WHereas the beginning of mans sal­uation, the spur and goad which driueth him to Christ, is the sence of his owne imperfections, and ter­ror of his owne sinnes: Strange it is, how auerse wee are by nature from this first meanes of our con­uersion: strange, how blinde, how partially, how corruptly we iudge in our owne causes: eyther not once considering, or not faithfully acknowledging our own transgressions: which forceth God in the ordinary courses of mans salua­tion, sometimes to deale by policies and deuises, and to propose his owne case to him, not as his owne, but in Pa­rables, and in the person of others: that drawing him [Page 2]from himselfe, he might also draw from him an vnpartiall sentence against himselfe. Thus God dealt with Dauid, when he lay asleepe in the sinne of Bershebah, and would not awake himselfe, to consider of his owne estate: that when Dauid had giuen a seuere sentence against the rich man that slew the poore mans lambe, and had pronoun­ced death against him with an oath, As the Lord liueth, hee shall surely die: The Prophet might strike him to the heart with the sentence of his owne mouth: Thou art the man; Thus and thus hast thou done. And (to omit the manifolde examples in Scriptures of this kind) thus doth our Prophet in this place deale with the people of Iudah: he proposeth to them a Parable, and because it should bee taken vp in euery mans mouth, he setteth it downe in verse, and ma­keth a song, of a Vineyard, which after the infinite care & cost of the husbandman, in planting, fencing, weeding, wa­tering, pruning it, could not bee wonne to bring forth a­ny thing, but wild, vnwholesom, &, as the word signifieth, stinking grapes; wherin, hauing euery mans secret iudge­ment, that such an vnprofitable vine-yard were to bee left desolate and neglected: hee concludeth out of this, their owne seueritie, against themselues, Verse 7. Surely, this Vineyard of the Lord of hosts, is the house of Israel, the men of Iudah are his pleasant plants, and he looked for iudgement, and behold oppression, for righteousnes, and behold a crying.

And first by the way for the Parable it self: God hath iud­ged it profitable thus to teach his Church sometimes by parables; which though they be vayles and shadows, & do hide vnder them spiritual mysteries, yet when they are ope­ned and vnfolded, they giue a great light to the thing which they shadowed, and by their sensible similitude & proportion, they breed a sensible conceit of things remo­ued from sense.

Now to discourse of this whole Parable, time will not permit. I haue made choice of that one part onely, in which the case of the Vineyard is put to the iudgement of the [Page 3]people, that is, their owne cause is referred to their owne arbitrement. Now therefore, O inhabitants, &c. Iudge I pray you, &c.

In which wordes is comprehended the summe of the whole. 1. The Church of Israel is proposed vnder the fi­gure of the Lords vineyard. 2. Is set downe the Lords care of prouision for his Vineyard: What could I haue done for my Ʋineyard, which I haue not done? 3. The end of Gods care and benefites, fruits, good works, (I looked for grapes.) 4. The Churches vnthankefulnes, (It bringeth forth wilde grapes.) 5. and lastly, the iudgement which passed on it, (Iudge I pray you.)

First, for the Church of Israel, thus figured by a vine­yard: As there is one Creator both of heauen and earth: so wonderfull are the similitudes and resemblances of one order of his creatures to another, of things sensible, to things intelligible, whereby in earth wise men do beholde a shadow of heauen it selfe: but of earthly things which represent spirituall, nothing doth more liuely expresse the nature of the visible Church, then doth a Vineyard. A certaine householder (saith our Sauiour, Math. 21.) planted a Ʋineyard. And Iohn the 15. I am the Ʋine, and yee are the branches, and my Father is a husbandman. For what pro­perty can wee finde in the one, which is not in a sort an­swered in the other? Both Church and Vineyard, neither of them doe, as selfe-sowne things naturally spring and multiply out of the earth, both are to bee planted by hand and by arte. Non exsanguinibus nec ex voluntate carnis, sed ex Deo, saith Saint Iohn of the Church. Both Vine & Church grow vp the meanest of all plants; they cannot beare vp themselues without props and stayes: euen as the Elme is to the Vine, so is the ciuill state vnto the Church. Both in regard of their naturall weakenes are taught to twine their armes and their branches one within an other, & embrace, sustaine and strengthen one another, as it were, growing in one by loue; when they flourish, and are suffered to [Page 4]spread, nothing so enlargeth it selfe. As Plinie speaketh of Vines: Sine modo crescunt: So the Church spreadeth forth her armes from the sea vnto the riuer, from one end of the world vnto the other. In the time of their flourishing e­state, and their summer, no plant is so pleasant, euery thing harboreth vnder their shadow: but when winter commeth, and the persecutions of stormes take away their beauty, no plant standeth so poore, so deformed, so contemptible to the outward eye; the rich, the noble, the worldly wise, like their greene leaues, doe commonly fall away. Both Vineyard and Church, both must bee strongly fenced, els they lie open to the prey of many kinds of spoiles: both must bee pruned and kept vnder with continuall cut­ting, els they grow out luxuriously, and become wilde; and as for their fruits, when they proue fruitfull, how are their weake branches laden with grapes? how doe their fruites exceed their strength? how doe they bring forth their grapes in bunches, and clusters, vnited in loue? as the Apo­stle Saint Iames speaketh of the fruits of righteousnes, that they are brought forth in peace of them that loue peace. And as for the kinds of their fruits, all other fruits in comparison, are as nothing: It is the fruit of these two vines which mi­nistreth mirth and comfort to all the world; and as the vine speaketh, Iudg. 9. cherisheth the heart both of God and man. Fruits of mercy and loue, how doe they warme and cheare vp the weake hearts? fruits of Iustice and Equity, how doe they ease and relieue the oppressed soule? God & Angels, and men reioyce, when these Vines are laden with these fruits. For when they are vnfruitfull, both sorts of Vines are of all trees most vnprofitable, seruing for no vse but for the fire.

This is then the nature of Gods Church. It is a spiri­tuall Vineyard; the roote whereof is but one, Christ Ie­sus the second Adam. Other foundation (sayeth the Apo­stle) can no man lay: Other Plants shalbe rooted out: In­to him the multitude of beleeuers are planted, into him [Page 5]they grow: for all the branches of it, are of their own na­ture wilde, taken from the old stocke, the first Adam, euen as many as the Lord our God shall call, and they are set in­to that eternall Vine, the second Adam, by ingrafting.

Now, as in Grafts, though all in like manner stand in stockes, and are fastned to them with outward bonds, yet all doe not incorporate themselues by drawing sappe from the root, & therby growing in it, and bringing forth fruite; so there is an outward ingrafting into Christ, by outward visible bonds of vnion, the outward profession of the faith of Christ, and the outward Sacrament of Incorporations, the society and company of which outward professions, so visibly ingrafted, doe make the visible Church and Vine­yard of God on earth: And with this visible and outward ingrafting, and by meanes thereof, there is wrought an inward ingrafting and incorporating, through the inuisi­ble bonds of the spirit also, in which some doe grow into the stocke, and receiue sappe and life from the roote, euen the participation of the spirit of life from Christ, and doe bring forth fruit in him; the company of which onely doe make vp that mysticall body of Christ, which is to man in­uisible, because the bond is inuisible. These two sorts of grafts, howsoeuer to our eyes they stand alike in the stocke, and do somtimes seem to grow alike, yet the Apostle di­stinguisheth most plainely with their seuerall bonds also, Rom. 2.28. Hee is not a Iew, who is a Iew outward, neither that circumcision which is in the flesh: but hee is a Iew, who is a Iew within, whose circumcision is of the heart, in the spirit, not in the letter, whose prayse is not of men, but of God. Notwith­standing, both these sorts, as they communicate together in the outward bonds of one profession, as they visibly cō ­tinue together like one visible body, vpon that one roote Christ Iesus, on whom they al outwardly professe that they depend, as on the fountaine of their sappe and life: so they both together make this one visible Vineyard, and visible Church on earth, to which God speaketh by his Prophets; [Page]that Vineyard which is sometimes fruitfull, and somtimes bringeth forth wilde grapes. And of this visible kind of Vineyard we are now to intreat.

Our next question therefore is, where that Vineyarde may bee seene. For in Esayes dayes; Surely (saith God) the Ʋineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, the men of Iudah are his pleasant plants: All the world besides, was as a wildernes and a forrest, the habitation of wild beasts: this onely was the Lords Paradice placed in the middest of the world, and fenced in from all the world; the subiect of our present Parable. But the circumstances of this Church doc minister occasion of 3. doubts, concerning the generall nature and state of Gods Church on earth, which are necessary to be vnfolded: first, seeing the whole church of Israel and Iudah, was at these times so generally corrupted, as well in idolatry and superstition, as in life & manners; that, as it is, Esay 1. From the crowne of the head, to the soale of the foot, there was nothing sound, but wounds & swellings, and sores full of cerruption: A doubt ariseth how it might be called Gods Church and Vineyard, vnles an I­dolatrous, and erring. Church, notwithstanding may bee accounted Gods Church; an adulterous wife, Gods Spouse. 2. Seeing the house of Israel at this day was diuided, and Ephram separated from Iudah, not onely in ciuil sort, but in the forme of Religion also; our next doubt is then, how these two Churches are notwithstanding by the Prophet counted as one: The vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, though the men of Iudah be his plea­sant plants: And seeing both Iudah and Samaria are now laid waste, and the Church and Vineyard there is vtterly de­stroyed; our last doubt is, where the Vineyard and Church of God may now be found on earth. I will lightly touch them all; speaking first of the place where the Church is; secondly, of her variable state, her purity and corruption: thirdly, of her vnity, how, many particular Churches are notwithstanding one.

