HE that giueth himselfe to Fishing, The Fisher­mans pro­uision, for his fishing. and min­deth to follow it to the best proofe, with the true and necessarie fur­niture of that trade, he prouideth himselfe a ship, keele, or cocke-boat, out of which he may lay out and take in his nets, and be in the vaine and way where the best doing is. But wee haue a sure and tight one indeed, if we be of the Church: The Church compared to a Ship. Gen. 6.14.18. & 7.6.7 11. Math. 13.2.3. Mar. 4.1.2 & Luk. 5.3 Math. 7.25 For the Church in Scriptures is compared to a Shippe. Noah his Ship and Pinnesse did expresly prefigure it, and the Ship out of which Christ preached, did not obscurely shadow it. It may well hold comparison with a Ship, it is so like it in euerie de­gree.

I. Euerie Shippe hath need of a skilfull [Page 2]and watchfull Pilote and Gouernor: so hath the Church, whereof it is fitted with the best, the eternall Sonne of God our Lord Iesus Christ sitting alwayes at the sterne of it, Mat. 7.25. and carefully keeping it. So that wee need not feare though the Seas roare and beat with their proude waues against it: for he ruleth it with such a stea­dy hand, as it cannot be shaken, & be that keepeth it, Psa. 121.4. doth neither slumber nor sleepe. Of this wee haue a sure word of prophecie for our indemnitie; Isay. 43.1. Feare not, for I haue redeemed thee. I haue called thee by thy name, thou art mine. When thou pas­sest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the flouds, that they doe not o­uerflow thee. And that wee might build vpon it, his promise to the same effect is thus in another part of Scripture repea­ted; Zach. 2.5. I, (saith the Lord) will be a wall of fire round about. Novisible headin the Church, as in a ship, sithence Christ is neuer ab­sent; but guideth it, &c. The Church hath no need of a visible head, as a Ship hath, as Poperie deliuereth. For sithence Christ is neuer absent, what need haue wee of any outward head to be present? But that Christ is alwaies incūbent on his Church, & is present with his ship, his promise to the Church prooueth, I will be with you to [Page 3]the end of the world. Mat. 28.10 Gen. 7.1.20. & 8.16. Christ watcheth e­uer. Iohn. 6.17.18.20.21. Mark. 6.47 48.51. Mat. 14.22 24.30.32.33. Mark. 4.35.36.37.38.39.40.41. Mat. 8.24.26. Luke. 8.23.24.25. Thus was he with No­ah whilest his Arke and Barke floated and houered on the surface of the wa­ters, during all the raging time of the floud. Our Pilot may seem to vs to slum­ber, when the Ship and Church is in dan­ger: but as in the deluge, so in the deuil­lish deuises of men, hee taketh charge of it. So that we may fasten these verses vn­to it translated out of a Greeke verse, of which Sybilla is said to be the author.

II. Euerie Ship must haue a Rudder to rule it. The rudder of the ship. Iames. 3.4. The Rudder wherwith the Arke of Gods Church is guided, is the word of God, the rule and direction of euerie mans life. Of the word of God, a rule for vs, &c. Psa. 119.9 For if we put the question of euerie mans (as Dauid doth of the young man, saying: Wherewithall shall a young [Page 4]man clense his wayes) and say, wherewith­all shall young and old, rich and poore, one with another rule his way? the an­swere is the same taken from the mouth of Gods spirit; Euen by ruling himselfe according to thy word. For this is not onely a word of authoritie to binde the conscience: or of wisedome onely to ad­uise it: or of power onely to conuert it: or of grace onely to comfort it: but it is a word of eternal life, absolutely to blesse vs, Ioh. 6.27.68, 69. and guide this Shippe vnto the key and hauen of all heauenly happines: Whe­ther else shall we goe, (saith Peter to Christ) Thou hast the wordes of eternall life. By this he gouerneth and vpholdeth all ac­cording to the words of the Apostle, He beareth vp all thinges by his mightie word. Heb. 1.3.

III. The maine Mast of the Ship. The maine Mast of this Shippe fastned in the midst of it, to which the sayle hangeth, is his gracious promise of his being with the Church vnto the end of the world, Math. 28.20. Of the gra­cious pro­mise of Christ to his Church. giuen in writing in this wise; Loe, I am with you vnto the end of the world. Of which there is the like enrol­ment in this Magna charta and great Charter betweene God and his church, as in this peece of euidence: The moun­taines [Page 5]shall remooue, Isai. 54.10 and the hilles shall fall downe: but my mercie shall not depart from thee, neither shall the couenant of my peace fallaway, (sayth the Lord) that hath com­passion on thee. As also in this, I will see you againe, and your hearts shall reioyce, Ioh. 16.22 and your ioy shall no man take from you.

IIII. The Sailes of the ship. Math 16.16. Ioh. 6.68.69. Of faith ta­king hold of Christs me [...]full promises. The sayle that maketh this Ship ride merrily amidst the lofty surges of the Sea of this world, is our manifest pro­fessed faith, which taketh fast hold of the middle Mast his forenamed kinde pro­mises, nestling it selfe in them as Doues in the holes of Rockes which hoyst vp the hearts of the godly aboue all earthly thinges, and giue them a safe thorough­fare, and free-passage through all the stormes and tempests of the world. The Apostle layeth on load of examples of such, who by these sayles of faith, Heb. 11.4.5.7.8. &c. which they haue heaued vp, haue passed the pikes of this dangerous Nauigation, and haue happily arriued at the heauenly Ha­uen. I will deale with them as Salomon did with the brasse in the temple, 1. Ki. 7.47 who (because it was so massie and so much) would not stande to weigh it: because there are such a number of them, I list not [Page 6]to number them: he spendeth the whole Chapter in rehearsall of them.

V. The anchor of the Ship of Hope. The Anchor of this our Ship, is Hope. It is the Apostles allegorie, and not of our owne making: which haue our refuge to hold fast the hope that is set before vs, Heb. 6.19. which we haue as an anchor of the soule, both sure and stedfast.

VI. The great cable rope belonging to this shipp. The great Cable-rope to the which this our anchor is sure bound, that it can­not be lost, is our Patience, wherewith we possesse our soules, which the Apostle thus earnestly commendeth vnto vs. For ye haue neede of Patience, that after ye haue done the wil of God, Of patiēce Heb. 10.36 ye might receiue the pro­mise. The patient abiding of the Church is great, for the reward sake that is set be­fore them in Christ their mediator.

VII. The groun­didge. The groundidge and fast hold of this anchor, is our corner stone Christ Ie­sus an attribute giuen him by Isay, Our corner stone Christ Iesus. Isay. 28.16 1 Pet. 2.6. and Peter. Behold, I will lay in Sion a stone, a tryedstone, a precious corner-stone, a sure foundation, and hee that beleeueth therein, stall not be ashamed.

VIII. Pyrats. Now because there are so ma­ny Pirats and Rouers on the Sea, that lay at all aduantages against the Barke of his [Page 7]blessed Church; The church furnished like a shipp of warre. it is furnished like a Ship of warre with shot and weapons of war­fare well enough, which shall make all Hel hounds either to hold in their heads, or take them to their heeles. 1 The. 5.8. Isay. 54 17. Colos. 4.2. Psa. 127.5. The shield of Faith, the pistoll of Prayer, the ar­ming sword of the Spirite, the eternall word of Truth are in stead of all; so as ac­complished with them, we need not feare the enemie when we meete him on the face, which this distichon thus deliuereth.

Which as we may, we doe into Eng­lish thus.

If thou wouldest bee in thy compleat armour layd out for thee out of Gods ar­morie, by his seruant Paul, Compleat armour. take them as they are in his Epistle vnto the Ephe­sians, parcelled out vnto thee: Put on the [Page 8]whole armour of God, Eph. 6.11.14. that ye may be able to stand against the assaults of the Deuil. For we wrastle not against flesh and blood; stand therfore, and your loynes gird about with ve­ritie, and hauing on the breast-plate of righ­teousnesse, and your feet shod with the prepa­ration of the Gospell of peace: aboue all, take the shield of faith, The Rocke of sinne. Psa. 34.15.16. wherewith ye may quench all the fierie darts of the wicked, and take the helmet of saluation, and the sword of the spirite, which is the word of God.

IX. The shrewdest danger of this Ship is sin. Waues & weather cānot wrack or wrong it; For, by setting vp sayles against the winde, or by casting anchor, and by being sure before-hand that the anchor rope will hold, and not slacke, it will doe wel inough whē the winds haue blowen, and the waues haue wrought their worst: Luk. 6.47.48.49. Math. 7.24 25.26.27. The sure Rocke to trust vnto, is Christ Ie­sus. Ionah. 1.4.5.13. Luk. 5.8. The Deuill and deuilish men, can neuer sinke our shippe with all their subtilties, so long as we cast our faith and hope vp­pon our rocke Christ Iesus. But if it da­sheth against the rocke of sinne, it is in great ieopardie. Ionas his sinne had well nigh sinked the Shippe that Ionas went in: Peter thought it of force, to o­uerthrow more shippes then one, when [Page 9]he said thus to Christ vppon the wonder­full draught of fish, which so filled two Ships, as they were readie to sinke, Lord goe from me, for I am a sinfull man. Epiphani­us. Om­nem inscenso rem vehere potest nauis praeter fugitiuum, (saith Epiphanius) that is; A Ship may more safely carrie any Passen­ger, than a fugitiue, which cannot be bet­ter interpreted, than of a vagrant & run­away from God. So long therefore as this rocke is in our way, we can make no way, there is neither safe fishing or tra­uailing; Ion. 1.15. Psa. 51.7.16.17. wherefore cast we our sinnes in­to the sea, as Ionas was. For with this sa­crifice the Sea is well pleased.

X. The Fraight of this Ship, Note: The fraight of this ship. Of remissi­on of sins, iustificati­on, &c. and the worthy fishing it bringeth to the Key-side is, remission of sinnes, the inspiration of the good spirite, Iustification, free-grace, inheritance among them that are iustifi­ed by faith, eternall life, and all the bles­sings of heauen accompanying it.

XI. The Port to which we driue this Ship. 1. Cor. 15.20.26.51. &c. Of death. The Port to which wee driue this Ship, is death. For such as by death passe from this life, land at deaths staires, where the bodie abideth the time of the restitu­tion of all things, that with their coheires they may enter into the land of promise. [Page 10]Happie they are that die in the Lord, Reuel. 14.13. for they rest from their labours, and their works follow them, they enioy that which their faith hath so long fished for. Where­fore wee say with Cyprian, Serm 4. De mortali­tate. Non sunt fra­tres lugendt, accersione dominica de soeuito liberati, cum sciamus non eos amitti, sed prae­mitti, nec accipiendas hic atras vestes, quando illi ibi indumeta alba iam sumpse­rint; which is to say, We are not so much to wayle for our brethren whome God by his messenger Death hath sent for, see­ing that they are not lost, but gone before vs. Againe he saith thus verie sweetly: Quis non peregre constitutus properet in pa­triam regredi? Quis non ad suos nauigare festinans, ventum prosperum cupide optaret, vt velociter charos liceret amplecti? Who being a trauailer in forraine parts, doth not hast to his owne home? who would not willingly sayle to his friends, and desire a lustie gale of wind to speed him, The time of the gene­rall mee­ting of fish­ers, and Seafaring men, where? that he might the sooner see the faces of his deerest kinred?

XII. The time of our generall meeeing of vs fellow-fishers and Sea-faring men, is the Iudgement day, of which day S. Iohn speaketh thus, I saw the dead both [Page 11]great and small stand before God. Of the last iudgment, and life e­ternall. Reuel. 20.12. Reuel. 21.3.24.10.11.12.13.14. The fisher­mens meet­ing place, where? Casting out of netts & angles out of this sh p. Gen. 6.3.18. and 7.1.20. and 1 Pet. 3.20. Luke. 17.27. Math. 24.38. Gen. 6.14.15. &c. The church is a steadie angling boat, out of which there is no safetie. Psa. 125.1. Our pri [...]e care.

