MOst necessary and behoouefull it is for euery good Christian humbly and heartily to beseech God for his Sonne Christ his sake, the honour of his glorious Name, our dutie towards the Church, and the comfort of our Soules, that wee may [Page 2] seriously consider the termes of our present estate wherein we stand, and weigh our selues in a Christian ballance, taking for our counterpoyze the Iudgements of God.

Let vs take heede in time that the word Tekel, written Dan 5. 25. of old against Baltazar, and interpreted by Daniel, be not verified in vs, whose expositi­on was; You haue beene poyzed in the Ballance, and found of too light waight. Let vs remember that we are in the waine, and the date of our Pilgrimage is well-neare expired. Now therefore it behooueth vs to looke to our Countrey; our [Page 3] forces languish, our senses impaire, our bodies droope, and on euery side the ruinous Cottage of our faint and feeble flesh threatneth fall.

Hauing then so many har­bingers of death for to pre­monish vs of our end, O let vs then with all care indea­uour our selues to be prepa­red for so dreadfull a stranger. The young may die quickely, but the old cannot liue long; young mens liues may by ca­sualties be abridged, but the old mens can by no phisicke be long adiourned: If then green years ought to be mind­full of the graue, the thoughts [Page 4] of seere Age, must continually dwell in the same: Whereby we may see that old and yong of what estate and condition soeuer, are seriously to pro­uide for the intertainment of so feareful a stranger. The prerogatiue of Infancy is in­nocency, of Childehoode re­uerence, of Man-hoode ma­turity, and of Age wisedome: the chiefe properties of wise­dome are to be mindfull of things past, carefull of things present, and prouident of things to come. Let vs vse then the priuiledge of Natures tallent to the benefit of our Soules, and indeauour hereaf­ter to be wise, and delight in [Page 5] well-doing, and watchfull in foresight of future harmes: for to continue our course in seruice of the world we haue little cause, seeing it yeeldeth but an vnhappy welcome, a churlish entertainement, and doth abandon vs with an vn­fortunate farewell. Who then would sowe in such a flinty field, where we shall reape no­thing but a crop of cares, and affliction of spirit, rewarding our labours with remorse, and affording vs for gaine eternall dammage?

It is now more then a seaso­nable time to alter the course of so vnthriuing a husbandry, [Page 6] and enter into the field of Gods Church, in which sow­ing the seeds of repentant sor­row, and watering them with the teares of humble contriti­on, we may haue a more be­neficiall haruest, and gather the fruits of euerlasting com­fort. Let vs remember that our spring is spent, our Som­mer ouer-past, and wee are now arriued at the fall of the leafe. And that S. Augustine saith, Though our louing Lord beare long with offenders, be not careles, for the longer he staieth, not finding amendment, the so­rer will he scourge when he com­meth to iudgement, and his pati­ence in long expecting is onely to [Page 7] lend vs respite to repent, and not any way to inlarge our lea­sure to sinne.

He that is tossed with vari­ety of stormes, and cannot come to his desired port, ma­keth not much way, but is turmoiled; So he that hath passed many yeares, and pur­chased little profit, hath had a long being but a short life: for life is more to be measured, by goodnesse then number of daies, seeing most men by ma­ny daies doe but procure ma­ny deaths; and others in short space of time doe attaine the life of infinite Ages.

[Page 8] What is the body without the Soule, but a corrupt car­kasse? And what is the Soule without God, but a Sepulchre of sinne? If God be the way, the truth, and the life, he that goeth without him strayeth, he that liueth without him di­eth, and he that is not taught by him erreth, Well said S. Augustine, God is our true and chiefe life, reuolting from whom is falling, to whom returning is rising, in whom staying is sure standing. God is he, from whom to depart is to dye, in whom to dwell is to liue. Be not there­fore like to those that beginne not to liue, vntill they be rea­dy to dye; and after a foes [Page 9] desert, come to craue of God a friendly entertainment.

Some thinke to snatch hea­uen in a moment, which the best could scarce doe in the continuance of many yeares: and when they haue glutted themselues with many de­lights, they would iumpe from Diues dyet to Lazarus Crowne, and from the seruice of Sathan, to the sollace of Saints; But let them be wel as­sured, that God is not so pen­nurious of friends, as to hold himselfe & kingdome saleable for the reuersion & refuse of their liues, who haue sacrificed the principall part thereof to [Page 10] his enemies, and their owne brutish appetites, then onely ceasing to offend, when abili­ty of offending is taken away.

