thy selfe that art aboue all price Christ once died for our sinnes the iust for the vniust and doest thou thinke the heaping together of riches to bee more precious than the redemption of thy soule by the blood of Christ For when thou takest another mans goods thou art taken by the Diuell and as long as thou detainest them thou art detained by the Diuell Thou possessest gold and losest heauen thou detainest another mans goods vniustlie and iustlie losest thy heauenlie inheritance The gaine is vniust the losse iust the gaine in thy chest the losse in thy conscience and therefore if thou be wise let that worldly gaine perish that bringeth with it the losse of thy soule What good is it vnto thee if thou gaine the whole world and lose thy owne soule if thou get vnto thy selfe whatsoeuer is without thee and damnest thy inward essentiall part euen that that thou art Woe to thee that spoilest Esay 33.1 when thou shait cease to spoile shalt thou not bee spoiled Those riches that thou hast deuoured When wee die wee leaue all behind vs. thou shalt vomit vp and God will draw them out of thy belly When thou shalt sleepe in death thou shalt carie nothing with thee thou shalt open thine eies and finde nothing Naked thou camest into the world and naked thou goest out thy riches were neither born with thee neither must they depart with thee for as when thou fittest downe at a rich mans table there are set before thee vessels of gold and siluer the vse whereof thou only hast which if out of simplicity thou thinkest to bee thy owne and wilt take them away with thee thou shalt not bee permitted so to doe but rather as a theefe bee apprehended and cast into prison Euen so thou broughttest nothing into the world neither shalt thou carrie any thing out for poore thou camest into the world and poore thou shalt depart At thy death all that thou hast shall bee diuided into three parts Thy body which thou hast so carefully pampered shall be giuen to the wormes Thy soule which thou hast so carelesly neglected shall goe to the Diuell Thy temporall goods which by deceit and villanie thou hast scraped together shall be left vnto thy heires either prodigall or vnthankful who shall make themselues merrie with the fruit of thy labours thy vnrighteousnes whilest thou for them art tormēted in hell Heere they shall enioy thy gooods whilest thou in hell art depriued of all ioy and euerlastinglie tortured for getting those goods heere they shall laugh whilest thou in hell doest weepe Thine heires too if God bee not the more mercifull when they haue heere runne their race shall bee companions in thy torments which companie of theirs shall bee no comfort vnto thee but because thy goods ill gotten were a helpe to their damnation thy damnation shall still be increased If therefore thou pity not thy selfe yet pitie thy children and thy childrens children to the third and fourth generation ouer whose head there must euer hang a iudgement so long as thy euill gotten goods which like a cankar fret and consume the rest of their substance stickes by them And by their wils it is likelie they shall euer sticke by them for how should they after so manie yeeres past make restitutiō of that which is lawfully descended vpon them though vnlawfully gotten by thy selfe Yea it is likely that a long successiue inheritance will so knit their affections thereunto that if they knew the restitution of them would free thee from thy torments they would not doe it And no maruell neither if others loue their owne riches more than another mans soule since thou louest them more than thy owne soule How many like vnto thy selfe haue endeuored to bee rich in this world and haue no sooner gotten them but are inforced as soone to leaue them From whom sudden death hath suddenly and together taken away what soeuer their wickednesse hath neither suddenly nor together gotten to themselues They haue left their riches ill gotten found punishment neuer sought for Their bodies in the graue are deuoured with wormes their souls in hell tormented by diuels And euen so thou deteinest with thy selfe many things vniustly gotten which perhaps because thou art shortly to die thou shalt neuer spend and yet thou shalt giue an account of them vnto God and for them bee damned in hell and it shall nothing pleasure thee among thy torments nay it shall hurt thee much that thou didest heere possesse them But behold almightie God who iudgeth our transgressions and hath called those first to iudgement doth still expect thee to repentance and doth beare with thee that thou maist turne vnto him He hath already pronouneed his sentence against them lest thy soule should likewise perish with theirs hee patiently expecteth thy conuersion and prorogeth his vengeance But thou still persistest in thy sinnes nay thou euery day heapest sinne vpon sinne For as often as thou thinkest with thy selfe that thou keepest another mans goods wrongfully against the wil of the true owner and yet purposest still to keep it not restore it so often thou committest a new sinne Now consider with thy selfe how often by this meanes thou hast sinned Thou hast many times since the detention and possession of thy vnlawfull gaine repented thee of thy sinne but God knoweth to small purpose for thy repentance is sinne August And therfore saith S. Augustine If goods vnlawfully gotten may bee restored and are not repentance is not done but dissembled If thou haue a troublesome creditor thou speedest thy paiments thou giuest him what thou hast and thou borrowest of others if thou want thou fearest if thou shouldest defer thy paiment anie longer he will bee more troublesome and either defame thee or cast thee into prison Fearest thou then a temporall punishment and doest thou presently make satisfaction and yet nothing fearing the eternall punishment of thy soule doest thou not care to make restitution O miserable man and of a preposterous iudgement doest thou feare the punishment of this life and fearest thou not the sorrowes of hell Wherefore deare brother quit thy selfe of those fading corruprible goods which thou vniustly deteinest restore vnto thy neighbor that which is his owne that thou maiest be restored vnto God lest thou lose thy temporall riches and finde the eternall damnation of thy own soule Without the great mercy of God thou canst not attaine to the ioies of heauen except thou make restitution of the vttermost farthing The way to come vnto thy owne is to restore that which is another mans CHAP. II. That man must not feare his confusion with men that will finde grace and fauour with God BVt perhaps thou wilt say if I should make restitution for all the wrong I haue done I should wrong my selfe and whereas I am rich become poore and vnable to maintame my charge and that pompe and credit I liue in and
beleeue not things to come possesse fading riches that with them they may perish for euer The soule cannot bee without delight for either it is delighted with heauenlie things or earthly and by how much the more it is inflamed with the desire of earthlie things by so much the more doth it grow cold towards heauenly For the eie cannot at one and the same instant looke towards heauen and earth too But what doe full bagges benefit thee if thou haue an emptie conscience Wilt thou be accounted good and not be good Wilt thou haue good meat good garments good seruants to be short all good and thy selfe onely euill Preferre thy life before them let not al these be good and deare vnto thee thou onely vile and base and villanous to thy selfe If thou wilt bee lord of so many good things indeuour that they haue thee a good lord too which thou canst hardly bee except thou make restitution of that which thou vniustly detainest A good life is better than to possesse much goods Temporall goods are only good inasmuch as they are helpes to vertue but if they exceed this end and hinder the vse of vertue they are no more good things but to bee accounted among the euill Canst thou thinke that another mans goods vniustly deteined which make thee euill can be good vnto thee Or canst thou thinke those things good that subiect thee to eternall euils What good soeuer there is in this world whose gift is it but his that created it But that gift of God ought not to please thee that by the delight thereof separateth thee from the loue of God Preferre not the gift before the giuer when thou receiuest good things bee not euill thy selfe and let not that that should encrease thy loue towards God separate thee farther from him and so thou loue a base creature more than thy Creator to whem thou owest all that thou art and all that thou hast who hath made thee and made thee good who when it pleaseth him can take that from thee that he hath giuen thee who can cast both thy bodie and soule into hell and bestow thy temporall goods vpon another man But thou that louest thy gold more than God honorest it more than God for if thou diddest not so thou wouldest not for that lose the grace and loue of God Thou sellest God for a halfe-penny because for the gaine of a halfe-penny thou breakest the commandement of God God forbids thee to steale and thou obeiest him not couetousnesse bids thee to steale and that thou doest God commands thee to cloth the naked and that thou omittest couetousnes mooues thee to take from another what is his and that thou art ready to put in execution Thou possessest riches no otherwise than a prisoner doth his shakles which hee seemeth rather to be enthralled to than to haue For thou art not a little afflicted with thy self when thou beatest thy brains with wearisome desires and a wounded conscience deuisest which way thou maiest make such a mans goods thine owne by flatterie get such a bargaine by threats such a farme by cosenage and deceit and watchings and labours such a lordship and still the more thou gettest the more thou seekest For as wood cast into the fire seemeth for a time to presse downe the flame and dead the fire but presently maketh it burne with greater violence so thy couetousnesse is not extinguished with gaine but more inflamed And when by right or by wrong thou hast heaped thy riches together and glutted as it were thy own desires whereas before thou diddest hope for rest out of abundance thou shalt finde thy selfe more afflicted than euer by the care thou hast to keepe that thou hast gotten and thou shalt euer keep thy riches with no lesse fear than with labour thou hast got them Thou art euery day in feare to bee assaulted and the wrongs thou hast offered to others thou fearest will be offered by others vnto thee If thou see one mightier than thy selfe thou fearest his power his violence if poorer than thy selfe thou suspectest his theft and so thou that in aduersitie didst hope for prosperitie in prosperitie fearest aduersitie and art caried hither and thither as it were with so many billowes and tormented with the diuers vicissitude of thy owne fortunes Doest thou that art a Christian the disciple of Christ and his pouerty that art called to the heauenly riches of Paradise admire as matters of greater moment these temporall goods which doe more with care and anxietie afflict thy miserable soule than refresh it with the vse of them and in them place thy greatest felicitie and in a countrie where as a stranger for a few daies thou dwellest doest thou place thy whole heart and thy whole affections So long as thou desirest transitorie things and either vnderstandest not eternall or vnderstanding them contemnest them thou wallowest in the dung of thy earthly riches and thinkest of nothing but earth and earthly things in stead of thy countrie thou louest that exile which thou sufferest and in that darknes thou liuest in thou exultest as in the cleere light The helpes of this thy peregrination thou makest thy stumbling blockes and being delighted with the nightlie light of the Moone thou refusest to behold the bright beautie of the Sunne and the benefit of thy passing life thou turnest into an occasion of eternall death Is not that traueller besides himselfe that in his iourney passing thorow beautiful and delightfull medowes there stayes and forgets to goe to his iourneyes end If thou haddest power to rule some small countrie so long as vpon a swift horse thou canst run it ouer wilt thou be content to lose thy right of rule for euer in a far greater countrie for that transitorie dominion What is the time of this present life but a continuall race vnto death wherein no man is permitted to stay a little or to slacken his pace What is it to liue but incessantly to run vnto death By how much the longer thou liuest by so much the neerer thou art vnto death and as life passeth so death draweth on As a barrell the more it runneth out the more it is emptied and yet is not sayd to be emptie till the last drop be fallen from it so by certaine droppes of time the life by little and little droppes away but yet vntill the last moment of thy life thy bodie is not said to be dead In the middle of thy life thou art in death and whether thou watch or fleepe thou diest continually Euery day thou diest euery day thou art changed and yet doest thou thinke thy selfe immortall Hee easilie contemneth all things that thinks euery day is his dying day If thou diddest thinke that these earthly blessings must one day perish thou wouldest vse them whilest thou hast them for the benefit of thy soule In death with sorrow enough thou shalt see how base and worse than nothing that
desireth the more to haue thy companie to death whom thou canst not better obey than if thou daily sinne by his suggestion and being fallen carest not to rise againe Wherein whilest thou yeeldest thy consent thou seemest to haue made a sure bargaine with him and because thou art irrecouerably fallen thou must necessarily be his companion in his fall too To liue to thee that art infected with the dangerous plague of so many sinnes is not to liue but to confound life and to approch neerer and neerer to the gates of hell Thou art aliue in thy bodie but dead in thy minde That life is not to be called life whereby thou liuest only vnto death for it were better for thee that euery day doest die in thy soule that in bodie thou die quickly better that thou liue not at all that thou wert not borne than by sinne to die daily As often as thou sinnest so often thou deseruest eternall death which if for one sinne thou deserue what doest thou for many for millions of sinnes For so manie and so great sinnes how intolerable shall hell be when for one so many and so vnspeakeable torments must be endured For there shall euerie man haue his damnation so much the more intolerable by how much the greater iniquitie he hath heere But to thee that hast no good thing to alleage for thy selfe but whole mountaines of sinne against thy selfe it is not possible to vtter what plagues and punishments do belong I can not woonder sufficiently how thou canst sleepe securely and enioy thy pleasures without feare For if thou wert odious to a King whom thou hast offended and diddest euery houre expect from him the sentence of a cruell death wouldest thou laugh and attend thy pleasures Now then â—ince for thy many and great offences the sentence of eternall death is pronounced against thee and the Lord to the end he may haue mercy on thee still expecting thy conuersion hath deferred his sentence which perhaps to day nay this very houre he will execute vpon thee how canst thou as it were in an assured peace be secure Thou art in greater danger that goest to thy rest with a conscience clogd with one mortall sinne than with seuen of thy deadliest enemies Doubtlesse if thou diddest but see thine owne soule thou wouldest blush at the foulenesse thereof and if thou knewest how great dangers thou runnest into by sinne thou wouldest thinke of nothing more than how to auoid it By sin thou makest God thine enemie the diuell dry lord and thou that wert first by adoption the sonne of God after sinne art made the seruant and slaue of the diuel yea of sinne it selfe and that which is woorst of all of so many lords as of sins Whosoeuer committeth sinne Ioh. 8.34 is the seruant of sinne A wicked man though he reigne is a seruant of sinne a iust man though he serue is a free man nay hee wanteth not kingly power that knoweth how to rule his owne affections God so hateth sinne that for the hatred thereof he destroyed almost all his works the whole world by a generall flood yea to the end he might vtterly kill it he gaue vnto death yea the shamefull death of the crosse his only begotten sonne And is not his hatred great towards his enemie that to be reuenged vpon him will kill his owne sonne God neither in heauen nor vpon earth hath a friend so deare vnto him but if he finde him polluted with mortall sinne he is presently odious vnto him and that vessell of sinne that is that sinner hee throweth downe into hell fire for a wicked man and his wickednesse are alike odious vnto God As if thou haddest rather to cast a vessel ful of corruption yet of great price into the sea than to scoure and clense it of the filth therof must not that filth and corruption be very hatefull vnto thee for which thou art content to lose so precious a vessell And as a louing mother if shee should cast her little infant whom she dearly loueth into a burning furnace there to perish must it not be some great matter very hatefull vnto her that can vrge her to such crueltie against her owne childe Sinne as much as it displeaseth God so much it pleaseth the diuel insomuch that from the creation of the world he hath euer watched without wearinesse how to allure men vnto sinne and though he obtein his purpose with innumerable numbers of men yet he is neuer satisfied After thou hast once sinned thou art so farre foorth in the power of the diuell that presently by his owne right he may challenge thee to be his and cartie thee with him to eternall torments if he were not staied by the great mercie of God expecting thee to repentance It were better for thee to haue a thousand diuels in thy body than one deadly sinne in thy minde And therefore saith Anselme If I should here see the shame of sinne and there the horror of hell and that I must necessarily bee ouerwhelmed by the one I would rather cast my selfe into hell than suffer my selfe to fall into an insensible feeling of my sinnes yea I had rather being purged and purified from sinne to enter into hell than polluted with the contagion of sinne if it were possible it might be so possesse the kingdome of heauen If sinne be more to be detested than hell what can be more detestable than sinne If there were no sinne there were no torment in hel No aduersitie could hurt if no iniquitie did beare rule for it is only sinne that can hurt and bring to passe that no other thing can do good So long as thou continuest in sinne thou canst doe nothing that is good For as a root giueth no moisture to a rotten bough nor the sunne any light to a blinde eye so thou as a rotten and dead member of the Church for who will say thou art liuing that hast no feeling of compunction in thy heart art depriued of al that good that is or can be in the Church and thou art robbed of all that good that euer thou hast done in thy whole life and of all those virtues and graces which at the first thou receiuedst at Gods hands in as much as they stand thee in no stead to the attainment of eternall life as a dead man hath no power either to enioy his owne goods or to get others And besides a thousand other euils that follow sinne the miserable torment of thine owne conscience followeth thee whithersoeuer thou goest For sinne whilest it is committed pleaseth being committed it tormenteth for the worme thereof neuer dieth and in this life the torment thereof is but an entrance to that which is to come Ps 49.20 O man when thou wert in honour thou vnderstoodest not but wert compared to the beasts that perish and art made like vnto them Thou that through the merits of Christ Iesus wert made woorthy of heauen and all
