also the seede of it And againe seeing that all euills tendes to a perfection as well as Grace doeth what reason therefore is there but wee may safely thinke that the Diuell would hale euery one to that height of sinne if it were not that the powerfull hande of God preuented him who will neyther suffer wicked men nor the Diuell himselfe to bee so wicked as they coulde and would be The vse of this second rule is notable For in this searching of our selues it sheweth vs what wee are without all colour or deceit and fully discouers vnto vs the vglines of our natures it may teach vs all how to think and esteeme of our selues when we heare of Caines vnnaturall murther Pharaohs vnnaturall crueltie the Sodomites vnnatural lust Achitophels diuellish pollicie Senacharibs horrible blasphemie Iudas monstrous treason Iulians fearefull Apostasie When wee heare of the fearefull murthers treasons periuries sinnes against nature blasphemies Apostasies witchcrafts crafts and other the horrible sinnes of the worlde let vs then returne into our selues and looke homewardes euen into our owne heartes and confesse euerie one that these should haue beene euen thy sinnes also if Gods grace had not preuented thee This will humble thee and make thee thinke vilely and basely of thy selfe and so consequently bring thee to repentance and true amendement and the verie reason why men repent not nor amend their wayes is because they are Pharisies by nature and thinke highly of themselues and of their owne natures and their naturall inclinations this will be a harshe a strāge doctrine to them Oh they haue excellent narures and they canot endure such such sinnes and they thanke God they are not as ill as others but let all such men knowe they must cease magnifying nature learne to magnifie Gods grace Let them knowe that nature in them is in the roote as much corrupt as in the worst man in the world and euerie mans heart is a bottomlesse fountaine of all sinne therefore praise not thy nature but Gods grace and mercie in giuing thee so good a nature or rather so well restraining and rectifying thy nature stay not there but desire of the Lord that as hee hath giuen thee a better tempered nature then to other men so also hee woulde bestowe on thee his espeiiall and sauing grace and as hee hath kept thee from the fearefull sinnes of others thou beeing as ill naturally as they so he would also leade thee into the way of saluation which else the best nature in the worlde can neuer attaine vnto The third rule to be knowne and practised of him who will truely searche himselfe is that euerie man borne of Adam is by nature the children of wrath and Gods enemie this is true of all without exception high or lowe rich or poore Noble or simple borne in the visible church or without And further by beeing enemie of God hee is therefore borne subiect to hell to damnation and to all other curses so that looke as a Traitor conuicted stands thereby in his Princes high displeasure and is sure of death without speciall pardon so standes euerie man when hee is borne conuicted of high treason against God in his high disfauour and is in danger of Hell which is the fulfilling of the wrath of God Thus Dauid confesseth of himselfe I was borne in iniquitie and in sinne hath my mother conceiued mee If in sinne then in Gods wrath and vnder the daunger of damnation If anie aske howe or why this is so I answere the trueth as also the equitie of this third rule dependeth on the two former for because euery man is borne guiltie of Adams great sinne and also tainted originally with al corruption and a pronenesse of all sinne therefore it followeth in equitie and iustice that euery man is borne vnder the wrath and curse of God This point is a plaine and euident trueth yet men in the world thinke not so and it is the cause why men repent not of their sinnes for most men thinke that by nature they are in Gods fauour and therefore they neede not so sue for it in humiliation repentance but only liue ciuillie and do no open wrong and all is well whereas alas there is no condemned traitour more out of his Princes fauour nor more sure of death without a pardon then all wee are out of Gods fauour and sure of damnation vnlesse wee procure Gods fauour againe by Faith and Repentance For the better opening of this third rule and the manifesting of the Truth let vs knowe further that the curse of God vnder the which wee all are borne is three-fold The first is a bondage vnder Sathan It is a certaine truth that euerie man as hee is borne of his Parents and till he repent is a slaue of Sathan man or woman high or lowe Sathan is his Lord and Maister Hee sits as Iudge in his heart and in his sense Sathan is the king of the natiōs and god of the world Men wil in words defie Sathan and not name him without defiance and spit at him and yet alas hee is in their heartes they spitte him out of their mouthes but hee is lower they should also spit him out