IN these giddie times, when it is esteemed a piece of Reli­gion, for the People to cen­sure their Priests; if I bee blamed, and it bee iudged vnfit, Front est oci­pitio prior, & sedulus pastor, suis magis ocu­lis, quàm alienit greges suos quàm alienos lustrare debet. Dictum Xauerij. that I spend my paines this Sabbath, in ano­ther mans Cure, and not in my owne; let mee assume this iust defence, That I was neuer absent Non licentio­sâ libertate, sed necessariâ serui­tute; which was S. Augustine his excuse to the Clergie, and people of Hippo, Epist. 138. wilfully; and though I might alleadge, that euery true Pastor, is a Pastor in any part of the world; and we are commanded, when we haue opportunity, to doe good, Gal. 6.10. and there is no such opportunity of doing good, as when expecta­tion is raised, by new or strange occurrences: yea, we are bound, not onely to doe good, but to doe the most good we can; Luk. 17.10. and if wee could doe all that is commanded, we haue done but what was our dutie to doe. Yet more fully to free, both my most worthy fellow-labourer, and my selfe, from the aspersion of intrusion, and of being Polypragmons (which hath beene whispered among you) be pleased to know, that no part of this businesse, is [Page 2]vndertaken of our owne heads, but all by the direction of our lawfull Superiours. And if it were but a thing in dif­ferent, wee might not disobey them; In adiaphoris. licèt per se in­iuncti operis qualitas in­noxia sit, adiun­ [...]lae tamen au­thoritatis pondus, obnoxium man­dato; manda­tumque, peccato facit obnoxium, Bernard. but being so good in it selfe, and vpon so vnusuall an accident, when a great doore, and effectuall, is opened vnto vs, 1 Cor. 16.9. Ostium pro Occasione, Act. 14.27, & alibi. if wee deserue no thankes, yet we feare no reproofe, vnlesse this be imputed for one; That I am so long from my Text.

THat the Apostle spake to the Galatians, euery one knoweth; but, neither what the Galatians were, is so manifest vnto all, nor why hee wrote thus vnto the Gala­tians. First, of the first. The Galatians were not people of one Citie, as the Romans and Corinthians, and the like were; nor was any Citie of the world called Galatia, but it is the name of a whole country, situated in Lesser-Asia, cal­led first Gallo-Graecia, because of the French Colonies thither transplanted, and there fixed, and then Galatia: which contained a great tract of ground, (as may ap­peare by its Qu [...] ad Orien­ [...]m spectat, Ca­padociae & Ha­ly-fluui [...] finiti­ [...]a, ab Occidente, sythiniâ, à Me­ [...]idie, Pamphi­liâ; à Septentri­ [...]n [...], Ponto Eux­ [...]o slauditur. boundaries) in which were three famous Cities, (saith Pliny) and innumerable Churches; In quâ Eccle­sias erant innu­ [...]erabiles, saith S. Augustine, in his Booke d [...] vnitate Ec­cles [...]s, cap. 12. all which were planted, and watered by the Apostle S. Paul, who reduced them from idolatrie and Paganisme, vnto Christianity; For he went ouer all the Country of Galatia, in order, strengthening all the Disciples, Acts 18.23. [...], si­gillatim, one Church after another; euery Church hee visi­ted. Musculus in Praesat. in Epist. [...] Galat. Now as this is the onely Epistle of his thirteene, which was written to a whole Prouince, to all the Bre­thren of Galatia; and a large letter written with his owne hand, which he did not doe often, and therefore intima­teth, that they should consider of it, as a singular testimo­ny of his loue; You see (saith he) how large a letter I haue written to you with mine owne hand, Gal. 6.11. so the cause why he wrote it, was remarkable, and is now to be vnfol­ded.

After that the good seede of the Gospell was sowed [Page 3]amongst them, whilst S. Paul (whose iurisdiction was not limited) did labour other-where, in the conuersion of others, there were certaine halfe-fac'd Christians, who receiued Christ, as a Preacher of the Truth, as a patterne of Holinesse in his owne person, as a guide vnto perfecti­on, for all them that beleeued in him. But the forgiue­nesse of sinnes, and Reconciliation with God, and the iustification of Man, they ascribed to the workes of the Law, and not to Christ. Briefly, to our purpose, thus, Acts 15.1. Certaine men came downe from Iudea, and taught the Brethren, saying, Except yee be circumcised after the manner of Moses, yee cannot be saued: what sort of men, these Seducers were, is mentioned, Acts 15.5. They were of the sect of the Pharisees, which beleeued. These Christian-Iewes, or Iewish-Christians, would ioyne Moses and Christ, the Law and the Gospell, forgetting the substance of the Pre­cepts giuen vnto them, Leuit. 19.19. Thou shalt not let thy Cattle gender with a diuers kinde; Thou shalt not sow thy field with a mingled seed, neither shall a garment of linnen and wool­len come vpon thee. And Deut. 22.9. Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with diuers seeds, nor plough with an Oxe and an Asse together. Nor would they remember what was written in the Gospell, Mat. 9.16. No man putteth a piece of new cloth vpon an old garment; neither doe men put new wine into olde bottles. All which places, doe in their morall, forbid mingling of Religions, as the Fathers expound them: Nefas est [...] veteribus com­miscere, saith Ambrose; and he proueth it from the place of S. Math. Tertullian vn­derstandeth by them, the Old and New Te­stament, In lib. de Oratione, cap. 1. Christus nouis Discipulis, nouam orationis formam deter­minauit. Oporte­bat enim, in hac quo (que) specie, no­uum vinum, no­uis vtribus re­condi; & nou [...] plagulam, nous assui vestimento. See him to the same effect, contra Marcio­nem, 3.15. & contra eundem, 4.11. And con­cerning the former place of Leuiticus, though I will not say with Caietan it is not to be vnderstood literally; because they had many Mules at one time, euen 245. Ezra 2.66. & others ordinarily, at other times, before that, 2 Sam. 13.29. yet I will say with Isychius, The mingling of the Iewish and Christian Religion, might be aymed at; that the water of Baptisme, was to wash away the bloud of Circum­cision, that the Oblation on the Altar of the Crosse, being at the time of the Euening Sacrifice, was to consummate all Sacrifices. Procopius Gazaeus, on the place. Non absurde, praedictis sub inuolucris, prohibet, ne diuersam sectemur Religionem. And for the place of the Oxe and the Asse in Deuter. Procopius saith well; Bos, Ʋictimae, Cibó (que) sacer est: cùm Asinus neutrius vsum praebeat: and since he applieth the Asse to Heretikes or Grecians, I thinke I may much more to the Iewish Ceremonies, which were as the Asse that Christ rid vpon; and did carry Christ, as the Asse did Isis, when as he said truely, Non tibi, sed Reli­gioni: so the respect was borne to the Ceremonies, not for their own sake, but for Christs. so, whilst they would be both Iewes and Christians, they were neither true Iewes, nor perfect Christians.

Of this kind, were the Millenaries long after, who would haue the Law and Circumcision in force with the Gospell, whom Epiphanius Haeres. 77, From my Text con­futeth: yet through the inticing of those false Brethren, the simple Galatians were bewitched; and began to place confidence in the vertue of Circumcision. Our holy Apostle in two Epistles doth many wayes confute this error. It is an idle distinction, which Cornelius Cornelij à Lapide the Iesuit maketh, betweene the Epistle to the Ro­mans and this Epistle; That this was written against the Gentiles onely, but the Epistle to the Romans was writ against both Iewes and Gentiles: for, the Apostle heere wrote, against the Gentiles for Iudaizing; and against the Iewes for seducing them. Tertullian aduersùs Marcionem lib. 5, saith, This is the principall Epistle, aduersùs Iudai­smum. But an exacter difference is this: In this Epistle he fighteth chiefly against the Ceremonials, to which the Gentiles were now incaptiuated; In the Epistle to the Romans, his maine force is bent, against the morall works of the Law, of which the Iewes boasted, aboue the Gen­tiles; that euen they, do not iustifie a sinner, much lesse the Ceremonials, but onely Faith in Christ. Fetch all the Arguments, who pleaseth, at the fountaines head; this being an easie Epitome of it: that conuincing by deeper demonstration, and eloquence maiesticall; this Epistle to the Galatians, rather reproouing, then teaching, in phrases not so loftie, as homely, and fitting to new conuerts. Hierom thus Altuiri sens [...], & profundiori­bus vsus est ar­gumentis ad Romanos. Ad Galatas, modera­sio [...]s stilo, incre­pat potiùs quàm docet, & com­munes sententias communi orati­ [...]n [...] vestit.

But let vs come, first to the wordes in a lumpe; then to the pointes in seuerall,

The Syriac hath it, If you Be circumcised, Christ doth pro­fit you nothing. May I adde, if it had beene read, If you shall be circumcised Christ shall profit you nothing: that there in no difference, in sence from these words, If you Be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. For, all the three Propositi­ons, run to this head, to shew the praesent dangerous estate of them, who trust in Circumcision.

The points doe follow.

1. From the Persons spoken vnto, viz the Galatians. If ye be circumcised, is afforded libertie to examine, whither the Iewes, and Gentiles, where vnder the same tye and yoke, concering Circumcision, when S. Paul wrote thus? 2. From the Commination, Christ shall profit you nothing, is occasion administred to shew, what the losse of Christ is, and how heinous is that sinne of beeing circumcised, which is at­tended with so dread-full a punishment, as the receauing of no benefit by the death of Christ.

But set the Emphasis on [...] and weigh, that he saith not, If ye haue bin circumcised, but, si circumcidamini, If ye be Circumcised; then thirdly and lastly, from the prae­sent tense of the verbe, as the former point is punctually established, viz the danger of damnation, that they are in for the praesent, who trust in Circumcision, and are Iewes in heart; so is it not auerred nor intended, that a Gentile Circumcised, and after repenting, is in that woefull case: but rather from the present danger of obstinate Iudai­zing-Gentils, the future freedome of the Circumcised Gentile, whensoeuer hee becommeth a Repentant Christian, may be iustly gathered, or inferred. Thus did the present occasion set me on this Text, and the pointes are drawne and sorted to the present occasion. Proceed we now orderly.

Whereas the first Quaere is, Whither Iewes and Gen­tiles, were equally bound, to abandon Circumcision; I distinguish, that the Iewes were of two sortes, the first, Obstinate vnbeleeures, who had no part in Christ, and of those, the quaestion is not vnderstood: the second sort, were Iewes, yet Disciples, party-coloured Christians, and those mens case, varied from the Gentiles. For, though it had been their safest way, to haue renounced Circumcision, after they were initiated into Christ, yet these men might haue kept vp Circumcision, which was wholy forbid vn­to the Gentiles. Indeed at any time, after Christ's death, if the Iewes had vsed Circumcision, as thinking it absolute­ly necessarie to saluation, they had sinned Credeban [...] ad­huc Signum du­rare, & tunc si­gnatum nondum venisse, & sic excidebant à Christo. Aquin. in his Lection on my Text. For it was [Page 6]a type of Christ, and in effect, they had denied Christ to be the Messias, who so trusted in Circumcision: yet in other respects, it was, it might be in long vse after S. Hierom did well maintaine, that the Ceremonials were neither mortna, nor mortifera, till Christ's Passion, but hee erred in saying, that they might not be vsed, without sinne, after Christ's Death. See Aquin. 1.2. Quaest. 103. Artic 4. S. Augustine more conue­niently tripartites the time: first, Whil'st Christ liued (saith he) the Ceremonialls were in force: secondly, Be­tweene Christ's Death, and the Publication of the Gospell the Ceremonialls were dead, as hauing no vertue in them, & none were bound to keepe them: yet were they not wholy vnlawfull: thirdly, after the Preaching of the Gospell, they were both dead, and deadly, vnprofitable in themselues, and sinnefull to others, in their vse. Yet euen this last Position, is not sound, vnlesse we stretch it, to a large latepatencie Scotus dislikes it; and though Conrade Koellin, on Aquin. 1^•, 2ae. Quaest. 103, taxeth Scotus, that he tooke nor aright, what Augustine and Thomas vnderstand, by the Diuulgation of the Gospell; and thereupon distinguisheth, There is a dou­ble Publication of the Gospell, Vna imperfecta, quando per Apo­stolos & alios praedicati erant Articuli fidei, and the Necessitie of the Sacraments of the New-Law, and of the Praecepts of Christ. The other is the perfect Promulgation of the Gospell, where the afore-said thinges were preached, and the sufficiencie of the New-Law without the Legals, and the inutilitie, yea hurt of the Legals. After this Publication, Aquin meaneth, it was not lawfull to obserue the Legals as Sacraments; and Scotus opposeth not this, saith Koellin: yet he himselfe is too blame, first, in making an imperfect Preaching of the Apostles, which was most perfect, though indeed not so large, or full. Se­condly, in mistaking Aquinas, who saith not any where, it was lawfull to obserue the Le­galls as Sacraments, at any time, betweene Christ's Death, and the full promulgation of the Gospell. For it was at no time lawfull, aftèr the Death of Christ, to vse them, as Sacraments, and so the heart of his distinction is broken, which makes is vnlawfull, to vse Legals, as Sacraments, after the inlarged Promulgation, which was meerely vnlaw­full, at the first, or breifer Publication: For the faith of the Romans, was spoken-of, throughout the whole world, Rom. 1.8. And, the Gospell was in all the world, Coloss. 1.6. And the Apostles had in their perfectest Counsaile at Hierusalem, determined against the Ceremonials, Act. 15.10.—Yet after this, S. Paul did Circumcisie Timothie, Act. 16.3. and shaued his head at Cenchrea, Act. 18.18. And the Ceremo­nials might lawfully be practized euen after this, vpon two especiall reasons: first, because they were not buried, [Page 7]though they were dead. For, if not only Princes, but No­ble-men, yea very meane persons sometimes, after they haue expired, be kept aboue ground, that they may bee more honorably, and solemnly interred, then why not Moses? Why not his Law, which being so full of Cere­monies, was not to want that ordinarie, great and last Ceremonie of a prolonged, stately, Princely, buriall? If any one be so curious, as to search, What day, what howre the Funeralls were ended, and exactly, when it was first a sinne, for the Iewish-Christians, to bee Circumcisied? I will answer, that as the Lord buried Moses, and no man knoweth of his Sepulcher, vnto this day, Deuter. 34.6. so per­haps it was a prognostick, that no man should know that Article of time, when the Ceremonies were so accompli­shedly interred, that the vse of them, should begin to be sinnefull. Quando ista publicatio facta sit, non Legitur in Scripturâ, saith Koellin ibid. and he speaketh of the extended, and (as hee calleth it) the perfest promulgation of the Gospell. yet this shall not hinder me from shewing my guesse, and priuate opinion, That the Mosaicall Cere­monies were buried in the ruines of the Temple, or rather in the dispersion, vnder Adrian, as will probably arise from the next reason. The second reason, why after Christ's death, yea, after the manifestation of the Gospell, the Ceremonialls were not quite abolished, but permit­ted, is drawne from the scandall of the weake Brethren, in whose behalfe, and for whose saluation, these things were lawfully put in vre, which otherwise had beene vn­lawfull. For, though we neede not yeeld any thing, when there is an obdurate passiue Tertullian in his Booke de Velandis wir­ginibus, Bonae res neminem scandalizant ni­si malam men­tem. Si bonum est modestia, ve­recundia, fasti­dium gloriae, agnoscant ma­lum suum, qui de tali bono scanda­lizantur. Quid enim si in­continentes di­cant se à conti­nentibus scanda­lizari continen­tia reuocandane est? S. Hierom ad Heliodorum is more loftie and resolute. Licèt in limine eaieat pater, per calcatum pa­trem perge, & fixis oculis ad vexillum Crucis euola. scandall; called Scandalum Iudaeorum, or Pharisaeorum, because, they were offended with Christ's wholsome Doctrine, Matt. 15.12. and with the mi­raculous raysing of Lazarus, Iohn 11.47. and at his wisdome and mighty workes, Matt. 13.57. but we are to follow Christ, who did not many mighty workes there, Matt. 13.58. and went thence, Ioh. 11.54. and only of them, Sinite illos, caeci duces sunt caecorum. Matt. 15.14. and yet continued doing of good otherwhere, Mark. 6.6. Consider these places; 1 Cor. 10.32. Gal. 6.2. Matt. 18.6. Heb. 12—1 Cor. 9.19.—1 Cor. 8.9— The Prophet Isaiah 57.14. saith, Not only, lay no stumbling block; but if others lay it, [Page 8]Take vp the stumbling-blocke; not to let it fall againe; but take it out of the way of my people. And 1. Thessal. 5.22. Abstaine from all appearance of sinne: that is, though thou sinnest not, yet auoyd scandall, since there needed no abstaining, from the appearance of euill, if none would take offence at it. In this case S. Paul saith, I would eat no flesh, while the world standeth, least I make my brother to offend. Yea, if the feeble Disciples, be offended, with our omission of things indifferent, we are, no longer, to omit them. Many thousand Iewes, were turned Christians, who were zea­lous for Moses his Law, Act. 21.20. who were scandalized by S. Paul, as if he had taught all the Iewes, among the Gentiles, to forsake Moses, saying, that they ought not to cir­cumcise their children. S. Iames the Bishop of Hierusalem, and his Presbiters, perswaded S. Paul, to remooue this scandall, and to purifie himselfe, with others, after the manner of the Iewes: yet were the Ceremonials, now, dead, and S. Paul had truly preach't against them. For all this because this doctrine, was scandalous at Hierusalem, where were more Iewes, then in any City of the world, S. Paul did purifie himselfe: And for the same respect, be­cause of the Iewes, which were in those quarters, did Cir­cumcise Timothy, Act. 16.3. For, Timothy his father being a Greeke, and his mother a Iewesse, Circumcision, or Vncir­cumcision, was Indifferent: but to establish the weake, and remooue scandall, did the great Impugner of the Mosaical rites, not omit that indifferent Circumcision. Yea, to take away this stone of offence, Circumcision was retained, a long time, in the Citie of Hierusalem, and fifteene Christian Bishops of Hierusalem were all successiuely of the Circumcision. And the first Christian Bishop of Hierusalem, that was a Gentile, was one Marcus, in the Reigne of Adrian, after the ouerthrow, both of the Temple, and of the Citie whose name Hierusalem was changed into Aelia. So saith Nicephorus 3.25. and Sulpitius Seuerus lib. 2. Histor. though Baronius doth nibble at it, ad Annum Christi 138. In these two cases onely, Circumcision might without offence, be [Page 9]kept on foote, by the beleeuing Iewes, euen after the pro­mulgation of the Gospell: though they may praetend a third reason, for the continuation of it, from the words of God, Gen. 17.13. My Couenant shal bein your flesh for an euer­lasting conenant; yet they are to know, that [...] Olano, importeth not, an absolute, but a respectiue euerlasting­nesse: as a Ward, is for euer a Ward, vntill the time ap­pointed of the father, Gal. 4.2. which euerlastingnesse is not vnlimited, but bounded; not simple, but referentiall: so circumcision being but a Type, was to last only, to a Typi­call, paedagogicall, periodicall, euerlastingnesse, that is till the substance should come. Deuter. 15.17. He shal be thy ser­uant for euer; yet in the Chambers of Death, the seruant is free from his master, Iob. 3.19. and nor master, nor seruant, can liue for euer. Aeternum sumitur pro saeculo, quod habet fi­nem, sed non determinatū nobis, saith aquinas. Thus much be spoken, concerning the Iewish Christians, and the rea­sons, why Circumcision was allowed vnto them. Now concerning the Christian-Gentile, hee was not per­mitted in any case to be Circumcised, no, though hee were at Hierusalem, among the fauourers of Circumci­sion, as appeareth by the example of Titus, Gal. 2.3. The Apostles in their Councell, reckon among other things, Circumcision, as a trouble to the Gentiles, Act. 15.19. and in their missiues, Act. 15.28. they account it a burden. S. Paul calleth it an entanglement, a yoke, a bondage, in the verse immediatly before my Text; And I testifie againe, vnto euery man, that is circumcised, that hee is debtor, to doe the whole Law; immediately after my Text: a poore debtor, wrap't in Bands, worse then the Bonds of Vsurers; in Bonds forfeited, and impossible to be satis­fied; for no meere man euer kept the whole Law. Now, least that presumptious credulitie might cosen it selfe, in hoping that Christ, would be their Mediator, that he had satisfied the whole Law for them, and would pay their debt and blot out the Hand-writing of Ordinances, which was against them, and contrarie vnto them, and take it out of the way, [Page 10]and nayle it vnto his Crosse. S. Paul, with more then common earnestnesse, and holy feruencie, protesteth, Behold, I Paul say vnto you, that if you, you Galatians, bee Circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.

