Hell to the intent to put us in good hope that by his strength we shall do the same He paid the Ransom of sin that it should not be laid to our charge He destroyed the Devil and all his Tyranny and openly triumphed over him and took away from him all his Captives and hath raised and set them with himself among the Heavenly Citizens above Ephes 2. He died to destroy the rule of the Devil in us and he rose again to send down his Holy Spirit to rule in our hearts to endow us with perfect Righteousness Thus it is true that David sung Psal 84. Ephes 4. Captivam duxit captivitatem Luke 2. Veritas de terra orta est justitia de coelo prospexit The truth of Gods promise is in Earth to man declared or from the Earth is the everlasting Verity Gods Son risen to life and the true righteousness of the Holy Ghost looking out of Heaven and in most liberal largess dealt upon all the World Thus is glory and praise rebounded upwards to God above for his mercy and truth And thus is Peace come down from Heaven to men of good and faithful hearts Psal 48. Misericordia veritas obviaverunt sibi Thus is mercy and truth as David writeth together met thus is peace and righteousness embracing and kissing each other If thou doubtest of so great wealth and felicity that is wrought for thee O man call to thy mind that therefore hast thou received into thine own possession the everlasting Verity our Saviour Jesus Christ to confirm to thy Conscience the truth of all this matter Thou hast received him if in true faith and repentance of Heart thou hast received him If in purpose of amendment thou hast received him for an everlasting gage or pledge of thy Salvation Thou hast received his Body which was once broken and his Blood which was shed for the remission of thy sin Thou hast received his Body to have within thee the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost for to dwell with thee to endow thee with grace to strengthen thee against thine Enemies and to comfort thee with their presence Thou hast received his Body to endow thee with everlasting righteousness to assure thee of everlasting bliss Ephes 5. and life of thy Soul For with Christ by true Faith art thou quickned again saith St. Paul from death of sin to life of grace and in hope translated from corporal and everlasting death to the everlasting life and glory in Heaven where now thy conversation should be and thy heart and desire set Doubt not of the truth of this matter how great and high soever these things be It becometh God to do no small deeds how impossible soever they seem to thee Pray to God that thou mayest have Faith to perceive this great Mystery of Christs Resurrection that by Faith thou mayest certainly believe nothing to be impossible with God Luke 18. Only bring thou Faith to Christs Holy Word and Sacrament Let thy Repentance shew thy Faith let thy purpose of amendment and obedience of thy heart to Gods Law hereafter declare thy true belief Endeavour thy self to say with St. Paul Phil. 4. From henceforth our conversation is in Heaven from whence we look for a Saviour even the Lord Jesus Christ which shall change our vile bodies that they may be fashioned like his glorious body which he shall do by the same power whereby he rose from death and whereby he shall be able to subdue all things unto himself Thus good Christian People forasmuch as ye have heard these so great and excellent benefits of Christs mighty and glorious Resurrection as how that he hath ransomed Sin overcome the Devil Death and Hell and hath victoriously gotten the better hand of them all to make us free and safe from them and knowing that we be by this benefit of his Resurrection risen with him by our Faith unto life everlasting being in full surety of our hope that we shall have our bodies likewise raised again from death to have them glorified in immortality and joyned to his glorious body having in the mean while his holy Spirit within our hearts as a Seal and Pledge of our everlasting Inheritance By whose assistance we be replenished with all righteousness by whose power we shall be able to subdue all our evil affections rising against the pleasure of God These things I say well considered let us now in the rest of our life declare our Faith that we have in this most fruitful Article by framing our selves thereunto in rising daily from sin to righteousness and holiness of life For what shall it avail us saith St. Peter to be 2 Pet. 2. escaped and delivered from the filthiness of the World through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ if we be entangled again therewith and be overcome again Certainly it had been better saith he never to have known the way of righteousness then after it is known and received to turn back again from the holy Commandment of God given unto us For so shall the Proverb have place in us where it is said The Dog is returned to his vomit again and the Sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire again What a shame were it for us being thus so clearly and freely washed from our sin to return to the filthiness thereof again What a folly were it thus endowed with righteousness to lose it again What madness were it to lose the Inheritance that we be now set in for the vile and transitory pleasure of sin And what an unkindness should it be where our Saviour Christ of his mercy is come to us to dwell with us as our Guest to drive him from us and to banish him violently out of our souls and instead of him in whom is all grace and vertue to receive the ungracious spirit of the Devil the founder of all naughtiness and mischief How can we find in our hearts to shew such extream unkindness to Christ which hath now so gently called us to mercy and offered himself unto us and he now entred within us Yea how dare we be so bold to renounce the presence of the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost For where one is there is God all whole in Majesty together with all his power wisdom and goodness and fear not I say the danger and peril of so traiterous a defiance and departure Good Christian Brethren and Sisters advise your selves consider the dignity that ye be now set in let no Folly lose the thing that Grace hath so preciously offered and purchased let not wilfulness and blindness put out so great light that is now shewed unto you Ephes 6. Only take good hearts unto you and put upon you all the Armour of God that ye may stand against your Enemies which would again subdue you and bring you into their thraldom Remember ye be bought from your vain conversation
Christs benefits which he hath plentifully wrought for us by his Resurrection and passing to his Father whereby we are delivered from the captivity and thraldom of all our Enemies Let us in like manner pass over the affections of our old conversation that we may be delivered from the bondage thereof Exod. 7. and rise with Christ The Jews kept their Feast in abstaining from leavened bread by the space of seven days Let us Christian folk keep our Holy-day in spiritual manner that is in abstaining not from material leavened bread but from the old leaven of sin the leaven of maliciousness and wickedness Let us cast from us the leaven of corrupt Doctrine that will infect our Souls Let us keep our Feast the whole term of our life with eating the bread of pureness of godly life and truth of Christs Doctrine Thus shall we declare that Christs gifts and graces have their effect in us and that we have the right belief and knowledge of his holy Resurrection where truly if we apply our Faith to the vertue thereof in our life and conform us to the example and signification meant thereby we shall be sure to rise hereafter to everlasting glory by the goodness and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ To whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost be all Glory Thanksgiving and Praise in infinita seculorum secula Amen AN HOMILY OF THE Worthy Receiving and reverend Esteeming of the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ THE great love of our Saviour Christ towards mankind good Christian People doth not only appear in that dear-bought benefit of our Redemption and Salvation by his Death and Passion but also in that he so kindly provided that the same most merciful work might be had in continual remembrance to take some place in us and not be frustrate of his end and purpose For as tender Parents are not content to procure for their Children costly Possessions and Livelihood but take order that the same may be conserved and come to their use So our Lord and Saviour thought it not sufficient to purchase for us his Fathers favour again which is that deep Fountain of all goodness and eternal life but also invented the ways most wisely whereby they might redound to our commodity and profit Amongst the which means is the publick celebration of the memory of his precious Death at the Lords Table Which although it seem of small vertue to some yet being righly done by the Faithful it doth not only help their weakness who by their poisoned Nature readier to remember injuries than benefits but strengtheneth and comforteth their inward man with peace and gladness and maketh them thankful to their Redeemer with diligent care and godly conversation Exod. 12. And as of old time God decreed his wondrous benefits of the deliverance of his People to be kept in memory by the eating of the Passover with his Rites and Ceremonies So our loving Saviour hath ordained and established the remembrance of his great mercy expressed in his Passion in the institution of his Heavenly Supper Mat. 26. 1 Cor. 11. where every one of us must be Guests and not Gazers Eaters and not Lookers feeding our selves and not hiring others to feed for us that we may live by our own meat Luke 11. and not to perish for hunger whiles other devour all To this his Commandment forceth us 1 Cor. 6. Mat. 26. saying Do ye this drink ye all of this To this his Promise enticeth This is my Body which is given for you This is my Blood which is shed for you So then of necessity we must be our selves partakers of this Table and not beholders of other So we must address our selves to frequent the same in reverent and comely manner lest as Physick provided for the Body being misused more hurteth than profiteth so this comfortable Medicine of the Soul undecently received tendeth to our greater harm and sorrow 1 Cor. 11. And St. Paul saith He that eateth and drinketh unworthily eateth and drinketh his own damnation Wherefore that it be not said to us as it was to the Guest of that great Supper Mat. 22. Friend how camest thou in not having the marriage-garment And that we may fruitfully use St. Paul's counsel Let a man prove himself 1 Cor. 11. and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup we must certainly know that three things be requisite in him which would seemly as becometh such high Mysteries resort to the Lords Table That is First a right and worthy estimation and understanding of this Mystery Secondly to come in a sure Faith And Thirdly to have newness or pureness of life to succeed the receiving of the same But before all other things this we must be sure of especially that this Supper be in such wise done and ministred as our Lord and Saviour did and commanded to be done as his holy Apostles used it and the good Fathers in the Primitive Church frequented it For as that worthy man St. Ambrose saith he is unworthy of the Lord that otherwise doth celebrate that Mystery than it was delivered by him Neither can he be devout that otherwise doth presume than it was given by the Author We must then take heed lest of the Memory it be made a Sacrifice lest of a Communion it be made a private eating lest of two parts we have but one lest applying it for the dead we lose the fruit that be alive Let us rather in these matters follow the advice of Cyprian in the like cases that is cleave fast to the first beginning hold fast the Lords tradition do that in the Lords commemoration which he himself did he himself commanded and his Apostles confirmed This caution or fore-sight if we use then may we see those things that be requisite in the worthy receiver whereof this was the first that we have a right understanding of the thing it self As concerning which thing this we may assuredly perswade our selves that the ignorant man can neither worthily esteem nor effectually use those marvellous graces and benefits offered and exhibited in that Supper but either will lightly regard them to no small offence or utterly condemn them to his utter destruction So that by his negligence he deserveth the Plagues of God to fall upon him and by contempt he deserveth everlasting Perdition To avoid then these harms use the advice of the Wise man Prov. 23. who willeth thee when thou sittest at an earthly Kings Table to take diligent heed what things are set before thee So now much more at the King of Kings Table thou must carefully search and know what dainties are provided for thy Soul whither thou art come not to feed thy senses and belly to corruption but thy inward man to immortality and life nor to consider the earthly creatures which thou seest but the heavenly graces which thy Faith beholdeth For this Table is not saith Chrysostom
Christian Man is that it causeth not a Man to be idle but to be occupied in bringing forth good Works No good Works can be done without Faith John 15. as occasion serveth Now by God's Grace shall be declared the Second thing that before was noted of Faith that without it can no good Work be done accepted and pleasant unto God For as a branch cannot bear fruit of itself saith our Saviour Christ except it abide in the Vine so cannot you except you abide in me I am the Vine and you are the branches he that abideth in me and I in him he bringeth forth much fruit for without me you can do nothing And St. Paul proveth that the Eunuch had Faith because he pleased God Heb. 11. For without Faith saith he it is not possible to please God And again to the Romans he saith Rom. 14. Whatsoever work is done without faith it is sin Faith giveth life to the Soul and they be as much dead to God that lack Faith as they be to the World whose Bodies lack Souls Without Faith all that is done of us is but dead before God although the work seem never so gay and glorious before Man Even as the Picture graven or painted is but a dead representation of the thing itself and is without life or any manner of moving So be the Works of all unfaithful Persons before God They do appear to be lively Works and indeed they be but dead not availing to the everlasting life They be but shadows and shews of lively and good things and not good and lively things indeed For true Faith doth give life to the Works and out of such Faith come good Works that be very good Works indeed and without Faith no Work is good before God as saith St. Augustine In Praefat. Psal 13. We must set no good Works before Faith nor think that before Faith a Man may do any good VVorks for such VVorks although they seem unto Men to be praise-worthy yet indeed they be but vain and not allowed before God They be as the Course of an Horse that runneth out of the way which taketh great labour but to no purpose Let no Man therefore saith he reckon upon his good Works before his Faith VVhereas Faith was not good VVorks were not The intent saith he maketh good VVorks but Faith must guide and order the intent of Man And Christ saith Matth. 6. In Praefat. Psal 31. If thine eye be naught thy whole body is full of darkness The Eye doth signifie the intent saith St. Augustine wherewith a Man doth a thing So that he which doth not his good VVorks with a godly intent and a true Faith that worketh by Love the whole Body beside that is to say all the whole number of his Works is dark and there is no light in them For good Deeds be not measured by the Facts themselves and so discerned from Vices but by the ends and intents for the which they were done If a Heathen Man cloath the Naked feed the Hungry and do such other like Works yet because he doth them not in Faith for the Honour and Love of God they be but dead vain and fruitless Works to him Faith it is that doth commend the Work to God For as St. Augustine saith whether thou wilt or no that Work that cometh not of Faith is naught Where the Faith of Christ is not the foundation there is no good Work what Building soever we make There is one Work in the which be all good Works that is Faith which worketh by Charity If thou have it thou hast the ground of all good Works For the virtues of Strength Wisdom Temperance and Justice be all referred unto this same Faith Without this Faith we have not them but only the names and shadows of them as St. Augustine saith All the life of them that lack the true Faith is Sin and nothing is Good without him that is the Author of Goodness Where he is not there is but feigned Virtue although it be in the best VVorks And St. Augustine De vocatione Gentium lib. cap. 3. declaring this Verse of the Psalm The Turtle hath found a nest where she may keep her young Birds saith that Jews Hereticks and Pagans do good VVorks they cloath the Naked feed the Poor and do other good works of Mercy But because they be not done in the true Faith therefore the Birds be lost But if they remain in Faith then Faith is the nest and safeguard of their Birds that is to say safeguard of their good VVorks that the reward of them be not utterly lost And this matter which St. Augustine at large in many Books disputeth St. Ambrose concludeth in few words saying He that by nature would withstand Vice either by natural VVill or Reason he doth in vain garnish the time of this Life and attaineth not the very true Virtues For without the worshipping of the true God that which seemeth to be Virtue is Vice And yet most plainly to this purpose writeth St. Chrysostome in this wife In Sermone de side lege spiritu Sancto You shall find many which have not the true Faith that be not of the flock of Christ and yet as it appeareth they flourish in good works of Mercy You shall find them full of Pity Compassion and given to Justice and yet for all that they have no fruit of their VVorks because the chief VVork lacketh For when the Jews asked of Christ what they should do to work good VVorks He answer'd John 6. This is the work of God to believe in him whom he sent So that he called Faith the VVork of God And as soon as a Man hath Faith anon he shall flourish in good VVorks For Faith of itself is full of good Works and nothing is good without Faith And for a similitude he saith That they which glister and shine in good Works without Faith in God be like dead Men which have goodly and precious Tombs and yet it availeth them nothing Faith may not be naked without good Works for then it is no true Faith And when it is adjoyned to Works yet it is above the Works For as Men that be very Men indeed first have life and after be nourished So must our Faith in Christ go before and after be nourished with good Works And life may be without nourishment but nourishment cannot be without life A Man must needs be nourished by good Works but first he must have Faith He that doth good Deeds yet without Faith he hath no Life I can shew a Man that by Faith without Works lived and came to Heaven But without Faith never Man had Life The Thief that was hanged when Christ suffer'd did Believe only and the most merciful God justified him And because no Man shall say a-again that he lacked time to do good Works for else he would have done them Truth it is and I will
for chattering Jays but for Eagles who flie thither where the dead body lieth And if this advertisement of man cannot perswade us to resort to the Lords Table with understanding see the counsel of God in the like matter who charged his People to teach their Posterity not only the Rites and Ceremonies of the Passover but the cause and end thereof Whence we may learn that both more perfect knowledge is required at this time at our hands and that the ignorant cannot with fruit and profit exercise himself in the Lords Sacraments But to come nigher to the matter St. Paul blaming the Corinthians for the profaning of the Lords Supper concludeth that ignorance both of the thing it self and the signification thereof was the cause of their abuse for they came thither unreverently not discerning the Lords Body Ought not we then by the motion of the Wise man by the wisdom of God by the fearful example of the Corinthians to take advised heed that we thrust not our selves to this Table with rude and unreverent ignorance the smart whereof Christs Church hath rued and lamented these many days and years For what hath been the cause of the ruin of Gods Religion but the ignorance hereof What hath been the cause of this gross Idolatry but the ignorance hereof What hath been the cause of this mummish Massing but the ignorance hereof Yea what hath been and what is at this day the cause of this want of love and charity but the ignorance hereof Let us therefore so travel to understand the Lords Supper that we be no cause of the decay of Gods Worship of no Idolatry of no dumb Massing of no hate and malice so may we the boldier have access thither to our comfort Acts 1. Neither need we to think that such exact knowledge is required of every man Matth. 26. that he be able to discuss all high points in the Doctrine thereof But thus much we must be sure to hold that in the Supper of the Lord there is no vain Ceremony no bare sign no untrue figure of a thing absent 1 Cor. 11. But as the Scripture saith the Table of the Lord the Bread and Cup of the Lord the memory of Christ the Annunciation of his death yea the Communion of the Body and Blood of the Lord in a marvellous incorporation which by the operation of the Holy Ghost the very bond of our conjunction with Christ is through faith wrought in the souls of the faithful whereby not only their souls live to eternal life but they surely trust to win their bodies a resurrection to immortality The true understanding of this fruition and union which is betwixt the Body and the Head betwixt the true Believers and Christ Iren. lib. 4. cap. 34. Igna. Epist ad Ephes Dionysius Origen Optat. Cyp. de caena Domini Atha de pec inspir sanct the ancient Catholick Fathers both perceiving themselves and commending to their People were not afraid to call this Supper some of them the Salve of Immortality and Sovereign Preservative against Death other a Deifical Communion other the sweet dainties of our Saviour the pledge of eternal health the defence of Faith the hope of the Resurrection other the food of Immortality the healthful Grace and the Conservatory to everlasting life All which sayings both of the Holy Scripture and godly men truly attributed to this celestial Banquet and Feast if we would often call to mind O how would they inflame our hearts to desire the participation of these Mysteries and oftentimes to covet after this bread continually to thirst for this food Not as especially regarding the terrene and earthly Creatures which remain but always holding fast and cleaving by Faith to the Rock whence we may suck the sweetness of everlasting Salvation And to be brief thus much more the Faithful see hear and know the favourable mercies of God sealed the satisfaction by Christ towards us confirmed and the remission of sin established Here they may feel wrought the tranquillity of Conscience the increase of Faith the strengthening of Hope the large spreading abroad of brotherly kindness with many other sundry graces of God The taste whereof they cannot attain unto who be drowned in the deep dirty lake of blindness and ignorance From the which O beloved wash your selves with the living Waters of Gods Word whence you may perceive and know both the spiritual food of this costly Supper and the happy trustings and effects that the same doth bring with it Now it followeth to have with this knowledge a sure and constant Faith not only that the death of Christ is available for the redemption of all the World for the remission of sins and reconciliation with God the Father but also that he hath made upon his Cross a full and sufficient Sacrifice for thee a perfect cleansing of thy sins so that thou acknowledgest no other Saviour Redeemer Mediator Advocate Intercessor but Christ only and that thou mayest say with the Apostle that he loved thee and gave himself for thee For this is to stick fast to Christs promise made in his Institution to make Christ thine own and to apply his merits unto thy self Herein thou needest no other mans help no other Sacrifice or Oblation no sacrificing Priest no Mass no means established by mans invention That Faith is a necessary instrument in all these holy Ceremonies we may thus assure our selves for that as St. Paul saith without Faith it is unpossible to please God Heb. 11. In Johan Hom. 6. When a great number of the Israelites were overthrown in the Wilderness Moses Aaron and Phineas did eat Manna and pleased God for that they understood saith St. Augustine the visible meat spiritually Spiritually they hungred it spiritually they tasted it that they might be spiritually satisfied And truly as the bodily meat cannot feed the outward man unless it be let into the stomach to be digested which is healthful and sound no more can the inward man be fed except his meat be received into his soul and heart De Caena Domini sound and whole in Faith Therefore saith Cyprian when we do these things we need not to whet our teeth but with sincere Faith we break and divide that whole bread It is well known that the meat we seek for in this Supper is spiritual food the nourishment of our soul a heavenly refection and not earthly and invisible meat and not bodily a ghostly substance and not carnal so that to think that without Faith we may enjoy the eating and drinking thereof or that that is the fruition of it is but to dream a gross carnal feeding basely objecting and binding our selves to the Elements and Creatures Whereas by the advice of the Council of Nicene Concilium Nicen. we ought to lift up our minds by Faith and leaving these inferiour and earthly things there seek it where the Sun of Righteousness ever shineth Take then this Lesson
