his companie keeping his prosperitie his adversitie his meat that he eateth his apparel that he weareth al are snares to draw him to destruction that is not watchful 49 Of this then and of the blindnes declared before doth follow the last and greatest miserie of al which can be in this life and that is the facilitie wherby worldly men do run into sin For truly saith the scripture Miseros facit populos peccatum Sin is the thing that maketh people miserable And yet how easily men of the world do commit sin and how little scruple they make of the matter Iob signifieth when talking of such a man he saith Bibit quasi aquam iniquitatem He suppeth up sin as it were water That is with as great facilitie custome and ease passeth he down any kind of sin that is offered him as a mā drinketh water when he is a thirst He that wil not beleeve the saieng of Iob let him prove a little by his own experience whether the matter be so or no let him walk out in to the streets behold the doings of men view their behavior consider what is done in shops in hals in consistories in judgement seats in pallaces and in common meeting places abroad what lieng what slandering what deceiving there is He shal find that of al things wherof men take any account nothing is so little accounted of as to sin He shal see justice sold veritie wrested shame lost and equitie despised He shal see the innocent condemned the giltie delivered the wicked advanced the vertuous opressed He shal see many theves florish many usurers bear great sway many murderers extortioners reverenced honored many fools put in authoritie and divers which have nothing in them but the form of men by reason of money to be placed in great dignities for the government of others He shal hear at every mans mouth almost vanitie pride detraction envie deceit dissimulation wantonnes dissolution lieng swearing perjurie and blaspheming Finally he shal see the most part of men to govern themselves absolutely even as beasts do by the motion of their passions not by law of justice reason religion or vertu 50 Of this doth insu the fift point that Christ toucheth in his parable and which I promised heer to handle to wit that the love of this world choketh up and strangleth every man whom it possesseth from al celestial and spiritual life for that it filleth him with a plain contrarie spirit to the spirit of God The apostle saith Si quis spiritum Christi non habet hic non est eius If any man hath not the spirit of Christ this fellow belongeth not unto him Now how contrarie the spirit of Christ and the spirit of the world is may appeer by the fruits of Christs spirit rekoned up by Saint Paul unto the Galathians to wit Charitie which is the root and mother of al good works Ioy in serving God Peace or tranquillitie of mind in the storms of this world Patience in adversitie Longanimitie in expecting our reward Bonitie in hurting no man Benignitie in sweet behavior Gentlenes in occasion given of anger Faithfulnes in performing our promises Modestie without arrogancie Continencie from al kind of wickednes Chastitie in conserving a pure mind in a clean and unspotted bodie Against these men saith Saint Paul there is no law And in the very same chapter he expresseth the spirit of the world by the contrarie effects saieng The works of flesh are manifest which are fornication uncleannes wantonnes lecherie idolatrie poisonings enmities contentions emulations wrath strife dissention sects envie murder droonkennes gluttonie and the like of which I foretel you as I have told you before that those men which do such things shal never obtain the kingdome of heaven 51 Heer now may every man judge of the spirit of the world and the spirit of Christ and applieng it to himselfe may conjecture whether he holdeth of the one or of the other Saint Paul giveth two pretie short rules in the very same place to trie the same The first is They which are of Christ have crucified their flesh with the vices and concupiscences therof That is they have so mortified their own bodies as they strive against al the vices sins repeated before and yeeld not to serve the concupiscences or temptations therof The second rule is If we live in spirit then let us walk in spirit That is our walking and behavior is a sign whether we be alive or dead For if our walking be spiritual such as I have declared before by those fruits therof then do we live have life in spirit but if our works be carnal such as S. Paul now hath described then are we carnal and dead in spirit neither have we any thing to do with Christ or portion in the kingdome of heaven And for that al the world is ful of those carnal works and bringeth foorth no fruits indeed of Christs spirit nor permitteth them to grow up or prosper within hir thence is it that the scripture alwais putteth Christ and the world for opposite and open enimies 52 Christ himselfe saith that The world cannot receive the spirit of truth And again in the same Evangelist he saith that Neither he nor any of his are of