And yet on the other side, if a circumcised Gentile, had after, turned Christian, it is the Apostolical rule to his Co­rinthians. 1. Cor. 7.18. Is any man called be­ing circumci­sed? let him not become vncircumcised; as it is modest­ly rendered, in our late Tran­slation Non adducat praepu­tium, saith the Vulgar: but its in the Originall, [...], non attrahatur praeputium. Where the Apostle secretly reprehendeth, the wicked custome of the Iewes, who by Instruments and Medicines made Circumcision to become vncircumcision: as appeareth plain­ly, by the opposition of the two Verbes, [...] and [...]; for, they re-skin­ned the secret part. Hence Martiall made mention, Recutitornm Iudaeorum; and their very Sabbaoths, escaped not the venom of tongues, but were called, recutita Sabbata. Though Origen [...] denyeth such a reduction or dilatation can be, yet Celsus that learned Physitian 7^o.25. saith, it may be. Theodoret agreeth with vs. Epiphanius de Mensurâ & Ponderibus. about the middest of the Booke sheweth the meanes, and tearmeth the attractorie Instrument [...] Spastherem, and saith, the Iewes doe father the invention of it, on the Renegado Esau, (who sold away his Birth-right, and thought to frustrat the signe of the true Religion, perhaps then, when to the griefe of his Parents, hee tooke two wiues, of the Hittites, Genes. 26.34) — Certaine it is that they who turned from the Iewish Religion, to the Samaritan, or from the Samaritan to the Jewish, were twice Circumcised; and Symachus, who translated the Hebrew, into Graeke, was twice Circumcised; saith Epiphanius. Or if the Iewes embraced the Gentile Religion, as Menelaus and Tobias his sonnes did (saith Io­sephus Antiquit. Judaic. 10^o.6^o.) Adduxerunt sibi praeputia, vt nudi quo (que) non essent Graecis dissimiles; which Iosephus horrowed from 1. Maccab. 1.17. They made themselues vncircumcised; or as the Vulgar hath it, fecerunt sibi praeputia. The Apostell, wholy disliketh the course, and would not haue bodily Circumcision, to bee made Vncircumcision, when once it is done, yet most seuerely interdicteth Circumcision to the Gentile Galatians. Jf yee be Circumcised, Christ profiteth you nothing. Thus am I fallen off from the first generall part of my Text, which was extracted from the qualitie and condi­tion of those, to whom our holy Apostle wrote; namely, the Galatians, Gentile-Christians, to the second maine point from the Commination it selfe; What it is to loose Christ, and the greatnesse of that sinne, which is accom­panied with the losse of so great a benefit.

The losse which one may haue, by the losse of Christ, can neuer be sufficiently conceiued, vnlesse we value the great good and benefit, which we gaine by him.

And this good or profit, must needes be vn­derualued, vnlesse the miserable estate in which we were, before hee helped vs, be considered.

View therefore:

First, our lamentable condition in the state of Nature. Secondly, the infinite blessings of our Redemption by the merits of Christ.

Thirdly, the losse of so precious a Iewell, of so great riches, as the not being profitable by Christ.

But, first, let me haue a venue with the words [...], nisi circumcidamini; Yee cannot be saned say the false Brethren, Acts 15.1.

[...] si circumcidamini, saith the Apostle in my Text, If ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. Where S. Paul opposeth Christs not profiting vs, vnto Saluation denyed by the Pseudapostols; intimating that Christs helpe, affordeth vs saluation: Christs not profi­ting vs, leaues vs in the state of Damnation.

[...], though the word doth more properly, and na­tiuely, betoken gaine, benefit, emolument, or increase, as [...] its primitiue, signifieth to heape vp, to amasse, or gather together: yet by a metaphor, it is deriued, to any manner of helpe, aide, comfort, beneuolence, profit, or assistance: all which in euery kinde, as the sound Chri­stian reapeth by his Sauiour, so hee who circumciseth himselfe, in confidence of its vertue, shall gather no fruit by Christ, no blessing any way. Christ [...] shall profit him nothing. The circumcised Christian, aufert do­minicae Passionis effectum, saith Aquinas on the place; that is, he is in no better condition, than if Christ had not dyed for him; and that estate is most commiserable, which is the first point to be explained.

That we were once happie in Adam, and might so haue continued; costeth sighes to remember, and teares to re­count: for he represented our persons, and stood for Vs Idealiter, from which happinesse he fell, and Wee with Him, and in Him. One sinne, one sinne onely, the first sinne of Adam, brought Vs to the Vallie of death, and in­to this wofull plight, (as may be seene in my Miscellanies, as yet vnpublished.)

Rich We were, He hath made Vs Poore; yea, by cloa­thing Vs, hath made Vs naked. Wee were Lords of the Creatures; now Wee are seruants to sinne. We were in Him the Sonnes of God, Luk. 3.38. now we are by Him, the children of wrath, Ephes. 2.3. The obiect of our vn­derstanding was truth; the perfection was knowledge: but now we are ignorant, Ephes. 4.18. The obiect of our will was goodnesse, the perfection Loue but now we are naturally vaine, Ephes. 4.17. The obiect of our irascible part, was Difficultie, if any thing then might be said to be difficult, which might haue beene perfected in victorie; but now this facultie is growne infirme: the flesh lusteth, and as naturall men, we are sure to be vanquished. The obiect of our part concupisci [...]le, was moderate delight, the per­fection was contentment; but now we are fallen point­blanke to the contrary, Ephes. 4.19. Omnes morimur in Adamo, 1 Cor. 15.22. and through Him, the whole na­ture of euery one of mankinde, (Christ onely excepted, who is the immaculate Lamb of God) is corrupted, secundùm se totum, & totum sui: insomuch, that all the faculties of our soules and bodies are depraued: and euery one is na­turally subiect to euery sinne, which hath beene, or here­after may be committed. He who desireth to see our cor­rupt nature more liuely painted forth, let him haue re­course to Rom. 3. from the ninth, to the nineteenth verse: and Ephes. 2.1.2. and 3. verses, and especially Gen. 6.5. that euery imagination of the thoughts of mans heart, was onely euill continually. In this deplorable condition, the first Adam left vs; then commeth the second Adam, our onely Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ, (which is the second point, and now to be insisted vpon,) He taketh our nature vpon him, Heb. 2.16. He vanquisheth Satan, and his temptations, because Adam was vanquished. Hee fasted, because Adam sinned by eating: He watcht, He prayed, He fulfilled all the Law: He was wounded for our transgressions, Hee was bruised for our iniquities: the chastise­ment of our peace, was vpon Him, and with his [Page 13]stripes we are healed, Esa. 53.5. God hath made Him to be sin for Ʋs, who kne no sinne, 2 Cor. 5.21. Christ hath redeemed Ʋs from the curso of the Law, being made accursed for vs, Gal. 3.13. For Vs did he sweat drops of bloud in the Garden; for vs, was Hee nayled to the Crosse, and put to a most shamefull death: for vs, did He tread out the Wine-presse of Gods wrath alone; and for vs, appreciatiuè, satisfied the rigour of Gods iustice: He dyed for our sinnes, and rose againe for our iustification, Rom 425. And now He sitteth at the right hand of God, speaking better things for vs, than the bloud of Abel. And whereas the Accuser of the Brethren, night and day, soliciteth God for vengeance against our sinnes; Christ the great Mediator standeth between Gods wrath and vs, and interposeth his Merits, giuing vs time to repent. There is not a sentence exe­cuted now, a­gainst any of mankinde, but it proceedeth our of the mouth of Christ. Indeed Basil against Eunomius saith. that the Father appeared, Esa. 6.1. but it is attributed to Christ, Ioh 12.40. & 41. and S Paul ascri­beth it to the Holy Ghost, Acts 28.25. So that each person is Iudge equally, in Di­uinis: yet Christ hath now this power of Iudicature, deputed vnto him. Ioh 5.22. Math. 11 27. Math. 28 18. He hath the keyes of hell, and of death, Reuel. 1.18 The Tri­nity iudgeth authoritatiuè, Christ, executi­uè: God, by a primarie inde­pendent right; Christ, by a de­legated power: Est in Patre au­thoritas in Filio sub-authoritas: Christ is not Iudge exclu­siuely, or by way of opposi­tion to the Fa­ther or the Spirit; but by appropriation. And this au­thority he hath as he is Man, Ioh. 5.27. Acts 17.31. And it was gi­uen him at his Incarnation, Heb. 1.6. But the full actuall admini­stration of this power, was not till his Ascension and sitting at the right hand of. God, 1 Pet. 3.22 Heb. 10.12. Augustine de fide & symbolo cap. 7. maketh sede­re, to signifie a Iudiciarie po­wer. All this al­so is proued at full, in my Mis­cellanies of the particular iudgement of soules imme­diately vpon death; which point hath ne­uer bin hand­led, as it ought or may be. Thus, are we deliuered from the power of darkenesse, Colos. 1.13. yea, he hath now reconciled vs, who were alienated and enemies, verse 21. We were wounded, and the good Samaritane hath healed vs; We were dead in our sins, and He hath quickned vs, and hath forgiuen vs all our trespas­ses, Col. 2.13. He is our peace, Ephes. 2.14. In him wee are compleat; In him we are circumcised, with the Circumcision made without hands; buried with him, risen with him, Colos. 2.10. And God hath made vs sit together in heauenly places, in Christ Iesus, Ephes. 2.6. Christ Iesus of God, is made vnto vs, Wisedome, and Righteousnesse, Sanctification and Redemp­tion, 1 Cor. 1.30. And, we are made the Righteousnesse of God, in Christ. We are iustified by his bloud, and we shall be sa­ued from wrath by him, Rom. 5.9. Briefly thus, he hath now done vs more good, than euer Adam did harm, Rom. 5.15.

For, first, Adam conueyed vnto vs originall sinne onely, which cannot be intended, but is alike in all. Christ giueth many different graces, and increaseth them; yea, many, which Adam and his posterity should neuer haue had, if he had not falne: as Patience, Virgini­tie, Repentance, Bowels of Pitie, and tender commisera­tion, fraternall Correction, and the perfection of Chri­stianitie, glorious Martyrdome.

Secondly, Adams sinne, was the sinne onely of a meere man; Christs obedience was the obedience of the Sonne of God, the Mediator betweene God and Man, the Man Iesus Christ, 1 Tim 2.5. Adams sinne was but the producer of that effect, which must needs haue beene in God: for God is necessarily iust, and could not be otherwise. But Christ hath brought forth mercy in God, and God might haue beene both God, and a good God, and yet not mer­cifull. For Mercy presupposeth Misery; Miserecordiae propria sedes est, Miseria, saith Bernard; and Misery might not haue beene.

Thirdly, by Adams offence, Man is compared to the Beasts that perish, Psal. 49.12. By the grace of Christ, we shall be [...] equall to Angels, Mark. 12.25. Man be­ing at the best, in the first Adam, our nature was inferi­our to the Angels, Heb. 2.7. yea, Christ himselfe on earth, by his suffering of death, Heb. 2.9. though now we see him crowned with glory and honour; yet in other regards, Christ is preferred before the Angels, Heb. 2.2.3.5. and Heb. 1. the whole Chapter is but an Eulogie, Magnificat, and Landatory of our Sauiour, both as God and Man, ex­alting him aboue the Angels, in his Person, and in his Of­fice, and giuing him, among other, these prerogatiues; That he is set downe on the right hand of the Maiestie on high, verse 3. That he is made so much better than the Angels, as he hath by inheritance, obtained a more excellent name, verse 4. That God neuer spake to the Angels, Thou art my Sonne, this day haue I begotten thee, and I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to mee a Sonne, verse 5. But God said concerning Christ, Let all the Angels of God worship him, verse 6. They are his ministers and instruments, verse 7. He is a Iudge, an eternall Iudge; Thy Throne O God is for euer and euer, verse 8. yea, not onely the naturall humane soule of our Sauiour Iesus Christ, blessed for euer; and the soule of the blessed Virgin Mary full of grace, but euen our bodily nature in Christ, is lifted vp, aboue Angels, and Arch-Angels, Cherubims, or Seraphims, or any [Page 15]Creature of that Spirituall and Coelestiall Hierarchie.

Fourthly, Adams [...], could not reach to Christ, and infect him. Christs [...] came home to Adam, and not onely saued his soule, but Christs Bloud on the Crosse, besprinkled the very graue of Adam; and whereas the first offence, had not power enough to destroy any one in this world, if they trusted in Christ; the Obedi­ence of the second Adam is not onely in the rigour of Gods iustice, sufficient for the sinnes of one world; but if GOD should create more worlds of men, and all they be sinners, and after sinne, repentant and beleeuing in Christ, the superabundant ri­ches and treasure of his merit, could not be spent: the fountaine of his Bloud would not be dried vp; they should all be saued, and GOD must rest indebted to the Crosse: it hath payed for more than can sinne, to the greatest number of sinnes and sin­ners that can be named by one; another man may make additi­on, (for all Numeration is finite) but the Infinite merit of Christ can neuer be exhausted.

Fifthly, if by the first Adam, Goodnesse was destroyed, not onely the same Goodnesse, is by the second Adam re­uiued; but euen the euils of punishment, yea of faultinesse, mala poenae, & mala culpae, mala vltoria, & mala peccatoria, as they are phrased by Tertullian, all, and euery one of these, turne to the behoofe and good of Gods children. For, we are Conquerours, wee are more than Conquerours, through him that loued vs, Rom. 8.37. For, many Conque­rours, through enuy, haue beene denyed Triumph; but we doe alwaies triumph in Christ, 2 Cor. 2.14. And wee know, that all things worke together for good, to them that loue God, Rom. 8.38. Persecution, Sicknesse, Death, Temp­tation, Sinne and Satan, shall by Christ profit vs. Let no man blame my prolixitie, nor censure me, for much commending of Christ, whom none discommendeth; for summing vp the gaine which wee haue by Him, which none would lose. For loe, there standeth before vs, in a habit penitentiall, and of a minde (I hope) most penitent, an hainous sinner; who renounced Christ, fled from the [Page 16]glorious Ensigne of the Crosse, which hee receiued in Baptisme; disclayming his portion in the second Person of the indiuiduall Trinity, and in fact, if not in word, pro­fessing himselfe an enemy to the sonne of the Blessed Vir­gin full of grace; Iesus Christ our onely Lord and Saui­our. O why didst thou flye when thou wert captiue, from him, who was thy Redeemer? and being free in Christ, though in bodily durance, wouldest thou be taken cap­tiue by Satan? and to auoid the slauerie of the little Di­uell, the Turke, deuote thy selfe to the great Diuell the enemy of mankinde? By not adhering to Christ, by wa­uing thy beliefe, by disclayming thy vow in Baptisme, by professing Turcisme, thou hast sold heauen, art initiated into hell, and hast purchased onely a conscience, frighted with horror, where the Worme still gnaweth, and still is hungry. Yea, whereas you thought to gaine by forsaking Christ, you haue forfeited all right, to all the creatures in heauen, and in earth. For, the true Christian, by hauing Christ, hath an Interest in all things: All things are ours, and we are Christ's, and Christ is God's, 1 Corinth. 3.33. And he that is without Christ though hee may haue, a right, in Fore terrene, & humano; (for Dominium, non fundatur, in Gratiâ; sed in Naturâ) and we allow Proprietie, so that the Meum of one Heathen, differeth from the Tuum of an other: Yet in Foro coelesti, & Diuino, Reuel. 5.11.—Many Angels, round about the Throne, or that Throne, [...] with a lowd voyce, sayd, Worthy is the Lambe, that was slaine, (namely our Sauiour Iesus Christ) to receiue, Power, Riches, and Wisdome, and Strength, and Honour, and Glory, and Blessing; and euery Creature, which is in Heauen, and on the Earth, and vnder the Earth, and such as are in the Sea, and all that are in them, not in eo as is the vulgat, but [...], all the off-spring of all Creatures, said, Blessing, Honour, Glory, and Power, be vnto Him that sitteth vpon that Throne, (to distinguish him from others who sate on other Thrones) and to the Lamb for euer and euer. They are all for Christ, and are Christs; and by Him, for vs; Wee being [Page 17]called vnto the fellowship of Iesus Christ our Lord. 1 Cor. 1.9. Co-heires with him, Rom. 8.17. And a reason hereof is gi­uen, verse 32. If God spared not his owne Sonne, but deliuered him vp for vs all; how shal he not, with him also, freely giue vs all things? But all these things haue you lost, (poore misera­ble soule) by losing Christ; and this great losse, doth ar­gue the heinousnesse of thy sinne, which is the next point in my propounded Method, to be handled.

For, though perchance you thought it, to be a small offence, and it is muttered among some vnbeleeuers, or Misbeleeuers, as if this Penance were greater than the Fault, yet you will confesse, the mercifull indulgence of our Church, and the vglinesse of this offence, if you con­sider these fiue points.

First, that God hath loaded little sinnes with heauie pu­nishments.

Secondly, that thy sinne, put into the ballance, weigh­eth more, than the sinne of Caine, or of Achitophel, or of the Iewes, which murthered Christ.

Thirdly, that thy sinne is made exceeding sinfull, by beleeuing in so notorious a monster as Mahomet was: And in his law, which is so full of beastly and sencelesse lyes.

Fourthly, the exceeding sinfulnesse of thy transgressi­on, is yet aggrauated, both from the excellencie of Christs person, whom thou didst forsake, (He being the second Person in Trinity, the Sonne of God, the holy Redeemer of man, the great [...], the Angelus Foederis,) and like­wise from the rationall verities of our Christian pro­fession.

Fifthly and lastly, whereas by thy kindred, friends, or acquaintance, (in a foolish pittie, hurtfull to thy soule) false colours are set on bad cloth; faire painting on a rot­ten boord; and some haue risen vp in your defence, with semblances, to make thy sinne shew lesse; I intend (by Gods grace) in a holy seruitude, for the good of thy soule, and for the terrour of others, to plucke the figge­lcaues, [Page 18]to take away the excuses, to remoue the loose veiles and couers, that so you may see and bewa [...]le the monstrousnesse of your offence; and that others may a­uoide the like.

First, therefore you will easily confesse the fouleness [...] of your transgression, if you remember that God doth all things [...]; and being, [...] neuer punished beyond measure, any sinne; but alwaies citra condignum; and yet shall behold the seueritie of Gods iudg­ments against small trespasses. The breach of the Sabbaoth was attended with death, Exod. 31.14. The gatherer of sticke [...] in the Sabbaoth was put in Ward and then stoned, Numb. 15.34. Moses, capitali paenae subiecit ros, qui Sabba­ium violarent, [...]d potissimum de causâ, quòd Mundi creatio­nem, Sabbathi violatione, in dubium reuocare viderentur, vt Kabbi Moses Aegyptius scri­bit, saith Bodin, in Methodo suâ, pag. 312. Saul reiected for not destroying of Amalech, 1 Sam. 15 23. Vzza smote for his rashnesse, 2 Sam. 6.7. though he intended well. Aplague sent to sweepe a whole country, for Dauids numbring of the people, 2 Sam. 24.15. In the new Testament, Ananias and Saphira strooken with sudden death for a lye, Acts 5.3. The buyers and sellers in the Temple cast out and scourged with small cords, Ioh. 2.14. though their actions were conducible, to the readier ad­ministration of sacrifices in the Temple, S. Peter was cal­led Satan, for giuing ill aduise, Math. 16.23. though, non odiendo Christum, sedse nimis amando peccauit, saith Ber­nard. And not Hi­larius alone (though Mal­donat saith so) but Chrysologus Sermone 27. (& perchance some others, whom nor Maldonate, nor I euer read) more wittily, than soundly expound the words, thus; Dominus, ser­uum post se mit­tit. Scandalum remittit autho­ri: dicendo ad Petrum, Vade post me: & Dia­bolo, Scandalum mihies. And that which in application may strike horror to our soules, the Figge-tree was cursed for bearing no­thing but leaues, when the time of Figges was not yet come, Mar. 11.23. These were iust rewards for small of­fences, for peccadillos in the eyes of men; but euery sinne deserueth death, euen the least anomy, in the exactnesse of Gods iustice. One mortall sinne is not expiable with se­uen yeeres lying in the torments of hell. But this thy sin, was not onely mortall, not onely a breach of thy vow in Baptisme; but a flat Rebellious vnderstanding of it: A trecherous opposition, a seandalous contradiction; stay­ning and ingrayning of the Christal clere-sauing water of Baptisme, with the bloud of Circumcision. Thy abiu­ring of thy Sauiour, was an offence, almost beyond [Page 19]Pardon, and aboue Indulgence; as may appeare, by a comparatiue Reference of some particulars, of thy Sinne, with others. In contemplation whereof, though some doe clippe thy sinne, yet I dare say, That in diuerse re­gards, thy sinne was greater, then that of Caines; He slew, but his Younger-Brother; but You haue slaine, as farre as you then could, the first borne of euery Creature, the Lord of Life; and haue crucified to your selfe againe, the Sonne of God afresh, and put him to an open shame, Heb. 6.6. The bloud of Abel did cry against Caine: Vox sanguinum cla­mantium fratris tui, Gen. 4.10. Vox seminum clamantium, saith the Chaldee; the voices of the little-ones, which might haue descended from Abel, in him, did cry against that vngracious Fatricide; yea, though Caine was branded all his life time, with vnusuall bodily torment; and pu­nisht in his soule euer since, and all his posteritie swept from the face of the earth in the floud; yet still the bloud of Abel cryeth for vengeance, Heb. 11.4. as Aquin expounds it; and shall cry till the hand that strake the blow, doe burne in fire and brimstone; so Estius and Ribera. What punishment then did you deserue, in betraying your El­der-brother that offered vp a better sacrifice than Abel, and would more profit you, than euer Abel would, or could haue profited Caine?