all from sin He is the Physician which healeth all our Diseases He is that Saviour which saveth People from all their sins To be short Matth. 1. he is that flowing and most plentious Fountain of whose fulness all we have received For in him alone are all the treasures of the wisdom and knowledge of God hidden And in him and by him have we from God the Father all good things pertaining either to the Body or to the Soul O how much are we bound to this our Heavenly Father for his great Mercies which he hath so plenteously declared unto us in Christ Jesu our Lord and Saviour What Thanks worthy and sufficient can we give to him Let us all with one accord burst out with joyful voice ever Praising and Magnifying this Lord of Mercy for his tender Kindness shewed unto us in his dearly beloved Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Hitherto we have heard what we are of ourselves very sinful wretched and damnable Again we have heard how that of ourselves and by ourselves we are not able either to think a good Thought or work a good Deed so that we can find in ourselves no hope of Salvation but rather whatsoever maketh unto our Destruction Again we have heard the tender Kindness and great Mercy of God the Father towards us and how beneficial he is to us for Christ's sake without our Merits or Deserts even of his own mere Mercy and tender Goodness Now how these exceeding great Mercies of God set abroad in Christ Jesu for us be obtained and how we be delivered from the captivity of Sin Death and Hell shall more at large with God's help be declared in the next Sermon In the mean season yea and at all times let us learn to know ourselves our frailty and weakness without any boasting or cracking of our own good Deeds and Merits Let us also acknowledge the exceeding Mercy of God towards us and confess that as of ourselves cometh all Evil and Damnation so likewise of him cometh all Goodness and Salvation Osee 13. as God himself saith by the Prophet Osee O Israel thy destruction cometh of thyself but in me only is thy help and comfort If we thus Humbly submit ourselves in the sight of God we may be sure that in the time of his Visitation he will lift us up unto the Kingdom of his dearly beloved Son Christ Jesu our Lord to whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost be all Honour and Glory for ever Amen A SERMON OF THE Salvation of Mankind by only Christ our Saviour from Sin and Death everlasting BEcause all Men be Sinners and Offenders against God and Breakers of his Law and Commandments therefore can no Man by his own Acts Works and Deeds seem they never so good be justified and made righteous before God But every Man of necessity is constrained to seek for another Righteousness of Justification to be received at God's own hands that is to say the forgiveness of his Sins and Trespasses in such things as he hath offended And this Justification or Righteousness which we so receive of God's Mercy and Christ's Merits embraced by Faith is taken accepted and allowed of God for our perfect and full Justification For the more full understanding hereof it is our Parts and Duties ever to remember the great Mercy of God how that all the World being wrapped in Sin by breaking of the Law God sent his only Son our Saviour Christ into this World to fulfil the Law for us and by shedding of his most precious Blood to make a sacrifice and satisfaction or as it may be called amends to his Father for our sins to asswage his Wrath and Indignation conceived against us for the same The efficacy of Christ's Passion and Oblation Insomuch that Infants being Baptized and dying in their Infancy are by this Sacrifice washed from their Sins brought to God's Favour and made his Children and Inheritors of his Kingdom of Heaven And they which in Act or Deed do sin after their Baptism when they turn again to God unfeignedly they are likewise washed by this Sacrifice from their sins in such sort that there remaineth not any spot of Sin that shall be imputed to their Damnation This is that justification of Righteousness which St. Paul speaketh of when he saith No man is Justified by the works of the Law Gal. 2. but freely by faith in Jesus Christ And again he saith We believe in Jesus Christ that we be justified freely by the faith of Christ and not by the works of the Law because that no Man shall be justified by the works of the Law And although this justification be free unto us yet it cometh not so freely unto us that there is no ransom paid therefore at all But here may Man's Reason be astonished reasoning after this fashion Objection If a Ransom be paid for our Redemption then is it not given us freely For a Prisoner that payd his Ransom is not let go freely For if he go freely then he goeth without Ransom For what is it else to go freely than to be set at liberty without paying of Ransom Answer This Reason is satisfied by the great Wisdom of God in this mystery of our Redemption who hath so tempered his Justice and Mercy together that he would neither by his Justice condemn us unto the everlasting Captivity of the Devil and his Prison of Hell remediless for ever without Mercy nor by his Mercy deliver us clearly without Justice or Payment of a just Ransom but with his endless Mercy he joyned his most upright and equal Justice His great Mercy he shewed unto us in delivering us from our former Captivity without requiring of any Ransom to be paid or amends to be made upon our parts which thing by us had been impossible to be done And whereas it lay not in us to do that he provided a Ransom for us that was the most precious Body and Blood of his own most dear and best beloved Son Jesu Christ who besides this Ransom fulfilled the Law for us perfectly And so the Justice of God and his Mercy did embrace together and fulfilled the Mystery of our Redemption And of this Justice and Mercy of God knit together speaketh St. Paul in the third Chap. to the Romans Rom. 3. All have offended and have need of the Glory of God but are justified freely by Grace by Redemption which is in Jesu Christ whom God hath sent forth to us for a Reconciler and Peace-maker through Faith in his Blood to shew his righteousness And in the 10th Chapter Rom. 10. Rom. 8. Christ is the end of the Law unto righteousness to every man that believeth And in the 8th Chapter That which was impossible by the Law inasmuch as it was weak by the flesh God sending his own Son in the similitude of sinful flesh by sin condemned sin in the flesh that the righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us
to be ever ready to give ourselves to our Neighbours and as much as lieth in us to study with all our endeavour to do good to every Man These be the fruits of true Faith to do good asmuch as lieth in us to every Man and above all things and in all things to advance the Glory of God of whom only we have our Sanctification Justification Salvation and Redemption To whom be ever Glory Praise and Honour VVorld without end Amen A Short DECLARATION OF THE True Lively and Christian Faith Faith THE First coming unto God good Christian People is through Faith whereby as it is declared in the last Sermon we be Justified before God And lest any Man should be deceived for lack of right Understanding thereof it is diligently to be noted that Faith is taken in the Scripture two manner of ways A dead Faith There is one Faith which in Scripture is called a Dead Faith which bringeth forth no good Works but is idle barren and unfruitful And this Faith by the Holy Apostle St. James is compared to the Faith of Devils James 2. which believe God to be True and Just and tremble for fear yet they do nothing well but all evil And such a manner of Faith have the wicked and naughty Christian People which confess God as St. Paul saith in their mouths Titus 6. but deny him in their deeds being abominable and without the right Faith and to all good works reproveable And this Faith is a Persuasion and Belief in Man's Heart whereby he knoweth that there is a God and agreeth unto all Truths of God's most Holy Word contained in the Holy Scripture So that it consisteth only in Believing in the Word of God that it is true And this is not properly called Faith But as he that readeth Caesar's Commentary believing the same to be true hath thereby a knowledge of Caesar's Life and notable Acts because he believeth the History of Caesar Yet it is not properly said that he believeth in Caesar of whom he looketh for no help nor benefit Even so he that Believeth that all that is spoken of God in the Bible is true and yet liveth so ungodly that he cannot look to enjoy the Promises and Benefits of God Although it may be said that such a Man hath a Faith and Belief to the Words of God yet it is not properly said that he believeth in God or hath such a Faith and Trust in God whereby he may surely look for Grace Mercy and everlasting Life at God's hand but rather for Indignation and Punishment according to the Merits of his wicked Life For as it is written in a Book Entituled to be of Didymus Alexandrinus Forasmuch as Faith without Works is dead it is not now Faith as a dead Man is not a Man This dead Faith therefore is not that sure and substantial Faith which saveth Sinners Another Faith there is in Scripture which is not as the aforesaid Faith idle unfruitful and dead A lively Faith but worketh by charity as St. Paul declareth Gal. 5. Which as the other vain Faith is called a dead Faith so may this be called a quick or lively Faith And this is not only the common belief of the Articles of our Faith but it is also a true Trust and Confidence of the Mercy of God through our Lord Jesus Christ and a stedfast hope of all good things to be received at God's hand And that although we through Infirmity or Temptation of our Ghostly enemy do fall from him by Sin yet if we return again unto him by true Repentance that he will forgive and forget our Offences for his Sons sake our Saviour Jesus Christ and will make us Inheritors with him of his everlasting Kingdom and that in the mean time untill that Kingdom come he will be our Protector and Defender in all perils and dangers whatsoever do chance And that though somtime he doth send us sharp adversity yet that evermore he will be a loving Father unto us correcting us for our Sin but not withdrawing his Mercy finally from us if we trust in him and commit our selves wholly unto him hang only upon him and call upon him ready to obey and serve him This is the true lively and unfeigned Christian Faith and is not in the Mouth and outward Profession only but it liveth and stirreth inwardly in the Heart And this Faith is not without Hope and Trust in God nor without the Love of God and of our Neighbors nor without the Fear of God nor without the Desire to hear God's Word and to follow the same in eschewing Evil and doing gladly all good Works Heb. 12. Thus Faith as St. Paul describeth it is the sure ground and foundation of the benefits which we ought to look for and trust to receive of God a Certificate and sure looking for them although they yet sensibly appear not unto us And after he saith He that cometh to God must believe both that he is and that he is a merciful rewarder of Well-doers And nothing commendeth good Men unto God so much as this assured Faith and Trust in him Of this Faith three things are specially to be noted Three things are to be noted of Faith First that this Faith doth not lye dead in the Heart but is lively and fruitful in bringing forth good Works Secondly that without it can no good Works be done that shall be acceptable and pleasant to God Thirdly what manner of good Works they be that this Faith doth bring forth Faith is full of good Works For the First That as the Light cannot be hid but will shew forth itself at one place or other So a true Faith cannot be kept secret but when occasion is offered it will break out and shew itself by good Works And as the living Body of a Man ever exerciseth such things as belong to a natural and living Body for nourishment and preservation of the same as it hath need opportunity and occasion Even so the Soul that hath a lively Faith in it will be doing alway some good Work which shall declare that it is living and will not be unoccupied Therefore when Men hear in the Scripture so high commendations of Faith that it maketh us to please God to live with God and to be the Children of God If then they fancy that they be set at liberty from doing all good Works and may live as they list they trifle with God and deceive themselves And it is a manifest token that they be far from having the true and lively Faith and also far from Knowledge what true Faith meaneth For the very sure and lively Christian Faith is not only to believe all things of God which are contained in Holy Scripture but also is an earnest Trust and Confidence in God that he doth regard us and that he is careful over us as the Father is over the Child whom he doth love and that
a more perfect Service and Honouring of God and more pleasing to God than the keeping of God's Commandments Such hath been the corrupt inclination of Man ever Superstitiously given to make new Honouring of God on his own Head and then to have more Affection and Devotion to keep that than to search out God's Holy Commandments and to keep them And furthermore to take God's Commandments for Men's Commandments and Men's Commandments for God's Commandments yea and for the highest and most Perfect and Holiest of all God's Commandments And so was all confused that scant well learned Men and but a small number of them knew or at the least would know and durst affirm the Truth to separate or sever God's Commandments from the Commandments of Men. Whereupon did grow much Error Superstition Idolatry Vain-religion Overthwart-iudgment great Contention with all ungodly living An exhortation to the keeping of God's Commandments Wherefore as you have any Zeal to the right and pure Honouring of God as you have any regard to your own Souls and to the Life that is to come which is both without pain and without end apply yourselves chiefly above all things to read and hear God's Word mark diligently therein what his Will is you shall do and with all your endeavour apply your selves to follow the same A brief rehearsal of God's Commandments First you must have an assured Faith in God and give yourselves wholly unto him love him in prosperity and adversity and dread to offend him evermore Then for his sake love all Men Friends and Foes because they be his Creation and Image and redeemed by Christ as ye are Cast in your Minds how you may do good unto all Men unto your Powers and hurt no Man Obey all your Superiors and Governors serve your Masters faithfully and diligently as well in their absence as in their presence not for dread of punishment only but for Conscience sake knowing that you are bound so to do by God's Commandments Disobey not your Fathers and Mothers but Honour them Help them and Please them to your power Oppress not kill not beat not neither slander nor hate any Man But love all Men speak well of all Men help and succor every Man as you may yea even your Enemies that hate you that speak evil of you and that do hurt you Take no Man's Goods nor covet your neighbor's Goods wrongfully but content yourselves with that which ye get truly and also bestow your own Goods charitably as Need and Case requireth Flee all Idolatry Witchcraft and Perjury commit no manner of Adultery Fornication or other Unchastness in Will nor in Deed with any other Mans Wife Widow or Maid or otherwise And travelling continually during this life thus in keeping the Commandments of God wherein standeth the pure principal and right Honour of God and which wrought in Faith God hath ordained to be the right trade and pathway unto Heaven you shall not fail as Christ hath promised to come to that blessed and everlasting life where you shall live in Glory and Joy with God for ever To whom be Praise Honour and Empery for ever and ever Amen A SERMON Of Christian Love and Charity OF all things that be good to be taught unto Christian People there is nothing more necessary to be spoken of and daily called upon than Charity As well for that all manner of works of Righteousness be contained in it as also that the decay thereof is the ruin or fall of the World the banishment of Virtue and the cause of all Vice And forsomuch as almost every Man maketh and frameth to himself Charity after his own appetite and how detestable soever his life be both unto God and Man yet he persuadeth himself still that he hath Charity Therefore you shall hear now a true and plain description or setting forth of Charity not of Men's Imagination but of the very words and example of our Saviour Jesus Christ In which description or setting forth every Man as it were in a Glass may consider himself and see plainly without error whether he be in the true Charity or not Charity is to love God with all our Heart What Charity is The love of God all our Soul and all our Powers and strength With all our Heart that is to say That our Heart Mind and Study be set to believe his Word to trust in him and to Love him above all other things that we love best in Heaven or in Earth With all our Life That is to say that our chief joy and delight be set upon Him and His Honor and our whole Life given unto the Service of him above all things with him to live and dye and to forsake all other things rather than him For he that loveth his father or mother Matth. 10. son or daughter house or land more than me saith Christ is not worthy to have me With all our Power That is to say that with our Hands and Feet with our Eyes and Ears our Mouths and Tongues and with all our Parts and Powers both of Body and Soul we should be given to the keeping and fulfilling of his Commandments The love of thy neighbor This is the First and Principal Part of Charity but it is not the whole For Charity is also to love every Man Good and Evil Friend and Foe and whatsoever cause be given to the contrary yet nevertheless to bear good Will and Heart unto every Man to use ourselves well unto them as well in Words and Countenances as in all our outward Acts and Deeds For so Christ himself taught and so also he performed indeed Of the love of God he taught on this wife unto a Doctor of the Law that asked him which was the great and chief Commandment in the Law Love thy Lord God Matth. 22. said Christ with all thy heart with all thy soul and with all thy mind And of the love that we ought to have among ourselves each to other he teacheth us thus You have heard it taught in times past Matth. 5. Matth. 5. Thou shalt love thy friend and have thy foe But I tell you love your enemies speak well of them that defame and speak evil of you do well to them that hate you pray for them that vex and persecute you that you may be the children of your father that is in Heaven For he maketh his Sun to rise both upon the evil and good and sendeth rain to the just and unjust For if you love them that love you What reward shall you have Do not the Publicans likewise And if you speak well only of them that be your brethren and dearly beloved friends what great matter is that Do not the Heathen the same also These be the very words of our Saviour Christ himself touching the love of our neighbor And forasmuch as the Pharises with their most pestilent Traditions and false interpretations and glosses had corrupted and almost