Now for the first, where the Vineyard of the Lord of hosts is. Vnhappy Israel, thou hadst an eternall promise; Psal. 132. ver. 14. This (said God) is my rest for euer, here will I dwell: but thou diddest thy selfe reiect God, and didst cast the LORD thy Redeemer out of his owne Vineyard: thou did­dest with a loud cry, in the sight of the Sunne, and in the hearing of the Gentiles protest, Wee will not haue this man to raigne ouer vs, wee will haue no King but Caesar. Thou did­dest lead him out of thy City, & diddest crucifie him with­out the gate, calling for the guilt of his innocent bloud, not onely vpon thine owne head, but also vpon the heads of all thy posterity. And now the Lord is risen vp again, and is departed; the Vine is remoued, and planted else­where: and as for that olde Vineyard, it is burnt, it is burnt with fire, and the wilde beasts of the forrest haue deuoured it vp.

Seeing then the Lord will not bee without a Church on earth, without a Vineyard: Psal. 80. if wee demand where it is now; 1. it is euident, that since Iudah is for her contempt laide waste, the Lord hath planted his Church in the de­sert of the Gentiles: secondly, it is as euident, that accor­ding to the prophesies, he hath enlarged the bounds ther­of, and hath made it vniuersall and Catholike, so that there is no City nor Nation, which will receiue that eternall roote to bee planted in it, which may not become a part of his Church and Vineyard. This appeareth by the ma­ner of Gods proceeding. When Paul and Apollo the Lords workmen went forth to worke, in what City soeuer they stayed, they made a Vineyard; Paul planted, Apollo watered: and by their industry the Lord had a new Church in Co­rinth; a Church at Ephesus, a Church in Galatia, in Thessalo­nica, in Philippi: the other Apostles and Euangelists did the like in other Countries, planting Vineyards as farre as India: so that if any man would know where the Lords. Church is, wee need not seeke for secret marks and tokens: These Vineyards are easily discerned from other partes of [Page]the earth: And yet not by their fruits; for often they bring forth wilde grapes, but by their roote that is planted in them, in what Country or place soeuer; that Vine which came downe from heauen is planted, wheresoeuer it is out­wardly receiued, as the roote and spring of mans life and saluation: where there is Baptisme to ingraft and incorpo­rate the new professed branches, and the food of the word, and the communion of the Lords Supper, to make them encrease and grow, there is a Vineyard: because there both is his vine, & the means to make it spread to the Lord of hosts, and therefore there is his eye, and care, and proui­dence and protection, there he expecteth fruit: for where­soeuer God vouchsafeth to bestow the outward grace of the knowledge of Christ, Act. 16.9 and to continue the sowing of his seed of life; it is an euident token that he hath some peo­ple in that place.

Thus of those seuen seuerall Vineyards and Churches in Asia, with their Angels and ouerseers, Reuel. 1. though one Church was purer then another, and some were so de­generated, that the great LORD of the Vine­yard doth threaten them with desolation, and remouing the vine root; yet his carefull eye was ouer them all, & hee that seemeth to bee gone into a farre Country, yet was seene walking in the midst of them, and, as it were holding them in his hand. And thus to seeke no other marks and notes of the Church, then this present Parable affoordeth; what greater assurance can we haue to our selues, that the Lord hath chosen vs for a part of his Vineyard, then this, that he hath with such care and long assiduity laboured to plant the knowledge of Christ crucified among vs; that he hath raysed vp such multitudes of Labourers amongst vs, and indued them with excellent faculties and graces, and sent them into his Vineyard to follow his spirituall hus­bandry; that hee hath so many thousands dayly ingrafted into him by Baptisme; that he so mightily protecteth them with his defences, & so continually feedeth them with the [Page 9]knowledge of his word, so importunately calleth at their hands for the fruits of a Vineyard, and no doubt receiueth some? for it is impossible that all these things should be in vaine, as not from God, seeing not so much as the raine and snow from heauen doe returne againe in vaine, Esai. 55.10.11.

The second question which the Vineyard moueth, is concerning the state of the Lords Churches, their purity or corruptions heere on earth, whether they are alwayes cleane, and not sometimes through the negligence of the Ouerseers ouergrowne with weeds, or through their pri­uate couetousnesse sometimes planted among, with other plants. For first, the Church of Iudah, howsoeuer at this time, in the dayes of Vzziah, it held the publike profession of God purely, yet was it both now so generally corrupted in maners, that in Esai 1. God cryeth against it: Ah sin­full Nation, laden with iniquity, corrupt children, which haue for­saken the Lord: After, in the dayes of Ahas, both Prince & high Priest and people, euen the whole outward state fell to Idolatry, and by little and little so corrupted their waies, that as Ezechiel chargeth her, shee went beyond her sister Samaria in spirituall fornication and idolatry. And yet notwithstanding this her vncleannes, shee is still counted the Lords Spouse, though a harlot also; and the Lords vine­yard, though for the outward face in most part cleane dege­nerated; yea, and the Lord by his Prophets wooeth her as his owne, because shee had not absolutely renounced his couenants; otherwise God had no publike & visible Church and Vineyard at all vpon the earth in those dayes. Nay, I may goe further and affirme of Israel, that though it not onely worshipped God by calues, and after in Ahabs time, did set vp Baal also, the god of the Gentiles, and then as the Prophet chargeth them, halted between God & Baal: yet the Lord, not only in this place calleth it his Vineyard, and professeth, Ier. 3.9. I am a Father to Israel, Ephraim is my first borne; But his mercifull presence in the middest of these [Page 10]abominations did not clean forsake thē, but that he had of his Prophets continually amongst them, and many messa­ges of kindnes he sent to their state, and many miraculous deliuerances he wrought for them; and after almost three hundred yeares Idolatry, when Israel was for this their irre­uocable obstinacy in rebellious fornication to be cast off in­to the hands of her enemies, and yeelded vp to captiuity: yet he is as it were distracted within himself, Hos. 8. How shal I deliuer thee vp, O Ephraim? My heart is turned within mee: I will not (yet) execute the fiercenes of my wrath: for though Ephraim were a prodigal sonne, yet he was counted a sonne to his last being, euen till he gaue vp the seale of circumci­sion and outward profession of the name of the God of Is­rael. Can then an Idolatrous Church be counted the Lords Church? and a degenerate Vine that onely groweth vpon another roote, and bringeth forth wilde fruit of another kind, be named the Lords Vineyard? Surely, to vse Gods owne similitude, where there hath publikely passed a so­lemne contract of marriage, visibly confirmed by Coue­nants and pledges mutually deliuered and receiued, though the wife keepe not the truth of her first faith, but euen o­penly and shamelesly turneth away her heart after other louers; yet til there passeth a publike renouncing one of the other, and a bill of diuorcement giuen, and separation pas­sed, she is accounted his wife whose name she beareth, & whose wife shee publikely professeth her selfe to be: So is betweene God and his visible Church, both Israel and Iu­dah, notwithstanding their fornications, still kept the pub­like profession of the name of the God of Israel, they retai­ned circumcision, the outward seale and pledge both of his Couenant; both offered sacrifices to him that brought thē out of Egypt, euen by that stile, though in a superstitious ma­ner: both had the law of God publikely amongst them, & his Prophets also: And therefore this outward foundati­on of the old league and couenant continueth stil; the Lord accounteth them both as his; and notwithstanding their [Page 11]knowne adulteries, and their children of fornication by o­ther gods (whom they also serued) hee intreateth them, though in anger and displeasure and in threates, and some­times in chasticements, yet as his owne (for they were neuer denounced till they were destroyed) and by the benefite of that same outward society & coniunctiō, which in the midst of their other abominations still remayned between God and them, of the word and Sacrament many spirituall chil­dren also were borne by them to the Lord, such as those 7000. were in Elias dayes, who liuing in house together with their illegitimate brethren, feared their father, the God of Israel, and secretly mourned at the abominations of their mother; howsoeuer by liuing in so corrupt a house, they might be tainted with some of the corruptions of their mother, and carnall brethren. And this is the nature of the Christian Church, wherof that was a figure: it is here on earth, subiect to alterations, and to that like generall defection and ouerrunning with weeds, which both Christ and the Apostles prophesie should happen in the outward and visible face thereof, which we see did happen in the fi­guratiue Church of Israel before Christ, though the roote and foundation of Christianity shal neuer faile in it, and the booke of God, the seed of immortality, shall remaine in it vncorrupted; and the publike profession of Christ, shall neuer be vtterly choaked for the Elects sake, that shall bee from age to age of this world being borne in it; yea, though one part of the Church, whose preseruation of the trueth shall be lesse corrupted then an other, as Iudah was in com­parison of Israel. For the particular Churches are like Vine­yards; some flourishing for a time, some barren, and accor­ding to their husbandmen, some cleaner kept, some ouer­growne with thornes; some become wilde for want of pru­ning; yea, they are like our bodies, some sound and ortho­dox, some more diseased, some sicke vnto death, and some vncleane and leprous, and with whom there can bee no communion.

Thus the Church of Corinth in the Apostle Saint Paules time, was not so sound as the Churches of Rome & Ephe­sus, the Church of Galatia was infected with a most dange­rous error. After, when S. Iohn wrote, the church of Ephesus had her imperfections; the other sixe Churches were more infected, and amongst them Laodicea was in farre worse e­state then either Pergamus or Thyatira; and yet all these re­mained the Lords Churches and Vineyards in the middest of their errors & corruptions, because they helde that foun­dation of Christianity, vpon which the Church is builded: Thou art Christ the Sonne of the liuing God: For although as euery sinne is opposite to theloue of God, so euery error also is opposite to his truth, and doe not agree together: yet by reason of our weake eyes and iudgements, not dis­cerning the disagreement of truth and error, as of righte­ousnes and sinne, the best men doe receiue some probable errors into the society of truth, without reiecting and ouer­turning their faith of those grounds which they truly hold; and therefore though euery little error in matter of faith be dangerous, and causeth some defect and mayme in our practise of piety, eyther in our inuocations of faith, or in our works of loue, and the more deadly, the nearer they touch the principall grounds: yet they doe not all make wounds vnto death, and kill our faith and piety, till they come to be knowne and wilfull errors, that is, to be here­sies and sinnes of the will; for then the least error is deadly, because it is wilfull, and directly opposite to the loue of the truth of Christ.