XIII. Our meeting place is our heauen­ly Ierusalem, a Citie whose builder and maker is God; of which read the whole 21. Chapter of S. Iohns Reuelation which hath much of this matter. Thus in this Ship which is the Church of the euerli­uing God, we haue verie fit standing for the casting out of our nets, & angles, and for our spirituall fishing, without which there is no good to be done. For as none were saued that were not in Noahs Arke; so out of the Church there is no saluati­on. As that was so pitched within and without, as no water could sue thorough any seame thereof: so the state of the Church is such, as no detriment can bee imported vnto it. For when tyrants haue shewed the extent of their malice, the Church abideth firme as mount Sion, not to be remooued. Let our prime care ther­fore be to be in this Ship, mindfull of that which Saint Austine truely saith; Non ha­bet Deum patrem, qui non habet ecclesiam matrem: He hath not God to be his Fa­ther, who hath not the Church to be his mother.

These haue beene my meditations on [Page 12]this Boat, when I haue been in mine ang­ling-Boat.

THe riuers of waters ouer which we are to cast our nets and to lay our An­gles, Mar. 16.15 The waters for this fi­shing, are the world. Math. 13.47.48. A compari­son be­tweene the world and the Sea. are the wide world. The Sea, into which the drag-net of the Gospell was cast in that parable, cleerely signifieth the world. The world hath all the con­ditions of the Sea; therefore it may well goe hande in hande with it. Augustine matcheth it with the Sea thus. Hoc sanc­tum mare est, Aug. Tom. 2. in Psa. 39. habet amaritudinem noxam, habet fluctus tribulationum, tempestates ten­tationum. Habet homines velut pisces de suo malo gaudentes, & tanquam se inuicem de­uorantes. This world is a sea, which hath a hurtfull bitternes, which hath waues of tribulation, tempests of tentations. It hath men like fishes floating in it, reioy­cing in that which is hurtful vnto them in their baite, which is their bane: and de­uouring [Page 13]vp one another. The world is a Sea swelling with pride, blewish with en­uie, vaine glorie is the winde which ma­keth it to rock & reele vpon the waters, foaming with anger, very deepe and pro­found in couetousnes, no plummet bee­inge able to sound the bottome of it, ca­stinge out all that commeth in the waye thorough excessiue miscarriage, hauing a mercilesse maw to swallowe vp all that it can get with vnsatiable oppression: verie dangerous to saile in, by reason of the pernicious rockes thereof of despera­tion & presumption couered with those waters: loftie thorough the reciprocall waues of their passiōs: ebbing & flowing in the inconstancy of it, terrible salt tho­rough sin: finally, Mare amarum, very bri­nish are the waters of it, and not to bee brooked. Iob. 40.20 The great Leuiathan, and all sort of fishes in the Sea: So in the world men of all na­tures, and affections &c. As in the Sea are all sorts of fi­shes, and there is the great Leuiathan that hath his pastime in the waters: so there be in this world men of all natures and af­fections, we can name no creature of in­clination neuer so cruell, filthie, abhomi­nable: but we will finde a Copes-mate for him of like qualitie, amonge the crowd and companie of men. Therefore heere [Page 14]commeth in an old prouerbe in place, The dili­gence that ought to be in preach­ers of the word. &c. There is no fishing to the Sea. For as the Fisher-man delighteth there to fish most where most store of fish are; so should the spirituall Fisher-man of men, desire to bee there more where his auditors are more. The Apostles, when the dispensa­tion of preaching the Gospell was com­mitted vnto them, tooke a large circuit and wide perambulation through the world, and their commission serued them thereunto, Math. 28.19. being after this fourme; Goe into all the world and preach the Gospell vn­to all creatures. No Angler or Fisher-man will be alwaies plodding in one place, Fishers. but will follow the fish whither soeuer they goe. Hee often findeth in a blinde vaine and spot, very gainfull and delightfull do­ings; and therefore he searcheth and ran­sacketh euerie place. It is meete the Mi­nister should doe the like, and so he must if he will be a workeman of such thinges, such a workeman as the Apostle descri­beth, 2 Tim. 2.15. and the Lord expecteth, a workeman that needeth not bee ashamed. Christ not onely fished for the Crocodile in the wa­ter, but for the Menowe in like manner: and therefore as he went thorough euerie Math. 9.35. [Page 15]Citie and popular towne: so in his pro­gresse, he fetched in also hamlets and vil­lages, and inclosed them in his net, Luke. 8.1. Hee went thorough euery Citie and Towne, prea­ching and publishing the Kingdome of God. They doe not therefore the halfe part of their dutie (if they doe any dutie at all) those politique Preachers of our times, who spend the greatest part of their idle­nesse in Princes Courts, and fancie not to preach but in great places, and cannot sauour of a simple audience: as though preaching serued onely for shew of wit, and to bring in a liuing, and to liue licen­tiously. For there are the best places to speake their declamations, and filed ora­tions, to drinke the wine in bolles, to at­tain to the greatest prefermēts of fat Pre­bendships, Parsonages, Deanries, Bishop­rickes. Dauids Aphorisme is verie fit­ting for them, They are hungry like dogges, Psa. 59.6.14.15. and goe vp and downe the Citie. They are hungrie of their owne profit, and not of the peoples: they are dogges that licke the sores of sinners, cunningly seeking how to currie fauour with Courtiers, ne­uer thinking of correcting their manners. They goe vp and downe the Citie pom­pously, [Page 16]and proudly, in the meane while their sheepe at home are committed to the ouer-sight of a simple mercenarie. When a ban-dogge, or shepheards curre is set to keep sheepe, & leaueth the flocke, and trudgeth home for victuals; the ser­uants of the house suffer him not, but they chide him, and cudgell him to his sheepe: It were well that beneficed men might be so serued, & might no longer than there is verie needfull cause, couch in the Court to crouch for euery crust that falleth, the gre­test gob that is, being too little for their mouthes. It is lamentable to consider, (and my heart bleedeth to thinke of it) how poore Countrey-men are neglected, and verie little, or not at all instructed: when as by office wee are in arrerages to all, because God made all, and are indeb­ted (as the Apostle professeth of himselfe) to the wise & vnwise in asmuch as Christ hath giuen his blood in purchase for the poore, Rom. 1.14 as for the potentate, & God is no accepter of persons. It were wel then, that they would haue that memento the Apo­stle giueth thē; Act. 10.34 35. brethrē, consider your calling, Their calling is to a spiritual fishing: ther­fore as Fishers neglect no waters where­in [Page 17]any good is to be done: so should prea­chers despise no people, vpon whome a­ny good may be done. The sea is most inconstant and disquiet by nature: from whence the worlde very liuely hath his nature. Some write of a certaine flood and riuer called Furipus adiacent to the sea, how it hath a seuen-fold reciprocati­on and returne, that it ebbeth and flow­eth seuen times in euery foure and twen­tie howres. But no Euripus is so mutable and variable as the world, constant in no­thing but in inconstancie. The moone changeth euery day. The Chameleon a fower footed beast in India, often turneth colour, but not so often as the world tur­neth coppie. For no Proteus is so often transformed, as that. Laban changeth Ia­cobs wages tenne times: Gen. 31.41. and 29.23. 1. Sam. 18.17.19.11. Iudg. 4.17. If Laban promise Rachel, he will giue Leah vnto Iacob: If Saul promised Merab to Dauid, he must bee pleased with Michal: though a peace was concluded betweene Iabin the king of Hazor, and betweene the howse of He­ber (Iaels husband) the Kenite; yet when Sisara trusted to this peace, it was his per­dition, For Iael tooke him napping with a nayle, & made sure worke of him: Iacob [Page 18]called Amasa but to kill him: 1. Kings 25. and 2. Sam. 3.27. and 20.9.10. Gen. 4.8. Mat. 26.48.49. Iob. 14.2. Cain spake so friendly to Abel onely to murder him: Iudas kissed his master onely to betray him. The world is a false marchant, that by very good wordes dooth off his bad wares. Iob touching the ficklenes of the world, speaketh thus of it; There is no­thing that keepeth one state. Thou art now sound, and by and by sicke: thou art now strong, and immediatly weake: thou art now merrie, and presently mourning; thou art now ventrous; and in a moment timorous: thou art now quiet, and out of hande angrie: thou wilt, thou wilt not: thou doest, thou vndoest: thou art alwaies ebbing and flowing with the sea. The sea is of such troublesome disposition of it selfe, as it is neuer quiet, but it hath his boyling & surging commotions, though it be not angred with windes, or stormes, or accidentall perturbations. For one waue so successiuely followeth another, & taketh it by the heele, as by the impe­tuous violence thereof, they breake one another. These waters are the wic­ked ones, who are not without their in­ward conuulsions, the waues of their wic­ed doings, incessantly beating against [Page 19]their guiltie consciences, which worse than any ragged hangman extreamely, but chereth them. The furious furies are alwaies hanging on them, (not such as fa­bles fancie tedis ardentibus searing them with burning torches) but with the remē ­brance of their forepassed euils, tearing & tormenting them. Sua quenque fraus (saith the Orator) et suus terror maxime vexat: suum quenque scelus agitat, Cic. oratia. amenti­a (que) afficit, suae malae cogitationes conscien­tiaeque animi terrent. These perturbati­ons they are no more able to lay downe of themselues, no more than the sea can lay downe the collision of his waues of it selfe: we finde the wicked world in these respects, thus compared by the Prophet Isaiah, to the sea. The wicked are like the raging sea that cannot rest. Isay. 5 7.20 It is no good fishing in a troublesome streame. A troublesome fellow is commonly incor­rigible, he is wilier than to be taken with the net and hooke of Gods worde. It is with him as Salomon saith, Pro. 9.7. Hee that repro­neth a scorner, purchaseth to himselfe shame: and hee that rebuketh the wicked, getteth himselfe a blot. To admonish a contumacious companion, is as if wee [Page 20]should iobbe and goade a madde man, & feed a fier with oyle. For they are not on­ly vncapable of reproofe, but they medi­tate all the mischief they canagainst their monitors. They are of a dogged disposi­tion vppe and downe. For as dogges doe preferre filth before perfume; a contagi­ous carrion, before any good confection: so this currish kind delight too much in their filthines, than by hearing wholesom admonition to bee wonne to godlinesse. Dogges flie vpon such as endeuour to put them from their carrion they haue sea­zed vpon: so such hell-houndes will vio­lently rise vp against such, as shall goe a­bout to withdrawe them from their filthi­nesse. Mar. 3.22. Mat 9.34. and 12.24. &. Luke 11.15. Matth 11.21.23. Iohn 16.22.29. Math. 7.6. Doctrine of admonition doth so li­tle with them, as miracles doe not mooue them. For how many strange wonders did Christ among such, who were neuer the better for them? wherefore, that wee should not loose our labours among such, let vs heare what warning is giuen vs of such; Giue yee not that which is holy vnto dogges, neither cast yee your pearles before swine, least they tread them vnder their feet, and turning againe al to rent you. But yet as wise fishermen, wee must discreetly di­stinguish [Page 21]of sinners, and way wel their af­fections, & if there bee any hope of hook­ing them, or tolling them to our nets, we are to lay for them, wee must trie before wee doe distrust, and proue what may bee done, and though the water be somewhat rough, yet there may be some doings; we are to doe our best, though we feare the worst, & we are to deale as we may with him, before wee finally despaire of any; what thou shouldst doe with such, faith & charitie will tell thee better than any. Au­gustine in his Confessiōs writeth of Alypi­us that was wholy dedicated to theatrical pastimes, and vaine games, and was recla­med from them by Augustine his biting inuectiue against them, at which hee grew into an anger with himselfe, Of the best and worst places to fish in. and euer after very feruently fancied him. But the dee­per, cleerer, and stiller waters are, the best for fishers: shallow muddie riuers giue no sport, for there is no roome for a flote of an angle to sinck, or for a net to bee laid out: besides that, the fishes there mudding themselues, they cannot be got out. Such as are not of deepe deuotion, but of shal­low vnderstanding in heauenly thinges, such as plodde wholy in the mudde and [Page 22]myre of the worlde, will neuer rise vp to the sword of the water, that the net might goe vnder them. For as beasts that feede grosly, doe neuer flie high, so grosse min­ded men haue neuer high thoughts in heauenly thinges. Also the mudde of this place doth pollute the nette, snar [...]e it, and hurte it: the glorious gospell of the son of God is defiled, contradicted, rent by the puddle of couetous minded men, drunkards, swinish Epicures, heretiques, schismatiques, and the flockes of their companions, of which the Church hath had too wofull experience. I wil vrge this allegorie no further, nor suffer it to goe further with mee, than the hande of the scripture guideth it; therefore let this bee sufficient that hath beene said, of the sorts of waters that are best for our angling oc­cupation, and spirituall fishing.