Thy transgression was greater then the sinne of Achitophel, for he, only with a Politick eye, looking rather on the Sunne-rising, then on the Sunne-setting, rebel [...]d against his Lord, and Master, Dauid; but you haue de­serted, yea arm'd your selfe, against Dauids Lord, and Master.

Thy Offence was greater, then diuerse of the Iewes, who put our Redeemer vnto death; for, they did it through ignorance, as did also their rulers, Act. 3.17. But you wittingly against your owne Conscience, for­sooke your Sauiour; and though they praeferred Barabbas (who was a Robber Iohn 18.40. a Murtherer, Act, 3.14. a Mutiner, Luke 23.19.) yet you haue adhaered to one, [Page 20]euery way, worse then Barrabas; before the most holy, iust, and innocent Christ, you haue aesteemed Mahomet, that Rake-shame of the World, which was the third point propounded, and is now to be handled. Mahomet (I say) the Rauisher of his Mastresse, See Baronius ad Annum Christi, 630. the known Adulterer with one Zeid, which he him-self confesseth in his Law, and saith, God made it sinne-lesse, and exemplarie for euer: a Murtherer of the Emperours Brother: a Rebel against Heraclius, who was his Benefactor: a Gentile, in some pointes, a Iew in others, a Christian in others, a Maniche, Nestorian; and Arrian; a very Compound of Heresies; a Compounder of Vanities; a grand Imposter, out of whom Eusebius in his Panoply, hath gathered, 130. Fables; and in whose Alcoran, there is such an hotch­potch of errors, that the sight or smell, would surfet one. Errors palpable, as the Aegyptian darknesse: nasty, as bred in the lap of lust; so brutish, so blockish, that, knowing all his vanities would he easily confuted, he cutteth off all disputations, with the sword; and in steede of Perswasi­on, the Child of Truth displayed, he hath set Death be­fore them, to keepe them fast in blindnesse; yet in spight of worldly Policy, there haue broke-forth, seauentie two principall Mahumetan Sectes, See [...]ulius Scaliger, against Exercitat, 258. Cardan, Sect. 2. which he borrowed from Ioannes [...]eo, and Ma­ster Sandy [...] from Scafiger. saith Iohannes Leo, in his third Booke, of his African Historie, And Leo was some­time himselfe a learned Mahumtan; but seeing, with the eyes of his minde, their abhominable Errors; and with the eyes of his Body, such villany, as neuer was heard of, to be vpheld, by their superstitious Beleese, contrary to sight, & sence, at one open Market in Alcair (as is in the same third booke) he bathed himselfe, in the Lauer of Regeneration, and detesting their Irreligion, became a Christian. Likewise of late, d [...]uerse Turkes, haue sealed their Profession of Christianitie, with their Blood, euen in Constantinople. Yea a very Preist of their owne, a fa­mous eminent Priest; Ibraim Sheck, was there stoned to death; his head after cut off, and his body burned, for preferring Christ before Mah [...]met. Diuers also of his [Page 21]Disciples were beheaded, others were made Gally-slaues, for refusing Mahomet, and adhering to Christ. Thus hath God his Chappell, or rather his Sanctum Sanctorum, in Sa­tans temple. Turkes who dye for Christ, will arise in iudg­ment against Christians, who imbrace Mahomet. Who knoweth not, that the Turkes themselues acknowledge Christ to be a Prophet, a great Prophet, a most holy man? triumphing, that they are Lords of the two Sepul­chers, the one at Hierusalem, the other at Mecha? I might enlarge, that almost incredible story of Matthew Paris, in the sixteenth yeare of the Raigne of King Iohn: that the irreligious King offered to abandon Christ, and to sticke faithfully to Mahomet; but the halfe religious Turke, the King of Morocco, gaue King Iohns Embassadors to vnder­stand, that if himselfe had beene to choose a Religion, he would haue chosen to be a Christian.

But small inducements may not make one to shift the Religion he was borne in: and euery giddy-brain'd shal­low, is an vncompetent iudge in this case. I dare auow, of all the religions professed vnder heauen, no profession in the world hath more insensate fopperies, yea, blasphe­mies, than their Antilop, their Chymaera, their Coran, (com­mon vse and custome will beare you out to call it their Alcaron.) Take a taste of them. Mahometus in Alcorano, dum vino & maxi­mè rubeo vellet gentibus suis in­terdicere, sin [...]ie in quolibet vuae rubeae grano ha­bitare vnum Diabolum: Pe­trus Montanus de Incantationi­bus, pag. 200. Mahomet taught, that euery red Grape had one diuell or more within it; but some haue found the diuell rather in Sacke, than Claret; and if they swallow the stones or kernels, when they eate the Rasins of the Sunne, they swallow many diuels. That the Angels and God, pray for Mahomet; which God, since they make but one person, to whom shall that person pray? That God sweareth by the Diuels, where he estee­meth the diuels to be greater than God. For all the world suppose, the things they sweare by, to bee greater than themselues. And Auerroes, that great Arabick Philosopher, and Mahumetan thinketh there are no diuels. Julius Scali­ger Exercitati­one 355. and Auicen pallia­teth and excu­seth their fop­pish lyes and sensuail Rules or Axiomes by expounding them Allego­rically. And that Mahomet diuided the moone. I haue heard much of the man in the moone, and of the Bush of bryars at his backe; [Page 22]which perchance, encrooked ouer to his Pole, and scratcht his necke, and made him a scald pate, That after this life they shall marry, and be giuen in mariage: that beau­tifull Ganvmedes shall serue at the Table, and in a word, haue their fill of all be astiall corporeall pleasures. See all these chings punctu­ally cited out of their Azoars, by Cardan de S [...]btilitate, lib. 11. pag. 213.

The grand Epicure certainely, if he was not a Fore­runner of the Great Turke, yet would quickly haue tur­ned to his Religion. Is this a beliefe to be preferred before the Christian? Then let Garlicke be valued before the Bread of Angels, the coelestiall Manna. Then let vs barter and exchange our Gold for Brasse, our Pearles for coun­terfeit Stones; the Fruit of the Tree of Life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God, for the Apples of So­dome, which being touched, vanish into ashes. It is true, that the Turkes doe call themselues Musselmans, that is, true beleeuers, (as euery Nation of the earth presumes, they beleeue aright) yet since the Turkes refuse the tryall of their Religion, by the touch-stone of Scripture [...], euen of those Scriptures which themselues professe; since the old Testament which they receiue, hath in a thousand places prophecied of Christ: yea, all the Prophets, not onely from Samuel, Acts 3.24. but from Enoch, who was the seuenth from Adam, Iude 14. yea, in all faire probability, euen Adam prophecied of Christ, and in all certaintie, be­fore the expulsion out of Paradise, GOD himselfe fore­spake to Satan, concerning Christ, Gen. 3.15. I will put en­mity betweene thy seed, and her seed: it shall bruize thy head, and thou shalt bruize his heele; which was really accompli­shed on both sides, when Christ was nayled to the Crosse; the diuels inuisibly on the other side of the Crosse, saith Origen: I say, since God himselfe fore-promised this, not of the seed of Adam, but of the seed of the woman; and that it cannot be interpreted of any other, but Christ, who was the onely Stone cut out of the rocke, without the helpe of mans hand, Dan. 2.24. id est, abs (que) coitu & Semine humano, de Vtero virginali, saith Hierome on the place, and Augustine on Psal. 99.5. (which according to the Septua­gint, [Page 23]and Augustine, is the 98. Psalme) since the Turkes confesse this much of this, Damascen, ci­ted by Baronius ad Annum 630. thus of Maho­met, Christum dicit verbum esse Dei, & eius Filium; sed Cre­atum & Ser­uum; Eúm (que) fa­tetur ex Maria, sine semine gene­ratum; adding, that the Iewes did crucifie Christs shad­dow, but not Himselfe. and yet cannot bring one place in all the old Testament, that euer prophecied of Mahomet.

Let Mahomet be branded for a Iuggler, a Mount-bank, a beastiall people pleaser; ingrossing beliefe to him and his contrarie to Truth, Reason, or sound Religion: which Mis-beliefe he hath established by the sword, and not by Arguments; vpheld by violence and compulsion; or tempting allurements of the world; forcing, or deluding the soules of men, rather than perswading by euidence of veritie. I cannot end yet with his person, but thus returne vnto it. That great seducer Mahomet, was a salacious Iust­full Amoroso; and his intemperate lasciuiousnesse, was wayted on by infirmities and sicknesses correspondent to his lewdnesse. Hippocrates calleth Coitum, [...], paruum morbum Comitialem; but he, for his lust, and by it, was tormented with the Great-falling-sicknesse; and that disease, is a plague of an high-hand; and in him, a testi­monie of a very sinfull soule, in a very sinfull body. For, whereas it is appointed for all men to die once, Heb. 9.27. for that one first sinne of Adam; Mahomet, who had so ma­ny, so great sinnes, was striken also with many deaths. For, what is the Falling-Sicknesse, but a reduplication, a multiplication of death? He fell with paine, looked vgly, with a foming mouth, and wry-distorted countenance in his fits. He rose with horror, like a pale carcase, and luke­warme corpes, betweene the liuing and the dead. He was the But against which the Almighty shot his arrowes: bearing the image and figure of an Apostata in his body by relapses; and the torments of a vessell of wrath, in his soule, for his Imposturage. Whose sicknesse is not so much denyed, as guilded ouer by his owne followers. And after death, he (promising to rise againe) lay till he stanke, and his side was eaten with dogs, saith Eulogius the Martyr, (who liued the next age after) in his Apolo­gie.

But, (that I may come to the next point) as for our most holy, blessed, and glorious Saviour, Iesus Christ, (O pardon me my Lord, for mentioning thy salutife­rous names, when I am to confound that Rake-shame, and purge my lippes from the corruption they may con­tract, in speaking of su [...]h an hell-hound,) I say, concer­ning our gracious Redeemer, the Turkes themselues doe not, they cannot say, that euer hee sinned, or was sicke; He healing all, and all manner of diseases, had not one: His soule had her fulnesse of grace: his bodily tempera­ture, was most pure. In his face, syderium quiddam illuxit, saith Hierom. His whole body was speciosum, quia forma­tum virtute Spiritus Sancti, in cuius opere, non potest esse error, aut defectus, saith Lyra on Psal. 45.

As for the Christian Religion, it is most rationall, and accordant to the rectified Dictates of nature; and was planted in holy simplicitie, watered with the bloud, not of Murtherers, but of Martyrs, (Sanguis Martyrum, semen Ecclesiae) and whereas all other Religions haue decayed by Opposition, the Christian Church gathereth strength, and groweth vnder its Burden; being the pillar of truth, 1 Tim. 3.15. Like an vpright pillar, is more strong by hauing more weight vpon it. Graecam Phil [...] ­phiam, si quiuis Magistratus pro­hibuerit, ea sta­tim perit. No­stram autem Doctrinam, à primá vs (que) eius Praedicatione, prabibent Reges, Duces, & Magi­stratus, cum vni­uersis satelliti­bus, illa tamen non flaccescit, vt Doctrina huma­na, sed magis floret. Clemens Alexand. Strom. 7. The quicke spreading of the Gospell, may stop the mouthes of Saracens, and driue wonders into the belee­uer. It was like Lightning, which spreade it selfe all a­broad, beyond sence. And the publishing of it may be compa­red to the Horse-man, Reuel. 6.2. Who rode all abroad, and was victorious. And is acknowledged to bee most agreeable vnto the generall, confessed Principles of Rea­son, in both naturall and morall Philosophie. As may ap­peare, cuiden­ced by Clemens Alexand. Stro­mat. [...].

But I returne to the person of our blessed Sauiour Christ (of whom neuer good enough can be spoken) and resume, that the Turkes themselues, confesse him to haue beene a most holy Prophet, a worker of many wonders, greater than Moses: that Pilate his Iudge pronounced him to be iust; that the people being beyond measure asto­nished with his miracles, said, Mark. 3.37. He hath done all things well. Hee was the wonder of men, not onely [...]; but [...]: God and man, the Sonne of God; the brightnesse of his glory, and the expresse image of his person, Heb. 1.2. The image of the inuisible God, the first borne of euery creature; all things being created In him, and By [Page 25]him, and for him, Colos. 1.16. [...], not [...] In him, there, Christ is the cause-Ideal, or exemplary: By him, there, he is the cause Demiourgicall, or Architectonicall, not properly Instrumentall, but by indiuisible Cooperation. For him, there, he is the cause supremely finall. I cannot say much of any of these, because I intend to say somewhat of each. Moses was admonished of God, when he was about to make the Tabernacle: See, saith God, that thou make all things according to the Patterne shewed to thee in the Mount, Heb, 8.5. From which fore-sight of Moses, Plate tooke his Ideaes, saith Iustin Martyr. Now, as the Taberna­cle had an intellectuall esse, in the notion of Moses, ere it had its esse materiall, and the forme of Artificials is first in the minde of the worke-man, before it is in the out­ward worke, saith Aristotle, Metaphys. 7. (though other­where himselfe is the greatest Opposer, often times of Pla­tonicall Ideas, which he confuted but verbally, saith his greatest defender Aquinas.) Likewise for naturall things of this world, I will say, as S. Augustine did, to another purpose; Who dare say, that God doth any thing irrationabili­ter? Hee framed all things, [...] saith Mercuri­us Trismegistus; and the manner of making all things, was directed, as well by the Reason, as by the Power, of an in­finite Spirit, saith Anaxagoras. For, Recta ratio, est lex, sum­mi Iouis, saith, Cicero 2. de Legibus. See this confirmed by Scriptures, Pro. 3.19. Ecclosiast. 1.10. Esa, 40.12. Psal. 104.24. Ier. 51.15. The Idea of all things was in God, ere they were actually produced; and this Idea was Christ. For In him, were all things created, saith the Text, in the o­riginall. Aquinas i [...] Colos. 1.16. Loco Jdearam nos habemus v­num, scilicet Verbum Dei-Artifexenim facit artificium ex hvc, quod fa­cit illud partici­pare formam apud se concep­tam, & fic Deus omnia in suá sa [...] pientia dicitur facere, quia Sa­pientie Dei se habet adres creatas, sicut ar [...] aedificatoris ad domum factam. Haec autem for­ma & Sapien­tia est Verbum, ideò omnia in ipso condita sunt, sicut in quodam exem­plari.

Created In Him and By Him (as by the efficient cause) Colos. 1. at the latter end of the 16. verse. All things were made by Him, Ioh. 1.3. And lest the word (All) might be thought in this place, not to comprehend, the seuerally-singular parts of multitude (because it doth not so other­where) the Apostle addeth remarkably, And without Him was not any thing made, that was made. Where he intimateth [Page 26]that God made not the world by Christ, as the workeman doth the worke, by the Physicall instrument, (for this sa­uoureth of Arrianisme) but that Christ was indiuisibly co­working with the Father: yea, all the workes of the Trini­ty, quoad extra, sunt indiuisa. Againe, it is not said, [...]; nothing was made, but in a more emphaticall phrase, [...] not one thing, not any thing; by which the Diuinity of our blessed Sauiour is cleerely proued. So Heb. 12. By Christ, God made the world.

Lastly, all things were created not onely, in him, and by him, but for him. And though, concerning his humane nature, We are Christs, and Christ is Gods, 1. Cor. 2.23. and the Head of euery man is Christ, and the Head of Christ is God, 1 Cor. 11.3. yet, in regard of his Diuinity, He is e­quall to his Father; yea, all things were created for Him: As he is the Mediator betweene God and man, God hath ap­pointed him heire of all things, Heb. 1.2. Deus ipse sine Christo, idolum est, saith Tertullian: God is worshipped with false worship, if he be not worshipped through Christ. And I, for my part, solemnly professe, I desire not heauen, or ioyes thereof, without Him. Whatsoeuer wee doe in word or deede, let vs doe it in the name of Iesus Christ, Colos. 3.17. Our prayers are then accepted, when they are closed, either with his Prayer, or with his Name. Yea, alwaies reiected and turned into sinne, if there be not euermore, a tacit or implicite reference to Him: yea, an actuall expression of Him, and imploring his aide, when we are lifted vp by Deuotion, or cast downe by Temptation: of which more at large by and by. O that thou hadst obserued this, and called vpon Christ when thou wast tempted! Hee hath promised, I will not faile thee, nor forsake thee. Therefore, silly seduced soule, it was the height of the sinne, that thou didst forsake Him; Him who is the Fountaine of liuing waters, and hast hewed out, for thy selfe, Cisternes, broken Ci­sternes that can hold no water, Ier. 2.13. These Cisternes are thy excuses, pretensions, motiues, or false guides, which seduced thee; and these come now in order to be [Page 27]laid open. Whereas thou hast said it, and (as I heare) sworne it, and others with thee, and for thee, That thou wert circumcised by extreame force, and therefore thou ho­pest, thou hast not lost Christ, that they rauished thy bo­dy, but not thy Beliefe, That thou didst striue, till thou couldest striue no longer, against their violence; and then with humble patience, wert content to dye vnder their hands: I must needs say (if so it were) thou were then a glorious Confessor; and if thou hadst dyed then, vnder their butcherie, Thou hadst washed thy robes in the bloud of the Lambe; Thou hadst shined as the Sunne in the fir­mament, and beene one of the primest Saints in heauen. For, though euery one shall haue the Penny of eternall happinesse, called in Aquins Supplement, aurea: and the Essentials of heauenly blisse, are neither more nor lesse, but euery one shall possesse enough, to his full content­ment, and a surplussage be remaining: (for, the entring into the Masters ioy, supposeth the ioy to be greater and larger, than he that entreth; as the house is greater than its inhabitant, and continens maius contento:) yet the acci­dentals of Beatitude, may be more or lesse: one may haue more Talents, more Cities, than another; Virgins and la­borious Pastors haue their Aureolas assigned them by the Schoole; but the Martyrs reward is simply aboue the Au­reolae of Teachers, or Virgins (as it is in Aquins Supple­ment, part. 3. Quest. 96. Articul. 12. I dare not say with Gerson, per Martyrium, deletur in proprio sanguine, quaelibet culpa, simul & poena: yet I hold it probable, that what grace soeuer a man had before, if he lost it by sinne, he shall al­waies and wholly recouer it, by Martyrdome: so holdeth Scotus and Ʋalentia, Tom. 4. Disput. 7. Quest. 6. Punct. 10. in fine: and certaine, with Caietan, That an vniuersall abso­lution from sinne and punishment, is giuen in the preception of Baptisme and Martyrdome: in primam part. Thom. Quaest. 68. Artic. 2. Giuen, I say, by God, for Christs sake: in Bap­tisme, for the present estate; in Martyrdome, for euer: so that he presently mounteth vp to indicible ioyes of [Page 28]heauen. A Martyr is a Scale and Signet on the finger of the All-mightie; One of the master-pieces of GODS worke: a Rubie of Christs Crowne; most pretious is his death. Oh that thou hadst then dyed, thou hadst beene a perfect Martyr! Thy cause was good; thy willingnesse to suffer, rather than to abiure (as is reported of thee) was good: if death had presently ensued, Thou hadst beene a consummate Martyr.

These two next Sections were not preached, by reason of the straitnesse of time, yet thought fit to be inserted.