the world though they live in the world And yet further in his most vehement praier unto his father Pater iuste mundus te non cognovit Iust father the world hath not known thee For which cause S. Iohn writeth If any man love the world the love of the father is not in him And yet further Saint Iames that Whosoever but desireth to be frind of this world is therby made an enimie to God What wil worldly men say to this Saint Paul affirmeth plainly that this world is to be damned And Christ insinuateth the same in Saint Iohns Gospel but most of al in that wonderful fact of his when praieng to his father for other matters he excepteth the world by name Non pro mundo rogo saith he I do not aske mercie and pardon for the world but for those which thou hast given me out of the world Oh what a dreadful exception is this made by the savior of the world by the lamb that taketh away al sins
labor and travel unto feeble old age 10 But to let passe the folly of this deceit tel me good Christian what ingratitude and unrighteousnes is this towards God having received so many benefits from him alreadie and expecting so great a pay as the kingdome of heaven is after to appoint out notwithstanding the least and last and woorst part of thy life unto his service and that wherof thou art most uncertain whether it shal ever be or never or whether God wil accept it when it commeth He is accursed by the prophet which having whole and sound cattel doth offer unto God the lame or halting part therof How much more shalt thou be accursed that having so many dais of youth strength and vigor dost appoint unto Gods service only thy limping old age In the law it was forbidden under a most severe threat for any man to have two measures in his house for his neighbor one greater to his frind and another lesser for other men And yet thou art not ashamed to use two measures of thy life most unequal in prejudice of thy Lord and God wherby thou alottest to him a little short maimed and uncertain time and unto his enimie the greatest the fairest the surest part therof 11 O deer brother what reason is there why God should thus be used at thy hands What law justice or equitie is there that after thou hast served the world flesh and devil al thy youth and best dais in the end to come and clap thy old bones defiled and worn out with sin in the dish of God His enimies to have the best and he the leavings His enimies the wine and he the lees and dregs Dost thou not remember that he wil have the fat and best part offered to him Dost thou not think of the punishment of those which offered the woorst part of their substance to God Follow the counsel then of the holie Ghost if thou be wise which warneth thee in these words Be mindful of thy creator in the dais of thy youth before the time of affliction come on and before those yeers draw neer of which thou shalt say they please me not 12 How many hast thou seen cut off in the midst of their dais whiles they purposed in time to come to change their life How many have come to old age it selfe and yet then have felt lesse wil of amendement than before How many have driven off even unto the very hour of death and then lest of al have remembred their own state But have died as dum and senseles beasts according to the saieng of Saint Gregorie The sinner hath also this affliction laid upon him that when he cōmeth to die he forgetteth himselfe which in his life time did forget God O how many examples are there seen heerof daily How many worldly men that have lived in sensualitie how many great sinners that have passed their life in wickednes do end and die as if they went into some place insensible where no account no rekoning should be demanded they take such care in their testaments for flesh and blood and commodities of this world as if they should live stil or should have their part of these vanities when they are gone In truth to speak as the matter is they die as if there were no immortalitie of the soul and that in very deed is their inward persuasion 13 But suppose now that al this were not so and that a man might as easily commodiouslie yea and as surely also convert himselfe in old age as in youth and that the matter were also acceptable inough to God yet tel me what great time is their lost in this delay What great treasure of godlines is there omitted which might have been gotten by labor in Gods service If whiles the captain and other soldiers did enter a rich citie to take the spoil one soldier should say I wil stay and come in the next day after when al the spoil is gone would not you think him both a coward and also most unwise So it is that Christ our savior and al his good soldiers tooke the spoil of this life inriched themselves with their labors in time caried the same with them as bils of exchange to the bank of heaven and there received pay of eternal glorie And is it not great folly and perversenes in us to passe over this life in so fruitles affairs Now is the time of fight for the obteining of our crown now is