ALas thou foolish wretch, whome the dregges of the vncertaine mucke of the world, hath drowned in the puddle of pernicious securitie. Thou laughest,Many sing, when they should sigh, and laugh, when they should weep. Many build l [...]oft for the body but thinke not of the pore [...]oule where it shall dwell in the ende, the dū ­gion of hell, when in deede thou shouldest wéepe: Thou singest, when thou hast great occasion to sigh, and thou triumphest, in rash desire of finishing a sumptuous house of earthly and no durable matter, where (in déed) thou shouldest rather, put on thy mourning wéedes of sorrowe, for the ruinous fall of [Page] a more precious building, thy poore soule, whome the heauy burden of thy sinfull and voluptuous life, hath cast into the dungeon of darknes. Hearken thou vnto me there­fore, and marke my wordes which flowe from the fountaine of perfect felicitie.Harkē to god defie the de­uill. And thou shalt learne another lesson, thou shalt sing another song, and frame thy fancie af­ter another fashion. That is thou shalt condemne and dispise,Riches in re­specte of the vncertentie of them, are not to be ac­compted a mans owne· and in the bitternes of thy soule, euen curse those thinges that thou holdest so deere, and of so high price. And sigh for sorrow, that thou hast so much regarded the thinges that were none of thine.

To shun the inconueni­ence that Ri­ches bringeth is to repose no further trust in them, then as vrgēt necessitie forceth.AS my meaning is not, that thou shouldest rashly or vnaduisedly cast away that aboūdance (the gift wher­of thou foolishly, attributest to For­tune, which, indeed, God hath bestowed vpon thee) so I would not that thou should­est put such affiance and such trust, of a permanent and happy estate in that, that so soone may vanish away:Psal. 62 10. like the flower that in the morning, the dew maketh most fragrant fresh and swéete,Iam. 1.10 11. and before the euening with the scorching sunne beames is withered, loseth his fashion, and all beuty.The rich, and their riches compared to the flower of the field. Euen so fareth it with the rich of the Earth: who (to gether) with their aboun­dance▪ fleete away, the bodie to the graue & their wealth they knowe not to whome: what fond conceit (therefore) moueth thée (thou foolish man) thus madly to make for­tune the maister of thine happynesse, and to accompt this world, the habitacle of thy sinfull carcas, of a further & more durable continuance then it is. [...] in this world to to be found. Think it certaine and nothing more certain, that true felicity [Page 10] is not here to be sought for, not here to be had, nor here (after the manner thou hast begun) to be tasted. To be made rich, to be­come Lords, Ladies, Kings, or Keysars,Worldlie promotions, no sparke of true happi­nes. to be noble, or honourable, worshipfull, or Gentlemen, or to abound with all the plea­sures, or pleasant delights that the whole world can yelde, is no sparke of true hap­pynesse: and therefore deceiuest thou thy selfe, thou runnest headlong into a labo­rinth of mischiefes, in choosing this world, to be thy throane of honour,There be too manie that thinke, that there is nei­ther heauen nor hell: but the pleasure and paines of this world. Lyke Epi­cures, who shall finde it contrarie, to their endles destruction. The glorie of this world a pricke of euill. thy seat of hap­pynesse, and Fortune, the mother & nurce, of thy prosperous estate, as though there were no other place of blisse, no other seat of honour nor other Aucthor of happynesse: here (thou foole) the Glory, the Pride, the Pomp, the wealth, the brauerie, the pas­time and daliance, honours and riches, the aucthorities and preferments, togither, with all the Ornaments of bewtie and strength, carnall reason, and worldly wis­dome, what is it, but the pricks of Sathan, a sting to the good conscience? and distructi­on to the wicked soule? what is it but vani­tie, ye mere vanitie & affliction of spirite?

AS far as I can perceiue, by the cir­cumstance of thy former determinati­on and intended proceedings as also by thine obstinate perseuerance, in thy wil­full and peruerse opinion: that eyther thou [Page] haste neuer heard, neuer read, or quite for­gotten, that sacred saying of Iesus Christ in his gospell, where he warneth all men to beware of couetousnes: And to consider that the safetie of their liues, consisteth not in the multitude of their riches,Riches can not saue a mans life. and world­ly pleasures. But thou ere while protest­edst, that thou knewest neither me nor Ie­sus Christ, then canst thou hardly beleeue his sayings:He that lo­ueth not God heareth not his word. much lesse the sayings of anie other, that comes vnto thee in his name, whom likewise thou cōtemnedst ere while, saying: there were of such Preachers store, but hearken a little what I will saie:In the 12. of Luke. when Iesus put forth the parrable of him whose frutes, and aboundance so increased, that he was forced to enlarge his roomes to cō ­ueie his Graine and store, so much increa­sing:Though God be vnknowē to man yet he seeth the se­crets of the heart of man and iudgeth accordinglie. God is iust to punish the o­fenders, and to turne their pleasures into paine. either he prognosticated of thée or of some other, whose heart was sette on fire with the loue of this world, as thine is: And therfore, assure thy selfe, that although he be vnknowen to thée, & his messengers dispised of thee▪ the peruersitie of thy life, thy wilfull rebellion against him is not hidde, nor can be concealed from his knowledge, nor thy selfe defended from his rod, who kéepeth his punishment in store for thee, till the fulnes of thy wickednesse [Page 13] be come to an end, when (according to his Iustice) he will turne all thy pleasures in­to payn, thy plenty into pouerty, thy wealth into want, thy statly pallace (that thou in­tendest to build) into a déep bottōlesse dun­gion, & thy prospectes of pleasure, into hor­ryble darknes in hell, thy sweet mellodie & musicke into horrible hissing of venemous Serpents, and hydious hellish powers, and thy singing and mirth, into howling, wéeping, and gnashing of téeth,God Punish­eth with the want of that that we here aboūde with­all. thy swéete smels, into stinking and lothsome sauours, thy delights of the Thems, into the stink­ing water of Stix in hell. And further, (that of Iustice) he shall giue thée in stead of thy gorgeous attire, miserable naked­nes, in stead of thy delicates, gurmandies and belly cheare,Gods iudge­mēt is with­out redemp­tion. hunger and inextinguish­able thirst: in so much as thou shalte not haue, for golde siluer or friendshippe, for wealth or good will, as much as one droppe of cold water to coole the heate of thy tor­mented conscience: Consider this and be­léeue it: for,Luk. 16. was not he of whome the Gos­pell maketh mention, in case as good, (or rather) in the sight of the world, as happie as thou estéemest thy selfe to be? Was hée not Rich? had he not aboun­daunce? Was hée not clothed in Riche [Page] rayment, and gorgious garments of costly colours most sumptuous to beholde? fed he not as fine, and fared he not as daintely as thou? was he not as duely attended on, and pleased with as solempne eye seruice, as thou? was he not glutted with all kind of pleasures? and had all the world as it were at his beck and commaundement? as much as thy selfe? And yet such was the hardnes of his heart, the frailty of his fayth, and coldnes of his charitie, the wilfull stub­bernes of his vntamed will, that he would not bestow as much as the crummes that fell from his table, no not the voidings of his Trenchers, vpon poore Lazarus, who lamentablely oppressed with hunger, and grieued with soares,Dogges cruel by kinde, yet here more curteous then men. begged at his gate, hauing none other reliefe, none other help or comforte in that deepe distresse, but the poore Curs, that licked away the filth that did flow, and distill from his Loathsome carcas, pitifull to beholde: But was for ve­ry hunger driuē to yeld vp the ghost whom Angels forthwith caried into a place of vn­speakable blisse,Pouertie, and Sores, no bar to keepe the Soule from blisse. the bosome of Abraham, where he rested, reuiued with Ioye, refre­shed with comfort, released of miserie, and richly reliued with all vnspeakable happy­nes. But marke what became of this dain­ty [Page 16] rich man, Death not long after, tooke him from his aboundance and left his ri­ches he knew not to whome:If mony could saue the soule the deuill had lost his share. and the De­uill and his Angels, attending his depar­ture, as gréedie of so great a pray, without delay drew him into the deepe dungion of hell, to pray on him there, their fill, and to giue him his iust reward, in vtter darknes, where is continual weeping and gnashing of teeth, and where the worme of his con­science, neuer ceased to torment him:The rich mans griefe encreaseth, to see the poore man in blisse. and so much the more, seeing y^e poore soule & loath­some Lazarus, whome he in the world so much dispised to be placed in heauen, and him selfe in hell: Lazarus in blisse and he in curse, Lazarus in Ioye, he in payne, Lazarus in great glory, he in perpetuall darknes, yea in such vnspeakable heate of, cōscience, y^e he cryed for one drop of mercy and could not obtayne it.To denie helpe to the needy, is sinne before God, What saist thou now, this man for denying to giue that which he thought his owne, what was his reward. Thou hast not heard, that he went about to defraude any of his lyuing, or by threates or flatterye to take, from any mā that which was not his, but onli for seying his poore brother to want, that, wherin he abounded. In what case thou art thou, who hast not onlie, denied thinges nece­sarye [Page] to the nedye, and withheld help from the helples, not onlie, not releued, but op­pressed the poore, and wrongfully taken frō poore Simple thy Tennant (whome in con­science thou art bound to relieue,) his sillie Cottage whereupon he liued, hauing none other place to hide his head in,Many are re­die to rifle. But few to relieue the poore. to harbour him and his in, which is lamentable, be­ing monyles, and friendlesse, hauing ma­ny poore children, and no refuge, and thou hast neither remorce of thine owne consci­ence, pitie vppon their estate, or remem­brance of thy reward. Thy gréedy minde is contrarie & cleane repugnant to the coun­saile of Iesus Christ,A hard Sen­tence to a miserable mā to giue al that they haue to the poore. Pro. 19.17. He lēdeth to the Lord, that hath pity on the poore. [...]ob. 4.8 9. A foundation laid vpon the pleasures of this world, is the grounde work of di­struction. Luk. 12.20. who willeth thée to giue all that thou hast to the poore: but con­trarie, thou robbest the poore to make thy selfe Rich. Thou doost not consider that he that hath pitie on the poore, lendeth vnto y^e Lord, and the Lord will reward him. But I say, seing thou hast much, thou shouldst giue plenteously. Thou shouldst not shut vp thy compassion from the needy, nor forget to distribute, whereby thou mightest lay vp in store a good foundation against the time to come. But the foundation which thou beginnest to laye, is vpon a weake ground, vppon a ground that will sinke thée, into y^e gulfe of perpetuall perdition. Thou foole, [Page 15] this night will Christ take away thy lyfe, then whose shall these thinges be, which thou hast pawned thy Soule for? Thinke vpon the impossibilitie of the Rich-man, to enter into the kingdome of heauen:Hard for the rich man, but impossible for the wick­ed rich man to enter into heauen. for if generallie, it be as hard a thing for a Rich-man to enter into the kindome of heauen, as for a Camell to goe through the eye of a needle, how shall it be for thee, which art so farre in loue with thy bagges of gold, and great possessions, and so desirous to become wealthy, that thou fallest into diuers temp­tations, into the snares of the Deuill, by many and noysome desires,Iosu. 7.10. Achan ston­ed to death for stealing. running head­long into hell, death & destruction. Achan, through his coueitous desire of gold, was himselfe stoned to death, and all that hée had, burned at the commaundement of Io­sua. Ahab, seing his poore neighbour Na­bothes vinyardly conueniently for him,Ahabs wic­ked desire of Naboths vin­yarde. fel into a burning desire thereof, and neuer left vntill Naboth was slaine, by y^e procuremēt of wicked Iesabel his wife: and then went Ahab to take possessiō of y^e vineyard,The wicked­nes of Iesa­bell. A iust reward. where the Prophet of the Lord told him, y^t for his wicked deede, he and his wife should be de­uoured with Doggs. But he himselfe vpon repētance, obtayned pardō:Pardon vpon repentance. but Iesabel was eaten w^t Dogs according to the word of the [Page] Prophet: Let these examples mooue thée, who hast deserued no lesse punishment, in defrauding (partlie by flatterie, and parly by thy threatning) thy poore Tenaunt, whose vndoing cryeth vnto the Lorde,God seeth the wickednes of man. who slumbreth not, but séeth thy wicked­nes, and hath laid vp in store a punishment for thy crueltie, and pride of heart, as by these and many other examples it may ap­peare. Repent therefore in time.

THe scripture reporteth that Abraham was rich,Abraham, Iob, and Da­uid rich. that Iob was wealthy, and that Dauid abounded in substance, [Page 14] and yet Abraham beleeued in God and was reputed righteous:Gen. 15. [...]9. Of Iob it was said, that there was not his like vpon the Earth, a man simple and iust, fearing God,Iob. 1.3. and declining frō euill. And the Lord him­selfe, said of Dauid, 1. King. 15.4. that he had found a man, according to his owne hart, wherby thou maist perceiue, that riches are not of themselues, so much to be dislyked, or con­dempned, but the abuse of them:The abuse of riches to be auoyded. the gree­dy gathering, & wicked whording of them: for these men, although they were very rich and had all things, estemed them selues as hauing nothing,The Rich should e­steeme of themselues as hauing no­thing. Riches with­draweth the heartes of men, from the trueth. Luke. 16. so humble were they in minde, so lowly in their hearts, and libe­rall of their goods. The Prophet Dauid sayeth, if riches increase, set not your harts vpon them: for as the Adamant by nature, draweth Iron to it, so riches commonly draweth the harts of men to an vnsatiable desire, according to the words of our Saui­our, that where a mans riches are, there is his hart. And surely it is hard to finde a man▪ of a content estate, that desireth not more, and a harder thing to finde one, ha­uing more then enough, that is content. The reason is, because they perceiue not, that as an Horse is a vaine thing, to saue a man: so their riches is of no force to [Page] relieue them without it be guided and be­stowed according to y^e word of God,Riches not auaileable without the grace of God to guide the same. which is by the examples of Abraham, Iob, & Da­uid, who were as hauing nothing▪ and yet possessing all things. This (if thou diddest consider, thou wouldest accept, and content thy self onely with the gifts of God,We must be cōtent with­our estate, be it high, or lowe· were they great, or small, many, or few, and that with modest and harty thankfulnes, not in pride, or dispaire, not couiting other mens, but to be helpful to others with thine owne: for there is a God in heauen, that will one day aske accompt,We must giue account of our Tal­lent. what Talent he gaue thée in his absence to vse, what thou hast gotten thereby? which is: what good thou hast done by thy vocation to o­thers? And further, he will demaund what goods thou hadst of his to kéepe, how thou gattest them, and how thou bestowedst thē? what wilt thou answere? canst thou say, I haue with my Talent, gained one other? when, indéede, all thy studies (I perceiue) are set vpon greedie & vngodlie gaine? and so hast thou loitred in thy maisters busines, and waited on Sathan, ran from Christ, and followed Beliall, forsaken thy Saui­our and obeyed the mortall enimie of all mankind, the Deuill. How canst thou say for the getting of all thy goods together? [Page 17] canst thou saie,It is a harde thing for a rich man to discharge him selfe of all ill means to get his goods. I haue gotten them with paine and trauaile of my bodie, with the sweat of my face? nay, canst thou excuse thee (if thou be charged) to haue encroched by violence that, that other poore men haue sweat for? other haue trauailed for? & pain­fullie purchased with great & dayly labour? how (I saie) canst thou excuse thy self here­in? But to come nearer vnto thy curssed wretchednes, admit thou can excuse thée of this, (as thou canst not) it shallbe further demaunded of thee how thou hast bestowed those things that the Lord hath made thée Steward of, here? and what wilt thou an­swere? wilt thou saie, here is thine owne? It will not discharge thee: for he commaū ­deth them that be rich in this world, to be ready to giue and glad to distribute, but thou art not onely not readie to giue, but takest from other, that which is not thine,Mat. 19.20. Occasion, the minister of much mis­chief The rich rob themselues of the free­dom of a good minde▪ through vn­saciable co­uetousnes. thou art not glad to distribute, but greedie to lay vp: where the rust and moth doth cor­rupt, and euill disposed persons, haue their mindes stirred vp, to venter their liues and soules to rob thee of. And in the mean time thou thy selfe, robbest thy selfe of the free­dome of a godly mind, and tiest thy poore soule to the Gates of destruction, with the cordes of pride and selfe loue, not ma­king any accompt how to auoyd, thy ca­sting [Page] into vtter darknes, where shal be wée­ping and gnashing of teeth,It is the least care in this world to a uoid the paynes of the world to come· as an vnprofi­table seruant: neither makest thou any ac­compt, how to auoyd bu [...]ning▪ among the Tares as a weede of the world, or to shun the company of the goates, that shall be set at the left hand of the Lord in the last iudg­ment, as matter for the fire, that neuer shal be quenched: as thou hast heard, by the re­ward of the former Rich man, in the 10. of Luke. But to come againe to thy riches, which thou so honorest, and to thy stin [...] ­king carcas, which thou so daintilie feedest, and finely [...]l [...]hest.The vncer­ta [...]ntie of ri­ches by the example of Iob. Remember that Iobe was rich, with whose aboundaunce, thou madest cōparison before, (yet not with his integritie) but marke how soone his prospe­ritie was changed into aduersitie, his goods into griefe, his wealth into wickednes, his health into sicknes, and all his glorie into vtter contempt of all his friendes: so vaine and variable are riches, and so subiect to sodaine change, is your health of body, that you care so much for: Riches (I say) are casuall, and rise▪ and fall, at the pleasure of the giuer: yea, were thy riches as much as Abrahams, or Iobs, Dauids, or the grea­test Kinges in the world: yea, were it as much as the world could contain, and were it neuer so secreatly hidden, or conueied vn­der [Page 18] those curious Lockes and keies,All riches are in the handes of god: & he is able to take awaye what he hath giuen. that thou saiest thou wilt prouide, in Braze [...] or Iron Chests, neuer so strongly, thou coul­dest not bring it without the compasse of Gods omnipotent power, but that he is a­ble to pluck it from thée, to make it to melt away like waxe at the scorching fire: what madnes (therefore) art thou in,Mans foly to promise him selfe ease in respect of his riches. thou foolish man, to saie to thy soule or body, take ease or liue at rest, for thou hast enough for thy life? thinkest thou not that as God is the Aucthor to giue so to be in his power to take away? as he exaltith, so he can pluck downe? as he maketh rich, so he can make poore againe? And (therefore) the most sure and certaine meane,Man is but tenaunt at will of his worldly sub­stance. long to enioye these giftes of God, is to acknowledge thy selfe to be but his Tenant at will, of all that thou possessest: & therfore bound to dispose at his pleasure for feare of Fortune: and not to repose thine happinesse in thine a­boundance,Happines is not in the a­boundance, nor vnhappi­nes in the want of wealth. Iob. 17, 13. neither thine vnhappines in the want of transitorie wealth: considering that as thou camest into this worlde na­ked, so shalte thou naked returne, from whence thou camest, to earth: of which thou were created, and leaue the honour of thine house behinde thee, for the pomp of thy wealth shal not follow thee. But what thou hast carefully heaped vp, others shall pro­digally, [Page] waste.Euill gotten, soone spent. And therefore, is the aboū ­dance of wealth so farre from making men truely happie, as it rather turneth to their vtter destruction, and euen poyson, vnto their soule.2. King. 5.22. Geizi vnder the name of Eli­zeus, tooke reward of mony, to make him­selfe rich:The rewarde of Bribers. But it wrought with ill effect, it poysoned him, it caused him to fall into Leprosie as white as Snow. Ananias and Saphira, Act. 5.3.4. for kéeping backe parte of the price of their owne possessiōs to their owne vse, were rewarded with present death. But call to minde the horrible ende of that notorious Arch-traytor Iudas, Mat. 27.5. who for mo­nie betrayed his Maister, and Lord, the Sauiour of the world Iesus Christ. Whose corrupt conscience, by reason of his brive­rie and treason, so pricked him, that in des­perate madnes he hanged himselfe,The reward of Iudas, for betraying Christ. & burst in sunder in the midst, that all his bowels gusshed out. An infinite number of such ex­amples (whereof, couetousnes hath bin the aucthor) thou mayst reade, both in y^e scrip­ture,Coueitous­nes odious in the sight of God. as also in prophane histories, cōfir­med to be odious in y^e sight of God, by his iust iudgmēts, following such couetous de­sires of men. Wherfore looke thou vnto thy self, search thine heart, try thy thoughts, ex­amine thine affectiōs, cléere thée if thou can, of this pernicious desire: no, thou canst not [Page 19] say, thine handes are cléere, of taking: thy Chestes free frō whording, that, which was wrongfully gotten. Wash thē thine hands, clense thine heart, and rid thy cofers of their ill gotten goods, least God of his iu­stice come downe, and finde thée thus pol­luted, reward thee according to thy deserts: he seeth it that will not suffer thée, to escape scot-free. Thou maist perchance saie, y^t thou must prouide for a deare yeare, thou saist, thou hast enough for many deare yeares: many thowsands haue the lesse: Let Sim­ple thy Tennant (for one) be witnes, did not Christ, feede with flue barly loaues,Mat. 14.20. Io· 6.11. Mat. 15.33. Water giuen out of the hard rock. and two fishes, fiue thowsand men, beside wo­men & childrē? & with seuen loaues & a few small fishes, fed he not foure thowsād? whē y^e childrē of Israel wanted water in y^e wil­dernes to kill their thirst, was it not giuen thē out of an hard Rock?1 King. 19.6. Eliah fed in the wilder­nes. did not God send vnto Eliah bread & water in y^e desert, in his great, & wearisome iournie? which sheweth the care & tender mercie of y^e good God to­wards them y^t feare him. And to shewe his Iustice lykewise vpon y^e stubborne rebel­lious & stifnecked:Dani. 4.22. The fall of Nabugodo­nozer for his pride and re­bellion a­gainst god. what did he to Nabugo­dozer, y^e mightie king, that estéemed him­selfe rather a God, then a mortall man: did hée not pluck him frō his kingly throne, frō his seate of glorie, and set him amongst the [Page] wilde beastes of the field? And in stead of his Pallace of admirable bewtie, was he not forced to shrowd himselfe with the bu­shes in the wild field? and for his daintie fare, was faine to feede among the beastes of the land, on grasse and greene hearbes, contrarie to the course of man? onely for his pride and tyrrannie? for his striuing and presuming against the almightie God? Sée then if he haue not spared the greatest and most mightie king of the world, but punished him after so strange a fashion, he will not spare thée. There is no respect of persons with him.No respect of persons with god. But he that dooth his will and worketh righteousnes, is accep­ted, be he poore, or rich, high, or lowe, king, or begger: yea, he rayseth the sim­ple, poore, naked, and néedie, out of their miserie, and trouble, and plucketh downe the high, the mightie and proud, and sen­deth those that accompt themselues rich and to haue no neede of his help, them (I say) he sendeth captiue away: he plucketh downe their proud Pecockes tayles, and scattereth them in the imagination of their heartes,Luk. 1.2. and will feede the hungrie & such as thou dispisest, with good thinges. And therefore, once againe, I say vnto thee, that foolishly thou sayst vnto thy soul, take thine ease, or to thy body, take thy rest, I haue [Page 20] enough for my life, I will goe builde, &c. When the Lorde of might, can with the breath of his mouth, Osee. 13. God, euen with the breth of his mouth, can shake our foolish buil­dings to pee­ces. 1. Tim. 6.17. shake those foolish buildings of thine in shiuers, tumble them to y^e ground, & make thy great aboundance nothing at all: And therefore Saint Paul willeth Timothie, to tell thē that are rich in the world, that they should not be exal­ted with pride. But contrarie thereunto. It may be well perceiued, how thou in thine a­boundance beginnest to swell in contempt of other men, through pride, whereof thy wealth is the worker, and pride the nurce of all other vices: so that thou makest that the instrument of all euill, which God hath ordayned to doe all men good. How hast thou gone about to trample (as it were) poore Simple thy Tennant vnder thy feete? Thou hast vtterly vndone him, in taking his poore lyuing from him, flattering him vntill thou hadst gotten him into thy spi­ders web, & then beganst to poyson him, then beganst thou to threaten him, so that the poore man may say, that he sould his ly­bertie, for a pound of flatterie. But in déed, tell me,Libertie sold for a pound of flatterie. intendest thou to procéede in this péeuish purpose of thine? Meanest thou to make such a mightie Mansion, such a huge house, with so many stories hye: fearest thou not falling? doest thou not know, that [Page] he that climes highest, is in most danger, and hath the greatest fall:The plot and groūd-work of a notable b [...]lding. let me aduise thée, to frame thy plotte and proportion of thy building thus: first, for thy foundation, digge the trench verie deepe, euen to the verie roote of thine hearte: search and see, whither [...] it be all firme ground, there or not,The sea side of Sathan. vp [...]n which thy building must be first founded: and because, it standeth so néere the sea side of Satan, Quick-sands. thou must take heede that there be no gulfes or quick Sandes therein,Priuie con­spiracie. driuen by the waues of wicked­nes, whereby thy cogitations haue, or hereafter may sinke into any mire or pud­dle of priuie conspiracie against thy soule:The stamp of a good con­cience. which if thou finde, thou muste ramme downe with the stampe of a good consci­ence, as much Clay of true repentaunce, as will serue the turne,The stones of a mans life, hewen with the hammer of gods word. and then beginne the foundation, with the Stones of a newe life, hewen out with the Hammer of Gods word, and layde by the dyrecte Line and leuell of a true fayth: and the workeman of this building, muste bee the holie spirite of God,The leuel of a true faith. whome thou shalt finde (if thou sake him with a single [...]hart) standing readie (but not idle) in the Mar­ket place of true religion,The holy ghost the work man. working in the newe buildinges of such as vnfaynedly [Page 21] intende to become newe men. But his hire will be [...]omewhat hard, he will not work b [...] the daye, neither by the moneth, nor by y yeare, but wil couenaunt for al thy life, and thou shalt couenaunt with him to giue all that thou haste, at his disposition: which couenaunt if thou breake (yea when the building is euen finished) he will cast it all to the ground againe:We muste breake pro­mise with the body. and where thou hast promised thy soule and bodie to liue at rest, and to take their ease, thou must breake promise with them, for this worke-man will haue thy selfe, vnder him to be the principall ouerseer, and surueyer, to watch night and daie,A work-m [...] of a contrarie building, Sa­than. least a worke-man of a contrarie building, plucke downe, what he settes vp, and de­stroy what he hath made: but he will in­structe thee, and direct thee hereafter what thou shalte doe in this busines, and how thou shalt proceede in this bui [...]ding, if thou wilt frame thy fancie to follow it: this buildinge will be so stately and high that if thou fall, it will crush all to péeces: and yet so precious, and glorious, that thine eye hath not séene thine eare heard, neither can thine heart conceiue, the precious and beautifull furniture, and orna­ments thereof. But a hard péece of worke, [Page] for a naturall man, too curious to thy croo­ked conceite: which I doubt will be hard­ly drawen from thy former follie, from pro­céeding to finish another peece of worke, whereof the wicked workman (that I earst spake of) is the aucthor,Sathan the workeman of all mischief. and prickes thee forward, to goe in hand with thine inten­ded enterprice, thy sumptuous Pallace, (which is for princes) thy curious caruings haughtie hangings, goodly gallaries, plea­sant walkes, stately standings, and prince­ly prospectes: to see (abroad) the Haukes to flie, the houndes to runne: And (within) thy rare Iewels of gold, thy Cubbords of plate, thy Cofers full, & whatsoeuer else, delight­some vnto thee, he perswades thee to be all good. But alas, he dooth but deceiue thée: For God by the Prophet cryeth out [...]ond saith:Esay. 5.8. Woe be vnto you that glorie in your vanities, ioyning house to house, and land to land. The earth is full of golde and sil­uer, there is no ende of their treasures. I am angrie with their couetousnes, Abac. 2.6. (saith God) I will strike their iniquitie, and not suffer such, Esa 2.12. as thus glorie in their goods, and the vaine pleasures of the world, to haue any certaine rest, An inordi­nate care of riches, a worme to the conscience. But I will put a worme in their conscience, which shall tor­ment them with continuall anguish and perplexitie (yea hows [...]euer the world go­eth [Page 22] with them:) for such is the inextinguish­able fire of vnsaciable couetousnes,Pro. 27.20. that it euer desireth and is neuer satisfied, no, al­though it obtaine as much to daie, as it wi­sheth for,Couetousnes setteth the end of al saci­etie in things wished for· to morrow it desireth as much more, like an vnsatiable Sea, and the fire that hath neuer enough. But setteth as it were the end of sacietie, in thinges wished and hoped for, & not in that which he hath, haue it neuer so much. And therefore, it is sayd, that desire of mony increseth as much as mony it selfe: meaning,The couetous man enimie to all m [...]n [...] and chiefly to himselfe. that the more a man hath, the more he coueiteth. Where­by he offendeth God, iniureth himselfe, & dooth wrong to his neighbour; he dooth not his duetie to God, he withholdeth things necessarie from himselfe, and helpeth not his neighbour when he needeth: he is to God vnthankfull, to him selfe cruell, to his neighbour froward. And therefore, Iohn in his first Epistle, and second chapter,1. Io. 2.15▪ wil­leth thee not to loue the worlde, nor the things in the world: for whatsoeuer is in the worlde, is concupiscence of the flesh,Of concupi­scence sprin­geth all euil. concupiscence of the eies, and the pride of life: out of which, as out of head-foun­taines, springe all other euils: namely, of the concupiscence of the flesh,Concupiscēce of the flesh. Cōcupiscēce of the eies. voluptu­ousnesse, of the concupiscence of the eies, riches and desire of thy neighbours goods: [Page] by which came thy first motion to desire Simple thy Tenāts liuing.Pride of life. And of the pride of life, springeth ambition and desire of ho­nour, and to be great in the sight of men: out of which sprang thy pernicious, and foo­lish purpose to build,Voluptuous­nes. &c. Agayne, of volup­tuousnes, commeth vnhonest, and vncom­ly thinges: of riches, wicked thinges: and of ambition,Riches. Ambition. foolish thinges: all which are so linckt and knit together, as imbrace one, and thou art guiltie of all: follow thou one, and the rest will follow thee. So that here is the case of coueitousnes, who by reason of his riches, becommeth so loftie, that he would bring all other (as it were,) vnder his girdle. I goe for proofe, but to thy selfe, who (notwithstanding thine aboundance,) wast not contented to see poore Simple to liue by thée, but most gréedily hast thou eaten him vp, and deuoured him of his ly­uing, to his vtter beggering, which gréedy desire of thine, I finde accompanied with so many euils,Coueitous­nes accom­paned with many euils. and vanities of the minde, choaking so the sences, with the thornie cares of this worlde, that I perceaue thée quite and cleane drawne, from the true and holsome seruice of God▪ to the most seruile and sinfull slauerie of deceitfull Sathan.

SAiest thou so? Thou art greatly deceiued, in deede I am that Solace, that for thy cō ­fort came vnto thee yesterday,Prouerb. 13.1. Pro. 9.7.8. The wise whē they are re­formed de­part frō their euill, but the foolish will not amende. The vngodly to excuse their faults, doe by circū ­stance ende­uour to laye the cause of their euil vp­on God him selfe. to call thee from thy foolishnes, from thine error and cense­lesse securitie: But thou art that scorner that the wise man meaneth, that refuseth to bee re­formed. For a wise man, when he is reprooued, departeth from his euill, but a foole, when hee is rebuked of his error, falleth into raging, and as it were into a desperate madnes, as may ap­peare by thy frowardnes, that art not ashamed wrongfully and most vniustly to charge mee to be the cause of this sorrowe of thine, of thy dis­payre, thou augmentest thy fault in thus rashly accusing mee. But it is a Leasson learned long agoe, many thousand yeeres put in practise: [Page 27] namely, the vngodly to finde out excuses accor­ding to their owne willes and peruerse con­ceites. As Adam & Eue thy great grandsieres did in the beginning,Eccle. 32.18. when they had manifestly transgressed the Commaundement of their Creatour in eating the fruit forbidden,Gen. 3.7. when they were charged with the crime: what did they? did they (vpon their reprehension) con­fesse and say, it is so Lord, we haue eaten it con­trarie to thy will? noe but they sought another bye meane to cloake their disobedience, Adam for his part sayd: The woman whome thou gauest me made me to eate: And Eue (see­ing the matter sayd to her charge) sayd it to the Serpents charge, thincking to make (by cir­cumstance) God himself the author of their fall. But this iugling could not auaile them,He that by vayne excu­ses goeth a­bout to hide his offence from God, encreaseth his fault. their deceitfulnes deceiued themselues, and they had al their reward: Now to come to thine excuse, who (to discharge thine owne vnhappines, lay­est the fault on mee) that came not to vndoe thee but to reuoke thee from thy miserable blindnes from thine obstinate foolishnes, & ouerthwart opinion, wherein thou were trudging as faste as thou couldest to vndoubted dampnation.Sathan set­teth a vale be­fore our eyes that wee should not see the light of the trueth. Iohn. 1.5.

But I see that Satan hath set a vale before thine eyes, that thou canst not see thy friend frō thy foe, thou takest light for darkenesse, and darkenesse to be light, yea darkenesse hath so dimned thy censes, that thou canst not compre­hend [Page] the light.2. Cor. 6.14. For there is no familiaritie be­tweene light and darkenes. But awake thou foolish man that sleepest in darkenes,Eph. 5.14. and God shall giue thee light, yea, I am the light of the worlde,Io. 8.12. he that followeth mee shall not walke in darkenes, but shall enioy the light of eternall life.

I Knowe (oh sinfull man) that riches and vain­glorie had euen ouercome thee. Thou were in a slumber,The deuill rocketh men a sleepe with worldly plea­sures that seeme sweete, but are in deed deadly poyson. with the sweete lullings (as they seemed) of that deceaueable Sathan the god of this worlde, who hath in such sort blinded thy mind, and bewitched thee with vaine and tran­sitorie pleasures, that the light of my glorious Gospell, which is the power of God, shoulde not shine vnto thee. By reason whereof the ex­amples of the Iustice of mine heauenly father (extended against such as haue their heartes so seared with the hot iron of worldly carefulnes) hath mooued thee to this kind of dispaire, fee­ling thy conscience guiltie of the things where­of thou hast beene reprooued: And therefore most wrongfully doest thou attribute the cause of thy griefe vnto mee. But it is Sathan that thus bestirreth him now to retaine thee in the blind bye-path, that he hath hitherto deceitful­ly drawen thée into, beset with so many dilight­some deuises, and daintie delicates of the flesh, of the minde, and of the eyes, that he is loath to lose thee, he thinkes that if thou once goe from [Page] him, thou wilt come no more, if thou forsake him, thou wilt be reteyned into my seruice, who wil giue thee better entertainemēt, yea, though my wages in this world be not gold and siluer, though my Liuerie bee not so glorious to the eye,Sathā is most busie to leade vs to euill, when we be most willing to apply vs to goodnes. and thy dyet so daintie, yet I say thou shalt be sure of a good liuing, in reuersion, which is, after this life rent free, without any feare of for­feiture: thy Lyuery shalbe here the libertie of a free minde, and thy Dyet daily meditation of heauenly things. Which liuing, which Liuery and which dyet (I knowe) thine old master tels thee are al vaine,The seruants of God shall haue the kingdome of hea­uen for their inheritance. al ful of seruitude, watchings, waytings, and thraledome, and he giues thee both great wages of Gold and Siluer, and a great liuing in hand, hee giues thee not borde wages, but places thee most princelike at his owne Table,Sathan be­stowes all things in this life on his ser­uāts, to please them, but af­ter this life e­ternall paines in hell. hee feedes thee with his owne hands, but he craues attendāce, he is something nice in seruice, you must wayte at an inch. But then like the master of a good hound, he plea­seth thee with many rewards: which thou hast accounted a very sweete and pleasaunt seruice, but thou hast heard before, that it is vayne, yea most vayne,Christ came into this world to call vs out of the seruice of Sa­than to serue th'almightie God. and very affliction of the spirit, car­rying thee as it were (sleeping) into the most horrible pit of all endles perdition: And euen of meere loue (being sent to cal those that were gone astray,) I was mooued to awaken thee of this sinf [...]ll slumber, to warne thee out of the [Page 29] seruice of this wicked master of thine, and ther­fore I knowe that thou condemnest mee to bee the cause of this thy sorrowe: Alas art thou so sorrowfull and full of griefe, to giue ouer that master of thine endlesse miserie,Sathan the master of all mischiefe. the master (I say) of all mischiefe, the ringleader to all euill rule, the Captaine of all the hellish crue: the crue that haue their cogitations commonly oc­cupied in couetouse cares and vngodly desires of wordly pleasures: the crue (I say) that are caried by his most wicked wiles into most cur­sed captiuitie, neuer caring for God or godli­nes, who esteeme my words as winde, as thou doest, who so reioycest in thine aboundance, as one that laugheth in his dreame, and when hee awaketh is driuen to howle in sorrowe?He that is not reconciled to God by Christ is dead in this world. yea as dead being yet liuing, for thou canst not be but dead, vnlesse thou be reconciled by mee, who by my bloud shedding, on the Crosse, slewe all en­mitie, betweene God my heauenly father and thee. And as I haue purchased this reconci­liation for thee: So I am come to thee to tell thee, to warne thee,Ephe. 2.1.15. Col. 2.14. and to reclayme thee from error to the trueth, from the clawes of Sathan to the fauoure of mine heauenly father, if thou wilt heare mee and embrace my sayings.

