[...]p. 2. SIthence the fall of Adam, there is a cer­taine defect, and cor­ruption of nature in man, by the which hée is prone and ready to commit sin, and neuer able fully to sa­tisfie the Lawe of God, this corruptnes lieth hidden and taketh roote in that na­ture of ours, which procéeded from A­dam, and buddeth or breaketh foorth by the thoughts and wyll of the hart, bée­ing enclined vnto euill, euen in y^e whole course of our life,en. 8.21. as God himselfe sayd, The imagination of mans hart is euill, euen from hys youth. Although we sée [Page] in youth no such apparant showe of sin, as wée doo in ryper yéeres, yet that euil which is called originall or inhabiting, dooth assuredly so remaine, that some­time is séene anger, reuenge & vntruth in them, and then concupiscence, which sticketh in nature from the beginning, and aptnes to sin dooth appeare euerye day more and more, euen as age dooth encrease, and then as S. Iames fayth,Ia. 1.14.1 [...] He is drawen away by his owne con­cupiscence, and is enticed, then when lust hath conceiued, it bringeth foorth sinne, and sinne when it is finished bringeth foorth death. Sinne it selfe is found in our corrupt nature, but the or­der and encreasing thereof, is séene in the maturitye and ripenes of yéeres. Touching the first sinne and simple sin, which is called Originall. The prophet speaketh,Psal. 51.5. Behold I was shapen in wic­kednes, and in sinne hath my mother conceaued me. Likewise S. Paul doth say, By nature we are the Children of wrath. Hence we gather in the verye generation of man, when by the Lawe of nature the issue is conceaued and framed, then the spotte of sinne dooth passe [Page] into them begotten, and so from age to age, and from one to another passeth sin euen with the framing and conception of nature, and then (as the Prophet sayth) in an ther place, who can make that clean which is conceaued of an vncleane seede. If that séede then be vn­cleane, néedes must the fruites be agrée able which doo appeare in order as in a séede, first there is the very graine, from thence the stalke, last, the very same fruite: so in man, first the dokled na­ture by discent euen from Adam, then his thoughts, lastly his actions & déedes. Now touching the first, we receiue our contamination in generation, from the defiled generator, then our thoughtes begin to frame a consent and shape of sinne, and it is working in our hartes and mindes when it is sayd, we cannot as much as thinke one good thought, as appeareth in the Gospell. [...]th. 15.19. Out of the hart come euill thoughs, murders, adul­teries, fornications, thefts, false testimonies, slaunders. So that first in y^e harte is the séede, then from thence procéedeth the thought or imagination, which in y^e 8. [...] 8. of Gen. is called Gezer, a cogitation or [Page] cuspicence, which doth shape a delight, a pleasure, a wyll and desire to sinne, and last of all appeareth in the same work­manship of nature, the very fruites of our corruptnes which sheweth y^e which is called Atoxia, which is a confusion of order, not framing our selues according to the Law of God, forasmuch as in our selues, we behold not that which is ne­cessary for our selues, or required in our selues, as the Apostle saith: The natu­rall man beholdeth not those thynges that are of the spirite of God,1. Cor. 2.1. & for thys cause are we called [...] wicked, and lewde, for when we haue doone of our selues what we can, yet we are vnpro­fitable in respecte of our owne abilitye and power, which I speake not to dis­may y^e weaker sort, to signifie vnto thē their valure before God and the world, to be nothing worth, and so to bee reiec­ted and not regarded, but rather to their great comfort, that being so vile and wicked in their kinde and genera­tion, it pleaseth almighty God to beau­tifye them wyth the spyrite of know­ledge: and allowe of them in hys fa­uourable acceptation, and to blesse [Page] them with his continuall mercye and loue in his sonne Iesus CHRIST, especially those that féele the heauye burden of the flesh and wyll hearken to the louing call of the Lord, and come vnto him, but such as wyll not hearken and returne when they are called, but perseuer and continue in the hardnes of their hart, in such this hroode of sinne is nourished and encreased two manner of wayes. [...]wo wayes [...]ne nouri­ [...]ed. 1. By the dilligence of sathā, secondly by the pleasure of the flesh. As touching the dilligence of sathan, when ye shall perceiue manne to goe astraye from God, which is his preseruer and shéepeheard, and from the comfortable flocke of the Church, and company of the godly, then as a straying shéepe is, he the sooner taken by the Woolfe, and so deuoured of him, for sathan diligent­ly goeth about as a roaring Lyon, séeke­ing whom he may deuoure, and when he hath taken him, euen as the fleshe of the shéepe is digested in the stomacke of the Woolfe, euen so is this wicked mā resolued into the inticements & sugge­stions of sathan, so that where as the motions of the flesh doo prick and stirre, [Page] there is sathan ready to sette forwarde and egge man vnto the accomplishing of euery sinnefull desire, vntill it be performed, and then followeth the resolu­tion & consumption of the whole man, eyther in shame or confusion, thys hap­peneth chéefest in those that goe firste astray and forsake theyr louing GOD,Strayers. to whom he hath louingly called and of­fered himselfe, and then afterward shal followe the wandring of their owne wyll, as appeared in Iudas, who fyrste forsooke hys God, followed hys owne wyll, and then was taken of sathan, and so consumed. And now to conclude in thys poynt, there is no roote or séede of sinne in the hart of man, but sathan is alwayes watring it, and attending it, to make it growe and waxe rype, and being so, it is reapt either with shame, or rewarded with confusion, as the A­postle sayth, What profite had yee in those thinges whereof yée are nowe a­shamed. Dauid to auoyd it, sayd in hys prayer to God,Psal. 25.2. All they that hope in thee shall not be ashamed. so likewise after the continuaunce of sin commeth confusion, as we haue séene by experi­ence, [Page] many whoremongers, haue béene brought to extreame pouerty or to most horrible diseases, the drunkard vnto the dropsie, and extreame pal [...]yes and séeblenes, the tyrant vnto vtter ruine hatr [...] and corruption, [...]. 7. as appeared by Antio­chus, who did so rotte where hee laye, that his Chamberlayne could not abide the smell of him. The couetous, God doth abhorre, as the Prophet sayth, the Rebel is rewarded, (as woorthely) with the losse of his life, besides their tempo­rall punishments layd vpon some of the vngodly. The Apostle sayth vnto all the vngodly, Neyther fornicators, nor Ido­laters, Co. 6.9, 10. nor wantons, nor adulterers, nor theeues, nor couetous, nor drunkerdes, nor raylers, nor extortioners, shall in­herite the kingdome of God, this sée­meth to be gréeuous and terrible sen­tence, and all these sinnes are styrring in our flesh, but vrged and sette on by sathan, who séeketh (as I sayd) nothing but shame and confusion. Now there resteth an other sort of nourishing of this sin in our fleshly nature, when we giue ouer our selues as seruants to vnclean­nes and iniquity, [...]om 6.19 to commit iniquity, & [Page] bée ouercome either with pleasure or with idlenes, or with aboundaunce, if a­ny of these take hold in our fleshly min­des, and we anker our wylles therevn­to, then that sin which stirreth in hidden nature, appeareth in open actions, as for example, the man that is giuen to plea­sure, whether it be the pleasure of the minde, or of the flesh, as Herode was giuen to both, y^e effect of them was murther against his owne conscience, and if you giue scope vnto the wandring mind to haue his delights wherein he wil, as we sée many delights in the world, as hawking, hunting, dycing, carding, py­ping, dauncing, bare-bayting, and ma­ny other such pastimes, sometimes they are taken for recreations, but that is a­mong the graue, that knoweth howe to rule (not to be ruled) but giue y^e carnal minde an inche, and it desireth an Ell, and hardly it can be remooued or appea­sed because it is in league & lincked to the flesh, which alwaies desireth con­trary to the spirite, and that is y^e cause we sée greater flocking, & more delight in any these pleasures among the grea­ter company, then in resorting to Ser­mons, [Page] or to the Churche, hence gro­weth the greate abuse of the Sabaoth day, in bowsing, drinking, gaming and pastime. The heathen Poet did gyue good counsell, Animum rege, qui nisi paret imparat hunc frenis hunc tu compes­ce cataena. [...]. Rule thy minde, vnles thy minde rule thée, bridle him, and fetter him fast with chaynes. For this cause did the Apostle gyue counsell, that wée should mortify our earthly members, that is to say, Kyll our carnall affecti­ons and delights. But doo we goe about to kyll them when wee water them? and allowe of them? nay rather prefer them before godly meditations. I wyll not condemne pleasures (as I say) that are vsed of the wise and well setled for their recreations, nor yet our Englishe musicke, vnles it be among wanton mindes or light braynes, for if it be v­sed among them,Effect of Musicke. you shall sée what a monstrous effecte it vseth, it maketh theyr thoughts and mindes to runne a­stray a great waye of, and fall into dy­uers and sundry desires and vnlawfull wishes, and ambitious appetites, be­sides that, it shapeth a thousande fanta­sies and imaginations in theyr conceits [Page] making themselues in their fantasies to be of great valure, and estimation, whereas they are nothing towarde, to what proportion eyther of behauiour, ambition, or desire they frame them­selues that be louers of Musicke, they can best iudge that haue delighted it, but this I am sure, though preferred in many houses before the preaching of the Gospell, yet I knowe the Gospell delighteth the godly so much, as they vtterly refuse musicke, in respect of the greater, for in the Gospell we finde this swéete harmony,Ioh. 14. the gates of heauē are open, mercy and loue is sent vnto vs, euerlasting life is prepared for vs, in the kingdome of heauen, and what bet­ter melody. The other yéeldeth but vn­certaine soundes, not distinct, lightlye heard and quickly gon, and therefore fitter rather for an vnsensible flesh then for a reasonable spirite, and thys plea­sure of the minde beeing first growen strong and ripe in the minde, dooth worke in the flesh so mightily, that all good order being excluded, these are pla­ced. First idlenes, then the delight of euill company, thirdly euill and filthy [Page] words, and last, immoderate dyet, and what procéedeth from all these 4. you shall iudge by the sequell. As for the first, which is Idlenes, the Poete sayth, Otia si tollas periere Cupidinis ercus, Idlenes. Take away Idlenes, and thou doost breake Cupides bowe, againe.