And true it is a Theefe may be saued vpon the Crosse, and mercy found at the last gaspe: But well said S. Augustine, Though with God it be possible, yet is it scarce credible, that his death should finde fauour, whose whole life hath earned wrath; And that his Repentance should be accep­ted that more for feare of Hell, and loue of himselfe, then for the loue of God cryeth for mercie. Wherefore let vs make no longer delay, but being so nigh the breaking vp of our mortall house, take time be­fore [Page 11] extreamity, to appease Gods iustice.

Though wee haue suffered the bud to be blasted, and the flower to fade, and though wee haue permitted the fruit to perish, and the body of the Tree to decay, yet let vs keepe life in the roote, for feare lest the whole become fewell for hell fire: for surely whereso­euer the Tree falleth, there shall it be, whether to the South or North, Hell or Heauen. Such sap as it yeeldeth, such fruit shall it euer beare.

And now seeing wee are left vnto the remisals of our [Page 12] wearish and dying dayes, the remainder whereof as it can­not be long, so it doth warne vs speedily to returne, and to ransome our former losses, that against the approaching of our desolution and period of our course, we may not be vnprouided of such appurte­nances as are behoouefull in such a perillous and perplex­ed a iourney.

Death in it selfe is very feare­full, but much more terrible in respect of the iudgement it summoneth vs vnto. If we were laid on our departing Bed, burdened with the load of our former trespasses, and [Page 13] goared with the sting and pricke of a festered consci­ence, if we felt the crampe of death wresting our heart­strings, and ready to make the ruefull diuorce betweene bo­dy and Soule. If we lay pan­ting for breath, and swim­ming in a cold & fatall sweat, wearied with strugling against our deadly pangs. How much would wee giue for an houre of repentance? At what rate would we value a daies con­trition? Then worlds would be worthlesse in respect of a little respite, a short truce would seeme more pretious then all the treasures of Em­piers, nothing would be so [Page 14] much esteemed as a trice of time, which now by moneths and yeares, is lauishly spent. How deepe it would wound our hearts, when looking back into our liues, we consider so many faults committed and not repented of, many good workes omitted and not reco­uered, our seruice to God promised, and not perfor­med. How inconsolable were our case, our friends being fled, our senses frighted, our thoughts amazed, and our memory decayed, our whole mindes agast, and no part able to performe that it should, but onely our guilty consci­ences pestered with Sinne, [Page 15] that would continually vp­braid vs with most bitter ac­cusation.

What would wee thinke when stripped out of our mortall weede, and turned out of the seruice & house-roome of this world, we were forced to enter into vncouth and strange pathes; and with vn­knowne, strange, and ougly company, be convented before a most seuere Iudge, carrying in our consciences our iudge­ment written, and a perfect register of our misdeeds, when wee should see him prepared to passe sentence vpon vs, a­gainst whom wee haue grie­uously [Page 16] transgressed; and the same to be our Vmper, whom by many offences we haue vr­ged to be our aduersary, when not onely the Diuells but An­gels should plead against vs; and our selues maugre our wills should be our sharpest appeachers: What should we doe in these dreadful exigents, when we saw that gastly Dun­geon, and huge gulfe of Hell, breaking out with most dread­full flames? when wee should see the weeping, howling, and gnashing of teeth, the rage of hellish Monsters, the horrour of the place, the rigour of the paine, the terrour of the com­pany, and eternity of the [Page 17] punishment, wee would not thinke it time to delay such weighty matters, and idly to play away the time allotted to preuent those intollerable punishments.

And would we then thinke it secure to nurse in our bo­somes as many Serpents as sinnes, or to foster in our Soules so many malitious accusers, as mortall faults, would we not thinke one life too little to doe pennance for so many Sinnes? Why then doe we not deuote thesmall remnant of our time, and surplussage of our daies to make Attonement with God by the blood of Iesus Christ?

