The first part, containing the Kings sicknes with a description of the Plague of the soule.

THe Kings sicknesse,1. Part is the Plague of the soule: In which, the learned Physition, God the Holy Ghost, describeth two things. First, the disease it self: secondly, the counsaile of [Page] IOAB (as a Physition) shewing vnto the King the meanes to preuent the increasing of this spi­rituall infection. 1. Chro. 21. vers. 3. In the Kings disease, foure things are to be obserued: First, the person infected (DIVID the King) Secondly, the ayre infecting him, or the meanes by which hee got the infection. 1. Chro. 21. verse 1. (Satan) with the consideration of the time when he got it: Thirdly, the disease it selfe, the Plague of the soule, with the pestilentiall Carbuncles, & Deuils tokens, by which this in­fection did manifest it self. ver 1. (the numbring of the people) Fourthly the time how long this infection remained in DAVIDS soule before it was discouered, and felt by DAVID, (nine mo­neths long) Heere is a large field to enter in,2. Sam. 24.8. but I purpose not to amplifie the two first parts, this New yeere inuiting me to the description of the Kings medicine: I will onely trip ouer them, & as the Poet speaketh, tantum summa sequar fastigia rerum. I will only poynt at thē, leauing the am­plifycation of thē to the meditations of the Rea­der.1 The person infected cō ­sidered. The person infected is DAVID, who may be considered two manner of waies. First, as a pub­like person, a King: secondly, as a priuate person, DAVID: a holy, a righteous man, a sweet singer of Israel,1 As a pub­like person. a man after Gods one heart. As he is con­sidered as a king, therein we behold, that credit, countenance, prioritie of place, and the greatnes of the person exēpteth him not from the infecti­onDoctrine [Page] of sin, but rather maketh him subject to this kinde of Plague: for as they are most subiect to the plague of the body, which are of a sanguine cōplexion, & of a high colour, according to the rule of the Physitions: So likewise, they which descend of Noble bloud, and whose armes are countenāced with high colours) as the prouerbe goeth) are most subject to the plague of the soule The high Cedar is more subject to the boistrous windes, then the low and humble Willow tree: the mountaine more than the valley; Wormes engender soonest in the softest woode, & motes in the finest garment. The archer can ayme bet­ter at the greater marke, then at the little one: & as Satan lifted vp Christ vpō an exceeding high mountaine, and then tempted him to ambition,Matth. 4 which he did not beneath in the valley: So they which are eleuated vpon the high mountaine of honour and dignitie in the Church and com­mon weale, are more subject to the poison of Sa­than, than they which are beneath in the valley. As Princes are not free from the corporal infec­tion, so are they not exempted from the spiritual plague. It was a foolish humour in CAESAR, who thought, that to be an Emperour, was safegarde enough against danger: for being in a tempest, and the maister himselfe doubting the worst: Feare not, saieth he, Caesarem vehis, thou cariest CAESAR. MAXIMILIAN had some like conceite, when he tolde his soldiers dropping [Page] away at his heeles with the shot of their enemies: you must not aduenture as farre as I doe: ha­bent enim principes peculiarem quandam fortunam suam: For Princes haue a lucke of their owne. And yet CAESAR might haue bene deceiued, and afterwarde was in a safer place. To be an Emperour, is no safegarde, either against the Plague of the body, or of the soule, neither Princes haue a lucke of their owne to escape the poyson of Satan.The vse. Princes and subiects, learne heere wisdome: Princes in regard of your selues and of your subiects: Subiects, in regard of your Princes.1 In regarde of princes Princes, seeing ye are subiect to get the Plague of the soule, auoide presumption: for as it is not good to be presumptuous in the time of bodily infection (for the boldest of them al may ketch it) so aduenture not too farre, in regard of sinne. Keepe the windowes of your eies shut, and let not the infectious ayre of concupiscence enter therein. Hang at your hearts the feare of the Lorde, as a preseruatiue against the heart-plague: & as you are diligent to keepe frō your Court the infectious person, so be not negligent to keepe out of the same, the flatterer, the Atheist, Epicure, Libertine, & Machauilion professour: for such infect both the Prince and the Nobles. Ye that are the heads of the people, imitate the serpentine prudence,Mat, 10, 16 Be wise as Serpents: a pre­cept for the Prince, for the Priest, for the people. As the Serpents chiefest care, is to preserue his head: so let your principal studie be to preserue [Page] your selues from the infection of sinne, for this spirituall infection is not onely hurtfull to the head, that is, to your selues, but also to the body, that is, to your subjects, according to the tenour of the common prouerbe, Regis ad exemplum totus componitur orbis. Credit, countenance, prio­ritie of place, maketh the subjects and inferiours bolder to sinne, because they sinne with such au­thours. Euill behauiour in Princes, infecteth as it were the ayre round about. A sicke head dis­ordereth all the other parts: a darke eye, maketh a darke body. IEROBOAM infected with the plague of sinne, infecteth all Israell: and there­fore being mentioned in the booke of GOD, draweth a tayle after him like a blazing starre, Who sinned, and made Jsrael to sinne. You then that by the warrant of your precedency, pull others to wickednesse: you binde two sinnes together: sinning your selues, and sinning before others, putting a stumbling blocke before their feete. Such bitter rootes shall answere for themselues and their corrupted braunches, such leprous and contagious soules, shall answere for the pollu­tion of their owne persons and of others. Such poysoned fountaines shall not escape with sin­gle iudgement, because they haue polluted the whole course of Waters. I leaue you Princes, and come to your subiects;2 In regarde of subiects let the danger of your Princes, mooue you subiectes to take care, not onely for your selues, but for them also. And [Page] as they, who in the time of infection depart out of infectious places vnto the purer-ayre, are not onely carefull of themselues, but take with thē, those whom they loue, giuing them in preserua­tiues, that they might scape the infection: So this is the duety of the obedient subiects,Pro. 18.10. going vnto the name of the Lord, that strong towre, to carry with them in their prayers, their Princes and magistrates, whom they are bound to loue as fathers, that their soules may be preserued from the infection of sinne. As there are no better Halbards, and no trustier garde to preserue a King from bodily danger (as an auncient father speaketh) then the prayers of the righteous: So I may saye, that there is no better preseruatiue for the soule of the Prince, to keepe it from the spirituall infection, then the humble prayers of the louing subiects. It is the Apostles precept, that prayers,1. Tim. 2.1. supplications, and intercessions, should be made for Kings, and for all that are in authoritie: As a king for himselfe, so praye thou for the king:2. Sa. 24, 10 Take away, O Lord, the trespasse of thy seruant. I conclude this poynt, which con­cerneth kings and subiects, with the prayer of a king, fitte for a subiect: Giue thy iudgements to the King, O God, and thy righteousnesse to the kings sonne. psal. 72.1.

2 Dauid consi­dered as a priuate per­son,Secondly, DAVID being considered as a priuate person, a holy and a righteous soule, a man after Gods owne heart, and yet (beholde) [Page] infected with the plague of sinne, taketh me as it were by the hande, & biddeth me tell you belo­ued, that the holiest, the most righteous, the god­lyest, may get the spiritual infectiō, & sometime are taken with spirituall apoplexies.3. Doctrine, Where is the Patriarke, the Prophet, the Apostle, which hath not had the falling sicknesse? Both the bad and the good, get the corporal infection: and so, not onely the vessels of earth, but vessels of the greatest honour, in the great house of the Lord, are sometimes polluted. For as IEROME speak­eth, Nunquam ad perfectionem pertingemus nisi confecto stadio nostro, we shall neuer attaine vnto perfectiō, vntill we haue finished our race. Mag­num electionis vas, perfectionem abnuit: The great vessell of election, PAVL himselfe, denieth per­fection, saith BERNARD. As there is no Pome­granate wherein there is not some kernel amisse (as the prouerbe goeth:) So where is the Saint in whome there is no fault? The Arke of coue­nant it selfe doeth Preach it, for consisting, (ex lignis Sethim auro obducto, Exod. 37, 1.2) of a certaine Wood called, Shitthim-wood, ouer-couered with gold, doeth signifie, that the Church, as long as shee is in the worlde, shall neuer bee free from the Plague of sinne: and yet that shee is pur­ged and couered, by the innocencie, and golden perfection of Christ Iesus. The righ­teous DAVID, and the Holiest NOAH, may bee compared vnto the ORANGE tree, [Page] which beareth at one time ripe fruit, greene O­ranges, and blossoms. So the Christian fig-tree, planted in the Lords Vineyard, hath some im­perfection. And how canst thou deny this, ô impure perfectist? seeing man falleth, as LAC­TANTIVS hath noted, three waies: In deedes, in speeches, in thoughts; who can say, I am cleane from sinne? Pro. 20.9. Shew him me, and I will praise him, tell me where he is, and I will honour him, let me see him, and I will worship him as a mortal God. Is there a body without a blemish, or a day without a cloude? The Heathen POET could say,Horace Nemo sine crimine viuit. There be two false positions touching the corporall Plague: which, although many haue held to be true, yet I haue founde false this yeere. The first, that an olde man can not get the Plague: The seconde, that he that feareth it not, shall not lightly be in­fected. As touching the spirituall Plague, if any should hold these positions, examples would prooue the contrary, in old DAVID and ancient NOAH. Old NOAH could preach that a floud should come, and yet a second invndation pre­uailed against him, and he became ouer-flowed with wine, as the old world with water. PETER would seeme the strongest, & to feare nothing, and yet he shewed himselfe a weakling, and got the Plague of Apostasie, which remained in his soule, till he was wakened by the allarum of a seely Cocke. But I cease to report their falles. [Page] least I seeme to take pleasure with vngratious CAM, to vncouer the nakednesse of my fathers:The vse. you that stand, learne by their ruines two things, to auoyd presumption,1 To auoyde presumption & to walke circumspect­ly: First, by their falles, learne not to fa [...], draw not on thee, sin with the cart-ropes of examples, take no aduantage at the ruins of Gods Saints, coun­tenance not your sins, by the examples of those who healed them. Alas, pretious vessels they are, but made of clay, and shaped of the selfe­same mould, whereof thou, and all mankinde is fashioned. Secondly, learne prudence:2 To learne prudence. If the spi­rituall Phisitions get this Plague, how hardly shall the patients escape? If the Cedars in Libae­non are throwne downe, no maruaile, if the lowe shrubs be shaken & supplanted: If ye are Pro­phets, trust not the prerogatiue of your calling: Prophets haue fallen, Patriarches haue fallen, Apostles haue fallen, Starres & Angels haue fal­len: Are you strong? alas trust not to it, it is in­firmitie. Thinkest thou to be pure, ô perfectist? alas, trust not your purest and vprightest spirits, whilest they haue their dwelling in houses of clay: there is a lawe in the members striuing a­gainst them, to get the victory: Sayest thou, I haue stood a time? yet trust not your legges, you may slide againe: repliest thou, I haue slipt, and recouered? trust not that recouery, for feare of backe-sliding. It is a cōceite of men, that if once they haue had the bodily Plague, they thinke [Page] that they cannot get it againe. Whether this bee true or no, experience teacheth: as for the spiri­tual plague, be not too bold, and venture not too farre: for DAVID who was once infected with the plague of murther and of adulterie, was af­terwardes infected with ambition: And thus much for the person infected.

There followeth in the description of the spi­rituall plague,2 The ayre which infec­ted the King the second thing, which is (the ayre infecting him) or how DAVID got this infection. 1. Chron. 21.1. (Satan stood vp, and prouoked him,) with the consideration of the time when the king got it, (in the time of peace and prosperitie, his heart now being at ease.) Touching the first, as there haue bene diuers opinions concerning the cause of the corporall Plague: some attribu­ting it to the infection of the ayre, and inwarde corruption of the humours (out of the booke of Nature:) others, to the slaying Angell, out of the booke of God. So likewise, diuersly some haue disputed of the cause of sin, which is the plague of the soule. Some haue ascribed it to God, o­thers, to Satan; the third, to man. As for them that roote wickednesse in heauen, they discerne not betwixt the corruption of nature, and the authour of nature. True it is, that GOD is [...], a worker in the workes of men, but yet let vs not set vp a iudgement seat in our erroni­ous phantasies, thereat arraigning God of in­iustice.

Thus much I dare say, that as the house wherein SAMPSON was, fell to ruine with the verie weight of the building, when he withdrew the proppes, and pillers of the house: and as the remoouing of the sunne from these vpper parts of the earth, into the other hemisphere, bringeth darknes vpon vs: So when the Lord withdraw­eth his gratious spirite, and that the aide and assi­stance of Gods grace forsaketh a man; the righ­teous Lorde, departing from an vnrighteous soule, how can the house but fall? and how can there but darkenesse succeede? Great and admi­rable is thy wisdome ô Lord! Sin is a poyson, & yet as the wisdome of the Phisitions is, in vsing the poyson of Serpents: for how harmefull a na­ture soeuer the poysō hath, the Physition tempe­reth it by degree, & healeth his patiēt therby, the poyson it self, notwithstanding hurtfull, the skill of the Physition commendable, the effect profi­table. So the Lord, an excellent Physition hand­leth sinne, the poyson of the olde Serpent, & frō the corrupted will of man, can produce good ef­fects, as appeareth here in the example of DAVID. But I will not enter further into a bottomles sea; let vs remaine where the lambe may wade with­out danger of miscarrying. This question is co­uered with a curtain of sacred secrecy, & therfore the booke, that is clasped vp, I leaue to the lambe and to the blessed Trinity. You phantastick Li­bertines, that charge that righteous Lord with [Page] the conception and birth of so vile a monster: why rubbe ye your filthinesse vpon his puritie? vessels of clay, dare you thus conceiue of your former? Aske but the maisters of humane wisdome, they will enforme you better: God is by no meanes vniust, saieth PLATO. Let those dogges be confounded that barke at the iustice of God:Iam. 1. I conclude with the Apostle, let no man when hee is tempted, saye that he is tempted by God, for God is not tempted with euill, and hee himselfe tempteth no man. Others with a right iudgment, follow the determination of that wise doctor the Holy Ghost, who can not erre, and make Man and Satan, the cause of this spirituall infection. But what neede we dispute about the matter; the doctor of trueth decideth the que­stion, and himselfe maketh a Commentarie vp­on this question in few words, Satan stood vp and prouoked him. For explanation of which Com­mentarie, the saying of AVGVSTINE is excel­lent and substantiall, Deus deserit, diabolus sugge­rit, homo consentit. The deuill worketh by sugge­stion; man by consenting, God by forsaking. To follow the methode of the Physition, as hee ma­keth a double cause of the corporall Plague, an outward and an inward, the infection of the ayre; and the corruption of the humours in the body:The out­warde cause of the spiri­tuall conta­g [...]on. So may we make a double cause of the spiritual plague. First, an outward, (Satan) Secondly, an in­ward, the flesh, and the corruption within the [Page] the soule of man. Satan is the ayre which doeth infect the soule: this ayre is worser then the infec­tion of the elementall ayre. For the Satanicall ayre is euery where, in all contries, Kingdomes, 1 cities, townes and villages: It compasseth the earth to and fro, Job. 1.7. It infecteth all manner of persons; the Prince and the subject, the Cour­tier 2 and the Carter, the learned and the ignorant; and hee that taketh in preseruatiues against it, doth often hardly scape it: For DAVID himselfe hath bene infected by it. He walketh about see­king whom he may deuoure. 1. Pet. 5.8. The in­fection of the elementall ayre, hurteth nothing 3 but the body: but the Satanicall ayre, seeketh to hurt man in three things: In his soule, in his bo­die, in his goods. The infection of the elementall aire remaineth not alwaies, but this continueth, 4 and hath bene from the beginning; this infecti­ous ayre was in Paradise: the first person infe­cted was EVE, ADAM got it from her, We from ADAM. The bitter root of disobedience, which our fore-fathers tasted, infected their blood, and the corrupt nutriment thereof conuerted it selfe into the whole body of their succeeding linage. The breasts of EVE, gaue no other milke then peruersnesse to her children: and ADAM (alas) left it for a patrimonie to all his posteritie: al­though the Lord had giuen them a preseruatiue against this Satanical ayre, namely, his comman­dement, and had as it were fenced the forbidden [Page] tree with a double hedge of a twofold death, yet it was so forcible, that they became infected with the plague of the soule, which plague manifested it selfe with many Deuils tokens: disobedience, apostasie, infidelitie, pride, ambition, and other more, this ayre then hath infected DAVID, and poysoned his heart. Some deny that the ayre doth infect, and affirme that an Angell doth it, I dispute not therof, but to apply this to our pur­pose, I may say that an Angell doth infect men with the Plague of the soule, but it is an Angel of darknesse. As an Angel of heauen smote the IS­RALITES with the bodily pestilence, so an An­gell of hell smote DAVID their King with the spirituall pestilence:2 The inward cause of it. Iam. 1, 14, 15 thus much for the outward cause of this spirituall infection. The inward, is in man, his pronenes to this corruption; as the corrupted ayre cannot infect, except the hu­mors in the body be apt to receiue the infection, for the euill and corrupt humors ingendered in the body, are a cause of the bodily pestilence: So, although Satan bee the outward cause, yet this our spirituall disease riseth from within vs. Satan cannot constrain vs to receiue it, vnlesse our willes should consent to it, and that by the inward corruption of our flesh, wee were apt to take it.The vse

Out of the consideration of the two-folde cause of the spirituall pestilence, learne to make a two-folde preseruatiue: First, resist the inward [Page] cause,1 To resist the inward cause and as against the inward cause of the bo­dily infection, the engendring of euill humors, it is good to take heede of disordering himselfe, either in dyet or other vnlawfull exercises: So to resist the cause of the spirituall plague, which is in man: Be sober and watch. 1. Pet. 5.8. Take heede to your selues, least at any time your hearts bee oppressed with surfetting and drunkennes, and cares of this life. Luc. 21.36. possesse your vessels in holinesse and honour, and not in the lust of concupis­cence. 1. Thes. 4.4. And as NOAH pitched the Arke without and within, that no water should get in: So let vs pitche the arkes of our soules, that no violent and disordered thoughts rush in­to them. The men of the world were wont to saye (saieth BERNARD) that hee that keepeth the bodye, keepeth a good Castell: Wee saye not so (sayeth hee) but hee that keepeth his soule, keepeth a good Castell. Let thy prin­cipall care bee to preserue this pretious soule from this infection. But alas, how many learne from the schoole of HYPOCRATES the Phy­sition, and EPICVRVS, the swine, to preserue, to physicke, and dyet their bodies? but as for their soules, they are not once mindefull. O ye sonnes of men, foolish and slowe of heart to conceiue the rightest things; how long will yee loue such vanities? Secondly,2 To resist the outwarde cause resist the out­warde cause of this heart-Plague; and see­ing that Satan is an infectious ayre, vse to take in [Page] spirituall antidotes at all times, and in all places, keepe the windowes of your eies shut, and let not the Satanicall ayre of concupiscence enter therein: we dwell (beloued) in infectious places, and shall not we take heede? As to resist the in­fection of the elementall ayre, we shun contagi­gious places, and flie to the purer ayre: so let vs flie the Satanicall ayre by faith and prayer, let vs draw neere vnto God. Jam. 4.8. Resist the de­uil, & he will flie frō you. Iam. 4.7, & that, sted­fast in the faith. 1. Pet. 5.9. Immitate your owne industrie, for the preseruing, of your soules, as you haue done for your bodies: You that in di­uerse places the former yeere, haue watched to keepe out the passengers, that came out of con­tagious places, and would not suffer them to enter, and to harbour amongst you, for feare of infection: Watch now this yeere, to keepe out Sathan, an infectious passenger, who runneth e­uery where in contagious houses. Shut the gate of your heart, suffer him not to lodge in your soule, for he will infect it. It is a precept of a wise Physition: be sober and watch, for your aduer­sarie walketh about, seeking whom he may de­uoure. 1. Pet. 5.8. Aske the Cranes, ô sonnes of men, and they will teach you wisdome, when they flocke together (saith PLINIE) to feede: one of them vseth to feede a farre off, and that Crane so singled from the rest, still as he feedes, lookes round about him, and obserues, if anie [Page] danger be towardes them: if he spie anie bodie draw nigh, then he giueth warning to the rest, and so they saue themselues. Shall this policie rest in vnreasonable Birds, and shall it not bee found in man? shall not our soules watch, to e­spie the fraude of Satan, and so to deceiue the de­ceiuer? And thus much for the ayre which in­fected the king. There followeth the time,The time when the king got the Plague. when the king got this spirituall infection, which was: now hauing peace and prosperitie, his heart be­ing at ease, after his victories, being deliuered out of the handes of all his enemies, and out of the hand of SAVL, as appeareth. 2. Sam. 22.1. euen then Satan stood vp, and tempted him, setting before his eyes, his excellencie and glorie, his power and victories. Peace, prosperitie, & idle­nesse, are as it were a contagious ayre, which smiteth vs with the Plague of the soule. The ayre which is still and calme, is apt to receiue in­fection, for the winde is aeris verriculum, a broome to purge the ayre: so the soule which is at her ease, soonest getteth the spirituall contagi­on. As euill and corrupted humours through idlenesse are ingendred in the body: So in peace and prosperitie, bad and pernitious humours are ingendred in the soule. As the ayre is a good and pure creature of it selfe, and yet by the influen­ces, putrifyed vapours, euaporation of dead car­kasses, and diuers other things approoued by the booke of nature, is altered and becommeth [Page] pernitious to the body: So peace and prosperi­tie (which are the gifts of God, by the corrupti­ons of our owne hearts, are abused, and become pernitious to the soule. And as the ayre hath not alwaies the same force to infect the body: So Sa­tan, the ayre which infecteth the soule) hath not alwaies the like strength and of efficacie to fulfill his purpose, and to poyson the soule. If thou art desirous to know when the Satanicall aire hath most force; It is in the time of peace and prospe­ritie, when thy heart is at ease, and that thou hast giuen thy selfe to securitie: For he obserueth three things; the time, the place, the occasion. Satan dealeth with vs, as the Crabbe with the Oysters, (as AMBROSE obserueth) the Crab being an en­emie of the Oysters, because he cannot hurt thē by reason of the hardnesse of their shell, he tar­ryeth till the Sunne doth shine, for then they o­pen themselues, and lie still in the Sunne, recrea­ting themselues: & then the Crabbe commeth, and casteth little stones into their shels, and so hurteth them: So likewise, Satan our aduersarie, perceiuing when we are at our ease, and that the sun-shine of prosperitie doth shine ouer vs: then he cōmeth, & casteth his poison into our soules. Seeing then that prosperitie ingendreth cor­ruptions in the soule;The vse bee not carelesse of thy health, exercise thy selfe, to driue away the bad humours, and to retaine thy spirituull health. The sounde man, if hee doeth not exercise him­selfe, [Page] is subiect to diseases: although thou art sounde of spirit, yet if thou giuest thy selfe to securitie, thou shalt fall in the Kings sicknesse. Three exercises are necessarie for the health of thy soule, against the gathering of bad hu­mours. The exercise of Prayer;3 Three exer­cises, necessa­ry for the soule. the exercise of the Word, and the exercise of the Crosse. As for the two first, forget them not, as for the third, the Lord himselfe will not forget, sometimes in due season to lay vpon thee. And as the Physi­tions, in their Treatises of the former yeere, touching the Plague, bid thee to haue a re­garde in your exercises, vbi, quomodo quan­do, where, howe, when? So, I bid you this yeere obserue these rules in your spirituall ex­ercises, the amplifycation of which, I leaue to your meditations. And thus much for the time.

The third member of the first parte, con­taineth the Kings sicknesse it selfe,The Kings sicknesse it selfe. consisting in the numbring of the people. This fact of DAVID, is the Kings sicknesse, a dangerous disease; I may call it, the heart-plague. As the infection of the elementall ayre, in the bodi­ly Plague, doeth creepe vnto the heart, and poyson the vitall spirits: So the infection and poyson of Satan, hath crept into his heart, and infected that place with pride. This Kings Euill, is more daungerous then that disease, which some haue called the kings euill: For the [Page] bodily Kings euill can bee cured (si credere f [...] est) if it be true, with corruptible gold: but the spi­ritual Kings Euill,A spirituall Kings euil. cannot be cured with corrup­tible gold or siluer, (as the Apostle speaketh) but onely by the pretious blood of the Sonne of God. This is then a dangerous and greeuou [...] wound in a Saint, if I would thrust my fingers into it, & throughly handle it: To extenuate the Kings euill, three things might bee alleadged, that it agreeth with the commaundement o [...] God. Exod. 30.12. Secondly with the practise o [...] the Isralits. Numb. 1.2. Thirdly with Politicke prudence: To vntie the knot with a word, there is a two-folde numbring. First, a spirituall and Ecclesiasticall. Ex. 30.12. Secondly a politicall Num. 1.2. Examine this fact of DAVID at the touch-stone of this two-folde numbring, and you shall finde it is neither of them both: To leaue amplyfications, it may be further censured vngodly and vnlawfull for these three re­spects.Dauids fault censured vn­godly for three respects First, because he did it not to the glorie o [...] God. Secondly, to the good and wel-fare of hi [...] kingdome. Thirdly, for the good of his own [...] person. This Kings Euil I haue called the plagu [...] of the soule, which name, sinne iustly may beare for these foure respects, for the names attributed to it in the booke of God, corruptions, sores woundes, spots & such like. Secondly, for com­parisons, vnto which it is compared vnto a lea­prosie. Leuit. 13. A Serpent. Ec. 21. vnto Pitch [Page] Eccle. 13.1. Thirdly for the medicine appointed to cure it, healing, cleansing, washing. Jere. 4, 14. wee wash things that are polluted. Fourthly for the similitude which it hath with the corporall Plague in diuers things, as I haue already shewen and yet will amplyfie in this Kings Euill. As the corporall Plague doeth manifest it selfe with Biles and Carbuncles, yea sometime with fiue, sixe, seauen, or more: So likewise in this Plague of the soule, wherewith DAVID hath been infec­ted, diuers pestilentiall vlcers are to be seene. And as the Carbuncles, Botches, and, sores of the cor­porall Plague, are called by the vulgar (Gods-to­kens) so giue mee leaue fitly to call the diuers sinnes which are to bee seene in this Kings Euil, (Deuils tokens) To particularize, this plague in DAVIDS soule, doth manifest it selfe by sixe pesti­lentiall vlcers. The first Deuils token,The Deuils tokens to be seene in the Kings euill. hath bene Pride; for to the numbring of the people, the king hath bene mooued by the pride of his heart, and seeketh as it were to glory in the arme of the flesh, & in the multitude of the people: As NEBVCHAD­NEZER in the greatnes and magnificencie of his 1 royall Babell.