Why was Aegistus an adulterer? be­cause he was Idle. King Dauid came from hys fluggish bed at noone day, and walked on the roofe of hys house, when he beheld from thence, Bath-sheba the wyfe of Vriah, 2, Sam, 11.2. and did by hys idlenes engender hys adulterous practize. The wise man saith, Idlenes bringeth much euill.Eccl. 33, 26 Likewise S. Paul speaketh of young wyddowes to Timothy: Being idle they learn to goe frō house to house.

1, Tim. 5, 13.Now to the next vice, which is euill company, which is a great occasion to translate a good disposition, and make it become very bad,Euill com­panye. as the wyse man saith Ex malo consortio malus eris, by compa­ny of the wicked, thou shalt learne wic­kednes.Gen. 6.2. The children of God being in the company of the daughters of wyc­ked [Page] men, discending of y^e stocke of Cain, were rauished with their beautye, and tooke them agaynst the wyll of God, in­somuch as he beholding the wickednes of their harts, sayd: It repenteth me that I made man, Eccl. 13.1. It is sayd in Ecclesi­asticus, He that toucheth Pitch shal be defiled with it. Also in the Reuelation it is sayd, by the whore of Babilon: Goe put of her my people that ye be not partakers in her sinnes.Reu. 18.4 If a Lambe stand by a Woolfe, or towe néere the fire, the one shalbe in hazard to be deuoured, the other to be burned. If a mā goe among bryers, he shalbe plucked, scratched and defaced in euery side, euill company hath wholy consumed many a man, dis­credited his house, blotted out his good name, impouerished his estate, and con­sumed the body in most horrible disea­ses. The Prodigall childe, that fell into bad company, is a good example to ma­ny prodigall children in Englande, to make them auoyd that thing that brin­geth shame, diseases, pouerty, hanging, or some other bad death, there is no mā so vnreasonable, but he will auoyde the plague, leprosie and such contagious [Page] diseases, and shun and detest such as are infected with them, but those spirituall diseases, as doo infect both body & soule, are neuer auoyded nor detested, nor the company of them that haue them: the horrible punishment whereof, is ex­pressed in many places of Scripture, es­pecially if you reade y^e Homily againste adultery, there is a most terrible pu­nishment ordeyned of God in all ages, against adulterous personnes, of all e­states and degrées, yet we haue a great many stony harts, hauing vysardes of impudency on their faces, that do know God, haue heard his word & his threats against such horrible sinne, and yet not­withstanding wyll delight in that filthy and damnable sinne, and wyll buylde (presumptuously) on the mercy of God, but this let them be warned, and in the bowels of Christ I charge them take héede, that they build not theyr pleasure and lust, but theyr fayth vpon the mer­cy of God, if they doo, the building wyll fall euen as Sampsons house did vpon theyr owne pates, and crush them to péeces, for the seruaunt that knoweth hys Masters wyll, and wyll not doo it, [Page] shall be whypped with many scourges, If such adulterers wyll not bee terrifi­ed with the temporall punishments of which before are layd downe, yet lette them looke to the day of iudgement, where the vpright Iudge Christ sitteth who hath pronounced the swéete sen­tence already in Mathew.Math. 19. Verily I say vnto you, that when the sonne of man shall sit in the throne of hys maiestye, ye which followed me in the regenera­tion shall syt also vpon the xii. thrones and iudge the twelue tribes of Israell. And whosoeuer shall forsake house or brethren, or sisters, or father or mother or wyfe or children or landes for my names sake, he shall receiue an hundred fold more, and shall inherite euerla­sting life. Let them looke into thys sen­tence, and they shall find a promised pleasure, which shall drowne all carnall and filthy delights, if at least wise hée haue any desire to be the child of God, and doo expect and looke for the lyfe to come.

The thyrd vice, which corrupteth a man is filthy talke,3. Vice fil­thy talke which indéede dooth set our nature so at liberty, y^t we shame [Page] not to fall in the sandes and shore of fil­thy pleasure, for if the tongue, as the A­postle sayth, [...]m. 3.4. be the helme and guyde of the shyp of our body, néedes must the ship run at large, whose guyde is vnru­lie.

[...]. Cor, 15.S. Paule recording the wordes of Menander, sayd: Euill words corrupt good manners. Likewise Dauid descri­bing the vngodly, among other things sayth: Vnder his tongue is vngodlines and vanitie. [...]am. 3.6 Yea Iames sayth, The tongue set among our members, defi­leth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature, and especially you shall note it in those whose inclination is to euill, and in whom there is founde a towardnes, and a wylling readines to a wanton, wicked, and filthy life, wher­fore I fréendly admonish with S. Paul Fornication, [...]ph. 5.34.5. and all vncleannes, and co­uetousnes, let it not be once named a­mong you, as it becommeth Saintes, Neyther filthynes nor foolish talking, neyther iesting, which are thinges not comelye, but rather gyuing of thankes.

Last of all, there remaineth an other sustenaunce to carnall pleasure which is immoderate diet,Immode­rate dyet, an [...]im [...]d to all temperancy, an ouerthrowe of know­ledge a r [...]fer out of reason, a disfigurer of shape, and a murtherer of vertue. Likewise, a fréede vnto vice, a main­tainer of appetite, and a copartner with [...]lines, for if you behold the man in [...]ned eyther to gluttony or drunken­nes, you beholde him that dooth so stuffe the flesh, as he séemeth to be wylling to féede the effectes and desires thereof, whych appeared shamefully bothe in Lot and in Holophernus, to their con­fusion. And as Marcinus sayth, Tu ga­nea indulges Ciprian sectare nefandam, So thou doost fauour gluttony, that in the ende, thou doost nourish venerye. The wise man sayth,Ecc. 31.30 Drunkennes encreaseth the courage of a foole, till he of­fende, it dimisheth his strength, and maketh wounds? Also in the Prouerbes of Salomon.Pro. 23, 31, 32, 33. Looke not thou vpon y^e wyne when it is red, and when it sheweth hys colour in the cuppe, or goeth downe pleasantlie, in the end therof it wil bite like a serpent, & hurt like a Cockatrice, [Page] thine eyes shall looke vpon strange wo­men, and thy hart shall speake lewde thinges. Héerein you may sée the lewde forces of excessiue wine, it maintaineth venery, gyueth courage to offende, di­minisheth strength, woundeth, stingeth as a serpent, hurteth like a Cockatrice, turneth the eyes to straunge women, and maketh the hart speake lewde thin­ges, what greater ouerthrow can there be to the honour and dignity of a man. Now beholde what God pronounceth against such. In the Prophet Esay hée sayth? [...]sa. 5, 11 Woe vnto them that rise vppe earely to folow drunkennes, & to them that continue vntill night, till the wine doo enflame them. And a little after, in the same Chapter. [...]rse, 22, Woe vnto them that are mighty to drinke wine, and to them that are strong to powre in strong drinke. [...]el, 1, 5, Likewise, the Prophet Ioel cryeth out at them. Awake ye drun­kardes, and wéepe and howle, all yée drinkers of wyne, because of the newe wyne, for it shalbe pulled from your mouth. Nowe because mans nature is apt and prone héerevnto, God did not onely gyue a threatning to this reason [Page] to be terrified but an order to his bodye to be mortified, and therefore ordeyned and proclaimed fasting,Fasting. as a most godly and commendable constitution of the body in temperancye, and that wee shold so order our dyet, that we shoulde be féeders of nature, and not releuers of appetite, neyther should this fasting su­persticiously consist in y^e choyse of mea­tes and drinkes, as the Maniches did,August. d [...] moribus. Manich, l [...] 2, cap, 13, which refrayned flesh, and yet in other dainties were distenti & crepantes, but rather that we shoulde take to relieue nature, and no more. To this ende sayth Caluin, was fasting ordeyned,Institu, li, cap, 12. sec [...] 15, first to supprosse the flesh, least that it shoulde were wanton. Secondly they should be the better gyuen to prayer, and thirdly it should be a testimony vnto humility, in those that did vse fasting orderly, that is to saye, in refraining ouermuch stuf­fing and pampering of the bellye, the Lord God graunt it spéedily in all good Christians for his Christs sake. Amen.