of their heartes and that is true defiance indeede for alas he lodgeth in thy heart and there hee maketh his Throne and reignes vntil the spirit of regeneration dispossesse him and till then no seruant is subiect to his maister no slaue to his Lorde as is the heart of man by nature vnto Sathan the Prince of darkenesse Nay our bondage is more fearefull then the slauerie of anie poore Christian in the Spaniards or in the Turkes Gallies for their bodies are but in bondage and at commaund and vnder punishment but our best part our heart our conscience our soule it selfe is captiuated vnto him and vnder his commaunde who is the king of crueltie and confusion and lord of hell whose commandements are iniustice whose seruice is sinne and whose hyre is damnation The second part of the curse of the first death or the death of the bodie that is a separation of the soule and bodie asunder for a time namely til the last iudgemēt This death is duely and iustly the punishment of anie one or the least sinne therefore howe due and iust a punishment vppon that horrible heape of sinfulnesse which is in euery mans nature and it is a most terrible curse For it is the very gate of hell and the downefall of damnation vnto all men but such as by faith and repentance doe get their death sanctified by the death of Christ vnto such men indeed it is no curse but a gratious and glorious blessing for it is altered by Christ his death But vnto all men by nature and which repent not it is the heauie curse of Gods wrath and the verie downe-fall into the gulfe of hell The third part of the curse vnder which euerie man is borne
is the second death the death of soule and bodie which is the eternall want of Gods presence and the accomplishment of his wrath and an apprehension and feeling of that wrath seazing on bodie soule and conscience The first curse was a spirituall death the death of the soule The second a temporall death the death of the bodie The third is an eternall death a death both of soule and bodie together and for euer This eternall death is the curse of all curses the miserie of all miseries and torment of all tormentes and I shewe it thus Often when thy toothe acheth and sometime when thy headacheth or in the paine of the stone or collicke thou wouldest giue all that thou hast in the worlde to bee eased of that paine Nay in the extreamitie of some fittes manie will wish themselues euen out of the world Now if the paine of one toothe can so farre distemper minde and bodie that it cannot bee releeued with all the pleasures of this life Oh then what a torment shall that bee when not one kinde of paine but the whole viole of GODS wrath shall bee powred not on one member but on the whole soule bodie and conscience and that not for a time vnder hope of better but eternallie without hope of release and that not in this world where there are comforts helpes and remedies but in that vglie and darksome place of torrments and that not amongst liuing men which might mittigate thy paine or else bemone thee and bewaile it with thee but with the diuells dāned spirits which will now laugh at thy destruction and solace themselues in this thy miserie and will reioyce as thou diddest serue them in earth so now in hell to bee thy tormenters It may bee therefore by the way a good warning and wisedome to vs all when wee feele the extremitie of some bodilie paine to consider with our selues and say Oh then what shall bee my miserie and torment if I repent not when not one member but soule bodie and conscience shall bee racked and tormented in the feeling and apprehension of the anger of the Lorde of Hostes. In these three points stands that curse and wrath of God vnder which euerie man is borne And these doe answere to the three degrees of sinne which are in vs for as the two first rules taught vs there is in euery man by nature till hee repent a threefolde guiltinesse First a guiltinesse of Adams sinne Secondly the taint of originall vniuersall corruption Thirdly a pollution by manie outragious actuall sinnes In the first of these euerie man is equallie guiltie In the second euerie man is equallie corrupt But in the third euerie one keepes that compasse within which the Lorde will keepe them by his limiting power Now as in our guiltinesse of Adams sinne sinne hath his beginning in original sinne his continuance in actuall sinne his perfect on So answerable herevnto the wrath of God which alwayes standeth opposite to sinne is begunne in leauing vs by nature to the slauerie of Sathan is continued by death and is accomplished in damnation And nowe these three rules I commend to the carefull and Christian consideration of you all certifying you from God that as you can neuer bee saued vnlesse you repent nor repent vnlesse you searche your selues as heere the Prophet biddeth So that you can neuer search your selues aright till you be perswaded and resolued of these three rules of the truth of them all euen