before seruice for that vnlesse our seruice proceede from feare it is hollow and worthlesse One saies well that these inward dispositions are as the kernell outward acts are as the shell he is but a deafe nut therfore that hath outward seruice without inward feare Feare God saith Salomon first and then keepe his commandements Behold the same tongue that bad them not feare vers 20. now bids them feare and the same spirit that tels vs they feared exceedingly vers 18. now enioynes them to feare more What shall we make of this Their other feare was at the best Initiall for now they began to repent and as one saies of this kinde of feare that it hath two eyes fixed on two diuers obiects so had this of theirs One eye looked vpon the raine and thunder the other looked vp to the God that sent it The one of these it borrowed of the slauish or hostile feare as Basil calls it the other of the filiall for the slauish feare casts both eyes vpon the punishment the filiall lookes with both eyes on the partie offended Now then Samuel would rectifie and perfect this affection and would bring them from the feare of slaues through the feare of penitents to the feare of sons and indeed one of these makes way for another It is true that perfect loue thrusts out feare but it is as true that feare brings in that perfect loue which is ioined with the reuerence of sonnes Like as the needle or bristle so one compares it drawes in the thred after it or as the potion brings health The compunction of feare saith Gregorie fits the minde for the compunction of loue Wee shall neuer reioyce truely in God except it bee with trembling Except we haue quaked at his thunder we shall neuer ioy in his sunne shine How seasonably therefore doth Samuel when hee saw them smitten with that guiltie and seruile feare call them to the reuerentiall feare of God Therefore feare yee the Lord It is good striking when God hath striken there is no fishing so good as in troubled waters The conscience of man is a nice and sullen thing and if it be not taken at fit times there is no medling with it Tell one of our gallants in the midst of all his iollity and reuells of deuotion of piety of iudgements he hath the Athenian question ready What will his babler say Let that man alone till God haue touch't his soule with some terrour till hee haue cast his body on the bed of sicknesse when his fether is turned to a kerchiefe when his face is pale his eyes sunke his hands shaking his breath short his flesh consumed now hee may bee talk't with now he hath learned of Eli to say speake Lord for thy seruant heareth The conuexe or out-bowed side of a vessell will hold nothing it must be the hollow and depressed part that is capable of any liquor Oh if wee were so humbled with the varieties of Gods iudgements as wee might how sauoury should his counsels be how precious welcome would his feare bee to our trembling hearts whereas now our stubborne sencelesnesse frustrates in respect of our successe though not of his decree all the threatnings and executions of God There are two maine affections Loue and Feare which as they take vp the soule where they are and as they neuer go a sunder for euery loue hath in it a feare of offending and forgoing and euery feare implyes a loue of that which we suspect may mis-carry so ech of them fulfils the whole law of God That loue is the abridgement of the Decalogue both our Sauiour and his blessed Apostle haue taught vs It is as plaine of Feare The title of Iob is A iust man and one that feared God iustice is expressed by Feare For what is iustice but a freedome from sinne And the feare of the Lord hates euil saith Salomon Hence Moses his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thou shalt feare is turned by our Sauiour 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thou shalt worship or adore And that which Esay saith In vaine they feare me our Sauiour renders In vaine they worship mee as if all worship consisted in Feare Hence it is probable that God hath his name in two languages from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Feare and the same word in the Greeke signifies both Feare Religion And Salomon when he saies The feare of the Lord is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the beginning as we turne it of wisedome saies more then we are a ware of for the word signifies as well Caput or Principatum the head or top of wisedome yea saith Siracides it is the crown vpon the head it is the roote of the same wisedome whereof it is the top-branch saith the same Author And surely this is the most proper disposition of men towards God for though God stoope down so low as to vouchsafe to bee loued of men yet that infinite inequalitie which there is betweene him and vs may seeme not to allow so perfect a fitnesse of that affection as of this other which suites so well betwixt our vilenesse and his