the day of spoil to seise on our bootie now is the market to bie the kingdome of heaven now is the time of running to get the game and price now is the day of sowing to provide us corn for the harvest that commeth on If you omit this time there is no more crown no more booty no more kingdome no more price no more harvest to be looked for For as the scripture assureth us He that for sloth wil not sow in the winter shal beg in the summer and no man shal give unto him 14 But if this consideration of gain cannot moove thee gentle reader as in deed it ought to do being of such importance as it is and irrevocable when it is once past yet weigh with thy selfe what obligation and charge thou drawest on thee by everie day which thou deferrest thy conversion and livest in sin Thou makestech day knots which thou must once undo again thou heapest that togither which thou must once disperse again thou eatest and drinkest that hourly which thou must once vomit up again I mean if the best fal out unto thee that is if thou do repent in time and God do accept therof for otherwise wo be unto thee for that thou hoordest as S. Paul saith wrath and vengeance on thine own head but supposing that thou receive grace heerafter to repent which refusest it now yet I say thou hast to weepe for that thou laughest at now thou hast to be hartily sorie for that wherin thou delitest now thou hast to curse the day wherin thou ever gavest consent to sin or els thy repentance wil do thee no good This thou knowest now and this thou beleevest now or els thou art no Christian. How then art thou so mad as to offend God now both willingly deliberately of whom thou knowest that thou must once ask pardon with tears If thou think he wil pardon thee what ingratitude is it to offend so good a Lord If thou think he wil not pardon thee what folly can be more than to offend a prince without hope of pardon 15 Make thine account now as thou wilt if thou never do repent and change thy life then everie sin thou committest and every day that thou livest therin is increase of wrath and vengeance upon thee in hel as Saint Paul proveth If thou do by Gods mercie heerafter repent and turn for this is not in thy hands then must
thou one day lament and bewail and be hartily sorrie for this delay which now thou makest So that by how much the more thou prolongest and increasest thy sin so much greater wil be thy pain and sorrow in thine amendement Alto vulneri diligens longa adhibenda est medicina saith Saint Cyprian A diligent and long medicin is to be used to a deepe sore Our bodie that hath lived in many delites must be afflicted saith Saint Ierom our laughing must be recompensed with long weeping Finally Saint Ambrose agreeing therunto saith Grandi plagae alta prolixa opus est medicina Vnto a great wound a deepe and long medicin is needful 15 Mark heer deer brother that the labor of thine amendement must be very great and that it cannot be avoided What madnes is it then for thee now to inlarge the wound knowing that the medicin must afterwards be so painful What crueltie can be more against thy selfe than to drive in thorns into thine own flesh which thou must after pul out again with so many tears Wouldest thou drink that cup of poisoned liquor for a little pleasure in the tast which would cast thee soone after into a burning fever torment thy bowels within thee and either dispatch thy life or put thee in great jeoperdie 16 But heer I know thy refuge wil be as it is to al them wherof the prophet saith Mentita est iniquitas sibi Iniquitie hath flattered and lied unto hir selfe thy refuge I say wil be to alledge the example of the good theefe saved even at the last hour upon the crosse and carried to paradise that same day with Christ without any further toil of amendement This example is greatly noted and urged by al those which defer their conversion as surely it is and ought to be of great comfort to every man which findeth himselfe now at the last cast therfore commonly tempted by the enimie to despair of Gods mercie which in no case he ought to do For the same God which saved that great sinner at that last hour can also and wil save al them that hartily turn unto him even at the last hour But alas many men do flatter and deceive themselves with misunderstanding or rather misusing of this example 17 For we must understand as Saint Austen wel noteth that this was but one particular act of Christ which maketh no general rule even as we see that a temporal prince pardoneth somtime a malefactor when he is come to the very place of execution yet were it not for every malefactor to trust therupon For that this is but an extraordinarie act of the prince his favor and neither shewed nor promised to al men Besides this this act was a special miracle reserved for the manifestation of Christ his power and glorie at that hour upon the crosse Again this act was upon a most rare confession made by the theefe in that instant when al the world forsooke Christ and the apostles themselves either