[Page 18] What haue wee gotten by being so long a customer to the world, but false ware, su­table to the shoppe of such a Marchant, whose trafficke is toyle, & wealth is trash; and whose gaine is misery? What interest haue we got that may equal our detrements in grace and vertue? Or what could wee finde in a Vale of teares proportionable to the fauour of God, with the losse where­of we were contented to buy it?

Let vs not still be inueagled with the passions of youth, which make a partial estimate of things, setting no difference [Page 19] betweene currant and coun­terfeit. But let such passions either now be worne out of force by tract of time, or fall into reproofe by the triall of folly.

If this carnal security be but an vngrounded presumption of the mercy of God, and the flattring hope of his assistance at the last plunge, but the ordi­nary Lure of the Diuell to re­claime Sinners from the pur­suite of vertue, (as it is with many) it were too palpable a collusion to mislead sound sen­sible people, howsoeuer it pre­uaile with sicke and infected Iudgements. For who would [Page 20] relye eternal affaires vpon the gliding slipperinesse, and run­ning streame of our vncertain life? Or who but of distempe­red wits, would offer fraud, to the decipherer of al thoughts? With whom dissemble wee may to our costs, but to de­ceiue him it is vnpossiible. Shal wee esteeme it cunning to rob the time from him & bestow it on his enemies? who kee­peth a talle of the lest minutes of our life, and will examine in the end, how each moment hath beene imployed.

It is a preposterous pollicy, in any wise conceit, to fight a­gainst God, till our weapons [Page 21] be blunted, our forces consu­med, our limbs impotent, and our best time spent; and when we fall for faintnes, and haue fought our selues almost dead, to presume of his mer­cie; The wounds of his sacred Bodie so often rubbed and re­nued by our sinnes, and e­uery parcell of our owne so sundry wayes abused, being so many whetstones to edge and exasperate his reuenge a­gainst vs; why should we then presume of mercy?

It were a strange peece of Art, and a very exorbitant course while the Ship is sound, the Pylot well, the Sailers [Page 22] strong, and the Gale forcible, to lye idly at Roade, burning so seasonable weather; and when the Ship leaketh, the Py­lot is sick, the Marriners faint, the storme boysterous, and the Sea a turmoile of outra­gious surges; to hoise vp sailes and set out for a farre voyage into a strange Countrey. Such is the skill of these euening Repenters, who though in the soundnesse of health, and per­fect vse of reason, they cannot endeauour to cut the Cables, and weigh the Anchors that withhold them from God. Neuertheles, they feed them­selues with a strong perswa­sion, that when their senses [Page 23] are astonied, their wits distra­cted, their vnderstanding dus­ked, and both body and mind racked, & tormented with the throbs and gripes of a mortall sicknesse. Then forsooth they will thinke of the weightiest matters, and become sodaine Saints, when they are scarce a­ble to behaue themselues like reasonable creatures.

If neither the Cannon, Ciuill, nor Common Law alloweth that a man perisht in iudge­ment shall make any Te­stament or bequest of his tem­porall substance, being then thoughtto belesse then a man: How can he that is turmoiled [Page 24] with inward garboiles of an vnsetled Conscience, distrained with the wringing fits of his dying flesh, maimed in all his abilities, and circled in with so strange incumbrances, be­thought of due discretion to dispose of his chiefest treasure (which is his Soule) and to dis­patch the whole mannaging of eternity, and the treasures of heauen in so short a space of time. No, no, they that loi­ter in seed time, and beginne onely to sowe when others reape, they that will ryot out their health, and cast their ac­counts when they can scarce speake, they that doe slumber out the day, and enter their [Page 25] iourney, when the light doth faile them; let them thanke their owne folly if they dye in debt, and eternall beggary, and fall headlong into the lapse of euerlasting perdition. Let such hearken vnto S. Cy­prians lesson, who saith, Let the grieuousnes of our sinne, be the measure of our sorrow: let a deepe wound haue a diligent cure, let no mans contrition be lesse then his crime.

Thinke wee that our Lord, can so soone be appeased, whom with perditious words we haue offended? No, wee must fall prostrate on the ground, humbling our seiues [Page 26] in Sackclothe and Ashes, and hauing forced our stomackes with the surfet of the Diuell, wee must now desire to fast from all earthly foode, apply­ing our selues to good works instead of offences, and in sin­glenesse of heart effect our Christian duties, to auoide the death of our Soules, that Christ may receiue that which the persecuter would haue spoyled.

