jolly Man O what shall be thought of him when he shall cease to be a Man when dust shall return to the Earth as it was for this dust shall return to the earth as it was and Body and Soul must part their fellowship The third Part. The Laws established by Parliament say where the order of State requires a difference and mortal Powers claim a priviledge Let no man presume to kill Patridges Pheasants c. at length except they be Earls Barons Knights or any other that can thus and thus dispend But the Great Lawgiver gives no sucâ— liberty his words are general All Men must die Though with Asa we run to the Physician 2 Chron 16. or with Saul we seek to Witches 1 Sam 28 or with Maximus his Father we beg for mercy at their hands who never knew what Mercy meant The story is recorded by St. Gregory Yet nor the Physician by his application and lawful means nor the Witches by stipulation and ungodly compact nor the Devil by his long experience and accommodation can lengthen mans life Let the Physician pardon me for his being knit up in this triplicity I honour his Skill and if he be a good Man I honour his Vertue ease me he can but lengthen my daies he cannot I have read Bevenovitius who hath left no stone unturned to maintain their Power and when all is done that in Job stands as a firm Maxime or Conclusion His daies are determined the number of his months is with thee thou hast appointed his bounds which he cannot pass Job 14. verse 5. In Noah's daies some went into the Ark and some were kept out In Joshua's daies some went into Canaan and other some remained beyond Jordan In the Circumcision Women were priviledged In the Wars Levites were excepted In Egypt only the First-born perished But here is a general Decree of Death an universal sentence is past upon all flesh All Men are Dust and all dust must return to the earth from whence it came The Sun did once stand still at the prayer of Joshuah and once went back in the Dial of Ahaz and Death did once depart again for fifteen years at the earnest Prayer of Hezechia's But the Sun returned to his course again and Hezechia's Plaister could not prevent a second sickness Once these things were to shew GOD is above Nature and these things were but once to shew Nature is the hand-maid of God Once these things were that we might acknowledge a God above and these things were but once that we might not forget our selves beneath The first Garments our first-Parents wore Fig-leaves excepted might read us a lesson of our frailty and mortality those exuviae mortuorum those Skins of Beasts taken from the Dead to cover those that could not live for ever But he is now worse then a Beast that needs a Beast to be his Teacher Adam and all Adams Posterity unto this day do speak as much Our Life is like Jonah's Gourd which a little Worm could smite and make it wither Our Life is a shadow which every cloud of Sickness can take away Our Life at best is but a Sun which if it can hold out till the Afternoon of Old-Age yet at length it doth decline and set and shrink away Said I a Sun or like the Sun No no Soles occidere redire possunt the Sun doth set and rise again and as he goes he comes again But Man if once he sets he sets for ever Dust doth return to the Earth as it was and all corrupts and all resolves into that Element from whence it came All that was Earth returns to the Earth What saith the Jewish Sadducee or the Seleucian Heretick is there therefore no resurrection of the Flesh Can these Bones live Ezekiel 37. and can dead Earth revive again Surely those Bones did come together and live and stand up And Aarons dry Rod did bud And a Virgin did bear a Child Why not as well a Resurrection of the Flesh Yea why not rather a Resurrection than a Creation facilius est restaurare quà m à novo nihilo facere Tertul. Apolog. cap. 48. Though to God it be all one it should seem in all Humane understanding a great deal easier to recollect what is then to Create what is not I might argue from the Justice of God and from the Resurrection of Christ and from the Renovation of the Phoenix and from the Resuscitation of Lazarus and the rest Or which our eyes daily behold from the Corn in the ground which is not quickened except it dies Or from those industrious subtilties of the Alchimist who by his Calcination dotb pulverize his Mettals and by his Congelation doth restore them much more perfect then before But we believe and therefore I return to Solomon The Spirit returns to God that gave it Returns to God and to God that gave it Why then the Soul of Man was not Created by Angels as the Enthusiasts and Seleucians have foolishly imagined Nor doth the Soul die together with the Body as the Albians and Trinitarians would fain perswade themselves Neither have we a Catabaptistical sleeping Soul neither have we a Papistical walking Soul Neither said the Pythagoreans true there was a transmigration into Beasts nor the Tertullianists how the Souls of wicked men are converted into Devils No The Spirit returns to God that gave it Those Spectrum's those Apparitions of Men departed how are they of the Body which returns to the Earth how of the Soul which returns to God But 't is not mine intent at this time to handle Questionâ— or compound Differences Only my desire is hereby to excite us to Repentance That seeiâ—g our Body must to the Earth we be not proud and seeing our Spirit must to GOD we be not careless that we acknowledge our weakness in that we must die here and by a good life labour to prevent all danger that we may live hereafter That since our Body and Soul are come as Friends together Friends meet and part and so must they Since life cannot be kept death cannot be avoided and since our Soul must needs appear before his Maker before his Judge to have its private Trial and particular Judgment according to the things it hath committed in this life good or evil O listen we not to those Syrens Songs that cry Peace Peace all is well Be we not like frozen and benummed ones that have no feeling Suffer we not our selves to be lulled asleep in that pernicious Cradle of Security as if one Sigh one Groan one Domine or Mercy LORD should by and by transport us into Paradice The Devils did believe and Judas followed Christ the Pharisee did good works and Ananias gave half of that he had unto the poor Balaam did pray and Cain repents and Judas restores O GOD help us we are not gone as far as these in the way to Heaven and how shall we escape their punishment who have matched them and I
can do no worse by us than did that Lion by the man of God 1 Kings 13. kill the body and gaze upon the Carcass But Animae non habet quod faciat as Bernard said the best part of us is without the reach of the Lion and Dragon too You know that story of Anaxarchus when the Cyprian Tyrant caused him to be pounded with brazen Pestles in a Mortar Tunde saith he Tunde sacculum Anaxarchi Pound pound the bag the Case of Anaxarchus himself you cannot hurt They may have that power upon us as the Devil had upon Job we may suffer in Children Goods Body There 's one part of us they cannot hurt Keep we our Conscience sound and God will preserve our soul intire In the mean time their day is coming when they must hence and shall be no more Yea happy they if they might be no more indeed if soul and body might perish everlastingly But they must know a Day of Retribution is at hand when God shall render unto every man according to his works Return they shall but not to life Not to those Monuments of Bloud Avarice and Ambition which by their Cut-throat cruelty they shall leave behind Those places from which they must shall see them no more Psal 103. What say we then to Apparitions To the raising up of Samuel at the instance of Saul c. 2 Kings 4. A Child 2 Kings 13. A man restored to life again A thing frequent in the New Testament and afterward One in the Bed another in the Bier Lazarus from out his Tomb And after the Passion of our Saviour the Graves were opened and many Bodies of Saints which slept arose and came out of the Graves after his Resurrection and went into the holy City and appeared unto many Matth. 