For the first, Non Poena, sed Causa, facit Martyrium, saith Augustine; and after him, the glosse on the Psalmes: and not all that are persecuted, but they [...] which suffer persecution for righteous­nesse sake, are blessed, Math. 5.10. Augustine ad Bonifacium, Epist. 50. Dominus cum latronibus crucifixus est; sed quos Passio iungebat, causa separabat. Idem in Psal. 42. potest esse impiorum similis poena, sed dissimilis est Martyrum Causa. And one may be a Martyr, not onely for points de fide, but Omnium virtutum Opera, secundùm quod referuntur in Deum, sunt quaedam Protestationes fidei, per quam nobis inno­tescit, quòd Deus, huiusmodi opera, à nobis requirit, & nos pro eis remunerat, & secundùm hoc, possunt esse Martyrij causa; vnde & beati Ioannis Baptistae Martyriū, in Ecclcsiâ celebra­tur, qui non pro negandâ Fide (Aquinas shouldsay, pro defensio­ne fidei or to the like sence) fed pro reprehēsione Adulterij mor­ [...]em sustinuit, Aquin. 2^a. 2^ae. quest. 124. artic. 5. in corpore Artic.

Concerning the second point necessarie to Martyr­dome, It is a prompt and willing minde to suffer. The good Thiefe was not a Martyr, in respect of his Cause, but in regard of his Alacrity to dye for Christ, we may so ac­count him, at large. He that is haled to death grudgingly, is no Martyr, though he were put to true death, for the chiefest point of faith. But he who is prompt and forward to suffer, though the excessiuenesse of torment doe choke and swallow vp the exercise of Reason and Sence: so that the Patient feeleth no paine, nor knoweth any thing in [Page 29]his extremitie; yea, though he hath not in the act of Mar­tyrdome, any present actuall intention to dye; yet, since, as a designed Martyr, he might praecogitate thus, I resolue to endure and suffer not onely, whilst I doe know my miserie, and feele my paine: but when paine hath tyrannized ouer, both my knowledge and my sence, till I haue grappled with death: I say, this mans suffering is the effect of his intention, and his intention continueth virtually in the effect: He is a true glorious consummate Martyr. That the vse of reason may be ouercome in a transcendent passion, is vnquestiona­ble. Ipso momento temporis, quo ad voluptatis peruenitur ex­tremum, poenè omnis acies, & quasi vigilia cogitationis obruitur, saith Augustine, de Ciuit. 14.16 And not onely poenè, but Delight stealeth away the intellect of a wise man, saith A­ristotle, Ethic. 7.9. yea, if one should be created and pre­serued, in the height of any kinde of pleasure, and not be surfetted nor abated of it, he would neuer haue one wise thought, and I should not thinke him to be a reasonable creature. For, Reason is drowned in Pleasure. Much more easily may the vse of Reason be deuoured by paine: for we see the fairest beasts, frighted from their chiefest de­light, by feare of paine. Nemo est qui non magis dolorem fu­giat (the Schooles reade it amisse, when they cited it, luge­at) quàm appetat voluptatem, saith Augustine, in lib. Octo­ginta-trium Quaest; Quaest. 36. Now then, as he, who com­mitteth Fornication, if, in the moment of his dearest de­light, he vseth neither Reason nor Will, yet sinneth (ne­uerthelesse,) and that mortally, because he exposeth him­selfe to a Passion, in which he cannot vse Reason, saith Scotus, Sentent. 3. Distinct. 15. Quaest. 1. circa medium: so in the passion Martyrs, if excessiue paine doe prey vpon the intellect, and the sence, leauing them for the time, both sencelesse & vnintelligent, yet is the Crowne due to their heads, as to an Act of Fortitude, elicitiuè, their minde being confirmed by it, and as to an Act of charitie impera­tiuè. For, greater charitie none hath, than this, that a man lay downe his life, Ioh. 15.13. Faulus Diaconus writeth of S. Cy­prian, [Page 30]that he answered the Pro-Consul Galerius thus, Consultum mihi meliùs esse non quaero, quàm vt Deum meum adorans ad ipsum totâ mentis Auiditate festinem: and hee addeth, Ceruicem obtulit gladio. I cannot passe by what S. Cyprian himselfe, Epist. 9. ad Martyres & Confessores, saith of the admirable resolutions of primitiue Martyrs, stete­runt serui Christi voce liberâ, mente incorruptâ, virtute diuinâ, telis quidem saecularibus nudi, sed armis Fidei credentes arma­ti. Steterunt torti torquentibus fortiores, ac pulsantes ac lani­antes vngulas, pulsata & lanitata membra vicerunt. Inexpug­nabilem fidem, superare non poterat, saeuiens diu plaga repetita: quamuis, ruptâ compage viscerum, torquerentur inseruis Dei, iam, non membra, sed vulnera. Fluebat sanguis, qui incendi­um Persecutionis extingueret; qui flammas & ignes Gehennae glorioso cruore sopiret. Concerning the third requisite to Martyrdome, it is bodily Death. Mors est de ratione Mar­tyrij, saith Aquin. 2^â 2ae. Quest. 124. Artic. 4. not onely Mors in facto esse, but Mors in fieri. Inflictio Mortis (as A­quin tearmeth it) so that death follow. Augustine de Ciuit. 13.4. Dictum est homini, morieris, si peccaueris: nunc dicitur Martyri, morere, ne pecces. The prison, with all its en­gines, of chaynes, hunger, cold, and instruments of va­rious tortures, make not a perfect Martyr, if hee suruiue, vnlesse suruiuing a while, he dye of the paines, torments, or wounds inflicted. I confesse, S. Cyprian writeth ad Martyres, and they were liuing: So Tertullian saith, there were designati Martyres; iam inter Martyres deputandi, as Lu­cianus the Confessor, saith to Celerinus the Confessor. Cy­prian Epist. 25. part. 1. maketh mention of such, who be­ing first in trouble, gaue good example of vertue, and were honoured, equally with Martyrs: for their hands made the Crownes, and they dranke the cup of Saluati­on to their Brethren: and yet he sets a trauerse betweene them, and others, who did vndergoe Consummata Marty­ria, as he calleth them, which is by death onely.

A glorious Saint would haue reioyced to sit at thy feete in heauen: thou hadst come neerer to Christ, than milli­ons [Page 31]of blessed Spirits: and perchance, by so much neerer, than some Angels, by how much the more thou resem­bledst Christ, by being baptized, in the Baptisme of bloud for his glory, (which the Angels cannot doe) as Christ dyed to saue and glorifie thee: But, if thou wert not forced, if thy tongue, or thy heart consented to Cir­cumcision; if thou didst put any trust in it, (for we haue heard and read, that the Turkes compell none to their Religion; and that Mahomet left this rule to his follow­ers, to say vnto them, who differed from them in profes­sion; Let me haue my Law, and take you, yours; you are free from that which I doe, and I am likewise free from that which you doe.) I say, if thou heldest vp thy finger, or didst cast away thy hat, or sufferedst thy selfe to be drencht with Opium, or exchangest the markes of thy profession, or by vsing any other abiuring trickes, or initiating ceremonies to that hellish irreligion, like other Renegadoes (which, as we hope, you did not at first; so we are vncertaine whether you did or no) thy Repentance had neede sur­mount thy Penance, and many teares must flow from thine eyes to wash those sinnes away.

From thy excuse, that thou wert forced to conforme thy selfe, which is one of the Cisternes, which not we, but God must try, whether it will hold water or no; let mee come to those faults, for which (I am sure) thou hast no iust excuses. You went in Turkish-guise, your apparrell proclaimed you to be a Turke, at least in semblance; the exchanging of your ordinarie clothing for the Mahome­tan you cannot deny, you were seene and taken in it, ta­ken (I heare say) willingly to come to our side, but taken in such an attire as did discriminate you from a Christian; you cannot say, that daily they put on those clothes; you haue publikely confessed, your yeelding to their allure­ments, rather than to their violence. Habemus confitentem Reum. Oh why beginning in the Spirit, whilst they mang­led thy flesh, didst thou end in the flesh, by subiecting thy spirit vnto them! Indeed God commanded the Iewes, [Page 32] Deut. 22.12. Thou shalt make thee fringes on the foure quarters of thy Vesture. They shal weare fringes & blew Ribbaend, Numb. 15.38. as Memorials and Remembrances of their Duties. The Scribes and Pharisees would ouer-doe the matter, and make broad their Philacteries, and enlarge the bor­ders of their Garments, Mat. 23.5. Likewise the Christians in the Primitiue Church distinguished themselues from Gentiles, by wearing the Cloake, and not the Gowne; and af­ter that custome taken vp, the Cloake was in high e­steeme, Super omnes exuuias & pe­plos, Augusta vestis; super (que) omnes apices & titulos.— Suadeo reuerere [...] habitum (saith Tertullian.) Againe, Gran­de pallij bene­fi [...]ium est; sub cuius recogitatu improbi mores [...]èl erubescunt. —Gaude pal­lium & exulta [...] melior iam te philosophia dig­nata est, ex quo Christianum ve­stire caepisti, Tertul. in his Booke de Pal­lio. as a badge of humility, as a signe of Christi­an Philosophers, imitating, yea, out-going the ancient Greeke Philosophers, in simplicitie and honestie, as farre as they did, the warlike and bloudy Romans: whose Gownes betokened Lordly Domineering, and were lined with pride, though fringed with Calcei, propri­um Togae tor­mentum im­mundissima pe­dum tutela, Tertul. ibid.durt. Cause there was, and good cause, for the Iew and the Christian, of those times, to professe their Religion, by their very Apparell. But the Turkish Turbant was nastic in the cause, sence­lesse in the vse. Mahomet, besides that he was an vnhand­some man, and his whole race to this day, the ill-fauou­redst, that are seene in the world, descending from one man; among many other foule diseases, was alwaies pla­gued, not onely with a Scabbed head, but a Scald pate, h M^r. George Sandys, in the first Booke of his Trauailes. which occasioned himselfe (as some say) to weare a white Shash (woollen would haue made his scald pate sorer) therefore his Turbant was of linnen; a faire out-side, for a purulent and stinking inside: And his followers must doe as he did, though they goe to the diuell as hee did. The present vse, euen as they intend it, is full of ridicu­lous folly. They will haue no haire on their head, except one locke on the top of their crowne, (so perhaps had their Mahomet, who was a man of much Matter, and of Running head) and by this locke, they hope to be lifted vp to Paradise; and this they couer, as the rest of their head, with a Turbant. Men besotted, not knowing the power of death, consuming their locke at length: nor the power of the Resurrection, which abhorreth [Page 33]so vnnaturall and deformed a sight.

To this thy great fault of wearing Vestures, of Turkish fashion, didst thou adde a greater of bearing Armes against Christians, in one of the Turkish shippes. Would you fight vnder the Banner of the Halfe-Moone, a­gainst the Streamer of the Crosse of Christ? and liue as a Bird of prey, in a man of Warre, and a Piraticall Thiefe of the sea, vpon most innocent and oppressed Christians? What had Christ deserued at thy hands, that thou shoul­dest turne thy weapons against thy Countrymen, friends, and kindred, against Christ himselfe in his members? Any bloud of the Christians, shed by thy assistance, will not be washed from thee, but by a fountaine of teares; for a little bloud discoloureth much water: no purple is so vn­changing, in-growne and lasting, as the purpured bloud of Innocents: And when thou hast wept, whil'st thou canst weepe, yet then vtter the prayer of the Prophet, Iere­my 9.1. Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a foun­taine of teares. Christ himselfe shed three sorts of teares, Teares of compassion on Hierusalem, Luk. 19.41. Oh powre forth thou the like, for those that are in any misery. Com­passion is aboue a common gift; for one giueth himselfe by it; magis dat, quise dat, quàm, qui de suis, saith Gregorie. The second sort of teares, which Christ shed, were teares of good will: when Lazarus was dead, and Christ saw Ma­ry weepe, and the Iewes weepe, hee wept also, Ioh. 11.35. whence perhaps proceeded that iniunction (that we might be like to our Sauiour) Weepe with them that weepa, Rom. 12.15. Thirdly, there streamed from Christ, teares of compunction recorded, Heb. 5.7. not for sins (or if for sins, for our sinnes, not any one of his, who had none) but, when he was in feare or danger. Follow thy Sauiour, thy guide, thy deliuerer; powre forth teares of compunction. There is no branch of thy offence, but must be laued and bathed in teares, and the spot soked-out, by weeping. Euen thy partaking with Turkes against the Armes of Christians, though some, (who themselues are suspected, [...] have beene faulty, as you weare) doe sleighten the [Page 34]offence, must cost thee many a sigth, many a bitter sobbe, many a prayer, and fruits of good workes worthy of Re­pentance. For thy soules sake, I desire thee, labour not to lessen thy fault; say not, Thou didst, what thou didst, to a good end, viz. in hope to escape their furious vngod­ly tyranny. Thou didst forget thine old lesson, though it be the Pearle, the Crowne, the Glory of Christianitie, Their damnation was iust, who did (but) affirme, that S. Paul did say, Let vs doe euill, that good may come, Rom. 11.8. More gri [...]uously may they be damned, who doe euill, that good may come. A Christian ought to hate sinne, with so perfect an hatred, that he ought not to commit one sinne for all the pleasures of the earth, nor for all that Satan offe­red vnto Christ, in his vaunting lye, viz. for all the king­domes of the world, and the glory of them. Yea, if it could be possible, that the Kingdome of heauen, and the ioyes thereof should be propounded, as a reward, for the acting of one sinne, we ought not to doe that one sinne, for to purchase Heauen; and I had farre rather be, as Christ was, in hell, without sinne, than in heauen with the ioyes ther­of, Iude verse 6. as some Angels were with sinne.

I come to thy false-guides, and most silly motiues that ensnared thee, and they were, (as I haue beene informed) these three; first, the example, with the perswasion of o­ther Renegadoes: secondly, the sense and feeling of pre­sent miserie, with the feare of worse to come: thirdly, the baites and allurements of immunitie present, and prospe­rity promised. Against all, and euery of which, thou shouldest haue beene armed with a Christian Panoply.

The example of other Reuolters, should rather haue terrified, than perswaded you; since some turne for spleen, others for gaine, the most for feare, none for conscience sake. Cherseogly became an Apostata, to be reuenged of his father, who had taken his wife from him, amidst the so­lemnitie of marriage. Vlacciali denyed the faith, to plague his fellow-gally-slaue, who called him Scald-pate. Like will to like; Scald-pate to Scald-pate; Vlacciali to Mahomet. [Page 35]Others change Faith for Gaine; and here the trecherous villany of Factors, is notorious; who being intrusted with much goods of their masters, turne Turkes, to be masters of those goods; destroying their soules to cozen the honest-braue Merchants-Aduenturers. Among all the Reuolters in Africa, you cannot name one, who whilest he was of our profession, serued God daily, ho­noured Christ duly, liued consciously, euidencing his fruitfull faith, by multitude of charitable workes. But, such as are among vs, though not of vs; such as are to choose Religion; Ambo-dexters, Nulli-fidians, such Am­phibia, as can liue, both on Land and Water, or such as haue stayned their soules with some blacke sinnes: these are the Chamelions which will change colour with euery ayre, and their beliefe, for matters of small moment. A Sparrow will be taught to imitate the exquisite melody of the Nightingale; but she will chirpe at the end, saith the learned Andrew Libauius.

may be the Mottoes of Hypocrites. In point of imitation, we are to follow the best men, not the worst, saith Augu­stine, in Psal. 39. He who of his owne deuoire without a patterne doth well, is best to be approued; he, who secon­deth the first, not in time or place, but in worth, and ma­keth the former his sampler, deserueth the next esteeme. Contrarily, he that leades the way in euill, is guiltie of a great offence; but he, of a greater, who is a follower of euill example: Augustine in Psal. 108. on those words, peccatum matris eius non delea­tur, thus; Quem­admodum Bono­rum Jmitatio, sacit, vt etiam propria peccata del [...]antur; sic malorum imita­tio facit, vt non solùm sua, sed etiam malorum quos imitati sunt, merita sortiantur. for he would not take warning by his brothers fall, which he would haue done; and as he is an Ape of one precedent, so is he a leader and drawer on of others, which he should not be. Nor are you to follow good men alone, but good men, onely in good things. Follow not Noah in Drunkennesse; Dauid in Adultery, and Murther; S. Peter in Deniall of his Master. Follow not that which is euill, but that which is good, in the 3. Epist. of S. Iohn, verse 11. Be yee followers of me, euen as I am of [Page 36]Christ, saith S. Paul 1. Cor. 11.1. Be ye followers of God. E­phes. 5.1. and that must needes be in all goodnesse onely.

I passe ouer to the next branch, The perswasions of Re­negadoes. Iudah cannot want an Adullamite, his friend in shew, to carry to Thamar, her promised gifts, Gen. 28.20. nor Ammon a subtile Ionadab, to draw him to villany, 2 Sam. 13.5. And there will still start vp a man of Belial, a Sheba, to blow a Trumpet, and say, We haue no part in Da­uid, 2 Sam. 20.1. All these, and the like, are recounted for our terrour; that we might auoid the Inticers, Broa­kers, and Panders vnto sinne; and what saith the Word of God; My sonne, if sinners intice thee, consent thou not, Pro. 1.10. First, perchance they told thee, That he who doth, as most doe, fewest will finde fault with him: and that there are more Turkes than Christians. By the same reason, a Turke must turne Gentile and Pagan; because euen at this day, there are more Infidels than Mahumetans. Goe not by num­ber, goe by weight. Profer stateram & appende: bring forth thy ballance, and weigh; and see, that much chaffe is weighed downe by a few graines of good corne: the narrow and vneuen path, leadeth to life; the broad way to de­struction. Secondly, perhaps they told thee, Thou mightest keepe thy conscience safe and stedfast, and GOD placed neuer a bone in thy tongue, but thou mightest turne it at thy pleasure: O blinde guides, leaders of the blinde! euen iust like him, who said, Iuravi linguâ, mentem iniuratam ge­ro. This hypocricie is a double sinne, quia. & iniquitas est, & simulatio. Dissembling of Religion, comes neere heresie; Tam pro iniquitate occultâ, quàm pro incredulitate apertâ. The Heart is the Father, the Mouth is the Mother of speech: if there be guile or hypocrisie, the issue is adulterous. Did not God frame thy body, as well as thy soule? Thou wert to present thy body, a liuing sacrifice, holy and acceptable vnto God; and this is your reasonable seruice, Rom. 12.1. Thou shalt loue the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soule, and with all thy minde, and with all thy strength, Mark. 12.30. Where, all the parts and faculties of the soule, and body [Page 37]are vnderstood. k Praecipetur no­bis, vt nostra tota Intentio, fe­ratur in Deum, quod est, Ex toto Corde; & quòd Intellectus noster subdatur Deo, quod est Ex toto mente; & quòd Appetitus noster, reguletur secun­dùm Deum, quod est Ex totâ Ani­mâ; & quòd, Exterior actus noster, obediat Deo, quod Est, ex totâ fortitu­dine, vel virtute, vel viribus Deum diligere, Aquin. 2^a. 2ae. Quest. 45. Artic. 5. in Corpore. He likes not the halfe seruice of the Soule alone, he loues the whole-burnt-Offering. All is too little that we can do, that we can giue. Causa diligendi Deum, Deus est; Modus, sine modo diligere, saith Bernard, And that Charity is commanded, which is, out of a pure heart, and a good Conscience, and Faith vnfained 1. Tim. 1.5. But thy heart was not pure, thy Conscience was er­ronious, thy Faith was feined. When they tempted, thou should'st haue praied: In a great suggestion, when one is cunningly set vpon, to forsake his Sauiour, it is a new sinne, a sinne, Vastans Conscientiam, ship-wracking a good Conscience, Then, not to call actually on Christ; then, not to Loue God, aboue all thinges. The affirmatiue Precept bindes not, at all times, alike, and on all occa­sions,

But, first, When we are deuoutly musing or reuoluing, of Gods Loue and Fauours, of old, bestowed on vs. Fauours, either positiue, or priuatiue; belonging, either to this life, or to the life eternall.

Secondly, When at the present; we receiue from the hand of God, some singular Blessing, concerning, the publike, or our owne particular.

Thirdly, When a man of Discretion, receiueth, either of the Sacraments.

Fourthly, When a man is Contrite, and humbled extra­ordinarily, by the sight of his sinnes; or desireth the vnual­uable benefit of Preistly Absolution.

Fiftly, When God's Honor is quaestioned, or his Name blasphemed.

Sixtly, When we are at any solemne Exercise, of Reli­gion, in any place.

Seuenthly, When priuately, we are in a serious delight­full speculation, and Contemplation of things diuine.

Eightly, When one is very sicke, or approaching to his Graue, or thinkes he lieth on his Death-bed.