ALas poore man thou art in great perplexi­tie, thy sences are sackt in deede: But canst thou [...]l by whose meanes? wotest thou y^e cause? canst thou yet consider who it is that worketh this vnpleasant thing in thee? Is it I, or Sa­than? is it vertue or vice? Is it life or death?

WEll poore man, notwithstanding,The vnspea­keable power and mercie of God towards man. thy dis­sobedience and thy wilful running from me, to that venemous Serpent, who hath thus poysoned thee with the sting of dispaire: I am not so hard hearted, but (of mercie) wilbe paci­fied, [Page] and vpon thine earnest repentance, be a meane, for thy reconciliation, to the fauour of mine heauenly father againe,Christ the re­conciliation. to God for sinne. who gaue me vp into the the hands of the world, in the flesh to be a Sacrifice and Oblatiō, to appease his wrath (which nothing els could doe) and to be made the cause of eternall saluation to all the world, as many as beleeue in mee.Heb. 5.9.

AND doest thou now confesse that it is Sa­than hath thus be witched thee? It is true: & most vntruely erwhile didst thou charge me with it: be now ruled by me, take mine aduice, and there shall bee a dispensation prouided for thee, easely to defeate Sathan and deceiue him of all his hope, he hath (yea of al his title, intrest and demaund) in thee:Christ hath subdued Sa­than, and be­reft him of all his power. for I haue his head vn­der my girdle: I vāquished him vpon y^e Crosse: I spoyled him of all his power: I tooke all his weapons from him, and tied him in chaines, [Page 31] that he cannot passe those limmits & that com­passe which I haue assigned him, without my permission and licence: I discharged all wret­ched sinners out of his iurisdiction, and in my humanitie, satisfied and absolutely discharged the debt of all mankind, and cancelled the Ob­ligation wherein they stood bounde, and tooke an acquittaunce for the same, sealed with mine owne blood vpon the Crosse: So that your olde maister, subtile Sathan hath no more to de­maund of them:Christ hath discharged, by his death all that was due for sinne Gen. 3.10. for I haue boūd my self to aun­swere, the vttermost farthing that lawe can charge them withall: Although they were (by reason of the breach which thy great graund­parents, Adam & Eue, made of the Commaun­dement of the Lord in the beginning) all vnder the lawe, and so bounde to aunswere the lawe: which I haue done for all men. And therefore if thou submit thy selfe vnto me,Beliefe in Christ, is the meane to be at one with God. and beleeue in me with a true faith, thou shalt bee reconciled vnto mine heauenly father, who (if thou beleeue in me) shall honour thee, and for that thou art weake and full of infirmitie,Ioh. 12.6. 2. Cor. 12.7. my grace and po­wer (feare thou not) shall then most aboundant­ly appeare (when thy weakenesse is greatest) to hold thee vp and to helpe thee.Rom. 5.20. For although sinne abound in thee, grace may more abound: that is, if thou repent thou shalt find fauour and mercy: but he that walketh on still on his wic­kednesse, without any motion of conscience, to [Page] craue pardon,He that per­seuereth in wickednesse, hath no hope of grace. of him whom he offendeth, this grace and this reconcilement taketh no place in such a one. Therefore, must thou come to me in faith, and in true repentance, turne from thy former wicked waies: so shalt thou bee reconci­led vnto GOD mine heauenly father, whose wrath, by mine obedience, is appeased, his an­ger qualified, and loue renued: Death vanqui­shed, and life obteyned: hell gates shut vp, and the gates of heauen opened: yea, my dying▪ hath made all men aliue:Gen. 3.15. for I am that seede of the woman, that haue broken the Serpents head, that haue cast out the Prince of this world, and iudged him:Io. 12.31. But he loueth yet to play the busie body, he luoeth still to bee sifting euery man, standing at their elbowes, to pricke them for­ward to euery vanitie:Za. 13.1. and falsly flatter them as a deepe dissembler: saying, tush, tush, God kno­weth,Sathan stands at our el­bowes to pre­uent vs (if he could) from doing good, and to pro­cure vs to do euill. that if thou doe thus, it shalbe for the best, this is the way to thy most benefite. But con­trary when he seeth a man forwarde to vertue, bent to doe good, and to doe my fathers will, how then he bestirres him, then he takes them by the arme (as it were) and saies, doe not that, and staies him, disswading him: saying, take heede whether thou goe, take heede what thou doe: so that he is a minister to all mischeefe, and a let to godlinesse:The world & the flesh the spurres to sinne. he secketh by all meanes to trayne men into wickednesse, hauing his hire­linges, the world and the flesh to attende night [Page 32] and day, ready to lay sundry tēptations, to moue men to euill: the pleasures of the world, to win them: and the motions of the flesh, to moue thē, to his detestable errors: wherinto he wrencheth and wringeth mē with tooth and nayle, to snare them and so to destroye them. Was not he the meane, to moue Herod to persecute me? and to seeke occasions to tripp me? that prouided false witnesse to accuse me?Io. 13.2. wicked Iudges to con­demne me? And at last sent he not Iudas to be­tray me? yes surely, it was euen he: for his tēp­ting mee in the Desertes on the pinacle of the temple, makes it manifest that it was he:Mat. 4.6. But loe, he could bring nothing to passe, but as the Scripture before had determined should bee done, before all things (to that so precious busi­nesse of mine) should bee finished. I could haue preuented him of his purpose, but the wil of my father was, that I should obey:Christ obedi­ent vnto his fathers will. so I did to the death, the death of the Crosse, a death most ig­nominious, most reproachfull: and yet to make the matter more slaunderous (as they thought, and as the ministers of sathan perswaded them selues) they hung me among theeues, and mur­therers: yea, a theefe and murtherer was set at libertie, his notorious cryme pardoned,Innocent Christ con­demned, and a thiefe dis­charged. and his life saued, to thrust me forward, who was inno­cent, faultlesse, iust, and clere, they hauing no­thing to lay to my charge, and yet he neuer left vntill they had hanged me: but not to fulfill his [Page] will, but the will of my father. Sathan for his part, needed not to haue been so busie, for by my death I subdued him, by mine obedience I brought him in subiection,Christ by his death subdu­ed Sathan. and bereft him of all his authoritie. A most happie death for all man­kinde: for thereby I haue gotten them eternall life. I was willing and ready to fulfill the will of mine heauenly father therein: I refused no­thing that might bee for the benefite of sinfull man, or that might ouercome this great Goli­ath, this huge Holophernes, and to confound that saucie companion, that intruded himselfe into the Garden of Paradice, Gen. 3.7. so mallepertly a­mong thy parents Adam and Eue, whom with faire wordes,Sathan with an apple, won Adam & Eue to breake the precepts of God. glorious shewes, and vaine intise­ments, he ouerthrewe, and robbed them of all their happinesse, and that with an Apple: He is the instrument of all euill, the master of all mis­rule, who hath plaide the like parte with thee, in stirring vp thy mynde to the vanities of this worlde, to sucke the sweete from poore Simple thy tenaunt: But his dealing is with such craf­tie conueyaunce, that he maketh a great shewe that what he doth is for thy saluation, when in deede it is to drawe thee into destruction, and thou so simple, (nay rather full of subtiltie as a good scholler of his) haste obeyed him, and dis­sobeyed me: followed him and forsaken me: be­trothed thy self to him, and brokē thy faith with me: But thou seest now I haue vanquished him, [Page 33] I haue beaten him downe,Though Sa­than be sub­dued, he see­keth still to beguile vs. I trample him and his ministers vnder my feete: thou maist per­ceiue that his courage is quayled, and his force of none effect: yet doth his will continue wic­ked, and his practises very perrilous. But to whom? not to me, neither auaileable against my members, although he seeketh by all mea­nes to deuoure them.The deuill preuaileth not against the faithfull. It is to such as are weake in faith and of no courage: to such as he findeth ready prepared for his comming, and such as will willingly entertayne him, and bee enter­tayned with him: to such as will not only seeke how to resist him, but yeeld before he come nere them: to such as will not flye from him,The power of the deuill of it selfe is no­thing, but such as obey him make it strong. but goe (as it were) to meete him: to such as haue a daintie, and a nice care for the flesh, and no re­gard to the soule: against such his force is very strong. And why? not that it is of it self strong, but such as thou art makest it strong, who fea­rest to offende him, who art loth to displease his officers, the world and the flesh: but canst finde in thine heart, to goe for them, to ride for them, to runne for them▪ yea, and to liue and dye in their drudgerie, in their seruitude and slauerie: such an one he found thee. He no soner sayd to thee, doe this, but thou didst it: say this, but thou saidst it: frame thy cogitations thus, but thou did so: when he sayth eate, thou eatest, so did thy fore father and mother: when he bids thee goe thou wilt runne, and when he bids thee runne [Page] thou wilt ride poest,Man doth all things that may displease but nothing to please God so diligēt art thou to please him. But contrary, when I bid thée do this, thou disdaynest: when I or any by my commission, bids thee goe, thou wilt either stand starke still, or goe backward, which pleaseth well your ma­ster Sathan: he feeds this frailtie of thine with diuers phantasies, as might appeare yesterday, before I tooke thee out of his Cradle of Se­curitie. But wilt thou not confesse yet that he hath deceiued thee? doest thou not yet feele it? doth he yet keepe thee vnder his tyrannie?Ioh. 8.44. Iob. 41.25. Ue­rely verely he is a lyar, a murtherer, & the King of pride:Sathan is a lyar and a murtherer. he hath taught thee to lye, and to dis­semble: he hath hurted and wounded thee, and puft thee vp with such ambition that thou kno­west not thy self. Leaue thy lying therefore, and speake the trueth: be not high minded, but con­sider that thou art an earthly man: thou hast no­thing to bragge of, but rather great occasion to mourne and weepe for thy woundes, which if thou seeke not helpe for,Christ the true Samari­tan to heale our wounds. Luke 10.33. will kill thee. Returne therefore vnto me, looke vp, I am that Samari­tane that will powre the oyle of grace into thy woundes, and binde them vp with the cloutes of mercie. It is I, that wil carrie thee vnto the Inne of eternall blisse, if thou wilt rise vp and walke with me: nay I will set thee vpon mine owne shoulders, I wil beare thee on my backe, thou shalt lacke nothing, I wil giue thee what­soeuer thou wantest, and bring thee where thou [Page 34] shalt bee cured,Christ hea­leth what Sa­than hath hurt. and feele no more the smart of these woundes of thine: Sathan hath made thē, I will heale them: Sathan hath vndone thee, I will releeue thee: Sathan hath pluckt thee downe, I will raise thee vp: Sathan hath blin­ded thee, with the vaine and transitorie, with the frayle, and foolish pleasures of this worlde, and allured thee to followe him, to eternall destruc­tion: but I will open thine eyes, and I wil giue thee light, so that thou shalt be able to discerne his falshood and flatterie, from my faithfulnes: how to flye him, and to followe me to eternall saluation, whereof (if thou frame thee faithful­ly to my wordes) I will assure thee. Heare me.

ALL the Prophetes beare me witnesse, tha [...] through my name, all that beleeue in me shall receiue remission of sinnes.Act. 10.45. Iohn sayth, [...] any man haue sinned, he hath an Aduocate wit [...] the father,Testimonies of Christes victorie. Iesus Christ the Righteous, & he i [...] the propitiation for our sins. I am that Christ [Page 35] of whom Osee testifieth, and sayth: in that I haue conquered Sathan already: O Death I wilbe thy death: O Hell I wilbe thy destruc­tion: I haue (as Dauid sayth) lead captiuitie captiue, when I ascended into heauen, in ouer­comming the Deuill, Sinne, Death, and Hel, enemies to the soule of man. These that were long before me haue testified of me, whose testi­monie of me is true:Gen. 3 15. And my father in the be­ginning, promised that the seede of the woman should tread downe the Serpents head,Esay. 7.14. Ier. 31.22. I was that pure seede of the Uirgine, of whom the Prophetes spake long before,1. Io. 5.7. and I haue per­formed it vppon the Crosse, and thus doth the spirite testifie in the hearts of all the Children of my father. Now,1. Io. 5.11. if these witnesses cannot moue thee to beleeue: beleeue my father in hea­uen who testifieth of me: saying,Mat. 11. This is my welbeloued Sonne heare him. My father hath sent into the world eternall life, and that is by me his Sonne. Well then, come vnto me al ye that labour & are heauy laden with the burthen of sinne, come vnto me & I will ease you.They that are loden with the burden of their sinnes may come freely to Christ, and be comforted. Art thou loden (therefore) poore man? ye more then loden: thou art prest downe, not to the ground, but to y^e very gulfe of hel: thou maist thanke thy master Sathan for it, who being pittilesse pres­seth downe with the weightie burthen of all wickednesse, such as yeeld him seruice. He will promise at the first, nothing but ease, nothing [Page] but pleasure:The deuil wil promise ease, but the end is paine and la­sting woe. but in the ende he lodeth with la­bour, and paieth your hire with paine: thou that hast had the tryall of it, excuse him if thou canst: no thou canst not, nor thy self. Wherfore, I say, defie him, and condemne thy self, who hast gone astraie, who hast wrought wickednesse, euen with greedinesse: And I see that he hath led thee into such a Laberinth, into such a deepe Dungion of dispaire, that it wilbe hard for thee to winde thee out againe. But I will worke thee such a way, as if thou bee aduised by me, if thou followe my counsayle,The coūsaile of Christ eter­nall trueth, & the way of life. and walke the way that I will shewe thee, thou shalt (spite of his heart) breake his fetters in peeces, get out of his prison, and defie him and all his wicked re­tinue euen to their faces.

YEa, that is his occupation, he hath nothing els to liue by, nor to maintaine his king­dome withall: He first allureth men to al kinde of vice: he stirreth them vp to rebell against the will of mine heauenly father, and (as much as in him lyes) reteineth them therein: but when they be somewhat touched with the knowledge and feeling of their error, when the spirite be­ginneth to groane, vnder the heauie burthen of sinne, and sommoneth them to the leading of a new life, and they begin to fall from him: then beginnes he to bestirre himself,Sathan most diligēt to de­ceiue vs, when we be most desirous to returne vnto God. then he begins to cogge and to lye, then he renues the Com­missions of his officers, and wicked ministers, to lay a newe assault to their soules, who with great diligence execute their masters will, in perswading the poore sinner, that he beginnes to take an ill course, if he decline from his wic­ked way, when he refuseth to doe ill, and choo­seth to doe good: when he leaueth darknesse and betakes him to the light of trueth. He tolde Iu­das that he was not wise if he would followe me,Ioh. 13.2. but if he would forsake me and betray me then did he well. But when he had performed his commaundement, and done as he was bid, what did that master of his for him? for sooth, [Page] (for feare least he should haue truely repented and haue vnfeynedly returned to me againe) he put such a pricke into his conscience, that he neuer left him, till he had hanged himselfe. Such conflictes maketh hee in the mindes of men, that haue once yeelded vnto his pestilent motions, and obeyed his wicked will, without remorse of conscience, feare of death, or loue of mee, and that will not be in time reclaymed from their wickednesse, whome the wordes of my mouth will not mooue, nor the feare of hell fire, fraye from their filthinesse: these (I say) when they heare the iudgements of my Father against them for their sinnes, he (to the ende he may hold them still in blindnes) fearreth them with threates, and ouercommeth their wittes, with most horrible and blasphemous perswasi­ons, that there is no saluation or hope of helpe in me▪ in so much as he laboreth by all meanes, and vseth all his pollicies to bring them to de­struction, resisting them alwayes from doing any good:Zach. 3. [...]. The Deuill went about to let the prai [...]s of Iosua. Math. 8.12. as he stoode at the right hande of Ie­hoshua to let him, when hee prayde vnto myne heauenly father for the state of the people: So hee endeuoureth to take my worde out of thine heart, least thou shouldest beleeue and be saued: yea, he desireth to winnow those that will come forwarde to godlines as Wheate, as he sifted Peter myne Apostle,Peter denied Christ by Sa­thās meanes. who perswaded him selfe to be able to stand strongly, but loe, (euen with [Page 37] the feare that Sathan stroke him with) he de­nied me three times: but he repented, went out,Mat. 26.34. and wept bitterly:Marke 14.32. Mat. 4 3. And afterward resisted him manfully, nay, he was not cōtented only to trie mine Apostles, and other holy men, but he had a pull at me, he layd a great assault against me (as he thought) for he tried me with great pos­sessions that he promised to giue mee,Sathan temp­ted Christ. hoping that wealth would winne me: he tryes me with hunger, & when he sawe this would not mooue me, he sought meanes that I might kil my self, to throwe my selfe downe of an high [...]eeple, but I could haue done it without hurt, and so he perswaded me (although he beleeued it not.The deuil see­keth many meanes to de­stroy vs.) But this practise hee putteth yet in proofe, for he willeth one to drowne himselfe, another to kill himselfe, the third to hang him selfe, and by diuers other meanes, he mooueth them to mis­chiefe themselues, to dispatch them out of the way: And why?Num. 21.6. The brasen serpent a fi­gure of Christ Least they should after his ve­nemous biting, looke vpon the brasen Serpent and liue, (which is) least they should forsake sinne and cleaue vnto righteousnes, least they should repent their wicked life,Io. 3 14. When sathan hath stung vs with sinne, we must looke vpon Christ, that is, we must beleeue in him & bee saued. and so returne and looke vpon me, who was lifted vp, vpon the Crosse, that none that beleeue in me, should pe­rish, but be healed of their spiritual diseases, the sting of Sathan. Wherefore, turne thou vnto me, turne thee I say vnto mee, behold me cruci­fied, take a good hart vnto thee, feare thou not: [Page] I was sent in the flesh to die for thy sinnes: such tender loue of thy saluation had mine heauenly Father, that notwithstanding, I was his onely deare Sonne, in whome he was delighted, yet spared he not me, but sent me to saue thee. Set Sathan therefore at naught, I haue alreadie reprooued him,Zech. 3.2. take him as he is a fyre brand of hell, whome I haue dispoyled of all his power: feare none of these things that he threateneth thee withall: But be faithfull vnto the death, and I wil giue thee a crowne of life.Reue. 2.10. Be strong in the power of my might: Put away lying, and the author of lyes, and gird thy loynes with veritie, put on the brest plate of righteousnes, the shielde of fayth,Ephe. 6.10. and stand against these sharpe assaults of Sathan, out of whose hands to redeeme thee, I haue payd, what could be de­maunded, yea, the vttermost farthing, nothing coulde ransome thee, but my blood, and that I gaue euen vnto the last drop: whereof, because I see thee ignorant,Christ hath ransomed vs out of the hands of Sa­than, euen with his own blood. We must take opportunitie when we may haue it, to turne to the Lord. I tell it thee so much y^e oft­ner, wherein if thou beleeue me, I will proceed to shewe thee further what my fathers will is, and howe thou shalt goe forward to fulfill the same. Play the good and skilfull Mariner, that hoyseth vp the Sailes when the wind best serueth, and like a wise Marchant, make thy market when thou meetest with the best Chap­man, least when thou wouldest saile, the winde turne against thee, and the market (contrarie [Page 38] to thine expectation) fall to thy disprofit: Ther­fore I say, while thou hast this opportunitie, take holde of my proffer, seeke me nowe I am neere, least when thou wouldest, thou canst not find me: take heede y^t thou omit not this conue­nient time, say not I come too morrowe,Make no de­lay to returne vnto God. I will goe burie my Father: I will goe prooue my yoke of Oxen, I wil goe see my Farme, I wil go build, &c. These and such like delayes haue deceiued many: were not the fiue foolish Uir­gines shut out,The wise and foolish vir­gins. because they had no light in their Lampes when the Brydegroome came? Let this suffice, while thou hast light proffered, receiue it, least thou be thrust into vtter darke­kenesse, where shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

WEll, well, (I say) take heede thou sinful wretch, least (as I sayd erwhile) thou loose this fit oportunitie, this conuenient wind that now is risen to blowe thee to the sweete harbour of saluation, take heede, it turne not a­gainst thee: doest thou beleeue these tales of him that seekes to destroy thee, and that raiseth so many stormes and tempestes to beate thee backe from the sweete and sure harbour of hea­uenly comfort? And makest thou a doubt of my power?Infidelitie, the greatest let to come to Christ. Shall I defend thee if I can? Is it by reason of infirmitie, that thou sayst so? or is it a stone which Sathan gaue thee to throw at me, as his ministers did when I was on y^e Crosse, they bid me come downe and saue my selfe if I could, yes, yes, I could, and so am I able to saue thee if thou beleeue in me: I haue already van­quished him that holdeth thee thus in darknesse and in the shadowe of death, and thus perswa­deth thee to refuse light offred in an acceptable time. But faint not I say againe, but beleeue verely to haue thy portion in the lande of the li­uing.Psal. 27.13. [Page 39] Oh wretched man,Heb. 4.15. I perceiue thine infir­mitie, yet touched with the desire of thy salua­tion, wherefore suffer this tryall with pacience, I was tempted (as thou hast heard) but I with­stood it, euen vnto the death. Be strong,Mat. 4. [...]. Phil. 2.8. resist this cruell aduersarie of thine, sight manfully against him, and beate him downe with the Clubbe of a true and vndoubted faith in me:Faith, the chiefest wea­pon to resiste Sathan. Lay about thee, before thee, and behinde thee, and of euery side: suffer him not to come neere thee: let him vnderstand that thou hast a master now that is mightier than he: tell him that thou art now in the seruice of Iesus Christ, a Cap­taine that hath giuen thee the weapons where­with he ouercame him on the Pinacle, and on the Mountaine, & at al times in al his assaults, and then will he thinke his labour to bee all in vaine, which he hath bestowed in stirring thee against me. And as I haue promised to stande thy freend, I will performe it:Heb. 4.16. come thou hold­ly vnto the Throane of grace, where thou shalt receiue comforte in these conflictes,Gal. 5.1. Christ the foū tain of al true helpe. I am the fountaine of all spirituall helpe, who haue deli­uered thee out of the bondage and thraldome of the deuill: by my blood haue I raunsomed thee out of the captiuitie of Sathan, I willingly o­beyed myne heauenly father to the death, to ob­teine remission of thy sinnes, and rose againe for thy iustification, that thou through faith in me shouldest bee saued, and from henceforth to [Page] liue, not to thy selfe after the flesh, to fulfill the lustes and euill appetites thereof, pleasing Sa­than, but to liue vnto me: that is, to abandon vice and to followe vertue: to eschue euill and to doe good: to seeke peace and to ensue it, and carefully to imbrace godlinesse and righteous­nesse of life,2. Cor. 5.14. Colos. 20. as by me thou art made righteous, and by me all thinges pacified both in heauen and earth:We are in Christ, made at one with God. Ephe. 1.13. by me thou art reconciled and made at one againe with God myne heauenly father and by me (if thou beleeue) thou shalt obteine forgiuenesse of all thy sinnes, and pardon for al thine offences, for thy manifold transgressions, rebellion, and dissobedience: And to thee that art sinfull,Ephe. 1.17. ignorant, and farr from knowledge, to thee is here (euen in my blood) saluation of­fred, and the true spirite of wisedome opened, that the eyes of thy mynd, that now are so dim­med with the shadowe of the olde man, may bee lightened with the Candle of my sacred coun­saile, and truely perceiue and thine heart right­ly conceiue, what the ende is of this hope wher­vnto I am come to call thee: what the riches of my glorious inheritance (which I here proffer thee) is,Col. 2.14. and the greatnesse of my power, which I promise thee: who (as I sayd before) haue torne in peeces, and cancelled the Obligation, wherein thou stoodest bound,1. Io. 3.8. I haue taken it a­way, and fastened it on the Crosse, I haue losed thee from the seruitude and slauerie of Sathan, [Page 40] who (as thou sayst) doth chalenge thy seruice, I haue set thee free from the workes of darknesse,Io. 2.4, 6. who am the light, and no man that beleeueth in me shal remaine any more in darknesse: beleeue therefore in the light, that thou mayst bee made the childe of light, and obteine life againe, that now art dead vnder the Prince of darkenesse, who had once the power of death.Heb. 2. Christ hath deliuered all men from death that beleeue in him. Ephe 2.18. But I haue deliuered all them that beleeue in me, and liue in my feare, and haue takē away that partition, that was set betwene God my father and them: So that through me thou mayst haue free ac­cesse vnto him: yea, Iewes and Gentiles, are v­nited and knit to one God, euen my father, who for their sakes,Iewes and gentiles haue accesse to God the fa­ther through Christ. Rom. 5.19. Gal. 3.13. 2. Cor. 8.9· gaue me an oblation and sacri­fice, to bee offered vpon the Crosse, to the ende that by myne obedience they might bee made righteous. I was accurssed, that through my curse they might be blessed, and deliuered from the heauy burthen of the lawe, yea, I became poore to make all men rich: but not as thou hast gloried to bee rich, in goodes and great aboun­daunce, but in grace and the fauour of myne heauenly father, with whom I haue obteined peace for thee, and deliuered thee out of y^e thral­dome of that spirituall Pharao, by offering my body a Pascall Lambe, & sprinckling my blood vpon the doore postes of the hearts of all true beleeuers in me. Wherfore come vnto me, thou that art so heauie loden, and I wil refresh thee. [Page] Confesse me with thy mouth, & beléeue in thine heart,Rom. 10.9. that God raised me from death, and thou shalt be saued, for my comming into this world was to seeke and to saue that was lost.Luke. 19.10. Where­fore heare me, for if thou heare my wordes and beleeue in him that sent me,Io. 6.40. I will raise thee vp in the last day to eternall life, for there is sal­uation in none but in me onely,Rom. 2. There is sal­uation in none but in Christ. who haue the power euen in mine owne handes to recouer that againe for thee, which was lost by the fall of Adam.

SO sayd Peter mine Apostle,Ioh. 18.17. Luke 22.57. Marke 24.6.8. that he would followe me whether soeuer I went, yea, he would not refuse to dye with me: but when the raging and boysterous stormes of Satans mi­nisters blewe about mine eares, and began to beate vpon the walles of his frailtie,We may not presume to stand, least we fall. being de­maūded whether he were not of my companie? he flatly denied me, nay, he forsware me, & sayd, that he knew me not: Be not therefore too bold at the first brunt, though thou feele more com­fort, and thy minde more quieted, and Sathan not so strong with thee as he was,2. Pet. 2.22. take heede thou faint not, take heede thou returne not to thine olde vomit, to the wallowing in the mire and dirte of the dregges of Sathans poyson. But be thou mindfull of these wordes of mine, and the comfortable counsaile which this day I haue giuē thee. Beleeue my sayinges: and be­cause the night is at hande, I will referre other thinges which I must learne thee towardes the amendement of thy sinfull life, till to morrowe, when thou shalt finde mee readie here: in the [Page] meane time, be meditating of my former spea­ches, retaine them in memorie, and praise mine heauenly father in mee, for thy comfort alrea­dy obtayned.

Faith and re­pentance, the g [...]ound work of a new life.THou must learne them then, for they are things most necessarie: Faith and Repen­taunce are the very beginning, the foundation and ground-worke of a new life, and are so line­ked and vnited together, that the one cannot work effectually in thee without the other. And for asmuch as thou sayst thou art ignoraunt in them, I will shewe thee what they are and how they worke, if thou wilt attend a little while.

WEll, sith then thou desirest to be instruc­ted in the path that leadeth vnto amen­dement of life: knowe this that Faith is the ground of all goodnesse, whatsoeuer: and what­soeuer proceedeth not of Faith, is sinne. And therefore, wil I shew first, what Faith is, which must be the foundation of thy true repentance.

Faith, (as mine Apostle Paule in the 11. to the Hebrewes, by the instinct of my grace, hath rightly defyned it) is a certaine and sure be­leefe of the obtayning thinges alreadie hoped for,Heb. 11.1. The definiti­on of faith. 1. Pet. 1. and an euident feeling of the manifold pro­mises which God mine heauenly father hath made vnto thee, touching thy saluatiō, in me, his Sonne. And whereby also thou maist inwardly taste of the vnspeakeable ioyes, whereof thou shalt be made ful partaker hereafter in heauen.

SO it is in deede, and without it,It is impossi­ble to please God without faith. it is impossi­ble to please mine heauenly father, or to take any benefite, of that sacred counsaile which I haue before giuen thee. Thou must therfore re­member, that as I haue rowsed thee out of the sleepe of this sinful securitie, and redeemed thée [Page] out of the clawes of Sathan, so to stand vn­doubtedly perswaded, that I had such an espe­ciall care of thy saluation, as through the free fauour and mercy of mine heauenly father, thou art by my blood shedding, without any desart or merite of thine at all, vpon thy true and vnfey­ned repentaunce freely pardoned of all thy sinne:Ioh. 8.2.3. Luke 10.39. Christ cast 7. deuils out of Mari Magda­lene. Ioh. 11.2. As Mary Magdaline, a most sinfull wo­man, out of whom I cast seuen deuills, through this faith, was attentiue vnto my wordes, and grewe into such a loathing of her sinnes, and griefe of heart for her iniquities, that she truely repented, fell prostrate on y^e knees of her heart, wept, and washed my feete with her teares, and wiped them with the heire of her head: this was the working of a true faith: Whereby mine A­postle Peter also confessed me to be very Christ the Sonne of the liuing God,Matth. 16.16. Ioh 6.65. Gen. 15.6. and that I was eternall life. By this faith also, did Abraham beleeue the promises of mine heauenly father, and refused not to sacrifice his owne sonne I­sacke, Gen. 22.2. Abrahā was accompted righteous by reason of his faith. Luke 1.38. to fulfill the will of the Lord, and by rea­son of his beleefe was accompted righteouse. Mary, the blessed Uirgin, the minister by whom I was borne in the flesh, beleeued the message of the Angell Gabriell, and was blessed. The Eunuch by this faith beleeued the preaching of Phillip, Act. 8.37. that I was the Sonne of God, who desired and was Baptised. Mine heauenly fa­ther,2. Luke 6.18. through the earnest and faithfull prayer of [Page 46] Elisha, discōfited and strake with blindnesse,The enemies of Elisha stri­ken with blindnes. his enemies that came to take him. With this wea­pon did Ionathan, with a yong mā, his Armour bearer, discomfite & put to flight, a great Gar­rison of the Philistines. Dauid when he was a poore Sheepheard, by faith,1. Sam. 14.13. 1. Sam. 17. [...]6. Dauid by faith ouer­came great Goliah. Dan. 3. [...]7. ouercame y^e great and mightie Gyaunt Goliah, and thereby dis­comfited all the host of his enemies. The three Children by this faith were deliuered out of the hot burning Furnace, and the ministers of Na­bugadonazer consumed with the same fire. E­liah in the Wildernesse, in his great distresse of hunger,1. King. 17.12. Eliah fed with Rauens. was by faith fed twise euery day with the bread and flesh that was brought him by the Rauens, sent by y^e prouidence of mine heauenly father. And by the same faith, restored frō death to life the widowes sonne of Zarephath, 1. King. 18.38. and so increased and multiplied her Oyle and Meale, that the more she spent the more she had. And mine heauenly father, at the faithfull prayer of Eliah, sent fire from heauen vpon his sacrafice,Fire from hea­uen consu­med Elias Sa­crifice. to manifest my fathers power, and to confound the false Prophets of Baall. Ioshua the King, to bee reuenged of his enemies, prayeth vnto mine heauenly father in a strong faith,Iosh. 10.12. that the Sunne and Moone should stay and stand still,The Sunne & Moone stood still at the faithful pray­er of Ioshua. Ioh. 1.30. & so they did, vntill he had ouercome fiue Kings and hanged them. This faith was the guide of mine Embassadour and forerunner Iohn Bap­tist, wherby he executed and performed the will [Page] of mine heauenly father, and by the eyes of the same faith saw before what should come to passe afterward: preparing that path by Baptisme by water, vnto Repentaunce: which represented that heauenly Baptisme, wherewith I after­ward Baptised with the holy Ghost, to eternall saluation.Ma 4 1 [...]. Through faith the A­postles fol­lowed Christ. Peter and Andrewe his brother mine Apostles, being poore Fishers, when I willed them to follow mee, euen by this faith left their Nettes and followed me: so did the rest of mine Apostles. And through this faith Aarons Rod budded & did beare blossomes & ripe Almonds, for a testimonie against the rebellious children, who grudged to haue him to serue y^e Lord in the Tabernacl,Luke 23.43. efor the people. The theefe that hūg on the Crosse with me, beleeued in me and was saued. So excellent a thing is faith, that by it, are all the fierie darts of Sathan,1. Tim. 1. the deuices of the wicked, & all impediments of the mind quē ­ched & ouercome: And they that want the same, are in most miserable and hard estate: for that without it, they are not able to resist the deuill, the Prince of darknesse, who draweth thē head­long into endles distruction.Faith, the weapon to with­stand Sathan. Psal. 18.2. This faith (I say) is the sure defence & shield of thy saluation: my right hand vpholdeth all thē that put their trust in mee. They that beleeue in mee shall alwaies reioyce,Psal. 5.12. they shalbe alwaies giuing of thankes, I will blesse them, and with my fauourable lo­uing kindnesse I will compasse them about as [Page 47] with a shield. Verely verely I say vnto thee, Ioh. 5.24. if thou heare my wordes and beleeue on him that sent me, thou hast euerlasting life, and shalt not taste of death but shalt liue. But those that put not their confidence in mee, but goe on still in their wicked waies, them (I say) will I roote out of the earth,Psal. 37.2. The Lord wil roote out & cōsume those that put not their trust in him. I wil consume thē with the breath of my mouth, I wil cut them off, like grasse, and they shal wither like the greene hearbe. They that forsake me & beleeue not my sayings, though for a time they florish & make a shewe of prosperitie, yet they shall perish & con­sume away as y^e fat of Lambes, euen like smoke shal they vanish away: for the God of this world hath blinded their hearts,2. Cor. 4.4. that the light of my glorious Gospel should not shine vnto thē: who shalbe damned for not beleeuing the trueth,2. Thes. 2.12. but tooke delight in vnrighteousnesse, in vanities and lyes. The Prince that would not beleeue the words of Elisha, 2. King. 7.17. The vnbelee­uing prince troden to death. Gen. 19.24. the Prophet of mine heauē ­ly father, who promised plentie of victual to Sa­maria, was troden to death by the people. The sonnes in law of Lot beleeued not the words of Lot, & were destroyed among the Sodomites with fire and Brimstone. This vnbeleefe was the ground of the fal of Adam and Eue: Gen. 2.17. for had they beleeued y^e words of mine heauenly father, which he told thē, that in what day soeuer they eate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good & euill, they should dye the death, they had [Page] liued:Mar. [...]6.16. He that beleeueth shalbe saued, but he that belee­ueth not shal­be damned. but they did not beleeue it, but hearkened to the Serpent, and lost the freedome of the Garden. Verely I say vnto thee, he that shall beleeue and bee Baptised shalbe saued, but he that will not beleeue shalbe damned, and loose the freedome of eternall blisse.

