RIght Honorable, right Worshipfull, dearely beloued in our Lord and Sa­uiour Iesus Christ: If the worth of this Prophecie of Hosea could bee rightly valued, we should finde that herein is imbarked as great riches of grace, as euer yet the word of God, the siluer stream of the water of life, hath landed vnto our soules, since first we sinfull men had trafficke with that re­nowned [Page 12] King Zach. 9. 10 Whose dominion is from sea to sea, and from the riuer vnto the end of the world. Among all the Prophe­cies, especially this of Hosea; among the chapters of this Prophecy, this the 7. and in this 7. these verses that I haue read vnto you, doe ayme principally at the kingdom of Israel, not of Iuda; at the 10 tribes committed to the go­uernment of Ieroboam, not vnto the two tribes left with Rehoboam, the son of Salomon. In the handling of which words I desire your minds as well as your bodies, and that my words may rather diue downe into your hearts, then swimme in your eares; therefore I wil not intangle you in the maze of any curious diuisiō, but plainly I will obserue these three things:

• 1. The sinne of Ephraim and al Israel. 7. 8. which is,
  • 1. Bred at home. All like an ouen. Which sinne had 3. effectes.
    • 1. The deuouring of their Iud­ges.
    • 2. Slownesse in not returning.
    • 3. Their not calling vpon God.
  • 2. Borrowed abroad. Ephraim mixt himself. &c. which borrowed sinne had one effect, and that wss this: he was as a cake on the hearth not turned.
• 2. The dulnesse of Ephraim: of which dulness I obserue
  • 1. The arguments or e­uidences: which were
    • 1. Wilfull ignorance in not knowing, ver. 9.
    • 2. Slownesse in not retur­ning. ver. 10.
    • 3. Simplicity and credulity in being ouerreached. v. 11
  • 2. The aggrauation: & that is by these cir­cumstances or for these causes.
    • 1. Strangers deuoured their strength.
    • 2. Gray hayres were here & there vpon him.
    • 3. The pride of Israel testifi­eth to his face.
• 3. Gods alarum to rouze them out of their slumber, and awake their dulnesse. ver. 12. but when they shall goe, &c. where I ob­serue these fiue things:
  • 1. Gods prouidence: hee will see them as they goe.
  • 2. His wisdom: he will spread a net.
  • 3. His power: he will draw them down.
  • 4. His iustice: he will chastice them.
  • 5. His truth: he will make good what he hath sayd in the congregation.

[Page 13] As if the Prophet should haue sayd, O ye men of Isra­el, especially you of the house of Ephraim, concupiscence boiling within you hath made you hot as an ouen. Kings, and Iudges haue been your fuell, you haue not called vp­on the Lord: by reason of the mixture of your selues a­mong the people, you haue been tainted with idolatrie, partly rawe and partly rosted, you haue had a knee for God, and a knee for Baal: you might haue beene warned by the inuasion of strangers and by the approche of olde age, yet you haue beene possessed with blinde and lame, and lumpish spirits, for I obserue your dulnesse, and your slownesse, and your simplicitie: you haue beene without eyes not knowing: without feete not returning: without hearts, and as a doue deceiued: yet (sayth God by the Prophet) when you goe, I wil see you by my prouidence, and spread a net for you by my wisdom, and drawe you downe by my power, and chastice you by my iustice, and make good the truth of that which you haue heard affir­med in your congregations.

They are all hotte as an ouen. Which is a borrowed Ouen. speech, implying their sin bred at home. There is a fire wherewith Christ baptizeth, Matth. 3. and wherewithall, the Apostles were inriched, Acts 2. (I meane the vertue of Gods holy spirit) which when it takes possession of a man, it makes his heart hot within him Psal. 39. 4, and while he is mu­sing the fire kindleth, and he speakes with his tongue. But his words are like the words of Nepthali Gen. 49, Who is like a Hinde giuing good words: they are eyther prayses vnto his God, or charitable comforts vnto his brethren, or holy medita­tions vnto himselfe. Yet the same diuel that had a floud of water to send out of his mouth to drowne the Church and her children, Reuel. 12. hath water also to quench this holy fire, and in stead thereof hee hurls balls of wilde-fire into our soules, hee fanneth them with the blandishments of the world, that the sooner Iam. 1. 15 Lust might conceiue & bring forth sinne, that sinne when it is finished might bring forth death. Such is the forme of an ouen, that by reason of the vault [Page 4] and damming vp therof, the inward parts therof are black and vnclean, and the fire worketh more vehemently then in ordinary places: so it is with sinne.

It takes possession of the heart (the strongest holde) Vncleaut. which is the throne of the minde, and by degrees surpri­seth the other parts of the body: Psal. 14. 5. The tongue by dropping the poyson of aspes vnder it: the hand by making them the hands of iniquitie: the feete by making them swift to shed bloud: the eyes by making them swell with lust: the wayes by making them exorbitant from the wayes of peace: So that when God seeth the garment of righteousnesse, which he hath besto­wed, rent and torne, the work of sanctification out of reparations, and his owne image canceld, he may say as his sonne our Sauiour did once say of the Romane coyne, Mar. 12. 87 Whose image and superscription is this? It is Caesars: then giue vnto Caesar, that which is Caesars, and vnto God, that which is Gods. Whose image and superscription is this? It is the diuels, or the worlds, or the fleshes; then giue vnto them that which is theirs: they are not stam­ped with my seale, I acknowledge them not to bee mine owne.

When Plut. & Su­ct. Caesar was wounded vnto death by the Senators of Rome, it grieued him much, but much more when hee perceiued himselfe to bee hurt by Brutus, whome he loued aboue the rest: therefore his dolefull tongue co­pied out of a more dolefull mind these words, Et tu fili? And thou my sonne also? So no doubt but it grieues God to bee pierced through with the sinnes of Atheists, and irreligious men: but it grieues mee more (may God say) when thou that art my childe rebelst against mee: thou whome as mine owne sonne I haue created, vvhome I haue redeemed, whome I haue iustified, whome I haue sanctified, whome I meane to glorifie: For, where the more debt is forgiuen, there the most loue and obedience is due, sayth Christ to Simon, Luke, 7. The world is olde and very sickly: and one (wee see) is distempered with a consumption of enuy, an other with a hotte feuer of ma­lice, [Page 5] another with lunaticke and rauing fittes of swea­ring, an other with a tympany or swelling of ambition, an other so loseth himselfe by drunkennesse, that a man may seeke a man in a man and not finde him. Yet, if you in this sinne-sicke world, can auoide the tinc­tures and staynings of concupiscence, and make wrack neyther vpon the Rockes, nor vpon the Sandes, ney­ther vppon open nor secret sinnes, Psal. 91. 5 then neyther the arrowe that flyes by day, nor the Pestilence that walketh in the darkenesse, nor any euil that destroyeth at the noone day, shall do you any harme.

I exhort you therefore vnto that warmth of the holy Spirit, which softned the hearts of the Luke, 24. 32 two Disciples as they went vnto Emmaus, or if you wil to that higher degree of zeale for God and Gods house Iohn 2. 17. Psal. 69. 19. that eate vp DAVID. So may your Soules (Salamander-like) liue by that spirit of burning which purged the bloud of Ierusalem. E­say, chapter 4. So being free from staynings and black­nesse by that smoake of that other fire, you may bee cleane, and fit to stand before the Lord your God. Say therefore vnto concupiscence I will not nurse thee vp: harbour not that smooth faced enemie which vvill not only pollute (which first I noted) but it will make your owne affections rebells and mutinous within you, it will worke violently.

Witnesse the three effects of this home-borne sinne. Violent. First. Their Iudges were deuoured. Secondly, Their Kings were fallen. Thirdly, They did not call on God. Behold how they were infatuate: in all their difficulties whither were they to flie? To their Iudges: yea but their Iudges were deuoured. Their Iudges being gone, whither then? to their Kings: yea but their Kings were fallen. Their Kings being fallen, whither then? to God; there was their highest Court of appeale: yea, but they called not vpon mee (sayth God). Loe here, with their owne hands they haue pulled downe all the sanctuaries they had, and 1. their Iudges.

[Page 6] Iudges and iudgement Ex. 18. 21 (to auoid confusion) are bles­sings giuen vnto kingdomes by God, who is the God of Iudges. order and not of confusion. Therefore Micheas groned in spirit when he 1. Reg. 22. 17 sawe all Israell as sheep without a Shepheard: & our Prophet Hosea thought it a curse vnto Israel when they should remaine manie dayes Hos. 3. 4 without a King, and without a Prince, and without an offering, and without an i­mage, and without an Ephod, and without Teraphim. Ma­chiuel, who for his villanie is exempt from comparison, though hee haue long since spawned in the world, and dipped in his opinions much of Christendome, sets down a rule, how a Conquerour may weaken a subdued king­dome, vnioint the sinewes thereof, and make them fall by their owne weight, that is See Simon Patrichs an­swere to Mach. part. 3. maxim. 5.; by taking from them order and gouernment, by laying the reanes on their owne neckes, and allowing them to liue lawlesse. But lift you vp your voices in prayse and thankesgiuing among such as keepe holy day, because you liue in a kingdome, where 1. Cor. 15. 41 one starre differeth from another in glory, where the Iudges in their seuerall ranks, haue their mouthes as oracles, & their bosomes as treasuries of good counsaile: who when they see Hos. 4. 2 bloud swelling to touch bloud, they giue it Iob. 38. 10 barres and doores: saying, Hitherto shalt thou come, and thou shalt come no further, here shalt thou stay thy proud waues. They are vines, and oliues and figge trees, Iudg. 9. They leaue their fatnesse, and their sweetnesse, and their wine, to raigne ouer the trees of the forrest, both ease & pleasure for the good of Gods people. Prize at no lowe rate these iewells in your own ground, let not your sinnes serue as brokers to embeazle these cō ­modities, and conuay them from you; but rather by good meditations and indeauours, husband your graines of mu­stard seed, that from the lesse you may grow to more grace, and become so louely in the sight of God, that your case may neuer be as Ephraims was, who for their sinnes had their Iudges deuoured, and Zecha. 11. 10 the staffe of beauty (that is, comely gouernment) broken among them. And you the reuerend Iudges of this land, who are ordained to [Page 7] lance the impostumes, and prune the luxury of this king­dome, weigh well your high standing, looke vpward, and downward: vpward, & consider that Psal. 81. 6. you are Gods; down­ward, and consider also that you shall die like men. There be two sins, whose forges, and anuils are neuer cold, but like Pyoners they are euer vndermining your seats of iustice: they are bribery and partialitie brethren in euill, Gen. 49. 6. into their secrets let not my soule descend.

Bribery is marked in the forehead for a sinne, and ther­fore Bribery. dares not approach neere your seates of iustice: but I pray God it play not the vsurper, and take possession of some about you, by vnlawfull intrusion. If it be true which is commonly receiued in the world, then there haue been many belonging vnto men of great place, who haue deceit and nimblenesse of wit, and bribery, and other sinnes, like as many porters to bring them in Pretium sanguinis, the price of bloud. Yet haue they cryed like the siluer-smith in the Acts: Acts 19. 18 The great goddesse Diana, great is Diana of the Ephesians: the great goddesse Iustice, great is shee: when their care was not for iustice, but for their owne gaine, by pretending iustice, as the siluer-smithes intēded their own thriuing by making images in Dianaes temple. These things I haue heard, but I hope for better things in you, and yours, else may the seruant breake the masters head with precious balmes, and make them (like Re­hoboam) 1. Reg. 12 14 whippe with Scorpions in stead of roddes, and by turning Amos 6. 12 Iustice into wormewood, become like Soph. 3. 3. the wolues of the euening, that leaue not the bones vntill the morrowe. Meane while the Clyent findes his physicke worse then his disease: poore sea-faring man, he comming towarde the Iudge (who like a goodly promontory, or land mark giues assurance of calme and harbour) makes wrack vn­awares vpon the sands, secretly by the way before he can haue audience in open court. Whosoeuer they be that by such vnder-working do abuse their Lords and masters, & tyre out the poor subiects, let them know that their hands taking bribes, are like the winde Arist. Me­tor. 2. cap. 6. Caecia which draweth [Page 8] cloudes of witnesses against themselues.

Now though Bribery dare not be seene in the place of Iustice, yet Partiality is not such a stranger to flesh and Partiality. bloud: and the more acquaintance, the more danger. The mother of all lawes, (that is, the lawe of Moses) would haue Iudges the masters of their affections, neither Exod. 23. 3. fea­ring the rich, not fauouring the poore, and therefore Iu­stice (the mistress of the lawes) is described blindfolded, as discerning neither friend nor enemy, and being too holy to consult with flesh and bloud in matters of so great consequence: which rule while Pilate did not obserue, he would, but could not, Matth. 27. 24 wash the filth of his impiety from his hands. Peter Martyr 1. Reg. 10 18 allegorizing vpon the seate of Salomon, sayth, that the height, and the golde, and thei­uory of the seate must put the Magistrate in minde of his eminency, purity, and spotlesse innocency. Wherefore, let your hands be euer at the sterne, and your eyes be fix­ed on the starre, the bright morning starre: and consult Ie­hesophat 2. Chr. 19. 6. who told his Iudges, that their iudgements, were the iudgements of God, and not of man: and be it (euer to be remembred) written vpon your walles, that you are the nursing-fathers of the Common-wealth: and therefore ought to holde out to the kings Subiects the breasts of con­solation. To haue such Iudges it is a blessing, indeede a blessing which this people of Israell was not worthy of, for by their sins they deuoured their Iudges: whither then could they flie for succor? vp to their Kings? no, for their Kings were fallen.

It were much to tell you how, and how many kings of Israell fell: but if you looke vnto the 2. of Kings the Kings. 15. Chapter, you shall see it described by a better penne. You shall see a ranke of many, whereof one supplanted and spread a net for an other, by treason and conspiracie: one of them inherited an others impietie. Eze. 18. 2. The fathers eat sower grapes, and the childrens teeth were set on edge: with a false key they opened the doore for vengeance vnto themselues: Ezech. 33. 11. Why will you doe ô house of Iacob, why will you [Page 9] dye? Had they pleased God, he would haue clipped the wings of peace, and plenty, and prosperity, and victorie, that they should not haue flowen out of their borders. They had Peace, the childe of heauen, and Plenty the childe of Peace, and the daughter deuoured the mother: their opulency brake their peace, and made them rebell euen against their Kings. Their confused state makes me remember the blessednesse that ouershadowes our owne. In the time of Queene Elizabeth our Soueraigne of bles­sed memory, seuerall Popes authorised seuerall disloyall subiects to reach at her crowne and person; being all, as it seemes of that opinion that Cardinall Baronius was of, when of late vpon a controuersie betwixt the Pope and the Venetians, he made a foolish glosse vpon a good text, A booke called va­riance be­tweene the Pope and Venice pag. 42. telling Paul the fift, that whereas the vision came to Pe­ter of things cleane and vncleane, and a voice that hee should kill and eate, it was a warrant to Peters successour, that he should first kill, and then eate: his principall of­fice was to kill, to excōmunicate, to depose. How this is racked aboue the highest pin, and beyond the meaning of the H. Ghost, let Diuines iudge. I insert this new occur­rence with matters that are far ancienter, because I would haue the world know that though there hath beene a change of Popes, yet there hath not beene a change of the minds of Popes: This that now is, is animated to kill, and so were those in the time of Queene Elizabeth. But yet shee outliued many of them; to proue (in them) that of the Prophet Dauid, that the bloudthirstie shall not liue out halfe their dayes, and (in her) that of Salomon, Prou. 3. that wisdome (which she imbraced) carrieth length of dayes in her right hand, and in her left hand riches and glory. The Ministers of the word of God are commanded to baptize and preach: those Popes baptized not in water, but in bloud, and their preaching was nothing but a denoun­cing of warre vnto Christian Princes; planting and roo­ting out: planting, but their owne opinions: and rooting out those Kings and Princes which God hath planted. [Page 10] Witnesse Cardinall Comensis his letter vnto Doctor Par­ry, for killing that gracious Queen, who was euer a mark for the enuenomed arrows of them, who forgot that say­ing of Salomon, Eccles. 10. Curse not the King, no not in thy thought, neither curse the rich in thy bed chamber: for the foule of the heauen shall carrie the voice, and that which hath winges shall declare the matter. The Popes commaunded, and they obeyed; cruell Fathers, and too too forwarde sonnes.

Shee liued (for all their plots) till she was olde and mel­lowe for the kingdome of God: and when wee lost her (though many wished their eyes might be closed vp be­fore they sawe a change) yet of our Common-wealth we may say as doth the Prophet Esay 66. 7. Before she trauel­led she brought forth: and before her paine came, shee was deli­uered of a man childe: wee changed almost nothing but the Sex: after a Dauid we haue a Salomon: after a David the youngest of Ishaes sonnes, and ashepheard, Elizabeth the youngest of King Henries daughters, not a shepheard, but one that desired to bee a milke-mayde in Woodstock parke, we haue a Salomon, who hath spoken and written many parables and wise sentences, and can skill (witnesse all the learned of the land) of all the 1. Reg. 4. 33 plants from the cedar of Libanus, vnto the hysope that growes vpon the wall. And now I speake of things pertaining to the King, for such an ar­gument Psal. 44. 1 my tongue should be the pen of a readie writer. God no doubt sayde vnto him, well done good Stewarde Luke 19. 17. Iacobus Steward. Thou hast been faithfull in a little, I will make thee ruler ouer much, thou hast well gouerned one countrey, thou shalt bee gouernour ouer an other. So hee was brought vnto vs with acclamation, as it were vpon the shoulders of all the kingdome, not ferried ouer vppon the waues of bloud: So that if euer March came in like a Lion, and went out like a Lambe; it was then, when, in the begin­ning of that moneth, the sicknesse of her Maiestie, made [Page 11] vs feare her death, and after her death, Lion-like deuou­rings by our enemies, and in the end thereof the inaugu­ration of our gracious King, and his hopefull issue, gaue vs assurance of an euerlasting lamb-like calme. The au­thority that runnes like lesser streames, through all courts and offices of this land, fills vp the banks in him, yet hath his anointed person (since Popery was a mint of treason) bin a mark for traytors. When I recount all their hellish machinations, the thought of the powder treason takes vp all the room. That, that may say with the diuel possessing the man in the Gospel, Mar. 5. 9. My name is legion; for we are many: many diuells, many treasons, many heads, many deuises were in this one deuise, which shot at the king the annoin­ted of the Lord, the Queene the mother of our hope, the Prince the branch of our hope, the Councell the brain of the kingdome, the Bishops the charets of Israel & the horse­men of the same, the nobilitie and gentrie the flower of our countrie and common-wealth: They, they of that confederacy were like to 2. Reg. 9. 20 Iehu the sonne of Nimshi, they marched furiously, they marched as they had beene madde. And how could it otherwise be? they must needes runne whom the diuell driues.

Wonderfull closely was this snare laide by the Prince of darknesse: Ps. 129. 3. The plowers would haue plowed vpon our backs, and haue made long furrowes: but abyssus abyssum inuocauit, one deepe called an other, the depth of Gods mercie called danger out of the depth of the vault, his loue was Cant. 2. 4. a ban­ner ouervs, we were not buried in the bowells of confusi­on, misery scarce knocked at our doores, scarce touched the hemme of our garments, mercy hath imbraced vs on eue­ry side; whereas Ephraim was compassed about with the ini­quitie of their owne heeles, for by their sinnes they deuou­red their Iudges, by their treason their Kings are fallen: Kings and Iudges being gone, whither could they fly for succor? vp vnto God? no, for it followeth, There is none among them that calleth vpon me.

The language of the Prophet is all and none, all are [Page 12] like an ouen, none call vpon God, they went all with one accord down the stream: they were either possessed with None calls vpon God. a dumb spirit; they did not call; or with a frantick spirit, if they called, they called not vpon God: they did not, but wee must call, and call vpon God: wee must call, or else we are sluggish: call on God, or else we are foolish: in the name of Christ, or else wee are presumptuous: for things lawfull, or else wee are impious: zealously, or else we are but like warme Christians.

We must aske if we will haue, seeke if we will finde. Luke, 11. for the blessings of God are not the Tul. off. li. 1. spoiles of Salmacis Call. without sweat and bloud: though they be cheap yet they come not alwaies without our own indeauors: which in­deauors of ours if they be vsed, O with what ioy may we expect Gods blessings vpon vs, Iam. 5. 7. as the husband man waits for the former & the later rain. Israel sinned (as they did of­ten) God was angry, Moses prayed, God sayd vnto him Gen. 32. 28 Stay me not Moses: as if prayer had beene a corde to binde the hands of God, that he could not smite: Marke well the words, Stay me not Moses, but let mee smite the people. Iam. 5. 13 Is any man afflicted, let him pray. Yea but God many times seemes not to heare, but makes his children, like them that goe down into the pit. Yet, tarry thou the Lords leisure, be strong, prescribe him no time: but as Nū. 20. 11 Moses stroke the rock twice, and the waters gushed out, so be not you weary of prayer, but with your prayers beate at the rock of your defence again and againe: and if not at the first, yet in Gods good time the waters of comfort will issue out, and make your soules like vnto a watered garden; you shall be changed from Gen. 32. 28 Iacobs to Israels, that is preuailing with God. Pray you must, and not be sluggish; and when you pray you must be wise and call vpon God. Vpon God.

Such was the practice of Constantine the Emperour, (when his enemy Licinius begun his warres with exorcis­mes and charmes) he vndertooke Eusebius de vita Cōst. 2. 4. all with prayer and holy meditations, and therefore the Lord of heauen made him Lord of the field, and he found such comfort by prai­er, [Page 13] that he stamped vpon his coine the Idem de vita Const. 4. 15 image of him­selfe kneeling vnto his God. Pray to God you must, and not be foolish: in the name of Christ, and not bee pre­sumptuous.

For Phil. 2. 10 the name of him is the only name wherby wee must be saued. Iacob in his iourney towarde Padan Aram, as hee In the name of Christ. dreamed saw Gē. 28. 12 a ladder reared from earth to heauen, which (by the See Doc. Willer vpon Gen. iudgements of Diuines) was a figure of Christ who by his humane nature touched earth, and heauen by his diuinity: vpon this ladder there vvere Angells that passed vp and down, at the top of the ladder there stood Almighty God: whereby wee may be assured, that if we or our prayers passe by the ladder, by Christ Iesus, wee haue God the Father at the top of the ladder ready to re­ceiue vs, and our prayers; whereas we haue no such assu­rance, if wee goe by Saints, or Angells, or any other by­path, saue onely the Kings high way. 1. Reg. 10. 18 The ascending to the throne of Salomon was by sixe staiers, or steps, and at the end of euery stayer was ingrauen a Lion. Ascend you vnto the throne of a greater then Salomon, by the sixe petitions of the same prayer that the Sonne of God composed, and you shall find annexed to euery petition a lion, euen the Lion of the tribe of Iuda, who by his meditation will pro­cure you both audience and fauour. Ioh. 2. 8. When the wine failed at the mariage at Cana of Galilee, Christ tooke sixe water pots full of water and turned them into wine: though those sixe petitions deliuered by our hearts and tongues (by reason of the mixture of our vanity) bee full of water, weake, wallowish, and not seasoned with that salt which euery man should haue in himselfe, Mark 9. Uer. 50: Yet by his power and mediation hee can make them strong as wine, and vs so strong, that by wrastling with God, wee shall be called no more Iacobs but Israels, that is preuay­ling with God. Yet for all this the diuell would lead [...] Iere. 2. 13. from the fountaine of liuing water vnto pits which haue no water. When demaund was made of the Oracle in Daph­ne neere vnto Antioch Theod. ec. hist. 3. 9. why it ceased to giue answers as [Page 14] formerly it had done; the diuell made answer that he had no power, because in that place the bones and reliques of the Martyr Babylas were buried, insinuating some extra­ordinarie holinesse and power in the dead martyrs, and by consequent inuiting the simple to call vpon them: but you haue otherwise learned Christ, you know that your high Priest who hath felt your infirmities, Hebrews, 2. sayth, Come vnto me all ye that are heauy laden, and I will ease you, Mat. 11. Ester 4. 11. When King Ahashuerus waued his golden scepter to­ward any man, hee might boldly come vnto him into the inner court, without vsing the meanes of any courtier: What neede we vse the meanes of eyther Peter, or Paul, or the virgin Mary or any Saint, seeing the K. of kings hath called vs vn­to him by his word, the scepter of his kingdom? Ioh. 16. 23 What soeuer you ask the Father in my name (saith Christ) he will giue it you. You must pray in the name of Christ, & not be presump­tuous: for things lawfull, and not be impious.