Ninthly and lastly. Though death be farre of, if when we are terribly tempted, inwardly, or out-wardly; either [Page 38]by our owne Concupiscence, or by Satan, or by his Agents, if we doe not practise at these times, especially, according as we vowed in Baptisme, (that is) if we renounce not then, aboue other times, the Flesh, the World and the Deuill. If we do not then, feruently Pray; then actually implore Christ's ayde: if we doe not then, really Loue God aboue all things, summè, appreciatiue, and vnite our selues to him, with all our Heart, Soule, Minde and strength, we are debtors to that Law, Damnation is our Due, in Rigore.

l You may see [...]ome of these points, imper­fectly handled, by Nauarrus, [...] Manual: by Sotus, de Naturâ [...] Gratiâ, 2.22 by Valentian on Aquins Summ: Tom. 3. Disput. 3. Quaest [...]. [...]uncs. 1. In these things, when you were tempted, you were faultie: you called not on God, though he said, Call vpon me, in the time of trouble: you sought not for Comfort of Christ, who proclaymed, Come vnto me, all ye that be heauy laden, and I will refresh you: you did not adhaere, to your first loue, nor cleaue vnto your Sauiour. For these re­gardes, among other, thou wert iustly (for a time) forsaken of God.

The second motiue might be, The sight, of others Freedome, and the sence, of thy Misery, their Credit, thy Chaines, without hope of help; thy praesent Paine, and Feare of future worse harmes. Oh, but thou shouldest haue remembred, what Christ charged thee, Mat. 10.28. Feare not those, which kill the Body, but are not able to kill the Soule; but feare him, who is able, to destroy, both Body, and Soule, in hell. Thou should'st also haue call'd to minde, what is said, Iames 1.2, Count it all ioy, when yee fall into di­uerse Temptations; know that the Trying of your faith, worketh Patience; and let Patience haue her perfect worke. For it is thank-worthy, if a man, for Conscience sake toward God, en­dure greife; suffering wrongfully, saith the Apostle, 1. Peter 2.19. Which hee diuinely establisheth, by our Calling, and by the Example of Christ. A thousand places may be added, bending towards this point.

As, Iam. 5.8. Heb. 12.3, &. 7. [...]erses 1. Cor. 11. [...]2. Act. 14, 21. Luk. 22, 42. Rom 8, 18. Luke 14.27. and the whole Army of Confessors or Martyrs, Heb. 11 For, Reprobus tam alienus existit à verbere, quàm extraneus erit ab haeredi­tate; and, Meli­ùs est, innocen­tem esse, in ca­mino ignis, cum Filio. Dei, quàm in c [...]lo, sine illo. Hierom in Epist. ad Eusto­chium. Ne in immensum vo­lumen exten­dam; quaere, & inuenies, singu­los Sanctos, aduersa perpessos Chrysost, Homil. 4. in Philip: thus, Pro Christo pati, munus est, maio­ris admirationis, quàm mortuos excitare: In the one, I am a debtor to Christ; in the other Christ is a debtor to me. Angustin Ciuitat. 18.49, saith Christ by suffering Iudas, and vsing him well, gaue a patterne to the Church, of induring euil.—Passione ostendit, quid sustinere, proveritate, Resurrectione, quid sperare, in aeternitate, debeamus. Ambrose, calleth Patience, the Mother of the faithful. The Fathers haue wrote, whole tractates; Tertullian, a Booke de Patientia: Cyprian another Booke, de Bono patientiae. The Last Motiue, why you yeelded to their temptati­ons, might be, The consideration of your present enlarg­ment, your freedome from all Taxes, your worldly re­putation [Page 39]among them, and the diuerse gifts, which, as re­wards, are vsually tendered to their new Proselites, and their alluring Promises, the Baites of vnstable Soules. What perchance they could not effect vpon you, by you, by dryed Bull-pizells, by knotted Ropes, tip't with black-and-blew; by Whippes discoloured with thy blood, by multiplyed blowes, fiercely inflicted on thy Belly, by yokes, by manicles and pedicles of iron; by vnwholsome vapoures; the cold dampes, and nastinesse of Dungeons in the night; by reproaches, hunger, thirst, nakednes, scorching heates, labour, and torture in the day, (for, this is the misusage of poore Captiued-Christians, by the barbarous tyranny of sauage Mahumetans) I say, what those Miscreantes by such extreamities could not compasse; the enticements of pleasure, and worldly pre­ferment, did worke about, on thee, to their desires. The sawning sun-shine, might make you put of the habit of Christianitie, which the storme of Perfection, perhaps, made you keepe close. Heere you should haue remem­bred the Apostolicall Thunder-bolt, vpon those; that are Louers of pleasure, more then louers of God, 2. Timoth, 3.4. From such turne away or, the Example, of that chosen Vessel of Honor, Galat. 6, 14. God forbid, that I should glory, saue in the Crosse of our Lord Iesus Christ, whereby the World, is crucified vnto me; and I vnto the World. n Other places against the delightes of this world, are 2. Peter, 2.18.—Rom. 12, 2. Iohn 5, 30. Iohn 6, 38. Ecclesiastes 2, 1.—Iob. 21.1. Luke 6, 25. Rom. 13, 13. 1 Timoth, 5, 5. 1 Iohn, 2, 15. Matt. 49. Matt. 16, 24: fortasse, non est Laboriosum homini, relinquere sua; sed valde laboriosum est, relinquere semet ipsum: minus est, abnegare, quod habet; valdè multum est, abnegare, quod est. Gregory Homil. 32, in Euangel. For, how can a Christian be bettered then the world? when he is better then the World. Matt. 6.20. We must lay our our treasure, where Rust, Moth or Theiues, thinges senselesse, [Page 40]sensitiue or reasonable may not hurt. Our hearts must be set against the World; for, if it did loue vs, wee should not loue it; but since it hateth Vs, let Vs hate it; and let our conuersation be in Heauen; and let vs with the Apostle, Philip. 3.8. account all things but losse, all thinges but dung, that wee may win Christ: but you (poore soule) contrarily, by seeking to gaine the World, did loose Christ. False pleasures, and seeming-gaine, with-drew you from Him, who is the Great, the Only Gaine. For, if you be Circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.

Let me not be thought, (beloued in the Lord) to be too seuere, in aggrauating the Circumstances, of a pro­strate Poenitents Sinne. I professe, my heart is mooued with sorrow, for him: and pitty, toward him: I grieue with him, who grieueth: I beare, part of his burden. And whil'st I strike, I grone; whil'st I reprooue, my Bowels earne, and my faint Passions melt. But, which is better, a pleasing, pleasant neate Physitian, or an healing? Non quaero medicum elegantem, sed sanantem, said the Wise-man of old. As I expect mercy, I would not adde weight to the oppressed, nor, breake, the bruized reede. But, since in my hearing, such a Fault, was said in effect, to be payde-for too deare, with such a Pennance: since too many in this Con­gregation, out of a Compassion vncharitably-charitable, Lessen such an offence: since it is presumed, that Diuerse praesent, haue runne the same course, with the delinquent (though it cannot be prooued as yet) and since it may turne to the terror of others hereafter (who of this Maritime-towne may be taken Captiues) I haue labou­red, to cut-out the Core; to shew the Renouncing of Christ, to be a most heynous, abominable, and execrable sinne. I acknowledge, We must not be too bitter Sic necesse est, vulneratae ani­mae, medicamen­ [...]um temperetur, [...]e miniâ me­di [...]enti auste­ritate, ampliùs vulneretur. God­fridus Abbas Vindocinensis, lib. Epist. 1. Epist. 12. Salt-water is not so fit, to clense and whiten some things as the fresh, and somethings are better preserued, with Sugar, then with Lalt. The good Shepheard, cast not away, the lost-sheepe; but, laid it on his shoulders, reioycing, [Page 41]Luke 15.5. Yea, therefore dyed, that, it might not dye. When there was mors in ollâ, Meale was cast in. 2. Kings, 4.41. An ouer-earnest impetuous Reproofe, kills, insteede of cutting Ferrum de manubrio prosi­lit, cùm de cor­ruptione, sermo durior excidit, saith Gregorius Magnus. Yet, the naughtie water and barren Ground were healed with Salt, by the meanes of the same Elisha 2. Kings. 2.21. The good Samaritan, powred, as well Wine as Oile into the wound. Ferè dulcia omnia, in bilem, & amaro­rem commutantur. The Word of God is likened to Hony. Psal. 19, 11. Yet Hony applyed to woundes, breedes smart, saith Plutarch in the beginning of Phocions Life [...]; etiam mel habet satietatem. Therefore it is good, to widen the Orifice; and to search the wound, to the bottom. Palliated Cures do breed more paine. Therefore that thy Shame before Men, may take of, the shame, which otherwise would be Great, before God, and all the Angels of Heauen, and all the blessed Saints at the Dreadfull Day of Retribution; and this thy present Humiliation, may finde acceptance with God, Condemne thy selfe, that thou may'st not be Condemned: The readiest way to Heauen, is by acknowledging thy offence, to haue deserued Hell. It will be a godly sor­row, breeding future Comfort, patiently, and willingly, to heare a Recapitulation of thy sinnes. With Lots-wife thou hast look't backe to Sodom. Thou hast giuen cause of offence to many Quod est proximi pecca­tum, est tu [...]m peccatum; si tibi placet; much more, if he fell, through thy example. Perdi­tionis exemplum ostendentes, rati­onem animae per­ditae reddent, saith Diuine S. Augustine. Thou conuersed'st with Turkes and Renegados, and they are able almost to corrupt a Saint: A little leauen, leaueneth the whole lumpe Citiùs, quae amara sunt, mu­tant dulcia, quàm quae dul­cia sunt, amara. Naturâ ita com­paratum est, saith Bernard, vt cùm honum malo coniunga­tur, non malum, à bono meliore­tur, sed bonum, [...] malo contamine­tur. The Leprosie infected the very stones, of the Leapers-house: and the infected stones, were to be carried away: yea, the vninfected stones, were to be scraped within, round-about Leuit. 14.41. Therefore hast thou neede of much clensing. Thou hast changed, thy Habit and Vestmentes, in token, of change in Religion: thou hast denyed thy Faith. Thy sinne of being Circumcised, was a bloody sinne; Thy de­forming of thy head, thy Crimen crinium, I will call, natu­rally, morally, in a double sense Capitale. Thy fighting against Christians, was an offence of an high-hand, lifted [Page 42]vp against Christ. Thou wert ouer head and eares. Wholy vnder water; thou wert Totally falne; and if thou had'st then dyed, without Repentance, thou had'st beene as cer­tainely damned, as the Deuills of Hell. The present remorse sheweth, thou wert not Finally falne: thou hast recoue­red both thy Head aboue, and thy Body out of the wa­ters, which might haue swallowed thee vp. And now, continuing in the estate of Repentance, and Good­workes thou art as sure to be saued, as the Angels of Heauen.

I should sinne against Christ, against this our weake Brother, for whom Christ dyed, if I left him in thoughts of Despaire, and annexed no Comfort: Therefore will I now come to the third, and last inference from my Text. That the present damnable estate, of them, that beleeue in Circumcision, doth not hinder, but rather in­clude, the blessed estate of him who repenting after Cir­cumcision, desireth to be receiued into the Body of Christs Church. I must be breefe. The summe is, Repen­tance is of so great a power, that it tyeth Gods hands from punishing. The first hearty Grone of a truely Con­trite, and fully poenitent soule, findeth Mercy with the God of Mercies, though thousands cozen themselues in­to Hell, by selfe presuming, thinking they haue repented. Repentance washeth away sinnes, reconcileth and reuni­teth Vs vnto God, it purchaseth Grace, it prepareth Vs for Glory: it is secunda tabùla post naufragium. If Caine, Achitophel, the Iewes who vrg'd our Sauiours death, if Iudas, if, He that sinneth against the Holy-Ghost, of the Deuills them­selues could sufficiently Repent, and continue in it, I should not doubt of their Saluation. That sinne cannot be com­mitted, which cannot be pardoned through Repentance. Let not the bold, daring presumptuous sinner heare this Truth: I speake to a Contrite Heart, to a Sorrowfull soule, a Conscience, in agonie and anguish, to keepe it from Gulph of dispaire. I cannot but adde, That innocency it selfe, giuen to Adam, was not so great a gift, as Repen­tance, [Page 43]which God vouchsafeth to vs; Aquinas 2^•. 2ae. Quaest. 106. Artic. 2. Donum Innocentiae, se­cundùm se con­sideratum, est maius donum, quàm donum poenitentia; ta­men, respectu Subiecti, est mi­nus Beneficium. A whole, and perfect Gar­ment (to the eye of man) is better then the same in pecces and snippets; yet a Garment in peeces, may be so sewed, and decked, and the seames so laced, with Gold, and en­rich'd with Pearle, that, to the same mans sight, it will seeme better, then the for­mer intire Vesture: So, a Broken and Con­trite Heart (dis-reputed by men) if it be beautified with Teares as Pearles; and the Rentes sewed, couered and embrodered with seuerall Graces, as withneedle worke, & wrought-Gold, (which is the trimming of the Churches Rayment, Psal. 45.13.—) is more precious in the sight of true iudging men, of Angels, and especially of God himselfe, then hee, that needeth no Repentance. Wherefore, let vs not fly, cum Adamo, ad late­bras, sedcum Petro ad lachrymas. for the estate of Innocency was conferred on him, who had no opposite disposition, but Repentance is giuen to vs, who in our Naturals, and by our personall misdeedes, deserue no­thing, (without the death of Christ) but wrath, punish­ment, and hell.

No meruaile therefore, if the Angels doe reioyce more ouer one sinner that repenteth, than ouer many righteous, that neede no Repentance; comparatiuely with others, or in their owne vnguided opinions. I proceede, by how much the offence is the greater, and the Repentance more viuid and vigorous, hearty and feruent; by so much the more is the ioy of Angels increased. Of Angels did I say? yea, of God himselfe, Jpsa Spiritus-Sancti substantia, quae est quicquid ipse est, contristari non potest, cùm habeat aeternam at (que) incommunicabilem beatitudinem: magis (que), sit ipsa aeterna & incommutabilis beatitudo, Augustin. de Genesi ad Litteram. 4.9. Deus [...] est & imperturbabilis. Ambrosi­ues thus, Gaudet Spiritus Sanctus, saluti nostrae; non sibi, qui non indiget laetitiâ. in whom though there be no parts, nor passions properly; yet, since metaphorically, and [...] He is said to be iealous, and Angry, for our transgressions, Ezek. 16.42. My iealousie shall depart from thee, and I will be quiet, and no more angry, and verse 43. Thou hast fretted me in all these things [...], contristabas me. They vexed his holy spirit, Esa. 63.10. [...], afflicted it. And, I am pressed vnder you, as a Cart is pressed that is full of sheaues, Amos 2.13. And not onely Christ, as man, did weepe for Hierusalem, (for his enemies in Hierusa­lem) but, The holy spirit may be grieued, Ephes. 4.30. Grieue not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed to the day of Redemption: He may be also said, to reioyce in Good­nesse, to delight in the Repentance of a sinner. And if You, our deare afflicted Brother, bee now throughly [Page 44]sorrowfull, for your enormous sinnes, I dare say, There is ioy extraordinary, in heauen at this time, for thy sake. I haue shewed, that Repentance remoueth away the Sword and the Fire from Paradise; that, it openeth the Gate of hea­uen. I had thought, at large to haue handled these points following.

That, no man is left wholly to himselfe to be iudge of the degrees of his Repentance, and reconciliation with God; but in great perplexities, hath neede of the Keyes of the Church, committed to Gods Priests or Ministers. Not the learned themselues: (who would be partiall in their owne causes, though vpright Iudges of others) for euen the learnedst, and best of these, haue some times called in for ayde of their fellow-Ministers; much more, haue the halfe-learned, and the vnlearned, neede of counsaile, com­fort, reprehension, of the spirituall foode of the Body and Bloud of our Lord; of Absolution and Benediction mi­nisteriall. That God hath giuen the guidance of soules to the Ministers of the Church, who haue a true Ministeri­all Power, to remit Sinnes, and to inflict Poenitentiall Punish­ments. That Church-Discipline ought to be strained vp higher, and, both in more vse and more esteems. That, the old iust se­uerity of the Primitiue Church did, like an Indulgent Mother, Alijs animali­bus, intra ven trem, vbera in mammas desi­nunt, mulieri supernè ad pe­ctus,: vt in promptu sit, Os­culari, Fouere, Nut [...]ire infan­tem, quia parien­d [...] & alendi fi­n [...]s, Amor est, non Necessitas, [...]utarch. Nul­lus pater tam Pater, quàm Deus, Nulla mater tam Ma­ter quàm Eccle­sia. Admit euen those, that had more than once offended. That, Penance is not a cold, fruitlesse, vnne­cessary ceremony. Augustine Homil. 49. inter Quinquaginta, alloquitur fide­les adulteros, (not vs wee vse to [...]ay, a faith­full Drunkard, who sets vp his rest in drink­ing) but, the Faithfull men that sometime had beene A­dulterers. Agite poeniten­tiam, qualis agi­tur in Ecclesiá, vt pro vobis, oret Ecclesia. Nemo, sibi dicat; Occultè ago: apud Deum ago, qui mihi ignoscit, quia in corde ago. Ergo, fine causâ dictum est, Quaecun (que) solueritis in Terra, soluta erunt in Coelis? Ergo sine causâ, sunt claues datae Ecclesiae Dei? Frustramus Euangelium? Fru­dramus verba Christi? And in the last Homily of the fiftie, hee preferreth the Pardons of the Church, before the Pardons of Emperours: Certiores sunt Claues Ecclesiae, quàm Corda Regum. Quibus clauibus quodcun (que) in Terrâ soluitur, etiam in Coelo solutum promitti­tur: & multò est honestior humilitas, quâ, se quis (que) humiliat Ecclesiae Dei; & labor minor im­ponitur, & nullo temporalis mortis periculo, mors aeterna vitatur. Then, had I thought, to haue clo­sed with earnest exhortation to the Repentant, that, if hee knoweth any other sinnes, or Circumstances agrrauating his owne sinnes, more than he hath reuealed, & which doe trouble his conscience, he would reueale them; and [Page 45]not thinke this punishment can couer or cure his offen­ces, not knowne. And, that he would all the dayes of his life, labour to worke out his saluation, with feare and trembling, and in holy [...]uties of Christianity. Quis nau­seabit ad Antidotum; qui hiauit ad Venenum? I would also haue besought the Auditorie, not to triumph in the mi­serie of a Penitent; not to obiect hereafter, that offence vnto him, that God hath remitted, by his Church: but, rather to shew their charitie, their liberality in Redee­ming of Captiues, in preuenting such sinnes; which is a worke, most acceptable to God. Lastly, if any other of this company haue done any of the like offences, which yet lye hid. I would haue made it manifest vnto them, that they haue no remedy so good, as publike acknow­ledgement of their sinnes, that they had need make their knees as hard as horne with kneeling; to cry and call to God till they grow hoarce; to weepe till their eyes bee bloud shot; to hunger and thirst after mercy, to gape and gaspeafter comfort: and when they haue done all these things, or the like deedes of mortification, they would be more willing than they are now, to humble them­selues to our Church, and by her absolution, either re­ceiue Pardon from God, or, (if it be before receiued) In­crease of Grace Spirituall.

These things, & more, I propounded to haue handled: but I haue made a great trespasse vpon the time already; and therefore conclude with Prayer vnto Almighty God.

I Shall be forced to doe what Israel promised Sihon king of the Amo­rites, Numb. 21. passe through his country, without turning a­side into the Fields or Vineyards: Or as your Saylors, whom time forbiddeth most while to draw Landskips, but with a Sea-marke or twaine, they make directly for the Harbour. He whose name is Wonderfull, Isai. 9. Heb. 1.6. and whom all the Angels of God must worship, [...] and [...]: Bids Iohn write in a Booke what he saw, and send it to the seuen Churches of Asia, cap. 1: verse 1. and here vnto the An­gell of the Church of Ephesus, write, I passe by that strange assertion of some men in fauour of vnwritten Traditions that tell vs the Apostles receiued commandement, Vide Chemnit. exam. concil. Trident parte I^a. de Epistolit Apostolorum. not to Write, but onely to Preach: and yet S. Peter, Paul, Iames, Iude, write, and S. Iohn is bid Write, I must leaue on one side, the dignity of the Pastors, and their duty on the o­ther; and how what is written to the Churches, must bee sent to the Pastor of each Church; Laudunens. in loc. Mal. 2.7. either because as An­selme will, their sinnes, their soules shall be required at his hands; or because the Priests lips should preserue know­ledge, and they should seeke the Law at his mouth. Yet [Page 50]many, with another spirit then was his who spake it; say they are wiser than their teachers; and for the Scriptures, praesumunt, lacerant. Hieron. ad Pau­ [...]iuum. Cap. 1. v. vlt. O what sencelesse sence doe those pre­sumptuous Ignorants oft times impose vpon it? But the wisest will remember they are but Candlestickes, and be­cause they doe remember it, they are golden Candlesticks: but the Candles, the Starres themselues which giue the light, are the Angels of the Churches, those whom God hath singled out and set apart to teach his people.