spirituall graces by sinne art made vnworthy the bread that thou eatest and being depriued of thy greatest good art fallen into thy greatest miserie As vertue is the beauty of the soule so sin is the deformity thereof If thou sawest thy soule thou wouldest blush at the basenesse and misery thereof and wouldest endeuour to recouer the grace of her ancient dignitie If thou haue an arrow in thy body thou hastenest to plucke it out and if thou fall into the durt thou arisest presently The hurt silth of thy bodie doest thou with such diligence desire to free thy selfe of and yet art thou content to suffer thy soule to wallow in her pollution And though the soule was not made for the bodie but the bodie for it yet thou neglectest the care of thy soule and followest that of the bodie with all that is in thee Thou that neglectest thy soule though thou take care to trim vp thy body yet thou neglectest them both whereas if thou tookest care to adorne thy soule though thou neglect thy body thou sauest both CHAP. VI. How miserable the despaire a sinner is at the point of death Consider a little my deare brother how often and how grieuously thou hast offended thy Lord God yea more often more grieuously than many who are now deseruedly tormented in the fire of hell and then call vnto minde how great a benefit God hath bestowed on thee in staying and attending that he might haue mercy on thee in yeelding vnto thee out of his mercy a time of repentance who long since shouldest haue beene tormented in hell fire Whereas if God a iust Iudge strong and patient in al those houres and moments wherein thou hast offended him had permitted thee as he hath diuers others to haue died a sudden death alas where had thy soule beene The Lord hath brought thy soule out of hell Psal 30. hee hath reuiued thee from them that goe downe into the pit and yet thou ceasest not to sinne but more and more thou drawest neere to the gates of hell If all that are damned in bel had but halfe an houre of thy life that by repentance they might rise to a glorious life dost thou think that as thou doest so they would spend it vnprofitablie and neglect their present opportunitie What would they not doe to free themselues from the torment of that fire But thou on the other side whilest the merciful God giueth thee a time of repentance abusest it out of the malice of thy nature to the committing of greater wickednesse The daies will come yea they wil come and not faile Luk. 23. wherin despairingly thou shalt say to the hilles fall vpon me to the mountaines couer mee and then thou shalt crie out for a time of repentance but thou shalt crie not be heard For it is iust that thou that wouldest not turne vnto God whilest â—hou mightest shouldest not haue power to doe it when thou wouldest doe it too late God after death forgiueth not him that before death thought scorne to aske forgiuenesse Wherefore whilest thou hast time doe good for the night will come when thou canst not labour Consider a little vnhappie man that thou art if sudden death should haue inuaded thee impenitent ouerladen with many sinnes not giuing thee any time of repentance in the time instant of death how miserable had thy despaire beene How great had the terror of thy mind been how vnspeakable the feare of the Iudge how great a horror of imminent torment in hell had inuaded thee Then with million of teares thou wouldest thus haue bewailed thine owne damnation O fading and deceitful life full of many snares The complaint of a sinner dying Yesterday I did reioice now I am sorie then I laught now I weepe then I was strong now I am weake then I liued now I die then I seemed happie now am serable and a wretched creature I do not so much lament my departure out of this life as the losse of those daies and moneths and yeeres wherein I haue laboured in vaine and in vaine haue spent the strength of my daies All the time that was giuen mee to liue I haue spent in all maner of sinne and iniquitie and so long as I liued I rather obeied mine own concupiscence than the inspirations precepts of God This rotten carcase of mine which the wormes are presently to denoure I euer tooke care to helpe and to comfort but my soule which presentlie shall be brought before God and his Angels vnto iudgement I contemned 2 King 4.27 tooke no care with vertue and religion to adorne it and this is the cause why my soule is vexed within mee O my vanitie ô my pride ô my pleasure whether are yee gone what haue you profited me What haue you left vnto me for all the seruice I haue done vnto you in the whole course of my life Nothing but a gnawing and tormenting conscience For your seruice I made my selfe an enemie vnto God a slaue to the diuell I lost heauen and got hell I lost infinite ioies and got eternall lamentation I am depriued of the societie of Angels and haue made my selfe a companion to the citizens of nell Pleasures and riches and honors with all the fading allurements of this deceitful world are past and gone and they are as if they neuer had been Wisd 1. they quickly appeared and as speedily they vanish yea they are past away like a shadow like an arrow flying in the aire like a messenger that passeth and is gone like a ship in the sea whose path is not seene The time of my life is past and glided away it cannot return in whose though shortest delay ô how much good could I haue done ô how great a treasure of spirituall goods could I haue gathered vnto my selfe which now in my fading time might haue made mee friends in the eternall tabernacles of God! of the least whereof I should now more reioice than of millions of gold and siluer But a good purpose without a beginning a will without worke good promises without execution and the expectation of a morrow that neuer came haue vndone me Wo be vnto me that so long put it off so long delayed my conuersion How happie is a mature repentance and conuersion because secure Whereas hee that repenteth too late can neuer bee sure because hee knoweth not whether hee repent truely or fainedly for it is likely that hee rather repenteth out of a feare of punishment than out of loue towards God O my gold and siluer ô my possessessions my precious garments wherein I was wont to content my selfe I faile you you faile not me I leaue you I can not carrie you with mee Oh that I had beene so happie as neuer to haue seene you that of all men liuing I had beene the poorest for then had I neuer beene called to an account either for misspending or vniustly detaining you O
of her Form attend my miserable soule when it shal depart out of the prison of this my bodie that they may catch it and carrie it to bee tormented in hell O wretch that I am where shall my soule be this night Out alas hell is my house for euer and euer there I must dwell because whilest I daily sinned against mine owne conscience I made my selfe a fit inhabitant for so infernall a place Psa 18.4 The sorrowes of death haue compassed mee the snares of hell haue ouertooke me O great God to what end diddest thou make mee and broughtest mee into the world Why was I not carried from my baptisme to my graue It had been better for me neuer to haue been born and therefore let the day perish wherein I came into the world Cursed be my creation and thou accursed Satan be thou more accursed with all thy hellish rabble all thy suggestions cursed be the earth that bred mee the wombe that bare me the parents that begot mee cursed be euery creature vpō earth What is that my friends you talke together Do you not counsell mee to confesse my sinnes Do you not tell me that the mercy of God is great That is true I confesse but yet my sinnes are greater than that they can be forgiuen by the iust iudgement of God I am condemned what hee hath written hee hath written his sentence is irreuocable When I was in health and the strength of my bodie I could hardlie confesse my sinnes they were so numberlesse much lesse now in this agonie of death the sentence of my condemnation being pronounced am I able to do it O repentance where art thou By the iust iudgement of GOD heereafter I can not repent when I might I would not now I would I can not All yee that are present my friends learne to be wise by my fall and deferre not your repentance till your dying day lest doing as I haue done ye suffer as I doe Remember my iudgement such shall be yours also mine to day yours to morrow happie is he that by other mens harmes can learne to beware For euer farewell my friends and againe and againe fare ye well Beholde the diuels take holde of my miserable soule and carry it with them into hell Isa 30.10 I go to the gates of the graue I am depriued of the residue of my yeeres I shall not see the Lord in the land of the liuing I shall see man no more among the inhabitants of the world Now heare how God vpbraiding thee with his benefits condemneth thee O wretched man of no worth vnprofitable worme of the earth what could I haue done for thee that I haue not done I created thee not a stone a tree a toad a bird nor any other creature but a man capable of reason according to mine owne image similitude and forsomuch as I made thee like my selfe by nature it was thy part to haue done thy best endeuour to make thy selfe like vnto me by will which forasmuch as thou hast not conformed to my will thou hast prophaned my similitude in thee Neuerthelesse though thou louedst me not I loued thee yea thou displeasing me I so loued thee as to work that in thee wherby thou mightest please me being proud thou didst contemne my commandements but I thus contemned ceased not to loue thee though thou wert proud but to the end I might recall thee vnto me I gaue thee my law and my faith To thee I sent my preachers nay for thee I once appeared visible to the world in the flesh of thy mortalitie and from the abundant plenitude of the kingdome of heauen I descended poore vpon the earth I raised the dead gaue sight vnto the blinde reduced the wanderers and iustified the wicked Three and thirty yeeres being seene vpon the earth and conuersant with men I refused not to serue thee and to procure thy saluation by preaching by labour by watching by fasting and that I might take away thine infirmities I willingly became weake for thee I was solde betrayed bound spit vpon hudwinckt buffeted scourged crowned crucified derided of all dranke vineger and gaule and that I might be the death of thy death for the nocent I died innocent For thee base worme as thou art I powred out not my golde nor my siluer but my pretious blood and for the redemption of so base a worm I spent my most pretious wares yea I spared not my selfe but I willingly offered me wholly to redeem thee all my members I gaue to the redemption of thee but thou hast imployed all thine to offend me for thee I gaue mine eyes to weeping wheras thou hast giuen thine to beholde the vanitie of this world I gaue mine eares to the hearing of wrongs and opprobrious speeches wheras thou hast giuen thine to the hearing of detractations and filthy speeches I gaue my mouth to taste vineger mixt with gaule whereas thou hast giuen thine to gluttony and lying and blasphemie I gaue my hands and my feete to be fastned with nailes to the crosse whereas thou hast giuen thine to murther and the spoile of the poore I gaue my hart to be wounded with a launce whereas thou hast giuen thine to the delights and pleasures of this life I haue loued more thy saluation than mine owne glorie with men whereas thou hast loued more a vile base creature than thy Creator to whom if thou be indebted for thy creation how much doest thou owe mee for thy recreation thy redemption ◠If thou did dest owe thy selfe vnto me when I gaue thee to thy selfe thou shouldest twice owe thy selfe vnto mee for restoring thee to thy selfe when thou wert lost Because thou wert both giuen and restored to thy selfe thou doest owe thy selfe wholly vnto me once and againe to mee I say who gaue thee thy life thy senses thy vnderstanding who made thee made thee good gaue thee thy being and thy well being Neither was it enough for me to offer my selfe for thee an oblation to God my Father but that I must-euerie day offer my selfe vnto thee to be seene and kissed and handled yea eaten too by a liuely faith though not carnally Comming into the world I gaue my self vnto thee as a companion Iam. 1.17 more stricken in yeres as thy sustenance dying as thy prise reigoing as thy reward What better thing could I euen I from whom euery good gift and euery perfect gift commeth bestow vpon thee than my selfe What should I say more Tit. 3.5 My Angels I haue giuen vnto thee as thy gardians but thou contemnest their charge By the washing of the new birth I clensed thee from all thy sinnes I haue instructed thee in my faith hauing often died a spirituall death I haue often raised thee and iustly depriued of the kingdome of heauen I haue restored thee to thine ancient inheritance I haue often spared thee and thou fallest the more often I haue opened
life the intermission of paine is some comfort to a sicke man and the fruition of the comfort and conference of his friends but in hell for the greater increase of torments there is no interruption but an eternall continuance therof comforts cease on all sides and plagues and punishment gather strength In hell there is no redemption no ease of paine In the world feare hath no griefe nor griefe feare because feare afflicts not the minde wheâ— it begins to suffer what it did feare whereas they that are condemned to the torments of hell in the middest of their punishment suffer griefe and sorrow and with the extremitie thereof doe euer feare inasmuch as what they feare they do incessantly beare and againe what they beare they incessantly feare The inflicting of the punishment is the augmentation of the feare All things in the world as â—vel good as euill are mingled with their contraries and aâ—taine not to the highest degree of perfection but that they alwaies may be increased and diminished and possessed more or lesse but in hell all euils are in the highest degree neuer mixt with their contraries but yet euery man as hee hath sinned more or lesse so he suffereth There is extreame sorrow extreame miserie and desolat on in all things in the bodie and the soule affliction in the highest degree fire vnquenchable heat immitigable the worme immortall stench intollerable sorrow comfortlesse horrible darknesse fearefull spectacles confusion of euils and desperate despaire of all goodnesse whatsoeuer The damned haue in their eies weeping and lamentation terror in their eares stench in their nostrels gnashing in their teeth groning in their voices bands in their hands and feet and intollerable heat and torment in all their members As if thou shouldest set before thine eies any man that as well in the very apple or sight of his eyes as in all his other members on both sides both within and without hath a hot burning non fastened insomuch that neither the marrow in his bones nor his entrailes no not the least part of his whole bodie be freed from torment or feeleth it lesse than the very apple of his eie what wilt thou not confesse such a one to be in great extremities and strangely to bee tortured And yet what is this one torment to the multitude and magnitude of the intolerable torments of one damned man vpon whom millions of miseries doe fall besides this The torment of one damned creature is so great that if it were diuided equally among all that haue been are and shall be and euery particular man should beare his owne particular punishment yet so great would the torment of euery one be so great the griefe and so horrible the punishment that it would far excell the torments of all the martyrs in the world conferred vpon one and all the euill that can be seene felt or vnderstood The punishment therfore of one damned soule can not but bee very great which being distributed into innumerable multitudes would bee neuerthelesse insupportable The eye hath not seene the eare hath not heard neither hath it entred into the heart of man what God hath prouided for those that offend him All the punishments afflâ—ctions torments which may be thoght of in this life if they be conferred to the least pain of hel are solaces and comforts and a damned creature would rather chuse to endure them all a thousand yeeres than to be tormented with the torments of hell one day What punishment thinkest thou will God require there of those he hath forsaken if heere so strictly he correcteâ—h those whom he loueth If heere in this life hee so scourge his chosen children for their triall how will he torment the reprobate for their punishment If the diuels doe so much afflict holy men as inst Lob diuers others notwithstanding they can doe nomore against them than God doeth permit them how much will they afflict those whom God hath deliuered vnto their hands for euer to be tormented O what will they be in their torments if the very sight of them be intolerable They are neuer weary with torturing neither doth a sinner die in his torments but as hee shall be tormented without end so shall he be compelled to liue in paine without end For if golde shine in the fire and is not consumed by it and the mountaines in Sicilia from the beginning of the world vnto this day burn with continuall fire and yet continue whole and entire if the Salamander can liue in the fire without paine how much more possible is it that the body and soule may feele the paine of this fire and yet alwayes liue Againe as the soule giuing life vnto the bodie can suffer griefe but yet can not die euen so whilest the bodie hath put on immortalitie and incorruption the soule with the body shall alwayes be tormented but not consumed for by a fire vnquenchable which in a moment in the twinkling of an eye is able to consume the greatest hill that is a sinner shall not be extinguished nor consumed but euer there shal remaine and abound something in him to be extinguished And because there is no true life but where a man liues happily and where an vnhappy man is not permitted to die in him death it selfe dies not therefore a sinner that hath both lost his well being and yet hath not left essentially to be that is euer dead to eternall life and for euer liuing to eternall death is compelled daily to suffer both death without death and want without want and end without end So hee dies that hee may alwayes liue and so hee liues that he may alwayes die so he decayes as that he may alwayes subsist and so he subsisteth that hee alwayes decayes so he is ended that he is without end and so is hee with an end that he is neuer ended And he whose dead life was heere in sinne there his liuing death is in paine There hee desireth onely death which heere hee so much hated hee seeketh death and findeth it not he desireth to die and death flieth from him heere it is vnwillingly drawen forth of the body there in the body it is vnwillingly deteined the death of nature doth violently driue the soule out of the body the death of hell more violently detaines it in the body of both deaths that is commonly had that the soul suffereth of the bodie what it would not What end of yeeres may be imagined so it be finite to the damned is exceeding comfortable but out and alas in hell there is no redemption neither was there euer any man knowen to haue returned from thence for hell is so deepe that no man may ascend from thence so close that no man may get out so kept that no men can escape he that is once gone thither can no more returne that is once entred can neuer get forth whom the iustice of God hath once drawen to punishment the mercie of God neuer