THou conceiuest it aright: for they y^t beleeue not my gospel, they that despise my cōman­dements, & work not my wil, though they make a shew of feined holines for a time in the world, they doe but beguile themselues, whose ioye in the ende, shalbe weeping and mourning, whose estaste is resemblable to the great and mightie trees of the earth y^t men grub vp by the rootes,Cursed is hee that putteth his trust in man, and not in God. the printe of whose place can be no more seene. Yea, cursed is that man that putteth not his trust in the helpe of myne heauenly father, but reposeth his confidence in fleshly and transitorie meanes, as in his owne strength, in th'abundāce of his riches, in the multitude of his great and wealthy friends, and in the ayde that commeth of flesh: for he shall wither like th [...]e grasse, & con­sume away like y^e greene hearbe; whose strēgth [Page 48] is meere weakenes,Iud. 20.21. The children of Israel slain in putting their trust in their owne strength. 2. Chron. 13.18 & whose wisdome is meere foolishnes. The Childrē of Israel putting their trust in their owne strength, were slaine of the childrē of Beniamin. Abiiah, putting his trust in the helpe of mine heauenly father, & disstrust­ing in the power of his owne people, preuailed, and slewe fiue hundred thousand chosen men of Israel. Hezekiah king of Iuda, 2. King. 1 [...]. put his whole confidence in the help of mine heauenly father: and all that he tooke in hand prospered: God is the strength, the buckler & strong shield of them that faithfully beleeue in him, he that vnfeined­ly trusteth in God mine heauenly father, shal be as the mount Syon, which can neuer be moued,The faithful, are compared to mount Syō that shall ne­uer be moo­ued. but remaineth stedfast & sure for euer, whom no tribulation, no storme, tempestes of aduersitie, nor worldly vanitities can remooue frō holding fast, and surely depending vpon the prouidence of mine heauenly father. They that trust in Chariots & horses, are soone ouercome: Psal. 20. but those that faithfully depend vpō mine helpe and strength, stād fast & inuincible for euer, Ier. 57 5. The wonder­full blessings▪ that are pro­mised to the faithfull. and shalbe like the tree plāted by the riuers side, that bringeth forth his fruit in due sea­son, whose leafe shal neuer wither away, and whatsoeuer he doth it shall prosper: he shall florish like an oliue tree in my fathers house that neuer decaieth: Isay. 57.13. he shal inherite the lād and possesse the holy mountaine: that is, he shalbe fed & releeued while he liueth vpō earth, [Page] and in y^e end, be partaker of mine eternall inhe­ritaunce: which by the shedding of my blood, I haue purchased for all them that beleeue: which blood of mine, remaineth alwaies fresh in y^e sight of mine heauenly father: to whō thou hast (tho­rowe me) free accesse, & with him, my self, a con­tinual Mediatour for thy sinnes: wherfore come boldly vnto the throane of grace, come w^t a true heart & ful assured faith, be sprinckled with my blood from an euil conscience, & keepe the pos­session of a sure hope of saluatiō in me, without wauering. The iust shal liue by faith, for if thou withdrawe thy self from trust in mee,The Iust shall liue by faith. my soule shal haue no pleasure in thee, and thy soule shal dye y^e euerlasting death. Wherfore let not Sa­than (I say) ouerrule thee, to drawe thine affec­tions with the force of worldly reasons into the gulfe of dispayre againe, as he hath indeuoured heretofore:We must be­ware that we be not led by worldly rea­son, for it of­ten deceiueth for thou must renounce al pollicies, al forecasts, al whatsoeuer reason teacheth thee: and with the foote of a true faith stāpe it to pee­ces: only setling thine heart and whole mind to performe that in all thine actions & thoughtes, which the eye of faith shall see poynted out with the finger of myne holy Spirite, for thy com­forte and vndoubted saluation. Wherefore, let the eyes of thine heart bee alwayes open, and the shielde of a true faith, alwaies readie to see, and strongly to withstande, the deceiptes and errours of Sathan, least hee dazell thyne [Page 49] vnderstanding, and quench the good moti­ons of the spirite, with the vanities of the olde man, and so take this shielde of faith from thee, and make thee vnable, to take holde of those thinges,Sathan layes naturall rea­son often [...]e­fore the eyes of men, to the end that stū ­blinge vpon the same, to hinder their fayth. Mat. 15 33. Io. 4 9. Io. 8.56. the beleefe where­of leadeth vnto eternall blisse, & the vnbe­leefe turne to thy destruction. Thou must beware I say of naturall reason in causes touching thy saluation: for Sathan manie times layeth it as a block for the children of God to stumble at, as an hindrance of their faith, wherby he went about to quench the faith of my disciples, and to driue them to think it impossible for me te feed foure thowsand men, with seuen loaues and a fewe fishes. The woman of Samaria be­ing led by reason, could not perceiue what that water of lyfe was, which I promised her,Naturall rea­son could no [...] conceiue how Abraham saw Christ lōg so before he came into the world. The eye of fayth taketh his light frō the worde of God. but when she had pluct away the vaile of reason, and felte a sparkle of saith, she perswaded her selfe, that I was Christ the Sauiour of the world. This reason could not perceiue how Abraham, that was so long before mee, could sée my dayes, to see mee in the flesh: which (in deede) he sawe a farre of, with the eyes of an vndoubted fayth: the eye of which fayth, taketh his lighte of y^e word of mine heauē ­lye father, the writinges of the Prophets, and of the Gospell of trueth: and by that [Page] eye, he sawe me so long before, and by that eye, must thou direct all thine affections, and measure all thy desires. For the eye of rea­son,The eie of reason hath his [...] frō wor [...]dly wis­dome which is foolishnes taketh her light from worldly and na­turall wisdome, which is foolishnes before me▪ for the naturall man cannot compre­hend my doctrine, he knoweth not what God mine heauenly father is, neither can he vnderstand what his will is, when he is in [...] and when he is in error, when he is in light, and when he sitteth in darknes: he cannot [...]aste of the word of trueth, but remaineth in voluntarie blindnes: and to such is the preaching of the sacrifice, which I offered once for all,Gall. 5.2. Rom. 1·16. vpon the Crosse, foo­lishnes. But vnto such as beléeue in faith, it is the power of God my father vnto all nations: wherfore, be not ashamed of my Gospell, for it is the very instrument of saluation to all that beleeue:The gospell is the instru­ment of sal­uation. for thereby is the righteousnes opened, which if thou at­taine vnto, by proceeding frō faith to faith, thou shalt appeare in the last daye, among the number of them, that shall liue for e­uer. Shut vp (therefore) the eye of reason, wherewith thou hast bin so long led into error, and vanities: And haue the eye of faith opened, whereby thou mayest be gui­ded to true beléefe in the liuing God, mine heauenly father, who made thee: in me [Page 50] his Sonne, who haue redéemed thee: and in the holy ghost, who hath sanctified thée,All that we are bound to beleue con­sisteth in the trinitie. and all those that are appoynted to eter­nall Saluation: wherein consisteth the whole summe of all that which thou arte bound to beleeue, to be saued.

Well then,Luk. 3 21.22, 2. Io. 5.7. 2. Cor. 13.13. for as much as I sée thée de­sirous to be more fully instructed, and to haue thy fayth more strongly confirmed, towchin [...] the Trinity.

[Page]THou must first beleeue, there is a God, one in essence, & three in per­son,Gen. 1.1.16. Mat. 3.16.17. Mat. 28.19. namely the Father, the Sonne, and the holy Ghost, which three per­sons thou must vndoubtedly belieue, to be one very God, of an vndeuided, and vnseparable substance, with­out beginning or ending, who hath made heauen & earth,Reue, 1.8. and all things contayned in them: he hath made thee to his owne image and lykenes,Gen. 1. not to liue onely in this world to thy selfe,Esa. 6.1. & 45.12. Psal. 33.6. namely, to fulfill thine owne desires, but to glorifie him, to be­leue in him, to serue him, and to hope for the inheritance of his kingdome, and to be partaker of the glory,God the crea­tour of all things· and blisse, which I haue purchased by my bloud. Thou must beleeue that hee is the creator of all thinges, visible, and inuisible, reasonable, and vnreasonable,1 The 1.9. Heb. 2.15. Luk. 1.74. Mat. 4.10. Luk. 4.8. man, and beast, whose power is infinite, whom thou must onely serue, onely loue, onely worship, and to whome thou must praie in the time of thy necessities, [Page 51] [...]aithfully, beleuing that he it is, that helpeth thee, feedeth thee,Gen. 1.31. 1. Ioh. 1.5. & defendeth thee: frō whom proceedeth all thinges that are good, and nothing that is euill: in him, is all light & no darknes: all righteousnes, and abhorreth sin. And therefore, must thou verily be­leue, that in the beginning he made Adam, the first man,1 Io. 2·29. Gen. 2.26. according to his owne image and lykenes, and placed him in Paradice, the garden of hap­pines, there to haue continued in ioy without sorrow,Ecle. 17.3. in comfort without care, in ease without labor, and in a blessed estate, had he not by his owne Freewill (which then he had) yeelded vnto the deceitfull allurings of y^e serpent, eating of the fruite of the tree,Wis. 2.23. Rom. 5.12. which was forbidden him, the tree of the knowledge of good & euill: where, in obeying that subtill Sathan, he lost the benefit of the garden, & was driuen frō thence,Gen, 3, 8. by y^e Angel of mine heauēly father. And where the serpēt falsly perswaded them, that in eating of y^e forbidden tree, they should be as [Page] Gods, knowing good and euill, they were as Deuills doing nothing that was good at all:After the fall of Adam, sin entred, there is none that doeth good. but insteade of knowledge, became starke Fooles: in stead of happines, purchased vn­happynes, not onely to them selues, but to all their posteritie for euer: in whome,1 Cor. 2·8. Gall. 5 17. by reason of their rebellion, there resteth no will to doe good, but a desire to doe euill: forsaking their Sauiour, and cleauing to Sathan: disobeying God,1 Io. 3.8. and obeying the Deuill:Dewt. 28.47. of a free man, be come a cap­tiue and bondslaue, sould vnder sin. By whose transgression and disobe­dience, thou must beleeue that all his posteritie,Rom. 5·12. which is, all men, in gene­rall (my selfe the promised Sauiour excepted) became disobedient, & sin­ners, in such sorte, as all men are cor­rupt, vnperfect, vniust, lyars, and re­bels against God mine heauenly fa­ther: yea, all they that came of y^e stock of Adam, wi [...], 13.1. Rom. 3.10. are all become abominable, and of none abilitie to doe good: there is none that worketh righteousnes, [Page 52] no, not one, (my selfe excepted,) who according to y^e promise of mine heauē ­ly father in the beginning made to A­dam, y^t the seede of the woman,Gen. 3.15. should tread downe the Serpents head: & who was also promised to Abraham, Isaak, and Iacob, where it was fore­told, that in their seede should all the kingdomes of the earth be blessed,wis. 13.1. & therefore, must thou beleue that y^e ori­ginall corruption, which proceeded frō Adam, remaineth yet in all flesh,Ier· 31.30. in generall, whose reward is death. But my father hath reserued vnto himselfe, a certaine number,Ro. 31·33. knowne onely vnto himselfe, which in my bloud he hath sanctified, vnto eter­nall life, whom by the holy Ghost, he elected and chose out,Ephe. 1.4.5. before the foun­dation of the world, to be his childrē, adopted, and vnited into his fauour,Gall. 4.4. and mercie againe, by me his onely sonne, who in the time, from the be­ginning of the world, limited by the holy Prophets, foreshewed, came into the world, in the very shape & forme [Page] of a man, and in all thinges lyke vnto a man,Mat, 1, 18▪ (sinne excepted,) con­ceiued in the wombe of a virgin, whose name was Marie, by the ho­ly ghost, and was incarnate, and tooke substaunce of her bodie,Ier, 31, 22, Ioh ▪ [...], 14, Luk, 2, 7, and borne into the world, and growing in the fleshe according to the man­ner of sinfull men, (yet without sin) according to the worde of the Pro­phetes.Esa, 61, 2, And that I was y^e Messias so long before promised, who should bring ioy & glad tidings, vnto all the world, and to set those at libertie, that were in the bōdage of Sathan,Luk, 2, 32, sould vnder sinne,Io, 12, 46, and to giue light to them that sate in darknes, and in the shadowe of death: who haue bin from the beginning of the world,Col, 1, 15. begotten before all creatures,Psal, 45, 7. and consecrated of mine heauenly Fa­ther, to be the onely Hye Priest, that should offer the Sacrifice, that should appease his wrath for all the sinnes of the worlde:Io, 18, 37. to be the king to defend his people: and the Pro­phet [Page 53] to shewe them his will, and to guide their feete vnto the way of peace.Act, 7, 37. Who by offering vp my body in sacrifice once for all,1. Io, 3, 8. through the eternall spirite, without spotte, or sinne, purged the consciences of men, from dead workes, to serue the liuing God,Ioh, 5, 15. mine heauenly Fa­ther: and that for that purpose, I lefte the heauenly Cittie, the bo­some of mine heauenly Father, and being Lorde of all, became a sub­iect, and seruaunt to all, laying aside all glorie, and put on the base attire of mortall man,Io: 1, 14. Christ had two nature [...] deuine and humaine. being in­dued with two natures, Deuine, and Humaine: without which the will of my Father, could not haue bin executed, according to his di­uine prouidence, for in my huma­nitie,Mar, 11, 12, 13. 2 Sam, 7.16. I was in this worlde par­sonally dwelling among men, ea­ting, and drinking among men,Esa: 7, 10. Mat, 1:23. and was verie man, of the promised seed of Dauid: and yet as touching my [Page] Godhead, I was nothing inferiour to mine heauenly father,Mat. 1.23. but coequall with him, and coeternall: yet was I cōtent to humble my selfe, & obey his will, and to shewe his vnspeake­able loue and ardent desire he had of the redemption of mankinde: where­in he gaue me (his onely sonne) to dye for the sinnes of the world:Christe dyed for the sinnes of the world. who ac­cording to his determinate will, did most willingly imbrace, euen the death of the Crosse to redeeme them from death, that were iustly condem­ned, performing the message of mine heauenly father in all things,Ioh. 8.26.40. doing nothing, but what was decreed be­fore the beginning of the world, by the eternal counsaile:Mat. 8.20. I became poore to make thee rich: and to be a meane to bring thee into the fauour of mine heauenly father,Luk. 9.58. againe, I became bond to the will of mortall men,See the vn­speake able benefite of Christs death. to make thee free with the imortall God: I became a straunger and a Pil­grim in earth, to make thee a Ci­tizen of heauen: I became the sonne [Page 54] of mortall man, to make thee the childe of the liuing GOD: I suffe­red the paynes of Hell to purchaze thee heauen: I was content to suf­ter the cruell death of the Crosse, to procure thee lyfe eternal. Thou must therefore faithfullie belieue that I am that Christ that true Messias,Christ the true messias. Luk. 2.32. Mat. 26.63. that was promised to be the Saui­our of the world, who was annoyn­ted with the oyle of grace, and was indued with all spirituall & heauen­ly giftes,Ioh. 1.14. here in earth aboue all o­thers: and that my flesh was so sanc­tified, with my Diuinitie, and God­head, that it could not suffer or see cor­ruption. Thou must belieue also,Luk. 4.15. Mat. 4.15. & 8.4. Io. 21. Mat. 11.29· that after I had preached the will of my father in Iudea, and Galile, in great humilitie, where both by word and miracles,Io. 5.18. & 7.29. I shewed my selfe to be the sonne of God, as also by the prea­chings of the Prophets. The Iewes by all meanes sought to take me, but could not before my time was come, and when the howre came,Ioh. 7.30 & 5.32. when I [Page] should be deliuered into their hands, according to the will of my Father, I was vniustly accused of y^e chief pri­ests,Mat. 26.34. Mar. 14.1. who consulting how they might haue me taken,Luk. 22·2· procured Iudas falsly to betray me, promising him a bribe, who although) I could haue preuen­ted him,Mat. 26·53▪) betrayed me with a kisse. And then the chiefe Priestes bound me,Mat. 26. Mar· 14· and brought me before Pylate, and had prouided false witnes to ac­cuse me,Luk, 22. Ma. 27.30.31· Ioh. 18. wicked ministers to scourge me, scoffers to deride me, condem­ning me most vniustly to dye, and to be hanged vpon the Crosse betweene two theeues, as a principall male­factor, and yet pure, and altogether without spotte, or sinne: where, most ignominiously, and cruelly, I was crowned with a Crowne of thornes,Mar: 15. Luk, 23. Ioh. 19. in dispitefull, and disdaynfull man­ner, saluting me by the name of the king of the Iewes, who being thir­stie, they gaue me most sharpe vi­negar,Mat: 27.34. mingled with gall, to drinke: all which I most meekely, and wil­lingly [Page 55] suffered: tooke all their tor­ments patiently: their raylings and reuilings, mildlie:Ioh: 10.15▪ their buffetings & spittings at me, meekelie: longing (for the redemption of mankinde) to be baptized with that baptisme of so greeuous a death,Luk. 12.50. and to offer vp once for all, the sacrifice of my bodie, to reuiue them that were dead in sinne, and to obtaine par­don for their transgressions, euen the tender loue I had to the salua­tion of their poore soules: by which oblation,Rom. 4, 25. I haue purchased full sa­tisfaction for the sinnes of the whole world: that whoe so beleeueth in me, should not pearish,Ioh, 3, 15. Tit. 2.11. Psal▪ 69·6. but should obtaine eternall lyfe. Thou must verely beleeue also, that I dy [...]d vp­pon the same Crosse, and euen gi­uing vp the ghost,Mat, 27, 34. into the handes of mine heauenly Father, I indu­red such agonie due for the sinne of mankinde, which aunswered the Iu­stice of mine heauenly Father, in so heauy & exceeding manner, in respect [Page] of mine humanitie,Luk. 22.44. Mat. 27.46. that the verie an­guish and conflict of the flesh, and spirit, I sweat water and [...]loud, and was for [...]ed to cry with a lowde voyce,Psal. [...]. [...]. Mar. 15.34. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me. Such were the cruel torments that I suffered for thee, (O sinfull man,) and for all man­kinde:So heauy was the iust iudg­ment of god against sinne, that Christ through his tormentes in respect of his manhood, had thought his fa [...]er had forsakē him. Esa. 53. as that by reason of the ex­treamitie thereof, I thought my selfe euen forsaken of my father. But so heauie was his displeasure against the sinne of all mankinde, and all the punishment due for it, layd onely vpon me, that requisite it was, that the stripes wherewith so great a dis­ease should be healed, should be grie­uous and many. And therefore, thou must not thinke that I was forsaken, of God, though I were contemned of the world, but highly in his fauour: for it behoued that I should suffer, and afterwardes enter into my Fa­thers glorie.Luk. 24·4. Luk. 24.7. That I should fall into the handes of mortall men, be cruci­fied, and made a Sacrifice for the [Page 56] sin of all mankinde, that they might be made the righteousnes of mine heauenly Father in me,2 Co [...]. 5.21. who haue paid the raūsome for all the posteritie of Adam, Christ hath payd the ran­some for the sins of Adam. and redeemed them out of the bondage of Sathan, death, and hell: my death is to all beleeuers lyfe: by my humilitie are they exalted, by my contempt are thy made glorious, by my pouertie, are they made rich, and by my miserie, haue they eter­nall felicitie. I descended also into hell, to make man inheritor of heauē. So precious was my death, and so glorious my contēpt, that by death, I haue not onely ouercome death:All men in Christ ouer­come death. but all men by me. In my victorie consisteth thy victorie, by my tri­umph, all mankinde may iustly tri­umph. I am the way, the trueth, and the life:Christ is the way, the truth & the life. who so will goe to the Father must come through me: who so will be saued, must beleue in me, and liue in me: for to me hath mine heauenly Father giuen all power and auctho­ritie, both in heauen and earth, that [Page] I might giue eternall lyfe,Mat: 28, 18. Io, 17, 2. to as many as he hath giuen me: who as Ionas liued in the Whales bel­ly three dayes,Iona: 1, 17. and three nighces, & the third day was cast on land, li­uing:Mat, 27.50. So after my death, being taken downe of the Crosse, I was layd in the Sepulchre,Mar, 15:37. Mat: 12.40. where I lay three dayes, to accomplish the say­inges of the Prophets, and to vere­ [...]ie that which was long before wri­ten of me, and that I rose againe the third day,Ioh. 2, 19. Mat. 28, 6· for the Iustification of all that beleeue, shewing my selfe openly to my Disciples, ea­ting with them, and talking with them:Ioh▪ 20.5. and with a Clowd, was taken vp into heauen, and placed at the right hand of God,Mar: 16.19. mine heauē ­ly Father, crowned with that glo­ry,Luk. 24.51. honor, and immortalitie, where­with I was indued before the foū ­ndation of the world: who, by my selfe, haue purged thee from all thy sinnes:Collo. 20. and haue made free pas­sage vnto mine heauenly Father, [Page 49] for all thē that in a true faith followe me in life & cōuersation, treading the steps of righteousnesse,1. Pet. 2.21. for whō I re­maine a continual intercessour, Me­diatour & Aduocate, vnto mine hea­uenly father,1. Ioh. 2.1.2. Rom. 8.34. for things necessary as­well for their bodies as their soules, faithfully asking and praying for the same in my name: yea, y^u maist not ac­cept of any other meane or instru­ment,Lu. 3.22. Io. 10.1.2.3. to come vnto mine heauēly fa­ther then my selfe, for then doest thou greatly erre, thou blasphemest mine heauenly father, and dishonorest me:Christ is the onely way meane to bring vs to God. for he wilbe serued, honored, & praied vnto, in mee, and in the name of none other. Thou must lay aside all pra­yers to Saincts, and cast away all beleefe, that there resteth in them a­ny power to appease the wrath of mine heauenly father for thy sinnes, or to procure thee helpe in thy necessi­ties, but must come in my name, and then thou shalt be sure to be heard, if thou beleeue: yet not despising, but faithfully imitating, in good life and [Page] holy conuersation, those blessed mem­bers of mine departed out of this life before thee. As for all remission of sinnes, al helpe and releefe, thou must ho [...]e for and acknowledge to come frō mine heauenly father, by my mea­nes onely, and by none other. Wher­fore (I say) thou must beleeue in none other but in mee Iesus Christ crucified,Heb. 12.24. Mat. 1.2 [...]. Christ God & man sitting at the right hād of the father, making con­tinual media­tion for vs. God and man, sitting in heauen at the right hand of mine heauenly fa­ther, and remayning a Mediatour betweene him and all those y^t in faith come to mee. Take hold of me there­fore I say, who am that Sonne of God and man, that was borne of the U [...]rgine Mary, for the saluation of all mankinde, who was conuersant here in this miserable worlde, layde first in a Maunger, most basely: and whē, according to the course of other mē, by sucking, eating & drinking, I grew in stature, I preached & taught the will of my father, glad tydinges vnto the world. I was betraied and solde by Iudas: I was bound and buf­fited: [Page 50] I was rayled at and reuiled: I was turned ouer from one to an o­ther: to Annas, to Cayphas, to Pylate, to Herode, to y^e Hall, held vp mine hande at Barre & there falsly accused: then scourged, and caried to the place of Execution, where I was most mi­serably tormented, hanged on the Crosse, then layd in the graue: from whence I rose, and now ascended a­boue all heauens: and al this for thy [...]ake, al this for no desert of mine, but [...]or the redemption of all mankinde [...]rom the curse of the law: for there is [...]o cōdemnation to them that are in [...], walking not after the flesh, but [...]fter the spirite. The power of the [...]pirite of life wich is in mee, hath de­ [...]uered thee from the power of sinne [...]nd death: but he that hath not my [...]pirite, he is not mine, but shall dye. [...]herefore must thou mortefie the [...]edes of the flesh by the spirite, that [...]ou mayst liue.we must mortifie the dee­des of the flesh by the spirit. Also thou must be­ [...]eue, that as I ascended visibly into [...]eauen, with the very body, wherein [Page] I suffered, so must thou likewise be­leeue,Act. 10.42. Rom. 14.9.10. [...]3. Io. 5.27. that in the same body I shall come againe, in great glory and ma­gestie, to iudge both the quicke and the dead, at whose hands, all mē shal [...] receiue rewarde, according to their well and euill doing: which Iudge­ment shalbe finall & generall, where­at all men shall appeare, all men shal [...] giue accompt of their doinges,Christ will come againe to iudge both the quicke and the dead, and giue to euery man according to their workes. yea, [...] euery idle worde and euill thought and that then shall those that hau [...] done good, be set in peaceable posses [...]sion for euer of the vnspeakable ioye [...] of heauen: and they that be found i [...] the seruice of Sathan, and caried [...] way with y^e cares of this worlde,Ephe. 5.5. th [...] Couetouse persons, the Drunkerds the Extortioners, Lyers, Usurers and al those that haue not obeyed th [...] worde of my heauenly father in [...] but haue liued in sinne, and haue [...] truely repented, such (I say) shall b [...] cast into vtter darknesse, [...]. Cor. 6.9.10. Ephe. 5.4. where sha [...] be cōtinual sorrow: no ioy: al paine [...] and no pleasure all griefe, & no gla [...]nesse, [Page 51] with such continuall and end­les torments, (as the tongue of man cannot expresse) with howling, wee­ping, & gnashing of teeth, where the worme of the conscience shall neuer dye.

Thou must also beleeue,2. Cor. 13.14. 1. Ioh. 5.7. Mat. 3.16.17. Ioh. 14.16. that the holy Ghost, being y^e third person of the Trinitie, is a diuine person, coessentiall and coeternall with my father & me, who proceedeth from mine heauenly father and mee:1. Pet. 1.2. It is the comforter and spirite of trueth, the very pledge and earnest penye of thy saluation, whereby thou art sanctified,Rom. 8.15.16. and as­sured in thy conscience, that thou art the child of mine heauēly father,1. Ioh. 3.24. and heire of eternall life, and by it dwel­leth mine heauenly father in thee. It is the directiō to all goodnesse what­soeuer,Lu. 16.7. & 2.25. 2. Pet. 1.2. whereby the Prophets haue prophesied, mine Apostles preached, all auncient Fathers written, and al godly men tasted,Ioh. 4.10. &. 7.38. Gal. 3.2. of the sweete and comfortable message, which I haue brought into this worlde. It is the [Page] water of life,Mat▪ 13▪ 58. Ma [...]., 6.5.6. which by no meanes will flowe into the hearts of the wic­ked, nor abide in the hearts of y^e vn­beleuers, but delighteth to rest in the hearts, and to guide the soules of thē tha beleeue, and cleaue vnto righte­ousnesse, and thereby mayst thou an­swere the aduersaries of my worde and Gospel.Mat. 10 19.20. Eph. 5 8. It is the holy Ghost that calleth men from darknesse, to walke in light, that procureth newnesse of life,Ioh· 13.6. and that mortefieth the old man, the world and the flesh, and maketh thee strong, against sinne, death, and Satan, and that giueth knowledge of the trueth and power to imbrace it, and which maketh my yoke easie and my burthen light,Mat 11.29.30. Iob. 9.19. that streng­theneth the weake hearts and feeble consciences, to serue mine heauenly father, whereby thou art conducted and guided the way,Lu 1.7.4·75. Io 14.6. Mat. 25.34. that leadeth vn­to the blisse that neuer shall cease. It measureth all thy doings by the rule of my worde: reformeth errors, and reproueth the world of sinne,1. Ioh. 4.6. Io. 16.8. of righ­teousnesse, [Page 52] and of Iudgement, and beareth witnesse in the hearts of all beleeuers, that their sinnes are freely forgiuen thē in me.Luke 24.49. It was the guyd whereby mine Apostles folowed me: without the which no man can say, that Iesus is the Lord. Thou must also faithfully beleeue in one Catho­lique Church vniuersall,Luke▪ 3.29. dispersed throughout the whole worlde, being the whole companie of the faithfull beleeuers in mee: who notwithstan­ding, they are not of one vnite com­panie in bodily societie, yet in respect of their mutuall and ioynt agreemēt of their faith, of their life, their Bap­tisme, their holy Table, and true Re­ligion, they are one Church and Cō ­gregation,Luke 10.20. Ioh. 13.1 [...]. Mat. 15 13. of those y^t of the free grace and mercy of God mine heauenly fa­ther, are chosen and predestinat, to e­ternall life:Rom. 12.5. of which Church & Con­gregatiō I am the head, and whom the holy Ghost hath sanctified, & made holy, and whome I commende vnto mine heauenly father, to enioye that [Page] inheritaunce,Mat. 13.58. Mar. 6.5.6. which I haue purcha­sed with my blood, who as long as they are conuersaunt in this misera­ble worlde,Rom. 7.14.15. 1. Ioh. 1.4.8. Mat. 26.41. Luke. 22.46. and beare about them the heauy burthen of the flesh, cannot do that which they should, and therfore cannot be of such perfection,Mat. 6.12. nor be so purged from their originall corrup­tion and infirmities, which abideth in all flesh,Mat. 18.19.20. Ioh 17.21. as is requisite, vntill such time as I (their head) shall appeare, whē they likewise shal appeare with me in glorie: which Church & godly Cōgregation y^u must likewise beleeue to be so knit & vnited together in the band of mutuall loue,Rom. 12.5. & godly agree­mēt,1. Cor. 1.9. Mat. 6.11. that whatsoeuer good gift, mine heauēly father bestoweth vpon them perticulerly, they imploye it to the cō ­mon behoofe of all in generall. And that as this Church and Congrega­tion of al faithfull beleeuers in me, is the true Catholique and apostolique Church,1. king. 8.50.51 Luk. 1.77, so for them I haue purcha­sed free forgiuenes of al their sinnes,Ioh. 20.23. and that of y^e mere loue of mine hea­uenly [Page 53] father,Lu. 1.78 Rom. 11.30. and mine obedience vn­to the death, and nothing of their de­serts: in so much, as there remaineth none other satisfaction, or attonemēt to bee made with mine heauenly, for the sinnes of y^e world, but my self on­ly, & that none can obteine remission of their sinnes,1. Pet. 3.20.21. Ioh. 20.21. but such as bee made true mēbers of the same Church by me: for, besides the same Congrega­tion, there be none but such as work iniquities, to whō I will say: depart from me, I know you not,Mat. 7.23.26. for whom there is a place of endles woe proui­ded. Also thou must beleeue, that al­though the corruptible bodies of mā ­kinde, must perish, putrefie, & returne againe to dust, of which it was first created,Iob. 19.26.27. Mat. 27.52.53. yet that in the last day they shal rise again with the same bodies, and couered with the same skinnes, which now they haue, and which thē shall be renewed and glorified, & they that are departed this life alreadie, shall take againe their owne bodies, which then shall bee of farre greater [Page] glorie, then either in this life they were, or that any heart can imagine. And those that at my comming shall be founde liuing in this worlde, shall suddainely bee chaunged: and those that bee of this Congregation, the true members of this Church, shalbe placed in the vnspeakeable ioyes of e­ternall blisse:Mat. 13.30.43 Iohn 5.29. but those that haue gi­uen them selues in this world to the fulfilling of the lustes and desires of the flesh,1. Cor. 6 9.10. Ephe. 5.51. liued in wantonnes & cham­bering, the Couetouse persons, the Usurers, Drunkardes, Gluttons, and vngodly persons, shall not enioy the benefite of that sacrifice, which with mine owne body I offered on the Crosse once for all, but shalbe cast into vtter darkenesse, where shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Vnbeleeuers are not mem­bers of the true Church.THese things must thou faithfully and vn­doubtedly beleeue to be the very trueth and groūd of true religion, which, who so beleeueth not, is no true member of that holy Catholique Church, which is predestinate to be saued: And therefore by a firme and constaunt faith, thou [Page 54] must take holde of these things which I haue declared vnto thee being the ground of thy sal­uation, freely promised in me: of which faith, the holy ghost, is y^e giuer, who frameth the hearts of all men, to beleeue the promises of my hea­uenly father touching their saluation, in mee, & sealeth vp the sam [...] promises in their hearts, whereby they perswade themselues to be mem­bers of the same true Church, and of the com­pany of those that are predestinate to be saued: which fayth bringeth forth the fruites of a god­ly life, the beginning whereof (as I sayde be­fore) is vnfeyned repentance,Act 5.31. & 11.18. & 26.8. Tim. 1.2 [...]. grounded vpon this true and vndoubted fayth, in which two, (Faith and repentance) is conteined the whole summe of my Gospell: wherefore,Fa [...]th and re­pentance the summe of the Gospell. as thou hast heard what this faith is, howe it worketh, and what it should bee exercised in: So must thou reteine it, and bring foorth the fruites thereof,We must bring foorth the fruites of faith. that it may appeare a liuely, an effectuall, and not not a dead fayth.) And forasmuch, as the night is so neere: I will for this day here make an ende: And in the meane time woulde haue thee, to meditate of my former wordes: not forgetting them,We must bee the same in­wardly which we would seeme out­wardly. but diligently inclyning all thy studie, will, and whole heart, effectually to followe that which may testifie in thy consci­ence, that thou art the same inwardly: which thou desirest to seeme outwardly: And in the morning when thou comest againe, I will pro­ceede, [Page] to direct thee to that repentance, where­in thou must exercise thy selfe towardes the a­mendement of thy former life.

WEL then, if thine heart doe faithful­ly beleeue those things which thou hast here confessed, & doe not swerue nor stand doubtfull of any one of these seuerall Articles, thou art in a good way, and shalt shortly feele in thy selfe a merueilous chaunge, through the working of this faith, whose ope­ration and effect as I told thee yesterday, is wonderfull, and to conclude:Heb. 11.32. The operatiō of faith is wonderfull. looke vpon Gy­dion, Barach, Sampson, Ieptha, Dauid, Sa­muell, and the Prophetes, who, through the same faith, subdued kingdomes, wrought righ­teousnesse, obteyned the promises, stopped the mouthes of Lions, quenched the force and vio­lence of fire, escaped the edge of the Sworde: of weake were made strong, became valiant in battataile, and put to flight the Armies of the Aliauntes: Faith the foundation of all other vertues. It is (I say) the foundation and groundworke of all other vertues whatsoeuer, shewing it selfe by vnfained repentance, which is, an inward sorrowe for sinne, and a continu­all godly care of the amendement of life,Faith must be accompanied with repen­tance. as thou shalt hereafter bee better instructed, if faithfully thou imbrace my sayings, and in­cline thine eares to knowledge.

IF thou bee so well disposed, and so readie in heart, truely to turne vnto mee, & vnfeinedly to repent, as by outward shewe thou seemest, I wil proceede, to shew thee how thou must finish y^e good desire of thine, to obteine eternall life.