THe instrument of out angelicall angling and fishing, is the worde of God preached, which by Christ in the Gospell is compared to a net, Mat. 13.47 which is of that making, as it sweepeth as it go­eth, and therefore the Latines cal it verri­culum, because as a beesome (thorow what so is in the way) it maketh cleane worke. It may as well bee likened to the angling pole, or to any other inuention, for the catching of fishe. Luke 5.6. The vse of the fishers mans nette-chiefly serueth, to re­straine the exorbitant passage of fishes vncertainly skudding vp & downe with­out any order, hemming them in, and kee­ping them at a bay within the compasse of it. The power & the wor­king of the preached word; and the great hope that is to be had of su [...]h as wi [...] be [...]e. Acter 9.2. 4.6.17.19.20. Of this effect and working is the preached worde, as intercepting our ex­trauagant [Page 24]affections, wandering wide out of the way, without gouernance of the spirite, and streightning our libertie, keeping vs by the obediēce of faith with­in the limmits of Gods law. Let vs take our vagaries neuer so much as fishes in their element, if euer we come to the nets way, we may bee stayed in our waie. So was Paul, when hee was a Saul posting to Damascus with high commission to trou­ble those that were of the religion, in the midde way, being stayed in his course, the word of God countermaunding him, and he obeying it, resting vppon the dire­ction of it, Iude 11. Num. 22.23.32. 2. Pet. 2.15.16. saying; Lord, what wilt thou haue mee doe? Though Balaam the son of Bosor loued the wages of vnrighteous­nesse, and loued the golde of Moab as his life, yet he durst not for his life doe other­wise than he was warranted by God, and so he answered the Lords that stayed vp­pon him, Num. 22.18 and 24.13. saying: If Balaak woulde giue me his house full of siluer and gold, I cannot goe beyond the word of my Lord God, to doe lesse or more. Gods word to him was a hooke to his nose, and a net to stoppe his progresse. Achab looked that Micheah shoulde haue spoken lea­sings 1. King. 22. 15.17.19.25. [Page 25]& pleasings vnto him; but the word of God had such sure hold of him, as hee might haue sooner his head, than his help. Num. 9.15.17.18. &c. The children of Israel in al their wide and wearisome trauailes went on by degrees, as the word of God directed them. I de­spayre not of any mans calling, if hee will but come within the reach of the nette of Gods word, howsoeuer he hath no mea­ning to bee taken in it, for hee may bee caught, and brought vp to heauenly shore whether hee will or no. Ieh. 7.32.45.46. The good that may be had, by comming to Sermons. I haue read of as great an acte as this, done at Hierusalem vpon the high Priests seruants sent out by their master for the attachment of Christ; who finding him in his pulpit, & hearing his preaching, their heartes melted away as droppes of water, & they had no pow­er ouer him, but returned as they came, thus answering their maisters, 1. Sam. 19.12.20.21.22.23. Neuer any man spake as that man. Thus was Saul and his seruants serued; Saul sent seruants to apprehend Dauid, who finding him amōg the Prophets, they were immediatly in the vaine of prophecie. And when Saul came himselfe, hee sermoned in such sort. Laban neuer searched so narrowly Iacobs houshould-stuffe, Gen. 31.33.34. as the worde of God [Page 26]searcheth our inner parts, reforming thē, and conforming them thereunto. Heb. 4.12. As Si­meon abiding in the temple, Luke 2.27.28.29. Rom. 1.16. 1. Cor. 1.18. found Christ; so many but by coming to the church, haue found saluation. There is a hidden vn­speakable power in the word preached, to draw Disciples after it, and to gain soules to God. Luke 3.10.12.14. Iohn Baptist had but one night laid out his net, & he found innumerable souls takē in it, of al sorts. 1. The mēnowes and meaner sorte, the croude of common people. 2. Publicans and sinners, verie slipperie eales, that had long lien in the mudde of their misdoings. 3. Sanguina­rie souldiers, the Pike, and water-wolues of the Ocean of this worlde, a people na­turally diseased with the bloodie issue. Al these came trauelling into the net at once, & hee no sooner angled for them, but had them. It was not the contention of his spirites, or the inuention of his wits, or the intention of his good wil, that won them, but it was God that had a nette for the nones for them, and a hooke that entred thorowe them and held them. Acts 2.37.40.41.47. Peter got a worthie dish of fishe at one time, in the fishponds at Hierusalem, when as no soo­ner he pricked them with the hooke, but [Page 27]they were pricked in their hearts, & said vnto Peter & the other Apostles, Men & brethren, what shall we doe? and the same day, there were added to the Church three thousand soules. There resorted to the lectures of Ieremie very head-strong fel­lowes, such, as his nets, and angels, Ierem. 38. and 41. for a time could not holde; but when they had tired themselues in their wādring wayes, they retyred to his nette, and striued no more with it: the king the great Leuiathan, the nobles, the dragons in the waters, & the other kindes of fishes, all sorts of peo­ple gathered to him, and hee drew them to him easier, than hee could haue concei­ued. Ezechicl in the person of God, Eze. 33.31 thus deciphereth the manner of men of his time, that were formall hearers of the word; They come vnto thee, as the people v­seth to come: and my people set before thee & heare thy wordes, but they will not doc them. But were not the worde of God such a ca­pable net as it is, it shoulde not thus haue encloased them as it did, and had their companies. Luke 4.16.17.22. The Nazarites against their willes were in compasse of this spred net at Christ his preaching among them, and they were so incircled past their winding [Page 28]out as they admired the deliuerance of such doctrine, & bare witnes to the grace of the Gospell, Mar. 6.20. Matth. 14.2 Acts 13.8.11. Acts 5.1.5.10. Gen. 4.9. mauger their beardes. This net so entangled, and snarled Herod, as he feared the Baptist both aliue and dead. The hooke of Pauls angle-line strooke Elim, as thorow the eies, & blinded him, with such a one did Peter take Ananias, and Saphira, and it cost them their liues. Cain when the hooke first pricked him, by striuing with it like a fishe that striueth with a hooke, more wounded himselfe, till at last he yeelded, leauing his wrang­ling, and trembled before God. So often as thou commest vnto a sermon, consider how God by his Preachers trowleth for thee. Say not for Gods sake, I will not heare the preacher, I am not friends with him, I will not come to Church, while I am at oddes with him: Or I am booke learned enough, I know as much as he can tell mee. For thou knowest not what this drag-nette, and angle will doe, for all thy great learning. Bee thou a man of meta­physicall wisedome, I trust thou wilt not compare with Dauid, a man fulfilled with the spirite of God, with whome God tal­ked as familiarly, as the Father with the [Page 29]childe, Dan. 5.10.11.12. of whom wee may say as Belshaz­zars Queene said of Daniel. In whome is the spirite of the holy Gods, light, and vnder­standing, and wisedome, like the wisedome of the Gods, was found in him. Yet for all his priuiledge of prophecie, and other royall induments, and prerogatiues of grace, he was cast into a bedde of sinne (as Iezabel into a bedde of fornication) whereon hee had slept Endimions sleepe, 2. Sam. 11.4.6.13.14.15. Chap. 12.1.7.13 if Nathan the preacher had not rowsed him, and by a parable, whereof hee was the subiect, and answere, shaked him by the shoul­ders, and set him on his feete; at whose preaching voyce he awaking, deuised that daintie antheme and dittie, the ode and song of mercie, the necke verse-that saue offenders from death, and it being seriou­sly song, or saide, shall saue vs all sinners from the second death, the 15. Psalme. Psal. 51. Dan. 4.2.29. Nabuchodonoser had before his eyes in a vision, a large extended tree, which was the interpretation of his imperiall king­kingdome: but he was neuer the wiser for the vision, though all his wisards had bin with their books for him, vntill he heard the preacher Daniels prelection. Paul was a man of very worthy parts, and hee had [Page 30]bringing vp with the best, Act. 22.3.6.12.13. &c. Phil. 3.5. 2 Co. 11.22. Acts. 23.6. he was a Iewe borne, which was a gainful an aduantage, then as it was of old to haue beene an A­thenian borne, rather than a Barbarian. Tharsus in Cilicia was his foster place. He was trained vp in learning in the mother citie Hierusalem, vnder a schoole-maister of renowmed memorie. Gamaliel doctour of the lawes; his institution and professi­on was according to the straight rules of Pharasaisme without any deflexion. His zeale and deuotion, had it not been blin­ded with superstition, had admitted no cōparison, he had the mark of the true re­ligion, which was circumcision, which he receiued not in processe of time, (as many prosilites in their nature or older age) but at the due time, with the first and best, the eight day: His descent was from Israel, not Esay, who morgaged and made a sale of his inheritance, his tribe was Ben [...]amin, that had neuer relapsed to Idolatrie. His antiquitie in that line was famous, as be­ing an Hebrew of the Hebrewes. Thus yee perceiue what excellent thinges are spo­ken of him: yet all these rather hindred him, than helped him, till God by a ser­mon from heauen, did helpe him, and sent [Page 31]him to Ananias a preacher, Actes 22.6.7.12.13. &c. Actes 9.10.18. &c. to practise vppon him, and of a persecutour to make him a professour: who had him not in hand long, before the scales of his former blindnes fell frō his eyes, distasting who­ly his former profession, sauouring, and fauouring a contrarie conuersation, and so loathing the one, in the loue of the o­ther, as he esteemed it no better thā dong, compared with the excellent knowledge of Christ. Phil. 3.8. Also this similitude that wee haue in hand, holdeth sitly by compari­son with our purpose. Matth. 13.47.48. For as the fisher­mans draw-net bringeth to shore al sorts of fishe, good and bad togeather, & with them the filth and pelse of the water, as emptie shels, weedes, bushie stalkes, and trashe: so when the word is preached, the good and badde, the elect and out-casts heare it together, and in outward appea­rance, the worste giue often good counte­nance vnto it, and formally doe professe it, although their mindes with the prodi­gal sonne, are in a faire countrie, very wide of it. Luk. 15.13 This is the cause that there are so many hypocrites, and counterfet Christi­ans in our holy assemblies, that haue so many fallacies betweene the porch and [Page 32]the altar, that they might not bee found out what they are; as Ieroboams wife had a disguised mantell that Ahiah the Pro­phet might not know who she was, 1. Kings 14.1.2.4. as the lifting vppe of their eyes and handes, the bowing of their knees, the smiting of their breasts and thighes, their demure lookes, their loude sighings, the labour of their lippes, their hanging downe of heades, their shedding of teares, toyes that be­guile the beleeuing people, that can ne­uer bleare the fierie eyes of the al-know­ledge of the onely wise God. These hy­pocrites are but as counterfeit mony out­wardly ouerlayd with siluer, the basis and substance thereof being but copper. As the Estrich hath the winges of a hawke, but not the flight of a hawke; so such deep dissemblers and double dealers, haue but the colour and countenance of christians; they haue not the condition of Christi­ans to flie high, by the winges of zealous religion. Mat. 27.14. Gen. 25.27. & 27.1. &c. They wash but their hands with Pilat, and not their consciences. They seeke with Esau that which is without, outward estimation: but the other with Iacob abide within, they are inwardly ho­ly, and obtaine the benediction. But when [Page 33]there shall be a seperation made of them, 1. Co. 1.18.23.24. we shal shew hereafter in his proper place. In the meane while we are to cōsider how none can possibly escape this nette, but that it taketh only one, one way or other, which way soeuer he turneth him, either to life or death. Iob. 40.21. Though no fisherman hath a nette or angle for the Leuiathan, and as Iob saith, Who can put a hooke in his nose, or pierce his iawes with an angle, yet the Lord (as saith Isaiah) will set for the great Dragon, and draw vp the Crocodile in the water with his hooke. The great mountaine before Zorobabell shall be le­uelled, and made plaine. Isa. 30.33. Iosu. 7.1. Isai. 22.18. Tophet is prepa­red euen for the King. Theeues shall be ta­ken in his nette as Achan was. Corrupt officers shall be cut off, as Shebua was. Zach. 11.8. I­dle ministers, and desidious shepheardes come into this nette, and they shall die the death, as those three, whom the nette of Gods iudgment snatched away in one moneth. Leuit. 24.10. The blasphemer shall be caught with the rest, as the Aegyptian was that was stoned to death. It encreaseth false witnesses, as it did the promooters and informers against Daniel. Dan. 6.24. It draweth he­retikes and idolaters, whose parents by [Page 34]decree must doe thē to death. Zach. 13.3. Shall schis­matiks escape, & winde themselues in the weedes? Num. 16.1.31. There is no such matter, and that the iudgement done vpon Corah and his complices, euidently enough sheweth. And Hypocrites shalbe hemmed in with the confused crowde, Acts 5.1.5.10. as the storie of Ananias and Saphi [...]a manifesteth. The clefts of rockes shall not hide them, Zeph. 1.12. the bushes and segge in the riuer shall not shrowd them, for all of them shall be put out, and the Lord with lanterns & torch­light shall search for them. But if our nets be not sound and whole, wee marre all to­geather, and wee haue but our labour for our paines. If our teaching bee not good, grounded vpon the word, we can doe no good. Aug. Tom. 4. de fide et ope. cap. 17. Retibus bonis, capi possunt pisces & boni et mali; retibus autem malis, capi non possunt pisces boni. Quia in doctriua bona, et bonus potest esse qui audit et facit, & malus qui audit, et non facit. In doctrina verò mala, et quieam veram put [...]t, quāuis ei non obtēpe­rat malus est, et qui obtēperat peior est. That is to say; In good nettes, fishes both good and badde may bee taken; but by naugh­tie nettes, good fishes will not be gotten. [Page 35]Because by that doctrine which is good, hee that heareth it and doth it, is good; and hee that heareth it and doth it not, is euill. But in euill doctrine, he that con­ceiueth it to be true though he followeth it not, is badde; and hee that obeyeth it is worst of all. But this nette of the gos­pel hath been miserably torne from time to time by erroneous spirites, heretikes, and scismatiques, deceiuable teachers, barterers of the bible, and purloyners of sacred misteries. Arrius was such a one, who because hee might not speed in his sute to bee bishop of Alexandria, kept re­uell rout with this nette, and mangled it without mercie. Donatus was another, who by a sawcie vnsufferable singularitie, made such garbocles and tossed and tur­moyled this nette in that wise, as the rup­ture thereof was long in making vp, hee deuided the nette, and the garment of Christ without seame, Mat. 27.35. Ioh. 19.23.24.33. and more sauage thā the souldier brake the knees of Christ: Of this brotherhood are our Popelinges, who harme this net as much as they can, and hinder those that woulde mend their breaches according to the puritie of the primitiue Church. This hath beene al­waies [Page 36]the condition of the Church to bee pestred with such. Epyphanius scoreth vp fourescore seuerall heresies of his time; & Augustine reckneth more, which came vppe with the Gospell. All these stand vpon the sufficiencie of their tewe, and obiect, Augustide bapt contra Donat. that they lay out as good nettes as we. But bragges are no proofes. The Donatists in Africa stood vpon their slip­pers, suggesting that the Orthodoxall fa­thers of the Church, made merchandise of the word, and that they themselues were maintainers of it. But Augustine telleth them that they were but conficti, non con­uicti traditores, the parties they accused, were onely but by confiction, & not any due conuiction, deprauers of the scrip­tures. Cypr [...] epist: ad Iulia­num 37. Dioscorus an arch-heretique open­ly at the counsell board at Chalerdon bra­ued it thus: Ego defendo dogmata sancto­rum patrum: I defend the doctrine of the antient fathers. An Ape cladde in pur­ple is but an ape; no more is Nouatius ar­rogating to himselfe the authoritie of the Church. Ebion though he was a Samari­tan vp & downe, yet (as Epiphanius saith) he would goe for a Christian. The Mar­cionites are as stiffe as any, that they are [Page 37]the true Church, of whom saith Tertulli­an, Faciunt fauos et vespae faciunt ecclesias et Marcionite; waspes make hony combs, and Martionetes Churches. Mat. 24.15 & 3.9. Iere. 7.4. Desolation standeth in the holy place, a pirat will lurke priuely in the arke of Noah. a Pha­risee will speake biglie. The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lorde, and they boast themselues to be the seed of Abra­ham. Iohn 8.33.39.44.53. Reue. 2.9. But they are of their father the de­uill, as Christ answereth them, and they are the synagog of Sathan, as the Angell in the Reuelation tearmeth them. Thus are all gatherings drawne in by this nette according to that which Christ saith of it, It gathereth of all kind of things. For God as he is impartiall, and without respect of persons, debarreth none. Mat. 13.47 Some like fli­my & slipperie eeles, no sooner find them­selues entangled in the nette, but they seeke to wind and straine out themselues, seeking occasions, and starting holes, & friuolous excuses. Some not onely stippe out, but breake the shales of the net with their strugling, wringing, and wronging the scriptures miserably with their con­trarie constructions; making them no more like themselues by that time they [Page 38]haue trimmed them, than the counterfeit that Michol placed vpon the pileow, was like vnto Dauid. 1. Sam. 19.13.16. These make such an opening in the nette and thorough pas­sage, as others take the aduantage of es­caping out of it. Others there are so o­uerlaiden in themselues in their earthly affections, as they not onely way downe the nette, but they draw it to their owne affections, and if any scripture goeth but a mile with them, they will make it goe twaine. Finally there are a sorte of such that this net shackleth, that seeme in out­warde sight to make a propper dish of fish, Reue. 3.17. they seeme so sanctified and holy, but they haue but a name that they line, but they are twise dead, vnseruiceable for God, and in the sight of the world abho­minable, Ma. 13.47.48. good for nothing but to bee cast ouerbord. In that the capacitie of the net is such, as it containeth all kinds, it shew­eth the illimmited largenes of the church, how it is not confined circūscribed, or to any peculiar place tyed, (as the church of Rome would haue it, hemming it in with­in the precincts of their dominatiō) but that it spreadeth it selfe ouer the whole world. His dominion (saith the Psalmo­graph) [Page 39]shall be from sea to sea, Psal. 72.8.9.10.11. and from the riuers vnto the ends of the land: They that dwell in the wildernesse shall kneele before him, and his enemies shallicke the dust. The kinges of Tarshish and of theyles shal bring presents: the kings of [...] and Seba shall bring gifts: yea all kinges shall worshippe him, all nations shall serue him. The two endes of these neetes are fastned to the vtmost ends of this world, to the East, and to the West, wherefore Christ saith; Mat. 8.11. Many shall come from the East and West, and shall sitte with Abraham, Isaack, and Iacob in the kingdome of heauen. It must needes bee of vnmeasurable measure: forasmuch as such a member without number is con­cluded in it: Reue. 7.9. For while Iohn woulde take tale of them and score them vppe by their twelue thousands together, hee commeth in at last with a reckoning without reck­ning, saying, I beheld & to a great multitude which no man could number, of all nations and kindreds, and people and tongues stood before the throne, and before the Lambe, clo­thed with long white robes, & palmes in their handes. The diffe­rence be­twixt the spiritual, and the worldly net. Herein therefore the spirituall differeth from the worldly nette, that the one may be spanned and measured, and is [Page 40]bounded: but no line may take the length and compasse of the other, and it may not bee appointed his boundes and borders. The circuite [...] the Persian and Median Empire stretched it selfe farre and wide, The Persian and Median Empire. The Greci­ans, Ro­mans, &c. hauing 120. [...]es in it, yet it reach­ed not through [...] world. The Grecians, Romanes, Babilonians, were verie mightie monarckes, yet by their mappes we may soone measure the borders of their king­domes. The Turke. The Turke at this day, who is the hammer of the nations, who can sing and say with Dauid, Psal. 60.6.7.8. Gilead is mine, and Ma­nasses is mine, ouer Edom will I cast out my shoe: Asia is mine, Africa is mine, ouer Eu­rope will I cast out my shoe: hath as wee know, but his distinct dominions, there being many kingdomes beside wherein hee hath nothing to doe, onely the king God hath set ouer his holy hill of Sion, Psal. 2.6.8. ru­leth ouer all, to whome he hath giuen the heathen for his inheritance, and the vt­termost parts of the earth for his possessi­on. The agree­ment be­twixt the spirituall, and the worldly net But herein the nette of the word hath very sutably agreement with an ordinarie worldly nette, in that it is oft remooued as the other. As fishermen carrie their nettes from place to place, as they please [Page 41]themselues, according to the nature and conditiō of the places, fishing there most where the skulls of fishes are: so Christ as it best pleaseth him, draggeth his nettes from streame to streame, from one king­dome, to another people, where the best vaine is, where there is a people prepared vnto God. The Church was first planted in Paradice, then it abode with Abel, next it floted vppon the waters in Noas arke: Gen. 1.26. &c. Gen. 2.15. Gen. 4.4. Gen. 6.18. Gen. 12.1. Act. 2. Act. 7.2. Act. 12. God hath his netts. Sathan and the world haue their netts. then it remooued to Mesopotamia with Abraham, and flitted with him to Canan, Aegypt, Canaan. Afterward it was with Isac, then with Iacob, then with Ioseph, with Ezechiah, Iosiah, with Christ, with his Apostles. Sometimes it was in Iurie, at another time in Galile, sometimes in the assēblie of the apostles, sometimes in the house of Iohn, Marke, of late times in Germanie, Fraunce, and now in the kingdomes of England, Scotland, Ireland. But as God hath his nettes: so the deuill and the world haue their netts which drawe simple soules layden with sinnes, and allured with pleasurable, ob­iects into all infelicitie, of which the Pro­phet Abacuc speaketh thus: Abac. 1.15.16.17. &c. They take vp all with the angell, they catch it in their [Page 42]nette, Ahac. 1.15.16.17. &c. Iob. 1.7. 1. Pet. 5.8. and gather it in their yarne, whereof they reioyce and are glad. The deuili is Peripateticus semper ambulans, alwaies walking, going about, seeking whome he may ensnare, and all is fish that come into his nette; and hee knoweth as well when wee are taken, as any angler doth know when a fish is taken. How the angler knoweth when a fish is taken. For an angler though hee see not the fishe, yet when the flote, quill, or corke sincketh, hee is sure that the fishe is hooked, whereuppon hee stri­keth him, & bringeth him into the boate: So our hearts being deepe riuers, How Sa­than know­eth when be hath sped. Sathans baits: for seuerall kinds of people. & the deuill being no more able to descrie the thoughts therof, than the angler can des­crie what fishes are in the waters, (for the secrets of hearts are only knowne to God) he baiteth a hooke for vs, and by the go­ing downe of the line, he knoweth we are sped. If hee seeth wee are couetously gi­uen, he sets riches before vs, and we bite by and by at them: if we be ambitious he offereth titles and degrees of dignitie, & we lay hold of them presently: if wee be enuious & malicious, he ministreth mat­ter for this madnesse to worke vpon: hee hath manifold netts of temptations, sometimes besetting vs with vaine plea­sures: [Page 43]& sometimes encircling vs with sorrowes: sometimes fetching vs in with feare, and sometimes againe pricking vs with pride and presumption: as he findeth vs qualified, so he siteth himselfe for vs, and by our ready and greedy apprehensi­on of his temptations, he worketh our destruction. How to a uoid the nets of Sa­than, and escape his bates. Being en­tangled, how to get out of Sa­thans nets, and to breake of from his hookes. Of repen­tance, &c. Therefore euerie baite that he layeth for vs being our bane, let vs not come within the length of his line, or within the libertie of his nettes. If wee doe, labour and striue we all that we may to get our feet out of these netts, by our hartie timely repentance, by running into the waters of saludtion, and by suffering our selues to bee drawne from the pit of perdition of our sinfull liues, to the open wholesome ayre which breatheth eternal life into vs; that wee may be drawne out of darkenesse by the draw-nets of Gods word into light, from the horrible pitte of mire and clay, to all puritie of conuersati­on: from our wandering thoughts, to a setled stedfast holines. This will the word of God worke with vs, wherefore Augu­ctine likeneth it to the āglers hooke, verbū hamus est, qui dū capitur, capit: the word is a hooke which being taken of vs, taketh [Page 44]vs, and happie man is he that is taken of it, for he is taken, non ad caedem, sed ad sa­lutem; not to the slaughter, but to salua­tion. Thus we know what furniture wee ought to prouide for this our fishing pro­fession, and the Lord giue vs vnderstan­ding in all thinges.