COnsidering howe ouglye and monstrous sinne is in the mind & fleshe of man,Chap. 3. and howe diuerse it is in hys wyll, as it is a thinge impossible to proportionate it, so is it a thing so detestable, that by reason ther­of, (I meane sinne onely) we haue ma­ny most gréeuous and intollerable ene­mies. As for example, Gods vengance and wrath, our owne conscience, death and damnation, of the which, some of thē are enemies vnto our sin & fréends vnto vs, as are, Gods vengeaunce, and our owne conscience: and some of them are fréends vnto sinne, and enemies vn­to vs, as are, death and damnation, but by reason that sinne raigneth in vs, and we fauour it, and water it, and cannot nor wyll not seperate our selues frō the hazarde of it, but kéepe a society wyth it. Wée are like the Corne that is [Page] is found among the chaffe, which is ga­thered vp & cast into the fire, and so they perish togeather: Euen so, when sinne is founde to excéede in our mortall bo­dies, and that we ouermuch defile the house of the Lorde, (I meane his Tem­ple) he shal come with his Fanne in his hand, and purge hys flower, and that séede which is not séene, but couered with the Chaffe, and dust of the flowre, shall be cast away, and that man whose multitude of sinnes doo couer him so, that neyther repentaunce, nor any good conuersation doth discouer, vndoubted­ly eyther the broome of Gods vengance shall swéepe him away, or els y^e worme of his conscience shall gnaw him, or the sting of death shall confound him, or els the fire of hell shall consume him, for all these are enimies vnto vs for sins sake. Nowe therefore, least sinne myght raigne among vs too aboundantly, without the cutting off of the buddings and blossomes of it, either with amendmēt, with grace or with feare, I wyll laye downe what the force of all those ene­mies is, that we may sée how that day­ly by the entertainement of sinne, wée [Page] prouoke gréeuous enimies against vs. And touching the first, which is the vengeaunce of God vpon sinners.Vengeance of God. I wyll begin with the Hystory of the Isralites expressed in the Bookes of Exodus and Numery, where the people for theyr murmuring, wyshing of their fleshpots for worshipping the Golden Calfe,Exo, 15, 16, 17, 19, 32, Chapters. and many other sinnes, had the plague, le­prosie and gréeuous diseases among them, and many of the Idolaters were slayne. And in Numery, such as rebel­led were swallowed vppe in the earth,Chapters, 16, 21, 25, such as murmured, had firye Serpents sent among them, and such as commit­mitted fornication among them, hadde the plague, in so much, as there dyed in the plague twentye foure thousande. We reade also that for the sinnes of the people, the world was drowned, and for the sinne of Sodome and Gomor,Gen, 6, 13, those Citties were consumed with fire and brimstone. Horosius reporteth,Gen, 19, 24, that for sinne the two great Citties in Asia, Colossa and Hierapolis, suncke into the earth, and were swallowed vp. Iericho was besiged by Iosua, and the Cittye was taken,Iosu, 6, 21, and all the inhabitants (sa­uing [Page] Rahab, and they that were wyth her) bothe olde and young were put to the sworde, and the Citty burnt, but of all lamentable plagues sent from God, the destruction of Ierusalem by Titus and Ʋespasian, may be a terrible exam­ple vnto vs, for they hadde the Lawe, Prophets,Math, 11. yea Christ himselfe, who bitterly wept ouer them, and yet they would not turne from theyr wicked sinne, but hardned theyr harts, and ca­red not for the Lords swéete warning, and comfortable calling, nor yet for their owne harme and confusion, which was so néere at hande, but euer they thought that the Lorde woulde not de­story hys Temple among them, nor yet that they shoulde bee spoyled for their Temples sake, and besides that they were so many, they boasted of their multitude and strength, and thought all the worlde could not ouercome, but all the world cannot preuayle, where God him selfe dost sette against, as appeared by this great and populous Ierusalem. Whereof Iosephus maketh mention, that they were besieged so long, that a bushell of Corne, was worth a talent, [Page] yea they were so hungry, that they dyd eate the Leather of their Targets and shooes,Anno salu­tus. 73. and glad were some of them to eate the dunge of Oxen, the mother kil­led her owne child to eate if, which was a most lamentable & vnnaturall thing, there were x [...].C.M. besides Ga [...]leans slayne by Vespasian, xvii.M. sent to Alexandria by Titus, to be kept [...] vile bondage. Two thousand to be brought [...] Rome for a triumph, which after­ward were deuoured of wylde beastes, [...]ll [...]es that, xxv.M. Iewes were sold, all this gr [...] multitude, (which man [...] ha [...] thought could haue conquered the whole [...]) the Lord [...] their sinnes, and for the contemning of hys word and trueth, deliuered vppe to the bloddy hands of their enimies. What har [...] is so hard that wyll not tremble to he [...]e this lamentable vengeaunce and wrath [...] God, with so sharpe punish­ment vpon his owne people, which be­fore he loued so well, and among all o­ther nations of the worlde, chose for his peculiar flocke.

Besides this, y^e hayle, thunder, light­ning, stormes, tempest, fluds, mists, pal­pable [Page] darknes, frogges, caterpillers, and firye serpents, which the Lorde hath sent vn­to hys people for sin. The Prophet saith that for the sinnes of the people, y^e Lord wil send a dearth vpon thē, not of bread and oyle onely, but of hys holye worde, and therfore for their Idolatry and in­iquity,Eze. 14, the Lorde sent false Prophets a­mong them, and the Lord sent word vnto the people by the Prophet Ezechiell. That if they did sinne by committing any trespasse against him, he woulde stretch foorth hys hande and break the staffe of bread, and sende such a famine vpon it, that man and beaste shoulde bée destroyed, likewise be would sende [...] ­so [...]e beastes into the lande to spoyle it, a sword to destroy them, or a pestilence to ouerthrowe man and beast, and their if Noab, Daniell, and Iob were among them, they shold deliuer but theyr owne soules, but their sonnes and daughters should not be deliuered. How bitterly were the offences of A [...]hab and Iezabel punished for the taking away of a little péece of land. I would to God it were séene in England, by them that taketh away great liuings and manours, and [Page] sendeth a whole housholde it begging, if the sonnes of those menne were so vsed as Achabs sonnes, theyr heads cut of all in one day, and likewyse theyr hungrye Iezabels, were vsed as Achabs. Iezabel deuoured of dogs, and foules of y^e aire, they would (I thinke) consider what a a God there is, that séeeth into y^e harts of wicked offenders, and dooth beholde the multitude of their sinnes, not onely entertained in corrupt nature, but al­lowed in corrupt wyll. Good Lord con­sidering the ripenes of sinns in these dayes, it is to be lamented, that wee feare not the vengeaunce of God.Eze, 16, 19 The Prophet Dauid could say, If thy wrath be kindled O Lord, who may abide it. Ezechiell doth shewe howe greatly the Lorde cryed out against Ierusalem, shewing the offences of Sodome, for the which they were destroyed, whych were, pryde, fulnes of bread, Idlenes and contemning the poore. But alas we haue not onely thys, but an infinite more of most horrible sins raigning a­mongst vs. As disobedience, murther, enuy, couetousnes, horedome, extortion, vsury, false accusation, drunkennes, [Page] lying, dissimulation and periury, from the iust iudgement of which sins nowe ripe among vs, I beséeche God of hys mercy defend vs, and be fauourable vn­to vs. Truely our owne sins of Englād béeing so many, and so boldly and open­lye vsed, doo blind vale a great many that they neither beholde the maiestye and authority of God, not yet the iu­stice he may lay vpon vs, as barrennes, dearth, famine, and pestilence, and in stéede of our great plenty, to sende vs scarcity, in stéede of our peace to send vs warre, and for the quietnes of our ha­bitations and families, to banish vs frō our owne houses, and to scatter our fa­milies before our faces, and to deliuer them and vs into our aduersaries hand as a pray. This God can doo, and vn­les we spéedily repent, vndoubtedly this first enemy to sin, which is Gods ven­geaunce, wyll be powred vpon vs.