For otherwise, you may aske and not haue, because you ask amisse. If you ask either for things vnlawful, or for things For things lawfull. lawfull, to be spent vnlawfully vpon your lusts, I am. 4. If you pray for things vnlawfull Rom. 8. 26 how can the Spirit help your infirmities? Clemens Alexandrinus Strom. lib. 4. obserueth of the Pythagoreans, that they cryed loud in their prayers, not because they thought their Gods did not heare them, but because they would haue the world heare that they pray­ed for nothing, but for things iustifiable. Let not impie­tie dead a thing that is so liuely of it selfe, as prayer is: happy are they that haue their quiuers full of these arrowes: it is not euery mans, but I am. 5. 16 the prayer of a iust man, that pre­uaileth much if it be feruent. Moses was allowed to ascend vp into the mount to conferre with God: but (sayth God) Exod. 19. 13 If any beast shal touch the mount, that beast shal die: So, you may send your sanctified thoughts vp vnto the throne of God; but as for the beasts, let not them once touch the mount: away with al beastly cogitations, away with cru­elty that tyger, away with deceit that fox, with lust that goate, with drunkennesse that swine: in your prayers [Page 15] consult not flesh and bloud, pray not for satisfaction of your idle, vain, carnall, and sinfull imaginations, but pray for things lawfull, and be not impious: zealously too, and be not luke-warme Christians.

For, as a pot ful of water in the heat of sommer, is trou­bled Zealously. and polluted with many flyes, but if the same water were boyled vpon the fire, the flyes neyther durst nor would come neere to pollute it: so, whiles our soules in prayer are cold and liuelesse, we are perplexed with vaine and idle cogitations; whereas if our mindes were infla­med with zeale, it would abandon all those vanities, and so rectifie our prayers, that wee should not offer Ecclesiastes 4. 17 the sa­crifice of fools. This care had not the men of Israel in their praiers, for either they called not, or not vpon God. Kings & Iudges were their fuell, they deuoured them both; the highest in place, were the deepest in sin: for whereas God had taken away 1. Reg. 12. 13. ten tribes from Rehoboam, the sonne of Salomon, and giuen them to Ieroboam of 1. Reg. 11 16 the kindred of E­phraim, euen the house of Ieroboam (the fountain) was cor­rupted, the roote of the King, the bloud royall, they that looked high in the court, they that sate at the sterne of the common wealth were corrupted; against these especially the Zanch. in prolegom. sup. Hos. Prophet Hosea speaketh in this prophesie, so dooth Amos too; wheras Esay, & Micheas directed their prophe­cies against Iuda not Israel, not one medling with an o­thers charge, as though they were all ruled by the form of their cōmission. Here I may iustly tax our wandring pla­nets, Ephraim. wandring Leuits: who though S. Paul make profes­sion against boasting of an other mans line & labors; Yet they are neuer wel, but when they haue their scickles in an other mans haruest, as though they would rob all the Mi­nisters about them of their 1. Thes. 2. 19. crowne of reioicing: like Iuie winding about the oke, that it may stand it selfe, but yet sucking the iuice out of the oke they flatter so, that they winde themselues into fauour with great ones, thereby standing themselues in credit, and sucking no small aduan­tage. I cal God to record, I aime at no particular man in the [Page 16] world neither am I so vncharitable as to repine at any Minister of Gods word, whom necessitie forceth to take paines in many places now in this hard hearted age; ney­ther so vncurteous as to disallow that vsuall exchange of labour in this kinde, among friendly Ministers of the word: but I thinke those worthy of reproofe, who wil­lingly (for aduantage sake) hold this vnsettled course, presuming that the Citizens of London are like them of Athens, Act. 17. 21 itching and longing for nouelties, & loathing Man­na it selfe, especially if it come from them to whom they pay tythes. Thus these oyly mouthed Absolons speak plau­sible things, to bring the people out of loue with their true Father, their true gouernour, their Dauid, their true Shep­heard: 2. Sam. 15 6 thus they steale away the hearts of the weaker sort in whose braines there are many forgeries. Meane while those Ministers & Pastors of parishes, who, like candles spende away themselues to giue light to others, who haue borne the heate of the day, are disgraced, and the other sort suggest that besides (what is among them) Ier. 8. 22. ther is no balm in Gilead, there is no Physician there. And the people come to heare their own Parson or Vicar, Fox in Mar as M. Bilney a god­ly Martyr sayd the people came to heare him, like Mal­chus, hauing their right eares cut off: they bring their left only, sinisterly interpreting whatsoeuer they heare. So the nurses of Schisme do inuade the possessions of many painefull labourers. There haue been in times past som a­bout this City, pedlers of learning, not ingrossing whole volumes by reading, but gleaning and deflowring prin­ted bookes and Sermons, picke-purses of other mens wits, meer banquerupts if euery man had his owne: they had Gen. 25. 22. Esaus hands though they had Iacobs voices. And whether there be any such now a dayes or not, I can not tell: but if there be, I feare it is still the sicknesse of this Ci­ty, to admire them and disesteem your owne Shepheards. They say your houses are the 1. Cor. 1. 11. houses of Cloë, your house­holds the 2. Tim. 4. 19. households of One siphorus: that house, that household would neuer be drawen to forsake their owne [Page 17] Paul for 2. Tim. 4. 3 an heap of teachers: I desire you of this honoura­ble City euen in the bowells of Christ Iesus, that you will not be willing to entertaine (you care not whom) so it be not your owne Minister, that you will not gad (you care not whither) so it be from your owne parish Church, but rather thinke that God in his wisdome hath placed your owne Ministers ouer your owne parishes; heare their voices: if you will not heare them but rather choose vnto your selues other places and hunt after other men, you goe about preposterously and saucily to break that order which the God of wisdome hath set. Your owne Mini­ster like Exod. 28. 29 Aaron (hauing the names of the ten tribes vpon his brest-plate) should haue his parishoners neere and deare vnto him: and Gala. 4. 15 you should euen pull out your eyes to doe him good, as the Galathians would haue done for Saint Paul: your owne Minister is the man whose prayers and preachings are countermures for your defence against the enemy. Say then of your owne Pastors, 2. Reg. 2. 12 My Father, my Father, the chariots of Israel and the horsemen of the same: 2. Cor. 10. 4 for the wea­pons of their warfare are not carnal but mighty in God through Christ to cast downe holdes: they are the perfumers of the world, and though they be earthen vessells yet they car­ry that in them, that sweetens you. Such loue I say should you carry toward your own Ministers: So should Ephra­im euer haue had an eare for their Prophet Hosea, for the Prophet leuelled his speeches against Israell vvhich was his butte, and in the middest of this butte his fay­rest vvhite vvas the house of Ephraim, Ephraim hath mixt, &c.

There was a time when Gen. 48. 14 Iacob laide his right hand vpon Ephraim. the head of Ephraim, the younger sonne of Ioseph, and his left hand vpon Manasses the elder; from whome hee gaue the superioritie: which prognostication began to bee ful­filled, Iudg. 8. when one cluster of the grapes of Ephraim was thought better then the vintage of Abiezer: whereby Gedton intimateth that the men of Ephraim in pursuite of Oreb and Zeb had the wheeles of their chariots like the [Page 18] whirlewinde, and in surprising them being so pursued, their strength was as the strength of stones. But howe are the brawnes of the armes of that Ephraim fallen? Ephraim is degenerate: which Ephraim? Ephraim that was somtimes godly and in Gods fauour, Ephraim that was now pom­pous and of the kindred of the King; this Ephraim is be­come degenerate. I will drawe bloud out of these two veynes, and briefly handle these two points. Apoc. 2. 7. Hee that hath an eare to heare, let him heare.

Ierusalem (as you know) was the chosen Cedar among all the trees of the forrest, it had the birth-right from all the Godly. Cities in the world: and so long as holinesse kept resi­dence in it, it was the Cisterne into which the fountaine of all grace powred his blessings by many conduit pipes and meanes: Apoc. 2. 4. But shee left her first loue: Matth. 27. 25 Shee cryed loude for Christs bloud to fall vpon her and vpon her children, and so it fell vpon her, and now, How is the gold become so dim? The Prophets complaine in diuers places, that the house of God was turned into the house of vanity: and that the Esay 22. 1 valley of vision was turned into the valley of the shadow of death. Therfore trust no vndermining Iesuite, though he crie loud, The church of Rome, as euer the Iewes did Ier. 7. 4. Templum Domini, the Temple of the Lord. I confesse that which no man can denie, that in Pauls Rom. 1. 8. time the faith of Rome was famous ouer all the world, but now I feare that mother is not much more then a Church, she is so gawdily trapped with the inuentions of man. Though (like one clayming a monopoly from God) she ingrosse holinesse, and arrogate more vnto her self, then her sister Churches, yet I feare she is one of those starres Apoc. 12. 4. which the Dragon with his tayle hath swept downe from heauen, she deserued to lose her praise, when she lost her piety: Lamē. 4. 1. How is the gold become so dimme? Such was the case of Ephraim, which first, and which secondly I noted: Ephraim, that was a Ruler among the people, was become out of measure sinfull.

An inconuenience indeed, seeing that great mens acti­ons Great a­mong the people. are made presidents among their inferiours, who suite [Page 19] themselues after the fashion of their gouernors: that knew the diuell well enough when he sayd vnto God, I will be 1. Reg. 22. 22. a lying spirit in the mouth of Achabs Prophets: hee knewe the Prophets could lead Achab, and Achab the people; if he could guide the leaders, then he knew hee should win the field. Ieroboam is neuer met withall in the book of God but like a captiue with a chaine at his heels: and as one do­ing publicke penance with a plate of impiety vpon his forehead, he is called 2. Reg 3. 3 Ieroboam the sonne of Nebat that caused all Israel to sinne. If a little shrub or twigge fall to the ground, it falls itselfe onely: but if a Cedar fall, it falls not only itselfe, but with the fall it breakes downe the lit­tle trees that grow about it: So the sinnes of priuate men are onely banes to themselues; but if great men fall into impietie, they are accessary to the ruine of many others, whereas 2. Reg. 23. Iosias seruing God himselfe was a meane to put down the hill altars, destroy the Chemarims, and vtterly to abolish Idolatry: his goodnesse was like Psal. 133. 2. Aarons oyntment flowing from the head to the beard, and so by degrees vnto the skirts of his garment. There was a dispute among the Philosophers (as Plutarch reporteth) whether an army of Lions (a Hart being their captaine) or an army of Harts (a Lion being their captaine) were more powerfull: Opinio Chabriae a­pud Plut. in apotheg. It was determined for the army of Harts following the Lion, to shew what vertue is infused into the followers by the leader.

If then the inferiour be the image of the superiour, and (like an image in a glasse) looke vpward or downeward to heauen or hell, as the body (I mean the superiour) doth, then giue me leaue to aduise you that sit at the sterne whe­ther of little barks or greater ships, whether of houses, cities, or of countries, that your euill conuersations be not thornes in your childrens eyes and others whom you cō ­maund: If they perceiue your eyes to be sweld with lust, your hearts to be as hard as the neather milstone, your tongues to be enuenomed with slander, your whole life to bee Iob. 1. a compassing of the earth by deceit (as Sathans was) they will deeme straight their warrant sealed for committing the [Page 20] like offences; and then: 2. Sam. 1. 21. O ye Mountaines of Gilboa, vp­on you be neither deaw nor raine, because vpon you the shielde of the mighty is fallen: O ye great ones of the world there is a curse vpon you; because, if not vpon you, yet by your meanes, vertue, the blessing which should cloath the children of God, and as a shielde defende them from the strokes of Gods vengeance (for they are safe that ap­peare in their Sauiours righteousnesse) vertue (I say) is cast downe, troden vnder foote, and made of none account among the lesser sort because of the example of the grea­ter: So Math. 18 7 euill doth come, and woe bee to them by whome it doth come. How much better is it for a man of worth to say with Nehemiah, Neh. 6. 11. Should such a man as I flee? His mea­ning was, Not I, by any meanes; least others should bee discouraged by my flight: how much better is it to haue the saying of Ioshuah for a motto euer to be remembred, Iosh. 24. 15 I and my house will serue the Lord: I, (and because I) therfore my house.

O you Superiours then, who with a respected grace sit [...] the sterne of example, how can you escape a double death, hauing their bloud vppon you as vvell as your owne for beeing accessarie to their guilt? Such was the case of Ephraim; who being great in Israell caused Israell to sinne, as may appeare by the first verse of this chapters for when God would haue healed Israel, he was led by the hand from the stream, to the spring; from Israel to E­phraim, whose example was the bane of Israel, which E­phraim hath mixt himselfe among the people: so by that meanes hee had not onely sinnes bredde at home, but al­so borrowed abroade. Ephraim hath mixt himselfe a­mong the people, Ephraim is as a cake vpon the hearth not turned. If you aske who mixt? Ephraim mixt him­selfe: if you aske where? among the people: if you aske what were the effects? he was as a cake on the hearth not turned.

Ephraim, and so all man-kinde is poyzed downe the Ephraim hath mixt himselfe. wrong way by his owne plummets: and the by as beeing [Page 21] set vpon the left side of vs all, wee are of our selues natu­rally more prone vnto euill then goodnesse. Ier. 31. 29 Our fathers haue eaten sower grapes, and the childrens teeth are set on edge. Eue, our great grand-mother being beguiled by the Ser­pent, sawe, and liked, and eate the fruite of the forbidden tree: well may that in the Poet be fitted vnto her;—Virg. Ec­log. 8. Vt vidi? vt perij? intrauit mors per fenestras, her eye was acces­sarie vnto the sinne of her soule. Adam committed trea­son, and we that are Adams heyres forfeited our estates, wee haue our wills fettered, and our vnderstanding (the candle of our soules) put out: there is a dash in our coate for euer. The world was like a well tuned instrument, all the creatures in their kinde gaue prayse to God, there be­ing no iarre, till man who was the chiefe of the consort, strayned a note beyond his reach: euer since, the sonnes of Adam haue had their meditations brackish & impure. Saint Paul becomes our Herauld, and tels vs in many pla­ces 2. Cor. 3. 5. that of our selues wee cannot thinke a good thought, and the best of vs, Luk 17. 10 when wee haue done all that wee can, wee are but vnprofitable seruants: and like an impartiall christian he beginnes at home with himselfe, and sayth: Rom. 7. 24. Wretched man that I am, who shall deliuer mee from this body of death? If you beleeue not him, yet melt at the lamentation of our mother the Church: whose iron heart making her lumpish, and vnfit to goe to GOD without Gods spi­rit (like an Adamant to dravve her) cryes out in the first of the Canticles, and sayth: Drawe me, and I will runne after thee.

And yet the Papists do so much flatter flesh and bloud, that they make mans soule as a birde in a cage, hauing wings to flie if the cage were open; and like a lame man going vpon chrutches, needing perhaps a little helpe, as though they woulde make him cooperate with God: Whereas weak men (God knowes) we want both wings and legges, both will and power vnto goodnesse: for, Phil. 2. 13. from God cometh (trust Paul rather then Bellarmine him­selfe) & velle & perficere.

[Page 22] Lactantius (who was the hammer of gentilisme) Liber in­stit. 4. pleades against the heathens and sayth, that their gods were not the authours of corne, and wine, and oyle: hee sayth hee can proue these things were in the world before eyther Ceres or Saturne were borne.

But if these things were inuented by them, who but onely God gaue them wit to inuent such things? We are all of vs of the metall of a stone, wee can rowle downe a hill by our selues, of our own nature: but vp to heauen­ward we cannot go without the help of Gods holy spirit. We are like a spring-locke, of our selues wee can shut and keepe out the graces of God: wee cannot open our selues to receiue them in, but by the help of thee (O Lord) who art the onely key. But blessed be God, who takes away our hearts of stone, and giues vs hearts of flesh: Aug. Ench. ad Laur. who at the first by his preuenting grace doth worke in vs to be willing, and after with his subsequent grace he accompa­nieth vs, that being willing, wee should not will in vaine. Therfore, Aug. de bono pers. cap. 19. In nullo gloriandum est, quia nihil est nostrum, we must boast our selues of nothing, because nothing is our owne: we are starres, we deriue all that we haue from the Father of lights, Iam. 1. Idem eod. lib. cap. 20. Giue therfore Lord what thou commandest, and then commaund what thou wilt. For, goodnesse is a flower that growes not in our gardens: It becomes vs al to looke vpon our trailing wings, and con­fesse that we cannot fly, for no spices can flowe out of our gardens, no vertues out of our soules, vnlesse Gods holy Spirit inrich our soules, Cant. 4. 16 vnlesse the North and South a­rise & blowe vpon our gardens. For of ourselues we are na­turally inclined to euill, as Ephraim was: so if you aske who mixt? he mixt himselfe: if you aske where? he mix: himselfe among the people.

What, Ephraim? hauing all Israel as a traine to follow after? they all making by many degrees the maior part of Among the people. the sonnes of Abraham, they being tenne tribes, and Iu­da but onely two? being ioined with the people too, were not they a goodly companie, euen as the morning spred vp­on [Page 23] the mountains? Yes their multitude was great, but they were not therefore holy, because they were many: and therfore insteed of wine, Bellarmine brocheth that which is worse then water, when Quarta not a eccl. secund. Bel. for one of the markes of the Church hee sets downe multitude, as though there were not a broade way that leades vnto hell, and many passengers in that way. Math. 7. 14.

What glory did multitude bring vnto the Church, 1. Reg. 18. 22 when Elias mourned because there were so few that profes­sed true religion, as though he had been left alone as a spar­row vpon the house top? In the daies of Traian the Emperor, the Church of God was like a doue in the holes of the rock: & therfore the Christians in his time being excepted against for their conuenticles, Plin. ep. ad Traian. were apologized by Plinie the se­cond, who wrot vnto Traian, and told him that he found no fault with the Christians, vnlesse it were a fault to pray and praise their God in their antelucane hymns. Hoc colli­gitur ex va­rijs locis eccles. hist. Soct. & Soz. There was a time whē the Arrian heresies spred so fast, that there was Athanasius against all the world, and all the world a­gainst Athanasius: Gods chosen was a pearle in the rock, and a vain of gold hid in the earth hard to be found. The wildernesse is great where the goates do range, the folde of God but small: Luke, 12. 32. yet feare not little flock, it is your fathers will to giue you a kingdome. Ephraim hath mixt himselfe a­mong the people.

They were an irreligious and idolatrous people, which were as thornes in the sides of Ephraim: and means to draw People. them vnto euill. Out of which words doth arise this se­cond obseruation, that wee must auoide euill companie. For, with the froward we shall learne frowardnesse. The wic­ked are like stickes one vnto an other, kindling the heate of concupiscence: mid-vviues they are, by their perswa­sions helping monstrous births in the world, bringing to passe that Iam. 1. 15. the sooner lust may conceiue and bring forth sinne, and sinne when it is finished may bring forth death. They reach out one vnto an other the hand of errour, saying, not, Ps. 122. 1. Come let vs goe vp into the house of the Lord, but Amos 4. 4. let [Page 24] vs go vp to Bethel, and transgresse to Gilgal & multiply trans­gression. A wicked companion is like vnto Dan Gen. 49. an adder in the path, which bites the horse, & makes the rider to fal back­ward, he makes those whō he worketh vpō by his perswa­sions to becom retrograde, Tim. 4. 10. with Demas to forsake Paul & embrace this present world, & with Apoc. 2. the Church of Ephesus to leaue their first loue, & becom Apostats in matters of Chri­stianitie. It is a perillous conflict between the fire and the stubble, euen iron Lib. 2. So­liloq. (sayth Isidorus) will melt at this fire, the most stayed man (seeing all men haue such flaxen soules and so apt to take fire) will thaw into vanity when he meetes with euill company. As 1. Reg. 12 28 Ieroboam reared vp golden calues in Dan and Bethel, to keepe the people from going to serue God at Ierusalem: So, to draw those that are flex­ible from their good and godly purposes, they erect va­nities, and games vnto Bacchus and Flora: which idoles, I meane drunkennesse and wantonnesse, are better cli­ented vpon the Sabboth day, then the Ministers of Gods word. With a thousand lures, euill companions prouoke vnto intemperate courses; and like Fimbria in Tullies plea­dings for Roscius Pro Ros. Amer. who was angry with Scaeuola that hee would not receiue all his sword (point and blade) into his bowells: so these are angry that all others will not runne with them into the same excesse of riot. But it becomes you who haue better learned Christ, to bee like Virg. ecl. vlt. Arethusa which passeth through the Sicilian Sea, and yet takes no saltnesse, Phil. 2. 15. to liue (as Paul woulde haue men to liue) blamelesse in the middest of a frowarde and crooked genera­tion.

It is with the common corruptions of the world, as with a common plague; when no man may safely con­uerse with these, but the Physicions to cure them, nor a­ny with those but graue and wise men to drawe them vn­to goodnesse by their good counsel. Exo. 25. 20 Ouer the arke of the Lord in the tabernacle there were purtrayed cherubins, & they had their faces and wings looking and pointing one toward an o­ther, but all of them toward the arke of testimony: So, eue­ry [Page 25] one must ayme at an other by their loue, but all of them at the Lord; they must loue in the Lord, and euer main­taine that true loue knot of the communion of Saints. And heere for the vse of this doctrine, I can not passe o­uer a triple caueat, which is meete to bee giuen to three sorts of men: the first, simple men: the second, men of wandring conceits: the third, selfe conceited.

Simple are they, who vpon a consideration that all Simple. the World is vvicked, do sequester themselues from the World, affecting a Monasticall life, forgetting that God in the Nonage of the World, sayd; Gen. 2. 18 It was not good for man to be alone: auoyding (perhaps) some occasions of doing hurt; but forgoing (without doubt) all meanes of doing good. And heere you haue the pedigree of Eremites, whose liues were led vnder Math. 5. 15 a bushell, whereas both life and doctrine should haue beene on a candlesticke; they e­uer quarrelled with humane society; like candles tur­ned downewarde, choaking the flame of themselues, with the oyle of themselues: themselues by their owne peeuishnesse damming vp the light that the world might haue been the better for: and so retyring themselues from all occasions of intercourse (in their dul iudgements) be­come Antipodes, and tread opposite vnto the world: their liues are a continuall rowing against the stream, and their own houses may seem to deserue the names & the inscrip­tions of their sepulchers. Bucchij li­ber aureus de conform. vitae Franci­sci & Christi et lib. conf. Franc. pag. 138 S. Francis was one that left the society of men, and conuersed with beasts, and birds; and so much ioyed in solitarinesse & a priuate life, that the Pa­pists take him to be a man that trāsgressed 1 Matt. 5. 18 no one iot of the lawe; and therfore they haue compyled hymnes and songs in praise of him, as though he had had a maiden soule, free from sin: yet for all these boastings, no question but he & al their dearlings were men, and had their affections, they found many mutinies and rebellions in their little Com­mon-wealths.