The second hath bene Ambition, which is, as 2 BERNARD speaketh, Secretum venenum, a secrete ve­nome: He did seeme hereby, to let others know, to what a glorie he had brought the kingdome, and ouer how great a multitude he did raigne. Am­bition (saith one) hath euer bene the Plague of the [Page] earth: It hath infected Angels, Saints, heauen and earth. The third Deuils token, his spiritual Idola­trie: for he seemeth by this, to trust too much vpō man, from which the Holy Ghost disswadeth vs. Psal. 146. The fourth, is the kings curiosity, 4 his tongue betraieth him. 2. Sam. 24.2 (that I may know the number of the people) he rendreth no just cause. Wee are all desirous by nature to at­taine vnto knowledge, saieth ARISTOTLE, which is not to be discommended, but our knowledge must be directed to a lawfull end and scope, for if it doth consist in the limits of DAVID, that wee might onely know, it doth degenerate in curio­sitie, which is, as that hony-father BERNARD spea­keth, Primus super biae gradus: the first degree of pride. Her stocke of great antiquitie, hell her na­tiue soyle; the old Serpent, the father of this gid­dish wisdome: ô would to God, that we the sonnes of EVE, were not troubled with this hearts-itch. This infection is very generall, spreading it selfe farre and wide. The fift Deuils-token is his Dis­obedience 5 and transgression of the Law; for hee hath violated both the Ecclesiasticall and poli­ticall numbring of the people. The first, forget­ting the legall condition annexed to the com­mandement. Exo. 30.12. which was to bring the money to the vse of the Tabernacle. The second, for MOSES numbred them to another end. This fift token, amongst the other Plants in the gar­den of Eden, not far from the goodliest Trees of [Page] life & knowledge: grew a bitter roote, which our fore-fathers no sooner tasted, but it infected their whole blood. The sixt & last deuils-token, is the 6 kings obstinacie in his purpose. 1. Chro. 21.3.4. In which two things are set downe: first, the counsell of IOAB as a physition, shewing him the meanes to preuent the increasing of this poyson. vers. 3. Se­condly, the obstinacy of the sicke patient: vers. 4. Touching the first; as the Physition, when he gi­ueth counsel to the patient, either to perswade or disswade, produceth his reasons, and sheweth the danger: So IOAB counselling DAVID to flie this Sa­tanical aire, produceth two reasons, drawne from the danger: The first respecteth the Kings person:Ioabs coū ­saile to di­uert Dauid of his pur­pose, with to reasons. in the first part of the third vers. The second, the kings subjects, in the latter part of the ver. But Da­uid, rejecting the Physitions counsell, would fol­low his own minde & appetite, for the kings word preuailed against IOAB, & so ran wilfully into the plague. Thus I haue anatomized the kings euil, & shewen, that although at the first view it seemeth nothing, yet the wound being ript opē, there pro­ceedeth thereout great quantitie of poysō & mat­ter. Satan which stood vp against him, hath de­ceiued him, hee shewed him his great power, his victories, and the multitude of the people: but hee couered the filthinesse of the sinne, and the indignation of the Lorde, with the daun­ger which should ensue, being like vnto the Panther, of whome it is written, that knowing [Page] how beastes flie from him by reason of his vgly head, which fraies them; thrusts onely his head in some secrete corner, whilest they, gazing on his goodly spotted hide, nothing suspecting their ap­proching end, suddenly he breaketh out, & pray­eth vpon them. So this foule-headed Panther Sa­tan, perceiuing well how much delight men take in worldly pleasures, and in the glorie of this world; hideth his deformed head, and the filthi­nesse of sinne, setteth forth onely his fine coloured skinne, that is, the glorie and vanitie of pleasant, but dangerous delights; whilest in the meane time, they neglecting their enemie, he suddēly en­trappeth them. I leaue Satan, and returne to IOAB, hee who before playde the Physition, needeth a Physition himselfe: and obeyeth the appetite of the patient, which hee knew would be hurtfull to the head, and to the body, to the king and to the subjects: Yee that seeke to binde vp the sores and wounds of others, be not carelesse of your owne sores, that to you be not said, Mat. 23. Physition first heale thy selfe.

4 The time how long the infectiō remained, in his soule be­fore hee knew of it,The fourth and last member of the first part, layeth downe the time how long this infection re­mained in the kings soule, before he knew & felt it (nine Moneths) for at the end of them, then his heart smote him. As the corporall Plague is often a good while in the body, and hee that hath it, knoweth nor feeleth it not: so likewise, the spiritu­all Plague hath often infected many, and they nei­ther [Page] feele nor know it, as here we see in DAVID. The Physitions do say, that there be seauen kinde of Agues or Feauers; a continuall Feauer, a quo­tidian, a tertian, a quartan (with which the Lyon is sometimes sicke) the Feauer Hectick, the wan­dering feauer, that keepeth no certain fits; & last­ly, that which lasteth but a day. The Plague of the soule (as you see) is not a Feauer of one day, it la­sted nine Moneths in DAVID, & he knew it not. This kings euill may be compared vnto the con­tinuall Feauer; wee haue all of vs continually some sparkes of pride and ambition in vs; the one more, the other lesse; and principally, the Ly­ons, Princes and great men are troubled with it. Seeing then this is the nature of sin, that it some­times is not knowen of vs, I will shew vnto you the signes to know if we be infected with the spi­rituall Plague. The Physitions haue prescribed the former yeere in their Treatises, touching the corporall Plague, the signes whereby a man may iudge of himselfe, whether he bee infected or not, which are many. First, when the outward members are colde, and the inwarde parts bur­ning hot, when there is paine and heauinesse of the head; and a great inclination to sleepe: a wea­rinesse, heauinesse, and difficultie in breathing; a sadnesse of the minde, a change of countenance, losse of stomacke and appetite, immoderate thirst, and often vometing, a bitternesse and dri­nesse of the mouth: the Pulse frequent, the vrine [Page] troublous: lastly, if there doe arise Botches, be­hinde the eares or else where: Giue mee leaue this yeere, following the same methode, to shew vnto you beloued, certaine signes, whereby wee may iudge if wee bee infected with the Satanicall ayre.

Signes to know if wee are infected with the spi­rituall conta­gion or no.These are also manifold: First, if our outward members are colde, our eares in the hearing of the worde, our mouthes to speake and sing the prayses of God, our hands to offer the Sacrifices of mercie vnto the poore, our feete to enter the Temple, & our inward partes burning hot with the heate of concupiscence, hate, enuie, pride and ambition: Further if our heades bee heauie with drunkennesse, surfetting, gluttonie, and with the cares of this world, if there be in vs an inclynatiō to the sleepe of sinne, and a difficultie to breathe good words, deeds or thoughts: an immoderate and desperate sadnesse of the minde, as there was in SAVL, ACHITOPHEL, & IVDAS: a change of countenance caused by couetousnesse, anger and enuy: losse of appetite to the milke of the word the bread of life, and the righteousnesse of Christ Iesus: a losse of our zeale, and forsaking of our former loue. Reu. 2. Further when there is in vs an immoderate thirst after the riches, honours and pleasures of this worlde: a returning to our filthinesse and vomit, with the Dog and Swine. 2. Pet. 2.22. A bitternesse and vnpleasantnesse in the vns [...]uery words of our mouthes. If the pulse [Page] of our hearts smite vs with horrour of minde, and make vs to breake foorth in Blasphemies. Lastly if there doth arise, a filthy Botch, in our eares, which stoppeth thē & maketh thē vnwilling to heare the word of God, a hardnes of heart, a swel­ling of pride and enuie, and such other like; they are all signes, declaring that we are already infec­ted with the poyson of Satan. If this yeere thou seelest thy self thus infected, immediately seeke to cure thy selfe by the Kings medicyne. I end this point with the counsaile of SALOMON. Pro. cap. 4.23. vers. keepe thine heart with all diligence, for thence proceedes the actions of life.

Let me now beloued of LONDON,The applica­tion of the first part hold out the looking-glasse, to discrie and see therin whether we haue not beene infected with the Kings sick­nesse? The old yeare is past, and the Newe is ap­appeared: let vs now examine our selues, and as DAVID hath bene busie to number the peo­ple, so let vs bee busie with a better Arithma­ticke, and number our sinnes. Wee may apply to our selues all the foure members of the first parte, and to inuert the order, let mee beginne with the last.1 The time how long As DAVID hath had the spiritual infection in his soule, nine moneths long, and knew it not; for in the ende of them, his heart smote him: So we haue bene a long time infected with the same, and sin hath raigned in the mortall bodies of many: not nine moneths, but nine yeres, [Page] euen since the last plague time; and alas, the most parte of vs, haue as it were not knowen it; we haue took no regard to it; we haue bene senseles, & not esteemed it, till that now in the ende of these nine yeeres and odde, our hearts seeing the hand of God, haue begun to smite vs, & made vs to cry out with DAVID: Lord we haue done foolishly, and sinned exceedingly. And what hath bene our dis­ease?2. Our disease. alas, the Plague of the soule (for which we haue suffered the Plague of the body) yea the Kings euil hath bene our euill, which hath mani­fested it self with the deuils tokens, & pestilential vlcers of DAVID, and to speake plainely, we haue sinned in numbring. This Plague hath raigned not onely in the head-citie, but in the whole bo­die of the kingdome.Englands arraigne­ment If England were arraigned & indited before the Iudge of heauen, should it not be found guilty? I appeale first to the court and to the tribe of Iudah:1 The Court. hath she not these ma­ny yeeres had the kings euill, and with DAVID bin lifted vp in the multitude, glorying in the num­ber and multitude of her riches and treasures, of her stately buildings, and royall Pallaces, in the multitude of her followers, & attendants, of her Nobility and Gentility?2 London. Secondly, thou LONDON, tender & delicate, the Mistres of felicity, the Im­periall chamber of this kingdome, to whom I may, as ARISTOTLE speaketh of Babilon; giue the title of a countrey, rather then of a city, the Piller of England, as Troy is called of that parte of the [Page] world: Hast thou not also had the kings euill? it is too manifest, thou hast gloried in the number and multitude of thy people, in the greatnesse of thy Citie, mightinesse of thy state, singularity of thy gouernment; in the number of thy merchāts, riches, & stately buildings; in the number of thy Temples & Turrets; and as Ierusalem, thou did­dest trust in thine owne beautie, because of thy renowne. Ez. 16.15. And as Nabucadnezar spake of his Babel: Is not this great Babel? &c. So your inhabitants of their city; Is not this great LONDON, our city, the like not in Europe? Thus haue they swelled in the vanity of their conceit, and saide with Laodicea. Re. 3. I am rich and increased with goods, & haue need of nothing. Royall Citizens,Citizens. not I, but the kings sicknes wherewith you haue bene infected, giueth you this name: hath not the carbuncle of curiosity, pride, and ambition bene seene in your buildings, feasts, attendants? May it not be said of you, as it was said of the marchā [...]s of Tyrus. Es. 23. whose marchants are Princes? If our king had entred the city, in tryumph, as Constan­tius the Emperour in the city of Rome, and be­held the companies that should haue entertain­ed him; might he not haue vsed that Emperours saying, Tot vidi reges quot ciues? I haue seene as ma­ny kings as citizens? Parents,Parents haue you not had the kings euill, haue you not gloried in the num­ber and multitude of your children, and set too much your hearts vpon them? And not to spare [Page] our selues: We children of the Prophets, we haue bene infected with the kings sicknesse. I do ap­peale vnto our two Vniuersities,Vniuersities they haue glo­ried in the number of their Colledges and state­ly buildings, in the greatnesse and multitude of their reuenewes, of their Doctors, learned writers, Schollers and Students. And I dare say, our voic [...] hath bene a proude and ambitious voice, despy­sing the forraine Schooles, as not to be compared vnto vs. And it is to bee feared, that of them may be saide, that which was spoken of Gilead. Hos. 6.8. which was the place where the Priests dwelt, and which should best haue bene instructed. Gilead is a citie of them that worke iniquitie. As for the whole body of the kingdome, not to flatter our selues,4 The whole body. it hath had the kings euill; alas, our voice hath bene insolent and imperious: we haue magnifyed our selues in the mightines of our na­tion, and haue gloryed our selues in the number of our swift-sayling-Shippes, in the greatnesse of our strength and number of our people, that in few houres warning, many thousands we haue bene able to make ready; ascribing our victo­ries to the st ength of our arme, and not to him who teacheth DAVIDS fingers to fight. Psalm. 144. Let mee nowe adde this, that a generall disease of the whole body hath bene defect of charitye. The Physitions saye, that the bo­dye is sicke, when that his kindely heate is to l [...]ttle or when it is to much: Charity to God and [Page] our neighbour, is as it were the naturall heate of the body of a kingdome; lustfull loue to the crea­tures, is an vnnaturall heate; the first hath beene too little in the body of the kingdome; the se­cond too great, and therefore, it hath sorely bene sicke.

Lastly I do appeale to the Cleargie.5. The Clergy. Many of them haue not onely had the Kings euill, but also haue bene infected with IOABS sicknesse. Haue we not had some (ô would to God that there yet were none) that are spiritual Physitions to others, and in the Lords Temple, produce their reasons (as IOAB did) to disswade their auditors from the Plague of sinne, and yet themselues, that seeke to binde vp the wounds of others, are carelesse of their owne sores, their notorious sinnes as ABSO­LONS adulteries, euen vpon the house toppes, o­pen to the worlde, to the great scandale of the church, like to MERCVRIES images, that point the way to others, but themselues stand still and stirre not one foote, like to Water-men, that look one way but rowe another: O Physitions heale your selues, builde not an Arke for others, and your selues be drowned. Tribe of LEVIE, I am ashamed to vncouer our own nakednesse, which hath also bene a cause of that deserued pestilence, whose printes and markes are yet to bee seene a­mongst vs.

To apply the last circumstance, we of England haue got the Plague of the soule, and the Kings [Page] euil,3 How and when wee haue got the kings euill. in such a time as the king got it, in our peace and prosperity, our hearts being at ease, after our victoryes, Satan hath set before our eyes our ex­cellency, glory, power, victories, & our long peace and prosperity, as a contagious ayre hath infec­ted vs. And because we were become grosse and fat (as ISRAEL) wee haue spurned with the heeles Deut. 32.15. It is an opinion, that fat men get sooner the corporal Plague, then the leane & macilent: experience teacheth, that the body of this Realme through his long prosperity beeing waxē fat & grosse, hath got the spiritual plague. There is a disease in the body called a Lethargy or sleepinesse, which disease hants commonly grosse and fat men. There hath beloued raigned in our soules a spiritual Lethargy, in vs, who were become fat by reason of our halcyonious daies: It hath brought vs to wanton Babels estate, and made vs tender & delicate. Es. 4.7. or like to the vntamed heyfar, by reason of our long running in plentifull pastures, we haue forgotten to carry the sweete yoke of obedience, and are become so dainty, that we haue esteemed more the dinners of the world then the supper of the Lambe: the Garlicke & Onions of Aegipt, then the milke & hony of the land of promise. Thus haue wee lost our spirituall appetites. Wee may speake of our selues, as PLINY speaketh of a certaine Countrie, that ex siccitate lutum, ex imbre puluerem &c. drought hath caused durt, and raine hath stirrid [Page] vp dust among vs: for what hath the Sun-shine of his mercies but caused vs to lye in the myre of our abhominations? & what hath the moysture of his graces but euen dried vp the fountaine of grace in vs? It is true of vs as of Rome, that reli­gio peperit diuitias, et filia deuorauit matrem, the bles­sing of the Gospel hath made them wealthy, and the Daugther hath deuoured the Mother. Our prosperitye hath made vs like to the springes in the sūmer, the more heate abroad, the dryer they are; or like vnto the Moone, in our fulnesse wee haue been farthest frō the Sun of righteousnesse. And yet the Lord, hath all the day long stretched out his hāds vnto vs, & made as lōg a day as euer he did to IOSVAH, & as long houres of the day, as euer were shadowed vpon the Diall of AHAZ, to prouoke our repētance: for the 12. houres of the day, he hath giuē vs almost 4. times twelue yeres:Esd. 3.1 why haue wee thē takē these his benefits with the left hand? why haue they engendred in our soules the kings euill? The old yeere thē being past and the new yeere come, cōsidering that this is our e­state, let this be ô England thy Arithmeticke, to nūber thy sins: Marchant, be not so busy to nūm­ber thy debts, Lawyer thy clyents, gentlemā thy landes, & husbandman thy cattell, captaine thy souldiers, minister thy tithes, as the sins of the old yeere, that now this new yeere we may apply our hearts to wisdome. And thus much for the first part.

The second part, contayning the opera­tion, miserie, and effect of the Kings Euil, which was the Plague of the body.

Second partAS the sicknesse of the patient, after that he hath followed his owne humour and ap­petite, despising and reiecting the coun­saile of the Phisition, and taking in that which is hurtfull for him, maketh him to smarte for it, and produceth dangerous effects: so hath it fallen out with DAVID, who being strucken with the Plague of the soule, and infected with the Satani­call aire; and IOAB as a good Physition hauing giuen him counsaile how to preuent the increa­sing of this spirituall infection: yet notwithstan­ding reiected this his counsaile, and followed his owne humor, and therefore smarted for it: for this spirituall Kings euill, hath produced the corporal Plague, wherewith the whole body of Israel hath been infected from DAN to Bershebah. In the ef­fect of the Kings sicknesse, three things are to be obserued. First, it is propounded: Secondly cho­sen:The diuision of the second part. thirdly sent, propounded by the Prophet. Chosē by the King, sent by the Lord. In the pro­position note the persons propounding, and the thing propoūded. The persons propoūding, two [Page] in nūber. First the principall,1 The proposi­tion. (the Lord) secondly [...]he instrumentall, the Prophet GAD, who accor­ [...]ing to the wise Phisition produceth not his own [...]easons, but the saying of the Lord the supreme [...]hisition. (So saith the Lord) The thing propoun­ [...]ed, is a trinitie of punishments. Two of them are [...]uch fellowe-like companions, that the Graecians [...]istinguish them, but by one letter calling the Plague [...], and the famine [...]. The Trini­ [...]ie may bee reduced vnto a double dichotomie: The first Famine or the sword, and that either the sword of man (which is hostile persecution, or the sword of an Angell, which is the pestilence. The [...]econd is DAVIDS dichotomie, which he maketh [...]imselfe, distinguishing them in two sortes: the [...]irst, is a fall into the enemies hands. The other two, [...] fall into God his hands. Iustly thou sufferest ô [...]onne of ADAM this trinitie of punishments, for the [...]hree sortes of sins which are to be found in thee! [...]he sinne of thought, word, and deede, The Lord [...]ghteth against thee by the hand of man,2 The Kings cho [...]se because [...]hou fightst against him by the hand of sinne. [...]carcity of bread there is sometimes in the land, [...]ecause scarcity of good workes in thee is often [...]o bee found, the infection of the Plague doth [...]nnoy thee in thy bodie, because the infection [...]f sinne hath raigned in thy soule. In the second [...]ember of the second parte, obserue, First the Kings choyce, secondly the reason of his choice; [...]n the choyce, behold the Kings three vertues: [Page] his wisdome, charitie, pollicy; his pollicy, ayming at the Churches enriching: his charitie, ayming at the easinesse of death: thirdly, his wisdome, which appeareth in three things: for which hi [...] choice was better, than either famine or persecu­tion, if we respect first the persō of God, secondly the kings, thirdly, his subjects: If the persō of God, his glorie by this kinde of punishment is bette [...] aduanced, and that two manner of waies. First, in regard of the faithful, & people of God: secondly of the infidels and enemies of God. By the faith­full, it is aduanced in two things; making them to looke aboue, & beneath: aboue, acknowledg­ing the mighty hand of God: beneath, the weak­nesse and impotencie of man: And taketh away a double cōfidence, first in our selues, secondly, i [...] others. In regard of his owne person, he chooseth one, first, that was just and reasonable: secondly easiest, thirdly best for his soule: fourthly, one tha [...] sheweth his charity to his people. In regarde o [...] his subjects, it was the best: first for their soules secondly, for their bodies: & that either in regard of the paine, or of their good name: thirdly, fo [...] the common-weale: fourthly, for the Church. The amplifycations of these, I leaue to the medi­tations of the Readers, and come to the reason o [...] the Kings choise; For thy mercie is great. I will no [...] dilate euery particular.The reason of his choise If you desire a large com­mentarie vpon the kings reason: Read the King [...] Psalmes, and in particular, the 103. Psal. Which [Page] vse as the best interpretour vpon it. DAVID vt­tereth this reason by a double experience, of the mercie of God, and of the cruelty of man; of the latter, he hath also had a double experience, ha­uing felt the crueltie and vnkindnes of the fa­ther, and of the sonne: of the Father in SAVL, of the sonne, either in IBOSHETH or ABSOLON. I omit to shew vnto you, beloued, the difference, betwixt the merciful hand of God, and the vn­mercifull hand of man: And I appeale to those kingdomes, Prouinces and cities, which haue felt this trinitie of punishments, propounded vnto DAVID, to aske of them, whither it be bet­ter to fall into the hands of God, or in the hands of man: & because many can answere by expe­rience, I will onely aske it of the Low-Coun­tries, in the name of all they may speake; for they haue had the experiēce of DAVID, & haue also felt this trinity of punishmēts; famine, pe­stilence, hostile persecution. And note this with me, that with DAVID they haue felt the cruelty, vnkindnes, and barbarous vnmercifulnes of man. [...]n the father and in the sonne. First, in the fa­ther, in that Spanish SAVL, king PHILIP of late memorye; haue not the Spanish handes destroyed their Cities, burnt their Temples, di­spersed their inhabitants; whereof, we strangers in this your kingdome dispersed, liuing in ex­ile, for the name of Christ Iesus, are vnto you all eye-witnesse. I will not amplifye the Spa­nish [Page] cruelty, Horresco referrens; Psal. 129 onely I say that with DAVID, they may speake: From my youth of Israel may say, they haue afflicted me: secōd­ly, in the Sonne, in that Spanish ISBOSHETH, what haue they not suffered since the death of the father, by the barbarous handes of his go­uernours? let them now answere, and I doubt not, hauing DAVIDS experience, that if DAVIDS choise were propounded vnto thē, they would come to the resolution of DAVID; Let vs fall into the hands of God, & not into the hands of men, for thy mercies are great, O Lord. 3 The executiō The third member of the first part, is the execution, in which I leaue to your meditations, foure things: First, the effect of the Kings euill, a Pestilence: Se­condly, the outwarde cause of that disease, the Lord: thirdly, the inward cause of it, the sin of DAVID, and of his subjects: Fourthly, the pati­ts (Israel.) As for the effect, it was a diminutiō of people, wherin obserue; First, the equity of punishmēt: Secondly, the trueth of that rule obserued by the Wise man. Wisd. cap. 11. 13. Wherwith a man sinneth, by the same also shal he be punished. Experience hereof obserue in the effect of the kings euil. DAVID had sinned in the multitude of the people, & therfore DAVID is punished with adiminutiō of people. The dis­cription of the outward cause, deliuereth two things; The agent, the instrumēt. Iehouah & his angel. In the agēt, note the outward cause of the [Page] pestilence. The Phystions and Naturians, out of the booke of nature, render a double cause of the Plague; an outward and an inward;1 The out­warde cause of the plagu [...] the one without man, the other within man; the one pri­ma causa morbi; the first cause of the disease: the second, proxima, the next: the one, placed with­out, in the infectiō of the ayre: the other within, in the corrupted humours of the body. Let vs follow the Physitions methode, not as naturi­ans and Galenists, but as Scripturians. If wee search the outwarde cause, out of the booke of God; we shall finde, that that wise Physition the holy Ghost, maketh also in outwarde and an inward cause of the Pestilence; one without mā, another within man. The first is, the decree, will, & prouidence of the Lord: the second, the sin of man: the first, is manifested in the plague, three manner of waies, if we respect the disease it selfe; the persons infected, the time when: In all three, the prouidence of the Lord worketh, the trueth hereof, fiue, sufficient testimonies do prooue;Fiue testimonies proo­ving the outward cause. Deut. 28 Ier. 21.5, 6 Esa 38, Iob 5.18. first, the name of it, the sworde, rod & out-stretched hand of the Lord: secondly, the Lords threatnings: thirdly, the remoouing of it, which is proper to him: Fourthly, the instru­mēt which the Lord vseth: fiftly, the choise gi­uē to the king. Hauing found the outward cause, imitate the good Phisition;Two preser­uatiues learne thereout to make preseruatiues and antidotes. Out of the consideration of this will and prouidence, wee [Page] may make a double preseruatiue for the time of infection:Two preser­uatiues, One for the vnuisited, the other, for the visited. For the first, it is necessary to expel and to resist the poyson of immoderate feare.1 For the vn­uisited, Make it in this manner; take the cōsidera­tion of the prouidence of the Lord, without which, nothing can happen, apply this to thy soule, and it will operate, and make thee to saye; why should I immoderatly apprehende and feare that, which cannot happen and befall vnto mee without his will, and which I cannot scape against his will? If thou takest in Triacle, Mithridate, and other confections of arte, to re­sist the poyson of the ayre, what oughtest thou to do to expell the poyson of thy soule? I shew you thē, beloued here, to make a spiritual Tria­cle, and a heauenly Mithridate against this ve­nome. Secondly, out of this consideration of Gods prouidēce;2 For the visi­ted the visited and infected, may learne to make a preseruatiue: which is, Christi­an patience, necessary to resist and expell out of his soule the poyson of impatience, grudging and murmuring. Make it in this maner; take the cōsideration of Gods wil, & thus apply it to thy soule,Psalm, 39 as DAVID did, Lord because thou diddest it, I will be dumme, and not open my mouth, and saye as IOAB to ABISHAI his brother. 2, Sam. 10.12. (Let the Lord do that which is good in his eyes) This preseruatiue is first necessary and forcible: Se­condly, profitable: thirdly, comfortable: fourth­ly, [Page] tryed and experimented. And thus much for the outward cause. THe inward, is the sinne of the King, and of his subjects: As the Physiti­ons make the euill and corrupt humour ingen­dred in the body,2 The inward cause of the Plague. the inward cause of the pesti­lence, out of the booke of Nature: So wee may make the inwarde corruptions in the soule, the inward cause of the bodily infection, out of the booke of God. To the sinne of man, I may at­tribute foure things: First, that it is the inward 1 cause of the infection: Secondly, a just cause, 2 just: First, for God to send it: Secondly for man to suffer it: Thirdly, a tryed and experimented 3 cause: for the experience of all ages hath obser­ued sinne to be the cause of the pestilence. First [...]ut of the Church. Secondly in they Church. Out of the Church, this hath bin obserued by a double experience. First, by the experience of Historiographers: Secondly, Physition. In [...]he Church, two things do prooue it: First, the sinnes for which he doth threaten to send it: Se­condly, the sinnes for which he hath sent it. Here might set before your eyes a cloude of wit­nesses, and make a Christian Chronicle of [...]x­ [...]mples: but because I am loath to rep [...]at that which others haue done already, I ref rre you [...]o their writings, and to the booke of GOD. Fourthly, sinne is the cause of Physical cause: 4 he cause both of the outwarde and inwarde [...]ause, rendreth by the Physition, a cause of the [Page] infection of the ayre, and of the corruption of the humours in the body. Out of the considera­tion of the inward cause, learne to make phisick and preseruatiues for the time of the plague,Preserua­tiues to bee made out of the conside­ration of the inward cause a­gainst the plague, & that, both for the visited & vnuisited.