in your hearts and consciences Namely First that thou art guiltie of Adams sinne Secōdly that thou art prone by nature to all euil in the world Thirdly that for these thou art subiect to the wrath of God and to all the curses of his wrath but when thou art in heart conscience resolued that these are true then thou art a fit scholler for this Lesson of the Prophet Search thy selfe For when thou goest thus prepared vnto this Search and esteemest of thy selfe as the three Rules haue described thee then if thou Search into thy selfe thou wilt finde thy selfe and thy estate to bee such as will cause thee to repent returne and take a newe course therefore what the Prophet saide to those Iewes I say vnto you also My brethren of this Realme of England who are now heere gathered together out of so manie countryes and quarters of this Realme yea in the name of the same God I cry vnto you Search O Search your selues and thinke it not a matter indifferent to doe or not to doe it but knowe it that God commands you as euer you wil come to saluation Search your selues And the rather because by these three Rules you see howe much chaffe of corruption is in your nature and what neede therefore it hath to be searched into and fanned by Repentance Bee well assured thou man whatsoeuer thou art there is so much chaffe in thee that if thou search not and fanne it not out thou wilt prooue nothing but Chaffe at the last day and so be blowne away with the winde of Gods iustice into Hell Take holde therfore of this exhortation and deferre it not Thou wilt not suffer thy Wheate to lye too long in the chaffe for feare of hurting it Is it then safe to suffer the Chaffe of thy sinnes and corruptions to lye cankering and rotting in thy heart Be sure that that little portion of grace which thou attainest vnto by liuing in the Church and vnder the ministery of the word of God will bee putryfied and cleane corrupted with the Chaffe of thy sinnes therefore againe and againe I exhorte you to make conscience of this dutie Search into your selues fanne out this chaffe this presumption of ours and high esteeming of our owne nature and conceites of Gods fauour before we haue it that so this Chaffe beeing blowne away the Lord may then bestowe vpon vs soundnesse of grace and the foundation of all goodnesse which is a holy and humbled heart Saluation is such a building as the foundation thereof had neede to bee sure and strong Ignorance blindenesse and presumption are not sufficient foundations for such a building therefore as no man wil build a strong house vpon anie earth but hee will first search it least it prooue sandie and so ouerthrowe all So a wise Christian will not build his saluation vpon fancies and conceits and naturall presumptions but will Search and looke into his heart and finding these to be sandie and rotten and therefore too weake for the foundation of so glorious a building will refuse them all and labour to furnish his heart with such sounde grace as wherevpon hee may trust so weightie a worke as is the saluation of his soule Againe if thou wilt stande in the day of triall then search thy heart betime and discerne betwixt chaffe and wheate thou seest that chaffe flyeth away before the winde but good corne indures the Fanne and the furie of the winde so in the day of triall
same graue of the earth and death hath like dominion ouer them all 3. But afterwards at the last day at Gods great haruest and great winnowing time he then with the winde of his power seuereth them asunder in soule and body Wheat from the chaffe Sheepe from the Goates and separateth them neuer to be mingled againe for euer and euer and then with the winde of his wrath hee blowes the chaffe into fire vnquenchable and with his louing fauour gathereth his wheate into the euerlasting and glorious garners of heauen So then the first seuereth them in affectiō The second in soule for a time The third actually in soule and body for euer and euer Nowe of these three winnowing times the holy Ghost speaketh here properly of the second namely the fanne of Gods iudgements so that the meaning of the Metaphor is this Search your selues and repent betimes lest God come vppon you with some fearefull Iudgements because you haue so long contemned the fanne of the word and finding you too light to abide the triall doe take you away in the iudgement and cast you into hell for as sure as the fanne of the word hath made differēce of you which are chaffe and which are wheate so sure shall the fanne of his iudgements blow away the chaffe to hell and damnation Thus much for the meaning Now for the vse for vs in England the case stands thus Our Church doubtlesse is Gods corne field and wee are the corne heape of God and those Brownists and Sectaries are blinde and besotted who cannot see that the Church of England is a godly heape of Gods corne but withall we must confesse we are full of chaffe that is of prophane and wicked hypocrites