A secōd sort of men ther be, who think they cānot suffi­ciently Wandring conceits. mingle themselues with euil cōpany at home, ther­fore [Page 26] they affect trauailing abroade, that hauing trafficke with forraine countries, they may borrow the sinnes of o­ther nations. God I confesse hath inriched seueral coun­tries, with seuerall commodities; that (no countrey be­ing absolute of it selfe) euery country should craue helpe of an other: So the wisedome of God hath decreed, that the need of euery countrey should occasion loue among all countries. Hence doth arise the necessity of the Mar­chants trade, which triumpheth as a Queene in this hono­rable City, and makes it like vnto Tyrus, Esay, 23. hauing the riches of the riuer to be a reuenew vnto it, & her marchants as the Nobles of the world: Yet in my opinion the trauelles of manie young gentlemen are more ordinary, then be­neficiall. I do not censure all, much lesse condemn them, for I know the vse thereof hath beene, and may bee be­hoouefull to our common mother: yet many I knowe (Gen. 34. 2. like Dina the daughter of Iacob) haue lost their virginity by going abroad, and haue returned home impure; and our countrey which in former ages was plaine and downe­right, they haue made like Arras, full of strange formes and colours, hauing in it twisted and wouen the fashions of all countries that are inhabited, as though the fowre windes had conspired to blowe their chaffe, and their fea­thers & their dust among vs, and make a dunghill of our countrey. They imbrue their minds in the impieties and sucke vp the infections of other countries; and returning home with stomakes fully charged, they vomit their poy­son in their mothers lap; they practice in England, what they haue vnhappily learned abroad. 1. Reg. 11. 4. Salomons out­landish women brought in outlandish religion, and conditions, and so much estated themselues in the bosom of the king, that they drew him and his people to idolatry. 1. Reg. 10. 22 The same Salomon sent his Embassadours into strange countries for gold and siluer, and iuorie; So they went ouer and brought them, & withall they brought apes and peacockes: I feare it is the case of many, whose friends send them abroad to learn know­ledge & experience, wherby they may better the church [Page 27] and common-wealth, which perhaps they leaue behinde, and bring home onely the apes and peacockes; I meane proude and phantasticall conditions. Else what meanes this reuolution of fashions, when men that should be meer English are not themselues; but compounded men, Spa­nish, Dutch, Italian, and what not? I would therefore (in the bowells of Christ) exhort all you young Gentlemen, that intend this course of trauelling, that you would striue to bring home, not the apes and peacockes, but the gold, and siluer, and iuory, viz. that learning, and those man­ners that are pretious: so shall you make a sauing voyage vnto your owne soules, and gaine that good experience whereby your countrey shall be inriched.

A third sort of people there bee, who pretend such an Men of proude cō ­ceits. abhorring of euill company, that they looke asquint & disdainefully vpon all men, as being not holy enough to conuerse with themselues. They are so teasty that they quarrell with the orders of the Church, reputing them as olde haire which superstition hath shaken off. They are Brownists and Barowists, peace-breakers of the Church: though our countrey now bee not much molested with them, b Iudg. 5. 15 yet for the diuisions of Ruben there haue beene great thoughts of heart. It is with our soules while wee liue in these houses of clay, as with men while they liue in houses: neyther can they enioy the full benefit of the sunne, but both light and heate is abated; neither can our soules of the Sun of righteousnesse, there is found such imperfecti­on both in the warmth of loue and in the light of vnder­standing. Though the Prophet reproued them that sayde one vnto an other Esay 65. 5. I am holyer then thou: Though Christ sayd that Math. 13 30 tares will growe among the wheate vntill the bar­uest: Though Saint Paul sayth that 1. Cor. 15. 10 If we will depart quite from the wicked, wee must depart out of the world: Yet for all this the Brownists, & the Barrowists hold opinion, See their writings M. Gifford and others a­gainst them that we of the Church of England are not true members of the Church, nor our Church the true Church of God, because stained (say they) with irrelligion and impiety.

[Page 28] The varnish of their owne hypocrisie deludes them so, that they make loue vnto themselues, and grow amorous of their owne vertues, which they drawe farre beyond the staple, that of it they may weaue vnto themselues a gar­ment of righteousnesse. What could the Pharisie haue done more, vvho pleaded his ovvne merite, saying: Luk. 18. 12 I fast twice awecke, I giue almes to the poore, and giue tythe of all I haue. If you looke into their conuersations and obserue their vaunts, with iudicious eyes & eares; O! what a rank shall you see of barren fig-trees, and Ps. 37. 35 green bay-trees, to whom Dauid compares the wicked? O what a noise shal you heare of tynkling cymballs; to which S. Paul compares them which haue a shewe of religion, but no loue. 1. Cor. 13. So little loue to their equalles haue these men, that when the rod of God is shakē ouer our heads Gifford a­gainst Bar­row pag. 8 [...]. they make themselues the onely men that are fit to stand in the gappe▪ they blaze the honour of their own preaching, as though it were so full of life, that they only knew the bloud and marrow of the Scriptures: of their own praiers, as though they were so effectuall that Elias his spirit were only redou­bled vpon them, and that euery one of them is a second E­lizeus. So little obedience haue they to their superiours, Giff [...]rd a­gainst Bar­row. pag. 83 that the reuerend fathers of the Church (who may well borrow that saying of the Church in the Canticles; Cant. 1. 5. The sonnes of my mother (were angrie with mee) are by these men scorned, disobayed, resisted: Father forgiue them, for they know not what they doe. Luke 23.

Tull. de Senectute. The sonnes of Sophocles being desirous to rule, im­pleaded the Father for dotage, that they might haue all matters committed to themselues; but Sophocles presented, to the Iudges, his Oedipus colonaeus, a tragedy which hee had penned in his olde age, and bade them iudge whether that was the worke of a doting man or not; which they all esteeming to come from a wit full of nimblenesse and actiuity, condemned the sonnes, and iustified the Father: So these fiery spirits, longing to haue the staffe in their owne hands, haue by their words, and in their writings [Page 29] traduced the Fathers of our Church: but if we looke vp­on their Oedipus colonaeus, and marke with what discreti­on they gouerne, and how behouefull their gouernment is for our times, we shall surely finde them not to bee do­ting Fathers, but their accusers to be wicked sons.. And here, my brethren, bemone with me the estate and calami­ty of our mother the Church, which (Rebekah like) hath di­uers opinions striuing in her wombe: must not her pangs needs be great? Plin. nat. hist. Amphisbena-like, two heads one against an other striue for the soueraignty: is not the body then like to breake? O! how well doth it become the sonnes of oyle to nourish peace, a fruite of him which is annointed with the oyle of gladnes aboue his fellows? When wind blowes against wind, schism against schism, the Church may say as Iocasta somtimes said, weeping ouer the malice of her two sonnes, Eteocles, and Polynices: Sen. in Thebaid. Tu times illum, & ille te, ego vtrum (que) sed pro vtro (que) thou fearest him, and hee feares thee, and I feare you both, because I feare the destruction of you both. O you then that are too prodigall of enmity one towards an other, 2. Sam 1. 20 let not the streets of Gath, and As­calonring your disgrace, nor the daughters of the Philistines tune your shame to their tymbrells, bee not the nayles and teeth of the Church to scratch and bite your brethren: howsoeuer your sayles swell with a fauourable gale, yet Lipsius in his fift booke of Politicks aduiseth you to take in at the harbour of peace: it becomes not members of the same body to interfere and worke one vpon an other. 1. Cor. 3. 3. When there are iarres among you, are not you carnall? Yes, for peace becomes those spirits which rellish and taste of him, whose birth-day song was Luke 2. Peace vpon the earth.

Better Bar [...]. epist. 102. ad quē ­dam Abba­tum., sayth a learned Father, vt pereat vnus quàm vnitas: and therefore with inlarged bowelles, I speake, not now vnto Brownists, and Barowists, but vnto those vvho are neerer friends to our Church (men for their diligence and other good partes worthy of much prayse) and yet so impatient at the ceremonies of our Church, that they be scarce willing (in the obseruing of [Page 30] them) to ioine with vs. I would pray them to remember that in the Canticles, where the Church is compared vn­to Can. 6. 3 an army with banners displayed: Now if there was euer army without order let them iudge: if there ought not to be order in the Church, let Saint Paul iudge, who sayth; 1. Cor. 14. 40 Let euery thing be done decently and in order. Seeing then there is one God the Father of vs all, one Church the mo­ther of vs all, one Christ the elder brother of vs all, one Baptism the seale of vs all, one faith the hand of vs all, one saluation the marke whereat we all shoot, let vs striue Ephes. 4. 3. to maintaine the vnity of the spirit, and in the band of peace. Let vs not be so conceited of our own holinesse, as to distaste all mens company; nor yet so lauish of our company as to mingle our selues amōg the wicked, but be cautelous least we be like to Ephraim, who mixt himselfe among the peo­ple: and the effect of this mixture was lamentable, he was as a cake on the hearth not turned.

Rawe on the one side, and rosted on the other, partly A cake not turned. religious, and partly idolatrous, Apoc. 3. luke-warm, fit to be spew­ed out of Gods mouth, a sinne indeed to halt betweene two opinions, to haue 1. Reg. 18. 21 a knee for God, and a knee for Baal; and for Reg. 5. 18 Rimmon, in the house of Rimmon, to professe two re­ligions, to wooe the flames of persecution, least they should indure the punishment of eyther. 1. Sam. 5. 4 If Dagon pre­sume to stand by the arke of the Lord, it is well worthy to fall: 2. Cor. 6. 15 there is no communion between Christ and Beliall. Euseb. ec. hist. lib. 3. cap. 22. Saint Iohn could not indure to be with Cerinthus in the bath: Saint Ieromes pen like a launce was charged against Uigilantius and many others. S. Austen in his disputations spake hot words, coales of iuniper against the Arrians, the Pelagi­ans, the Donatists, and the Manachees. 2. Reg. 2. 23. Before all these Iosias whose name remaines vpon record in the kalender of the iust (whose soule is bound vp in the bundle of life, and his life hid in Christ with God) could not indure idolatry while he raigned: Ecclus. 49. Therefore, his name is like a perfume, made by the art of the Apothecary. Philip. Ca­merar. in o­peribus successiuis. It is remembred of a certain Souldan which dyed at the siege of Zigetum, that being [Page 31] perswaded by the Muphti (who holdes the place of a Bi­shop or Patriarke among the mahumetan turkes) not to suffer so many religions as were in his dominions; he an­swered, that a nosegay of many flowers smelled more sweetly then one flower only: which I confess to be true, but the case with religions is neither the same, nor the like; for in a nosegay they may be all flowers, but among reli­gions they must be all weeds, all heresies, except one only flower which is the truth. Apocalip. cap. 2. 3. The spirit of God blames the Church of Ephesus for imbracing the doctrine of the Nicholai­tans: the Church of Smyrna for imbracing the doctrine of Ba­laam: the Church of Thyatira for imbracing the doctrine of Iezabel: religion is the iewell of the ring, Neh. 13. 24. therfore the same mouth that speaketh the language of Canaan, why should it speake the language of Ashdod? the same chaire of state which holds religion stamped with the image of the most high, why should it holde the Apoc. 17 purple harlot, the whore of Babylon with all her paintings and complexions vpon her face, and the cup of fornication in her hand? There be two reasons to the contrary, the one politicall, the other the­ologicall or diuine.

The reason politicall is drawen from the mutinies and Politicall. vprores that are made where there are two religions pro­fessed. There were in the Church of Germany the opini­ons of Seruetus and Gentilis: what ruptures those meteors bred in that skie, what breaches in that Church I will not tell you; but I refer you vnto Epist. ad Duditium & epist. ad orthodoxos omnes. M. Bezaes epistles, where you shall see the iudgement of M. Caluin, and many o­thers against the toleration of them. When Martin Lu­ther vnder the countenance and conduct of Frederike the Duke of Saxony held a candle in the darke before Gods bleared children, and awaking antiquity for his succour opened a doore vnto the truth, there was a booke publi­shed by authority for the allowance of interim Germani­cum, pag. 640. that is, till matters of religiō were setled among them, men should enioy what religion they would in the interim or meane time. It was misliked by many great diuines, a­mong [Page 32] the rest by Gasper Aquila a Minister of great ac­count at that time, by the Lubicenses, the Lunebergenses, pag. 658. the Hamburgenses, the Magdeburgici, and for the most part by all the lower Saxony. The relation of these things would require a long time: therefore I refer you for your better knowledge vnto diuers parts of Sleidans commen­taries, where you shall finde the sturres were great, and the consequents had like to haue been bloody.

If God in his wisedome would set a marke of distinc­tion, vpon all such as did not mourne for our Sion in her Widdowhood, nor pray for the peace of our Ierusalem, what a shewe would the ranke of our hollow hearted English make, who would pull downe our culuer house, our lit­tle Church? How often hast thou heard them, O God, (though they whispered vnto themselues) say of the ene­mies of our peace; Iudg. 5. 28. Why are the wheels of his chariot so long a comming? I thirst not after their bloud or trouble, their veines shall euer be springs of bloud for mee: but seeing they will not be charmed not heare, then if the house bee shaken about their eares, it is but iustice. If the liberty of them say vnto the conscience, I am restrayned for thee: If the vvealth say vnto the conscience, I am impayred for thee: If the strength of the body say vnto the consci­ence, I am brought low for thee; Iustice I say vpon them, of whom our enemies may say vnto vs, Iud. 14. 18 If we had not plowed with your heifers wee had gayned no aduantage against you.

The reason Theologicall, or diuine, is drawen first from the weakenesse of man, secondly from the commaunde­ment Theologi­call. of God.

The weakenesse of man is such, that the diuel who can Weaknesse of man. turne himselfe into an Angell of light, playes vpon that ad­uantage: and therefore it quickely came to passe that all the easterne Churches Cōstat ex diuersis lo­cis Soz eccl. hist. almost were corrupted with Arrianisme, and the world wondred that it was so sudden­ly turned Arrian. Heresie is like a raine-bowe, it hath a thousand colours glorious and seeming coelestiall: but [Page 33] Aduerso sole colo­res Virg. it is euer against the Sun, Malach. 4. the Sun of righteousnesse: ther­fore it is fit for no man to mingle himselfe among the he­reticall, but rather to get out of Babylon, that there may be recouered out of the iawes of the deuourer, a legge or a peece of an eare, Amos the 3. & the 12. some one or other silly and miscarried soule.

Besides the weakenesse of man, there is the commaun­dement The com­mandment of God. of God also inforcing; the tenor whereof is, that Leuit. 22. 9 no ground should be sowen with two seedes, that no garment of linsie wolsie should be worn, that no ground should be plowed with an oxe and an asse together: all which were shadowes of two religions, whereof there ought not to be a mixture. For, to ioine olde ceremonies of superstition with Gods truth, is to stitch Luk. 5. 36. a peece of an olde garment vnto a new vesture, which will make the rent or breach the greater, the sinne more odious vnto God. It is obserueable that Noah pray­ed for his sonnes, and sayde; Gen. 9. 27. God perswade Iaphet to dwell in the tents of Sem, and let Canaan bee their seruant: hee knewe how well it pleased the holy Trinity, to see the vnion of the godly, and their loathing of the vngod­ly: it pleased God indeed, else would the Prophet Dauid neuer haue hung vp a table of statutes for his owne house (his little Common-wealth) Psal. 101. whereby he chased a­way all the wicked, whom (as the same Dauid testifieth else­where) God himselfe loued not: the vngodly and him that de­lighteth in wickednesse doth his soule abhorre. Psa. 11. 5. Hap­py are we then, in whose land Popery is not infranchised and made free Denizen. So God would haue it, Mat. 5. 29. hee would haue the offending eye or hand cut off. Therfore Cant. 1. tell vs still, O Lord, where thou feedest, and where thou liest at noone, we will only cleaue vnto thy truth, and not hunt after the opinions that are heretical, the inuentions of mans braine: Cant. 1. for why should we be as she that turneth aside vnto the flockes of those companions? I will conclude this point with the te­stimony of the Cappadocians by Gregory Nazianzen in his Monodia: who seeing them liue in safety and peace, when al their neighbour countries about them were mud­ded [Page 34] with contention, sayde, that sure they were preser­ued by the holy Trinity; because they did without rent, with one accord so zealously maintain the Trinity against the Arrians. I hasten to that which followeth: among re­ligions Luk. 10. 42 vnum est necessarium, one thing is needfull.

And so from the sinne of Ephraim, I come to the pu­nishment of Ephram, which out of these words the in­terpreters say, was this: that as men being hungry & com­ming with a rauenous desire vnto a cake that is vpon a hearth, deuoure and eat it vp, though it be not baked but raw on the one side; so shall the enemies of Ephraim like those hungry deuourers, come with violēce against them, hastily make spoile, and prey vpon them. The handling of which point of their punishment, though I wil not ad­iourn vntil another time, yet I will square it and make it fit vnto another place of this text; namely, the verse follow­ing, vpon which this doctrine may more sutably be graf­ted, for it is sayd: Strangers haue deuoured his strength, & yet he knoweth not &c.

Which punishment (without doubt) was deepe, if not the bottom of the cup of trembling. Deep indeed, whether wee respect the deuourers, they were strangers: or the thing deuoured, which was the strength of Ephraim.

Many times in the booke of Moses, Ioshua, the Kings, and Chronicles, it is auerred vnto the children of Israell, Strangers. by God, who is onely true; that if the people of Israell would serue the Lord, they should enioy the land: If not, then they should bee dispossessed by strangers, Deu. 28. 49 a people of a sterne countenance, and an vnknowne language. Which admonitions of Almighty God being knit together, like as many beames of the sunne in a burning glasse, may serue like those beams to kindle a fire, to inflame the harts of men, to make thēselues zealous for the Lord of hosts; that by their obedience, the daughter of that zeale, they may preuent the inuasion of strange deuourers, of Iere. 51. 7. Ba­bel who is a golden cup in the hand of the Lord (as the Prophet Ieremy sayth) to make the nations drunken with vengeance, [Page 35] and then they rage. As it was the prophesie of God, who knew before; so was it the case of Israel, who felt it, when it came vpon them: For, Psal 137. 1. By the waters of Babylon they saete downe and wept when they remembred thee, O Sion; as for their harps they hanged them vpon the willowes that were ther­on, while they that led them captiue sayd; Come and sing vs one of your songs of Sion: but alas how could they sing the Lords song in a strange land? This was their first captiuity after the lawe: but they vvere surprised the second time anon af­ter the death of Christ, like men who were willing to beare neyther the hard yoke of the lawe, nor that of the Gospell which is easie, Matth. 11. though (in the iudge­ment of S. Iames) I am. 2. 12 it be called a lawe of liberty. For the Aegle in the Romane ensigne (that was their armes) tow­red aloft with incredible maiestie, and couched all the nations of the world vnder it like lesser birdes, and made them tributarie vnto Caesar: among other countries the land of Iurie was dead in sinnes and trespasses, and there­fore (as one sayth) became a carcasse or a smelling carion, and therefore fittest to bee preyed vpon by that Aeagles they indured the deuourings of a stranger, but by whom? but when? but how? By whom? Iosephus. by Vespasian the Em­perour, and Titus his s [...]n: when? about 40. yeers after the prophecy of Christ, of the destruction of Ierusalem: how? that I may tel, who giues me the pen of Esdras the Scribe? or the tongue of some fluent Orator? There were diuers apparitions in the City, besides voices from the East, and from the West, all as prognosticatious of their ruine; within the wals they were diuided into diuers companies, vnder diuers captaines, they turned their swordes vpon themselues (quis furor hic ciues?) as though their own hands had beene ordained to bee their executioners, as well as their soules were malefactours, and rebells against their God. Iosephus. Then came hunger, and pestilence, and the sword (like Gods good seruants) shouldering out one ano­ther, and striuing which of them should first reuenge their masters quarrell: Famine made mothers eate their [Page 36] children: and those wombes that gaue them harbour, were now become the places of their buriall: one cut an others throat that hee might catch the morsells before they fell into his bellie: extreame hunger made their practices lamentable and monstrous, both to be pittied and abhor­red. When famine had played his part, then came pesti­lence and layed-along whole heards of them grouelling vpon the ground: which misery when they felt they gas­ped, and gased vpon the temple, as the story saith. Which misery when Titus (the delight and honour of mankind) beheld, he lift vp both hands and eies together to heauen, and called God to witnesse, that it was not his cruelty but their impiety that did thus awake him whose hand holdes vengeance for to repay. When famine and pestilence had powred out their vialles, then came the man vpon the red horse, Apoc. 5. Bloud, and warre, and the winged sword flew with triumph among them: there were slaine (as the story sayth) very many, there were taken prisoners ma­ny; the Romans in scorne solde 30. Iewes for one pen­ny, because among them their Master was solde for thir­ty pence. Euseb. eccl. hist. lib. 4. cap. 6. Aelius Adrianus had a purpose (if it could haue holden) to haue reedified the Citie, and to haue called it Aelia, after his owne name. Soz lib. 5. cap. 21. Iulian the Apostata, in his blasphemous imagination, thought to build vp the Citie againe as glorious as it was before, because he would haue disproued Christ, who had prophecied of the vtter dissi­pation therof: but he that sits in heauen laughed him to scorn, his workemen and his worke were hindred by the falling of lime, and sand, and a great gate, by the flashing of fire, and by the quaking of the earth, and by other meanes, as if God had sayd of Ierusalem, as sometimes he sayd of Ie­richo, Iosh. 6. 26. Cursed be the man before the Lord, that riseth vp and buildeth this Citie: he shall lay the foundation thereof in his el­dest sonne, and in his youngest sonne shall he set vp the gates of it. Thus Ierusalem, O thou, who like Gen. 49. 2. Ruben wast the be­ginning of Gods manly strength, thou wast vnstable as wa­ter, and didst forsakethy God: therfore O Ruben, O Ie­rusalem, [Page 37] thy dignity is gone. Senec. in Troa. Seneca describes the miseries of captiuity, where (by the Chorus) he sayth, that Priamus now is happy, for he seeth not the burning of Troy, his victorious hands are not bound behinde him, hee is not dragged at Agamemnons chariot,—nunc Elyzij nemoris tutus erat in vmbris. And surely they whose eies are closed before they see the woes of their friends and countrey, may haue that applyed vnto them, which was sayde of Crassus (in Tullies Orator) vpon the like occasion; Lib. 3. de Orat. Vt non tam erepta vita, quàm mors donata videatur, life may not be so fitly sayd to be taken away, as death giuen for a speciall comfort. Zach. 9 14 Giue them: Lord what wilt thou giue them? a bar­ren womb, and drie breasts: a fauour indeede; better to bee barren, then to bring forth children to the murderer. But why should I spend my time in searching records for eui­dence in a matter so plaine as this? you know as well as I, that forren inuasion and captiuitie openeth the doore to murder, and rapine, and oppression, and mutinies, and li­berty far from Christian, and confusion more then barba­rous: good gouernours are deposed, the incendiaries of the world are inthronized: in stead of many yeers crowned with gladnesse, in stead of the thicknesse of corne, which should haue made the valleies laugh and sing; there is seene a blurred countenance of the common-wealth: weedes the broode of negligence, the ensignes of pouertie doe staine the face of the earth, the land howleth and is aba­shed, Hos. 4. 2. By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and whoring they breake out, and bloud toucheth bloud: yet in the end Psa. 34. 10 these lions lacke and suffer hunger, when they that feare the Lord, want no manner of thing that is good. Psal. 144. 5 Blessed are the people therfore that haue no leading into captiuitie, nor no complaining in their streets, yea blessed are the people which haue the Lord for their God.