glory that the more disproportion there is betwixt vs the more due proper is our feare Neither is it lesse necessarie then proper for wee can be no Christians without it whether it be as Hemingius distinguishes it well timor cultus or culpae either our feare in worshipping or our feare of offending the one is a deuout feare the other a carefull feare The latter was the Corinthians feare whose godly sorrow when the Apostle had mentioned he addes Yea what indignation yea what feare yea what desire The former is that of the Angels who hide their faces with their wings yea of the Son of God as man who fell on his face to his father And this is due to God as a father as a maister as a benefactor as a God infinite in all that he is Let me be bold to speake to you with the Psalmist Come ye children hearken to mee and I will teach you the feare of the Lord. What is it therefore to feare God but to acknowledge the glorious the inuisible presence of God in all our wayes with Moses his eyes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to bee awefully affected at his presence with Jacob quà m tremendus to make an humble resignation of our selues to the holy will of God with Eli It is the Lord and to attend reuerently vpon his disposing with Dauid Here I am let him doe to me as seemeth good in his eyes This is the feare of the Lord. There is nothing more talk't of nothing lesse felt I appeale from the tongues of men to their hands the wise heathen taught me to doe so Uerbarebus proba The voice of wickednesse is actuall saith the Psalmist wickednesse saith there is no feare of God before his eyes Behold wheresoeuer is wickednesse there can be no
and siluer vnder the images of Saints and lightsome Angels vnder glittering cotes or glorious titles or beauteous faces whom they would defie as himselfe And as the freeborn Israelite might become a seruant either by forfaiture vpon trespasse or by sale or by spoile in warre so this accursed seruitude is incurred the same waies by them which should be Christians By forfaiture for though the debt and trespasse bee to God yet tradet lictori he shall deliuer the debtor to the Iaylor By sale as Ahab sold himselfe to worke wickednesse sold vnder sinne saith the Apostle By spoile Beware least any man make a spoile of you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Paul to his Colossians Alas what a miserable change doe these men make to leaue the liuing God which is so bountifull that hee rewards a cup of cold water with eternall glorie to serue him that hath nothing to giue but his bare wages and what wages The wages of sinne is death And what death not the death of the body in the seuering of the soule but the death of the soule in the separation from God there is not so much difference betwixt life and death as there is betwixt the first death and the second Oh wofull wages of a desperate worke Well were these men if they might goe vnpaide and serue for nothing but as the mercie of God will not let any of our poore seruices to him goe vnrewarded so will not his iustice suffer the contrarie seruice goe vnpaid in flaming fire rendring vengeance to them that know not God and those that obey not the Gospell of our Lord Iesus Beloued as that worthy Bishop said on his death-bed we are happie in this that wee serue a good Maister how happie shall it bee for vs if wee shall doe him good seruice that in the day of our account we may heare Euge serue bone well done good seruant enter into thy maisters ioy Now hee that prescribes the act seruice must also prescribe the manner Truely totally God cannot abide wee should serue him with a double heart an heart an heart that is hypocritically Neither that we should serue him with a false heart that is niggardly and vnwillingly but against doubling he will be seru'd in truth and against haluing hee will bee seru'd with all the heart To serue God and not in truth is mockerie To serue him truely and not with the whole heart is a base dodging with God This 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 eye-seruice is a fault with men but let vs serue God but while he sees vs it is enough Behold he sees vs euery where If hee did not see our heart it were enough to serue him in the face and if the heart were not his it were too much to giue him a part of it but now that he made this whole heart of outs it is reason he should bee seru'd with it and now that hee sees the inside of the heart it is madnesse not to serue him In truth Those serue God not in truth which as Seneca saies of some auditors come to heare not to learne which bring their tablets to write words not their hearts for the finger of God to write in Whose eies are on their Bible whiles their heart is on their Count-booke which can play the Saints in the Church Ruffians in the Tauerne Tyrants in their houses Cheators in their shops those Dames which vnder a cloke of