Two preseruatiues may bee made out of this consideration: The first, to remooue the 1 poyson of impatience: the second, to remooue the cause of the pestilēce. If the filthy Botch & Carbuncle of impatience & grudging, doth a­rise in thy soule, seeing the hande of God, then take this consideration, & apply it in this man­ner to thy soule; that which the Lord hath sent to me, it is for my sinnes and iniquities; why art thou thē disquieted, ô my soule; learne to judge aright of this his chastisement, and say with the Prophet Mich. 7.9. J will beare the wrath of the Lord, because J haue sinned against him. This phi­sick is both profitable and comfortable; profi­table to hūble thee, & to teach thee the know­ledge of thy self, to make thee vse the poore su­ters phraise; Lorde, I suffer nothing but th [...] which infinitly more I haue deserued: tak away O Lord the trespasse of thy seruant. Secondly comfortable, for it setteth before our eies th [...] admirable goodnesse and mercie of the Lord and mooueth vs to speake in this maner; I hau [...] infinitely more deserued, ô Lord, by my tran [...] gression (& yet so great is thy mercy, that th [...] [Page] art cōtented to send me an afflictiō, which tou­cheth only the skin) a corporal plague, & a tē ­poral chastisement. O inequal proportion! the creature hath offēded her creator, a silly earth­worme, the majestie of heauen, and yet for our infinite sins, he sendeth vnto vs but temporall chastisements. Thy mercies, ô Lord, ouercome thy judgemēts, & herein I perceiue the truth of thy promise. Os. 11.9. J wil not execute the fierce­nes of my wrath. Be not thē disamied, ô my soule, seeing that the Lord doth not punish thee, ac­cording to thy desarte, and the quality of thy sin: this is a testimony vnto thee, that thy sinnes are remitted, & that this presēt rod, is but a fa­therly correction. The Lord then visiting thee with the rod of DAVID, doeth ayde thee with a double aide: The first is, with the aide of corre­ction, and discipline: The second is, with the aide of cōfort: By the first, he doth exercise thee without, by the second, he doth assure the with­in; by the first he bridleth thy insolencie, by the secōd he encourageth thy pusillaminity: by the first he maketh thee more aduised for the fu­ture, by the second, more deuotions. The secōd preseruatiue,The second preseruatiue, is to remooue the cause, that the effect may cease, and seeing sinne is the inward cause, flye from it as from a Serpent. Ecc. 21. GALENS counsaile is, that of al remedies the best is to shun the infected ayre, & to depart in time to the purer aire. But with GALENS leaue, see­ing [Page] sin is the cause of Physicall causes, & that it infecteth the ayre, the best remedy of all (ac­cording to the counsaile of the whole colledge of the spirituall Physitions) is to flye from the infectious & contagious aire of this world: But I leaue to amplyfie this, because I purpose to speake more of it, in the kings medicine.

4 The patientsThe last member of the second part, are the patients who haue felt the effect of the Kings e­uill. (ISRAEL) that is the subjects of DAVID, 1 In which obserue, First the (circumstance of 2 the time how lōg it lasted; secōdly of the place, 3 from Dan to Bershebah; thirdly of the number, seauentie thousand. The Lord in all ages hath sought to reclaime the sonnes of men from the kings euill, by sundrie corrections, & amongst the rest, with the Pestilence, which is the Lords beesome, he hath swept away not seauenty, but hundreth thousands, and that in diuers places. First without the church, secondly within the church: Againe, in the Church, either in the true, or in the false church. Further, some haue been vniuersall, some nationall and prouinciall, some haue been of a long, some of a short con­tinuance, so that this rod may be called the fly­ing booke. Zach. 5. Heere I might also make a large Chronicle of examples out of the booke of God, the monuments of the church, and the writings of mē: but because others haue amply­fied this at large, I referre you to their Chroni­cles, [Page] being as cloudes of witnesses. Now mee thinkes I heare an obiectiō against the justice of God, for the cleering of these patiēts; These Isra­lits had not sinned, ergo vniustly visited. The ante­cedēt is deyned, the interpretours vpō the first verse of 2. Sam. 24. (And the wrath of the Lord was kindled against ISRAEL) obserue diuers sinnes for then which the Lords anger was pro­uoked, among the rest: first their security, and wantonnes, after their peace, victories, & pros­peritie: secondly the rebellion & disobedience of some against their sacred Prince DAVID, in the time of ABNER, SEBAH, ABSOLON, and the rest, the which sinnes hee hath deferred to punnish in due season, with the sinne of DAVID. And thus much for the second part, the effect of the Kings euill.

Let vs now beloued of LONDON, looke home-ward a little,The apply­cation of the second part. and is it were out of the Looking-glasse of this example, by way of re­flection. If we holde out the glasse, we shall de­scrie, that justly we haue felt the effect of the kings euill. The old yeere being past, and the New appeared, let vs apply to our selues the members of the second part, to invert the order. Let me beginne with the last, as the subjects of DAVID, after they had bene infected with the Plague of the soule; and that DAVID now nine Moneths and twenty daies long had not regar­ded his sinne, haue bene the Lords patients, and [Page] haue felt the effect of the Kings euill, a generall pestilence: So likewise the subjects of our DA­VID, after that they haue now these nine yeeres & more, bene infected with the Plague of the soule, not regarding their sores, and the coun­sell of the spirituall Physitions, haue justly also bene the Lords patients, and felt the former yeere, the effect of their spirituall contagion, a generall pestilence, almost through the whole body of the kingdome. The inwarde cause of this effect, hath bene two-folde: First, wee haue bene infected with the infection of DAVID, and secondly, of his subjectes. As for the first, the Lords Prophets, as spirituall physitions, haue a long time (as IOAB did to DAVID) shewed vn­to vs the meanes how to preuent the increa­sing of our spirituall contagion: they haue pro­duced their reasons, setting before vs the dan­ger which should redounde both to our owne persons, and to others. But alas, great hath bene our obstinacie, we haue as bad patients follow­ed our owne humours, rejected the counsell of the spirituall physitions, and our pride, ambiti­on, spirituall idolatrie, curiositie, and disobedi­ence, haue preuiled against them, and there­fore the Lord hath sent a pestilēce in England, & there dyed not yet (I am perswaded) seauen­ty thousand. If in the second place, I set before our eyes, DAVIDS subjects, as a looking glasse, therin (alas) we may discry the bleamishes of [Page] our faces; First, they had a famine.2. Sa. 21.1. But the Lord remooued that in his mercie, and gaue them peace and prosperitie, and yet they wax­ed wanton and insolent.1592 Since the last pesti­lence, there hath bene a dearth in England, in the daies of ELIZABETH, but the Lord hath ta­ken it away in his mercie, and giuen plenty and choise, store of earthly treasures: we haue since seene and tasted how friendly the Lord is, Psal. 34. his mercies haue bene multiplyed vpon vs, euen like vnto the dewe of Hermon, that wate­red the dry earth, that gaped for it. His bles­sings both Temporall and spirituall haue bene as two hands to draw vs home to him, and yet wee haue bene like to DAVIDS subjects. As for their seconde sinne, shall I bee so bolde to accuse some thereof? Not I, but the experi­ence and euente of the former yeere, doeth Preach it to the whole Kingdome. The Londe hath giuen vs a gratious DAVID, a man after Gods owne heart, and as I may speake, a man after our owne heart; and yet, beholde, as some male-contented Israelites, haue sought DAVIDS ruine, an enuious SE­BAH, an ambitious ABSOLON,A note out of the 2 Sam 2, agreeing with that which hath hapned the formes yere a false-harted ACHITOPHEL a seditious ABNER: so some haue bene enuious with Satan, of our DAVIDS felicity. And note this with mee, which I haue obserued out of the second booke of Sam. the 2 chap. that as in the first yeere of king DAVIDS [Page] raigne, DAVID being but newly crowned king of Israel, euen then beholde, there was found a seditious ABNER, and ASAHEL, and an ISBO­SHETH, which rose vp against DAVID: So in the first yeere of the raigne of our DAVID, euen then, hee being but newly crowned king of England, as DAVID was king of Israel: behold, some ABNERS, ASAHELS, and ISBOSHETHS a­gainst their sacred and annoynted Prince. But let this be our comfort, in the tenth verse of that Chapter, that the house of Iudah hath fol­lowed DAVID, the companie of the true Profes­sors and Confessors of God, and that ABNER and his adherents are fallen before the seruants of DAVID. Seeing then we are guiltie all of the first sinne, and some of the second: the Lord hath dealt justly with vs, as with the subjects of DAVID, sending vnto vs (as he did to them) af­ter a famine, or a dearth, a pestilence: So that the wrath of the Lord, hauing been againe kindled against vs, no bodie needeth to make an objection against his justice for our inno­cencie, as it might haue been done for ISRA­EL. As there hath been a time for the Raigne of the spirituall Plague, so hath there been a time for the Raigne of the corporall Plague.

Let vs now farther vnfolde the flying booke, that with Ierusalem Eze. 16. wee may beare our own shame. The order calleth me now to the applycation of the two l [...]st mē ­bers, [Page] which will stores vs with some singular meditations: obserue with me beloued of Lō ­ndon, in the entrie of this New-yeare,Note the thinges fol­lowing, The two preacher [...] of the last yeere that the Lord hath vsed the former yere, two kinde of Preachers to mooue vs to repentance. First a Preacher of anger and justice, summoning vs by his smart-Preacher: Secondly, a Preacher of mercie. So that the old yeere hath preached both; mercy and iustice hath kissed each other. The first Preacher is his justice, which hee hath shewen in two thinges, crossing vs 1 two manner of waies. First with the rodde of DAVID; Secondly with cōtraries. First the Lord hath chastised vs, as it were by Retaliation, a like Plague for the like offence, according to the rule of the wise man,1 Gods smart Preacher. wherewith a man sin­neth, by the same also shall he bee punished, & hath sent a diminution of people. England, thou hast had the experience of DAVID: thou hast gloryed in the number of the people, and hast long bene busie with a vaine Arithme­ticke, in the numbring of thy riches, prosperi­tie, housen &c, and therefore the Lord hath punished thee, with a diminution of people; and hath teached thee another Arithmeticke: Thou hast bene busie with addition & mul­tiplication, and the Lorde hath bene busie with Substraction and diuision. Hee hath ta­ken away thousandes and ten thousands; and hath by the weekly Bils, taught vs to number [Page] three things: First our sinnes, & for them, Se­condly the diminution of the people, & therby thirdly to number our daies: Further because ordinarie magistrates had not done their duty, behold he hath sent an extraordinary Magi­strate frō heauen to reforme vs, feare him rich & poore, honorable & contemptible, this hath bin the Lord chiefe iustice. ParētsParents. you haue al­so had experiēce of this, because some of you haue gloried in the nūber of your children, lo­uing thē too much & setting your harts vpon thē, the Lord hath takē them away, and made whole families desolate. Parēts & maisters,Maisters. you should haue bin little magistrates to your fami­lies which you shold haue purged, but for wan [...] of this duety he hath sent another Magistrate,Magistrates, which hath purged thē, & because you had de­formed & not reformed your selues, he hath sē [...] his Reformer. Leu. 26. MerchantsMerchants. because you haue been more busie to pay the debts of me [...], then to pay a debt which you owe to God▪ (which is repentance) which hee hath long, re­quired by his seruants the Prophets; therefore he hath sent his Sergjants and Purseuants to warne and arrest you. The Lord hath among the rest, three Sergjants, age, sicknes, and death [...] by the second he hath warned some; of you, & by the third he hath arrested some: you that ar [...] not yet arrested by death, pay this yeere the debts which you owe to God, before you pay [Page] the debt which you owe nature, Husband­men,Husband­men because you haue been more carefull, to gather your fruites, and to fill your barnes, and that your figge tree hath produced euill fruite, and your sinnes filled the measure of iniquitie, therefore your teeth haue ben iustly set on edge, & the Lord hath filled full the cup of his wrath and giuen vnto vs his deadly wine to drinke. The haruest was come, and because our sinnes were ripe, he hath sent a sickle from heauen to cut them downe; and this hath mowens many thousands. Gentlemen,Gentlemen some of you haue, glo­ried in the number and multitude of our lāds, but what hath this auailed? for the Lord hath giuē to some of you, so much measure of groūd, to the length & breadth of your bodies, as hath onely serued to bury them in, or so many hand­fulles of dust, as your bodies go into, after their consumption. SOCRATES carried ALCIBIADES, bragging of his lands, to a Map of the world, & bad him demōstrat where his lād lay; he could not espie it, for Athens it selfe, was but a small thing.

The Lorde hath told you the former yere and yet telleth, and sheweth you this yeere, where your Lande lyeth; so much measure of grounde, to the length & breadth of your bo­dies, as may serue to bury them in. This is my earth, and his earth, & your earth, & therefore if ye wil glorie, glorie in the Lord: For why art [Page] thou proude ô earth & ashes? Ruffianly Swag­gerers and Caualiers, you that haue contem­ned the Lord and spoken with Rabsacs proude and high words: alas a little Carbuncle, and a little spot in the skinne, hath cast downe, some of the proudest of you al: and as MOSES smote the hard rocke with his rod, so the Lord hath smitten some of your rockie hearts with the rod of his vengeance: and because your dam­nable othes,Blasphemers haue as it were whipped and tor­mented the patience of God, they haue also re­ceiued a scourge for which they called for.

Worldlings,Worldlings. you had not bene a long time at rest, the cares of this worlde had too much molested you; and as the clocke can neuer stande still from running, so long as the Pea­ses and Plummets hang thereat; euen so, ha­uing infinitē cares hanging vpon your minds as weights vpon the Clocke, you haue had no rest; and therefore the Lord hath sent one to make you rest for a time; and hath made you MARIES insteede of MARTHA, that ye might not be troubled about many things but remember that [...]e thing which is nece­sarie: The Lord graunt, that in your weekely fastings through the whole Lande, you haue bene MARIES, and sate at the feete of Iesus with humilitie, deuotion, and reuerence. Schollers, children of the Prophets, Cleargy men, and also all ye inhabitantes of this king­dome, [Page] that hath bene the subject, a long time of your discourses, but your profite, benefices, pleasures, the glory of this world, & in the be­ginning of the former yeere, of the tryumphs of this lande, euen from Dan to Bershebah, from Douer to Saint Dauies: From Barwicke to the Mount, court, citie: & therefore the Lord hath giuen vs justly another subject to discourse v­pon, a subject to speake of our sinne, our crea­tor, our permanent citie, our miserie, and our mortalitie. If hee had not offered vs this sub­ject, we should haue forgotten him. O what a happy time then hath it bene for the soule! who hath not discoursed of this subject, pre­pared and ordered his house? The New-yeere being come, forget not this subject, thinke not as the Emperour OTHO did, that it is a part of dastardy to speake of death. Astronomers,Astrono­mers. be­cause you haue bene more busie to behold the Ecclipses of the Sunne and of the Moone, than the Ecclypse in your owne soules: the worlde like vnto the Moone in inconstancie, being betwixt you and the Sunne of righteousnesse Christ Iesus, therefore j [...]stly the Lord sent the tempest of the Pestilence, to take away the loue of this worlde, to remooue this moone, that yee might beholde this amiable Sunne. Further, wee were as it were all asleepe, and therfore he hath justly awaked vs, & made the whole countrey to stirre: For loe, the Citizens [Page] haue fled: the Court hath broken vp, the Vni­uersities haue remooued. Poore-men,Poore-men there hath bene in some of you, a famine and want of good workes, and therefore there hath bene for a time, as it were a famine and want of Gods mercie. Martiall-men,Martial-men you haue bene fighters against God. Act, 5. and therefore the Lord of Hoastes, hath sent his souldiers, his Angels, and his arrowes against you in the Land. Noble-men,Noble-men. because ye haue bene busier to hunt your Deeres; & also after the honours, pleasures and riches of this life, than after the liuing God, therefore justly the Lord hath sent his Hunter in the Land (as it is called. Psal. 91.3) to hunt & slay vs; who hath catched some walking, some feeding, some sporting, some sleeping, as the experience of the former yeere doth witnesse. But to leaue generals, I come to thee, ô LONDON in particular;An apostro­phe to Lon­don. thou hast suffered the heauiest brunt. If the Nations that passe by the citie, aske as they did of Ierusalem. Jer. 22. Where­fore hath the Lord done this to this great citie▪ What answere can we giue, but that answere Ierem. 22. Because they haue forsaken the co­uenant of the Lorde their God. The mighti­nes of thy state, multitude of thy people, hau [...] not bin able to keep out the Lords Purseuant nor to driue backe the Gun-shot of Gods dis­pleasure. Alas, what hath bene thy greatness [...] compared vnto the greatnesse of Iehouah? th [...] [Page] number and height of thy proude Turrets, could not threaten heauen: for the closer they haue pressed to the seate of God, the neerer they haue layen to his lightning. Thou hast tryumphed in thy braueries, and therefore the Lord hath the former yeere tryumphed o­uer thee in his justice; and of thee, ô LON­DON, of whom it might haue bin said, as it was of TYRVS, whose riuer hath bene as the Har­uest of thy reuennewes, and a Mart of the Na­tions of thee: we haue had occasion to say. Esa. 23.Esa. 23. Is this that glorious citie of yours, whose Marchants are Princes, and her chapmen, the Nobles: the Lord of Hoastes hath stayned the pride of thy glorie.

To come vnto particulars; London, thou hast heard the former yeere, a sorrowfull mu­sicke, which hath sounded in thy eares daye and night; But what hast thou heard, that thou hast not deserued? Thou hadst brought ouer thy time in worldlie merriments; de­despysing the harpe of DAVID, More­ouer, thou hast had a continuall allarum of Belles, they were the Trumpets of Iehouah: thy sinnes caused that allarum, and they haue beene a witnesse, that the Lorde had taken in your Citie, and that you were not able to keepe him out.

The Lords spirituall Trumpets, which haue sounded in our eares: you haue not heard,Es. 58.2 [Page] but contemned, and therefore hee hath made the very Bels his Preachers, to be reproches to vs of our obstinacie; and because wee haue not heard the Bels of the Pulpit, he hath made vs to heare the Bels of the steeple. What mar­uell, if there haue bene heard within our walles continuall knels and ringing of Bels, seeing there hath bene heard the continuall Bels of our tongues, which by their oathes and blas­phemies haue dishonoured the Lord of hea­uen. I do appeale to the children in thy streetes, ô Lord, out of the mouthes of babes and suck­lings, from whence thy glory should haue pro­ceeded. Psal. 8.2: from thence hath sprong that which hath dishonoured thee. If the filthie Playes, with the blast of a Trumpet, haue soo­ner called thither thousandes, then an houres tolling of a Bell, bring one hundred to the Ser­mon: what maruaile that tolling of Belles hath bene heard for another purpose? Citizens, you had not purged your streetes from the plague of sinne, and therefore the Lord hath sent his heauenly Beesome to sweep away multitudes; you had not taken away corruption within, & therefore he placed corruption without. You haue bin too busie to adorne your houses, neg­lecting the house of the Lord, and therefore, he hath made them desolate, many for-saking them, so that Nettles and Thistles might haue growen in your Pallaces. Esd. 30.20. Fraude, [Page] oppression, and stealing had walked vp and downe, your streetes, and therefore justly that flying booke Zach. 5. hath entred into your housen, and taken hold of the stone and timber thereof. LONDON, thou hast had occasion to say, Zach. 5. I see a flying booke, thou hast seene it, for it hath entred your housen, and remained in the midst of them. Alas, wee haue all mour­ned and sighed for the great number, that the pestilence hath encreased weekely, aboue three thousande: but what maruaile, seeing there is none of vs, in whom haue not raigned aboue three thousand sinnes? The increasing voyce then of the Pestilence, hath reproached vnto vs the increase of our sinnes. The vnsatiable mouth of the graue hath craued still more and more, and neuer thought it had enough, and spared not to swallow vp our sweetest com­forts. Had we not deserued that by our coue­tousnesse? our hearts had bene as vnsatiable graues, still crying for more, as SALOMON spea­keth. Remember Londoners, how that some of your inhabitants haue ruffled in their roy­all-like garments, and that therefore they haue bene adorned with a winding-sheete; others gloryed in their bu ldings, and therefore the Lord hath made Coffens and Graues for their habitations: some in the multitude of their traine and attendants, and therefore haue had other attendants; the very wormes of the earth [Page] to attende vpon them, and to eate them vp. Learne hereby, beloued of LONDON, on the one side, that greatnes of sinnes can shake the foundations of the greatest cities: If their heads stood amongst the stars, iniquitie, would bring thē downe, multitudes of offences wil consume multituds of mē:Ier. 49. although the streets were sowē with the seede of man, yet, that they shall be so scarce, that a childe may tel them. On the other side, learne your mortalitie, & to number your dayes, that you may apply your hearts to wise­dome. Psal. 90. The end of those royal citizens, whom CONSTANTIVS entring Rome, called re­ges, Kings: was death. The Emperour asking of HORMISDA, maister of his workes, what hee thought of them? answered that he tooke not pleasure in any thing, but in learning one lessō, which was, that men also dyed in Rome. This is also your ende, (royall citizens) and therefore with HORMISDA, take pleasure this New-yeare, to learne one lesson, that mē die also in Londō.

I haue further obserued foure things the former yeere,Foure things to be obserued in the former yeere where-with I will acquaint you, beloued of LONDON; in the entrie of the New-yeere, which are as it were, foure Preachers to Preach vnto vs the doctrine of Repentance. The olde yeere, hath bene a yeere of wonders; as fitly I may tearme it: Witnesse the strange alterations, like vnto the variable estate of the Moone. As King AHASHVEROSH, called [Page] to minde out of the booke of Records, and the Chronicles, the things fore-past: Euen so call to your mindes, out of the booke of your me­mories, and the Chronicle of the former yeere, the thinges which then haue hapned. The Lorde hath visited vs the former yeere at diuerse times, with foure visitations; In the beginning, in the middest, in the ende. Two of them are visitations of sorrow, two of joye: Two of them haue beene Funeralles, two haue bin deliuerances and Coronations. Two haue concerned a Prince, two a Princely City: These haue ben diuersly intermingled, sorrow and joye haue followed and kissed each other; Sorrow hath begunne the yeere, joye hath en­ded it; both joye and sorrow haue walked in the middest.