THen vnderstand thou, that when I walked in this vale of miserie, in the similitude of mortall man, healing all deseases and bodily infirmities,Amendemēt of life, the chiefest re­medie for the sicknesse of the soule. I required for my rewarde of those that were healed, and as a fit preseruation for them onely, that they should amend their liues and sinne no more, and to leade innocent and godly liues: and because that I would moue them the more to a zealous and godly careful­nesse, to keepe them selues from thence forth, [Page 67] from wantonnes and sinne,A good caue­at. I gaue them this caueat, that they should beware that they retur­ned not to their old filthines, least a worse thing should happen vnto them afterwarde. Nowe therefore, for asmuch (oh sinfull man) as I haue shewed thee and ministred vnto thee a medicin,Those that are lulled a sleepe tho­rowe the al­lurements of Sathan, in the pleasures of this world, thinke none other happi­nesse but worldly feli­citie. for a farre more daungerous desease then can possesse the bodie, an inwarde euill, a spirituall malladie, which had taken deepe roote in the bowelles of thine heart, and festered it in such sorte, as it was almost vncurable, and haue now brought it to such perfection, as there is some likelihoode of speedie cure, if thou wilt bee ru­led and aduised by my directions. Thou kno­west, thou canst not denie, that the couetouse de­sires & foolish phantasies of this wicked world, had so blinded thee, and the pernicious deuices of subtile Sathan so lulled thee a sleepe, that thou knewest none other happinesse, but thine aboundaunce: none other comforte but thy cof­fers of gold & siluer: no pleasure but thy pomp: nor fearest any other paine but pouertie, and not moued with pittie, didest pinch thy poore Tenant, and wert altogether ignoraunt, what was the commoditie of the sacrifice of my bo­die vpon the Crosse, or to what purpose was my death and most bitter Passion, placing al thine affections vpon transitorie toyes, rūning head­long into thine vtter destruction, without re­demption, had not I awakened thee, out of that [Page] deadly slumber, reclaymed thee from thine er­ror, brought thee out of that darkenesse, and she­wed thée light: searched thine heart, being so in­fected with this daungerous desease, thou hadst neuer beene healed, but hadst dyed in vtter dis­payre, and so haue beene damned for euermore. Now, if bodily infirmities and corporall desea­ses are to be preserued,The sicknes of the soule much more to be respec­ted then the disease of the body. by such a due regarde of keeping them selues pure and vndefiled, by a­uoyding wantonnes and amending their liues, how much more hast thou cause to looke vnto thy selfe? to keepe watch and warde night and day, least (vpon this thy recouerie, that veno­mous serpent Sathan, who first poysoned thee, seeking yet still by all meanes to renue thy de­sease) should finde the doore of thine affections open,we must haue regard, least the doore of our affectiōs open to en­tertaine the intisements of Sathan. thrust in newe venome, newe inchaunt­ments, and newe meanes to hinder thy curing, and to make a newe wounde vncurable, and so thine ende be worse then thy beginning. Ther­fore, so much the more must thou bee carefull and circumspect, for the preseruation of thine health, begun, for the saftie of thy poore soule, to amende thy life and to sinne no more: which is,We must a­mend our liues & sinne no more. thou must speedely rid away and cast out all the euill within thee, by the hande of a liuely faith, ioyned with an vnfeyned sorrow, and true repentaunce, which is a vertue much pleasing mine heauenly father:The difiniti­tion of true repentance. for that it is an inwarde godly lamenting and mourning of the heart, [Page 66] for things committed and done, contrary to the blessed wil and holy commaundements of mine heauenly father, a detesting and vtter abhorring of all vngodlinesse, of all thinges whereby the displeasure of God may be prouoked or his loue abated: a godly and zealous endeuour to doe well, and a fearfull trembling to do euill, wher­by euery sinner returning vnto God, acknow­ledgeth his offences, condemneth himself, and confesseth himself guiltie, and iustly deseruing punishment, casting himself downe in his owne conceipt, in such remorce of conscience, as hee seeketh and by all meanes possible endeuoureth himself to make amendes for his offences past: framing his life so strictly, and so sincerely in all his doinges, as it may outwardly appeare, and his conscience beare witnesse inwardly that he vtterly abhorreth sinne, and coueiteth to leade a newe life.Mat. 3 2. Iohn Baptist baptised none but such as repēted their sinnes. And therefore▪ Iohn Baptist when hee Baptised in Iordan, Baptised none but such as repented and confessed their sinnes. Wherefore (I say) repent, and sinne no more, that thy wickednesse may be forgiuen thee, and thine infirmities be cured. Learne of Dauid, Psal. 51.4. Dauid repen­ted at the warning of the Prophet Na­than. who when he was reproued of the Prophet Na­than for his sinnes, cryed out against himselfe, confessed his sinnes: and not like an hypocrite feynedly before men, but in great bitternesse of heart inwardly, cryed out and said: Lord I haue sinned against thee,True confes­sion. I haue done amisse in thy [Page] sight, and as one wounded and throughly gree­ued, for prouoking Gods heauie displeasure so against him, that hee most earnestly prayed for mercie: whose sorrowe was according to that that mine Apostle speaketh of,2. Cor. 7.10. Godly sor­rowe. causing repen­taunce vnto saluation. The sorrowe whereby the lost Sonne obteined his fathers fauour and pardon againe: Such sorrowe had Peter when he had denyed me: wherein he repenting, wept bitterly.Iob. 1.20. Such a godly sorrowe had Iob: who rent his cloathes and shoare his head, and cast himselfe vnto the grounde.Gen. 4.13. Mat 27.5. Thou must beware that thy sorrowe be not as Esaus, as Iudas, and as Caines was,The sorrowe of Esawe Iu­das & Cains Euell. who were also greatly gree­ued, and inwardly pinched, at y^e feeling of their offences, but not in respect that they were in a­ny mislike with their sinnes, but being rather hardened, and as it were inwardly set against God mine heauenly father, kicking against his mercie and louing promises,Act. 1.18. fell desperatly frō him: their sorrowe was not of faith, and therfore caused not repentaunce vnto saluation, but augmented their sinnes.That sorrow which is not of faith, cau­seth not re­pentance vn­to saluation. What true re­pentance is. True repentaunce, is altogether to put of the old man, and not to ful­fill the lustes of the flesh, but euen to forsake thy selfe, and to be renewed in righteousnesse: not onely in outwarde apparaunce, but euen in the very intentions and inwarde affections of the heart, putting on the newe man: which is new­nesse of life, being throughly perswaded of the [Page 73] fatherly loue and louing promises of mine hea­uenly father: for otherwise, it is impossible to yeeld thy self in vnfeined repentaunce vnto his mercy, or endeuour thy selfe truely to turne vn­to him, as he desireth all men to do: not wishing any to perish in his sinnes, but most louingly calleth he all men: not only by me his Sonne,2. Pet. 3.9. but by his messengers, the Prophetes, and true Preachers of my worde,Iet. 3.1. Hos. 14.2. to returne from their wicked waies and bee saued. Returne, returne therefore, euery one from his euill waies, from the wickednesse of your inuentions,Ier. 3.14. & 18.11. and put not of from day to day: for suddainely commeth the wrath of God vpon the children of vnbeleefe, vpon the stubborne and stifenecked. Repent, I say, repent, and dye not in thy sinnes:We must speedily repent, least we dye in our sinnes. seeke mine heauenly father in me, and thou shalt finde him, and for my sake shall he pardon thee: he shall be mercifull vnto thee, and shall rid thee out of all thy troubles, and defend thee from all miseries:Deut. 4.29. 2. Cron. 12.12. Roboam re­pented. 2. Cron. 33.12.13. As he did Roboam, who after he had offended, humbled himselfe, and obteined fauour. Manas­ses likewise an Idolater, hauing by his dissobe­dience, procured the wrath of God against him, was taken prisoner, and of his enemies was bound in fetters: but vpon his true repentance,The repen­tance of Ma­nasses. Iudith 4.9.10. The children of Israell re­pented. humbling himselfe in prayer, obteyned not on­ly deliueraunce, but pardon for his offences. The Isralites, in their great daunger, repented their sinnes, fell prostrate vnto God in true re­pentaunce, [Page] and were deliuered.Marie Mag­daline. The nini­uites. Mary Magda­line, vpon the like repentaunce, humbled her self, and I forgaue her sinnes. The Niniuites, a rebellious and obstinate people, at the com­ming of Ionas, preaching repentaunce, repen­ted in Sackcloth and Ashes,Men of the old world not repenting at the prea­ching of Noe wee drow­ned. and were saued. But the old world, whose hearts would not re­lent, nor turne from their wickednesse by the preaching of Noe, were they not suddainely ta­ken and drowned in the great Flood, Noe with a small number of persons excepted? The So­domites and men of Gomorrha, who would not repent at the message of my father,The Sodo­mites and mē of Gomorra burned with fire & brim­stone. Ierusalem de­stroyed. were burnt with fire and Brimstone suddainly from heauen. Such was the vnbeleefe and careles wretchednesse of those of Ierusalem, whose dis­sobedience was great, & would not repent, had the sentence of destruction seuen yeares before pronounced against them, and yet runne on still in their wickednesse, were besieged and entren­ched with their enemies Tytus and Vespatian: who battered their walles, sackt their Citie, burned their houses, and themselues in such mi­serie, that for meere famine were driuen to eate their owne children, and things clene contrary to the nature of men: such is the iust iudgement of mine heauenly father against such as wil not [...]e warned at my worde,The iudge­men [...]s of God great against such as neg­lect his word. the Gospell of trueth: such as neglect and contemne my messengers, and set at naught the preaching of my will. [Page 74] Wherefore, I say againe vnto thee, and not to thee only, but to al in general, rent your hearts and not your garments, and returne speedely vnto him,God is readie to receiue them that truely turne to him. whose hands of mercie are now exten­ded, ready to receiue them that truely turne to him: and his vengeaunce and wrath ready to be powred out vpon the rebellious people, vpō the sinfull and wicked ones, that without regard of his mercie, or feare of his Iustice, imbrace wic­kednesse, & lock vp vanitie in their chestes, euen with gréedines:Iud. 2 [...].14. for which cause the wrath of my heauenly father is inkindled, wherein he deli­uereth the offenders into the hands of their ad­uersaries that shall destroye thē. And yet such is his mercie, and his loue so vnspeakeable, that at what time soeuer they shall vnfeinedly repent them of their sinnes, when soeuer they shall in heart returne to him, he shall receiue thē in mer­cie, and with his merueilous louing kindnesse shal he defend them as with a shield. Wherfore, I say vnto thee, & not onely vnto thee, but to all those that haue their affections set on the things of this world: Mortefie your members,Col 3.5.6. We must mortifie our euill affections. which are on the earth, fornication, vncleannes, the in­ordinate and vnbrideled affections of the heart, euill concupiscence, and couetousnesse, which is Idolatrie, which is now adaies most greedely imbraced: But be assured, and let no man (nei­ther thine owne peruerse imagination) deceiue thee, that neither Whoremonger,Ephe. 55. neither vn­cleane [Page] person, nor he that supposeth his safetie to consist in his riches, an Idolater, shal haue a­ny parte of the inheritaunce of my Kingdome. Among whom thou thy self hast walked, and which things thou hast sometimes been defiled with,Ephe. 2.3. fulfilling the desires of the corrupt flesh, wherby the wrath of mine heauenly father was bent against thee.If we repent and beleeue, we shal be sa­ued. But of my rich grace, if thou repent and beleeue, thou shalt be saued. Wher­fore, beware thou harden not thine heart in e­uill, returne without delay, be warned & runne not headlong into newe euilles, as the corrup­tion of thy peruerse nature prouoketh thee, and whereby Sathan seeketh to drawe thee, either into a careles going forward in euill, or els into that false and damnable kinde of sorrow, where­into he drewe Caine, The sorrowe of Esau, Cain and Iudas, damnable. Esau, and Iudas: whose sorrow was not to repentaunce vnto saluation, (as thou hast heard before) but wherby they ag­grauated and encreased the displeasure of God against them: and into the same sorrowe he be­gan to draw thee, when thou were first touched with y^e knowledge of thy sinnes, of which kinde of sorrowe thou must beware, and prepare thy heart to that sorrow of Dauids: of Mary Mag­dalines, A godly sor­rowe. and of the Theefe that was executed with me: whose sorrow was vnto saluation, not vnto death: vnto amendement of life, not vnto perseueraunce in wickednesse: vnto righteous­nesse, not vnto sinne. Thou must search thine [Page 75] owne conscience, and roote out of thine heart al hypocrisie, al vnbeleefe, all hawtines and pride, and in al humblenesse and lowlinesse of minde, prostrate thy selfe before the tribunall sea [...]e of God the father, making humble confession of thy former euill life, and in an vnfeyned faith crye out, that for my sake he will bee mercifull vnto thee, that hee will forgiue thy sinnes and pardon thine iniquities:God is redy in great mer­cie to imbrace them that truely turne to him. who is readie in great mercie to returne to him, that seeketh him by me with his whole heart: who eschueth euil and doth the thing that is good: that cleaueth vnto righteousnesse, and auoydeth all occasions to doe euill. And that with Dauid considering his waies, turneth his feete vnto my testimonies, and not to Couetousnesse: chastizing himselfe with true mortification, and casting away all impediments, that may hinder or let the precee­ding to the amendement of his sinfull life. For, he that will come vnto mee,He that will come vnto God must forsake the [...] of the world. must bee contented to take in good parte, to forgoe the pleasures of this world, to bee of small reputation here, to bee hated, reuiled, persecuted, yea, and to suffer death for my sake.

ALas poore sillie man, thou shewest thy selfe very valiaunt before the battaile, and very coragious before the combat,We can stand fast before we be shaken. thou canst stande fast before thou be shaken: as though thou were of thy self of power to doe what thou oughtest, and to abstaine from doing that thou oughtest not to doe: as though thou hadst no neede of my helpe, nor wāt of the aide of the holy Ghost: or had such perfection alreadie, as now there wanted no more in thee. Beware of this pre­sumption, for it is a meane to quēch true zeale, and a great hinderaunce vnto the worke of true repentance.Presumption is a meane to quench true zeale. It is the dregges of Satans poy­son that yet remaine in thy corrupted minde, wherewith thine heart yet swelleth against in­struction, with a vaine conceipt of sufficient a­bilitie, to doe good and to eschue euill, and to beare the heauie burthen of death for my sake: when in deede, thou art not yet healed of thine olde sore, but refusest (as it were) to receiue the medicine, which for thine eternall health I mi­nister vnto thee. Sathan telleth thee that thou art able alreadie to worke miracles, and to doe wonders, and that thou knowest all thinges al­readie, wanting nothing, and why? because he would keepe thee still in ignoraunce, and from comming to knowledge.Sathans de­uices to de­taine vs from hearing the word of God. It is his endeuour, not in thee onely, but he worketh to the same ef­fect in many, whom he withdraweth from hea­ring [Page 76] my ministers & messengers, to pronounce my Gospel, as he seeketh to withdrawe thee frō hearing mee: saying to some, why, what wilt thou stande hearing of this man to prate in the Pulpit? he hath no learning, he hath no vtte­raunce, he hath this imperfection, or that, and so pluckes thē by the sleeue, to goe gad, to walke, and to wander in their wonted wātonnesse and wicked waies, in such abhomination, as the stincke of their filthintsse hath infected many. Some he sendeth to the hearing of the worde, but why? to heare for profite? no, but to cauell and to descant vpon the Preachers words,Some come to heare the word for ca­uelations sake. and interpretation of this worde & of that sentence, & so fall into a deuillish disputatiō, wresting the trueth to their owne corrupt imaginatiōs, brin­ging into the Church scruples, & doubtful que­stions,The begin­ning of scis­mes, is the misconstruc­tion of the Scripture. as the ministers of Satan to be stūbling blocks, & lets vnto y^e passage of the deuine mes­sage of my heauenly father: whereby hath gro­wen so many Sects, Scismes, Heresies, false constructions, and deuillish doctrines, that my Church is nothing so great, as the most damna­ble Chappell of Antechrist. And I see that of set purpose to hinder thine amendment hath he whispered thee in the eare,The Church of God cals them the chapple of Antichrist. Mat. 7.13.14. and tolde thee that thou art cunning enough, and that thou maist worke and accomplish al things by thine owne free will. But thou art greatly deceiued: for I will be knowne to be only righteous, & thy self [Page] to be ful of wickednesse, not knowing what my righteousnesse is, and yet takest vpon thee most arrogantly a perfection of wisedome and abili­tie, to know and doe all good thinges, when in deede thou art mere foolishnesse and corruption it selfe.We must cast our selues downe in our owne con­ceites. Wherfore (I say) cast downe thy self in thine owne conceipt, put of al presumption and hope of thine owne strength: hearken not to Satan, but consider that thou hadst vtterly pe­rished in thy sinnes, and beene quite and cleane cast away by reason of thy desease, hast thou not had this meane to bee healed, and to be purged and made cleane by my blood. And therefore, I say againe, be warned, and looke vnto thy selfe, be watchfull to the ende, least thou growe ouer­bolde, and so heape a more horrible vengeaunce of my heauenly father vpon thee.

IN deede, that hath bene the maner in the olde world, as ceremonies vsed, as shewes of great heauinesse, and argumēts of humilitie,The outward showe of re­pentance is not alwayes accompanied with inward contrition. and out­ward tokens of repentance. But consider this, that these outward shewes, are not alwaies ac­companied with that inwarde working which cauleth repentaunce vnto saluation, but rather a worldly shew of sorrowe vnto death: for that, that vnder this kind of disguising,Dissimulation odious be­fore God. & outwarde shew, there may lurke deepe dissimulatiō & hi­pocrisie, making an outward shew of heauines, and yet not ceasing inwardly to laugh & to re­teine their former wanton desires:The maner of sturdie beg­gers, hypo­crisie. like a theefe that when he is brought before y^e Iudge or Ma­gistrate, vpon hope to be acquitted, can crye out and make a great shew of outward lamētation, kneeling, crouching, and other hypocriticall meanes, to be discharged: and when he hath his libertie, he cā fal to his old wickednesse a fresh: like vnto the sturdie Begger, that feineth him selfe lame, his armes mayned, & his body crip­pled in this warres, or in that worke, by such a mishap, and halting before men in hope to be re­leeued with other mens sweate, shewing him self impotent: who when he hath obteined his purpose, and gotten his game, he can turne his [Page] face, and fleere to his fellowe hipocrites, leape, and skippe like lustie Uagabondes, and vnder colour of this hypocrisie, not onely deceiueth many with the outward dissembling shewe,Dissimulatiō deserueth double pu­nishment. but when he seeth a bootie and oportunitie serueth, hee can play the kindly Ruffian, and take it by violence: whose dissimulation deserueth dubble punishment. Thus thou seest that the outwarde shew is often deceiuable,Ioel. 2.13. but the true sorrowe, the acceptable repentaunce, is inwarde, accor­ding to the wordes of the Prophet Ioell: who cryeth out and sayth, Rent your hearts & not your garments and turne to the Lord your God: Mat. 6.17. and not to looke outwardly sowre as hy­pocrites, disfiguring your selues with this or that kind of outward Ceremonie, that the shew of your repentaunce may appeare more out­wardly, then (in deede) it is inwardly: to which words of Ioell is added, that it must be with fa­sting, weeping, and mourning, in Sackcloth and Ashes, prostrate on the grounde: which in those daies was in deede a testimonie of repen­taunce:The outward showe of re­pentance meere hipo­crysie with­out inwarde punction. yet that outward shewe without the in­ward compūction, and renting of the heart, with a godly and continual sorrowe, and zealous la­mentation for sinnes, was mere hipocrisie. And yet, were not this visible shewes of Sackcloth and Ashes, with many other like rites and cere­monies to be condemned in those daies: for that they were giuen and accustomed, not y^t through [Page 78] the visible and externall shewe onely, (which was but the shadow) could sufficiently appease the wrath of mine heauenly father, but that ther­by, they might so much the more eleuate,In the old world the outward ce­remonies were helpes to repentance and lift vp their mindes aboue the thing seene, to a further and more higher consideration, both of their owne corruption, weakenesse, and blind­nesse, and of the mercies and most louing pro­mises of God mine heauenly father: of which faithfull consideration of the visible shew, grew an inward godly sorrowe, causing repentaunce vnto saluation: but the externall Ceremonie,Dan. 9.3.4.5. without faith in God mine heauēly father, was then not only not auaileable, but very abomina­ble.The external shewe with­out faith more abomi­nable. But since the sacrafice of my body vpon the Crosse for sinne once for all was offered, that outwarde Ceremonie is not materiall: who by my death haue fulfilled and performed y^e whole somme of all the lawe: And therefore, not onely such ceremonies as haue been in the old world, but peeuish Pilgrimages, Ceremonies, Pe­naunce, and such like foolish fantasies, are now of none effect, and are no parte of that true re­pentaunce, which I require of thee, to be an in­ward renting of the heart, and an vnfeined con­tinuall godly griefe for thy sinnes, and a faith­full endeuour to frame thy life according to the wil of mine heauenly father. Now, as touching fasting,True fasting. knowe that the true fast is a member of thy true repentaunce, wherein it behoueth thée [Page] to haue great regarde,Esa. 18.5. The true fast consi­steth not al­together in the abstinēce from meates. being a work as it is ne­cessarie, so (not seldome) abused: as of hypocri­tes, who chastice their bodies, and afflict their so [...]les, for a day, bowing their heads like a Bul­rush, and making their bed with Sackcloath and Ashes, (as afore is said) standing vpon their cinceritie and strickenes of life, euen to the face of mine heauenly father: saying, we haue fasted and thou hast not seene it, we haue pinched our Carcasses and thou hast not regarded it: as though by the outward punishment of the flesh onely, they shewed themselues sufficiently pe­nitent, when in deede they feede the olde man, and mainteine their wonted wantonnesse, with the crummes of a careles life, and striking their fellowes with the fist of all kind of wickednesse and couetous desires. Wilt thou now call this a fasting, or a repentaunce acceptable to God? Uerely, such Hypocrites haue their rewarde. But to fast truely,Mat. 6. [...]6. What true fa­sting is. Psa. 1.16.17. Esa. 58.7. thou must wash thee and make thee cleane, thou must cast away and ba­nish from thine heart all euill desires, and lay al the works of wickednesse out of my sight: thou must leaue to doe euill and learne to doe good, seeke iudgement, releeue the oppressed, and de­fende the fatherlesse:many bles­sings promi­sed to true fasting. thou must giue thy bread to the hungrie: harbour the poore and harbor­lesse: clothe the naked, and doe wrong or op­pression to no man. This is the fast most accep­table, to which mine heauenly father hath pro­mised [Page 79] many and great blessinges: namely, that thine infirmitie shall speedely bee healed, thy soule comforted, thy righteousnesse appeare before God and man, and the mercies of mine heauenly father: in mee imbrace thee on euery side, and thou shalt want no maner of thing that is good: of which fast, proceedeth by meanes of a firme faith, that sorrowe (for the sinnes which proceede of the corruption of the olde man, whereby the wrath of mine heauenly is incen­sed against thee) causing repentaunce vnto sal­uation. This fast, this sorrowe, and this repen­taunce, builded vppon the vnmoueable rocke of faith, must bee the beginning of thy newe life.

AS for meates,Rom. 14.1.3.14. thou needest not to put any difference betweene them: for that God my heauenly father, hath created and ordeined all thinges for the vse of man, and those may euery one y^t beleeueth lawfully receiue,All meates to be taken with thankesgi­uing. with thanks­giuing to the heauenly creator, who hath made all thinges good, and nothing to bee refused. [Page] Wherrein notwithstanding is a godly absti­nence, and meane to bee vsed: namely, not to ex­ceede in the greedie receiuing of those crea­tures:Luke 16.19. 1. Pet. 4.3.4. as in Gluttonie, in Drunkennesse, and belly cheare: whereby commeth not only sick­nesse, and daungerous deseases vnto the bodie, but stirring vp the same to wātonnesse, and ma­ny noysome desires, procureth the wrath of my heauenly father.Excesse to be auoyded Ezek [...]6.4 [...]. Gluttonie, one of the sinnes of So­dom [...] Excesse in ea­ting an ene­mie to studie and prayer. It was one of the sinnes of Sodome, whereby being puffed vp, fell to wan­tonnesse, and committed abomination before mine heauenly father, for which they were de­stroyed. This excesse is also an enemie to the studie of the holy Scriptures: and especially to earnest and deuoute prayer: for the fulnesse and ouercharging the stomacke, quencheth the god­ly affection, and stoppeth the zeale of the heart, so, that it cannot so effectually open it self to the comfort of the soule, as in a moderate and com­petent diet,1. Thes. 4.34. [...]. Pet. 2.11.12. it can, and as is requisite it should doe, to serue the liuing God. Wherefore, thou must beware of this excesse, and imbrace not onely this kinde of abstinence, but absteine also from Fornication and vncleannes, from fleshly lustes,We must o­bey those or­dinances of man, that tend to the glory of God. which fight against the soule, and keepe thy bodie from being defiled with euill concu­viscence, as a vessel of holinesse, submitting thy selfe to all maner ordinaunce of man, for my sake, whether it bee vnto the King, as vnto thy Superiour, or vnto other Gouernours and [Page 08] Magistrates, as vnto them that I haue sent, for the punishment of them that doe euill, and praise of them that doe well.Luke 12.1. Hypocrysie the leuen of the Pharysies. Take heed there­fore of this leauen of the Pharasies, which is hypocrisie, whereby many seeme outwardly as Angels, but inwardly are deuills. Such a one was Iudas, Mat. 2.27.3. Exod. 8.8. who vnder colour of a kisse (which is a token of loue) betrayed mee. Such hypo­crisie had Pharoah, Saule, and Achan, 1. Sam. 15.13. Ioh. 7.20. Esa. 29.13. and ma­ny others, who had Honie in their lippes, and Gall in their hearts: such I say come nere mee with their mouthes, and honour me with their lippes, but their hearts are farre from me: but they shall haue their rewarde, their fayned fa­sting shall be turned into their vtter confusion, their wisedome into mere foolishnesse, and their vnderstanding shall perish. Wherefore, that thy repentaunce may both outwardly appeare to good example, and inwardly to thine owne saluation,We must re­uenge our selues of our sinnes. thou must (as it were) reuenge thy selfe of thy sinnes: that is, thou must bridle thy corrupt flesh: namely, if thou haue offen­ded in Gluttonie, to chastice thy bodie with godly abstinence and fasting: if in whoredome, thou must bridle thine appetites with a conti­nuall continencie:To make re­stitution of our goods ill gotten, is a speciall fruite of re­pentance. and as thou hast imbraced Couetousnesse, vsed Usurie, and pilled the poore for lukers sake, thou must not onely, not hereafter vse it, but thou must make penitent restitution, which is a speciall fruite of repen­taunce, [Page] including a certaine due consideration of thine estate, what it hath beene, how it is, and how thou hast behaued thee in the same, and by what meanes thou hast made thy selfe so rich, whether with thine owne, or the sweate and la­bour of other men, whereof thou canst not clere thee: for me thinkes, I heare the voyce, not on­ly of Simple thy Tenaunt, but of many poore men more, crying out and saying, that thou hast vndone them. Wherefore, I say, looke to thy selfe, and discharge thy conscience, for a guiltie conscience, cannot stande in the last daye, to pleade for his discharge, but shall re­ceiue his rewarde among the wicked in vtter darkenesse where shall bee weeping and gnas­shing of teeth.A guiltie cō ­science shall condemne it selfe in the last dry.

AH, are you the man, who ere while promised to beare all thinges for my sake? And to be readie to performe whatsoeuer I willed thée, towardes the ob­tayning of eternall lyfe? and that for my sake thou wouldest be contented to suffer death? I tould thee, thou were valiant before the cumbat, and wouldest stand fast before thou were shaken: is this so sharpe a blast vnto thée, that thou art forced through weakenes to runne vnder the defence of thine olde aduersarie, who (as I tould thée,) is so loth, to let thée goe out of his captiui­tie, that he séeketh many meanes to kéepe thée in awe of him? If this shake thée so sore, what would my crosse doe? What would death doe?Luke, 18, 22. Mat, 19.20. Hard for a rich man to be saued. But now are my words of the scripture verified: That it is hard for a rich man to enter into the kindome of heauen, yea, as impossible, as for a Camell to goe through a néedles eye: And why? for that he putteth greater delight in his wealth, then in my counsailes: he hath greater pleasure in riches, which endure but a while then in the ioyes of heauen, en­during for euer: because he feareth not the destruction of the wicked,The state of wicked, Rich men, very miserable, nor longeth for the saluation prouided for the godly: O miserable estate of the wicked Rich-men, [Page] that repose their confidence in their muck, and hazard their soules for the wealth of the world. But awake, awake thou foolish man, that slumbrest thus in sinne, looke vpon that godly Zacheus: Luke, 19, 2. to 11. Zacheus a pa­terne of re­pentance. set him as a glasse wherein to behold the paterne of perfit re­pentaunce, who being verie rich, was voluntarily contented, to restore not one­ly, fowerfould that which he had wrōgfully gotten, but to giue the halfe of his goodes to the poore, who had saluation for his re­ward. Consider this O foolish man, and refuse not to make restitution of thine indi­rectly gotten goods: And of that which thou hast then left, be thou liberall, in so much as if thou sée thy poore brother to want, that, wherewith thou hast to relieue him, thou maist not withhold it.Prou, 28.8. We must re­leeue our poore bre­thren. And let not the vnsatiable desire of momentanie plea­sures to choake thine vnderstanding, that my wordes can not reuoke thée from thy disobedience, to a spéedie sorrow, causing repentaunce vnto saluation: walke not thus in a shadow,Psal. 39.6. & 49.6. disquieting thy selfe in vaine, reposing thy trust in casuall riches, whereof thou hast boasted thy selfe hereto­fore, as though it could redéeme thy soule in the last day.Psal· 52.6.7.8. Wherefore, I say be war­ned, least thou be destroyed for euer, least thou be pluckt out of thy foolish earthly ta­bernacle, [Page 18] and quite and cleane rooted out of the land of the liuing: which the righ­teous shall sée and laugh at, and shall say: Behold the man that tooke not God for his strength, but trusted in the multitude of his riches, which now, (not onely) auaileth him not in the day of the Lords wrath, but hath heaped vpon himselfe vēgeance,1. Sam. 25▪ The reward of Naball for not releuing the young men that came from Dauid. for his reward. Naball, a very rich man, refusing (of his increase & store) to releeue the young men whom Dauid sent, who in his coue­tousnes said. Shall I take my bread & my water, my flesh & substaunce, which I haue gotten together, & giue it to them I know not? But he was rewarded with death. Wherefore, I say, consider this and turne vnto me in newnes of lyfe,Pro. 11.4. and in righ­teousnes, which shall deliuer thée from death: Set not thine affections altog [...]ther thus on worldly thinges,Prosperitie the nurce of vice. which I per­ceaue hath made thée so druncken, that thou perswadest thy selfe, that thy pro­speritie, (which is the nurce and foun­dation of all other vices, and the ground of all impietie, and disobedience against God mine heauenly Father) is the mo­ther of true happinesse: Beware of that error, for Dauid, 1. Sam▪ 12.13· Dauid in pro­speritie fell to vice. when he was in pro­speritie, hauing all thinges at will, fell to Adulterie, and murdred an innocent man. [Page] But he scaped not scotfrée, he was plagued with his owne sonne Absolon, who rebel­led against him: so daungerous is the estate of prosperitie, and so iust is the iudgement of mine heauenly Father, against such as doe not bestowe his giftes, to the helpe, and reliefe of his poore brethren: but who, in stead of reléefe, vse for their owne priuate gaine,Luke. 19.8, violence, & oppression: Wherefore (I say,) stand vp with Zache, be merciful, and helpefull, vnto thy poore and needy bre­thren, according to thy power, and as thou hast plenteous, [...]ob. 4, 8.9. As we haue plentie, we must giue plentifully. giue plenteously, turne not thy face, from him that asketh of thee: and what thou hast had of any man wrongful­ly, restore it againe willingly: be ready to giue, and glad to distribute, and what thou layest out,God rewar­deth those that giue to the poore. Prou. 19, 17. Psal 41.1. mine heauenly Father, shal paye it thee againe in heauen, and shall defend thee in time of thy necessitie. Trust not in vncertaine riches which hath already de­ceiued thee, but in the liuing God, mine heauenly father, who performed his pro­mises for euermore, who shall make thee so rich in good workes, that in me, and for my sake,1. Tim. 6.18. thou shalt obtaine eternall lyfe.

IF this restitution of thine, procéede of an vnfained fayth: and the residue of thy doings, tend to the amendment of thy life, assure thy selfe of eternall saluation: yet not in respect of thine owne good works,We may not not looke for saluation in respect of our owne works, but in the merite of Christ. be they neuer so manye: but for my sake who (as thou haste heard) haue purchased the same, for all them that vnfainedly re­pent and turne from their wicked waies: for when thou of thy selfe, hast done al that thou canst, yet arte thou an vnprofitable seruant: therfore must thou quite and clean disclaime thine owne worthines:1· Iohn. 2 12. Iud [...]. 21. We must dis­claime our owne wor­thines. Psal. 1.43.2. for in the sight of mine heauenly father, shall no man liuing be iustified. But if thou be ouerbur­dened with the weight of thy sins come vn­to me, lay all thine offences in true repen­tance on me, who continue an aduocate in the sight of mine heauenly father,1. Ioh. 2.1. Heb. 9.24· Rom. 8.34. making continuall intercession, for as many as faythfully beleeue: whome I will cloathe with the weedes of righteousnes, that they [Page] in the last day may appeare without spot, and receaue the reward of eternall life.

Where thou hast (also) diligently, to beware, that seeing saluation, and re­demption, to come onely by my death, and by sacrifice of my body on the Crosse, once for all the sinnes of the world, and that I continue a mediator and aduocate vnto mine heauenly Father, for thée for euer: and that I am full of mercie, slowe to wrath, and ready to forgiue. Take héede, I say, least the prince of this world thy woonted aduersarie Sathan, put in­to thine heart a presumption of these mer­cies of mine,We may not so presume vppon the mercies of Christ▪ as to neglect our owne inde­uours to doe well. perswading thée that there is no doubt of saluation, because that I haue promised, that weare thy sinnes as redde as Scarlet, I will make them as white as Snowe, and so hold thee still, to fight against all goodnes, and godlynes, and to stand stoutely, (as it were) in de­fiance of my louing calling, and dispise the riches of the grace and mercie of God, mine heauenly Father, purchased by my bloud, wherein I louingly call thée now to repentaunce,Rom. 2.4, wherein thou must vn­fainedly returne to me, and that spedily: not driuing off from day to day, saying, as the wicked, (when they be reprooued of their sinnes, accustomably doe,) That they [Page 83] know they shall haue time enough to re­pent ere they dye, which is another stop,We muste take heede of driuing off from day to day, to re­pent. and stumbling block, that Sathan layes before them that are called, that they should not repent, but dye in their sinnes. So tels hée thée, and perswades thée, that death shall not be so cruell vnto thée, but shall spare thee, and afoord thée time e­nough to say (euen at the last gasp,) Lord haue mercie vpon me, Lord forgiue me my sins, and so forth: which, as he tels thee, shall be sufficient for thée: Thus he séeketh to stay thy true repentaunce eue­ry way, and in this foolish imagination, of crauing pardon at the last, while, manie haue delayed the amendment of their liues,Manie be o­uertaken with death, while they defer their repentaunce from day to day. Death (contrarie to their ex­pectation) hath summoned them to de­part by and by, whose long flattering themselues in their follie, hath bin the cause of their sodaine destruction, as to the Sodomites, and men of Gomorra, to those of Ierusalem, and them that pe­rished in the flood, and so diuers others, whose harmes, may be a sufficient spec­tacle, to see, and plainely to behold the end of all senceles securitie. But thou wilt pechaunce, say, why? I haue séene many, that for their wicked liues, were euen markes for other men to poynt at [Page] with their fingers, and they haue made godly ends, and haue departed the world very deuoutly: by which showe of repen­tance, thou thinkest their sins forgiuen them: but I say vnto thée, that who­so goeth on still in his wickednes, pre­suming, to haue time enough in the end to cry for mercy,We may not deferre our true repen­tance, but spedely to re­turne vnto God. he may cry and not be heard: make no tarrying therefore to turne vnto the Lord, let true repentance, be thy dayly and continuall exercise, examine thine own conscience, search and see whether Sathan haue not thruste into thine heart this pre­sumption: if so, cast it out speedely, and follow not the greater number to doo euill, accustome not thy selfe to sinne, trusting in thine aboundance, but imbrace my for­mer counsaile: stande not in a foolishe hope to repent at last, be not deceiued, let not Sathan hinder thée, with his subtle deui­ces, but resist them all, manfully: for I know thou canst not saye,No man can say my hearte is cleare frō sinne. mine hearte is cleare from them: canst thou? speake thy conscience.

SEing then that thou doest confesse, that thou hast bene hindred, by these deuices and lets of Sathan, and hast nowe a fe­ling of thy corruptiō & former wicked life, beware thou giue not place herafter to his wiles: but by a firme faith and confidence in mee, withstand him and his ministers, the world and the flesh: for as the wicked­nes of the wicked, shal not hurt him, when­soeuer he truely, & vnfaynedly repenteth, [Page] so shall not the righteousnes of the righte­ous auaile him, whensoeuer he offendeth. Repente thée therefore, of thine offences past, and from henceforth kéepe thee vp­right in all thy dooings,Luke. 15.7. Ioye in hea­uen, for a sin­ner that re­penteth. that there maye be ioye in heauen for thy repentaunce: And for as much, as the daye is so farre spent, and the nighte so néere, and that thou haste promised to make restitution, of the things which thou hast wrongfully gathered: go thy wayes▪ performe it ac­cordingly, and beware of kéeping backe any thing, leaste thou be taken in thine hipocrisie,Act. 5.5·10. The hipocri­sie of Anna­nias and Sa­phira rewar­ded with death. and rewarded with Annanias, and Saphira, who for kéeping back some of the price of their owne field, were stri­ken with present death: how much more then shall mine heauenly father punish thée, if thou keepe any thing backe that is none of thine owne? In the morning I will be here againe: in the meane time, be carefull of thy promise, finish it fayth­fully, and too morrow will I further direct thée, in the residue of thy course, to eter­nall life.

What is the matter, oh sinfull man, that this morning, thou beginnest thus, as a man bestraughted, shewing thy self yet subiect to frailty, which thou yesterday diddest promise manfully to withstanay

AS for thine answere, what it muste be to such as shall dyspise thee, in respect of thy decaied estate: take thou no greate care: thou shalt hereafter vnderstand by the examples of such as haue bene aflicted with farre greater extremeties then thou arte, how they haue borne the burden both of pouertie, and other myseries and the con­tempt of men with pacience: but first, thou must aunswere to another question: and that is, where thou cryest out in such hea­uinesse, [Page] and takest on, as one ouer-flowne with the streame of vtter dispaire, beinge out of all hope of helpe, fluttering, like a foo­lysh flie, in the Cobwebs of Sathan, from whence, I deliuered thée ere while: why hast thou so soone intangled thy selfe againe, in his most venimous snare? reteyning such a desperate sorrow, for restoryng that, which thou canst not denie, but thou hadst wrong­fullie gotten of other men: wherby thou madest thy selfe rich, and them, not able to liue: thy selfe, to be of estimation, and them to be contempned. And now (as thou saiest) euery Bird hauing his feather, [...]here be manie that in outwarde showe seem peacockes & braue birdes who (if euery birde might take his fea­ther) woulde show them selues to be poore buss­ards. y^u art left halfe na­ked, & thy state decaied: wherby, it appereth that thou madest thy selfe a proud peacock [...] with the plumes of other Birds. But this kind of Bird, is not rare: there are so many péeuish Buzzardes (now a dayes) that are deckt vp w^e Peacocks feathers: But weare their fethers restored, frō whence thei were (sinisterly and wrongfully) taken: their gallant shewes, would be turned into simple attire: their flagrant hue, into adurtie dung­hill, and themselues, in another likenesse: as may appéere now in thy selfe: who feelinge the want of that, that before thou didste wrongfully possesse, thou appearest in thy likenesse: that is: where thou madest a show to bée a profitable Bée, to gather Honnye for y^e Cōmon-wealth, thou appearest a very [Page 90] Droan, deuouring that, y^e other mē gather:Some that show thēsel­ues to bee good mem­bers or (at least seeke to be accompted profitable for the common wealth, that are very cat­terpillers of the lande. yea, a verie Catterpiller, eating vp y^e fructs of y^e sweat of other mens labors: But, such Peacocks, such Droans, such Catterpillers and such hipocrites, shal haue their reward. And though they appeare not, for a publike example, as y^u doost: but passe their dayes in iollytie, liue in worldly estymation & great credit: I say vnto thée, y^• ▪ vnles they repent, they shal perish, & be cast off in y^e last day, to receiue their reward among y^e wicked. But this sodain change, frō welth to wāt, I per­ceiue, is not a litle gréeuous to thee,Luke. 13.5. it hath giuē thée such a knock in the head, y^t it hath (almost) astonished thee:The exchāge of welth into want, is gre­uous. & yet y^e blow thou gauest poore Simple, thy tenant, & such like, thou feltest not: no, such knocks aswere for thy benefit, thou thoughtst to be swéet smoo­things & louing strikings,The knock [...] that we giue other men to benefit our selues, are sweet vnto vs, thogh sower vnto them. y^e other men de­lited to haue at thine hands: thou were sure y^t Simple wold not refuse (to plesure thée) to forgo al y^t he had, & that wer y^e cōtēt to take: but his want was not thine wo: it was thy welth: his sorow, was thy ioy: his sighs wer [...]allets in thy dish, & pēce in thy purs: whilst y^u were in the sunside, there was no shadow: whilst y^u wer warm, ther was no cold:The poore mans sorrow are sallets in the rich mans dish. thou being ful, & faring daintily, thoughtst not of hūger: no, y^u thoughtst neither of heauen nor hell, runnyng, headlong (as it were) arme in [Page] arme with Sathan, the prince of this world, who prouided for thée also such pleasaunt companions to keepe thee com­panie, with their pleasaunt conceites, to egge thée forward to vtter destruction, as thou were almost past all recouerie: thy iornie was so pleasaunt to thy worldly eyes, that thou were loth to returne. But being now sumwhat reclaimed, thou must turne a cleane contrarie way into another countrie, heauenly Ierusa­lem: in which iornie, it behoueth thée to procéede without looking backe, and to refuse, and auoyde the companie, of thy woonted companies: [...]. Cor 5.11. We must make choise of companie, to goe for­ward in ver­tue. as drunckerds, gluttons, coueitous men, Idolators, ex­tortioners, vserers, and coueitous per­sons, who are the subiects of Sathan, prince of darknes: and now must frequent and desire, the familiaritie, and society, of the godly, sober, zealus, deuout, and men of honest conuersation,The conuer­sation of the godly, a good example to follow. and good life, whose sinceretie, conference, and godly example shall not onely direct, but delight and prosper, the way: and by whose exam­ple also, thou shalt sée and perceiue, that riches, health, beutie, honour, dignitie, & preferment, & other transitory pleasures of this world are not (onely) not helpes, but méere lettes: and pouertye, sicknesse, [Page 91] contempt, and worldlye afflictions, not onelye, not lettes, but great helpes, and furtherances to true and vnfayned repen­tance: which is the entrance, and setting foorth of this so precious and profitable a voiage, wherin I will direct and guide thée vnto the end. Comforte thy selfe therefore, in this, that God mine heauenlye father, hath stretched foorth his mercifull hande, by mée, to bring thee out of all thy perplexi­ties and troubles:Pouertie, [...] good spurre to pricke vs forward to obedience to God. and accept this suddaine chaunge of thine, to be a good and necessarie Spurre to prick thée forward, to a more dutifull obedience to his blessed will: and in thy want to seek vnto him to be releued, to be holpen and defended by him, whose power is infinite, his loue incomprehen­sible, and wisdome so great, as he worketh not according to the corrupt desires of flesh and blood, which are alwayes euill:The spirit worketh cō ­trary to the will of the flesh. and séeke nothing but what is enmity to the spi­rite, which is willing, & the flesh too weake, to walk the way that leadeth vnto life.