27.52.53 Some body tells us of one Curma sent b ck again from the Judgment-Barr because Death or the Angel of Death had mistaken him for another of the same Name And a Jesuite tell us of one who a good whâ—le dead and buried by prayers and permission came back again enjoyed his wife and kept his former habitation To these two last my Answer is No Scripture no Belief I may call these mens return from Hell or wheresoever 't was a Fable more safely than doth Beza call the Descent of our Saviour thither Fabulam Fabulam a Fable and againe saith he a Fable I do not bely St. Beza you shall find it in his greater Notes upon the Twenty seventh Chapter of St. Matthew Verse 53. As for those frequent Apparitions there may be such Sed non ego credulus illis But these are most while pretended for the Soul alone Though I deny not some such power to the Devil as to put on what shape he please For he that can transform himself into an Angel of Light 2 Cor. 11 14. may easily make or take some body at his pleasure Though most times I conceive such things to be Illusions And some such thing was that of Samuel God forbid we should once imagine any such skill or prevalency in Witches or their great Master either by whom they work that they should have any power upon the Souls of the Godly that are departed out of this Life No no The Scriptures tell us They are in the hand of God and no evil can touch them As for those others restored to life by Elisha in the Old or our Saviour in the New Testament Quod lego credo And God forbid any man should stagger at such plain Evidences Christ hath the Keys of Hell and Death Rev. 1.18 And he can open and shut at his pleasure But this takes not off that General Rule Hebr. 9.27 It 's appointed unto men once to dye where 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 must be understood 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 once and once for all One Death one Judgment for all men Yet Enoch and Elias were excepted as also these others in the Gospel A few Priviledges or Exceptions break not the General Law But what is this to David and to us We must go hence and shall be no more No second Return And therefore as our Saviour said we must agree with our adversary quickly and while we are in the way We have Adversaries enough and too many God knows and some of them will not agree with us But do we our best for Reconcilement especially at such a time as this and such Adversaries as by our doing injuries we have made such There are some Adversaries we may not agree withal No casting in our Lots amongst the Wicked no shaking hands with those whose Religion is Rebellion And therefore no peace with such unless we will be at Enmity with God and there were an Adversary indeed 'T is good agreeing with him and that quickly too no delay and while we are in the way For once gone and no returning back again Si Deus nobiscum If we can get him our Friend no matter if all the World be our Enemies O Lord do thou pardon and forgive Do thou return and refresh us O Lord spare us that we may recover our strength before we go hence and be no more Deo Patri c. A SERMON Preached before His MAJESTY King CHARLES the II. In the ISLE of JERSEY 2 TIM IV. 10. Demas hath forsaken me I Shall rather be perswaded esse Lunares Homines quà m Joculares Daemones To be for Signs and Seasons Gen. 1. doth not exclude those capacious Bodies from other purposes And I know what Heraclides Cardan and others have said touching those 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Creatures of a middle condition between Men and Angels As also what Hermes Apollonius and Plotinus have said for the Genii These may be the fancies of men But sure wherever Cornelius à Lapide found his Merry Devils I am confident he could never find any well-affected to Mankind The malicious and wrathful Dragon is ever at war with the seed of the Woman and that same Ponam inimicitias is almost as old as Adam If once the Woman the Church or any Child of hers do parere masculum any vertuous and masculine work that old Serpent is ready with his floud of poyson to destroy both Root and Branch His first attempt is to stifle it in the birth if he fail there then by allurements to make it Deviare in its calling and subjection If he prevail not here then una eurúsque notúsque ruunt Earth Water and all must conspire its utter ruin and destruction Take for this St. Pauls example and where should a man find a better First he is armed with Authority and Commission against the Church A shrewd Temptation which once over-blown and the sometime Persecutor become a Preacher Next there 's a plot to kill him in Damascus at Lystra he is lapidatus scourged and imprisoned at Philippi His death sworn at Hierusalem suffers shipwrack at Malta at length post varios casus he comes to Rome lives in an hired house
Lion Alas my Brother The Devil is called a Lion in the Scripture ever seeking for his prey He mist it here Death is another Lion and stronger then the Devil for resist the Devil and he will flie from you a good man will send him packing But Death will have no denial good and bad little and great all are fish for his Net and he pleads Law for it too Statute-Law Heb 9. The Time the Man the manner of his Death these all concur to make it the Innocents Christmass Let not the word offend I come not to chant a Mass or sing a Dirige at these Funerals A SERMON Preached at Brushford in Somerset-shire At the FUNERAL OF Colonel Edward Deyer 12th of MAY 1654. By Henry Byam D. D. and one of His MAJESTIES Chaplains in Ordinary ECCLES XII 7. And dust shall return to the earth as it was and the spirit shall return to God who gave it IN the 9th Chapter of St. Matthew our Saviour telleth us that he came not to call the Righteous but Sinners to repentance Not that there are any Righteous amongst men for we have all sinned and all gone astray but thus we are given to understand that all those who do think themselves Righteous can have no benefit by Christ's Righteousness He came not to call the righteous those that are just in their own eye-sight but the sinner that hath a feeling of his sins and is sorry for them and doth repent him The whole need not the Physician but they that are sick All those therefore that do hope for benefit by Christ must confess their own unrighteousness and that they cannot be saved without Christs All those that hope to go to Heaven must acknowledge him righteous and him only that came down from Heaven The Angels fell in Heaven and Adam fell in Paradice and all Men cannot but fall that live upon the Earth but happy is he that offendeth least Now as touching Angels but some fell and some were punished but as for Men as graftâ— from the same stock we have all of us an inbred-Corruption derived from the loins of our Father Adam and should die for that And we have aâ—â—dded sin to sin actual to original and should die for that But Goâ— being Mercy as well as Justice hath granted unto miserable Man that which he â—enyed the Angels The opportunity of returning to his first estate a way to Salvation a means to come to Heaven And what is this but only our Repentance This did Christ preach Mark 1. This Christs fore-runner John the Bâ—ptâ—st did pâ—each Mat. 3. Repent And this Repentance is twofold by Aversion and Conversion by shunning evil and doing good This is that which Solomon presseth us to with a MEMENTO Remember thy Creatour remember thy Creatour Now now betime now in season But though there be never so many motives both Legal and Evangelical both Threats and Promises to rouze us up yet wretched Men that we are neither the hope of Heaven nor the horrour of Hell nor the love of God nor the fear of Devils can ought prevail with worldly-Men Like him who sets the greatest burthen on the weakest Horse we reserve all Reformation and Repentance till our old decrepit Age Till those daies those evil daies come in which we can take no pleasure And as those in