ANgles, hookes, lines, nets, and whatsoeuer imple­ments of that trade wait vpon the labours & faith­fulnes of the fishermen, & they are they that giue vse and vertue vnto them, and must sett them a working. For vnlesse they lay them in, and draw them out of the waters, they are to no purpose. The angle, and net of the gospell of Christ, must by those who haue the dispensation thereof giuen them by [Page 45]God, be vsed accordingly, not hāged vpō hedge, or hidden vnder the roofes of their houses. For fishes are creatures as hie and strange of men, as any are, & loue no other element then their owne; nor o­ther company then their owne, worldly men are so affected, out of the earth which is their element they would not goe; and as fishes of each kind skull togeather, and birdes of a feather flie togeather: so men of like mindes will conuerse togeather, and they are loath to haue fellowshippe with any that are not like themselues. Wherefore to draw fishes to vs whether they will or no, doe our fishing tew serue, and there are such who continually lay for them. So God hath giuen vs furniture good store for our spirituall fishing, and hath appointed officers for the purpose to see to this busines qualifying them ac­cordingly, giuing some to bee Apostles, Ephes. 4.7.11.12. some to be doctors, some teachers, all of them for this ministrie of fishing, & catch­ing soules for God. For this cause the peo­ple before the law, had the Patriarches: those vnder the law, the Prophets: they in the time of grace reuealed vnder the gospell, had Christ: the Apostles, and the [Page 46]succeeding ministers of all times to bee their fishers. Acts [...]0.34.44. Acts. 8.35.37. Acts 16. & 9.17. &c. He trowled and angled for the Centurion by Peter: Philip the Apo­stle fished for the Eunuch: Paul laid out his hooke for Lidia, and caught her. It was Ananias and not an angell that angled for Paul, Luke 16.29.31. and made him sure. For if Mo­ses and the Prophets whom wee haue a­mong vs cannot take vs, not any dowtie doctor, though sent from the dead (as A­braham told Diue) shalbe able to doe it. In vaine do we fish for soules, but by such that are of the occupation. It is preaching that ingendreth and encreaseth faith The Apostle hath a goodly gradation to shew so much. Room. 10.13.14 [...].5. Whosoeuer shall call vpon the name of the Lord shall be saued. But how shall they call on him, in whome they haue not beleeued? and how shall they beleeue in him, of whome they haue not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? Thus by these degrees as by the staues of a ladder, are wee to climbe to the height of perfection, and to bee drawne from the bottome of miserie, to the toppe of felicitie. These hang to­geather like the linckes of a chaine and may not bee sundred. 1. Preaching, 2. Hearing. 3. Beleeuing. 4. Innocation. 5. [Page 47]Saluation. Peter hath left his boate, nets, and all his fishing furniture for preachers to employ. I name them fishermen, be­cause of right that name is due vnto them, and it hath beene giuen them of old. Iere. 16.16 As when Ieremy saith; Behold saith the Lord) I will send out many fishers, and they shall fish them. Luke 5.10. Mat. 4.19. Marke 1.16.17. As when Christ saith in the persons of Peter and Andrew. Iames and Iohn, I will make you fishers of men. If wee lay the propherties of them both togeather, wee shall see how fitly such as are preachers are compared vnto fishers. 1. Fishermen must be furnished with all vten­sils necessa­rie to their trade. A figge for such fishermen as haue not at hand all v­tensils necessarie appertaining to their trade: the spirituall fishers for men, must bee grounded in the knowledge of God, mightie in the scriptures, of such wise­dome as they may bee able to assoile any intricate question, conuince all contradi­ction, and to render a reason of whatsoe­uer assertion. Acts 20.17.1 [...].2 [...]. The able fisherman indeed hath a store-house of implements & wan­teth nothing that may serue his turne, he hath two, new & old, and hath in a readi­nes to stead all his needs. If hookes, lines, plummets, corkes, netts, baites, or such like trinkets be not with them when they [Page 48]are on the waters, men checke them by their trade and say vnto them, are your anglers and fishermen, The spiri­tual fisher­man, his storehouse. and haue not these thinges? The preachers heart is the store­house wherein hee is to lay vp all the fur­niture of his fishing occupation, which is to be fraught with variety of learning, out of which, as out of a treasure (that he may be the man he is taken to bee, Matth. 13.52. and Christ in the gospell would haue it to be) he may bring thinges both new and old: for other­wise if hee be wanting to himselfe, he is subiect to the reproofe that Christ gaue Nicodemus. Ioh. 3.10. Art thou a master in Israel & and knowest not these thinges? and the pro­phets complaint will light vppon him, who is blind but my seruant? Isai. 42.19. Sundrie and many are the trinkets that belong to fish­ing: so many kindes of learning belong to our spirituall fishing. One net is for one vse, an other for another, and there is vse in time and place for euery parcell of his whole prouision. Heb. 5.11.12. &c. 1. Cor: 9.19.20.21.22. 1. Cor. 3.2. Soages of mercy. Ditties of iudgment. One and the selfe same doctrine agreeth not with all times, and persons: but preachers are to fit them­selues to the nature of the hearers, some­times to forme songs of mercie to com­fort them, & sometimes to deliuer ditties [Page 49]of iudgements which may bee a corsiue vnto them: some times to pipe vnto them that they may daunce, and sometimes to mourne, to make them lament: Mat. 11.17 Cor. 4.21. some­times with the Apostle Paul to come in loue, and sometimes with a rodde, of which more shall bee said in the follow­ing discourse. There is no kind of lear­ning holy or prophane, but may pleasure vs sometimes in our fishing affaires. I for­beare to censure such as are of contrarie iudgement, Of the vse of humane reading. and would shredde and strip a diuine of all humane reading: but be­cause they would stoppe my free passage of fishing, and hinder mee in this course that is delightsome & gainfull vnto me, I will pleade my cause as well as I can, & as I may deliuer my opinion from their seuearer reprehēsion: Gregorie Nazianzē. yet Gregorie Nazi­anzen casteth their water, and giueth this iudgement of them, in the cause we haue in hand. Non vlla despicienda disciplinae cognitio, cum de genere bonorum scientia si [...] [...]mnis: quin potius ipsam spernentes, et rusti­cos et plane ignauos existimare debemus: qui cupiunt vt omnes sint ignorantes ne igno­rantia eorum inter communem perspiceretur, si philosophia non respiceretur, ideo quia qui­dam [Page 50]per philosophiam errarunt: tunc nec Solet Luna quia nonnulli ea pro dijs suis ha­buerunt. Wee are not to despise any dis­ciplimatie knowledge, for that al learning is in the rancke of good things: rather the scorners thereof are to be thought to bee as ignorant as themselues, that their ig­norance might not appeare in its proper likenes. If this bee enough to put downe Philosophy because some haue bin misled thereby, wee may by like reason vrge that the sunne should bee taken from the firmament, & the moone should bee done away, inasmuch as some haue worshipped them as Gods. But we list first to conclude our iudgement by suffrages of scriptures. The inhibition and promise of the lawe for the not marrying of a capture womā, Deu. 21.11.12. was voide with these conditions, that her superfluities were done away, her head was shauen, her nayles pared, her gar­ments burned. These rites being perfor­med, she & an Isralite might be cōtracted. The reddition, and consequence hereof is made by Hierome in this wise: Hierome. what mar­uel is it then (saith he) If I wedde my selfe to the wisedome of the worlde, for the beautie & comlines of speech that I find [Page 51]it hath, and of a captiue woman make her fredenizen in Israel, cutting off whatsoe­uer is in her superstitious, voluptuous, er­roneous, and begette children to the Lord of hostes by her? Osea. 1.3. For so did Oseas take to himselfe a wife of fornication, Gomer the daughter of Diblaim by whome he had a sonne named Isreel, which is by inter­pretation the seed of the Lorde. Acts 7.22. Moses was a man learned in all the wisedome of the Egyptians: Daniel was a great man in the learning of the Chaldeās: Iob was very well seene in astronomie: Dan. 1.4.17 Iob. 38.31.32.33. Ieromie was studious in the statute laws of the realme: Dauid could handle the harpe out of crie, and sing songes of Sion sweetly: Paul tooke great pleasure in reading of poetrie, 1. Sam. 16.16.18.23. Psa. 57.7.8 1. Cor. 15.32.33. Tit. 1 1.2.13. Act. 17.28. and had all manner of learning both of Iewes and Gentiles: and he brought three Poems of Menander, Aretas, Epimenides into the bodie of holy scripture; when the tabernacle was to be builded with the Arke of the testimonie, mercie seate, and their appurtenances. Exod. 31.2.3.4.6. Bezaleel by name was called out from the rest, and quali­fied for that worke, filled with the spirite of God, in wisedome and in vnderstan­ding, and in knowledge, and in all work­manship, [Page 52]& as assistiās vnto him were A­holiab and all that were wise hearted ad­ioyned: wherefore how much more is it expedient, that such as should build vppe his heauenly Hierusalem, should bee fur­nished and accomplished with all necessa­rie induments. Exod. 12.35.36. The Isralites were dispen­sed with to borrow of the Egyptians their ornaments of gold, their costly Iewels & plate, Augustine. and to vse them as their owne: from whence Augustine disputeth it to bee as lawfull for vs to robbe the Gentiles and heathens of the ornaments and rare in­uentions of their wittes, and serue our turnes with them. Eloquence and hu­mane learning serueth diuines, as that parte of the Carpenters wimble which is wreathed round about, and by degrees draweth in the iron. The wodden han­dle entreth not into the wood, but it help­eth in the pearser: so arts are helpers to preachers in their studies. In which res­pect Socrates compareth them to mid­wiues, Socrates. that are helpers to women in their trauailes: they serue notablie for the ease of such as trauaile in the spirituall pro­fession. This is the vse Augustine maketh of them, saying, Solo vomere terra profun­ditur, [Page 53]sed vt hoc fieripossit etiam caetera ara­tri membra necessaria. De ciuit. Dei lib. 16. cap. 2. The share onely de­uideth the ground, but to set it forward are the other partes of the plough requi­site. By making such vse as worldly lear­ning doth afford, we may thrust thorough the Pagan & Infidel with his own weapōs. For which cause doth Lactantius so much desire to haue this so great an aduātage o­uer them: Lib. 3. Inst: cap. 1. I would (saith he) haue the gift of eloquence, either because they might sooner yeeld to the truth when it is thus garnished: or else because infidels might the readier bee slaine by their own swords: What need wee care from whence wee haue the hearbe, or who did first set it, or bring it, if it bee medicinable and healeth vs? Let vs bee like the diligent Bee which from a netle can drawe hony. A tree, though neuer so laden with fruit, is graced by her leaues; though wee be neuer so fruitfull in diuine knowledge, worldly learning, that are as the leaues of this tree, will countenance it well enough. Fullers before they will die a purple, will lay a ground colour: Di­uinitie is the royall purple colour: artes are but the grounds thereof. To learne to handle a weapon skilfullie, men haue [Page 54]their beginnings in the fence schoole: we are trained vp in commō schooles, where the artes are taught, to make vs more apt and readie for diuinitie. In the building of a house, though the master Mason his seruice is the chiefest: yet are his inferi­our seruers needfull. Such as would get themselues authoritie by their ignorance of the artes, and boast themselues to bee followers of fishermen, are deceiued in thinking, that the Apostles were more ho­ly, the more they were vnlearned. Augustine. Au­gustine wrote to his friend to aduise Cal­phumius, not to maligne such as haue teeth, because hee had none himselfe. I will insist no longer in this point, least I should seeme too much to digresse from the point, we come to the former matter. As wee hold them not worthie to be cal­led fishers, that haue not their netts and needfull prouision, without which there is no good to be done: Soe he that fisheth for the soules of men, if hee hath not parts of learning proper to his profession, hee shall be little profitable in that his vocati­on. Exod. ca. 28. ve. 30.4.12.29.34.36. &c. The vrim and Thummim, engraued vpon the tablet the high priest customab­ly ware at his brest, prefigured the full [Page 55]knowledge of heauenly misteries that ought to be seated in euery priests breast. Of a lear­ned mini­sierie. Also the golden bells that did hang to the verge of his garment, did insinuate, that his tongue ought to sound like a bell in the Church of God. The brestlet like­wise that was the priests share, signified (as saith Origen) that the priest is be to a māof counsel, the breast being the seat & fountaine of counsell. Mal. 2.7. All which accord with that which Malachie requireth of him, saying: The priests lippes keepe know­ledge, and they should seeke the law at his mouth. 