aduersary the Diuell is a roaring Lyon rangeth about séeking whom he may deuour and inuenteth a thousand waies to entrap vs bring vs to euerlasting shame and destruction For S. Paul saith wee wrestle not against flesh and blood but against rule against powers against worldly gouernours of the darkenesse of this world against spirituall wickednesse in all spirituall places Our second enemy is the world the whole world is altogether set on wickednesse there is nothing in the world but the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and the pride of life The third our flesh our flesh which rebelleth and lusteth contrary to the spirit fleshly lusts fight against the soule Here you sée what enemies they bee to our saluation How then shall wee striue to enter in at the strait gate and narrow way leading to euerlasting life First resist the Diuell and hee will fly from you Resist him in faith in Prayer and in the word Secondly be crucified to the world euen as strangers which are not of the World For we haue no abiding Citty héere but we séeke one to come saith the Apostle Lastly chastice thy body with watchings with labour with fastings it is a great victory to ouer come the Diuell a greater to ouer-come the world and the greatest of all to ouercome thy flesh fleshly vnruly affections To him that ouercommeth shall begiuen a crowne But he that is ouercome shall be the continuall bondman of Sathan our vild and cruell enemy Let vs so striue that we may ouercome hee onely that striueth lawfully shall be crowned Let euery man therefore keepe his stand or station in all obedience and readinesse Stoutly must we fight vnder Christs victorious Banner They are not trifles for which wee striue therefore let vs not shrinke nor cowardly runne away but with an inuincible courage in an assured hope of victory abide all warlike miseries sustayned with the comfort of that reward which no man shall receiue except hee striue lawfully No man that putteth his hand to the plow and looketh backwards is worthy of the kingdome of heauen but he that endureth to the end shall be saued Now wée striue for Christ and not for Antichrist for the truth and not against it I can doe nothing against the truth but for the truth saith Saint Paul for the Gospell and not for the doctrine of men for true religion not for superstition must we striue But our striuing for the most part is all awry and wicked we striue who may be the proudest pretending equality we striue indéed for superiority neither equall nor superior can we abide we striue how to supplant and ouerthrow one another enuy hath made men impudent striuing to vndermine and cast downe the walles of innocency striuing how to place and displace how to disgrace and how to bring into fauour how to set vp and how to throw downe And in so doing wée striue against our selues and for the aduantage of our deadly foes This warre is not Christian this is not to striue lawfully this is not to fight a good fight this Uictory shall not bee crowned Behold in a word I speake vnto you all how many are there amongst you a shame to speake it that séeke to striue against your selues and follow the example of the multitude namely in swearing blasphemy cursed speaking rayling backbiting slandering chiding quarrelling contention iesting mocking flattering lying dissembling c. These things doe ouerflow in all places so as men which feare God had better bee any where then in company with such men Lactantius Firmianus speaking of the end of the world saith Si erunt boni praede ac ludibrio habebuntur If there remaine any good men at that time they shall be couâ—ted a pray a booty a mocking stocke Canst thou not flatter Canst thou not lye Canst thou not play the Hyppocrite Canst thou not follow the fashion and serue the stage No then thou art no méete man to liue in this world choose a few companions But I say vnto you as Nestor did vnto his children pray for vnlesse God helpe vs wee all perish Now I beséech you bretheren and fellow Prisoners euen for â—esus Christs sake doe not as the multitude doth which we see daily before our eyes to wallow in wickednes but keepe your selues from the broad way and wide gate leading vnto euerlasting damnation Striue earnestly The Almighty God of his ineffable goodnes when hee saw the weaknesse of our flesh by nature prone to euill and therefore vnable to withstand the Diuell who is called a Dragon with seauen heads for his subtilty ten hornes for his cruelty euen then most louingly shewed an excellent remedy wherby we migh preserue our selues from iniury and that is prayer It behoueth vs to take it for our weapon that we may kéep our selues from the inuasion of Sathan For as the Lyon at the sight of a Cocke is discomforted and at his crowing betaketh himselfe to his heels So doth Sathan both stand in feare of a godly man and flye at his prayer And Lactantius noteth Diuells do hurt but the faint hearted such as the great and mighty hand of God doth not protect which are prophane from the sacrament of truth but the 〈◊〉 that is the true worshippers of God doe the Diuells feare Let vs valiantly take this weapon in hand and manfully fight with Sathan and sin let vs try our combate in the field