The second enemy vnto sinne, is our owne conscience,Second ene­my to sin. which forasmuch as it hath an inward taste of y^e law of nature & a knowledge of our deformed conuer­sation & a sight of our going a stray from the image of our good creator, doth al­waies [Page] at the rebellion of sin (especially when we ioyne our wils therto) stir in our bodies as though we had y^e féeling of some liuing thing there, crawling,Synteresis gnawing, clogging, accusing, pressing down as a heauy lump of lead, shaming at, & condemning our own reasons, and wils for giuing entertainmēt vnto sin, in asmuch as sometimes ye shal find the tormēts, & gréeues of consciēce to worke greater sorrow & care in our minds, thē if we were either in prison or ready to goe to execution, and although there bée 2. consciences, the good and the bad,Two con­sciences. for­asmuch as I write vnto the good people of God, I will haue to doo but with the conscience of the good, referring y^e other to his continual hardnes. And although oftentimes we sée not the conscience of the good, by their wickednes of sin, for that they are not yet called, yet if theyr consciences do not shew her force of ac­cusation, no doubt it is imprisoned, and so hid in y^e great heape of corruptiō that though it cannot now speake in the end wil breake foorth, & that we sée in many disordered personnes in these daies which in the hardnesse of their hartes [Page] haue contynued in theyr sinne a long tyme, vntouched or vndisclosed. Yet in the ende, when God wyll call them, or sathan bring them to shame, or whē no man can iustly accuse them, (how be it suspect them of euill liuing) being called to examinacion before any magi­strate, then who can better accuse then the conscience, (who doth first condemn and then strike a great feare) in y^e ende produceth two witnesses, that is eyther the stammering tongue, or els the blushing face to accuse the guilty wyth hys owne mouth, and make him speake al­though he sée eyther shame to discredite him, or the magistrate to punish hym or the Gallowes to confound him. There­fore is the conscience called Mille testes, a thousand witnesses, because it dooth more euidently know that which is hid in him, then a thousand men, and dooth boyle and burne in the harts of wicked men like a fire. As Tully sayth, Nolite putare (quemadmodum in fabulis sepenu­mero videtis, In oratione pro Roscio eos qui aliquid impie, scelera te que commiserunt agitari & perterreri taedis ardentibus sua quemque fraus suus terror maxime vexat, suum quemque scelus [Page] exagitat, amentiaque afficit, suae malae cogitationes, conscientiaeque animi terrent &c. Thinke not as Poets haue fayned, that they that haue committed some­thing vngodly or wickedly, are vexed and scourged with burning Torches, it is our owne guile, and our owne feare doth most trouble vs, it is our owne wickednes doth torment vs and amaze vs, our owne wicked thoughts and con­sciences that dooth affright vs &c. There is a great accusation of the conscience in the hart of the sinner, as when the Scribes and Pharisies had taken a wo­man in adultery, they brought her to Christ to sée what sentence he woulde gyue against her, because they hadde found in Moses Lawe, that such a one should be stoned to death, but they dyd it not for Iustice, but to tempt him. Then he writ wyth hys finger on the ground, and said: (béeing vrged by them for his sentence) Let him that is among you without sinne cast the first stone at her. And when they heard it, Ioh. 8.7.9 being accused by their owne consciences, they went out one by one, beginning at the eldest euen vnto the last, It is [Page] most true that Iuuenall sayth:

Doost thou thinke he can escape, whō the conscience of a moste horrible facte maketh amazed, and whippeth with a deafe scourge. And as the same Iuue­nall saith in an other place. Nocte di­eque suum gestat in pectore testem.

S. Paule speaking of the Gentiles, sheweth that they haue the effect of the Lawe, written in their harts, their consciences bearing witnes,Rom, 2, 15, and as long as we liue in this worlde, God graunt that this witnes may alwayes stirre and sting vs, till we be ashamed of sin vnlesse after this life, it be opened as in an inditement to accuse at y^e iudgment seate,Reu. 20, 12 as Iohn maketh mention. And I saw the dead both great & small stand before God, and the That is their con­sciences. bookes were opened, and an other booke was ope­ned, which is the booke of life, & the dead were iudged of those thinges which were written in the bookes ac­cording to their works. Thus we may [Page] sée the conscience in thys world that ac­cuseth, and the conscience in the worlde to come that condemneth. God grant y^e we may in this worlde so behaue our selues, as with Horace to say. Hic mu­rus ahaeneus esto. This is a brasen wall when a man may knock his breste and say, I knowe nothing héere that ma­keth me ashamed or a feard.Miscellan prelect sep [...] time, To [...] primi. He y^t wyll sée more of the conscience, let him looke in the Bishoppe of Exceter hys booke Not in Ally, though indéede he wryte of conscience at large. But D. Wolton that is now Bishop, who wryte larger in his booke called the Conscience, dedi­cated to a godly zealous knight, S. Iohn Gilbert, mine olde good master & louing fréend a fit Patrone for such a booke and title, there he shal find inough, touching the conscience.The third enemy v [...] to sinne, An other most terrible enemy vnto mankind for sinnes sake, is death, who by reason that our bodye is all spotted & corrputed with sinne, hath his lawfull accesse vnto mankind, and foloweth him step by step, from place to place, of what estate or degrée soeuer he bée, either King, Prince, Duke, Mar­ques, Earle, lord, baron, knight, or whether he be rich or mighty, wise or poli­tike, [Page] tyll at last he plucketh him downe, and depriueth him of life, wife, children, houses, lands, goods, and all those thinges in the world, wherin he setled his hart. The cause of this his power is, y^t man beeing corrupted wyth sin, is rewarded with death: a certaine appoyntment of God in our first parent for his sin and disobedience. [...]n, 2.17, As appeareth in Genesis, 2. In the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt die the death. In that he dyd eate, he disobeyed, and so sinned, which sinne hath runne into all hys posterity by discent hetherto, [...]m. 5, 12 and shall vnto the worlds ende, and that is the cause that Death triūpheth ouer vs in this world in ouerthrowing vs. S. Paul sayth: Stipendium peccati mors, [...]om. 6, 23 The rewarde of sinne is death. Likewise the Apostle Iames sayth: [...]m. 1.15. When lust hath concea­ued, it bringeth forth sinne, and sin whē it is finished bringeth foorth death. So that there is no doubt among men, but by reason of sinne death hath taken hold in them, [...]om, 5.12, and as sin is entred into all the worlde, as the Apostle sayth: euen so death is like to run vpon all thē which are in the world by reason of sinne. But [Page] now some will obiect, Obiect that whether wée sinne much or little, it is all one, for we are assured of death thereby, not regar­ding the multitude of sinnes, but (as it were) féeding the inclination of sinne, knowing that there is but to the one and to the other, a death for a rewarde. But I answer,Resp. if any man shall there­vpon boldly presume on sinne, and feede the humor thereof,Short de terrible. Deu. 30.18. he shall not only ha­sten death vnto him, but also plucke vp­on him a most terrible death, as appea­reth in Moses. If thy hart turne away so that thou wylt not obey, but shalt bée seduced, and worshippe other Gods and serue them, I pronounce vnto you thys day, that ye shall surely perish, you shal not prolong your daies in the lande. S. Paule charging the Corinthians for a­busing the sacrament, sayd:1, Co. 11.3 For thys cause many are sicke among you, and many fall on sléepe. And yet it is not a generall rule, that they which are cutte off, that theyr dayes are shortned tho­rough sinne, for Iohn Baptist, and the Innocents that were murthered by Herode are no such examples, for such the Lord dooth not onely take away because [Page] they are vnworthy of the worlde, but sometimes they are arguments of con­demnation vnto their oppressers, again in them was not séene such manifest sin wherby they did drawe vnto thē Gods wrath to cut of their dayes, but in those in whom plentifulnes of obstinate sin doth raigne, vndoubtedly they shorten their dayes, as on the otherside, they which serue the Lord, and followe hys precepts and lawes, their daies shalbe prolonged. [...] [...]0, 20, As appeareth in the com­mandements. Honour thy father and thy mother, that thy daies may be long in the land which the Lord thy God gi­ueth thée.K n, 20, 6, Was there not xv. yeeres ad­ded to Ezechias in seruing y^e Lord. The prophet Dauid saith. [...]sal, 34, 12 What man is he that listeth to liue, & wold faine sée good daies: kéepe thy tongue frō euil, and thy lips that they speake no guile. The ve­ry same & like wordes hath the Apostle Peter, also when the Lord appeared vnto Salomon in Gibeon,Pet, 3, 10, and had giuen him the excellency of wisedom, he adui­sed him saying, [...] Kin. 3, 14 If thou wilt walk in my waies to keepe my ordinances and my commandements, as thy father Dauid did walk. I wil prolong thy daies. And [Page] yet not only this blessing of prolonging of daies shalbe giuen to the seruaunts of God, but euen in the ende, they shall die a peaceable death, as happened to y^e good king Iosias, to whom y^e Lord said,2, Ki, 22, 2 [...] for his good embrasing of y^e booke of the Law, and fearing him. Beholde I wyll gather thée to thy fathers, & thou shalt be put in thy graue in peace, and thine eies shall not sée all y^e euil which I wyl bring vpō this place. O good God, what sweeter wordes to a christian hart, and what greater ioy to a good conscience then to depart in peace, y^e neither God in vengeaunce, nor the worlde in excla­matiō lay any thing to our charge, ney­ther this length of life, nor this peacea­ble death shalbe assured to the vngodly and wicked, but as I said, their daies shalbe cut of, and their end shalbe in terror & feare, as it appeareth in Ezechiel,Ezech, 14 either by famine, pestilence, sworde, or wyld beasts. Howe terrible was the death of the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomor, O howe lamentable and most dreadfull was the ende of Hierusa­lem when it was sackt by Tytus and Vespasian. Howe fearefull was the end of Iezabell, being rent a sunder [Page] with dogges, and deuoured by peece-meale. How was the ende of rebellious Absalon, which was caught from hys horse, and hanged by the haire. Howe odious was y^e ende of Antiochus, which putrified and rotted where he lay, that hys Chamberlaine coulde not abide his smell. Most horrible was the ende of Holophernus, who was beheaded in hys drunken sléepe, and all these wyth a great many more abridged their daies, and ended them in most terrible and fearefull manner, and that for their wicked and abhominable lyuing, in most detestable sinne and wickednes, some in horedome, some in pryde, some in disobedience, some in extortion, some in tyranny and cruell murther, &c. I remember I was by the bedside of an olde preacher,Hunting [...] who di [...]n froo­ [...] Zel­ [...]d. who lay in his death bed, and sayd vnto me. Euen as the water which is poysoned, killeth all the multi­tude of fish in it, so I tell thée in thys world, the whole ayre is so corrupted with the sinne of man, that I doubt mée it wyll bring all the world to a confusi­on in a short time. I pray God deliuer me, and giue England repentant harts.