modestie and deuotion hide nothing but pride and fiendishnesse Those serue God not with all their heart whose bosome is like Rachels tent that hath Teraphim Idols hid in the straw or rather like a Philistims Temple that hath the Arke and Dagon vnder one roofe That come in euer with Naamans exceptiues Onely in this Those that haue let downe the world like the spies into the bottome of the well of their heart and couer the mouth of it with wheare I meane that hide great oppressions with the show of small beneficences Those which like Salomons false Curtizan cry Diutdatur and are willing to share themselues betwixt God and the world And certainely this is a noble policie of the Diuell because he knowes he hath no right to the heart he can bee glad of any corner but with all he knowes that if hee haue any hee hath all for where hee hath any part God will haue none This base-mindednesse is fit for that euill one God will haue all or nothing It was an heroicall answere that Theodoret reports of Valentinian whom when the souldiers had chosen to be Emperour they were consulting to haue another ioyned with him No my souldiours said hee it was in your power to giue mee the Empire while I had it not but now when I haue it it is not in your power to giue me a partner Wee our selues say the bed and the throne can abide no riualls May wee not well say of the heart as Lot of Zoar Is it not a little one Alas it is euen too little for God what doe wee thinke of taking an Inmate into this cottage It is a fauour and happinesse that the God of glorie will vouchsafe to dwell in it alone Euen so O God take thou vp these roomes for thy selfe and inlarge them for the entertainment of thy spirit Haue thou vs wholly and let vs haue thee Let the world serue it selfe O let vs serue thee with all our hearts God hath set the heart on worke to feare the hands on worke to serue him now that nothing may be wanting he sets the head on worke to consider and that not so much the Iudgements of God yet those are of singular vse and may not bee forgotten as his mercies What great things hee hath done for you not against you He that looked vpon his owne workes and saw they were good and delighted in them delights that wee should looke vpon them too and applaud his wisedome power and mercy that shines in them Euen the least of Gods works are worthy of the obseruation of the greatest Angell in heauen but the magnalia dei the great things he hath done are more worthy of our wonder of our astonishmēt Great things indeed that he did for Israel hee meant to make that Nation a precedent of mercie that all the world might see what he could doe for a people Heauen and earth conspir'd to blesse them What should I speake of the wonders of Egypt Surely I know not whether their preseruation in it or deliuerance out of it were more miraculous Did they want a guide himselfe goes before them in fire Did they want a shelter his cloud is spread ouer them for a couering Did they want way The sea it selfe shall make it and bee at once a street and a wall to them Did they want bread Heauen it selfe shall powre downe foode of Angels Did they want meate to their bread The winde shall bring them whole driftes of quailes into their tents Doe
sense of heauen let vs blesse God for the life of our soule the Gospel and for the spirit of this life his Anointed But where had beene our peace or this freedome of the Gospell without our Deliuerance where had our deliuerance bin without him As it was reported of the Oke of Mamre that al religions rendred their yearly worship there The Iewes because of Abraham their Patriarch the Gentiles because of the Angels that appeared there to Abraham The christians because of Christ that was there seene of Abraham with the Angels So was there to King Iames in his first beginnings a confluence of all sects with papers in their hands and as it was best for them with a Rogamus domine non pugnamus like the subiects of Theodosius But our cozens of Samaria when they saw that Salomons yoke would not bee lightened soone flew off in a rage What portion haue we in Dauid And now those which had so soft look't vp to heauen in vaine resolue to digge downe to hell for aide Satan himselfe met them and offred for sauing of their labour to bring hell vp to them What a world of Sulphur had hee prouided against that day What a brewing of death was tun'd vp in those vessels The murderous Pioners laugh't at the close felicitie of their proiect and now before-hand seemed in conceit to haue heard the cracke of this hellish thunder and to see the mangled carkasses of the heretickes flying vp so suddenly that their soules must needes goe vpward towards their perdition the streetes strawed with legges and armes and the stones braining as many in their fall as they blew vp in their rise Remember the children of Edom O Lord in the day of Ierusalem which said Downe