IN déede, if thou dydste well waie thine yll happe, it might iustlie dryue thine hearte, to powre foorth teares of bloud: not in respecte, of the alteration of thine estate, from worldly wealth, to the wante of thy wunted Pleasures, but in respecte, that thy corruption, hath tyde thine affecti­ons, to the pernicious poastes of Sathans subtyle allurements, with the cursed cords of his flattering falshoode, in such sorte, as thy bandes can not yet bee broken of, by the force of the invincible word of eternall trueth:As flesh taken newly from the shambles soone f [...]st­reth, so he that is lately called from error is soner withdrawen from the trueth againe with-out exercyse. such is thine vntowardenes, that where yesterdaie, thou seemedst to be in (a manner) frée, thou hast wound thy selfe a­gaine since into the snares of his subtyle slightes, like the flesh taken fresh out of the Market, being vnsalted, waxeth soone vn­sauerie: so I see, that thy rawnesse, being as yet vnsaulted with the bryne of tempta­tions, waxeth vnsauerye: yea, full of the wormes, that increase of Sathans poyson, but I see thy dulnes must be stirred vp with a more sharpe sauce, thy stomacke is not yet come to thee, too digeste, the bitter physicke of afflictions: but alas, this sauce is (as it were) seasoned with sugar: which if it seeme sharpe vnto thée, beinge but the [Page 92] perbrakings of thine owne too full stomack, surfeting w^t the goods of other men: how wil the pilles of bitter extremitie work w^t thée? that is: if thou take this change, this Resti­tution of other mēs goods, so heauily, what wilt thou saye? and how wilt thou take the physicke which was ministred vnto Iob?The pouerti of Iob was preparatiue to patience. a righteous Rich man? who (as for a Prepa­ratiue to Patience) was not onely bereft and vtterlye spoyled of all that he hadde, of great aboundance of richesse (one iote wherof, no mā could charge him, to haue wrong­fully gotten,) but was (also) striken with moste horrible loathsomnesse of bodie, in suche sorte, as he was not onely forsaken of all his friendes, but (in stead of a House moste daintie, was layde on a Dunghyll, moste loathsome: where he was glad, of a Potsheard, to scrape away the filthe of his owne flesh. Notwithstandynge, his moste miserable estate, fell not into such dispaier, but most mildly, in great patience, refer­ryng his cause to mine Heauenly Father,The humilety of Iob. sayinge: The Lorde hath giuen: and the Lorde hath taken awaye: as it pleaseth him so doeth hee: Blessed bee his most glory­ous name for euermore.

Lo, héere was the plot of perfect Patience: set him as a Patterne before thine eyes, by [Page] whose example thou maist, with lyke pa­tience take thine affliction, which is but one drop, in respect of his great and ra­ging sea of troubles: but one fillip, in re­spect of his manie thowsāds buffets wher­with he was stricken, not in restoring that which he had wrongfully gathered, but euen to try his constancie, to prooue his patience, whereof he shall remaine an example for all mankinde for euermore.

YEs, yes, be sure he bare all these cros­ses, and miseries with patience, which patience (in déede) was accompanied, with sorrow, not with a desperate sor­rowe,Pacience ac­companied with a godly sorrow. but with a moste godlye sorrowe, which (as before I sayd) causeth repen­taunce vnto saluation: by reason of which his patience, was all his perplexitie tur­ned into prosperitie:The end of pacience. his sorrow into ioy: his mourning into myrth, and his want, into a greater wealth then he had before: So néere was mine heauenly Father vnto his patience, that in the midst of his an­ger, [Page 93] in his extreme punishment, he retu­ned with a most louing and fatherly af­fection, vnto him againe: and why? be­cause that in these affections of his, in these déepe and daungerous conflictes,God is neere vnto all them that suffer af­fliction with patience. he yéel­ded not, nor gaue (as it were) ground vn­to his weakenes, but taking hould by the anckor of fayth, he not only sorrowed, in such vnmeasurable, heauynes, but rather tryumphed, reioyced, and euen imbraced his miserie & affliction.Psal. 143.3. So neare is mine heauenly father, to as many as put their trust in him, patiētly waiting for his stret­ched out arme, to reléeue their necessities. So neare was he to Ioseph, Gen. 37.5.28, God was nere vnto Ioseph in his distres. who although he were hated of his brethren, and by them as a bondslaue, sould into a straunge coun­trie, mine heauenly father turned it to his profite, and made him gouernour of the whole land of Egypt, he is néere vnto all them that put their trust in him, and pa­tiently waite for his stretched out arme,In our neces­sites we must referre the manner, the meane, the time to the prouidēce of God. to remoue their afflictions: in which affli­ctions and miseries, thou must not indent with him for the time: for the manner, or meane: but refer it vnto his wisdome, to his leasure, and to his most blessed will, to be reléeued: who because hée will be knowen to be the God of all power, the omnipotent and almightie helper, he spa­reth [Page] his hand, and withhouldeth his helpe, vntill the matter be euen oute of the po­wer and Iudgemente of manne, to bee relieued, saued, or defended.

God helpeth when the helpe of man can take no place▪Who could haue thoughte anye De­fence, any rescue, or anye power able too haue defended the Children of Israell, from the handes of Pharoah? And yet, their Estate, beinge in deepest daun­ger, and their liues in greateste perill: hee made the Sea (at his Commaunde­ment) too auoyde, and stande bye, too giue rowme,The read sea deuided it selfe to let [...] the children of Israell to goe through· and to giue a directe Pathe for the Isralytes, to passe, in plaine ground: and shutte the Sea againe, vppon their ennemyes, and deuoured them: So néere was hee vnto them, in their vttermoste dystresse: So néere was he vnto Daniell, who, beinge in the Lyons Den, in the Iudgement of all men, not like to bee but deuoured,God nere vn­to Daniell in his troubles. was by the hande of myne hea­uenlye Father, safelye preserued and de­fended. So, weare Sidrach, Mysach, and Abednago, deliuered from the hote bur­ning Ouen, by mans Iudgement, impos­sible to be saued,The three children de­lyuered from the whot Furnace. from the for [...]e of the most cruell and terrible flame. So néeare, is he to them that truste in him, that hée fayleth them not in their greatest extre­mytie. Nowe, if he failed not these true [Page 96] Beléeuers, in suche harde Conflictes: hée wyll faile none of his, in thease so small Callamyties: as is Pouertie, Sicknesse, and suche like: No, in their greateste daungers, is hée néere them: Hee hath a carefull eye vnto all them, that, in their miseries (be they great or small: many, or fewe: easie, or extreame,) in Patience, tourne to him, and in true and vnfeined re­pentaunce, appeale vnto his mercie.

If he haue pronounced (sayth the Pro­phet any Plagues, against any Cyttie, or Nation: yea, against any priuate man: If the same Cytie, Nation, or priuate par­son, shall repent: I (saith mine Heauenly Father,) yea, I,Ier: 18 will repent mée of y^t which I haue entended for their punishment.

Such, is the great goodnesse and tender mercie, of God, mine Heauenly Father, towardes those that (faythfullye) repent their sinnes, and are heartely sorie for the same: that when hée séeth, a man carried into such sencelesse Securytie, as thou (ere­while) didst slumber in: hauing, as thou saydste, thy bodye so well prouided for, and all thinges so plentifullye aboute thée) hee openeth the bowelles of his tender mercie, and powreth foorth swéete and gentle Ad­monytions, to the ende he might reclayme [Page] thee, without whippynges, schurges, or afflictions, to driue thée further in the way to amendment of life, who in his anger hath not dealt rigorously with thée, but moste louinglye: who canst not attribute the cause of thine affliction to procéede from him, but of thine owne couetouse desire and inordinate worldelye careful­nesse, in punishing other men by wrong­full oppression to enriche thy selfe withall: with which, thine hearte being so choaked that thou so long as it was ouercharged with (such wrongfull gotten pelfe) coul­dest not perceiue thine owne weakenes,As long as we are choaked with riches & pleasures of the world we cannot truely repent. nor fall vnto that vnfayned repentaunce which is the way to eternall life. And therefore, if thou be ouertaken with po­uertie, thanke thy selfe: But beare it with pacience, rule thine affections, and take the wante of thy former wealth, with vnfayned prayse vnto mine heauen­ly father: saying with Dauid: Oh Lord, it is good for mee, that I haue bene affli­cted that mine estate is thus altered,Psal. 119·71. Affliction the meane to seeke the Lord. that I maye seeke and learne thy lawes and testimonies: make thy selfe readye in this small battayle to fyghte valyauntly against all other afflictions, all other trou­bles, and callamityes, whatsoeuer may be fall thée: for it is not thy great aboun­dance [Page 95] of wealth, thy delicate fare, thy mellodious musick: no, not high auctho­ritye, honour, dignitie, Golde, siluer, or precious stones,Act. 14.22. By manie troubles (and not by plea­sures) we must enter into the kingdome of heauen. whereby thou muste enter into that Celestiall Iherusalem, but with great afflictions, manye troubles, and sharpe aduersityes: muste thou en­ter into that eternall Cytie. Prepare thy selfe therefore, I saye, for although thou feele as yet, not so much as one finger of mine heauenly father, thou must make thée ready to beare the weight of his whole hand, which he will laye in more heauye manner vpon thee, if these gentle intrea­tings may not suffice to trayne thee to this godlye sorrow for thy former offences, which may cause repentance vnto saluati­on.we must re­turne to god when we bee called, or els he will vse scurges to wyn vs. Let him not finde thee a wilde and wilfull vntamed Colte, whome this ten­der bitte will not holde, nor retaine backe from thy former follyes. Least hee put a more sharpe snaffle to kéepe thee from thy kickings, and striuings, and set more cruell Spurres to pricke thee forwarde to a godly life.

Learne of Dauid to accepte this ex­chaunge of thine estate, not as a let,Psa [...] 119.71. but as a greate helpe,Christ is the way that lea­deth vnto eternall lyfe. to the learnyng of the law of the Lorde, which is the verye waye, & direct path, that leadeth, vnto me, who [Page] am the waye, that leadeth too Eeternall life. To this end, weare the Children of Israell afflicted, that they might humble thē selues,Deut. 8.2.3· and be saued: for whom Daniell prayed, confessing their callamyties and miesries to procéede of their owne sinnes: which vppon their vnfayned repentaunce were remitted:Dan: 9.9. whose afflictions, thou seest, did not let, but further, their sorrow: which causeth repentance vnto saluation: But thy desperate moannyng, thy vngodly sor­row,Iudg: 10.15.16. what is it? but to showe thy selfe an enemie vnto my crosse: a despiser of the grace and mercye of myne heauenly fa­ther? an hinderer, of thine owne saluation? and a friend vnto Sathan, the prince of darkenes? wherfore (I saye) content thy selfe with pacience to accept not onlie this burden, which thou, hast layd vpon thy selfe with thyne owne handes,Vngodly sorrowe: en­mitye to god but what so euer hereafter shalbe layd vpon thée: for if thou be the childe of myne heauenly father, thou must be contented to be corrected, for it is an argument of his care of thy saluation: for whome he loueth him he punisheth: confesse therefore in time with Dauid, afflyction, an argument of gods fauour. and bewraye thine owne wretchednes, thine owne infirmytie and weakenes, and thy transgressions againste him: and then, [Page 94] shall hee with fauoure, looke vppon thy miserye,2 Sam. 16. and in his good time shall he renue thy comfort, and releaue thée againe: referre, thy selfe in fayth, and true obedi­ence, vnto his will:Iudith 8.28. wrestle not so wyl­fully agaynst his fatherlie and most louing callinges: he is both iust and mercyfull: he punisheth, (but with fauoure,We haue de­serued more punishments then we can beare not in rygoure:) in loue, not in hatred: for thy saluation, and not to distroie thée: but how­soeuer he dealeth with thee, be it neuer so roughlie, perswade thy selfe thou haste deserued a thousande times, more: yea, thou art not able to beare the leaste parte, that may be, iustly, laid vpō thee: yea, weare thou depriued of all thy bodyly comfortes: weare thy wealth cleane gone: weare thy Wife, thy Children and friends, taken from thee: weare thou persecuted, tossed and turmoy­led, with the force of cruell enemies: weare thy bodye, from the soule of thy foote, to the Crowne of thine head, stricken with suche vile and loathsome sickenesse or disease, as men did eschue thée: thy friendes, forsake thée, and had no worldly meane to helpe thee: Or, weare thou pinched with the Crosse of most bitter wante of thinges ne­cessarie, too relieue, sustaine and kéepe thy selfe and Famylie: hanynge no hoape of [Page] helpe, no certaintie of any manner of comfort in thy necessities, but standing at the pits brincke of present vndoing for e­uer: what wouldst thou doe? wouldest thou dispaire? wouldest thou giue ouer any lon­ger to repose thy trust in mine heaēnly Fa­ther, & séeke ayd, reliefe, comfort, or main­tenaunce, by other meanes, then his proui­dence, (which is his word) should assigne thée? wouldest thou not waite a little while, in patience?We must suffer a little, ye, al afflicti­ons, for our saluations sake. couldest thou not be cōtented, one moment to suffer, a little affliction, to get eternall lyfe? Then surely, art thou not worthy to be accompted among the childrē of mine heauenly Father, for what sonne is hée, that is worthy of his Fa­thers fauour, that for his fathers sake, will not (with patience) suffer one howers hardnes, or take such part, (nay some part) of the paines that his Father su­stayneth? Or that obayeth not his Fa­thers will, in thinges tending to his owne welfare? Suerly that sonne de­serueth no fauour: but to be beaten with many stripes.

And what man is hée, that if some skilfull Phisition, doe foreshowe him of some daungerous disease beginning to growe vppon his body, which he him­selfe as yet féeleth not: but to preuent [Page 97] a greater inconuenience, will hee not bee con­tented, not onely to bestowe his money?If we can suf­fer paynes for the curing of the body, we must much more be con­tented to suf­fer afflictions for our soules sake. but for the safetie of his arme, will he not be contented to suffer his finger to be cut off: and to saue his bodie, will he not abide his legge to be cut off? yes, no doubt: If such cost be not too deare, nor such paines too terrible to preuēt the daunger of the bodie: what man will not bee contented, for the safetie of his soule, to cut off all whatsoe­uer is like to indaunger the same? And art thou so loth to cut off that, or cast from thee those things which are the cause of thy so pernicious a disease, securetie? Doest thou think thy goods (nay, thy ill gotten goodes) so deare, so helpfull and so precious, as to indaunger the death of thy soule with the deteining of them, when thou art promised life vpon the restitution of them, vnfeynedly repenting? Beware I say, beware least it fester and thy desease gather further in­to thine heart,As sharp me­dicines be of­ten times most curable for the bodies so the sharpest affl [...]ctions, most health­full to the soule. and so destroye both bodie and soule. The sicke-man, who for his healthes sake refuseth not to take the most bitterest Potions and hardest medicines, and yet are they most greeuous and most vnpleasaunt to him for the time: yet because their effect and their working turne to his health, he willingly receiueth them: So must thou be contented for thy soule health, to accept of such bitter afflictions and crosses in this life, as shall please mine heauenly father to minister vnto thee: which although they bee [Page] sharpe and vnsauerie for the time, it turneth all thinges to good, yea, to the health both of soule and bodie. Thou hast supped a little of the cup of pouertie and want, which is but a milde po­tion, a gentle medicine, and yet so contrary to disgestion, that it hath driuen thee into such a frantique perplexitie, that thou shewest thy self very vnable to take those Purgations, which must worke with a more stronger effect, to the driuing out of all such noysome affections, as by the corruptible and contagious ayre of Sa­thans breathinges, haue infected thine heart, whereof if thou bee not cured, and the same cut off with the Rasour of a true and vnfeined re­pentaunce, it will procure thee, not onely death of bodie, but vtter destruction both of bodie and soule.Chr [...]st the onely phisiti­on of all sicke soules. Wherefore I say, seeke remedie in time, come vnto me who am the onely true Phisition of all sicke soules: refreshing all them that bee heauie laden, healing their spirituall deseases, if faithfully and without wauering they seeke the same at mine handes, and speedely returne vn­to mee by that true and vnfeyned sorrowe for their sinnes, which sheweth it selfe in amende­ment of life, in that true sorrowe which causeth repentaunce vnto saluation. Comfort thy selfe in this therefore, that thy desease is foreshewed thee, and that Phisition hath taken thee in hand to cure thee, that haue all power in mine owne handes: and let neither thy sinnes past, trouble [Page 98] thee, nor thine estate greeue thee, but bee onely reioysing, in that, I haue promised forgiuenesse of the one, and helpe in the other. Thou hast an aduocate with the father, euen me Iesus Christ the righteous, who haue obteyned pardon for al thy sinnes, and haue raunsomed thee out of the handes of Sathan, a most especiall benefite:All the afflic­tions of this life is not an­swerable to the least part of the bene­fit of our sal­uation in Christ, and therefore not to be accoū ­ted greeuous. in respect whereof, al the plagues, al the troubles, calamities and afflictions in this life, can light vpon thee, are not to bee accompted greeuous, but willingly to bee imbraced, and paciently to bee accepted, as a fatherly calling of thee from thy selfe vnto mee: for better it is for thee to be afflicted here in this worlde with bodily and short afflictions, then in the world to come, with endles destruction. And therefore I say, beare thou not (only) with pacience, but with a thank­full heart, whatsoeuer shal please mine heauen­ly father to sende thee, be it sweete or sowre: for those that are his, he correcteth, and oftentimes suffereth the wicked, and careles, the secure and dissolute liuers,Pro. 3.12. God puni­sheth often­times the iust and spareth the wicked. to runne on still in their wic­ked waies, wh [...]me of Iustice hee shall reward with endles perdition: being yet so full of mer­cie, and so loth to haue the sinner to dye in his sinnes, that I most louingly call them, intre [...] ­ting them fayrely, to returne from their wic­kednesse and be saued: whom (if they repent not by the gentle admonition of the word) he scour­geth them,Ezek. 33.1 [...]. he striketh them with his Rod of cor­rection, [Page] by pouertie, by sicknesse, by losse of frendes, and other aduersities, to the ende they may remember themselues, and be called from their securitie, to place their whole trust in him that is able to saue them and to cast them away, who is able to releeue them and to vndo them: able to bring them to the déepe of the graue, and to bring them vp againe: who is able to plucke downe and exalt: able to kill and to make aliue againe. The lost Sonne, as long as he was in his iollitie,Luke. 15.19. Io. 8.12. A notable ex­ample wor­thy to be no­ted of the lost sonne. as long as he had his prosperitie, of wealth at his will, his health of bodie, and thin­ges at his owne desire, wanting nothing that pleased his fantasies, so long ranne he astray, followed wantonnes, imbraced wickednesse, and imployed himself to filthinesse and sinne, e­uen with greedines: But when he was touched with pouertie, when his wonted freendes for­sooke him, and had no meane to releeue himself, then began he to [...] his fantasies after an other fashion: thou he made of necessitie a vertue: he brideled his affecti [...]ns, he tamed his euil desires, and in al humilitie, in true sorrowe for his disobediēce, he returned againe vnto his father, and in great bitternesse of heart, as one that vnfeinedly repented, he cryed out and sayd. Oh father I haue sinned, I haue sinned against heauen and against thee, I am no more worthie to be called thy sonne: accept me as one of thine hyred seruauntes: whose submission obteyned [Page 69] pardon. Dauid when he was in his prosperitie,Prosperitie is a spurre to e­uill, and ad­uersitie a pricke to vrge vs to trust in God. committed euill in the sight of mine heauenly father: but when he was afflicted by the perse­cution of his owne sonne Absolon, when he felt aduersitie, then cryed he out and confessed his iniquitie, bewraying his owne wretched­nesse, and acknowledged the mightie power of mine heauenly father, to whom in great bitter­nesse of heart he prayed, saying: Oh Lord re­buke me not in thine anger, neither chasten me in thine heauie displeasure: But haue mercie vppon mee for I am weake, &c. So great a let is a prosperous estate, vnto the pro­ceeding and going forward vnto that heauenly Ierusalem, to that eternall blisse which I haue purchased: and so great an helpe and furthe­raunce is affliction and aduersitie, as thou maist iustly lament thy worldly happinesse, and sing euen with great ioye, that thine estate is thus altered, to reclaime thee from putting thy trust in transitorie thinges, faithfully to repose the same, in the sure defence of mine heauenly fa­thers right hande. Be thankfull I say, accept it as a good preparatiue, to vnfeyned repen­taunce: wherein prostrating thy self in heart, praie faithfully, and confesse thy sinnes vnfey­nedly, and I will comforte thee againe, with heauenly solace inwardly.

I Will referre to instruct thee in prayer vntill to another day, because the day is so farre spent, and because I would first haue thee to confesse thy sinnes, and discharge thy consci­ence of the heauie burden of thine iniquities, before thou enter into that most excellent exer­cise of praier,He that is loden wit the heauie bur­den of sinne, can neuer re­ferre himselfe to hea [...]tie prayer before he be per­swaded of the remission thereof tho­rowe Christ. for the heart that is inwardly kept downe with the doubt of remission of sinnes through me, can neuer freely open it selfe in a perfect faith, to be heard of mine heauenly fa­ther: and as long as thou goest about to cloke thine iniquities, and to hide them from the sight of mine heauenly father, thou canst neuer be as­sured of pardon: for thou must bee assured that he that hideth his sinnes, shall not prosper, but he that confesseth them, and forsaketh them, shal haue mercie, his sinnes, be they as red as Scar­let, I will make as white as wolle: and were the [...] purple,Pro. 28.13. I will make them as white as snowe.Confession, what it is. Now, confession is, an inward constant, and continuall acknowledging thy selfe to bee a sinfull man▪ altogether corrupt, whose righ­teousnes, is as a stayned and filthy cloth, in [Page 101] whome remayneth no goodnes at all, for there is none that sinneth not,King 8.46. there is none that doth good, none that worketh righteousnes, no not one. All men are subiect to many infirmities, And he that saith that he hath not sinned, he is a lyer, he deceiueth him self, and in him is there no trueth. No man can say mine heart is cleare, and I am cleare from sinne: No man can say that he hath not sin­ned. If ther­fore euery man be sinfull, and none can excuse himselfe, but that hee deserueth to be punished, that he deserueth, in respect of his owne good­nes, to be cast of, and to be scurged with the rod of correction: Thou canst not then say, I haue not sinned, no thou canst not but confesse with the lost sonne, that thou hast gone astraye, that thou hast rebelled against God mine heauenly father, and wrought so many things against his will, that thou art no more worthy to be accep­ted as his sonne, deseruing iustly to bee cast of. If then there remaine no hope of thine owne deserts, whereby to be accepted into his fauour again, wherby to be accepted as his sōne: (nay,The way to obtaine the fauour [...] God is, to humble our selues and to appeale vnto his mer­cie in Christ. whereby to bee accepted as an hired seruant) Therfore, there is no way for thee, no meane for thee, no hope to be receiued againe, but in al hū ­blenes of heart to fall downe, as one in his own conscience guiltie of death, appealing vnto the mercie of mine heauenly father, in me, who for my sake, will not onely, not turne away his face from the humble confession of thy sinnes, but of [Page] his mercie most plentifull, will hee meete the voyce of thine humble confession, euen in the middest of thine heart: yea, and vnfained cries, as he heard the humble and zealous sighes of Dauid, who when he had sinned, and highly dis­pleased mine heauenly father,Psal. 32.5. The confessi­on of Dauid. he went not as it w [...]re into a corner to hide his offences wi [...]h the Cloake of hipocrisie: but bewrayed his owne vntowardnes, layde open his iniquities, and acknowledged his sinnes, saying within him­selfe: I will speake against my selfe, I will re­ueale mine offences vnto the Lorde▪ and all his sinnes were forgiuen him. Such a godly fee­ling had Dauid of his sinnes, hee entred into consideration of his wickednes before he could thus r [...]tourne vnto mine heauenly father, in heart [...] confession. So enter thou into thy selfe, examine thine owne conscience, and looke back into the whole course of thy life, and thou wilt [...] ashamed to see thy miserable estate,If we woulde lo [...]ke backe into the [...] life, we shall find our selues the whole packe of vs, wret­ched sinners. thou wilt blush at the consideration of thy former life, and find thy selfe a verie wretched sinner: And condemne thy self worthy of farre greater punishment then thou art able to beare. Thus must thou begin to take accompt of thy selfe, before thou canst truely returne, and vnfeined­ly confesse thine iniquities vnto mine heauen­ly father, whose wrath is so great against sinne, that as long as thou retainest a will to goe for­ward in sinne, and haue not a greater care to [Page 101] returne vnto him, hee will forsake thee: and not opē the hands of his mercie to receiue thee: Make haste cherefore to returne, forsake thy selfe, and flye vnto him, take holde of his pro­mises: he hath promised in mee to receiue all sinners, truely repenting into his mercie a­gaine: I came to cal the sinners, not the righte­ous: wherefore, if thou be a sinner, which (vnles thou flatter thy selfe to deceiue thy selfe) thou canst not denie: then I say, take hold of this pro­mise: Crie out and say, Oh Lorde, I am a sin­ner: I am one that haue gone astray, most wic­kedly haue I set mine affections, and most vainely imbraced the things that can not auaile me in my distresse, in which I am inuironed with so many daungers and troubles, as with­out thine helpe I am vtterly forlorne. Rest (I say) and stay thy selfe onely vpon the louing promises of myne heauenly father in mee, in faith: assuring thy selfe, that I will strenghthen thee against all Sathans temptations:With the eye of a true faith must we look into our for­mer euils, and with the same eye looke vp­on the mer­cies of God, promised in Christ. Thus I say, must thou consider thy corruption, and with the eye of a perfect fayth, looke into the whole course of thy former life, and with the same eye, to behold the mercies of mine hea­uenly father, most freely promised in me: with­out whose free goodnesse there is no hope of saluation: whereby is my death and bitter pas­sion, made auaileable, to wash away all the sinnes of as many as vnfeinedly beleeue, con­fessing [Page] themselues wretched sinners, who re­turning vnto mine heauenly father in a godly feare,Confession must be ioy­ned with faith and re­pentance. are accepted righteous before him. Thy confession must be ioined with faith and amen­dement of life: for the beliefe of the heart iu­stifieth, and to confesse with thy mouth maketh thee safe: whereby thou must consider: that it is not enough to crie out and say, Oh Lorde, I haue sinned,Rom. 10.10. I am wicked, I haue greeuously offended, &c. for all this is but winde, it is but o­pening the mouth to none effect: but thy con­fession must bee grounded vpon the inuincible Rocke of faith, whereby thou must betake thee vnto his heauenly Maiestie, condemning thy self wholy and altogether: not faintly after the maner of hypocrites, who thincke themselues discharged with their fewe wordes. But with Daniell thou must crye out and say: Oh Lord we haue sinned, Dan 9 5. The confessi­on of Daniel. we haue dealt wickedly, we haue most traiterously rebelled against thee: These words came not faintly from y^e tongue, but with force and faith from the very roote of the heart. And why? because he had searched and tried, yea, he had a feeling, an inward greefe for the sinnes of the people: whose confession was accepted, and whose prayer was heard.

INdeede I doe beholde most plainely,God behol­deth aswell the inward thoughtes, as the outward actions. aswell the very intent of the heart, the inner parte thereof, as the outwarde actions, the externall and visible corrupt conuersation: there is no se­crete thought, no imagination, that passeth vn­reueiled by the light of my knowledge, but whatsoeuer thou doest, whatsoeuer thou spea­kest, and whatsoeuer thou thinkest, when and where, I see and perceiue it altogether. And yet notwithstanding, it is requisite for thee for two causes to make confession of thine eniqui­ties, and that openly. And why? namely, that mine heauenly father may bee knowne and ac­knowledged, to be onely righteous, only good,Wee must confesse our sinnes for two causes. yea, and goodnesse it selfe, a mercifull and pa­cient GOD, and a most louing father: and thy selfe to bee altogether vnrighteous, fraught with euill, in whom remaineth no goodnesse at all. Thus must thou cast downe thy self,The first cause. con­demne thy self, and reprehende thine owne cor­ruption, and take holde onely of the goodnesse of GOD the Father in the merites of mee his Sonne, by whose death thou art deliuered from death, and deserued damnation: which is an especiall cause to moue thee to this vnfeined [Page] and open confession of thine offences.The second cause. The se­conde cause is to the ende, that this thine open acknowledging of thy sinnes, may bee to the edifying of other men.Psal. 3.6.218.18. As thou seest the con­fession of Dauid to bee profitable, not onely vnto himselfe, but to others: not onely to them that were then present, but euen to this day, is hee to bee set before the eyes of sinners, as a fitt patterne to measure their sorrowes by, and to bewraye their owne wretchednesse, in humble confession, and to referre themselues onely to the mercies and louing promises of God mine heauenly father,The confes­sion of the godly men profit vs. to bee releeued and comforted in their afflictions as Dauid was: Yea, the confessions which the faithfull haue made here­tofore, serue nowe to edefie other men: at the consideration of whose humilitie, and the good successe of their vnfeyned confession: wherein they returned vnto mine heauenly father, and were accepted againe into his fauour, thou canst not but bee the more stirred vp, to the like maner of humbling thy selfe, acknowledging thy selfe a wretched sinner, and to put thine whole trust and confidence in my death and bitter Passion, and bee more and more stirred vp to serue and honour mine heauenly father in newnesse of life, to the good and godly ex­ample of other men: who seeing the mercie of GOD my father so plentifully shewed vnto thee, shall in like maner, make haste vnto the [Page 103] Throane of his grace,One is edifi­ed by ano­thers vnfey­ned confessiō, Mat. 5.16. in open confession of their sinnes▪ that so one by the example of an o­ther: nay, many, at y^e good example of one may bee edefied, and glorifie God my father which is in heauen: who deliuered mee ouer to suffer death for the redemption of them that truely turne to mee. Wherefore I say, acknowledge thy self sinfull, and greatly indebted vnto mee, in respect of thy many and wilfull transgres­sions, wherby my g [...]ace may the more appeare in thee: disclaime all desertes and merites of thine owne, and cast thy selfe downe in thine owne conceipt, as one not worthie of any com­forte at all at mine handes, appealing altoge­ther to my merites, in such sorte as by thine ex­ample, other men may learne to confesse their iniquities, and condemne them selues to bee guiltie, and to haue deserued to bee punished, and whereby they may be taken from them sel­ues: namely, from the proude opinions of their owne good worke:Psal. 14.3.2. for in the sight of mine hea­uenly father can no man by his owne merites, be accepted righteous,2. Pet. 1.3. but through me are they acceptable and iust in his sight. And therefore, saith Iob: what if I should flatter my selfe,Ioh. 9.15.2. and stand in mine owne cōceipt righteous and iust? when my deedes shall be layd open, when they shall be manifested, I cannot answere one, of a thousande thinges layd to my charge? There­fore sayth he, I will make my praiers and sup­plication [Page] vnto the Iudge. If therefore thou be desirous to be iustified,We must lay away all our owne merites before we can take hold of Christes promises. before mine heauenly fa­ther, thou must s [...]y away all desertes of thine owne, and confesse that there is nothing in thee but meere wickednesse, horrible confusion & vt­ter dispaire, of thine owne goodnesse: yeelding thy self guiltie of many euills. For if thou seeke perfect righteousnesse, thou must not stand vpō thine owne abilitie to fulfill the law: for so ma­kest thou my death to be [...] vain (which through faith) is that true & vndoubted righteousnesse,Gal 5.4. which iustifieth thee before mine heauenly fa­ther,Gal. 3.8. Tit. 3.7. & makest thee heire of eternall life. Tho­rowe me is preached the forgiuenesse of sinnes, and hee that beleeueth, is iustified from those things, from which he could not haue bin by the lawe:Act. 3.38.39. that is, by his owne workes. Wherefore, thou must cōfesse me with thy mouth, & beleeue in thine heart, that mine heauenly father raysed me from the dead to iustifie thee:Rom. 10 9.10. for with thine heart must thou beleeue vnto righteousnes, and confesse with thy mouth vnto saluation. By my grace (I say) art thou saued through faith,Ephe. 2.8.9. and not by thine owne workes, be they neuer so glo­rious in the sight of the world.

THou must vnderstand that (although in re­spect of thy good workes, be they neuer so many and faire in the vewe of the worlde,Although our Iustifica­tion come freely thorow faith in Christ we are not discharged of doing our endeuour, to fulfill the law thou mayest not presume vpon the same, so farre as to chalenge for the same the reward of eternall life: and that thou must confesse when thou hast done all that thou canst, thou art an vnprofita­ble seruant) it behoueth thee, with all diligence and godly care to endeuour to doe all that is commaunded thee in [...]ese lawes of mine hea­uenly father, writtē by the inspiration of y^e holy ghost, by Moyses in the two Tables, wherein consisteth the whole summe of that which is required of euery man to be done, in respect of the outward action and inward working, which is, in doing good to man, whom thou seest, and to loue God mine heauenly father, whom thou seest not: but by the eye of that true faith which taketh his light of the Gospel of trueth: where­by thou art directed to the meane,Christ is our perfection through faith, without whō we remaine vnperfect. which wor­keth that perfection for thee, which of thy selfe thou art not able to reache vnto, namely my selfe: without whose perfection, thou must needes continue imperfect, and vnable to doe any thing that is good, by whome & to whome, thou must praye for grace, and assistance, to doe that which in those two Tables is conteyned: And what (by reason of thine owne weakenes) thou canst not performe thereof, thou must be­ware [Page] that (although I haue vndertaken to stand betweene thy selfe, & the curse due for the same) thou thinke not thy selfe so discharged of performance thereof as farre as thou canst: least by the careles c [...]sting of the burden there­of vppon mee, thou runne headlong into those euils that Sathan shall pricke thee vnto,We must take heede that wee neglect not our due­ties in perfor­ming the lawe as farre a [...] we can, notwitstan­ding Christ hath vnder­taken to doe that which we cannot attaine vnto. per­swading thy selfe, that I haue vndertaken to release thee of that, which heretofore was layde on thee to be performed, and so thincke it need­lesse to doe that which is commaunded thee. Take heede I say, take heede, least that this conceite drawe thee into a negligent going for­ward to doe good, and a promisse to doe euill. But bring foorth the fruites of amendement of life, work righteousnesse & execute iudgement, growing and proceeding from fayth to fayth: ioyning thereunto a good conuersation with knowledge and much patience, accompanied with brotherly kindnes and loue, wherein thou must shewe thy selfe willing to doe good vnto all men,1. Pet. 1.5.6.7. Zecha. 8.16.17. to speake the trueth from thine heart, to imagine no deceit against thy neighbour, but to doe vnto him, as thou wouldest others should doe vnto thee: shewing thy selfe fruit­full in the knowledge of the trueth▪ 2 Pet. 1.8. we must shew our faith to be a true faith by our work. confirming thy free election (in mee) by the workes pro­ceeding of the Spirit through a liuely and a woorking faythe, wherein acknowledging thy true and earnest repentaunce, by disclayming [Page 105] thine owne merits, thou shalt, in the ende, receiue that swéet and endles solace, which by my death, I haue purchased, whiche is the moste comfortable presence, of my fa­ther in heuen, life euerlasting: without the· which, there is nothyng but vtter dest [...] ­ction.