so not conceiving a right Faith thereof make those Promises larger than ever God did trusting that although they continue in their sinful and detestable Living never so long yet that God at the end of their Life will shew his Mercy upon them and that then they will return And both these two sorts of Men be in a damnable state and yet nevertheless God who willeth not the Death of the wicked Ezek. 18. and 33. hath shewed means whereby both the same if they take heed in season may escape The first Against desperation as they do dread God's rightful Justice in punishing Sinners whereby they should be dismayed and should despair indeed as touching any hope that may be in themselves so if they would constantly or stedfastly believe that God's Mercy is the Remedy appointed against such despair and distrust not only for them but generally for all that be sorry and truely repentant and will therewithal stick to God's Mercy they may be sure they shall obtain Mercy and enter into the Port or Haven of Safeguard into the which whosoever doth come be they beforetime never so wicked they shall be out of danger of everlasting damnation Ezek. 3. as God by Ezekiel saith What time soever a Sinner doth return and take earnest and true Repentance Against Presumption I will forget all his Wickedness The other as they be ready to believe God's Promises so they should be as ready to believe the Threatnings of God As well they should believe the Law as the Gospel As well that there is an Hell and everlasting Fire as that there is an Heaven and everlasting Joy As well they should believe Damnation to be threatned to the wicked and evil doers as Salvation to be promised to the faithful in Word and Works As well they should believe God to be true in the one as in the other And the Sinners that continue in their wicked living ought to think that the Promises of God's Mercy and the Gospel pertain not unto them being in that state but only the Law and those Scriptures which contain the Wrath and Indignation of God and his Threatnings which should certifie them that as they do over-boldly presume of God's Mercy and live dissolutely So doth God still more and more withdraw his Mercy from them and he is so provoked thereby to wrath at length that he destroyeth such Presumers many times suddenly 1 Thess 5. For of such St. Paul saith thus When they shall say it is Peace there is no danger then shall sudden destruction come upon them Let us beware therefore of such naughty boldness to Sin For God which hath promised his Mercy to them that be truly repentant although it be at the later end hath not promised to the presumptuous Sinner either that he shall have long Life or that he shall have true Repentance at the last end But for that purpose hath he made every Man's death uncertain that he should not put his hope in the end and in the mean season to God's high displeasure live ungodly Wherefore let us follow the Counsel of the wise Man let us make no tarrying to turn unto the Lord Let us not put off from day to day for suddenly shall his Wrath come and in time of Vengeance he will destroy the wicked Let us therefore turn betimes and when we turn let us pray to God Osee 14. as Osee teacheth saying Forgive all our Sins receive us graciously And if we turn to him with an humble and a very penitent Heart he will receive us to his Favour and Grace for his Holy Names sake for his Promise sake for his Truth and Mercies sake promised to all faithful Believers in Jesus Christ his only natural Son To whom the only Saviour of the World with the Father and the Holy Ghost be all honor glory and power world without end Amen AN EXHORTATION Against the Fear of Death IT is not to be marvelled that worldly Men do fear to die For death depriveth them of all worldly Honors Riches and Possessions in the fruition whereof the worldly Man counteth himself happy so long as he may enjoy them at his own Pleasure and otherwise if he be dispossessed of the same without hope of recovery then he can no otherwise think of himself but that he is unhappy because he hath lost his worldly Joy and Pleasure Alas thinketh this carnal Man shall I now depart for ever from all my Honors all my Treasure from my Country Friends Riches Possessions and worldly Pleasures which are my Joy and Heart's delight Alas that ever that day should come when all these I must bid farewel at once and never enjoy any of them after Wherefore it is not without great cause spoken of the wise Man O Death Eccles 41. how bitter and sower is the remembrance of thee to a Man that liveth in Peace and Prosperity in his Substance to a Man living at ease leading his Life after his own Mind without trouble and is therewithal well pampered and fed There be other Men whom this World doth not so greatly laugh upon but rather vex and oppress with Poverty Sickness or some other Adversity yet they do fear death partly because the Flesh abhorreth naturally it 's own sorrowful dissolution which death doth threaten to them and partly by reason of Sicknesses and painful diseases which be most strong Pangs and Agonies in the Flesh and use commonly to come to sick Men before death or at the least accompany death whensoever it cometh Although these two Causes seem great and weighty to a worldly Man whereupon he is moved to fear death yet there is another Cause much greater than any of these afore rehearsed for which indeed he hath just cause to fear death and that is the state and condition whereunto at the last end death bringeth all them that have their Hearts fixed upon this World without Repentance and Amendment This state and condition is called the second death which unto all such shall ensue after this bodily death And this is that death which indeed ought to be dreaded and feared For it is an everlasting loss without remedy of the Grace and Favor of God and of everlasting Joy Pleasure and Felicity And it is not only the loss for ever of all these eternal Pleasures but also it is the condemnation both of Body and Soul without either appellation or hope of redemption unto everlasting pains in Hell Unto this state death sent the unmerciful and ungodly rich Man Luke 16. that Luke speaketh of in his Gospel who living in all Wealth and Pleasure in this World and cherishing himself daily with dainty Fare and gorgeous Apparel despised poor Lazarus that lay pitiful at his Gate miserably plagued and full of Sores and also grievously pined with Hunger Both these two were arrested by death which sent Lazarus the poor miserable Man by Angels anon unto Abraham's Bosom a place of Rest
Pleasure and Consolation But the unmerciful rich Man descended down into Hell and being in Torments he cried for Comfort complaining of the intolerable pain that he suffered in that flame of Fire but it was too late So unto this place bodily death sendeth all them that in this World have their Joy and Felicity all them that in this World be unfaithful unto God and uncharitable unto their Neighbours so dying without Repentance and hope of God's Mercy Wherefore it is no marvel that the worldly Man feareth death for he hath much more cause so to do than he himself doth consider Thus we see three Causes why worldly Men fear death One The First because they shall lose thereby their worldly Honors Riches Possessions and all their Hearts desires Another Second because of the painful diseases and bitter pangs which commonly Men suffer either before or at the time of death Third But the chief cause above all other is the dread of the miserable state of eternal damnation both of Body and Soul which they fear shall follow after their departing from the worldly Pleasures of this present Life For these Causes be all mortal Men which be given to the love of this World both in fear and state of death through Sin as the Holy Apostle saith so long as they live here in this World But Heb. 10. everlasting thanks be to Almighty God for ever there is never a one of all these Causes no nor yet them all together that can make a true Christian man afraid to die who is the very Member of Christ 1 Cor. 3. the Temple of the Holy Ghost the Son of God and the very Inheritor of the everlasting Kingdom of Heaven but plainly contrary he conceiveth great and many Causes undoubtedly grounded upon the infallible and everlasting truth of the Word of God which moveth him not only to put away the fear of bodily death but also for the manifold Benefits and singular Commodities which ensue unto every faithful Person by reason of the same to wish desire and long heartily for it For death shall be to him no death at all but a very deliverance from death from all Pains Cares and Sorrows Miseries and Wretchedness of this World and the very entry into Rest and a beginning of everlasting Joy a tasting of heavenly Pleasures so great that neither Tongue is able to express neither Eye to see nor Ear to hear them no nor any earthly Man's heart to conceive them So exceeding great Benefits they be which God our heavenly Father by his mere Mercy and for the Love of his Son Jesus Christ hath laid up in store and prepared for them that humbly submit themselves to God's Will and evermore unfeignedly love him from the bottom of their Hearts And we ought to believe that death being slain by Christ cannot keep any Man that stedfastly trusteth in Christ under his perpetual Tyranny and Subjection But that he shall rise from death again unto Glory at the last day appointed by Almighty God like as Christ our Head did rise again according to God's appointment the third day For St. Augustine saith The Head going before the Members trust to follow and come after And St. Paul saith If Christ be risen from the dead we shall rise also from the same And to comfort all Christian Persons herein Holy Scripture calleth this bodily death a sleep wherein Man's Senses be as it were taken from him for a season and yet when he awaketh he is more fresh than he was when he went to Bed So although we have our Souls separated from our Bodies for a season yet at the general Resurrection we shall be more fresh beautiful and perfect than we be now For now we be mortal then shall we be immortal Now infected with divers Infirmities then clearly void of all mortal Infirmities Now we be subject to all carnal desires then we shall be all Spiritual desiring nothing but God's Glory and things eternal Thus is this bodily death a door or entring unto Life and therefore not so much dreadful if it be rightly considered as it is comfortable not a mischief but a Remedy for all mischief no Enemy but a Friend not a cruel Tyrant but a gentle Guide leading us not to mortality but to immortality not to Sorrow and Pain but to Joy and Pleasure and that to endure for ever if it be thankfully taken and accepted as God's Messenger and patiently born of us for Christ's Love that suffered most painful death for our Love to redeem us from death eternal Accordingly hereunto St. Paul saith Col. 3. Our Life is hid with Christ in God But when our Life shall appear then shall we also appear with him in Glory Why then shall we fear to die considering the manifold and comfortable Promises of the Gospel and of Holy Scriptures 1 John 5. God the Father hath given us everlasting Life saith St. John 1 John 5. and this Life is in his Son He that hath the Son hath Life and he that hath not the Son hath not Life And this I write saith St. John to you that believe in the Name of the Son of God that you may know that you have everlasting Life and that you do believe upon the Name of the Son of God And our Saviour Christ saith John 5. He that believeth in me hath Life everlasting and I will raise him from Death to Life at the last day St. Paul also saith 1 Cor. 1. That Christ is ordained and made of God our Righteousness or Holiness and Redemption to the intent that he which will glory should glory in the Lord. St. Paul did contemn and set little by all other things Phil. 3. esteeming them as Dung which before he had in very great price that he might be found in Christ to have everlasting Life true Holiness Righteousness and Redemption Finally St. Paul maketh a plain Argument on this wise Rom. 8. If our heavenly Father would not spare his own natural Son but did give him to death for us how can it it be but that with him he should give us all things Therefore if we have Christ then have we with him and by him all good things whatsoever we can in our Hearts wish or desire as Victory over Death Sin and Hell We have the Favour of God Peace with him Holiness Wisdom Justice Power Life and Redemption we have by him perpetual Health Wealth Joy and Bliss everlasting The Second Part of the Sermon against the Fear of Death IT hath been heretofore shewed you That there be three Causes wherefore Men do commonly fear Death First the sorrowful departing from Worldly Goods and Pleasures The Second the fear of the pangs and pains that come with Death The last and principal Cause is The horrible fear of extreme Misery and perpetual Damnation in time to come And yet none of these three Causes troubleth good Men because they stay
dalliance and but a touch of youth Not rebuked but winked at Not punished but laughed at Wherefore it is necessary at this present Exod. 20. to treat of the sin of Whoredom and Fornication declaring unto you the greatness of this Sin and how odious hateful and abominable it is and hath alway been reputed before God and all good Men and how grievously it hath been punished both by the Law of God and the Laws of divers Princes Again to shew you certain remedies whereby ye may through the Grace of God eschew this most detestable sin of Whoredom and Fornication and lead your lives in all Honesty and Cleanness and that ye may perceive that Fornication and Whoredome are in the sight of God most abominable Sins ye shall call to remembrance this Commandment of God Thou shalt not commit Adultery By the which word Adultery although it be properly understood of the unlawful commixtion or joining together of a married Man with any Woman beside his Wife or of a Wife with any Man beside her Husband Yet thereby is signified also all unlawful use of those Parts which be ordained for Generation And this one Commandment forbidding Adultery doth sufficiently paint and set out before our Eyes the greatness of this Sin of Whoredom and manifestly declareth how greatly it ought to be abhorred of all honest and faithful Persons And that none of us all shall think himself excepted from this Commandment whether he be old or young married or unmarried Man or Woman hear what God the Father saith by his most Excellent Prophet Moses Deut. 23. There shall be no Whore among the Daughters of Israel nor no Whoremonger among the Sons of Israel Here is Whoredom Fornication and all other uncleanness forbidden to all kinds of People all Degrees and all Ages without exception And that we shall not doubt but that this Precept or Commandment pertaineth to us indeed hear what Christ the perfect Teacher of all Truth saith in the Now Testament Ye have heard saith Christ that it was said to them of old time Matth. 5. Thou shalt not commit Adultery But I say unto you Whosoever seeth a Woman to have his Lust of her hath committed Adultery with her already in his Heart Here our Saviour Christ doth not only confirm and establish the Law against Adultery given in the Old Testament of God the Father by his Servant Mâ—ses and make it of full strength continually to remain among the Professors of his Name in the new Law But he also condemning the gross interpretation of the Scribes and Pharisees which taught that the foresaid Commandment only required to abstain from the outward Adultery and not from the filthy desires and impure Lusts teacheth us an exact and full perfection of Purity and Cleanness of Life both to keep our Bodies undefiled and our Hearts pure and free from all evil thoughts carnal desires and fleshly consents How can we then be free from this Commandment where so great charge is laid upon us May a Servant do what he will in any thing having Commandment of his Master to the contrary Is not Christ our Master Are not we his Servants How then may we neglect our Master's Will and Pleasure and follow our own Will and Phantasie John 15. Ye are my Friends saith Christ if you keep those things that I command you Now hath Christ our Master commanded us that we should forsake all uncleanness and filthiness both in Body and Spirit This therefore must we do if we look to please God Matth. 15. In the Gospel of S Matthew we read that the Scribes and Phaâ—isâ—es were grievously offended with Christ because his Disciples did not keep the traditions of the Forefathers for they washed not their Hands when they went to Dinner or Supper And among other things Christ answered and said Hear and understand Not that thing which entreth into the Mouth d fileth the Man but that which cometh out of the Mouth defileth the Man Matth. 15. For those things which proceed out of the Mouth come forth from the Heart and they defile the Man For out of the Heart proceed evil Thoughts Murders breaking of Wedlock Whoredoms Thefts false Witness B asphemies These are the things which d file a Man Here may we see that not only Murder Theft false Witness and Blasphemy defile Men but also evil Thoughts breaking of Wedlock Fornication and Whoredom Who is now of so little Wit that he will esteem Whoredom and Fornication to be things of small importance and of no weight before God Christ who is the Truth and cannot lye saith Mark 7. That evil Thoughts Titus 1 breaking of Wedlock Whoredom and Fornication defile a Man that is to say corrupt both the Body and Soul of Man and make them of the Temples of the Holy Ghost the filthy Dunghil or Dungeon of all unclean Spirits of the House of God the dwelling place of Satan John 8. Again the Gospel of St. John when the Woman taken in Adultery was brought unto Christ said not he unto her Rom. 6. Go thy way and sin no more Doth not he here call Whoredom Sin And what is the Reward of Sin 1 John 3. but everlasting Death If Whoredom be Sin then it is not lawful for us to commit it For St. John saith John 8. He that committeth Sin is of the Devil And our Saviour saith Every one that committeth Sin is the Servant of Sin If Whoredom had not been Sin surely St. John Baptist would never have rebuked King Herod for taking his Brother's Wife Mark 6. but he told him plainly That it was not lawful for him to take his Brother's Wife He winked not at the Whoredom of Herod although he were a King of Power but boldly reproved him for his wicked and abominable living although for the same he lost his Head But he would rather suffer death than see God so dishonored by the breaking of his Holy Precept and Commandment than to suffer Whoredom to be unrebuked even in a King If Whoredom had been but a Pastime a Dalliance and not to be passed of as many count it now a days truly John had been more than twice mad if he would have had the displeasure of a King if he would have been cast in Prison and lost his Head for a trifle But John new right well how filthy and stinking and abominable the Sin of Whoredom is in the sight of God therefore would he not leave it unrebuked no not in a King If Whoredom be not lawful in a King neither is it lawful in a Subject If Whoredom be not lawful in a publick or common Officer neither is it lawful in a private Person If it be not lawful neither in King nor Subject neither in common Officer nor private Person truly then it is lawful in no Man nor Woman of whatsoever Degree or Age they be Furthermore in the Acts of the Apostles we read
the high Powers for the putting away of Whoredom and for the maintaining of Holy Matrimony or Wedlock and pure Conversation And the Authors of these Acts were no Christians but the Heathen Yet were they so enflamed with the love of Honesty and pureness of Life that for the maintenance and conservation or keeping up of that they made godly Statutes suffering neither Fornication or Adultery to reign in their Realms unpunished Christ said to the People The Ninevites shall rise at the Judgment with this Nation meaning the unfaithful Jews and shall condemn them For they repented at the Preaching of Jonas but behold saith he a Greater than Jonas is here Mat. 12. meaning himself and yet they repent not Shall not think you likewise the Locrensians Arabians Athenians with such other rise up in the Judgment and condemn us forasmuch as they ceased from their Whoredom at the Commandment of Man and we have the Law and manifest Precepts and Commandments of God and yet forsake we not our filthy Conversation Truly truly it shall be easier at the day of Judgment to these Heathens than to us except we repent and amend For though death of Body seemeth unto us a grievous Punishment in this World for Whoredom Yet is that pain nothing in comparison to the grievous Torments which Adulterers Fornicators and all unclean Persons shall suffer after this Life For all such shall be excluded and shut out of the Kingdom of Heaven 1 Col. 6. Galat. 5. Eph. 5. as Saint Paul saith Be not deceived for neither Whoremongers nor Worshippers of Images nor Adulterers nor effeminate Persons nor Sodomites nor Thieves nor covetous Persons nor Drunkards nor cursed Speakers nor Revilers shall inherit the Kingdom of God Apoc. 20. And Saint John in his Revelation saith That Whoremongers shall have their part with Murtherers Sorcerers Enchanters Lyars Idolaters and such other in the Lake which burneth with Fire and Brimstone which is the second death The Punishment of the Body although it be death hath an end But the Punishment of the Soul which Saint John calleth the second death is everlasting there shall be Fire and Brimstone there shall be weeping and gnashing of Teeth the Worm Mat. 13. Mark 9. that there shall gnaw the Conscience of the damned shall never dye O! whose Heart destilleth not even drops of Blood to hear and consider these things If we tremble and shake at the hearing and naming of these Pains Oh what shall they do that feel them that shall suffer them yea and ever shall suffer Worlds without end God have mercy upon us Who is now so drowned in Sin and past all Godliness that he will set more by filthy and stinking Pleasure which soon passeth away than by the loss of everlasting Glory Again who will so give himself to the Lusts of the Flesh that he feareth nothing at all the pain of Hell fire But let us hear how we may eschew the Sin of Whoredome and Adultery that we may walk in the Fear of God and be free from those most grievous and intolerable Torments which abide all unclean Persons Now to avoid Fornication Adultery Remedies whereby to avoid Fornication and Adultery and all Uncleanness let us provide that above all things we may keep our Hearts pure and clean from all evil Thoughts and carnal Lusts For if that be once infected and corrupt we fall headlong into all kind of Ungodliness This shall we easily do if when we feel inwardly that Satan our old Enemy tempteth us unto Whoredom we by no means consent to his crafty Suggestions but valiantly resist and withstand him by strong Faith in the Word of God Alledging against him always in our Heart this Commandment of God Scriptum est non moechaberis It is written Thou shalt not commit Whoredom It shall be good also for us ever to live in the Fear of God and to set before our Eyes the grievous Threatnings of God against all ungodly Sinners and to consider in our mind how filthy beastly and short that Pleasure is whereunto Satan continually stirreth and moveth us And again how the pain appointed for that Sin is intolerable and everlasting Moreover to use a temperance and sobriety in Eating and Drinking to eschew unclean Communication to avoid all filthy Company to flee Idleness to delight in reading the Holy Scriptures to watch in Godly Prayers and virtuous Meditation and at all times to exercise some Godly Travels shall help greatly to the eschewing of Whoredom And here are all degrees to be monished whether they be married or unmarried to love Chastity and Cleanness of Life For the married are bound by the Law of God so purely to love one another that neither of them seek any strange Love The Man must only cleave to his Wife and the Wife again only to her Husband They must so delight one in another's Company that none of them covet any other And as they are bound thus to live together in all Godliness and Honesty so likewise it is their Duty virtuously to bring up their Children and provide that they fall not into Satan's Snare nor into any Uncleanness but that they come pure and honest unto Holy Wedlock when time requireth So likewise ought all Masters and Rulers to provide that no Whoredom nor any point of Uncleanness be used among their Servants And again they that are single and feel in themselves that they cannot live without the Company of a Woman let them get Wives of their own and so live Godly together For it is better to marry than to burn 1 Cor. 7. And to avoid Fornication saith the Apoostle let every Man have his own Wife and every Woman her own Husband Finally all such as feel in themselves a sufficiency and ability through the working of God's Spirit to lead a sole and continent Life let them praise God for his Gift and seek all means possible to maintain the same as by reading of Holy Scriptures by Godly Meditations by continual Prayers and such other virtuous Exercises If we all on this wise will endeavour ourselves to eschew Fornication Adultery and all Uncleanness and lead our Lives in all Godliness and Honesty serving God with a pure and clean Heart and glorifying him in our Bodies by the leading an innocent and harmless Life we may be sure to be in the number of those of whom our Saviour Christ speaketh in the Gospel on this manner Blessed are the pure in Heart Matth. 5. for they shall see God to whom alone be all Glory Honour Rule and Power World without End Amen A SERMON AGAINST Contention and Brawling THIS day good Christian People shall be declared unto you the unprofitableness and shameful unhonesty of Contention Strife and Debate to the intent that when you shall see as it were in a Table painted before your Eyes the Evil-Favouredness and Deformity of this most detestable Vice your Stomachs may be moved to rise against it and