Euery short sigh will not be a sufficient satisfaction, nor euery knocke a warrant to get in, many cry Lord, Lord, and are not accepted, the foolish Virgins knocked, and were not [Page 27] admitted, Iudas had some sorrow, and yet died despe­rate: forslowe not the time saith the Holy Ghost to be con­uerted to God, linger not off from day to day, for sodaine­ly will his wrath come, and in his reuenge, hee will destroy thee.

Let vs not soiourne long in sinnefull security, nor passe ouer Repentance till feare in­force vs to it, let vs frame our premises, as wee would finde our conclusion, and indeauor to liue, as wee desire to dye. Shall we offer the maine crop to the diuell, and set God to gleane the remainder of the [Page 28] haruest, or gorge the diuell with the fairest fruits, & turne God to feede on the filthy scraps of his leauings?

How great a folly were it, when a man pyneth away in perillous languor, to prouide gorgious Apparell, and take order for the rearing of state­ly buildings, and neuer thinke of his owne recouery, but let the disease take roote in him?

Chrysostome saith, When mans Soule hath surfeited in all kinde of sinne, and is drenched in manifold diseases, they pam­per the body, with all possible de­light: Where as the Soule should [Page 29] haue the soueraignty, and the body follow the sway of her di­rections; but seruile sences and lawlesse appetites, rule her as su­periour, and so make her as a Vassall, or seruile in her owne dominions.

What is there (saith S. Au­gustine) in thy meanest necessa­ries, that thou wouldest not haue good; Thou wouldst haue a good house, good furniture, good ap­parell, good fare, good cattell, and not so little as thy Hose and Shooes, but thou wouldst haue it good, onely thy Life and poore Soule; thy principall charge, & of other things the most worthi­est, thou art content should be [Page 30] nought, by cankering and rusting in all kinde of euill.

Oh vnspeakeable blindnes, to preferre our shooes before our Soules, refusing to weare an vnseemely shooe, and not caring to carry an vgly Soule! Alas, let vs not set so light by that which God prized so high, let vs not rate our selues at so base a worth, being bought to so peerelesse a dig­nity. The Soule is such, that all the gold in the world, nor any thing lesse worth then the body, bloud and death of the Sonne of God, was able to buy it. If not all the treasures of the world, nor any thing [Page 31] that wit can deuise, but onely Gods owne pretious body, was by him deemed, a fit repast to feede it; If not all the creatures of the world, nor Millions of worlds, if so many were created, but one­ly the illimitable Maiesty and goodnesse of God can satisfie the desire, and fill of the capa­city of it, who but one of lame iudgement or peruerse will; yea, who but of incredulous minde, and pittilesse spirit, could set more by his olde shoes then by his Soule, and suffer so noble a Paragon so long time to be channelled in ordure, and myred in sinne.

[Page 32] If wee see our seruant sicke wee allow him a Phisition, if our Horse be diseased, we send for a Leach, nor our garment torne, but we seeke to amend it; and yet maligne our own Soule, and let it dye for want of Cure, and being mingled with so many vices, neuer seek meanes to restore it to the former integritie.

If any should call vs Epi­cures, Atheists, or Rebells, wee should take it a reproach and thinke it a most disgracefull and approbrious calumniati­on, yea but to liue Epicures, to finne like Atheists, or like vio­lent Rebells to scorne Gods [Page 33] commandements, and daily with damnable wounds bar­barously to stabbe in our vn­fortunate Soules, we account no contumelie, but rather re­gister it in the vaunt of our chiefe praises. O yec sonnes of Men, how long will you carry this carelesnesse of heart, following Vanity and seeke after Lyes? how long will Children loue the follies of Infancy, and sinners run wilfully to their owne ruine and destruction?