This doctrin may serue as a spur, & as a bridle: as a spur Spurre. to drine vs forward vnto praise and thankesgiuing, and as a bridle to keep vs back from running inordinate courses: it may well stir vs vp vnto prayse (yea, praise the Lord with [Page 36] [...] [Page 37] [...] [Page 38] vnderstanding) for we haue not as yet been scard with the barkings of any vncouth woolfe; but vnder our own vines, and our owne figge trees, wee haue quietly reposed with our wiues and children: our Land hath beene a treasurie and a storehouse for Gods blessings, whereas our neighbour countries haue been the cockpits for all christendome to fight their battles in: we haue been raised vp vnto our la­bour by the noise of the cock, who in his chirping so me­rily can greete the morning; whereas others haue beene rowsed vp with the sound of a trumpet vnto battaile: we haue had the light of the Gospell, and they the light of beacons: wee haue had peace the childe of heauen, and plenty the child of peace, while they haue bin measured with the line of Samaria, and haue had stretched out vpon them the plummets of the house of Achab: we haue liued on the lee side of the world, wee knowe not what a storme meanes: as vpon Alexandria it is saide the Sunne shined once euerie day, so wee haue not wanted our dayly com­forts; but like Gods minions we haue had dayly cause of reioycing both great and small; Our mountaines haue skip­ped like rammes, and our little hilles like young sheepe: Leuit. 23. 34. if wee did well, all our feastings should bee feasts of tabernacles in re­membrance that our forefathers liued vnquietly in respect of our setled estate. Psa. 129. 1 Oftentimes may England with Israel now say, from my youth vp haue they fought against me, Psal. 83. 7 the plow­ers plowed vpon my backe and made long furrowes, both Gebal and Ammon and Amaleck with them that dwell at Tyre: did they not euen write and in graue victorie vpon their owne shippes, assuring themselues of the conquest before the encounter? but how they sped, the seas, the narrow seas can tell: aske of the winde, aske of the whirlewinde, and they will tell you. Besides the attempts of our forren ene­mies, our countrey hath beene gnawne and wrung with the gripings of homeborne traytours, looking still for the troubling of the streame that they might fish. They sayd in their hearts as Esau sayd, Gen. 27. 41 The dayes of mourning for my father will shortly come, then will I kill my brother Iacob; [Page 39] the dayes of mourning for Queene Elizabeth will come shortly, then will wee make hauocke of our brethren, and either kill them or driue them like Owles into the desart, and like Pellicans into the wildernesse: whereas (ignorant men) their simplicitie would haue betrayed them vnto their enemies; who knew how to loue the treason but hate the traytour: and their malice was like the Duke of Al­naies or the Guises sword, which after the victorie would knowe neither English, nor French, nor Spanish, nor Dutch, nor anie friend, nor any hired fauorite, [...] What? noe returne of thansgiuing for all these blessings? In­grata Valerius Maximus. Lib. 5. cap. [...]. de Ingrat. patria, ne ossa quidem? (sayde Scipio, Africanus) haue I gotten so many victories for you my countrimen, and not so much as my bones remaine among you? Haue I gotten so many victories for you (may God say) and no remembrance of me left among you? Luk 17. 17 Vbi nouem, where are the nine? But one among tenne? but one among ten thousand that returnes to giue praise? all like the Moone, which totum adimit quo ingrata refulget, darkens that Sunne that gaue it light? Doe we all take that cuppe of Saluation with the left hand, which God hath reached out vnto vs with the right hand of his bounty? Haue we not all cause to call vpon the name of the Lorde? Let not Gods blessings fall vpon vs as pure water vpon sinkes, which returne nothing in stead thereof, but anoysome smell againe. Iacob could cast his accounts; and remem­bring what before hee wanted, and what now hee had, could say out of a thankefull minde: Gen. 32. 10 With this staffe, came I ouer Iordan. Iob. 1. 9. Doth Iob serue God for nought? It was the speech of the Diuell: The Diuell himselfe can tell, that where God bestowes his blessings, man ought to pay tribute, prayse and obedience. Aug. in med. Vnthanke­fulnesse is a parching winde, damming vppe the foun­taine of Gods blessings. Realdus Columb. There is giuen vnto man (as the Anatomists doe obserue) one muscle in the eye, more then in the eye of a beast, to teach that men are born to look vpward (in tokē of thākfulnes) rather then beasts. [Page 40] Therfore Abak. 1. 16 let none sacrifice vnto their nets, nor burne incense vnto their yarne; but let euery one of vs (like a birde lea­ping from branch to branch, and singing as shee leapeth) leap by our meditations from one blessing vnto an other, from our creation to our redemption, to our iustification, to our sanctification, to our glorification, from branch to branch; and euer as we leape sing out that hymne of Da­uid: Psa. 103. 1 Praise the Lord, O my soule; and (as though that were too little) all that is within me prayse his holy name.

As this doctrin is a spur to stir vs vp to thankfulness, so I told you it might serue as a bridle to curb those sins which Bridle. are the occasions, that strangers may deuour our strength. God hath planted vs as Esay. 5. 1. a Vineyard vpon a very fruitefull hill, he hath hedged vs about with his prouidence: what could he haue done for his vineyard, that he hath not done? In stead of good grapes if we bring forth wilde grapes; iudgethen Iuda and Ierusalem, iudge your selues, can you haue truce with any of his creatures? will not God commaund the heauen to bee as iron & the earth as brasse vnto you? Will hee not deny you the for­mer and the latter raine? Will he not giue your fruites vnto the caterpiller, your labours vnto the grashopper, and your mul­bery trees vnto the frost? Yes, he will meet you Zecha. 5. 3. as well on this side as on that: though (Iere. 22. 24 Coniah-like) you be a signet vp­on the finger of God, yet if you wring the finger he will pul you off; Ioel. 1. 4. that which is left of the palmer worm, the grashopper shall eat, and the residue of the grashopper shall the cankerworm eate, and the residue of the cankerworme shall the caterpiller eate. Though you escape the pit, you shall be taken in the snare, Ieremy, 48. You shall fly from a Lion, and a Beare shall meet you: or leane your band vpon a wall, and a serpent shall bite you. Amos. 5. 2. Reg 9. 22 Is it peace lehu or not, quoth the messenger of Iezabel. What talkest thou of peace (quoth he againe) seeing the whoredomes and witch-crafts of Iezabel are great in nura­ber? So, how can we talke of peace, with God and our selues, while our sins and impurities are great in number? For the which, God (being the Lord of hostes) can vn­muzzle all his creatures, fire, water, hayle, yee, snowe, [Page 41] storme, and tempest to bee the portion for the wicked to drinke.

The world is olde and now in her dotage: but good God, what a wonder is it? though she be olde shee is euer in child-bed, in trauell euery month of newe fashions, of newe sinnes, of new vanities; of all new things, saue only of the new Man. That hath brought in so many vncouth diseases, as punishments for these new sins. That old man is in such request, that the world is ready to say with the yong man in the Gospel, whom Christ bade follow, that she wil follow; but first she must Luk. 9. 59 go bury her Father: She hath an old man at home that is not yet dead; an old man, the old Adam, the man of sinne, liuing, and not dead, not dead but liuing in her owne loynes. Plu. de So­lertia ani­malium. Thales Milesius had an asse which beeing laden with salt, melted the salt in the water, and so was disburdened; and afterwards being la­den with wooll, & plunging the same burden in the wa­ter, was more burdened: we are all fraught in some mea­sure with that Mar. 9. 50. salt which euery man should haue in himselfe: that we melt away by bathing our selues in the pleasures of the world; then we are laden with vanity, far lighter then wooll: which while we plunge in the same stream we are vnawares so burdened, that we cannot clime vnto the hill, not to the hill of Sion, not vp to heauen, not vp to those hills from whence commeth all our helpe.

These vanities, these sins, these, these do lime the soules of men, and hinder their flight to heauen: and with a false key they open the doore to vengeance. They wring the sword out of the hand of God. Presume not therefore to sin: for that wil make your sins, sins of a whorish forhead: but rather be led by the punishmēt, to the sin, as by the stream vnto the spring. Slander not the frost & the hayle, and the wind, and the weather: they are Gods pursuiuants sent to call you home, though you think them vnseasonable and vnwelcom: rather kiss the rod and submit your selues vn­to his power, and looke into your owne distempered e­states, suppresse those rebells within you, your affections: retaine S. Paul for your counsellour, who tells you that [Page 42] Gal. 6. 8 as you sowe, so shal you reap: Hos. 8. 7 Sowe not (saith the Prophet) the wind, for feare you reape the whirlewind for your haruest. So we not drunkennesse, for feare you reape for your har­uest, the cancelling of the image of God which is vpon you: bend not your knees to drinke healthes and carow­ses, which should be bent in your prayers and soliloques, for the seruice of the liuing God: nor let that mouth which should praise your God, be like Idoles euer gaping to de­uoure much of that which would releeue Gods children. Phil. 3. 19 Stand in awe, and feare least those two cannot be seuered, which Saint Paul hath linked together; the belly the God, and the end damnation.

When the diuell wounds or kills by any sinne (excep­ting drunkennesse) he pearceth with a single bullet, one sinne onely; but when by drunkennesse, then by chaine shot, many sinnes linked together: it is neuer alone, it drawes on swearing, and quarrelling, and ribaldry, and words, what not? saue onely them that are powdred with salt: and deeds, what not? saue onely the fruits of the spirit. Leuit. 3. 1 Mala. 1. 8 By the lawe Leuiticall there was no beast allowed to bee a sa­crifice, that was blinde or lame, or vncleane: vvhen men are so drunken that they cannot see, and therfore blinde; that they cannot stand, & therfore lame; that they fome at the mouth, and therfore vnclean, neither God nor the world wil iudge them to be liuing sacrifices vnto their God. Be­ware of drunkennes, for surely there is, mors in olla, 2. Reg. 4. 40 death in the pot, if it be abused. So we not blasphemy and swea­ring, least you reap for your haruest many plagues; Ecclus. 23 yea, that plague that neuer departeth out of the house, Zecha. 5. 2. yea, that flying booke which will breake into your houses, whether you will or not. The wheeles of the clock within are neuer in order, when the bell makes not true report of the time of the day: the tong is the index of the mind. Apply it to your selues; if the tong sound not forth good words, the mind within (without doubt) is distempred: that man is scarce to bee thought a temple of the Lord, but a nest for owles, and ostriches, out of whose mouth there comes such a [Page 43] flight of vncleane birds. Sowe not couetousnesse: let not the daughters of the horseleech, yawne within you; crying, giue, giue, with a desire as large as hel: Let not your heaps of wealth be your graues, 1. Tim. 6. 9. 10. for then you are in danger to fal into many snares, and be pearced through with many sorrowes: but rather Mat. 6. 20. treasure vp your hearts in heauen, where neither rust nor moth doth corrupt: you wil find this gaines greater then ten in the hundred, there is nothing but losse to bee had by being as Niniue was: and (I pray God you be not) Nah. 3. 1. a bloudy Citie and full of lyes, and robberie, and one from whome the prey departeth not; she is famous for the lions den, and the pasture of the lions whelpe: Bloody by oppressi­on, full of lyes and robberie in bargaining, famous for li­ons, for deuourers, and for the lions denne, [...] chests and coffers, wherinto many mens goods do fall, and they are eaten vp.

While I touch this veine and speake of this matter, I doubt not but some (and they none of the mea­nest) could be content to say to me, at the seruants of He­zekiah say de vnto Rabsaketh, 2. Reg. 18. 26. Speake wee pray thee to thy seruants in the Aramites language, for wee vnderstand it, and talk not with vs in the Iewes tongue in the audience of the people that are on the wall.

I make no question, but you are loth the world should know much of your dealings, and he that comes to ran­sacke among you, must needs be an vnwelcome guest. Sowe not idlenesse least you reape brambles, and briers; it is a lethargie, it dulls a mans faculties: but many about this City be Luk. 12. 27 like the lillies which neither labour nor spin, yet (whether by robbing or swaggering, or cony-catching, I cannot tel) they farewel, & they are cloathed like Salomon in all his royalty. Many of vs (God knows) are like him in the Gospelso possessed with a diuell, that Math. 17. 15. somtimes we fal in­to the fire, somtimes into the water, somtimes the diuel teares vs and wee foame at the mouth: wee fall sometimes into the fire of concupiscence, sometimes into the vvater and o­uerflowing of drunkennesse, somtimes the diuell teares [Page 44] vs with rage and anger, and then wee foame at the mouth by slander and blasphemie: we haue little sinnes (like lit­tle theeues) to creep in at the windowes vnto our soules, and make way for greater, till sinners be robbed of their best treasure: like little wedges they make way for grea­ter, til in the end they be cleft for fuel vnto the fire of Esa. 30. 33 the valley of Tophet that was prepared of olde. Be not infatuate with any sinne, with any sicknesse; the great Physician of your soules will discerne your diseases, when he feeles your pulses: but aboue all other, beware of hardnesse of heart, and finall impenitencie; least as shee in the Poet, who

So you m [...] desire to repent, but cannot haue the grace, because your breasts, your hearts are hardned, and Heb. 12. 17 like Esau, you cannot haue repentance though you seeke it vvith teares. Go not from spirit to flesh, from flesh to iron, from iron to brasse, from brasse to Adamant: least God pro­ceede from loue to anger, from anger to a rod, from a rod to a scourge, from a scourge to a scorpion, and from a scorpion to eternall fire. Weaue not (O weaue not) your owne calamitie on your owne loomes: but rather say vn­to lust, I haue no purpose to nurse and dandle thee, and vnto deceit, I haue no head to forge thee, vnto drun­kennesse, I haue no braine to trie thee, vnto gluttony, haue no stomacke to banquet thee, vnto cruelty, I haue no hand to execute thee, vnto sinne, I haue no mind to committ thee. Fasc. Tèp. anno, 1426 There was a time vvhen there was a con­science in the world: and is the World better for age? nay, for conscience shrunk vnto science; and vnder the full sailes of mens knowledge, they fall to make wracke of good conscience. And now wee liue to heare euery day the knell, and see the dying of good life and conuersa­tion. If wee take an inuentory of good workes in this age, wee shall finde it not much worth. VVhat is the remedie for this? to turne vnto GOD, when all the world turnes? no: if the enemie bee behinde an armie [Page 45] (say the learned in military discipline) they will be surpri­sed afore the whole army be whirled about. How then? let euery one turn one, & the whole army is turned. If you wil auoid the assaults of the Diuell, tarrie not vntill the whole army, the whole world turn vnto God, but euery man turn one and say for his owne part; Luk. 15. 18 I will goe to my father, and say, Father, I haue sinned against heauen and against thee. Esay. 29. 1 O Altar, Altar of the Citie of God, adde yeare vnto yeare, and kill lambes, lest now when Ioh. 4. 35. the regions are white for the har­uest, and wee euen mellow for the iudgement of God, and Amos. 8. 2. like a basket of summer fruit, proue like a bottle in the water, that neuer sinkes vntill it be full, neither can wee looke for a downefall vntill wee haue filled the measure of iniqui­tie; but when those waters of Mara, those bitter waters are brimfull, then Gods Angels will reap the world, with that vnperceiued sieth, the pestilence that walketh in the darkenesse: the rest shall be gnawne vpon by famine, and the remnant gleaned by the hand of warre, by the warre of strangers: such was the sinne-sicke state of Ephraim, that needed letting bloud by such a boystrous hand: for strangers deuoured not the refuse and branne of his liue­lihood, but his riches, and friends, and credit, and power, and what not that was worldly? euen his strength.

Where we may learne these two lessons: first, that wee Strength. may haue these worldly things, because they are the gifts of God: secondly, that we ought not to be had of them, or by them, because they are transitory and subiect to the deuouring of strangers: my meaning is, wee must haue them to vse; not let them haue vs, not let them fetter vs in their loue: if God send them, wee must haue them to vse not to abuse.

In the 16. of Ezechiel, God gaue the people, corne, and Wee may haue them. wine, and oyle to vse: but when they abused them, he did ex­postulate with them for bestowing his corne, his wine & his oyle vpon their Idols. God hath bestowed many bles­sings vpon vs, he must needes bee angrie if wee spend the time he giues vs, vpon vanitie: the strength that he giues [Page 46] vs vpon lust: the power that hee giues vs, to the oppres­ssing of others: the wit that he giues vs, to the circumuen­ting of others: the riches that hee giues vs, to the eating out one of another: his blessings, to those inordinate af­fections which like Idols we honour and worship. Herodotus in Clio. When the riuer Giudes had drowned one of Cyrus his white hor­ses: he threatned to cut so many Channels into which the riuer should be deriued, that it should lose both depth, & name, & glory. If those floods and great streams of Gods blessings vpon vs, drowne and ouerthrowe not our white horses, but our soules which should be white and spotless, God can deriue that worldly pompe of ours, into many channels, conuay it into many hands, dispossesse vs both of the name and glory that we had by those things; and therfore it was not without cause that God gaue the peo­ple of Israel a caueat, that they should not forget him, whē they cawe Deut. 8. 8 into a land of corne, a land of wine, and a land of oyle oliue. Hee knew that these blessings were like fire and water, good seruants, but bad masters. And though for your good (beloued in our Lord & Sauiour Iesus Christ) Amos 9. 13 the plowman touch the mower, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seede, yet you are but stewardes of that you haue: and though it be not so cheap seruice as you would wish, yet I would aduise you to bestowe some portion of that you haue to these two vses▪ to the releeuing of the poore, Gods children, & to the garnishing of the Church, Gods house.

For the first, there be many, whose hearts are as hard as the nether milstone, their hands are withered they cānot stretch The poore. them out, they liue vnto the poore members of Christ, as though the rockes had fathered them, and the wolues of the wildernesse had giuen them sucke: those shall one day find that their white siluer and yellow gold can draw blacke lines, Gods blessings by them abused can pollute their soules. Let me land this doctrine vpon your owne bankes; and exhort you, not to giue sparingly, that you may reap liberally, for he that forgaue the greatest debt that euer [Page 47] any in the world owed, laies claime vnto that of charitie, & wil not forgiue it: therfore he saith by his Apostle, Rom. 13. 8 Owe nothing to any man but this, that ye loue one another. A shooter aymethat a mark in the midst of a white: the white he see­eth, the marke he seeth not: he cannot hit the marke that he seeth not, vnlesse he hit the white which hee seeth. Wee must all by our loue ayme at God and man; man the white which we see, God the mark which we cannot see: we can neuer hit God the mark which we see not, vnlesse we (by our loue) touch our brother whom we see. S. Iohn, makes good that which I say, 1. Ioh. 4, 20 If we loue not our brother whom wee haue seene, how can we say truly, we loue God whom we haue not seene? If many lines be drawn frō the circle to the cēter, the neerer they come one to another, the neerer they com vn­to the center: iudge this by the spokes of a wheel meeting in the middle: cōpare the lines vnto men & the cēter vnto Christ, vnto whom al heauy things tend (all those that are heauy ladē with their sins) the neerer they are ioyned one to another in loue, the neerer they com vnto Christ. Those that are filled with Gods blessings, shuld be like the ful end of an houre glasse, they shuld empty & euacuate thē selues into those that want, that those that haue wanted, may be raised vppe. You that are great in this world, you do not wind & turn those things which are absolutly your own, you are but feoffees in trust with them to the vse of Gods Orphanes. Greg. Naz. Monod. in Basil. Mag. Gregorie Nazianzen registring the life of Bazill the great speakes of a Xenodochium or house of harbour which he built for poore strangers: he preferres that goodly pile and monument of charitie before the Se­pulcher of Mausolus and the Colossus of Rhodes and the rest of the wonders of the world. If I should not cōmend you Londiners for much bountie and liberalitie towards houses of learning and hospitals, I should do you wrong: but if you rob and circumuent others, that you may bee inabled to do good vnto these, you wrong your selues. As the former is iustly to be tearmed a worke of mercy, so the later can by no meanes stand with good iustice: in doing [Page 48] so Rom. 3, 8 you do a great euill that good may come thereof. Let not your citie, which is worthily accoūted the head of a king­dome, be made by your greedines the belly of the king­dome for deuouring the rest. I iudge you not: but M [...]th. 7. 3 1. Cor. 11. 31 iudge your selues that you be not iudged of the Lord. O happy are you then, if in your gardens this sweet flower, this charitie be well blowen; charitie (I meane) which is neither a foole to giue to the idle, nor hard harted to denie the needy: and as at all times and to all of the household of faith, so it becomes her well to haue an open bosome vnto the Church which is the house of God.

Yet many are loth, in regard of the charge, to bee open Church. handed vnto the Lords treasurie, but had rather make themselues rich (as they suppose) by stealing from God: so they become Church-mothes and chapmen of soules, defrauding God, perhaps to giue fuel vnto their owne va­nities: so the Church Gods Cant. 5. 2 doue, is now become a par­tridge pursued and preyed vpon by tyranny and oppres­sion. That religion that in times past, wanted an eye, was a nurse, was a mother vnto the Church: and is our welsigh­ted religion become a stepdame? If it be not, what means the crie of the Church Ier 31. 15. & Math. 2. 18. like that of Rahels in Ramah, wee­ping for her fauorites because they are not? Could those Church-leeches imagin they 1. Macch. 1 see Antiochus (after his re­uelling in the Temple) killed in a strange Land by an inui­sible hand: Dan. 5. or Belshazzar pale and wanne, breathing his last after the abusing of the vessels of the temple: or could they consider Celsus his disiwasiue. that disswasiue vsed by Celsus of Verona vnto the Senate of Venice, whereby hee makes it plaine, that since they medled with the Church goods they neuer preuailed against their enemies, then would they cease to crie with Iudas, Mat. 26. 6 What needes all this waste? grudging at all that is powred on Christs ministers: then would they not Deut. 25. 4. muzzle the mouth of the Oxe that treades out the corne: they would let them liue by the altar, who serue at the al­tar, they would not inuade the inheritance of Leui, they would not seeke for those ministers who are content to [Page 49] prostitute their worthes vpon any tearmes, Iudg. 17 for a morsell of bread and a few peeces of siluer; but they would bring their owne offerings into the storehouse of the Lord, that God might not only rebuke the deuourer, but open also the windowes of heauen, and powre vpon them a blessing without measure. Mal. 3. 10. If many in our age should vse for their dayly prayer, the prayer of Nehemiah, Nehem. 13. 14. Remember me, O my God, heerein, and wipe not out my kindnesse that I haue shewed on the house of my God, and on the offices thereof: I doubt they would pull euerie day much wrath vpō themselues, because the Church findes as little fauour at their hands, as at the hands of those mentioned in the first of Aggai, H [...]ggi. 1. 4. Who dwelt themselues in sieled houses, and let the house of the Lord lye waste. There­fore (lest the Lord should blowe vpon that which you haue) vse the things of the world, vse them well, haue them your selues: let not them haue you, let not them fetter you, they are but transitorie.

Salomon weighed them all in a ballance, and found them They must not haue vs. but vanitie: Therefore hee sayde, Eccles. 1. 2 Vanitie of vanities, and all is but vanitie. Wee may say vnto laughter, what aylest thou? and vnto folly, what doest thou meane? Dan. 2. 32 The image of Nebuchad-nezzar was part of golde, part of sil­uer; part of brasse, parte of iron, and parte of clay, resem­bling the seuerall Monarchies of the Worlde: but there came a stone from the mountaine, that crushed them all in peeces. The square corner stone, Christ Iesus, is able to beate to powder all the might of the world, and to fanne the mountaines. Esay, 41. Hee is Lord paramount of all, hee coucheth vnder him the potentates of the earth like lesser birdes: therefore bee not idle but seeke, deferre not the time but seeke first, bee not base minded, but seeke a kingdome, bee not earthly minded, but Math. 6. 33 seeke the king­dome of God, and the things of the worlde shall bee ministred vnto you, like a retinue they shall followe after. The flesh doth inficere, infect: the world doth deficere, forsake: but Christ doth reficere, refresh. Luk. 4. 5 The glorie of the world was shewed to Christ in the twinkeling of an eye: it is a gliding pomp, of smal continuance, for all it seemes to haue (like a [Page 50] gloworme) yet it hath neyther true vvarmth nor light. Animula vagola b [...]ancula. That knewe Aelius Adrianus well, when hauing no hope in any thing but the world (which he sawe to faile him) he commaunded his soule (the guest of his bodie) for euer to bid farewell to all comfort. That knew they also that ad­mired the whore of Babylon, when they felt, that the apples which their soules lusted after, were departed from them, and all things vvhich vvere fat and excellent were departed from them, they found them no more. Apocalypse 18. 14. Riches that are so high rated in the world, are but like thornes in a mans hand: both when thornes come thither, while they stay, and when they are gotten out there is still paine: So, riches are gotten with care, kept with feare, and not lost without great anguish. Iob. 8. 14. The rich mans confidence shall bee cut off, and his trust shall be as the house of a Spider: Be hee neuer so enamuled vvith worldly things (bee they, lilia terrae or ilia terrae, the pleasures of the earth, or the guttes of the earth) yet hee findes for his inheritance, but Iob. 7. 3 a mo­neth of vanity.