I pray you when they have the same Books at home with them run on Pilgrimage to seek like Books at Rome Compostella or Jerusalem to be taught by them when they have the like to learn at home Do men reverence some Books and despise and set light by other of the same sort Do men kneel before their Books light Candles at Noon-time burn Incense offer up Gold and Silver and other Gifts to their Books Do men either feign or believe Miracles to be wrought by their Books I am sure that the New Testament of our Saviour Jesus Christ containing the Word of Life is a more lively express and true Image of our Saviour than all carved graven molten and painted Images in the World be and yet none of all these things be done to that Book or Scripture of the Gospel of our Saviour which be done to Images or Pictures the Books and Scriptures of Lay-men and Idiots as they call them Wherefore call them what they list it is most evident by their deeds that they make of them no other Books nor Scripture than such as teach most filthy and horrible Idolatry as the users of such Books daily prove by continual practising the same O Books and Scriptures in the which the devilish School-master Satan hath penned the lewd Lessons of wicked Idolatry for his dastardly Disciples and Scholars to behold read and learn to Gods most high dishonour and their most horrible Damnation Have not we been much bound think you to those which should have taught us the truth out of Gods Book and his Holy Scripture that they have shut up that Book and Scripture from us and none of us so bold as once to open it or read in it and instead thereof to spread us abroad these goodly carved and gilded Books and painted Scriptures to teach us such good and godly Lessons Have not they done well after they ceased to stand in Pulpits themselves and to teach the People committed to their instruction keeping silence of Gods Word and become dumb Dogs as the Prophet calleth them to set up in their stead on every pillar and corner of the Church such goodly Doctors as dumb but more wicked than themselves be We need not to complain of the lack of one dumb Parson having so many dumb devilish Vicars I mean these Idols and painted Puppets to teach in their stead Now in the mean season whilst the dumb and dead Idols stand thus decked and cloathed contrary to Gods Law and Commandment the poor Christian People the lively Images of God commended to us so tenderly by our Saviour Christ as most dear to him stand naked shivering for cold and their Teeth chattering in their heads and no man covereth them are pined with Hunger and Thirst and no man giveth them a penny to refresh them whereas pounds be ready at all times contrary to Gods will to deck and trim dead stocks and stones which neither feel Cold Hunger nor Thirst Clemens hath a notable sentence concerning this matter saying thus That Serpent the Devil doth by the mouth of certain men utter these words We for the honour of the invisible God do worship visible Images which doubtless is most false For if you will truly honour the Image of God you shall by doing well to man honour the true Image of God in him For the Image of God is in every man But the likeness of God is not in every one but in those only which have a godly Heart and pure Mind If you will therefore truly honour the Image of God we do declare to you the truth that ye do well to man who is made after the Image of God that you give honour and reverence to him and refresh the hungry with meat the thirsty with drink the naked with clothes the sick with attendance the stranger harbourless with lodging the Prisoners with necessaries and this shall be accounted as truly bestowed upon God And these things are so directly appertaining to Gods Honour that whosoever doth not this shall seem to have reproached and done villany to the Image of God For what honour of God is this to run to Images of stock and stone and to honour vain and dead figures of God and to despise man in whom is the true Image of God And by and by after he saith Vnderstand ye therefore that this is the suggestion of the Serpent Satan lurking within you which perswadeth you that you are godly when you honour insensible and dead Images and that you be not ungodly when you hurt or leave unsuccoured the lively and reasonable Creatures All these be the words of Clemens Note I pray you how this most ancient and learned Doctor within one hundred years of our Saviour Christs time most plainly teacheth that no service of God or Religion acceptable to him can be in honouring of dead Images but in succouring of the Poor the lively Images of God according to St. James who saith This is the pure and true Religion before God the Father to succour fatherless and motherless Children and Widows in their affliction and to keep himself undefiled from this World True Religion then and pleasing of God standeth not in making setting up painting gilding clothing and decking of dumb and dead Images which be but great Puppets and Babies for Old Fools in dotage and wicked Idolatry to dally and play with nor in kissing of them capping kneeling offering to them incensing of them setting up of Candles hanging up of Legs Arms or whole Bodies of Wax before them or praying and asking of them or of Saints things belonging only to God to give But all these things be vain and abominable and most damnable before God Wherefore all such do not only bestow their mony and labour in vain but with their pains and cost purchase to themselves Gods wrath and utter indignation and everlasting damnation both of Body and Soul For ye have heard it evidently proved in these Homilies against Idolatry by Gods Word the Doctors of the Church Ecclesiastical Histories Reason and Experience that Images have been and be Worshipped and so Idolatry committed to them by infinite multitudes to the great offence of Gods Majesty and the danger of infinite Souls and that Idolatry cannot possibly be separated from Images set up in Churches and Temples gilded and decked gloriously and that therefore our Images be indeed very Idols and so all the Prohibitions Laws Curses Threatnings of horrible Plagues as well temporal as eternal contained in the Holy Scripture concerning Idols and the Makers and Maintainers and Worshippers of them appertain also to our Images set up in Churches and Temples and to the Makers Maintainers and Worshippers of them And all those names of abomination which Gods Word in the Holy Scriptures giveth to the Idols of the Gentiles appertain to our Images being Idols like to them and having like Idolatry committed unto them And Gods own mouth in the Holy Scriptures calleth them Vanities
by the abundance of Riches let us call to mind what Solomon writeth in the xxi Prov. 21. of his Proverbs He that loveth wine and fat fare shall never be rich saith he And in the xxiii Prov. 23. Chapter he maketh a vehement exhortation on this wise Keep not company with drunkards and gluttons for the glutton and drunkard shall come to poverty He that draweth his Patrimony through his throat and eateth and drinketh more in one hour or in one day than he is able to earn in a whole week must needs be an unthrift and come to beggery But some will say what need any to find fault with this He hurteth no man but himself he is no mans foe but his own Indeed I know this is commonly spoken in defence of these beastly belly-gods but it is easie to see how hurtful they are not only to themselves but also to the Common-wealth by their example Every one that meeteth them is troubled with brawling and contentious language and oft-times raging in beastly lusts like high-fed Horses they neigh on their neighbours wives as Jeremy saith and defile their children and daughters Their example is evil to them among whom they dwell they are an occasion of offence to many and whilst they wast their substance in banqueting their own houshold is not provided of things necessary their Wives and their Children are evilly treated they have not wherewith to relieve their poor Neighbours in time of necessity as they might have if they lived soberly They are unprofitable to the Common-wealth For a drunkard is neither fit to Rule nor to be ruled They are a slander to the Church or Congregation of Christ and therefore St. Paul doth excommunicate them among Whoremongers 1 Cor. 5. Idolaters Covetous Persons and Extortioners forbidding Christians to eat with any such Let us therefore good People eschew every one of us all intemperancy let us love sobriety and moderate diet oft give our selves to abstinency and fasting whereby the mind of man is more lifted up to God more ready to all godly exercises as Prayer hearing and reading Gods Word to his spiritual comfort Finally whosoever regardeth the health and safety of his own Body or wisheth always to be well in his wits or desireth quietness of mind and abhorreth fury and madness he that would be rich and escape poverty he that is willing to live without the hurt of his Neighbour a profitable member of the Common-wealth a Christian without slander of Christ and his Church let him avoid all riotous and excessive banqueting let him learn to keep such measure as behoveth him that professeth true godliness let him follow St. Paul's Rule and so eat and drink to the glory and praise of God who hath created all things to be soberly used with Thanksgiving to whom be all Honour and Glory for ever Amen AN HOMILY AGAINST Excess of Apparel WHereas ye have heretofore been excited and stirred to use temperance of meats drinks and to avoid the excess thereof many ways hurtful to the state of the Common-wealth and so odious before Almighty God being the author and giver of such Creatures to comfort and stablish our frail Nature with thanks unto him and not by abusing of them to provoke his liberality to severe punishing of that disorder In like manner it is convenient that ye be admonished of another foul and chargeable excess I mean of Apparel at these days so gorgeous that neither Almighty God by his Word can stay our proud curiosity in the same neither yet godly and necessary Laws made by our Princes and oft repeated with the Penalties can bridle this detestable abuse whereby bâ—th God is openly contemned and the Princes Laws manifestly disobeyed to the great peril of the Realm Wherefore that sobriety also in this excess may be espyed among us I shall declare unto you both the moderate use of Apparel approved by God in his Holy Word and also the abuses thereof which he forbiddeth and disalloweth as it may appear by the inconveniencies which daily increase by the just judgment of God where that measure is not kept which he himself hath appointed If we consider the end and purpose whereunto Almighty God hath ordained his Creatures we shall easily perceive that he alloweth us Apparel not only for necessities sake but also for an honest comeliness Even as in Herbs Trees and sundry Fruits we have not only divers necessary uses but also the pleasant sight and sweet smell to delight us withal wherein we may behold the singular love of God towards mankind in that he hath provided both to relieve our necessities and also to refresh our senses with an honest and moderate recreation Therefore David in the hundred and fourth Psalm Psal 104. confessing Gods careful Providence sheweth that God not only provideth things necessary for men as Herbs and other meats but also such things as may rejoyce and comfort as wine to make glad the heart oyls and oyntments to make the face to shine So that they are altogether past the limits of humanity who yielding only to necessity forbid the lawful fruition of Gods benefits With whose traditions we may not be led if we give ear to St. Paul writing to the Colossians Coloss 2. willing them not to hearken unto such men as shall say Touch not Taste not Handle not superstitiously bereaving them of the fruition of Gods Creatures And no less truly ought we to beware lest under pretence of Christian Liberty we take License to do what we list advancing our selves in sumptuous Apparel and despising others preparing our selves in fine bravery to wanton lewd and unchaste behaviour To the avoiding whereof it behoveth us to be mindful of four Lessons 4 L ssons taught in Holy Scripture whereby we shall learn to temper our selves and to restrain our immoderate affections to that measâ—re which God hath appointed The first is that we make not provision for the flesh Rom. 13. to accomplish the lusts thereof with costly Apparel as that Harlot did of whom Solomon speaketh Proverbs the seventh Prov. 7. which perfumed her bed and deckt it with costly ornaments of Egypt to the fulfilling of her lewd lust but rather ought we by moderate temperance to cut off all occasions whereby the flesh might get the victory The second is written by St. Paul 1 Cor. 7. in the seventh Chapter of his first Epistle to the Corinths where he teacheth us to use this World as though we used it not Whereby he cutteth away not only all Ambition Pride and vain pomp in Apparel but also all inordinate care and affection which withdraweth us from the contemplation of Heavenly things and consideration of our Duty towards God They that are much occupied in caring for things pertaining to the Body are most commonly negligent and careless in matters concerning the Soul Mat. 6. Therefore our Saviour Christ willeth us not to take thought what we shall
abuses by divers good and wholesom Laws which if they were practised as they ought to be of all true Subjects they might in some part serve to diminish this raging and riotous excess in Apparel But alas there appeareth amongst us little fear and obedience either of God or Man Therefore must we needs look for Gods fearful vengeance from Heaven to overthrow our presumption and pride Acts 12. as he overthrew Herod who in his Royal Apparel forgetting God was smitten of an Angel and eaten up of Worms By which terrible Example God hath taught us that we are but Worms meat although we pamper our selves never so much in gorgeous Apparel Ecclus 1. Here we may learn that which Jesus the Son of Syrach teacheth not to be proud of clothing and rayment neither to exalt our selves in the day of honour because the works of the Lord are wonderful and glorious secret and unknown teaching us with humbleness of mind every one to be mindful of the Vocation whereunto God hath called him Let Christians therefore endeavour themselves to quench the care of pleasing the flesh let us use the benefits of God in this World in such wise that we be not too much occupied in providing for the Body Let us content our selves quietly with that which God sendeth be it never so little And if it please him to send plenty let us not wax proud thereof but let us use it moderately as well to our own comfort as to the relief of such as stand in necessity He that in abundance and plenty of apparel hideth his face from him that is naked despiseth his own flesh as Isaiah the Prophet saith Isai 58. Let us learn to know our selves and not to despise others let us remember that we stand all before the Majesty of Almighty God who shall judge us by his Holy Word wherein he forbiddeth excess not only to Men but also to Women So that none can excuse themselves of what estate or condition soever they be Let us therefore present our selves before his Throne as Tertullian exhorteth with the Ornaments which the Apostle speaketh of Ephes 6. Ephesians the sixth Chapter having our loyns girt about with verity having the breast-plate of righteousness and shod with shoes prepared by the Gospel of peace Mat. 11. Let us take unto us simplicity chastity and comeliness submitting our necks to the sweet yoke of Christ Let Women be subject to their Husbands and they are sufficiently attired saith Tertullian The Wife of one Philo an Heathen Philosopher being demanded why she wore no Gold She answered that she thought her Husbands Vertues sufficient Ornaments How much more ought Christian Women instructed by the Word of God to content themselves in their Husbands yea how much more ought every Christian to content himself in our Saviour Christ thinking himself sufficiently garnished with his heavenly vertues But it will be hear objected and said of some nice and vain Women that all which we do in painting our faces in dying our hair in embalming our bodies in decking us with gay apparel is to please our Husbands to delight his eyes and to retain his love toward us O vain excuse and most shameful answer to the reproach of thy Husband What couldst thou more say to set out his foolishness than to charge him to be pleased and delighted with the Devils attire Who can paint her face and curle her hair and change it into an unnatural colour but therein doth work reproof to her maker who made her As though she could make her self more comely than God hath appointed the measure of her beauty What do these Women but go about to reform that which God hath made not knowing that all things natural are the work of God and things disguised and unnatural are the works of the Devil And as though a wise and Christian Husband should delight to see his Wife in such painted and flourished visages which common Harlots most do use to train therewith their Lovers to naughtiness or as though an honest Woman could delight to be like an Harlot for pleasing of her Husband Nay nay these be but vain excuses of such as go about to please rather others than their Husbands And such attires be but to provoke her to shew her self abroad to entice others a worthy matter She must keep 〈…〉 her â—usband to maintain such Apparel whereby she is the worse Housewife the seldomer at home to see her charge and so neglect his thrift by giving great provocation to her houshold to waste and wantonness while she must wander abroad to shew her own vanity and her Husbands foolishness By which her Pride she stirreth up much envy of others which be as vainly delighted as she is She doth but deserve mocks and scorns to set out all her commendation in Jewish and Ethnick Apparel and yet brag of her Christianity She doth but waste superfluously her Husbands stock by such sumptuousness and sometimes she is the cause of much bribery extortion and deceit in her Husbands dealings that she may be the more gorgeously set out to the sight of the vain World to please the Devils eyes and not Gods who giveth to every Creature sufficient and moderate comeliness wherewith we should be contented if we were of God What other thing dost thou by those means but provokest others to tempt thee to deceive thy Soul by the bait of thy pomp and pride What else dost thou but settest out thy Pride and makest of the undecent apparel of thy Body the Devils Net to catch the souls of them which behold thee O thou Woman not a Christian but worse than a Paynim thou Minister of the Devil Why pamperest thou that carrion flesh so high which sometimes doth stink and rot on the Earth as thou goest Howsoever thou perfumest thy self yet cannot thy beastliness be hidden or overcome with thy smells and savours which do rather deform and mis-shape thee than beautifie thee What meant Solomon to say of such trimming of vain Women Prov. 11. when he said A fair woman without good manners and conditions is like a Sow which hath a ring of gold upon her snout but that the more thou garnish thy self with these outward blasings the less thou carest for the inward garnishing of thy mind and so dost but deform thy self by such array aâ—d not beautifie thy self Hear hear what Christs holy Apostles do write Let not the outward apparel of women saith St. Peter be decked with the braiding of hair 1 Pet. 3. with wrapping on of gold or goodly clothing but let the mind and the conscience which is not seen with the eyes be pure and clean that is saith he an acceptable and an excellent thing before God For so the old ancient women attired themselves and were obedient to their husbands And St. Paul saith 1 Tim. 2. that women should apparel themselves with shamefacedness and soberness and not with braids of their hair