The most horrible and most fearefull enemy that yet was spoken of agaynste the sinne of man, is hell,The last e­nemy to sinne. a place of dam­nation for euer, without release, appointed for sathan, & all such as haue stoutly serued him, without veyling theyr ban­ner of repentaunce to almighty God: an enemy so dreadfull, as me thinkes the verye remembraunce of so terrible a place, should séeme to reuoke and drawe backe a sinner, although he had neuer so great a delight in his iourney. A place not onely full of all paynes & torments, but also continuing and enduring for e­uer, and euer, a place voyde of release, or mitigation of paynes, thether com­meth neyther mercy nor bayle, compas­sion nor pittye. The lamentable out cryes and scriches of them that are tor­mented, doo neuer come from thence vnto the eares of helpe, or vnto the com­passion of pitty.Esa. 30, 33 It is described in the Prophet Esay, Topheth is prepared of olde, it is euen prepared for the King, hée hath made it déepe and large, the burning thereof is fire & much woode, the breath of the Lorde like a fire of Brimstone doth kindle it. He speaketh [Page] figuratiuely, that as the state of heauen in many places of the new Testament is set forth by similituds, because other wise we cannot conceiue of it, euen so hell in this place is called Topheth, Topheth which was a vallye of the children of Hinnom néere Ierusalem,2, Ki, 23, 10 where the childrē were sacrificed to Moloch which was a great Image of brasse,Lyra. proporti­oned like vnto a man, and being holow within, it should first be made fire redde hote, and when the child shoulde be put into it and closed vp, then the priestes would make such a noise with Targets and timbrels, that y^e parents should not heare the voice of the infant, whereby they myght be moued to cōpassiō, but beléeue y^t the infant died peaceably with out paine, and y^t the Gods did presently receiue y^e soule of the infant: this was their abhominable Idolatrye, in thys vally néere Ierusalem, which yet is called Ben-hinnom, which is asmuch to say by interpretation as the sonne of Hin­nom, afterward for y^e filthy abuse of the place, & for the contēpt therof Iosiah caused dead carions to be cast there. Nowe Topheth taketh his deriuation frō Toph which signifieth Timphanū a Tabret,Psa. 81, or [Page] dromslade which they vsed as I said, in this vally, to take away the pittiful cry of the child, frying in this Images hote hollow place. And in our owne capaci­ties we sée a certaine description of hell by this figure, a place full of torments, in the which the tormented shall suffer such paines,Mat, 13, 42 as shall prouoke wéeping and gnashing of teeth, yea such as are intollerable, on y^e otherside, the children of God, shall not be moued to compassi­on to behold them, no although they sée their father, mother, children, kinsfolke or such like, for as the Tabret, and tim­brell tooke away the childs cry in the I­dol Moloch, so shall the ioy and swéete melody of heauen, stop their pittye or compassion of them which shall dwell in heauen. And although this similitude holdeth not in all parts to the reason of them, that would discourse vpon it, yet so farre it holdeth, as we must conceiue the matter, although we omit the man­ner. As the vally of Hinnom was a place néere Ierusalem, wherein after­ward Iosiah caused all the filth and cari­ons of the citty to be layd, as fit for no better thing, because of y^e horrible abuse and Idolatry therin sometimes doone.

Euen so the heauenly Ierusalem doth purge it selfe of all those filthy carions, I meane the reprobate that stincke of their sinne, before the face of God, and are ordayned to bee caste out into thys Topheth as a place fitte for such a receypt.

Nowe as there is a damnable place, wherin the fire is neuer quenched, and the worme neuer dyeth. Euen so there are some men, whose sinnes are so ma­ny, & offences so greate, that neuer sée­keth the grace and fauour of almightye God, neuer repent them of their sins, these (I say) shalbe possessors and inhe­ritours of thys place of torments,Math. 13.41, 42, as our sauiour Christ sayth: The sonne of man shall sende foorth hys Angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdome all thinges that offend, and them which doo iniquity, and shall cast them into a Fornace of fire, there shalbe wayling and gnashing of téeth. Lykewise Saint Paule to the Hebrewes. If we sinne wyllingly,Heb, 10, 26, 27, after that we haue receiued the knowledge of the trueth, there re­maineth no more sacrifice for sinnes, but a fearefull looking for of iudgement [Page] and violent fire, which shal deuoure the aduersaries. Also it is sayd in y^e seconde Epistle of Peter.2, Pe, 2, 9. The Lorde knoweth to deliuer the godly out of temptation, and to reserue the vniust vnto the daye of iudgement to be punished. Also in S. Iohn hys Reuelation.Reu. 20, 15, And who soe­uer was not found in the Booke of life, was cast into the Lake of fire. Howe woefull and terrible shall the dreadfull day of iudgement bee vnto the wycked and reprobates, when Christ Iesus shall sit and make diuision the Goates from the Shéepe, when he shall say to the shéepe. Come yee blessed, receyue the kingdome prepared for you &c. Math, 25 34 And to the Goats, that is to say, the wicked, he shal say,Verse, 41, Depart from me ye cursed into euerlasting fire, which is prepared for the deuill and his aungells.

Wherfore while we are héere in thys worlde, let vs with terror beholde the dreadfull sentence of damnation, & with all diligence and care, call our selues to account,Eph, 5, redéeming and purchasing a­gaine, the time which we haue wickedly spent, and become not onely new, but stedfast members, and then, if thy hand [Page] or eye cause thée to offend, cut them off, and cast them from thée.Mat, 18, 8, 9, It is better for thée to enter into life halt, maymed, or blind, then hauing two handes, two féete, or two eyes, to be cast into hell fire. And because sathan goeth on styll so busily with his worke, and all the world in a manner séemeth wyllinglye to be his workmanship. It is necessa­ry that now, euen nowe, we reclaime our selues, according to the caueat of the Euangelist. Nowe is the axe layde to the roote of the trées,Luk. 3.9, therefore euery trée which bringeth not foorth good fruit shalbe hewen downe, and cast into the fire.

Thus haue I bréefely layde downe the most gréeuous enimies to mankind which preuaile the more against him, by reason of the sinne which he séemeth to nourish, and make ripe in his ready wyll, and wylling inclination. I would it mought be so surueyed, that it may be lothed, and so lothed, that it may bée th [...]oughly mortified, wherby these ene­mies may not so lay siege vnto y^e soule of man, that in y^e ende, he may be taken captiue, and led to an vnbailable gaole, the Lord grant it for his Christes sake.