Malachy The worst of the flock must serve for sacrifice That only do we allow for our deepest sighâ— and best Services of the Almighty that part only of our life which is distracted with Cares plunged with Distrusts rent with Maladies opprest with Miseries the vilest weakest worst of all And will the Almighty accept of this We that Grashopper-like have spent the Summer of our life in pleasure and wantonness shall we find relief in the Winter of our Old-age And will our late compelled Sacrifice be accepted of that impartial Judge that weighs the words and works of Malefactours in Baltasher's Ballance and is as Bernard saith Too Great to be terrified too Wise to be deceived too Just to be corrupted May we serve the Flesh the World and the Devil and having all our life time been most unworthy of the Earth shall we expect an Hodie mecum and with the repenting Thief to be by and by transported into Paradice O therefore Remember thy Creatour in the daies of thy Youth ere sickness approach and thy sences fail and thy sins oppress There is a time coming yet scarce two of a thousand live till that time when the keepers of the house shall tremble and the strong men shall bow themselves When the legs shall grow weak and the eyes hollow and the Almond-tree shall flourish our white-heads will tell the winter of our life is come The dust must return to the earth as it was and the spirit return to God who gave it Here 's a praeterit and a sic praeterit à moritur and sic moritur Here 's that we wish for and would fly it pray for it and loath it and after many windings and turnings in the wilderness of this wretched life we are like the Reubenites and Gadites that will not venture over Jordan But dust must return to the earth as it was and the spirit must return to God who gave it Wilt thou know what thou art Dust saith the Text. Wilt thou know what thou shalt be why Dust too Thy Body must to the Earth O be not proud Thy Spirit must to GOD O be not careless That must be dissolved This must be judged Both must return Here 's the Vnde or what thou wert Earth Here 's thy present condition what thou now art Earth Here 's thy future state what thou shalt be Earth Why then as the Prophet said O Earth Earth Earth hear the word of the Lord for when that which was made of Earth and is now no better then Earth shall return to the Earth The Spirit returns to GOD that gave it Here 's Man in his Mould and Man in his Majesty and Man in his Mortality Man what he was Man what he is and Man what he shall be And how the Body must be dissolved and how the Soul must be convented And within these bounds I shall confine my Meditations And for the first 1. Man in his Mould or what he was Let us make Man Gen. 1. God that framed and fashioned all other Creatures with a bare Fiat let this or that be so and it was so yet when he comes to make Man the whole Trinity seems to make a consultation and that indivisible God-head seems to divide his work in parts Let us make him thus and thus His Body is framed of the dust of the Ground and God breathed in his face the breath of Life and out of both results a living Creature made ad Imaginem similitudinem Dei in our Image according to our likeness saith the Almighty Which whether it was meant by way of excellency or for his Soveraignty or because the Soul
with that Vetus parsimonia so much heretofore esteemed and still exercised by all wise and sober persons After he had taken enough for himself his Friends and his poor Neighbours he carefully laid up the remainder wherewith he hath made a competent provision for his Family which being so honestly gotten and so honourably saved will doubtless carry Gods blessing along with it as it had his Nor was his Religion towards God less than his Loyalty to his Prince or his Charity to his Neighbour it lay not so much in the tongue as in the heart He manifested his Faith the surest way by his Works He was no Pharisaical Christian he did not blow a Trumpet when he gave Alms not tell the People by his looks when he fasted nor call for a witness when he prayed He had got such an art in Giving that one hand know not what the other gave He had a way to conceal his Fasts by the chearfulness of his Countenance and he cared for no other eye to behold his Devotions but Gods and his holy Angels And as he had God for his Father so he had the Church for his Mother which next to God he still respected and reverenced sympathizing with her in what condition soever she was in If she wept then did his eyes gush out with water if she rejoyced then was his mouth filled with laughter and his tongue with joy How have I seen him droop at the news of Gods Ark being in danger to be shaken and how would his spirits revive again at any good tidings of its peace and settlement how did he hate all those that had evil will at Zion yea he hated them as David did with a perfect hatred And how did he delight in all such as did seek the peace of Jerusalem In a word they that were friends to the Church were his friends and he had no enemies but her Adversaries As to his dealings amongst men they were all square and above-board He was a perfect lover of Justice and hated falshood more than death His love where he profest it was without dissimulation He was a true Nathaniel in whom there was no guile And have you heard of the patience of Job why such was his I can compare it to no other As they were both upright men and such as feared God and eschewed evil so was God pleased to afflict them much alike Job was cast out of his own house and so was he Job was plunder'd of his Cattel by the Sabeans and so was he of all that he had by worse than the Sabeans if possible by the rebellious Sequestratours Job lost his Children so did he only in this his misery was not so great Jobs Children were taken away rioting in a Banquetting-house but his died honourably in the service of their Prince Job was afflicted in his Wife too and so was he but in a quite contrary manner Job in having the worst of Wives He in losing the best But the manner of his losing her could not but add much to his sorrow for she was snatcht out of the world in a tempest and swallowed up quick by the merciless waves having all the remainder of the treasure he had about her to a very considerable value and a far greater treasure in her arms then that even his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his young and darling Daughter who chose rather to embrace Death than leave the embraces of her tender Mother and so both sunk together with a Maid-servant that attended her into the depth of the Sea There are some as I think at this time present who were then with her who remain the Monuments of Gods mercy in their deliverance and faithful Witnesses of the truth of what I speak Whose Courage whose Constancy but Jobs or His would not have stagger'd at such a shock whiles he like Job having the Anchor of his Hope both sure and stedfast stood like the Center unmoved And in the midst of all these Crosses and sad events that befel him he lookt upon the Divine hand invisibly striking with those sensible scourges against which he durst not either Rebel or Murmur All those extremities did but exercise his Faith not weaken it which like a well wrought Vault grew the stronger for the many pressures which were laid upon him In all this he did not sin against God by his Impatience nor charge God foolishly but with holy Job resigned himself wholly up to Gods will saying with him The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away blessed be the Name of the Lord. Nor were they more unlike in their Deaths than in their Lives The Lord blessed the latter end of them both more then their beginning Job died being Old and full of daies and so did he so full of Daies that he was satisfied if not weary with long life desiring rather to be dissolved and to be with Christ And so he died with Moses at the mouth of the Lord God gently drew out the breath which he had breathed into him quietly impinn'd his Tabernacle and so took him