The letter to the Church of Ephesus, doth follow. I know thy workes, and thy labour, &c. The first part whereof may be diuided into a proofe, and a reproofe. First, what God approues and commends: secondly, what he dis­likes and discommends. Many were their good workes, especially their vndergoing the Crosse and persecution patiently. They made a difference betweene weakelings, and such as offended presumptuously; they could not forbeare them which were cuill. Though they were rea­dy to beare home the straying sheepe vpon their shoul­ders, 1 Cor. 5.5. yet the incestuous Corinthian must be cut off. Their Pulpit was not open to euery title-lesse wandring Prea­cher, but his calling must be knowne, ere his doctrine must be heard, and therefore they did examine such as came vnto them in the name of Apostles. And all this did they for the name of Christ: and what makes much for their commendation, they did all couragiously, they fainted not. In Gen. Homil. 30. And yet after all this, comes in a neuerthelesse, and they are reproued. Neuerthelesse I haue somewhat a­gainst thee, because thou hast left thy first loue. Chrisostome speaking of the Pharisee in the 18. of S. Luke, that did pray so earnestly, and fast so strictly, and pay tithes so consci­onably, and yet had a poore Publican preferred before him; tels vs that he suffered a strange kinde of shipwrack. He had made a good voyage, and lost all at home in his owne harbour: this can selfe-conceit doe. I may say as much of these Ephesians. They had made an excellent voyage, and were laden with many gracious commodities, [Page 51]and so one leake in the harbour did indanger all. This can the want of loue doe. Thou hast left thy first loue. Remem­ber therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and doe thy first workes.

The parts are two

• 1 An Exhortation, the first discouers the wound,
• 2 A Direction. the second declares the remedy▪

Or here's

• Remember for the time past.
• Repent for the time present, and
• Doe the first workes for the time to come.

Or here's

• 1 Their misery or sinne. They are fallen.
• 2 The height or greatnesse of their sinne. Whence and whither they fell.
• 3 The salue, Repentance.
• 4 The Rowle which tyes it on, or the application. Doe thy first workes.

1 S. Bernard hath a true saying; He that knoweth not his owne misery, i [...] vncapable of Gods mercy. And the Laodice­ans in the next Cap. were in a wofull case, that said, they were rich, and needed nothing, & yet were wretched, mi­serable, poore, blind, naked. The first step to repent, is to know our offence; and the way to arise, is to know our selues downe. The whole neede not a Physitian, Luk. 5.31. Rom. 3.23. cap. 3.2. but they that are sicke; and the sin-sicke Publican calls for mercy. Indeed we haue all sinned as S. Paul tels vs: All in many things, as S. Iames. And though Noah were said to bee a iust or vpright man, yet it was but insua generatione, in re­gard of the time wherein hee liued, and comparatiuely. And Zachary and Elizabeth were iust before God; that is, sine fuce. What they did, they did vnfeinedly, and yet iust by the fauour of acceptation, not in the rigour of exami­nation. We may not therefore wonder that these Ephesi­ans fell, and that their siluer was mixed with some drosse, which could not indure the fire. Nor may we thinke their fall little, whom so seuere a Commination doth attend, as is the remouing of their Candlesticke out of his place.

2 The sinne laid to their charge, is the leauing of their first Loue. Ad Ephes. cap. 1.15.16, S. Paul tels vs, that he ceased not to giue thankes to God for them, because they had faith towards Christ, 1 Reg. 7.21. and loue towards all his Saints. S. Iohn tels vs, they were sallen from this loue: their faith is not questioned, These are the two pillars Iachin and Boas, which beare vp the entrance or porch into the Temple. Tortul. aduers. pr [...] of the [...]inity. Faith and chari­ty must goe together, and must be numerus sine diuisione, distinguished they may be, diuided, sundred they cannot be, and be at all. And therefore it is not said, They were fallen from loue, L [...]a in loc. [...]anch. tomo 7. de perseuerant. Sanctorum. for so they must haue come within the compasse of S. Pauls Nothing, 1 Cor. 13. but they were fallen from their first loue, à tanto gradu, from that feruen­cy which formerly they had. Either they loued not all the Saints, or they loued them not in that measure: they were partiall, or they were cold in their affections.

This is that sinne which called for so heauy a punish­ment, and without Repentance and Returning to their first estate, would (notwithstanding their many other re­ligious actions) bring on them an euerlasting misery. And yet doe we scarce loue any Saints much lesse all; and we neuer did esteeme that doctrine which teacheth vs to loose our purse-strings, and powre out. Wee haue fed our Auditory so long with Sola fides, [...] Cap. 1 [...]. Ambrose. [...] Hip. [...] Pap. that Charity is frozen amidst the fire of our zeale, and Lazarus is dismissed with that cold, comfortlesse almes in S. Iames, Depart in peace. And most of vs are become Custodes non Domini, slaues to god Mammon; we haue not power of our owne. And if any be so tender hearted, as to relieue, restore, compassi­onate his brothers misery; some shall vntruely iudge him for no true Christian; and other new reformers shall neere challenge him of old Religion. Thus dare presumptuous impiety fall not onely from her first loue, if she had euer any, [...]cl [...]s. 7.8. Pro. 5.22. but from loue it selfe, and yet shall challenge heauen for her inheritance. She shall adde sinne to sinne, and bind many together, and yet forget her selfe to be holden with the cords of her owne sinne. Shee shall fall, neuer any [Page 53]Ephesian worse, few euer like, and yet perswade her selfe she stands vpright.

The Church of Ephesus is onely taxed for defect in Ioue, but many of vs are like Mephibosheth, lame in both fecte. We are fallen, 2 Sam. 9.13. we are fallen not onely from loue to­ward all the Saints, Rom. 8.33. but from the faith we had in the Lord Ie­sus. Persecuion can seperate vs from the loue of Christ, Ephes. 6.16. and the blast of affliction can make vs throw off the shield of faith. Yea, many times we fall away non persecutionis im­petused voluntario lapsu, the demand of a doore-keeper, or the voice of a Maide, will terrifie vs, as it befell Peter; and we are prone vpon the least occasion to renounce, dis­claime, Phil. 2.10.11. defie that excellent Name by which wee haue hope, the blessed name of Iesus. A name which euery tongue must confesse, to which euery knee must bow, then which there is no other name vnder heauen where­by we must be saued; Cic. in Verrem. lib. 2. of Sotor. and of which a Heathen could giue this testimony, Ʋt vno verbo exprimi non possit. It is a name of wonder.

But some haue thought it tollerable, Tertul. apol. c. 27. if not lawfull in time of pesecution to deny Manente apud animum proposi­to: so the minde be free. Indeed what haue not some thought, or what monstrous opinions were there euer heard of, but could finde some one or other to defend them? One commends the quartan Ague, another writes in praise of Folly; Anaxagoras thinkes the snow is black, Danaeus in cap. 4 Aug. de Heres. Gab. Prateolu [...]. and Catilina si iudicatum erit meridie non lucere certus erit competitor. He will sweare the sunne shines not at noone day. The Basilidians, the Dauid-Georgians, not onely defend that damnable opinion of denying, but (so com­monly doth one absurditie, one sinne beget another) they scoffed at, they scorned, they cryed shame on all the holy Mar [...]yrs for their sufferings. But we haue not so learn'd Christ. Those Chameleons liue not in our Element, nor come they within the verge of the Church. Omnis Aristip­pum decuit color. He is none of ours. No no: the resolued Christian will scorne to bow his knee to Baal. He knowes [Page 54]there is a woe to him that hath a double heart, Ecclus. 2. and is faint-hearted. He knowes we may not take the name of God in vaine, Math. 10. much lesse deny him. And that wee must not feare those which kill the body, and are not able to kill the soule: but rather feare him which is able to de­stroy both soule and body in hell: and that whosoeuer shall deny his Sauiour before men, shall one day be deny­ed before God. Thom. Aquin. 2^a. 2ae. q. 3. art. 2. Math. 10.23. B. King, on Jo­nas, Lect. 29. This makes the Schooleman resolue, that vpon paine of damnation, we are bound in some case [...] to abide the triall, and confesse our faith, when it shall conduce either to the honour of God, or the profit of our neighbour. And that indulgence of our blessed Sauiour, of flying from City to City, is neither for all men, nor all times. This made the Saints, the seruants of God, not onely not deny, but to proclaime themselues Christians, and to run vpon those vnsufferable torments and iawes of death, Aquin. 2^a. 2ae. q. 124. art. 3. ex zelo fidei & charitate fraterna, &c, saith Aquinas. Out of the feruency of their faith, and to hearten and en­courage their Brethren. The Martyrs haue often come forth and offered themselues to the fire, or other furie of their enemies. Apolog. cap. 1. This made Tertullian cry out, Christianis quid simile? &c. What may be compared to the Christian? question him, and he is glad: accuse him, and he saith guilty: Euseb. Eccles. Hist. lib. 4. c. 13. adiudge him to death, and he will giue thee thankes. This made Antoninus Pius giue a liberall testimo­ny of them in his time, It is their desire in Gods quarrell rather to dye than to liue.

Not to speake of Isaiah cut in twaine, Sixtus Senensis lib. Sanct. lib. 1. Ieremy stoned, Ezekiel beheaded, Daniel in the Denne, and his three companions in the Ouen: and indeed which of the Pro­phets haue not beene persecuted and slaine? Act. 7.52. 2 Machab. 6. ibid. c. 7. nor of Elea­zer beaten to death being fourescore yeere old and ten? nor of that honourable woman, and her seuen sonnes, enduring to the amazement of the tormentors. And though it be most true as one saith, Erasmus virgi­num & Martyr. comparat. Parentes atrocius tor­quentur in liberis quàm in seipsis. The poore Mother suffered more Martyrdomes, than shee had children, and euery [Page 55]stripe their backes felt, went to her heart, yet she exhor­ted euery one of them, with a manly stomacke, and pray­ed them all to dye couragiously, neuer deploring that she had brought them forth to such misery, but ouer­ioyed that she should be the mother of so many Saints.

And though I know it to be true what the Orator hath vetera exempla profictis fabulis iam audiri. Cic. 3. in verrem. Yet will I touch at a few of those holy Saints and blessed Soules in Heauen Who willingly, ioyfully, constantly yeelded vp their spirits in his quarrell, who first trod out the way, Euseb. Eccles. Hist. lib. 4. c. 1 [...]. and shed his blood for them. Policarpe, When many vrged him to deny his Sauiour and saue himselfe, answered re­solutly, fourescore and six yeeres haue I serued him, neither hath he euer offended me in any thing, and how can I reuile my king who hath thus long preserued me? And when the Proconsul threatned to burne him, his answere was; Thou threatnest fire for an hower, which lasteth a while and is quickly quenched, but thou art ignorant of the euerlasting fire, of the day of Iudgment, and of the endlesse torments which are prepared for the wicked. And being now come to his last, he turneth from his persecutor to his Maker. O God (saith he) I thanke thee, that thou hast graciously vouchsafed this day and this houre, Idem lib. 3. c. 32. Gr. 35. to alot me a portion among the number of Martyrs and seruants of Christ. Ignatius, when he was sent from Syria to Rome to be meat for wild beasts. Now (saith he) doe I begin to be a Disciple, I weigh neither visible nor invisible things: Let fire, Gallowes, Violence of beasts, bruising of bones, racking of the members, stamping of my whole body, and all the plagues Satan can inuent light vpon me, so I may win my Sauiour Christ. Simeon, Fox 3^a persecuti­one. Euseb. Eccles. Hist. lib. 8. cap. 6. Bishop of Hierusalem being an hundred and twenty yeeres old, was scourged many daies toge­ther, and at last crucified. Peter a Noble man of Nico­media, had his body rent in pieces with the lash, after­ward, vinegar mixt with salt, was powred into his wounds, and last of all he was fryed to death vpon a Grediron. [Page 56] Sanctus, Idem lib. 5. c. 1. one that would neither confesse his name, kin­dred, or country, but onely that he was a Christian, had his body fired, seared, scorched with hot plates of brasse. Forty Martyrs, Fox indecima persecut. ex Ba­sil. yong Gentlemen, for professing them­selues Christians, were in the depth of winter compelled to stand in a Pond all the night, and in the morning, ta­ken out and burned. Take one Woman among the rest, Blandina, Euseb. lib. 5 c. 1. who was tormented from morning till night; the executioners tormenting her by turnes, and after a world of cruelties, she was wrapped in a net, and tum­bled before a wilde Bull, which tossed her too and fro vpon his hornes; and for a farewell, she had her head di­uided from her body. Iaques de La­uardin Hist-of Scanderbeg. lib. 11. I haue read of some, and those some of the valiantest the world did see within their age, who, after all kinde of ignominy and Turkish crueltie practi­sed vpon them, were fleaed aliue by little and little, for fifteene dayes together. Heb. 11.32. Euseb. lib. 6. c. 40 Gr. 41. Ibid. cap. 41. Gr. 42. Jbid. cap. 40. Idem. lib. 5. c. 1. And (to borrow the Apostles words,) what shall I more say? for the time would be too short for me to tell how some had their eyes pricked out with sharpe quilles, as Metras: some were beaten to death with cudgels, as Ischyrion: some had all their teeth beaten out of their head, as Apollonia. And what should I speake of the setting them in the stockes, and stretching their legges vnto the fifth hole? Fox decima persecut. or of the iron chayre, wherein they sate broyling to death? of holes made in their neckes, and their tongues drawne out backward? their eyes pulled out, and the hollow places seared with hot irons? D. King on Jonas, Lect. 24. powning in mortars? rowling in barrels ar­med with pikes of iron? D. Benefield on Amos, Lect. 7 Womens breasts seard? Gab. Proteo­lus lib. 7. § 7. Vir­gins faces whipped? their whole body abused, prostitu­ted and tormented? I am faint in telling, and you bee weary in hearing, but they vnterrified, vndaunted, endu­red all couragiously. Erasmus vir­ginum & Mar­tyr. comparat. Tertul. apol. c. 50. Hemming in Psal. 84. vers. 7. Tyrannornm ingeniosa crudelitas, saith one. The bloudy Tyrants set their wits on work to inuent torment; but nihil proficit exquisitior quae (que), saith ano­ther: the more the torments, the more the Martyrs. Their bloud was like corne sowne, one brought forth many. [Page 57]Yea the persecutors themselues were astonished to see their constancy, and how they went to their Martyrdom, Nasians: Orat. 32 de Macha­baeis. tanquam ad epulas, tanquam ad delicias, Hosius Confess. fidei cap 6 8. Nasians: Cyg­neorum Carm. lib. & Orat. 32. de Machabaeis. Heb. 12. Moses and Maximus &c. 26. Epist. inter opera Cypriani. tanquam ad nuptia­lem thalamum, they went to the fire as to a feast, as to a dainty feast, as to their bridall bed.

Wherefore let vs also seeing that we are compassed with so great a cloud of witnesses, cast away euery thing that presseth down, and the sinne that hangeth so fast on. Let vs remember from whence we are fallen, that so wee may repent, and doe the first workes. We can offer vp no greater Sacrifice to our Master: We can purchase no greater happinesse to our selues: We can leaue no better example to others: We can bring no greater com­fort to our friends, then vnder the hand of the mercilesse Executioner vndauntedly to acknowledge whose ser­uants we are, and with a free, though fading spirit to con­fesse our Sauiour.

First, We can offer vp no greater sacrifice to our Master: Cypri. epist. 9. & Epist. 25. &c. Lib. de Duplici Martyrio inter opera Cypriani tomo. 3^o. You shall first vnderstand who ought properly to be called a Martyr. Cyprian makes two sorts. The first of them who shed their bloud, the second of them who are ready so to do for Christs sake: And to those last torments were wanting (saith one) they were not wanting to the torments. Zacnh. tomo. 6. in cap. 2 ad Phi­lip. vers. 30. apud Aquinam. 2^a. 2ae. q. 124. art. 4. Zanchius acknowledgeth that the Church did vsually call this later sort Confessors, yet he will haue Epaphroditus a Martyr, and Hierom doth some where call the blessed Virgin a Martyr, quamuis in pace vitam finierit, & Policrates Euseb. lib. 3. c. 28. G. 3. calls Iohn the Euangelist a Martyr. And Chrisost. tells the people of Antioch, that a man may alway be a Martyr, for Iob was one and suffered more then many Martyrs did, Homil. 25. saith Bernard in his Sermon of Abbot Bene­dict pretily differenceth Martyrs from Confessors and somwhere else tells vs of three kinds of Martyrdom with­out bloud. We must first conclude with Cyprian and Augustine. The cause, not the sufferinge, makes a Martyr. in senten. Gab. Prateolus. Elench Heres lib. 3. §. 5. We disclaime the Campates a kind of Donatists, who would haue all voluntary Deaths Martyrdomes. I thinke [Page 58]S. Augustine calls them Circumcelliones. August. de Haeres: cap. 69. Prateol. lib. 13. §. 16. Zanch. tomo. 6. in epist. ad Phil. Cap 1^o. Idem ibid. August. tomo. 8. in Psal. 118. Vbi Supra. in Cap. 2. vers. 30. in 2^am. 2^ae. q. 124. art: 4. Apud Zanch. vbi Supra. in cap. 1. And likewise Peli­bianus who taught them to be Martyrs who slew them­selues in detestation of their sinnes. But so (saith one) Iudas should haue been a Martyr. Secondly as Talis Causa so talis paena. They are Martyrs who testifie the truth Vs (que)ad mortem, euen sealing it with their bloud. The other whom the Church calls Confessors, are Perinde ac Mar­tyres, aequiuocè Martyres, so Zanchius: designati Martyres, so Tertullian interpretatiuè, inchoatiuè secundum quid, & mentall Martyrs, So Caietan. And therfore we may be bold with S. Augustine to blot out some, and question other some euen the holy innocents themselues, question I say not their blisse, but their testimony that the dignity of proto-martyr­ship may remaine vnto S. Steuen. The summe of all is this. He is properly a Martyr, who is tormented to the death for the word of God, Reuel. 1.9. & for the testimony of Iesus Christ. Of King Henry and Queene Mary Martyrs, both for the honor of the dead, and the peace of the Church, I say no­thing. Academ. quaest. Perchance the question then was, or most while was for bounds as Tully speakes, but now 'tis for the whole possession and inheritance. Cic 1^o. Officio­rum. Nay 'tis vter esset non vter im­peraret. I am sure Heauen cannot hold vs and Mahomet, and blessed is he that shall lay downe his life in so good a cause. Math. 10.42. A Cup of cold water shall not loose his reward. Whosoeuer shall forsake Houses, Mark. 10.30.or Brethren or Sisters, or Father or Mo­ther, or Wife or Children, or Lands for the Name of Christ, shall receiue an hundred fold more for the present, and in the world to come eternall life. What shall he haue that forsaketh all? He that offereth praise and thankesgiuing honoureth God. Psal. 50. vers. vlt.He that giues his bread to the poore members of Christ, feedes his Sauiour, But he that giues himselfe, his life, his bloud, doth giue all, and therefore more then all. He that giues his life can giue no more, Iohn 15.13. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen: thou couldst offer no greater sacrifice to thy Master.

Secondly, We can purchase no greater happinesse to our selues. I should much wronge you if I should labour [Page 59]to proue this. If heauen be better than earth; if the Crowne of life, better than the paines of death: if things eternall, better than temporall: if to be alwaies happy, better than euer in hazard, in feare, in trouble, then hee that suffereth for the name of Christ, doth to himselfe purchase name, fame, heauen, happinesse; and with Ma­ry hath chosen the better part, which shall neuer be taken from him: then he that loseth his life shall finde it, Math. 10.39. and he that dyes with Christ, shall liue with him, shall raigne with him, 2 Tim. 2.11. and the momentany afflictions which he doth here endure, shall cause to him [...], a more excellent weight of glo­ry, 2 Cor. 4.17. In a word, p Chrysolog. serm. 40. Caluin institut. lib. 3. cap. 8. § 7. participes passionis shall be gloriae participes (as saith Chrysologus) If we share with him in af­fliction here, he will impart to vs blessednesse hereafter. So happy are these men whom God vouchsafeth that spe­ciall honour as to dye for him. Write them blessed, as the voice said, Reuel. 14.13. no men more, no men like. And therefore remember from whence thou art fallen. Thou couldest purchase no greater happinesse to thy selfe.