them all other true Christian men to Pray always and never to faint or shrink Remember also the example of the Woman of Canaan Mat 15. how she was rejected of Christ and called Dog as one most unworthy of any benefit at his hands yet she gave not over but followed him still crying and calling upon him to be good and merciful unto her Daughter And at length by very importunity she obtained her request O let us learn by these examples to be earnest and fervent in Prayer assuring our selves that whatsoever we ask of God the Father in the Name of his Son Christ John 16. and according to his will he will undoubtedly grant it He is truth it self and as truly as he hath promised it so truly will he perform it God for his great mercies sake so work in our hearts by his Holy Spirit that we may always make our humble Prayers unto him as we ought to do and always obtain the thing which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord to whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost be all Honour and Glory World without end Amen The Second Part of the Homily concerning PRAYER IN the First Part of this Sermon ye heard the great necessity and also the great force of devout and earnest Prayer declared and proved unto you both by divers weighty Testimonies and also by sundry good Examples of Holy Scripture Now shall you learn whom you ought to call upon and to whom you ought always to direct your Prayers We are evidently taught in Gods Holy Testament that Almighty God is the only Fountain and Well-spring of all Goodness and that whatsoever we have in this World we receive it only at his hands to this effect serveth the place of St. James James 1. Every good and perfect gift saith he cometh from above and proceedeth from the Father of Lights To this effect also serveth the Testimony of Paul in divers places of his Epistles witnessing that the Spirit of Wisdom the Spirit of Knowledge and Revelation yea every good and heavenly gift as Faith Hope Charity Grace and Peace cometh only and solely of God In consideration whereof he bursteth out into a sudden Passion and saith O man 1 Cor. 4. what thing hast thou which thou hast not received Therefore whensoever we need or lack any thing pertaining either to the Body or to the Soul it behoveth us to run only unto God who is the only giver of all good things Our Saviour Christ in the Gospel teaching his Disciples how they should Pray sendeth them to the Father in his Name saying Verily verily John 16. Matt. 6. Luke 11. I say unto you whatsoever ye ask the Father in my Name he will give it unto you And in another place When ye Pray pray after this sort Our Father which art in Heaven c. And doth not God himself Psal 50. Acts 1. by the mouth of his Prophet David will and command us to call upon him The Apostle wisheth Grace and Peace to all them that call on the Name of the Lord and of his Son Jesus Christ Joel 2. as doth also the Prophet Joel saying And it shall come to pass that whosoever shall call on the Name of the Lord shall be saved Thus then it is plain by the infallible word of Truth and Life that in all our necessities we must flee unto God direct our Prayers unto him call upon his Holy Name desire help at his hands and at none others whereof if we will yet have further reason mark that which followeth There are certain conditions most requisite to be found in every such a one as must be called upon which if they be not found in him unto whom we pray then doth our Prayer avail us nothing but is altogether in vain The first is this that he to whom we make our Prayers be able to help us The second is that he will help us The third is that he be such a one as may hear our Prayers The fourth is that he understand better than we our selves what we lack and how far we have need of help If these things be to be found in any other saving only God then may we lawfully call upon some other besides God But what man is so gross but he well understandeth that these things are only proper to him which is Omnipotent and knoweth all things even the very secrets of the Heart that is to say only and to God alone whereof it followeth that we must call neither upon Angel nor yet upon Saint but only and solely upon God Rom. 10. as St. Paul doth write How shall men call upon him in whom they have not believed So that Invocation or Prayer may not be made without Faith in him on whom they call but that we must first believe in him before we can make our Prayer unto him whereupon we must only and solely Pray unto God For to say that we should believe either in Angel or Saint or in any other living Creature were meer horrible Blasphemy against God and his Holy Word neither ought this Fancy to enter into the Heart of any Christian man because we are expresly taught in the Word of the Lord only to repose our Faith in the Blessed Trinity in whose only Name we are also Baptized according to the express Commandment of our Saviour Jesus Christ Mat. 28. in the last of St. Matthew But that the truth hereof may the better appear even to them that be most simple and unlearned let us consider what Prayer is De spi lit cap. 50. De summo bono cap. 8. lib. 3. St. Augustin calleth it a lifting up of the mind to God that is to say an humble and lowly pouring out of the Heart to God Isidorus saith that it is an affection of the Heart and not a labour of the Lips So that by these places true Prayer doth consist not so much in the outward sound and voice of words as in the inward groaning and crying of the Heart to God Now then is there any Angel any Virgin any Patriarch or Prophet among the dead that can understand or know the meaning of the Heart The Scripture saith Psal 7. Apoc. 2. Jer. 17. 2 Par. 6. It is God that searcheth the Heart and the Reins and that he only knoweth the Hearts of the children of men As for the Saints they have so little knowledge of the secrets of the Heart that many of the ancient Fathers greatly doubt whether they know any thing at all that is commonly done on Earth And albeit some think they do yet St. Augustin Lib. de cura pro mort agenda c. 13. De vera Râ—l cap. 22. Esay 63. Lib. 22. de civit Dei cap. 10. a Doctor of great Authority and also Antiquity hath this Opinion of them That they know no more what we do on Earth than we know what they do in Heaven For Proof whereof he
be so answered at the King's hand but still urging him more and more said It becometh a King to perform the least word he hath spoken yea if he should only beck with his Head No more saith the King than it behoveth one that cometh to a King to speak and ask those things which are rightful and honest Thus the King cast off this unreasonable and importunate suiter Now if so great consideration be to be had when we kneel before an Earthly King how much more ought to be had when we kneel before the Heavenly King who is only delighted with Justice and Equity neither will admit any vain foolish or unjust Petition Therefore it shall be good and profitable throughly to consider and determine with our selves what things we may lawfully ask of God without fear of repulse and also what kind of Persons we are bound to commend unto God in our daily Prayers Two things are chiefly to be respected in every good and godly mans Prayer His own necessity and the glory of Almighty God Necessity belongeth either outwardly to the Body or else inwardly to the Soul Which part of man because it is much more precious and excellent than the other therefore we ought first of all to crave such things as properly belong to the salvation thereof as the gift of Repentance the gift of Faith the gift of Charity and Good Works Remission and Forgiveness of Sins Patience in Adversity Lowliness in Prosperity Gal. 5. and such other like fruits of the Spirit as Hope Love Joy Peace Long-suffering Gentleness Goodness Meekness and Temperance which things God requireth of all them that profess themselves to be his Children saying unto them in this wise Matt. 5. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorifie your Father which is in Heaven And in another place also he saith Matt. 6. Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness and then all other things shall be given unto you Wherein he putteth us in mind that our chief and greatest care ought to be for those things which pertain to the health and safeguard of the Soul Hebr. 13. because we have here as the Apostle saith no continuing City but we seek after another in the World to come Now when we have sufficiently prayed for things belonging to the Soul then may we lawfully and with safe Conscience Pray also for our bodily Necessities as Meat Drink Clothing Health of Body deliverance out of Prison good luck in our daily Affairs and so forth according as we shall have need Whereof Matt. 6. Luke 11. what better Example can we desire to have than of Christ himself who taught his Disciples and all other Christian men first to pray for Heavenly things and afterward for Earthly things as is to be seen in that Prayer which he left unto his Church commonly called the Lords Prayer In the third Book of Kings and third Chapter it is written That God appeared by night in a dream unto Solomon the King saying Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt and I will give it thee Solomon made his Humble Prayer and asked a wise and prudent Heart that might judge and understand what were good and what were ill what were godly and what were ungodly what were righteous and what were unrighteous in the sight of the Lord. It pleased God wondrously that he had asked this thing And God said unto him Because thou hast requested this word and hast not desired many days and long years upon the Earth neither abundance of Riches and Goods nor yet the life of thine Enemies which hate thee but hast desired Wisdom to sit in Judgment behold I have done unto thee according to thy words I have given thee a wise heart full of knowledge and understanding so that there was never any like thee before time neither shall be in time to come Moreover I have besides this given thee that which thou hast not required namely worldly wealth and riches Princely honour and glory so that thou shalt therein also pass all Kings that ever were Note this Example how Solomon being put to his choice to ask of God whatsoever he would requested not vain and transitory things but the high and Heavenly Treasures of Wisdom and that in so doing he obtaineth as it were in recompence both Riches and Honour Wherein is given us to understand that in our daily Prayers we should chiefly and principally ask those things which concern the Kingdom of God and the Salvation of our own Souls nothing doubting but all other things shall according to the promise of Christ be given unto us But here we must take heed that we forget not that other end whereof mention was made before namely the Glory of God Which unless we mind and set before our Eyes in making our Prayers we may not look to be heard or to receive any thing of the Lord. In the xx Chapter of Matthew the Mother of the two Sons of Zebedee came unto Jesus worshipping him and saying Grant that my two Sons may sit in thy Kingdom the one on thy right hand and the other at thy left hand In this Petition she did not respect the Glory of God but plainly declared the ambition and vain-glory of her own mind for which cause she was also most worthily repelled and rebuked at the Lords hand In like manner we read in the Acts of one Simon Magus Acts 8. a Sorcerer how that he perceiving that through laying on of the Apostles hands the Holy Ghost was given offered them money saying Give me also this power that on whomsoever I lay my hands he may receive the Holy Ghost In making this Request he sought not the Honour and Glory of God but his own private Gain and Lucre thinking to get great store of Money by this feat and therefore it was justly said unto him Thy money perish with thee because thou thinkest that the gift of God may be obtained with money By these and such other Examples we are taught whensoever we make our Prayers unto God chiefly to respect the Honour and Glory of his Name Whereof we have this general Precept in the Apostle Paul 1 Cor. 10. Coloss 3. Mat. 26. Luke 22. Whether ye eat or drink or whatsoever ye do look that ye do it to the glory of God Which thing we shall best of all do if we follow the example of our Saviour Christ who praying that the bitter Cup of Death might pass from him would not therein have his own will fulfilled but referred the whole matter to the good will and pleasure of his Father And hitherto concerning those things that we may lawfully and boldly ask of God Now it followeth that we declare what kind of Persons we are bound in Conscience to pray for St. Paul writing to Timothy 1 Tim. â— exhorteth him to make Prayers and Supplications for all men exempting none of what
the giving than with the gift and that he as much esteemeth the doing of the thing as the fruit and commodity that cometh of it Whoso therefore hath hitherto neglected to give Alms let him know that God now requireth it of him and he that hath been liberal to the Poor let him know that his godly doings are accepted and thankfully taken at Gods hands which he will requite with double and treble For so saith the Wise man He which sheweth mercy to the poor doth lay his money in bank to the Lord for a large interest and gain the gain being chiefly the possession of the life everlasting through the merits of our Saviour Jesus Christ To whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost be all Honour and Glory for ever Amen The Second Part of the Sermon of Alms-deeds YE have heard before Dearly Beloved that to give Alms unto the Poor and to help them in time of necessity is so acceptable unto our Saviour Christ that he counteth that to be done to himself that we do for his sake unto them Ye have heard also how earnestly both the Apostles Prophets Holy Fathers and Doctors do exhort us unto the same And ye see how wel-beloved and dear unto God they were whom the Scriptures report unto us to have been good Alms-men Wherefore if either their good examples or the wholsom counsel of godly Fathers or the love of Christ whose especial favour we may be assured by this means to obtain may move us or do any thing at all with us let us provide us that from henceforth we shew unto God-ward this thankful service to be mindful and ready to help them that be poor and in misery Now will I this second time that I entreat of Alms-deeds shew unto you how profitable it is for us to exercise them and what fruit thereby shall arise unto us if we do them faithfully Our Saviour Christ in the Gospel teacheth us that it profiteth a man nothing to have in possession all the riches of the whole World and the wealth or glory thereof if in the mean season he lose his Soul or do that thing whereby it should become captive unto death sin and hell-fire By the which saying he not only instructeth us how much the souls health is to be preferred before worldly commodities but it also serveth to stir up our minds and to prick us forwards to seek diligently and learn by what means we may preserve and keep our souls ever in safety that is how we may recover our health if it be lost or impaired and how it may be defended and maintained if once we have it Yea he teacheth us also thereby to esteem that as a precious Medicine and an inestimable Jewel that hath such strength and vertue in it that can either procure or preserve so incomparable a treasure For if we greatly regard that Medicine or Salve that is able to heal sundry and grievous Diseases of the Body much more will we esteem that which hath like power over the Soul And because we might be better assured both to know and to have in readiness that so profitable a Remedy he as a most faithful and loving Teacher sheweth himself both what it is and where we may find it and how we may use and apply it For when both he and his Disciples were grievously accused of the Pharisees to have defiled their souls in breaking the constitutions of the Elders because they went to meat and washed not their hands before according to the custom of the Jews Christ answering their superstitious complaint teacheth them an especial remedy how to keep clean their souls notwithstanding the breach of such superstitious Orders Luke 11. Give Alms saith he and behold all things are clean unto you He teacheth them that to be merciful and charitable in helping the Poor is the means to keep the Soul pure and clean in the sight of God We are taught therefore by this that merciful Alms-dealing is profitable to purge the Soul from the infection and filthy spots of sin The same Lesson doth the Holy Ghost also teach in sundry places of the Scripture Tobit 4. saying Mercifulness and Alms-giving purgeth from all sins and delivereth from death and suffereth not the soul to come into darkness A great confidence may they have before the high God that shew mercy and compassion to them that are afflicted The wise Preacher the Son of Syrach confimeth the same Ecclus 5. when he saith That as water quencheth burning fire even so mercy and alms resisteth and reconcileth sins And sure it is that mercifulness quaileth the heat of sin so much that they shall not take hold upon man to hurt him or if ye have by any infirmity or weakness been touched and annoyed with them straightways shall mercifulness wipe and wash away as salves and remedies to heal their sores and grievous diseases And thereupon that Holy Father Cyprian taketh good occasion to exhort earnestly to the merciful works of giving Alms and helping the Poor and there he admonisheth to consider how wholsom and profitable it is to relieve the needy and help the afflicted by the which we may purge our sins and heal our wounded souls But yet some will say unto me If Alms-giving and our charitable works towards the Poor be able to wash away sins to reconcile us to God to deliver us from the peril of damnation and makes us the Sons and Heirs of Gods Kingdom then are Christs merits defaced and his blood shed in vain then are we justified by Works and by our Deeds may we merit Heaven then do we in vain believe that Christ died for to put away our sins and that he rose for our justification as St. Paul teacheth But ye shall understand Dearly Beloved that neither those places of the Scripture before alledged neither the Doctrine of the blessed Martyr Cyprian neither any other godly and learned man when they in extolling the dignity profit fruit and effect of vertuous and liberal Alms do say that it washeth away sins and bringeth us to the favour of God do mean that our work and charitable deed is the original cause of our acception before God or that for the digninity or worthiness thereof our sins may be washed away and we purged and cleansed of all the spots of our iniquity for that were indeed to deface Christ and to defraud him of his glory But they mean this and this is the understanding of those and such like sayings that God of his mercy and special favour towards them whom he hath appointed to everlasting salvation hath so offered his grace especially and they have so received it fruitfully that although by reason of their sinful living outwardly they seemed before to have been the Children of Wrath and Perdition yet now the Spirit of God mightily working in them unto obedience to Gods Will and Commandments they declare by their outward deeds and life in the shewing of
mercy and charity which cannot come but of the Spirit of God and his especial grace that they are the undoubted Children of God appointed to everlasting life And so as by their wickedness and ungodly living they shewed themselves according to the judgment of men which follow the outward appearance to be Reprobates and Cast-aways So now by their Obedience unto Gods Holy Will and by their mercifulness and tender pity wherein they shew themselves to be like unto God who is the Fountain and Spring of all mercy they declare openly and manifestly unto the sight of men that they are the Sons of God and elect of him unto salvation For as the good fruit is not the cause that the Tree is good but the Tree must first be good before it can bring forth good fruit so the good deeds of Man are not the cause that maketh Man good but he is first made good by the spirit and grace of God that effectually worketh in him and afterward he bringeth forth good fruits And then as the good fruit doth argue the goodness of the Tree so doth the good and merciful deed of the man argue and certainly prove the goodness of him that doth it according to Christs sayings Ye shall know them by their fruits And if any man will object that evil and naughty men do sometimes by their deeds appear to be very godly and vertuous I will answer so doth the Crab and Choak-Pear seem outwardly to have sometime as fair a red and as mellow a colour as the Fruit that is good indeed But he that will bite and take a taste shall easily judge betwixt the sour bitterness of the one and the sweet savouriness of the other And as the true Christian man in thankfulness of his heart for the redemption of his Soul purchased by Christs death sheweth kindly by the fruit of his Faith his obedience to God so the other as a Merchant with God doth all for his own gain thinking to win Heaven by the merit of his Works and so defaceth and obscureth the price of Christs Blodd who only wrought our purgation The meaning then of these sayings in the Scriptures and other Holy Writings Alms-deeds do wash away our sins and mercy to the Poor doth blot out our offences is that we doing these things according to Gods Will and our Duty have our sins indeed washed away and our offences blotted out not for the worthiness of them but by the grace of God which worketh all in all and that for the promise that God hath made to them that are obedient unto his Commandment that he which is the truth might be justified in performing the truth due to his promise Alms-deeds do wash away our sins because God doth vouchsafe then to repute us as clean and pure when we do them for his sake and not because they deserve or merit our purging or for that they have any such strength and vertue in themselves I know that some men too much addict to the advancing of their works will not be contented with this answer and no marvel for such men can no answer content or suffice Wherefore leaving them to their own wilful sense we will rather have regard to the reasonable and godly who as they most certainly know and perswade themselves that all goodness all bounty all mercy all benefits all forgiveness of sins and whatsoever can be named good and profitable either for the Body or for the Soul do come only of Gods mercy and meer favour and not of themselves So though they do never so many and so excellent good deeds yet are they never puft up with the vain confidence of them And though they hear and read in Gods Word and other-where in godly mens Works that Alms-deeds Mercy and Charitableness doth wash away sin and blot out iniquity yet do they not arrogantly and proudly stick and trust unto them or brag themselves of them as the proud Pharisee did lest with the Pharisee they should be condemned but rather with the humble and poor Publican confess themselves sinful wretches unworthy to look up to Heaven calling and craving for mercy that with the Publican they may be pronounced of Christ to be justified The godly do learn that when the Scriptures say that by good and merciful works we are reconciled to Gods favour we are taught then to know what Christ by his intercession and mediation obtaineth for us of his Father when we be obedient to his Will yea they learn in such manner of speaking a comfortable argument of Gods singular favour and love that attributeth that unto us and to our doings that he by his Spirit worketh in us and through his grace procureth for us And yet this notwithstanding they cry out with St. Paul O wretches that we are and acknowledge as Christ teacheth that when they have all done they are but unprofitable servants and with the blessed King David in respect of the just judgments of God they do tremble and say Who shall be able to abide it Lord if thou wilt give sentence according to our deserts Thus they humble themselves and are exalted of God they count themselves vile and of God are counted pure and clean they condemn themselves and are justified of God they think themselves unworthy of the Earth and of God are thought worthy of Heaven Thus by Gods Word are they truly taught how to think rightly of merciful dealing of Alms and of Gods especial mercy and goodness are made partakers of those fruits that his Word hath promised Let us then follow their examples and both shew obediently in our lives those works of mercy that we are commanded and have that right opinion and judgment of them that we are taught and we shall in like manner as they be made partakers and feel the fruits and rewards that follow such godly living so shall we know by proof what profit and commodity doth come of giving of Alms and succouring of the Poor The Third Part of the Sermon of Alms-Deeds YE have already heard two Parts of this Treatise of Alms-Deeds The first how pleasant and acceptable before God the doing of them is the second how much it behoveth us and how profitable it is to apply our selves unto them Now in the third Part will I take away that let that hindreth many from doing them There be many that when they hear how acceptable a thing in the sight of God the giving of Alms is and how much God extendeth his favour towards them that are merciful and what fruits and commodities doth come to them by it they wish very gladly with themselves that they also might obtain these benefits and be counted such of God as whom he would love or do for But yet these men are with greedy Covetousness so pulled back that they will not bestow one Half-penny or one piece of Bread that they might be thought worthy of Gods benefits and so to come into his favour For