of the holy Scriptures let vs begin to trauerse the way of Gods commandements and breake into these wordes The afflictions of this present time are not worthy of the glory that shall be shewed vnto vs. Let vs striue to enter in at the straight Gate and narrow way leading vnto eternall saluation to wit charity which is the root and mother of all good works ioy in seruing of God peace or tranquility of mind in the stormes of this world patience in aduersity longanimity in expecting our reward bonity in hurting no man benignity in swéet behauiour gentlenes in occasion giuen of anger faithfulnes in performance of our promises modesty without arrogancy continence from all kinde of wickednes chastity in conseruing a pure minde in a cleane and vnspotted body Against these saith Saint Paul there is no law contrarily let vs shun and auoid the broad way and wide gate leading vnto euerlasting destruction namely fornication vncleannes wantonnes letchery idolatry poysonings enmities contentions emulations wrath strife dissention sects enuy murder drunkennes gluttony such like of which I foretell you as I haue told you before that those men which do such things shal neuer obtain the kingdome of heauen Héere then you sée how hard a thing it is to striue to enter into the kingdome of heauen and how few shall enter therfore some because it is difficult to striue striue not at all But Chist bids vs striue earnestly promiseth euerlasting peace
that may be both within vs and without vs we haue as they say the Sun Moone seauen starres against vs we haue all the Diuells in hell against vs with all their hornes heads maruelous strength infinite wiles cunning deuises déepe flights and methodicall temptations Heere raues a sore streame against vs then haue we this present euill world against vs with his innumerable baites snares nets ginnes grins c. to catch vs fetter vs and intangle vs. Here haue we both profits and pleasures riches and honor wealth and preferment ambition couetousnes Here comes a campe royall of spirituall and inuisible enemies Lastly wee haue our flesh that is our corrupted nature against vs we haue our selues against our selues For we our selues are as great enemies to our saluation as either the world or the Diuell For our vnderstanding reason will and affections are altogether against vs. Our natural wisedome is an enemy vnto vs our concupiscences lusts doe minister strength to Sathans temptations they are all in league with Sathan against vs They take part with him in euery thing against vs and our saluation they fight all vnder his standerd and receiue their pay of him This then goeth hard on our side that the Diuell hath an inward party against vs and wee carry alwayes within vs our greatest enemy which is euer ready night and day to betray vs into the hands of Sathan yea to vnboult the doore to let him in to cut our throats Here then wee sée an huge army of dreadfull enemies and a very legion of Diuels lying in ambush against our soules are not we therefore poore wretches in a most pittifull case which are thus bessedged and betrayed on euery side All thinges then duly considered may not wee iustly maruaile that any shall be saued For who séeth not who knoweth not that thousand thousands are carried headlong to destruction without the great mercy of God either with the temptations of the world the flesh or the Diuell But yet further I wil shew you by other apparant and euident reasons that the number of Gods Elect vpon the face of the earth are very few in comparison which may thus be considered First let there bee taken away from amongst vs the Papists Atheists and Heretiques Secondly let there be shouelled out all vitious and notorious euill liuers as swearers drunkards whoremongers carnall worldlings deceiuers cosoners proud men riotors gamesters and the prophane multitude Thirdly let there be refused and sorted out all hippocrites carnall Protestants vaine professors backe-sliders decliners and cold Christians Let all these I say be seperated and then tell me how many sound sincere faithfull and zealous worshippers of God will bee found amongst vs I suppose we should not néede the Art of Arithmeticke to number them for I think there would be very few in euery village towne Citty I doubt they would walke very thinly in the street so as a man might easily tell them as they go Our Lord Iesus asketh a question in the Gospell of S. Luke saying Doe you thinke when the sonne of man commeth that he shall find faith on the earth to the which wee may answer surely very little To make it more clearely manifest that few shall bee saued in the first age of the world all flesh had so corrupted their waies that God could no longer beare them but euen vowed their distruction by ouerflowing of waters when the flood came how few were found faithfull eight persons were only saued by the Arke How few righteous found in Sodome the Citties adioyning but one poore Lot and his family How few beleeuers were found in Iericho but one Rahab How few of the old Israelites entred into the Land of promise but two Caleb and Iosuah the rest could not enter in because of vnbeliefe The true and inuisible Church was small during the gouernment of