I (T is not ynough, to shew thy selfe onely) by outward wordes, to be a sinfull man: but, thou must likewise (as I haue tould thée before) reforme thy former frowarde, and peruerse wayes: that is: as thou kno­west, and hast confessed thy selfe, heretofore to haue walked in errour, in darkenes, re­bellyng against mine heauenly father: So wold I haue thée, to cléeue vnto the trueth, to follow the light,Some can make a fayre show of holi­nes outward­ly but repent not rightly inwardly: who deserue doubble punishments and obey mine heauen­ly father, in performing those things, which are commaunded thée: For, there be some that can make a gay gloze and showe of ho­linesse, by such outward protestation: when (in deede) they are farre from that true in­warde sorrow, which causeth repentaunce, vnto saluation: whose dissimulation and, hypocrisie, deserueth double punishment.

WEll, then for asmuch as the daie is gone, and that there is no time to declare it now, I will deferre it vntill to morrow, and then I will tell thée, what thou most doe, and what leaue vn­done: In the meane time, forget not to prayse myne heauenly father, who hath made thee, mée whoe haue redemed thée, and the holye, Ghoast whoe haue sealed thée as one of the adopted Children, that shal be saued:

IF thou (dilligently) attend this Day, and reteine in memorie, those thinges, that I haue heeretofore declared vnto thee, thou shalt perceiue the Summe of thy Duetie [Page] towardes mine heauenly father, as also thy duty towards other men: whereby y^u maiest liue an vpright, and a godly life, to the ser­uyce and honour of God, profitte of thy neighbour, and saluation of thine owne soule: to the vanquishing of Sathan, dis­pising of the world, and to the mortifying of thine owne flesh: So that the Deuill shall not fray thee, the worlde deceiue thee, nor thy flesh annoye thée.

IN deede so it will, if thou attentiuely heare it, faithfully beleeue it, and truely followe it. But thou hast heard before, that it is not enough for thee to say (with the mouth) thou wilt, or confesse with thy lippes that thou hast offended: but thou must performe in deede, and reforme thy conuersation yea, thou must haue thyne [Page 117] heart fraughted, with such godly cogi­tations, and vertuous desires, as maye bring foorth the fruites of that sorrowe, which (as before is sayd) causeth repen­taunce vnto saluation: that thine actions outwardly, and thine affections inwardly, may appeare to bee grounded vpon that true faith, which is the fountaine of all good works, whatsoeuer: without y^e which, thy workes are not only vnprofitable,Works with­out fayth are abominable. but meere abominable. By which faith, thou must beleeue, the promises touching thy saluation, to vee wholy accomplished and performed, through my death and passion onely: and not in respect of thyne owne good workes, be they neuer so many: And yet art thou bounde by all meanes possible to endeuour thy selfe to doe good vnto all men, and to decline from euill.We are boūd to doe good vnto all men. And for that purpose, haue I called thee from that error wherein thou walkest, deceiuing thy selfe with vaine and transitorie pleasure of this worlde, to bring thee vnto the light of trueth, to drawe thee from thine Ido­latrie. (wherein thou gauest worship) (as it were) vnto thy greate aboundance:The Coue­tous man e­steemeth his aboundan [...] as his god. e­steemyng thy golde as thy GOD) to serue myne heauenly father, thy liuing GOD, and louing Creatour: to followe that [Page] which is god, and to eschue and auoide that which is euill, onely, to worke the will of myne heauenlye father, which is sette downe, and declared▪ in the two Ta­bles, containing tenne precepts: wherin, as in a glasse thou mayest beholde, what thou oughtest to doe, and what to leaue vndone:The summe of the whole commaunde­mēts is loue. Ex· 20.2. Mat, 22.37. Gall: 5.14. The sum and whole effect where­of is comprehended, onely in loue: name­ly, in louing God aboue all thinges, and thy neighboure as thy selfe, and to hate all things that make againste the fulfilling of the same loue.

TH [...], attend thou diligently, and first cōsider,We must e­steeme the commande­ments as the very word of God. that these precepts are not of so small moment, as y^t, they should be ac­cepted as the cōmaundements of man, but to be esteemed, as the verie word of myne heauenly father: whoe, (to make the same of the greater credite and aucthoritie, a­monge men) ioyned his owne person, his [Page 117] glorious maiestie, to the same his words:God ioyned his maiesty with the word & came downe to de­liuer the same. and came visiblye downe in a flame of fire vpon mount Synaye: to deliuer them, af­ter a farre more glorious and wounder­full manner, then man could doe: coup­linge his owne glorye, with the worde: to the ende, that the same, should not be so little accompted of, so slenderly regarded, or the aucthoritye thereof reiected, as a thinge of small effect, as words (cōmonly) are estemed, as a puffe of wind, now hard, and by and by forgotten: But because it should be of an euerlasting and perma­nent continuance, they were wrytten in tabl [...] of stone: & such was the weighti­nes of the matter, that myne heauenly father, thought not the wordes of a man, no, not of an Angel, of sufficient aucthori­tie, or credyte, to delyuer the same: And therefore, came he himselfe downe, after such a wounderfull manner, as that the mount Synaye, at his presence,Mount Sinay smoaked and trembled at the presence o [...] the Lorde. smoaked as a fournace, trembling and quakinge miraculouslye: whereby thou mayste perceyue, y^t whoso dyspiseth his Prophets, and the performance of his commaunde­ments, dispiseth his word, and so con­tempneth god myne heauenly father him selfe: for he that dyspiseth the one, con­tempneth the other. Therefore muste [Page] thou not so lightly waye these precepts, the will of mine heauenly father, but high­ly reuerēce them, attentiuely heare them, duely follow them, and faythfully beleeue them,Psā: 19.7. which are perfect, conuerting the soule: The testimony of the Lord is pure, and giueth wisdome vnto the simple: and in performing them is their great reward: which rewarde (yet notwithstanding) thou mayst not accompt thy selfe worthy of, when thou hast done that which is in the law commaunded thee, as farre as is possible, for to fulfill the same, in al points, so exactly as is required,When thou hast done all that thou canst, thou art an vnpro­fitable▪ seruant thou canst not: but when thou haste done all that thou canst, thou mayst confesse thy selfe an vn­profitable seruante: nay, examine the for­mer course of thy life, with that which mine heauenly father hath commaunded thée in the lawe, and thou shalt not onely finde thy selfe guilty of the breach of one, but of all the commaundements: for, if thou breake and transgresse one,He that brea­keth, one commaunde­ment▪ is guilty of all 2 Cor: 3, 5. Rom: 8.8. thou arte guilty of all. And as mine Appostle Paule sayth, thou arte not of thy selfe able to thinke a good thought: much lesse to ful­fill the whole law, for they that are in the flesh cannot please God, but thou art called from the wisdome of the fleshe, whiche is death, to the wisdome of the spirite, which [Page 119] is life: wherby thou mayst be directed to fulfill that righteousnesse, which the lawe requireth: namely, to loue mine heauenly father with all thine hearte, with all thy minde, with all thy strength, & thy neigh­boure as thy selfe: wherein, consisteth the perfecte righteousnes of the lawe. Now, to declare the same more at large, and to re­herse the same (particulerly) for thy better instruction, know this,The first cō ­maundement that the first of the same tenne precepts is a prohibition, or forbidding:Gen: 1·1. that thou should [...]st haue any other God or Gods, but mine heauenlye father, onelye, who hath made thée,Act. 14.15. Gen: 56, 2.4 the whole world, and all things therein cōtay­ned: who,Exod: 12.2▪ as hée deliuered the people of Israell from their bondage, and captiuitie, (wherein they were grieued,Rom: 6.20. by the tiran­nye of Pharaoh, King of Egypte) by the handes of Moses and Aaron, Heb: 2.14 so hath hee deliuered thee and all mankinde, by the sacrifice of my body vppon the crosse, from the bondage of sinne,By the death of Christe are we deli [...]ered from the bondage of Sathan. from the ty­raunte of Sathan, and from the feare of death, and hell: which (if there were none other) were such an especial benefit, that it might [...] thee to suche an inwarde acknowledging of his ine­stimable loue, that in respecte of that, that when thou were following the vn­godlie [Page] lustes and féeding the vnlaw­full desires of thine vntamed fleshe, run­nynge rashly foorth in that broade way that leadeth vnto death, he vouchsaued to send mee his onely sonne, to call thée, and to with-drawe thee from the same and to set thee in the way, that leadeth vnto eternall life: thou canste not but accompte him thy god, and be mooued to the willyng seruice of him: To which especiall benefit, if thou ioyne and call to mind, the resi­due of his aboundaunt mercyes, wherin he voutchsafeth thee all thinges, necessa­ry and expedient, to the mayntenaunce of this mortall life, and suffereth thee not to wante the thing which maye relieue and comfort thée in all necessities: and especially, if in fayth thou fall vnto him, in my name, requiring the same, thou may­est be assured to obtayne all thinges at his handes, which are requisite for thée: not onely, I say, for the bodye, but (which is most precious) for the soule, which could not, but haue cōtinued in a most miserable and most dampnable estate, had not hee giuen me,Christ hath answered that & discharged vs of that we remaine ac­cursed for. vnto the death, for the redemp­tion thereof: who (as I haue before assured thée) haue aunswered that for thee, for which thou remaynedst accurssed: namely, for not performing all things contained in [Page 119] the lawe: That haue I done for thée, obey­ing the will of mine heauenly father ther­in, whose mercy so abounded, that he hath accepted thee vnto his fauour agayne, through mée, without whome thou hadste neuer beene reclaimed, but perished in thy sinne: In which his so singuler bene­fites and superaboundant mercies, he de­clareth himselfe to be thy very true and onely God▪ and therefore forbiddeth thee to haue any other God but himself,Mat. 4.10. whome thou must worship, obey, serue, trust vnto, beleeue and call vpon, giuing him,Act. 2·20.21. Heb. 11.6. aswell by outward profession as by inwarde loue and affection, vnfayned prayse,Luk. 4.8. and ho­nour, imparting the same to none other: Least (as Dauid sayth) thou forget the name of the Lord thy God,Psal. 44.20.21. & holde vp thine handes to straunge Gods.Mat. 4.10. Worship thy Lord thy God, therefore, and see that him onely thou serue and truely obey: and that with the same true worshippe,We must worship God as we are cō ­maunded in his worde. whiche is commaunded thée in his worde, as by prayers, supplications, and giuinge of thankes, magnifying him in the greatnes of his mercy, wherein he aydeth, reléeueth, comforteth and defendeth them,In all our sutes we must flie vnto god through Christ. that be­ing distressed, faithfully call vpon him, not running vnto any Saint, or Angell, but vnto him, onely, in and by me, who am the [Page] waye, and meane to bringe them vnto him I am, the mediator and aduocat, by whō onely and by none other, thou mayst haue free passage vnto myne heauenly father, aswell for heauenly as earthly blessinges: which if thou seeke at his handes by any o­ther meanes, then only by mee, thou deceiuest thy selfe: for I haue taken vpon me to obteyne it freely for all them that faithful­ly aske it of him through mee, alone, not ioyning any other in their prayers,It darkneth the mercies of Christ, to ioyne anye with him in prayer. (for a­ny parte of their welfare bodily or ghostly) with mee: for that it doth so shadowe and darken my mercies, & free obteyning thin­ges necessary for them, that I cannot bee seene in the fulnesse of my grace, by reason of such imparting my office to other, whose helpe cannot auayle thee in thy distresse. There is none other God (I say) but myne heauenly father,Esa. 45.21, who is a iust God, a mer­cifull God, and a Sauiour: looke vpon him in me, who am the brightnesse of his glory, the ingraued forme of his person,Heb, 1.3. equall with him (as thou hast heard before) wher­fore, faithfully, repayre thou in all thy ne­cessities to him through me, and thou shalt be saued: euery knee shall bowe vnto him, and euery tongue shall sweare by him, in whome is all righteousnesse and strength, and all that prouoke him shalbe ashamed. [Page 120] Remember these things therefore,Esa. 44.21. and bee reformed: cast away al trust in any besides him, who hath put away thy transgressiōs like a Clowde, and thy sinnes as a Mist: turne vnto him through mee, who haue re­deemed thee: worship him, serue him, and pray vnto him onely, in and by me, and by none other: neither Sainct or Angell. Be­ware of that auncient blindnesse, wherein men haue falne downe to worship, not on­ly Saincts and Angels, but very stockes and stones, paynted pictures, and such like: wherein consisteth no helpe. Myne Euan­gelist Iohn professeth that he fell downe to worship the Angel,Reuel, 22.9. and that the Angel said vnto him, see thou doe it not, for I am thy fellowe seruaunt, and the fellowe seruaunt of thy brethren the Prophets, and of them that keepe the wordes of this Booke: wor­ship God, wherby thou mayst perceiue that worship and seruice belongeth vnto myne heauenly father only, & to none other. And therfore doth he forbid thee,The 2 com­maundemēt. Deut. 4.15. to make vnto thy self any grauē Image, or y^e likenesse of any thing in heauen aboue, or in the earth beneath, or waters vnder the earth,We muste make vs no grauē Image. to fall downe therunto, & to giue it honor or reue­rēce as a God, or intending to worship my heauēly father in it: no, he cānot abide to be worshipped, praised or prayed vnto in any [Page] visible Image, but in me his sōne, only, be­cause hee himself is inuisible, & incōprehen­sible, whose eares are open and attentiue vnto the Praiers made in my name: and stopped, that he will not▪ only, not here thē (that are made in the name of another) but pronounceth them accursed & confounded, that fal downe to grauen Images, to serue them,Psal. 97.7. and that glorie in their Idolles: And therfore, sayth the Wiseman. Let not the inuētiōs of mē, deceiue thee, nor the vnprofitable labour of the Caruers or Paynters, Wis. 15.4. miscarie thee, nor the Images which they make (who haue eyes & see not: eares, and heare not: mouthes, and speake not: and which are set foorth with diuers goodly & goldē colours) moue thee to bow vnto thē: But some haue said: why? we bow not to the Idole,A foolysh obiection. we serue not the Image: but our intent is to serue God, and to be the oftner put in mind therof, by the Image: and therfore, y^e intēt, not (onely) not to be misliked, but very necessarie & good. But be thou as­sured,Sap. 11.5: y^t for this deuice, there is no warrāt in the word of mine Heauenly father. But (as y^e Wiseman saith: the sight therof stir­reth vp y^e ignorāt to fal down before y^e dead image,Rom. 1.23. which hath no life: wherby thei turn the glory of y^e incorrubtible god, to y^e similitude of a corruptible mā, of beasts, & birds, and such like: [Page 121] prouoking mine heauenly father to such high indignation, for turning his trueth vnto a lye: for worshipping and seruing the creature, for­saking the Creator, who is blessed for euer and euer: that hee smiteth their hearts with such blindnesse, that they cannot glorifie him as they ought, but runne headlong according to the i­magination of their owne hearts: professing themselues to be most wise, when in deede they are very fooles. Which foolishnesse of theirs, mine heauenly father hath by his word brought to light: signifying,The naturall deuises and foolish con­ceites of men preuayle not with God. Luke 8.12. The true worship of God is hearing and doing his word. God is a ie­lous God. that such naturall deuices and foolish conceiptes of men, preuaile not with him: But that the hearing of his worde and do­ing thereof, is the onely worship that pleaseth him: without the which, he accepteth no seruice, beare it neuer so fayre a shewe in the eyes of mortall men. Therefore thou must vnderstand, that in prohibiting thee to worship such grauē, moulten, or painted Images, he forbiddeth thee all other worshipping of him, inuented by man: And therefore is hee called a ielous God, who cannot abide that thou shouldest haue any other God, or to ioyne with him any other in thy pra­yers, for thy welfare: for that he of himself, (as he is of power to doe all thinges) so is he wil­ling and ready for my sake, freely to doe al thin­ges which belong vnto thy safetie: Hee hath a most louing and a most tēder affection, towards all such as come in that true worship, vnto the [Page] Throane of his mercie: not reposing the hope of their helpe, in any besides him alone: because that he would haue them to attribute the whole meane of their releefe and comforte vnto him, and to accompt them selues (as in deede they are) most bound and beholden vnto him, and de­pend wholy vpō his goodnesse, and to acknow­ledge him the onely author and worker of their happinesse: which they cannot do, if they repose a quantitie of their trust in any other, or thinke that their deuised worship hath been the meane of their releefe, and their benefites receiued: for that, as they haue imparted their confidence in the helpe of others, so can they not, but imparte the thankes vnto them whom they worship to­gether with mine heauenly father, and so take they away the due praises from him, to whom al honor, praise, and worship, (of right) belongeth. And therefore, in this Commaundement, hee threatneth vengeaunce vnto all such as prosti­tute and lay open their faith vnto others, which is due onely vnto him: and that he will punish them to the third and fourth generation,Hos. 2.4. that shall be found guiltie therein. And therefore he pronounceth them haters of him, that cast their loue vpon any other then himselfe: and I will haue no pittie vpon their children, but with the fire of my ielousie will I burne vpon such as hate me (saith he) euen vnto the third and fourth generation: and promiseth to be mercifull vnto [Page 122] thousandes of them,God is merci­ful vnto thousands of thē that loue him and keepe his commaunde­ments. which loue him and keepe his Commaundements: whereby it appeareth, that the cheefest worship wherewith he is plea­sed, is loue: not that loue which is deuided and giuen parte vnto him, and parte vnto an other, but that loue wherewith thou must loue him with all thine heart, with all thy strength, and with all thy soule: which is an acceptable wor­shipping of him: for he that loueth him with all his heart, reserueth no loue for an other, in re­spect of any hope remayning in his heart, to be reléeued by any other meanes thē by him alone: to which loue is ioyned, the doing of such thin­ges as are acceptable and pleasant in his sight, which are conteyned in his worde,The word of God is the onely rule whereby wee must direct the worship­ing of him. the rule of the true worshipping: which is, the doing of that which pleaseth him, and the leauing vndone of those thinges which displease him: for it is the second poynt of the true worshipping of God to kéepe his Commaundements, and to serue him according to the prescript rule of his word, and not by such blinde deuotion, as is not warran­ted by the same, and which is not grounded vp­pon the alone loue of mine heauenly father, nor flowing from the fountaine of that holy spirit, whereby the children of myne heauenly father, crye Abba father:Rom. 8.15.10. and which beareth witnesse vnto their spirites, that they are adopted and made y^e children of him, through that faith which worketh by loue,Gal. 5.4. and from whence doe flowe al [Page] good workes, as a badge whereby the true wor­shippers are discerned and knowne: to which effect, doth mine Euangelist Iohn testifie, say­ing:Iohn 14.23. He that loueth God keepeth his word. But he that imparteth the worship of him with any other, he affirmeth with his owne mouth that he loueth him not, but hateth him: on whō hee hath decreed to take vengeaunce in his po­steritie, in many generations. Wherefore, if thou haue heretofore by prayer, or otherwise worshipped or serued any, together, with myne heauenly father, or by bowing thy selfe to I­mages, or by any other Supersticious maner, not warranted by his worde, perswaded thy selfe, to haue pleased him, thincke thy selfe not onely deceiued, but thereby to haue deserued the curse which hee hath pronounced against Idolaters, in their posteritie, many genera­tions: nowe therefore, examine thy selfe, and and see whether thou haue serued myne hea­uenly father only in this loue, and done all that which he hath commanded thee in the Lawe to doe: And thou shalt see thy selfe yet vnder that heauie curse, for not performing that which is commaūded the: what is there then to be done? thou must presently mortifie and keepe downe those affections, which draw thee into this diso­bedience, and come neerer vnto mine heauen­ly father, in performing those dueties which are enioyned thee by his word, which thou must set [Page 123] before the eyes of thine hearte, as a profitable rule or scholemaster, to direct thee vnto me, on whome thou must take hold by fayth in loue, as the true and onely mediatour & meane to bring thee vnto mine heauenly Father, without the ayde or assistance of any other: insomuch as thou maist stand assured in me, that thou art freely acquitted and discharged of that curse (through the meere mercie of mine heauenly father) which, (without mee) threatneth destruction, not onely vnto thy selfe, but to thy posteritie, by many generations: whereby thou mayst per­ceiue, that where the law openeth vnto thee no­thing but thy corruption, (as the ministerie of death) thou hast yet neuerthelesse saluation pro­mised in me, through faith:2. Cor. 3 The lawe, the ministrie of death. whereby thou mayst apprehende and take holde thereof, to thine vn­speakeable comforte, acknowledging thy selfe onely beholden vnto mee for the same, and to none other: no, not to thine owne good works.

The third Commaundement prohibiteth and forbiddeth thee to take the name of myne heauenly father in vaine:The third cō ­maundement which is, that for as much as he is thy God, and hath prescribed vn­to thee in his worde, the maner and meane how thou oughtest to worship him, and truely serue him: which is, (as before [...] said) (to loue him and to keepe his Commaundements) thou art by this commaundement, enioyned to performe it accordingly, and not to omit this true wor­ship, [Page] or to ioyne the same with any other, (not a­greeable to his worde) for that it is a deroga­tion of his glory, and a taking of his most glo­rious name in vaine, when thou obseruest not his wil in performing his precepts, in such sort as his name may bee honoured thereby. And thereby thou maist perceiue, that such as liue in this world carelesly, and without feare of trans­gressing his will, are by this Cōmaundement, vnderstood to take his name in vaine. As also those, that as soone as (by reason of any s [...]ight occasion) their natures are stirred vp, to a cer­teine choloricke humour, or their affections mo­ued, fall by and by into most horrible and blas­phemous othes, in such outragious, & vnseeme­ly maner, that sighting (as it were) against his most glorious Maiestie, they seeke to trample his due honour vnder their feete. And that not onely such periured and forsworne persons,Not onely periured per­sons, but all those that vn­aduisedly vse the name of God, are guil­tie of the ta­king of his holy name in vaine. as either for their owne lucre, for the auoyding of punishment or shunning of shame, feare not to make myne heauenly father (the author of all trueth) the defence of their most abominable and false lyes. But those common swearers, whose mouthes by reason of custome, runne o­uer (as it were) most vnreuerently, euen in cō ­mon speech, with most blasphemous and vnde­cent othes: which who so vseth, (beare he other­wise neuer so fayre a shewe of liuing vprightly in his vocation) dishonoreth his maker, and hea­peth [Page 124] his displeasure against himself, against the day of vengeaunce: for it is no excuse to s [...]y: why? although my tongue vse now and then to swerue, it is but a custome, mine heart standeth as it ought, and rightly affected towards God. Assure thy selfe this excuse is v [...]ine: for such fil­thinesse proceeding out of the mouth,The tongue bewrayeth the affe [...]ion of the heart. bewraieth the heart to bee vncleane, and very vnreuerent­ly disposed. Wherefore, if thou haue bene or be now thus corrupted with the dregges of such blasphemie, cast it out, cease to sweare, vainely or vntruely, by mine heauenly father, or by mee his Sonne: who am one with him, or by any o­ther thing: and say not, tush,The Lord wil not hold him [...] abuseth his name. A lamentable thin [...] ▪ that one man will not beleeue another without swearing. it is but a foolish custome, or smal matter: beware I say, beware, for it is no small matter: for mine heauenly fa­ther will not holde him guiltles, that thus abu­seth his holy name. But such is the slender cre­dite now adaies, remayning among men, that the one will not beleeue the other, without pau­ning his faith and his troth, in buying, in sel­ling, in gaming, and euen in familiare confe­rence: a greeuous and a lamentable thing: for which such blasphemers shall not escape vnpu­nished.In things that we are allow­ed to sweare, we must sweare by none other then by God himsel. And why. Thou art also forbidden by this Com­maundement, to sweare by any other thing, thē by mine heauenly father, and that in matters, wherein an oth is tollerable and commaunded, much lesse in friuolous and vaine causes: for that thou takest to record, and referrest y^e iudge­ment [Page] of the cause to him by whom thou swea­rest: and therefore if it bee by any besides mine heauenly father, thou takest away his honour, and giuest it to an other, and so intitulest the creature, with that superioritie which is due on­ly vnto thine euerlasting creator.Mat. 5.34. Wherby thou art forbidden to sweare by heauen or by earth, but for the confirmation of the trueth, and de­termining of strife and controuersies betweene men:Heb. 6.16. hee hath vouchsafed the vse of his owne name, (which is his word) to be taken as a wit­nesse of the trueth: wherein thou must haue a speciall regard, that thou take not him as a wit­nesse in an vntrue matter,Iohn 1.1. but with great reue­rence, to vse it to the decyding and manifesting of matters of great importaunce, hauing onely the superioritie ouer all creatures,1. King. 8.31.32 to iustifie righteousnesse, and to bring the wickednesse of the wicked vpon their owne pates. Wherefore, it behoueth thee to examine thy former life, and to consider whether thou haue not taken the name of myne heauenly father in vaine: either by neglecting, and not performing his precepts and thy dueties commaunded thee by his word: whether there haue bene such a due regarde in thee, of the fulfilling that which the worde hath directed and appoynted thee to doe, and auoy­ded that which by the same word thou were for­bidden: whether thou haue refrayned thy tōgue from blasphemous othes, and from taking any [Page 125] other to witnesse in matters of doubt, then my heauenly father: wherein if thou be guiltie, thou shalt not escape vnpunished: vnlesse in my name thou speedely returne, to the true seruice of my heauenly father againe, whose mercy extendeth vnto thousandes of them, that loue him and ob­serue his will. Wherefore, leaue of to walke a­ny longer in the waies, that may lead thee frō y^e reuerent honoring of God mine heauēly father,Proueb. 13.13. and from a godly feare to offend him: for he that dispiseth his worde, shalbe destroyed: but he that feareth the Cōmaundement, shal be rewarded.

The fourth, commandeth thee to keepe holy the Saboth day, The 4. Com­mandement. which is the seuenth day wher­in mine heauely father after the finishing of all his Creatures, rested from his worke and sanc­tified it: vpon which day hath he commaunded thee to cease from thy labours and daily busi­nesse,Gen. 2.2.3. and to referre thy selfe to such godly ex­ercises, as may bee to the glory of his name: namely deuout praiers and giuing of thankes,What wee ought to doe vpon the Sa­both day. hearing his word, as also, (which is the princi­pal misterie of this Saboth day,) thou must rest from the workes of the olde man, as the fulfil­ling of the lustes of the flesh, to tame thy per­uerse affections of thine heart, and wholy to im­ploy thine endeuour to the wil of mine heauen­ly father, For the Prophet saith,Esa. 56.2. that he is bles­sed that doth this, and the sonne of man that ta­keth holde on it: hee that keepeth the Saboth [Page] and polluteth i [...] not, and keepeth his hands frō doing any euill. If thou abstaine from thine owne wicked waies vpon the Saboth day, and consecrate it as glorious vnto the Lord,Esa. 5 8.13.14. honou­ring him, not seeking thine owne wil, nor spea­king a vaine worde: Then shall hee lift thee vp vpon the high places of the earth, and blesse thee:The chiefe hallowing of the Sabboth day is ceasing from sinne. for the true obseruation and hallowing of the Saboth day is, ceassing from sinnes, which are thine owne waies, by reason of that corrup­tion which is rooted in thy peruerse Nature: whereby thou bringest foorth the fruites of wic­kednes. Thou must therefore, remember, that the Saboth or seaueth day,Housholders are bound to see their fa­milies vpon the Saboth day to serue God, and to auoyde euill. as it is a day where­in thou must cease from thy worldly and bodily labours, so to ceasse from doing things displea­sing mine heauenly father, which may not bee for that day onely: but all thy life: Thy Ser­uants, thine Oxen, thy Cattell, and all which is within thy gates, must likewise that day leaue their labors, and referre them selues to reste, wherein thou haste to consider, that it is thy charge and duetie to see vnto,The vnto­wardnesse of children and seruāts, doth argue the fa­thers and ma­sters coldnes in the seruice of Cod. and haue regard vnto thy seruants and family this day: to keepe them from wantonnesse and loosenesse of life, and to exhort and prouoke them to the Seruice of mine heauenly father, to spende aswell that day therein, as all other dayes in the weeke, in thine owne priuate businesse and labour, whom if thou suffer to runne and gad abroad to wan­tonnesse [Page 126] and sinne, like vntamed Coltes, and like str [...]y sheepe that seeme to haue no guyde: It can not but bewray thine owne coldnesse in the true seruice of God, and then vngodly be­hauiour growing by thy carelesse regard, to see them to performe their dueties to GOD and man: will be a witnesse against thee: that thou hast not hallowed the Saboth day, in such de­cent maner, as is commaunded thee. It pleased myne heauenly father, to giue thee the vse of sixe daies in (seauen) to labor: thy selfe & thine, in thy worldly businesse, contenting himselfe with one day to bee serued in, (not to the ende that in these sixe daies there should bee no re­gard of him,we must serue God, not one­ly on the Sa­both day, but euery day: & howe. or wherein he expecteth no seruice at thine handes, but thou must serue him daylie and continually in prayers and supplications, and in executing thy vocation, with trueth and honest dealing, which hee accepteth as a plea­saunt seruice of him) and in the seuenth to im­ploye thee wholy to the truely keeping holy thereof. As ceasing from doing thine owne will which is corrupted,Gal. 5 24. Col 3.5. with Couetousnesse and vncleannes, and to mortefie thyne owne euill desires, and inordinate affections, euill concu­piscence, and couetousnesse, which is Idolatry:We may ac­compt the Sa­both onely ordeined to take our bo­dily rest in. wherein thou hast to take heede, that thou ac­compt not this day, ordeined onely for corporall rest, (as too many doe) or the ende thereof to bee for a time of banquetting, playing, sporting, [Page] wantonnesse, excesse, vnreuerent meetings, and vndecent behauiour: as the more parte by their vngodly conuersations, bewray their opinions to bee quite contrary to myne heauenly fathers most gr [...]ious institution thereof: for where it ought to be a time, for the body to refresh it selfe with rest, and the soule to bee comforted, with hearing the word and seruice of God mine hea­uenly father,The Saboth day abused. the same day is made more weari­some to the body, by vnseemely practises, and pastymes, and the soule more intangled with vices then before: in so much, as the remem­braunce of that daies wantonnes, holdeth their mindes subiect, to desire that day againe, where­in to fal to their wonted wallowing in wicked­nesse. In which Commaundement, thou hast to consider how thou hast resisted and suppressed thine euill affections and vngodly desires: And how thou hast endeuoured thy self to the seruice of myne heauenly father: And whether accor­ding to the trueth and prescript rule thereof thou haue led thy life: wherein (as thou canst not excuse thy selfe, but acknowledge thy selfe guiltie and worthy of reproofe) so hast thou free passage vnto mine heauenly father through me,We haue free passage to God through Christ. by whose death and bitter passion, the curse which was due for the not performing thereof is taken away, and his mercie ready: if in a true faith thou betake thy selfe vnto mee, thyne onely Mediatour anv Sauiour, carefully sup­pressing [Page 126] thine euill affections, and so much the more, cosidering that my righteousnes is made thy righteousnesse, wherein thy godly and zea­lous endeuour, shall please mine heauenly father, and be acceptable, not for the worthinesse thereof, but through my desertes, and meere merites.

THen remember thou, that these foure com­maundementes which thou hast alreadie heard, doe perfectly instruct thee to the seruice of myne heauēly father, and wherein his glorie and true worship doeth consist, namely, to ac­knowledge him the author of all thy welfare, both of body and soule: and by his mercies to be [Page] stirred vp, to do those things y^t may please him, and to beware of ioyning any in worship with him, or to giue him other worship thē is warran­ted & prescribed by his word: To be carefull in doing those things, y^t may be to the glory of his name, & to auoyde that, y^t by any meanes may dishonour y^e same: And lastly, to hūble thy selfe, truely acknowledging the corruption of thine heart, condemning thine owne wayes & works, and to endeuour thy selfe to subdue the same: for that it is the free mercie and goodnesse of mine heauenly father: through the merites of me his sonne, that sanctifieth and iustifieth thee, and not thine owne workes. In which foure former Commaundements, is directly set downe the sūme of thy duetie appertaining to God mine heauenly Father:It is the free mercie of God in Christ that iustifieth vs. The seruice of God that is not ioyned with the loue of our neigh­bour, is not acceptable. Who, to the ende, that thou shouldest witnesse thine obedience vnto himself outwardly, he hath prescribed vnto thee those dueties which thou oughtest to performe to­wards other men: for that seruice & worship of God, is not accepted, which is not ioyned with the loue of thy brethren, neither is thy charitie to other men any thing accompted of, where it is not grounded vppon that vnfayned loue of God, which proceedeth of a true fayth and sin­cere seruice of him:1. Io. 5.2. A testimonie who are the children of Cod. 1. Ioh. 3.15. for he that loueth mine hea­uenly father, & keepeth his commaundements, sheweth a sufficient witnesse, that he loueth the children of God: and as Iohn saith, We know [Page 128] that we are trāslated from death to life, be­cause we loue the brethren. So y^t it apeareth to bee a sufficient testimonie of a blessed estate, when thou for his sake, doest truely performe those dueties which he hath commaunded thee vnto men.The fifth cō ­maundemen [...] Mat. 15.4. Mar. 7.10. The first whereof is, to honour thy father and thy mother: for who so curseth father or mother, let him die the death: but he that true­ly obeieth them, and behaueth himself reuerent­ly, aswell inwardly (heartely endeuouring him self, to ayd them, to helpe them, and submitting his will vnto their willes, in thinges honest,) as in outward reuerence, nurture, and seemely behauiour: such a one I say, hath a blessing pro­mised: namely, to haue his daies prolonged vp­pon the earth, and to be filled with al good thin­ges. And on the contrary, the stubborne, stife-necked, and gracelesse children,Disobedient children God will punish. shall be rooted out, and taken away by vntimely death, from the lande which mine heauenly father hath gi­uen them. In which Comaundemēt, thou must vnderstand thy selfe, not onely to be inioyned to vse reuerence, and to giue honour vnto thy pa­rents: namely, to those that were the ministers of the bringing thee into this life: but vnto all Magestrates, Superiours and Ministers, whō he hath ordeyned, as Instruments,Rom. 13. [...]. by whom to conueye such graces and benefites vpon thee,Whome we ought to re­uerence. as are necessary & expedient for thee: towardes whom this Commaundement willeth thee, so [Page] to behaue thy selfe in all thine actions, as may witnesse of thine inward loue and reuerence to­wards them. It behoueth thee not lightly to way the benefite,The office of a Magistrate most necessa­rie, being duely execu­cuted. proceeding from the due exe­cution of the office of the Magistrates, who are the messengers and ministers of God, to admi­nister Iustice, to punish those that are wicked in this world, and to stoppe their violence, wherin they daylie seeke, to rush in and to ouerthrowe the estate of the good: by them is the tyrannouse and bloodie sworde of the wicked kept and held backe from the throates of the godly:The benefite that the Ma­g [...]strate brin­geth vnto the common­wealth▪ by executing his authoritie. Rom. 13.4. By them are the righteous defended, and the vngodly punished. And therefore must thou accept them as the ministers of God for thy wealth: and to become subiect vnto them: not onely for feare of punishmēt, but for conscience sake, in respect of the benefite thou receiuest, by their aucthori­tie. The Elders, sayth mine Apostle, are wor­thie of dubble honour: especially, they which la­bour in the worde and doctrine: whereby it ap­peareth,1 Tim. 5.17. [...] ministers of the word of G [...]d, wor­thy double honour. that thou art not discharged of thy due­tie required by this Commaundement, when thou hast done thy duetie to thy father, that be­gat thée, and thy mother that bare thée, but that thou owest a dubble duetie to such as open the will of mine heauenly father vnto thee,Preachers the [...] of our soules. which is the preacher and minister of his sacred word: who are the Nurces and foster fathers of thy soule, breaking vnto thee the bread, and giuing [Page 129] thee the water of life, whome thou must heare with reuerence: for that they are the messen­gers of myne heauenly father, to inuite thee to the banquet of eternall saluation.The father ought to haue a care to the brin­ging vp of his Children, and seruanrs. By which Commaundement, now thou mayst perceiue that thou art bounde to honour thy father and mother, al Magestrates and ministers of God, and to afforde them reuerence, not onely in out­ward conuersation, but in inward desire of their welfare. And further thou must vnderstande, that as children by this Commaundement are bounde to vse all reuerence to their Parents,Magistrates ought to haue a care to execute their dueties. subiects to their Prince and Magestrates, and all men vnto the ministers of the worde, of my heauenly father: so belongeth there a care to be in Parents, to see their children and seruauntes to be brought vp and instructed: not in wanton­nesse: not in careles proceeding, from pleasure to pleasure, from vice to vice:The Ministers & Preachers ought to shewe the wil of God not only by word but in life. but in the due knowledge, sincere seruice, and true worship of his holy name: And the like care to rest in the hearts of all Magestrates, to execute their due­ties iustly, to shewe them selues sharpe in the punishment of vice, and subduing of the wicked members of the Realme, and to extoll and de­fende with the sworde of their aucthoritie, the godly & vertuous: which godly care also, there ought especially to bee in the Preachers of his worde: not onely as they haue freely receiued, euen so freely to giue, vsing their tallentes to [Page] the increasing of the knowledge of his worde: where, and into what Citie, Towne or place so­euer they shall come, by the preaching of the worde onely: but to expresse and shewe forth the same likewise in life, in conuersation, and ma­ners, that men seeing their good workes, may glorifie my father which is in heauen.The negli­gence of Pa­rents dange­rous. But the negligence of Parents, in instructing their children and seruaunts in my fathers will, or rather their fond foolish and vnparentike loue which they (through a blind affection) beare vn­to their children, they suffer them (nay thrust them forward, by their peeuish pampring them vp in pride) to runne into all wilfull wicked­nesse, to kicke against God, and their Superi­ours, giuing them the raynes of libertie: sel­dome or neuer restraining them with the bridle of correction, vntill too late, when neither fayre wordes will winne them, stripes stoope their stubbornesse, nor any correction call them from their loosenesse of life: vntill the Magestrate (who beareth not the sworde for nought) (euen of Iustice) turne them ouer to the scourge of the lawe, which (to the great greefe and heart-breaking of the Parents) (when it is too late) taketh them out of the lande, which the Lorde had giuen them, by an vntimely death: And so both the children and parents in daunger of the curse, which followeth the not regarding to ful­fill this Commaundement: whereby it appea­reeh, [Page 130] that this Commaundement, bindeth the Parents aswell of duetie, to see their children brought vp in feare and knowledge of my hea­uenly fathers will, as it doth the children to doe reuerence vnto them.Magistrates ought to haue a care to their due­ties. And therfore ought Ma­gestrates likewise, to looke vnto their charge and office: wherein their negligence, is y^e cause of many euilles: their parcialitie in punishing the wicked, pricketh the vngodly forwarde to many noysome attemptes: not onely preiudici­all to their owne soules, or to the hurt or losse of one particular or priuate man, but to the hazard of the disturbance of an whole Commonweale. So daungerous is the sparing of Iustice, vpon iust deseruinges: wherein sometimes affection,Sparing of Iu­stice dange­rous. sometimes countenaunce, and oftentimes Bri­bes, doe stoppe the passage of iust execution, to the clering of the offender, and oppressing the offended:Three things lets vnto iu­stice. whereby they deserue not onely the iust sentence of death against them selues, but incourage the wicked to wallowe in their wic­kednesse, and take (as it were) the good opinion of the good, from that which deserueth the ill o­pinion of none. It remayneth as a parte of this Commaundement, that as the ministers and Preachers of the word, are allowed such due re­uerence in respect of their high function and office:Ministers [...] Preachers ought to re­gard their calling. so it behoueth them especially to execute the same, according to the deuine will of him, whose ministers they are called: And that is, to [Page] preach his worde truely, and to answere that in their outward conuersation and life, which they pronounce with the mouth: that the good fruits which spring of their good life, may testifie be­fore men that they are sent: and that they bee true messengers:Mat. 21.19. Mar. 11.13.14. Preachers must beware least they showe them­selues as trees that beare onely leaues and no fruite. trees that haue not onely lea­ues but fruite: least that when my heauenly fa­ther commeth, he wither them vp with y^e breath of his mouth, and so from thenceforth serue to no other purpose but for the fire, which neuer shalbe quenched. Thou seest therefore, the cause for which this Commaundement was giuen, was to teach thee, not only thy duetie towards thy father and mother, but also towardes Ma­gistrates, and other Superiours, and Mini­sters: and wherein Parents are put in minde of their due regard of the godly erudition of their children: Magestrates of the due execution of their office: and Ministers of the worde, to de­clare the glory of mine heauenly father, aswell by their life as by their doctrine.