with it downe with it euen to the ground O daughter of Babel worthy to be destroyed blessed shall hee bee that serueth thee as thou wouldest haue serued vs. But hee that sits in heauen laugh't as fast at them to see their presumption that would be sending vp bodies to heauen before the resurrection and preferring companions to Elias in a fiery Chariot and said vt quid fremuerunt Consider now how great things the Lord hath done for vs The snare is broken and wee are deliuered But how As that learned Bishop well applyed Salomon to this purpose Diuinatio in labijs regis If there had not been a a diuination in the lips of the King wee had beene all in iawes of death Vnder his shadow wee are preserued aliue as Ieremie speaketh It is true God could haue done it by other meanes but hee would doe it by this that wee might owe the being of our liues to him of whom wee held our well-being before Oh praised be the God of heauen for our deliuerance Praised bee God for his Anointed by whom we were deliuered Yea how should wee call to our fellow creatures The Angels Saints heauens elements meteors mountaines beasts trees to help vs praise the Lord for this mercie And as the Oath of the Roman souldiours ranne how deare and precious should the life of our Caesar bee to vs aboue al earthly things How should wee haue the base vnthankefulnesse of those men which can say of him as one said of his Saint Martin Martinus bonus in auxilio charus in negotio who whiles they owe him all grudge him any thing Away with the mention of outward things all the bloud in our body is due to him all the prayers well-wishes of our soules are due to him How solemnely Festiuall should this day bee to vs and to our posterities for euer How cheerefully for our peace our religion our Deliuerance should wee take vp that acclamation which the people of Rome vsed in the Coronation of Charles the great Carolo Iacobo a Deo coronato magno pacifico Britannorum Imperatori vita victoria To Charles Iames crowned of God the great and peaceable Emperour of Britanie Life and Victorie And let GOD and his people say Amen These were great things indeed that God did for Israel great that hee hath done for vs Great for the present not certaine for the future They had not no more haue wee the blessings of God by entayle or by lease Onely at the good will of the Lord and that is during our good behauiour Sinne is a forfaiture of all fauours Jf you doe wickedly you shall perish It was not for nothing that the same word in the originall signifies both sinne and punishment These two are inseparable There is nothing but a little prioritie in time betweene them The Angels did wickedly they perish't by their fall from heauen The old world did wickedly they perish't by waters from heauen The Sodomites did wickedly they perish't by fire from heauen Corah and his company did wickedly they perish't by the earth The Egyptians did wickedly they perish't by the Sea The Canaanites did wickedly they perish't by the sword of Israel The Israelites did wickedly they perish't by pestilence serpents Philistims What should I runne my selfe out of breath in this endlesse course of examples There was neuer sinne but it had a punishment either in the Actor or in the Redeemer There was neuer punishment but was for sinne Heauen should haue no quarrell against vs Hell could haue no power ouer vs but for our sinnes Those aie they that haue plagued vs those are they that threaten vs. But what shall bee the iudgement Perishing To whom To you and your King He doth not say If your King doe wickedly you shall perish as sometimes he hath done Nor if your King doe wickedly hee shall perish although Kings are neither priuiledged from sinnes nor from iudgements Nor if you doe wickedly you onely shall perish but if yee doe wickedly yee and your King shall perish So neare a relation is there betwixt the King and Subiect that the sinne of the one reaches to the iudgement of the other and the iudgement of the one is the smart of both The King is the head the Commons the stomach if the head be sicke the stomach is affected Dauid sins the people dye If the stomach bee sick the head complaines For the transgression of the people are many Princes What could haue snatch't from our Head that sweet Prince of fresh and bleeding memorie that might iustly haue challeng'd Othoes name Mirabilia mundi now in the prime of all the worlds expectation but our trayterous wickednesses His Christian modestie vpon his death-bed could charge himselfe No no I haue sins enow of mine owne to doe this But this very accusation did cleare him and burden vs. O glorious Prince they are our sinnes that are guilty of thy death and our losse We haue done wickedly thou perishedst An harsh word for thy glorifyed condition But such a perishing as is incident to Saints for there is a Perire de medio as well as a Perire a facie a perishing from