they are evermore fearful and doubting lest by often giving although it were but a little at a time they should consume their Goods and so impoverish themselves that even themselves at the length should not be able to live but should be driven to beg and live of other mens Alms. And thus they seek excuses to withhold themselves from the favour of God and choose with pinching Covetousness rather to lean unto the Devil than by charitable Mercifulness either to come unto Christ or to suffer Christ to come unto them O that we had some cunning and skilful Physician that were able to purge them of this so pestilent an humour that so sore infecteth not their bodies but their minds and so by corrupting their Souls bringeth their bodies and souls into danger of Hell-fire Now lest there be any such among us Dearly Beloved let us diligently search for that Physician which is Jesus Christ and earnestly labour that of his Mercy he will truly instruct us and give us a present Remedy against so perillous a Disease Hearken then whosoever thou art that fearest lest by giving to the Poor thou shouldst bring thy self to beggery That which thou takest from thy self to bestow upon Christ can never be consumed and wasted away Wherein thou shalt not believe me but if thou have Faith and be a true Christian believe the Holy Ghost give credit to the Authority of Gods Word that thus teacheth For thus saith the Holy Ghost by Solomon He that giveth unto the Poor shall never want Men suppose that by hoording and laying up still they shall at length be Rich and that by distributing and laying out although it be for most necessary and godly uses they shall be brought to Poverty But the Holy Ghost which knoweth all truth teacheth us another Lesson contrary to this He teacheth us that there is a kind of dispending that shall never diminish the stock and a kind of saving that shall bring a man to extream poverty For where he saith that the good Alms-man shall never have scarcity he addeth But he that turneth away his eyes from such as be in necessity shall suffer great poverty himself How far different then is the judgment of man from the judgment of the Holy Ghost 1 Cor. 9. The Holy Apostle Paul a man full of the Holy Ghost and made privy even of the secret Will of God teacheth that the liberal Alms-giver shall not thereby be impoverished He that ministreth saith he seed unto the sower will minister also bread unto you for food yea he will multiply your seed and increase the fruits of your righteousness He is not content to advertise them that they shall not lack but he sheweth them also in what sort God will provide for them Even as he provided seed for the sower in multiplying it and giving great increase so he will multiply their Goods and increase them that there shall be great abundance And lest we should think his sayings to be but words and not truth we have an example thereof in the third Book of Kings which doth confirm and seal it up as a most certain truth The poor Widow that received the banished Prophet of God Elias when as she had but a handful of Meal in a Vessel and a little Oyl in a Cruise whereof she would make a Cake for her self and her Son that after they had eaten that they might die because in that great Famine there was no more food to be gotten yet when she gave part thereof to Elias and defrauded her own hungry belly mercifully to relieve him she was so blessed of God that neither the Meal nor the Oyl was consumed all the time while that Famine did last but thereof both the Prophet Elias she and her Son were sufficiently nourished and had enough Oh consider this Example ye unbelieving and faithless covetous Persons who discredit Gods Word and think his Power diminished This poor Woman in the time of an extream and long Dearth had but one handful of Meal and a little cruse of Oyl her only Son was ready to perish before her face for hunger and she her self like to pine away and yet when the poor Prophet came and asked part she was so mindful of mercifulness that she forgot her own misery and rather than she would omit the occasion given to give Alms and work a work of Righteousness she was content presently to hazard her own and her Sons life And you who have great plenty of Meats and Drinks great store of Moth-eaten Apparel yea many of you great heaps of Gold and Silver and he that hath least hath more than sufficient now in this time when thanks be to God no great Famine doth oppress you your Children being well clothed and well fed and no danger of death for Famine to be feared will rather cast doubts and perils of unlikely Penury than you will part with any piece of your superfluities to help and succour the poor hungry and naked Christ that cometh to your doors a begging This poor and silly Widow never cast doubts in all her misery what wants she her self should have she never distrusted the promise that God made to her by the Prophet but straightway went about to relieve the hungry Prophet of God yea preferring his necessity before her own But we like unbelieving wretches before we will give one Mite we will cast a thousand doubts of danger whether that will stand us in any stead that we give to the Poor whether we should not have need of it at any other time and whether here it would not have been more profitably bestowed So that it is more hard to wrench a strong Nail as the Proverb saith out of a Post than to wring a farthing out of our fingers There is neither the fear nor the love of God before our eyes we will more esteem a Mite than we either desire Gods Kingdom or fear the Devils Dungeon Hearken therefore ye merciless Misers what will be the end of this your unmerciful dealing As certainly as God nourished this poor Widow in the Time of Famine and increased her little store so that she had enough and felt no penury when other pined away so certainly shall God plague you with Poverty in the midst of Plenty Then when other have abundance and be fed at full you shall utterly waste and consume away your selves your store shall be destroyed your goods pluckt from you all your glory and wealth shall perish and that which when you had you might have enjoyed your selves in peace and might have bestowed upon other most godly ye shall seek with sorrow and sighs and no where shall find it For your unmercifulness toward other ye shall find no man that will shew mercy towards you You that had stony hearts towards other shall find all the Creatures of God to you ward as hard as Brass and Iron Alas what fury and madness doth possess our minds that in a
matter of truth and certainty we will not give credit to the truth testifying unto that which is most certain Christ saith That if we will first seek the Kingdom of God and do the works of righteousness thereof we shall not be left destitute all other things shall be given to us plenteously Nay say we I will first look that I be able to live my self and be sure that I have enough for me and mine and if I have any thing over I will bestow it to get Gods favour and the Poor shall then have part with me See I pray you the perverse judgment of men we have more care to nourish the Carcass than we have fear to see our Soul perish Sermon de Eleemosyna And as Cyprian saith whilest we stand in doubt lest our Goods fail in being over-liberal we put it out of doubt that our life and health faileth in not being liberal at all Whiles we are careful for diminishing of our stock we are altogether careless to diminish our selves We love Mammon and lose our Souls We fear lest our Patrimony should perish from us but we fear not lest we should perish for it Thus do we perversly love that which we should hate and hate that which we should love we be negligent where we should be careful and careful where we need not Thus vain fear to lack our selves if we give to the Poor is much like the fear of Children and Fools which when they see the bright glimmering of a Glass they do imagine straightway that it is the Lightning and yet the brightness of a Glass never was the Lightning Even so when we imagine that by spending upon the Poor a man may come to Poverty we are cast into a vain fear for we never heard or knew that by that means any man came to misery and was left destitute and not considered of God Nay we read to the contrary in the Scripture as I have before shewed and as by infinite Testimonies and Examples may be proved that whosoever serveth God faithfully and unfeignedly in any Vocation God will not suffer him to decay much less to perish The Holy Ghost teacheth us by Solomon Prov. 17. that the Lord will not suffer the Soul of the righteous to perish for hunger And therefore David saith unto all them that are merciful O fear the Lord ye that be his Saints for they that fear him lack nothing The Lions do lack and suffer hunger but they which seek the Lord shall want no manner of thing that is good When Elias was in the Desart 3 Kings 17. God fed him by the ministry of a Raven that Evening and Morning brought him sufficient Victuals When Daniel was shut up in the Lions Den God prepared Meat for him and sent it thither to him And there was the saying of David fulfilled The Lions do lack and suffer hunger but they which seek the Lord shall want no good thing For while the Lions which should have been fed with his flesh rored for hunger and desire of their Prey whereof they had no power although it were present before them he in the mean time was fresh fed from God that should with his flesh have filled the Lions So mightily doth God work to preserve and maintain those whom he loveth so careful is he also to feed them who in any state or vocation do unfeignedly serve him And shall we now think that he will be unmindful of us if we be obedient to his Word and according to his Will have pity on the Poor He giveth us all wealth before we do any service for it and will he see us lack necessaries when we do him true service Can a man think that he that feedeth Christ can be forsaken of Christ and left without food Or will Christ deny earthly things unto them whom he promiseth Heavenly things for his true service It cannot be therefore Dear Brethren that by giving of Alms we should at any time want our selves or that we which relieve other mens need should our selves be oppressed with penury It is contrary to Gods Word it repugneth with his Promise it is against Christs property and nature to suffer it it is the crafty surmise of the Devil to perswade us it Wherefore stick not to give Alms freely and trust notwithstanding that Gods goodness will minister unto us sufficiency and plenty so long as we shall live in this transitory life and after our days here well spent in his service and the love of our brethren we shall be crowned with everlasting glory to reign with Christ our Saviour in Heaven to whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost be all Honour and Glory for ever Amen AN HOMILY OR SERMON CONCERNING The Nativity and Birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ AMong all the Creatures that God made in the beginning of the World most excellent and wonderful in their kind there was none as the Scripture beareth witness to be compared almost in any point unto Man who as well in Body as Soul exceeded all other no less than the Sun in brightness and light exceedeth every small and little Star in the Firmament He was made according to the Image and similitude of God he was endued with all kind of Heavenly gifts he had no spot of uncleanness in him he was sound and perfect in all parts both outwardly and inwardly his Reason was uncorrupt his Understanding was pure and good his Will was obedient and godly he was made altogether like unto God in Righteousness and Holiness in Wisdom in Truth to be short in all kind of perfection When he was thus created and made Almighty God in token of his great love towards him chose out a special place of the Earth for him namely Paradise where he lived in all tranquillity and pleasure having great abundance of worldly goods and lacking nothing that he might justly require or desire to have For as it is said God made him Lord and Ruler over all the Works of his hands that he should have under his feet all Sheep and Oxen Psal 2. all Beasts of the Field all Fowls of the Air all Fishes of the Sea and use them always at his own pleasure according as be should have need Was not this a mirrour of perfection Was not this a full perfect and blessed estate Could any thing else be well added hereunto or greater felicity desired in this World But as the common nature of all men is in time of Prosperity and Wealth to forget not only themselves but also God Even so did this first man Adam who having but one Commandment at Gods hand namely that he should not eat of the Fruit of Knowledge of Good and Ill did notwithstanding most unmindfully or rather most wilfully break it in forgetting the straight charge of his Maker and giving ear to the crafty suggestion of that wicked Serpent the Devil Whereby it came to pass that as before he was blessed so
now he was accursed as before he was loved so now he was abhorred as before he was most beautiful and precious so now he was most vile and wretched in the sight of his Lord and Maker Instead of the Image of God he was now become the Image of the Devil instead of the Citizen of Heaven he was become the bond-slave of Hell having in himself no one part of his former purity and cleanness but being altogether spotted and defiled insomuch that now he seemed to be nothing else but a lump of sin and thâ—râ—fore by the just judgment of God was condemned to everlasting death This so great and miserable a Plague if it had only rested on Adam who first offended it had been so much the easier and might the better have been born But it fell not only on him but also on his Posterity and Children for ever so that the whole brood of Adam's flesh should sustain the self-same fall and punishment which their forefather by his offence most justly had deserved St. Paul in the fifth Chapter to the Romans saith By the offence of only Adam the fault came upon all men to condemnation and by one mans disobedience many were made sinners By which words we are taught that as in Adam all men universally sinned so in Adam all men universally received the reward of sin that is to say became mortal and subject unto death having in themselves nothing but everlasting damnation both of Body and Soul They became as David saith corrupt and abominable they went all out of the way there was none that did good no not one O what a miserable and woful state was this that the sin of one man should destroy and condemn all men that nothing in all the World might be looked for but only pangs of death and pains of Hell Had it been any marvel if mankind had been utterly driven to desperation being thus fallen from life to death from salvation to destruction from Heaven to Hell But behold the great goodness and tender mercy of God in his behalf albeit mans wickedness and sinful behaviour was such that it deserved not in any part to be forgiven yet to the intent he might not be clean destitute of all hope and comfort in time to come he ordained a new Covenant and made a sure Promise thereof namely that he would send a Messias or Mediator into the World which should make intercession and put himself as a stay between both Parties to pacifie the wrath and indignation conceived against sin and to deliver man out of the miserable curse and cursed misery whereinto he was fallen headlong by disobeying the Will and Commandment of the only Lord and Maker This Covenant and Promise was first made unto Adam himself immediately after his Fall as we read in the third of Genesis where God said to the Serpent on this wise I will put enmity between thee and the woman between thy seed and her seed He shall break thine head and thou shalt bruise his heel Afterward the self-same Covenant was also more amply and plainly renewed unto Abraham where God promised him that in his seed all Nations and Families of the Earth should be blessed Again it was continued and confirmed unto Isaac in the same form of words Gen. 26. as it was before unto his Father And to the intent that mankind might not despair but always live in hope Almighty God never ceased to publish repeat confirm and continue the same by divers and sundry testimonies of his Prophets who for the better perswasion of the thing prophesied the time the place the manner and circumstance of his Birth the affliction of his Life the kind of his Death the glory of his Resurrection the receiving of his Kingdom the deliverance of his People with all other circumstances belonging thereunto Isaiah prophesied that he should be born of a Virgin and called Emanuel Micheas prophesied that he should be born in Bethlehem a place of Jury Ezekiel prophesied that he should come of the stock and linage of David Daniel prophesied that all Nations and Languages should serve him Zachary prophesied that he should come in poverty riding upon an Ass Malachy prophesied that he should send Elias before him which was John the Baptist Jeremy prophesied that he should be sold for Thirty Pieces of Silver c. And all this was done that the Promise and Covenant of God made unto Abraham and his Posterity concerning the Redemption of the World might be credited and fully believed Now as the Apostle Paul saith when the fulness of time was come that is the perfection and course of years appointed from the beginning thâ—n God according to his former Covenant and Promise sent a Messias otherwise called a Mediator unto the World not such a one as Moses was not such a one as Josua Saul or David was but such a one as should deliver mankind from the bitter curse of the Law and make perfect satisfaction by his death for the sins of all people namely he sent his dear and only Son Jesus Christ born as the Apostle saith of a Woman and made under the Law that he might redeem them that were in bondage of the Law and make them the Children of God by adoption Was not this a wonderful great love towards us that were his professed and open Enemies towards us that were by Nature the Children of Wrath and fire-brands of Hell-fire In this saith St. John appeared the great love of God that he sent his only begotten Son into the World to save us when we were his extream enemies Herein is love not that we loved him but that he loved us and sent his Son to be a reconciliation for our sins St. Paul also saith Christ Rom. 5. when we were yet of no strength died for us being ungodly Doubtless a man will scarce die for a righteous man Peradventure some one durst die for him of whom they have received good But God setteth out his love towards us in that he sent Christ to die for us when we were yet void of all goodness This and such other comparisons doth the Apostle use to amplifie and set forth the tender mercy and great goodness of God declarâ—d towards mankind in sending down a Saviour from Heaven even Christ the Lord. Which one benefit among all other is so great and wonderful that neither Tongue can well express it neither Heart think it much less give sufficient thanks to God for it But here is a great controversie between us and the Jews whether the saine Jesus which was born of the Virgin Mary be the true Messias and true Saviour of the World so long promised and prophesied of before They as they are and have been always proud and stiff-necked would never acknowledge him until this day but have looked and waited for another to come They have this fond imagination in their heads That the Messias shall come not as Christ did like a