whose hearts and mindes abound in sinnes and rebellions and many of our best professours are also too full of chaffe that is of corruptions and do giue themselues too much libertie in many sinnes but alas the pure wheate how thinne is it scattered how hard to find a man at least a family which dedicate themselues to the Lord in holy and sincere obedience and labour to make conscience of all sinnes now therefore seeing wee are Gods corne field and wee haue some pure wheate amongst much chaffe therefore God will winnow vs to find out the corne if he haue but one corne of wheate in a handfull of chaffe but one good man of many hee will stirre all the heape for those few corners hee will not care to blow all the chaffe to hell to finde out those fewe cornes of Wheate to lay them vp in heauen so that out of all question England being so full of chaffe must looke to be winnowed Now for the first Fanne of his word it hath beene vsed in this land these fiue and thirtie yeares and that as powerfully and as plentifully as any where in the world and yet alas many are more godlesse more ignorant more prophane then euer they were yea wickednesse groweth and the chaffe increaseth aboue the wheate be sure therefore that God will bring his second fanne vpon vs because we will not suffer the first and milde and gentle fan of his word to try and search vs therefore wee will bring the fearefull fanne of his iudgements and with it hee will blowe soule and body into hell with those our sinnes and corruptions which we would not suffer the fanne of Gods word to blow from vs. The first hath so long blowne in vaine that the second must needes come vnto vs and it hath already begun to blow three or foure blastes haue blowne ouer vs famine pestilence earth-quakes fire water winde these haue so blowne some of vs that they haue taken away a great number of vs For vs that remaine this onely remaines that wee strengthen our selues by grace to bee able to stand against the next blast for come it will and when it comes no wealth nor worldly thing can inable vs to endure it onely faith and repentance and the grace of God will stand at that day Now therefore in that so fearefull a fanning abideth vs seeing it is so neere as appeareth by the blastes already past ouer vs which are nothing but the forerunners of a greater tempest what should be our care except wee care not to be blowne body and soule into hell but to labour to eschew this fearefull fanne of Gods wrath or at least if it come vpon vs that it may not blow vs to hell but hasten vs to heauen If thy heart be touched to aske how this may be I answer thee only to follow the Prophets aduice in this place by searching and trying our selues The way to escape Gods triall is to try thy selfe to escape Gods iugdement to be a iudge to thine owne soule and so the way to escape the fearefull fanne of God is to fanne their owne heart by the law of God For whomsoeuer the first fanne that is the worde of God doth worke vpon these men are neuer blowne away with the fan of Gods iudgements O then entertaine the word of God into thy heart submit thy soule vnto it let it pierce and try ransacke thy heart and lay before thee thy wretched estate by thy sinnes and when thou seest thy nakednesse and misery confesse it bewaile it and be humbled for it cry and call for mercy and forgiuenes pray against thy speciall sinnes striue to purge them out as the poyson of thy soule craue grace from God for all thy sinnes if thou seest any sinnes more welcome to thy nature more deere vnto thee and which more preuaile against thee then others doe pray against these sinnes and striue against them aboue all endeaour that by the fanne of Gods word they may be blowne away from thee When thou hast done this marke what will come of it when thou hast fanned thy selfe GOD will not fanne thee but when the fanne of his iudgement comes bloweth so strongly vpon the wicked then the Lorde finding thee alreadie fanned and clensed by his word will spare thee and his iudgement shall either blow ouer thee and passe by thee vntouched as ouer Lot in the destruction of Sodome or else shall fanne out all thy corruptions and blowe thee vp to heauen to be laide vp as pure wheate in the heauenly garners and mansions of glorie which Christ ascribed to prepare for thee Now then amongst those many businesses with which this world doth cumber euerie of vs all which shall perish with the world it selfe let vs good brethren spare sometime for this great businesse Martha may be combred about many things but this is that one thing which is necessarie therefore whatsoeuer is done let not this be vndone Once a day put thy selfe and thy life vnder the fanne of Gods lawe try thy selfe what thou art and thy life how thou liuest Once a day keepe a court in thy conscience call thy thoughts thy wordes and thy deedes to their triall let the ten commaundements