2. Tim. 2.15.25 & Tit. 1.9. & 2.6.7.8. Matth. 13.52. To which appertaineth that pre­cept of the Apostle, enioyning the mini­ster that hee be able to teach. Finally an­swerable to their saying, is Christ his saying; Euerie scribe learned in the king­dome of heauen, bringeth out of his treasure thinges both new and old. It was an olde saying (though it is much out of vse now) The law shall not depart from the priest, nor counsell from the wise, Hier. 18.18. Leuit. 6.15.16. & passim, aliis cap. nor the word from the Prophet. The minister of the old testament was able to iudge what parte euery one ought to haue in the sacrifice, what por­tion belonged to the Lorde, what was due to the people, and what accrued to [Page 56]the priest: so should the spirituall snard in the Lords house, bee of that vnderstan­ding, and discretion, as to distribute to e­uery one his diuidence in due season. Luke 12.42.43. Mat. 24.45.46. 2. Sa. 5.6. But as Iebusites placed their lame, and blind, at the walles of Hierusalem, despite of Dauid: so such as are lame and vnable for the ministrie, and as blind as beetles, keep neare the gates of the spirituall Hie­rusalem, to the great reproach of the gos­pell of Christ. 2. Sam. 2.12. There are many very var­lets in the holy ministerie, as euill conditi­oned, as the sonnes of Eli who are called the sonnes of Belial, and as ignorant as they of whom it is said: They knew not the Lord. If no man will trust a great part of them with mony; in what case are soules committed to their trust? But let vs con­sider, how in other partes the minister holdeth comparison with the fisherman. 2. The fisherman when he casteth out his nette or angle-rodde, knoweth not how to speed, but sometimes hee hath good lucke at the first, & sometimes at the last, & sometimes none at all. It is so with the preacher of Gods most holy worde, who sometimes but with once preaching edifi­eth much, Ion. 35.6. as Ionas by one sermon reclai­med [Page 57]both Prince and people of Niniueh: Acts. 8.5.6.7.8.12. Acts. 2.14.41. Acts. 16.14. as Philip by one sermon in Samaria woon the heartes of the Samaritanes: and as Peter by one sermō at Hierusalems added to the Church three thousand soules: as Paul by one sermon conuerted Lydia. Sometimes he is long ere hee can doe any good: Luke. 5.5.6.7.9. but at the last letting downe his nette in the name of Christ (as Peter did) he encloseth a multitude of fish. Some­times he sayeth with Peter, maister, Luke. 5.5. all the day long haue I fished, and got nothing: and he is driuen to take vppe the Lords com­plaint in the mouth of the Prophet. Isay. 53.1. Lord who hath beleeued our report, and to whom is the arme of the Lord reuealed. The fishermā fareth as his hap is: Isay 6.6.7. &c: Iere 1.9. Ezek. 31.2.3. so the preacher spee­deth according as God blesseth, who gi­ueth him the tōgue of the learned to vtter words of grace in due time, who touch­eth his lippes with a coale from his altar which inflameth the hearts of the people, who onely openeth him a doore of vt­terance whereby his words minister grace vnto the hearers. 3. Eph. 6.19.20. 1. Pet. 4.20 The fisherman doth as the gardner & husbandman who plāt­eth, and soweth; but God reserueth the in­crease [Page 58]to himselfe. The fisherman can promise nothing to him selfe, hee is not certaine of one fish: hee can but vse the meanes when he hath done al he can. 1. Cor. 3.5.6.7. The preacher can but minister the word and Sacraments, the outward meanes that God hath ordeined him to fish for soules: but the effect and good speed hereof, must be giuen to God, 1. Cor. 3.6.9.10. Matth. 13.3.4. Iohn 20.23 Matth. 18.18: hee being but Gods a­gent in this busines. The ministers of the Church are said to build, sowe, plante rege­nerate, wash away sinnes, forgiue. But be­cause these are done by them by vertue of their office, we must looke higher, name­ly vnto him who hath put them in office, who in meere mercie worketh thus effe­ctually by them: 1. Cor. 3.5.6.7.9.10. wherefore Paul thus sai­eth of Apollo, and himselfe; Who is Paul? and who is Apollo? but the ministers by whom ye beleeued, and as the Lorde gaue to euerie man? I haue planted, Apollo watred, but God gaue the encrease. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither hee that watreth, but God that giueth the encrease. 9 Also in the same place, calling him selfe and his fellow Apostles, Gods labourers: he taketh vp these titles, of Gods husbandry, and Gods building: that all the good successe of our [Page 59]labours whatsoeuer, 10 might bee ascribed to God, & that no part of the credit of it, The net of preaching bringeth vs to the heauenly shore &c. examples. Acts 9.10.18.11. &c. Acts 10.4.5. Acts 8.37. Acts 16.14 Before the spiritual fisherman can gainea­ny fish, God must first lead them into the nette, and make them tractable. 1. Cor. 15.10. Eph. 3.7.8. should cleaue to our handes. Ananias in deed, was themā that brought Paul to this heauenly shore, by the nette of his prea­ching: but Gods hande was first in this worke, who illuminated him by his hea­uenly light, and prepared him by his spi­rit, making him capable of Ananias his instruction. The like wee say of Cornelius the Centurion: of the great Chamberlaine to the Aethiopian Queene; of Lydia the purple seller, who were all gained to God by the ministrie of the Apostles, Peter, Philip, Paul: but the hand of a better workeman than they, first ledd them in­to the nettes, and made them tractable, and rulie. If we doe any good by our spi­ritual angling, if we haue encreased Gods kingdome, if wee haue laboured more than others: let vs with Paul blesse God for our labours, and say; Not I, but the grace of God in me: and with the elders in the Reuelation, Reuel. 4.10.11. Isa. 26.12. lay downe al the glorie thereof at the foote of the Lambe, as they did lay their crownes: & take vp Isaiah his saying. All our workes thou hast wrought for vs o Lord: and that worthie peace of [Page 60] Anthony, Psa. 115.1. with the melodious musician of Israel, Not vnto vs o Lord, not vnto vs, but vnto thy name bee the prayse for thy louing kindnes, Isay 1.3. and thy truth sake. Let vs not bee worse than the oxe, who knoweth his owner; and the Asse who knoweth his masters cribbe. Be wee farre from kissing our owne handes, and turning our backs to the sanctuary, or our face from the mercie seat. Ezec. 8.16. But let Zacharies Epiphonema goe with such a blessing, Grace, Grace bee vnto it. And let vs say this grace ouer it, prayse, Reue. 5.13. honour, glorie bee to him that sitteth on the throne, and to the Lambe. As all riuers runne into the Ocean sea, from whence they came (so that if thou know­est not the way to the sea, take a riuer, & that will shew it thee:) so let this bles­sing, among all other blessings, bee attri­buted vnto God, from whence it first came. For what do we hold, that hold not in Capite? 1. Cor. 4.7. And what hast thou, saith the blessed Apostle Paul, that thou hast not receiued? The fisher­man annot discernce of what sorts his fish are, while his nette is in the water: so the spiri­tual angler, in the sea of this world can­not iudge of mens hearts &c. 4. The fisherman that hath a great draught in his nette, can not dis­cerne of what sortes they are, which are good, which are bad, while the net is yet in the water: so the preacher in the sea of [Page 61]this world cannot iudge of the affections of his hearers, or of the state wherin they stand, either for saluation or damnation. For it is God alone that hath a throne in the hart of man, that possesseth the reines, and searcheth the very secrets of his thoughts, man can but iudge by outward appearance: we must leaue them to God, for their inward inclinations. And hee will diue into the depth of them. It is no running behind the tree with Adam, Gen. 3.8. & 18.10. & 38.14.15. God know­eth mans heart, and his affecti­ons. Augustine. Zach. 4.10. nor hiding our selues vnder a tente with Sa­rah, nor couering our selues with a vaile with Thamar, nor cleanly wiping of our mouthes with the harlot in the Prouerbs, or any halting or dissembling with God. For he is Totus oculus, as Augustine saith, altogeather eye, and his seuen eyes (as Zacharie saith) run ouer the whole world. Hee that conceiued to himselfe that God was purblind, and that he might daze the eyes of Gods knowledge, argued his own folly, & hath this flout for his labour. Psal. 94.8.9.10.11. O you foole, when will you vnderstād? He that made the eye, shal he not see? The Lord knoweth the thoughts of mē that they are but vain. It was as absurdly said as might be, of the 2. old fornicators that assaulted Susanna: Dan. 13.20 Behold [Page 62]the Gardē dores are shut, that no man can see vs: For neither a partition walle of stone, or any secret pauilion, or the darkenes of the night, can couer or keepe our mis­deedes from Gods knowledge, seeing it reacheth to the very intendments of the hearte: Psal. 44.21. which Dauid elegantly witnes­seth, saying; If we haue forgotten the name of our God, and holden vp our handes to any strange God, shall not God search it out? for hee knoweth the very secrets of the heart. In an other place, as nothing doubting of the omniscience of God, he layeth downe his thoughts at the feet of God to vndergoe his tryall. Psal. 139.23. Trie me O God, and seeke the ground of my heart: prooue me, and examine my thoughts. In the fourth part of that Psalme, Psal. 139.2. hee speaketh sweetly in this wise; Thou art about my path, and about my bed, and spiest out all my wayes. For loe, there is not a word in my tongue, but thou Lord know­est it altogether: when the Apostles were to surrogate an Apostle to make vppe the twelue, in the roome of Iudas that had made defection, and wrought his owne destruction, and they pricked and presen­ted two, Barsabas and Matthias, they cal­led vpon God, that they might make e­lection [Page 63]of the best by his direction, Acts. 1.22.23.24. as the searcher of the heartes: Thou Lord which knowest the heartes of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen. As Iob gi­ueth to God all power: so hee giueth all knowledge vnto him, euen of the inner i­magination of mans mind: Iob. 42.2. I know that thou canst doe all thinges, and that there is no thought hid from thee. So doth Ieremie: Iere. 17.9. The heart is dece [...]tfull, Reue. 1.14. and wicked aboue all thinges, who can know it? I the Lord search the heart, and trie the reynes. In this respect the spirite giueth him fierie eyes, which search thoroughly as they goe. His eyes were as a flame of fire; wherfore they serue to giue him light in the night season, and to make day and night alike vnto him, according to that which Dauid saith: Psal. 139. [...].7.8.11.12. If I say the darknes shall hide me, then shall my night be turned to day: yea the darkenes is no darknesse with thee, but the night is as cleere as the day, the darknes and light to thee are both alike: wherefore no fisherman may sooner bee mistaken in his fish while they are in his nette in the water: than we may be and are of the condicions of men, while wee haue them but in the compasse of our nettes in this present world. VVe should not mea­sure the Church by the line of our affecti­ons, by the plentie and prosperitie of the times. Examples. Iere. 44.18.19. Gen. 39.20 1. Sam. 21. & 22. & 23. & 24. Acts of the Apostles, and other Chuch sto­vies. Reue. 13.7 Some [Page 64]measure the Church by the line of their affections, by the plentie and prosperitie of the times: which was the dotage of the old Israelites in Ieremies time prating thus vnto him: since wee left off to burne incense to the Queen of heauen, & to poure out drinke offerings vnto her, we haue had scarcenesse of all thinges, and haue been consumed by the sword, & by famine. And when we burnt in­cēse to the queen of heauē, & powredout drink offring, vnto her, did wee make her cakes, to make her glad, and poure out drinke offerings vnto her without our husbands? But was Io­seph the worse because he was imprisoned? or Dauid the worse because hee was ba­nished? or the Church the worse because it hath been so long persecuted, and of barbarous tyrants so cruelly intreated? It is the badge of the beast, that hee shall giue warre to the Saintes, Iudg. 20.25. Prosperitie &c. no true marke of the Church. and vanquish them. The Israelites, whom we doubted not were the Church of God, had twice very vnhappie speed in their warres wa­ged with the Beniamites. Haue not the Turkes often warred & preuailed against the Christians? wherefore wee are blind and see nothing, if we make this a marke of the Church, and we wish such with the [Page 65]