reprove them with these testimonies of Gods Word and such other Whereunto I am most sure they shall never be able to answer For the necessity of our Salvation did require such a Mediator and Saviour as under one Person should be a partaker of both Natures It was requisite he should be Man it was also requisite he should be God For as the transgression came by man so was it meet the satisfaction should be made by man And because death according to St. Paul is the just stipend and reward of sin therefore to appease the wrath of God and to satisfie his Justice it was expedient that our Mediator should be such a one as might take upon him the sins of mankind and sustain the due punishment thereof namely Death Moreover he came in flesh and in the self-same flesh ascended into Heaven to declare and testifie unto us that all faithful People which stedfastly believe in him shall likewise come unto the same Mansion-place whereunto he being our chief Captain is gone before Last of all he became man that we thereby might receive the greater comfort as well in our Prayers as also in our Adversity considering with our selves that we have a Mediator that is true man as we are who also is touched with our Infirmities and was tempted even in like sort as we are For these and sundry other causes it was most needful he should come as he did in the flesh But because no creature in that he is only a creature hath or may have power to destroy death and give life to overcome Hell and purchase Heaven to remit Sins and give Righteousness therefore it was needful that our Messias whose proper Duty and Office that was should be not only full and perfect Man but also full and perfect God to the intent he might more fully and perfectly make satisfaction for mankind Mat. 3. God saith This is my wel-beloved Son in whom I am well pleased By which place we learn that Christ appeased and quenched the wrath of his Father not in that he was only the Son of Man But much more in that he was the Son of God Thus ye have heard declared out of the Scriptures that Jesus Christ was the true Messias and Saviour of the World that he was by Nature and Substance perfect God and perfect Man and for what cause it was expedient it should be so Now that we may be the more mindful and thankful unto God in this behalf let us briefly consider and call to mind the manifold and great benefits that we have received by the Nativity and Birth of this our Messias and Saviour Before Christ coming into the World all men universally in Adam were nothing else but a wicked and crooked Generation rotten and corrupt Trees stony Ground full of Brambles and Briers lost Sheep Prodigal Sons naughty unprofitable Servants unrighteous Stewards workers of Iniquity the brood of Adders blind Guides sitting in Darkness and in the shadow of Death to be short nothing else but Children of Perdition and inheritors of Hell-fire To this doth St. Paul bear witness in divers places of his Epistles and Christ also himself in sundry places of his Gospel But after he was once come down from Heaven and had taken our frail Nature upon him he made all them that would receive him truly and believe his word good Trees and good Ground fruitful and pleasant Branches Children of Light Citizens of Heaven Sheep of his Fold Members of his Body Heirs of his Kingdom his true Friends and Brethren sweet and lively Bread the elect and chosen People of God For as St. Peter saith in his first Epistle and second Chapter He bare our sins in his body upon the Cross he healed us and made us whole by his stripes and whereas before we were sheep going astray he by his coming brought us home again to the true Shepherd and Bishop of our Souls making us a chosen Generation a Royal Priesthood an Holy Nation a particular People of God in that he died for our Offences and rose for our Justification St. Paul to Timothy the third Chapter We were saith he in times past unwise disobedient deceived serving divers lusts and pleasures living in hatred envy maliciousness and so forth But after the loving kindness of God our Saviour appeared towards mankind not according to the Righteousness that we had done but according to his great Mercy he saved us by the Fountain of the new Birth and by the renewing of the Holy Ghost which he poured upon us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour that we being once Justified by his grace should be Heirs of Eternal Life through hope and faith in his blood In these and such other places is set out before our Eyes as it were in a Glass Mat. 2. Mat. 5. John 18. Luke 4. John 8. Mat. 9. Mat. 11. John 12. Coloss 1. the abundant grace of God received in Christ Jesu which is so much the more wonderful because it came not of any desert of ours but of his meer and tender mercy even then when we were his extream Enemies But for the better understanding and consideration of this thing let us behold the end of his coming so shall we perceive what great commodity and profit his Nativity hath brought unto us miserable and sinful creatures Heb. 10. Rom. 3. The end of his coming was to save and deliver his People to fulfil the Law for us to bear witness unto the Truth to teach and preach the words of his Father to give light unto the World to call sinners to Repentance to refresh them that labour and be heavy laden to cast out the Prince of this World to reconcile us in the body of his flesh to dissolve the works of the Devil last of all to become a Propitiation for our sins and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole World These were the chief ends wherefore Christ became man not for any profit that should come to himself thereby but only for our sakes that we might understand the Will of God be partakers of his Heavenly Light be delivered out of the Devils claws released from the burden of sin justified through faith in his blood and finally received up into everlasting glory there to reign with him for ever Was not this a great and singular love of Christ towards mankind that being the express and lively Image of God he would notwithstanding humble himself and take upon him the form of a Servant and that only to save and redeem us O how much are we bound to the goodness of God in this behalf how many thanks and praises do we owe unto him for this our Salvation wrought by his dear and only Son Christ who became a Pilgrim in Earth to make us Citizens in Heaven who became the Son of man to make us the Sons of God who became obedient to the Law to deliver us from the curse of the Law
not rise to life but fall down to death and damnation and that without end Chrisâ— haâ—h not redeemed from us sin that we should live an sin For Christ hath not so redeemed us from sin that we may safely return thereto again but he hath redeemed us that we should forsake the motions thereof and live to righteousness Yea we be therefore washed in our Baptism from the filthiness of sin that we should live afterward in the pureness of life In Baptism we promised to renounce the Devil and his suggestions we promised to be as obedient Children always following Gods will and pleasure Then if he be our Father indeed let us give him his due Honour If we be his Children let us shew him our Obedience like as Christ openly declared his obedience to his Father which as St. Paul writeth was obedient even to the very death Phil. 2. the death of the Cross And this he did for us all that believe in him For himself he was not punished for he was pure and undefiled of all manner of sin He was wounded saith Esay for our wickedness Esay 53. and stripped for our sins he suffered the penalty of them himself to deliver us from danger He bare saith Esay all our sores and infirmities upon his own back No pain did he refuse to suffer in his own body that he might deliver us from pain everlasting His pleasure it was thus to do for us we deserved it not Wherefore the more we see our selves bound unto him the more he ought to be thanked of us yea and the more hope may we take that we shall receive all other good things of his hand in that we have received the gift of his only Son through his liberality R m. 8. For if God saith St. Paul hath not spared his own Son from pain and punishment but delivered him for us all unto the death how should he not give us all other things with him If we want any thing John 1. either for body or soul we may lawfully and boldly approach to God as to our merciful Father to ask that we desire and we shall obtain it For such power is given to us to be the Children of God so many as believe in Christs Name Mat. 11. In his Name whatsoever we ask we shall have it granted us For so well pleased is the Father Almighty God with Christ his Son that for his sake he favoureth us and will deny us nothing So pleasant was this Sacrifice and Oblation of his Sons death which he so obediently and innocently suffered that we should take it for the only and full amends for all the sins of the World And such favour did he purchase by his death of his Heavenly Father for us that for the merit thereof if we be true Christians in deed and not in word only we be now fully in Gods grace again and clearly discharged from our sin No â—ongue surely is able to express the worthiness of this so precious a death For in this standeth the continual pardon of our daily offences in this resteth our justification in this we be allowed in this is purchased the everlasting health of all our souls Acts 4. Yea there is none other thing that can be named under Heaven to save our souls but this only work of Christs precious offering of his Body upon the Altar of the Cross Certes there can be no work of any mortal man be he never so holy that shall be coupled in merits with Christs most holy act For no doubt all our thoughts and deeds were of no value if they were nor allowed in the merits of Christs death All our righteousness is far unperfect if it be be compared with Christs righteousness For in his acts and deeds there was no spot of sin or of any unperfectness Our deeds be full of imperfection And for this cause they were the more able to be the true amends of our righteousness where our acts and deeds be full of imperfection and infirmities and therefore nothing worthy of themselves to stir God to any favour much less to challenge that glory that is due to Christs act and merit Psal 115. For not to us saith David not to us but to thy Name give the glory O Lord. Let us therefore good Friends with all reverence glorifie his Name let us magnifie and praise him for ever For he hath dealt with us according to his great mercy by himself hath he purchased our Redemption Heb. 1. He thought it not enough to spare himself and to send his Angel to do this deed but he would do it himself that he might do it the better and make it the more perfect Redemption He was nothing moved with the intolerable pains that he suffered in the whole course of his long Passion to repent him thus to do good to his Enemies but he opened his heart for us and bestowed himself wholly for the ransoming of us Let us therefore now open our hearts again to him and study in our lives to be thankful to such a Lord and evermore to be mindful of so great a benefit Acts 17. yea let us take up our Cross with Christ and follow him His Passion is not only the ransom and whole amends for our sin but it is also a most perfect example of all patience and sufferance For if it behoved Christ thus to suffer and to enter into the glory of his Father why should it not become us to bear patiently our small crosses of adversity and the troubles of this World For surely as saith St. Peter Christ therefore suffered 1 Pet. 2. 1 Tim. 2. Rom. 8. Mat. 5. Heb. 11. to leave us an example to follow his steps And if we suffer with him we shall be sure also to reign with him in Heaven Not that the sufferance of this transitory life should be worthy of that glory to come but gladly should we be contented to suffer to be like Christ in our life that so by our works we may glorifie our Father which is in Heaven And as it is painful and grievous to bear the Cross of Christ in the griefs and displeasures of this life so it bringeth forth the joyful fruit of Hope James 5. in all them that be exercised therewith Let us not so much behold the pain as the reward that shall follow that labour Nay let us rather endeavour our selves in our sufferance to endure innocently and guiltless as our Saviour Christ did For if we suffer for our deservings 1 Pet. 2. then hath not patience his perfect work in us but if undeservedly we suffer loss of goods and life if we suffer to be evil spoken of for the love of Christ this is thankful afore God for so did Christ suffer The patience of Christ He never did sin neither was any guile found in his mouth Yea when he was reviled with taunts he reviled not again
them and to delight or trust in them except we have in mind his examples in passion to follow them If we thus therefore consâ—â—er Christs death and will stick thereto with fast â—â—th for the merit and deserving thereof and wiâ—â—â—o frame our selves in such wise to bestow our selves and all that we have by Charity to the behoof of our Neighbour as Christ spent himself wholly for our profit then do we truly remember Christs death and being thus followers of Christs steps we shall be sure to follow him thither where he sitteth now with the Father and the Holy Ghost To whom be all Honour and Glory Amen THE SECOND HOMILY CONCERNING The Death and Passion of our Saviour Christ. THAT we may the better conceive the great mercy and goodness of our Saviour Christ in suffering death universally for all men it behoveth us to descend into the bottom of our Conscience and deeply to consider the first and principal cause wherefore he was compelled so to do When our great Grandfather Adam had broken Gods Commandment Gen. â— in eating the Apple forbidden him in Paradise at the motion and suggestion of his Wife he purchased thereby not only to himself but also to his Posterity for ever the just wrath and indignation of God who according to his former sentence pronounced at the giving of the Commandment condemned both him and all his to everlasting death both of Body and Soul For it was said unto him Gen. 2. Thou shalt eat freely of every Tree in the Garden but as touching the Tree of knowledge of good and ill thou shalt in no wise eat of it For in what hour soever thou eatest thereof thou shalt die the death Now as the Lord had spoken so it came to pass Adam took upon him to eat thereof and in so doing he died the death that is to say he became mortal he lost the favour of God he was cast out of Paradise he was no longer a Citizen of Heaven but a Fire-brand of Hell and a Bondslave to the Devil To this doth our Saviour bear witness in the Gospel Luke 15. calling us lost Sheep which have gone astray and wandred from the true Shepherd of our souls To this also doth St. Paul bear witness Rom. 5. saying That by the offence only of Adam death came upon all men to condemnation So that now neither he or any of his had any right or interest at all in the Kingdom of Heaven but were become plain Reprobates and Cast-aways being perpetually damned to the everlasting pains of Hell-fire In this so great misery and wretchedness if mankind could have recovered himself again and obtained forgiveness at Gods hands then had his case been somewhat tolerable because he might have attempted some way how to deliver himself from eternal death But there was no way left unto him he could do nothing that might pacifie Gods wrath he was altogether unprofitable in that behalf There was not one that did good no not one And how then could he work his own Salvation Should he go about to pacifie Gods heavy displeasure by offering up burnt-sacrifices Heb. 9. according as it was ordained in the old Law by offering up the blood of Oxen the blood of Calves the blood of Goats the blood of Lambs and so forth O these things were of no force nor strength to take away sins they could not put away the anger of God they could not cool the heat of his wrath nor yet bring mankind into favour again they were but only figures and shadows of things to come Heb. 10. and nothing else Read the Epistle to the Hebrews there shall you find this matter largely discussed there shall you learn in most plain words that the bloody Sacrifice of the old Law was unperfect and not able to deliver man from the state of damnation by any means so that mankind in trusting thereunto should trust to a broken staff and in the end deceive himself What should he then do Should he go about to serve and keep the Law of God divided into two Tables and so purchase to himself eternal life Indeed if Adam and his Posterity had been able to satisfie and fulfil the Law perfectly in loving God above all things and their Neighbour as themselves then should they have easily quenched the Lords wrath and escaped the terrible sentence of eternal death pronounced against them by the mouth of Almighty God For it is written Do thus and thou shalt live that is to say Luke 10. fulfil my Commandments keep thy self upright and perfect in them according to my Will then shalt thou live and not die Here is eternal life promised with this condition and so that they keep and observe the Law But such was the frailty of mankind after his Fall such was his weakness and imbecillity that he could not walk uprightly in Gods Commandments though he would never so fain but daily and hourly fell from his bounden duty offending the Lord his God divers ways to the great increase of his condemnation insomuch that the Prophet David crieth out on this wise All have gone astray Psal 5. all are become unprofitable there is none that doth good no not one In this case what profit could he have by the Law None at all For as St. James saith James 2. He that shall observe the whole Law and yet faileth in one point is become guilty of all And in the Book of Deuteronomy it is written Deut. 27. Cursed be he saith God which abideth not in all things that are written in the Book of the Law to do them Behold the Law bringeth a curse with it and maketh it guilty not because it is of it self naught or unholy God forbid we should so think but because the frailty of our sinful flesh is such that we can never fulfil it according to the perfection that the Lord requireth Could Adam then think you hope or trust to be saved by the Law No he could not But the more he looked on the Law the more he saw his own damnation set before his eyes as it were in a clear glass So that now of himself he was most wretched and miserable destitute of all hope and never able to pacifie Gods heavy displeasure nor yet to escape the terrible judgment of God whereunto he and all his Posterity were fallen by disobeying the strait Commandment of the Lord their God But O the abundant riches of Gods great mercy Rom. 11. O the unspeakable goodness of his heavenly Wisdom When all hope of righteousness was past on our part when we had nothing in our selves whereby we might quench his burning wrath and work the salvation of our own Souls and rise out of the miserable estate wherein we lay Then even then did Christ the Son of God by the appointment of his Father come down from Heaven to be wounded for our sakes to be reputed with the wicked to be
ye see how all is of God by his Son Christ our Lord and Saviour Remember I say once again your Duty of Thanks let them be never to want still injoyn your self to continue in Thanksgiving ye can offer to God no better Sacrifice For he saith himself Psal 50. It is the Sacrifice of Praise and Thanks that shall honor me Which thing was well perceived of that holy Prophet David when he so earnestly spake to himself thus Psal 103. O my Soul bless thou the Lord and all that is within me bless his holy Name I say once again O my Soul bless thou the Lord and never forget his manifold rewards God give us Grace good People to know these things and to feel them in our Hearts This knowledge and feeling is not in our selves by our selves it is not possible to come by it a great pity it were that we should lose so profitable knowledge Let us therefore meekly call upon that bountiful Spirit the Holy Ghost which proceedeth from our Father of Mercy and from our Mediator Christ that he would assist us and inspire us with his presence that in him we may be able to hear the goodness of God declared unto us to our Salvation For without his lively and secret inspiration can we not once so much as speak the Name of our Mediator as St. Paul plainly testifieth 1 Cor. 12 No Man can once Name our Lord Jesus Christ but in the Holy Ghost Much less should we be able to believe and know these great Mysteries that be opened to us by Christ St. Paul saith That no Man can know what is of God 1 Cor. 2. but the Spirit of God As for us saith he we have received not the Spirit of the World but the Spirit which is of God for this purpose That in that holy Spirit we might know the things that be given us by Christ The Wise man saith that in the Power and Vertue of the Holy Ghost resteth all Wisdom and all Ability to know God and to please him For he waiteth thus We know that it is not in Mans power to guide his goings Wisd 9. No Man can know thy Pleasure except thou givest Wisdom and sendest thy holy Spirit from above Send him down therefore prayeth he to God from the holy Heavens and from the Throne of thy Majesty that he may be with me and labor with me that so I may know what is acceptable before thee Let us with so good Heart Pray as he did and we shall not fail but to have his assistance For he is soon seen of them that love him he will be found of them that seek him for very liberal and gentle is the Spirit of Wisdom In his power shall we have sufficient Abilty to know our Duty to God in him shall we be comforted and encouraged to walk in our Duty in him shall we be meet vessels to receive the Grace of Almighty God for it is he that purgeth and purifieth the mind by his secret working And he only is present every where by his invisible Power and containeth all things in his Dominion He lightneth the Heart to conceive worthy thoughts to Almighty God he sitteth in the Tongue of Man to stir him to speak his Honor no Language is hid from him for he hath the knowledge of all Speech he only Ministreth Spiritual strength to the powers of our Soul and Body To hold the way which God had prepared for us to walk rightly in our Journey we must acknowledge that it is in the power of his Spirit which helpeth our infirmity That we may boldly come in Prayer and call upon Almighty God as our Father it is by this holy Spirit which maketh intercession for us with continual Sighs Galat. 4. Rom. 8. If any Gift we have wherewith we may work to the Glory of God and profit of our Neighbor all is wrought by this own and self same Spirit which maketh his distributions peculiarly to every Man as he will 1 Cor. 12. If any Wisdom we have it is not of our selves we cannot glory therein as begun of our selves but we ought to glory in God from whom it came to us as the Prophet Jeremy writeth Jerem. 9. Let him that rejoyceth rejoyce in this that he understandeth and knoweth me for I am the Lord which sheweth Mercy Judgment and Righteousness in the Earth for in these things I delight saith the Lord. This Wisdom cannot be attained but by the direction of the Spirit of God and therefore it is called Spiritual Wisdom And no where can we more certainly search for the knowledge of this Will of God by the which we must direct all our Works and Deeds but in the holy Scriptures for they be they that testifie of him John 5. saith our Saviour Christ It may be called Knowledg and Learning that is other where gotten without the Word but the Wise Man plainly testifieth Wisd 13. that they all be but Vain which have not in them the Wisdom of God We see to what Vanity the Old Philosophers came who were destitute of this Science gotten and searched for in his Word We see what Vanity the School Doctrin is mixed with for that in this Word they sought not the Will of God but rather the Will of Reason the Trade of Custom the Path of the Fathers the Practice of the Church Let us therefore Read and Revolve the holy Scripture both Day and Night Psal 1. Psal 119. For blessed is he that hath his whole meditation therein It is that which giveth light to our Feet to walk by It is that which giveth Wisdom to the simple and ignorant In it may we find Eternal Life In the holy Scriptures find we Christ in Christ find we God for he it is that is the express Image of the Father He that seeth Christ seeth the Father And contrariwise as St. Jerome saith the ignorance of the Scripture is the ignorance of Christ Not to know Christ Psal 19. Heb. 1. John 14. is to be in darkness in the midst of our Worldly and Carnal light of Reason and Philosophy To be without Christ is to be in foolishness For he is the only Wisdom of the Father in whom it pleased him that all fulness and perfection should dwell Coloss 2. With whom whosoever is endued in Heart by Faith and rooted fast in Charity hath laid a sure Foundation to build on whereby he may be able to comprehend with all Saints what is the breadth length and depth and to know the love of Christ This universal and absolute knowledge is that Wisdom which St. Paul wisheth these Ephesians to have as under Heaven the greatest treasure that can be obtained Ephes 3. For of this Wisdom the Wise Man writeth thus of his experience All good things came to me together with her and innumerable Riches through her hands And addeth more in that same place Sap. 7.