to himself in peace And now I find my self like to that bad Orator who could not desinere knew not how to make an end which I cannot but be the more unwilling to do because I know that as soon as I have finisht my discourse he will be carried from us into the silent retirement of the Grave and will be no more seen And methinks 't is some comfort to enjoy him even thus But we must part The Grave beckens him and methinks I see him beckning us to follow him O my Father my Father Nature would speak more but Religion commands me silence Could our Prayers have prevented his death we should have sighed out our Souls to God to have begg'd his life and could our tears yet restore him I see by those watery planets in your eyes we could command a deluge like to that in the floor of Atan or that of Hadadrimmon in the Valley of Megiddo But he cannot come to us and that 's his happiness but we shall go to him and that 's our comfort Let us not mourn for him therefore as men without hope 'T is but his Body that is dead his Soul is still alive as well as ours but far more happy being already free of the glorious Company of Saints and Angels And we shall meet again I trust in Glory both our Souls and our Bodies where all sorrow shall be wiped from our eyes where there shall be no more fear nor death nor sin but we shall be all as the Angels of God And so Lord thy Kingdom come so come O Lord Jesus come quickly In the hour of Death and in the day of Judgment good Lord deliver us Give us grace so to live in thy fear that we may die in thy favour that so after this mortal life ended we may be received by thee into those heavenly habitations where we trust the Soul of our Dear Father here departed together with the Souls of all them that sleep in the Lord JESVS enjoy perpetual rest and felicity Unto which GOD of his infinite mercy bring us all for Jesus Christ his sake Amen FINIS
is concerning Regeneration The Doubt made by Nicodemus is How can a Man be born which is old Answer is returned by our Saviour Verily Verily I say unto thee Except a Man be born of Water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God You may here understand the Sacrament of Baptism with his parts Water and Spirit Secondly His Benefits To regenerate and give us a new life Thirdly The Danger in omission and neglect Without it no entrance into the Kingdom of God Fourthly The Result He that believeth and is baptized is made a Member of the Church and shall be if he continue faithful partaker of Eternal Bliss The Exposition which many of Ours do make upon this place runs another way That our Saviour speaks not here of the Sacrament of Baptism And therefore by Water they understand not material water as Willet * Synop. or the Element of water as Zanchy †De tribus Eloi l. 4. c. 5. But the purifying Grace of Christ which is called The water of life or living water John 4.11 and is here an Epithite of the Spirit So that To be born of Water and the Spirit is with them no more then to be Regenerate and born again of the Holy Ghost I dare not condemn this common received Opinion among the Protestants And yet I know a Exam. Concil Trid. par 2. p. 20. Chemnitius and b Loc. Com. loc 47. §. 4. Bucanus with many c B. Andr in Or. Dom. Ser. 19. p. 132. D. Feat in Dippers dipt pag. 10. Confer at Hampton Court p. 17. others are of another mind And what do I speak of these The Ancient d Cyril l. 1. in Isai c. 3. Aug. Ep. 23 c. Fathers I think all understand the Text of Baptism And the Councel of Trent pronounceth Anathema to all those who shall make any Metaphorical Construction of these words but we fear not that Thunderbolt Yet whiles the many of Antiquity have run this way I hope it will not seem a Deviation to any indifferent Hearer I am sure there is no Danger and I may safely tread in those steps where the best of men in the best of times have gone before And the Analogy which in a Sacrament is required is here every way answerable to the full Here are two parts Terrena Coelestis Visible and Invisible Water and Spirit an outward Washing and an inward Ablution one of the Body from Filth and the other of the Soul from Sin And both these are necessary both necessary here Water and Spirit Abesse non possunt alterari non debent Or these must be or we must perish For verily verily c. I am not so quick-sighted or so Eagle-eyed as some men are I cannot find an Oath here as they have done A Protestation an Asseveration I see and such as doth command attention and belief I shall only pass by it with the words of Bernard Amen Amen Verbum Confirmationis praemittitur magnum esse noveris quod sequitur Where such an emphatical and significant word as Verily verily doth go before there is without doubt some great matter following after There is indeed For Water and Spirit must oo before or Heaven and Happiness will not follow after This is The Way this the Door through which we enter into Life For Except a Man be born of Water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God And here 's the Answer to Nicodemus and a full one too First 'T is possible to be born again and How Secondly 'T is Necessary and Why. Again you have here The Duty and Direction The Peril and Prevention What to do and what to hope for First Man Except a Man Incola Mundi All Men next Water be born of water a King on Jonah 26. lâ—ct p. 345. Anton. A. Bish of Florence part 3. tit 22. c. 5. §. 1 4. Bell 's Dâ—fiance to Popery c. 3. p. 7. Cingulum Mundi All Waters Then the Spirit And that 's Anima Mundi A Platonick phrase but such as may well beseem a Christians mouth That Spirit that enlivens the whole world That Spirit that moved upon the face of the waters Gen. 1 2. Nay incubabat cherished and gave life must do the like to the water â—n the Text the water in Baptism Thus Heaven comes down to Earth That Earth may ascend to Heaven Me thinks I am got to the top of a Mount from whence I have a goodly prospect a world of variety offers it self But 't is Mount Nebo from whence I may behold more then I may enter I must content me with a little out of much And I shall only Answer five Quaere's 1. What Baptism is and of its parts 2. To whom it appertaineth to Baptize 3. Who they are which are to be Baptized 4. What peril they are in who dye without it 5. What benefit they receive who are made partakers of this holy Sacrament 1. There is in Baptism as in every other Compound or Material a co-union of Matter and Form which Two concur as parts essential of the thing The matter here you have expressed Water and Spirit not Fire not Blood b Ga. pratecâ— Hermian c. There were certain Hereticks of old who instead of water did use fire branding the Baptized with an hot Iron in the Fore-head because forsooth it was said Matth. 3.11 That Christ should baptize with the holy Ghost and with Fire c Ib. tit Flagell There were the Flagellantes those a later Crew who instead of water did baptize in blood And those had Scripture for it also For Christ had said Luke 12.50 That He must be baptized with a baptism and he was much troubled till it was ended And in Mark 10.39 he tells the Sons of Zebedee They should drink of the Cup that he should drink of and be baptized with the baptism with which he should be baptized By which the Fathers all do understand A bloody Baptism But my Text tells you that it must be water And not my Text alone which hath received you heard a metaphorical Construction but all along from John in Jordan down to the Eunuch and Cornelius Yea long before praefigured in Noah's floud in the Red Sea and the River Jordan and ever since in all Orthodox Congregations or Churches The outward sign the Visible or Element was Water Yet Sursum Corda Here 's a slippery Element to stay in And therefore not Water alone but Aquae usus or Aqua taliter applicata saith one What can water do to the washing away of sin No no Christ hath given himself for his Church that he might sanctifie it and cleanse it by the washing of water but through the Word Eph. 5.26 And now are you clean saith our blessed Saviour now are you clean through the Word which I have spoken unto you John 15.3 Upon which words thus d Tract in Joh. 8. Augustine some-where Why