they shal flie away with the winde of Gods iustice Of all these points in order For the first the holy Ghost saith Search your selues The wordes are commonly read thus Gather your selues which though it bee good for that in Repentance a man gathereth himselfe all his wits together which afore were dispersed wandred vp and downe in vanitie yet I rather allowe their translation who reade thus Search or fanne your selues but either of them may stand because the word in the originall doth comprehend both significations yet it seemeth that to search or sift fits this place better considering the same manner of speech is afterwardes continued in the word Chaffe so that the meaning of the holy Ghost seemeth to be this Search try and fanne your selues least you bee found light chaffe and so flie away and be consumed before the Iustice of God Concerning this dutie of searching let vs obserue first that the holy Ghost vrging the Iewes to repent vseth not the word Repentance but bids them search themselues yet meaning he wold haue them to repent giuing vs to vnderstand that no man can haue true sound repentance but he who hath first of all searched and examined him selfe and this stands with good reason for no man can repent who first of all doeth not knowe himselfe and his owne wretchednes But no man can see into himselfe nor know himselfe but hee that doeth diligentlie search himselfe so that the beginning of all grace is for a man to search trie and fan himselfe that therby he may knowe what is in himselfe that so vpon the searche seeing his fearefull and damnable estate hee may forsake himselfe and his owne wayes and turne to the Lord. Thus speaketh the holie Ghost in the heartes of holie men Let vs searche and trye our wayes and marke what followeth and turne againe to the Lord as though there were no turning againe vnto the Lord but after a searching of our selues With this testimony of the holy Ghost agreeth the testimonie of all holy mens consciences who all know that the first beginning of their turning vnto the Lorde was a searching of themselues Let any repentant sinner aske his conscience call to minde his first calling and conuersion and hee will remember that the first thing in his Repentance was this that he searched into himselfe and looked narrowly into his wayes and finding his wayes dangerous his case fearful did thervpō resoule to take a new course turn to the Lord for pardō mercy and for grace to enter into more holie and more comfortable courses The man that passeth vpon ridges of mountaines and sides of hills or that goeth ouer a narrow bridge or some dangerous and steepe rocks at midnight feareth not because he seeth no danger but bring the same man in the morning and let him see the narrowe bridge hee went ouer in the night vnder which runnes a violent streame and a bottomlesse gulfe and the daungerous Mountaines and Rockes hee passed ouer and hee will woonder at his owne boldenesse and shrincke for feare to thinke of it and will by no meanes venture the same way againe for now he seeth the height of the Mountaines the steepenesse of the hils the cragginesse of the Rocks the fearefull downfall and the furious violence of the streame vnderneath and thereby seeth the extreame danger which afore he saw not therefore he wondreth and reioyceth that hee hath escaped so great a daunger and will by no meanes bee drawne to goe that waye in the day which he went most carelesly in the darknesse of the night but seeketh another way though it should bee far about So a sinner in his first estate which is naturall and corrupt as wee are bred and borne hath a vaile before his face so that he seeth nothing the wrath of God and the curse due for sin hell damnation seeking to deuoure him hee seeth them not although liuing alwaies in sin he walketh in the very iawes of hell it selfe and because he seeth not this fearefull daunger therefore he refuseth no sin at all but rusheth securely into all manner of sinne the night of impenitencie and the myst of ignoraunce so blinding his eyes that hee seeth not the narrow bridge of this life from which if hee slyde hee falles immediately into the bottomlesse pitte of hell But when as Gods Spirit hath by the Light of Gods word opened his eyes and touched his heart to consider his estate then hee seeth the fraile bridge of this narrowe life and howe little a steppe there is betweene him and damnation then hee seeth hell open due for his sinnes and himselfe in the high-way to it sinne beeing the craggy rocke and hell the gaping gulfe vnder it this life beeing the narrowe bridge and damnation the streame that runneth vnder it Then he wondereth at his miserable estate admireth the mercie of GOD in keeping him from falling into the bottome of hell wondereth at the presumptuous boldnesse of his corruption which so securely plodded on towards destruction and being ashamed of himselfe and these his wayes he turnes his heart to the God that saued him from these dangers and sets himselfe