ought the disciple to loue them whilest he liueth But thou a base contemptible worme a polluted peece of dung when thou seest the King of glory forgiuing his contumelies pardoning the agonies and torments of his Crosse art yet being prouoked with the least wrong that may be stirred vp to furie and desire of reuenge and offerest greater wrongs than thou hast receiued Thou doest what hurt thou canst and thou threatnest more than thou canst and when thou canst not or darest not openly to reuenge thy wrongs thou inwardly frettest and boilest with malice and in vain thou afflictest thy selfe and not thy enemie For as the good will of a man when there wants ability of performance hath a reward so thy ill will seeking after reuenge scapes not vnpunished because God considereth not so much what thou hast done as what thou wouldst haue done if thou hadst been able Wherfore deare brother incline the obstinacy of thy impatient minde to mercy and following the steps of our lord and master let it not seeme hard vnto thee to forgiue thy enemy as often as thy enemy shall offend thee that euery day those sinnes may bee remitted that thou doest euery day commit that whilest thou pardonest thy neighbor light and small wrongs God may pardon thee great and greeuous For if thou truly repent thou must prepare thy self to endure wrongs and neuer be mooued when thou hearest thy sinnes obiected against thee By this which hath beene spoken thou plainly seest in how damnable a state thou liuest so long as thou harborest malice and rancor in thy heart against thy neighbour To the end therefore thou maiest become a new man The conclusion if thou haue any thing against thy neighbour forgiue it and God will forgiue thee which if thou doe not thinke it is vaine for thee to beg forgiuenesse at Gods hands for such as thou art towards thy fellow seruant thou shalt finde him Thou hast power nay there is a necessity imposed vpon thee to forgiue any man that shall wrong thy selfe for any cause whatsoeuer but if he shall sinne against God or his neighbour it is not in thy power to remit but thou art to vse thy best indeuour to haue him punished by law not out of ill will but out of that will wherewith a father correcteth his childe whom hee cannot hate But thou contrarily in the wrongs of God and thy neighbour art calme and quiet but in thy owne thou art furious and violent wherein thou expressest thy little loue towards God and thy neighbor Neither is it any wonder at all if thou louest not God whom thou canst not see when thou canst not loue thy neighbour whom thou seest knowest whom if thou haue first offended bee first reconciled vnto him if he be thy enemy be friendly to him that thou maiest so win him to bee thy friend and though hee haue first offended thee yet bee thou first reconciled vnto him and so thou shalt winne vnto thy selfe a twofold blessing one because thou hast patiently endured wrong another because thou art the first that inuitest thine enemy to vnity and concord Consider with thy selfe what S. Paul for our instruction saith 2 Cor. 5.20 Now then are we Embassadours for Christ as thogh God did beseech you through vs wee pray you in Christs stead that yee bee reconciled to God So that we see that by sin we haue made an enmitie betwixt God and vs and yet God preuenteth vs and first sendeth his messengers of peace vnto vs that we that haue sinned may bee at peace with God Blush therfore if thou be backward since thy Sauior Christ Iesus is so forward who is blessed for euer and euer The Fourth Part of the exhortation to repentance CHAP. I. That God forgiueth sins when with a true and contrite heart wee confesse them vnto God FOurthly it may be thou wilt saie thou couldest bee content to repēt but that it is necessarie to repentance that thou confesse thy sinnes vnto God that thou art ashamed to do Resp First my deare brother let me propose this example vnto thee A theefe stealeth before the king and is taken in his theft and yet though his theft be manifest hee will not confesse it whereupon hee is condemned to die and being bound hand and foot conueied to his execution His king being moued to compassion saith vnto him my friend thou knowest that I tooke thee with the theft in thy hands but thou fearing least by mee thou shouldest bee thought a theefe obstinately deniest thy offence whereof I am an eie witnesse and for this cause as thou seest art thou condemned Neuerthelesse to the end that my good nesse may ouercome thy wickednesse I wil haue mercy vpon thee and deliuer thee from this shamefull death If thou wilt acknowledge thy offence and say I haue sinned O Lord and done wickedly in thy sight What thinkest thou it is fit this theefe should do vpon so kinde and so mercifull an offer Should hee not confesse his offence and say I haue sinned But if he be so obstinate that hee will rather die than acknowledge his offence hath not this king reason to execute his iudgement vpon him is not the theefe for his obstinacie woorthie to be hanged Thou art this wicked wretch who in the presence of God to whose eies all things are naked and open Heb. 4.13 Psal 118. and in whose sight are all thy wares hast greenously offended and art apprehended in the works of thy hands And because the reward of sinne is death Rom. 6. and the soule which hath sinned shall die therefore the sentence of eternall death is pronounced against thee And whilest thou refusest to foresee those imminent dangers that interrupt thy present ioies thou runnest blindfold to the pit of hell being fast bound in thine iniquities with no other irons than thy iron will The diuel hath captiuated thy will whereby hee hath made an iron chaine wherewith hee draweth thee fast bound to the pit of hel But behold the goodnesse of God hath couered thy wickednes his piety thy impietie hee hath seene thee sinning and yet forbeareth he tollerateth thee resisting him and still calleth thee vnto him by his Prophet Esai 43.25 I euen I am hee that putteth away thine iniquities for my owne sake and will not remember thy sinnes Put mee in remembrance let vs bee iudged together count thou that thou maiest be iustified O vpon how easie a condition doth the Lord promise to forget thy sinnes Onely call thou to remembrance and count them and thou shalt bee iustified Onely forget not thy sinnes and hee forgiues vncouer and he couereth thy shame with righteousnesse open and hee shuteth Preuent the wrath of an angrie Iudge by accusing thy selfe yea be angry with thy selfe and let not thy owne mouth spare thee for then thou beginnest to bee iustified when thou beginnest to be thy owne accuser Open the eies of thy faith and
interposest the barre and partition wall of thy sinnes betwixt God and thee for as a wall makes a separation betwixt the eie and the light so sinne betwixt God and man And as the life of the body is the soule so the life of the soule is God and as the bodie dies if the soule forsake it so the soule dies if God forsake it as the outward death separateth the soule from the bodie so the inward death the soule from God O how great a wretchednesse is it to bee farre from him that is euery where and to bee without him without whom no man can be in safetie And yet he alwayes departed vnwillingly from man and by his will forsaketh no man He is neuer absent if not first expeld whom whilest by sinne thou shuttest out of doores thou excludest thy selfe from thy own saluation but God thou harmest not As if from the root of the vine I am the vine Iohn 15. you the branches sayth the Lord a branch bee not plucked it beareth much fruit and receiueth nourishment from the root which if it be plucked from the vine hurts not the vine because the vine ministreth vitall nourishment to the branches not they to the vine so to those that are in Christ Iesus and Christ in them many gists and graces flow from him which are beneficiall vnto Christians not to Christ One branch being plucked from the vine another springeth from the root thereof but that which is pluckt can not liue without a root but withereth and is gathered vp and cast into the fire And as he that turneth his eyes from the light hurts not the light but himselfe in changing darknesse for light so whilest thou refusest to stick vnto God who is the light of thy soule thou fallest into blindnesse and darkenesse not of thy eyes but of thy maners not of thy outward eyes wherewith thou discernest white from blacke but of thy inward wherewith thou shouldest iudge of that which is iust and vniust For as in that place that is not lightned by the beames of the sunne the motes are not discerned so thou that art fallen from the grace of Gods diuine illumination committest manie things that are sinnes and yet perceiuest it not wheras they that are inlightned with the sunne of righteousnesse doe both diligentlie prie into them and straitly reprehend them Thou that art fallen from the inward grace of Gods diuine illumination but yet not altogether so long as thou art in this life into the inward darknesse blindnesse of thy minde if thou persist in this thy blindnesse to the end and neglectest the receiuing of the grace of his illumination from the Sunne of righteousnesse at the last thou fallest into vtter darknesse and a night of eternall damnation being far remooued from him that dwelleth in that light that is inaccessible Moreouer whils by sinne thou departest from God who is all good onely good without whom nothing is good thou no way damnifiest God who hath no need of thee or thine but being depriued of thy chiefe and greatest good thou fallest into the greatest miseries that may be And this let me tell thee that though of thy selfe and by thy owne will thou haddest power to fall from good to euill yet of thy selfe and by thy onely will thou hast not power to arise from euill to good thou art fallen by thine owne will into the pit of sinne but yet at thine owne will and pleasure thou canst not be freed from thence For the wound is not so easily cured as giuen and no man can so easily get out of the pit as fall into it But as he can hardly get out except some one or other let downe a line vnto him which he taking hold of may dragge him out so except the grace of God descend vpon thee thou canst neuer get out of the pit of sinne but yet thou must know that this grace of God is alwaies ready to help thee and to draw thee foorth of the pit doe thou only take hold of the mercy of God when it is offered and applie thy will vnto his will and all shall be well It is not therefore in him that willeth nor in him that runneth but in God that sheweth mercy who like a carefull nurse directeth and beareth vp her little infant vntill it bee able to goe of it selfe So the Lord who can denie himselfe to none in the beginning of our conuersion beareth with our infirmities and annointeth our wounds with the oile of his mercy lest the danger of our disease and the difficultie of the cure should any way terrifie or amaze vs. And this he doth foure maner of wais For to a man that by repentance turneth vnto him but yet by long custome is entangled in his sinnes sometimes out of his mercie hee sendeth tribulations which possesse the minde of him that repenteth and expell that delight of sin that stealeth vpon him Sometimes he taketh away the opportunitie of falling and suffereth not the weaknesse of a man to bee tempted Sometimes hee giueth strength to resist temptations which manfully resisting he may feele but not yeeld vnto Somtimes he cureth the affections that he doeth not onely not consent but not feel the power therof But to a sinner that neglecteth the grace of God and refuseth to follow the good inspiratiōs of his spirit he giueth not his grace in so great a measure but yet so long as he liueth he doeth not altogether withdraw it but he standeth and knocketh at the doore of his conscience to awakē his drowsy wil dead desires But yet many times he withdraweth some speciall helpes heereunto as infirmities of the body losse of temporall goods the like which are meanes to draw a miserable sinner to repentance For many times hee giueth temporal blessings out of his anger which out of loue hee would not haue giuen and permitteth a sinner to doe that which he should not so much as intertaine into his thought As a Physitian that hath vsed all the Art hee can to cure a disease so soone as he seeth his patient to refuse that Physicke he ministreth vnto him he leaueth him to himselfe as a man that refuseth to liue and because hee despaireth of his health he giueth him leaue to take whatsoeuer hee desireth So God in his iust iudgement suffereth a sinner to be giuen ouer according to the desires and lusts of his owne heart to a reprobate sense as into the hands of a cruell master to doe those things that are not sit Not because God inclineth his affections vnto euill but because hee withdraweth his grace whereby man should bee conuerted Yea and hee sometime permitteth a man to doe wickedly and yet to liue happily not exercising his furie vpon him nor reuenging his sinne with any temporall punishment but reserueth him to eternall damnation than which nothing can be worse for then is the anger of God greatest when hee sheweth not himselfe to bee
1. Cor. 10.13 that ye may be able to beare it If God be with thee what can the diuell doe against thee Temptations if thou looke into thy selfe are great if vnto God a strong and a mightie warriour they are a play and a shadow Looke vpon little Dauid fighting with great Goliah in the name of the Lord and killing him and from Gods assistance therein hope thou for the like Thou must not feare a strong enemie so long as thou hast GOD thy helper stronger than he but watch and pray lest thy confidence in a stronger than hee make thee too carelesse of thy strong aduersarie against whom if thou fight valiantly thou art stronger than hee but if thou neglect him thou art weaker The negligence of man makes the diuell strong not his owne power for he tempteth daily that whom by force hee can not conquer hee may at the last ouercome by a tedious pursute Take thou onely heed thou consent not to his suggestions remembring alwaies that he is a lier and the father of lies but rather resist him valiantly which if thou do trusting vpon Gods assistance thou shalt easily supplant him Christ was tempted of the diuell in the desert Matt. 4 that making experience of our infirmities hee might learne to compassionate them hee ouercame his temptations that he might likewise giue vs power to ouercome ours as hee was willing on the crosse to suffer death that by his death hee might destroy ours If then the tempter was not afeard to tempt his Lord God how much more will he dare to tempt others Thy Lord GOD was not freed from temptation how then canst thou a poore worme of the earth thinke to escape it Thou art therefore prouoked by his example to beare thy temptations whose helpe thou wantest to ouercome them Wherefore deare brother when thou art tempted flie with faith vnto Christ that was tempted Go vnto his throne of grace that thou maiest obteine mercy and thou shalt easily obteine it Lay open thy afflictions before him reueale vnto the Lord thy waies and hope in him and hee will helpe thee and hide thy sinnes For who hath called vpon the Lord and hath beene forsaken Who hath hoped in him and hath beene confounded Psal 37. The Lord is a mercifull protector vnto all that call vpon him in trueth CHAP. V. That the feare of backesliding should not hinder the rising of him that is fallen BVT thou wilt say that thou art assured thou canst not wholly abstaine from sinne and therefore because thou fearest thou shalt fall againe thou wilt not begin to repent lest thy last errour be woorse than the first Res There are two vessels my deare brother that are often times polluted with filth whereof the one is manie times made cleane the other neuer toucht which of these two wilt thou say is the fouler or the more hardly scoured and clensed Doubtles thou wilt say that which is often fould and neuer made cleane Applie this to thy selfe Canst thou thinke it shal be more happy for thee if without repentance thou neuer cease to adde sinne vnto sinne than if thou often fall and often rise againe and as often haue thy sinnes forgotten and forgiuen thee He that often riseth cannot fal so often as another because by a frequent repentance hee is withdrawen from manie of his sins and offendeth God with more feare neither is he burthened with so manie sinnes who of God is absolued of many by repentance But he that taketh no care to arise from sinne is ouerladen with the heauie burthen of al his sinnes and out of the malice of his owne will sinnes incessantly and many times that is turned into sin which in another is a helpe and furtherance to saluation As a spider turnes holsome sustenance into poison Ro. 8.28 but all things work together for the best vnto them that loue GOD. For in the good all things are good euen those things that to the euil would be cuill And no otherwise with the wicked many things are done wickedly which with the godly are free from sinne As wee see that poison is death to a man that is life to a serpent and that fire taketh awaie the rust from iron that consumeth a softer matter It is not so great a sinne to fall as being fallen to lie still or to be vnwilling to rise and it is a woorse thing to contemne repentance than to transgresse the law of God for so indeed the last errour is woorse than the first If being cast into prison thou refuse to come forth because thou fearest to be committed againe will not men thinke thee a foole or a madde man If thou shouldest lie sicke of a dangerous sicknesse wouldest thou refuse to haue thy health restored because thou fearest to fall into the same disease againe If therefore thou art fallen arise If thou cease not to fall againe cease not to rise againe The ship that doeth often times take a leake is as often emptied and thou brushest thine apparell as often as it is fouled Pro. 24. The iust man falleth seuen times a day and as often hee riseth but yet hee loseth not the name or title of a iust man that alwaies riseth by repentance So thou so soone as thou knowest thy selfe to sinne presently flie backe to an inward contrition of hart haue but a desire to repent and to amend thy life in which desire if sudden death shall preuent thee thy soule is at rest which otherwise being taken in thy sinnes by sudden death is damned in hell Doest thou not know that it is not the condition of a combate that a man doe neuer fall but that hee neuer yeeld for hee is not said to bee ouercome that is often ouerthrowen but that cannot rise againe to renue the fight And canst thou repaire thy strength or make resistance when hauing left thy target and cast off thine armour thou yeeldest thy selfe to thy enemies and submittest thy selfe to their willes when as soone as thou art wounded thou fliest and returnest not to the battell If in the middest of the fight thou art fallen make speed to rise againe If thou art wounded applie presently a medicine thereunto If the diuell haue giuen thee a fall by tempting thee to sinne arise againe by repentance and make head against him Dauid fell into the sinne of adultery to adultery he ioyned murther but what fell out afterwards Did he lie still and continue therein Did he not arise again and became more strong against his enemy and at last ouercame him The diuell as much as in him lieth helpeth thee sinning giues the means opportunity lest if thou shouldest desist from sinne and rise by repentance thy soule should escape out of his hands and his labors should bee frustrate The diuell by how much the longer he possesseth a man by so much the more hardly doeth he let him goe for because he cannot arise vnto life he
Paradise vnto thee and thou wouldest not enter I haue offered thee my grace and thou hast neglected it I haue a long time forborne thee sinning being readie to receiue thee repenting Psal 147.20 and yet by all these testimonies of my loue thou hast not turned vnto me Matt. 11.21 I haue not dealt so with euerie nation neither haue they knowen my iudgements If these things had beene done in Tirus and Sidon they had repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes What could I haue done more for thee that I haue not done Tell mee ô mortall and passible man what hast thou euer suffered for mee thy Creator thy benefactor who being impassible and immortall haue suffered and died for thee and yet thy reprobate heart obdurate and obstinate so great benignitie so feruent loue so vehement a louer hath not mollified I that so loued such a one freely without desert how yea how without measure did I deserue to be beloued againe especially considering that when I was not beloued I first loued thee For these and other innumerable benefits bestowed vpon thee though thou canst neuer yeeld sufficient thanks yet I required no other at thy hands but that thou wouldest return loue for loue and that for my sake thou wouldest tender thine owne saluation and abstiane from those sinnes which I hate What I commanded theâ— was no way beneficiall to my self but to thee only that wert commanded for I had no need of thy goodnesse but thou of mine But thou neuerthelesse hast returned mee hatred for loue and euill for good yea thou hast fallen from mee to the diuell thine enemie vngratefull and inconsiderate of thine owne saluation and of thine own accord hast bound thy selfe to an vniust tyrannicall lord master Neuerthelesse al these thy foresaid wrongs and ingratitudes I haue patiently borne I haue a long time attended thy leisure to haue mercy on thee being alwaies readie to forgiue if in anie indifferent time thou hadst come vnto mee yea and to that end I called thee and in a manner intreated thee whilest I staied at the doore of thy minde knocking and calling thee Turne vnto mee and I will turne vnto thee yet thou wouldest not harken vnto my voice It is therfore iust and necessarie that thou that contemnest mee in thy life time shouldest bee contemned by mee being dead And therefore depart from mee thou accursed into euerlasting fire which is prepared for the diuell and his angels there to remaine for euer and euer CHAP. VII Of the paines of hell IT remaineth my deare brother that thou heare what punishment in that bottomlesse pit of hell woorthy thy wickednesse thou wert or yet art to endure except in time by repentance thou auert the sentence of so seuere a Iudge First thou that hast not sinned but willingly in hell shalt endure all maner of torment vnwillingly There shal bee vnspeakeable varietie of tortures and miseries intollerable torments and eternity without end the affliction both of body and soule shall be diuers bitter and euerlasting Because thou hast committed diuers sinnes therfore thou shalt suffer diuers punishments for euery sinne thou hast heere committed shall haue a torment answerable therunto and according to the measure of thy offences shall the retribution of Gods vengeance be such as thy sinne hath been such shal be thy paine For notwithstanding the fire of hell bee one and the same for by a metaphor of fire doth the Holy Ghost especially expresse the torment of hell vnto vs yet it burneth and tormenteth not all the damned after one maner As euen in this world many liue vnder one and the same Sunne but yet all doe not equally feele the heat thereof because 〈◊〉 are not alike in the qualitie and constitution of their bodies And as with one and the same fire straw doeth otherwise burne than wood or iron so there in one and the same fire there is not one and the same heat because what heere the diuers qualitie of the bodie worketh there doth the diuersitie of sinnes the same But touching this fire of hell forasmuch as it is but a metaphor which the holiâ— Ghost vseth to expresse 〈◊〉 to vs the greatnesse of the torments that there are anâ— no materiall fire as some 〈◊〉 dreame giue me leaue as the spirit of God heerein humbleth it selfe to the capaciâ—â— of man so to expresse by this materiall fire that thou seest and feelest at the least some shadow of those torments thou shalt feele in hell For notwithstanding it bee beyond the capacitie of man to conceiue what these torments are yet by those things wee see and feele and can conceiue let vs gesse at those we know not The holy Ghost hath compared it to fire so let mee though I confesse there can be no proportion betwixt corruptible incorruptible things whether they be good or ill Neuerthelesse to the end thou maiest haue a taste of this fire of hel consider with thy selfe if thou put the tip of thy finger into this visible materiall fire neuer so little time what misery what paine what torment doest thou endure And yet this our fire to that euerlasting fire is as a painted fire to a true In the middle of which our visible materiall fire if thou shouldest put thy whole finger how great a torment shouldest thou endure how great if thy whole hand if thy whole arme how much more great if thy whole bodie one whole day together nay one weeke nay a whole yere together From hence gather if thou canst how vnhappie thy soule shall be which must bee tormented in so great and so durable a fire Measure by this temporall torment how intollerable it shall be to thy soule to endure the heat of that vnquenchable fire on both sides within and without that for euer and euer For in this doeth our materiall fire differ from that that ours consumeth whatsoeuer it fasteneth vpon that where it once taketh hold it alwaies tormenteth and reserueth it whole and entire to a paine eternall that doeth naturally yeeld heat and light this vnspeakable heat with palpable darknesse In this for euer and euer desolate land of burning pitch and sulphure to the miserable damned soules there is nothing but desolation from which desolation there ariseth despaire from despaire hatred of God and blasphemie eternall terment continuall lamentation hourely yelling There nothing can be heard but mourning and howling and weeping and gnashing of teeth They that in this life were glutted with satietie in hell shall bee totmented with famine they shal begge a drop of water and shall not obtain it By that they finned they shal be punished and in what they most offended God in that shall they bee most tormented They shall alwaies burne in vnquenchable fire but neuer die bee filled with stench and glutted with torment they shal haue no comfort no counsell no hope of euasion but the sorrowes of death shall for euer compasse them In this