Finally, as one Church is more or lesse pure and Ortho­doxe then another, so wee see how the selfe same Churches continue not alwayes in one and the selfe same state; for the Church of Iudah was sometime religious, sometimes i­dolatrous, sometimes purged in part the groues and high places still remaining; so hath euery Church in the world since Christs time vndergone great alterations and chan­ges: the Church of Rome in her first ages was very sound [Page 13]and pure; the Easterne Churches were more ouergrowne with errors in these latter ages since, as Platina obserueth, Iohn 10. The people were cleane departed from Saint Peters steps; the west Churches haue more declined, and the Ea­sterne Churches, except that one error of the proceeding of the holy Ghost, in all other parts of faith, remaine much more pure then the Church of Rome and her adherents: yea Rome it selfe began a little changing of her selfe, when Pius the fift, acknowledging that their bookes of publike diuine seruice in all places were stuffed with vaine errors of superstitions, did cast out some corruptions, and (no doubt) besides the priuate reformations both in the iudgements and practise of numbers of her followers, who will not em­brace all her abominations, she would haue proceeded fur­ther in publike reformation, had not, besides the loue of her priuate gaines, a respect of her publike credit hindred her: for by confessing any one error, shee seeth that shee should giue preiudice against her self for other her opinions, in ac­knowledging that shee might erre in them also. Which ministreth an answere to their vaine obiections; who de­mand of vs where our Church was for so many ages, till Martin Luthers dayes, in what caue of the earth it lurked? for our Church is one and the same which it was at the first planting of Christianity amongst vs; It hath alwayes had one and the same roote and foundation, one and the same Christ publikely professed, though at the first more purely, afterwards more corruptly; and not by Gods mercy the same Christ more purely againe. For as the new dressing and weeding of a Vineyard, is not a new planting; and as the often repairing the decayes and purging of the vnclean­nes of the Temple, was not the new founding and building of another Temple; so in our Church, since it was reformed we know no other differēce from that which it was before, then such as wee see in the Vineyard and Church of Iudah, which in the dayes of Manasses was full of superstition, in the dayes of Iosiah had her abominations cast out, and the [Page 14]purity of Gods seruice restored according to his owne law.

There were crept into our Church grauen Images, & the likenesses of things in heauen, and things in earth; and men did bow downe and worshippe them contrary to the law, and contrary to antiquity; for, as yet appeareth euen by the buildings and walles of our most ancient Churches, there was no place within the Church prouided for them. To these Images of dead men they did light candles, and bur­ned Incense, and offered gifts after the custome of the hea­then; the light of the Church was remoued out of the can­dlesticks; and the word of God, which is the true light of the world, and lanterne to our feet, was hidden vnder an vnknowne tongue, as vnder a bushell; that which the A­postle calleth both our milke and our meate, was taken away, and nothing was read to the peoples vnderstanding, but the lies of their Legend; the author therof had a leaden head, & a brazen forehead, as Ʋiues a lerned Papist cēsureth them. The holy Sacraments of the church were prophaned; to the sanctified water in baptisme, cream was added, & salt & spittle, & by the people receiued as parts of the sacramēt; the Lords Supper was mangled; the cup of blessing, which is the Cōmunion of the bloud of Christ, was sacrile giously remoued; & the communion of the bread was turned into a priuate masse of dead ceremonies: These and infinite o­ther abominations were growne vp so high, that they did both draw all the fatnes from the roote, and ouerdrop and ouershadow the true vine, and euen called for the fickle to cut them downe: for there was not any learned deuout man amongst themselues in those ages, who did not both bewayle the corruptions of the Church, as appeareth by them that wrote, and in particular acknowledge some one error of theirs or other; though now authority stoppeth their mouthes, and clippeth such tongues; and the Indices expungatorij do rase those confessions out of their writings. Now the indisposition therefore, eyther of the Church of [Page 15] Rome, or any other neighbor Church to reform themselus, can be no iust excuse for our Church, and her ouerseers, not to reforme her selfe, then it had beene for Israel to sinne, because Iudah sinned, or for Iudah, because of the sinne of Israel. In these cases of Gods seruice and honor, the expec­tation of neighbours, and desire of vnity is no allowed an­swere: but that of Iosuah belongeth to all gouernors, which he spake to all Israel, Iosu. 15. If it seeme euill in your eyes to serue the Lord, chuse you this day whom you will serue: but I and my house will serue the Lord: and that rule of Hosea; If Ephra­im be ioyned vnto Idols, let him alone; and if Israel play the harlot, yet let not Iudah sinne. Only our hearty prayer vnto God is, that as we do communicate in the general grounds and foundations of Christianity, and ioyntly professe the same Creede, so the Lord would giue them hearts to re­moue these abominations, which blocke vp the way of peace and communion between Church and Church; or if eyther for pride or couetousnes, they will acknowledge no error, yet hee would giue them contented minds to keep to themselues their owne corruptions, which now being cast off by vs, would be so much the more loathsome to put on againe.

The third doubt which the vineyard of the house of Is­rael answereth, is the vnity of the Church, seeing the deui­ded houses of Ephraim and Iudah not so much seuered in state, as in religion, are yet by our Prophet accepted as one vineyard: for though one read of many seuerall Churches in the new Testament also: Psal. 64. yet that of Saint Augustine is most true, there be many Churches, yet but one Church; and in such sort many; yet they are all but one. Nay, in the vnity of the Church, wee must yet goe further, and ac­knowledge with the same father, the Church is the body of Christ; not that which is here or there, but that which is euery where throughout the world; Psalme 90. neither that which is at this time, but euen from Abel, vnto those which shall hereafter bee borne, and belieue in Christ vnto the end: [Page 16]the whole company of saints belonging to one City, which is the body of Christ, and whereof he is head: for this is that which the Apostle affirmeth of all beleeuers: Bee they Iew or Gentile, bond or free, they are al incorporate into one Com­pany, they all make one body. But this vnity is properly meant of Christs mysticall body and Church, which is inuisible, of which church these men are no part, who are onely in Sacrament is Ecclesiae, as Saint Augustine expoundeth him­selfe; that is, of the whole body of the faithfull from Adam to the end of the world; yet notwithstanding these outward visible societies of professed christians, in which the mili­tant members of Christ, mingled with the bad, are yet in framing for eternity, these also haue a bond of vnity also, and though they bee many, yet are they but as one.

Now the outward bonds of these visible Churches are diuers: for 1. they all spring by propagation, from one ori­ginall mother Church: Ierusalem, which is beneath, is the mother of vs all, and from Sion came the Gospell by propa­gation vnto all Nations. But this bond is not so strong, as to tie them in one, that are sprung from one beginning: There is a stronger, which this Parable of a Vine doth lay before vs: for the Vine or tree which is diuided into so many seuerall branches, some dying, some springing vp; and one bough perhaps bearing seuerall fruits from ano­ther; what is it that maketh them all one, but their owne stocke and roote, on which they all vifibly grow? this is the visible bond of the seuerall armes, and parts of the visi­ble Church; they all outwardly ioyne in that one roote Christ, in whom they are all visiblie ingrafted, & on whom they all make outward shew, that they doe stand and grow.

The Apostle, Ephes. 4.5. exhorting Christians to vni­ty, setteth downe this bond, and to it addeth two other kinds, the vniformity of our faith, and articles of beliefe. There is one kinde of ingrafting, one badge of their incor­poration, Baptisme. One Lord, one Faith, one Baptism: i. One [Page 17]King, vnder which they liue; one Law, by which they are guided; one common badge of their incorporation, which they all publikely receiue: so that seeing the Iewes, how­soeuer dispersed amongst al the Nations of the earth, and li­uing without dependance vpon any one common gouer­nour, and yet accounted but as one Nation, because of the bond of their vnity in the publike profession of the Law of Moses; and seeing they that hang on Mahomet as their Prophet onely, howsoeuer diuided both in sects and king­domes amongst themselues, are yet in regard of their com­mon profession of Mahumetisme, accounted but as one bo­dy of Mahumetans; How much more truely doe these 3. bonds of professing one and the same Lord and King, of receyuing his one and the same law and word of incorpo­rating themselues into one body by Baptisme, in which 3. the essence of Christianity consisteth, make al the professed christians of the world of one incorporation, howsoeuer they are scattered in the earth, and scattered in place and in knowledge one of another? yea, and in som priuat opini­ons also differ; for they all visibly meete in their one roote Christ, and in professing of faith in him. To these 4. com­mon bonds the Primitiue Church added, as they might, a fift bond of communion, and mutuall society, euery new created Bishoppe and ouerseer of any particular Church, sending his synodicall letters of the profession of his faith to his neighbour brethren, and they accordingly receiuing one another into the communion and fellowshippe of loue, as appeareth by the Ecclesiasticall story. Lastly, when the Emperor himself became a christian, and the bonds of the Empire and of the church were in a maner all one, they ad­ded a 6. bond; the common assemblies of all the ouerseers of the particular Vineyards within the Empire, in common counsell to make peace, and set down orders for the peace­able and vniform gouernment of the whole. But the church of Rome, which in the greatnes shee is growne to, sayeth of her selfe, as Babylon, Reuel. 18. I am a Queene, and am no [Page 18]widow, and shall see no mourning, that is, I cannot faile, would teach the world a new lesson or article of christian faith, not read in the Scripture, not thought of in the Primitiue church, not acknowledged by any ancient Father, not dremed of by any anciēt Bishop of that See, that notwith­standing God thundered, and was angry, when the Israe­lites asked a King, as therein reiecting God to raigne ouer them; yet now the Church cannot be vnder Christ and his Iudges, as Israel was, vnlesse she haue a King, an absolute Monarch ouer her, and that is the Bishoppe of Rome: that all who acknowledge not this doctrine, are heretiques; all that yeelde not that obedience, are schismatiques; none of the Church and body of Christ; all as Publicans and Infi­dels, and in the state of damnation. A fearefull sentence, like that of the Bramble, Iugd. 9. If you put not your trust vnder my shadow, fire shall come out from me, and consume the Cedars of Libanon: For if all bee schismatiques, and cut off from the Church, like branches from the Vine, that ac­knowledged not the Bishop of Rome for their King: then was Saint Cyprian in a damnable estate, who not onely re­iected Stephanus the Bishoppe of Rome, in a matter of faith, but in matter and cases of iurisdiction also forced appeales to Rome, and aduised the Bishops of Spaine to repeale him, whom Stephanus had restored to his Bishoprick. Then was Saint Augustine in a damnable estate, who with 216. Bi­shops, in the 6. Councell of Carthage, not onely wrote to Innocentius, not to receiue appeales out of Africa, nor to send his Legats a letter, nor to bring in the smoaky pride of the world into the Church of God, but also made a de­cree purposely against his challenged authority, that what Priest or Deacon soeuer should appeale to any beyond the sea, he should be excommunicated throughout all A­frica.