if they had missed the cutting of their Fore-skin And so likewise in the New Testament many are said to receive the Holy Ghost before they received Baptisme Wherefore as St. Peter said of some of them Act. 10. Can any man forbid Water I may say Could any man forbid Heaven if they had died without Water If any say Vid. Dom. Soto in 4. Sent. dist 5. q. unic art 2. The Votum or desire might suffice them because they were Adulti and come to years of discretion Let them know here could be no Votum because no knowledge And ignoti nulla Cupido In Comment in 2 Pet. 3. habet Sixt. Senens bib lib 6. Annot 340. Ambrosius Catharinus is more favourable to Infants He thinks they shall live in that New Earth which shall be at the end of the World in all pomp and jollity and shall there praise God for ever Thus do our Adversaries pass their Judgment on holy Innocents and that Rule of their Aquinas is forgotten Deus non alligavit gratiam suam Sacramentis Gods hands are not bound nor hath he tyed his Mercies or confined them to the Sacraments The Conclusion of this point is That Baptisme is the ordinary appointed Means for our Salvation And therefore neglect it not Yet hath God his special favour and his extraordinary Grace saving oft times saving without Means where the Means cannot be had Vid. Mortons Apol. not 6. c. 41. p. 121. jos Angl. par 1. q. 1. de Bapt. art ult con 3. And many learned Papists as Cajetan Gerson Gabriel are of our Opinion vid. Dom. Soto in 4. Sent. dist 5. q. 1. art 2. ubi de Aliis Part 5. The Benefits obtained by Baptism and how they are conveyed unto us Vide Chemnit exam Concil Trident part 2. p. 20. Many Schoolmen attributing too much to the outward Signs tell us That Grace is given in them and by them not only Instrumentally but either Effectivè or Dispositivè by an inherent vertue in the Elements You heard of some in elder times Vid Danaeum in Aug. de haeres in fin who did wholy slight this Sacrament The Socinians have done as much in our daies And some have done but little better whilst they make the Sacraments distinctive only nought but bare Signs or Notes of our Profession whereby from Jews Turks Pagans we may be discerned But we acknowledge Power in these holy Mysteries and that they are not meerly significative but exhibitive also Offering and conferring Grace Sed ex Institutione promissione c. Not of themselves but by the mercies of God in Christ they carry and conveigh the blessings of our Redemption and seal unto us those Promises which God hath made and Christ hath purchased with his precious blood Thus Augustine Tract 80. in Joh. How and whence comes this power to the Water that touching the Body it doth cleanse the Soul The Word the Word sa th he is cause of all not because spoken but because believed And thus Cyril of the Pool Bethesda Joh. 5. Tom. 1. in Evang Joh. l. 6. c. 14. That it did cure Diseases not by its own Nature for then it should have alwaies done it but only at the coming of the Angel 'T is so saith he in Baptisme where not the Water but the Water sanctified by the Holy Spirit doth wash away sins In Nazianz tom 1. Orat 6. de Sp. Sanct. ipse Nazianz in funere Caesarii fratris 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. To these I add Elias Cretens in Nazianz. He tells us How the Water doth renew us unto Regeneration but the Grace and Blessing cometh from above And thus have you the fruit the benefit of Baptisme 'T is Opus Spiritus Sancti 'T is a work of the Holy Spirit Enough were said and say no more but it doth offer and confer Grace wash away sins and cleanse and sanctifie Ephes 5.26 'T is Janua Ecclesia Janua Coeli The Door through which we pass into the Church Militant and from thence into the Church Triumphant 'T is our New Birth our Second Birth There is a double Birth From the first Adam as Sinners from the second Adam as Saints By the first we are liable to Death by the second we have a right to Glory In the first we come crying with that of the Apostle Quis me liberabit Wretched Men that we are who shall deliver us In the second we come with Gratias in our mouths Thanks be to the Lord who hath so graciously bestowed upon us that worthy Name that good Name by which we are called James 2.7 Christians Christians All saving Graces all our Comfort all our Hopes are comprised within that Name Our next care must be to walk worthy that Name We must be New Creatures 2 Cor. 5. for as the Apostle said of Circumcision Gal. 6. we may say of Baptisme Baptisme or no Baptisme all is one unless we become New Creatures 'T was one of Jovinians Errours August de Haeres cap. 82. That the vertue of Baptisme could not be lost Homines non posse peccare Men could not sin Ergo Men could not perish And we in our Catechisme say That we are made Members of Christ and Children of God But rotten Members must be cut off and disobedient Children must be disinherited If you will hold of the head you must hold with the Head Do what he commands you Do as you have seen him do John 13. Are ye Christians Live like Christians Remember what John Baptist told the People when they came to his Baptisme Luke 3. The People all of them must be Charitable The Tax-gatherers and Excize-Men must be no Exactors The Souldiers must be content with their Wages and do violence to no man And all this under the Law And doth our Christianity require less No sure New Men New Manners And he that said Discite à me Math. 11.29 sends us elsewhere to School amongst those Little Children Learn of them Math. 18 3. Except ye be converted and become as Little Children ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of God And so Peter in the first Epistle second Chapter and second Verse As New born Babes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 desire the sincere Milk of the Word I so do you Sermons Sermons All for Sermons And that 's well done but that 's not all Look what follows and what went before First lay aside all malice guile hypocrisie envy and the like the very sins the reigning sins of those times Be Children in Malice 1 Cor. 14. And as the same Apostle elsewhere 1 Thess 4.6 Let no man oppress and circumvent his Brother No Oppressing that 's for the Gentlemen No Circumventing that 's for the Chapmen Here be Children here be Innocent This is the way Ambulate in ea the ready way to Heaven I spake but now of a double-birth Lo here 's a Third The last day will be our best day
application Do thy first works 1. St. Bernard hath a true saying He that knoweth not his own misery is uncapable of Gods mercy And the Laodiceans in the next Chapter were in a woful case that said they were rich and needed nothing and yet were wretched miserable poor blind naked The first step to repent is to know our offence and the way to arise is to know our selves down The whole need not a Physician but they that are sick Luke 5.31 and the sin-sick Publican callâ— for mercy Rom. 3.23 Indeed we have all sinned as St. Paul tells us All in many tâ—â—â—gs as St James cap. 3.2 Aâ—â—â—hough Noah wâ—◠〈…〉 upright man yet it â—â—s but in sua 〈◊〉 â—â—â—one in regard of the time whereiâ—â—e lived and comparatively And Zachary and Elizabeth were just before God that is sine fuco What they did they did unfeignedly and yet just by the favour of acceptation not in the rigour of examination We may not therefore wonder that these Ephesians fell and that their silver was mixed with some dross which could not endure the fire Nor may we think their fall little whom so severe a Commination doth attend as is the removing their Candlestick out of his place 2. The sin laid to their charge is the leaving of their first Love St. Paul tells us Ad Ephes cap. 1.15 16. that he ceased not to give thanks to God for them because they had faith towards Christ and love towards all his Saints St. John tells us 1 Reg. 7.21 they were fallen from this love their faith is not questioned These