dowted or lost their faith of his Godhead Beside al this the confession of this theefe was at such a time as he could neither be baptised nor have further time of amendement And we hold that at a mans first conversion there is required nothing else but to beleeve and to be baptised But it shal not be amisse to put to Saint Austens very words upon this matter For thus he writeth 18 It is a remediles peril when a man giveth himself over so much to vices as he forgetteth that he must give account therof to God and the reason why I am of this opinion is for that it is a great punishment of sin to have lost the fear memorie of the judgment to come c. But deerly beloved left the new felicitie of the beleeving theefe on the crosse do make any of you too secure and remisse least peradventure some of you say in his hart my guiltie conscience shal not trouble nor torment me my naughtie life shal not make me very sad for that I see even in a moment al sin forgivē unto the theefe we must consider first in that theefe not only the shortnes of his beleefe and confession but his devotion and the occasion of that time even when the perfection of the just did stagger Secondlie shew me the faith of that theefe in thy selfe and then promise to thy self his felicitie The devil doth put into thy head this securitie to the end he may bring thee to perdition And it is unpossible to number al them which have perished by the shadow of this deceitful hope He deceiveth himselfe maketh but a jest of his own damnation which thinketh that Gods mercie at the last day shal help or releeve him It is hateful before God when a man upon confidence of repentance in his old age doth sin the more freely The happie theefe wherof we have spoken happie I say not for that he laid snares in the way but for that he tooke hold of the way it selfe in Christ laieng hands on the pray of life and after a strange maner making a bootie of his own death he I say neither did defer the time of his salvation wittingly neither did he deceitfully put the remedie of his state in the last moment of his life neither did he desperately reserve the hope of his redemption unto the hour of his death neither had he any knolege either of religion or of Christ before that time For if he had it may be he would not have been the last among the apostles in number which was made the former in kingdom 19 By these words of Saint Austen we are admonished as you see that this particular fact of Christ maketh no general rule of remission to al men not for that Christ is not alwais ready to receive the penitent as he promiseth but for that every man hath not the time or grace to repent as he should at that hour according as hath been declared before The general way that God proposeth to al is that which Saint Paul saith Finis secundum opera ipsorum The end of evil men is according to their works Look how they live so they dy To that effect saith the prophet Once God spake and I heard these two things from his mouth power belongeth to God and mercie unto thee O Lord for that thou wilt render to every man according to his works The wise man maketh this plain saieng The way of sinners is paved with stones and their end is hel darknes and punishments Finally Saint Paul maketh this general and peremptory conclusion Be not deceived God is not mocked looke what a man soweth and that shal he reape He that soweth in flesh shal reap corruption he that soweth in spirit shal reap life everlasting In which words he doth not only lay down unto us the general rule wherto we must trust but also saith further
is no quaestion but al were sinners and that very often they daily offended Besides al which their good deeds also but few to speak of were so imperfect for want of tru sinceritie and zeal which never are found since the fal of Adam in any of the children of men that if God should deal in his justice only and not in the depth of his mercie withal not one of those works could ever be accepted of him Hence is it that the children of God acknowledge their uncleannes in al their wais not only in such things as commonly go under the name of sin but in al their holines and righteousnes besides too high a point for the children of the world to attain unto In Christ we finde most absolute righteousnes perfectly wrought insomuch that there was never found any il in him either proceeding foorth by his deeds or words or at any time lurking in his secret thoughts and whatsoever he did or said was ever most godly wherunto the inward disposition of his hart and al his thoughts did ever accord And so must it needs be for that he was both God and man For so commeth it to passe that the infinit excellencies of his Godhead could not have sufficient issu in his manhood to shew foorth themselves to the ful but after they had thoroughly filled al his manhood with al perfection and al the organs and powers therof needs must there be immeasurable abundance left besides al which doth witnes his manhood first to be thoroughly filled So