They that rest vpon a round thing, they sit vnsure, it is euer rowling; rely not vpon the round world: they that sit vpon a square thing they sit firme; repose vpon Christ Iesus the square Corner-stone, he will nerer fayle you. The first is prooued by the wicked, who say, Who will shewe vs anie good? Psalm. 4. 6. The second by the godly, who say, Lord lift thou vp the light of thy countenance vppon vs. Psalm 4. 7. The goodly things of the world are like Ships which are graced with the titles of triumph, and victory, and honour, and such like: yet are they subiect to wracke. Bern. de in­ter. dom. Which Bernard well considering sayth, that the soule in the body is like a Queene in a Palace; Shee inioyes the pleasures of the earth by the 5. senses, as by fiue windows, which windowes as long as they are open, things of the world bring much delight, and when they are shut vp and decayed, the pleasure decayeth with them. Prepare vnto thy selfe (O thou soule) the ioyes of the holy Ghost, which will remaine with thee when the windowes are shut, when the senses are enfeebled, euen in the houre of death and in the [Page 51] daie of iudgement. There is no nobility like vnto a new birth in Christ, no feast to the peace of conscience, no crowne to a crowne of immortalitie, no life to a conuersation which is in hea­uen. And therefore, call home your affections that are set some on pleasure, some on profit, some on preferment, gather vp their dispearsed limmes, and knit them all togi­ther that they may fasten on your God: So it becomes your houses and your families, which are like houses of Cloë, and the households of Onesiphorus; so shall your strength not bee food for the deuouring of strangers, you shall be yoked by the hand of no Rehoboam, 1. Reg. 12. 10. 11. who would whippe with scorpi­ons insteede of roddes, whose little finger would bee heauier then all his fathers loynes. Though the land of Iewrie and the Apoc. 1. 20. Seauen golden candlestickes, which were the seauen Churches of Asia, bee now growen inglorious for sinne, yet the e­nemy hath not shined with our gall. God hath sayde of vs (as of his vineyard) Luk 13. 8. I vvill digge it, and dung it, and dresse it, and trye it yet another yeare. Onely hee hath often come to vs and found vs sleeping in our sinnes, as 1. Sam. 24. 5. Dauid came to Saul sleeping in a caue, cutting a peece off our garments, one­ly touching vs by some small affliction, when hee might haue killed vs, but leauing peace vvithin our vvalles and plentie vvithin our palaces, and crowning manie yeeres vvith gladnesse vnto vs. VVhich makes good the saying of an olde Writer concerning the raine-bowe; that Gods bowe is without an arrowe, hee threatneth long before hee suf­fer his vvhole displeasure to arise: What then? Rom. 6. 1. Shall vvee continue still in sinne that grace may abound? God forbid: that will inhance and improue Gods wrath, seeing Gods long suffering should leade vs to repentance, Romans 2. Rather let vs, vvho thrice happie (as looking from the shore) haue no venture in the wracke that wee see in others, turne vnto God that we may liue; so did not Ephraim, therefore strangers haue deuoured his strength and yet hee knoweth it not, yea gray haires were here and there vpon him, and yet he knoweth it not.

Gray haires were vpon him, & they were (as interpreters Gray haires say) signes of sorrow, or the forerunners of old age, or both: [Page 50] [...] [Page 51] [...] [Page 52] So the doctrines then which hence are deriued are these: first, that sorrow causing hoarnesse: secondly, that hoare­nesse the messenger of olde age, should make men knowe and consider their estates. And first for sorrowe and affli­ction.

This doctrine is like Demetrius, Ioh 3. Epist. [...]. 12. it hath a good report of Affliction all men, and of the truth it selfe: O Lord thy word is truth. Ioh. 17. What the word sayth, you may heare in the 5. of Hosea. 14. where God sayth by the Prophet, I will be vnto Ephraim as a Lion, and as a Lions whelpe to the house of Iuda: I, euen I will spoyle, and go away, and none shall rescue it. If you looke into the 107. Psalme, and the 4. of Amos, you shall find two for­tresses for this doctrin: I pray you read them & hide them in your hearts till you be truely learned. The prodigall son had perished, if hee had not perished: hee had perished in soule, if he had not perished in state, hee was forced to go by weeping crosse to his father. Clodoueus, Vid an. do. 496. Ioh. Pappum de cōuer. gent. the king of France, could not bee perswaded vnto christianitie by his wife Crotildis a religious Burgundian, till by the Al­maynes there was giuen him an ouerthrowe in battel: which calamitie wrought so with him, that hee vowed (if God would restore vnto him what hee had lost) hee would be­queath & dedicate himself to his seruice, while he did liue: so hee prayed, so hee preuailed, so hee performed. Apoc. 15. 2 This world is a Sea, and therefore turbulent; of glasse, and ther­fore brittle; mingled with fire, and therefore daungerous: wee must goe with a lowe sayle (if wee doe well) and hum­ble our▪ selues; but not bee too much afraide because of the noyse of the water pipes: for Gods Church is like Exod. 3. 2 the bush that burned and was not consumed, because the Lord was in the bush. 2. Cor. 12. vers. 8. 9. Paul prayed thrise, that hee might bee freed from the buffetings of Satan: but God thought it meete, that he should not want temptations to scoure him and make him bright; and therefore hee promiseth not to free him from his wrastlings, but to backe him in his agonies: saying, My grace is sufficient for thee. Affliction keepes the soule of a Christian in breath, it is the eyebright to make him see both his owne weakenesse (for Dauid, before hee was [Page 53] afflicted went wrong) & the strength of God vpon him. As is the fire vnto the golde, a purger: as is the pruning knife vnto the tree, a pruner: as is the fan vnto the wheat, a pu­rifier: as is the thunder vnto the ayre, a cleanser: So vnto the soule is affliction, which God doth vse as mustard to anoint the teates of this world withall, to wean vs from it. Afflic­tion is like Exod. 4. 3. 4. Aarons rod; if it be vsed, it is the rod of God sent for our good: if it be cast vnder foote and despised, it is a serpent, it stings vs, it doth vs harme: to be briefe, affliction is a part of the dowry of the Church of God. Now therfore when you are afflicted, looke not only vpon the arrowe that hits you, but vp vnto the hand that drewe the bowe: wee may learne this lesson of the Son of God, and of the martyrs of God: the Son of God spred out his armes to imbrace afflic­tion, he dyed willingly for our sinnes. Now as Antiochus the younger 1. Machab. 6. 34. powred out of the iuice of mulberies vpon the ground, that therby he might inrage his Elephants to battel: So, that we may be incouraged to wrastle with afflictions, though it be vnto bloud, we must remember the powring out of the pre­tious bloud of him, who became for our sakes Ioh. 1. 29. the slaughte­red lamb of God. We may learne it of the Martyrs of God also: for in the garden of God there haue been as well Roses as Lillies; as well purpur atimartyrio, as candidati innocentia. They were like rose leaues; not withered vpon the stalk, & falling away, but distilled with the heat of persecution, till they sent out a water, a bloud, a precious bloud: Psal. 116. 13 Right dear in Gods eies is the death of all his Saints. These were the prime­roses of the Church, which died quickly after Christ their great shepheard: many yeers after, there were many, whom when I remember, Socrat. Eccl. hist. li. 3 cap. 11. I remember also Ecebolius, who recoi­led many times, and started from his God, and in the end after his seuerall apostasies, hee laide him downe in the Church porch, and bade the passengers tread, vpon him, deeming himselfe no better then vnsauory salt: his later end was better then his beginning. By Christ and by these his Mar­tyrs (who had the soule of their soules for their comfort) learne to submit your selues to the correction of God, that you may legitimate his wisdome in correcting of you; lest [Page 54] (as was in the Prophet Ieremies vision) Iere. 1. 11. 13 after arod in this life, there come a seething pot, in the life to come. Then, then vn­to the incorrigible there will be an accuser, the conscience: a witnesse, the memory: a iudge, the reason: all these within them, if there were none without. De simili­tud. mund. But there shall bee (as Anselmus sayth) the heauens lovvring aboue, hell gaping belovve, the Diuell accusing on the one hand, sinnes vvitnessing on the other, the conscience burning within, the world flaming about; these things to fly, it will be impossible: these things to indure, it will be intolerable. There will bee a paine by losse, and a paine by punish­ment. It vvas a griefe to Adam to forgoe Paradise, but a greater griefe Gen. 3. 18. to toyle among brambles and briers: misery too much to forgoe the presence of God, Psa. 16. 12 at vvhose right hand there is fulnesse of ioy for euermore; but a greater griefe to indure Ierem. 9. 1. (O that my head were a fountaine of water, and mine eyes floudes of teares, that I might weepe day and night for them that are in such a case) to indure, I say, hell fire, Mar. 9. 44. vvhere the vvorme euer gnaweth, vvhere the fire euer burneth, and neuer burneth vp, vvhere death is euer liuing, (alas for pittie!) that aeternus ignis, that euerlasting fire. Bidde vvelcome to his correction in this life, that you maie auoyde the second death. Yet graie haires cau­sed by affliction could not make Ephraim know his estate: no, not gray haires (vvhich argued the approach of olde age and death) could make him knowe it: yet as I noted, secondly the approach of age should make vs knowe our selues.

psal. 95. 8. To day therefore if you will heare my voyce, harden not your The mes­sengers of olde age. hearts: let not cras, cras, to morrow, to morrow bee your note, Lib. 8 de cōfes. cap 5. vvhich Saint Austen misliked in himselfe, when he was within the kenne of the kingdome of grace; and ther­fore added, Why not now Lord? why not now? neither flatter your selues as those did (whom Saint Peter reproues) saying, 2. Pet 3. 4. Where is the promise of his comming? to day and ye­sterday are both alike: as though they could pleade prescripti­on for Gods long suffering. True it is, you may haue mercy when you can repent: but you cannot repent when it is [Page 55] your pleasure: therefore remember, though Christ saued one (the theefe vpon the crosse) at the last gasp, least men should despair, yet we read but of one only lest they should presume. Iere. 48. 9. 11. Moab was not powred from vessell to vessell, but was at rest, therefore Moab vvas settled vpon the lees: therefore, the Prophet shot a warning peece vnto them, because dan­ger vvas at hand; saying, Giue wings to Moab that hee may flie awaie. You little knowe what losse you may haue by security, therefore lift vp your head from Dalilaes lappe: O let the world charme you no longer: when the gale is fauourable goe and good lucke haue you to heauen ward vpon your great aduenture, stay not till the winds are contrary: olde age is attended by many impediments, lay not the heauiest burden vpon the worst horse, charge not your weakenesse with that high seruice, adiourne not your re­pentance, dedicate not the flower of your age vnto vani­tie, appointing only for God the dregges in the bottome; rather awake thou that sleepest, Ioh. 12. the night will come when no man can worke, worke while you haue the twelue howres of the daie. Be perswaded, let not your hearts be vnmalleable, perswade your selues that qualis vita, finisita, as the tree falls so will it lie; as is the life, so is the death, and as death leaues, so iudgement will finde. In your memories let euer be in­grauen as vpon a tablet, the picture of that rich man in the Gospell; who when his barnes were full, sayd, Luk. 12. 19 Soule take thine ease: but presently there came a summons vnto him; Thou foole, this night shall thy soule be taken from thee. Plu. & Val. Max. When Caesar warred against Pompey, hee had no care of mana­ging his businesse vvhile he vvas in his owne territorie; for there hee could commaund helpe: but vvhen hee once passed Rubicon the vtmost boundes of his domini­on, hee sayde, The Die is throwen, there is no vvaie but fight it out: So, while wee are in this life, wee haue pow­er to labour for our selues; if our sinnes pleade against vs, we may haue the counterpleas of prayers and holy medi­tations. By hearing of the word of God, and praying, wee may haue parle with God vpon conditions of peace; but when wee once passe the vtmost bounds of this life, [Page 56] there is no purchase to be made by trentalls, or masses. Galat. 6. 7. At men haue sowen, so must they reape: To dreame of a serpent is an argument of felicitie: Philip. Ca­merar. in o­peribus suc­ce [...]uis. Camerarius doth instance in the mother of George Castroit, or Scanderbegge; who, the night before her sonne vvas borne, dreamed of a Serpent, that laied his head in the kingdom of Epyrus, and stretched out his bodie ouer the dominion of the Turkes; which argu­ed hee should be (as hee became) the vanquisher of them: Be this obseruation true or false in nature, it serues mee for your instruction, to land this doctrine vppon your owne banks. Our whole life is but a sleepe in sinne: in the depth of our slumber, let vs (like dreaming men) haue our ima­ginations running vpon the olde Serpent Satan, and his sleights: so shall vvee be happie, standing vvee shall pre­uent a fall.

But as for Ephraim hee was not so refined, not so zea­lous Yet they knew it not. for the Lord of hosts: though strangers deuoured his strength, though gray haires were heere and there vpon him, yet he knew it not, yet he knew it not: his ignorance is redoubled. Out of which words I obserue a iust imputa­tion against diuers ignorant men: Some know not because they cannot, those bee the vnlearned: Some know not be­cause they must not, those bee the weaker sort of papists: Some know that which they need not know, those bee cu­rious questionists: Som know not that which they need to know, and those bee they which know not the things that belong to their peace. i Luk. 19. 42

First, the vnlearned knowe not, because they cannot know; they roule along with the stream of the world, all of 1. The vn­learned. them inacting, that learning in this age is not a thriuing course: whereas (O blessed knowledge!) they that haue thee, liue two liues, whereas others liue but one. The mind is exempted: their little (all) falls not with the vnlearned, a prey into the land of forgetfulnesse. Thou art the soule of the world, knitting togither these present times with ages past by thee we that are liuing call to counsel those that are dead and gone. Many huge dumbe heapes, many goodly piles and monuments, had beene wronged by forgetfulnesse: [Page 57] but that by thee (O learning) they suruiue: they are vented out vnto vs by antiquitie, which for reuerence sake we must not count a lyer. O knowledge, how much hast thou woon from the waste of time? The want of this knowledge vnsi­newes the powers of a man, and vnmannes him quite. Learning hath no need like a Curresan to open her breasts whereby shee may gaine loue; nor to begge an almes at the gate of fame, to haue her gētry blazed: she is rich inough of her selfe, and her glory is great at home, though fame were tongue tied, and could not speake.

Theodore tripartit. hist. lib. 6. cap. 17. Iulian that wicked Apostata, would haue abolished schooles of learning, arts and sciences, because the Christi­ans vsing the help of these things wounded them with their owne quils. Learning seasons tender yeares with graces, & with vertues key tunes the strings of nature.

Therefore prize at no low rate the two Vniuersities of this Land, Psal. 45. 16 Vnto whome instead of founders and fathers, God hath giuen children, into which two this and former ages haue emptied themselues, they are the two plentiful breasts of our mother England: they are deepe died and ingrained with knowledge from aboue: like Hercules pillars they may haue ingrauen vpon them Non vltra, for there are no V­niuersities in the world that goe beyonde them, no not e­quall to them. And as Hercules pillars standing by the straites of Gibraltar are the way Tabula Petri Plancij. from Europe to the fortunate Ilandes: so these (if they bee vsed) will serue as a direction for England to a place more fortunate; where all happinesse dwelleth.—Ouid. Me­ta. lib. 13 Deus est in vtraque parente. There Philosophers raigne, and they that raigne may seeme to learne Philosophy.

Secondly, the weaker sort of Papists know not, because Secondly. the weake Papists. they must not know. It was the case of our forefathers: the book was a book sealed vnto thē, & therfore they had cause to weep much. Reu. 5. 1. Cor. 14. 1 the trūpet gaue an vncertain soūd: how could they know when to go to battel? the sword was sheathed vp in an vn­known tongue, how could they fight? Mat. 5. 15 the candel was vnder a bushell, how could they see? the land marke wherby they knew their bounds, was remoued: the lawe sayeth of this [Page 58] sinne, Deut 27. 17. Cursed is he that doth so, and let all the people say A­men, Their Cleargiemen were as Hos. 5. 1 snares vpon Mispah, & as nets spred vpon Thabor, they did intangle the people; who hearing their latine seruice which they could not vnder­stand might goe home againe, and say with Nabuchadnez­zar, Dan. 2. 3. Wee haue dreamed a dreame, and wee cannot tell what it meanes. And yet the weak ones will not sticke to say, It was a good world in time of Poperie, thinges were cheape and plentifull; much like to them that dwelling in Pathros, des­pised the prophecies of Ieremy, and say de It was well, and there was no scarcitie when they burned incense vnto the Iere. 7. 18 Queene of heauen and baked cakes to make her glad. But those and these loued darkenesse better then light. When the truth of God in despite of papistrie would needes breake forth as the noone day, and so Esa. 30. 26 the light of the Moone became as the light of the Sunne, and the light of the Sunne seauenfould, Esa. 60. 18 Saluation became the walles of our Church of England, and prayse her gates; they went about to dimme the starres when they could not darken the Sunne, and by a malitious inuasio they indeauoured to sophisticate the fathers of the Church. Praefat. Iunij indicis expurg. For Philip the second, King of Spaine, gaue commande­ment to Christopher Plantine his printer at Antwerp to print a Catalogue or Index, which should giue direction how to geld and purge the Fathers of all such sentences as might make against the Church of Rome: which Index should not be publikely sould, but should serue for the vse of the Spanish inquisition, that by their tyranny all the olde cop­pies might be called in and the newe ones published vnto their mindes: So with this one sworde had Pharaoh meant that those Exod. 1. 15 Midwiues of Egypt should kil all the Children of Israell. But see how Psal. 121 Hee that keepeth Israel, doth neither slumber nor sleepe: It pleased God, that reuerend M. Iunius, hauing conference with a friend about this matter, had the whole plot discouered vnto him, got an authenticke coppy of their Index, & by the permission of Iohn Casimere, coun­ty Palatine of Rhene, he got it placed in his Library, where it remaines (I thinke) vntill this day to the shame of them who would haue wronged Antiquitie so much. If they had [Page 59] effected their purpose, they had had the Fathers crying as lowde for their opinions against Gods truth, as euer Luk. 23. 18 the Iewes cried for Barabbas against the sonne of God. But to pre­uent this 2. Chr. 6. 41 there did arise thou (O God) and the arke of thy strength.

Thirdly, curious questionists seek to know those things which they neede not knowe: they intangle themselues in Three curi­ous questio­nists. Genealogies and matters impertinent, and out of a desire they haue of prayse for lanching into the deepe, they prie into the secrets of the Thunderer, and when they haue seene what they can, they say more then they haue warrant for, wisely they tel foolish tales, & bring long lies very smooth­ly to an end. To giue you a taste of their vanitie, some diue into the mysterie of the resurrection: such were the persecu­ting Gentiles in France (as Eusebius witnesseth) who in scorn of the resurrection, which the Christians do beleeue, did burne many of the Martyrs, and afterwarde threwe their ashes into the riuer Rhodanus, with this foolish exproba­tion, Let vs see now if their God bee able to reuiue them. They were not so wel studied in the schoolmen, as to know that which Peter Lumbard hath, sentent. lib. 4. Dist. 44, (vr­ging this point of the resurrection) that though an image be broken in a 1000. peeces, it may be made vp againe so long as the image maker doth liue: So hee that made all of no­thing, can much more of something make what hee will. Nay (which was more pitie) they were such strangers in the booke of God, that they knew not what was deliuered con­cerning the resurrection by Ezechiel, vnto whom was shew­ed great heapes of scattered bones, which Ezech. 37. 6 the Lord yet put together and laide sinewes vpon them, and made flesh grow there­on, and then couered both with skinne, and afterwarde breathed life into them. God Chrysost. in 2. Cor. 2. Hom. (sayth Saint Chrysostome) dealeth with the soule, as a man pulling downe a ruinous house doth with himselfe: hee retires himselfe into some other place least he be annoyed with dust and rubbish, and returnes into it a­gaine when it is built more firme and glorious: so God giues the soule a repose in heauen, it is not annoyed with the dust of the graue: but at the day of the resurrection, when the [Page 60] house is built more glorious then it was before, 1. Cor. 5 when this mortall shall put on immortalitie, then shall the soule take po­ssession of the body againe: but these things are to be scan­ned by faith, they are out of the reach of humane reason: Napier in Apoc. pro. posit. 14. part. 2. 8. Maxime. some againe take vpon them to tell the time of the day of iudgement; and grounding vpon the saying of Saint Peter (that a 1000. yeares with GOD is but as one day, and one day as a 1000. yeares) haue set downe that af­ter 6000. yeares should come an eternall Sabbaoth or rest. Now because it is sayde, for the electes sake, there shall bee a shortning of those dayes, therefore they affirme the time of Christs second comming shall fall out betweene the yeares 1688, and 1700.

Some againe are so impudent, that they venture (as farre as humaine reason will leade them) to prooue in­congruences in the booke of GOD, and some belch their impietie so openly that they would prooue in iu­stice in the designes of GOD: as namely, See Sim. Pat. confut. of Machiuel. Machi­uel who is not ashamed to say, that Moses and the Israe­lites were as much vsurpers vpon the Land of promise, as the Gothes and Vandales were vppon Christendome. That desire of knowledge, that like a corne of salte di­stempered the taste of our first parents, is become an ha­bituall saltnesse in Adams posteritie: vnto which malady Saint Paul applieth a correctiue when he aduiseth men Rom 12. 3 to be wise vnto sobrietie.

Fourthly, they that know not the things that belong vn­to Fourthly, some know not those things that belong to their peace. their soules health, know not what they need to know: & such was Ephraim in this place. Semblable vnto Ephraim are many, who know too much and too little: too much of o­ther mens states, but too little of their owne.

Therefore prie not into other mens actions and wordes, scoure not your mouthes vpon thē; as Lib. 3. de bap. contra Donat. c. 10 Petilian the heretick Too much. doing, gaue Saint Austen occasion to tell him, that his tongue was no fanne for the Lords floore, to discerne the wheate from the chaffe: looke not ouer other mens hed­ges, as they that haue tender eyes doe when they complaine that the Sunne is waterish and dimme when it is not so, but [Page 61] themselues are weake sighted. Such men as are euer commē ­ting vpon other mens actions, make the godly Psa. 120. 4 woe that they are constrained to dwell with Mesech, and to haue their habi­tations in the tents of Kedar. Rather turn your eyes into your owne bosomes, as Christ bid them that iudged the woman taken in adulterie, Iohn 8, Hee that is without sinne cast the first stone at her: so they went away from the eldest vnto the least.