reduceth vnto pardon It belongeth to the iustice of a seuere and rigorous Iudge that there be no end of reuenge giuen vnto them who so long as they were in health would neuer make an end of sinning that there they should neuer want pâ—nishment that heere would neuer want sin who make an end of sinning because they must make an end of liuing whereas if they could they would haue liued without end for they make manifest that they would neuer haue been freed from sinne because they neuer gaue it ouer so long as they liued Againe it is fit and requisit that according to the delight of sinne the bitternesse of their torment should be measured vnto them not onely which the wicked haue had but which they would haue for God doth not only consider the outward actions but hee likewise examineth the inward willes Since therefore out of the corruption of their owne willes they haue giuen no measure to the delight of sinne nor euer could finde so great delight in sinne but that they would haue greater therefore God who considereth the heart not the outward action inflicteth punishment not according to the delight receiued but sought after that the time of their torment for sinne might be infinite who were infinitly delighted therein Againe forasmuch as there is a proportion of greatnesse betweene the offence and the partie offended therefore sinne whereby God infinite in goodnesse and maiestie is offended must necessarily be iudged infinite and deserueth an infinite punishment infinite in continuance not in paine or torment for the finite capacitie of a creature is not capable of what is infinit whom likewise the Lord who deteineth not his mercies when he is angry punisheth not according to their desert for he is mercifull and taketh no delight in their affliction but yet because hee is iust hee is neuer pacified from reuenge For as they that forsake life runne into death so they that feare not to offend and to forsake him that is good in the highest degree deserue in the highest degree to be punished and they are made worthy of eternall euill who destroy in themselues that good that might haue been eternall As wee see that a temporall or transitory punishment brings a death which is perpetuall a temporall treason a yoke of perpetuall seruitude a disease is taken in a short time which a man perhaps shall neuer shake off so the sinnes of the damned haue an end but yet their punishment for sinne is deseruedly endlesse who are sorrie they haue sinned yet cannot but sinne And though God be mercifull and willing to pardon all sinnes whatsoeuer yet when hee punisheth the reprobate for their sinnes hee leaueth not so much as an idle word nay thought vnpunished and they that are debtors for great sinnes being condemned must pay the vttermost farthing And as hee that hath his arme bound can doe nothing with it so out of the bitternesse of the paine not the loue of God they haue a willing will to rise from their sinnes but yet being forsaken of GOD. Which will of theirs though it haue lost the effect of power bee not able yet it hath alwaies the affection to sinne and though they cannot sinne yet they lose not their will to sinne For it is true that death separateth the soule from the flesh but yet it changeth not the purpose of the soule For as with the elect the good will of a man is turned into glory so with the reprobate their ill will is turned into punishment and that shall bee a torment in â—â—hell that was a sinne in the world As they that haue offended their king are banished their countrie so the damned for their offence committed against God are banished Paradise to whom though all the aforesaid torments are intollerable yet if a thousand helles were added therunto they are nothing to that Paradise that glorie they haue loft For to the damned it is a farre more grieuous thing to bee excluded from glory and to be depriued the grace of God and to endure the hatred of a mercifull Creatour and to haue an omnipotent God their aduersary and enemie which is so vnspeakable a torment vnto them that if no paine at all did outwardly afflict them this onely were sufficient For they see that for a momentarie delight in sinne they endure vnspeakable punishment and for the loue of their temporal goods they haue lost eternall who neuerthelesse by a short repentance might both haue attained these and by not sinning haue auoided the other And if the worme of one sin neuer dying doe so afflict in this life where all hope is not taken away how much more doth the worme of so manie sinnes in that eternall desolation afflict and torment whilest the wicked doe daily behold as in a glasse all the euill they haue committed all the good they haue omitted For as a merchant when the Faire is ended is not only sorrie for that gaine which â—he hath lost but for that also which he might haue gotten but yet neglected it so the damned are not onely sorâ—ie for their sinnes committed but for their good works omitted for all which they then repent though it be an vnprofitable and vnfruitfull repentance because now they finde no mercy that lost the fit time to attaine it But after a hundred thousand thousands of yeres their torments shall still be iterated as if they had neuer suffered any thing and so without end they shall remaine in that place of horror for eueâ— and euer Who can The conclusion relating these things refraine from tearesâ— who can heare them with drie cheekes These are horrible things to thinke vpon terrible to relate and grieuous to behold how hornrible then terrible and greeuous are they to endure For if they bee terrible to heare what will they be to seek 〈◊〉 If the very feare of this punishment doe heere so much afflict thee what will the intollerable suffering of them doe there It is a horrible thing to fall into the hands of the liuing God into a liuing death and a dying life But thou my deare brother thinkest not of these euils but like a man secure thou hastnest vnto them and thou wilt proue them before thou wilt thinke of them But yet to preuent this lest thy beautifull members should be fuell for that vnquenchable fire descend in thought whilest thou art huing into hell lest thou descend thither bodie soule when thou art dead studie therefore both to feare this and fearing it to auoid it For what good will the foreknowledge of these things doe thee if thou auoid them not Now therefore whilest it is possible in a short time if thou turne vnto the Lord to escape all these afflictions and torments and to enioy besides that eternall happinesse which is prepared for his saints why deferrest thou why staiest thou and takest not hold of the mercies of God before thou goe and returne not to a darke land couered
know not the end of thy life who canst not comprehend the beginning thereof Thou knowest not with what beginning thou enterest Man is a bubble because that like a bubble the life of man vanisheth in a moment and thou art as ignorant with what end thou â—halt depart out of this life And therefore it is rashnesse â—o promise vnto thy selfe maâ—y yeeres a long life when â—hou hast not manie dayes nay not an houre in thy own power And therefore why doest thou think to liue long when thou canst not be secured of a day of an houre Nay why art thou greedy of life and a wicked life too as if thou wert immortall The dayly death of many Euery day thou seest such as are yoong and lustie and sound of body suddenly to be arrested with an vnexpected death euen in the middest of their delights insomuch that of those infinite numbers that euery day come into the world almost three parts die before they come to the age of fiftie yeeres The good are called of the Lord that they may no more bee oppressed by the wicked The wicked are taken away that they may no longer persecute the godly Tell mee where are all those wordlings which not long since haue liued with thee Iob 21. They haue spent their dayes in wealth and suddenly they are gone downe to their graue and nothing remaineth of them but dust and ashes and an intollerable stench O how much care did they take to prouide for this present life How long a race did they promise vnto themselues but suddenly and vnlooked for death hath ouertaken them whereas if they had alwaies looked for it death could neuer haue hurt them And cannot that feuer that death that came so suddenly vpon them as suddenly oppresse thee and thy procrastinations draw vpon thee as sudden a damnation The bird that sits singing vpon a bough A similitude of a bird vpon a bough thinks he hath libertie to flie whither he will but before he can stretch out his wings an arrow strikes him to the heart and downe he falles So thou promisest vnto thy selfe a long life many and happie dayes and thou hast a purpose to worke woonders in the world and yet thou knowest not whether thou shalt liue till night till thou canst stirre thy foot from the place where thou standest To morrow vncertaine and though thou know what thou art to day yet how knowest thou what thou maiest be to morrow If thou be not prepared to die to day how wilt thou be ready to morrow Qui non est hodiè cras minus aptus erit He that is not fit to day will bee lesse fit to morrow It may be God hath appointed this day to be the end of thy life and it can not possiblie be auoided which if it bee so why art thou secure why doest thou not set thy house in order 2. Kin. 10. for thou shalt die and not liue Doest thou not see the inutilitie of thy life past the little comfort that there is in thy earthly blessings The losse of time the preciousnes of thy time misspent and lost the wickednesse of thy sins committed and to conclude all thy age thy yeeres thy monethes thy dayes nay thy moments past and spent in sinne and iniquitie If therefore thou put off thy conuersion to the last houre ten to one thy last houre wil be thy worst houre and thy procrastination hasteneth thy condemnation for thou must appeare before the tribunall seat of God in the presence of a seuereiudge whom thou hast many a time offended and crucified with the wicked Iewes by iterating those sinnes that brought him to the crosse There is no auoidance but thou must stand to the fearefull iudgement of God and that perhaps euen this verie day where and when thou shalt giue an account of all thou hast done What wilt thou say what canst thou doe when thou shalt appeare emptie void of all goodnes before so great a Iudge O how fearfull shall hee be at this houre whose presence is incomprehensible whose power infallible whose iustice inflexible whose anger implacable Consider with thy selfe how fearefull a thing it would be vnto thee if one should tell thee and assure thee of it that some great and cruell Iudge were resolued to burne thee aliue for some great offence thou hast committed doubtlesse vpon the hearing thereof if there were but one daies respit left vnto thee thou wouldest leaue nothing vnattempted to auoid so heauie a sentence such as were friends vnto the Iudge thou wouldest endeuour to make thy friends that by their intercession thou mightest haue hope to escape thou wouldest leaue no stone vnturned no way vntried to free thy selfe from so cruell a doome yea so thou mightestwin thy life thou wouldest willingly lose all that thou hast And aboue all things thou wouldest not faile to call to minde and to consider with thy selfe what might be obiected against thee and what thou couldest answer thereunto that thou maiest not appeare gultie before thy Iudge And why wouldest thou doe all this The preposterous seare of the iudgement of God of man Is it because there thou art free from all doubt assured thou must die if thou acquit not thy selfe the better but of the iudgement of God thou art euer in doubt O wretched man and of a preposterous beliefe doest thou beleeue man rather than God who is the Creatour of man Doth God threaten an euerlasting torment and doest thou neglect it thy earthly Iudge a temporall and doest thou feare and tremble at it For who or what is he Euen he that after he hath beene a man must be a worme and hauing been a worme must bee turned into stench and rottennesse Since then thou must appeare not before a man a worme rottennesse it selfe but before thy Creator and the sentence thou art to heare is the eternall damnation of thine owne soule how canst thou be secure How canst thou still giue thy selfe to thy delights and pleasures and not feare the immutable sentence of so seuere a Iudge If thou be ashamed and confounded at the iudgement of a man of dust and ashes what wilt thou do when thou shalt stand to the iudgement of thy Maker Creator The sentence of God irreuocable The sentence of a humane Iudge may be reuoked but this is irreuocable Thou shalt giue an account to this seuere Iudge of all thy yeeres euen in the bitternesse of thy own soule and for thy many and great offences committed against him hee shall deliuer thee to the diuell and his angels to bee tormented in hell fire Who shall then take thee from that place shall free thee from those that descend into the pit For in hell there is no redemption But perhaps thou wilt fay that God is louing and mercifull Ezâ—ch 33. and by his Prophets hath promised that at what time soeuer a sinner repenteth him of his
â—ody For thither is the whole intention of the minde carried where the griefe is What astonishment of heart â—s there at that houre What â—emembrance of all fore-passed sinnes What forgetfulnesse of pleasures past What â—orror and fearefull consideration of the Iudge Doubtlesse the griefe of the disease and the feare of the iudgements of God doe hinder the true vse of our sense and vnderstanding insomuch that at that houre there can hardly bee any true contrition of heart Then is the Diuell most diligent to tempt vs The assaults of the Diuell are most violent at the houre of death and to lay his snares to intrap vs when hee perceiueth our end to be at hand and when he seeth it standeth him vpon to win or lose that soule which so many yeeres by so many sleights so many suggestions he hath endeuoured to make sure vnto him then especially he tempteth him touching the verity of his beleefe and perswadeth him to infidelity setteth before the eies of his minde the greatnesse of his sinnes the seuerity of the Iudge the inequality of all the good he hath done in his whole life to that eternall blessednes which God hath prepared for those that are his children Thus and by these meanes hee assaieth to driue a miserable sinner into despaire and whom in his â—ife time he deceiued by flatâ—eries at his death hee tyranâ—iseth ouer him The feare of a iust man at the houre of death And this is â—he cause why many godly â—nd zealous men who in the whole course of their life â—aue serued God doe neuerâ—helesse feare this last houre â—f death lest that then they â—hould yeeld to those violent â—mptations of the Diuell or opeare emptie before so â—eat a Iudge And yet doest thou thinke at that houre to be conuerted when the iustest men that are feare to be peruerted Wilt thou aduenture the state of thy saluation to that time wherin thou art subiect to greatest danger And thinkest thou to perfect that great and difficult worke of thy conuersion which in the best strength of thy body and in the whole race of thy life thou couldest hardly performe in a moment of time when thou art compassed with so many griefes so many dangers The departure of a sinfull soule out of his body not one but innumerable legions of Diuels doe attend to require their hire for their seruice presenting before his eies those sinâ— they haue tempted him vnto so carry him with them into vtter darknesse Ioh. 14. Yea they faile not to attempt the souls of Gods children when they depart out of their bodies alleging vnto them that this and this they haue done for them and that they haue returned this and this seruice vnto them If the Prince of this world the Diuell sought after something of his euen in Christ himselfe dying according to the flesh though nothing hee could finde confider how carefull and cruell â—e will be to require his own of thee at thy houre of death â—t is apparent and thou canst â—ot deny but that hee may â—inde much of his in thy selfe â—nd miserable and wretched man that thou art what wilt thou then do when he shal arrest thee for that that is his own what wilt thou answer Doest thou thinke that the Angels of God will be ready at hand to rescue thee and to deliuer thee out of his hold Forasmuch therefore deare Brother as it cannot but plainly appeare vnto thee that death lies in wait for thee in all places and at all times and that it followeth thee as thy shadow doth thy body if thou be wise doe thou likewise expect it in all places and at all times being euery day euery houre ready as iâ— euery day euery houre were the houre of thy death Thou knowest not in what place at what houre it will encounter thee and therefore expect it in all places and at all times If it hasten to come vnto thee doe thou make as good speed to be ready for it to liue well and like a good debtor bee euer prepared to pay Nature hir due whensoeuer it shall bee demanded So husband and order euerie day as if it were the last day of thy life when thou risest in the morning thinke not thou shalt liue till night and when thou goest to thy bed thinke thou goest to thy graue and that thou shalt neuer see the morning light From this time forward so liue that at the houre of death thou maist rather reioice than feare and that thou maist die well learne to liue well that thou maist flie from the vengeance to come yeeld fruits worthie repentance before it come That feare that vseth to be in a man dying let it be alwaies in thee liuing So shalt thouvanquish death when it comes if before it come thou alwaies feare it CHAP. III. That our last day is hidden from vs to the end that all the daies of our life should bee as our last BVT perhaps thou wilt say that I tell thee that death attends thee and euerie houre of thy life hangs ouer thy head like a sword hanging by a haire point pendant that I perswade thee to bee as readie to fall vpon thee that thou hast obeied my counsell and oftentimes prepared thy selfe to entertaine it whensoeuer it come but it hath as often deceiued thee and neuer came and therefore I do thee wrong to perswade thee by an euerlasting cogitation of death to liue a dying life and to let slip the pleasures and delights of this world Resp O my good brother suspend thy iudgement a while for I dare make good vnto thee that by this continuall cogitation of death thou losest not the delights of this World Prouer. 15 For a good conscience is a continuall feast and thou shalt receiue greater coÌ„fort by seruing the God of all comfort consolation than this wretched world replenished with miseries yea there is no torment greater than a wicked conscience for where God is not there can no comfort be found No tormeÌ„t to a wicked conscience O that thou haddest but tasted euen with the tip of thy toong the vnspeakable sweetnesse of a spirituall delight thou wouldest contemne all the fading pleasures of this life Cantic 1. and runne after the sweet odours of those heauenly comforts Thou seest the crosses and afflictions of spirituall men their wounds but not their ointments thou seest them outwardly cast downe like abiects but inwardly thou discernest not their happinesse Outward torments of spirituall men inward ioies for their spirituall ioy is as insensible as it is vnspeakable and can neuer be in any man that admitteth any other Be not therefore so peremptorie in thy censures and thinke not that the feare of death and the seruice of God doe robbe thee of the ioies of this life But be it as thou saiest we will yeeld so much vnto thy obstinacie A continuall preparation for death is good Why doest