To particularize;1 A visitation of sorrowe with the fu­nerals of a Noble Prin­cesse. The first hath bene a visitation of sorrowe, and the funeralles of a Prince in the beginning of the yeere: the Lord first visiting with sicknesse, and afterwardes taking away that Noble Princesse of famous memorie; that worthie instrument of Gods glory, by whose sacred Scepter the faithful Pro­testant (aswel we strangers, as the natural inha­bitants) haue found a secure and fertile nurcery. At that time, ô the sighes of the righteous! ô the cōplaints of the godly! ô the feare & doubting of many! Spemque metumque inter dubij, some fearing, some hoping.2 Chro. 35 Then as IOSIAS was [Page] mourned for by all IVDAH and Ierusalem, and IEREMY mourned for IOSIAS, & al singing men and singing women: Euen so all the cōpanies, and Orders of the Realme, the Princes and the prophets plentifully watered their cheekes, e­uen from the honourable counsailor to him that grindeth at the Mill. This began a little to mooue vs, as it were, to taste the medicine of repentance: for the death of a good Prince is one of the Lords Preachers, & to make ma­ny at that time to pray vnto the Lord, that hee would be mindfull of Sion, and not permit vs to fall againe in the superstitions of the Anti­christ. This part of the tragedy ended, behold, there followed the second alteration, the visi­tation of ioy and mercie: the proclamation of a new Prince, and afterward his ioyfull Coro­nation. At that time, ô the admirable ioy, euen from Dan to Bershebah, 2 A visitation of ioy with the Procla­mation and Coronation of a new Prince. from th'one part of the land to the other; for this heauenly gift, of a noble, renowned, godly, Religious, vertuous, wise & learned Prince, a man after Gods own heart, and (vnfeignedly I may speak) a man af­ter our owne heart, long desired and wished for in the hearts of the Godly subjects & true pro­fessours. Sorrow in the first visitation, was as it were a heauy stone vpon our hearts, but in the second visitation hee hath as it were sent an Angell from heauen, to speake to the whole Kingdome: Feare not. In the first, the whole [Page] land was as it were laid down in the bed of sor­row, but by the second, there arose a new Sun, whose beames were comfortable to the whole land. This then hath bin another of the Lords Preach [...]rs. But hath this mooued vs, either to continue or to goe forward in the waies of the Lord? alas, wee haue not altered the colour or haire of our heads, nor added one inch to our stature since all these thinges haue bin accom­plished among vs: our hearts haue bene as the adamant, that the impiession of Gods graces haue not entred. And therefore there followed the third visitation, of sorrow & lamentation, the deluge of the Pestilence, the second Fune­rall. The funeralls of whole families, and the funeralles of a Princely Cittie, which was as it were going to her graue, if the Lord in his mer­cy had not commaunded his Angel to put vp his sword into the scabberd: this was an other kinde of Preacher. The consideration of the second visitation,3 A newe visi­tation of sorrow, with the funerals of a princely citie. had made vs to say in our hearts with DAVID in his prosperitie. Psa. 30. I shall neuer be mooued. The Pestilence of se­curitie did beginne to raigne among vs, I doe appeale vnto the words & speeches of the in­habitants which then were vsed in the Lande; and therefore the Lord came, and mingled our joy with sorrow, & sprinckled a little salt ouer the joy of the country, and by a mortalitie, hee did put vs in minde of our mortality. As Christ [Page] shewed vnto PETER, and the rest vpon the Mountaine, when they were in the midst of their joye; and that PETER said, Let vs make heere three tabernacles: as hee shewed I say to them, MOSES and ELIAS, which were dead men, Euen so in the midst of our ioy and glory, when wee were saying, It is good to bee heere, and to make our tabernacles heere: euen then he shewed vnto vs MOSES and ELIAS, and sent vs a mortallity. It was vsuall amongst the Egiptians, that in the middest of their feasts, & solemnities, a resemblance of death, all trem­bling and shaking, was brought and carryed round about, to make them remember it, & to learne sobrietie. Euen so, in the midst of our so­lemnities, for the joye of a newe Prince, death hath been carried round about the Land, that we should not waxe to wanton, and forget the Lord. It is storied that when the Emperours were crowned, the Sepulchers of dead men were shewed vnto them, to make them minde­full of death: euen so, when our King the for­mer yeere was Crowned, the Lord hath shew­en vnto him, and to vs, the Sepulchers of dead men, and by the continuall allarum of Bels, put vs in minde of death: which mindfulnesse, as CASSiANVS an ancient writer speaketh, is a ge­nerall restraint from euil Let this Preacher, be­loued of London teach you, that as IOSEPH of Arimathea, had a sepulchre in the midst of his [Page] beautiful garden; euē so you ought in the midst your prosperity & felicity, to be mindful of your mortal being. The fourth & last visitatiō in the end of the yeere, hath ben a visitation of joy, a deliuerāce frō the Pestilēce; & as it were a second Coronation, A newe visi­tation of ioy with a se­cond Coro­nation. a Coronation of your citie; the Lord compassing it round about with joyful deliue­rāce, Ps. 32.Ps. 103.4 & crowning it with his accustomed kindnes, with mercy & cōpassion. But of this more at large in King DAVIDS sacrifycing.

To proceed, I told you beloued before, that the Lord by the smart-Preacher of his justice and anger, hath crossed vs two maner of waies: First punishing vs as it were by Retaliation, for our glorying in the number and multitude, with a diminution. Secondly, by contraries:2 The second thing, where in the Lorde hath crossed vs, namely, by contra­ries. The first hitherto I haue amplifyed; Now fol­loweth the second; obserue them with me, how wonderfully the Lorde the former yeere by the deluge of the Pestilence hath in diuers things crossed our expectation: First, which wee had spoken: Secondly, expected: Thirdly, begunne. First, we had said and expected,1 Encrease of people was expected. that the number and multitudes of people should haue bene augmented, both in the citie, and in the Land: and behold, there hath bene a just contrarie, it hath bene diminished in both, ô howe many thousandes haue bene buryed! Howe haue the Church-yeardes beene fil­led vppe, that scarce there was no place? [Page] hath not the Lorde shewen the trueth of that threatning? Ier. 7.32. They shall bury in Top­heth, till there be no place? Secondly, wee had 2 said and expected, that multitudes against the Coronation would come, both in the citie and in the Land: and beholde a contrary, multi­tudes haue departed out of Both; some lea­uing the citie, others the Land. Thirdly, wee had expected, that euen our streetes should haue bene filled with joyes and tryumphs,3 Tryumphs & that therein we should haue shewen the signes thereof: and behold a contrary, they haue bene filled with sorow, mourning, weeping & how­ling, for the funerals which haue walked along them. These haue bene the tryumphs of LON­DON; We expected in our streetes the sound of the Trumpets,The try­umphs of the last yere and the sweete harmonie of Musicke to welcome our Prince; and behold, in steede of them, wee haue heard a contrary musicke; the continuall knels of Belles to wel­come death: we expected shewes of tryumphs, & behold, other shewes we haue seene, the fu­nerals of dead men, who were gone to try­umph in heauen. We had begun to builde to­wards heauen, almost as high as the builders of Babell: euery one for highest and finest, ô the great preparations and diligence in their buil­ding and erecting? But behold, a suddaine al­teration, a stay of their worke; where some had set vp, others plucke downe: and as the buil­ders [Page] of Babel haue bene dispersed, euen so ours haue bene scattered: Some are dead, and some yet left a liue: The Lord hath sent some of them, from their downe-beds, to their dust-beds. And as the arrow came suddainly from IEHV his bowe, and stroke IORAM euen in his Chariot. 2. Reg. 9.28. euen so, the Pestilence, the Lordes flying arrow, Psal. 91. hath strooke some, euen in the midst of their tryumph: he changed our glorie into shame. Hos. 4.7. and fulfilled that threatning by the Prophet, Ier. 7.34. I will cause to cease from the cities of Iudah, and from the streetes of Ierusalem, the voice of myrth, and the voice of gladnesse. So that with HESE­CHIAS Esa. 38.17. Thou hast, ô London had occasion to say: Behold, for felicitie I had bit­ter griefe, but it was thy pleasure to deliuer my soule from the pit of corruption. Fourthly, wee 4 had expected profite,Profite and that the traficke should haue flourished, moreouer, that now we should haue aduentured, where before many kept themselues close and durst not. How ma­ny had brought vp great store of pretious wares, thinking that neuer they had had such a time: and yet beholde a contrarie, the traf­fick, both of the mother-citie, & of the daugh­ters, of the head and of the members, hath bene slacke, doings little or none, no aduenturing, litle paying; wares esteemed better thē debts, and euery one keeping close: so that wee haue [Page] had occasion to vse the saying of the Prophet Iere. 8.15. We looked for peace, but no good came, and for a time of health, and beheld trou­bles. Further we expected that our shops shold haue bin open in that ioyfull time, which were furnished with great riches against the future triumph, thinking to reape great profit, and be­holde a contrary, many haue bin lockt vp, by reason of a double departure, of some out of the citty, of others out of this world. The Lord hath taken away from vs our markets and faires the greatest stayes of the common wealth, and from thee ô London that renowned BARTHO­LEMEVV faire, and the sportes thereof, wrastling and Shooting: and insteed of them, there haue bin wrastling against death, & the Lords An­gels, shooting off the Lords arrowes. Psal. 91. The reason of this, all hath been because the Lord would haue vs profit not by our cōmo­dities, but by his chastisements. It is reported that the mountaines which are full of golden mines, that they are commonly barren and vn­fruitefull: we by reason of our riches were vn­fruitefull and barren in good workes, & there­fore the Lord by his rod would make vs fruit­full, and to reape profit for our soules. Lastly, many had made preparatiōs against the future tryumph, to adorne themselues, and to meete their Prince: and beholde a contrarie, some of them haue been adorned with a shrou­ding [Page] sheete, and so are gone to meete another Prince in another kingdome, to tryumph eter­nally.

It hath fallen out ô London with thee and thy inhabitantes, as with the Emperour SALA­DINVS, after he had gotten great victories, and had tryumphed; fell sicke & had nothing car­ried before him to his graue then a shrouding sheete: & what else haue had many of your in­habitantes? Thus then beloued, the Lord hath spiced your great ioyes cōceiued in the begin­ning of the yeere, with sorrow and bitternesse. If you would know the reason; that you shold not forget eyther the Lord or your selues, for if you had surfeted of pleasure, and receiued to much good, it would haue bin as an introdu­ction to worse to come. When tydings was brought to PHILLIP of Macedon. First that PARMENIO got the victorye ouer his enne­mies, Secondly ALEXANDER his son was borne, And thirdly his Chariots wonne the prize at Olympus all in one day, he called vpon fortune to doe him some little hurt, & to spice his ioyes with bitternesse, that they should not make him forget himselfe. Euen so ô England, seeing that thou hast first obtained a vertuous Prince, a wonder of the world, secondly victories ouer thy enemies of Ireland, & thirdly aboundance of Corne and fruits of the earth, and that all in one yeere; it hath been good, that the Lord [Page] hath done thee some little hurte, and spyced thy joyes with bitternesse, that thou shouldest not forget thy selfe. That the Lord then, hath thus crossed our expectations by contraries; to what shall we ascribe it, but to this, that wee haue crossed his expectation by our sinnes? I may vse the Apostles saying. 1. Cor. 11. For this many among you are sicke, & many are dead. The Lord of Hoastes hath dealt with thee, ô England as TAMBERLAINE the Great, in his be­sieging of cities. First, he erected white Tents, in token of mercy, if they would render them­selues. Secondly, if they remained obstinate, he erected red Tents, in signe of blood. Thirdly, whē that preuailed no, he erected black tents, in signe of death. Euen so, the Monarcke of the worlde hath first erected among vs, the white Tents of mercy, by the preaching of the Go­spell. Secondly, be [...]ause we rendred not vp our hearts, he hath erected vp his red tents, threat­ning vs with an enemy without, and an enemy within. Lastly, because this hath not auailed, he hath erected the last yeere his blacke rents, sending among vs mortalitie; the funerals haue walked vp and downe our streetes, with mourning and lamenting; the parents for the children, the children for the parents: Let then the remaynders repent, least they all likewise perish. And thus much for the first Preacher of the former yeere, the Lordes smart-preacher in [Page] his anger and in his justice.

There followeth now the second Preacher, The Preacher of mercy, which the Lorde, whose mercies are infinite, hath manifested in three thinges:2 The second Preacher of the former yeere, the preacher of mercy mani­fested in three things. in the giuing of a Prince, in the fruits of the earth; in the very Plague it selfe. First, by the gift of an honorable plant, which his right hande it selfe hath planted among vs: although I haue once already mentioned it be­fore, yet I would not esteeme it a tautologie to repeat it twentie and twenty times more; vnto this benefite he hath added another: The pre­seruing of him, by his holy Angels, his maje­sties safest garde. First,1 In the guift of a Prince. from the snare of the hunter, and the noysome pestilence. Secondly, from intended treason, against his sacred per­son. Seeing the Lorde hath giuen vs a worthie instrument of his glorie, to beate downe the walles of that Rom [...]sh IERICHO: Satan would faine hinder it; and thereby sheweth that hee hath no greater enemie in the world, then our most Christian Prince. Satan (to vse the words of AVGVSTINE) the former time was as a Lyon, for then he raysed open persecution against the Church: And now he playeth the subtile ser­pent, and priuily lyeth in waite. But although they all should stande vp as a huge mountaine against our ZOROBABEL,Zac. 4.7, yet shall they bee made, I hope, a plaine as the prophet speaketh. The second token of his mercie, hath bene the [Page] blessing of a fruitfull yeere; the aboundance of corne,2 In the bles­sing of a plē ­tifull yeere. which the distilling dew of heauen hath comforted; the sheaues whereof haue filled the mowers hands, and the gleaners lap. The hea­uens haue dropped their fatnesse, and the earth hath made the hearts of manie to leape for joy, and the barnes as it were to enlarge themselues for the receite of this blessed plentie. This mer­cie of the former yeere, is a Preacher, preaching vnto you, beloued of England, (the 8. verse of the 34. Psalme) Taste and see how gracious the Lord is. The third token of his mercie, doeth appeare in the very Pestilence it self; the Lord hauing shewen mercie (as the Prophet speak­eth) in the middest of his justice.3 In the Pesti­lence it selfe, as appeareth in foure things. If this seemeth vnto you a paradoxe, I will prooue and mani­fest it in foure things: in regarde of the time, of the number, of the place, of the kinde of punish­ment: his mercie towardes vs, rysing vppe by foure degrees, like the water in EZECHIEL. cap. 4.7. which at the first time came but to the an­kles; the second time, to the knees; the third, to his loynes; the fourth time, was a deepe riuer. First the time preacheth his mercy,1 In regarde of the time and that. for our con­tinuall sinnes, without continuall repentance haue deserued a continuall Plague: but the continuance of this rod hath notwithstanding not bene among vs: The mercie of the Lorde towards vs, in regard of the time, doth appeare in two things, before he commeth, and when h [...] [Page] is come. First, before he commeth,1 Before hee commeth his greate patience and long sufferance; he commeth ley­surely, but euery nine or ten yeeres once, where as he might yeerely visite vs, if he would deale with vs justly, according to our sinnes.2 When hee is come. Second­ly, when he is come, the short continuance of the Pestilence, feauen or eight Moneths at the most: The Lord turning the storme to calme, so that the waues thereof are still. Psal. 107.29, ô admirable lenitie and fatherlie kindnesse! thus dealeth he not with other Nations: Goe but vnto your neighbours, & they will preach vnto you Gods mercie towards you. Aske the Pagans, and they will tell it you: witnesse that Plague begunne, Anno 540. which lasted fiftie yeeres tormenting them. Secondly, the num­ber preacheth vnto you Gods mercie. Our infinite sinnes had deserued, that millions and millions, should haue beene swept awaye, and yet there hath beene but a gleaning of few. If you reply, and set before mee,2 In regard of the number. the great­nesse of the former Plague, which seemeth to take awaie this mercie, which I amplifie: Aske but of DAVID, and hee himselfe will open Gods mercie towardes you. What is the num­ber of thirtie seauen thousande, in the space of a yeere, in regarde of seauentie thousande in three daies? Goe further, and aske the Na­tions, which knew not God, & they wil lay it o­pē to you. What is the number of 37. thousād, [Page] in regard of 2000. which dyed euery day in the time of VESPASIAN, of 5000. euery day, and sometime of 10000. in the time of IVSTINIAN; of a hundreth thousande in the citie of Rome: Anno 1521. Thou, ô little kingdome of Bohe­mia, which hast lost, Anno 1577. 300000. mayest Preach vnto this kingdome, the Lords mercie towardes her. O Graecia, thou hast in such manner bene consumed, that there were almost none to burie thy dead;Euseb. lib. 9. Cap. 7, 8 and yet thou, ô England, hast had not onely some to burie thy dead, but to accompanie them decently and honorably to the graue. It is then the Lordes mercy onely, that we haue not all bene consu­med. Lam. 3. O that thou couldest, ô England, yet perceiue thy present happinesse, and pre­uent a future horrour!

3 In regarde of the placeThirdly, the diuerse places vnuisited in this kingdome, do Preach this mercy: The Plague of the soule which had raigned in euery place, had deserued that the Plague of the body should haue raigned also in euery corner. The Lord might haue sent his Angel, euen from Dan to Bershebah, to strike not onely the head with some of the members, but altoge­ther, and yet he hath not: for although this Pe­stilence, hath bene more generall then others, yet many haue bene exempted. Both DAVID and other nations doe Preach vnto thee, ô En­gland, this admirable mercie. Remember the [Page] 15. Prouinces of the Romaine Empyre, wasted away in a short time by this smart-whippe. In Egypt (Exod. 12.30. there was no house where there was not one dead: And yet behold, there haue bene many housen, I say, not in England, but in London it selfe, which haue escaped. To what shall we ascribe this, but to the greate mercy of the Lord?

Fourthly, the kinde of punishment, where­with we haue bene visited,4 In regard of the punish­ment it selfe, and that in two respects preacheth also the Lords mercie to England; and that in two things. First, that he hath not sent vnto vs, the whole Trinitie of chastisements, propounded vnto DAVID. Secondly, In that he hath not sent the heauiest of them three. First, our sins did deserue them all three together:1 Of the trini­tie, sending but one. the fa­mine and scarcitie of good workes: famine and scarcitie of bread; our fighting against the Lord; the sword of the enemie; the infection of the soule; the infection of the body. But the Lord who is mercifull, hath called backe his anger, and not stirred vp all his wrath. Psal. 78.38. The Low-countries may Preach the Lords mercie towardes England. They haue some­times felt at one time the trinitie of punish­ments; and the former yeeres, both warre and Pestilence; wee in the meane time, feeling but the rodde of DAVID; Wee did, I confesse, expect a heauier judgement, wee looked for nothing else, but blood-shedding, and figh­ting [Page] for a crowne: & behold, we haue nothing but joye, peace, prosperitie, and joyful ringing for a Crowne. This our joy in the meane time being spysed with a litle bitternesse.

Secondly, he hath not onely visited vs with one of the three;2 Sending not the heauiest. but also with the sweetest and the best; vsing not the rodde of reuenge, but the scourge of correction. And although our sinnes had deserued the heauiest; yet he hath shewen to vs that mercie which he shewed to DAVID, not suffering vs to fall into the handes of men. If he had sent vs famine, it would haue made many to haue morgaged their Landes to PHARAOS: Gen. 47.20. to haue left the kingdome Gen. 12. Famine (as the Prouerbe is) is an euill counsellor: when hunger had gryped vs, it would haue egged men to thefts, murthers, de [...]eits: Many would haue liued vppon the ayre, and their owne moysture, and so consu­med away, and in doing nothing, to vse the saying of AVGVSTINE, haue come to nothing. Mothers, you may be Preachers of Gods mer­cie: if hee had sent a famine, alas, the tongue of the sucking childe, had cleaued to the roofe of his mouth for thirst. The yong children had asked bread, & no man should haue broken it vnto them. And to vse further the words of IE­REMIE (the hands of the pittiful woman would haue sodden their own children,) as they did in the siege of Ierusalem.Iam. 4.10. If he had sent vs hostile [Page] persecutiō, Alas, the vnmerciful souldier would haue laied opē your hedges, leauiled your hou­ses with the ground, & emptied you & yours of all their possessions. Where had bin your cities, your wiues, your daughters? where your tem­ples, your Prophets, yea, where your religion? they would haue displayed the banner, and set vp the ensigne of the Romish-beast, & erected the signes of their abhominatiōs. They would haue blaspheamed the God of Israel, and said; are these the Christians, where is their God? But nowe, beloued, they all remaine in their flowre & prime, & the rod of DAVID hath not hindred vs to enter the temple, nor the exer­cises of religion: we see our signes and our pro­phets; we enter into the house of the Lord, with libertie of conscience, there to behold her beau­tie. Psal. 27. and to adore the God of Israell in the spirit and trueth. Wee strangers,An apostro­phe to stran­gers. may also bee preachers, ô Lorde, of thy mercie, in the middest of thy justice. It is true, thou hast much diminished the number of thy litle flock collected in this Kingdome; yet better hath it bene for them (that are exiled here for the name of thy Sonne, & for the testimony of thy eter­nal truth) to haue fallē in thy hands, then in the hands of mē, of whose barbarous cru [...]lty, both they & their fore-fathers haue had experience. and although they are buried, in their exile, yet thou hast transported thē in their heauenly [Page] father-land. Thou which hast brought this vaine, out of the Romish Egipt, & planted it in this land, as in another Canaan, make it fruiteful, returne we beseech thee, and now visite it in thy mercie, and wee will not goe backe from thee but cal vpon thy name. I returne to thee ô Lon­dō, preach thou also the Lords mercie, he hath not vndon or dissolued thy cōposition, nor co­uerd thee with brambles, hee hath not vtterly destroyed thee, as Babilon; The great Niniuie, Troy, Ierusalem, and the rest, of which wee may truely say, O iam periere ruina, the verie ruines of them are gone to ruine: thou standest yet, and I hope, shalt flourish as much as thou euer didst, if the former iudgement mooue thee to repentance. I will conclude with a paradoxe. Mercie we had desired the former yeere, and mercy hee hath also shewen the former yeere,A paradoxe, the trueth, whereof the euent of the former yeere hath mani­fested. yea by the sending of the Plague. The Lord hath heard our prayers. If this seeme strange to you beloued, I will expound the paradoxe. In the beginning of the yeere, when that Noble Princesse Elizabeth of famous memory, fell sicke; during her disease, wee mourned, sighed and lamented: We were heauie and much trou­bled, many righteous soules prayed vnto the Lord, and in their prayers desired two thinges 1 of the Lord: first, that if she should come to die, that hee would not suffer them to fall into the 2 hands of men; Secondly, that hee would bee [Page] mercyfull to Sion, and not dispearse and scatter them, but gather & keepe together his church: and beholde the Lord hath heard our prayers, he hath not suffered vs to fal into the hands of men, he hath sent a pestilence, by which we are fallen into his handes: for what is the Plague but a fall into God his hands, according to the definition of DAVID. Further he hath not dis­persed, but rather called and gathered many of vs vnto himselfe: for what is death else, but a gathering vnto our fathers, & a departure vn­to God? The Lord hath called many of his chil­dren frō Schoole, frō the Schoole of this world, where they had learned no good; he hath called them to that heauenly vniuersity. Many had desired to see the tryumphes of the cittie, but the Lord in his mercy hath made them to see a better tryumph in that permanent Cittie and heauenly Ierusalem. Many had desired to see the Coronation of their newe Prince, but the Lord in hss mercy hath made thē to see a bet­ter Coronation, the Coronation of the Prince of glorie, & of the true SALOMON Christ Iesus; yea he hath made many y^e royall priest-hood. Apo. 1. Thus thē beloued of LONDON, I haue am­plyfied vnto you the mercy of the Lord, which hath onely staied the Angels sword, or else, it would haue gone forward. There is no compa­rison betwixt the mercy of God and the mer­cy of men: It is reported that MARCELLVS, [Page] after that his souldiers had conquered SIRA­CVSA, not without the great slaughter of ma­ny, was so compassionate ouer them, that hee went vp to the highest Towre in the Castle, & with teares lamented the ruine and ouerthrow therof. Whatsoeuer may be said of MARCEL­LVS for his clemencie ouer those he had slaine, yet there is no comparison to be made betwixt him, & the Emperour of heauen and earth: hee hath had frō the high tower of heauē, compas­sion ouer the Cittie: It hath repented him, hee hath beheld her ruines: If mercie had not bene before him, and grace behinde him, (so great is our sinne) the whole Cittie might haue been destroyed. And thus much for the second Prea­cher of the former yeere, and also of the second part of this new yeres-gift.

The third part, containing the Kings Medicine it selfe, with the ingredients thereof.