are the two pillars Jachin and Boas which bear up the entrance or porch into the Temple Faith and Charity must go together Tertul. advers prax of the Trinity and must be numerus sine divisione distinguished they may be divided sundred they cannot be and be at all And therefore it is not said They were fallen from love for so they must have come within the compass of St. Pauls Nothing Lyra in loc Zanch. tomo 7. de perseverant Sanctorum 1 Cor. 13. but they were fallen from their first love à tanto gradu from that fervency which formerly they had Either they loved not all the Saints or they loved them not in that measure they were partial or they were cold in their affections This is that sin which called for so heavy a punishment and without Repentance and Returning to their first estate would notwithstanding their many other religious actions bring on them an everlasting misery And yet do we scarce love any Saints much less all and we never did esteem that doctrine which teacheth us to loose our purse-strings and pour out We have fed our Auditory so long with Sola fides that Charity is frozen amidst the fire of our zeal and Lazarus is dismissed with that cold comfortless Alms in St. James 2 Cap. 16. Ambrose a Hip. a Pap. Depart in peace And most of us are become Custodes non Domini slaves to god Mammon we have not power of our own And if any be so tender hearted as to relieve restore compassionate his brothers misery some shall untruly judge him for no true Christian and other new Reformers shall neer challenge him of old Religion Thus dare presumptuous impiety fall not onely from her first love if she had ever any but from love it self and yet shall challenge heaven for her inheritance She shall add sin to sin Ecclus 7.8 Prov. 5.22 and bind many together and yet forget her self to be holden with the cords of her own sin Shee shall fall never any Ephesian worse few ever like and yet perswades her self she stands upright The Church of Ephesus is onely taxed for defect in love but many of us are like Mephibosheth lame in both feet 2 Sam. 9.13 We are fallen we are fallen not onely from love towards all the Saints Rom. 8.35 but from the faith we had in the Lord Jesus Persecution can separate us from the love of Christ and the blast of affliction can make us throw off the shield of Faith Yea Eph. 6.16 many times we fall away non persecutionis impetu sed voluntario lapsu the demand of a door-keeper or the voice of a Maid will terrifie us as it befell Peter and we are prone upon the least occasion to renounce disclaim defie that excellent Name by which we have hope the blessed name of JESVS Phil. 2.10 11. A Name which every tongue must confess to which every knee must bow then which there is no other Name under heaven whereby we must be saved and of which a Heathen could give this testimony Vt uno verbo exprimi non possit Cic in Verrem lib. 2. of Sotor It is a name of wonder But some have thought it tolerable if not lawful in time of persecution to deny Manente apud animum proposito Tertul. ad 〈◊〉 27. so the mind be free Indeed what have not some thought or what monstrous opinions were there ever heard of but could find some one or other to defend them One commends the quartan Ague another writes in praise of Folly Anaxagoras thinks the Snow is black Danaeus in cap. 4. Aug. de Heros Gab. Prateolus and Catilina si judicatum erit meridie non lucere certus erit competitor He will swear the Sun shines not at noon day The Basilidians the David-Georgians not onely defend that damnable opinion of denying but so commonly doth one absurdity one sin beget another they scoffed at they scorned they cried shame on all the holy Martyrs for their sufferings But we have not so learn'd Christ Those Chameleons live not in our Element nor come they within the verge of the Church Omnis Aristippum decuit color He is none of ours No no the resolved Christian will scorn to bow his knee to Baal He knows there is a woe to him that hath a double-heart and is faint-hearted Ecclus. 2. He knows we may not take the Name of God in vain much less deny him And that we must not fear those which kill the Body and are not able to kill the Soul Math. 10. but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in Hell and that whosoever shall deny his Saviour before men shall one day be denied before God This makes the School-man resolve Thom. Aquin. 〈◊〉 q 3. art 2 that upon pain of damnation we are bound in some cases to abide the trial and confess our faith when it shall conduce either to the honour of God Math 10 2â— B King on Jonas Lect. 29. or the profit of our Neighbour And that indulgence of our blessed Saviour of flying from City to City is neither for all men nor all times This made the Saints the servants of God not only not deny but to proclaim themselves Christians and to run upon those unsufferable torments and jaws of
to keep And least insatiable Lust might want whereon to feed to surret he alloweth Divorce upon every light occasion He himself had but eleven VVives Purchas l. 3. c. 9. sect 5. Anâ— Guevarra epist. ad Comitem Myrand besides VVhores but the Grand-Signior in our daies kept three thousand Concubines for his lust Licurgus his Laws allowed Man-slaughter Phoroncus permitteth Theft Solon Solinus tolerâ—teth Adultery Numa Pompilius makes it lawful to Conquer and keep The Lydians and Baleares suffer nay command what I shame to speak And even he whom we must acknowledge the first and greatest Law-giver under God Moses himself will suffer something propter duritiem cordis but take the worst out of all theâ—e and out of all other the worst of all 1 Reg. 12.10 and Rehoboams little finger shall be bigger than his Fathers loyns The wickedness which Mahomets Laws alone maintain are more and more monstrous than them all Not to tell you of the Angel he met ten thousand times huger than the whole VVorld Hemming in Psal 84. c. 8. nor of those Angels that lusted now hanged in Iron-chains till the day of Judgment nor of their fair Hostess taken up into Heaven and made the beautiful Day-star Nor of Seraphiel his Trumpet which is as long as a Journey of fifty years †Purchas lib. 3. cap. 5. some say five hundred and that is more suitable to some of his relations as namely of an Oxe so huge that it is a thousand years journey from one of his Horns to the other and of a Key seven thousand miles long the doors themselves must needs be great and of the Bridge that is made over Hell and of the resurrection of Birds and Beasts and how death shall be changed into a Ram Cornelius Agrippa de vanitat scient Purchas lib. 3 c 13. and what that Atheist Agrippa said for the Ass this damned Circumcised Miscreant dare say for his Ram and that the Ram more charitable then his Masters doth pray for his Persecutors for those which sacrifice him I should be loath once to mention those Whet-stonelies of his but that you mâ—y see what a jolly Fellow those men serve which fall away and turn Turk And therefore let it not distast if I add How Hali his Sword would cut Rocks asunder but you must understand 't was an hundred Cubits long How Mahomet found the Sun where it lâ—y resting it self in a yellow fountain How the Moon brake in two pieces and fell upon the Hills of Mecha but Mahomet made it whole again How he tells of an Vtopian Land white as Milk sweet as Musk soft as Saffron and bright as the Moon yet this is nothing to his Paradise Hemming in Psal 84. c. 8. the ground thereof is Gold watered with streams of Milk Hony and VVine How there his Followers after the day of Judgment shall have a merry mad VVorld and shall never make an end of eating Purchas lib. 3. c. 5. drinking and colling wenches And these if you will believe it are sweet Creatures indeed for if one of them should spet into the Sea all the waters thereof would become sweet This is a taste of his infernal Doctrine of those strange Lies and strong Delusions with which he hath bewitched the VVorld and led men hood-wink't into the Abiss of perdition This is or is like that Dragons-tail Revel 12.4 So Denis in his treatise against Mahomet printed at London 1531. Which drew the third part of the Stars of Heaven and cast them to the Earth this is that same Abaddon and man of Sin This is Mahomet one that hath brought more Souls to Hell then all other Sects and Hereticks besides I take that saying of a Reverent Divine whose memory I honour to be spoken somewhat in heat of opposition and forcedly Whitaker against Campian in his answer to the tenth Reason That the Romish Antichrist alone hath more enlarged the infernal Kingdom then all Jews Nero's Mahomets Arrians Nestorians Macedonians Euticheans and the rest Truly I confess as things now go Many a Pope is rather a Bite-sheep then a Bishop so one terms him and much is the woe and wisterness that Rome hath brought upon Christendom D Fulk in 2 Cor. 2. sect 7. Many foul false frenzie-ful positions hath she obtruded to the World on pain of damnation to be believed and so great is her Merchandizing that she dare set Heaven it self to sale But if Turk and Pope together cannot make up that one Antichrist and he may not be both of these Mr. Mountag appeal c 5. 