thou complaine and afflict thy selfe that thou hast many times liued well and beene prouided for death when death came not That the remembrance of thy end hath taken often times from thee those pleasures and delights that in themselues are to a man wicked and deceitfull O how happy wert thou and again and again blest of God if in this maner thou diddest alwaies expect death if thou wert euery day such a one as thou wishest to bee at the point of death if from thy youth thou barest the yoke of the Lord if thou didst alwaies watch and stand vpon thy guard because thou knowest not at what houre the Lord will come for blessed wert thou if when hee commeth hee shall finde thee waking God would that the houre of our death should bee hidden from vs The day of death vucertain to the end that wee being vncertaine when wee shall die should bee alwaies found ready for death that whilest the last day is vnknowen wee should obserue all as if all were the last If thou were set at a Table where there are many dishes set before thee to eat among which thou art told that one hath poison in it wouldest thou not abstaine from them all lest thou shouldest happen to light vpon that that is poisoned There is one day of death a dangerous day vnto thy soule which because thou knowest not is it not wisedome in thee to suspect euery day For if thou knewest at what houre thou shouldest depart out of this world thou wouldest diuide thy times some to pleasure some to praier some to repentance and knowing how long thou hast to liue thou woldst likewise know when to abstaine from thy delights and pleasures But forasmuch as a present life is alwaies vncertaine by so much the more whilest it stealingly comes vpon vs it is to bee feared by how much the lesse it may bee foreseene and therfore of all other times the houre of death is most to be feared because it can neuer bee foreseene Matth. 24.43 and woorse auoided If the goodman of the house knew at what watch the theefe would come he would surely watch and not suffer his house to bee digged thorow Therefore be ye also ready for ye know not the houre when the Son of man will come whether in the euening or at midnight at the crowing of the cocke or in the morning lest when he commeth suddenly vpon you hee shall finde you fleeping When hee gaue that commandement to his Disciples saying Watch and pray Luke 12.36 â—ee afterwards added That which I say vnto you I say vnto all Watch. Watch therfore my deare Brother like vnto that man that waiteth for his master when hee will returne from the wedding that when hee commeth and knocketh he may open vnto him immediately Which thou canst not better do than to be prepared at all houres as if euery houre were the houre of thy death If any greeuous sicknesse happen vnto thee A sicke man desires that time of repentance which a sound neglecteth that hath in it any apparent tokens of death thou presently crauest a truce for a time and desirest to liue that thou maist bewaile thy sinnes and thy time mispent and thou promisest repentance and amendment of life which thou hast no sooner obtained but as soone thou forgettest and with the dog thou returnest to thy vomit againe The time of repentance is granted thee and God expecteth a time to pardon thee and yet thou doest not onely not bewaile thy sinnes past but thou takest a greater ioy and comfort in those that are past in those that are to come Esay 30. If thou borrow a thing of another man thou takest a care to vse it whilest thou hast it because thou knowest it shall shortly be taken from thee and yet this corruptible body of â—hine which God hath lent â—hee for the vse of thy soule and for the saluation thereof is not thine but shall shortâ—y be taken from thee thou dâ—est not only not vse to the health of thy soule but thou euery day abusest to the vtter ruine and damnation therof and by how much thy life is longer by so much thy sinnes are greater yea they increase not with the daies but the houres and moments of thy life Yesterday thou mightest haue died Pro lucro tibi pone diem quicâ—nque 〈◊〉 and yet thou art nor dead Inasmuch therfore as thou art aliue to day account it amongst thy gaines Why our daies are prolonged for therfore doth the Lord prolong thy daies of grace that thou maist repent and attaine the greater glory For as the very sleep of the Saints of God is not without goodnesse so thou shouldest not let passe a moment of time without the practise and performance of some good Rich men and such as are able to keepe and maintaine a great family vse neuerthelesse to belong to those that are richer and mightier than themselues in whose seruice they depriue themselues of many benefits and freedomes of nature in hope and expectation only which many times deceiueth them of bettering their fortunes and ioining house vnto house and land â—nto land If then such as aâ—ound in â—â—hes are content with the losse of liberty and so much labour to increase â—heir riches which then increase most when the least commodities are not neglected how much doth it stand â—hee vpon that art the seruant of Christ Iesus to heape vp vnto thy selfe those spiritual riches that must saue thy soule Though thou haue liued well and art rich in good workes yet when thou art dying thou couldest be content thou haddest liued better and for one good worke thou hast done thou wishest thou hadst done a thousand why then doe that now whilest thou liuest that thou wouldest be glad thou hadst done when thou art dying One starre differeth from an other starre in glory 1. Cor. 15.41 there are many mansions in the kingdom of heauen by how much the more good then thou doest vpon earth by so much the greater glory shalt thou haue in heauen As no sinne escapeth vnpunished so no good that thou doest vnrewarded Matth. 10.30 All thy daies are no lesse numbred than the haires of thy head and as a haire of thy head shall not perish so not a moment of time God rewardeth great labours with great bounties which though in appearance they seeme to be small yet in effect and operation they are vnspeakable Thy labours are but short the crowne eternall set that which thou here sufferest Repentance crucifieth Righteousnesse pacifieth Life eternall glorifieth to that that thou there hopest to obtaine The afflictions of this life are not worthie the sinne passed that for them is remitted the present comfort that for them is giuen the future glorie that for them is promised Thou labourest heere for a time that thou maiest not labour for euer with the damned thy labour is momeÌ„tary thy ioy eternall
And if thou sinke vnder the burden of these afflictions set before thine eies the sufferings of Christ See what hee that had no reason to suffer hath suffered for thee If it were necessary that Christ being God man should suffer and so enter into his glory Luke 24. The passions of Christ how much more oughtest thou a base vnworthy worm of the earth to suffer for the attainement of that glory How much soeuer thou endure thou shalt neuer come neere those insultations those scourgings that purple garment that thornie crowne and lastly that ignominious and shamefull death of the Crosse that hee endured for thy sake Doe but consider how great glory doth instant ly attend thy miseries and afflictions and then that which is momentarie in an instant turned from euill to good shall neuer seeme greeuous vnto thee If the greatnesse of the reward delight thy minde let not the greatnesse of thy afflictions any way affright it if the labour deter thee let the reward inuite thee and let the hope therof be a solace to thy labours It is not the maner to attaine to great matters without great paines and hee that runneth not winnes not the garland For if a Merchant cares not what hee giues for that merchandize that he knowes will yeeld him a great increase if to a Sea-man the dangerous billowes of the Sea to a husbandman the stormy tempests of cold Winter if to a souldier wounds and bloodie conflicts seeme light and tolerable and all for the hope of a temporall and fading commoditie much more when heauen it selfe is proposed vnto thee 2. Tim. 2. 1. Cor. 2. as the fruit of thy labor and that vnspeakable ioy that no eie hath seen no eare hath heard and hath not entred into the heart of man to conceiue or imagine Where if it were not lawfull to make any longer abode than for the space of one day for that one day the innumerable daies of this life with all the fleeting and temporall delights thereof should worthily be scorned and contemned And therefore account not thy perseuerance in that which is good and thy continuall preparation for death amongst thy labours which though yesterday thou hast escaped perhaps thou shalt not to morrow for that happens in one day that falles not out in a thousand Thou must perseuere and bee constant in good workes Matt. 10. for it is not hee that begins but that continues to the end that shall bee saued It is a vaine thing to doe good if we do not good so long as we liue as it is a vaine thing to run swiftly at the first setting out and to tire before wee come at the end of the gole Repentance is an excellent remedy against sinne but yet only to him that shall perseuere therein For without perseuerance the labour hath no reward the race no garland the seruice no grace the crosse no crowne If thou wilt want eternall punishment without end and enioy eternall blisse without end thou must necessarily obey the commandements of God without intermission without end And therfore thou must not say with the seruant in the Gospell as thou art wont My master doth deferre his comming Matth. 24.48 and therefore begin to smite thy fellowes and to eat and drinke with the drunken for the Lord will come in a day when thou lookest not for him and in an houre thou knowest not and destroy thee suddenly If he be patient and of long sufferance if he threaten thee and yet abstaineth if hee deferre his comming to the end hee may finde lesse cause to condemne thee neglect not his patience and long sufferance lest he increase his iudgement with his expectation and by how much the longer he expects thy conuersion before he iudge thee by so much the more heauilie his iudgement will light vpon thee For assure thy selfe that hee that with patience bears thy sins will with seuerity iudge them if thou repent not and cease from sinning Wherefore deare brother alwaies so liue that thou bee alwaies prepared to die Watch alwaies lest God take thee vnprouided and such he taketh thee if such he find thee at the last day and as he then findes thee when hee calles thee so hee will iudge thee Remember thy end Eccl. 7.36 and thou shalt neuer doe amisse whether thou eat or drink or whatsoeuer thou doest let that trumpet of the last iudgement alwaies sound in thy cares Arise ye dead and come to iudgement whatsoeuer thy comforts are in this present life neuer let the bitternesse of thy last iudgement depart out of thy mind CHAP. IIII. The great inequalitie betwixt our present pleasures and the paines of Hell IT is to be doubted that that remainder of thy life that is behinde can not amount to fiftie yeeres but yet suppose that thou hast so many yeres to liue and that God hath reuealed vnto thee from aboue that thou shalt not see death vntill the terme of fifty yeres be fully complet and ended This can be no reason at all to withdraw thee from the seruice of God and from turning vnto him by a true and vnfained repentance The breuitie and instabilitie of pleasure For first the breuitie of the pleasures of this life is certaine and the end of this breuity vncertain They doe many times forsake a man when he is aliue but they neuer follow him being dead The state of humane things is alwaies moueable and inconstant and manie times it falleth out that if a man liue long hee outliues his pleasures For God doth prouidently mingle sower with sweet sorrow with ioy that we may thereby be stirred vp to seeke that sweetnesse that ioy that neuer changeth and that whilest sorrow and griefe and vexation of spirit are the fruits of this world we should look vp after him that is the God of all comfort and consolation But yet my deare brother let vs yeeld that thou hast so many yeeres to liue and that free from all aduersitie whatsoeuer First consider diligently with thy selfe to what place thy miserable soule must passe when those fiftie yeeres are expired euen to hell it selfe For from the delights of this world we passe by a straight line to the torments of hell as by the miseries of this life we attaine the ioies of heauen For no man can pasle from pleasure to pleasure reioice with the world and with Christ too heere feed his belly his corruptible part there his spirituall And secondly let the place to which thy soul must passe put thee in minde of those intollerable torments thou must there suffer Lastly consider with thy selfe if it should bee said vnto thee Inioy the pleasures of this life and glut thy selfe with them but yet vpon this condition that at such or such a time after so many yeeres are expired thy eies shall bee plucked out of thy head and thou shalt spend the rest of thy life in hunger and thirst and
way If aâ—â— man will follow mee saiâ— Christ let him denie himseâ— let him put off the old maâ— and put on the new let hiâ— begin to be that he was not and cease to bee that which before by sinne hee was let him take vp and alwaies beare his owne crosse and therewith crucifie his owne flesh with the concupiscence thereof let him bee crucified vnto the World and the World vnto him liue vnto mee die vnto the World So at the last let him follow mee crucified and for the loue of me be content to beare what 〈◊〉 haue borne for the loue of him For hee that by the deâ—ights and pleasures of this world wil saue his soule shall for euer lose it But he that in â—his life for my sake shall lose his soule by refusing the carâ—all pleasures of this life and â—f need be by suffering death for my sake shall find it again in heauen and eternall happines This my deare brother is a strait way and a narrow gate which leadeth vnto life and few they are that finde it and therfore thou must not so much consider how crooked and thorny it is as whither it leadeth nor how narrow it is as where it endeth for by how much the more strait and troublesome it is by so much the more large and pleasant thou shalt finde it in the progresse of thy iourney for it shall not onely by custome but by the labour and passion of thy Sauior be made easie It is a broad way to the hope of the faithfull a strait way to the vanity of vnbeleeuers and in that thou thinkest it laborious and painfull it is no excuse of thine infirmity but an accusation of thy sloth backwardnesse By many trdâ—ulations wee must enter into the kingdome of God Act. 14. But yeeld that it bee painfull must wee not thorâ—w many tribulations enter into the kingdome of God And yet thou by the broad and spacious way of pleasure which leadeth vnto death hopest to obtaine life Thou canst not heere sport it with the world and there raigne with Christ enioy future and present blessings passe froÌ„ the delights of this world to the ioies of heauen They that haue their coÌ„fort in this world are vnworthy diuine consolation but they that for the name of Christ Iesus endure affliction feele in themselues the vnspeakable comforts of God for they that partake with Christ in his passions are likewise made partakers of his comforts No man can be happie in both worlds but he that wil haue the one must want the other otherwise the rewards of chastity and luxurie gluttonie and temperance humility and pride were not diuers That fat and purple rich man in the Gospell had his pleasure in this life Lazarus pain but after their death their portions were not alike the pleasure of the one is turned into misery the miserie of the other into pleasure eternall happines Bodily pleasure nothing to a dying soule But suppose thou wouldest gaine the whole world and glut thy selfe with all maner of delights and pleapleasures what are all these vnto thee at the houre of thy death If thou being in extremitie of sicknesse shalt see thy seruants fare deliciously what gainest thou by their dainty fare Wilt thou say that thou art the better or gainest the more because thou art their Lord and Master No doubtles Apply this then vnto thy own soul If thy body florish and grow fat thy soule growing leane this plenty of external things what belongs it vnto thee For as the pleasure of a seruant doth no way benefit the miserie of a master nor costly apparell a weake body So whilest thou gluttest and pamperest thy bodie with pleasure and abundance of all things and sufferest thy soule to starue whereby it is subiect to eternall damnation how doe the pleasures of the body pleasure thee what canst thou giue for recompence of thy soule Math. 16.26 Hast thou any other which thou canst giue for it If thou wert the Lord and King of the whole world and wouldest offer it for a ransome for thy soule thou couldest not therewith redeeme it from eternal damnation What benefit then is it vnto thee though thou win the whole world and lose thy owne soule Or what good is it vnto thee for a few daies to rule and raigne vpon the earth and thereby to lose the kingdome of heauen Christ hath shed his most precious blood for thy soule Nothing more precious than the soule which hee would not doe for the whole world besides and and therfore thinke the price of thy soule to be very great since it could not bee redeemed but by the blood of Christ Iesus And wilt thou then lose this thy soule and damne it too buie a moment of pleasure with euerlasting torments What comparison can there bee betwixt that which is finite and that which is infinite betwixt breuitie and eternitie Wherfore deare brother it shall be good for thee to indure some paine in this life by repentance if that which bringeth a spirituall ioy may bee called a paine lest thou feele eternall paine in the life to come by reuenge By sorrow thou shalt come to ioy for Truth it selfe hath spoken it Matth. 5. Blessed are they that mourne for they shall bee comforted and by ioy and pleasure thou shalt come to sorrow the same Truth affirming it Luk. 6.25 Woe bee vnto you that laugh for yee shall waile and weepe He that sorroweth not when he is a stranger shall not laugh being a Citizen because the desire of his countrey is not in him and therefore whilest thy body is detained in this world send thy heart before into heauen But it is one thing to goe before or to go foorth in body another in heart hee goeth foorth in body that by the motion of his body changeth his place he goeth foorth in heart that changeth the affections of the heart Wherefore my deare brother for these causes The conclusion of these former Chapters manie more that might heere be spoken of thou maiest plainly see how fraile and vnconstant the condition of this life is insomuch that thou canst not secure thy selfe of a moment of time Which since so it is it cannot but be dangerous for thee to liue in that state wherin thou wouldest not willingly depart out of this life especially considering that the time of thy departure may happen at this verie houre or the next nay euery moment of thy life Whilest thou art sound healthfull thy repentance is sound when thou art weak and sickly that is weake too when thou art dead that is dead too The time of life is short which though thou passe well and blessedly yea suffer much affliction for thy Sauiour Christ Iesus yet at the houre of thy death thou wilt wish thou hadst suffered much more Eccles 12. Remember therfore thy Creator in the daies of thy youth and be not slow