THere bee others as bold with God as the former, intruding themselues into his libertie and peculier, to determine who are, and who are not of the Church, making a seculer arme, and iurisdiction, and the consent of the greater number & company, the marke of their knowledge, fancying the fondnes of the Israelites, herein rūning with the Bias and stream of those times, drawing this absurdity with cart-ropes of examples of their fathers, Iere. 44.17. kings, princes in the cities of Iuda, and the streets of Hierusalem, for this is their lo­gicke which with such open mouth they lay out in Ieremie. But how little pleasure their argument taken from the topick place of vnitie, in matters of diui­nitie, Matth. 22.15.16.23.34. & 26.3.4.59. Luke. 23.7.10.11.12.18.24. Gal. 2.11. doth the Popelings I pray you con­sider? Did not the Pharisies, Sadduces, Herod, Pilat, diuided in opinions, and af­fections among themselues, combine and coniure themselues against Christ, as a Iu­rie in a generall assise agreeth vppon one verdict? Paul who dissented from Peter, & [Page 66] Barnabas who differed from Paul, Acts. 15.39. 1. Cor. 1.12.13. and the Church of Corinth which nourished in her bosome many bitter diffentions, I trow were all members of the Catholick Church in the opinion of our aduersaries. If they were, their reason grounded vpon vnitie hath no great stabilitie. Gen. 11.3.4. Did not the balde builders of Babel, in one mind con­clude to goe on with their worke? Those Calues that worshipped their golden Calues, Exod. 32.1.3.6. sang all one song. These are the Gods of Israel, that brought thee out of the land of Aegypt. The tenne tribes were in a league togeather to vphold superstition, & to set vp Idols in Bethel. Psal. 83.5.6.7. &c. The Psalmo­graph numbreth ten nations of one associ­atiō against the Church of God. They were confederate together, the tabernacles of the Edomites and Moabites. The Hagarens, the Philistims, with them that dwell at Tyre, Gebon, Ammon and Amalech: Assur also is ioyned with them, and haue holpen the children of Loth. The Iewes with one mouth called vpon the Iudge to con­demne our Sauiour, Crucifie him, crucifie him. Matth. 27.22. The Maho­metists. The Mahometists are at a point with themselues, with one assent and con­sent to main taine their blasphemies: now [Page 67]I trust there is not a Christian, that hol­deth, that they are of the Church. Gen. 13.7.8, & 37.8. &c. Difference sometimes amongst the Saints of God on earth. Hier. 26.8.10.11. &c. Matth. 20.24. Gala. 2.11.12. Act. 11.2.3. The ancient fathers dis­senting, now and then, one from ano­ther. The members of the true Church, are some­times at oddes about outward matters; Loth and his brethren differed for a time. The brethren ioyntly did hate and intend much hurt vnto Ioseph. The priests and Princes of the people very often seuered themselues from Prophets. In the sacred societie of Christ there were emulations and distentions, a very hotte garboile was among them for the primacie. The other tenne disdained that the two brethren Iames and Iohn shoulde stand for it aboue others. Paul withstood Peter to the verie head of him. They of the circumcision came against Peter in open disputation. A great contention among the primitiue Christians did arise, concerning the annu­all celebration of the feast of Easter. Be­tweene the Bishops of Africa and Rome was great and long a doe about the bap­tisme of heretiques. Hierome did abso­lutely oppose himselfe against Ruffinus. So did Epiphanius against Chrisostome. Be­tweene the East and the West Churches, there was little trouble about rites and ce­remonies. Therefore let our aduersaries [Page 68]lay their handes vpon their mouthes, and talke no more to vs of vnitie and multi­tude, seeing it is laxate and palsie shak­ing logick. Of Successi­on. As that is also which is deri­ued from long cōtinued succession which they hold as an infallible note of their church. For this their slauerie wee scatter in this wife: If succession will serue the turne, 2. King. 20.21. and 21.3.16. &c. Matth. 26.57. &c. [...]o conclude, those that haue that of their side to be of the church, Manasses and Caiphas may hold vppe their heades with the best of the bunch. For the one succeeded Dauid in the ciuill gouerne­ment, and the other Aaron in the priestly regiment. Our Romanists that looke so bigly vppon vs in their supposed priui­ledge of succession, Archida­mus. Hercules. succeed Peter as Ar­chidamus the Lacedemonian did succeed Hercules. Nicostratus tolde him that hee could not come of Hercules, as hee would haue the world thinke, because their do­ings were so contrary; the one killed those that were badde; and the other kil­ling the good: when they are at the best, they are but a broode and litter of Phari­sees, Iohn 8.44. Of the true and false whose tribe and cognation was hew­ed out of hell, and were of their father the deuill, howsoeuer they would seeme to [Page 69]deduce their stocke, Church, see Doctor Rai­nold his 5. & 6. con­clusion. 1. King. 3.17.22.24.25. &c. Mat. 13.48. & lineage from Abra­ham. But wee leaue further scanning of this question: and as the two women that came before Salomon, contending whose the liuing child should be, whilest each of them claimed it to bee hers, their strife was stinted by the sentence of his wisedome: so the wisdome of God, who searcheth all heartes, shall end our quar­rell, & shal one day discouer to the world who are his, and none of his, who are the elect, and out-casts of Israel, as the fi­sherman descrieth what fishes are in his nette when hee hath it on the land, and taketh a full and perfect view of them. 5. Matth. 13.47.48 49. The fisher­mon, when he hath en­ded his fish­ing, seue­reth the goed from the bad; e­uen so when the world endeth, a separation shall be vn­til which time, &c. The ordinarie fisherman when his fishing is done, sundreth and seuereth the good from the bad, vntill which time they are confusedly togeather in the net; such men as are caught by the euangelicall fisher­men, by the dragge-net of the holy word, must abide together in the Church of God with the refuse company, vntill the end of the world which shall giue an end to our fishing, at what time the almightie whose ministers wee are, shall sort his fi­shes, & according to their kinds, separate them: while the world lasteth, and so our [Page 70]fishing lasteth, Matth. 13.24.25.26. & 25.1.32 1. Sam. 19.23.24. Matth. 22.22.11. there is no talking of this distinctiō. For cockle, darnell, tares, succes­siuely sprouteth out with the better grain: weeds wil ouer-awe the best hearbes that be: goats wil be amōg the flocks of sheep, foolish virgins will keep cōpany with the wisest: Saul will come shuffeling in amōg the Prophets: & a rude vnmannerly guest without his wedding weeds, wil put him­selfe forward with the best of the assēbly, at the marriage of the lamb: and no better condition may bee looked for, no more than the externe fisherman may hope not to haue his nettes polluted with filth in fishing affaires. Matth. 13.47. But stay wee the end as fishermen doe, and then an other course wee shall see taken herein. As the soile and reiectaments of the fishermans ga­therings, are then throwne away: so the wicked shal be done away, from the com­pany of the good. A brand then shall be seene vpon Cain, whereby we shall know him, from righteous Abel: Esau and Iacob shall bee distinguished before vs: So shall the Apostle Iude, and Iudas the Aposta­ta easily bee discerned: Simon Peter, & Simon Magus may not then be togeather: Cephas and Caiphas may not keepe com­pany: [Page 71] Ieremie and Pashur, Amos and A­mazia: Elias and Baals Priests: Iesus his seruants, and seruile Iesuits, The spiri­tual fisher­mans toyle and labour is as great, if not grea­ter, as any way befal­leth the worldly fisherman. Of fisher­men, and shepheards paines: and of mi­nisters. Mat. 4.19. Mar. 1.17. Ezech. 33.2 Iere. 12.10. & 23.1.2. Eze. 34.2.3. Ezec. 3.17. for euer shalbe separated, one nette shall no more bee pestred with such pelfe that shall trouble true pietie. 6. Lastly, beside the promi­sed circumstances that maketh such a sympathie betweene these fishermen of both kindes: they that are of the spiritu­all fishing profession, shall find if they tra­uell in their callings accordingly, that their paines are as great, if not greater, than theirs. For which cause to expresse the labours cast vpon that calling, the mi­nister hath the name of a fisherman giuen him. As the name of shepheard is com­monly giuen to the ciuill magistrate, so the title of a fisherman is set vpon a mini­ster, and they haue not these their names for naught, but to shake them by the shoulders, and set them on their feet, and to put them in mind of the great burden that is laid vppon them. Shepheards sel­dome sleepe, or shift a shirt, time not ser­uing for it, their attendance vppon their sheepe being little enough, Luke 2.8, when they haue done what they can. The fisher­mans toyle likewise exceedeth, both by [Page 72]daye and night, Luke 5.5. in heate and colde, the case so requiring it very often, that he fish all night long, and goe into the water and wade to and froe in it. Of the toile and labours that mini­sters ought to vnder­go [...]. This vigilancie, in­dustrie, fidelitie, must be in him that hath giuen vppe himselfe vnto the sacred mini­strie to fish for mens soules, which Iacob had performed, when hee made his ac­counts with Laban of his doings: I was in the day time consumed with heate, Gen. 31.39. and with frost in the night, and my sleepe departed from mine eyes. Mat. 20.3. The ministrie is not or­dained for a chaire of ease to any: no man being called thereunto, may stand idle in the market place, but he must be a labou­rer in the vineyard. Aug. de Ci­uit. Dei. lib: 19. ca. 19. A labourer, not a loy­terer, Episcopi nomen est operis, non honoris: vt intelligat se non esse episcopum, qui vult prior esse & non prodesse. The ministers place is a place of labour, not of honour: that he may know that hee is vnworthie of the place, that intendeth his owne pompe, & not the peoples profit: we minsters may take vp this saying of the Poet.