8. nor yet a third out of both these I add nor a third besides these I should rather probably conclude with learned Zanchius Tomo 7. de perseverant Sanctorum ib. tract de fine seculi tomo 8. Respons ad Arrianum and others more The Turk is he The Turk is he who though he profess himself the Prophet of God yet exalteth himself against all that is called God and doth most blasphemously deny God neither acknowledging the Trinity nor that holy One the power of God The Turk is be who reigneth in that seven hilled City of Constantinople and sitteth in the vary Temple of God Hierusalem is his and a great part of the World runs after him The Turk is he who as Hannibal was said of Rome or Scipio of Carthage is the very Scourge and plague of Christendom and Hammer of the World Cic. Philip. 4. An enemy implacable who doth count it his greatest sport and recreation as one said of Anthony to mangle murder wallow in the blood of Innocents yet with that Strumpet in the 1 King 3. is content to share the prey but 't is with the Devil The one seeks the body the other the soul Jaques de Lavardâ—n History Scanderbeg lib. 6. Good God is it possible that the great Princes and Monarchs of Christendom can so long endure both to hear and see this extream misery And cannot the intollerable servitude of their Christian Brethren their chains and bonds so hideous and shameful their Complaints so many their Torments so merciless their bloud â—anctified by Baptism less valued then the bloud of Beasts Cannot these kindle in our hearts the holy fire of Compassion and whet our Swords against that Common Enemy Cannot this put an end unto those woful Wars of ours Lucan lib. 1. Nullos habitura triumphos Where one Member wounds another to the hazard of the whole Body that so we might avenge the bloud of Gods Servants Revel 19.2 which hath so long time called cried for revenge and set a bound to Turks pride and propagate the glorious Gospel of our Saviour While now our discord is his advantage and our Wars his opportunity There was one †Luther vid. ubi supra who sometime said So Fran Oliverius 〈◊〉 â—pud 〈…〉 lib 14. 〈◊〉 Poliâ—or Virgil â—ib 7 c. 8. We might not wage Wars against the
serm 30. and nothing should be dearer than his Soul I shall I do beseech such an one to be merciful to his own life 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Get thee to some learned Priest open thy grief to the Physician of thy Soul He will compassionate thy case with a fatherly affection shew unto him without blushing those secret sores of thine and he will or be he branded for ever with the ignominy of Irregularity he will save thy credit and salve thy wound Credit alas alas What 's Credit if the Soul must perish or what 's Reputation which cannot compass one drop of water to cool a flaming tongue And you whom God suffered to fall and yet of his infinite mercy vouchsafed graciously to bring home not only to your Country and Kindred but to the profession of your first Faith and to the Church and Sacraments again Let me say to you but in a better hour as sometime Joshua to Achan Give glory to God sing praises to him who hath delivered your Soul from the nethermost Hell Magnifie him for his unspeakable goodness and mercy towards you labour not either to cover or lessen your offence When I think upon your Turkish Attire that Embleme of Apostacy and witness of your woful fall I do remember Adam and his fig-leave Breeches they could neither conceal his shame nor cover his nakedness I do think upon David clad in Sauls Armour 1 Sam. 17. and his helmet of Brass I cannot go with these saith David How could you hope in this unsanctified habit to attain Heaven how could you clad in this unchristian weed how could you but with horrour and astonishment think on the white-Robe of the innocent Martyrs which you had lost Revel 6 1â— How could you go in these rewards of Iniquity and guerdons of Apostacy and with what face could you behold your self and others I do assure my self the torments you endured were grievous and the hope for your delivery was little or none but Seneca puts it down for an Axiom That a man cannot be much grieved and long together and that the pains will be either sufferable or short if it be not alwaies so Yet what saith Cicero of Trebonius miserably slain by Dolobella Ep. 97. Philip. deâ—â—ma Sickness doth oft times punish many of us here as much and much more then stripes could torment you there However the longest day hath a night and the Torments and Tormentors cannot last for ever but Montes uruntur durant Tertul. 76. Etna and Vesuvius burn and continue We should think upon the pains of Hell which last for ever I know you were young so was Daniel and the three Children Euseb lib. 6. c 40. Gr 41. Euseb lib. 5. ca. 1. Fox Zuinger so were Dioscorus the Confessor and Ponticus the Martyr add if you please our English Mekins who all at fifteen years of Age endured manfully whatsoever the fury of the Persecutors pleased to inflict upon them I might adjoyn to these some of ten years old and Vitus of seven And though we call them the weaker Sex yet hath the Church her Women-Martyrs not a few who have endured as couragiously as ever any then did Witness St. Agnes at 12 years old Ambrose de virgin lib. 1. Cecilia Agatha and a world besides In a word Youth and Torments and whatever else may be alleadged do somewhat lessen â—nd extenuate the sin but they cannot clear the Conscience We are bound without fainting to resist unto the death I would be loath to break a bruised Reed or add affliction to affliction Let not what is said or done encourage any of you to rejoyce in your Neighbours falâ— nor triumph in his misery Far be all unchristian upbrâ—idings reproaches twictings from your Christian hearts but as St. Paul said of Onesimus Receive him as a beloved Brother for ever and do it with the spirit of meekness considering your selves lest you also be tempted God forbid that any of you should grieve his Soul Gal. 6.1 Illo hodie ego cras so â—lle apud Berâ— de resurrect Dom. serm 2. for whose return the Angels do rejoyce in Heaven Prophets Patriarchs Apostles Angels have fallen and who is he that is assured of his strength or who can say He shall stand fast for ever Though you traffick not for Turkie yet may you be Apostata's at home Tit. 1.16 1 Tim. 5.8 denying in deeds and worse than Infidels But you that go down to the Sea in Ships and occupy your business in great Waters for the State of the World cannot stand without Buying and Selling Traffick and Transportation what shall I say of you Pittacus reckons you neither amongst the dead nor the living The Grave is alway open before your face and but the thickness of an inch or twain that keeps you from it One breath flaw gust may end your voyage But if Paul scape drowning yet he sees a Viper on the shoar and if all dangers of the Sea quit you yet a mischief from the Land