into more holie wayes and more comfortable courses and confesseth that ignorāce made him bold and blindnes made him so presumptuous but nowe he seeth the danger will by no meanes goe the same way againe thus the searching and seeing into the foulenes of sinne and the danger therof is the first beginning of repentance and the first step into grace This doctrine teacheth vs what faith and repentance is generally in the world All men say they belieue and haue repented long ago but trie it well and wee shall finde in the bodie of our Nation but a lippe Faith and a lippe Repentance for euen when they say so they are blind and ignorant of their own estate and knowe not themselues that because they are baptized and liue in the Church therefore they are in Gods fauour in verie good estate when as they neuer yet were reconciled to God and are so farre from it that they neuer yet sawe anie sinnes in themselues whereof they should repent as a man trauelling in the night seeth no daunger but plods on without feare So the most part of our common people in the night of their ignorance thinke and presume they loue and feare God and loue their Neighbour and that they haue euer done so Nay it is the common opinion that a man may doe so by nature and that he is not worthy to liue who doth not loue God with all his heart and beleeue in Iesus Christ. But alas poore simple soules they neuer knewe what sinne was neuer searched nor sawe into their owne hearts with the light of Gods law for if they had they should haue seene such a Sea of corruption that then they woulde confesse it to be the hardest thing in the world to loue God to
hypocrisie shall bee discouered and his nakednes shal be laid open in the view of men and Angels to his eternall confusion Thirdly Search saith the Prophet but not so content hee forceth it againe Euen search you In thus repeating and vrging this exhortation the holie Ghost giues them and vs to vnderstand that the true searching of a mans heart and life is a dutie of a great moment and speciall necessity therefore he leaues it not after once naming it but inforceth it the seconde time as beeing no matter of indifferencie but of great necessitie thereby shewing that it is a principall dutie in Repentance euen the beginning and foundation of all true grace And further it is a meanes also to preuent Gods iudgements for when men search not themselues then God sendes the fire of afflictions and crosses to trie and search them but when they search themselues then God spareth to searche them by his iust iudgements Nowe in that this dutie of searching is both the beginning of all true grace and the meanes to staye Gods iudgements and therefore is so pithelie and forceablie vrged by the holie Ghost it must teach vs all a necessarie lesson namely to make great conscience of searching our selues First because God hath so commanded and we are to make conscience of obedience to euerie commandement Secondly because thereby we shall reape two so great commodities as first therby we shal lay a sure foundation for the good worke of grace in vs and secondly shal stay the hand of God and his iudgements from beeing executed vpon vs. Let vs therfore hearken to this counsaile of the holie Ghost let vs take the fanne of the Law and there with searche and winnow our hearts and liues Our hearts for secret and hidden corruptions Our liues for committing of euill and omitting of good Doe with your hearts as men doe with their wheate they will not suffer their corne to lye long in the chaffe least the chaffe hurt it but commits it to the fanne that the winde may separate them So the graces of God in our hearts are but corne our sinnes and corruptions are chaffe looke well and thou shalt finde in thy selfe much chaffe and but little corne let not then the chaffe lye too long mingled with the corne lest it corrupt the corne Let not thy sinnes lye mingled with the grace of God in thee if thou doe they will choke it in the ende and so depriue thee of all grace therefore rippe vp thy heart and looke into thy life and when thou hast sinned enter into thy selfe aske thy conscience what thou hast done and bee not quiet till thou hast founde out thy sinne and the foulenesse of it and neuer thinke that thou knowest anie thing in Religion till thou knowest what is in thine owne heart And what are in thy speciall and priuiest corruptions and looke into thine owne faults not with a partiall eye but with a censorious and a straite iudgement spare sinne in no man but especiallie condemne it in thy selfe But alas these times of ours crie out of an other state for euen Ieremies case is ours We may complaine as hee did No man repents him of his wickednes saying what haue I done the same is the force of our people and the sickenesse of all Nations that euerie man runnes on in his sinnes from sin to sinne carelesly euen as the barde horse into the battaile But how rare a thing is it to finde a man that