THe meane howe we shall reforme our selues,Cap, 4, take away the force of sinne, and to cause almightye God to become our good and merci [...]ull father & protector, omit­ting the sacrifice of Christ, which is all in all, and shewing our owne duety. I wyll lay downe in these sixe poynts. 1. 6, Thinges learned maketh vs new crea­tures in a christian shape. We must looke into our creation and sée what we are, and what we should bée. 2. We must heare y^e word of God, and what is to be gathered out of it. 3. Wée must vse harty prayer. 4. Wée must suffer affliction. 5. Forsake the world and y^e flesh. 6. We must looke in to the swéetenes of the second life: and all these béeing wel looked into as they are, and as I purpose by Gods grace effectually & briefely to lay them down shall bee inough for a christian man to learne for his office and duety.

The first thing y^t we ought to looke into, and the first lesson that we shoulde learne is, to knowe our creation and forme, not our quallities and dispositi­on, that by the view thereof, we should in all behauiour shewe, that neither in mind or in action, which is agréeable to our title, name, calling and kinde, that as we are the image of God, so wee should frame our selues to that shape of godlines, and as wee are reasonable creatures, so we should vse our know­ledge with vnderstanding, and as wée haue the dominion ouer all other crea­tures, so we should kéepe our honour and estimation, not communicating with them. So long we be men, and so long we kéepe the honour of our kinde, as we vse our selues not only after the Lawe of God, but at least wise accor­ding to the Law of nature, for we are endued with a reasonable soule and spirite,Heb, 4, 12 not to affect wicked, sinfull, and de­uilish thinges, nor yet to will & desire thinges that are against the glorye of God, for if God be glorified in his crea­tures, euen so much y^e more we oughte to set forth his glory, by how much hée hath exalted vs aboue all other crea­tures [Page] with true holines, with perfecte charity, with sound knowledge, with continuall deuotion, with thankes gy­uing, with equity, with mercy, and so foorth, as it becommeth a man endued with a reasonable soule, againe, foras­much as he hath sette vs aboue all hys handy workes, and hath set all thinges in subiection vnder our féete, let vs not loose that honor and dignity, and be­come brute beastes our selues in our behauiour, but rather as I sayd be like men, as we are created, and kéepe the image of God in perfect knowledge, iustice and temperance, sanctification and holines, according as the Apostle sayth. This is the wyll of God,1, Thessa. 3, 4 euē your sanctification, and that we should abstayne from fornication, that euery one of you should knowe howe to possesse his ves­sell in holines and honour, but assoone as we giue ouer a holye conuersation, a reasonable spirite, a chast minde, and a good behauiour, then wee fall into beastly behauiour, and brutish maners, and from men quickly become beastes, and called by the name of beastes, be­cause then from reason wée fall euen to the corruption of nature and lustes [Page] thereof, and doo not sée the violation of Gods commandement, defacing of our image, nor the ouerthrow of our honor. Therefore is it, [...]e, 2.12 that the Apostle calleth vs beasts, saying: But these as brute beastes, led with sensuality, and made to be taken and destroyed, speake euill of those thinges which they know not, and shall perrish through their own corruption. [...], 10, 14 Likewise the Prophet Iere­my sayth. Euery man is a beast by hys owne knowledge. Horace in his tyme called the people of Rome for their in­constancy, and vnstablenes, and chang­able desires.Episto. Bellua multorum capitum. A beast of many heads: there are many (which for their affections and quali­ties in scripture, are called beasts, some by the name of a Lyon for his tyranny. [...]on. [...]anny. Of such the prophet Dauid spake, whē he did flée to the Lord for succor, saying: O my God, [...]. 7, 1, 2, in thée haue I put my trust saue me from all them that persecute me, and deliuer my soule, least he de­uoure my soule like a Lyon, and teare it in péeces while there is none to help. Such we haue not a small store in Englande, which through tyranny and op­pression haue deuoured many a poore [Page] soule, and eate them out of house, liuing and all, and may well be called Lyons, for in their tyranny as they haue no cō ­passion nor pitty,Scorpion flattery so who dare of all the beasts in the field, to take y^e Lambe out of the lions clawes, and what man dare speake or controll some of our lyons for their pray. Some are called Scorpions for stinging vnder the shew of faire flattering, as the prophet Ezechiel,Ezech, 2, [...] béeing wylled to speake vnto a stout harted nation, should not feare them, as it is written. And thou son of man, feare thē not, neither be afraid of their wordes, al­though rebels & thornes be with thee, & thou remainest with scorpions, feare not their lookes &c. The nature of the scorpion is thus described,Plini et Barth, A [...] Blandiuntur facie sed cauda pungunt acute, they flat­tet with their face, but they sting wyth their tayle, many a faire word, and ma­ny a faire shew hath deceiued many an honest English hart, swéetely pypeth the fowler, when the poore byrd goeth to wrack, many a faire promise, louing looke, and bidding to bankets, hath de­ceiued many a one of his liuing, depri­ued many a one of his life burdened many a one with cares, I wyl not say, that [Page] in causes of marriage by faire wordes many a one hath béene deceiued, but e­specially the poore old widdowes, [...] race, Sunt qui frustis et pomis viduas venentur aua­ras. [...]yne for [...]hines, Some are called Swine for their filthines, and sluttish wallowing in the dunghill of lust, and for y^t they estéeme not their owne clenlines, as appeareth in Mathew. [...]at, 7, 6 Cast not pearles before swyne. And as S. Peter sayth. The sowe that was washed,Pe, 2, 22 is returned to the wallowing in the myre, and wee that haue béene washed in the fountain of Christianity, are returned into the puddell of adultery and filthy fornicati­on, if this deformed shape, were séene in forme, as it is knowne in desire in all the worlde, there be a great many magistrates and Officers, yea and such as be shepheardes myght be ashamed to sée that nowe they are swyneheards. Brybery affection and negligence hath (the more pitty) engendred to manye swyne in these dayes. Some are called by the name of Bulls, [...]s Oxen [...] Kine theyr [...]ression Oxen, and Kine, for their oppression and cruelty, & they are said to be of Bashan, which was an hill of excellent pasture in the Country [Page] néere Iordan, wher Og was King. A signification in those whose bellyes bée­ing full, are most cruell & fierce against the poorer sort.Psal, 22, The Prophet Dauid cry­eth out against them saying, Many Ox­en are come about me, fatte Buls of Ba­shan close me in on euery side. Likewyse the Lord himself cryeth out against them in y^e prophesie of Amos.Amos 4 Heare this word ye Kine of Bashan, that are in y^e Moun­taines of Samaria, which oppresse the poore and destroy the néedy.Foxe fo [...] subtilty▪ Some are called by the name of a Fox, for theyr subtilty, which is naturally in the Foxe. As appeareth in the Prophet Ezechiell.Ezech. 1 where the Lorde himselfe cryeth out a­gainst the subtilty of the prophets of Is­raell, saying. O Israell, thy prophets are like the foxes in the waste places. Al­so in the Gospell of Luke, Our sauiour Christ calleth Herode by y^e name, when the Pharisies came and wylled him to depart, least that he would kil him, say­ing to them. Goe and tell that foxe, Luke. 1 be­hold I cast out deuills, &c. We haue a great many foxes in England, (God help vs) which kéepe their holes a day time, & goe about mischiefe in y^e night season, [Page] many subtill practises, they imagine in their idle lurking dens, some to destroye the estate, & some to alter religion, and some to make a confusion of order, the Lord turne their harts, or spéedilye con­found them. We haue besides them a great many hungry foxes that goe about to spoyle the poore Lambes of the coun­try, as the buier & seller vnder y^e coloure of swearing, lying, facing, &c, deceiueth many a simple néedy man, especially hée that buieth vpon lende, and cannot for­beare, he that buieth of such foxes, shall assuredly haue the worst, and pay well for the best. But we haue worse foxes then these, that is, our vsurers, for they bite not onely but deuoure vp quite, and their subtiltie is to beguile God almightye, and to cozen the law, for they haue no mony of their owne, but can borrow of a fréend, and yet he shall haue none of that, but if he wyll take ware, (beware the fox) hee wyll fléece you and skin you also, and make you pay vii. skore for the hundred, before the yere be out, for hee saith, it is lawfull to buy and sell. And yet we haue worse foxes then these, which are some of our Lawyers (God forbid I should say all) they wyl so draw [Page] men and win men, wyth their warran­ting of good and sufficient matter, tyll they haue sucked out all the blood in his purse, then they care neither for him nor hys matter. I remember Isope speaketh of such a beast, which sawe the Rauen hauing a péece of chéese in his mouth on a trée, to whom this fox said. O what a fayre byrd you are, and how brauely you can sing, I meruaile men say you are a fowle byrd, and a bad singer, I promise you I like your singing of all y^e byrds in the world, with that the Rauen offered to sing, and opened his mouth, and down fell the chéese, which the fox tooke, and ran away with it laughing, and had no more to doo afterward with hys beautye or commendation: neyther haue our Foxes to doo any more wyth mens mat­ters when they haue the chéese.