The 6. Com­maundementThe second commaundement of the second Table forbiddeth thee to kill: the meaning whereof, is not onely, that thou shouldest not by open violence,We must not kill: the m [...]a­ning thereof runne vpon thy neighbour, and bereue him of his life, but also forbiddeth thee to vse any kinde of rigorous dealing against him,We must re­leeue our bre­thren wherin we are able. yea, and further, it bindeth thee, to loue him, in such sort, as whatsoeuer he wāteth, thou art by this commandement bound to helpe him [Page 131] & releeue him, so farre forth, as by any meanes, lieth in thy power or abilitie to doe: This com­maundement (I say) doth not onely prohibit violence, wrong and hatred against thy neigh­bour, but mooueth thee vnto compassion and mercie, whereby thou mayst appeare and shewe thy selfe to be the childe of my heauenly father, in being mercifull as he is mercifull: And not to be so farre from pittie and compassion, as be­ing mooued by some occasion, haue shut vp the bowels of thy compassion, against such as stand in neede, and craue reliefe at thy hands, and so rather increasing their miserie and griefe, then mittigating the same through their aide, which hardnes of thine heart argueth litle humanitie, and lesse christianitie, to remaine in thée. Those I say that are not mooued, nor touched with the wantes and griefes of heart,Hardnesse of heart, an ar­gument of little christia­nitie. of a nother man, nor mooued to compassion with the la­mentable opening of the poore mans estate ful­filleth not this commaundement, much lesse doth he whose heart is so hardened, or his mind so choaked with the coueitous desires of this world, that he witholdeth the laborers hire,Ier. 22.13. we ought not to withhold the workemās hire. and the workemans wages: against whome, the Prophet crieth out and sayeth, Woe vnto him, that buildeth his house by vnrighteousnes, and his Chambers without equitie: He v­seth his neighbour without wages, and gi­ueth him not for his worke. An error in the wealthy. But this is eue­rie [Page] wealthy mans case: he thinketh his poore Neighbour or Tenant to bee bound of duetie to worke with him without wages, and to la­bour without any hire at all: Yea, though his neighbors businesse be vndone, and want wher­with to releeue himselfe, which is flatly against this Commaundement. But let this comman­dement driue thee to the considerattion of thy former life, wherein thou shalt see thy selfe to haue manifestly offended: in not only winking as it were, and stopping thine eares, to the ende thou wouldest not see thy poore neighbours wantes, nor heare the begging pitifull [...]ries of the poore, hardening thine heart in such sort, as thou didst not onely shewe no compassion, but madest a pray and spoyle of other men: and in [...] of releefe, thou gauest them increase of their miseries and wants: As for example, thou cāst not denie, but thou tookest away that poore liuing, which Simple thy Tenaunt had, and thrust him cleane out of all that hee possessed: which crueltie of thine, stucke so nere his heart, that he thought himselfe, or rather wished him­self to haue beene bereft of his life: and yet thou thoughtest he should haue yeelded of duety: such crueltie,We must a­uoyde this crueltie to theit brethrē. yea, such ordinary and daylie crueltie ascendeth vp into the sight of mine heauenly father, who beholdeth the same with an angrie countenaunce, and is displeased with such ex­tremetie: which is now in these daies, accomp­ted [Page 132] honest and lawfull meanes,This now a dayes▪ not accompted crueltie, [...]hat can be cloa­ked with some cūning deuise. when in deede nothing is accompted crueltie, that can be clo­ked with any cunning deuise, to defraude poore men of their liuing: no, mere murther is often­times set at libertie, and innocencie suppressed. But who so flattereth himselfe, with this friuo­lous and vayne imagination, that nothing can be committed against this Commaundement,A vaine ima­gination. but onely murther, and in the meane time run­neth into hatred of his brother, witholdeth the workemans hire, oppresseth the poore by extor­tion and vsurie, feedeth not the hungrie, relee­ueth not the needy, nor helpeth his brother in his necessitie. Let him assure himself: that his carelesse conceite will cause the curse due for the breach of this Commaundement, deserued­ly vpon his necke. For thou must consider this, that as mine heauēly father can not abide euill, but punisheth the same, when, and in whomsoe­uer be findeth it, so whether it be in y^e heart hid­den frō the sight of man, spokē with the tongue, or committed with the hand, he hateth the same if it be in the heart inwardly, and not executed, hee pronounceth it of like effect as if it were done, and therefore, he that hateth his brother is a manslaier, yea, whosoeuer is angrie with his brother vnaduisedly, shalbe culpable of iudge­ment, and whosoeuer shall say vnto his brother,1 Ioh 3.2 [...] ▪ Mat 5.20. thou foole, shalbe worthy to be punished in hell fire. Thou must therefore beware of this d [...]n­gerous [Page] & most pernicious, euill hatred against thy brother, and cast it cleane out of thine heart, and take heede that rash and vnaduised wordes bewray not thine inward affection, to sauour of the same, but place in steede thereof such an vn­fayned loue towards all men, that thy merci­full dealing with men, may shew thine inward affection, to be right and truely setled towards GOD thine heauenly Creatour: an example whereof,A notable ex­ample of cō ­passiō in Iob. Iob. 19.12. thou mayst see in Iob: Whose pitifull compassion towarde all such as were in extre­mitie, was such, that he deliuered the poore, that cried, the fatherlesse & him y^t had none to helpe him: the blessing of him that was readie to pe­rish came vppon mee (saith he) and I caused the Widowes heart to reioyce. Euen so, see that thou impart according to thine abilitie, to the comfort of my needy members: least in that great and fearefully day, it be sayd vnto thee a­mong the damned persons: Depart from me ye cursed, mat. 25.41. into euerlasting fire, which is pre­pared for the deuill and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gaue me no meate, a thirst, and yee gaue mee no drinke, &c. Let this therefore, mooue thée to open the bowels of pittie, and to shewe compassion vpon those that want, wherein thou hast heard, consisteth an ac­ceptable deede before mine heauenly father, in­somuch as it appeareth, that those shalbe saued, that show mercie vnto the poorest, & least of his [Page 133] members: and those damned, that shut vp their compassion from them. And therefore open vio­lence and wilfull murther is not onely to be a­uoyded, but also all hardnes of heart and vn­charitable dealing towards thy neighbour and poore brethren.

The third Commaundement of the second Table forbiddeth thee to commit adulterie:The 7. Com­maundement a most horrible & a most detestable offence in the sight of mine heauenly father: for which he cau­sed to perish in one day three & twētie thousand: the sharpenesse of which Scurge,1. Cor. 10.8. Adulterie an henous of­fence against God. argueth the great hatred which my heauenly father heareth towards y^e kind of sinne. It is wickednes & ini­quitie to be condemned: a fire y^t deuoureth al to destruction, and consumeth not onely the sub­stance, but corrupteth the body and destroyeth the soule.Iob. 31.11.12. And therefore (sayth the wise man) he that committeth adulterie with a woman, is destitute of vnderstanding: he that doeth it, de­stroyeth his owne soule, he shall find a wounde and dishonour,Pro. 6.31, and his reproch shall neuer bee put away: wherefore, abstaine from fornication, dedicate thy body as a vessell of holinesse, who­ly vnto mine heauenly father. Be not deceiued,1. Thes. 4.3. for Fornicators, Idolaters, Adulterers, nor Wantons,1. Cor. 6.9. shall enter into the kingdome of heauen. But there be some, that for a Buckler to defend their vncleanesse and wantonnesse of life, take hold (as a sufficient excuse) to say,A vaine and wicked ex­cuse. the [Page] flesh is weake, and therefore, if they fall nowe and then through frailety, they make light ac­compt of the matter: but take heede, for this cloake can not couer thy filthines: this defence will be as a two edged sword, to cut thine owne Soule, from that most glorious inheritaunce prepared for such as vnder the buckler of a true faith fight against al vngodly lustes of the flesh, and subdue those euill desires and affections, that rise vp against the deuine will of mine hea­uenly father:The excuse of the frailtie of our flesh a vaine excuse 1. Cor. 6.15. The excuse of the frailtie of their flesh, could not stay the hand of mine heauenly father, from striking those three and twentie thousand for their fornication and whoredome: knowest thou not that thy body is a member of God? and wilt thou make it the member of an harlot? beware of it, for he that coupleth him­selfe with an Harlot, becometh one body with her, & so excludeth himselfe from being any lō ­ger the member of me Iesus Christ. Thou must learne therefore to walke in those waies, wher­in mine heauenly father hath promised conduc­tion and continuall protection through mee, which is, not to followe thine owne peruerse desires, but to yeeld thy selfe to such holines of life and godly conuersation, as thou maist stand certeinly assured of mercie and fauour at the hands of myne heauenly father. The frailtie of thy corrupt flesh (thou sayest) draweth thee into many noysome and daungerous desires, often [Page 134] yeelding vnto the wil of natural reason, where­by thou fallest into breach of this Commaunde­ment. What is the cheefest matter that main­teineth this kind of fire,The principal meanes that drawe vs to lust. and feedeth those vn­godly affections in thee? If thy dulnes can not conceiue it, knowe this, that idlenesse, the mother of euill thoughtes, euill company the practise of impietie, euill speach the spectacle of vngodly behauiour, glotony, the mayme of temperance and sobrietie, & excesse in apparell, the mistres of pryde, are the spurres that pricke the weake flesh forward to the fulfilling and putting in practise of the vngodly motiōs,That which we little sus­pect, soonest ouercōmeth vs. that spring from the euill and vngodly affections of the heart. Take heede of these things therefore, they are the subtile instruments of Sathan, that lye in continual waite to entangle thee against this Commaundement, which can so much the more easely intrap thee: by how much they are little suspected of thee, naturall reason telleth thee, that it is lawfull for thine heart to ima­gine what it listeth and why? because it woor­keth onely inwardly, and sheweth not the desire in outward action, but I say, that who so loo­keth vpon a woman to lust after her,Math. 5.28. Euil thoughts forbidden. that man hath committed adulterie with her already: Then (I say) that it is not sufficient for thee to say I did no such thing, I haue not committed this externall action, whereby I haue bene ap­prehended or called in question before the magi­strate, [Page] but it behoueth thee to enter into thy co­gitations, and to subdue this intent, and when Sathan begins to batter the Walles of thine heart with such wicked desires, meete him with a strong fayth, and tumble him downe with the Weapon of a chaste minde, that hee make no spoyle of thine honest and chast behauiour.Mariage a meane to a­uoyde forni­cation· 1. Cor. 7.36. But to auoyde the danger of this assault, there is a meane prouided, namely, wedlock, which is ho­norable, whereunto thou art not onely licensed but commounded: but not rashly or vnaduised­ly, but in the Lord, which is, to make thy choyce so, as that loue and godly affection (not vnto lust,Chaste wed­locke plea­seth God. but vnto a chaste life) mooue thee thereun­to: for that, as adulterie is abhorred and deser­ueth punishment, so the chast and godly vniting of man and wife, well pleaseth myne heauenly father, wherunto he promiseth many blessings. Wherefore,Idlenes must be auoyded. thou must beware of letting the reines of thine euill affections loose, to runne whether the same shall mooue thee, as also to beware of idlenesse, which hath so darkened the mindes and dulled the sences of many, that in steede of godly meditations, they entertaine vngodly and vnchaste desires, the smoke where­of,The compa­nie of the wicked to be a­uoyded. breaketh out and ascendeth into the nostrels of the eternall iudge, who seeth, howe secret so­euer it be: Thou must also beware and haue due regard to shunne the familiarity of such as haue their heartes infected with the poyson of this [Page 135] disease: who stick not, most filthily to execute y^e horrible fact, but most impudently among their companions, vomit out their detestable beha­uiour in open words,The shame­les slaues of Sathan. like the shamelesse slaues of Sathan, not onely to the bewraying of their owne most wicked▪ and damnable life, but to the infection and incouraging of others, to their lewdnes, by their so impudent and arro­gant impietie,Their exam­ples pernici­ous. whose examples more drawe vn­to vice, then the vertuous conuersation of the honest and godly can mooue vnto vertue. For such fellowes as cā behaue thēselues after such shamelesse and impious maner, are nowe repu­ted proper, merrie, and pleasaunt conceated fel­lowes: and those that are ciuile and honest,They that cā roll out an howres talke of his filthy behauiour are nowe rec­koned merrie and pleasant conceated fellowes, and more estee­med then the ciuill men. rec­koned and accompted (and for the most part) contemned and condemned, as silly soules and doltish fooles, whose simplicitie, whose chaste­tie, and whose innnocēt life, shall one day laugh those braue and pleasaunt conceated fellowes, (who nowe laugh at them) to scorne. It is not their painted gestures, their glorious glose of speach, nor braue attire shall stand to pleade for, but against them: vnderstand therefore, that not only, the outward action of fornication, nor the inward desire, but euery idle & wanton word is forbiddē by this cōmaūdemēt. But these things are little suspected (thought & word) to bee any thing at al against this Cōmaundement, but be not deceiued, euill words corrupt good maners,1. Cor. 15.33. [Page] and out of the heart proceedeth euill thoughts, adulteries, fornication and vncleannesse, for which things sake, commeth the wrath of God vppon the children of disobedience,Mar. 7.21. wherefore imbrace continencie and chastetie, not onely in outward behauiour, but let thy heart bee voyde of vaine and vndecēt thoughts, and thy tongue free from vnseemely and vngodly speach, that as thy body is the member of mee, so it may for euermore continue.

Ephe. 5.6. The eight cō ­maundemēt, whereby we are forbiden to steale.The fourth Commaundement of the second Table, forbiddeth thee to steale, which is, to take that which is proper vnto another man, and imploy it to thine owne behooue: or other­wise to dispose that, which is not of right thyne owne, contrarie to the true property of the same thing, which Commaundement reacheth not onely, to the forbidding thee, by open, or priuie violence to take thy neighbours goodes, or by other sinister meanes to filch or to steale, to rifle or robbe him of that which he hath: but also it plainely prohibiteth thee, by any fraudulent meanes, to deceiue or defraud him, of any thing that is his: which Commaundement, as it is expressed briefly in these words:What is ment by stealing. Thou shalt not steale: so is it to bee vnderstoode, that vnder the name of stealing, are all those cunning deuises, which are vsed in wares, bought and solde, as also in al other dealings betwene men, brought within the compasse of this Commaundement. [Page 136] And therefore, not onely robberies, pickinges, and such vnlawfull meanes, as are punishable by the lawes and ordinaunces of a Realme, are to be auoyded, but al other meanes whatsoeuer vsed to the obteyning of an other mans goodes, which are not grounded vpon that loue which euery man by the prescript worde of mine hea­uenly father, is bounde to beare towardes his neighbour: which is, to doe that vnto an other, which he desireth to be done vnto himselfe:We may vse no meane to enrich our selues to the losse of ano­ther man. and therefore behoueth it all men to haue a diligent eye vnto this Commaundement, that they en­terprise nothing, to enrich them selues to the hinderaunce or losse of an other man: conside­ring that it is contrary to their owne natures, willingly to be robbed of that they haue, to bee defrauded, deceiued,Our owne vnwi [...]lingnes to be ill dealt withall, shuld guyde vs to deale well with other. or by any meanes begui­led, or extorted vpon: and therefore should they holde their owne vnwillingnes in that behalfe, as a necessary rule to guide their dealinges a­right with other men. But this cuttes deepe, the stricktnesse (then) of this Commaundement bringes within the breach thereof, the most of al callings, the more to be lamented. And the rea­son is, that desires of mens priuate gaine, hang so in their light, that they can by no meanes see,Our priuate gaine hangs in our light: that we can not see when we do wrong to other men. their doinges to other men, that their natures would be loth to suffer to be done vnto themsel­ues. As for example: tell me, admit thou hadst beene Tenaunt vnto Simple, and Simple had [Page] beene thy Landlord, [...] were good [...] euery rich [...] would consider this. couldest thou haue founde in thine heart, willingly to haue surrendred thy title of thy liuing at his request, and to haue de­priued thy selfe of any place of refuge, for thy selfe, thy wife, or children, to haue satisfied his greedie desire? or couldest thou haue beene con­tented, with a willing minde (at his pleasure) to haue augmented thy rent, or haue giuen so great an Income, as the payment therof should so plucke thee vpon the knees of a poore estate, as thou shouldest not be able in many yeares to recouer thee againe, or by reason of the great­nesse of thy rent yerely, thou couldest not bee a­ble to lay vp a penie for a pounde, at the yeares ende? nay, not able to maintaine thine estate with such credit, as thy vocation requireth? no, thou couldest not willingly abide, nay, thou couldest not suffer it with patience: And yet, see the hardnesse of thine heart, see the blindnesse of thy couetous desires: thou couldest finde in thine heart, not only to pinch poore Simple thy Tenaunt, not only with an Income, great and greeuous▪ but also with an excessiue rent: but in the ende, to ioyne flatterie with threatninges, and thereby expellest him shortly after, from the thing hee so dearly bought: proceeded this dea­ling with him from this loue, which thou ough­test to beare towardes all men? Thinkest thou that this (although it beare not with it the bur­then of open reproach, as publique theft & rob­beries [Page 137] doe) commeth not within the compasse of this Commaundement? yes no doubt:The coue­tous man robbeth many, for vn­der colour of thine owne title, thou hast robbed the poore man, three times: by a greeuons fine, by a great rent: and last of al, by depriuing him of his right: for neither of which, thine iniurious deedes, towards him, art thou able to plead not guiltie, before that heauenly Iudge, that will one day take accompt of the least of thē. There­fore,Loue, the be [...] rule to mea­sure our do­ing with o­ther men. the way to keepe thee from breach of this Commaundement, is to measure thine actions and dealinges with other men, by the rule of perfect loue, calling to minde thine owne vn­willingnesse, to bee hardly dealt withall by an other man: not onely in these cases before reci­ted, but in bargayning, buying, selling, and o­ther affaires whatsoeuer:Men of occu­pation must looke vnto their dealing [...] wherein men of occu­pation whatsoeuer, haue to looke vnto their do­inges, whether they proceed of y^t loue, or not, or otherwise: nay, they may assure thēselues, that their couetous desire of vnlawfull and vngodly gaine, will heape vpon their heades, the punish­ment pronounced against the transgressours of myne heauenly fathers will. Thou seest then, that all vngodly gaine is herein forbidden: then cannot vnmeasurable Usurie excuse it selfe,Vsurie cannot excuse it selfe. though vnder colour of tolleration of a reaso­nable gaine, it be cloaked, to y^e ouerthrowe both of the giuer and taker: although the taker can flatter himselfe a while, with his vngodly enriching [Page] himselfe with the goodes of other men, yet may he assure himselfe, that he hath pawned (for a little foolish and transitorie mucke of the worlde) both body and soule into the handes of Sathan,Pro. 28.8. Psal. 15.5. Mat. 6.34. neuer to be redeemed, without true re­pentaunce in mee, Iesus Christ. So that it be­houeth thee, not onely to beware of open vio­lence and robberies, but of all such fraudulent and deceiptfull dealing, as may bee an hinde­raunce vnto thy neighbour.

The ninth Commaun­demēt: wher­in we are for­bidden to beare false witnesse. Mat. 19.18.The fifth Commaundement of the seconde Table, forbiddeth thee to beare false witnesse a­gainst thy neighbour: which is, to iustifie and to maintaine an vntrueth in open place of Iu­stice and iudgement, against him: wherein, also the tongue is enioyned to shunne (through want of loue) to speake, not onely any thing, to the losse or hinderaunce of thy neighbour, in his goodes, but also which may take away or de­priue him of his good name and credite: for a good name is chosen aboue great riches, and lo­uing fauour is aboue siluer, and aboue golde. And therefore,We may not hurt the cre­dite or good fame of our neighbour. art thou by this Commaunde­mēt prohibited, to speake any thing, which may rayse any slaunder or bring any blot vnto him by any meanes. As it doth (too often) fall out in these daies, that either of malice and ill will, against the partie, or for affection and loue to his aduersary, or in hope of gaine, many are lightly wanne to depose an vntroath before a [Page 138] Iudge, or Magistrate, which is a thing most haynous, in the sight of myne heauenly father: as may appeare by the punishment, that he pro­uided for those that transgressed therein:Deut. 19.18.19 A punishmēt prouided for such as did hurt their neighbour in goods or good name. name­ly, that the false witnesse bearer, should bee re­warded with the self same punishment, that the cryme whereof they accused another, layd iust­ly vpon the offender. And therefore, let him that wrongfully chargeth and accuseth an other, make his iust accompt, that when all secretes shalbe reueiled: God, which is the aucthor of all trueth, will finde him guiltie, of sufficient mat­ter (euen in Iustice) to cast him into vtter de­struction,The tongue an vnruly e­uill. where shalbe weeping and gnashing of teeth. This Commaundement ought to bee diligently regarded, and had in continuall re­membrance, for that it is a good bridle to keepe backe the tongue (which is an vnruly euil) from ouer rash iudgements, and more hastie then vp­right verdictes, not onely in causes of great waight and moment, but in matters of small importance: for as it forbiddeth all men to giue a false testimonie, in any cause depending be­tweene partie and partie, before the Iudge or Magistrate: so doth it charge the Iudge, not rashly or vnaduisedly,The Iudge must be cir­cumspect in giuing iudgement. to pronounce his sentēce of iudgement, but with due deliberation and in­differencie, to consider and way such circum­staunces, as may best procure the equitie of the cause to come to light: wherein there is to bee [Page] warely auoyded al those meanes and occasions of parcialitie: namely, respect of persons in iudgement, malice, affection and bribes, which are the poysons that infect the hearts,Things to be auoyded of a iudge. and blind y^e eyes of those Iudges, whō the loue of iustice, nor feare of the highest Iudge, can not direct to the punishment of the wicked, and setting free of the poore oppressed: and in whose eyes it seemeth no great matter, to giue sentence to the bearing out of an euill matter: But let such be assured, that he that beareth the sworde of all Iustice, (hauing no respect of persons) wil one day take accompt of these Iudges, that haue giuen their sentence to the ouerthrowe of the right of any mans cause, to iustifie that which in all equitie ought to be condemned: and will with the sworde of his Iustice cut off such par­ciall ministers from the inheritaunce of his e­ternall blisse: for can there be a more haynous or more execrable offence against mine heauen­ly father,A great of­fence before God, yea a most execra­ble offence, to g [...]e iudgement against the trueth. then to awarde him the crowne of a iust man, that deserueth the reward of a wicked person? And on the contrary to giue iudgemēt of execution against him, whose cause deserueth the sentence of victorie? A thing most odious in the sight of him, whose eyes of Iustice doth not onely see such manifest and open iudge­ments, but beholdeth their hearts, wherein they wish (and with circumstaunces endeuour) to bolster out the euil causes of euil men, as much [Page 139] as in them lyeth, to the mayntenaunce of wic­kednesse, and ouerthrow of Iustice. Wherfore, oh Iudges, consider whose places ye supplye, whose aucthoritie you haue, and how you exe­cute your dueties in so high a calling: haue no respect of persons: say not to the wicked, thou art righteous,Pro. 14.23. least the people curse and abhore you: but rebuke the wicked, and defende the righteous, that the blessing of goodnesse may come vpon you: And that in the great and fear­full day▪ you may stande before him that shall giue iudgement, according to euery mans de­sertes. Further, this Commaundement inclu­deth within the compasse thereof (as flatly a­gainst the same) the wresting of the true sence and meaning of wordes, or writinges,wresting mēs words and writings to a cōtra [...]ie mea­ning, is to be auoyded. contrary to the trueth of the meaning thereof, and other­wise then it would be founde, if it were decided by an indifferent Iudge, which is a most perni­cious practise, put in vre when I was in this world, tossed and tormented by the wicked Ie­wes, where there were witnesses came in a­gainst mee, affirming that I sayd, I could de­stroye the Temple and builde it againe within three daies,Mat. 26.61.62. quite contrary to the meaning of my wordes:The wordes of Christ wre­sted to a wrong sence. who meant the Temple of my bo­die, and not their Temple of Ierusalem? So is it now a common matter among men, to con­strue y^e words of their deedes, as Obligations,A pernicious practise. Leases, and all other writinges, to a sence by al [Page] cunning quillets that can be found, by the skil­fullest and cunningest Lawyers, to frustrate their owne deede, their owne manifest act, clene contrary to the true meaning therof, as though their cunning deuised lawe trickes, (as long as by circumstaunce, of sophistical arguments, the matter could bee cloaked with reason) should without the breach of this Commaundement, wipe away the apparant right due vnto one, to lay it vpon an other, who in Iustice hath none: how can that man that thus seeketh to ouer­throwe his owne act, or that Lawyer that wor­keth the meanes, bee able before GOD to dis­charge themselues, when their owne conscien­ces shall accuse them, that they haue swerued from the true intent and meaning of his owne deede:A foolish and mod wicked deuise to o­u [...]throwe a mans owne deede, when his consciēce can accuse his meaning to be so. Many spend great summes of money in Law, to proue them selues to swerue frō their true meaning. a most daungerous enterprise no doubt vnto them both. But it is lawfull (they say) for a man to ouerthrowe his owne deede, if it bee not formall, if it want the wordes that binde as fast as yron fetters, yea, though he can confesse that his meaning was so, yet they say that the lawe telles him, it is voyde, and that he is at li­bertie to take the aduauntage, if he will: yes, it is all fish that comes vnto the Net: men will spende more then the valew, but they wil proue them selues to swerue from their owne mea­ning. A lamentable thing, that lawe the mistris of Iustice, should bee so darkened through the hard consciences of men, that she should seeme [Page 140] to plucke in her hande from giuing euery man his right: contrary to the true meaning of the lawe maker, and to the purpose of this Com­maundement: which as it forbiddeth openly to giue false testimonie in any matter: so to doe a­ny thing to the hinderaunce of other men, in goodes or good name.

The last Commaundement forbiddeth thee,The tenth cō ­maundement wherein we are forbidden to couet any thing that is our neigh­bours. not onely (as before is sayd) to take away any thing by fraude or violence from thy neighbor, which was by the action or deede doing: but this commeth neerer to search thy verie hearte, and to reprooue the verie desire of things that are thy neighbours, as his house, his wife, his Seruant, his Maide, his Oxe, his Asse, or any thing that he hath. Thou art commaunded to settle all thine affections,Luke 10.27. thoughts and desires of thine heart, onely in God myne heauenly fa­ther. But if thou be caried away with the de­sires of thy neighbours goods, howe fulfillest thou this Commaundement? Wherefore it be­houeth the to cast away these vngodly desires, of thy neighbours house, his Land, his liuing, his commodities and profites, and with a deter­minate consent, to place them on good things, on things that may be equally beneficiall to thy neighbour, as to thy selfe: that in heart thou maist by a true faith, assure thy selfe, that thou louest God aboue al things, and thy neighbour as thy selfe. Thou knowest th&t I haue pa [...]de [Page] the ransome both for thy body and soule,We may not suffer our thoughts to wander after vaine desires. and therefore keepe thy selfe vnder mine obedience, without letting thy thoughts runne hither and thither, to inkindell such desires in thine heart, as will not be quenched vntill it breake out in­to such an inexstinguishable flame, of burning affection to thy neighbors goods, that it burne vp and consume, all loue and feare of mine hea­uenly father: and so tye thine imaginations al­together to the Pillers of such vanities, as may drawe thee into destruction both of body and soule. But some will say, why? it is lawfull for me to thinke what I list, who can controll me? It is a common saying,Although thoughts are free, God will one day take accompt of them. that thoughts are free, but although it be free to thinke (as in deede in respect of men, thoughts are not seene,) nor vn­derstoode, as of one by another.) But there is one that searcheth the verie heartes and raines, in whose sight the thought appeareth manifest­ly, wherein he expecteth and willeth such obe­dience to be, as it may carrie with it, a shewe of loue to him aboue all things, and to thy neigh­bour as thy selfe. Thou hast bene warned be­fore in the other Commaundements, to beware of such a resolute and determinate des [...]re of thy neighbors goods, as carrieth with it, a full per­swasion & will to haue it accomplished: which thou hast heard to be an equal offence in y^e sight of mine heauenly father with the deede it selfe: But in this commaundement, thou art forbiden [Page 141] to giue enterteinmēt to the very bare thought:Our thoughts although thei be not accompanied with a resolute in­tent to doe the thing is to be auoy­ded in euill. notwithstanding thou giue no resolute con­sent thereunto, namely that if thou haddest fit oportunitie, thou wouldest performe that wher­unto thy thought hath moued thee: Thou must not (I say) suffer thy thoughts to wander (by carnall libertie, vpon vaine and wicked things: but vpon those things that are good and godly: where euill thoughts are, there is not loue: that loue which is required of thee towardes mine heauenly father:1. Cor. 5.6. Loue thin­keth not euil. for that loue thinketh not euill against him whome it loueth, neither doth it re­ioyce in iniquitie: that loue oughtest thou to beare towardes thy neighbour, so shall thy thoughts be preserued from thinking any euil, or pretēding any wrong against him: for he that truely loueth another, imagineth nothing that he knoweth may be hurtful or a hinderāce vnto him: as in wishing his goods, house or land, or any other thing, which is proper vnto him. Of which thou canst not cleare thy selfe: no not of a setled and resolute consent to desire thy poore Tenaunts house and liuing, which in the ende brought foorth the verie effect of thy desire,Thought bringeth fo [...]h desire, and the de­sire neuer lea­ueth, vntill the purpose be brought to passe. by pulling it from the poore man in deede: nowe thine owne experience can tell thee, that the thought brought foorth the desire, and the de­sire neuer was quenched, vntill it had accom­plished the thing desired: which is an argu­ment sufficiently strong to prooue, that euill [Page] thoughts (wherein are settled no certeine con­sent) are to be subdued, for otherwise, they will thrust thee forward in the broade way that lea­death vnto destruction. Nowe therefore, if such danger lye so secretly lurking in the thought, which daunger men least suspect, it behooueth thee to looke about the, and to resist al euill, not onely of the outward action, of the determinate consent, or in the word, but in the very thought. Looke into this commaundement, and into thy corruptible nature, y^t bringeth forth the weedes of wickednes in such plentifull maner, as thou shalt feele not only wickednes in thy thoughts, in thy desires, and resolute purposes, but in thy verie actions and dealings amongst men. And so to haue manifestly transgressed the whole Lawe, for which transgression there is due, the iust reward of death.

WHat, hast thou so soone forgotten, that thou hast a Mediatour, me Iesus Christ, who haue satisfied, and fulfilled all things to thy discharge? And that I remaine with mine heauenly father for euer, making intercession for the forgiuenesse of thy sinnes? Turne vnto me, in forsaking thine euil and wicked life: and I will appease mine heauenly fathers wrathe: so that in mercie,By the lawe is our corrup­tion reueiled. hee shall returne againe vnto thee, as thou hast heard. Thou hast in these for­mer Commaundements, heard all thine infir­mities reueiled, thy wicked life reprooued, and thy corruption manifested, for that feeling and perceiuing thine vnrighteousnesse, and setting the same (as it were face to face with the lawe) thou maist see thine owne wretchednesse, wher­by thou mightest stand conuicted in thine owne conceites of all merites of thine owne,The righte­ousnesse of Christ repu­ted ours. and be forced to flie vnto me: whose righteousnes shal­be reputed thy righteousnesse, mine obedience, thine obedience: my merrites thine, and my death to purchase thee eternal life. Wherefore, giue ouer the opiniō of thine own good works, and cleaue vnto the mercies of mine heauenly father, in me: and so much the more, by howe much (nowe) thou maiest see thine vtter decaye without me.By the lawe we see, that without Christ we can not be saued. But thou maist beware that thou (in respect of thy saluation promised in mee) neglect not these dueties enioyned thee, to­wards [Page] mine heauenly father, and thy neighbor, as hath bene tolde thee before: but (so much the more) endeuour thy selfe to performe thē, & that louingly and faithfully: not in the outwarde shewe onely, but with the inward affection of the heart, imbracing that with a godly desire, which thou art commaunded, and hatefully es­chewing that which thou art forbidden to doe: assuring thy self by a liuely and working faith, that thou art sealed with the holy Spirite, pro­ceeding from my father and mee, freely by my merrits, without any deseruings at all of thine owne, to eternall saluation.

THou seest that I haue spent these sixe daies, in calling thee from thine error, and instruc­ting thee, what thou oughtest to doe, to reforme thy wicked life: yet remaineth there some thing els for thee to be exercised in, to mayntaine that fauour of mine heauenly father towardes thee, which I haue purchased for thee. And therefore (although to morrowe bee the Sabboth day,) which (as thou hast learned) it behoueth thee to sanctifie with ceasing from all worldly labors, and to giue thee to deuine exercises: yet for as­much as all mine endeuour tendeth to the safe­tie of thy soule, I would haue thee to repaire hy­ther againe to morrowe, when I will declare vnto thee the residue, breefly, that belongeth vn­to thee, and that behoueth thee to learne to the finishing of all the course of thy life, that after this life ended, through my merites thou mayst enioye eternall saluation.

WHat art thou so earely here this morning (oh man?) thou shewest thy selfe, now to bee very desirous of my solace, as it seemes by thy diligent attendaunce this morning.