to turne vnto the Lord yea deferre it not vntill to morrow for the day of the Lord commeth as a theefe in the night and an houre that thou knowest not 1. Thes 5. If thou turne not vnto God Psalme 7. God wil draw foorth the sword of his vengeance hee will bend his bow and make ready his arrowes from whose anger to come that thou maiest flie do workes worthy repentance and that whilest the God of patience and long sufferance detaineth his anger whilest he deserreth to strike whilest he considereth thee a sinner and yet expecteth thy conuersion whilest hee beareth with thy iniquities in hope at the last to withdraw thee from them But thou the longer hee beareth with thy sinnes the longer thou continuest in thy sinnes whereby it commeth to passe that that long sufferance of God that should draw thee to repontance and out of the lawes of death and hell â—andeth thee the faster in the bands of death and because thou hast turned thy times of repentance vnto sin the seuere Iudge will turne those arguments of his loue and mercy into a punishment for by so much the more seuerely will hee come vnto iudgement by how much the more before it hee shewed himselfe patient and mercifull That which hee now winketh at with mildenesse and loue when he commeth to iudge hee will exact with straitnesse and seueritie Take heed therefore lest thou contemne those times that God hath giuen thee to repent and thou neglect the care of thy saluation lest thou turne the clemencie of the Iudge and those proroged times of mercy and repentance into arguments of thy greater damnation lest that long life which thou hast receiâ—ed from thy meâ—ciâ—◠〈…〉 God doe 〈…〉 greaâ—er increase or thy condemnation Behold now is the time of reconciliation and repentance not of pleasure and carnall delight heereafter shall bee the time of reward of retribution Behold now is the acceptable time the day of saluation and mercy heereafter shall be the time of rigor and vengeance Shall then these dales of saluation passe away as if thou thoughtest not of them There is nothing more precious than time and yet to thee nothing more contemptible It is the manner of such as get their liuing by their labour in the end of their labours when they looke for their hire to be most diligent and painful So thou forasmuch as thoâ— knowest not how soone thy labours shall haue an end whatsoeuer thy hand can do doe it instantly Luke 12. Be alwaies prouided for thou knowest not what houre the Sonne of man will come that when hee commeth atcording to thy workes hee may iudge thee Thou hast no long race to runne for whether thou wake or sleepe or whatsoeuer thou doest euerie houre and moment of thy life is a steppe vnto death which perhaps thou art neerer vnto than thou art aware of For when thou goest to sleepe thou art not sure thou sâ—alt awake again and when thou awakest thou art not â—ure thou shalt goe to 〈◊〉 rest vntill thou haue taâ—â—â—â—p thy last rest Where 〈…〉 thou bee wise in the whole course of thy lise learne to die and bee prepared thereunto euerie houre of thy life as if euerie houre were the houre of thy death Thinke euery moment thou must die because thou art sure though now thou liue thou must die Which if it bee so take no â—reat care by what accident then shalt die but dying whiâ—her thou must goe for nothing maketh death good or ill but that which followeth death Death is deadly to the wicked but precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints Psal 115. which death God of his infinite mercie giue vs euen for his Sonne Christ Iesus sake Amen The Second Part of the exhortation to repentance CHAP. I. That restitution is an excellent testimony of remission of sinnes SEcondly perhaps thou wilt say thou couldest be content to repent but thou canst not finde in thy heart to restore that which either by fraud or violence thou hast taken from another for now thou art rich and needest the helpe of no man Res Thou knowest not my deare Brother that thou art wretched and miserable and poore and blinde and naked Consider with thy selfe that if God at the day of iudgement shall with such anger say vnto those that haue not giuen their goods vnto the poore Depart ye cursed into euerlasting fire which is prepared for the Diuel and his Angels For I was an hungred and ye gaue me no meat Matth. 25. I thirsted and ye gaue me no drinke I was a stranger and ye lodged me not I was naked and yee clothed me not sicke and in prison and ye visited me not how shall his anger increase when he shall say I was hungrie I was thirstie and yee took from me that sustinance that I had I was naked and you robbed me of that little that remained vnto me We read not of that rich man in the Gospell that hee got his goods vniustly but only that hee vsed that which hee had intemperatly and vnfruitfullie and yet he was tormented in hell fire and desired a drop of cold water but could not obtaine it How then shalt thou bee saued that hast vniustly scraped thy riches together Canst thou possibly thinke that thou shalt not bee more damned than hee Gather heereby how great a damnation hangeth ouer thy head that doest wrongfully detaine another mans goods if they vndergoe so heauy a iudgement that indiscreetly do vse their owne Consider how heauilie goods wrongfullie gotten doe presse thee downe if such as are lawfully come by not well bestowed bring so vnspeakable a torment What doest thou deserue for wronging another if charity not well vsed deserue such punishment And if he bee subiect to damnation that detaineth his owne what is hee that taketh away another mans If hee shall haue iudgement without mercy that doth no workes of mercy what iudgement may he looke for that is cruell and bloodie that taketh from the poore whereas hee should giue and decketh himselfe with the spoiles of other men that liues in plenty by the famine of the poor and pampers his bellie with that that should feed them The poore being oppressed crie for vengeance vnto the Lord and God who is a iealous and a mightie God will be their reuenger The Lord will come yea hee will come and not stay and in a time of vengeance hee will destroy him If thy body be diseased or thy friend fallen sicke thou art content to recouer it if need bee euen with the losse of all thy goods that thou hast now thy owne soule is falling into eternall damnation and for the saluation therof doest thou refuse to make restitution of a trifle which thou detainest from another man Thou sellest thy selfe at a base price if for another mans goods thou losest thy owne soule It is a folly to make thy siluer gold more precious than
is not receiued his praiers are not heard for God loueth more the loue agreement of men than his owne honour O the admirable goodnesse and mercie of our God and his vnspeakable loue towards men he resuseth his own honor for our charity one towards another If two be at enmity one with the other no man can bee a faithfull friend to them both and therefore God will not be a friend no not to the faithfull so long as they be in hatred one towards another so long as they professe Christ and yet are enemies God to the end he might impose vpon thee a greater necessity of reconciliation did not say If thou haue anie thing against thy brother for to a man that is willing it is a matter of no difficultie to forgiue an other but he said If thy brother hath any thing against thee go with a willing heart and a good conscience and an humble submission vnto him though he bee farre distant from thee or if thou canst not come where hee is in thy heart bee reconciled vnto him that when thou commest in his presence with thy loue thou maist make amends for the wrong thou hast done him which to a furious man that thinketh he hath iust cause to be angry is a matter very difficult But thy brother hath nothing against thee but thou bearest an intestine hatred against thy brother which thou maist easily pardon and bee reconciled if thou wilt And yet thou presumest with this hatred and malice not only to offer thy praiers vnto God but to come to the Communion of the body and blood of thy Sauiour Christ Iesus and that milde Lambe that peace maker that louer of peace thou presumest to â—eceine into thy cruell and bloody heart boiling with hatred malice against thy brother This thy hatred makes thee vnworthy that corporalll bread that thou eateft and doest thou presume to eat the bread of Angels It cannot bee well with thee if thou wickedly receiue that which is good Thou canst not haue life in thy self when the receiuing of life bringeth death Mat. 5.44 Loue saith the Lord your enemies blesse them that curse you doe good to them that hate you pray for them which hurt you and persecute you Whom then canst thou hate when thou art commanded to be good to thy enemies And yet thou hatest thy neighbour that art forbid to hate a stranger and thou persecutest thy brother being commanded to doe good to thy enemie Thou art enioyned to praie for him and darest thou to pray vnto God against him Canst thou call thy selfe a Christian and yet not keepe the preceps of Christ Neither is it sufficient for thee to make vp the heape of thy punishment by trangressing the commandement of Christ but thou praiest vnto him to doe so too God commandeth thee to loue thine enemy and thou praiest vnto him to kill thine enemie and whilest thou so praiest thou fightest with thy praiers against God who commandeth thee to forgiue whatsoeuer thou hast against thy enemie Mark 11. When ye shall stand saith he and pray forgiue if ye haue anie thing against any man but thou callest vpon God to do quite contrarie to his owne rule but so farre is he from doing that that thou requirest that he turneth the malicious darts of thy prophane mouth against thy selfe and that mischiefe that thou wishest to another lighteth vpon thine owne head He liues yet whom thou cursest and thou that cursest art alreadie made guiltie of his death because since thou canst not kill him with thy sword thou killest him with thy praiers If thou laie not aside thy anger against thine enemie at that instant when thou beggest mercie at Gods hands but euen then remembrest thy grudge when is there hope thou wilt be mercifull So long as thou nourishest this rancor in thy bosome no praier no work shal doe thee any good but euerie houre yea euery minute of an houre thou addest sinne vnto sinne whilest thou remembrest thy wrongs and forgiuest not thy neighbour but purposest to reuenge If euery one that is angrie with his brother be guilty of iudgment how much more shalt thou be guiltie which continuest a deadly hatred against him If it be not lawfull to be angry with thy brother or to say vnto him Raca Ephes 4. or fool much lesse to nourish hatred in thy heart against him Wherfore deare brother let not the Sunne goe downe vpon thy wrath and lest of a mote thou make a beame and thy soule a man-slaier as speedily as thou canst be reconciled to thy brother and pardon his wrongs Yea pray for thy enemie that pursueth thee and slandereth thee that either God wil turne his hart or rightly defend thee and preserue thee euer wishing his saluation whose iniquities thou doest detest that thou maiest be the sonne of the father which is in heauen CHAP. III. That it is not lawfull to strike him that striketh BVT perhaps thou wilt say hee hath wronged thee greatly not thou him he is a wicked man and not worthy to be forgiuen I had rather die than not to bee reuenged of him I will answer a foole according to his follie Res First my deare brother what shall it profit thee if being stroken thou strike thy striker Shall that make amends for thy blow If thou plucke out another mans eie thou recouerest not thy own but with thy eie thou losest thy patience and hast hurt thy owne soule more than thou hast hurt his body The Diuell procureth the wounds of the body to procure the wounds of the soule If thou strike not againe thou seemest to bee ouercome of thy enemie but in the mean time thou hast ouercome the Diuell thou hast lost a member of thy bodie but thou hast gotten honour by thy patience And therefore if thou spare thy enemie thou hast got more to thy selfe than to him and thou art not to consider so much thy owne losse as the gaine of thy patience Whereas if thou strike again thou procurest a losse to thy bodie and thy soule too and thou art not so much hurt by being stroken by thy enemy as thou hurtest thy selfe by thy own impatiencie Wheras outwardlie thou desirest not to be conquered inwardlie thou art grieuouslie wounded whilest outwardy thou desendest trifles inwardlie thou losest matter of moment and then thou art most ouercome when thou wilt not suffer thy selfe to bee ouer come because thou yeeldest to the dangerous passions of anger and canst not rule thy own affections But thou wilt say hee is worthie to bee stricken hee deserues blowes Res Be it so my deare brother but yet thou art not worthie to strike againe because thou art his disciple Exod. 21. that being stricken strucke not again who likewise abrogating that olde law A soule for a soule an eye for an eye a tooth for a tooth Matt. 5.39 a hand for a hand a foot for a foot a wound for a
angrie with a sinner Againe sometimes the Lord punisheth some things to the end that a sinner yet liuing might learne to flie from future vengeance somethings hee leaueth vnreuenged to the end he may know there remaineth yet a farther iudgement for him Sometimes hee beginneth that punishment heere in this life which hee endeth after this life with eternall damnation For if God should neere reuenge himselfe of all his wrongs to what end should wee looke for the last iudgement By that which hath beene spoken thou maiest gather deare brother that God hateth thee not but before hee forsaketh thee thou hast forsaken him neither is the fault in him that by repentance thou turnest not vnto him but in the obstinacie of thine owne will who refusest to heare his voice or obey his diuine inspirations The Sun shineth vpon the window only doe thou open it and it will enter in Accuse not therefore God but thy selfe for in God who is iust in all his wayes and holy in all his works there is nothing to be reprehended or condemned For as if by reason of the weaknesse of thy body thou art not able to goe another should lend thee his hand to lift thee vp and to hold thee whilest thou walkest thou refusest his helpe and haddest rather lie vpon the ground than be holpon by him the fault is not his but thine if thou rise not euen so the Lord of his owne accord offereth himselfe vnto thee and is alwayes readie to helpe thee beare the burthen of thy sinnes and to direct thy steps into the right way doe thou only apply thy will vnto his will and be willing to receiue that grace and fauour which he offereth vnto thee CHAP. II. A sinner how he falleth from one sinne into another and so is hardned in his sinnes AFter that the God of patience long sufferance hath a long time expected the conuerfion of thee a sinner hee giueth to thee not conuerting but contemning his patience greater stumbling blockes to fall for whilest thou art earelesse to redeeme thy lesser sinnes by little and little thou fallest lower and lower and being insensibly seduced by vse custome thou growest bolde to commit greater sinnes When the tongue hath once liberty to vtter idle speeches it shortly after growes bolde to vtter any wickednesse and whilest thou art giuen to gluttonie thou fallest into drunkennesse yea madnesse it selfe for as for the most part it falleth out that one disease ingendereth another and that hee that is ouerladen with a great burthen doth easily fall so the burthen of sinne which by repentance is not speedily shaken off with the burthen thereof presseth a man to other sinnes and one sinne is the cause of another and the latter a punishment to the first as a righteous man ascendeth from one virtue to another and from one good worke taketh occasion to do another One sinne may be the cause of another three maner of wayes sometimes by reason of the finall cause as murther is committed for couetousnesse sometimes by reason of the materiall cause as when by superfluity of diet gluttony ingendreth luxurie vaine glorie whilest it seeketh the glory of a vaine name lest another should attaine vnto it ingendreth enuie sometimes by reason of an inueterat custom as when the custome of one sinne induceth a man to another By these three meanes a sinner falling from sinne to sinne at the last runneth himselfe into the bottomlesse pit of all sin and God in his iust iudgement hardeneth his heart in such a maner that he that by repentance would not clense his sinne heapeth vp sinne vpon sinne and wallowing in his owne filth groweth more filthy Sinne that by repentance is not taken away is both a sinne and the cause of another sin because thereby the mind of a sinner is farther ingaged but that sinne that ariseth out of another sinne is both a sinne and the punishment of a former sin and sometimes the cause of a following sinne too So that in this life sinnes are reuenged by sinnes and the punishment of sinnes are not torments but increase of sinnes the facilitie likewise of committing sinne is made the punishment of precedent sinnes of all which the last punishment is the fire of hell Neuerthelesse a sinner being hardned in his sinnes by reason of his insensible hardnes knowes not himselfe to bee punished heereby vntill against his will hee feele by a manifest punishment how great that sinne is which hee willingly committed Psal 69.27 And therefore saith the Psalmist Lay iniquity vpon their iniquity and let them not come into thy righteousnesse And the Prophet Hosea Hosea 4.2 By swearing and lying and killing and stealing and whoring they breake out and blood toucheth blood Blood toucheth blood when sinne is added vnto sinne the soule by multiplying of sinnes is wounded before the eyes of God and made a burthen vnto it selfe How strait are thy iudgements O Lord How great a punishment of sinne is the multiplying of sins Farre greater doubtles than any temporall punishment nay than hell it selfe The will which first turneth from God is the first beginning of sinne by sinne the grace of God is neglected by which neglect man is continued in sinne by continuance he is confirmed and by confirmation hardened therein And so being fallen into the depth of sinne hee doth not only grow carelesse in the desire of Gods assistance to rise againe but hee likewise resisteth his diuine inspirations that hee may continue in his sinnes God on the other side resisting him freeth him not from his sin but withdraweth frō him many his gifts of grace suffereth him to fall into greater sins and somtimes inflicteth vpon him temporall punishments and at the last eternal Whereby we may not gather that God who loueth righteousnesse and hateth iniquitie compelleth a sinner to sinne but onely permitteth him to continue in his sinnes For from whom hee withdraweth certaine of his graces for sinnes past to him not willing to repent he yeeldeth not the grace of iustification the effect of which grace being the mollifying of the heart that being withdrawne there must necessarily follow hardnesse of heart as the Lord speaketh of Pharo Exod. 4. I will harden his heart The Lord hardneth not the heart of a sinner but as hee that taketh awaie the prop of an house is said to plucke it downe so God is said to harden a sinner because hee freeth him not from it God hardeneth not by imparting malice or that any thing can come from him whereby a man is made the woorse but onely by not imparting mercy and that nothing comes from him whereby a man is made the better Hee hath mercie on whom hee will haue mercie and though he harden yet he is still iust whilest he permitteth the reprobate heart of a sinner voide of pietie ignorant of compunction free from the dew of all spirituall graces to perseuere in hardnesse and not to be mollified