Some are called by the name of dogges for their disdainefullnes and enuye,Dog for disdainful­nes & enuy for that the nature of a dogge is alwaies to disdaine and enuy his owne kind, as the olde saying is

For this cause he dooth shew his surfai­ting nature, which is rather then he wil impart to an other, we will ouer charge his owne stomacke wyth eating, to hys owne anoyaunce. Therefore it is that Peter sayth.1, Pe, 2, 22, The Dog returneth againe to his vomite, to séeke phisicke for his surfeyte, when his belly is ouercharged, for that carying an enuious mind, and a dis­dainfull to others, he would rather hurte himselfe, then leaue any thing to plea­sure others, and for that cause they were called also dogges by Christ, to whome holines was not imparted, partly be­cause they wold make a surfaiting meale of it, kéeping all to themselues, and yet dooing no good to themselues, and partlye because they wold not impart to others, when he sayd,Math, 7, 6 Gyue not holy thinges vnto dogges. for that indéede thinges ought to be bestowed on them that bene­fite themselues, and doo good with it vnto others.

Many more such beastes there bee in mens shape, as the slothfull man is cal­led an Asse, the deuourer is called a Woolfe, the scornefull, as Ecclesiasticus sayth:Eccl. 33, 6 is like an horse, that neyeth. Pit­tifull [Page] it is, that Circe raigneth to be­witch such men, and to transforme them from their honourable estate and shape of mankind, into the disfygured shew of brute beastes, but this happeneth, when men fall from God, and obey their owne appetites, and lusts, then they become bruite beastes, that haue no vnderstan­ding, and God giueth them vp vnto their owne vile affections. Woe bee vnto that people whom God hath forsaken, but double woe vnto them that fall from their estate,Rom, 1, 26 and lose their shape of reason vertue, and godlines, and become bruite beastes in their dooings, they are so disfi­gured, that he wyll not knowe them at the day of iudgement, from the shape of beastes.

The seconde meane to take away the force, of sinne,2. Poynte is that we must heare the word of God, and learne what is to bee gathered out of it, and héerein wee must take thys order.

• 1. What the word of God is.
• 2 How we must heare it, and vse it.
• 3 What we must gather out of it.

First,What the worde of God is. because I wil not stand vpon the large definitions & interpretatiōs of learned [Page] men. I wyll deliuer out of the scripture what the reward of God is.

Firste in Deutronomye it is called wisedome,Deu, 4, 6, where it is said, Kéepe them therefore and doo them, for that is your wisedome, and your vnderstanding in the sight of the people, which shall heare all these ordinaunces, and shall say, onely this people is wise, and of vnderstan­ding, and a great nation. Therefore it is necessary that Magistrates, councellers, and officers, (who are chosen for theyr wisedome) shoulde learne their wise­dome and knowledge out of the word of God,Psal, 2, 10 as Dauid said. Be wise now there­fore O ye kinges, be learned ye that are Iudges of the earth, that their know­ledge, policy, and gouernement myght, procéede from a godly direction, & from the rule of Gods word, which woulde not onely terrifie the people the more from their folly, but inflame thē a great deale the sooner with obedience, because it procéedeth from so good a fountaine. Also the prophet Dauid called it a Lan­terne,A Lanterne or Lyght. Psa, 119, 105, saying: Thy word O Lorde is a Lanterne vnto my feete, and a light vn­to my pathes. that forasmuch as wee walke in a darke sinfull world, by the [Page] word of God we should be directed how to goe, and which waies, least we knock our selues in euery blocke of sinne, our sauiour Christ by the same light, giueth light to them that sit in darknes,Luk, 2, and in the shadowe of death, and to guyde our féete into the way of peace. What grea­ter comfort vnto trauellers then y^e day light, and what greater discomforte to wayfaring men then the darke night, God be thanked that hath giuen vs the light of hys holy worde, therefore while it is day let vs not harden our hartes, as in the prouocation,Power of GOD. Rom, 1, 16 and in the day of temtation. Likewise S. Paule dooth call the word of God the power of God to saluation, to euery one that beléeueth, hée saith not that it is a secrete reuelation, or the Hystorye of prophane matters, but that it is the same wherein the ver­tue and power of God is hidden, to helpe succoure, defende and comforte the be­léeuers.

Also it is called a mighty worker as S. Paule sayth:A mighty worker. Hebr. 4, 12, The worde of God is louely and mighty in operation, and sharper then any two edged sworde, and [Page] entereth through, euen to the deuiding a sunder of the soule and the spirite, and of the ioynts and the marowe, and is a dis­cerner of the thoughtes, and the intentes of the hart, so that as we haue many ma­ladies, sores, byles, aches, and inwarde diseases. Euen so God hath ordeined such an excellent oyntment, euen the oynt­ment of his holy word, to pearce through euery artery, ioynt, sinewe and bone, to purge vs, ease vs, and cure vs. So that nowe what greater comfort then wyse­dome to our knowledges, light vnto our darke pathes, defence for our poore vn­shielded bodies, and health for our sicke soules, which the Lord of his mercy hath imparted vnto vs, by & in his holy word.

Now it reasteth howe we heare the word of God and vse it. First we must consider that we vse all diligence and hu­mility in hearing the word of God, and put of all phantasies, cares, heauines, and worldly imaginations, and that wée put on true vnderstandinge and know­ledge, as it is sayde: Hée that recey­ueth the séede (which is Gods worde) in good ground,Mat, 13, 23 is hée that heareth the [Page] word, and vnderstandeth it. Otherwise if we endeuour not to vnderstand, if the Trumpet sounde an vncertaine sounde,1, Cor. 14, [...] who can prepare himselfe to the battell, there may be a fault in the Trumpettor, there may be a fault in the hearer, there­fore, let the one be diligent to teache tru­ly and sincerely, let the other heare attentiuely, and vnderstand fruitfully, and when we haue so doone, it is not inough to learne and to leaue off, but to followe the rule of Moses in Deutronomy, who sayth: These wordes which I com­maund thée thys day,Deu. 6, 6, shalbe in thy hart thou shalt rehearse them continually vn­to thy children, and shalt talke of them when thou tarriest in thy house, and as thou walkest by the way, and when thou lyest downe, and when thou rysest vppe, and thou shalt bynde them for a signe vppon thyne hande, and they shall bée as frontlets betwéene thyne eyes, also thou shalt write them vppon the postes of thy house, and vppon thy gates.

It is not inough to heare y^e worde of GOD, but to exercise it, to the buil­ding vppe of the menne of GOD, and for the preseruation of hys Tem­ple [Page] in safety. The Euangelist saith, Whosoeuer heareth the worde of God,Math. 7, 24 and doth the same, I will liken him to a wise man, which hath builded his house on a rocke. But now because there are many doubtes and repugnances in scripture that it séemeth to be harde and ob­scure, which wyll lothe many a man to the reading or hearing of it. It follow­eth not that therefore he should be wea­rie or shrinke backe, for he is wylled to séeke and shall find, to knocke and it shall be opened, and againe on the other side, the Lord wyll not leaue his church deso­late and comfortles, for he willed Phil­lip to ioyne vnto the Eunuch that was doubtfull, he caused all his Apostles to goe preach in all the worlde, and sayth that he wyll rayse vp prophets vnto hys people, yea and hath truely sayde him selfe Ero vobiscum, I wyll be wyth you vnto the worlds ende.

Last of all we must consider what is to be gathered out of the worde of GOD, which is the fruite, and benefite that wée receiue by it. Whereof the firste is knowledge by the which wee may discerne thynges and knowe our crea­tor,Knowledge and what he hath and dooth for vs, [Page] and also our owne duty how we should behaue our selues in his seruice, this knowledge did Saint Paul wishe, and pray to be increased, in the Collosians. Col. 1.10. When he sayd. For this cause we also since the day we heard of it, cease not to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be fulfilled, which knowledge of his will in all wisedome and spirituall vnderstanding. Likewise the prophete Hosea sayth. I desired mercy,Hos. 6 6. and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more then burnt offeringe.