the Iudges as apeareth plentifully in that booke In Elias time the Church was so small that it did appeare weak In the raign of the Kings of Israell and Iudah the sincere worshippers were very few as appeareth by the complaint of all the Prophets During the captiuity the Church was as the moone vnder a cloud she was driuen into a wildernesse where she did hide herselfe During the persecution of the Gréeke Empire by Gog and Magog and Egypt they were fewest of all In Christs time with what silly company did hee begin withall How were all things corrupted by the Priests Scribes and Pharises preaching there were few beléeuers After the first six hundreth yeares what an ecclipse was in the Church during the height of Antichrists raigne How few true worshippers of God were in the world for the space of almost nine hundreth yeares Since the Gospell was preached and spred abroad how few doe beleeue And as the Prophet Esay saith Domine quis credidit auditui nostro Lord who hath belieued our report Thus then you sée it doth appeare both by Scripture reason and examples of all ages that the number of the elect is very smale and when when all comes to all few shal be saued Therefore let vs striue earnestly to goe in at the straight gate for the small number of those that shal be saued ought to thrust vs forward to enter in thereat Christ saith Contendite intrare per angustam portam quia multi dico vobis studebunt intrare et non poterunt Striue to enter in at the narrow gate for many I say vnto you will séeke to enter in and shall not be able And in an other place hee saith The gate is straight and the way narrow that leadeth vnto life and few there be that finde it If men would consider of this and try with themselues whether they be of that small number or no it would make them looke better about them c. Death threatneth vs who is very terrible to the flesh and the remembrance of it very bitter to a man that is sowced soaked and setled in the pleasures of this world It flattereth no man it regardeth not persons it waigheth not friendship it careth not for rewards it is very grim vgly and cruell and killeth downe right where it hitteth Therefore Christ bids vs striue earnestly To knit vp this point S. Bernard saith there is none of vs all which standeth not in néed of councell propes and helpe The generall misery of mankind is triple c. For both we are easie to be seduced and vnable to doe well and very weake to resist If we would discerne between good and euill we are deceiued if we goe about to doe good wee quickly faint if we endeauour to resist euill wee cannot endure but are easily ouercome The tiranny and rage of Sathan is vnspeakeable and his power mighty the baytes of the world be innumerable and our flesh fraile and weak They are thrée deadly enemies to our saluation against whom we must al ioyntly fight Our
comfort vnto him Contendenti et vincenti that striueth ouercommeth saying though in the world ye haue no peace but tribulations afflictions yet be of good chéere Ego vici mundum et omnia in hoc mundo I haue ouercome the world all things in this world therefore in me you shall haue peace eternally In the second head our Lord Iesus Christ affirmeth that the gate is very straight noting that none can enter in without vehement crowding and almost breaking their shoulder bones that is none can enter into eternall life without vehement suit earnest prayer and supplication vnto God for the forgiuenes of their sinnes wrought by the spirit of all Christians with an inward and true repentance and God shal derect all thy wayes and appoynt thée how to goe either hither or thither as the Prophet Esaias saith Though the Lord giue thee bread of trouble the water of affliction aduersity thy raine shall be no more scant but thine eyes see the raine yea and thine eare shall heare the talking of him that speaks behind thee This is the way walke therein turne not aside neither to the right hand nor to the left Wherfore hoc opus hic labor endeauour we and let our chiefest care yea our greatest endeauor be for the vertue of his grace the antecedent to glory both which are his free guift The Lord will giue grace and glory and no good thing will he withheld from them that walke vprightly As I haue shewed you of sundry lets both within vs and without vs which doe keepe vs backe from God and hold vs fast in our sinnes so now vnto all that hath beene saide before I will lay forth vnto your view seauen especiall lets and hinderances vnto eternall life which may not vnfitly be termed seauen barres out of Heauen and seauen gates into Hell and thereby you shall perceiue that the gate is very straight that leadeth vnto life and few there be that find it The first which is infidelity is proued out of the fourth Chapter to the Hebrewes where it is thus written Vnto vs was the Gospell preached as vnto them but the word which they heard profited them not because it was not mixed with faith in those that heard it And againe they could not enter in because of vnbeleefe Héere we sée that vnbeliefe did barre out the old people frō entring into the land of promise which was a figure of Gods eternall Kingdome And sure it is that the same vnbeliefe doth barre