that I had beene of all the shepheards in the field the basest and had had the charge but onely of my selfe for then would not the Lord require at my hands the souls of those my subiects whose saluation I haue neglected O my riches my honours my delights yee cannot free me from death from stench from worms from rottennes yee cannot plucke me out of the hands of the liuing God O death dost thou oppresse mee vnawares How bitter vnto me is the remembrance of thee how fearefull is thy presence Whereas if liuing and in health I had foreseene thee and by liuing well had learnt to die well I had not now feared thee Blessed art thou Arsenus who alwaies haddest this houre before thine eies Three things there are which I now greatly feare First when my soule shall depart out of the prison of this my bodie into a place which it knoweth not Secondly when it is to appeare before the Iudge and to bee presented before his tribunall seat Thirdly when it is to heare that irreuocable sentence either with it or against it But thou my Lord and Sauior Christ Iesus whose propertie it is alwaies to haue mercy and to forgiue who hast said That at what time soeuer a sinner repenteth him of his sinne thou wilt put out all his wickednesse out of thy remembrance though I haue contemned those times of repentance that thou hast affoorded me of all other men haue most offended thee am altogether vnwoorthy to be called thy sonne yet mindefull of thy mercies which haue beene from the beginning giue mee thy assistance to escape this death some small time to my wished repentance Adde some few yeeres to my life some moneths or at least some daies Giue mee leaue a little that I may lament my sinnes and call to minde my forepassed yeeres in the bitternesse of mine owne soule because if I die in this state I am now in my end must needs be eternall damnation But if out of thy meere mercy goodnesse thou shalt pardon mee I will be bold with thy gracious assistance to promiseamendement of life onely in this state let not my soule die lest it bee buried in the bottomlesse pit of hell Now heare how the malignant spirits laugh at thy miseries and with one voice say vnto thee Behold the man that took not God for his strength Psa 52.7 but trusted to the multitude of his riches put his strength in his malice Let vs sing to this miserable caitife a dirge of death because hee is the sonne of death and his mear is vnquenchable fire he is an enemie of the light and a friend of darknesse He hath laboured for vs hath alwaies bound himselfe vnto vs hath gotten vs many followers let vs therefore pay him the due hire of al his labors But what other reward haue we to bestow vpon him but that eternal vnquenchable fire which is prepared for vs and our consorts He is ours because hee was apprehended in our seruice full of sinne and iniquitie Why doe wee staie Why stand wee heere idle Come let vs binde him hand and foot cast him into vtter darknesse where shall bee weping gnashing of teeth Come let vs preferre him to plagues and punishment enough and neuer bee there peace with him For what other end doe we staie but to see his wretched soule seperated from his body that passing out we may receiue it and together draw it to the bottomlesse pit of hell there to remain in vnspeakable torment for euer and euer Now heare how in thy discomforts they comfort thee O wretched poore and miserable man since those pleasures which thou hast folowed in thy whole life haue forsaken thee not thou them since vnwillingly for feare of punishment thou turnest vnto God fearest any longer to serue the world which thou wouldest not doe if yet thou haddest any hope to liue any longer Euery man hath his time appointed to die and this is thy time for thou shalt die and not liue Looke a little vpon the multitude of those sinnes which as yet thou hast neuer confessed vnto God which as yet haue neuer touched thy hart with the least contrition that may bee how dying canst thou for shame confesse them when liuing and in health thou wouldest neuer Looke vpon the small number of thy good works in respect of thy wicked and how mean a proportion thy good deeds carry to the infinite ioies of the elect Looke vpon the seuere iustice of a iust Iudge which requireth a strait account euen of an idle word In the whole race of thy life thou hast persecuted God and now thinkest thou that a momentarie repentance can winne him to mercie No no neuer doubt but that thou art surely ours for in our seruice thou wert apprehended day and night thou hast serued vs yeelded to our suggestions thou hast performed the works of darknesse gotten vs manie soules greatly enlarged our kingdome Come therefore come into that furnace of fire into a land of burning pitch and sulphure where we may giue thee the due reward for all thy labors make thy condition like ours for like lords like seruants O wretched creature that thou art why diddest thou yeeld to our perswasions See he ere the reward that thou hast for it and see the coÌ„pany that thou hast made châ—â—ce of with whom thou must for euer burne in hell fire O thou proudest amongst men Why art thou not now proud Why takest thou not from other men that is not thine owne Why reuengest thou not thy wrongs Why dost thou not giue thy selfe to gluttony drunkennesse Why art thou not sorrie for another mans felicitie Where is thy immoderate appetite to libidinous pleasures Where thy inordinate loue of riches Where are thy precious garments and ornaments where thy daintie fare thy plaies sportings Thy immoderate ioy how it is vanished whether is it departed from thee Luk 16. Remember that thou in thy life time receiuedst thy pleasure thou hast plaied enough thou hast eat and drunke enough there is no rest for thee after death no pleasure Thou art ours let God take thee out of our handes if hee can Come therefore come with vs into the land of miserie and darknesse where is no order but euerlasting horror where thou must remaine for euer and euer Now heare into what despaire of saluation thou fallest by these diuellish insultations saying Truce till to morrow ô truce till to morrow Now at the last I see that I can liue no longer that the last day of my life is come which cannot be past I would stay but I am compelled to goe The way of saluation is shut vp from mee mercie is denied me and all hope is taken away from me Now there is no time of repentance or changing my life for the diuels haue coÌ„passed me about frighting me with strange horrible apparations who as dogges watch a Hare when she is put foorth
the sight of God and he found no stedfastnesse in his saints Ps 143.2 In his sight shall none that liueth bee iustified We euery day descrie in our selues many sinnes and yet cannot know how often wee sinne For who can vnderstand his faults and therefore it followeth Ps 19 1â— Clense me ô Lord from my secret sinnes Forasmuch therefore as there is no man which hath not sinned he onely is blessed Psa 32.2 to whom the Lord imputeth no iniquitie and whose sinne is couered Let it be sufficient to vs to the attainment of all righteousnes to haue him propitious vnto vs whom onely we haue offended Whatsoeuer he hath decreed not to impute vnto vs is as if it neuer had beene for who shall accuse-them whom God hath absolued Neuerthelesse lest any man should please himselfe as being innocent and so by extolling himselfe should fall the more he is put in remembrance that he sinneth daily in that hee is commanded to pray daily for his sinnes saying Forgiue vs our trespasses as wee forgiue them that trespasse against vs. When a man heareth a sentence out of the Word against couetousnesse being pricked in heart he hateth that couetousnesse he commendeth the contempt of all things and he accounts no more of golde than of the dust but so soone as his minde shall beholde what it may desire he forgetteth that which before hee commended Wee are manie times fraighted with our sinnes and wee confesse them vnto God but presently wee returne to the same sinnes againe for the most part wee repreliend our owne liues and yet we gladly doe that which wee reprooue in our selues The spirit raiseth vs vp to righteousnesse and the flesh bindeth vs to the custome of sinning the minde withstandeth the delights of the flesh but presently with the delights thereof it is captiuated Woe be euen to the laudable life of men if they should bee iudged without mercy because they many times offend God with that whereby they imagine they please him for many times our righteousnesse being brought to the touchstone of his diuine iustice is vnrighteousnesse and that is loathsome in the sight of a seuere Iudge that shines in the eyes of him that doth them Esa 64. All our righteousnesse is like a menstruous cloth If our life should be strictly examined in that fearefull examination none should bee found iust If God should only shew seueritie and in his iudgement should not adde mercie if he should obserue our iniquities and not pardon our transgressions no man could expect the glory of eternall felicitie no man could endure the rigour of so strict an account If the mercy of God were not extended ouer all no man could euer be saued for aâ— their own merits could not create them so their own righteousnesse can not saue them for whosoeuer is saued must be saued by the mercy of God and not his owne merits Perhappes it was good for thee as to such as are proud that thou hast fallen to the end that thou that were caried by pride beyond thy selfe to which condition by sinne thou wert obnoxious by thy fall thou mightest be put in minde of thy selfe and being taught to know who thou art lay aside the pride of thine owne presumption And as for a little durt thou makest not cleane thy garment but thou staiest vntill it hath gathered more filth so thou art fallen into greater sinnes that thou maist clense thee of thy lesse For a great offence by how much the sooner it is known by so much the sooner it is amended but a small fault whilest it is thought to bee none at all is so much the woorse by how much the more securely it is kept in vse and at the last a minde accustomed to small sinnes feareth not to commit the greatest and by so much the more is he carelesse in great sinnes to feare by how much the more he hath learned in light by not fearing to sinne Wherefore deare brother distrust not faint not despair not thou art fallen but thou maiest rise againe thou hast offended God but by repentance thou maiest please him againe He gaue thee commandements that thou shuldest not sinne and yet hee hath giuen to thee sinning the remedy of repentance that thou mightest not despaire for how much soeuer thou sinnest God will pardon if thou do repent CHAP. II. That there is no sinne so great but by true repentance it may be pardoned BVT perhaps thou wilt say I haue offended God more than any man and my sinnes are more in number than the sands of the sea many of my sinnes are of that nature of which S. Matthew speaketh in his twelfth chapter If any man sinne against the Holy Ghost he shall not bee forgiuen neither in this world nor in the world to come My iniquity is greater than that it can be forgiuen Res My deare brother thou liest as Cain did Gen. 4. the pietie of God is greater than thy impietie his mercie greater than thy miserie and therefore doubt not but thou maiest obtein pardon for thy sinnes because the goodnesse of GOD ouercommeth the malice of man All the sinnes that haue beene committed from the beginning of the world vnto this day are finite both in qualitie and number but the mercy of God hath neither number nor measure and therefore it farre exceedeth the number and greatnesse of all our sinnes God can pardon more than man can sinne All sinnes if they be compared to the mercy of God are as a drop of warâ—â— to the whole sea and as a spiders webbe which when the winde bloweth vanisheth away Thou seest the greatnesse of thy disease but not the power of the Physitian and therfore thou despairest of pardon and comparest the mercy of God vnto thy sinnes To despaire is nothing else than to compare God to our sinnes If God being ouercome by the greatnesse of our sinnes can not forgiue thou detractest from his omnipotencie if he will not what hee can thou makest him a lier in that hee will not performe that which by the mouthes of so many his Prophets he hath so often promised vnto vs saying I euen I am he that putteth away thine iniquities Esa 43.25 and will remember them no more Put thou mee in remembrance I despaire more of thee because thou despairest and thou condemnest thy selfe more by despairing than by all the sinnes thou hast committed Thou vndoest thy selfe for euer if with the father of mercy thou haue not recourse to the remedies of repentance It is the death of the soule to commit any sin but to despaire of pardon is to descend into hell it selfe and therefore Iudas is sayd to offend God more in that he despaired of mercy and hanged himselfe than in that out of malice he betrayed him for despaire maketh a maâ— accursed and vnworthy the protection of God But lest thou shouldest gather from hence that God will not pardon thy despaire and thy greater
of reuenge from him that contemneth that at one time or other he may offer his grace of remission to him that repenteth The Lord deferreth his comming if hee would hee had beene already come but yet he putteth off his comming lest hee should finde that in thee that hee must punish If hee would thy damnation whilest thou wert in thy sinnes he could haue cast thy soule into hell it is the mercie of the Lord that thou art not consumed For whereas thou fearest not God and yet liuest thou ceasest not to sinne and yet prosperest what is it else but that the mercifull God is willing by long expectation to correct thee whom by seeing thy sinne hee will not instantly destroy whose goodnesse that it may ouercome thy malice and patience mollifie the obstinacie of thy heart like a good mother by flatterie hee allureth thee vnto him whom he can not recall by threatnings in that hee draweth not from thee his blessings he suffereth the sun to shine vpon thee as well as vpon others and prouideth all things necessarie for thee as wel as for others O the vnspeakable mercy of God! we sin and he spareth we offend and he pardoneth we haue offended him in manie things hee withdraweth his blessings from vs in nothing whereby hee sheweth how good a God he is toward the iust who is so mercifull towards sinners In the Gospell euen with teares hee followeth Ierusalem which by her pertinacy in sinning had procured her owne damnation How often sayth hee would I haue gathered thy children together as the hen gathereth her chickens vnder her wings and thou wouldest not Our mercifull Father weepeth that he might not saue those that were desperately wicked and doest thou doubt hee will not be mercifull to thee turning vnto him There are two arguments in him of his naturall goodnes and clemencie his longanimitie in expecting and his facilitie in pardoning because hee both patiently expecteth sinners and louingly receiueth penitent sinners he both by his patience tolerateth the sinnes of men and by their repentance releaseth them that they may returne though late and be ashamed that they should be expected Whensoeuer they are conuerted hee forgetteth sinnes past and he promiseth future amendment Oh the great patience of God! hee spareth contempts pardoneth denials he seeth thee to sinne and yet hee suffereth thee first he forbiddeth thee to sinne and when thou hast sinned he attendeth thy repentance to pardon thee If thy seruant should speake proudly vnto thee and turne his backe towards thee thou wouldest no doubt seuerely correct his contempt but thou turnest thy backe to God and he turneth towards thee thou fliest from him and he followeth after thee hee seeth that his pitie and compassion is despised and yet he yet expecteth thee to pitie thee with al exhortatiō bountie inward inspiration Thou wilt not doe the will of God for thine owne good thine owne commodity how then should hee heare thee in the day of thy tribulation praying vnto him when thou refusest to heare him intreating thee for thine own good For how often hath God said vnto thee Turne vnto mee and yet thou hast not turned If he would not haue mercy on thee thou wouldest intreat mercy at his hands now hee would haue mercy and thou wilt not he inuiteth thee to repentance and thou neglectest it If thou feare not the iustice of God reuenging at the least blush at his goodnesse calling thee vnto him and thou that being stricken couldest haue suffered the punishment due vnto thy sinnes blush at the least being expected lest whom thou now seest calme and peaceable thou bee not able to behold angry and implacable For whilest he seeth those remedies which hee hath ordained for thy saluation turned to the encrease of thy sinne that loue which he hath conferred vpon thee hee turneth to thy greater condemnation that by so much the more he may punish by how much the more he hath expected Wherefore deare brother whilest our mercifull God forbeareth thee whilest hee staieth his hand from reuenge begge his mercie whose law thou hast contemned It is lawfull for him to aske pardon to whom it was not lawfull to offend Aske remission of thy sinnes by praier seeke it with watching and fasting doe what thou canst that thou maiest increase in well doing and by perseuerance thou shalt receiue what thou askest that importunitie is pleasing to a mercifull God which is odious vnto men Let the remission of sinnes bee intreated with instant praier that that God whom thy sinnes hath made angry thy dutifull seruice may pacifie and he that for thy sinnes was offended with thee by repentance may become louing and mercifull vnto thee CHAP. V. That a sinner being changed God changeth his sentence BVT thou wilt say God is not as man is that hee should lie Nu. 23.19 nor as the sonne of man that hee should bee changed And in the 18. of Ezechiel hee saith The soule that sinneth shall die This sentence of God is immutable because God can not bee changed Res It is true my deare brother that that soule that sinneth shall die because by sinne hee deserueth eternall damnation but repentance healeth this death of the soule Repentance restoreth what sinne detracteth by this the life of grace is repaired wherin the soule departing flieth vnto the life of glory neither doe forepassed sinnes more hurt him than forepassed diseases and wounds a sound man Though this soule haue sinned yet it shall not die because by repentance that sin is blotted out by which it was obliged to eternal death The cause ceasing the effect likewise ceaseth and God knoweth how to change his sentence if thou know how to change thy life If thou beleene not me beleeue God The wickednesse of the wicked shall not cause him to fall therein Eze. 33.12 in the day that he returneth from his wickednes And in another place Hier. 18.8 If this nation against whom I haue pronounced turne from their wickednesse I will repent mee of all the plagues that I thought to bring vpen them God who is immutable and impassible can bee affected with no change no passion and yet hee is said to change and to repent not according to the verity of the thing but according to the maner and similitude of man For as a man is saide to change and to repent when hee changeth his counsell and will not doe that euill which he had purposed to doe So God is said to change to repent when he bringeth not vpon a man that euil which he threatned Wherein hee changeth not his counsell for those things which hee appointed from beginning doe immutablie come to passe but that thing which of it selfe is mutable he altereth as it pleaseth him as the goodnesse or wickednesse of men require which argueth no change in God but in the will of man Hezekiah was sicke vnto death 2. King 20.1 and the prophet Isaiah came vnto him