may overtake you That African Monster to which so many poor Souls have been made a prey The Turk which God forbid may bring you under his Lee And as our Saviour said of Peter John 21.18 you shall stretch forth your hands and he shall gird you and lead you whither you would not If such a calamity should ever befal any of you yet remember your first love the God of love your blessed Saviour 1 T m. 1. fight a good fight keeping faith and a good Conscience So shall Christ hear when you call and shall deliver you in the needful time of trouble He shall bring you back unto your home in safety and as you have confessed him before men so shall he confess you before his Father which is in Heaven The first works come now in the last place to be spoken of this is one of the lissoms or twists of that cord which will hardly be broken Remember repent and do the first works Eecles 4.12 Works must be one or it will never hold but add them and you shall make St. Bernards Rope Serm. 16. in Cantica strong enough to draw Souls out of the Devil's Goal I should here tell this poor penitent what one tells the Citizens of Luca. P. Martyr It behoveth him to make good what he hath formerly and faintingly denyed He must cast off his barbarous Barbarian habit and putting on a Christian resolution he must boldly confess his Saviour in the same place where he did first deny him or because Durus est hic sermo as they say in the 6. of St. John This is an hard saying and it is indeed and requires a special fortitude and most heavenly resolution and non omnes capiunt it must be given them from above yet in the whole course of his life let his repentance be made manifest and let him ingrave in his heart those words of the
fear over-matched some of them in our sins and wickedness O therefore here make a stand yet now begin to provide Oil for your Lamps now learn of Joseph to lay up against those years of Famine now bethink of your wedding-Garment GOD is Just and will not be mocked LIFE is frail and will soon be ended The BODY is dust and must be dissolved The SOVL returns and must be judged O therefore make use of that little time is left you Defer not your Repentance from day to day Say not to morrow I will do thus and thus 'T is Vox corvinae as St. Augustine said 't is harsh 't is hellish to say thou wilt to Morrow and appoint a day to save thy Soul who art not sure thy Body hath one hour to reckon Of this thou art surr That many millions perish in their sins who had they known what now they feel they would have repented long agone in sackcloth and ashes Of this thou art sure The longer thou continuest in sin thy Case is the worse thy danger the greater and thy return will be more difficult Of this thou art sure That late Repentance is seldome true Repentance and as one saith Percutitur hâc animadversione peccator ut moriens obliviscetur sui qui vivens oblitus est Dei 'T is a just Judgment of the Almighty That he that would not remember God in his life should forget himself at his death The Stork the Turtle the Crane the Swallow these all observe their times Jerem. 8.7 and shall Man that was created Lord of all be more ignorant then them all shall he fore-slow the time given and reject the Grace profered Nay shall he make the times and observe the seasons in every thing but what concerns his Soul Sow in season and reap in season and plant in season and shall the hour for our Repentance allowed be unseasonable There is a time for all things saith Solomon and shall we never find time for this Thus thus it is and thus it followeth That many are Called and few are Chosen In the general Deluge Noah only and his Family escaped drowning At the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah Lot only and his Family escape the fire At the overthrow of Jericho Rahab only and her Family escape the Sword Here is Antefactorum narratio futurorum Prophetia as Irenaeus said in another Case Those fearful Examples those handfuls of People that were exempted from the common Calamity they tell us not only what befel them but what assuredly shall befal others when those that will not now and cannot then repent must look for nought but woe and misery a rejection a separation an Ite maledicti away for ever Leave we the Impenitent in his sins and leave we the impenitent to his sorrows for Tophet is prepared of old a place is made ready for them who will not make themselves ready for God And let us trace another while the steps of him who as Chrysostome said hath made that voluntary which he knew necessary who could welcome Death without fear and bid adieu to life without sorrow Yet by David's judgment he had not attained the half of Mans life and by our account had Youth and Strength two promising supporters in time of need O come hither and behold for here he lies here he lies whose hands were not hound nor his feet tied in fetters of Brass his grinders did not cease because they were few nor were they grown dark that did look out at the windows he arose not up at the voice of the bird the daughters of Musick were not brought low the Almond-tree had not yet budded c. And lo Earth is returned to the earth as it was and the Spirit is returned to God who gave it Well then what if he were prevented by Death What if his daies were not so many or life so long had he not the better gale of wind to bring him to his harbour Yes yes and was old enough Quicunque ad extremum fati sui pervenerit hic moritur senex the honourable Age is not that which is of long time neither that which is measured by the number of years but wisdom is the gray-hair c. therefore verse 13. though he were soon dead yet fulfilled he much time for his Soul pleased God therefore hasted he to take him away from wickedness De medio iniquitatis from Sin from Sinners O Noble Israel how are the mighty overthrown tell it not in Gath O yes tell it in Gath and publish it in the streets of Ashkelon Let the Philistians see and the uncircumcised hear Si sic in viridi quid fiet in arido If a young Plant in the prime of his years and the most flourishing time of his life be thus taken away why do we live as if we had made a Truce with Death or as if this World should last for ever We have a Consumption as well as He his was patens ours latens and the more dangerous his in Januis ours in Insidiis his was open ours in secret and yet not so secret but every man may run and read the Characters of DECLINING writ in our Fore-heads and every Limb can tell there 's something works within it to our end and every day can tell another we are worse then when he found us That Death then may not come suddenly let us amend speedily LOOSE NO TIME was Great Caesar's Motto Nought is more dangerous then Delaies Cur non hodiè cur non hâc horâ Why then this day why then this hour begin we to amend our lives Say we as sometime Balaam did but with a better resolution If Balack would give me his house-full of silver and gold I will not do thus and thus If I might win an house-full of silver and gold I will not do as I have done I will not grieve the holy Angels nor re-Crucifie my Saviour nor hazard my Soul nor offend my God I will not oppress where I am the stronger nor undermine where I am the subtiler I see Mans life is in his Nostrils and he is quickly gone I see the World is deceitful and can give no true content I see that blessedness is reserved till another World BEATI MORTVI QVI IN DOMINO Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord c. So let us die O Lord and so let us live that we may so die Sweet JESVS AMEN Reverendissimo In Christo Patri ac Domino DOMINO SETHO EPISCOPO SARISBVRIENSI Et Nobilissimi Ordinis Periscelidis Cancellario HAMNETTUS WARD Clericus Longaevitatem pancraticam dignitatis sastigium vitam aeternam ex animo optat DVO sunt Pater Praesul dignissime quae homini famam optimam apud posteros conciliare solènt debent benè facta scilicet benè dicta Vtcunque tamen benè dicta quaeque fuerint vel facta nisi etiam literis committantur plerumque incassum pereunt Nam quae per 〈◊〉 〈◊〉