Wheresoeuer the scripture speaketh of our office, they speake of the labours inci­dent to that office. The Apostle speak­ing of the carriage of himself in the course of his ministerie among the Galatians, telleth them. Gal. 4.11. I feare least I haue bestowed vpon you labour in vaine. Directing an ex­hortation vnto the Church of Philippos, he saith: Phil. 4.3. Helpe those that labour in the Gos­pel. Hee dealeth with the Thessalonians, 1 Thes. 5.12 13. that they take knowledge of such that la­bour among them in the Lord, and that they giue preferment vnto them. In his letter to Timothie, 1. Tim. 5.17 18. 2 Tim. 1.6.13. & 2.2.14.15. 2 Tim. 4.1.2.5. &c. he maketh speciall re­membrance of them that labour in the worde and doctrine. To which agreeth his Canon vnto Timothie in his latter Epi­stle superscribed vnto him. In all thinges labour, and doe the worke of an Euangelist. And he calleth the office it selfe of the ministrie, an office of worke, saying; Hee that desireth the office of a Bishop, 1 Tim. 3.1.2. &c. desireth a worthie worke. The titles themselues giuen in scriptures to ministers, do lay out their labours. Matth. 13.3.4.45.47. Luk. 12.42 43. They are compared to Hus­bandmen, Shepheards, Builders, Houshoul­ders, mothers, souldiers, fishers; all which are offices of exceeding encombrances. [Page 74]The toyle of husbandrie is such, Iohn. 21.15 16.17. 1. Cor. 9.7. Matth. 4.19. as there is no end of it. It was one of Cato his say­ings in his bookes of husbandrie, and e­uerie husbandman will confirme it: Qui terram colit ne sedeat: Cato. 1. Cor. 3.6.9.10. 1. Pet. 5.2.3.4. Eze. 34.2. Matth. 9.36.37. & 12.49. & 20.1.2. Marke 4.3. Luke 9.62. Mat. 13.3.4.5.6.7.8. Est enim aliquid sem­per quo [...] agat. The husbandman is neuer without worke; what with following, stir­ring, sowing, weeding, and following the plough, he is alwaies occupied. This is the ministers case, if hee listeth to consider it aright, the Lordes plough that he hath in hand, calleth for the attendance of the whole man. The charge of the one answe­reth notably the charge of the other. For as the soyle, so the soule vnlesse it bee al­waies ploughed vp, and hath seede from other places strowed vppon it, giueth no fruite acceptable to God the owner there­of: neither sufficeth it, once to haue sow­ed it, but it is to bee vigilantly attended daily, that neither the birdes, which are our badde affections, may deuoure it; or the thornes of our grieuous sinnes, which sprout vp continually, may choake it; or o­therwise, by disidiousnesse and slouthful­nes, may be hindred. The Shepheardes life is as tedious as may be, Aristotle. Plinie. For the sheep (as Aristotle & Plinie obserue) are a sim­ple [Page 75]kind of cattle, easily wronged, least a­ble of any to relieue it selfe, taking the aduantage of euerie gappe to breake out of the folde, commonly caught and en­tangled by briars, often in danger of the dogge, the wind and weather bringing much wracke vnto it, the very grasse and water whereby it liueth, many times in­fecting it, the diseases being many to which they are subiect: wherefore the welfare and good health of them, is in the helpe and heed of the shepheards. If we looke well into our selues, in the sheepes looking-glasse we shall see our selues. For we are simple as they of our selues, the na­turall man as the Apostle teacheth, being not capable of the things that are of God: what wrōgs do not we lie opē vnto in this malignant world, 1. Ioh: 5.19. set as the spirit saith by Iohn, vpon wickednes? which we do away no otherwise then by patiēce, there being no good to be done by resistance: doe wee not take all starting holes to wind out our selues out of Christs pinfold, Psal. 78.57 and to start aside from his holy commaundements as a broken bowe? Doe not the briars of worldly cares take such holde of vs, as we cannot get from them to serue the liuing [Page 76]God? Are wee not as the sheepe in the dauger of a dog fleshed in the shambles, 1 Pet. 5.8. that hath a red mouth, (I meane the de­uil) that daily goeth about seeking whom he may deuour? Psa. 23.1. Ioh. 10.11. 2. Pet. 5.2. wherfore, what help haue wee but to call vpon our shepheard Christ Iesus, and to require the aide of his subor­dinate shepheards, the ministers of his word, sent by him to succour vs? Finally, is not the diet of our soules, the death of our soules, euen the word of God, while wee swallow it vppe as it is corrupted by false teachers, or otherwise seed vpon it with corrupt affections? Wherefore let the prayse of God be in our mouthes, and let vs reioice in our beddes when God vouchsafeth that mercie towardes vs to set such shepheardes ouer vs, as may keepe vs within the fold and limmits of a good life, Psa. 23.23. leade vs out into the greene pastures, and conduct vs to the waters of comfort, defend and keep vs from all dangers, from the power of the Lion, Psal. 7.2. and the mouth of the dogges that would teare vs in pieces, while there is none to helpe. 1. Cor. 3.9.10. Whereas we are compared vnto builders, consider we hereby that are in the ministerie, how we are subiect vnto labours. For can a house [Page 77]be built without care and paines taking, what with carriage, & recarriage, hewing, planing, hāmering, ioyning, sawing, coup­ling, and infinite other circumstances of labouring? the labour thereof is great. Before sinners the confused lumpe & sub­stances of the deuill, can be wrought and brought to be as liuely stones, 1. Pet. 2.4.5 6. &c. 1. Kin. 4.5.6.8.9.16.18. to bee ioy­ned to the corner stone Christ Iesus; be­fore they can of long mishapen timber­logs, bee made to serue, as tall Cedars of Libanus, and be for the courts of the house of our God; before they can be made tem­ples for the holy Ghost, that before were eages of euery vncleane birde, Reuel. 18.2. euen of e­uery filthie sinne, and bee more bewtifull then the gate of the Temple, Acts. 3.2. which was called bewtifull, The ministers, Gods ma­sons, and workmen shall haue much adoe with them. Stewards and such as haue prefecture of great houses, vndergoe much studie, and watchfulnesse, being of­ten put to it, to sit vppe whole nights, to make their bookes perfect. But the care of the Lordes house doth infinitely goe be­yond it. For that the stewards thereof, may deale out their maisters bread vnto the houshould in due season, and shew [Page 78]how hee hath disbursed the talents left to his disposing and make streight all reck­nings, Luk. 19.13. Math. 24.45.46.47.48.49. that he may be cast into the smallest arrarages. If he layeth his hand vpon his heart, and weigh the matter well with sin­glenes of soule, I am well enough assured that hee shall haue tow enough to his di­staffe, and that a found charge is layd vp­on his shouldiers, and that he acquiteth himselfe notablie, that dischargeth it as he should. Now, what successiue labours and sorrowes mothers doe endure, in the wombe in the world with the conception and education of their children, I leaue it to those that are mothers, to meditate vp­pon. But be they what they will, they may not bee matched with the troubles of our office, whome God hath set as fathers o­uer his Church, 1. Pet. 2.2. 1. Pet. 1.23 1. Kin. 19.4 10. by the immortall seed of his word to beget children vnto him, be­ing such as made Elias wearie of his life. For what a doe Gods minister hath to be­get a child to God, I shew you by these oppositiōs against him. 1. The ingenerate and inherent corruption of nature, striueth much against it. 2. The world disclaimeth it, as inchaunting our soules too much [Page 79]with the fashions of it, & so withholding vs from the obedience of faith, as wee can­not be reclaymed. 3. Sathan the prince of the world withstandeth it, and busieth his braines all hee may, to impare Christs kingdome, and the common saluation. 4. Moreouer, it is no smal rebuke to mini­sters, and it dulleth not a little the edge of their deuotion, that their trauels are so little respected; & that such become their enemies, for whose saluation they haue so much laboured. But yet as a mother for­getteth all her labours, for ioy that a child is borne into the worlde: so shall euerie faithfull minister stand affected, for the sweet comfort they haue, that Gods king­dome by their trauels is increased. Soul­diers may not sit out, but may bee in the forefront with these fellowes, but the spi­rituall warfare much surpasseth theirs. The life & state of a minister is a warfare, (and so that old beaten souldier Paul saith, that had borne many a blow in his bodie from the battle, for his faithfull seruice, hauing the scars to shew according to that which hee himselfe saith, Gala. 6.17. I beare about mee the markes of the Lord Iesus) and wee striue [Page 80]not maisteries with slesh and bloud, Ephes. 6.11 12.13.14.16.17. 1. Thes. 5.8. but with principalities, powers, princes of the darkenes of this world, spirituall wickednesses that are in high places. Thus our enimies haue might in their handes, and malice in their heartes, besides other very gainfull priuiledges ouer vs, as being spirites a­gainst flesh: secret and hidden against vs that are naked and lay open: Ephes. 2.2. & 6.12. and hauing the aduantage of the higher ground, whereby they ouerlooke vs, and beare vs downe. Also in all persecutions that a­rise, the minister is the marke of the ar­chers, against whome most of their pow­der is spent, Math. 10.16.17.18. &c. persecuting tyrants direct­ing their officers, principally to persecute the preaching ministers. The king of A­ram charged his archers to shoote their arrowes neither against smal or great, 1. King. 22.31. &c. but against Achab onely: the raging eni­mies of the Gospell, prepare their instru­ments of death almost onely against god­ly ministers. Finally, for the same reason they are called fishermen, as we haue for­merly shewed, to signifie their labours & troubles in their calling.