Prie not you too much into other mens estates, nor too li­tle Too little. into your owne: you haue husbandry inough at home, you haue psal. 14 eyes, looke that they bee not sweld with lust: you haue hands, looke they bee not hands of iniquitie: you haue feete, looke they bee not swift to shed blood: you haue tongues, looke the poyson of aspes bee not vnder them: you haue members, looke they bee not weapons of vnrighteousnesse. A. Gellius But as Polo the Tragoedian acting the part of Electra vpon the stage, & be­ing mournefully to bring in the bones of her brother Ore­stes in a pot, hee brought the bones of his owne sonne late­ly buried, that the sight of them might wring foorth true teares indeede, and therefore hee might act it more famous­ly: So shall wee more truely expresse ioy in the holy Ghost, and repentance for our sinnes, if wee take a view of the e­states not of other men but of our own soules: that wil breed true ioy and true griefe indeede, when we say not as the dis­ciples saide (when Christ tolde them that one of them should betray him) Mat. 26. 22 Master, is it I? Master is it I? but Ma­ster, it is I, Master it is I that haue sinned, that haue commit­ted treason against thee, the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. Let your selues be the center of your owne circling thoughts, and bend your selues to knowe those things that may serue your turns at the day of accoūt. Scipio could weep when he sawe Carthage a burning, because the like misery might befall Rome his natiue country. But Belshazzar made not so good vse of his fathers troubles, and therfore Daniel sayth, Dan. 5. 22 And thou his sonne, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thy selfe, though thou knowest of al these things. God shareth out his stripes vnto the ignorant, Luk. 7. 47 and many stripes vnto thē who haue meanes to knowe and will not. And therefore the Prophet [Page 62] Esay deliuers a burden against Esay. 22. 1 the valley of vision, as well as against Egypt, where was ignorāce & Cimmerian darkenes. Saint Barn. sup. cant. serm. 36. Saint Barnard speakes of some, who knowe only because they would know, and that is curiositie: some knowe be­cause they would bee knowen, and that is vanitie: some knowe because they would edifie, and that is charitie: some knowe because they would bee edified, and that is true christianitie. That learned Father fannes away as chaffe the two former kindes of knowledge, but as wheate hee preserues the two later, which tend to the edifying of the soule. The word of God hath flowed among you like Nilus or Gihon in the time of haruest. Rom. 10. 22 God hath stret­ched out his hand all the day long, his arme is reuealed, the preachers of the worde haue carefully planted in this place. Psal. 78. vers. 47. 48 O giue not their fruites vnto the caterpiller, nor their labours vnto the grashopper, not (as I may bee bolde to compare it) to the world, not to the flesh, nor the mulberie trees vnto the frost, not vnto the colde numnesse of zeale, of charitie. Experience, that hauing many relators seeth with the eyes of all the world, telles vs that frustra sapit qui sibi non sapit: and therefore they that know and doe not vse their owne knowledge to their owne good, they fall vpon a wrong sent, and runne counter after their saluation: knowledge and performance should bee twinnes of one burden. He that sayeth, 1. Ioh. 2. 4 I knowe him, and keepeth not his commaundements, is a lier, and the truth is not in him; he offers no sacrifice, but a lie vnto the author of truth.

Learne that you may knowe, knowe that your selues may better yoursoules: so did not Ephraim; though gray haires were heere and there vpon him, yet he knewe it not, and the pride of Israell (his stubbornesse, his impudency) te­stifieth to his face, and they doe not returne vnto the Lord their God, nor seeke him for all this. They did not know their daunger, they did not returne vnto their harbour: they did not returne vnto the Lord their God.

When wee haue sinned, we must returne vnto the Lord our God, first by repentance for our sinnes, Hee is a iealous God: Secondly, by reforming of our sinnes, Hee is a holy [Page 63] God: Thirdly, by hoping in God, who doth pardon our sinnes, hee is a mercifull God.

By repentance for our sinnes: for in the first and second By repen­tance. of Amos the language of the prophet is nothing but a vol­ley of iudgements against Damascus, Tyrus, Edom, Ammon, Moab, and Iuda; vnder whose sinnes God was pressed, as a Amos. 2. 13 Cart is pressedwith sheaues, for they had threshed Gilead, with threshing instruments of iron: for three transgressions and for foure (sayeth God) I will not turne vnto them. It concerned them then, and vs also to turne vnto him by repentance, left for 3000. transgressions or for foure, hee come with the be­some of his wrath and sweepe vs all away. Wee are belea­guered and compast about with iniquitie of our owne heeles: let vs not hypocritically dote vpon our selues, saying Ier. 6. 14 peace, peace, when there is no peace: let vs rather by the heat of zeale distill teares from our eyes, for Esay. 57. 21 there is no peace (as my God sayth) vnto the wicked. There was a woman in the 7. of Luke, who (as one in trauaile of a new soule) had the grace to re­pent her of her sinnes; and therfore Cant. 4. 9 shee wounded Christ with one of her eyes and with the cheine (the cheine of graces) about her necke: shee came into the Pharises house boldly: and stood behinde him shamefastly: at his feete humbly: and mournefully, shee washt his feete with her teares: and as one one neglecting her best ornament in respect of Christ, shee wiped them with the haires of her head: louingly shee kissed his feete: and bountifully, shee annointed them with ointment. Leuit. 12. 8 When a woman came to bee purified in the time of the Lawe, shee was to offer a Lambe: which if shee were not able to compasse, then shee was to offer a paire of turtle doues: the authors of the heroglyphickes compare a Lambe to inno­cency, and a paire of turtle doues to a paire of mournefull eyes: if any bee so poore in good workes that they cannot offer the one, let them bee so forwarde in repentance as to offer a paire of the other; and let them desire of God as the wife of Othoniel did of Caleb and Ioshua, that seeing they are parched with sinne and with the heate of concupiscence (as shee complained of an hote countrey) there may bee giuen vnto them Iudg. 1. 15 springs aboue, & springs beneath, springs of tears [Page 64] in their eyes aboue, and springs of bloud (if it be possible) in their hearts beneath. It is Gods will, that as Iacob was first married vnto Gen. 29. 17 Leah, that was bleare eyed; and after an other prentishippe, vnto Rahel that was more beautiful: so should the sonnes of Iacob, first vnto repentance bleare eyed and full of teares, and after the induring of that 2. Cor. 7. 10 godly sorrowe (which will cause repentance vnto saluation) they shall inioye the ioyes of heauen, which are beautifull like Rahel: Apoc. 7. 17 For all teares shall be wiped away from their eyes. Grammarians deriue terra a terendo: So why should not man (who is earth and ashes, terra quiateritur) because hee is harrowed vp with a feeling of his sinnes? When the wind is inclosed in the hol­lows of the earth it striues for passage, & so makes an earth­quake: many times (O earth and ashes) thou tremblest & quakest at the remembrance of thy sinnes: but fear not, that sorrow comes of God, it is because there is within thee the holy Ghost, Ioh. 3. 8 (that winde which bloweth where it listeth.) When thy soule (O man) is troubled for thy sinnes, that garboyle within thee is like the troubling of the water, Iohn 5. Be thou sure, the Angell of the Lord hath beene there, that sorrowe of thine comes from God: hope in Christ, but sorrow for thy sinnes, Exod. 12. 8 eate thy pascall Lambe with sower hearbes. Plut. in vit. Syll. As they that looked vpō Syllaes ring, could not choose but take no­tice both of Syllaes seal and the treason of Iugurtha, because that was grauen vpon vpon the seale: so consider & weigh both the Eph. 1. 14 seale wherewith you are sealed against the day of re­demption, and the treason of your forefathers also which gaue occasion of the sealing of such a pardon vnto you. Therefore as the nightingale in the night time sings merily with a prickle at her breast: so in this valley of the shadows of death, sing prayses vnto your God; but euer with a com­punction, a feeling of your sinnes, and sorrow for them.

Neither must you only mourn for your sinnes, but you must abandon them also, for feare of the Diuelles reentrie, with Luk. 11. 26 seuen Diuels worse then himselfe, and then your latter end will be worse then your beginning.

But as I noted in the second place, you must turne vnto the Lord by reforming of your sinnes, and obseruing Gods By refor­ming of our selues. [Page 65] commandements: which iniunction vnto flesh and bloud, is durus sermo. For, though we could be content to die the death of the righteous, and say with Balaam, Numb. 23. 10 Lord let my later end be like vnto theirs; yet this liuing of the life of the righteous is hard of digestion, as hard as the gayning of the land of promise was to those spies which cōfessed that the Num. 13. 28. 34. land was a good land, and full of fruits, but there were in it the sonnes of Anach, and they were gyants. The reward of a Christian many think to be a good prize, but they are loth to wrestle with the difficulties of Christianity, those be the sonnes of Anach and they be giants: it is better for flesh & bloud Wis. 2. 8. to crowne themselues with rose buddes before they be wi­thered, then Psa. 127. 3 to sit vp late, and rise early, and eate the bread of carefulnesse, though God so giue his beloued sleepe. When they feele the paine that belongeth vnto the seruice of God, they say with her (who longed for children but could not indure the pain of child-bearing) Gen 25. 22 Seeing it is thus why am I so Lamprid. wā ­ton. Florus could say: Ego nolo Caesar esse, equitare per Bri­tannos, cursitare per Germanos, pati pruinam, &c. I would not for any good be Caesar, to indure so many frosts, & watch­ings amongst the Britans and Germans: but Caesar thirsting after victory, retorted it thus vpon him: Ego nolo Florus esse, ambulare per tabernas, latitare per popinas, &c. I would not, for any good, be Florus to spend my time in vanity. There is great difference betwixt a carnal man, and those that desire (through Iesus Christ) to be more then Conquerours: the car­nall rather then they would lose their Math. 8. 34 swine, desire Christ to depart out of their coasts, wheras the other 2. Tim. 2. 12 that they may raign with Christ, are willing to suffer with Christ. Some of the aun­cients speaks of a plea that shall be holden by the diuell a­gainst the wicked, before God, at the day of iudgement: O glorious king, these that stand before thee, are thine in­deed by creation, but by their sins they haue canceld that image of thine that was vpon them; they are thine by ver­tue of thy Sons passion, but mine for want of naturall com­passion: in all matters of difficulty, when the question was whither they would lean to thee or me, they forsooke thee & yeelded to my temptations: therefore (ô great King, ô King [Page 66] of glory, giue me my due. There is danger you see in wea­ring the liuery of Satan, no lesse Esay 59. 5. then treading vpon the egs of a Cockatrice, which is dangerous; and weauing the spiders webbe, which is fruitlesse. Let it not seem euil and burden­some to you, to serue the Lord: for though there be no con­demnation to them that bee in Christ Iesus; yet this priuiledge belongs vnto them that liue after the spirit, not after the flesh, Rom. 8. 1. 1. Sam. 6. 12 When the arke of the Lord was drawne by kine to Bethshemosh, though their calues perhaps lowed vnto them, and they (as the text sayth) vnto their calues, yet they could not goe because they were tyed vnto the arke: So doe you resolue vpon the keeping of the couenants of the Lord, and then though your affections call you aside, yet you cannot, you will not goe wrong because you are tyed by vowe or by resolution, though not to the Arke of the co­uenant, yet to the couenants of the Lord: but if you will needs follow your owne Gen. 6. 5. imaginations which are euill, and that continually; beware of ioyes no better then sick mens dreams: those ioyes are quaedam nepenthica, & soporifera, for a while charming and silencing the cries both of sinne and punish­ment: but in the end Dan. 4. 2 the visions of your heads will make you afraide. If you be wicked, pro. 28. 1 you will flie cowardly, yea sot­tishly when no man followeth, because you haue loued iniquitie and hated righteousnesse: therfore the diuel (whom you haue ser­ued) will annoint you with oyle of sadnesse aboue your fellowes, then can you neuer be merrie though al the pleasures in the world should make you melody. An euill conscience (when you haue lost your selues, as Iob lost Iob. 1. 19. all his goods & children) will haunt you and say vnto you, you haue lost Gods fauour and your owne soules, and I alone am left aliue to come and tell you, to keepe you waking at midnight when you should sleepe. When there bee many fiery pictures in the ayre, a blast of wind breakes and dispearses them all: when in your mindes there be fearefull & terrible cogitati­ons, strange frightings, and amazements; there is no way to dispearse them but by Gods holy spirit, that wind which bloweth vvhere it listeth. When Dauid vnderstood that the water of the wel of Bethlem, that was brought vnto him. [Page 67] 2. Sam. 23 17 was gained by the ieopardie of mens liues, he would not drinke it, but powred it vpon the ground for a sacrifice vnto the Lord: bethinke your selues that your soules are gayned not by the ieopardie, but the loose of the life of Christ: de­dicate not your soules and bodies vnto lust and vanity, but rather say (O Lord) they were dear bought, I wil offer them both as a sacrifice to thee. We must mourn for sin, we must abandon sin; and because sin will euer dwel in our suburbs and be a borderer it will hang on so fast, and will neuer ad­mit a Supersedeas from sinning, so long as we dwell in hou­ses of claie,

Wee must (which I thirdly noted) appeale vnto God By trusting in God. (for he is the highest court of appeale) Ioh. 1. 29. who is the Lamb of God and can only purge the sinnes of the world: Let this Ag­nus Dei bee your choisest ornament. Plut. in A­pothegm. For as the woman hauing a matter heard before Philip king of Macedon, who being asleepe did not well apprehend her cause, but gaue wrong iudgement; therefore she sayde she would appeale from Philip to Philip, from Philip sleeping to Philip waking: So must we appeale, from God to God; from God iust and angry for our sinnes, to God opening the bowells of com­passion vnto vs. Iud. 14. 4 Out of the strong came sweete, it was the riddle of Sampson: the meaning of the riddle was, out of the dead Lion came the hony combe which relieued him: My application at this time is, out of the strong Apoc. 5. 5. Lion of the tribe of Iuda, comes the sweete comfort of our sauing health; for, that Lion 1. Cor. 1. 30 is vnto vn wisdome, iustification, sanc­tification and redemption. Gen. 27 19 As Iacob said vnto his father, so we may say to thee O heauenly Father; eat of our venison, of our flesh, the flesh of thy Sonne, that thy soule may bless vs. Tho man being iust do liue (as the Prophet sayth) once, and the Apostle doth canonize it once againe; yet faith is the soule and breath of that life: Hag. 2. 4. Iustus ex fide viuit. When it was resolued that Christ should do his Fathers wil for the good of mankinde, he was ready to say; Loe here I come to doe thy will: he came indeed to shed his bloud: he bled not inward, for that might haue indangered the body; but his blood was powred out for the good of others: the speare [Page 68] of the souldier that thrust him through the side, may serue as a pen, his bloud was ink, wherwith was written our Quietus est. We may now with Paul not onely challenge death, say­ing, 1. Cor. 15. 55 death where is thy sting? but with the same Paul sing a Requiem vnto our soules, saying, that Rom. 8. 38. neither powers, nor principalities can make a separation betweene God and vs. See­ing then God hath reared vp a standard of hope vnto all beleeuers; let vs not be like reeds wauering and shaking in faith: for then we please the diuell, who by som of the aun­cients is compared to Iob. 40. 10 Behemoth, that takes his pastime a­mong the reeds; but rather, let vs be like a wall (strong) that God may build vpon vs Cant. 8. 9. a siluer palace, that he may make vs houses for himselfe. Let vs acquit our selues like men: wee haue for our right hand, Ephes. 6 the sword of the spirit, for our left hand, the shield of faith, for our breast, the breast-plate of righ­teousnesse, for our heads the helmet of saluation, for our feet, the shooes of the preparation of the Gospel: furniture enough for all parts, saue onely the backe; to argue that if we fight a­gainst the diuell we may do well, but if we turne our backs and growe faithlesse, wee giue him aduantage against vs. What neede we turne back? seeing (like Rahel) hee dyed in trauell of vs his children, and though to him we were Gen. 35. 18 Ben­onies sonnes of sorrow, yet in regard of ourselues we are Ben­iamins, sonnes of his right hand. He shewed his power and strength to doe vs good, the deeper we diue into the foun­taine of his mercie the sweeter we shall finde the water, we shall find Ioel 2. 13. he is gracious and merciful: if that be not enough let vs dig deeper and we shall find hee is of great goodnesse, plentious in goodnesse, and one that is sory for any euill that hapneth vnto vs. Our Sauiour openeth the breasts of con­solation vnto vs: now the more the breasts of a nurse are drawen by sucking, the more ease it is vnto her: by sucking therefore these breasts and calling for mercy at his hands, shall we not please him? yes, as one desiring a vent for his abundant mercie he cries, and saith: Math. 11. 18 Come vnto mee all yee that are heauy laden, and I wil ease you. He our Head is ascen­ded into heauen, and now aboue the water; temptations may assayle vs, but they cannot ouercome vs: so long as the [Page 69] head is aboue the water, we that are his members can neuer be drowned: therfore let vs with an intemerate faith make way through 2. Cor. 6. 8 honour & dishonour, good report, and bad re­port, and dismaied with nothing, take holde on Christ Ie­sus: he, he will trauerse the inditement, cancell the debt, suspend the rigorous doom, acquit our soules, and this par­don will be ripened with an influence from aboue, with the best aspect, the trine aspect, the holy Trinity will say Amen vnto it. Ephraim sinned: well had Ephraim been if hee had turned vnto the Lord, by repentance mournfully, & by re­formation holily, & by cleauing vnto Christ Iesus hopeful­ly; but he did not, he sought not the Lord (as the text saith) of which point I spake vnto you out of the 7. ver. & ther­fore now I pass it ouer: nay, Ephraim was so far frō cleauing vnto God, that Ephraim was like a doue deceiued without heart. Like a doue? that was good, Mat. 10. 16 be ye innocent as doues▪ a doue deceiued? that was naught, be you wise as serpents also. A doue de­ceiued. But the diuel took such order to infatuate that wisdom, that he gained possession of the tower the strongest holde, the hart, vnto which al the affections owe suit & seruice. 1. Reg. 22. 31. Fight against neither smal nor great, but only against the king of Israel: quell the the captains, & all the souldiers wil be amated: the tēper of the head spring is either the sweetning, or the poi­soning of the streams: the heart being surprised, the retinue of affections must needs doe their homage & follow after. But whither did the affectiōs of the men of Ephraim follow their harts? to Aegypt, to Ashur, where there were the sin­news of might & strength: the earths terror, Ottoman hath not greater at this day: but see how vnsurely the foote of worldly pomp standeth, they stood in slippery places, though they did call to Aegypt, though they did go to Ashur.

Simple doues, being well in their doue-house the Church of God, where they wanted neither meat, nor nest, nor warmth, nor the protection of God, they could not be con­tent, but lured with the charms of Aegypt & Ashur, flew wil­lingly into their nets, and there changing their gold for cop­per, forfeited their estates in Gods prouidence: they wanted help, & though being vnder Gods wing, they 2. Reg. 6. 16. were moe that [Page 70] were with them then they that were against them, yet did they call to Aegypt, and goe to Ashur.

I call to minde two kindes of doues deceiued without Spirituall. heart; the one in matters spirituall, the other in matters tem­porall. In matters spirituall, those that in the quest and pur­suite of their saluation, make not to Almighty God, the strong rocke of their defence, but they make wracke vp­on the sands, vpon the vnsure ground of masses, trentalls, indulgences, pardons, the number (not the weight) of prai­ers, nay vpon their owne good works, which are no better then sinnes, passing the sands in number: and there might they drowne, their Esay 1. 18. sinnes being as red as scarlet, if God in his mercy did not make the sinners as white psa. 68. 14. as the snowe in Salmon.

The spider hath many legges, and little or no bloud. If you aske why the church of Rome standeth vpon so many legges, and leaneth vpon so many helps not warranted by the scripture; it is because they haue too little confidence in the bloud of Christ. Among other their reeds of Aegypt they stand to the mercie of the Pope, who pretends to haue the key of the churches treasury, and can sell or lend good workes vnto them that want, as though he were worthy to be of Gods priuie counsell.

I reade of one Lampr. in Se. Verco. Verconius, in the time of Alexander Seue­rus; who pretending familiarity with the Emperour, took mens money for preferring their suites, abused them, did them no good at all: beeing conuented before the Empe­rour, he was iudged to bee hanged vp in a chimney and so perish with smoke, for that he solde smoke to the people. The man of sin makes great boast of familiarity and pow­er with God. Though he take mens money for indulgen­ces, yet how little good he doth them, the wise can iudge, he sells but smoake: and if Gods mercy be not all the grea­ter, he may perish by the smoake or by the fire of the valley of Tophet that was prepared of olde. Vid. a lit­tle treatise. of the de­scription of the world. In the countrey of the Abisanes where Prester Iohn gouerneth, there bee certaine mountains called Montes lunae, out of which the riuer Ni­lus issueth with such violence, that it would ouerflowe the [Page 71] lower countrey (which now the Turk possesseth) if it were not receiued into certaine deepe pittes and dammes in the country of Prester Iohn; to whom for that cause the Turke yeeldeth a yeerely tribute: the deluge of sinne is so great that it would ouerflow vs body and soule, but that Prester Iohn, or Presbiter Iohn, Iohn the Priest, Christ both King and Priest for euer, doth swallowe vp sinne, and burie it in the depth of his mercie. Shall wee not then yeelde a tribute for his fauor? yes, and all too little. Dubraui­us lib. 26. As Zisca that val­rous Bohemian did not onely quell his enemie beeing a­liue, but commanded that when he was dead there should bee a drumme made of his skinne thereby to terrifie him: So, Christ Iesus for our sakes did not onely when hee was aliue Gen. 3. 15. breake the head of the Serpent, by his preaching and miracles, but by his death and after his death also hee vvrought the Diuells woe and our good, he Rom. 4. 25. dyed for our sinnes, and rose againe for our iustification. So now, non gens sed mens (as Reusner Leor. in symb. impe­rator. Iulius Aemilianus said in his Embleme or Poe­sie) not onely Iewes but Gentiles also (if they feare God) finde fauour at his hands: While we walke through Psal. 84. 6. the valley of Mulberie trees, or of miserie (as diuers translati­ons render it) wee may vse these meditations, as pooles of water to refresh vs, and learne to flie to God, not to A­shur, not to Aegypt. As I haue noted vnto you a kinde of doues deceiued vvithout heart, in matters spirituall concerning their soules; so I note another kinde that are as much deceiued in matters temporall, shrinking from God and leaning vpon the broken reeds of Aegypt.

Dan. 7. 9 O thou auncient of dayes, thy mercie is as ancient, and from the beginning: O thou whose name is wonderfull, thy Temporall. loue is wonderfull: why should men then, from the breasts of consolation, fly and cal to Aegypt or go to Ashur? Leane vpon the worlds lap as long as you will, shee will proue but Iudg. 16. 18. a Dalila, to robbe you of your strength, she will proue like that Cant. 8. 8 little sister, Cant. 8. that hath no breasts: but Christ is your true Vine. Iohn 15. 1. A vine growes neere the house, so he is neere to all them that call vpon him: a vine is an orna­ment to the house, so Christ is to vs: therfore we must cast [Page 72] all our crovvnes dovvne at his feete. The Vine keepes the house from a storme: So, CHRIST keepes vs from storme and tempest, vvhich is the portion of the vvicked to drinke.

But which is tremblable and monstrous, there be some, who, when God smites them, they fly vnto a witch or an Inchauntresse, and call for succour; as though Iob had beene deceiued when he sayd, Iob 5. 18. O God thou vvoundest and healest againe, thou woundest and killest againe: or vvhen he sayde Iob. 1. 11. The same God that takes away, the same God doth giue. When Ahazia was hurt, hee sent to 2. Reg. 1. 2. 3. 4 Beel-zebub the God of Eckron, but God sent Eliah the Thisbite in haste to meet the mes­senger on the way, and bade him say, What, is there neuer a God in Israel, but thou must seeke for helpe of Beel-zebub the God of Eckron? Because thou hast done this thing, thou shalt neuer rise out of thy bedde. Gods fauour neuer was vppon Saul after hee left him, and 1. Sam. 28. 7 vvent to the Witch of Endor: therefore, it is sayde, that 1. Chr. 10. 13. Saul dyed in his sinne, because hee forsooke the Lord, and asked counsell of a familiar spirit. Let this doctrine serue as eye-salue vnto all you (if there be any in this place) who for the loue of your goods and your bodies health, seeke vnto, not the hurting witch (for flesh and bloud abhorres her) but the good witch (as you call them commonly) who is more sought vnto, therefore the more daungerous; who assure yourselues is, the more Saint, the more Diuell.