But what doe I speake of particular Bishoppes, that a canonicall Councell of Calcedon, of 630. Catholique Bi­shoppes was in a damnable state, which made a decree, that [Page 19]the Archbishoppe of Constantinople should haue equall pri­uiledges with the Archbishop of Rome; and that he hauing the next place of honour, should in causes Ecclesiastical be aduanced as farre as the See of Rome? And although the Popes Legates did by all meanes labour to stay the decree, as being repugnant to a former decree of the Ni­cene Councell for the church of Antioch, yet it passed with generall consent, and was pronounced by the Iudge as the decree of the Councell: neither is this it selfe so much to be regarded, as the reason they gaue for that their decree; that as their Father had not giuen, without good aduice, to the See of elder Rome, the first place of honor, because that Ci­ty was the seat of the Empire, so with a former councell of 150. Bishops at Constantinople, vnder Theodosius the elder, moued with like consideration, had giuen equall priuiled­ges to the most holy See of new Rome; and they insisting in the steppes of sacred Fathers, did againe decree the same thing. This was in those dayes the opinion of the Bi­shops of the whole world, concerning the ground & rea­son of the Bishoppe of Romes Primacy; neither was that the opinion of the Church for a time: but three partes of the Christian world, vnder the three Patriarkes of Constantino­ple, of Antioch, and of Alexandria, haue alwayes since re­ceiued him as hereticall for his claime, insomuch that they denied their Emperor Michael Palaeologus christian burial, for yeelding to the Church in the councell at Lions; & euen at this day, though their miserable slauery vnder the Turke might force them to yeeld a shew of subiection to any chri­stian, of whom they might hope of any comfort: yet they cannot in their consciences frame themselues to this grosse and lying flattery. Wretched men, if vndergoing such mi­series vnder the hands of their enemies for Christs name, neglecting such liberties and worldly preferments, as are proposed to reuolters, they are notwithstanding in the damnable estate of the Turkes and Infidels, and Aliens from CHRIST for that default, though they thus [Page 20]liue as Confessors, and many of them die as Mar­tyrs.

But to conclude, the vniuersall Church and Spouse of Christ, for many ages after her Lords ascension, kept her­selfe free from these domesticall yoakes; neither could shee bee induced, that any decree or cannon should be imposed ouer her by any one of her Bishops, but that which her self in the free and common Councel of her elder children con­cluded to bee good for her selfe and hers: for execution of which orders and Canons, though shee appointed her elder sonnes to ouersee her younger first, some as Bishoppes to ouersee her Presbyters; and after some as Primates to ouer­see her Bishops; and lastly, some as Archbishoppes and Pa­triarks to ouersee her Primates; yet all the orders which they exacted of particular persons, were the common de­crees of their Synods. Now wonderfull it is to consider, how one of her owne children, by getting the elder bro­thers place, hath in the absence of the Lord, vsurped and claimed ouer the necks, first, of all his brethren in particu­lar; and lastly, ouer the necke of his mother also, creeping vp by the Emperour, like Iuie by the Oke, till he had ouer­topped him also; from a primacy, to a supremacy, and af­ter, to an absolute and visible Monarchie and Kingdome of Romans, and as Lord of all, imposed lawes to his owne mo­ther, & drawing all power into his hands, and making him­selfe as the Sunne, from which all others, both Moone and Stars do receiue their light.

Thus hath Lucifer inuaded Christs poore Family, and hath made choyce of a person of humility, by whom, vnder the colour of piety and religion, hee might bring into the Church of Christ, the highest degree of pride, that euer the world saw in any worldly state, or the weakenesse of man is capable of; whom hee setting vp on the foundation, not of a rocke, but of imagination and opinion only; and crow­ning with a triple crowne, hath perswaded both him to take, and perswaded men to giue more then humane ho­nours, [Page 21]as high as to the titles of Optimus maximus, our Lord God the Pope; and as our Countryman Stapleton writeth to him, Supremum in terris Numen, forcing the Emperors sometimes acknowledged for his gracious Lords and So­ueraignes, to yeeld their neckes for him to trample on, and the Kings and Princes of the earth to licke the dust of his feet, and all the people for their saluation to fall downe be­fore him, as hauing all keyes and powers of heauen and earth, and hell, and purgatory; as blasting with the breath of his mouth like lightning, whatsoeuer hee curseth; as ha­uing the oracles of God in his breast, and that neuer ordi­nary priuiledge that he cannot erre.

This was the punishment of the Church, after that tho­row abundance and wealth, and ease, she became wanton, and loued not the truth: that as it was prophesied, 2. Thess. 2. God should send strong delusions, and men should belieue lies, to the astonishment of all other churches, both Easterne and Southerne, who wonder that wee can belieue such fan­cies.

As for the necessity of one visible Monarch to make the visible church one, seeing the Apostles writings in their so often mention of the church, and the pastors of the same, neuer intimate this doctrine of this Monarchie, seeing Eph. 4. the Apostle of purpose laieth the grounds of vnity, alled­geth those other bonds, One Lord, one Faith, one Baptisme, and omitteth this; seeing after reckoning vpon the seuerall degrees of Ministers both ordinary and inordinary, giuen to his church, after his affection for the building of it in truth and loue, hee setteth downe Apostles, Euangelists, Prophets, Pastors & Teachers, this one Monarch is not once named to the church; seeing before Christs comming God had a visible Church in Iob his house, not depending vpon the Church of Iudah, and is also granted by Bellar­mine, and yet the Church of God was alwayes one; seeing since Christ the Primitiue Church had no such head, but as Aeneas Siluius acknowledgeth, Ante Nicenum Conci­lium [Page 22]sibi quisque viuebat, & ad Romanam Ecclesiam paruus ad modum respectus habebat: and yet in the long time of that little regard of Rome, the Church of Christ was one; seeing to this day all Churches in the three partes of the world, haue so anciently renounced this one head, who notwith­standing may not be accounted castawayes, and no partes of Christs Church; seeing whatsoeuer reason is vrged of necessity, one Bishoppe doth as necessarily proue the ne­cessity of one King ouer all the Christian world; truely, we are so farre from thinking the necessity of one visible head to be an article of our faith, that contrariwise wee agree in iudgement with Gregory the Great, concerning the dan­ger of the same, who disputing against the very name and title of an vniuersal Bishoppe, bringeth this reason against the thing, Ecclesiae vniuersa corruit, si ille vniuersus cadit: if that vniuersall Bishoppe should fall, his fall be the ruine of the whole Church. This our lamentable experience hath made good, not onely in the gouernment of the Western Churches, in which he hath been like a wilde Bore in the Lords Vineyard, but also in their faith, which by reason of their generall subiection to that one head, was as general­ly tainted with the same errors: for as when one foot slip­peth, the other may stand and vphold the body, vnlesse it bee carried with the sway of that which slipped: so when one Church faileth in any point of truth, an other may stand & vphold the same, vnles they be dependant one v­pon an other, & respect not that only vncorruptible head Christ, and his vnchangeable lawes.

2 Now, that we haue found out the Lords Vineyard, and considered the nature and state of the same, wee are in the next place to consider the husbandry which the Lord of this Vineyard vseth, the labour, the cost, the skill, and care hee bestoweth on it to make it prosper; for since that vniuersall curse pronounced by the mouth of God, Cursed be the earth for mans sake: thornes and thistles shall it bring forth: Gen. 3. good things do hardly thriue, without skil­full [Page 23]and Industrious planting and cherishing; their impe­diments are many; their helpes must be so many, that the Vineyard which is neglected and left to it selfe, may seem in a manner blamelesse, though it proue not fruitfull; for these duties therefore of the husbandman, the Lord con­scious to himselfe of his own goodnesse towards it, doub­teth not to make the Vineyard and Church it selfe, and e­uery plant thereof, euen all the inhabitants of Iudah, his Iudges, what one thing hee hath omitted which might haue smothered it, (What could I haue done to my Ʋineyard (saieth God) which I haue not done?