out thousands of vs. For many will beléeue nothing but their owne fantasies they will not beléeue the word of God especially when it is contrary to their lust likings profits and pleasures Though things be manifestly proued to their faces and the Chapter and verse shewed them yet will they not beléeue or though they say they will belieue yet will they neuer goe about the practise of any thing but reply against God in all their actions And for the most part when God saith one thing they will either say or doe another when God saith yea they will say no and so giue God the lye Some againe will say if all be true that the Preachers say then God helpe vs. Thus you sée how infidelitie doth bar men out of Heauen and cast them into hell The second gate which is the presumption of Gods mercy for if men be sharply reproued for their sinnes and exhorted vnto repentance by and by they take couert saying God is mercifull as though God were made all of mercy and that there were no iustice in him at all and thus the wicked make Gods mercy an occasion which though the Prophet Nahum in the first Chapter of his prophesie doth sharpely reproue The Lord saith he is slow to anger but he is great in power and will not surely cleare the wicked Here we see that God will not surely spare such as goe on in their sinnes presuming of his mercy and saying in their hearts If I may but haue a Lord of mercy vpon me thrée howres before my death I care not But it is iust with God when those three howers come to shut them vp in blindnes and hardnes of heart as a iust plague for their presumption Therfore the Prophet Dauid seeing the greeuousnes of this sinne prayeth to be deliuered from it Keep me O Lord from presuptuous sinnes let them not raigne ouer mee Let all men therefore take héed of presumptious sinnes which is the onely cause that sinne doth so mightily abound in our age and let vs not continue in sin presume of Gods mercy but let vs come vnto God for mercy while the gates of mercy are opened vnto vs For though God be full of mercy yet will hée shew no mercy to them that presume of his mercy but they shal once know to their cost that Iustice goeth frō him as well as mercy And therfore it may wel be called the strait gate to heauen and the wide gate to Hell Let vs come to the third gate which is the example of the multitude for that doth harden imbolden men vnto sin As when many birds do flicker flock together they fall vpon the net without any feare but one or two alone wil be affraid Euen so the example of many sin companions do imbolden men to run through the snares of Sathan without any mistrust This is proued in the 23. of Ex. where the Lord saith flatly Thou shalt not follow a multitude to doe euill This is a thing that hindreth a great number from God for they neuer looke vp vnto God or to his word but stare vpon the common multitude and doings of most men and examples of the world thinking that if they do as the most men doe as their forefathers haue done before them they are cockesure and of an euen ground And herevpon riseth their diuellish Prouerbe Doe as the most men doe and the fewest will speake of you which is a very wicked spéech But they haue forgotten S. Pauls rule Ne configuremini seculo isto c. Fashion not your selues like vnto this world These fellowes that stand vpon the multitude will reason thus we sée none of these great ones of the world none of the noble none of the rich none of the wise and prudent receiue this doctrine but onely a few Shackragges and beggerly rascalls and therefore it is a token that it is nothing worth and that it is doubtfull and not for vs to meddle withall Loe what thoughts may créepe into our hearts and how slily Sathan may trumpe in our way and blindfold vs and lead vs away in the dark by doting and dorring vs with the example of the multitude Let vs therfore take heed of these pitfalls which Satan layeth in the way and not be caried away with these thoughts reasons The wicked beare themselues in hand that they shall win the game and that the goale goeth on
their side and there is nothing but crowing long before it be day and great triumphing among them before any stroke be stricken and that because we bee but a handfull of people and they a great multitude and that in a manner the whole world agréeeth with them to practise our death Thus the Diuell doth cast a mist before their eyes and leades them away from the straight Gate to heauen and brings them into the broad way which leadeth them to the bottomlesse pit of hell Therefore my deare Bretheren let vs stand fast in the word of the Lord and take héed of bending with the way that we be not carried away or bowed quite downe with the raging streame of the multitude for the sway of the world doth way downe all thinges that can be spoken out of the word of God and openeth a very wide passage into Hell Now let vs procéed to the fourth Gate into hell which is the long custome of sinne for that taketh away all sence and féeling of sinne and making it as it were an other nature vnto vs so that wee may as well alter nature as shake it off when it is thus soldered vnto vs through long custome this is noted by the Prophet Ieremy to be a very dangerous