Thirdly, we can leaue no better example to others. S. Paul, Philip. 1. c. 12.14. tels vs that his durance turned to the furtherance of the Gospell, insomuch that many bre­thren in the Lord were emboldned through his bands, and durst more frankely speake the word. In Ecclesiastick History you shall reade continually, how one Martyr led the way to another, and the noble resolution they shewed in their death, made hundreds then aliue to take the same course: yea so powerfull is example in this kinde; that the very heathen not onely gaue them testimony of courage, but were won to the faith, Beda History Angl. lib. 1. Palatina, & the 3. Conuers. of England, parte 3^a. and sealed the same tostimony with their bloud. So did S. Alban beget his heads man to the faith, and had him his companion to the King­dome of God. So did the constancy of Pope Sixtus the second, strengthen S. Laurence; and S. Laurence brings Romanus from a persecuting Souldier to bee his fellow Martyr. Tryphon did the like, and almost who did not? [Page 60]The Phaenix ashes (some say) yeelds another Phaenix: but the Martyrs by life and death begat many. Semen est san­guis christianorum. Tertul. apolog. c. 50. Now if they that turne many to righ­teousnesse, shall shine as the stars for euer and euer, Dan. 12. How happy are those faithfull witnesses in heauen, whose holy liues, and vnterrified, vnappalled deaths did strengthen some, and raise vp others, and draw thousands from the very sinke of Atheisme and infidelity, to know and acknowledge their most gracious Redeemer? And therefore remember from whence thou art fallen, thou couldest neuer leaue a better example to others.

4 And last of all, we can neuer bring greater comfort to our friends. The Heathen when his childe was dead, comforted himselfe with that inexorable, vnauoidable law of mortality, sci [...] me genuisse mortalem: but what vnspeake­able comfort would it be, to say, I know I haue begat one who is now a Saint in heauen? This made those three Mothers, 3 Conuers. of England, parte 3^a. Chrysolog. serm. 134. &c. Felicitas, Simphorosa, and that other in the Machabees, to encourage each of them their seuen children in their torments; and the comfort they receiued in their childrens constancy, was much more than the pains they endured through the Tyrants furie. This made the Mother of Simphorianus run after him when he went to his Martyrdome, still crying out, sonne, sonne, be mindfull of euerlasting life, looke vp to heauen, &c. And this made that women in Theodoret, Histor. Eccles. lib. 4. cap. 16. renowned for her care, as well as constancy. When Valens the Emperour had threatned death to all vn-arrianized Christians at Edessa; and Mo­destus the Gouernour with his Souldiers, stood ready in the Market place to execute the decree; A woman leading her little childe by the arme, broke through the presse, and laboured to get in among her fellowes. The Gouer­nour demanded her, whether she went: shee tels him, shee would drinke of the same cup the rest did. And being fur­ther demanded what her childe made there, and why she had brought it, her answer was, That he also might dye that blessed death. Indeed great was the ioy of the whole [Page 61]Church, Erasmus virgi­num & Martyr. Comparat. & Cyprianus de. lapsis: tomo 2. vbi Martyr constanter exhalasset animam pro Chri­sto. Great was their ioy, if any dyed couragiously; and great their sorrow, their griefe, if any fainted cowardly, wretchedly, wickedly. Remember therefore from whence thau art fallen: Thou couldest bring no greater comfort to thy friends.

Tertullian writing to the imprisoned Christians, Cap. 4. whom he cals Martyrs, exhorts them to endure constantly by the example of Lucretia, Mutius, Empedocles, and such o­thers, who suffered much, to little purpose, onely to get a terrene fading fame among men. Tanti vitrum? Ibid.quanti ve­rum margaritum? If they did so much for glasse, what should we doe for gold? if honour were bought at so deare a rate, why should we grudge vpon the same tearmes to get heauen? Nazianzene some where tels vs, Cygneorum Carm. lib. pag. 1051. a. that the Hea­then were onely valiant, when the danger could not bee shunned, it was much if it were so. But what bad Scaeuola burne his right hand for missing in the murder of Porsen­na? or if he stood in danger, what is that to Lucrecia? Cic. orat. de Proùinc. Consul. or to those noble Virgins, who threw themselues head­long into Wels to saue their Virginity? Who made Bru­tus and Torquatus kill their sonnes? Who compelled Re­gulus to returne ad crudelissimum hostem, Cic. 3. officiorumad exquisita sup­plicia, to those mercilesse enemies, to that strange death of his at Carthage. B. King, on Ionas Lect. 27. And what made the Stoickes so prodi­gall of their liues, that they little regarded the very extre­mity of tortures? and when they were vpon the racke, they would cry out, O quàm suaue! as if it were sport? Surely nothing but a thing of nothing. Honour, and a name amongst men, while the noble Martyr shall haue the acclamation of the Angels, and an euge of his Saui­our. Heauen is his; and as Nathan told Dauid, 2 Sam. 12.8▪ if that be too little, he shall haue more; his name shall neuer perish from the earth. As Cicero said of Metellus, Pro domo sua ad pontifices.Calamity hath made them immortall, euen here also. Their prisons were vi­sited as places made holy by the inhabitants. Men, wo­men, young, old, did kisse the chaines, in which they had [Page 62]beene fettered: preserue the swords for Reliques by which any had beene depriued of their life: their ashes sacred: their memories blessed: their anniuersaries kept, the day of their death being their natalitiae, the first of time in which they began truely to liue. And what could be wan­ting, where Myracles were plentifull? God euen at those very places where the Martyrs lay witnessing their blessed state by many miracles: but I forbeare. As S. Ambrose said of one of them, De virginibus lib. 1. Appellabo Martyrem & praedicauisatis. The name of a Martyr is a whole world of commendati­ons. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and re­pent, and doe thy first workes.

But this is not all, here is a Quo vadis; here is, a whither we fall, Cap. 2. vers. 13. as well as whence we fall; and a Terminus ad quem. As God said by Ieremy, The people haue committed two euils, They hue forsaken me, 1 San. [...].8.the fountaine of liuing waters, and haue digged them pits, euen broken pits that can hold no water; and as elsewhere: They haue forsaken me, and worshipped other gods, no gods; They haue gone from Christ, to Antichrist; from God to Mahomet, that same inimicus homo, that hath done so much mischiefe to Gods vineyard. Iohn 19. Wherefore as Pilate sometime said of him, in whom he confessed, that he could finde no fault at all: Ecce homo. I shall say to you of this cursed Caitiffe, and scourge of Christendome, in whom I can finde nothing but faults, Prateolus ex Ri­coldo Haeres. lib. 2. in Bayras Polidor Virgil de inuent. lib. 7. cap. 8. and those monstrous ones. Ecce homo, take a view of him. And though I cannot af­firme, whether he were genere admodum vilis, as some: or nobili genere natus, as others: Whether he were descended of Noble, or obscure Ancestors: nor whether his Parents were Iewish or Pagan, or both, or neither: nor whether he were an Arabian, or a Persian, or neither: nor whether he was buried at Mecha, Purchas. lib. 3. cap. 3. or Medina, or at neither, but de­uoured of dogges (the hellish history of his life and death being as obscure as hell:) yet all accord that he was what Tully said of one, Jn Verrem. 3. Immensa aliqua vorago aut gurges vitiorum turpitudinum (que) omnium, the very puddle and sinke of sin and wickednesse. A thiefe, a murderer, and adulterer, and [Page 63]a Wittall. And from such a dissolute life proceeded those licentious lawes of his. Ph. Morney de veritate Christi­an relig. c. 33. That his followers may auenge themselues as much as they list. That he that kils most Infidels, shall haue the best roome in Paradise: and hee that fighteth not lustily, shall be damned in hell. That they may take as many Wiues as they be able to keepe. And lest insatiable lust might want whereon to feed, to surfet, he alloweth diuorce vpon euery light occasion. He himself had but eleuen Wiues, besides Whores; Purchas lib. 3. c. 9. § 5. Ant. Gueuarra. epist. ad Comitem Myrand. but the Grand-Signior in our daies kept three thousand Concu­bines for his lust.

Licurgus, his lawes allowed Man-slaughter: Phoroneus permitteth Theft: Solon Solinus tolerateth Adultery: Nu­ma Pompilius makes it lawfull to conquer and keepe: The Lydians and Baleares suffer, nay, command what I shame to speake: And euen he whom we must acknowledge the first and greatest Law-giuer vnder God; Moses himselfe will suffer something propter duritiem cordis: but take all the worst out of all these, and out of all other the worst of all; 1 Reg. 12.10. and Rehoboams little finger shall be bigger than his fathers loines. The wickednesse which Mahomets lawes alone maintaine, are more and more monstrous then them all.

Not to tell you of the Angell hee met ten thousand times huger than the whole world: Hemming. lin Psal. 84. cap. 8. nor of those Angels that lusted, now hanged in iron chaines till the day of iudgement: nor of their faire Hostesse taken vp into hea­uen, and made the beautifull day-starre. Nor of Seraphiel his Trumpet, which is as long as a lourney of fifty yeeres, Purchas lib. 3. cap. 5. some say, fiue hundred: and that is more sutable to some of his relations, as namely of an Oxe so huge, that it is a thousand yeeres iourney from one of his hornes to the other; and of a Key seuen thousand miles long (the doores themselues must needs be great) and of the Bridge that is made ouer hell; and of the resurrection of Birds and Beasts: and how death shall be changed into a R [...]mme; and what that Atheist. Agrippa said for the Asse, this [Page 64]damned circumcised miscreant dare say for his Ram and that the Ram, Cornelius Agrip­pa de vanitat. scient. Purchas. lib. 3. c. 13. (more charitable then his Masters) doth pray for his persecutors, for those which sacrifice him. I should be loath once to mention those whet-stone lyes of his, but that you may see what a iolly fellow those men serue which fall away and turne Turke. And therefore let it not distast if I adde, How Hali his sword would cut Rocks asunder, (but you must vnderstand 'twas an hundred Cubitts long) How Mahomet found the Sunne where it lay resting it selfe in a yeallow fountaine. How the Moone brake in two peeces, and fell vpon the Hills of Mecha, but Mahomet made it whole againe. How he tells of an Vtopian land white as milke, sweete as Muske, soft as Saffron, and bright as the Moone: yet this is no­thing to his Paradise, Hemming. in Psal. 84. c. 8. the ground thereof is gould watered with streames of Milke, Hony and Wine. How there his followers after the day of Iudgement, shall haue a merry madd world, Purchas. lib. 3. c. 5. and shall neuer make an end of eating, drinking, and colling wenches. And these (if you will be­leeue it) are sweete Creatures indeed; for if one of them should spet into the Sea, all the waters thereof would become sweete.

This is a tast of his infernall doctrine, of those strange lyes and strong delusions with which he hath bewitched the world, and led men-hood-wink't into the Abisse of perdition.

This is, So Denis in his Treatise a­gainst Mahomet Printed at London. 1531. Whittaker a­gainst Campian. in his answer to the tenth reason. or is like that Dragons tayle. Revel. 12.4. Which drew the third part of the Starres of Heauen and cast them to the earth, this is that same Abaddon and man of sinne. This is Mahomet, one that hath brought more soules to Hell, then all other sects and heretikes besides. I take that saying of a Reuerent Diuine, (whose memory I honour) to be spoken somewhat in heate of opposition and for­cedly: That the Romish Antichrist alone hath more en­larged the infernall kingdome, then all Iewes, Nero's, Mahomets, Arrians, [...] Nestorians, Macedonians, Eutiche­ans, and the rest. Truely I confesse (as things now goe) [Page 65]Many a Pope is rather a Bite-sheepe then a Bishop (so one tearmes him) and much is the woe and wisternesse that Rome hath brought vpon Christendome. Many soule, D. Fulk. in. 2. Cor. 2. §. 7. false, frenzie-full positions hath shee obtruded to the world on paine of damnation to be beleeued, and so great is her Merchandizing that she dare set Heauen it selfe to sale. Mr. Mountag. appeale. c. 5. &. 8 But if Turke and Pope together cannot make vp that one Antichrist, and hee may not be both of these, nor yet a third out of both these. I adde, nor a third besides these. I should rather probably conclude with learned Zanchius and others more. The Turke is he. Tomo 7^o. de pre­seruant. Sancto­rum. & ib. tract. de fine seculi. & tomo. 8. Respons. ad Arrianum. The Turke is he who though he professe himselfe the Prophet of God, yet exalteth himselfe against all that is called God, and doth most blasphemously deny God, nei­ther acknowledging the Trinitie, nor that holy One, the power of God. The Turke is he who raigneth in that seuen hilled City of Constantinople and sitteth in the very Temple of God. Hierusalem is his, and a great part of the world runnes after him. The Turke is he who as Hanibal was said of Rome, or Scipio of Carthage, is the very scourge and plague of Christendome, and Hammer of the world; Cic. Philip. 4. An enemy implacable, who doth count it his greatest sport and re­creation, as one said of Anthony, to mangle, murder, wal­low in the bloud of Innocents: yet with that Strumpet in the 1. Reg. 3. cap. is content to share the prey, but 'tis with the Deuill. The one seekes the body, the other the soule.

Good God is it possible that the great Princes and Monarches of Christendom can so long endure both to heare and see this extreme misery! Iaques de Lauar­din History Scanderbeg: lib. 6. And cannot the in­tollerable seruitude of their Christian Brethren, their chaines and bonds so hydeous and shamefull, their com­plaints so many, their torments so mercilesse, their bloud sanctified by Baptisme lesse valued then the bloud of beast cannot these kindle in our hearts the holy fire of com­passion, and whet our swords against that Common e­nemie? Lucan lib. 1^o. Cannot this put an end vnto those wofull warres of ours; Nullos habitura triumphos? Where one [Page 66]Member wounds another to the hazard of the whole body? Revel. 19.2. that so wee might auenge the bloud of Gods seruants, which hath so long time called, cried for reuenge and set a bound to Turkes pride and Propagate the glo­rious Gospell of our Sauiour. While now our discord is his aduantage, and our warres his opportunitie.

There was one Luther. vid vb: Supra. who sometime, So Fran. Olive­rius apud Slei­dan. lib. 14. & Polidor Virgill lib. 7. c. 8. said. We might not wage warres against the Turkes, and that it was no Christian warrfare: Aliquid humani passus est. He was a Man and so he spake. O might I liue to see the time when our Roberts, Godfreies, Baldwins would set foote in stirrop againe! and might I be one of the meanest Trumpettors in such an holy expedition.

But we must Leaue the wound and him that gaue it, Prateol. Haeres. lib. 11. §. 38. that we may prouide a plaister. The Montanist like a timid Chirurgeon doth forsake the cure, and the merci­lesse Nouatian doth not only passe by the wounded man, with the Preist and Leuite, without reaching an helping hand; But ingeniosa & noua crudelitate, as saith S. Cyprian wickedly though wittily kills out right. Indeed that im­pure Puritan Nouatus was all for Iudgment, and would not affoard one drop of mercy to those miserable wret­ches who in heate of persecution fell away. No teares, no submission, no satisfaction, no possible repentance might serue the tourne, whereby they might be reconciled, and receiued to the Church againe. Tomo 7^o. de per­seuerant. Sanctorum. Now Zanchius is of opini­on that the Nouatians were not so vnlearned or vnskil­led in the scriptures, but that they knew, At what time so­euer a sinner repenteth of his sinnes from the bottom of his heart God would forgiue, but they verily beleeue, that such as committed those grand sins as to deny their faith, their Sauiour, could neuer haue the grace of true repentance. But we haue promises and examples to confute their errors: And the Church did most worthily exclude and banish them, Lactantius lib. 6. cap. 24. who were so difficult and inexorable to re­ceiue others. God commands not impossibilities, but such is his goodnesse, knowing the weakenesse and frailty of [Page 67]man. He hath left a doore open whereby man hauing gone amisse and returning may enter in, In Homil. Ma­rianis Serm. 15. To thinke God cannot forgiue is against his Omnipotency, to thinke he will not forgiue is against his Goodnesse, To doubt of either is against his gracious Come vnto me &c. Matth. 11.28. Prouerb. 28.For he that confesseth and forsaketh his sinne shall obtaine mercy. And he that taught vs to pray for remission and for­giuenesse, intended (who dares doubt it) to forgiue.

But there are sinnes, and there are crying sinnes; Acts 18.14. 1 Iohn 5. [...] and [...], sinnes and audacious sinnes; and sinnes to death. There are indeed, and to deny our faith is none of those little ones and peccadillios: But he that loueth friends, lands; life, more then Christ is vnworthy of Christ. Math. 14. And how detestable such offences are, they may testifie whom a present vengeance hath ceized on, De Lapsis. and who in the middest of their escape haue felt the powerful reuenging hand of the Almighty. Cyprian wil tel you of one striken dumbe, and of another who presently possessed with an vncleane spirit bit her tounge in pecces, Poena inde caepit, vnde & crimen. And diuerse such like. Math. 18.6.7. Bucan loc. 17. Althamer. in cōcil. loc. script. 12 Vid. Aquin 2^a. 2ae. q. 14. art. 1. &c. And Zanch. tomo. 4. lib. 1^o. cap 9. In a word tis a Millstone sinne and sinne of offence: and woe to him by whom offence commeth. But tis not a sinne a­gainst the Holy Ghost, though it come neere to that sinne, nothing neerer when tis not done, Animo peccandi willingly, willfully, and maliciously. And so did Theo­philact plead for S. Peter in Luc. 22. that he had [...] the seed, the roote of faith was left be­hind. And Gregory Apud Zanch. tomo 7. de perse­uerant. Sancto­rum. In Homil. Mari­an. Serm. 5. Platina. Carra­nz. &c. Cyprian. That some sinne of ignorance. So Paul, some of infirmity, so Peter, and other some out of a desire and mallicious propensity to sinne. To the prince of the Apostles I may adioyne that Prince of peace Salo­mon that great one, who fell into so great Idolatry. And Manasses who exceeded all men in abomination of sinne, yet is he afterward numbred among the friends of God. And Marcellinus the Pope, who burnt incense, yet at the last suffered for the faith, and Casta and Emilius and a world beside, who first fell, and then repented, and so re­pented, [Page 68]that they not only obtained pardon of the Church in Earth, but the glorious Crowne of Martyrdome in Heauen. In Homil. Ma­rian vbi Supra. Yea I know some that tell vs how for this very cause the Deuill hasted to take Iudas out of this life, least knowing that there was a way to turne to Saluation, He might by pennance recouer his fall. I presse it not; but yet Nouatus must heare will he nill he; Cyprian. That the Church was euer ready to receiue those which returne, her Armes are open, her breasts naked, and she cannot for­get her Child, and if shee could, yet I know who cannot. And therefore though this sinne of thine be a scarlet-sinne; Acts. 8.22. Yet will I not say to thee as some S Peter to Simon Magus si fortè remittatur. Repent of this thy wickednesse, and pray to God that if it be possible thou maiest be forgi­uen, yea I know thou wilt be forgiuen. But Thou must repent and do thy first worke.

I cannot but approue their saying, Canus. Bucanus, Alsted &c. 2, Cor. 7. who deriue poeni­tencie from poena sorrow within, and shame without, but this is not enough, it must bee [...] A godly sorrow which doth cause a gracious repentance, feare and griefe doth accompanie the damned, but a Religious soule beginnes in sorrow, walkes on in hope, resolues on Reformation, Herman Coloni­ensis tit. Conuers. à peccat. addeth wings to his resolution, and to finish and perfect all labours to doe The first workes, the workes of Grace. This made one define Repentance to be, an earnest hearty serious sorrow for our sinnes, enli­vened with the hope of pardon, and accompanied with a firme purpose of Amending what hath bin amisse. This made Another say that to Repent is iustitiam denuò operari. Lactansius lib. 6. cap. 24. The Booke of Common prayer in princip. ex Math. 3.2. Rhem. testa­ment, in Math. 11. §. 3. Not only to be sorry for what is done, but seriously to in­tend, purpose and liue a better life, and accordingly hath our Church somwhere translated Poenitencie into Amendment of life. How euer the Rhemists haue found a knot in a Bullrush, and dislike what they can neuer a­mend. The common diuision of Repentance is into Contrition, Confession and Satisfaction, But many thinke it more common then safe, and in detestation of Auricular [Page 69]confession, or for feare the al-sufficiency of Christs satif­faction were hereby questioned, they cannot brooke, they cannot once endure the name of Confession or Sa­tisfaction.