The particulars were set downe before. 1. The choice of the seat of Canaan, (My beloued had a Ʋineyard on a verie fruitfull hill. 2. His fencing it from spoyles (He hedged it a­bout) with his mighty protection. 3. The choyce of the plants, (Hee planted it with the best plants) the roote the (true Ʋine that came downe from heauen) the branches, the sonnes of Abraham. 4. The preparing of the Soile, he gathe­red vp the stones that might hinder the growth, the Ca­nanites and Hittites. 5. For a further defence hee built a Towre in the middest of it, his glorious Temple. 6. He set vp a Vinepresse in it, an Altar vpon which they might offer the fruits of their free will offerings; to those hee ad­ded continuall pruning and dressing; & watring of it from the cloudes of heauen: It appeareth after, Ver. 6. For the proofe of these particulars, reade the old Testament. What is the whole history of the Bible, but the narration of Gods blessings vpon his owne people, as if hee minded no other nation, no part of his creation but onely them? What is Ge­nesis, but the miraculous preseruation of them in their first spring and tender beginnings, till they were growne into a great people, now a plant able to bee remoued, and to stand by it selfe? What are Exodus and Numbers, but a powerfull translating of this Vine by a mighty hand out of the Garden of Egypt, where it was borne downe, and the gracious ordering and preseruing of it, as it were, aboue [Page 24]ground in a wildernesse, where it had nothing to liue on for forty yeares, till it was to be planted in Canaan? What are Leuiticus and Deuternomy, but the heauenly rules and orders of husbandring, disposing and pruning, and dressing this vine to preserue it in state? And lastly, what are the histories of Iosua and Iudges, and Kings, but the mighty planting of it in the land of Canaan, the casting out of the Cananits, like stones & thorns, & the weeding out of those mighty Nations, which might hinder the growth of the Vine? There the heauens and the earth, the sunne, the fire, the cloudes, and the sea, together with the Angels & host of heauen, all were commanded in their seuerall callings to attend vpon this Vine: for they were the people which the Lord called to be a holy generation, his royall Priest­hood, and that was the place of which he prophesieth, Psal. 132. The Lord hath chosen Sion, and loueth to dwell in it, saying, here is my rest for euer, here will I dwell, for I haue delighted ther­in: I will surely blesse her victuals, & satisfie her poore with bread: I will cloath her Priests with saluation, and her Saints shall shout for ioy. Now those temporall blessings of peace and abun­dance, those temporary deliuerances from al enemies, those miracles and those wonders, and that sensible presence of God himselfe in the middest of them, though they seeme strange in our eyes, and at the reading of them doe make vs Christians to say, Hee hath not dealte so with a­ny Nation, Hee hath not dealt so with any Christian Church; yet wee are deceiued, for the gracious kindnes of God died not with Israel: but rather those visible mercies towards Iudah, were the visible seales of his inuisible and perpetual graces towards his Church, and euery part ther­of; for where he hath an outward Church, there he hath al­so some elect to bee placed in it for eternity; and where a­ny of his elect are, there are all things necessary to their ac­complishment, his Ministers, his Word, his Sacraments, his Graces, his Protection, his exceeding loue. For seeing those out­ward visible Churches, bee as it were the Lords Worke­houses, [Page 25]wherein hee frameth the inuisible members of Christs body by grace, and proportioneth them to glory: that etern all wisdome and loue will so prouide, order, and proportion also those means one to another, and all vnto the end, that it may iustly challenge the whole world: what should I say? (What could I haue done for my Ʋineyard which I haue not done?) And here, though occasion is offered, It were a good thing to prayse the Lord, and to sing vnto the name of the most high, to declare this his louing kind­nes in the morning, and his truth all the day vntill night season: (for so much of our life is Angelicall, as is spent in songs of thankefulnes vnto our God;) yet I must leaue this work to be the sacrifice of your priuate deuotion. In which that one onelie benefit vpon the Christian Church is more then wee shall be able to comprehend, that this Vineyard, this Paradice whereof himselfe vouchsafeth to be the hus­bandman, hee hath purchased to himselfe by the price of bloud, not as Ahab purchased Naboth his Vineyard by the cruell shedding of the right owners bloud, and vniust rob­bing the possessor of it, but by giuing an infinit price for it, the bloud of his onely beloued sonne to redeeme it, where it lay ingaged in the hand of iustice: and the Apostle con­cludeth necessarily, Rom. 9. Hee who spared not his owne sonne, but gaue him for his Church, how shall hee not with him giue all things to her? he that hath yeelded vp the person of his infinitly beloued to be a sacrifice for her sins, and doth giue his flesh to feede his Church, and his bloud to bee her drinke: how iustly may hee demaund, What could he doe more for his Vineyard which hee hath not done?

But here though it be with the consent of all tongues acknowledged, that the blessings of God vpon his Church and euery part thereof are exceeding great, yet this chal­lenging, as it were, of his own omnipotency, (What could I haue done more, which I haue not done?) rayseth a doubt not to bee ouerpassed. For might not this house of Iudah & [Page 26]the inhabitants of Ierusalem haue replyed in the wordes of the Leper, Math. 8.2. Lord if thou wilt, thou canst make me cleane? the ordinarie obiection which many godles persons in our times doe frame, both against God and themselues, attributing their impenitency not to their owne obstinacy and corruptions, but to Gods vnresistable will: for, if hee would (say they) he could sanctifie vs, and make vs cleane also. Wherein, first, that is vndoubtedly true, that God, who made Iron to swimme, and rockes of stone to yeelde forth streames of water; who made Aaron his dried staffe to bud, and bring forth Almonds in a night; he, who could of stones raise vp children vnto Abraham, if hee would by miracle, could mollifie these obstinate sinners also, and make their rockie hearts gush forth with teares; hee could make them of stones children, and of withered stickes fruitfull trees, and that in a moment by the might of his omnipotent power: but as in the gouernement of the world, hee hath set downe an ordinary course according to the nature of his creatures, which he doth not alter, but vpon speciall occasion, as our Sauiour noteth in the cure of Naaman, and in the feeding of the widdow of Sarepththa, Luke 4.27. so in the ordering of his Church also, & con­uersion of the soules of men, he hath set down an ordinary course of secondary spiritual causes agreeable to their end, and fitted to perswade the mind of man; as principally, the word of truth and light in the mouth of his messengers, accompanied with a measure of his spirit. Thus by Mo­ses and the Prophets hee conuerteth sinners: if men will not heare them, no though a man should rise from the dead, saith our Sauiour, they will not belieue: for these are so forceable, and so proportionated in his wisdom to the heart of man, so seconded with the graces of his powerfull spirit, both for the instructing of the mind, and thereby the inclining of the will, that vnlesse a man hath more then or­dinarily corrupted himselfe in sin, vnlesse he be like these trees in Iude his Epistle, Twice dead, and plucked vp by the [Page 27]rootes, vnles hee bee like Lazarus, not onely dead, but stinking also in his graue, habitually corrupted, and that with such kinds of particular vices, as are opposite to the receiuing of the life of grace; it could not but draw him vnto God. Of this sort are those obdurate sinners, which haue hearts and cannot repent: Rom. 2.5. for though all inherent sinne be contrary to God and his truth; yet some sinnes and vices are more opposite to Christ then others, which maketh some sinners conuersion more difficult then others. Thus our Sauiour affirmeth, that Publicans and Harlots shal sooner come to Gods Kingdome, then proud Pharisies, that stand vpon their owne righteousnes according to the Law, and therefore conceiued no need of repentance and redemption by an other Sauiour. Thus he generally af­firmeth of the Iewes, whose eares and hearts were by cu­stome growne more then as all men naturally are, so ob­stinately hardned in contempt, against the word of truth, that, Mat. 11.21 had the signes and wonders that were done amongst them beene done in Tyre and Sydon, nay in Sodom, they would haue repented in Sackcloth and Ashes, as the Nineuites did at the preaching of Ionas onely. And this is that obstinate opposition of some against the ordinary meanes of mans saluation, that caused not onely the Prophets to mourn, but our Sauiour Christ to sit down and to weepe ouer Ie­rusalem, when he saw that shee would not bee gathered to her Redeemet; as if Christ should haue said, as God by our Prophet: What could I haue done more for my Ʋine­yard which I haue not done?

3 After the consideration of this so exceeding great cost and care bestowed vpon the Lords Vineyard, wee are in the third place to looke vnto the end of these his labours and husbandry bestowed on his Church; & that is the same which euery man which plāteth a vineyard, doth expect of his plants, fruits, (I looked for grapes) fruites natu­rall and proper to a Vine, proper to a Christian that recei­ueth the nature, the sappe, the spirit of the roote Christ. [Page 28]Why the good workes and fruites of Christians are com­pared to grapes, and themselues to vines, I partly shewed before. For, as nothing is created for it selfe; so the poo­rest creature that GOD hath made, is inabled with some gift to imitate the bounty and goodnesse of the Creator, and to yeeld somthing from it selfe to the vse and benefit of others; and this is their naturall worke: thus the Sun and Moone, and Starres, as they are indued with light & vertue, so they restlesly moue to impart their light and influence to the inlightning and quickning of the inferi­our world. Thus doe the cloudes flie vp and downe, emptying themselues to inrich the earth, of which not­withstanding they reape no haruest. Thus doth the earth without respect of her priuate profit, liberally yeelde her riches and fatnes to the innumerable armies of creatures, which all sucke her brests, and hang on her for mainte­nance, as on their common mother: and not to depart frō our Parable, thus doe all fruit-bearing trees, spend them­selues and the principall part of their sappe and moisture, not on the increase of themselues, but in making some pleasant fruit or berry, of which neyther they, nor their young springs shall taste; and this when it is ripe & per­fect, they voluntarily let fall at their masters feet: & thus neither doth the Vine make her selfe drunke with her owne grapes, nor the Oliue annoint her selfe with her own oyle, and yet they striue to abound with fruites. For the more euery thing furthereth the common good of the world, the higher is the excellency of the nature thereof, and the greater resemblance it hath to the Creators good­nesse. Now when heauen and earth are fruitfull in their kinde, when neyther beast nor tree are idle, but are alwaies bringing forth something to the good of others; when not onely the creatures vnder man, but the blessed An­gels of heauen are ministring spirites, perpetually and wil­linglie seruing for our good: when God the father him­selfe, with the Lord our King, are yet working, and diui­ding [Page 29]the streames of their goodnesse to the best behoofe of the world; how can it bee allowable, that when all the Armies of heauen and earth, the Creator with the creatures are thus busied in bringing forth fruit: onely man should remaine vnfruitfull, his faculties and graces idle, himselfe a burthen to the earth? It cannot be, for not onely the Church of God, for the gathering of her chil­dren, & the propagation of truth and piety amongst them, but the world it selfe, for the vpholding of her estate, doth necessarily require mans fruits: for seeing we grow toge­ther as members in a body, and branches in a tree; the life and sappe, & strength and helpe of the root, and head can­not be deriued to vs, vnlesse it be conuaied by ioynts and by sinewes, by armes and by boughes, by the mutuall mi­nistery of man, by the works of iustice and mercy from one to another: and therefore vnlesse the Pastor yeelde the fruit of his light and knowledge, vnlesse the Magistrate do yeelde the fruit of his iustice and authority, vnlesse euery priuate man doe yeeld forth the fruite of those faculties & graces which they receiue not for themselues, but for the good of the body: they are no parts of Christs body, ney­ther haue they the spirit of the head, the spirite of loue in them; but they are theeues and murtherers, enemies to Christ and to his Church, they starue his body, and pur­loine from their fellow members those good things which the mercifull head hath so intended by them to vs, that the benefite might be ours, and the thanks theirs, and al might grow by the naturall fruits of loue.