AS an expert Physition, first sheweth the disease it selfe, with the cause and danger thereof; and then prescribeth to his patient, Phisick, to cure him, and the order of his diete Euen so hauing shewen beloued of Londō, the disease it selfe, the Kings euill with the effect thereof, giue mee leaue nowe to prescribe the [Page] Phisicke against the Kings euill. And as the Physition hitting vpon the right humor and cause of the disease, can with happier successe applie his Phisicke: So wee knowing the cause, both of the spirituall and corporall infection, shall the better bee able to finde out the right medicine. It is the desire of al sickemen to know a good medicine, which hath bin knowen most to preuaile, best to remooue, and soonest to cure the person diseased. This he learneth, to know out of the booke of nature, the best phy­sitions, the cause of the disease, and the experi­ence of others: & if there bee a medicine which is much vsed and commended, euery one is de­sirous to haue it, and to knowe the ingredients thereof. As this is the desire of the diseased in regard of the body, so it ought also to bee the desire of euery Christian in regard of his soule.

This hee shall learne to know out of the booke of God, the cause of the disease, the spirituall Physitions, and the experience of others. If we desire one for to cure the plague of the soule & the effect thereof, which is commended and hath been vsed, and tryed by experience: be­hold, I set one before you, the Kings medicine, DAVIDS repentance, so called, because a King of Israell tooke it in, both in the Plague, and after the Plague. As for the bodyly kings medicine, & other humane confections of art, [Page] they are of no force to cure the spiritual conta­gion. For the Triacle, and to vse the words of the Lord, Ierm. 8.22, the Balme of Gilead, and their Physitions, cannot helpe or recouer our health; and therefore the Lord reprocheth thē. Ier. 46.11. Goe vp vnto Gilead, and take balme, ô Virgine, the daughter of Egypt, in vaine shalt thou vse manie medicines, for thou shalt haue no health.

Seeing that the confections of men, are of so litle force, there is no better then this kings medicine, which is better worth then all the balme of Gilead. If ye are desirous to knowe, where the ingredients of this Physicke doe grow; ye shall finde them growing in the gar­den of this Scripture nowe in hand. As the Lord (saieth ORIGEN) hath prepared Physicke for the body, out of the hearbes which grow in the fields and gardens: euen so he hath orday­ned Physicke for the soule, whose ingredients he hath sowen in the garden of the Scripture, of this Physicke Christ Iesus is [...], the su­preame Physiti [...]n.

That wee might then orderly proceede in this orderly repentance of king DAVID,The ingre­dients of the Kings medi­cine ar [...] set downe. who hath bene skilfull in the arte of repentance, I will set f [...]orth a liuely Anotomie of a repentant sinner, whose foote-steps we ought to follow steppe by steppe.

In this spirituall king; Medicine, I obserue [Page] fiue things: First the patients, or the persons which tooke it in, verse 28. and 16. The King and the Elders of Israell.

Secondly, the ingredients of this Physicke and the parts wherof it is compounded, which are three in number. The first ingredient, is the knowledge and feeling of the Kings dis­ease. vers. 10, And his heart smote him. The se­cond is, his desire of spirituall life and health, in the same verse: Take away the trespasse of thy seruant: The third is, the hearbe of pati­ence. vers. 14. the king grudged not, but saide, Let vs fall into the hands of the Lord.

Thirdly, the patients behauiour, and the manner how the king tooke it in, which is set downe in three things: First, the discouery and laying open of his sore vnto the Physition. 2. Sam. 24.10. I haue sinned exceedingly, and I haue done very foolishly. The second is, his bodily prostrating of himselfe, with the Elders vpon their faces. 1. Chron. 21.16. Thirdly, an humble cloathing of himselfe, with the Elders in Sack-cloth, in the same verse of the Chap­ter.

Fourthly, the time when hee tooke in this medicine, and the cause moouing him to vse this receit: which was, when he saw that hee was infected with the Plague of the soule: 2. Sam. 24.10. Then, &c. and that he perceiued the effect and danger thereof, the bodily pesti­lence, [Page] 2. Sam. 24.17.

Fiftly, the operation of the Kings medicine, which is, the ceasing of the Plague. 2. Sam. 24, 25. With the behauiour of the patient DA­VID now being healed; his sacrificing vnto the Lord. 1. Chron. 21.28. This is the Anotomie of the Kings medicine: of which in order.

The third part, containing the Patients behauiour, and the manner how Dauid tooke in this medicine.

KING DAVIDS behauiour is set downe in three things, where­of of the first is, that hee discouered and laide open his sore vnto his Physition, with an humble con­fession. 2. Sam. 24.10. I haue sinned exceedingly, and I haue done verie foolishly. In which disco­uery, I discouer three things; First, the patient of the person discouering, (DAVID the King) noted in this word (I). Secondly, his sore or dis­case, noted in two words (sinned and foolishly). Thirdly, the Physition to whome he doth disco­uer it (vnto the Lord.)

The patient discouering.As for the patient, it is DAVID, who confes­seth that hee was infected, hee maketh an im­mediate confession, and casteth forth the im­postumated [Page] matter of a dissembling conscience, which beeing concealed, had beene present death. And although a king, yet he forgetteth his glorie, setteth affection aside, writeth, as it were, his fault in his browe, and pointeth with his finger at his transgression. Imitate the Kings behauiour in thy spirituall disease, ô sinfull son of ADAM. Couer it not with some defence as ADAM his nakednesse, strangle it not within thy bones in a sullen and melancholike passion. Two things hinder sometimes the diseased to discouer their disease, feare and shame. Let not these be impediments. Be not ashamed to confesse thy sinnes. Eccl. 4.26. Follow not the infected with the corporall plague, who sometimes pluc­keth down the bill or defaceth the red crosse of his doore, either for shame or temporall profit. Secondly, feare not; it is a signe and argument of life: and as the first argument of life which the widdowes sonne of Naim gaue was this, he be­gan to speake; so in this spirituall resuscitation from the death of the soule, the first token of our recouery is, that we begin to speake with DA­VID, I haue sinned exceedingly. If thou replyest, this is also the voice of CAIN, of the MOA­BITE, Aegyptian and Elamite: the answere is, Confession is oris et cordis of the mouth and of the heart: the first was onely in the Edomite, let both bee in the Chri­stian.

Six reasons vrging con­fession.Let me according to the manner of the bodi­ly Physition, shewe vnto you the reasons which ought to perswade you to this discouery of your 1 sores, the which are sixe in number. First, the nature of your disease, that is of sinne, doth re­quire it: as long as it is hidden, it biteth as a Scorpion which we hide in our bosome. Woūds the closer they are kept, the greater torture they bring, saith GREGORIE. Sinnes not confes­sed bring, saith AVGVSTINE condemnation 2 vpon vs. Secondly, the counsaile of the spiritual Physitions commande it, Eccl. 4-24. and of the rest, whose prescriptions reade in the booke of 3 God. Thirdly, the practise of the faithfull and their successe: this is the voice of IOB,Psal. 32.5. EZRA, 4 DANIEL, and the rest. Fourthly, the curing of your disease doth aske it, for this is a meanes to haue it healed. Pro. 28.13. He that hideth his sinnes shall not prosper, but hee that confesseth them shall haue mercie. O how auaileable, saith AMBROSE, are three syllables? peccaui is but three syllables, but the flame of an hearty sacri­fice ascendeth therein into heauen, and fetcheth 5 downe three thousand blessings. Fiftly, the end and purpose of the Lord, the supreame Physition, for which hee doth send thee corpo­rall afflictions; which is, that thou shouldest confesse. As the malefactour is put vpon the torture that hee should discouer the trueth: euen so the Lord in the sending of corporall [Page] afflictions, doth, as it were, put vs vpon the tor­ture, that we seeing our members either in re­gard of our owne persons, or of our children and friends, as it were stretched out by the greatnesse of the paines, might be enforced to crie peccaui: lord I haue done foolishly. Frustrate not therefore the purpose of the Physitian. Sixt­ly, the readinesse and willingnesse of God king Dauids Physitian to heale our soules if we dis­couer them, ought to perswade vs. 1. Ioh. 1-9. If we acknowledge our sinnes, he is faithfull to forgiue vs our sinnes, and to clense vs from all vnrighteousnesse. Beeing thus instructed and guided by these six reasons, follow the prescrip­tion of the bodily physitions for the healing of thy spirituall sore: as they counsaile in the time of the infection, to empty in the morning the body of all superfluities and excrements, and to take heede the body be not costiue at any time: euen so empty thy selfe dayly, by a confession of thy sinnes, of thy superfluities and filthy excre­ments, take heede thy soule bee not costiue at any time by keeping in of thy sins.

There are 3. sorts of bad patients3. Sorts of bad patients. which are infected with the plague of the soule, whose be­hauiour follow not. The first translate their 1 sinnes on others, beeing infected with the in­fection of their great grandfather Adam Gen. 2-12. It was indeede a woman of his owne choosing, euen the concupiscence of his heart. [Page] O how many are strangers vnto themselues,Some tran­slate it on o­thers. couering their filthinesse with the figge leaues of their owne deuises, shewing thereby from what house they come. This translation of faultes was a lesson learned in Paradyse when the first rudiments and catechisme of rebellion 2 was deliuered. The second sort hide and denie them,Some hide & denie it. beeing infected with the contagion of Cain Gen. 4-9. buinding them with cursing, and will neuer yeelde the victorie thereunto, till as the sunne from out the cloudes, so trueth hath made her a way by maine force from out their dissimulations. Follow them not, knocke at the breast of your consciences, breake vp those yron and heauy gates which barre vp your sinnes. 3 The 3. sort, excuse and extenuate them, infected with the infection of Saul. 1.Some excuse and extenuate Sam. 13. and 1. Sam. 15. some colouring it with pretence, some with good intention, I meant it well, some with the happie euent, it succeeeded well. These 3. sortes are like to some which are in­fected with the plague of the body; some, as it is knowne by experience, haue denyed their disease, others to keepe it secret haue coloured it with some other disease, yea some haue pluckt downe the billes from their doores and de­faced the red crosse, that their houses might not be knowne for infected: euen so, doe ma­ny which are infected with the plague of the soule. Happie is therefore that conscience, to [Page] conclude with the saying of BERNARD, Wherein trueth and mercy meete togither; The trueth of him that confesseth, and the mercie of him that pardoneth. And thus much for the person discouering.

In the second place,2. The nature of his disease. hauing discouered that hee was infected, now hee disciphereth his disease, and describeth the nature of it, gi­uing vnto it two names, First, the name of sinne, 2. of foolishnesse. I haue sinned and done foo­lishlie. As for the first, as the physitians, in one word, doe often render a whole definition of a disease; So the Holy Ghost 1. Iohn. 3.4. in one word expresseth the nature of sinne, [...] Sinne is the breach of the law.

And so DAVID, as a good physitian, giueth vnto his disease, her proper and indiuiduall name, cloaking it not with the name of vertue. Imitate the King, and giue vnto the childe, as the prouerbe is, the right name. Further hee expresseth the right nature of the plague of the soule, calling it foolishnesse. The nature of some diseases is such,The vnmas­ked plague. that as the physitians affirme, and experience teacheth, they make the diseased madde and phren­ticke: this is the nature of the spirituall con­tagion, it is a spirituall phrensie and mad­nesse; and the sinners infected therewith, what are they but fools, phrenticks & mad men? That this is the nature of sin, the plague of the soule, [Page] 1 is prooued by 3. arguments, First, this is the con­clusion and determination of the whole col­ledge of the spirituall physitians,Three argu­ments proo­uing the na­ture of sin. of the blessed trinity, who attributeth this name to the coue­tous Luc. 12. to the Atheist Ps. 14.1. to the carelesse wise man Ierem 8-8-9-Es. 56-10-to the stifnecked Deut. 32. Ps. 38.5. to the ignorant Tit. 3. Wisedome, who is able to iudge of fools, giueth this name Pro-1. O ye foolish, how long 2 will ye loue foolishnesse? Secondly, it is proo­ued by the name of the medicine which is ap­pointed to heale this plague, the medicine of repentance: both the greeke and the hebrew name doe prooue it. First the greek name, which is [...], which implieth as much, as to be­come wise or better aduised after the fact. [...] then, or repentance, is a forsaking of our former follies which before we had frequented. Secondly the hebrew name Theschouba, which signifieth a returning, because sinners as fooles and mad men, haue runne out of the way, but by repentance they returne back from the deuil, the world, themselues, to God, the church, themselues. Thirdly by their actions. What are 3 the actions of the drunkard, of the angry man, of the swaggering swearer, yea of the vaine daunser, as Cicero a heathen doth witnesse, but the actions of fooles and mad men? Of him that casteth himselfe with a set purpose into the fire or water what doe we iudge, but that he is ei­ther [Page] a foole or a mad man? What doth the ob­stinate sinner else, but cast himselfe into the fire? This is then the nature of sinne, the plague of the soule, by the iudgement of the best phy­sitians who could not erre.

Touching the nature of this disease,The iudge­ment of bad physitians touching sin. there is another iudgement and determination, the iudgement of bad physitians, of the deuill, the flesh, and the worldling. The deuill is craftie in minsing sinne, the flesh and the worldling dis­guise them vnder the habite of vertues, cloa­king them with that honorable name. Pride is, by the iudgement of this colledge, cleanlinesse and handsomenesse. The painting of faces, friz­ling of haire, comely ornaments. Malice, enuie, and reuenge, manhood. Gluttonie and rioting, good fellowshippe. Fornication, a tricke of youth. Briberie, the taking of their fees and their dutie, Simonie, gratitude and thankful­nesse. Drunkennesse, merrinesse. Couetousnesse, parsimonie and good husbandrie. Prodigalitie, liberalitie. Oppression, iustice. The dingthrift a great housekeeper. The worldling, a wise man and a good politician. The good preacher, a railer, the dumbdogge a good fellow. The swaggering swearer, a fine gentleman. The zealous man a precisian. Thus we see that sins, hauing gotten a liuerie of their master the diuell and stolen the cloake of vertue, doe iet it, and braue it vp and downe, like fidlers and players, [Page] vnder noble mens coates: which, when their coates are taken away, are but rogues by sta­tute: and so sinnes when theyr coloured cloakes ate taken away, are most foule and ougly diuelles by the worde of God. The three aforesaide physitians, are like vnto some of those which are appointed in the time of the plague to iudge whither it bee the sick­nesse or no, after the departure of the infec­ted; some beeing corrupted by brybes and monie, doe often iudge, that it is not the plague, and that there appeare no signes, cloaking it with some other disease: euen so the worldlings corrupted and blinded by the Deuill and the flesh, doe iudge of the plague of the soule. But as there is a punishment or­dained by the magistrate for those corrupted iudges, euen so there is a punishment appoin­ted by the magistrate of heauen,Prou. 28.13. for them that seeke patronage and defence for their sins, that they might as LACTANTIVS sayth, seeme to sinne honestly. O yee foolish sonnes of men, your eyes are blinded with partiality, yet the eye lids of the Lorde shall trie you, his righteous and flaming countenance shall soundlie examine your actions, vncouer the fa­ces of your iniquities, and call them by their proper names. ALCAEVS tooke a mole in the body, for a grace, yet was it a blemish: euen so [Page] although ye esteeme your sinnes ornamentes of gentilitie, yet are they but blemishes both of the bodie and soule. Thinke nor that these fig leaues shall keepe gods iudgements from you. But as for you ô yee righteous soules, des­pise the iudgement of the scorning Michols of this age, and with DAVID and MARY bee more zealous: for you haue chosen the better part, which shall not bee taken away from you, And thus much for the nature of his sore.

There followeth the Surgion or physition to whome he discouered his sore3. The physition to whome Dauid disco­uereth his sore. (vnto the lord) not vnto his friend, or to the priest, but vnto the best physitian both in heauen and earth. Imi­tate the King, and vse for this purpose, no other Surgion then King DAVIDS. The sonnes of men if they be of any abilitie, in their corporall diseases, are desirous to haue the kings Surgion and physition, because they perswade them­selues of their wisedome and experience, and yet they may erre; to whome then shall wee discouer our spirituall sores but vnto the lord the kings physitian whoe can not erre, and whome wee may haue at all times? The su­perstitious Papistes, bankrupte of all sense, are not contented with the Kings surgion, they must haue vnskilfull surgions who haue no power to heale theyr owne sores, nor [Page] the sores of others. Behold how the sillie people runne to lay open their sores vnto the priestes, and substitutes appointed by that proude pre­late of the seauen hilled citie with his purple cardinals and horned bishops. As the Paracel­sian physicke sometimes killeth the body: euen so this Antichristian medicine the soule. But I purpose not to stirre the filthy dunghill of the auricular confession. The more we stirre a dung­hill, the more it stinketh, and therefore I will not infect your senses therewith. But as for you ô proude Romanistes, great and intollerable is your arrogancie to heare the confessions of o­ther mens sinnes. Are you Christians? The verie Heathens doe detest this arrogancie. Lysander could not abide it, for hauing asked counsell in Samothracia of the oracle, and beeing willed by the Priest and keeper thereof to tell the greatest sinne that euer hee committed, asked, whether he should doe it at his bidding, or at the commaundement of the gods: when it was told him, it was the will of the gods, hee willed the priest to stand apart and saide, he would tell it the gods. Wherefore let that be abandoned farre from the schoole of Christ, which the ve­rie Heathen by reason did not admit.

2. The second thing wherein the kings be­hauiour is set downe.The second thing, whereby the patients be­hauiour in this his disease is declared, is his bo­dily prostrating of himselfe with the elders of Is­raell, vpon their faces.

Behold, DAVID forgetteth not his first foundation, that as hee was bred of the earth, so to earth he must returne. They fall not, to lie on a heape of violets and roses as the Liba­rites were wont to do, or vpon a couch beau­tified and deckt with the tapistry of Aegypt, but vpon the earth, and they which before were kings of the earth, are now as it were wormes of the earth, and the dunghils are their thrones.1. The vse, first in regard of Princes. Imitate and followe the King and the elders of Israell, both Princes and subiectes. Princes bee first and formost in humilitie and in the seruice of God. It is not the sword, the scepter and the robe, which maketh magistrates: bee not lawlesse Caracalla, to giue lawes, and to re­ceiue none. Bee a rule both to others and to your selues. Let not the golden cup of honour make you drunke and driue you from all sense of your earthlinesse and mortalitie, but with DAVID and the Elders prostrate your selues before the throne of God. Subiectes, thinke not, that it becommeth onelie the chariots,2. In regard of subiectes. and chayres of estate to stoope before him, who rideth upon the Cherubins, but that also, it becommeth vs all, from the highest to the lowest, to fall downe and kneele before the lord our maker. Let vs therefore all be lowe be­fore the footestoole of his excellencie, and with all submission, both of bodie and spirite, ac­knowledge his hand and power ouer vs. [Page] Let vs abate our proude spirites, cast downe our Lordelie lookes, couer our faces for the shame of our sinnes, and presente our selues vnto him in all those humble behauioures, which the consideration of his maiestie and our miserie can possiblie frame, degrading and discountenauncing our selues in the eyes of our God. The Kings medicine for the bodie, prescribeth against the corporall in­fection, Elder-leaues: in steade of them, in this spirituall Kings medicine against the spi­rituall infection, take the examples of El­ders, following the Elders of Israell. By this prostrating of themselues, they haue shewen three things; First, their sorrowe for their sinnes. Secondlie, the inwarde humili­tie of their heartes. Thirdlie, their wisedome. The first doeth produce the second, for as a bladder if it bee-prickt, all the winde and emptinesse voideth out of it:1. Sorrowe. euen so our heartes which are puffed vp with the winde of pride and ambition, if they bee once prickt with sorrowe for their sinnes, the wind of pride emptieth it selfe, and humilitie of heart succeedeth. Which humilitie of hearte is a necessarie ingredient in this Kings medi­cine. To this spirituall prostrating of our soules,2. Humilitie. foure argumentes must perswade vs, first the counsaile of the spirituall physitions 1. Pet. 5-5. Iames. 4.7-10. 2. Chron. 7.14. Se­condly, [Page] experience of the successe of this physicke. Thirdlie, the consideration of Gods person and of our owne: wee are but creatures taken from the dust, he the creator, whose maiestie the Angels adore, the deuills feare, the heauens obey. We but earth, earth by creation, earth by continuance, earth by resolution, thou commest earth, saith one, thou remainest earth, thou returnest earth, shall not wee then prostrate our selues before that Lord: wee, for whose sakes the prince of glorie hath prostrated himselfe vpon his face to cure the plague of our soules? Fourth­lie, the necessitie of it; as long as the poyson of pride remayneth, thy wounde cannot bee healed. As certaine serpents then, before they drinke, spew out all theyr poyson; euen so before we can drink in the spiritual kings me­dicine, wee must spewe out and cast foorth the poyson of pride and ambition. Thirdlie, DA­VID by this prostrating, hath shewen his wisedome, 3. Wisedome. and that in the choice of the me­dicine, for hee chooseth a fitte playster and me­dicine for his woūd: his sore was pride, the play­ster which he chose, was humilitie, which was a contrary, wherby Dauid shewed himself a good physitian & practicioner: he had exalted himself, & therefore by a contrary he seeketh to heale his sore, for he abaseth and prostrateth himselfe. It is a maxime approoued by the bodily physitions. [Page] Contraria contrarijs curantur, Contraries are holpen by theyr contraries, this is a common and true principle, the physitions doe vse to take naturall remedies from the contrarie. If the sicknesse is caused by reason of too much cold and moysture, the remedie must bee ga­thered naturallie from the contrarie, heate and drouthe: if nature waxe to cold, it must bee holpen with heate, if it bee too hotte, it must be cooled, if it bee too moist it must bee dryed, if too drie, it must bee moystened. As this is a maxime in physicke, so it holdeth in diuinitie,Gal. de temp. for the king hath vsed this order. Follow herein the king, and the order of this medicine, bee such a practicioner as Dauid in the curing of thy spirituall sores. Cure con­traries by contraries, If thou art infected with pride, cure it with humilitie, if with impati­ence, heale it by patience, heale distrustful­nesse with faith, couetousnesse with liberalitie, drunkennesse with sobrietie, vncleanenesse with chastitie, vnmercifulnesse with mercie. If thy nature be too cold in loue, helpe it with the heate of loue, if too hotte in anger, pas­sions, and concupiscence, coole it with meeke­nesse. If too drie in good workes, moysten it with the dewe of the spirite. If thy pride, securitie, wantonnesse and other more haue caused a corporall plague, heale it by the contraries. The counsayle of Chrysostome [Page] is, alluding to the policie of the wise men in returning into their countrey another waye, Hast thou come saith hee by the waye of adul­terie? Goe backe by the way of chastitie. Camest thou by the waye of couetousnesse? Goe backe by the way of mercie. But if thou returne the same way thou camest, thou art still vnder the kingdome of Herode. There are two motiues to mooue vs to followe this wisedome and methode2. motiues to perswade vs to follow this methode. of Dauid. First, the 1 practise of others, and theyr successe. This methode of healing followed DAVID. The Niniuites had sinned by pride and gluttonie, and they fall to sackcloth and fasting. Zacheus had beene infected with vnmercifulnesse, co­uetousenesse and extortion, and therefore hee seeketh to remooue them by a contrarie, namelie liberalitie Luke 19. Secondlie the 2 name of the kinges medicine, that is, of re­pentaunce, doeth admonish vs thereunto, both the Hebrewe and the Greeke name: the Hebrewe signifying a returning, implyeth, that sinne which is a spirituall plague, is a going from God, a falling from laboure to idlenesse, from humilitie to pride, from tem­peraunce to riotte, from mercie to oppressi­on, from iustice to violence: and therefore, that repentaunce which is the medicine, ought to be a forgoing of these vices, and a returning to theyr contrary vertues. The Greeke name, [Page] which implyeth as much as to become wise, teacheth the same order of curing, foolishnesse by wisedome.