Therefore deale you with God by prayer, be in league with God: this blessed league of loue, was not concluded betwixt God, and the men of Ephraim, because they left their first loue and started aside like a broken bowe: but God was angry, his iealousie burned like fire, he found their goodnesse Hos. 6. 4. to be as a cloude and as the morning dewe, quickly come, and quickly gone, their zeale short breathed in going vp the hill to heauen. Hee found their motion not to bee natu­rall, not from the heart, because it was tardior in fine quàm in principio, more flow in their latter end then in their be­ginning.

His family admittes no dwarfes or vnthriuing soules, [Page 73] which grow not in grace, which do not 1. Cor. 9. 24. run that they may obtaine, but rather with Demas, 2. Tim. 4. 10. goe backe and imbrace this present world; therefore hee Dan 5. 27. weighed them in a ballance, and found them too light, and diuided their kingdome. Heere stand amazed with me and tremble at the angry wordes of our iust God. But when they shall goe, I wil spread my net vpon them, and draw them downe as the fowles of heauen: I will chastice them as their congregation hath hearde. verse 12.

As if God had sayde, O ye men of Ephraim, though you be without an eye, and see not your danger: without a foote, and returne not vnto me: without a heart like a doue deceiued, and goe to Ashur: yet I wil see you when you go, for Zepho. 1. 12. I search Ierusalem with a candle: I will spread a net by my wisedome, and draw you downe by my power, and cha­stice you in my iustice, and make good my truth by perfor­ming that which you haue heard in your congregation. Hee will see them when they goe: where I note Gods all seeing But when they goe. prouidence watching ouer the godly and ouer the wicked: ouer the godly, to protect them: & ouer the wicked, to re­straine them.

Ouer the godly, for their protection: and therefore in Godly. the 9. of the Prouerbs, Wisedome (that is Christ the wisedom of his father) is said, to buildher an house, (that is the Church) vpon seauen pillars (that is vpon a sure foundation) and in the foundation of the Church (as of the Temple of Ierusalem, Zach. 4.) there is laide Zecha. 4. 10 the stone with seauen eyes, Gods all seeing prouidence; which is is so mounted vpon the wings of birds, that Mat. 10. 29. two silly Sparrows sould for one farthing, cannot fall to the ground without his permission: much lesse, man who is of more worth then many sparrowes: least of all Gods e­lect, for whose good his Angels are appointed to be a guard and to all that are heires of saluation. Heb. 1. 14. The diffe­rence betweene the God of Israel and the Gods of the Gen­tiles is this: the God of Israel holds his people in his hands, Apoc. 2. 1. But the Gentiles held their Gods in their owne hands, Gen. 35. 4. The wheeles in the first of Ezechiel, (things whose motions are giddy and vncertaine) resembled the round [Page 72] [...] [Page 73] [...] [Page 74] world and the things therein, which things (like the rings of those wheeles) are full of eyes, full of Gods prouidence (for now Ierusalem, being without walles hath Gods Ze l. a. 2. 5 pro­uidence to be awall of fire about her, and himselfe, is the glory in the midst of her) for the good of his people, hee Hos. 2. 21 makes the heauens to heare the earth, the earth to heare the corne, the wine, and the oyle, and them to heare the cries of Israel: when Israell cries hee must bee heard; For he that keepeth Israel doth neither slumber nor sleepe.

Least then we plow the Sands and labour in vaine, wee must wrastle with all difficulties and businesses, and ouer­come them as the people of God did the Madianites with Iudg. 7. 20 the sword of the Lord, and the sword of Godion: neither being wanting vnto our selues, nor yet depending vpon our own endeuours without the blessing of the Lord, who will say to the Esay. 43. 6 North Giue, and to the South keepe not backe. It was a worthy resolution of Iacob, that hee would not goe into a strange Countrey vpon a great businesse, Gen. 28. 20 vnlesse GOD would be with him in his iourney. Let it be your resolution, not to vndertake any businesse for soule nor body, but with a request vnto God (before you vndertake your worke) that hee will further your enterprise. When you come into the Church to heare for your soules health, or when you are a­bout to labour in your vocations, remember this; GOD is the supervisour of his owne will to see that it bee perfor­med, by the godly and by the wicked: hee helpes the godly that they may doe it. If the vngodly doe it not, Hee teares them in peeces, while there is none to help: for (according to the position of the schooles) in him there is bona potentia and potens bonitas.

Ouer the wicked a power, and that is good: for the sakes Wicked. of the godly a goodnesse and that is powerfull. Let no man say that when he is about to sinne, Tush Psal. 11. 14 God doth not see it, what is there knowledge in the most high? Those men are like to stage players, personate men, they seeme what they are not, their deeds giue their wordes their lye: like idle house­wiues (which sweepe the dust behinde the doore) they haue filthinesse inough though it be not to be seene.

[Page 75] There is in this world a great swolne body of ostenta­tion, both words and deedes: it is the great physition of our soules, who can only skill of the Anatomy of this body; and therefore though the Iewes cried, Iere. 7. 40 The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, yet hee tried what gold they were, not only by the ring and sound, but by the touchstone also: and when hee found what they were, hee sayd, Mat. 7. 21 Not euerie one that sayeth vnto mee Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdome of heauen, but hee that doth the will of the Father that is in heauen: When a man had a sore, that was not couered, by the iudgement of the lawe Leuiticall, it was but a sore, but Leui. 13. 30 when it was couered ouer with a yellow locke it was a Le­prosie: euerie sinne may passe for a sinne, but when sinne is couered ouer with a faire yellowish lock, with a fair show or smooth excuse (as namely when pride is glorified with the name of cleanelinesse, couetousnesse with the name of good husbandry, deceire of wisedome, drunkennesse of good fellowshippe) then it is more then a sinne; a man may suspect himselfe for a Leprosie, then he must proclaim him­selfe before God (as the Leper was to doe in the streetes) Leu. 13. 45 I am vncleane, I am vncleane. Now in this seeming age (when complement goes as farre as one of the liberall sci­ences, and to be a fashionable man is as high rated as to bee learned or honest) Iosh. 6. Seauen dayes, and seauen Priests, and sea­uen rammes hornes are all too little to cast downe this sinne, which is as mightie as Iericho. Christ was neuer so loude a­gainst any sinne as against this sinne of hypocrisie, crying oftentimes, Mat 23. 13 Woe vnto you Scribes and Pharisies hypocrites. Therefore if there be any of you, who giue Christianitie occasion—Virg. lib. 2 Geor. mirari suas frondes, et non sua po­ma—Who seeme to make accounte of Esay. 1. 13 Newe Moones and Sabbaothes, and of the Church of GOD, and of religion, and haue your hands full of bloud, grinding Vers. 15. the faces of the poore by harde bargaines, hauing your mouthesfull of lies, and yet wiping your mouthes, as though you were no such men; take heed the visard will bee pulled frō your faces, and Godwil smite you, you whited wals. Act. 23. 3. God will see you, you cannot deceiue him, hee sawe the [Page 76] purpose of Ephraim: and when he saw it, he said, I wil spread I wil spread my n [...]t and draw them downe. my net vpon them, there is his wisedome; and drawe them downe as the foules of heauen, there is his power: hee spread his nets and drew down Nabuchadnezzar that Lucifer, that sunne of the morning, while vpon his Turret, he was making an Idole of himselfe; and many others: among the rest, Corn. Ta­cit. & alii. Nero, who piled crueltie vpon crueltie; witnesse many vil­lanies chained together at one time: When first he set Rome on fire: Secondly, hee plaied vpon his Lute and song ver­ses of Homer, concerning the burning of Troy, comparing the two Cities together: Thirdly, hee charged the Christi­ans with the burning of the Citie. Fourthly, hee clothed them with the skinnes of beasts, that being taken for beasts they might be deuoured by dogges. Seemaster Knowles his Turkish Hi­storie in the life of Amu­rath the 2. Though diuers of the Turkes kill their brethren to preuent treason, and therby to make themselues great in the world, yet God can put hooks at his pleasure in their nostrils, and turne them backe whi­ther soeuer hee will. Hee can spread his net and pull down the greatest oppressors of the earth, and make their Prou. 20. 17. bread of oppression to bee grauell in their teeth, and make Iob. 31. 38. the fur­rowes of their Land to complaine against them: which Land be­ing gotten by the hurt of Christs members betrayed and sould, (as Iudas betrayed Christ) will proue no better then Mat. 27. 8. Aceldamaes, fields of bloud. Exod. 6. 5. He that sawe the wrong offe­red by the taskemasters of Egypt, and heard the cries of Is­rael, wil euer heare the grones of his distressed people cry­ing,—quem das finem Rex magne laborum? Apoc. 6. 10 How long Lord, how long Lord holy and true? They that wound Gods children, touch the apple of his eye: Act 9. 4. Saul, Saul, why perse­cutest thou me? Saul through the sides of the Church, woun­ded Christ. Benhadad was deceiued when he sayd, the God of Israel was 2. Reg. 20. 23. the God of the mountaines, and not of the val­leyes, as though the Lord cared for the high and mighty and not for the lowly and deiected: there will bee a time when God will no longer suffer the wicked Esay 65. 15 to spoyle vpon his holy mountaine: Psal. 12. but for the comfortlesse troubles sake of the needie, and because of the deepe sighing of the poore, I will vp (saith the Lord) and when hee ariseth, who is able to resist? Herod was a [Page 77] King, and (as the greatest are) hee was but Lord ouer a little corner of Gods foot-stoole; yet hee grewe impetuous, and when hee sate vpon his royall seat, hee remembred not him that sitteth vppon the circle of the heauens: when hee stret­ched out his hand, hee remēbred not him that with the span of his hand reacheth from the East vnto the West: when he spake, hee remembred not him whose voice is like the sound of Thunder: when hee was clothed with royall apparell, hee remembred not him who is clothed with righteousnesse, as with a garment: therefore hee found that Omne sub regno gra­uiori regnum est, Act. 12. 23. Hee was eaten vp with wormes. It is GOD that can visit Esay. 27. 1. Leuiathan, that pearcing Serpent, yea euen Le­uiathan that crooked Serpent, and can slay the Dragon that is in these [...] and as for those who are any way displeasing vnto him, he can take them though they hide themselues Amos 3. 12. in Sa­maria, as in the corner of a bed, and in Damascus as in a couch: for God in this place sayth of Ephraim, I wil draw thē down as the foules of heauen.

This may seeme harsh to flesh and bloud: which out of weakenesse may euen seeme to plead against God, and say that God is the cause of their ruine and perishing in their sinnes, seeing he showes his power in punishing of them, for those sinnes which himself by infusing grace might haue preuented. Dust and ashes dispute not thou with thy ma­ker, Hos. 14. 2. Perditio tua ex te Israel, Euery reprobate is choked with his owne venome. God can touch pitch, and not bee defi­led: as for example, Iob. 1. 15. The Sabaeans and the Chaldaeans spoy­led and robbed Iob, the Diuell caused them, God suffered them, nay in some some sort he was an agent; for Act. 17. 28 by him men liue, moue, and haue their being: author I say of the acti­on, but not of the obliquitie of the action: when impietie was once aflote, God by his wisedome ordained a channell for it that it might turne to his glory, and the greatest good of Iob. When a skilfull musician plaies cunningly vpon a Lute that is out of tune, the iarre (if there be any) comes from the lute, not from the hand: when mens liues are out of tune ought they to blame that wise and powerfull finger of God without which they cannot worke? No, no: O sinner all [Page 78] that iarring comes of thy selfe. It is not God (O drunkard) but thy selfe that drinkes thee drunke: Not God (O thou murtherer) but thy selfe that staines thy selfe with bloud: Not God (O thou blasphemer) but thy selfe that filles thy mouth with Ecclus. 23 12. words that are clothed with death: build not thy sinnes vpon the backe of God: thou mockest thy self, when thou thinkest to shift thy burden from thy selfe vnto his shoulders. Ezech. 18 4 The same soule that sinneth, the same must die, vnlesse Gods mercy bee all the greater. As the Diuell brings darkenesse out of light, so the manner of God is to bring light out of darkenesse: therupon Saint Origen spea­keth of a great pedigree of blessings deriued from that vn­naturall sinne of the selling of Ioseph into Egypt, which blessing after many yeares returned plentifully againe vn­to his fathers house. Aug. in Fau [...]um Manich. Saint Austen in fewe wordes deter­mines this question: the Diuell tempts, man consents, God forsakes. Let God bee true, and all men liers: Let God be iust­ly esteemed pure, and all the world be tainted with impietie. God in his wisedome shewes his iustice oft and many a time vpon vs, as at this time vpon Ephraim, that by his correctiōs hee may call vs home vnto him: Hos. 11. 4 Hee drawes vs gently with the cordes of a man, euen with the bands of loue, least wee should bee drawen from him by Egypt or by Ashur, by lit­tle sinnes or by great, Esay. 5. 18 by the cordes of vanitic or by the care­ropes of iniquitie.

And therefore in the wordes following, he cals them Chastice. chastisements: which chastisements (when men are incor­rigible, deafe adders and stop their eares against the wise char­mer) are the best meanes to cast salte vppon affections, and giues eyes vnto reason: hee sayeth, I will chastice them. The chasticements of GOD lay heauie (that my discourse may beare date then, and not before the com­ming of our Sauiour in the flesh) vpon the sonne of GOD himselfe: the roddes wherwith God did suffer him to bee chasticed were his enemies and his friends: his enemies were like Psa. 22. 16 as many dogges that came vpon him: and as the Sunne entring into the constellation called the Dogge, argueth a hote season: so the conflict must needes bee hote when the [Page 79] Sunne of righteousnesse fell among so many dogges: his friendes, the flocke, were so amazed (the shepheard being smitten) [...]hat he was like a tree hauing all the leaues beaten of: not only the withered leaues, those which followed him for his bread and for his miracles fell away, but the greene leaues also, they which loued him best, his own Mark. 14 71 Peter both denied and forsware him. Luk. 23. 31 If these things fell vnto the greene tree, what shall bee done vnto the drie tree? The Church could not scape sorrow, but hath hen Esay. 1. 8 as a lodge in a garden of cu­cumers, and as a besieged Citie. When the diuell trieth, hee trieth with a siue, Luk. 22. 31 Satan hath d [...]sired to winome thee as wheat: When God trieth, heetrieth with a sanne; Luk. 3. 17 With a fanne will hee purge his floore: a siue keepes the bad, and sends a­way the good: a fanne keepes the good, and sends away the bad: therefore the trials of the diuell do rob vs of our ver­tue, and the trials of God by affliction do dispatch away al our vices. Be not afraid (saith Petr. de re­medio vtri­usque fortu­n [...] Petrarch) though the house, the body be shaken so the soule, the guest of the body fare well. Affliction is the whetstone of zeale, which made God sometimes let his Church taste of it, and [...] 13 lie among the pots, though her wings be of siluer, and her feathers of golde. God doth come with loue or with a rod inter changeably as it pleaseth him: Hee hath piped vnto vs by many earthly ble­ssings; haue our hearts danced for ioy, and in our songs haue we pray sed him? He hath mourned vnto vs by the shaking of diuers rods, and calamities ouer our heads, and hath our mourning for sinne beene like the mourning of the mother for the losse of her first borne? If we will bee reconciled by nei­ther meanes, hee will doe vnto vs as hee did vnto E­phraim: Mat. 11. 17. For when hee piped to Ephraim by his loue and by his worde, they would not treade right measures by their obedience, therefore hee tolde them they must a­dresse themselues to weeping, for now he meant to mourn vnto them and to chastice them as their congregation had heard.

Such is the confluence of opinions for the exposi [...]ion of these words, so diuers and so iustling the crowde of in­terpreters, As their cō ­gregation hath heard. that I cannot without wronging you ouermuch, [Page 80] marshall them into their seuerall rankes: therfore Zanchius & [...]hi. I will at this time build vpon that which is subscribed vnto by the best, and excepted against by none; which I take to bee the quick of these words; and that is this, that they had often heard in their cōgregations, by thelaw & the prophets, that the chasticements and the rods of God would treade vpon the heeles of their sinnes, if they continued in them. Happy were the men of Ephraim, if they had knowen their owne happiness: yet being as they were they were happy, for be­ing forewarned they were forearmed. So was Niniueh: for the noyse of destruction Ion. 3. 4. after fortie daies made the Nini­uites turne vnto the Lord, and so preuent the danger. Arise quoth Elias to A [...]b and 1. Reg. 18. 44. prepare thy chariot, for I heare a sound of raine; vnlesse thou passe quickly thou canst not passe: there the sound of raine, preuented the daunger that might haue come by raine: So though the iustice of God require the cutting downe of sinners, yet God in his mercie first Mat. 3. 10. putteth the axe to the roote of the tree, to see if that repentance and amendment of life, may preuent that cutting. Seeing then you haue so many warnings in the congregations, to forearme you against danger, make vse of them and be bettered by them, least they proue a cloud of witnesses against you.

I will chastice them as their congregation hath heard. Out of which words, I obserue first that the preacher who is the tongue of the congregation, ought to tell the people of their danger to come: Secondly, the people who are the eare of the congregation, ought to yeelde their obedience vnto the voice of the shepheard; a well composed body that hath such a tongue and such an eare. The preacher should tell the congregation of the danger to come: but some can­not, some dare not, some will not, some though they doe it doe it to no purpose.

Some cannot, for they runne before they be sent, not ha­uing Some can­not. eaten Apos. 10. 10. Ezech. 3. 1. the little booke that Saint Iohn and Ezechiel were commanded to eate: they giue counsell before they receiue it of the Lord, they preach without meditation, they onelie turne the cocke and let the water runne; whereas fishers of [Page 81] men should bee as the Apostles were (when they were fishers) who were not alwayes casting in their nets, but som times mending their nets: so if these men bee alwayes fee­ding others by their preaching & neuer feeding thēselues by reading and meditation, they will proue but dry nurses in a while, and vnfit to giue the sincere milke of the word to others: what then, Ier. 8. 22. is there no balm in Gilead? is there no phy­sition there? Yes, but some dare not. Some dare not, forget­ting (that when occasion serueth) they must bee Mar. 3. 17 sonnes of thunder, as well as of consolation. Woe vnto them that gild o­uer ragged wals and rotten posts, Ezech. 13. 10. who dawbe with vntem­peredmorter, & sowe pillowes vnder the elbowes of sinners: saying peace, peace, when there is no peace: Ps. 137. 6 Let such a tongue cleaue to the roofe of the mouth, let such a dawbing right hand forget his cunning. In the Gospell wee read of Mat. 13. 33 a woman, that seasoned three peckes of meale till all were leauened. I com­pare the three peckes of meale to three sorts of men, our su­periours, our equals, our inferiours: some preachers can be content to put leauen (sharpnesseinough) into their equals and inferiours, but when they should come to season their superiours, they dare not, they Hatter; in stead of leauen, they bring hony: they are in som sort like Surgeons, though they haue not Lions harts, courage to launce, and pearce, & cure the sinnes, yet they haue Ladies hands, which (they say) are enured to complexions and paintings, they haue comple­xion for euery vice; both will and skill to iustifie the bal­lances of deceipt and wickednesse (be it neuer so great) in a friēd or in a man of power. They be like ciphers which are nothing of thēselues, but serue to raise the figure to a higher number: so these are men of no worth, only they serue by their flatterie to puffe men vp with an opinion that they be more then indeed they are. Hotto. in his treatise called the ambassador. Hottoman a learned Lawyer, sayth that an Ambassador should not be like a stage player to change his person, hee must stand constantly vpon the will and pleasure of his King. If an Ambassador must bee so, then Gods Ambassador must be so, & more then so, de­liuering neither more nor lesse, then the counsell of God. Iohn Baptist (that day starre before the Sunne) the forerun­ner [Page 82] of Christ did not sticke to tell Herode that Mat. 14. 4 it was not lawfull for him to haue his brother Philips wife; though Amos. 7. vers. 12. 13 A­maziah said vnto Amos, Go thou Seer into the Land of Iuda, & prophecie there, but prophecie not in Bethel, it is the Kings chap­pell, it is Ieroboams court: Such agents for the Diuell (that breed singing in the eares of great men, and make their heads giddie) vould perswade that those great men of the world (who haue their authoritie giuen them as a talent whereby they may punish others) should become sanctu­aries for sinne, and that no man should dare to meddle with any vice that they are giuen vnto. Deut. 19. 5 When the hatchet of any man hewing timber did by chance flie out of his hand, hit, hurt, or kill a man, there was allowed him a Citie of refuge: If any preacher hewing timber for the building of the Lord, touch or wound any of his auditors, shal there not be allowed vn­to him a City of refuge? Yes, the necessitie that lies vpō him to discharge his own conscience, & deliuer the Lords coun­sell, will be sufficient to plead his pardon.

Some againe will not though they can and dare; they are Some will not. like Gen. 49. 14 Issachar, who was a strong asse cowching downe vnder two burdens, (two or three liuings) saying, Rest is good. Such a one was Alexander the sixt, who was more fit to keepe the castle of Pageant of Popes. Saint Angelo against Charles the eight, King of France, then to tend the flock of God against the inuasions of Satan: hee I say hauing sonnes whome hee especially ad­uanced vnto honor, viz. the prince of Sicily, Caesar Borgia, first a Cardinall, then Duke of Valentia, Aut Caesar aut nihil. first Caesar, then nothing, according to his own speach, & the duke of Spain, who being murdered and cast into Tyber, and dragged for by his careful father, made his father then, & perhaps only then worthy to be accounted a fisher of men. Christ (if you marke them well) with many working words, doth inforce ministers to be careful guardians of their congregations: though Peter himselftels him thrice that he loues him, yet he will not take his loue to be sincere vnlesse Peter will Ioh. 21. 17 feede his sheepe, feede his lambs: by all the tearmes of loue that may be, he pleades and becomes an aduocate for his people, lest the sheep of his fould should wander in the wildernes with­out [Page 83] a guide. Ministers are called shepheards, watchmen, la­borers; their names are not still borne, but haue their signi­fication and teach them their duty: yet som wil not, though their office be to be orators for the people & Ambassadors from God.

Some againe, though they doe it, doe it to no purpose: as Some do it to no pur­pose. when they giue good oracles out of Moses his chaire and yet haue not cōsecrated hands to perform what they speak; which makes the people thinke of some great mysterie of Atheisme, that was neuer yet imparted to them. It should be with the minister as in the vision that Ezechiel sawe, Ezech. 1. 8 a hand vnder a wing: they should not only haue knowledge to mount vpwards, but a hand also to perform that which they know is meet. Therfore in the olde Testament, there was not only Aaron that had vpon his breast plate, Exod. 28. 30. Vrim and Thummim, perfection of life as well as light of vnderstan­ding: but in the new Testament also there was Iohn Baptist, who was Ioh. 5. 35 a shining and burning candle, not only shining with knowledge but burning also, such was his zeale. It was an argument of the calling of Moses, when his rodde Num. 17. 8 brought forth both blossomes and ripe almondes: No man will deny that Minister to be lawfully called, who hath both the goodly blossomes of learning, and the ripe fruits of a liue­ly faith: those that haue the one are like Saul 1. Sam. 8. 7 vvho ouer­came his thousand: but those that haue them both are like Da­uid who ouercame his ten thousand, and beeing made keepers of the vines they may reioyce that they keepe their owne vines al­so. Cant. 1. 5.

Some cannot, some dare not, some wil not, some though they do it, do it to no purpose. These words I doubt not are drunk vp into the eares of many, with as longing a desire as Iob. 40. 18 Behemoth would swallow vp Iordan into his mouth: but what? Is there sin onely in the house of Leui, & not among the rest of the Tribes? no, not onely: I may not silence the sins nor the duty of the people: the people also should heare the threatnings that are deliuered in the congregati­on. But some will not come, some will not mark when they come, some will not bee pleased when they marke, some [Page 84] be they pleased or displeased, will not obey.