But here ordinarily ariseth in the mind of man a vaine shift which much hindreth his fruitfulnes, and maketh him draw in all to himselfe, and recall his sappe from the fruits into the roote againe, and that is a false reasoning with himselfe, that because, doe he the best he can, yet his fruits will bee earthly and sowre, and neuer perfect and kindely ripened, because were they neuer so perfect and abundant, yet they cannot merite lifes eternity to him that beareth [Page 30]them, and because that which is wanting, is fully supplied in the all-sufficient fulnesse and superrogatiue merits of the head, and therefore it is but lost labour to spend him­selfe in bringing forth such vnperfect fruites, so helpeles in the worke of his owne saluation: thus doth iniquity lie vnto her selfe, and turneth the truth of God into a lie: for though those three promises are all true, yet the conclusion we inferre vpon them, is altogether vnco­herent. True it is, that though wee bee ingrafted into the eternall Vine Christ, yet wee retaine something of the nature of the olde stocke whence wee were taken, which giueth to our best fruites an earthly taste and some relish of the olde man. True it is, that though we are plan­ted with the best heauenly plants of piety, yet they grow in a forraine soile, and in a colde clime, farre from the Sun, and our fruites are not concocted and perfect; euen our most spirituall fruits, our prayers haue not a pleasing taste, vnlesse they haue some sweetning. But this defect is sup­plyed by the great Angell of the couenant, who when he presenteth these our fruits to God the great husbandman, addeth to them of his owne precious incense, which hel­peth their infirmity and harshnes, and maketh them accep­table, Renel. 8.4. Again, true it is, that these our fruits, were they neuer so abundant, and as excellent as mans per­fectly restored perfection can afforde, yet can they not me­rite those crownes and kingdomes, and the eternity of that glory, but that When yee haue done all that you can, wee must say that yee are vnprofitable trees, not worthy the care and cost, the feeding, the watering, the graces, the continuance bestowed on them in this world, no more then the fruites of the Orenge and Lemmon, and Figge-trees in this our colde land are answerable to the extraordinary charge of their planting and maintaining; yet notwithstanding all this, euen these our sowre and vnperfect fruites, howsoeuer defectiue in themselues, are yet sufficiently profitable for the vses of the Church, during this her warrefare, wherein [Page 31]any meane thing is very comfortable, and troubled waters doe often serue for Souldiers drinke; and in that regard all they are pleasing to the great husbandman, to see these his plants in some degrees profitable to the world, and by their fruits, louing, cherishing and feeding one another, as their roote doth feed them. But for the Crowne of heauen, and a kingdome of eternall glory, this riseth aboue the com­passe of the deseruings of seruants: It passeth to vs by ano­ther right and claime, by inheritance, due onely to vs as sonnes, and therefore children and babes as soone as they are adopted in Christ: thecues and murtherers like the prodigall sonne, vpon their faithfull return to God, though they die immediately (as the theefe on the Crosse) before the time of fruit-bearing, and working in the Vineyarde; yet by right of this their new birth, and adoption into Christs body, they haue a right to heauen equal with their brethren, that haue spent all their life in painefull fruit bea­ring; for if sonnes, then heires (sayth the Apostle) euen fellow heyres with Iesus Christ: For notwithstanding for the pre­sent whilest these sons continue in their minority, they differ not from seruants, though they bee Lords of all, Gal. 4.1. they obey their Fathers commandements, and they labour in his Vineyard, and doe more faithfull seruice in the house, one sonne of loue, then twenty hyred seruants do for feare of stripes: and this is to them as discipline healthfull and necessary for their owne good also, and in their time of li­uing, the foundation of their perfection in grace, to make them fit for that heauenly place, & in all vertues qualified, for so great an inheritance in a society so glorious. And as for the reward of such obedient sonnes, wee haue our fa­thers answere to the elder brother that challenged his fa­thers iustice for his bounty towards his vnthrifty sonne, & hardnes towards him who had continued most faithfull in his seruice: Sonne (saith our Father) thou art alwayes with mee, and all that I haue is thine: as obedient sonnes ther­fore wee are alwaies with our father, this is our security, [Page 32]and all is ours, because sonnes. VVhat can we desire more? Our good works and seruices of piety are therefore, as S. Barnard most excellently concludeth of them, in the very end of his Booke; De libero Arbitrio: They are the nur­ceries of our hope, the Ministeries of our loue, tokens of our se­cret predestination, foretokens of our future blessednesse: Ʋia regni, non causa regnandi: they are the way vnto our kingdom: they are not the cause why wee shall raigne as Kings. Now if notwithstanding all this, wee Christians cannot be indu­ced to exercise our faculties in doing good, and to bring forth fruits of loue answerable to our new nature, as all o­ther creatures do in their kind, without some reward and hire; behold first we are created, or dained, redeemed, furni­shed with gracer, maintained in our estate, with bountifull supplies of all necessaries for our place: and what greater reward doth the Vine or the Oliue, or any other Creature expect for their fruits but their maintenance, euery thing in their kind; the Centurion in the Gospell that had Soul­diers vnder him, and could say to one, Come, and hee came, and to another, Goe and he went, though into certaine danger of his life; what greater rewardes could hee giue to them, then this present abundance and maintenance, or what greater rewards doth any seruant expect at his ma­sters hand, for as great seruice and as faithfull as we men performe to God? Againe, were our naturall loue and ser­uices one towards another as ready and as perfect as are the duety of one member in the body to another, (for the Apostle proposeth as the sampler of our duety) yet wee receiue a further sufficient reward, the like mutuall helps from them againe: and what other reward doth the eye or feete, or hand expect for their daily atrendance, but the like mutuall seruice from the body? Againe, this is the Apostles counsell, Gal. 6.1. If any man bee falne, yee that are spirituall, restore him, considering thy selfe, lest thou bee also tempted; Euen as trauellers doe mutually aid, comfort, and in any distresse releeue one another without any fur­ther [Page 33]respects of priuate gaine. If all this will not stirre vp our Christian hearts to performe the duties of a Christian man, by which their owne soules are bettered and increa­sed in grace: Behold yet a further commodity from the Master of the Vineyard, his speciall blessing, and increase of his care and graces vpon these plants which are most fruitfull: For euery branch that beareth not fruite in mee, hee taketh away, and euery branch that beareth fruite, hee pur­geth, that it may beare more, Ioh. 15.

Thus haue they increase of graces from heauen, & which is the greatest of all graces, the grace of perseuerance, whē other perish they are preserued and watered, when fruitles branches are cut off for the fire: for he not onely blesseth their store who spend it vpon their brethren, as springs that runne are fed that they may continue; but hee dealeth mercifully also with them that are mercifull to his chil­dren, and his pitty is ready to pardon their offences, & to remit their chasticements who are kind and pittifull one to another: how gracious is our God to his vines that bring forth grapes, who hath reward for those that giue but a cuppe (not of the iuyce of grapes) but of colde wa­ter to any little one for his sake? Thus doth the tempora­ry fruits of our loue & mercy make a way for vs to Christs mercy, and so to our eternall peace. Lastly, if all this can­not stirre vp the graces of God in vs vnto fruitfulnesse: Christs finall separation & triall of his sheepe from goats, of his members from aliens and strangers; his finall pub­like sentence of life and death giuen in the sight of men and Angels, shall bee grounded, not vpon the diuersity of their inward hidden natures, but vpon their seuerall kind of acts proceeding from them, vpon the seuerall kind of mens fruits: for euery tree is known by their fruits: all Christs branches yeelded grapes, all his members as they were possessed, so they were moued, & did work by the spirit of loue. Hereby yee are known to be mine, if ye loue one another, Iohn 13.35. and therefore this sentence also is [...]

our times be of any better kinde, the exact iudgement of this point belongeth vnto God; but what is in the eye, if man may iudge, whose tongue wil not confesse, but that as God spake of Iudah, Ezec. 16. that shee had iustified her elder sister Samaria by her sinnes; so wee haue iustified our eldest sister Iudah by these our sinnes, and in steade of grapes haue brought forth oppression, vniustice, coue­tousnesse, wild grapes full of poyson, and the gall of Aspes, our peace, our plenty, the richnes of our soyle in which we liue, our want of seuere pruning hath brought forth a luxu­rious haruest of pestilent weedes in the Vineyard, which haue in a manner ouergrowne and choaked piety, righte­ousnesse, and all hearty deuotion. I know the Lord hath reserued vnto vs a seede, a small remnant also: but look on the general face of our land, how hath this hatefull sinne of vniustice ouergrowne all: for the roote thereof couetous­nesse and selfe-loue hath got deepe rooting, and all men now in a manner doe turne the sappe and the blessings of God, their wealth, their labors, not into clusters of fruits, according to their vocation, but into their own armes and branches, euery one striueth not to bee a good, but to be a great tree, the bramble wold grow to be of the bignes of the maple, and the maple would be strong and tall, like vn­to the oake, ouerdropping, and by getting ground starueth another, some by an vnsensible soaking from them, some by violent and open wrong, some vnder colour of right, & pretence of loue; so that in euery quarter and ranke of the Lords Vineyard, there is oppression, and from oppression there ascendeth a cry to the Lord of the Vineyard. But what doe I speake of priuate vniustice betweene men and men, when there is found in our Vineyard a kinde of op­pression, not heard of amongst the heathen? Christians in their greedinesse to lay hands vpon their God and fa­ther, and vnnaturally to seeke to rob him of that which the bounty of his better children had bestowed on him for the maintenance of his worship amongst men. Doth any man [Page 37]rob his gods (sayth the Lord) Malachy. 3.8. yet this people robbeth their God, and they aske wherein, euen in tythes and of­ferings.