THou doest well to bee wearied and greeued at the vewe of those abuses, and daylie offen­ces which thou perceiuest in the world, to moue mine heauenly father to displeasure, (which in deede are many and greate) and to haue a lon­ging desire, to leaue them and to giue them o­uer, to the end thou mayst the more freely come vnto me. But thou must beware thou kicke not nor murmur against mine heauenly father,We may not grudge or murmure, when we are in any trou­ble. in respect of any miserie, temptation or trouble to befall thee here in this world, and to be dischar­ged or vnburdened thereof, to wish for death, but referring thy cause vnto his omnipotent and mercifull prouidence, in heartie and faithfull prayers, through me. Waite his good pleasure, [Page 146] arming thy self manfully to fight against Sa­tan, and his wicked ministers:we must arme our selues to fight against Sathan & his wicked mini­sters. Iohn 16.21. assuring thy self through an vndoubted faith, that whatsoeuer thou shalt aske my heauēly father in my name, he shall giue it thee: I am thy Mediatour, by whom thou shalt be sure to obteyne al thinges, both for body and soule. Aske therefore (I say) in my name: for I pray vnto mine heauenly fa­ther for thee, for whose sake he shall giue thee al thinges, that thy ioye may be full.

TRue and faithfull prayer,The chiefe seruice of God, is faith­full praier. is the principall seruice, wherewith God mine heauenly fa­ther is honored and pleased: for that thereby is thy faith manifested, and which beareth witnes openly, that thou expectest all helpe, all releefe, all happinesse and welfare, to come from him a­lone: acknowledging him thine onely defence, thine onely rocke, and sure refuge in the day of thy tribulation: who most louingly calleth thée [Page] to come vnto him in thy necessitie. So y^t thou mayst be assured, that he is most readie and wil­ling to hearken vnto thy petitions, & to graunt thy requestes.Psal. 50.15. Our prayers must be faith­full and vn­fayned. Call vpon me in the day of thy trouble, and I will deliuer thee. Which cal­ling of thine, must be faithful, without hypocri­sie: that is, it must bee vnfeyned and zealous e­uen from thine heart, as a sure and certeine te­stimonie, that thou accomptest him thine onely helper and defender, and that thou reposest thy trust onely in him, as the fountaine of all good, whatsoeuer, and from whence thy zealous and vnfeyned prayer, shall drawe (as from the head­spring of al releefe) the pure water of continu­all comfort: namely, in this worlde, all thinges which shalbe expedient and necessary, and in the ende,All our cares ought to con­sist, in the ob­teining of e­ternall salua­tion. eternall saluation: wherein consisteth the whole care, which thou art in this life teyed vn­to, and not so much to seeke the transitorie de­fence of thy mortall body, nor thinges appertei­ning therunto, as the preseruation of thy soule, which shall liue for euer and euer: wherein thou must beware that the affections which are naturally towardes the body, exceede not, nor blind thine vnderstanding in such sorte, as thou seeke for superfluous meanes for the preserua­tion thereof,In respect of our soules, we should haue no care of the body. and neglect those things wherein the safetie of thy poore soule consisteth: which is the worship of mine heauenly father, attribu­ting vnto him, both outwardly, in thy deedes, [Page 174] and inwardly in thine heart, those dueties and preheminences, which by the prescript rule of his deuine worde, thou art bounde to yeeld and doe vnto him: the cheefest and most acceptable maner whereof, is this: zealous, hearty & faith­full prayer, which thou must direct vnto him a­lone, through mee his Sonne: by whom and by no other meanes, thou mayst freely come vnto him: reueyling thy necessities, opening thy wants, bewraying thy weakenesse, confessing thy sinnes, and yeelding al laude vnto his holie name, and all possible thankes and praises for his most bountifull louing kindnesse towardes thee:Wherein our prayers must consist. in which seuerall poyntes ought thy pra­yers to consist: namely, in cōfessing thy sinnes: for he heareth not sinners: that is, such as haue no feeling of their owne corruption,God heareth not sinners. and fall not to vnfeined repentaunce, and seeke not forgiue­nesse of their sinnes, in mee: And therefore, a­boue all things, seeke first attonement with my heauenly father: yea, and that whensoeuer thou goest about to aske any thing at his handes, thinke that thou art a sinner, and that the remis­sion thereof in true repentaunce is promised in mee: to whom al the Prophetes beare witnesse,Act. 10. that through my name all that beleeue in mee,Rom. 5. shall receiue the remission of their sinnes: By whom, being iustified by faith, thou hast peace with myne heauenly father. To whom, as thou art bound to make all thy pr [...]ers: so must they [Page] be made in and by me, by whom thou hast bold­nesse, through faith to goe vnto him, euen to the seate of his grace:Ephe. 3. And hauing reconciliation and attonement with him through me, and free accesse vnto the throane of his Maiestie, in faith lay open thy necessities, assuring thy selfe, that whatsoeuer thou pray vnto him for,We must in [...] lay opē [...] necessi­ [...]s before [...] in the [...] of Christ. be it for spi­rituall or temporall benefites in my name, he shall giue it thee: for I am the Mediatour and high Bishop that make continuall prayers for thee, and no man commeth vnto the father but by mee. And therefore, if thou abide in me, and my wordes abide in thee: aske what thou wilt, and it shalbe done for thee. Wherefore, it beho­ueth thee duely to consider that I am onely the meane,Luke 11. wherby thy petitions are heard, and for whose sake they were graunted, and al the pro­mises fulfilled.1 Cor. 20. W [...] may not [...]ooke to haue [...]ace with [...], nor to obteine our [...] in the name, or [...] the sake of any other then Christ onely. Heb. 1 2. 1 Cor. 1.30. Thanckesgi­uing a princi­ [...] part of [...]ayer. And that there is none other, neither Sainct nor Angell, or other, through whome, or for whose sake thou mayst looke for peace with God my heauenly father (whō thou hast offended) but my self alone, to whō were al the promises made, being heire of all thinges, & who am made vnto al the faithfull, wisedome & holines, sanctificatiō & redēption: & wherefore? namely, that whoso reioyceth, should reioyce in myne heauenly father through mee: and to at­tribute euery good gift, and euery perfect gift vnto him, (from whom al goodnes proceedeth) and that with continual thanckesgiuing, which [Page 148] is, the thirde principall point of this especiall worship and seruice of God, namely, vnfeined prayer: wherein, when thou hast referred thy selfe, and reueiled vnto him in my name, either the multitude of thy sinnes, and greeuous trās­gressions: and feeling thy selfe through a liue­ly faith, to be vnited vnto his grace and fauour again, or when thou hast declared vnto him thy corporall or spirituall wants, as of a competent liuing, of defence in daunger, tranquillitie of minde, peace with thy neighbors, successe in thy vocation, good health of body, or of any other thing necessarie for thy reliefe: and thou (accor­ding to thy request) hast bene heard and comfor­ted: It behooueth thee, not as a thanckles per­son to runne on in petitiō only, but to acknow­ledge the bountifull mercie of myne heauenly father, in forgiuing thy sinnes, and to yeeld him all possible thanckes for his protection, for his superaboundant louing kindnes, wherein hee hath releeued thee, defended thee, and preserued thee from those euils, wherein, without his ayd and outstretched arme thou couldest not but haue perished: and those mercies of his, not on­ly to commend for a time, but continually, for that thou standest in a continuall present neede of his fauour: without the which, euerie day, euery howre, and euery moment, bringeth with it euils enough to ouerthrowe thee, yea, both body and soule: Wherefore, I say, it behooueth [Page] thee,The first point of prai­er, is confessiō of our sinnes, and to craue attonement for the same in Christ. to the discharge of thy duety in this so pre­cious a work, praier: first, to confesse thy sinnes, and to seeke attonement and peace with GOD myne heauenly father, through mee, in a liuely fayth. Secondly, to make thine humble praiers for corporall or spirituall necessaries: and for the gift of them, not to rest vnmindful or thank­les, but yeelding vnfeyned thankes, not onely inwardly in heart:The second point, request for corporall or spirituall benefites. but shewing the same in the reformatiō of thy life, to the glory of his name: and to the end, that other men seeing such suc­cesse in thy seruing of God, may bee the better allured to the like:The third, is thanckesgi­uing. and that all men may learne to acknowledge themselues releeued, mayn­teined, defended and saued by mee, and by none other: without whome, no man cōmeth to mine heauenly father: and without whose mediation and intercession,None com­meth vnto God, but through Christ. (praiers) by whome, to whom, when, wherefore, and howsoeuer they be made, are not onely, not auaileable, but mere abomi­nable. But hee that prayeth faithfully in my name, shall haue the experience and triall, that myne heauenly father regardeth the same, and that by comforting and duely releeuing them, whensoeuer they shall open their griefes and wants vnto him:Although God knowe what wee neede, we must pray, & why▪ who although hee vnderstand before what thou needest, and coulde releeue thee without asking: his will is: that thou shouldest approache vnto his throne of grace, in faithfull and zealous prayer: that when thou [Page 149] art releeued, and hast obteined the things thou desiredst, thou shouldest acknowledge his good­nes towards thee: and be the more assured, and rest in the more liuely and constant hope, of the continuance of his louing fauour and mercies towards thee, and for the same, to bee the more stirred vp to be thankfull. But thou saiest, thou knowest not howe to pray, or what to desire: the spirite shall then direct thee: namely,Rom. 8.6. the holy ghost shall teach thee, hee shall healpe thine in­firmitie: he shall make request for thee, and that with inward gronings and sighes of heart, in such wise, as the tongue can not expresse. The flesh is weake, and often keepeth downe that zealous and earnest outward shewe, which shal be a testimonie of a deuout and godly mind, but the spirit groning inwardly, lifteth vp the heart in such sort: as the verie sighes thereof are ac­cepted with mine heauenly father, and knowne according to the desire thereof, although it bee not vttered in open words: And therefore thou must vnderstand, that it is not sufficient (to the discharging of this duetie of zealous prayer) to vtter many wordes,The wordes of the mouth, without the lifting vp of the heart, is not auaile­able in praier. or to vse long and tedious circumstances in outwarde speach, vnlesse the heart (being guided and directed, by the spirit) inwardly groane, accompanying the tongue in the outward word: that so the heart and tongue being linked together, by vndoubted fayth, pre­sent thy necessities, before myne heauenly fa­ther, [Page] in my name, and so make the same accep­table: for the tongue is but the instrumentall meane or witnesse of the minde, whereby to set forth the goodnes of mine heauenly father to­wards thee:The hearte must be the guide of the tongue. So that vnlesse the heart which is the guide of the tongue, bee truely affected, the tongue must needes, either verie coldly, or cleane contrarie to Christian duetie, in that be­halfe, or in outward shewe, glorious, as an hy­pocrite, or els vtter nothing at all: so that the true worship, the faithfull seruice, and the ac­ceptable sacrifice of prayer, consisteth in the vn­feined zeale of the hearte, and not in the out­ward worde. For hee that searcheth the heart, vnderstandeth the verie sighes of the spirit, and graunteth thy desires: such as are measured and limited, by the word of trueth, proceeding from the same spirit, and not those that proceede of the corrupt flesh, which longeth alwayes, con­trarie to the spirit: and which seeketh to tye the will of mine heauenly father, to the vaine moti­ons thereof: namely, in prefixing and setting downe meanes, the maner and time of help, and reliefe: as did the Priest, who had limited mine heauenly father a time for their deliuery, whom that godly woman Iudith, Iudith 8.13. Iudith repro­ued the priest for limiting a time vnto God for the deliuerie of the people. rebuked (as appea­reth in the Historie) for his so tempting God. Thou must therefore waite his heauenly plea­sure in pacience, not limiting or apointi [...]g [...]im the meane, the way, the time or season, when or [Page 150] how to defend thee, to releeue thee, to saue thee: but to commit thee wholy vnto his wil and pro­uidēce, looking faithfully vpō him in patience, with continuall praiers, that he for my sake will graūt such successe vnto thy desires, as seemeth conuenient in y^e eyes of his wisdome, commend (I say) thy waies vnto his wisdom, and trust in him, & he wil bring it to passe for thy best: looke vpō the poore children of Israel,Psal. 36. The children of Israel deli­uered out of their great daunger, by the prayers of Moyses. who being in­uironed with daunger rounde about: the Sea was before thē, the Mountaines on each side of them, and Pharoah with an huge host pursuing and following them: in so much, as there was nothing but meere dispayre of their deliuerie: their daunger was such, that all mans deuises were vaine: policie was to no purpose, no coun­sayle could auaile them: but see the wonderfull power and mercies of myne heauenly father: who beholding their imminent daunger, (at the prayers of Moses) made a way for them to escape: in which his prayers, he prefixed not the maner, the time, nor meane to be holpen: but en­couraging the people to trust in God mine hea­uenly fathers right hande, and neither to mur­mure, to feare, or dispayre, but to referre them­selues in faith vnto his will: who parted the red Sea in sunder, and led the people of Israell through, and deuoured their enemies with the same. Loe, thou seest that he helpeth when the helpe of a man is vayne,God can help when mans helpe is vain. and when all hope of [Page] helpe (in respect of men) is past, then is his po­wer greatest, and his helpe neerest. Let this therefore learne thee, that whether the present daunger of enemies dismay thee, pouertie op­presse thée, or any other necessitie or greefe anoy thee: dispayre not of helpe, betake thee vnto my heauenly father in my name:In our neces­sities, we must referre vs to God in praier cōfesse thy sinnes, and shew him thy troubles: open thy necessities, and declare thy cause vnto him in most faithfull praier: not coldly, or weakely from thy lippes, but zealously and effectually from the heart, lif­ting vp thy minde vnto the heauens: not suffe­ring thy thoughtes to roue abroade after other helpes, but fixed onely with the eye of a true faith vpon mine heauenly fathers alone ayde, for my sake: and assure thy selfe, that in a tyme most conuenient and most acceptable, he shall defende thee, hee shall releeue thee, and hee shall helpe thee: as thou shalt say, that the right hand of y^e Lord hath wrought it for thee.Wee must waite Gods good time in our deliuerie. Thou must therefore waite his [...]easure, and with patience abide his good time, in all humilitie, and dueti­ful obedience. As Dauid did, who being expul­sed his Kingdome by his owne Sonne:Dauids hu­militie in his extremitie. in obe­dience offered his prayers vnto mine heauenly father: saying. If I shall finde fauour in thy sight, oh Lord, thou wilt establish me againe in my Kingdome. But if thou shalt say vnto me. Thou doest not please me, I am ready to obeye thee, doe with mee what thou wilt. [Page 151] See his humilitie, which (notwithstanding the heauie burthen of the rebellion of his owne Sonne,) he shewed in great patience, which in­gendred that hope, that at the last (at the will of myne heauenly father) was answered, with the thing it desired.The humili­tie of Iob in all his aduer­sitie. Such humilitie and obedience had Iob: who when all his children were taken away, his cattell destroyed, and howses and all his substaunce consumed, he betooke him vnto the Lorde: saying. Oh Lord, naked came I in­to the worlde and naked shall I returne to earth againe, thou hast giuen and thou hast taken away, now blessed be thy name for e­uermore: Who in his extreme miserie dispay­red not, neither limited a time of his releefe, but referring himself vnto mine heauenly fathers wil, in perfect patience, was in the ende holpen and wonderfully releeued. Wherefore I say, thou mayst be assured of releefe in all thy neces­sities, if thus thou betake thee in my name vnto myne heauenly fathers will. Looke vpon the three children in the hot Ouen,Dan. 3. who choosing ra­ther to dye then to commit Idolatrie: cryed out faithfully: saying. Our God whom we serue, can deliuer vs: But if he will not, knowe this oh King that we will not worship thy God. Which three childrē were in the Ouen and not consumed: mine heauenly father was readie to deliuer them: they did not indent and compoūd with him, that if hee would deliuer them, they [Page] would defie the Image of Nabugodoazer, but referred themselues vnto his prouidēce, in true obedience. So, what daūger, necessitie, or trou­ble soeuer thou hap to fall into, thou must with Dauid and these three children, submit thy self vnto mine heauenly fathers will, without ap­pointing the maner or time to be releeued. And with Iob to say: the name of God be praised for euermore. Cast thy care vpon mine heauenly father in my name, he shall nourish thee, he shall defende thee, releeue and succour thee, and shall not suffer thee to be in perpetuall trouble. And therefore thou must pray in hope, and that al­waies: not being wearie for that thou hast an ende of thy troubles, and releefe in thy necessi­ties promised,Luke 18.1. There is an end of our troubles pro­mised vnto our prayers, but when or how we must refer to God. 1. Thes. 5. when, in what maner, by what meanes, thou mayst not appoint: but whether he tarie long ere he helpe thee, or sende thee re­leefe presently, it is for thy best. And therefore, in all thy prayers thou must ad this: if it be his will: for that he knoweth what is most conue­nient for thee, what is for thy benefite, & where­of thou art altogether ignoraunt. But reioyce alway: pray continually: in al things be thank­full: for this is the will of God mine heauenly father, in me his Sonne, towards all men.

IN deede,We ought to consider that our Praiers be grounded vpon the word of God. it behoueth thee to haue considera­tion, what thou requirest at mine heauenly fathers handes: who although he will thee to come freely vnto him, and he will helpe thee, he doth not admit thee to come in such wise, as that thy petitions should vary from his worde: wherin he hath prescribed vnto thee, what thou shouldest aske: namely, whatsoeuer things are honest, whatsoeuer thinges are iust,Phil. 4.8· whatsoeuer thinges apperteine vnto loue, whatsoeuer thin­ges are godly, vertuous, and tending to y^e glo­rie of his holy name. In these thinges, oughtest thou to be carefull, and for such things to make thy zealous and heartie prayers in my name, and thou shalt obteyne both corporall and spiri­tuall thinges to thine vnspeakeable comforte.Ioh. 16.23.24. But thou must put a difference,We must put a differenc [...] betweene corporal and spirituall things when we pray: and how. betweene the thinges thou prayest for: namely, to aske spiri­tuall thinges, as forgiuenesse of sinnes, and to be preserued from sinne and eternall death, for the gift of the holy Ghost, & for euerlasting life, without any condition, in a true faith: for I wil not the death of a sinner, but rather that he re­ [...]rne and liue. And therefore, thou mayst take [...] of reconciliation in me, and assure thy self of eternall life. In the same faith also (as thou [Page] hast heard) thou mayst flye vnto him in my name,Mark▪ 11.26.27 Before wee pray, we must put of all ha­tred against our brother. for all thy corporall necessities: but with this condition: namely, if it please him: And it is required of thee, that before thou enter into this so excellent and so precious a worke, thou, examine thy selfe, namely, whether hatred a­gainst thy brother, malice, desire of reuenge, or any other vncharitable matter be depēding be­tweene any other and thy selfe: If so, then be­houeth it thee [...], before thou approach vnto mine heauenly father, in requesting any thing, spiri­tuall or temporall, to growe into a godly desire of vnitie, and from thine heart to forgiue what­soeuer thou haue against any man, that myne heauenly father may forgiue thee.Luke. 11.12. The forme of Praier where­vpon all our prayers must be grounded. For knowe this, that if thou forgiue not those that haue of­fended thee (be it neuer so highly) mine heauen­ly father will not pardon thee of thine offences, which are many and great against him. But being in a charitable desire of other mens wel­fare, as of thine owne, thou hast free accesse through mee, vnto myne heauenly Father, to whome thou mayst come boldly for things ap­pertaynig both to body and soule: as thou art taught by these words. Our father which art in heauen hallowed be thy name: thy king­dome come, thy will be done, in earth as it is in heauen. Giue vs this day our dayly bread: and forgiue vs our offences, as wee forgiue them that haue offended vs: And [Page 153] lead vs not into temptation: But deliuer vs from euill. In which breefe forme of prayer, consisteth the whole summe, both of spirituall and corporall requestes. And whatsoeuer thou askest, it is comprehended within this praier, or otherwise, it is without any warrant, and there­fore not to be graunted. And therefore, by this rule: it behooueth thee to guide all thy petiti­ons: for in this forme of prayer are conteined things eternall, things spirituall and corporal, things present, & things to come: which things onely, ought to stirre vp thy dull mind, to faith­full and heartie prayer.

THen vnderstande, that by this forme before recited, thou art taught, not onely that pra­yer is necessarie, and that it is commaunded as a principal seruice and worship of mine heauen­ly father: but thou art directed to whom, and for what to pray. Thou must pray therefore, yea,1. Tim. 2. we must pray▪ continually. Mat. 24. a­boue all thinges: to whom? to mine heauenly father: for what? especially for thinges tending to eternall saluation, and then for bodily neces­saries: when? continually, least thou fall into [Page] temptatiō. Thou must pray vnto mine heauen­ly father: why? because he is God eternal, omni­potent maker and creator of all things, the pre­seruer, the defender, the saftie and life of all, and without whose deuine prouidence nothing can continue. Bu [...] by whom, or by whose, or what meanes,Ioh 16. doth he heare thee, and graunt thy re­questes? only by me: and whatsoeuer thou shalt aske of him in my name, he shall giue it thee. And therefore, whensoeuer thou praiest, thou must be faithfully perswaded, that he is fatherly affected towards thee,we must pray for the hal­lowing of Gods holy name. and is become so fauou­rable vnto thee, for my sake, that he both hea­reth thee and will graunt thy requestes. And therefore oughtest thou to call him father: who for my sake, accepteth thee as his sonne, giuing thee whatsoeuer is necessarie for thee. And for that cause oughtest thou to be subiect and obe­dient vnto his will in all thinges,In al our prai­ers we must haue a care of the magni­fying of his holy name. and to pray for the setting forth, and sanctifying of his holy name: which is, to haue his word truely taught, louingly imbraced, diligently followed, & him to be worshipped according to the trueth there­of in all thinges. And therefore, when thou in­tendest to pray, either for good thinges to bee giuen thee, or euill things to be taken frō thee, thou must haue a principal regarde to the mag­nifying of his holy name, and to the setting forth of his most worthie praises▪ for his mer­cies, and goodnesse, with ardent desire, that his [Page 154] holy name may be hallowed,we must pray that bis king­dome may come. and his kingdome come. That is, that his holy spirite would so di­rect thee in all thy doinges, thoughtes and de­sires, that thine heart varie not from his will, but bee so setled in the performaunce thereof in all thinges, that true humilitie, vnfeyned loue, vndoubted hope, and constaunt faith may begin in thee, that tranquilitie and peace of cōscience, which may assure thee, through me, to bee the heire of his euerlasting kingdome, to the ouer­throwe of Sathans rule, and destruction of all his power, whereby he endeuoureth to leade all mankinde into vtter destruction. Pray there­fore, that his kingdome may come:Ioel ▪ [...] which is his holy spirite, which hee hath promised to powre out vppon those that earnestly desire it, which shall guide thee to the true seruice of mine hea­uenly father here in this world: vntill such time as I shall appeare in the Clowdes to chaunge thy mortal body, and place it in that kingdome, wherein thou shalt remaine in blisse vnspeake­able for euer.We must pray that his will may be done. Thou must pray also that myne heauenly fathers will bee done in earth, as it is in heauen: that is, that not onely thy self, but all the people of the earth may doe that which in his worde is prescribed and commaunded to be done: and that there may bee such obedience, such loue, & such godly behauiour in this world, amōg men, as is required to be: that as the An­gelles in heauen are obedient vnto his will and [Page] cōmaundements, whereby he is glorified there: so he might be obeyed, to the magnifying of his name here in earth. And therfore art thou com­maunded, faithfully to pray vnto him, that he would vouchsafe to gouerne all men: as Prin­ces, Pastors and Teachers, Gouernours and Magistrates, that they may performe his will here in earth, as it is done in heauen: And that all men may execute their vocations truely, to the praise of his holy name. In which three for­mer petitions thou hast to learne, that it beho­ueth thee principally in thy praiers, to regarde the glorie of God mine heauenly father.

And now attend, and thou shalt perceiue, that as thou art commaunded in the former petiti­ons, to haue respect onely vnto the honour of myne heauenly fathers name. So art thou also louingly called,We are per­mitted to come vnto God throuh Christ for corporall blessings. to craue corporall blessings, namely, for such thinges as are necessarie and expedient for the maintenaunce of this life, by this petitiō. Giue vs this day our daily bread, which comprehendeth in it, not onely, request for bread: but for a competent liuing and good successe in thy vocation: namely, that hee will blesse it, and make thy trauayle prosperous, in such sort, as by the fruites thereof, thou mayst be able, without vnlawfull meanes to liue, and be rather helpefull then burdensome to others. Yea▪ thou hast warrant in this petition, to craue all things belonging to this life, not onely suf­ficiencie [Page 155] of foode and apparell:Psal. 107.6. Through praiers the hungrie are fedde. but also health of body, and other temporall benefites. The Prophet declareth in the Psalmes, that hungrie and thirstie soules, wandring in the wildernes, called vnto myne heauenly father, and were releeued, and sent away replenished. Yea,Prisoners de­liuered. those rhat lye in prison: and in the shadowe of death, fast bound in miserie and iron, without all hope of healpe, calling vpon him, in hearty and faith­full prayer, are heard, their prayers graunted, and they deliuered. Such also as are afflicted,The sicke are healed. and pining away with sicknesse and heaui­nesse of heart, humbling themselues vnto him in prayer: are cured of their diseases. When thou art (therfore) in such or any other afflictiō, be it sicknesse, imprisonment, pouertie,In what dan­ger soeuer we be in, wee haue warrant hereto, come in faith to God, and to be releeued. daunger of enemies, or any other trouble whatsoeuer: referre thee to the cōsideration of this petition, and there shalt thou finde, that thou hast suffi­cient warrant to flye vnto mine heauenly fa­ther in my name in heartie prayer, for deliue­raunce from thy distresse: who is nere vnto all them that cal vpon him, yea,Psal. 145 18.19. Aswell the rich as the [...]oo [...]e ought to pray for dayly bread. Neither la­bor nor store can helpe without Gods blessings. to all that cal vpon him, in trueth, he will fulfill the desire of them that feare him, he will heare their prayers and saue them. In this petition (therefore) it beho­ueth thee, and all, aswell the rich as the poore, to consider, that it is not great aboundaunce of riches, and store of all worldly thinges, nor the labour, industrie, and earnest diligence of their [Page] vocations, but the onely blessing of mine hea­uenly father: whereby their store is preserued, and the labour of their handes so prospered, as it serueth for the preseruation of their mortall liues. And therefore all men ought so to referre them selues, vnto mine heauenly fathers will (bee they poore or rich) in zealous and heartie prayer, as that, in the good successe both of their store and calling, they may referre the glorie vnto him,Pro. 10. [...]2. the aucthor of all their welfare: and whose blessing it is that maketh rich, and re­leeueth the poore.

We must pray for forgiue­nesse of sins vpon condi­cion.Thou hast heard before, that it behoueth thee in all thy prayers, first to craue forgiuenesse of thy sinnes, and reconciliation with God myne heauenly father through mee. And in this for­mer most excellent forme of prayer, which must be thy direction to all thy praiers, thou art war­ranted, to aske for remission of thy sinnes: But vpon this condition: namely, that thou forgiue freely and from thine heart, all those that haue offended thee: Wherein thou hast then to consi­der, that if thou come vnto mine heauenly fa­ther, endewed (as before thou hast been taught) with especiall loue of him, and vnfeyned loue towardes all men, come freely and boldly vnto him in the name of mee, thy continuall Media­tour, and craue in a true faith, that for my sake hee will forgiue thy sinnes, and receiue thee a­gaine into his fauour: assuring thy selfe, that [Page 156] hauing mee the high Bishop praying for thee,Rom. 5. through whom, thou being iustified by faith, art at peace and at one with God mine heauenly father. Thinke therefore diligently vpon the forgiuenesse of thy sinnes, in me: and whensoe­uer thine owne vnworthinesse, through feare, so cloyeth thy poore conscience, that thou thinke nothing but condemnation due vnto thee. Cast the eyes of thine heart, through a liuely faith, vppon my merites, (standing at no time vppon thine owne deseruinges) craue reconciliation and remission for my sake: assuring thy selfe to bee heard, and receiued into mine heauenly fa­thers fauour againe.We may not accompt our selues righte­ous in our owne con­ceites. 1. [...]o. 1. And beware thou stande not righteous in thine owne conceit: for if thou say thou haue no sinne, thou deceiuest thy selfe, and there is no trueth in thee: but if thou con­fesse and acknowledge thy sinnes, I am faith­full and righteous, remayning an Aduocate for thee vnto mine heauenly father, to obteine thee forgiuenesse, and to cleanse thee from all thine iniquitie. Now, whensoeuer thou approachest vnto mine heauenly father, in my name, for re­mission of sinnes, call to minde that to the pro­mise of forgiuenesse, is annexed this condition,We must haue regard to this condi­tion. that thou forgiue al others that haue trespassed against thee: wherein it behoueth thee to be cir­cumspect and carefull, to weede out all malice, all hatred, dissention and hypocrisie out of thine heart: together with al other impediments that [Page] may let thy free comming vnto mine heauenly father: namely, all sinne and iniquitie, truely repenting thee thereof, that thy conscience be­ing made cleane, condemne thee not, but that thou mayst come boldly and freely vnto the Throane of grace, and in my name receiue whatsoeuer thou shalt aske.

And for that, that Sathan, the Prince of this world is so vigilant and diligent to drawe men into many noysome attempts, whereby they may decline from myne heauenly Father, and followe him: whereby vice may bee imbraced, and vertue forsaken:We must craue strēgth of God to withstande temptations. iniquitie set vp, and iustice and equitie suppressed: euill regarded, & good­nes defaced. It behooueth thee, in all thy pray­ers, to make mention of thy frailtie, with hum­ble request vnto myne heauenly Father, in my name: that he will strengthen thee, against all assaultes of wicked Sathan: who seeketh by al meanes to ouerthrowe thee, whereof thou hast had sufficient experience of late: and in whose conflictes thou hast bene vtterly ouercome, had not I assisted thee: not only in the couetous de­sires, and inordinate cares of this world, wher­with he infecteth many, but in his most dange­rous assault, wherein he sought to drowne thee in vtter dispayre: his pollicies are verie deceit­full,The chiefest weapon to withstand [...]a­than, is a true fayth. his hatred to wards godlines so great: and his assaults so sharpe: as it behooueth thee to haue thy weapons prepared for defence, that [Page 157] he batter not the walles of thy Soule, with the shot of sinne, and temptations to sinne: but that thou maist be able to withstand him, & to keepe him from entring into thy soule: and that is by no other meane, then by a true and an vndoub­ted faith in mee, who haue already vanquished him, whereby thou shalt also resist him: but for asmuch as thine owne strength is mere weake­nesse, thy force very frailtie: apt rather to yeeld, then able to withstande him: thou art willed to come for strength against his temptation, vnto mine heauenly father, by faithfull prayer, in my name: that those temptations wherewith he en­deuoureth to draw thee into destruction: name­ly, the thinges that may offende mine heauenly father: as contempt of his worde, Idolatrie, Couetousnesse, Drunkennesse, Malice, Enuie, Theft, dispaire in trouble, and to vse sinister and vnlawfull meanes in pouertie, or any kinde of vice ouercome thee not: but to bee preserued frō all thinges that are vngodly & daungerous to thy soule: for which (also) thou art willed to pray: namely, for deliueraunce from euill, in which word is comprehended, whatsoeuer may bee displeasaunt and offensiue vnto myne hea­uenly father: from the tyrannie of Sathan, and from all miseries, both bodily and gho [...]i [...]y:We may not pray only for our selues, but for the whole Church. not onely priuate, appertayning only vnto thy self, but for the whole Church: that she being deliue­red from all calamities, thou mayst be partaker [Page] of the blessinges powred vpon the same in this life: namely, the true knowledge of my Gospell and fruition thereof: and after this life inherite the Kingdome, prepared for the [...]ect of mine heauenly father from the beginning.

Nowe hast thou heard, what things thou must pray for: namely, things eternall, which are tending to the honouring of mine heauenly fathers name, who hath bene before all worlds, for spirituall things: which are those things, that tend to the saluation of thy soule: and for corporall things,What ought to stirre vs vp to prayer. which tend to the maintenāce of this present life. The consideration of which things ought to stirre thee vp to continuall and faithfull praier: wherein (as before is saide) it behooueth thee to waigh vnto whome thou praiest, and by whose meanes thy prayers are acceptable, and thy petitions graunted. Thou praiest vnto God myne heauenly father: who made and created thee, and all the worlde, thou hast accesse vnto him, through mee his Sonne: for whose sake, & by whose mediation, thy prai­ers are heard:1. Cor. 14. those prayers that are made by the spirit and vnderstanding, not vnaduisedly, or at aduenture, but in faith and trueth. And to the end, that thou maist bee assured, that it is mine heauenly father, onely, that both heareth thee and wil helpe thee, thou must reteine in thy continuall remembrance, how and in what ma­ner he hath declared himself to be the only and [Page 158] true God, and that not only in making thee, and all creatures els, whom by his mightie power hee likewise preserueth, but especially in sen­ding mee his onely Sonne into the worlde,2. Cor. 4.4. Col. 1.15. to take humaine nature vpon me, to be familiarlie conuersaunt with man on earth, to shewe myne heauenly fathers will, the Gospell of eternall trueth: his liuely and very perfect Image vnto men:God hath re­ueiled him­selfe vnto vs in Christ. to the [...]de that they should pray only vnto him, who hath reueiled himself by me, as appea­reth by many and euident testimonies: wherby thou maist and oughtest daily and diligently to exercise thy faith, and therein,We must a­uoyde vn­thanckfulnes. without waue­ring to addresse thy self vnto the Throane of his grace in my name, of whom he gaue testimonie to bee his onely Sonne, and for whose sake, hee hath promised to giue thee all thinges, both cor­porall and spiritual, which thou shalt faithfully pray for in my name, and bee assured to receiue the fruite of thy faithfull praier. But now, thou must beware, least (as before is sayd) thou bee founde vnthanckfull after the receiuing of the blessinges of my heauenly father, of what kinde soeuer they bee: For, thanksgiuing is an accep­table worship vnto him: for that thereby he is acknowledged the giuer and disposer of those thinges that tend to thy benefite, and he that gi­ueth him praise, glorifieth him. And this belon­geth vnto the righteous and godly ones onely: as the Prophet witnesseth, saying: The voyce [Page] of ioye and deliueraunce shall bee in the ta­bernacles of the righteous: Psal. 1.8.15. The Godly, onely prayse God. saying: the right hande of the Lorde hath done valiauntly. Thus must thou at all tims, for all thinges, and aboue al things, giue thankes, not only, for the comforte of the present benefite which thou re­ceiuest at the handes of mine heauenly father, but also, for that thou hast receiued an assured token of his fauour: wherein, thou mayst peace­ablie passe the whole course of thy life in ful as­surance, that for my sake thou art at peace with him. For, if thou omit and neglect this due wor­ship of thanksgiuing, when thou hast receiued any singuler benefite, or deliuerie frō any kind of daunger, or riddaunce from any calamitie, thou deemest mine heauenly father to bee the aucthor thereof,He that is not thanckefull for the bene­fites of God, denieth him to be the au­thor of them. and attribute the meane of thy releefe to fortune: wherby thou dishonorest him, and quenchest that faith whereby thou oughtest to bee perswaded, that what good soeuer light vpon thee, he sendeth the same as a certeine to­ken and pledge of his especiall fauour and loue towards thee.

IT is euen so, looke therefore vnto the perfor­mance thereof, accordingly, together with the residue of those dueties, which thou art bounde vnto, towards mine heauenly father: as also to­wards thy neighbours. And beware least thou looke backe, and returne to thy former wicked­nes, to thine olde vomit. Thou art nowe cured,When we be once reclai­med, we must beware of turning to our olde ini­quitie. sinne no more, least a worse thing happen vnto thee: I haue broken the bandes of Sathan, wherein thou wast fast tyed, thou art nowe at libertie: Bee watchfull therefore, and trust in myne heauenly father, pray continually, and of­fer the sacrifice of prayse and thanckesgiuing: cease not to doe good: but refuse to doe euill. Walke all the daies of thy life in this narrowe way that tendeth to eternall life: and shunne the broad way that leadeth vnto death: wherein thou hast walkest in time past, but nowe being reclaymed, auoyde it: that this life once ended,we must walk the narrowe way that lea­death vnto life. thou maist without feare, in a cleare conscience appeare & enter into that blessed estate, wherin y^u shalt find nothing but such surpassing eternal ioy: and so sweete solace, as neither tongue can declare, the eare hath not heard, the eye seene, [Page] neither can the hearte of man conceiue the sweetenesse thereof:The reward of the righte­ous. wherein thou shalt liue for euer, and receiue such a beautiful Diademe and Crowne of glorie, at the hands of mine heauen­ly father, as passeth all vnderstanding. Where­fore, perseuere in the trueth here, imbrace it vn­to the end, without fainting: take holde of the promises in faith, reioyce in mee. Let the foolish and momentarie pleasures of this worlde goe:The plea­sures of this word, the baytes of Sa­than. esteeme them not, they are the baytes of Sa­than, to allure thee to the broad way: but be wa­rie, auoyde his entisements, wherewith he en­deuoureth to drawe men into destruction, and such as obey him, shall haue no part of the pro­mised, blessed inheritance: but haue their porti­on in hell fire, to whome I will say, Depart from mee ye workers of iniquitie, The end of the wicked. into euer­lasting torments, where shall bee weeping and gnashing of teeth. Looke therefore vnto thy selfe while thou hast an acceptable time: be sober and watchfull vnto the ende. Mine hea­uenly Father blesse thee, and the holy Ghost guide thee to all goodnes for euermore, Amen.