daylie searcheth himselfe and examines how he liues and how the case standeth betwixte God and himselfe and that when hee hath done amisse entereth into the closet of his heart and strikes himselfe vpon the breast and disputes the case with himselfe saying What haue I done O what is this that I gaue done against GOD against his Church and against my own soule The want of this is that which the Prophete complaines of in that place not as though it was sufficient thus to doe in a mans owne conscience but because it is a good beginning and a step to further grace For if a man did seriously thus deale with his conscience after his sinne his conscience woulde shape him such an aunswere and woulde tell him so roundlie what hee had done that hee woulde take heede howe he did the same againe and looke more narrowely and warilie to himselfe all the dayes of his life Seeing therefore it is so necessarie a dutie let euery one of vs enduour the practise of it namely to rippe and ransacke our heartes and to searche our wayes vnto the bottome Now for our better instruction and furtherance in the performance heereof you must knowe that this Search is to bee made by the Law of God for nothing else but Gods lawe can helpe vs and let vs see that which we must search for for if we search by anie meanes wee may seeke and search long enough ere wee finde anie thing that will bee matter of Repentance Aske the Diuell hee will tell thee all is well and that thou art in an excellent estate and God loues thee and thou art sure of heauen this song the diuell alwayes singes for the most part til a man comes to die for then hee appeares in his colours but till then hee laboures to sing and lull all men a sleepe in the cradle of securite Aske your owne flesh and your owne heartes and natures and they will aunswere and say that all is well and safe and that wee haue beleeued and loued and feared GOD all our dayes Aske the worlde and men in the world and they will answere all is well and they will say further that thou art a right good-fellowe and art worthe twentie of these curious fooles that sticke vpon points and stand vpon circumstances as swearing and drinking and good fellowship and gaming and such other nice and circumstantiall points thus wil worldly men aunswere for thy prophane course is acceptable to them because thereby thou approuest the same in them Nay goe further and aske all humaine Learning in the world and it cannot tell thee what one sinne is nor what it is to offende God so that there remaines onely the law of God the light whereof will disclose the darkenesse of our heartes and the iustice whereof will reueale the righteousnesse and the peruersenesse of our Natures therefore to the Lawe of GOD must wee flye to helpe vs in this search And yet for our better helpe in this dutie and that there may bee nothing wanting to that soule that seeketh God therefore wee are further to knowe that if wee will searche our selues by the Lawe profitablie wee must marke three rules the truth whereof vnlesse wee knowe acknowledge and feele wee shall neuer see our owne estate nor profit by this search but plod on from sin to sin vntill we plunge into hell The first Rule is that euerie man that came from Adam sinned in the sinne of Adam thou must therefore knowe that his sinne
their God requite this his loue which they had no more deserued then any other Nation Certainely as they deserued it not afore they had it so they requited it not when they had it but requited this loue of God with sinne with rebellion and with disobedience They tempted him they prouoked him to wrath they presumed of his mercy and proued a most stubborne stifnecked people a froward generation Moses partly saw this in his owne experience and better discerned it in the spirite of Prophesie and therefore wondring at this their wickednes he cried out Do you thus requite the Lord O foolish people and vnwise thus that is with sin and disobedience which is the onely meanes to displease the Lord to prouoke him to wrath for this cause they are worthily called a foolish and vnkind people by Moses and here by the Prophet A Nation not worthy to be beloued namely for their vnthankefulnesse and vnkindnes which was such as they not onely were slacke and carelesse in performance of such duties as God required but euē multiplyed their sinnes and committed those soule rebellions which his soule hated And amongst many the Prophet here in this Chapter noteth three of their great sinnes for which they were a Nation not worthy to be beloued Couetousnesse Crueltie and Deceit all which were the more hainous and intollerable because they were the sinnes of their Princes their rulers and their Priests who should haue bin lights examples to the rest Now although euery sinne in it selfe is of that ill desert as it is able to cast vs out of Gods fauour and depriue vs of his loue yet behold here God complaines not vppon a little cause but for