3 The third and last thing which manifesteth the sicke mans behauioure,The 3. thing wherein is de­clared the patientes be­hauioure. is the humble cloa­thing of himselfe in sackcloth 1. Chron. 21-16. with the Elders of Israell. This cloathing im­plieth two things, a putting off, and a putting on. A putting off of the royall garment, and kinglie ornamentes, and a putting on of a vesture, made not for oftentation but for hu­miliation, the indument of the penitente and of the sorrowfull. A King forgetteth the ward­robe of the kingdome, and goeth to the beg­gers presse, sackcloath is as it were a diademe to his head, hee to whome the knee was bow­ed, the head vncouered, the bodie prostrated, putteth away his crowne, his scepter, and his Maiestie. The Elders winde theyr bodyes in sacke, and are as corpses made readie for the buriall, and fitter to lie in the grounde, then to liue and breathe vpon the face of the earth. This is then the habite and liuerie wherein they goe vnto the Lord. This humble cloa­thing, with the outward prostrating, are not godlinesse and repentaunce it selfe, but gestures and behauioures setting it foorth, argumentes and outwarde professions of theyr inward con­trition, outwarde signes of an inwarde cause from whence they proceede, adminicles and [Page] helpes to theyr effectuall prayers which they powred foorth. Fasting and sackecloath saith IEROME, are the armoure of repentaunce, shee commeth not to God with a full bellie, nor in gorgious attire of siluer, gold or needle worke, but with the thinnest face, and cour­sest apparell that shee can prouide. Followe the king and the Elders in the taking in of this kings medicine of repentaunce,The vse both 1 Princes and Subiectes. Princes,in regard of princes. in a publike calamitie, esteeme the Robes of your Ma­iestie for a time, as burdens to your backes with DAVID, as vnseemelie to bee worne as euer the botche or scabbe was to the Ae­gyptians. Let your counterfeyted ornaments bee ashamed at his presence, who is cloa­thed with glorie and honoure. Psal. 104.1. Arise, prostrate your selues, doe obeysance to the Lord of Lordes, whose throne is the heauens, and all the thrones of the earth but his footestooles. Subiectes, this belongeth 2 principallie to you;Of subiectes. If wee will take in this present yeer, the Kings medicine for the soule, there are robes and indumentes which we must put off, & others which we must put on. The Christi­ans putting off, and put­ting on, fitte for this new yeere. The robes which we must put off; are diuerse: first, the old man, cast off saith the Ap. Eph. 4.23 the old man, which is corrupt through the deceiueable lustes. The second indument, is lying. Merchāts, put a­way this robe, & as the Ap. exhorteth, Cast off [Page] lying, and speake euery man trueth vnto his 3 neighboure. Zeph. 4-25. The thirde sorte of in­dumentes,Garments to put off. which with the old yeere wee must put off to take in this medicine, are according to the counsayle of the Apostle, Col. 3.8. put yee away, wrath, anger, cursed speaking, and 4 filthie speaking out of your mouth. The fourth is hate, for as loue is the liuerie of a christian as Tertullian tearmeth it, so hate and enuie is the badge and liuerie of Sathan, an ornament of 5 the prince of darkenesse. The fift is hypocrisie and dissimulation 1. Pet. 2-1. Lay aside all guile 6 and dissimulation. The sixt the robes of curiosi­tie, vanitie and pride, and facion not your selues like vnto this world. Rom. 12-2. Wiues (it is the Apostles precepte 1. Pet. 3.3.) bee subiecte to your husbandes, and let not your apparelling be outward, as with broyded hayre, and golde put about, or in putting on of apparell. Sicke men, which are to take in medicines for their bodily health, & which are cast down vpon theyr beds, take no care for the adorning and attyring of their bodies, neither doe take pride in theyr apparell, but cloathe themselues as patientes and sicke men: euen so, seeing wee are infected and sicke of the plague of sinne, and that wee are to take in this me­dicine for to recouer our spirituall health, shall wee busie our selues to adorne and trimme vppe these mortall bodies, and take de­light [Page] in these outward ornaments? Alas, sinne and shame were the first taylors that shaped A­DAMS garments, and the garmentes on our backes, they are signes that we are sick with the plague of the soule. For as the bill and red crosse vpon the doore, is a token, that that house is in­fected with the Plague: euen so the garments vpon our backes, are as a bill and red crosse, shewing that the houses of our hearts, with our whole bodie, are infected with the plague of sinne. Should he not be accounted foolish, who should glorie himselfe of the red crosse vpon his doore? It is maintained by the vulgar experi­ence, that the bodily plague doth, or can lye & sticke in the apparell; and by this meanes, that others are infected: whether this be true or no I can not affirme. But this is certaine, that there is a plague which lyeth and sticketh in the ap­parell, the plague of strange fashions, of curiosi­tie, vanitie and pride, which plague infecteth o­thers. It is also maintained, that the plague can be brought out of other contries in the apparel, wares and merchandises: whether this also bee true, I will not dispute: but this we may affirme, that the plague of pride, curiositie, vanitie, and strange fashions is brought out of other coun­tries into England; as out of Italy, Spaine, and Fraunce, and so infecteth vs English-men. If wee shunne the garment which is suspected of bodily infection, shall not wee fly from the in­duements [Page] which are stained with the spirituall contagion? Let vs not then giue countenance by them vnto our beggery: alas what is their na­ture, they are but the painting of a graue, or whiting of a rotten wall, the couer and case to a lumpe of mortall flesh, they make vs honou­rable in the sight of men, but worke no reue­rence or estimation before the Lord of Hostes. And yet, good God, how are wee degenerated from our father ADAM! When God made ap­parell for man, hee made it but of the skinnes of beastes, but now this fashion is quite out of fa­shion, we robbe al the creatures of the world to adorn vs, by taking from some their wool, from some their skins, frō others their fur, & frō some their very excrements; & rather then we wil be vnfurnished of any thing, we will not sticke to diue into the verie bottome of the sea for preti­ous stones. O how many are there of those fooles of which Bias speaketh, He that wasteth much to followe euery fashion, may bee called the Mercers friend, the Tailors foole, and his owne foe. Many doe erre in the taking in of this Kings medicine, and bring other guises and shewes in repentance; but as for vs, there must bee in vs not DAVIDS Iewish putting on, but his penitent putting off. Lustie gallants, if yee will take in the kings medicine for this yeare, you must put off your Absolons haire; painted Iesabels, you can not take it in, with your pain­ted [Page] faces, open breasts, monstrous verdingales, long staring ruffes, ruffianly lockes. Daintie dames, if you will vse this medicine, you must not gird your selues so straight to bee fine and small, but you must girde and pinch the loynes of your mindes. Royall citizens,Luke. 12. if you will take in this royall medicine, you must put off your princely furniture, your wanton disdainefull & superfluous sailes of pride, wherein yee esteeme not warmth, but the colour and die, wearing them for their price more then necessitie. They are, as AVGVSTVS the Emperour of Rome termeth them, vexillum superbiae nidusque lux­uriae the banner of pride, & neast of riotousnesse. The cause of Gods anger against vs, and which hath brought many to shame and begge­ry, hath it not beene their backe and their bel­lie? Let vs therefore crush these vipers, and not suffer them any longer to liue amongst vs. This excesse hath beene one of the two daughters of the horse-leach, which hath suckt the bloode of the whole lande, and consumed in vaine the substance of manie: and therefore let vs crosse it in our repen­tance. And as BENADAD. 1. Reg. 20. hauing receiued an ouerthrowe of an hun­dred thousande foote-men, vpon that mi­serie wherewith hee and his seruantes were toucht, his seruantes saide, we haue heard that the Kinges of ISRAEL are mercifull [Page] kings, let vs put on sackcloath and ropes about our heads, and goe to the king of Israel &c: euen so ô England, hauing receiued the former yeare an ouerthrowe of many thousands by the Lords Angell, and knowing that the God of Israell is a mercifull God, leaue your prince-like furni­ture, goe vnto him, that you may receiue mer­cie. To conclude this point, whensoeuer we see the Lord is angry, let vs imitate ABIGAIL. 1 [...] Sam. 25. who perceiuing Dauid to be angry, a­rose and went to meete him with a present to appease his wrath, and laded her asses with two bottles of wine, and frailes of raisons: euen so let vs lade our bodies and sinful carcasses, which we haue vsed as Asses to beare the huge burthen of our sinnes, with fasting, sackcloath, & mour­ning, which are the armour of repentance. Le [...] our eyes bee as two bottles of wine to carrie with vs; the teares whereof wee may drinke to comfort vs in the assurance of Gods mercie: le [...] vs present our broken and contrite hartes, the which hee will receiue kindly at our hands, and lay his sworde downe, and bid vs to returne in peace vnto our houses. And thus much for the Robes of the olde yeare, which wee must pu [...] off.2 The garments for this newe yeare, which vve must put on.

There followe the robes and garments of the newe yeare which wee must put on, to take in orderly this Kings medicine. These are also ma­nifolde 1 and manifest. The first is, the new man ▪ [Page] fit for this newe yeare. Put on the new man, saith the Apostle, which is after God created in righ­teousnesse and holinesse. Eph. 4.24. And bee yee changed by the renewing of your minde. Rom. 12.2. The second is charitie, mercie, and kinde­nesse. 2 Col. 3.12. Put on the bowels of mercie, kindnesse, meeknesse, long suffering, forbearing and forgiuing one another. Heere are costly robes (rich men) to bee worne and put on, the olde yeare being past. The third ornament is 3 sobrietie; girde vp the loynes of your minde, & bee sober. 1. Pet. 1.13. This is an ornament for you that looke vpon the wine how pleasant it is in the glasse. Prou. 23. If you will drinke this me­dicine, you must not giue your selues to the o­ [...]her. The fourth is peace, and haue your feete 4 [...]hod with the preparatiō of the gospel of peace. Ephe. 6. This is your garment, you that are of [...]he quarelling humour, and sowe strife among [...]our brethren. The fifth ornament to put on, is 5 [...]rueth and veritie. Merchants, this is your newe [...]eares garment, haue your loynes girded about with veritie. Ephe. 6.14. The sixt garment is 6 [...]umilitie; This is your newe yeares garment, [...]roud men, put on humblenesse of minde. Col. 3. [...]2. it is a royall garment. If then yee will take in [...]his royall medicine, forget not Dauids garmēt, [...] simple araiment in the eyes of the worlde, but [...]retious in the eyes of God. It is an vniuersall [...]mament, both for the Prince and the begger. [Page] It is a boldnes & great arrogancie for a subiect, how highsoeuer he be, to be equal to the prince in his garments: princely garments become prin­ces, but as for this ornament, it is no boldnes at al 7 to be equall vnto a King. The seauenth, is righ­teousnesse or a good conscience. Iudges and ma­gistrates, let this be yours, haue the brest plate of 8 righteousnesse. Ephe. 6.14 The eight, is shame­fastnesse and modestie; women, this is your new yeares garment. 1. Tim. 2, 9. Array your selues in comely apparel, with shamefastnesse and mo­destie. 9 The ninth, is holinesse and righteousnesse; as this is euery mans garment, so more particu­larly it ought to be your new yeares garment, O trybe of Leui, ô ye Prophets of the Lord. Psal. 132.9. Let thy Priestes be cloathed with righ­teousnesse. As vpon AARONS garment when hee entred the Sanctuarie, there was written, Codesh Codesh, holinesse, holinesse: euen so yee that stande in the Lords Temple, haue this holi­nesse 10 written in your hearts. The tenth, is the wedding garment, Math. 22. which is Faith This is an ornament for those to put on, who the former yeare haue vnreuerently approached 11 to the Kings feast. The last garment, is Chris [...] Iesus; This is the Christians garment: Put ye [...] on the Lord Iesus Christ. Rom. 13.14. This is tha [...] white raiment, which couereth our nakedness [...] Apoc. 3.18. If wee desire a pretious garment one which is not heauie but light, one in fashi­on, [Page] one pleasant to God, put on this Lord Ie­sus. As IACOB hauing put on the garment of his eldest brother, receiued the blessing: euen so, if wee put on this garment and approach vn­to the Lord our Physition with it, wee shall re­ceiue the blessing of our father in heauen, and the health of our soules. These are then the gar­ments to put on. The colours of our garment are two, red and white; his redde colour it hath from the bloode of Christ,Reu. 7.14. by which it is sancti­fied: his white colour, from the splendour and brightnesse of the holy Ghost, in regarde of a holie life which shineth before the worlde Reu. 7.13. Let vs then, belooued, bee carefull to get these garments, if wee will drinke this spirituall Kings medicine. The Heathens beeing inui­ted, had for their bankets, and went to their feasts, with white garments, which they called vestes coenatorias, which were also vsed among the Iewes, as PHILO writeth; and they which wore them, were called Candidati: the Lord doth inuite vs this year to the Kings feast, which is repentance, and that by a ioyfull deliuerance, as hee inuited vs the former yeare by his smart-Preacher. Ought wee not then to haue the white garment of integritie to put on? The for­mer yeare, men haue ayred and perfumed their apparell with diuers sents and odoriferous con­fections to resist the poyson and infection of the ayre, let vs this yeare perfume them [Page] with the sweet sent of humilitie, modestie, com­linesse, to expell and resist the poyson and infec­tion of curiositie, pride and vanitie. Let vs then, beloued, with these Elders, in this life be cloa­thed with the penetentiall garment, that in the life to come we may put on those white robes Reu. 7.13. wherewith the Saintes and Elders were adorned: let vs not seeke to bee as the glo­wormes, to shine here onely beneath, that here­after wee may shine aboue as the starres in the firmament. And thus much for the garments to put on.

Before I proceede, I will shewe you yet one thing; The Kings medicine aganst the bodily in­fection must bee taken in, fasting,The spirituall Kings medi­cine, is to bee taken in, fa­sting. as you may see in the medicine it self, prefixed before the trea­tise, & as the practise of the former yeare doth also witnesse: Euen so this spirituall Kings me­dicine of repentance against the spiritual Plague must bee taken in, fasting. There is a twofolde fast; First, a corporall and an outward; Second­ly, a spirituall and an inward. As for Dauid & the Elders of Israell, whither they haue fasted or no, it is not here expressed; but yet it may be be­leeued that they haue. As for you, beloued of London, first you haue taken in the Kings medi­cine for the bodie, fasting. Secondly, you haue also begunne to take in this spirituall Kings me­dicine fasting; witnesse the weekely fastings of the former yeare. Being now come vnto the [Page] newe yeare, see that you continue in the inward and spirituall fast: as for the outward it is onely necessarie in the time of publike calamity, when either any present iudgement would bee remo­ued, or any good cause promoted: but without the inward and spirituall, this spirituall Kings medicine cannot be taken in: vse it then not for the space of 9. daies together, but for the space of thy whole life. Forget not so much to forsake ordinarie foode, as to imprison and shut vp your bodies from the vanities and pleasures of this life; pull downe the strength and pride thereof. The honour of a fast, to vse the words of Chriso­stome, is not abstinence from meates, but auoi­dance of sinne. Dost thou fast? shewe mee thy fasting by thy workes. If thou askest what kinde of workes? If thou seest a poore man, take mer­cie on him, if thine enemie, reconcile thy selfe. If thy friend deseruing praise, enuie him not. If a beautiful woman, make a couenant with thine eyes. For what auaileth it, saith Augustin, to em­ty thy belly of foode, and to fill thy soule with sinnes, to be pale for fasting and to bee blewe and pale for hate and enuie; to drinke no wine, and to be drunke with the poyson of anger; to abstaine from things which are lawfull, and to doe things which are vnlawfull? Follow then, beloued, the counsaile of Chrisostome and Ber­nard, who both iumpe togither: Let not onely thy mouth and thy bowels fast, but thine eyes, [Page] thine eares, thy feete, thy handes, and all thy bodily members. Let thy hands fast from rob­bery, thy feete from bearing thee to vnlawfull spectacles, thine eares from sucking in slāderous tales, thine eyes from receiuing in wanton­nesse. And to shewe you out of the mouth of God himselfe, what manner of fast you ought to vse this new yeare; Loose the bands of wic­kednesse,Es. 58. take off the heauie burdens, let the op­pressed goe free, deale thy breade to the hun­gry, and couer the naked. As there hath bene the former yeare, a generall fast through the whole land, so there ought this yeare to bee this inward and spirituall through the whole King­dome, from the honourable Counsellor, to him that grindeth at the Mill. This is the great ge­nerall fast, and a Lent of abstinence which wee all must keepe. And thus much for the patients behauiour, and also the third part of the Kings Medicine.

¶ The fourth part, containing the time when the King tooke in this Medicine, and the cause moouing him thereunto.

THE time when hee tooke it in, was; first, when he saw that he had gotten the spirituall infection by the numbring of the people; and secondly, when he saw the danger and effect therof, a pestilence in Israel. The cause mouing him to take it in, was, to heale his dis­ease & to remoue the effect thereof. Ver. 8.16- The consideration of both, deliuereth vnto vs, a portrature of a wise Physition & of a wise pati­ent; the wisdome of God, and the wisdome of Dauid. The wisdome of God the Physition,Vse. The wisdome of God the Physition. doth appeare in the diuersity of means, which he kno­weth to vse for to cure sin & to mooue the sons of men to take in this spirituall Kings medicine of repentance. This Physition had before giuen vnto DAVID, peace, prosperity, and victories ouer his enemies, and now seeing him anew infected with a dangerous disease, he sendeth a generall pestilence in Israell. Before, hee came with his benefits, and now with his iudgements. As the expert Physition, vseth first soft and leni­tiue remedies, and if they auaile not, then hee commeth to his sharpe and biting corrosiues: e­uen [Page] so the Lord, vseth first the soft and lenitiue remedies of his commandements, promises and benefits, and then the byting corrosiues of his iudgements. Some hee healeth by hony, some by gall, some by salt, some by meale, some by sweete, some by sower. Hee hath a store-house full of remedies, and the breade of iudgement to breede good bloode in vs. The Lord, as Cle­mens Alexandrinus speaketh, is like vnto an ex­pert Musitian, hee hath sundry kindes and vari­eties, and sheweth the changes of his notes, hee both pittieth and chasteneth, entreateth and threateneth, and by threatning best admonish­eth, by speaking roughly soonest perswadeth. When the railes of the law kept not the Israelits in the pasture of the word, the Lord appointed the hedge of thorny discipline. And euen so at this present, such as he cannot draw to come in the fold of saluatiō by the whistle of the word, he compelleth them to come in by the dogge & hooke of disciplin & correction. If the blessings of Mount Garizzim do not moue vs,Deut. 27. then the cursings of Mount Ebal must come vpon vs. If we take no pleasure in the beauty of Mount Si­on, then the thundrings & lightnings of Sinai must put vs in feare. As this sheweth the wisdom of God, so it declareth the successe of his wisdom, The successe of his wisdom. in DAVID his patient; the Lords corosiues haue wrought in his soule: for seeing the hand of the Lord, he began to take in the medicine of repē ­tance. [Page] The Lords corrosiues haue many vertues.The vse of af­flictions. First, they make vs to esteeme, honour & make much of the Lord, King Dauids Physition. Se­condly, 1 they make vs to attaine vnto the know­ledge 2 of our disease: bind Manasses with chains, pul the King of Babilon from his throne, & they wil know thēselues: thirdly, they make vs to seek 3 for a remedy against our sore. Fourthly, they pre­uēt 4 & keepe our soules from falling into more grieuous diseases. Fiftly, they serue as a purge to 5 purge vs frō the corrupted humours of the soule. The want of these fiue things had beene a long time among vs, and therfore king Dauids Physi­tiō hath the former year vsed his corrosiues. We shuld haue fallen into a deadly Lethargy of sin, & therfore he hath preuented it, that we might, as the Prouerb is, with the burnt child dread the fire. As Ionathan shot arrowes to giue DAVID warning, euen so the Lord hath shot off his ar­rowes Ps. 9. to giue vs warning. The Plague, ô London, hath bin a writing scrole vpō your flesh, engrauen in your skin to teach you obediēce, as the Leprosie vnto Miryam. It hath bin as I. Bap­tist to send you vnto Christ. It hath bin as a me­dicine sent from heauen; the King of heauens medicine, to heale the sores of the land & to re­moue the spiritual plague. Sicknes, as Basil saith, vpon the 25. Psalme, is vnto many a salutiferous medicine, and life it selfe. As we pluck back or stay our horses, if either they gallop too fast, or [Page] go out of the way: so the Lord, because we were as wild horses, hath curbed our bits, & straitned the raines of our vnbridled affections. As the Lords corrasiues haue had good successe in DA­VID, so they haue wrought in vs. We had beene like vnto Ioab. 2. Sa. 14.29. As Absolon sent for him the first time by his seruāts, but would not come; and the second time, & yet woulde not come to him, and therefore sent the third time his seruants to set Ioabs fields on fire, & then he arose and came: euen so the Lord had sent at diuerse times his seruants, the Prophets, to will vs to come to him, but because we remained ob­stinate, he sent, the former yeare, other seruants, namely, his Angels, to kindle our housen with the fire of pestilence, and that made vs to arise, to goe vnto the Lord with fasting; that made vs to cry out, Lord haue mercy vpon vs; Christ haue mercy vpon vs. When the waters of the flood came vpon the face of the earth, downe went stately Turrets & Towers; but as the wa­ters rose, so the Arke rose still higher & higher; In like sort, when the waters of afflictions arise, as the floode of the pestilence did the former year, downe goes the pride of life, the lust of the eyes, the vanities of the world; as they did also in some sort, the last yeare: pray God it may cō ­tinue. But the Arke of the soule riseth as these waters rise, higher and higher towards heauen, as also they did the old yeare. As your afflictions [Page] then, beloued, haue beene [...], so haue they also beene [...], both sufferings and instructi­ons. Interpret them aright, let them put a sen­sible and liuely feeling into your soules: receiue them not as an horse or mule, that taketh the branding of an hote Iron, which they presently forget. Bene pungeris si compungeris, saith that hony father BERNARD, It is a happy pricking of the body, that maketh a pricking in the hart. This kinde of affliction, as it is reported, moo­ued some of the Heathens, to become Christi­ans: for in the raigne of Edward the third, there fel a Plague in the East Indies, which lasted sea­uen yeares, which moued many of them to be­come Christians. How much more then, ought it to make vs, deformed Christians, to become reformed and good Christians. If then tribula­tion come, receiue it with thankes, keepe it with patiēce, digest it in hope, apply it with wisdom, bury it in meditation, & it shal end in glory and peace.

Further,The portra­ture of a wise patient. obserue the wisdom of Dauid the pa­tient, in the taking in of this medicine: hee dif­ferreth not to take it in, but as soone as hee per­ceiued, that he had gottē the spiritual contagiō, & that the effect therof was spread through the land, behold, his hart smiteth, he cōfesseth, pro­strateth himself. Follow the wisdom of Dauid, ô sons of Adam; let not the oportunity slip, let both the time & cause perswade you. As medicines for [Page] the bodie must be taken in,Six motiues to persvvade vs to this vvis­dome. in due season; euen so the Kings medicine for the soule. Six motiues ought to perswade vs not to differ the [...]aking in of it, in due season; First the coūsaile of the whole 1 colledge of the spirituall Physitions. Heb. 3.13. Eccle. 12.1.Es. 55.6. Ec. 5.7. Ioel. 2.12. Eccl. 38.9. Secondly, 2 the vncertainety of the houre of death. The ex­perience of the former yeare hath shewed the truth of that Prouerbe; As many daies, as many liues. They who one day carried the deade bo­dies to the graues, were themselues on the mor­row 3 carried by others. Thirdly, the daungers which ensue,Three dāgers. if it bee not taken in, in due sea­son; 1 the dangers are three in number. First, delay doth cast our owne persons in daunger, both bodie and soule; the bodie in the danger of the fire of the Plague: the soule of the fire of hell: both of the fire of Gods heauie indignati­on. To quench this three-folde fire, wee must take in the Kings medicine in due season. Se­condly, 2 wee cast others in danger; doe wee not see, that our little children, doe, as it were, suf­fer with vs, and helpe to beare the punishment 3 of our delay and procrastination? Thirdly, de­lay encreaseth our disease; and lastly, maketh it incurable. It fareth with the plague of sinne, as with a tempest vpon the sea, in which there are first little waues; afterwards, greater volumes of waters: and then, perhaps, surges mounting vp as high as heauen. Or it is like vnto the breedes [Page] of serpents, first an egge, 2. a cockatrice, thirdlie a serpent. To preuent this encreasing take in the Kings medicine betimes. Auncient woundes sayth IEROME, are not cured in haste, the play­ster must lie long vpon them; euen so our olde festered sinnes can not bee done away with a dayes repentaunce. The snow ball the more it is rouled, the greater it waxeth; the more sinnes we commit, the more walls of brasse wee builde vp betwixt God and vs: so that at last, our cryes can not haue passage vnto him, nor his mercyes vnto vs. The longer the blowe bee in fetching, the heauier wil the wound be when it commeth. And the deeper the arrow be drawn in the bowe the deeper it pearceth when it is let flee. Sinne creepeth foorth like a canker, if in time it bee not medicined. As of the sicknesse of the body, so of the soule there are criticall dayes, knowne to God, whereby he doth guesse, whether we be in likelihoode to recouer health, and to harken to the holesome counsailes of his lawe or not. If then the lorde take his time to giue vs ouer to our selues and the malignitie of our diseases, we may say too late as sometime Christ, of Ierusa­lem, O that we had knowne the things that be­long to our peace, but now they are hid from vs. As I will not promise, so I dare not presume saith AVSTIN, of euening repenters: to make all out of doubt, the best course is to repent betimes. The fourth motiue, are the impediments which 4 [Page] will hinder vs to take in the Kings medicine, if we slip the opportunity, & the first hāsel of time. If it be differed to old age, or to sicknesse, two impedimentes will be in the way, outward, and 1 inward: First, outward impediments, thy wife & children enuironing thee, thy friends whispering in thine eares to make thy Wil, and to remember such and such a friend; so that repentance being differred, will be either nulla, vel ficta, vel diffici­lis, either none at all, or counterfeit, or very hard. 2 The other impedimentes, will be, the multitude of thy sinnes, feare of death, the terrour of the law, the obiections of Sathan, the accusations of thy conscience. True is the saying of AM­BROSE, nulla seria penitentia est nimis sera, sed rarò tam sera est seria. No serious repētāce is too late: but yet seldom, a late repentāce is a serious repentaunce. Yong men, take in betimes the Kings medicine, spend not the strength, sap, and greenenesse of your youth, season your greene vessels with the liquor of Gods spirite, and offer vnto him the maidenheade of your youth. Old men, take it also in due seasō, differre it not, to the houre of death: for if you doe, you treade vpon yee, which if it be molten with a little heate of Gods anger, alas you shall sinke into the gulfe of destruction. Yong age trust not to olde age, thou leanest vpon a brittle staffe, which when it breakes, the splinters and shiuers thereof will wound thee. Both of [Page] you, offer not the dregges of your life vnto god, leaste yee drinke the dregges of his anger. The common saying is true, vita breuis, ars longa, life is short, and the arte of saluation requi­reth a long time of learning. Fiftlie, your owne 5 diligence, beloued of London, in the taking in of the bodilie Kings medicine in due sea­son, for the preseruation of your bodies, ought to put you in minde of the care and diligence which you ought to haue for your soules. You haue not differred to take in preseruatiues till the infection had wonne the vitall partes: let the health of your soules bee dearer vnto you, then the health of your bodies. If these fiue mooue you not, goe then yee foolishe 6 sonnes of men, to the verie beastes, aske of them, as IOB speaketh,cap. 13. and they will tell it you: Euen the storke in the ayre knoweth her appointed times, the turtle, the crane and the swallowes obserue the time of their com­ming. Ierem. 8.7. If not the wisedome of man, then, let the wisedome of beastes perswade you. And yet why should not the wisedome of men mooue men? Doth not the husbandman obserue the tyme of sowing, the mariner watch his tydes, the smith strike his yron while it is hot, the marchant take shippe while the wind ser­ueth? & shall not you then that are patients take in physick before it is too late? I will conclude the fourth part of this discourse; As IEROME [Page] hauing read the life and death of HILARION who after hee had liued religiouslie, died mo [...] christianlie, sayd, well, HILARION shall be th [...] champion, whome I will followe: euen so, hauing now read and heard the repentaunce o [...] DAVID, let vs say, Well, DAVID shall bee ou [...] champion whome we will followe.