This is one maine roote of vnnaturall impiety, a prin­cipall cause of all our corruption, when the branches of the Vine doe not onely sucke and draw one from another, but doe intercept that also which should maintaine the principall roote, on which wee all grow, euen Christ & his seruice in his Church. When God sent his sonne vnto the Iewes; Come (said they) let vs cast him out of the Ʋineyard, & kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours.

The Lord our life hath yet some inheritance and patri­mony in his owne Vineyard amongst vs, for the mainte­nance of his labourers, which should plant Christ amongst vs, and in graft vs in him, vnto his inheritance; how many couetous men doe cast their greedy eyes, and put to their hands also, that first the Labourers might bee cast out, and the inheritance may be theirs? What is this, but by con­sequence to cast out Christ himselfe out of his owne Vine­yard, and as much as in vs lieth, to kill Religion and Piety, to kill Christ himselfe within our hearts? For it is not the losse onely of earthly liuing, and the dayly diminishing of the maintenance of his Labourers, which is to bee lamen­ted (though when you mussell the mouth of the Oxe that treadeth out your corne, and detract from the ordinary allowance of your labouring beast, you shall find the want therof in their hartles trauell, and in your own empty har­uest) but the greatest cause of lamentation & complaint herein, is the corruption of the Ministery of Christ, whilst Patrones and such as deale in the disposing of Church li­uings, doe shut vp all the ordinary wayes for the Labou­rers to enter into the Lords Vineyard, but onely by the dore of Simonie, by which, men of good conscience will not enter. Thus is the Lords worke and tillage of his vine­yard vnfruitfully followed, whilest men of corruptest minds, and the basest of the people take vp the places of [...]

should bee plentifull among vs, crying, I haue looked for righteous dealing as amongst brethren, who should rather suffer then offer wrong, and behold a crying? I haue heard a voyce, (saith Moses) Exod. 32. when hee descended from the Mount, the noise neither of them that haue the victory, nor of them that haue the worse; for the people had sate downe to eate, and were risen vp to play. But where there is oppression and wrong, there is a kind of warre, some haue the better, and some haue the worse, and therefore a­mongst them there is alwayes heard the noise of them that haue the worse; the noise of Oppression, the noise of complayning and of crying. A dangerous thing to haue any crying heard in the family of God, & amongst breth­ren; a fearefull thing that the complaint of the oppressed should come to his eare: Omne sub Regno grauiore regnum est, Euery Court is subiect to a higher Court. That there should be no wrongs it cannot bee prouided; but for re­dresse, there is refuge to Gods officers and ministers of Iustice vpon earth, and if they by righteous iudgement do take away the cause of crying, God is satisfied: but if the wronged party can find no ease in those inferiour Courts, but that in griefe of soule hee appealeth to the supreme Court, when hee cryeth after the Iudge of the world, as Dauid, Psalme 10. Arise, O Lord, lift vp thy arme, forget not the poore, wherefore doe the wicked contemne and say, thou wilt not regard? thē the righteous God, the refuge of the father­les, prouoked with those often appeales, taketh iudgement into his owne hands, and as Psalme 12. Now for the op­pressing of the needy, and sighes of the poore, I will rise vp, sayth the Lord: for seeing Deut. 15.9. hee chargeth vs not to har­den our hearts from giuing to our wanting brother, lest he cry vn­to the Lord, and it bee sinne vnto vs: How much more cer­tainely will hee performe that which he protesteth, Exod. 22. If thou trouble or vex the widdow or fatherles, & so they call & cry vnto me, I will surely heare their cry, and my wrath shal be kindled, and I will kill thee with the sword, thy wife shall bee a wid­dow, [Page 41]and thy children fatherlesse. Oh (my beloued) as there is much vniustice in euery estate, & cōtrary to Pharaohs dream the fat doe feed vpon the leane, the stronger vpon the wea­ker, as the fishes doe in the sea: so let no man presume vp­on the weakenes of the Plainetiffe, or vpon his own means to beare out his cause in the world; for though men should be silent in their owne wrongs, the stones shall cry, and the dumbe creatures shall make complaint; the detained hire of the labourer, though it lie in our chest, yet it sendeth vp a crie into the eares of the Lord of hostes, Iacob. 5. The stone that lyeth in the wall of our owne buildings crieth, and the beame out of the timber answereth, and denounceth, Woe to him that buildeth a Towne by bloud, and getteth a City by iniquity, Hab. 2.11. Who would haue thought, that when Abels mouth was stopped by death, and his bloud swallowed vp by the earth, that there had bin none to complain? but his bloud, saith God, Gen. 4. which the earth had swallowed, crieth to mee out of the bowels thereof. What a complay­ning noyse then must the bloud of so many men as is dayly shed in this land, make in the eares of the Lord of hoasts, crying now for vengeance against them that will not re­uenge it, against them that helpe to smother it, and do not remoue euill from Israel?

But I will not dwel vpon these sores of our land; we see the fruits which the chosen Church of Israel and Iudah his pleasant plant brought forth; wee see the fruits which our vnthankefull land, so blessed of the Lord, so instructed in the precepts of piety and righteousnesse, doth affoorde to him for all his mercies and louing kindnesses: I looked for grapes, and behold wilde grapes. Here iust occasion is mini­stred to inquire out some reason, why all these blessings of God in planting, watering and pruning his Church, should not be of force to make it fruitful, but that notwithstāding al his husbandry, it shuld so degenerate, & bring forth the fruits not of the new, but of the old stocke; I wil not vnder­take to set down al the particular reasōs therof, but amōgst [Page 42]many (no doubt) one, not the least, is that first blessing of planting his Vineyard in a fruitfull soyle, his temporall blessings, his peace, his plenty, his furnishing of it with all outward necessaries, that it might bee in heart, and strong to bring forth goodly fruit. It may seeme strange, that these helpes of piety should proue the bane therof: for whē straw is not ministred to Israel, but that they are forced to wander ouer the land to seek stubble; what maruell if they yeeld not their ful tale of bricks? or if the necessities of this life doc distract Martha vnto many things; how can shee with her sister intend to fitte at the foot of Christ, and by the waters of the Word which should increase her fruite­fulnesse?

But though Abraham, Iob, Dauid, & all faithfull men truly rooted and grounded in Christ, the more they are increased with those outward blessings of wealth, of ho­nour, of authority, the more abundance of the outward fruits of righteousnesse and mercy they doe yeeld: yet in men not truly regenerated and altered into the nature of the roote Christ, of which sort the greater parte of out­ward professors alwayes are, lamentable experience shew­eth, how that fatnes of the soyle, which in the fanctified branches of the Vine Christ, doth increase good fruit, con­trariwise in these vnreceiued Christians doth feed the cor­ruption of their olde nature, and doe helpe to the fruites thereof. This corrupted the purity of the Church of Is­rael, Deut. 32.5. Hee that should haue beene vpright, when hee waxed fat, spurned with his heele. And Ier. 5. Though I fedde them full, yet they committed adultery, they assembled themselues by companies in harlots houses. This corrupted the Church of Christians, Religio peperit diuitias, & filia deuorauit ma­trem: Piety brought forth wealth, and this daughter de­stroyed her mother that brought her forth. This corrup­ted the Church of Rome. As soone as the Church was in­dued with riches (saith Platina) the worshippers of God were turned from seuerity to wantonnes, and by the gene­rall [Page 43]impunity, no Prince repressing the lewdnesse of men, monsters vsurped Peters seat.

Lastly, this hath been the bane of our church, our peace, our plenty, our rest, euen the Lords blessings, like plenty of showers, hath brought forth this haruest of weedes and brambles, which haue choaked true deuotion; abundance hath increased luxuric, and ministred food to the pride of life; fulnesse of bread hath brought forth wantonnes of the flesh, and lust of vncleannesse, which in want and hunger do ordinarily wither; peace hath bread security, and called e­uery man to the building of his own house. Here beganne our gathering when wee conceiued hope of inioying, and the increase of our goods increaseth our loue to wards thē, and by stealing our affection separateth our hearts from the roote Christ, in whom wee should grow. And thus when men should haue said in their hearts; Let vs feare the Lord our God that giueth raine both earely and late, and reserueth to vs the appointed time of haruest; or when they should say with Dauid, Psal. 116. Enter into God thy rest (O my soule) for he hath beene beneficiall to thee, wee say with the glutton, Take thy rest, O my soule, for thou hast goods laid vp for many yeares, eate, drinke and be merry: Whereby as our Sauiour obiecteth to the Iewes, Math. 13.15. This peo­ples heart is waxen fatte, and their eares are dull of hea­ring; with their eyes haue they winked, lest they should see with their eyes, and heare with their eares, and vnderstand with their hearts, and be conuerted, and I should heale them. So necessary is the prayer of Salomon for the Church of God also; Giue mee not abundance, lest I be full and de­ny God, and say, Who is the Lord?

But to conclude this point, howsoeuer the corrupti­on of mē doth turn this plenty of earthly blessings, to the nourishing of their earthly affections, seeing as Vines can­not bring forth fair & goodly fruit in a barren soile: so the fruits of the Church, & of righteous men cannot be abun­dant & fair without this food; seeing God in his mercy al­so [Page 44]often taketh away this abundance, when his Church groweth wanton, & by breaking the staffe of bread, tryeth them with scarsity somtimes, & with afflictions: the Lords challenge doth notwithstanding still continue firm: What could I haue done to my Ʋineyard which I haue not done?