thing For hee saith Can the blacke Moore change his skin or the Leopard his spots then may ye also doe good which are accustomed to doe euill Héere the Prophet affirmeth that it is as hard to cure an old disease that is bred in the bone or to remedie a sin that hath béene hatched and brought vp with vs as to wash a blacke Moore white or to change the spots of a Leopard which cannot be without the destroying of nature And surely trye it who will hee shall finde it as hard a matter to leaue an old custome whether it be of swearing gaming lying whoring euill company or any other sinne as to wash an Aethiopian Therefore it is written Pro. 27. Though thou shouldest bray a foole in a morter among wheate brayed with a pestle yet will not his foolishnes depart from him So that as long as we are in custome with sinne the doore of Heauen is barred vp against vs. Now let vs heare of the fift gate which is the long escaping of punishment this is auouched by the wise man in these wordes Because sentence against an euill worke is not executed speedily therfore the hearts of the children of men haue set them to do euil Where he sheweth that one cause why men are so hardened in their sins is because God wincketh at them and letteth them alone not punishing them immediately after they haue sinned For if God should forthwith strike downe one and raigne downe fire and brimstone vpon another cause the earth to swallow vp the third then men would feare indéed But God taketh not that course for though he méeteth with som in this life yet he lets thousands escape and that makes them more bold thinking they shall neuer come to their answer Euen as an old Theefe which hath a long time escaped both prison and gallowes thinkes he shall alwayes escape and therfore goeth bouldly on in his thefts But let men take héed for as the prouerbe saith though the pitcher goeth long to the well yet at last it commeth broken home so though men escape long vnpunished for sin yet shall they not alwayes be freed for there will come a day of reuenge a day that will pay thē home for all Thus you sée that impunity leadeth numbers to destruction that is when men are let alone not smitten by the hand of God nor punisht by law of the Magistrate The sixt Gate is the beholding of other mens déeds for when some men that haue a wicked and vngratious life haue béene notorious sinners euen to the world ward so that euery man could poynt at them if vpon their death-bed they say a few good wordes and cry God mercy and say their prayers and forgiue all the world and so dye quietly it is maruellous to heare how the foolish people of the world will exalt them and iustifie them saying He made a very good end as any man could make and dyed as quietly as a lambe set all things in good order before he dyed Héerevpon an other wicked monstrous varlet is encouraged to sin for thinketh he such a man liued as wickedly and loosely as I or any man else and yet he made a very good end and why may not I doe so too But alasse these mens eyes are bleared for to dye quietly is not to dye godly to crye God mercy for fashion sake is not to haue God mercifull to say a few praiers with téeth outward is not to dye in the faith of Christ for many do this and yet dye miserably The last gate is hope of long life this is affirmed by our Lord concerning the rich worldling who whē he felt the world come in vppon him with full streame said hee would pull downe his Barnes and build greater and say to his soule Soule habes multa bona reposita in annos multos requiesce comede bibe oblectare Thou hast much goods laid vp for many yeares liue at ease eat drinke and take thy pastime But our Sauiour calleth him foole for flattering himselfe in security and promising vnto himselfe long life moreouer he plainly telleth him that the same night he should make a hellish and miserable end Note I pray you how Iesus Christ the fountaine of all wisedome calleth this man a foole and yéeldeth a reason thereof to wit because he gathered ritches to himselfe and was not rich in God hee had great care for this life and none at all for that which is to come So then it followeth that all such are méere fooles indéede and may bee Chronicled for fooles howsoeuer they be taken and reputed in the world which haue much care for their bodies and none for their soules great care for this life and none at all for that which is to come Wel let all such prophane worldlings as dreame and dote of long life and therefore defer the day of their repentance vnto God take héed by this mans example that they reckon not without their host and bee suddenly snatcht away in the midst of all their pleasures and iollities as Iob saith Some dye in their full strength being in all ease and prosperity their brests are full of marrow Wée see therefore how dangerous a thing it is for men to flatter soothvp themselues with hope of a long life Via arctissima the way is very straight my little flock speake thus one to another Come let vs goe vp to the mountaine of the Lord to the house of the God of Iacob Et docebit nos vias suas and hee will teach vs his wayes and we will walke in his paths for we will no longer follow the multitude nor walke in the wayes of