The fift part, containing the operation of the kings me­dicine, with King DAVIDS sacrificing.

THe fift and last part of thi [...] discourse,1. The opera­tion of the kings medi­cine. brauncheth it self [...] in two branches: the first containeth the operation o [...] the kings medicine 2. Sam. 24 25. which is, the ceasing o [...] the plague. The second, the behauiour of the pa­tient, DAVID, now beeing healed, and hauing felt the operation of this medicine; which is▪ [Page] his sacrificing vnto the lord 1. Chron. 21.28, in these words, At that time when DAVID sawe that the Lorde had heard him, then hee sacri­ficed.

The operation of the kings medicine, shew­eth that it is a healing medicine, he taketh it in against the plague, and behold the plague cea­seth. This operation hath manifested it selfe, in two things: First,Manifested in two things. in the curing of the plague of the soule, for DAVIDS sinne hath beene pardo­ned. Secondly, in the remoouing of the effecte thereof, for the plague of the body ceased. The operation then of this physicke, commendeth vnto vs the kings medicine. If it bee taken in with all her ingredientes, and in that manner that DAVID tooke it in, it hath the vertue to cure a double plague, of the soule and of the bo­die. This doeth king DAVIDS physitian wit­nesse, himselfe, in that excellent testimonie wor­thie to be noted 2. Chron. 7.14; If my people a­mong whome my name is called vpon, do hum­ble themselues, pray, seeke my presence, and [...]urne from theyr wicked wayes, then will I be mercifull to theyr sinnes, (heere is the curing of [...]he first plague). And I will heale their land (here is the healing of the second plague). This medi­ [...]ine then is better, then they which are prescri­ [...]ed in the booke of nature by Galen, Hypocra­ [...]es, and the rest: it is also better then the balme of Gilead which could not auaile. Ierem. 46.11. [Page] To perswade you to the taking in of this King [...] medicine,A commen­dation of the kings medi­cine. not onelie the operation of it, bu [...] diuerse other arguments are able to commend it vnto you. The first argument of prayse, may b [...] taken from the author1. From the author. thereof: not mortall man, but the blessed Trinity, hath first prescribed and inuented this physick, & the whole colledge o [...] the blessed patriarkes, prophets, Apostles hau [...] taught the manner how to take it in, for vs tha [...] are vnexperienced. A medicin, hauing an exper [...] and skilfull author, hath great force to perswade▪ The second, from the persons which haue vsed i [...] 2. From the per­sons which haue vsed it. & taken it in: not only mean men, but also hono­rable persons, Kings, princes & Magistrates, pa­triarks & prophets, Apostles & martyrs. Medi­cines vsed by honorable persons, are esteemed & much made of, because wee perswade our selue [...] that they will spare no cost.3. Her names. Thirdly, the honora­ble names which are giuen vnto it in the book [...] of God, doe much commend it, beeing called glorie and a ioyfull crowne. Ec. 1.11. honourabl [...] wisedome, Ec. 1.14. and diuerse others which will not specify. The very name of the kings me­dicine hath perswaded many the former yeer [...] to vse the same aboue others. The ancientnes & antiquity of it,4. Antiquitie. doth minister the 4. argument o [...] commēdation: for it was ordayned in paradyse God the first preacher and physitian of ou [...] soules preached repentaunce in paradyse, he [...] shewed them their sinnes and gaue them th [...] [Page] promise. The 5. argument of prayse, is the vni­uersalitie 5. Vniuersalitie. of it, it is good for all manner of per­sons: which vniuersalitie is wanting in the cor­porall medicines, some beeing not good for old men, some for yong men, some not good for children, some for women: but this is good for all men, and therefore it is prescribed v­niuersallie, to Princes Ierem. 13. to riche men 1. Tim. 6. to poore men, to olde men, to yong men Ec. 12.1. to virgins, to married women Ec. 1.15. to the barren, to them that are with childe, to souldiers Luke. 3. for captains Actes 10. for ministers, for schollers, it is a Pro­phets medicine. And behold, ô physitians, here is a medicine for physitians. Parentes, vse it your selues, giue it in to your children, and Masters to your seruantes, that the infection of this world annoy them not. 6. it is profitable, 6. Profitable. it wil cost you nothing, yet it hath excellēt operatiōs: medicins which cost little or nothing, & yet haue singular vertue, are much esteemed. Many haue spent al­most their whole substāce in physick, for the cu­ring of heir bodies: this shal not need, if you vse this medicine; the Doctors, to teach you the mā ­ner to take it in, shal also cost you nothing. Poor men, heere is another Kings medicine for you, which will not waste your substāce. Seuenthly,7. Delectable. the pleasantnes of it hath no little force to adde somwhat to the cōmendatiō of it. Corporal me­dicins are often vnpleasant, vnsauorie, bitter, [Page] the sicke man sometime will not take them in, for they cannot abide them: but this is delec­table, for it is nothing else but loue, it is com­pounded of loue & al manner of vertues. What is there more delectable then to loue God, and to take our delight in his law Psal. 1. and there­withall to adorne our selues with all manner of vertues? Shall not that bee pleasaunt vnto vs, which voideth the filthinesse of sinne that ma­keth vs stinking in the sight of God? The pati­ent doth often tremble against the time that hee must take in his medicine, but this reioyceth the sinner: for the feare of the Lord Ec. 1.12 ma­keth a merrie heart,8. Sufficient. and giueth gladnesse and ioy. Eightlie, the sufficiencie of it may be an o­ther argument of prayse. I do not dislike the me­dicines that naturall physicke doth prescribe, but they are not sufficient for theyr imperfecti­on sake: but this is a perfect medicine, for the feare of the lord giueth peace and perfect health Ec. 1.22. Ninthly, it is an experimented9. Experimēted. medi­cine, the continuall practise of others since the beginning of the world doth commend it. The operation of it, experience hath prooued. Her operations are admirable, it cureth a double plague, it giueth long life Ec. 1.12.22. It ma­keth wise Ec. 1.15. Yea it is a remedie against a secret ill. The plague is called by some a secret il, wherein learned physitions haue professed ig­norance. And yet behold, heere is a medicine [Page] appointed by God himselfe, which is able to remooue it. Let these 9. arguments of commen­dation commend vnto you, this new yeere, this Kings medicine and the vse thereof. And thus much for the operation of the Kings medi­cine.

There followeth the action and behauiour of the patient now beeing healed,2. King DAVIDS sacrificing. hauing felt the operation of this medicine: namelie his sacri­ficing vnto the Lord. This his sacrificing empti­eth it selfe into these particulars, First, the person 1 sacrificing (DAVID) Secondlie the person to 2 whome, (vnto the Lord) Thirdlie the thing sa­crificed, 3 (burnt offerings and peace offerings) Fourthly the place where, (in the threshing floor 4 of ORNAN the Iebusite) Fiftlie the time when 5 (when hee sawe that the Lord had heard him 1. Chron. 21.28) Sixtlie and lastlie, the successe 6 of his sacrificing (the Lord answered him by fire from heauen v. 26). This action of DAVID, was religious, reasonable, iust, and acceptable to God. Sacrifices are of two sortes, Iewish and E­uangelicall. But I purpose not to enter the large fielde of sacrifices, and to number their kindes, describe their lineaments, their antiquitie, their soule, their endes. I leaue the Iewish to the Iews. The Euangelicall sacrifices, are also of two sorts, the sacrifice of Christ, and the sacrifice of a Chri­stian. In the sacifice of Christ, obserue these particulars, according to the method of DAVIDS [Page] 1 sacrifice. 1 the person sacrificing, Christ the true DAVID,Christs sa­crificing. the king of the Iewes: for that did hee once, when hee offered vp himselfe Heb. 7.27. 2 Secondly as DAVID offered vnto the Lord, so Christ the true DAVID offered vnto the father. 3 3 the thing sacrificed, his owne body, In the end of the world hath hee appeared once to put a­way sinne, by the sacrifice of himselfe Heb. 9.26. 4 Fourthly, the place where, Ierusalem. And as the altar was built in the threshing floore of a Iebu­site, euen so Christ our altar hath beene erected 5 among the gentiles. Fiftly, the time when; In the end of the world Heb. 9.26. vnder Pontius Pi­late. 6 Sixtlie, the persons for whome, for the true 7 Israelites, and all the faithfull. 7 As Dauid offe­red for the ceasing of the corporall plague; e­uen so the true Dauid Christ Iesus offered for the ceasing and remoouing of the spirituall plague. Heb. 10.12.14. by the vertue of whose sacrifice, it is onely remooued. As for the sin of Dauid, whole Israell smarted; so for the 8 sinne of Adam whole mankinde. 8 The al­tar whereupon the true Dauid offered, was 9 the crosse. 9 The successe of it, the anger of the Lord hath beene appeased towardes the sonnes of men. And as hee answered Dauid by fire, so hee hath answered the sacrifice of the true Dauid by the fire of his loue, and he hath con­sumed our sinnes by the sacred fire of his mer­cie, and the Angels haue put vp the sword in [Page] the scabberd, that is they are become our friendes. 10 As Dauid hath beene toucht with 10 the knowledge of his sinne: euen so the true Dauid hath beene touched with the feeling of our infirmities, and in all things tempted in like sort, yet without sinne Heb. 4.15. Eleuenthly, as 11 Dauid desired the health of his soule, euen so the true Dauid hath wished for the health of our soules, and hath sayd as Dauid, Lord take away the trespasses of thy seruants. 12 As Dauid hum­bled 12 and prostrated himselfe vpon the earth: e­uen so the true Dauid hath humbled himselfe, and is become obedient vnto death. Phil. 2.8 he hath prostrated himself vpon the earth Mat. 26.13 As Dauid desired to haue the punish­ment 13 of the people transferred vpon his owne person, Let thine hand bee against mee, &c. So the true Dauid hath indeede borne our in­firmities, and caried our sorrowes, hee hath beene wounded for our transgressions, bro­ken for our iniquities, and the chastisemente of our peace was vpon him. Es. 53.45. 14 As 14 Dauid hath prayed for the people, euen so Christ for vs. Iohn 14. 15 Lastlie as Dauid 15 hath cloathed himselfe with a vile indu­ment, putting on sackcloth: euen so Christ the Prince of glorie, hath taken to him a mortall bodie, the indument of our flesh, & he who was in the forme of god hath takē the form of a ser­uāt. Phil. 2.6. The differēceThe differēce. betwixt Dauid and [Page] 1 Christ, are these, 1. DAVID died not for the sins of his people, but christ suffered death for them. 2 2. DAVID was a sinner, Christ not Heb. 9.14. 3 Thirdly, with DAVID the Elders prostrated themselues, but with Christ neither Saint or 4 Angell. 4. DAVID prayed not only for his peo­ple, but for himselfe that his sore might be hea­led, Christ onely for the people. And thus much for Christs sacrifice which we can not offer.

2. The Christi­ans Sacrifices, which are 4. in number, to be offered vnto God this new yeere.Now seeing the Lord hath heard our prayers, and that we are healed, we ought this new yeer to offer vp Sacrifices vnto the Lord as DAVID did, not the Iewish, but the Christian Sacrifices, which are 4. in number, Repentance, thankesgi­uing, mercie, and our children. These 4. must be the Mercuries or messengers, to publish abroad through the whole land our repentaunce, these must bee the proclamations & audible sermons to preach the dutie of our deliuerance.

Offer first, the sacrifice of repentance, 1. The Sacrifice of repentāce. called the sacrifices of righteousnesse Psal. 51.19. which braunch themselues in many little braunches. 1 First, offer vp your selues, both bodie and soule Rom. 12.1. I beseeche you brethren by the mer­cies of God that ye giue vp your bodies, a li­uing sacrifice, holy and acceptable vnto God. 2 Secondly your obedience, Ec. 35.1. for who so keepeth the law bringeth offrings ynow, and he that holdeth fast the commādements offreth an offring of saluation. This is better then sacri­fice, [Page] for he that offreth sacrifice, offreth the flesh of a beast, but he that obeyeth offereth his own will as a quick and reasonable sacrifice. Make then the vse which DAVID made of gods mer­cy and deliuerance Ps. 105.45. keep his statutes and obserue his lawes. Thirdly, your harts, Prou. 3 23. My son giue me your hart. This is a Christian sacrifice, this mite he requireth for the dutie of our deliuerance. As Naaman being purged from his leprosie, returned from the waters, & would offer a present vnto ELISHA, 2. Reg. 5.15. E­uen so ô London being purged from thy conta­gion, offer vp vnto the Lord, both rich and poor the precious gift of your whole heart. Christ our physitian desireth no other fee or reward of vs then our harts. Fourthly, offer vp an humble and contrite spirit, for the sacrifice of God, are a 4 contrite spirit; a contrite and broken hart, ô god thou wilt not despise. Ps. 51.17. you neede not then ô sonne of ADAM saith AVSTIN, to seeke without thee a beast to slaughter, you haue one within thee: for a sacrifice pleasing vnto God is a contrite spirite. Let therefore the bountiful­nesse of God leade vs to repentaunce Rom. 2.4 and mooue vs to vowe vnto his maiestie the continuall sacrifice of a better life. After the sweete raine and dewe of Gods blessing re­ceiued, bring foorth good fruite, and not bryars and brambles Heb. 6.6.7. London thou mayest say with DAVID Psal. 116.1. I loue the [Page] lord because hee hath heard my voice and my prayers, when the snares of death compassed me: and therefore ô lord because thou hast de­liuered my soule from death, mine eyes from teares, I will walke before thee in the land of the liuing. London, heare the voice of Christ vn­to thee Ioh. 5.14. Behold thou art made whole, sin no more, least a worse thing come vnto thee.

And as the Ruler and al his houshould Ioh. 4.53. beleeued, after that Christ had healed his daughter: euen so ô Rulers of London, politi­call, ecclesiasticall, Oeconomicall, after that Christ hath healed you, beleeue and shew your faith by your workes with your whole families. Frame your affections to loue him for his good­nesse, to honour him for his greatnesse, to re­ioyce in him for his mercies. God, to vse the words of Lactantius, desireth not the sacrifice of a dumbe beast or of death, but the sacrifice of man and life, wherein there is no need either of garlands, or of fillets of beasts, but such things a­lone as proceede from the inward man: the al­tar for which offerings is the heart, wheron offer vnto god righteousnesse, patience, faith, innocē ­cy, chastity and abstinence. We haue promised the former yeere in our affliction these sacrifi­ces, let vs now performe them, and not be like vnto Pharaoes butler, promising Ioseph when he was in his affliction that hee would remember him, but beeing freed forgot him. Gen 40. If you [Page] haue not, make with the new yeer new vowes, vow your selues, I say not in the world a virgin, but a virgin to Christ. Vow your selues I say not in the world a pilgrim, to goe with the papist from place to place, but a pilgrim to Christ. Vow your selues I say not as the Friar in the world a begger, but a begger to Christ. And so much for the first kind of sacrifice.

The second sort of Sacrifices, to be offered this new yeere,2. Sacrifices of mercie and li­berality to the poore. are the sacrifices of mercie and libe­rality, which are to be offered vnto the poore. To distribute forget not, for with such sacrifices god is pleased. Heb. 13.16. these are excellente Sacrifices Ec. 35.2. They are an odour that smel­leth sweet, & a sacrifice acceptable to god, Phil. 4.8. Shew thereby your loue & your fidelitie, to god, to Christ, to your neighbour. As Zacheus, after that Christ had looked vpon him with the eye of mercy, & that saluation was come to his house, waxed liberall to the poore; Euen so ô London, after that Christ hath now looked vpō thee with the eie of his mercy, & that saluatiō is also come to thy house, be like vnto Zacheus, & principallie you rich mē be ready to distribute & cōmunicate 1. Tim. 6.18. that the poor may say of you for your well dooing, as the Licaonians said of Paule & Barnabas Act 14.12, for their heauēly speaking, the gods are come down to vs in the shape of mē: for by mercy we com [...] neer vnto god. The necessity doth vrge this kind of sacrifi­ce, the pestilēce with wante of doings, hath eatē [Page] & consumed vp that, which in a long time they had gathered. The former yeer the fat kine haue eaten vp the leane, but now let the leane feede vpon the fat. Gen. 41.4. The common saying is, that after a pestilence commeth a famine: surely I thinke this is verified among the poorer sorte. You then that are rich take somwhat from your bellies & backs, & sacrifice it as a new yeeres gift to your poor brethren, and honor the lord with your riches, & with the first fruits of your en­crease Pro. 3.9. The mariners cast out their corn in the tēpest to saue their ship: let vs to inuert the order, the tempest being past, cast out our corne to saue others. As that wife of the sonne of the Prophet, after the death of her husbād, intreated assistance of Elisha. 2. King. 4.1. So, many after the death of their husbands, without doubt, doe craue assistance of you.1. Sam. 20.7. As Samuell then saide to Saul whē thou seest these signes com vpon thee, do as occasion shall serue; euen so I, to you belo­ued of London, seeing you see these signes come vpon you, fit your ability to opportunity, & doe as occasiō now serueth. Aske the Harts and they will teach you, they helpe one another to passe the sea or the riuer, & helpe to carie one ano­thers burthen as AVGVSTINE reporteth; the tempest of the plague hath made many poore & weary, let vs therfore helpe one another through the riuer and sea of this world, & as the Apostle exhorteth, Bear ye one anothers burdē Gal. 6.2. [Page] As those of Athens, had a Temple of mercie in their citie, into the which none might enter, but they which had been merciful; & the grea­test ignominie which could be done to a citizen of Athens, was to reproach him, that yet he had not entred that Temple, and therefore euery one did striue to enter; euen so, beloued of London, erect this yeare, among you, a Temple of mer­cie; let the poore bee that Temple, enter ther­in by the workes of mercie, esteeme it the greatest ignominie, that one should reproach to a citizen of London, that he hath not entred the Temple of mercie.

Augustus Caesar thought that day ill spent, in which he had not holpen some poore person: euen so, esteeme the old yeare ill spent, you that haue not showen workes of mercie; and now begin the newe yeare well. The Papistes sa­crifice vnto deade and dumbe Idols, but you do sacrifice to the liuely images of God, & to those whose wonted nimblenesse of their fingers, and agilitie of their bodies life-stealing age hath ta­ken away. And as DAVID after the death of Sauls son, asked, if there were any left aliue of the house of Saul, that I may do him good, for Ionathans sake? When hee called to minde the benefits which Ionathan, the Kings sonne, had bestowed vpon him, honouring him with his bowe, his loue, and preseruing him from the wrath of his father, hee was moued to mercie: [Page] euen so, beloued of London, and you the El­ders of the people, calling to minde the mercie and loue which a Kings sonne, Christ Iesus, hath shewed to you, preseruing you from the wrath of his father, and remouing the noysome Pesti­lence; say as DAVID did, in the beginning of this yeare, after the death of so many, Is there any left aliue of the poorer sort, that I may doe good to them, for Christ Iesus sake, who hath deliuered vs? You that haue alreadie the olde yeare sacrificed, let not your goodnesse & mer­cie goe backward, like the shadow vpon Ahaz Dyall. You that haue not, let not your hearts bee like to the clay, waxing harder & harder; let them be as waxe, and let them melt vpon your brethren. Let the benefit of your deliuerance bee as a sunne to melt them. Oh how faire a thing is mercie in the time of anguish! It is like a cloude of raine that commeth in the time of a drought Eccle. 35.19. And thus much for the second sort of Sacrifice.

The third kinde of sacrifice, to bee offered this newe yeare, is the sacrifice of thanksgiuing, 3 The sacrifice of thanksgi­uing. which is to be offered vnto the Lord, according to the direction of the holy Ghost. Psal. 50.14 Offer vnto God praise, and pay thy vowes vnto the most high: for hee that offereth praise, shal glorifie mee. These are the calues of our lips. Hos. 14.3. And seeing the Lord hath taken away our iniquitie, and receiued vs gratious­ly, [Page] Hos. 14.3, Let vs therefore offer the sacri­fice of praise to God, the fruite of the lippes which confesse his name. Hebr. 13.15. Let vs returne kindnesse for kindnesse. DAVID, Ps. 170. setteth downe 4. kindes of men, which are most indebted to GOD, for deliuerance frō perils. One of them, are such that are freed from a mortall sicknesse. London, thou art in the cōpasse of one of these, & therfore you the re­mainders, confesse before the Lord his louing kindnesse, and his wonderfull workes before the sonnes of men, offer the sacrifices of praise, and deliuer his workes with reioycing. Psalm. 107.21.22. Exalt him in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assem­bly of the Elders, Vers. 32. Wee haue tasted the neuer stinting streame of his mercies, what shall wee then render vnto the Lord for all his benefits towardes vs? Let vs take the cuppe of saluation, and call vpon the name of the Lord, pay our vowes vnto him, euen now in the presence of all his people Psalm. 116.12. The Leaper, beeing cleansed by Christ, returned with speede to giue GOD praise: LONDON, thou art now clensed, and with HEZECHIAH hast receiued health, and therefore say with the King, Esd. 38 20, The Lord was readie to saue mee, therefore we wil sing my song, al the daies of our life, in the house of the lord. If the Israelits haue bowed [Page] themselues and worshipped Exod. 12.27, be­cause the Angell had spared them, ought not th [...] remainders in all duetifull manner extol the glo­rious name of the Lord? Israel beeing past th [...] red sea, hath song vnto the Lord Exod. 15. an [...] shalt not thou, ô London, hauing now passed those waters which were entred euen to you [...] soule Psal. 96, say with MOSES, The Lord i [...] my praise, and hee is become my saluation, I will prepare him a Tabernacle, and exalt him▪ O that men would therefore praise the Lord fo [...] his goodnesse, and declare the wonders that he doth for the children of men Psal. 107. Nature it selfe doth teach thee, ô London, this kinde o [...] sacrifice, it hath imprinted a thankfull affection in brute beasts, and impressed it in senselesse creatures. One horse claweth another, as it is in the Prouerbe, in token of mutuall thankful­nesse. The earth, receiuing raine from the clouds whereby her thirst is quenched, returneth va­pours vnto the cloudes againe, and so requireth the former benefit. The streaming Fountaines and running riuers, receiuing water from the Sea, send their waters again into the Sea, in signe of gratitude. The boughes and brāches of trees, in springtime, sucking their sap from the roote, send it againe in the fall of the leafe, into the roote to nourish it in winter season. If nature hath ingraffed this affection in senselesse crea­tures, how much more ought reason, guided by [Page] diuine knowledge, leade thee, ô London, vnto the due cōsideration of this necessarie duetie. A­ [...]as, wee had not deserued to receiue such a be­nefit and speedy deliuerance: wee may then say with DAVID, Not vnto vs, ô Lord, not vnto vs, but vnto thy name be this honour Psal. 115. To what shall we ascribe it, but to his greate mercy? The Lord may answere vnto vs, as A­lexander the great, vnto a certaine poore man, vnto whom he had giuen two talents, the poore man astonished with the greatnes of the gift, v­sing these words; Most princely Sir, I am not worthy to receiue so much: to whome Alexan­der replyed; I doe not respect, good man, what thou art meete to receiue, but what beseemes mee, so great a Potentate, for to giue: euen so, God hath not regarded what wee, most vnwor­thy creatures, were worthy to receiue, but what did become his mercy to bestowe and giue. The greatnesse of his mercie then, doth require, that wee should sing the praises of God in the high­est measure. The cunning Musitian, will not onely stretch forth his strings that they may bee heard; but sometimes so, that they may bee heard in the highest measure; Such Musitians and singers of Gods mercie wee ought to bee; this is the measure we must keepe this yeare v­pon the Harpe of Dauid. If we consider what cloudie daies haue gone ouer our heades, and in how faire sunshine wee are set againe, haue we [Page] not occasion to say with Dauid, Psalm. 92, It is a good thing to praise the Lord, to sing vnto his name, and to declare his lo­uing kindnesse? O let vs then with the best members and instruments wee haue, bodies and spirits, which the fingers of GOD haue harmonically composed, praise the name of the Lord. Let vs not take with­out giuing, as vnprofitable ground drinketh and deuoureth seede without restoring. Let vs imitate Noah after the Floode, in one thing, and in another leaue him. As Noah. Gen. 8.20. after that the floode was ceased, built an Altar, and offered vnto the Lord: so let vs after the deluge of the Pestilence, offer vnto the Lord the sacri­fice of thanksgiuing, that the Lord may speake vnto vs, as he said to Noah; Encrease now again vpon the earth and replenish it. But yet let vs take heede to surfet with Noah, and forget the floode; let the former iudgement, which hath as a sworde beene shaken at vs for our sinne, terrifie the whole Land. Let vs not be like to the nine Leapers, who beeing cleansed, forgot him that cured them. Little will hee yeelde which will not yeelde thankes, which makes vs nothing the poorer. Wee ought then to stirre vp our selues, and with Dauid to speake; Awake my tongue, I will praise thee, O Lord, a­mong the people. Psalm. 57.8. And as Deborah stirred vp her selfe; Vp Deborah vp, arise and [Page] sing a song. Iud. 5.12: euen so, O London, stirre vp thy selfe; vp London vppe, arise, sing a songe vpon the Harpe of DAVID, Psalm. 103 My soule, praise thou the Lord, and all that which is within mee, his holy name; My soule, praise thou the Lord, and forget not all his benefits; let vs euery where offer vp this sacrifice publikely in the congregati­on, in our streetes, in our houses, let vs fill our meetings and conferences, with this heauenly harmonie, and sweete sounding melodie. Prouoke one another, citizens, to praise the Lord for his miraculous deliuerance. Vp yee families, vppe yee parents, vp yee chil­dren, vp euery particular soule, whome the lord by the shadowing wings of his mer­cie hath preserued. Ministers, preach it in your Temples, sing it in your streetes; rich men, write it vpon your doore postes, paint it vpon your walles, cut with an Ada­mant vpon the tables of your hearts. You neede such remembrances: for memorie, as SENECA writeth, is most delicate, tender, and brittle, and soone forgetteth a benefit. Citizens, neitheir eate or drinke without this condiment to it; The Lord bee praised for our deliuerance. Daintie Dames, let the frontlets beteene your eyes, the bracelets vpon your armes, and the gards vpon your garmentes, bee thanks-giuing. 24. Elders [Page] of the citie, sing with the 24. Elders Reuel. 4.10. Praise, honour, and glorie, be vnto him that sit­teth vpon the throne. It is hee onely, not our prudence, our phisitions, the colde or the frost; but as the Prophet speaketh, Saluation is the Lords. Here is an excellent posie and Epipho­neme. Beloued of London, I haue a suite vnto you, if you doe erect your tryumphant arches, against the entrie of him, of whome wee may say, as the Israelites did of Dauid, Psalm. 118. Blessed is hee that commeth in the name of the Lord, forget not among the rest, to adorne thē with Posies, preaching the Lords mercies in this your deliuerance, and to write this; Salua­tion is the Lords: write it in the Calender of Gods deliuerances, and leaue a Chronicle of it to all posterity. As for the newe yeare, let the accustomed Lord of misrule, and your vnlawful sports be banished, and bring it ouer in the prai­ses of him who hath deliuered you. Shew your spirituall deuotions in the openest places, as Da­uid built an Altar in the threshing floore of A­raunah. Lastly, offer vp this sacrifice not one­ly for your selues, like vnto the Athenians, who woulde offer sacrifice, onely for their owne citie, and their neighbours of Chios, but for the whole bodie; for the father, for the mother, for the daughters. And thus much for the third kinde of sacrifice.