wonderfull and exceeding vnthankfulnes vnkindnes in them who of all other should haue loued the Lord. As a man cares not for hard vsage from him whom he esteemes not but a little vnkindnesse dooth greatly greeue a man from him who is loued and respected so is it with the Lord our God hee loued not the Gentiles as hee did the Iewes neither was hee so bountifull vnto them and therefore as wee may see though they liued alwayes in ignorance and continued alwaies in disobedience yet the Text saith the time of that ignorance God regarded not but when as the Iewes his owne people whom hee chose out of all people and bestowed his loue vpon them and made his Couenant of grace with them when they became vnkind vnthankfull forgetfull stubborne and rebellious that caused the Lord euen to complaine of that indignitie and to cry out by Moses Doe ye thus requite the Lord O foolish people and vnwise And heereby the Prophet O Nation not worthy to be beloued and therefore there is no man but if he be asked what hee thinkes of this Nation of the Iewes he will aunswere that they are a most vile and wicked people a froward generation and that they are worthy to taste deepely of all Gods plagues who so farre abused his loue and mercy But what doth this belong to them alone and is Israel a Nation not worthy to bee beloued Nay I may cry out with as good cause O England a Nation not worthy to be beloued For God hath beene as good a God to vs as he was to them and wee haue beene as vnkind a people to him as they were to him But that I may be free from discrediting our natiō frō defiling my owne nest let vs prooue both these points and laye them open to the viewe of the world 1. First therefore the same mercies and farre greater haue beene powred and heaped vpon vs hee hath called vs out of the dareknes First of Heathenisme and then of Popery his couenant of grace and saluation he hath confirmed with vs his treasures of his word and Sacraments hee hath imparted to vs his holy word neuer better preached and the mysteries thereof neuer more plainly opened since the time of the Apostles and as wee haue Religion so wee haue it vnder a Religious Prince whereby it comes to passe that these blessings of saluation we enioy not in secret or by stealth but we haue it coūtenanced by authority so that religion is not barely allowed but euen as it were euen thrust vpon men Besides all this wee haue a land also that floweth with milke and hony it is plentifull in all good things wee haue liberty peace vnder a peaceable Prince and the companions of peace prosperitie plenty health wealth corne wooll golde siluer aboundance of all things that may please the heart of man thus hath God deserued the loue of England 2. But now England how hast thou requited this kindnesse of the Lord certainely euen with a great measure of vnkindnesse that is with more and greater sinnes then euer Israel did so that if Moses spake true of them then may our Moses much more truly cry out against England doest thou thus requite the Lord thou foolish people And if this prophet said thus of Israel for three sinnes then may it be saide of England for three hundred sinnes O England a Nation not worthy to bee beloued for thou hast multiplied thy transgressions aboue theirs of Israel euen as though thou hadst resolued with thy self the more Gods kindnes is heaped on thee the more to multiply thy sinnes against him For thou England as thou hast requited the Lord with sins so not with a fewe sinnes or smal sinnes or sinnes which hardly could haue bene preuented for that had beene a matter of some excuse or not of so great complaint But thy sins are many and grieuous and capitall And which is worst of all wilfull and affected euen as though God had deserued euill of vs and that therefore wee ought malitiously to requite him If any man make doubt of this and therefore thinke I speake too hardly of our Church I will thē deale plainly and particularly and rip vp the sores of our Nation that so they may be healed to the bottome The common sinnes of England wherewith the Lord is requited are these First ignorance of Gods will and worship I speake not of that compelled ignorance in many corners of our land which is to bee pittied because they want the means but wilfull and affected ignorance Men are ignorant euen because they will be ignorant Meanes of knowledge were neuer so plentiful and yet neuer more grosse ignorance is not he wilfully blind who will not open his eyes in the light can there bee any darknesse at noone day but it must bee wilfull But our Nation is darke and blinde in the Sunne-shine of the Gospell and grosly ignorant when the Gospell beats their eares and light shines round about them so as if they closed not their eyes and stopped not their eares they coulde not but both heare and see who woulde look for ignorance after thirty fiue yeares preaching and yet many are as ignorant as if they had beene borne and brought vp vnder