And yet the Papists make them not essentiall parts but Integrall the Materialls or quasi materia. Either as some­thing of or something belonging to repentance: either as parts of poenitency, or ibid & Concil. Florent. acts of the penitent, necessary either vt precepta or media Concil. Trident. in Catechis. ad parachos. insa­crament: poeni­tent. as things of nature or condu­cing to the perfection of Repentance. Many of them haue said no more, and for ought I see we say as much, for when no stone is left vnmoued, and sicke man like we haue tossed vs from side to side, we are still in the same place: We admit them all in some cases. As for confession to the Priest, our Church approues and pres­seth it: indeed as B. Vssher in answer to the Iesuits challeng pag. 92. Medicinall not Sacramentall, and though the Keyes be growne Rustie yet are they Rich. But we haue not now to doe with any secret sinne, but with a knowne Capitall offence. And though with the Greeke Church we content our selues oft-times with confession to God alone, Canus parte 5^a derelict. poeni­tent. yet here together with them we doe admit, approue, vrge a publike exhomologesis open confession and Church discipline.

As for Satisfaction our intent is not to make Leuell with the Almighty for our sinnes. S. Thom. ex An­selmo. Satis­factioest compen­satio Offensae praeteritae ad ae­qualitatem Iustitiae. We know the dispro­portion betweene Mans weakenesse, and Gods iustice. D. Fulke ad 2. Cor. 2. §. 6. in Rhem. Test. & against Staple­ton Fortresse. 10. difference. But publike offences may not be smothered priuatly, and he that hath giuen scandall & offended the Church, must to the Church giue Satisfaction. Said I that he must? Nay he will, he will willingly. He will cry ignosee pater for his sin, and ignosce frater for his Example. All his griefe is that he did sinne, and not that he doth suffer, and freely and ingeniously he will confesse, That what­soeuer is layed vpon him, whatsoeuer his pennance be either for the humbling of himselfe, Lib. 1^o. c. 9. or for a terror vnto others tis all too little. Irenaeus will tell you of a woman seduced by Marke the Heretike, which did spend her Concil. Trident. sess. 14. sub Iulio terti [...] sess. 4. Can. 3. Booke of common praier. [Page 70]whole time in bewayling her offence, and of others which did in manifesto exhomologesin facore. publikely acknow­ledge Ib. and lament their sinnes and wickednesse. Eusebius will tell you of an Hereticall Bishop, Lib. 5. c. 28.Natalis who clad himselfe in sackcloth and ashes falls downe to the feete of the Bishop, Lib. 3. c. 11. and with a world of sighes, and teares craues pardon. Socrates will tell you how Ecebolius for renouncing his faith lay along in the Church porch and cryed vnto such as came in. Tread me, Tread me vnder your feete, Lib. 1^o. de poeni­tent. cap. 16. for I am the vnsauory Salt. And Ambrose will tell you of Many who did euen plow vp their face with teares, wither their cheeks with weeping, prostrate themselues to the feete of the passengers, and with their continuall abstinence and much fasting they made their liuing bodies the very Image of Death. I might adde vn­to all these old Origen that Library of learning and Ocean of woe. In Suida, & in­ter sua opera post libres [...]. But we will passe from voluntary submission to Canonicall satisfaction.

And here giue me leaue to say somwhat of the Lawes Ecclesiasticall and punishment inflicted by the Church, that which many ignorantly condemne, and many most maliciously hew at. Lib. de poeniten. Tertullian will tell yow that such like offendors as these must pastum & potum pura nosse. Bread and water must be their diet, as the Prophet Dauid said. My teares haue beene my meate day and night. That they must pray, and sigh, and weepe, pray to God, humble themselues to the Priest. De mirabil. Sacrae script. S. Augustine, will tell you that they must neuer thinke their pennance enough they must alwayes sorrow, alwayes ory peccaui, life and lamentation must end together. De poeniten. lib. 2 cap. 1^o. S. Ambrose; The more a man throwes himselfe downe by sorrow and submission, the more abiect he is in his owne sight, the more accep­ted shall he be in the sight of God. But this is generall.

The Church did appoin certaine formes of pennance according to the quality of the offences, Apud Carranz. cap. 37. euisdem concil. and for denying the faith Grandem redeundi difficult atem sanxit antiquit as tis a Canon in the Agathon Councell about a thousand [Page 71]yeeres agon. Our forefathers (say they) did command and enioyne a bitter pennance to all such as had denyed the faith. Indeed some (as 'twas said of Novatus) would admit no reconciliation, some would receiue onely once all such as fell after Baptisme. The vsuall practise was to en­ioyne a three yeers pennance, at the least, to such as did in time of persecution and against their wil deny: some had their punishment prolonged euen vnto 8. or 9 yeeres or more; and some were put of ad magnum diem, Carranz. in Con­cil. Ancyran. Can. 6. Ibid. Can. 1^o. Euen till the hower of death or day of Iudgement. And if he were a Priest that fell. He lost his orders, nor might he euer re­couer his former strate, but by enduringe the brunt of a second persecution. And last of all, Lib. Eccles. Hist. 7. cap. 2. tomo 1^o. Epist. 10. Bysh. Alloy in Miscellan names 4 sorts. ex Con. Nicen. Moses & Maxi­mus &c. inter operae Cyprian. tomo. 1^o. epist. 26 if any were restored either of the Laiety or otherwise, it must be done by lay­ing on of hands and confirmation of the Bishop: And this Eusebius calls the ancient custome, and Cyprian, that to doe otherwise were to ruinate and not restore. Now during the time of these long appointed pennance, Some were Audi [...]ntes, and might only stay the Sermon: other were Orantes and might be present at prayers, but must depart when the Eucharist was to be administred. To admit them to the Communion, was to giue that which is holy to dogs, some some, De Lapsis. Exam. Concil. Triden. parte­vit. [...] ad [...] ­gen [...]tis. and to presse to the Altar was Domini corpus invadere. So Cyprian, yet all this while there were Relaxations, moderations, mitigations, or as the new word (after Chemnitius) hath it, indulgency from that rigor and seueritie, & there was a peculiar reserued power in the R.R. By shop Concil. Ancyran Can. 2 &. 5. F. Th. Chauius. de contrit. He might either lengthen or shorten the time as he saw cause. For as one saith out of Hierom. Apud deum non tantum valet [...]tensura temporis quàm doloris. God regardeth not the length of the pennance, but the Contrition of the party; not how long, but how heartily we humble our selues.

This was the Discipline of the primatiue Church, this was the remedy they did prouide against those crimson. 2. in Verrem. Capitall offences, that as the Orator said, they might eur [...] not couer the wound, and labour to profit, rather then to [Page 72]please the patient. So Clerus Ro­manus ad Cypri­anum inter eius opera tomo 1. ep. 3 [...]. That neither the wicked might be in­couraged by their Facility, nor religious mindes dishear­tened by their Cruelty: and yet of the twaine, it was bet­ter with Domitius to be thought seuere in punishing, then dissolute in praetermitting, passing by the wickednesse.

Thus were some strengthened in the faith, and armed against lapses, others were made to see the greatnes of the sin, and terrified against relapses. All were framed, ordered, tuned, to a most wished happy harmony, in the Church of God.

Yet Master Cartwright, Reply pag. 41.that disturber of Sions peace, will cry out against the Churches seuerity, extreme, excessiue seuerity: and though he somewhere tell vs, That Murde­rers, Adulterers, and Incestuous persons must dye the death; Ibid. pag. 36. The Magistrate cannot saue them, (such is this mild Moses mercy toward those.) yet here pardon, pardon, pardon. And lest he might seeme any way to fauour the proceedings of the Roman Church, though when shee was yonger by 14. hundred yeeres, then now she is; Hee tels yee, Jbid. pag. 149. that if offendors be not meete to receiue the holy Sacrament of the Supper, they are not meete to heare the Word of God, they are not meete to be partakers of the prayers of the Church, and if they be for one, they are also for the other. Ibid. pag. 13.1. Caluin. Jnstitut. lib. 3. cap. 3. § 6. Jbid. lib. 4. c. 12. § 8. But this is he who thinkes it more safe for vs to conforme our indifferent Ceremonies to the Turkes, which are a farre off, than to the Papists, which are so neere. Indeed his Master tels vs, that the Church did vse too much rigour. And would know, si Deus tam, benignus est, vt quid Sacerdos eius austerus vult videri? God (saith he) is mercifull and gracious, why should his Priest be so austere and rigorous? Jbid. lib. 3. c. 4. § 10. Art. 33. And yet Caluin here in our case will haue the sinner yeeld sufficient testimo­ny of his sorrow, that the scandall which the offender hath giuen, may be obliterated and taken away. And it must be palam in templo, and so doth our Church teach The offendor must be openly reconciled by pennance.

Indeed we might be as vnreasonably plausible as of [Page 73]ther some are, and with those Hesterni, Cyprian tomo 1. epist. 10. Pro. 22.28. Tom. 1. epist. 40. lib. 6 cap. 19. as Tertullian cals Praxeas, we might remoue the ancient bounds which our Fathers haue set. We might be as vnhappily, vndiscreetly, mercifull as Foelicissimus in Cyprian, or another, if it be true in Socrates; we might after a welcome home, admit them to the Church and Sacraments, Cyprian de lapsis but it would proue a worse persecution then the first; and we should call them A medela vulneris, it were the way to kill out-right, Jdem tomo 1. epist 10. Serm. de Bene­dicto Abbate. and not to cure the disease. Quae nimis properè minus prosperè. The words are Bernards, but it is a prouerbe of our own: More hast than good speed. This made some holy men of old pray; that those which had fallen, might know and acknowledge the greatnesse of their fall, that so they might learne non momentaneam ne (que) praepraperam desider are medicinam. Clerus Romanus ad Cyprianum inter eius opera, tomo 1. epist 31. That they might with all fearefull humblenesse expect, and not audaciously presume a pardon. But to soder those rents, to daube the breach with vntempered morter, to incarnate on the splintred bones, to cry peace, peace, in a present perill, and the greatest danger; what is this else, but to precipitate and plunge a poore distressed soule into a more perplexed case and desperate disease? It is a terrible lenitie, as saith S. Augustine; Terribilis leni­tas, blanda per­nicies, stulta mi­sericordia. Bern serm. 42. super Cantica. a courteous mischiefe, as S. Cyprian; a foolish pitty, as S. Bernard: Misericor diam hanc ego nolo: God keepe all poore sinne-sicke soules from such Physitians. Let the righteous ra­ther smite me friendly, and reproue me; but let not their precious balmes breake my head. Let me know my dan­ger, and whence I am fallen, that I may repent, and doe the first workes.

If much be remitted of the ancient seuerity, as we see there is, and the punishment be much lesse then those pri­mitiue times did vsually inflict: it is not because the sin is now lesse, or the compassion of the faithfull greater; for that ancient discipline is to be wished for againe, Church-booke ante Comminat. Tertul. de p [...]ni­tent. cap. 1. but these delicate times will not suffer it. And the Church is for­ced to condiscend to the weakenesse of her children. Ma­ny men are become pudoris magis memores quàm salutis. [Page 74]They will rather hazard the losse of heauen, than endure disgr [...] [...] account it) on the earth.

And this is the very cause why many, and as I am in­formed, many hundreds, are Musselmans in Turkie, and Christians at home; doffing their religion, as they doe their clothes, and keeping a conscience for euery Harbor wheere they shall put in. And those Apostates and cir­cumcised Renegadoes, thinke they haue discharged their Conscience wondrous well, if they can Returne, and (the fact vnknowne) make profession of their first faith. These men are cowards, and flexible before the fall; carelesse and obstinate after it: but what good will it doe them, saith Lactantius, Bern. in Psal. Qui habitat. serm. 11. lib. 6. cap. 24.non habere conscium, & habere conscientiam? to haue no witnesse without, and one within? to hide their sinnes from men, and to appeare as they are to the righteous Iudge, from whose eyes nothing is hid, no­thing is secret? to be baptised with Simon Magus, and yet liue in the gall of bitternesse, and bond of iniquity? These are those cursed wretches to whom proprius interi­tus satis non fuit: Cyprian de lapsis. who will not perish alone, but both by their example, and their exhortation, draw others into the same pit of perdition also; who doe adde sinne to sin, and multiply and aggrauate their offences, by hiding, denying, excusing, translating sinne. So that they may be Men here, they care not to be diuels afterward. If any such be here, who hath receiued the Marke of the Beast, and liues vnknowne; yet for Gods sake, for his owne sake, for that sweet Name by which he is named the Name of Christ: by the hope of heauen, by the feare of hell; by his friends on earth, Gregory Nyssen. in the end of his Homil of Repentance. Si vis curam, agnosce languorem. P. Chrysolog. serm. 30. and the holy Angels in heauen, who ioy at the conuersion of a sinner, by whatsoeuer is deerest vnto him, and nothing should be deerer than his soule. I shall, I doe beseech such a one to be mercifull to his owne life. [...] &c. Get thee to some learned Priest, open thy griefe to the Physi­tian of thy soule: He will, compassionate thy case with a fatherly affection: shew vnto him without blushing, those [Page 75]secret sores of thine: and he will (or be he branded for euer with the ignominy of Irregularity) he will saue thy credit, and salue thy wound. Credit? alas, alas, what's Credit if the soule must perish? or what's Reputation, which cannot compasse one drop of water to coole a fla­ming tongue?

And you whom God suffered to fall, and yet of his in­finite mercy vouchsafed graciously to bring home, not onely to your country and kindred, but to the profession of your first faith, and to the Church and Sacraments a­gaine. Let me say to you (but in a better houre) as some­time Iosuah to Achan: Giue glory to God, sing praises to him who hath deliuered your soule from the nethermost hell: Magnifie him for his vnspeakeable goodnesse and mercy towards you: labour not either to couer, or lessen your offence.

When I thinke vpon your Turkish attire, that Em­bleme of Apostacie, and witnesse of your wofull fall; I doe remember Adam and his figge-leaue breeches; they could neither conceale his shame, nor couer his naked­nesse. I doe thinke vpon Dauid clad in Sauls armour, 1 Sam. 17. and his helmet of brasse. I cannot goe with these, saith Da­uid: How could you hope in this vnsanctified habit to at­taine heauen? how could you, clad in this vnchristian weede; how could you but with horror and astonishment thinke on the white robe of the innocent Martyrs which you had lost? Reuel. 6.11. How could you goe in these rewards of iniquity, and guerdons of apostacie? and with what face could you behold your selfe and others?

I doe assure my selfe, the torments you endured, were grieuous, & the hope for your deliuery, was little or none: but Seneca puts it downe for an Axiome; that a man can­not be much grieued, and long together; and that the paines will be either sufferable, or short: Ep. 97. Philip. decimn. if it be not al­waies so. Yet what saith Cicero of Trebonius miserably slaine by Dolebella? Sicknesse doth oft times punish many of vs here, as much and much more, than stripes could torment [Page 76]you there. Tertul. 76. Howeuer the longest day hath a night, and the torments and tormentors cannot last for euer: but montes vruntur & durant. Aetna and Vesuuius burne and continue. We should thinke vpon the paines of hell which last for euer.

I know you were young; so was Daniel and the three Children: Euseb. lib. 6. c. 40. Gr. 41. Euseb. lib. 5. c. 1. Fox. Zuinger. so were Dioscorus the Confessor, and Ponticus the Martyr: adde (if you please) our English Mekins, who all at fifteene yeeres of age endured manfully whatsoeuer the furie of the persecutors pleased to inflict vpon them. I might adioyne to these some of ten yeeres old, and Vitus of seuen. And (though we call them the weaker sexe) yet hath the Church her Women-Martyrs, not a few, who haue endured as couragiously as euer any then did. Ambros. de vir­ginib. lib. 1. Wit­nesse S. Agnes at 12. yeeres old; Cecilia, Agatha, & a world besides.

In a word, youth and torments, and what euer else may be alleadged, doe somewhat lessen and extenuate the sinne, but they cannot cleare the conscience. Wee are bound without fainting to resist vnto the death.

I would be loath to breake a bruised reede, or adde af­fliction to affliction. Let not what is said or done, encou­rage any of you to reioyce in your neighbours fall, nor triumph in his misery. Farre be all vnchristian vpbrai­dings, reproches, twittings, from your Christian hearts; but as S. Paul said of Onesimus; Receiue him as a beloued bro­ther for euer, and doe it with the spirit of meekenesse, conside­ring your selues,Gal. 6.1. Ille bodie ego eras, so ille a­pud Bern. de re­surrect. Domin. serm. 2.lest you also be tempted. God forbid that any of you should grieue his soule, for whose returne the An­gels doe reioyce in heauen. Prophets, Patriarkes, Apo­stles, Angels, haue fallen, and who is he that is assured of his strength? or who can say he shall stand fast for euer? Though you trafficke not for Turkie, yet may you bee Apostata's at home, Tit. 1.10. [...] Tim. 5.8. denying in deeds, and worse than In­fidels.

But you that goe downe to the sea in shippes, and oc­cupie your businesse in great waters (for the state of the [Page 77]world cannot stand without buying and selling, traffique and transportation) what shall I say of you? Pittacus reckons you neither amongst the dead, nor the liuing. The graue is alway open before your face, and but the thicknesse of an inch or twaine that keepes you from it: One breath, flaw, gust, may end your voyage. But if Paul scape drowning, yet he sees a Viper on the shore, and if all dangers of the sea quit you, yet a mischiefe from the land may ouertake you. That African monster, to which so many poore soules haue been made a prey; The Turke, (which God forbid) may bring you vnder his Lee. Ioh. 21.18. And as our Sauiour said of Peter, you shall stretch forth your hands, and he shall gird you, and leade you whither you would not. If such a calamity should euer befall any of you, yet remember your first loue, the God of loue, your blessed Sauiour: fight a good fight, 1 Tim. 1.keeping faith and a good conscience. So shall Christ heare when you call, and shall deliuer you in the needfull time of trouble: He shall bring you backe vnto your home in safety; and as you haue confessed him before men, so shall he confesse you before his father which is in heauen.

The first workes come now in the last place to be spo­ken of; this is one of the lissoms or twists of that coard which will hardly be broken. Eccles. 4.12. Remember, repent, and doe the first workes. Workes must be one, or it will neuer hold, Serm. 16. in Cantica. but adde them, and you shall make S. Bernards rope; strong enough to draw soules out of the diuels Gaole. I should here tell this poore penitent, what one tels the Citizens of Luca. P. Martyr. It behoueth him to make good what he hath for­merly and faintingly denyed. He must cast off his barba­rous barbarian habit, and putting on a Christian resolu­tion; he must boldly confesse his Sauiour in the same place, where he did first deny him; or because Durus est hic ser­ [...]o, as they say in the 6. of S. Iohn, this is an hard saying: and it is indeed, and requires a speciall fortitude and most heauenly resolution: and non omnes capiunt; it must be gi­uen them from aboue: yet in the whole course of his life, [Page 78]let his repentance be made manifest, and let him ingraue in his heart those words of the Apostle, [...]. Rom. 8.38.39. Nor death, nor life, nor Augels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor Turke nor Atheist, nor any other Creature, shall be able to separate him from the loue of God, which is in Christ Iesus our Lord.

And I should say, somewhat of the Ephesians, of them, and to them; for I feare me they haue a populous posteri­ty, Heb. 11.6. Iam. 2.17. euen in our owne land. Workes without faith are vn­profitable; and faith without workes is dead: nor will e­uery worke serue, but there must be Rom. 12. feruency in prayer, 2 Cor. 9.7. cheerefulnesse in giuing; a Titus 3.1. promptnesse, Colos. 1.10. fruitfulnesse, and an 1 Cor. 15. vlc. abounding in euery good worke: 1 Cor. 9.26. so run, so fight, spero meliora must be your Motto. Doe what you can, yet know you can neuer doe enough. Lippe-religion doth but set an edge vpon GODS anger, and make man the more in excusable; Iames 1.22. and therefore see that yee be Doers of the Word,1 Cor. 9.25. and not Hearers onely, deceiuing your selues. And so heare, so doe, as men that striue for the mastery: they doe it, as the Apostle saith, to obtaine a corruptible Crowne; and the height of their hopes is but vnius horae hila [...]is insania: Psal. 37.37. In Homil. Ma­rian. serm. 16. I went by, and loe they were gone; but you shall escape that strange darke, durable fire of hell, where the worme dyeth not; and shall be receiued into your masters ioy; into the blessed fellowship of Saints and An­gels, into the glorious liberty of other the sonnes of God: as children, heires, co-heires with Christ, you shall bee glorified with him. To whom be ascribed all Ho­nour glory, power and praise for euer,