not only it might be but also of necessitie it must be and can be no other but that he loved God with al his hart with al his soul with al his strength and his neighbor as himselfe that al his deeds words and thoughts were ever good and the same in most absolute maner to the uttermost pitch that the capacitie of manhood was able to bear How to procure righteousnes to our selves to make it ours is now to be seen Where first if we come to that righteousnes that is of man either of our selves or others we shal never be able to do any good For first as touching our selves wheras we are not able to fulfil the law there is not in us any righteousnes at al to be had If we could fulfil the whole law never offending in deed word nor thought but ever having al our deeds words and thoughts fully answering to that holines and righteousnes that God requireth then might we stand in the favor of God by our own good works without any help at al by Christ and that by the vertu of the former covenant commonly called the old Testament But if we misse any point of this though we do our best indevor yet are we nothing holpen therby in this matter bicause that God hath not covenanted to accept us as righteous for doing our indevor therin but only by fulfilling the whole law in every point to the uttermost jot Neither can he in his justice accept of any other righteousnes but that which is perfect no more than the law wil adjudge any sum a just paiment be it never so much though infinit thousands so long as there wanteth any one penie of that which is covenant Then if we seek unto others those that now are saints in heaven to have the help of their righteousnes to make us righteous neither have they any such as the law requireth but are for that matter as short as we neither did God at any time make any such covenant with any of us that their righteousnes should stand us in any such steed Now therfore to come unto Christ in him only is that righteousnes to be had that can serve our turn and we have it in him by none other means but only by faith For wheras God hath made his other covenant in him which he calleth the new and the last bicause he never meaneth to make any mo besides that wheras we cannot be justified before him by any righteousnes of our own unlesse we were able to fulfil the law and he therfore hath taken this order that his Son should do it for us to the end that al that take hold therof or rest upon him should have his holines and righteousnes theirs hence commeth it both that such as rest in him by the vertu of his latter covenant have his righteousnes theirs and that they are not other wais justified but only by taking hold on him by faith For neither hath God made this righteousnes of Christ so common to al that unbeleevers may have the benefit of it as wel as the faithful neither hath he by this latter covenant declared himselfe to be of purpose to justifie us by the good works or merits of any but only of Christ. In other things without al quaestion there is a special use of our own good works of the good examples that the blessed saints have given us but in this our justification with God there is no use of them at al. Now therfore concerning the place of Saint Iames that seemeth to attribute our justification partly to our own works and not only to faith in Christ it is evident that he doth not treat of this our first justification but only exhorteth to holines of life and so consequently whatsoever he saith there it is not to be heerunto applied Wheras therfore the apostle Saint Paul concludeth his disputation of that matter that We are iustified by faith without the deeds of the law And Saint Iames in like maner concludeth his that Of works a man is iustified and not of faith only Although it may seem at the first sight that these two are directly contrarie one to the other yet the circumstances of the places and the intent and meaning of either of the Apostles being considered it is found very plainly that they are not contrarie but only divers that is one of them doth not denie that which is affirmed by the other both speaking of one thing but having two several or divers matters in hand ech of them holdeth on his own several way For Saint Paul is in hand with a point of doctrine to shew wherin our first justification consisteth before God and Saint Iames is in hand with a point of exhortation to godlines of life and to that end sheweth that our faith is but vain unlesse that it be in some good measure fruitful by works Wheras therfore although they both speak of faith and justification yet the one doth not mean either that faith or that justification that the other meaneth hence may it sufficiently appeer without any further discourse of the matter that the one of them is not against the other If Saint Iames had been of purpose to have shewed how we are justified before God he would have shewed no other way but only by faith in Christ Iesus as in the chapter before he ascribeth the estate that we have in Christ not unto