4 Our children.The fourth and last kinde of sacrifice, are our [Page] children, which must bee offered vp this newe yeare, vnto the Lord. This concerneth you, ô Christian parents. Many haue offered them a long while, some to Sathan, teaching them the language of Sathan; to sweare, lye, and blas­pheeme; some to the world and the pride ther­of, bringing them vp in all voluptuousnesse & delicious fare; others to theft, oppression, and deceipt: for which, the Lords anger hath bene prouoked, and hath also beene a part of our deserued pestilence. Bring them therfore better vp, then you haue done; and as the wise man exhorteth Ec. 7.23. If thou haue sonnes, instruct them and holde their neck from their youth. If thou haue daughters, keepe their bodies. Wor­thy is the saying of Ferus, Let vs learne to offer vp our children vnto the Lord, non occidendo &c. not murthering and slaying them, as they did the beasts in the law, but bringing them vp in the feare of God, and accustoming them to religious exercises, for this is a sacrifice accep­table to God. Parents, seeke rather to leaue your children honest then wealthy (for which prepo­sterous care, Crates the Theban would deride manie, if he liued) that your children watch not for your death, as the Eagles for a carcasse. Fa­milies are the fountaines of all common-weals; purge the fountaines that the streames may bee cleane. And as the Israelites, after that the slay­ing Angell was departed, and had spared their [Page] children, Exo. 13, offered & sanctified vnto the Lord, all the first borne: euen so, the lords slay­ing Angel being departed, let vs offer & sāctifie vnto the lord not onely our first borne, but all the progenie, by good instructions & wholsom admonitions, keeping them frō the infection of this world. Further, as you must sāctifie them, so forget not the sacrifice of good Iob, to sacrifice & offer your prayers also for thē. Iob. 1.5. shew­ing therby, your religious care for them. These are then the foure kindes of sacrifices; the [...]cri­fice of the heart, of the mouth, of the hand, of the wombe, which this newe yeare we must of­fer vp vnto the lord in the ceasing of the Pesti­lence. Differre not to offer them, but as Abra­ham rose vp earely in the morning, in the be­ginning of the day to sacrifice his sonne: euen so, beloued of London rise vp early to offer thē in the verie morning & beginning of the yeare.

A new yeares gift for Eng­land, to be­stowe vpon the Lord.And thus, I haue absolued the Kings Medi­cine. Now because it is the manner, that one friend bestoweth a newe yeares gift vpon ano­ther; giue mee leaue, belooued of England, to shewe vnto you, out of the whole frame of the precedent discourse, a newe yeares-gift to be­stowe vpon the best friende wee haue. If ye are desirous to knowe it, it is the repentance of King DAVID: vnto the bestowing of which, three reasons ought to perswade vs. First, the reliques of the Kings euill, and of the spirituall [Page] Plague, which yet remaine in vs; that it may serue as a medicine to heale them. Secondly, the prints, markes, and reliques of the corporall Plague, which in some places yet are to be seen; that it may serue, as a spiritual weapon to chase and driue them from among vs. Thirdly, the decreasing of the pestilence in the mother citye, from whence the other members receiue their maintenance, as the senses and nerues of the bo­die from the heade: that seeing the Lord hath answered repentance with repentance, we may againe returne repentance for repentance. Ho­ly and commendable hath beene your zeale and diligence, Reuerend Elders of the Eng­lish Israell, that yee haue sanctified a fast, blow­en the trumpet in Sion, called a solemne assem­bly, gathered the Elders and all the inhabitants of the Land into the house of the Lord. Ioel. 1.14. Great hath also beene your obedience, blessed inhabitants of this Land, that yee haue all come togither, mourned togither, fasted and cryed togither, and (the Lord graunt) repen­ted togither. Beholde therefore the bles­sed fruites of your zeale, diligence and obe­dience; the wrath of the Lord appeased, his hand hath not beene shortned, that hee coulde not helpe, neither his goodnesse a­bated, that hee woulde not heare. Wisd 11. And to vse the wordes of that hony Father BERNAD, you haue founde honie in the [Page] Lyon, mercie in the feareful God of hea­uen. I finde that verified among vs, which So­crates found in the Lacedemonians; who percei­uing that, in certaine wars betweene the Athe­nians and them, the Athenians offered much gold vnto their Idols, and yet departed still bea­ten out of the field, asked the Oracle, what might be the cause of it. It was answered, that the prai­ers of the Lacedemonians preuailed more then the golde of the Athenians: Euen so I may say, that the prayers of the Church of England haue preuailed more, then the gold of the Papists, and more than if we had presented, with the wise­men, golde, Incense, and Myrrhe, Math. 2, and that for these, the Lords Angell is departed. This mercie and bountifulnesse of the Lord, doth call vs all this newe yeare vnto repen­tance.

1 The tribe of Iudah.First, it doth appeale vnto you, ô Royall Court, ô tribe of Iudah, in honour, degree, and dignitie the first; as you offer vnto the Prince a newe yeares-gift, so forget not to offer this pre­sent to the Prince of Heauen. Doe homage vn­to the King of Heauen, who rideth vpon the wings of the Cherubins, bowe the neckes of your soules before the throne of his maiestie, put on the royal garment of King DAVID, and take in this year a Kings medicine for the soule; a royall medicine becommeth a royall Court. Honourable Counsellors, meditate the lawe of [Page] the most high, and vse King Dauids counsel­lors, Psalm. 119.24. Great men, let your wils not bee inordinate: and hauing the raignes of dominion in your hands, proclaime not with Nero; My authoritie giueth mee license to doe all things: gouerne by lawe and not by lust. Noble peeres, take heede of the sinne of Zimri, Numb. 25.14. Possesse you vessels in holinesse and honour, and not in the lust of cōcupiscence, 1. Thessa. 4. You that are in high places, bee patient of iniuries, forget nothing but iniuries as Caesar; esteeme with Theodosius a Christian Emperour, that yee haue receiued a benefit, as often as yee are entreated to forgiue: or say with Marcus Cato, vnto him that smote him, beeing now desirous to make amends, I re­member not that I was smitten. For as Lactan­tius speaketh, Ira mortalium debet esse mortalis, the anger of mortall men must bee mortall. You that haue adorned and imbossed your speaches with oathes, come out of this humour, esteeme them not the humour of gentilitie, nor an orna­ment to your discourses; chāge blasphemies into prayers, and let your tongues bee bels to sound the praises of him who hath deliuered vs. Let not the voluptuous pamper themselues more in carnall delights, nor sport themselues with sinne, as Sampson with Dalilah; let them shake it off, and not account this world a sil­uer shrine. Painted Dames, bee contented [Page] with the naturall colour of your Creator. Alto­gither bee not senselesse at the former stroke of Gods hammer, but spend your time in the royall pastime of King Dauid.

2 The tribe of Leuie.Secondly, the bountifulnesse of the Lord, doth appeale vnto you, ô tribe of Leui. Giue vnto the Lord this newe yeares gift. Prophets, take in this yeare a Prophets medicine. Reue­rend fathers and Elders, prostrate your selues with DAVID and the Elders of Israel; and, as the holy Ghost exhorteth you, Act. 20.28, Take heede vnto your selues, and to all the flocke whereof the holy Ghost hath made you ouer­seers, to feede the Church of God, which hee hath purchased with his owne bloode. You the other Prophets, bee vnreproueable, watching, sober, modest, harberous, apt to teach, not giuen to wine or filthy lucre. 1. Tim. 3.2. Vnto you that are in the office of Archippus, Col. 4.17, it is also saide; Take heede to the ministerie that thou hast receiued in the Lord, that thou fulfill it. It is a worke, not a play, onus non honos, a burthen, not an honour; a seruice, not a vacan­cy. You that should guide others to the Land of promise come not short your selues. Wee that build Arkes for others, let vs not bee drow­ned our selues. Wee that are the Lords Seers, let vs not bee blinde, wee that are the Lords Cryers, let vs not bee dumbe and ton­gue-tide: and because sinne is impudent and [Page] cannot blush, let vs from hence-forward arme our selues, not with the speare, but with the zeale of Phinees: for the gentle spirit of Eli is not sufficient to mende children past grace; let vs not put hony into the sacrifice in steade of salt, but bee [...] the sonnes of thunder.

You the two Vniuersities,3 The two Vni­uersities. obtain in this rank the third place, vnto you also the Lords boun­tifulnesse doth appeale: giue vnto him this ex­cellent newe yeares-gift children of the Pro­phets, take one another by the hande yee two sisters, and say with DAVID, wee haue also done foolishly, O Lord. Let the Kings medicine come among you, take it in against the kings euill. Your schooles haue beene broken vp the former yeare: the newe yeare beeing come, breake the strength of sinne, that the Lords Angell disperse you not a­gaine. You that should bee fountaines and welsprings of good life to others, bee not dry­ed vp, that if men seeke for the water of life at your hands, they returne not with an emptie pitcher: or else, as Iob speaketh, 13.4, You are Physitions of no value. Sende forth skilfull Bezaleels and Aholiabs, filled with the spirit of Wisdome, and vnderstan­ding, to worke with all the wise-hearted, all manner of workmanship for the seruice of the Lords Sanctuarie, for the vniting of the Saints, [Page] and for the edification of the mysticall bodie of Christ Iesus, that from you the two heades (as the pretious ointment from the head of Aaron was deriued vnto the very skirts of his gar­ments) many pretious oyntments may be deri­ued to all the members of the Kingdome. Last­ly, because the haruest is great, suffer your selues to bee thrust into the haruest.

Fourthly, it appealeth to you that obtaine the fourth place,4 Magistrates and Iudges. and who are the politicall El­ders, the Iudges and magistrates. Present vnto the magistrate and Iudge of heauen and earth this newe yeares gift, and take also in the Kings medicine for this present yeare. You haue or­dained and prescribed the former yeare, good orders for the staying of the bodily infection; shewe now your diligence to prescribe good orders for the staying of the spirituall infection. Bee rather desirous of the maintenance of good lawes, and reformation of manners, then of honour; preferre the weale-publike, before your priuate good, take heede of the spiritu­all Plague. First, bee not louers of giftes, which blinde the eyes. Deut. 18.21. Second­ly, differre and delay not to giue iudgement in the righteous cause, and if yee can doe your neighbour good to day, say not to him, come to morrowe, Prouerb. 3.28. Viewe your selues in Iob, that right paterne of a good Iudge, Iob. 31. Let your sentence bee to [Page] the oppressed as the comfortable raine to the thirsty ground Iob. 29.23. Thirdly, haue not re­spect of persōs in iudgemēt Deut. 1.17. hear the small as well as the great, & fear not the face of man. You are the pillers Ps. 75.3. If the pillers be weakned, if the nail be broken, or the strong mē bow themselues, the house, the burden, & all fal­leth that leaneth vpon them. By the way it spea­keth to you also lawyers, Lawiers. men of counsell, & ma­gistrates attedāts offer vp also this newyeers gift to the Lord, that his slaying Angell returne not. The wise man Pro. 23.23. teacheth you wise mē wisedom, & giueth counsaile to you counsellers. Buy the truth (that is, spare no cost to purchase truth) but sel it not (that is, bee not hired for anie mony to forgoe the truth.) Set not your wisedōe, eloquence, conscience and all to sale. Giue not sweet taste to the bitter & sower, with your su­gred eloquēce. Let not your fined tongues, faire pretenses, cunning gloses, goodly circūstances of speech, vphold & bolster out the vniust cause. Be not caught with birdlime (for vnto this doth AV­STIN cōpare the receiuing of bribes) by which your wings are pinioned, so that ye can not flie. Officers, Iohn Baptist Luk. 3. giueth you a good lessō. Be cōtēt with your stipēd, & vseno extortiō

Principally,5. London. it doth appeale vnto thee ô Lon­don, which hast suffered the greatest brunt in this assault: least the lords Angell returne again, offer vp vnto him which hath shewen thee mer­cy, this new yeers gift, & as you haue bin diligēt [Page] the former yeere to take in the Kings medicine for the body, so be not now negligent to take in the Kings medicine for the soule. A certain hea­then man, after that he had seen a suddain ship­wrack of all his worldly goods, and had bin ex­ercised with diuerse afflictions, brake forth into these speeches, wel fortune I see thy intent, thou wouldest haue me become a philosopher: euen so ô Londō hauing receiued the old yeer a ship­wrack of thousands of thy subiectes, and hauing bin visited with much bitternes, say vnto the al­mighty, wel lord, I see thine intēt, thou wouldst haue me to becom zealous, religious, & to enter into a meditatiō of the life to come. Let both Nehemias & Daniel, magistrat & minister with­in thy wals, cōfesse their sins. Let euery citizē in particular say as Ionas did, I know that for my sake this great tēpest hath bin vpō you. It is re­ported that the Delphiās had murthered Aesop, & had cōcealed their sin: but being visited with mortality, they begā to confesse it, yea caused it to be proclamed by noise of criers that they had done it: In like māner ô Londō, hauing cōmit­ted diuerse sins, & hauing bin visited with mor­tality, cōfesse thē now, proclame thē, & reueale thē vnto the lord: let the graues that shroude so many corpses, let the tears of the widdows, and desolate orphanes yet remaining, mooue you vnto repētāce. As the rod of Moses made water to proceed out of the rock; so let the lords rod wring from our stonie hearts some drops of re­morse. [Page] The voice of the Lord,Londons Echo. spoken as it were from heauen, hath bin heard within thy walls to mooue thee vnto repentance: make now answere to this voice with a sweete resounding echo into heauen, in this manner, Thy voice I will heare, and thy call I will obey. Great­nesse will not stoupe, but at great iudgements; a great one thou hast felt: the Lorde hath not onelie brused the heele of the body, the poorer sorte, but he hath reached the head, the rich and mighty among vs. First, yee the 24. elders, 1 apply this soueraigne balme to your sore. Se­condly, 2 Merchants, from henceforth become christian merchauntes, to buye the pearle of Gods word: take Christ with you in your shippes: that the tempeste of Gods anger a­rise not, remember the shippe where IONAS was in, and haue no fellowshippe with Athe­istes, papistes, and prophane Esaus, cleare your eies with the eiesalue of plaine dealing. You that haue beene crushing Zacheus, and gripple pennie fathers in this gold-sick age, & haue rip­ped vp your brethrens entrails for mony, as Sāp­son searched the lions carkasse for honie, be no more wealth-deuouring vermins, grind not the faces of your watrie-faced brethren, breake off your crueltie, as the Spinster doth her thread, intending to drawe it out no longer. Take heed, Mich. 6. that the treasures of wicked­nesse be not found in your houses any more, nei­ther a scant measure which is abominatiō to the [Page] lord who iustifieth not the wicked balāces & the 3 bag of deceitfull waights. Tradesmē, labour not any more so much for the meat which perisheth, but for the food which endureth for euer Ioh. 6. Citizēns in generall, seeing the lord hath knoc­ked at your proud palaces, shake from you the setled lees of your long cōtinued iniquities, and because two principall haue lodged within your wals, & walked along your streets pride & glut­tony cure them now, according to the method of the kings medicin, by two cōtraries, humility & tēperancy. Put on the royal indumēt of Dauid which is humilitie, and let not your daughters walk more with outstretehed neckes as the daughters of Sion Esa. 3. Return not in the city, you that are departed, with your painted faces, opē breasts, monstrous verdingales, long staring ruffes, leaue thē behind, infect not the city with them any more, that they produce not againe the same effect. Returne not with your superflu­ous feasts, rather from henceforrh inuite Christ Iesus, & prepare him a feast, by faith & mercie. Many of you haue been depriued a long time of the enioying of one anothers fellowship during the time of the pestilēce,A profitable admonition. but now being returned & cōming togither again, abuse not your mee­ting after this lōng separation, by quaffing, dā ­cing, banquetting, spend it in the prayses of him who hath brought you home againe. Drunkard, search not out thy drunken cōpanion, aske not whither he liueth, to associate thy self with him. [Page] Whoormonger seek not thy harlot, carnall man for thy cōfederates, renew not that wicked bād & league, take the last farwell of them, & cōmu­nicate no more with those vnfruiteful workes of darknesse Eph. 5.11. We haue feared the former yeer to draw our breath in the streets, least wee should haue drawn in infection, let vs this yeere fear to draw in the infection of sin. The former yeer wee haue vsed & followed many good or­ders to stay the bodily infectiō, purged our housē clensed our streets, perfumed our apparell, had vpon our doors bils & red crosses, shūned infec­tious places, let out the corrupted bloud, abstai­ned frō euil meats, emptied our housen of dogs, ayred thē with fire, caried in our hands diuerse cōfections of art & such more: what ought wee not thē to do this yeer to stay the plague of sin? Let vs purge our housē frō spiritual infectiō, re­moouing the false ballāce, smal waights,Spirituall or­ders to be fol­lowed this yeere in the citty. coūter­fait lights, sweet words, sowr deeds, threasures of wickednes. Let vs wash & cleanse our streets frō pride, swearing & blaspheming, perfume our ap­parel with modesty & humility, shun places in­fected with drūkards, gluttōs, adulterers. Let vs haue vpon the doors of our harts other bils, 1 the mark of the spirit rom. 8.2, the blod of the lāb. Of which we need not to be ashamed. Let vs also let out the corrupted bloud of hate, enuy, concu­piscēce, abstaine frō the fleshpots & garlicke of Aegypt. Let vs beware of dogs Phil. 3.2. suffer not the detractiōs & slaunders. Further, let vs ayr [Page] our housē & our harts with the fire of loue, ha­uing aboue all things feruente loue among vs. 1. Pet. 4.8. Lastly, let vs cary with vs when we go abroad, that heauēly pomāder & confection of good works & of the fear of god, & this wil pre­serue vs against the infectiō of this world. You haue vsed the old yeere wormewood against the plague, this yeer let me tel ye of a wormwood frō which ye must abstaine, for it is very naught a­gainst the spirituall plague: if you desire to know it, Moses telleth it vnto you Deut. 29.28, Let there not be a root of bitternesse or wormwood amongst you. To leaue you ô Londō, for the cō ­tinual knils & alarum of bels, the trūpets of Ieho­uah which haue sounded within thy walls, let the tongues of thy inhabitants be bels & trūpets to publish the praises & mercy of the Lorde to­wards them. O you that are not yet turned to your earth, how are you bound to think of your creator! redeeme therefore this new yeere, with newnesse of liues, the former yeers misspent.

6 In the last place, I must not leaue you vnspokē vnto,The other Sister cities, townes, and villages. you the glorious Sisters & cōfederates of the mother city, you the daughters & other mē ­bers, of which some of you haue also groned vn­der this burdē: offer vp vnto god with your mo­ther, this new yeers gift, & take in also this spiri­tuall kings medicin, draw instructiōs from your mothers breasts, change your Moriās skins, put of your stained coats, wash your feet, & not on­ly your feet, but your heads also. And because all [Page] the ioynts of the whole body of the lād haue bin disquieted, & that now the lord hath salued thē with his sauing health, concur together to sing the praises of that god of Israel. Great hath bin your diligēce, to auoid the bodily infection: be not now negligēt to expel the spiritual cōtagiō. Were it not madnes to haue cried for the woūd, & not to pul out the arrow, for the coale which hath burnt you, & not to remooue it? You haue bewailed those sins which ye had cōmitted, now cōmit not those sins ye haue bewailed. He hath not retained his anger, & shal we retain our sins the cause of his anger? he hath returned to vs by his grace, & shal not we return to him by repen­tāce? he hath had cōpassiō on vs, & shall not we haue cōpassiō on our own soules? He hath taken away that, which took away his fauour, & shall not we seek to continue that which keepeth his fauor? we haue lōg bē al like to the Moon in her decreasing, for thē she doth turn the opening of her bowe down towards the earth, & her backe toward heauē: euē so, we haue decreast, & failed in vertue, piety, zeale, we haue turned the doore of our harts & the opening of our desires altogi­ther to this world. But now with the new yeere, let vs be like the Moone in her increasing, for then she turneth her open side vp towards hea­uen, and her backe towardes the earth, and so groweth to a perfect light: In like manner, let vs encrease in pietie, zeale, charitie, let vs turne our backes towardes the worlde, [Page] but our harts & opening of our desires to god & heauē. And for the decreasing let vs encrese, not in iniquitie, but in faith & honesty, let vs not for­goe for a little mony, that, which for no mony cā be had again. I may speak brethrē vnto you that of the psalm, The lord hath looked down frō the height of his sāctuary, that he might heare your mourning, & deliuer the childrē appointed vnto death. You haue al called vpon the lord, and be­hold the successe of good seed hath bin cōsequēt to your prayers, & they haue been ioyned toge­ther, as if their souls had been knit togither like the souls of Dauid & Ionathā. Continue therfore in your repentance & let it not be as a morning cloud, or as the morning dew which goeth away Hos. 6.4. or else neuer look for sauing, sound, & cōtinuing health, but euē with Gehezi to die a leprous man, if not with the plague of the body, yet with the plague of the soul. Lord most migh­ty, most gracious, most mercifull, wound vs with thy fear, possesse our souls with an awfull dread of thy power which thou hast shewn the former yeer, rebuild the ruines of the house of our harts, make vs fit for thy holy seruice, make vs thy spi­rituall Ierusalē, & our harts the tēples of the holy ghost, that thy Angel may spare vs, as he did Ie­rusalē. Psal. 51. Create in vs ô lord with this new yeere, a clean hart & renew a right spirit within vs. I end with the prayer wherewith I begun, Lord teach vs to number our days that we may apply our harts to wisedome.Psal. 90. Amen.