see with a pure intention of the minde the beautie of his glorie and the honour of his regall power They behold him without wearinesse they enioy him without tediousnosse and euer thirst to enioy him By so much the more hee is desired by those that possesse him by how much the more hee is possessed by those that desire him By the abundant fulnesse of his vnspeakable goodnesse they are satisfied and with a continuall desire of his fruition they are neuer sat is fied There is sacietie and hunger together that takes away want this lothsome wearinesse A thousand yeeres in the fruition of God are as yesterday that is past God is so delightfull to be seene so sweet to bee possessed and so pleasant to bee enioyed that his continuall presence bringeth no tediousnesse with it Secure fâ—uition the second gift of the soule but rather sorasmuch as the blessed are for euer secure therof it is an addition to their happinesse The blessed fruition of God without end continuall delight without interruption eternall possession without amission secure temptation without doubt of hope follow one another because the blessed enioy that which sometimes they did hope to inioy then at the last are their desires satisfied whilest the glory of God appeareth vnto them God who is the end of all desires can onely satisfie their hearts without him nothing is sought for because in him there is whatsoeuer can bee desired Being made companions with angels and partakers of the kingdome of heauen they reigne with their king Christ and desiring nothing possesse all things without couetousnesse they are rich and without money in plentifull abundance If the teares of the penitent bee sweeter in this life than all the delicates of the rich and if heere it be so pleasant a thing to weepe for it how pleasant thinkest thou it is to reioice with it If the least taste of the ioyes of heauen in this life bee so delightfull how great a measure of perfect ioy and delight haue the blessed in heauen where with a ful mouth as it were they taste and see how sweet the Lord is They feare not to lose the fruition of so great a good otherwise they should not bee truely blessed The ioyes of that eternall citie are eternall where they are secure of that glorie that neuer withereth which neither varieth nor shall slide away because they shall enioy an immutable peace None stronger than themselues can assaile them to cast them from thence neither will God who is their chiefest good withdraw himselfe from them for he loueth them with a more indissoluble band of loue than they loue themselues and they loue God more than themselues And as it is one thing to see a thing Charitie the third gife of the soule another to possesse it another to loue it because wee see many things which we possesse not and possesse many which we loue not so there are three distinct gifts three rewards and three glories The cleere light and fruition of God which succeedeth faith secure fruition which succeedeth hope and perfect charitie which neuer falleth away because it continueth euen in heauen Now the thing it selfe not which is beleeued hoped but which is seene and possessed followeth faith and hope but charitie which is greater than they doth neuer decay but is perfect and increaseth hauing attained what it hoped If beleeuing and hoping wee loue that so much which as yet wee see not and to which wee haue not yet attained how much more shall wee loue it when we shall see it and possesse it In that fulnesse of loue that commandement of louing God with all our heart with all our soule and with all our minde shall be fulfilled whilest the whole man no way entangled with carnall concupiscence as hee is now shall wholly and incessantly be carried vnto God whilest with a kinde of vnspeakable sweetnes the blessed shall loue God more than themselues and one another as themselues In all there shall be one and the same will because there there shall be no other but the will of GOD. They will that which God willeth and not that which hee will not and as God can do what he will by himselfe so whatsoeuer they will they can do by God As many as are there are one Church one spouse of Christ and one bodie How then shall the head be at variance with the bodie or the bodie with the head As one eye can not be turned but the other must turne with it so whatsoeuer one willeth to that doe all other willes consent And as the eye would not bee the hand nor the hand the eye so though there be a difference in their glory yet euerie one is satiâ—fied with that he hath and being perfect in their ioy and glory are capable of no more than they 〈◊〉 And therefore no infeâ—â—â—â— enuieth his superior as the angels enuie not the archangels there is no enuie by reason of inequalitie in glorie where the vnitie of charitie euer reigneth because all loue all others as themselues the good of euery one by charitie is made the good of all and euery one what in himselfe he hath not he reioyceth to haue receiued in another How great then thinkest thou the ioy is in that perfect charitie of innumerable angels and men because no man loues another lesse than himselfe and reioiceth no otherwise for all than for himselfe Doubtlesse if any other whom thou louest as thy selfe should enioy that reward of happinesse that thou doest thy ioy would be doubled because thou reioicest no lesse for him than for thy selfe but if two or three or more should possesse the same ioy with thee how doest thou thinke thy heart which is scarce capable of thine owne ioy should be capable of so many How many then and how great ioies hath euery Saint in heauen who ioieth more in the glorie of God than in his own and of euery one whom he loueth not lesse than himselfe he ioieth not lesse than of his owne glory If the capacitie of a creature were capable of what is infinite the eie of euery particular person would be infinite and neuerthelesse it is immeasurable vnspeakable and incomprehensible according to the capacitie of euerie particular soule The ioy it hath aboue it selfe is the fruition of God beneath it selfe the euasion of hell within it selfe glorification and blessednesse The number of the blessed diminisheth not that inheritance whereof they are coheires nor in any thing makes it the lesse It is as much to manie as to few as much to euerie particular person as to all because it is one and the same to all and all to euerie one yea and by so much the greater it is by how much greater the number is of coheires There our Lord and Sauiour Christ Iesus according to his deitie whereby he is God siteth at the right hand of his father in glory coequall in like maiestie in essence consubstantiall
in the selfe same eternitie There are innumerable multitudes of all sorts of people and tribes languages who all at all times praise the Lord his praise is alwaies in their mouth neuer ceasing to crie out Holy Holy Holy Lord God of host There are sung his euerlasting praises vpon the Violl and the Harpe Psal 150. And in that eternall blessednesse which is a perfect state by by the aggregation of all good whatsoeuer all happinesse is perfect and simple not mixt with their contraries Wherby so great is the felicitie ioy and pleasure as if thou mightest bee permitted to stay there but one day thou wouldest presently contemne all the delights of this life All sweetnesse compared to that is bitternesse all mirth mourning all beautie deformitie and whatsoeuer may any way delight molestation and anguish There is there as great pleasure and facilitie in obeying God as there is felicitie in liuing and reigning with him But yet the blessednesse of the saints of God and their glorie cannot bee perfect their ioy compleat being alwaies vrged with a naturall desire of the resurrection and the glorification of their bodies For their happinesse can not be entire and perfect before the number of their fellow seruants and brethren be compleat Before the resurrection they all receiue their garments of glory because as yet they enioy the blessednesse of their foules onely but after the resurrection they are adorned with another the incorruption of their bodies At that time their blisse shall be doubled when with the felicitie and rest of their soules they shall arise to the immortalitie and glory of their bodies The bodies of the blessed are heere sowen Impassibilitie the first gift of the body 1. Cor. 15. and by nature begotten in corruption but they shal rise in incorruption because they are incorruptible impassible and immortall All fragilitie and earthly pollution shall vanish away and be turned into celestiall puritie and stabilitie for there can be no euill with GOD who is the chiefest good and therefore though they were in hell they can take no hurt no more than Sidrach Dan. 3. Mishach and Abednego in the burning furnace They are sowen in weakenesse Subtilty the second gift they shall rise in power because they are subtile penetrable and able to ouerthrow whatsoeuer they will By glorie the grossenesse of their bodies shall be so taken away that no obstacle can hinder them but that they may freely penetrate any thing as the beames of the Sunne passe thorow a glasen window An example wherof there is in the bodie of Christ who rose the sepulcher being shut went in vnto his disciples the gates being fast locked and did penetrate the heauens no way diuiding them And as the soule is now with the body and hot burning fire with iron so a glorious bodie may bee with an inglorious Such shall be the subtiltie of spirituall bodies that neuerthelesse the trueth of flesh and bone is reserued in them that which subsisteth of a liuing spirit ceaseth not to be a body Because they shall bee true bodies not vaine or phantasticall they may bee toucht and make resistance against that which toucheth or made none because they can penetrate by the subtiltie of their spirituall power the organe or instrument of feeling As the soule shall there haue her inward senses so the body shall haue his outward the sight shall bee delighted with the contemplation of the humanitie of Christ the eare with the melodie of the praises of God In God the soule shall bee inebriated with such delight inwardly as it shall not need any other delight in the outward senses For God shal be all in all he shall be a looking glasse to the sight a harpe to the hearing Honie to the taste Balsum to the smel a delectable flower to the touch Agility the third gift They are sowed earthly bodies because heauie and slow to execute the desires of the soule they shall rise spirituall not because they are turned into spirit aire or winde for a spirit hath neither flesh nor bone but because like spirits they are Luk. 14. quicke light and swift inclining no more downward than vpward The flesh seruing the spirit is said to bee spirituall because by an excellent facilitie of obeying it is subiect to the spirit for whether soeuer the spirit flieth there is presently the bodie also Assoone as the Sunne rising with the beames thereof enlightneth the Westerne part of the world and the eie looking vpward seeth the starres as speedily as angels mooue themselues without a bodie so speedily can the soule mooue her bodie from heauen to earth and from earth to heauen In which motion it is not wearied and because it is subtile by the resistance of the medium it is no way slowed Yea whatsoeuer it will it can mooue and ouerthrow and that with as little labour and endeuour as a man moueth his eie Whersoeuer it is it is alwaies alike happy because it hath God alwaies present This so great agilitie shall be acceptable and pleasant not because it is necessarie or that it hath it because it hath any need of it but only for the greater increase of glorie as wee vse not all those perfections that we haue and reioyce to haue How great O Lord is the multitude of those ioyes thou hast prepared for those that feare thee Oh how much doest thou loue vs who reseruest vs miserable wretched sinners to so great glory Glorious things are spoken of thee ô citie of God and therefore it shall be more possible for mee to number the starres in the firmament and to inclose the whole sea in a little vessell than to expresse the least part of the blessednes of one soule The ioyes thereof are such and so great that all the Arithmeticians of the world can not number it the Geometricians measure it the Rhetoricians with their tongues expresse it It doth not onely exceed the power of our eloquence but the capacitie of our intelligence Our thoght can conceiue it greater than our tongue vtter it and yet it is greater than we can conceiue and whatsoeuer wee thinke thereof is lesse than it is because the eye hath not seen the eare hath not heard neither hath it entred into the heart of man what God hath prepared for those that loue him Faith apprehends it not Hope attaines it not Charity comprehends it not because it farre exceedeth all our vowes all our desires It may be obteined estimated it can not for there is more to be gotten than Faith could beleeue Hope looke after The rewards of GOD are greater than the desires of his saints for so great is the sweetnesse of that heauenly countrey as that if a droppe thereof should descend into hell it would sweeten all the sorrowes of the damned and if God could be seene by the damned in hell hell were a Paradise By this it euidently appeareth what and how great a
is better that is before thy end and a much more assured way to attaine vnto heauen where wee shall see God without end loue him and praise his holy name for euer and euer Amen The conclusion of this exhortation to repentance WIth the helpe and assistance of God I haue at the last according to that little measure of knovvledge that is in me my deare brother ansvvered thy obiections Novv it is time to grow to an end and to conclude these labours if I shall first admonish thee vvhen these exhortations vvhich vvere vvritten for thy good shal come into the hands of many that shall bee bettered by them not to suffer them to die in thee and to do thy selfe no good For as it is a dangerous thing vnto the body not to be able to receiue corporall sustenance so is it more dangerous to the soule to loath spirituall delicacies I knovv and am vvel assured that vvhen this my exhortatory Epistle shall come vnto thy hands thou vvilt call thy friends together and shevv it vnto them of them take counsell vvhat thou shalt doe who vvhilest they loue not thee but that vvhich is thine vvil speake nothing that may offend but flatter thee vvhich thou maiest the rather thinke because their former counsels euen in thine ovvn iudgment haue corrupted thee vvho to the end they may vvithdravv thee from that good counsell I giue thee to follovv theirs they vvill perhaps say vnto thee I see a mote in thine eie but cannot see the beame in mine ovvne that I dispraise thee being to bee commended and praise my selfe being no vvay praise vvorthy and that I goe about to heale others being full of vlcers and corruption my selfe I ingenuously and from my heart confesse my deare brother that those hands had need bee cleane that goe about to clense others and he had need to see the light that vvill iudge of darknesse and such a one I am not for I haue pictured out a faire man being a foule painter and I confesse I haue not alvvaies so liued as not to haue vvithin mee an accusing conscience But yet I direct thee to the shore of repentance vvhilest I flote in the sea of mine ovvn sins I am austere about thy life ouer gentle about mine ovvne vvhereas thou shouldest rather heare mee commanding thee vvhat is easie practising that is hard and difficult in my selfe Neuerthelesse he that hath said Doe vvhat they say Mat. 23. not vvhat they doe doeth thereby forbid vs to neglect the sound counsels of the righteous For as a good master by the seruice of a bad seruant may giue good a 〈◊〉 so by me though impenitent 〈◊〉 mercifull God may call thee to repentance But forasmuch as the authoritie of the speaker is lost vvhen the voice is not assisted with the vvorke it selfe and that voice doeth more pleasingly penetrate the hearts of men vvhich the life commends let me desire all that shall either read or heare this short exhortation and gather comfort vnto their soules out of these my labours to pray vnto God for me and to beg at his hands that vvhat I preach vvith my tongue or vvrite vvith my pen I may in deed performe that vvhilest I endeuour to raise others I may rise my selfe from my sinnes to the glorie oâ— Gods holy name and the saluation of mine ovvne soule Amen ERRATA PAg. 10. lin 17. guiltie before thy Iudge p. 97. l. 18. shalt cease to spoile p. 185. l. 9 more glorious p. 187. l. 3. â—eâ—enty times seuâ— times p. 189. l. 19 damned alone p. 190. l. â— in leauing it p. 330. l. 6. of a sinner p. 45â— l. 17. from the beginning
iust and hateth sin and will not suffer it to goe vnpunished but yet he is likewise mercifull and pardoneth sinne to him that repenteth hee keepeth iustice in mercy and mercy in iustice and therefore it cannot bee but that a iust God will iustly haue mercy vpon thee And therfore can it seeme vnto thee but iust requisite that thou confesse thy selfe a miserable creature that thou maist obtaine mercy Wilt thou that thy sinnes be forgiuen thee and yet wilt thou not seem a sinner What can it profit thee to haue a close a hidden conscience since thou hast God a witnesse of all thy wickednesse Whatsoeuer thou doest God is a spectatour and a perpetuall obseruer of all euen the least thoughts of thy heart And as when wee know that our enemy lies in wait for vs by so much the more we fear him by how much the lesse we see him when we cannot find his snares where they are we fear them where they are not So the creatour of Heauen and Earth who being whollie euerie where seeth thee and cannot be seen of thee is so much the more to be feared by how much the more being inuisible when and how and what he seeth of thy actions thou knowest not Sin there where thou knowest him not to be and if there be no such place but that hee is euer present with thee and seeth all thy secrets how much reason hast thou to watch thy hands and thy tongue and thy hart too that doest all things in the presence of an alseeing God Which if thou wouldest duly consider of thou wouldest bee ashamed of many shamefull actions thou committest in the sight of so great and so omnipotent a God The Fifth Part of the exhortation to repentance CHAP. I. That God is not subiect to passion and neuer forsakes a sinner before a sinner forsakes him FIftly thou wilt say that thou couldest bee content to repent but that God who hath mercy on whom he wil Rom. 9.18 whom he wil he hardneth for thy manifold and grieuous offences hath withdrawen his grace from thee hath forsaken thee and hardned thee in thy sins And therfore since it is not in him that willeth Ibidem nor in him that runneth but in God that sheweth mercy to shake off the yoke of sinne from thy shoulders thou despairest of power to decline from euill and to do good because thou hast made God without whom thou canst not so much as thinke a good thought thine enemie Ibidem Res O man who art thou that pleadest against God Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it why hast thou made mee thus Forasmuch 〈…〉 is made of the earth 〈…〉 worthy to enter into the bottemelesse depth of the iudgements of God neither are the senses of thy flesh sufficient to penetrate into the secrets of so high a maiestie Better is faithfull ignorance though ignorance of good things cannot be good than rash knowledge God hath created thee not to prie into him but to honour him to the end thou shouldest bee an obedient seruant to his precepts not a Iudge of his actions It should suffice a Christian who liueth by faith and as yet seeth not what is perfect but onely hopes to see it to beleeue that with God there can bee no iniustice though the cause of his iustice may bee vnknowen otherwise he that searcheth into the maiesty of God shall bee oppressed by his glory But yet thou iudgest of God in whom there is no gall nor bitternesse who is immutable impassible as thou iudgest of men It seemeth iust vnto man to reuenge his wrong to God to remit and forgiue an offence to him that is penitent It is the maner of a master when he is offended by his seruant to forbidde him his sight to turne his face from him to denie him forgiuenesse but yet betwixt God and thee it is otherwise for thogh thou by the pride of thy heart be turned from God and God in iustice turned from thee yet when with an humble contrite heart thou turnest to him hee disdaineth not with mercie and compassion to turne vnto thee And yet notwithstanding he that from all eternities hath beene alwaies immutable is no way subiect to change or alteration the simplicitie of his nature no perturbation can wound no passion can affect But forasmuch as wee can not speake of God but after the maner of men therefore wee call the temporall punishment of God his anger the sentence of eternall damnation his furie the free bountie of his goodnesse his mercie and so of the rest because these are the works of a man angrie furious mercifull and diuersly affected but yet so that alwayes we censure him a good God we seeke him in the simplicitie of our hearts and we assure our selues there is nothing in him that is not God himselfe For he executeth a heauy iudgment without passion and punisheth the vnrighteous being milde and mercifull Neither in these or any his other works whatsoeuer is there in him any alteration or shadow of changing And as heere by the heat of the sunne manie things are brought to passe without any change in it self or in the heat thereof but onely in those things vpon which it worketh so the God of the whole world according to his eternall will doth euery day create many things and giues them existence without any motion or change of himselfe But yet as a mariner when the ship lancheth from the shore thinks the shore parts from him whereas that remaines firme and immoueable he departeth from it And as if a man shut his eyes refusing to beholde the sunne there is no alteration in the sun but in his eyes so God whilest he doth any thing that seemeth new vnto vs though it were in his will before all beginnings and either sheweth mercie or powreth his vengeance vpon a man whilest man by sinne is turned from God there is no change in God but only in man carying himselfe after a diuers maner But thou departest from God not by any locall distance because as the soule of a man is all in all the body and all in euery part thereof and yet because it hath the greatest operation in the hart is sayd especially to reside there so God though especially he be said to be in heauen because there hee communicateth his glorie to his saints yet he is wholly euery where substantially and filleth the globe of the whole world though to our carnall eyes the simplicitie of his nature bee inuisible This his presence in all places is knowen euery where whilest in all things that are created there appeareth his cooperation sustentation and gubernation without which they would presently vanish and fall to nothing as the presence of our owne soules can no otherwise bee descried than by the vitall operations thereof in it own body Thou departest therfore from God not by any locall separation because thou