The second benefite, is fayth, by the which we are assured of the promises of God,Fayth. and eternall saluation in his sonne Christ Iesus,Heb. 11.1. Saint Paul dooth call it the ground of thinges which are hoped for, and the euidence of thinges which are not séene, which is as muche to say, as the certaintie of those things to come. That is, acceptation, redemp­tion, sanctification, euerlasting life, and the kingdome of heauen, which things we do expecte, and it is the writing or euidence of the same hold, and we are perswaded, that though we are vnworthie of our selues, of those heauenly [Page] riches, and graces to be bestowed vpon vs, yet by the death of Christe Iesus, and by his onely sacrifice we shall en­ioy them, which writing an euidence of fayth he hath written in our hearts, and sealed with his owne blood, so that as in euery euidence or indenture hold the tenant oweth due loyalty vnto his Lorde, and consenteth vnto, and obey­eth all couenaunts comprised in the same writinges, so we should obeye, serue, and assent vnto the Lorde, and his statutes, and couenauntes. For so is the nature of fayth, according vnto the Gréeke word, to assent vnto the word of God, and to haue a sure truste in God, that he will of his owne mercy perfourme all those thinges that are written in the word of God, so that to haue fayth, or to be faythfull, is spoken by correlation, that is, that God simp­ly and absolutely offereth not his mer­cy and grace vnto all, but vnto such as doo acknowledge it with thankes gy­uing, accept it with ioyfulnesse, and be­come his seruauntes in newe obedy­ence, and then they are called iuste or ryghteous, by imputation, and [Page] therefore it is sayde. The iuste shall lyue by fayth. Nowe because God is knowen to be mercifull,Rom. 1.17. there be that follow their owne lustes and appe­tites, and put of from day to day their returning vnto God, buylding ney­ther on fayth, nor yet on Godes mer­cye, but on their owne lustye wylles and desires, and that buylding cannot stande, neyther can that be a sufficient pleasing of God, that is done without fayth. Yea,Iames. and yet fayth of it selfe in some poyntes fayleth, that is, where it doth trouble, or is inconstant,Mat. 7.21. as for example. The Diuels beleeue but they tremble. Agayne. Not euery one that sayth vnto mee Lorde, Lorde, shall enter into the kingdome of heauen, but he that doth the will of my fa­ther which is in heauen. But this fayth fayleth,Howe ye shall know true fayth. because it tasteth of weakenesse, feare, and synne. The true fayth is tryed by constancie in Trybulation, as appeareth in Saint Paul to the Thessalonians,1. Thes. 3.5 and by perfecte Loue as appeareth in Saint Paull to Timothye, where [Page] he sayth. The ende of the com­maundement is loue, 1. Tim. 1.5. out of a pure hart, and of a good conscience, and of fayth vnfayned. The true fayth hath a frée accesse vnto God with boldnesse.Eph. 3.12. By true fayth we resist the Diuell, and ouercome the world,1. Iohn. 5.4. as S. Iohn saith. This is the victory that ouercom­meth the worlde, euen our fayth: And Peter saith,1. Pet. 58.9. your aduersary the Diuell goeth about like a roring Lion, séeking whom he may deuour, whom resist stedfast in fayth, by true fayth we are preserued vnto saluatiō, as Peter saith. Which are kept by the power of God through fayth vnto saluation.1. Pet. 1.5. After all this we must consider that as know­ledge goeth before fayth, so perseue­rance and stedfast continuance, follow­eth after fayth, which stedfast continu­ance hath béen founde in all the godlye Patriarches,Perseuerāce Prophets, and Apostles, vnremooueable, and which is so neces­sary in a christian man, and so muche required in a Christian man, as fruit is expected of the trée, without the which the trée is not estéemed, for it is the tryall of a man in temptation, or [Page] affliction. For the Diuell will séeke to remooue hym, the world will séeke to shake him, the flesh wil seke to weigh his Anker, then if he be vnstedfast, or if he be not founde to be the good figh­ting souldier of Christ, what auayleth all his christian doctrine, yea wat auai­leth his sworde and buckler, if he run away from his aduersarie, as Demo­stenes Demoste­nes. hauing written in his Target. [...] good fortune, as who woulde say, fortune was his guide, yet in the face of his enemie he ranne away, so that whether it be in prosperitie to hold fast the Lord, and not to be vaine­ly puffed vp in the worlde, nor to set­tle his heart in the world, nor to turne his eies away from his poore brethren, not to oppresse, nor couet or desire an other mans goods, This is stedfast a­biding in the Lorde in prosperitie. Or whether it be in aduersitie to be pati­ent in all tribulations to be thankefull for all crosses, and to tarrie the Lordes leasure, to suffer euery burden that is layde vpon hym, whether it be sicke­nesse, pouertie, imprisonment, slander, or whatsoeuer. Christ sayde, He that [Page] wyll be my disciple, must take vp his crosse and follow me. He sayd not take his crosse and stande styll, or goe backe, but to followe hym, this is sted­fast fayth in aduersity. As touching his persecution which is, that we shoulde not slyde backe from almightie God, there are many notable examples in scripture of it.Iosu. 1.8 Iosuah sayth. Let not this booke of the lawe depart out of thy mouth, but meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest obserue and do according to all that is written in it. The Prophet Dauid sayth, in his fyrst Psalme.Psal. 1.12 Blessed is the man that hath not walked in the counsell of the vngodly. &c. But his delight is in the lawe of the Lord, and in his lawe will he exercise hym selfe day and night. Iob sayth. Although he kyll me I will not forsake hym. Our Sauiour Christ sayth, happie is he that continueth vn­to the ende. By the lawe of reason we ought so long to be the Lordes,Heb. 8.13 as the Lord is ours, but Christ Iesus is ours yesterday, and to day, and for euer, he findeth vs euery day, comforteth vs e­uery day, sendeth to vs his grace euery [Page] day, encreaseth his blessinges on the earth for vs euery day. Euen so euery day we should be faythfull and stedfast seruauntes vnto hym.Psal. 116.33 The Prophete Dauid desireth the Lord to teach hym the waye of his statutes, and he would kéepe it vnto the ende.

Besides these benefites, knowledge,New birth Phil. 1. faith, and perseueraunce, which we ga­ther out of the word of God, we fynde the regeneratiō, the new byrth or new shaping of our selues, for that in déede we were disfigured by reasō of Adams fall, and lost the shape of righteousnes, & true obedience, which now in Christ are accepted, and nowe we shoulde fa­shion our selues not according to Adā in disobedience, & the lust of the flesh, but according to the children of God, and like our forerunner Christ Iesu, as Saint Paul saith.1. Pe. 1.23. Let the same mind be in you, that was in Christ Iesu. Of this newe birth the Apostle speaketh. Being borne a newe not of mortall séede, but of immortall, by the worde of GOD who lyueth and endureth for euer. O what great comforte [Page] do the decayed members of Adam re­ceyue by the word of God, when by reading or hearing it, they sée their restitution in Christ Iesu, how muche we are bound to almightie God for his worde.

Peace.Also in the worde of God we finde peace, euen that peace which is conclu­ded by God to vs ward. Which as the Apostle sayth.Ep. 2.13.14, Passeth all vnderstan­ding, for as much as he was to stoute an enemie to be set agaynst vs, & great was our ouerthrowe where he was an aduersary, and there our Citie was like to be sackte, and we confounded in our dwellinges. Where the Lorde be­sieged it, but nowe in Christ Iesus, ye which were once farre of, are made néere by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace which hath made of both one and hath broken the stop of the partiti­on wall. And he hath commaunded his disciples that into what Cittie,Mat. 10.13. towne, or house so euer that is worthie that they came into, their peace shoulde cōe vpon it. This peace if it be well weied and well considered, what the value of it is, it shalbe estéemed the most preci­ous [Page] iewel that can be hid in our mind, and the swéetest ambassage that euer was sent vnto mankinde, for the great accusation that was layde agaynst vs, is nowe pacified, and God is at peace with vs.

An other benefite we gather out of the word of God, which is consolation,Consolati­on. that is to say, the comforte, ioye, and delight of the minde, and the lifting vp of the heart from the oppressing cares, the burden of sinne, and tormentes of this miserable lyfe. The Prophet Da­uid being plunged in many miseries, and broyles, sayde. In the woorde of the Lorde will I reioyce, in the worde of the Lord will I comforte mée.Psal. 119.92 Also in the .119. Psalm. Except thy law had been my delight, I should nowe haue perished in mine afliction. And againe in the same Psalme .111. verse. Thy testimonies haue I taken as an heri­tage for euer, for they are the ioy of my heart. And so vndoubtedly in our ex­treame miserie, in our banishment, in our sicknes, and article of death, when affection is quite deade, and naturall appetite and digestion gone, yet the [Page] worde of God being reade or hearde is a great comforte and consolation vnto the minde.