She is the Mother of all these things for she is an infinite treasure unto Men which whoso use become partakers of the love of God I might with many words move some of this audience to search for this Wisdom to sequester their Reason to follow Gods Commandment to cast from them the Wits of their Brains to favor this Wisdom to renounce the Wisdom and Policy of this fond World to taste and Savor of that whereunto the Favor and Will of God hath called them and willeth us finally to enjoy by his Favor if we would give ear But I will haste to the Third Part of my Text wherein is expressed further in Sapience how God giveth his Elect understanding of the motions of the Heavens of the alteration and circumstances of Time Which as it followeth in words more plentiful in the Text which I have last cited unto you so it must needs follow in them that be endued with this Spiritual Wisdom For as they can search where to find this Wisdom and know of whom to ask it So know they again that in time it is found and can therefore temper themselves to the occasion of the time to suffer no time to pass away wherein they may labor for this Wisdom And to encrease therein they know how God of his infinite Mercy and lenity giveth all Men here time and place of Repentance And they see how the Wicked as Job writeth abuse the same to their Pride Job 14. and therefore do the Godly take the better hold of the time to redeem it out of such use as it is spoiled in by the Wicked They which have this Wisdom of God can gather by the diligent and earnest study of the Worldlings of this present life how they wait their times and apply themselves to every occasion of time and to get Riches to encrease their Lands and Patrimony They see the time pass away and therefore take hold on it in such wise that otherwhiles they will with loss of their sleep and ease with suffering many pains catch the offer of their time knowing that that which is past cannot be returned again Repentance may follow but remedy is none Why should not they then that be Spiritually Wise in their Generation wait their time to encrease as fast in their state to win and gain Everlastingly They reason what a brute forgetfulness it were in Man endued with Reason to be ignorant of their Times and Tides when they see the Turtle Dove the Stork and the Swallow to wait their times Jer. 8. as Jeremy saith The Stork in the Air knoweth her appointed times the Turtle the Grane and the Swallow observe the time of their coming but my People knoweth not the judgment of the Lord. Ephes 2. St. Paul willeth us to redeem the time because the days are evil It is not the Counsel of St. Paul only but of all other that ever gave precepts of Wisdom There is no Precept more seriously given and commanded than to know the time Yea Christian Men for that they hear how grievously God complaineth and threatneth in the Scriptures them which will not know the time of his Visitations are learned thereby the rather earnestly to apply themselves thereunto After our Saviour Christ had Prophesied with weeping Tears of the destruction of Jerusalem at the last he putteth the cause Luke 19. For that thou hast not known the time of thy Visitation O England ponder the time of Gods merciful Visitation which is shewed thee from day to day and yet will not regard it neither wilt thou with his Punishment be driven to thy Duty nor with his benefits be provoked to Thanks If thou knewest what may fall upon thee for thy unthankfulness thou wouldst provide for thy Peace Brethren howsoever the World in generality is forgetful of God let us Particularly attend to our time and win the time with diligence and apply our selves to the Light and Grace that is afforded us let us if Gods Favor and Judgments which he worketh in our time cannot stir us to call home to our selves to do that belonging to our Salvation at the least way let the malice of the Devil the naughtiness of the World which we see exercised in these perilous and last times wherein we see our days so dangerously set provoke us to watch diligently to our vocation to walk and go forward therein Let the misery and short transitory joys spied in the casualty of our days move us while we have them in our hands and seriously stir us to be wise and to expend the gracious good Will of God to us ward which all the day long stretched out his Hands as the Prophet saith unto us Isaiah 65. for the most part his merciful Hands sometime his heavy Hands that we being learned thereby may escape the danger that must needs fall on the unjust who lead their days in felicity and pleasure without the knowing of Gods Will toward them but suddenly they go down into Hell Let us be found Watchers found in the Peace of the Lord that at the last Day we may be found without spot and blameless yea let us endeavor our selves good Christian People diligently to keep the presence of his holy Spirit Job 2. Let us renounce all uncleanness for he is the Spirit of Purity Sap. 1. Let us avoid all hypocrisie for this holy Spirit will flee from that which is feigned Heb. 11. Cast we off all malice and all evil will for this Spirit will never enter into an evil willing Soul Let us cast away all the whole lump of sin that standeth about us for he will never dwell in that Body that is subdued to sin We cannot be seen Thankful to Almighty God and work such despight to the Spirit of Grace by whom we be Sanctified Heb. 10. If we do our endeavor we shall not need to fear We shall be able to overcome all our Enemies that fight against us Only let us apply our selves to accept the Grace that is offered us Of Almighty God we have comfort by his Goodness of our Saviour Christs Mediation we may be sure And this holy Spirit will suggest unto us that shall be wholsome and comfort us in all things Therefore it cannot be but true that St. Paul affirmeth Of him by him and in him be all things and in him after this transitory life well passed shall we have all things For St. Paul saith 1 Cor. 15. When the Son of God shall subdue all things unto him then shall God be all in all If ye will know how God shall be all in all verily after this sense may we understand it In this World ye see that we be fain to borrow many things to our necessity of many Creatures there is no one thing that sufficeth all our necessities If we be an Hungred we lust for Bread If we be Athirst we seek to be refreshed with Ale or Wine If we be
and some of both So every one except by reason of Age debility of Body or want of Health he be unapt to Labor at all ought both for the getting of his own living honestly and for to profit others in some kind of Labor to exercise himself according as the Vocation whereunto God hath called him shall require So that whosoever doth good to the Common Weal and Society of Men with his Industry and Labor whether it be by Governing the Common Weal publickly or by bearing publick Office or Ministry or by doing any common necessary affairs of his Country or by giving Counsel or by teaching and instructing others or by what other means soever he be occupied so that a profit and benefit redound thereof unto others the same person is not to be accounted Idle though he work no Bodily Labor nor is to be denied his living if he attended his Vocation though he work not with his hands Bodily Labor is not required of them which by reason of their Vocation and Office are Occupied in the Labor of the Mind to the succour and help of others St. Paul exhorteth Timothy to eschew and refuse Idle Widows 1 Tim. 5. which go about from House to House because they are not only Idle but Pratlers also and Busie-bodies speaking things which are not comely The Prophet Ezekiel declaring what the Sins of the City of Sodom were reckoneth Idleness to be one of the principle Ezek. 16. The Sins saith he of Sodom were these Pride fulness of Meat Abundance and Idleness These things had Sodom and her Daughters meaning the Cities subject to her The horrible and strange kind of Destruction of that City and all the Country about the same which was Fire and Brimstone raining from Heaven most manifestly declareth what a grievous Sin Idleness is and ought to admonish us to flee from the same and embrace Honest and Godly Labor But if we give our selves to Idleness and Sloth to Lurking and Loitering to wilful Wandring and wastful Spending never setling our selves to Honest Labor but living like drone Bees by the Labors of other Men then do we break the Lords Commandment we go astray from our Vocation and incur the danger of Gods wrath and heavy displeasure to our endless destruction except by Repentance we turn again unfeignedly unto God The inconveniencies and mischiefs that come of Idleness as well to Mans Body as to his Soul are more than can in short time be well rehearsed Some we shall declare and open unto you that by considering them ye may the better with your selves gather the rest An Idle Hand saith Soloman maketh Poor Prov. 10. Prov. 11.28 Prov. 10. but a quick Laboring Hand maketh Rich. Again He that Tilleth his Land shall have plenteousness of Bread but he that floweth in Idleness is a very Fool and shall have Poverty enough Again A Sloathful Body will not go to Plough for cold of Winter therefore shall he go a begging in the Summer and have nothing But what shall we need to stand much about the proving this that Poverty followeth Idleness We have too much experience thereof the thing is the more to be lamented in this Realm For a great part of the beggery that is among the Poor can be imputed to nothing so much as to Idleness and to the negligence of Parents which do not bring up their Children either in good Learning Honest Labor or some commendable Occupation or Trade whereby when they come to Age they might get their living Daily Experience also teacheth that nothing is more an enemy or pernicious to the health of Mans Body than is Idleness too much Ease and Sleep and want of Exercise But these and such like incommodities albeit they be great and noisom yet because they concern chiefly the Body and external Good they are not to be compared with the mischiefs and inconveniences which through Idleness happen to the Soul whereof we will recite some Idleness is never alone but hath always a long Tail of other Vices hanging on which corrupt and infect the whole Man after such a sort that he is made at length nothing else but a lump of Sin Idleness saith Jesus Sirach bringeth much Evil and Mischief Ecclus 33. St. Bernard calleth it the Mother of all Evils and step-dame of all Vertues adding moreover that it doth prepare and as it were tread the way to Hell Fire Where Idleness is once received there the Devil is ready to set in his Foot and to plant all kind of Wickedness and Sin to the everlasting Destruction of Mans Soul Which thing to be most true we are taught plainly in the 13. Matt. 13. of Matthew where it is said that the Enemy came while Men were asleep and Sowed naughty Tares among the good Wheat In very deed the best time that the Devil can have to work his feat is when Men be asleep that is to say Idle Then is he most busie in his work then doth he soonest catch Men in the snare of Perdition then doth he fill them with all iniquity to bring them without Gods special favor unto utter Destruction Hereof we have two notable Examples most lively set before our Eyes The one in King David 1 Kings 11. who tarrying at home Idly as the Scripture saith at such times as other Kings go forth to Battle was quickly seduced of Satan to forsake the Lord his God 2 Kings 12. and to commit two grievous and abominable sins in his sight Adultery and Murder The Plagues that ensued these Offences were horrible and grievous as it may easily appear to them that will read the Story Judg. 16. Another example of Samson who so long as he Warred with the Philistines Enemies to the People of God could never be taken or overcome But after that he gave himself to Ease and Idleness he not only committed Fornication with the Strumpet Dalila but also was taken of his Enemies and had his Eyes miserably put out was put in Prison and compelled to grind in a Mill and at length was made the laughing strock of his Enemies If these two who were so excellent Men so wellbeloved of God so endued with singular and Divine Gifts the one namely of Prophecy and the other of Strength and such Men as never could by Vexation Labor or Trouble be overcome were overthrown and fell into grievous Sins by giving themselves for a short time to Ease and Idleness and so consequently incurred miserable Plagues at the hands of God What Sin What Mischief What Inconvenience and Plagues is not to be feared of them which all their life long give themselves wholly to Idleness and Ease Let us not deceive our selves thinking little hurt to come of doing nothing for it is a true saying When one doth nothing he learneth to do Evil. Let us therefore always be doing of some honest Work that the Devil may find us Occupied He himself is ever Occupied never Idle
Luke 7.16 The same grace and favor did the sinful Woman Magdalen Zacheus the poor Thief and many others feel All which things ought to serve for our comfort against the temptations of our Consciences whereby the Devil goeth about to shake or rather to overthrow our Faith For every one of us ought to apply the same unto himself and say Yet now return unto the Lord neither let the remembrance of thy former life discourage thee yea the more wicked that it hath been the more fervent and earnest let thy Repentance or returning be and forthwith thou shalt feel the ears of the Lord wide open unto thy Prayers But let us more narrowly look upon the Commandment of the Lord touching this matter Turn unto me saith he by the holy Prophet Joel with all your hearts with Fasting Weeping and Mourning Rent your Hearts and not your Garments c. In which words he comprehendeth all manner of things that can be spoken of Repentance which is a returning again of the whole Man unto God from whom we be fallen away by sin But that the whole Discourse thereof may the better be born away we shall first consider in order four principal Points that is from what we must return to whom we must return by whom we may be able to convert and the manner how to turn to God First From whence we must turn From whence or from what things we must return Truly we must return from those things whereby we have been withdrawn pluckt and led away from God And these generally are our sins which as the holy Prophet Esay doth testifie do separate God and us and hide his Face that he will not hear us But under the name of sin not only those gross words and deeds which by the common judgment of Men are counted to be filthy and unlawful and so consequently abominable sins but also the filthy Lusts and inward Concupiscences of the Flesh which as St. Paul testifieth do resist the Will and Spirit of God Gal. 5. and therefore ought earnestly to be bridled and kept under We must repent of the false and erroneous Opinions that we have had of God and the wicked Superstition that doth breed of the same the unlawful worshipping and service of God and other like Ephes 5. All these things must they forsake that will truly turn unto the Lord and repent aright For sith that for such things the wrath of God cometh upon the Children of disobedience no end of punishment ought to be looked for as long as we continue in such things Therefore they be here condemned which will seem to be repentant Sinners and yet will not forsake their Idolatry and Superstition Secondly We must see unto whom we ought to return Unto whom we ought to return Revertimini usque ad me saith the Lord that is return as far as unto me We must then return unto the Lord yea we must return unto him alone For he alone is the Truth and the Fountain of all goodness but we must labor that we do return as far as unto him and that we do never cease nor rest till we have apprehended and taken hold upon him But this must be done by Faith for sith that God is a Spirit he can by no other means be apprehended and taken hold upon Wherefore first they do greatly err which do not turn unto God but unto the Creatures or unto the inventions of Men or unto their own Merits Secondly They that do begin to return unto the Lord By whom we must return unto God and do saint in the Midway before they come to the mark that is appointed unto them Thirdly Because we have of our own selves nothing to present us to God and do no less flee from him after our Fall than our first Parent Adam did who when he had sinned did seek to hide himself from the sight of God we have need of a Mediator for to bring and reconcile us unto him who for our sins is angry with us The same is Jesus Christ who being true and natural God equal and of one substance with the Father did at the time appointed take upon him our frail Nature in the blessed Virgins Womb and that of her undefiled Substance that so he might be a Mediator between God and us and pacifie his wrath Of him doth the Father himself speak from Heaven saying Mat. 3. This is my well-beloved Son in whom I am well-pleased And he himself in his Gospel doth cry out and say John 14. I am the Way the Truth and the Life no Man cometh unto the Father but by me For he alone did with the Sacrifice of his Body and Blood John 1. 1 Pet. 1. Acts 5. make satisfaction unto the Justice of God for our sins The Apostles do testifie that he was exalted for to give repentance and remission of sins unto Israel both which things he himself did command to be preached in his name Luke 24. Therefore they are greatly deceived that preach Repentance without Christ John 15. and teach the simple and ignorant that it consisteth only in the Works of Men. They may indeed speak many things of good Works and of amendment of Life and Manners but without Christ they be all vain and unprofitable They that think that they have done much of themselves towards Repentance are so much more the farther from God because they do seek those things in their own Works and Merits which ought only to be sought in our Saviour Jesus Christ and in the merits of his Death and Passion and Blood-shedding Fourthly This holy Prophet Joel doth lively express the manner of this our Returning or Repentance comprehending all the inward and outward things that may be here observed First He will havs us to return unto God with our whole heart The manner of our turning Esay 29. Mat. 15. whereby he doth remove and put away all Hypocrisie lest the same might justly be said unto us This People draweth near with their mouth and worship me with their lips but their heart is far off from me Secondly He requireth a sincere and pure love of godliness and of the true worshipping and service of God that is to say that forsaking all manner of things that are repugnant and contrary unto Gods Will we do give our hearts unto him and the whole strength of our Bodies and Souls according to that which is written in the Law Deut. 6. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart with all thy Soul and with all thy Strength Here therefore nothing is lest unto us that we may give unto the World and unto the Lusts of the Flesh For sith that the heart is the Fountain of all our Works as many as do with their whole heart turn unto the Lord do live unto him only Halting on both sides Neither do they yet repent truly that halting on both sides do