Some will not come, but (like beetles who care more for the dung of the earth then for a rose) they esteeme more of Not come. that which is Phil. 3. 8 losse and dung, Rom. 15. 12 then of Christ, the flower of the roote of Iessee: they cannot abide the sauour of him, tho his word be 2. Cor. 2. 16 the auour of life vnto life: though his word turned Lions into Lambes, making the souldiers say, Luk. 3. 14 Master what shall wee doe? the subtiltie of the serpent into the simplici­tie of a doue, making the Publicans say, Master what shal wee doe? many heads into one tongue, making the people say, Master what shall wee doe? All this, when it was put in­to the mouth of Iohn the Baptist, Luk. 3. Iudg. 5. 23 Curseye Meroz, (sayth the Angell of the Lord) indefinenter maledicite (as Iunius and Tremelius render it) curse it with an euerlasting curse; because the men of that Citie would not come out to helpe the rest of the Tribes in the day of battel. When wee come all to the Church of God vpon the Sabaoth day wee come (like an army) to ioyne together to warre against the diuell by our prayers and holy meditations: if there be any that be either idle, or drunken, or wanton, or worldly, or (for any cause) vnwilling to come to ioyne with & helpe their brethren in this high seruice, shall I curse them? I pray God they be not cursed with an euerlasting curse. While we blaze the glory of the word, there comes vnto the igno­rant a Iesuite or a Seminary or perhaps a pupill of theirs, & beguiles them with a shew & pretence of antiquitie, as the Gibeonites beguiled Ioshua, by telling him a tale Iosh. 9. vers. 4. 5. of oulde shooes, and oulde bottles, and ould mouldy bread: they tell them the olde good world was then at the best, when they liued vnder the Latine law, and knew no Scripture, but beleeued as the Church beleeued, and so by this meanes many simple men haue beene drawne to make a league with them (as Ioshua did) Iosh. 9. 14 without asking counsell of God. I doe with reue­rence ascribe all conuenient authoritie vnto the Church, whose beauty within is farre more then I can comprehend.—Martiall. Par domus est coelo, sedminor est Domino. The Church, the house of God is glorious, and euen the gate of heauen, but the Church (especially those hoodwinkt Churches in [Page 85] those sickely times whereof I spake before) is farre inferior to Christ the Lord of the Church, and his holy word which is his will, whereby hee gouerneth this house of his. And therefore despising the words of God 2 Cor. 1. 20 (which are Yea and Amen) we must not only eye the Church, which may erre while shee is militant here on the earth. Those that trauaile Southward haue the Northerne pole for their direction, till they come beyonde the hote and burning zone or part of the world: which when they haue once passed they lose the sight of the Northerne; and the Southerne pole ariseth to be their guide: so while we passe to heauen ward through Apoc. 15 this glassie sea mingled with fire, which is the world, wee are directed (as by a starre) by the word of God: but when we are once past the hot fits and pangs of death, then wee lose that directiō, we need it no more, an other light is our com­fort, euen Apoc. 21 the light of the Lambe for euer and euer. Iosh. 5. 12 No fal­ling of Manna vnto the children of Israel, when once they had gotten a croppe in the Land of promise, so long it fell, and no longer; noe more the word, noe more the bread of this life shal nourish vs, we need it not when wee haue the bles­sings of that place which floweth with better things then either milke or hony.

Some wil not marke when they come, yet both strong Some doe not marke when they come. and weak Christians should marke, for the word of God is a Greg. in mor. Riuer wher the Elephant may plunge and the Lamb may wade. In the Church Chrysost. Hom. 24. in acta. when the Priest praieth and blesseth, I see one talking and another laughing: when thou sittest and kneelest there, dost thou not know that thou art in the company of Angels? and yet doest thou laugh or scorne. If these things be not worthy of a thunderbolt, I know not what is. August. contra Do­natistas. To pollute a common wel, where the whole Citie fetcheth water, is a thing that cānot be indured: how much more to abuse the Church where Gods people come for the waters of comfort? Tertull. Apologet. cap. 19. Coit coetus, the people gather to­gether, & like a band of men they set vpon God with their prayers. Grata est haec vis: God is pleased to haue such vio­lence offered vnto him. When you come then vnto the Church, marke well the vse of the Laver in the sanctuarie, [Page 86] Exodus the 30. and the 18 verse: and wash your selues be­fore and when you offer your sacrifice. Leuit. 11 No beast was clean, but that which chewed the cud: If you will bee cleane, and pleasing vnto God, heare not only, but marke and chewe the cud by serious meditations. God cared not so much for Dauids sacrifices as for his obedient attention vnto his word: the former he needed not, for His are the bullockes vpon ten thousand Plaines: but the later hee required, and gaue Dauid power to performe it: whereupon Dauid saith, Psal. 40. 8 Sacrifice and burnt offerings thou wouldest not haue, but mine eare hast thou opened: he made account he should heare, and attention would be more pleasing vnto God then any sa­crifice. Exod. 21. 6 If a man for loue of his master were willing to bee his seruant continually, he must by the Iudges of the city haue his eare bored: If you vow your selues continuall seruants vnto the Lord, you must desire the Iudge of quick & dead to bore & open your ears that you may hear & know his wil. Whē you com vp thē with the Tribes into the house of the lord, bring your buckets with you vnto the wel, your ears & harts that they may be filled, Mat. 26. 40 Grudge not to watch with God one houre, let no temptatiō of flesh, the world, or the diuel steal away your hearts. Like children dote not vpon babies while you shuld learn your lessō, be not miscarried by worldly shews & vanities. Say vnto euery euil suggestion, Mat. 16. 23 Turne thee be­hind me, Satan: know that Exod. 3. 5 the groūd where you sit & kneel and stand, is holy ground. Let God in his owne house bee the Emperour of the field: and by his word he wil hammer you so, that if he find you Lactantius lib. 3. diuin. institut. like Lions, he wil make you lambes, if he find you weake, he wil make you resolute, neuer to be outfaced by the flames of persecution: 2. Cor. 2. 16 who is sufficient for those things? for the message of God? yet Eph. 4. 8 God hath giuē gifts vnto men, wherby they deliuer the worde of God (as Vin­centius Vinc. Ler. contra. hae res. cap. 17 Lerinensis sayth) nouè, but not nouum; after a newe maner, but no other word then that which was from the beginning: and they stand vpon the watch towers in your Churches to descry the danger & giue you warning, heare thē, & by their preaching together with the power of gods holy spirit (a beam of the Sun of righteousnes) you wil quickly [Page 87] perceiue your soules not to be virgins, you wil see your own sins & corruptions that you may amend, as the beam of the sun shining in a house discouers many motes which before were vnperceiued: woldst thou not be caught by the hooks of Satan? then let not thy mind leap out of the poole, out of the wel of the water of life, at euery flie, at euery wordly vanity: wouldst thou haue thy affectiōs deep died in religiō, so that thy mind clothed with thē may be taken to wear the liuerie of God? then let thē stay long in the liquor; let thy body stay in the Church, & thy minde besetled vpon the word that is read & preached: so by the hāmer of Gods word without, and the fire of the holie Ghost working within, thou wilt be beaten & fashioned into a signet, neer & deer vnto God: but if (Ier. 22. 24 Coniah like) thou being a signet on Gods finger dost re­bell against him, he will pull thee off.

But some will not be pleased when they marke; but like Not pleased. Apes & Monkies which break euery glasse they look into, because euery glasse doth shew them their own deformitie: so they quarel with al preachers and preaching because the truth deliuered cannot chuse but shew them their own oug­lines. They haue their galles in their eares: whatsoeuer they heare turns into the gall of bitternes, they loue to haue their ears sheaths for flattery, they relish nothing but placentia, if there be any sin that rules in them (as who hath not one or other that is praedominant) then they acknowledge no king, but Caesar, no ruler but that euill affection, the word of God shal not ouerrule them by their good wils. How much bet­ter were it for men when they are touched by sermons, to giue God thanks for it, because God hath sent a special me­ssenger that day to take them (aboue others) as brands out of the fire, & like stinging spirits to bring them vnto God. For such words Psa. 149. 8 bind kings in chaines, and nobles in linkes of iron: they carrie not away the eare vnto God for a present, but a heart Pro. 23. 26 which he himselfe requires of all his sons: O God (may they say, who are touched for their sinne) I thank thee, Luk. 19. 9 this day is saluation come into my house.

Some again (be they pleased or displeased) wil not obey. Not obey. Thogh the word of God like the Iosh. 10. 12 Sun stāding stil in Gibeon, [Page 88] and the Moone in the valley of Aielon, hath beene a long time at the noone point and height, that by the benefit of it wee might be reuenged of our greatest enemy: yet I feare, the Diuell may still walke Mat. 12. 4 in drie places, as he delights to doe, among those (I meane) that are not moystened with this well of liuing water, or if they haue heard the word, yet Math. 13 it takes little or no roote because it hath fallen in stonie or thorny places. When Naaman murmured at Elisha saying, that 2 Reg. 5. vers. 12. 13 A­banah and Pharphar riuers of Damascus were better then ei­ther Iordan or any riuer in Israell: the seruant of Naaman said vnto him, If the man of God should bid thee doe a great matter, wouldest thou not do it? much more when he bids thee wash thy self seauen times in Iordan and be cleane. So should wee doe any thing that God commands in his worde (euen because hee commands) much more when hee bids vs obey and bee sa­ued. The assurance that we haue for our saluation is in the word of God, we know in whom to trust: but God keepes a counterpane thereof, hee is not ignorant, but knowes whom wee must obey: as he will on his, so must wee on our parts performe conditions. Chrysost. in 2. Math. If hauing gone astray and be­ing in daunger of Herod (of the Diuel worse then Herod) we will not with the wise men of the East returne home another way, then God may say (as Dauid sayde in the pang and bur­then of his soule) 2. Sam. 18. 33. O my sonne Absalon, O Absalon my sonne, my son; you would needes be rebels: but, as hee was hanged in his own haire, so your lot is to perish by your own rebelli­on. Heare the worde then, as though the very message brought you wings to flye to God: let not sinne (that shot without noyse) wound you vnawares and possesse you so strongly, that you be loth to leaue it till it leaue you; so that you say of it, as Abraham sayd of the sonne of the bond­woman, Gen. 17. 18. O that Ishmael might liue in thy sight. And surely such is the nature of man, that euerie one hath a sin (which I may call a peculiar) beloued with an extraordinarie loue, for which he desires a dispensatiō, though he can be cōtent to forgoe all other sinnes but that. As Lot sayd of Zoar, Gen. 19. 20 O Lord spare it, it is but a little City: so euery man saith of his be loued sin, O lord spare that, it is but a smal sin, I am naturally [Page 89] inclined vnto it, and therefore to be borne withall, from o­ther sinnes I am content to bee weaned. Thus euery man would be so sawey as to passe a faculty with God, if he were not both wise & iust. The diuell is like Nimrod a great hun­ter, O Lord keep vs out of his chase: yet men like the plea­sures of sin: and though they be in danger to be molested with many spirits and terrors, who come within the com­passe of sinnes inchanted circle, yet are they neuer willing out of the Diuels by-pathes to follow their mother the Church, by the steps of the flocke. Cant. 1. 7. not from vertue to vertue, from grace to grace; which is the progresse of Chri­stians, to whom Christ saith Cant. 2. 10 Arise my loue, my faire one and come away. Moisture in the feet strikes vp into the head, the sinne of the meanest member dishonours our head Christ. Let thē the girdle of verity be straight girt about your loins; I meane, obserue strictly that which God commaunds: he sayth Prepare your selues for heauen: say you, Psal. 57. 8. O God my heart is ready, my heart is ready: he sayth, Seek ye my face, an­swere you againe, and say, Thy face O Lord will I seeke: lay your noses open vnto the sweet sauour of life vnto life: your eyes vnto the Day-starre that is sprung from on high: your eares vnto the charmes of the wise charmer: and seeing God by his word knocks at your doores, Psal. 24. 7. Lift vp your selues you gates, and be ye lift vp ye euerlasting doores, that the King of glo­ry may enter in. Let not the Ministers of Gods word, rowe any longer against winde and tide: but seeing they are ap­pointed to raise vp seed to their elder brother Christ Iesus, by preaching Lib. 1. pas­toral. curae cap. 5. (as Gregory doth moralize that leuitical de­cree) be flexible at their perswasions. Our eng. Chr. M. Fox and others. Then shall that of Pope Gregory bee more fitly applyed to you, then when it was spoken; Angli quasi Angeli, not for the beauty of the body, but for that beauty which is the beauty of your mother the Church, who is alglorious within. Pro. 30. 26. Conyes are a peo­ple not mighty, yet they make their houses in the Rocke: howso­euer many of you in this world be but meane, yet bee wise, and build vpon the Rocke of your defence: doe it in deed by your obedience vnto the word, if you will stand against all temptations: if you doe but in shew only, it is but a san­dy [Page 90] building and will fall. M. Krolles his hist. of the Turkes. Uladislaus no lesse then a king of Polone and Hungary, and therefore a Christian King, was punished with a great ouerthrowe at Verna for brea­king his promise & oath made to Amurath the 6. who was no better then a cruel and an irreligious Turke: how shall men who are base, farre worse then Kings, and yet Chri­stians by profession, escape Gods fearefull iudgements for breaking their promise and vowe made in their baptisme, not vnto a Turke, but vnto God, not irreligious but the authour of all religion? Therefore remember your vow and yeeld your obedience? If euer it was a time to hearken to Gods word in Gods congregation; it is now, when Exod. 8. 28 the wicked swarme like the flyes in Aegypt. Apoc. 8. [...]1 The starre called wormewood is fallen into this glasly sea, and hath poyso­ned the world. Antigonum quaero (quoth one) I seeke Anti­gonus: So may wee: Where is the innocency of former a­ges? Now the wicked, Gen. 41. 4. like the leane kine (which Pharaoh sawe in his dreame) eate vp the fat ones (the good men) yet are they neuer a whit the fatter themselues, but as ill fauored as they were before. In this age one may see Zecha. 3. 1. Iehoshuaes, the best men, standing before the Angell of the Lord, in the best place and presence, and Satan on their right hands hindring their best actions: The Lord reproue thee Satan, euen the Lord, that hath chosen Ierusalem, reproue thee.

Especially now seeing the ends of the world are draw­ing neere vnto vs. It is (in respect of vs) long, since Christ sayd, Apo. 22. 20 Surely I come quickly. And now by the forerunners of the end, we may guesse the beginning of sorrowes vnto the wicked: but as for you that haue better learned Christ; Lu. 21. 28 Lift vp your heads, for your redemption draweth neere. One forerunner, is carnall security; men shall (as they did in the dayes of Noah) put farre from them the euill day: euen now men pamper the flesh, their bellies haue no eares. Zech. 1. 11. The man among the myrrhe trees sayd most truly then (so might he now) that all the world is at rest: Such is the security and sleep in sinne, that with the world it is midnight: but be­ware; Mat. 25. 6. at midnight will the Bridegroome come, hee will once more Hag. 2. 7 shake not onely the earth, but the heauens also. Looke [Page 91] you bee not taken vnawares in your bloudy feathers, vn­brace not your selues as though the armour of a Christian were no wearing for you: ye are yet in the militant church: the diuell so long as the world indures will neuer dislodge his campe, but be vp in armes against you. Yet blessed be your God who leads you against him, with the Zech. 11. 7. two staues, beauty and bands, a beautifull and comely gouernment, and with the bands of loue: doe not all the other forerunners follow after with Zech. 5. 9. windin their wings, Matth. 24. warres abroad, ru­mours of warres at home, a generall conflagration among priuate men, by strife & enuy: the pestilence knocking at our doores: So Luk 21. little faith among men, that the wiser sort and more nimble headed are pioners & vnderminers of o­thers: which made Dauid in his time say, hauing the choice of three plagues (& we haue now much more cause) 2. Sā. 24. 14 Lord let me not fall into the hands of men.

Antichrist, 2. Thes. 2. 4 the man of sinne, sitting as God in the temple of God, whose mystery of iniquity beginning to work in Pauls time, hath now filled the world brimme full of poison: ma­ny false Christs (if you looke into our Chronicles) haue lift vp their heads many yeares agoe: how many Iews be con­uerted to Christ wee cannot tell, but wee are to hope that God [...] priuy seale hath marked many among them who liue in Italy, France, Germany, and other places of Christen­dome. Wee haue seene signes by fire, many and fearefull: Signes by water, when God did let it loose to the spoyle of whole countries, the next yeare he bound it vp with frosts, and gaue it barres and doores, saying An. 1572. Hither to shalt thou come, and thou shalt come no further, here shalt thou stay thy x Iob. 38. 11. proude waues.

There haue bin signes in the stars set by him who guides Iob. 38. 32 Arcturus with his sonnes: as there was a blazing starre seen in Cassiopaea, for the iudging of whose place and altitude our Mathematicians wrote two bookes, the one called A­la mathematica, the other called Scala mathematica; but they could neither fly so high nor clime so high, but they found that digitus Dei, the finger of God was aboue them. These signes and tokens (beloued) are not limetwigges to [Page 92] catch you, but rather markes to direct you: let all your kowledge of these and other things end at home: your best Geometry is to measure the length, and the bredth, and the depth of Gods mercy: your best Arithmeticke is to learne to Psal. 39 5. number your dayes: your best Grammar to learne to know the property of that name which is a name aboue all names, whereat Thil. 2. 10. all the things in heauen and earth doe bow themselues. These signes are past and gone: when Ma. 24. 29 the sun will be darkned, and the moon turned into bloud, we cannot tell: but for the publication of the Gospel ouer the world, it may bee proued by many instances. One most pregnant, most fresh, is that of Virginia which now (by God grace) through our English shal heare news of Christ, the gospel of Christ shall be published, no doubt Rom. 10. 18 the sound of the Preachers will goe out into that corner of the world, and make it as a Esa. 58. 11 well watered garden. There were a people of the like qualitie (with the naturall inhabitants of Virginia) poore and na­ked things, (I call them so, the more to indeare your affecti­ons) when they were conquered, there was that crueltie v­sed vnto them, that scandall was giuen vnto the name of Christ, the name of Christianity grewe odious vnto them, by reason of that cruelty they would let it haue no roome in their thoughts. It would require a iust volume of it self, to tell you what Benzo and Bartholomeus a Casa write of this argument: but I hope our English are of that metall, that hauing in their hands the key of the kingdome of God, they will not keepe those weake ones out, but rather make way for the Gospell (as I hope they may) by their gentle & hu­mane dealing. You see many of the forerunners of the end, haue already runne their race: Mat. 24. 32 as the summer followeth the blowing of the figge-tree, so the end followes these things; it is the application of Christ himselfe. O that I had the tong of the learned, that I might cloath & inrich with due lights of speech this point, which was euer acknowledged by as many Philosophers as looking vpon the Sun of righteous­nesse through the cloude of Nature, held the immortality of the soule, and not now denied by any but by Psa. 14. 1. that foole that saith in his heart there is no God. He is a fool, scorne him: [Page 93] he sayth in his heart, he is a dissembler, trust him not: hee sayth there is no God, therfore he is a blasphemer, abhorre him: and roue not vpon these things in the tempest of your iudgements; but let zeale the carefull nurse of Christianity, whose warmth dooth much helpe the blowing of vertue, maintaine in you these meditations. Prudent hymn. So did it in Pruden­tius, who framed a song vnto the crowing of the cocke, whose noyse resembled the last trumpe, which should a­wake men sleeping in their graues, and giue warning of the great day. Ierom su­per Mat. So did it in S. Ierome, who (whatsoeuer he did) thought he heard in his eares the sound of the last trumpe, saying, Arise you dead, and come vnto iudgement. The Pilot who gouernes the ship, sitteth at the sterne which is at the hinder end of the ship: if a man will gouerne his life well, his meditations must be settled vpon the later end of his life: Who Ecclus. 7. 36 so remembers his end can neuer do amisse. And (God knowes) it is a needfull thing to bee remembred: for miile modis morimur, vno bene, there be a thousand wayes to die, and but one way to die well. When Christ came first, he came to vanquish the Diuel, that 1. Sam. 17. 8. Goliah that braued the host of the liuing God: when he comes the second time, hee will come to bee reuenged of those churlish Nabals, who haue vnkindly rendred vnto him, hatred for his good wil: ex­amine your selues of what ranke you be: and as Christ ad­uiseth the man of warre in the Gospell Luk. 14. 31. to sit downe and take counsell whether hee be able with ten thousand to meete him that commeth against him with twenty thousand; if hee bee not, then while he is a great way off (if he be wise) he will send Embassadours and desire conditions of peace: So think and know, that you are not able to answere God one for a thousand: therefore while he is yet afar off, before the ends of the world come vpon you, send your Embassadours to intreat a peace: cast out the dumb spirit and pray vnto him: the deafe spirit and heare his word: the lame spirit and walke vnto him in your liues and conuersations: the fearefull spirit and beleeue in him: that you may sing victoriously as Debora did, Iud. 5. 21. O my soule thou hast marched valiantly.

Let your thoughts be sublimed by the the spirit of God. [Page 94] Arise vnto your selues, arise in your selues, arise from your selues, and arise aboue your selues: vnto your selues by knowing of your sinnes, in your selues by acknowledging of your sinnes, from your selues by forsaking your sinnes, and aboue your selues by hauing Phil. 3. 20. your liues a conuersation in heauen. God would haue you (his sonnes) to be Ps. 144. 12 as good­ly plants; and you (his daughters) to be as the polished corners of the Temple. Therfore he doth in his congreations oft & many a time perswade by his word: therefore, per haec lumi­na, for the light of the Gospels sake: suggest by his spirit: therefore per haec lumina & auras, for the sake of the spirit of God, Acts 2. 2 that wind that is rushing & mightie: Gods iustice doth inforce, therefore Virg. Ae­neid libro sexto. per genitorem oro, for God the Fathers sake: the mercy of Christ doth allure: therfore per spem sur­gentis Iuli, for the sake of God the Son in whom you hope, I desire you that you will meditate vpon your day of ac­count. And while I sound out vnto you these things, it be­comes me like a Cocke to clap mine own wings vpon mine own breast, & rowse vp my self out of my slumber, before I giue you & others warning of the approach of the great day; that you with me, and I with you, may all vpon An­gels wings be carried vp to heauen, & like Larks sing me­rily while we are mounting. Then & there (that at length I may take my worke out of the loomes and conclude) shal we haue ioy of ourselues, ioy of our friends, ioie of the King of heauen, and ioy of the ioyes of heauen. Ioie of our selues; for, though 1. Cor. 15. 40 one differ from an other in glory, yet we shal be like pots ful of water, one being greater then another: he that hath least (being brimme ful) shall haue as much glory as he can haue or desire. Ioy one of another, for if the rich man in hell Lu. 16. 24 knew which was Abraham, and which was Lazarus in heauen: and if at Christs transfiguration (be­ing but a shadow of immortalitie) Math. 9. 4 Peter, Iames and Iohn, knewe Moses and Elias, though they had neuer seene them before much more shal we (I take it in the fulnes of glorie) know one another, who haue been acquainted vpon earth. Ioy of the king of Heauen, who Reu 12. 1. 2 shall be our light for euer, at whose right hand there is fulnesse of ioy for euermore. Ioy of [Page 95] the ioyes of heauen, where we shall not hunger, there is the tree of life: nor perish with thirst, there is the water of life: nor be perplexed with melancholy, there is a quire of An­gels & Archangels euer singing & making melody: which melody that we may be partakers of, I desire of God, & let all the people say Amen: and let Christ Iesus 2. Cor. 1. 20 whose wordes are Yea, and Amen, Apoc. 1. 5. that faithfull witnesse in heauen set to his seale, and say Amen vnto it. Euen so Lord Iesus, Amen, Amen.