In this abundant allowance vnto our bodies, if any man thinke that the abundant prouision made for the foode of our soules also, this plenty of preaching and of instructions should haue kept downe the pride of the body, and held vp the spirit aboue the flesh, & reformed the abuses of wealth & peace; I may adde euen this abundance of spiritual food, as one of the causes of cōfirming & hardning corrupt minds in their corruptions: for in those fat hearts which are either wanton or sleepy, the continuall plenty of the word causeth a fulnesse, a lusting after Quailes and nouelties, and a wea­rie loathing of that plaine bread of life which came from heauen: Our soules, said the Iewes, are dried vp with this Manna. Euen as water and bread, and fire, because they are things without which we cannot liue, God made them more cōmon then things of pleasure, and yet because they are so common, they are of lesse price: so that word, with­out which there is no spirituall life, God in his mercy ma­keth it cōmon in his church, that according to the prophe­sie, it may runne like waters in the midst of the streets; and this very commonnes of it breedeth a contempt, so that as great noyse and loude sounds vnto which wee are continu­ally accustomed, doe not strike the eare, but rather allureth sleepe, and as the hand which at the first is soft and tender, and galled with handy labours, doth with vse waxe hard, and gathereth a senselesse brawne: so the eares of Iewes & Christians, are by custom not affected with the continu­al voice of God, & their hearts, which at the first are tender, galled and pricked with euery hard sentence of the word, by dayly vse grow hard and vnsensible; that whereas Nine­uie repented at the hearing of one fearefull Sermon of the Prophet Ionas, Israel was not strucken at the vsual thunder [Page 45]of so many fearefull prophesies, neyther did the works & wonders of our sauior bring thē to any sense of themselus, Which if they had bin done in Tire and Sidon, nay in Sodom and Gomorrah, would haue drawn them to repentance in sackcloth & ashes: notwithstanding, seeing this word preached, is the only food, without which the soule pineth, and her life consumeth: seeing by the streams of this water, all faithfull men do grow as trees (in whole countries) planted by the wa­ter side, which bring forth their fruites in due season: there is no reason why the Lord should scant his children of this bread of strength and life, because some without gouerne­ment do abuse it to excesse, or that his bounty should not bee magnified, in whose house the prodigall sonne happily remembred, that euen the seruants haue bread inough.

I come therfore to the last point of my Text, to the con­sideration of the iudgement which is due to those vngrate­full Vineyardes, which notwithstanding the exceeding great means vsed for their good, doe obstinately continue in bringing forth wilde fruites; for the Lord, the great Iudge referreth this controuersie between himselfe and vs, to our own consciences, our own case to our owne iudge­ments, O inhabitants of Iudah, iudge, I pray you, betweene mee and my Ʋineyard, that is, Iudge betweene your selues & mee: for though God beginneth his iudgement at his own house, yet he goeth to this iudgement with a heauy hart, as it were, and a slow pace, though vpon our continuall pro­uocations, he giueth out words of highest reuenge, As E­sai 1.24. Ah, I. will ease me of my aduersaries, and auenge mee of mine enemies; and as Hose. 11. The sword shall fall vpon their Cities, and consume their barres, and I will meete them as a Beare robbed of her whelpes, I will breake the kall of their hearts, I will deuoure them like a Lion, their Infants shall bee dashed in peeces, and their women with child shall bee ripped: yet when he is to com to the execution of these feareful sentences, he stayeth himselfe, as in the 18. verse of the same Chapter, How shal I giue thee vp, Ephraim? How shal I deliuer thee vp Is­rael? [Page 46]How shall I make thee as Adamah? how shall I make thee as Zeboim? mine heart is turned within mee, my repentings are rowled together, I will not execute the fiercenes of my wrath, I will not returne to destroy Ephraim, for I am God and not man, &c. which is the reason vvhy the Lord calleth man first to sit in iudgement vpon himselfe, because as Cor. 11.13. If wee would iudge our selues, wee should not be iudged of the Lord. Iudge therefor (I pray you) betweene mee and my Ʋine­yard.

But vniust men that are so corrupt and partiall in iud­ging other mens causes, when will wee bee vpright and vncorrupt in our owne causes? when will a man condemne himselfe? when will hee sift his secret corners, and set his owne vvayes both seene and hidden before his own eyes? when will he vpon exact examination, giue that iust doom and sentence of death vpon his owne iniquities, and vpon his owne head, making true restitution what lyeth in him of all his wrongs, and executing vengeance vpon al his vi­ces and corruptions, that there shall, bee no need of ap­peale from his own partiall iudgement, to the iudgement seate of God, no need of the Lords after comming to pu­nish those sinnes, which are acknowledged, condemned, remoued and reformed? and now mercy is implored for them, and supplications put vp to the throne of grace: for to them, Esai 1. Come now (sayeth God) let vs reason together; If thy sinnes were as red as crimson, I will make them as white as snow, though they be double dyed as scarlet, I will make them like wooll. To them, that is spoken, Malachy 3. I will spare you, as a father spareth his owne sonne that serueth him.

But these sinnes that haue been so deeply rooted in vs, and by long familiarity and custome, are become deare to vs, and which like that euill spirit, Act. 16.16. doe bring gain & pleasure to their masters; there is little hope of our willing consents to root thē out. We come like those Iews with minds resolued in our courses, whatsoeuer the Pro­phets shall teach to the contrary: And therefore what [Page 47]remaineth, but that this Vineyard should expect the Lords sentence; Now will I tell you (saith God) Ver. 5. what I will do? A feareful thing to fal into the hands of the liuing God.

A sentence of depriuation of his graces: A sentence of finall desolation, onely by remouing his mercies and bles­sings by which onely it standeth, by remouing his owne sauing presence from it, 1. the hedge of his defence shall be taken away, and then he shall not need to hisse to the nati­ons to come against her, she hath greedy enemies at home that lie in wait for the prey.

Secondly, Hee will not maintaine the wall or proppes which vpholde her. How can it then but fall downe to the ground, and bee trampled on by the feet of euery wilde beast?

Thirdly, He wil not bestow dressing and pruning of her by discipline and chasticements: how can shee then but grow wilde? Shee shall not be digged and weeded; then will thornes and corruptions ouergrow her. And yet by all these punishments the wrath of the Lord is not appea­sed: for there remaineth one, which taketh avvay all fu­ture hopes and possible meanes of any one branch to con­tinue, and liue in the middest of these former desolations: Hee will commaund the cloudes, that they raine no raine vpon her: How then can the drie and barren earth bring forth any good?

I cannot, I need not prosecute the particulars of this sentence: wee all know how exactly and seuerely it is long since executed vpon the Vineyard of Israel, and not a word of the Lord is fallen to the ground: that Garden and Paradise of the earth, that delightfull habitation of the mighty God of Israel, wherein the light of life shined, when all the earth besides was darkenesse, lyeth now as waste, as the wildernesse of Horeb; and where the voice of the Bridegroome vvas heard, and of him that did leade the dance vvith Tabrets and Harpes; vvhere the people of God ioyned together in the ioyfull songs of Sion; there [Page 48]now Zims and Satyres dance, the Ostrich & the Shrich­owle doe dwell there, and the inhabitants themselues be­ing cast out of their Cities and Vineyards, and scattered ouer the whole earth amongst them that hate them, doe liue vvithout GOD, vvithout a Sauiour and Protector, vvithout a sacrifice, vvithout hope and comfort, a for­lorne Nation, & according to the Prophesies, the reproch and hissing and scorne of all people, a perpetuall exempla­ry monument in the middest of Christians and Nations of all tongues, of the Lords iustice vpon his owne vnthank­full Church and family.

Concerning novv our selues, vvho haue succeeded the Ievves in Gods inheritance, and are made a parte of his Vineyard, vvhat can vvee alledge for our selues, why the same sentence should not passe vpon vs? If vve compare Gods mercies towards vs, vvee goe beyond the Ievves, as farre as the light of Christ and his Apostles doth ex­ceede the light of Moses and his Prophets, and the sonne of righteousnes doth goe beyond the Starres of the night, the grace of the Gospel beyond the cōmandements of the law. If vve compare our fruits of thankefulnesse, what one complaint doe the Prophets make of the Ievves co­uetousnesse, vniustice, oppression, vvantonnesse and pride, vvhich is not, by altering the names, as it vvere, spoken to our land, besides the sinnes of sacrilege, of glut­tony proper to vs?

VVherfore seeing where the Lord had iuster cause to expect such multitude of grapes, hee is prouoked vvith a continual Vintage of these vvild grapes, I wil not dare to pronounce the LORDS sentence, that thus and thus vvill hee doe vnto his Vineyard.

Yet seeing GOD referreth it to our iudgements, to pronounce vvhat it hath deserued; I may vvith the se­cret assent of your ovvne consciences affirme, that, in that hee hath not yet executed that sentence vpon vs, hee hath not dealt vvith vs after our sins, neyther revvar­ded [Page 49]vs according to our iniquities: for the hedge of Iewrie is broken downe, and the wilde Bore hath de­stroyed that Vine. The Beasts of the field haue deuou­red it vp. But the LORD hath kept our hedges, and the Bore hath not deuoured, the wild beastes haue not broken in vpon vs. The LORDS finall Sessions are approching; and who knoweth whether by his exem­plarie iustice, hee being sufficiently knowne to the world? These publike & corporal executions of his wrath vpon sinnefull Nations, bee not referred vnto that day. This is our chiefest cause of feare, lest a spirituall curse proceede out of his mouth against vs, like that of our Sauiour Christ vpon the barren figge-tree; lest he neg­lect to prune and dresse this his Vineyard; lest hee neg­lect to weede out our thornes, and suffer the brambles to choke that little good that is found amongst vs; lest to our finall desolation and spirituall vastity, hee com­maund the cloudes not to raine their raine vpon vs lest hee make the Heauen ouer our heades to bee as brasse: for then the earth shall bee as yron, or as drie and fruitlesse dust.

What fruite can earth yeeld, when it is forsaken of heauenly grace?

Oh stirre vp therefore the graces of GOD which are in you, and apply them vnto fruitfulnesse; that yee may yet take, and lade the Altar of the LORDS wine­presse with the sacrifice of your fruites. Say in your hearts, as the Vine, Iudg. 9. Should I leaue my Wine, whereby I cheare both God and man, and goe to aduance my selfe aboue other trees? That as, Esai 65. When there is wine found in the cluster, one doth say, Destroy it not, for there is a blessing in it: So our Lord visiting this Vineyard, may haue cause to say, There are clu­sters found in the Ʋine, destroy it not, for there is a blessing in it: and a blessing be vpon it.

Thus, and thus onely may wee continue Christ the [Page 50]Vine vnto our land, & our selues a Vineyard vn­to Christ; A Seate of perpetuity for the Lords mercies, and inheritance of life to our Children and Posterity. Amen.