You keepe your Chickens from the Kite, your Lambs from the Wolfe; you will not suffer a Spider in your bo­some; nay, scarce in your [Page 35] house: And yet nestle in your Soule so many Vipers as vices, and suffer it to be long chew­ed with the poysoned Iawes and Tuskes of the Diuell. And is your Soule so vaine a substance, as to be had in so little estimation? Had Christ made shipwracke of his wise­dome? Or was he but in a fit of passion? when hee be­came a wandering Pilgrime, exiling as it were himselfe from the comfort of his god­head, and passing three and thirty yeares in paine & penu­ry for the behoofe of our Soules? Or was he surprised with a distempered spirit, when in the Tragedie of his [Page 34] Passion so grieuously in flicted, & patiently endured, he made his body as a cloud to disolue into showers of most innocent blood, and suffered the dea­rest vaines of his heart to be launced, to giue full issue to the prize of our Soules re­demption.

But if (as indeed) Christ did not ere, or deeme amisse when it pleased him to re­deeme vs with so excessiue a ransome. Then what shall we deeme of our most monstrous abuses, that sell our Soules to the Diuell for euery vaine delight, and rather venture the hazard thereof, then the [Page 36] silly pittance of worldly pelfe.

Oh that a creature of so in­comparable a price should be in the demaine of so vnnatu­rall keepers; and that which in it selfe is so gratious and amiable, that the Angels and Saints delight to behold it; a­las, if the care of our owne Soule moue vs no more, but that we remaine negligent of the better portion of our selues, let vs at least feare to doe iniury to an other very careful & iealous ouer it, who will neuer indure so deepe an impeachment of his interest to passe vnreuenged.

[Page 37] Wee must remember that our Soule is not onely a part of vs, but also the Temple, the Paradice and Spouse of Al­mighty God, by him in Bap­tisme garnished, stored, and endowed with most gratious ornaments. And how (thinke ye) he can brooke to see his Temple prophaned, and tur­ned into a den of Diuels; his Paradice displanted, & chan­ged into a wildernesse of Ser­pents; his Spouse defloured, and become an Adulteresse to his vtter Enemie?

If Man, offering such vsage to one of meane estate, for feare of the law and popular [Page 38] shame, forbeareth to effect the same; shall not then the reuerend Maiesty of God, and the vnabated iustice of his an­gry sword terrifie vs from of­fring the like to his owne Spouse, shall wee thinke God either so impotent, that hee cannot, or so base and sottish that hee will not, or so weake witted that hee knoweth not how for to wreake himselfe on such daring offenders? Will he so neglect and loose his ho­nour, which of all things hee claimeth as his chiefe peculi­ar? Will he that for the Soules sake keepeth a reckoning of our very haires, which are but the excrements of our earth­ly [Page 39] weed, see himselfe so much wronged in the principall, & passe by it without demon­stration of his iust indigna­tion.

Oh let vs remember that the Scripture termeth it a fearefull thing to fall into the hands and iustice of God, who is able to crush the proud spi­rit of the obstinate, and make his enemies his foote-stoole. Let vs then wrastle no longer with the cries of our owne conscience, and the forcible inspirations of the Holy Ghost.

Let vs, I say, embrace his mercy before the time of ri­gour, [Page 40] and like penitent chil­dren returne to the obedience of his will, lest hee debarre vs of his Kingdome: And as the members of one body (wher­of Christ is the head) let vs liue in humble obedience of the Church millitant heere on earth, that wee may atchieue to the Church triumphant in Heauen; knowing that wee haue beene long aliants in the Tabernacles of sinners, and straied too long from the fold of Gods flocke.

Let vs now turne the biace of our hearts towards the Sanctuary of Saluation, and Citie of refuge, seeking to [Page 41] recompence our wandring steps troden in sinne and wic­kednesse, with a swift gate, and zealous progresse to Christian perfection, redeeming the time because the daies be euil.

The fall of our spring is past, and the streame of our life runneth at a lowe rate or ebbe, our tyred Ship begin­neth to leake, and grateth on the grauell of our graue; it is high time for vs to strike saile and put in harbour, lest remai­ning in the scope of wicked winds and weather, some vn­expected gulfe and sodaine storme, dash vs vpon the Rock of eternall ruine.

[Page 42] Let vs tender the pittifull estate of our distressed Soules, and be hereafter more feare­ful of Hell, and more desirous of Heauen, then worldly re­pose, that at the great day of our Lord, Christ Iesus may ac­knowledge vs to be his; and that our Soules and bodies may inioy the fruition of his most glorious death and pas­sion; vnto which God for his mercie sake, say yea, and A­men.