ORdinarie Fisher-men haue many obseruations, hauing excellent correspondencie with the Office of the mini­sterie. 1. They obserue the qualities of Fishes in their kinds, and fit themselues to their seuerall natures. Whether they floate higher, or swimme neere the ground, or keepe themselues in holes, or runne into the mud, they haue meanes and wayes to come by them. The spirituall Fisherman learneth from this schoole, 1. Cor. 9.19 20, 21, 22. Iude 22.23 to frame himselfe to the ca­pacitie of his auditorie, and to vse all the policies he may, to with draw them from their errors or redundant manners. For his people are diuided into many mindes; and therefore many wayes are to bee ta­ken [Page 82]with thē. Such as are worthy schoole­masters, do giue themselues to their schol­lers wits. Approoued Physitians, doe pre­scribe according to the maladies, and na­ture of their Patients. 1. Cor. 3.1, 2. &c. Thus must Mini­sters incline themselues aswell to the wis­dome, Hebr. 5.11, 12, 13, 14. & 6.1, 2. as to the weaknesse of the hearers, and feed those that are children in know­ledge with the first rudiments and Cate­chisme of Religion; and such as are of more growth in vnderstanding, to dyet them with the stronger foode of the my­steries of Gods will. Though they some­what stammer with Babes for their better vnderstanding, it is not amisse. Alwaies foreseeing and taking heed, that they doe nothing to the preiudice of the trueth, from which wee are not to start a haires breadth, for any mans pleasure. From which spirit such are very farre, who ca­ring for none but themselues, shun all so­cietie, and liue wholly by themselues, re­fusing conference with such as euery way do not partake with their opinions, Time-ser­uers. in the meane while with their quils very fiercely shooting at such, as in the common cause of religion haue deserued very well, and censure the gouernment of the Churches, [Page 83]as they please, & are the occasion of very great confusion. 2. Though fishers many times labour in vaine and get not a Frog, yet continue they their fishing course, Luke 5.5, 6 bea­ring patiently with the times, abiding to the ende in hope of better speed. It very well beseemeth fishers of men to bee les­soned in this case by them, and not hastily to resigne vp their standing, because of their peoples so ill, or simple vnderstan­ding. The lawes & Canons of the Church are herein very streight, inhibiting Bishops and Ministers of the word, to take their vagarie, and to forsake their proper char­ges. And these Canons are ratified by de­crees of Counsels which are yet in force, howsoeuer the morer part whō they con­cerne, force not of them. For if they did, they would not keep the courts of princes so much as they doe, and spend so much time in wordly matters, and so little in their diuine studies. Chrisostome Epiphanius. Chystome taxed Epi­phanius seuerely for leauing his owne charge, and taking other mens matters in hand. I meruaile what Christ would say to his fisher-men if hee were now a­mong them, & saw them as we see them, some in the Court, some in the Campe, [Page 84]some hunting, some whoring, so fewe in­tending their spiritual fishing. The better sort that are discouraged in these labours because they haue so little successe, are to be cōstant in their well begun course, and to leaue the euent thereof to God, who shall blesse it as it seemeth him best. They that will doe nothing but to purpose, and will bee certaine of the end before they begin, shall stoppe many gainfull occasi­ons of doing good, and shall answere to God for their departure, from the place he did put thē in, without his good leaue: As Ionas did who crossed the seas to post vnto Tharsus when his enioyned iourney was to Niniueh. Ionah 1.3.4. God sent a Pursiuant in a whirle-winde against him and stayd his intendement. 1. King 19.4.10.14.15.18.19. Elias also had giuen the slip, as right wearie of his people in Israel, had not God staied him in the nicke. In such a taking was Paul, who was in the minde to haue relinquished his charge at Co­rinth, Acts 18.6.7.9.10.11. and to goe to the Gentiles, had not a countermaund from God in the meane time stayed him. The Fishermans trade is an exercise of patience: so is our Euan­gelicall fishing function. 3. The Fisher­man, so long as his nets orangles are in [Page 85]the water, may expect a draught, and hope for good hap: so may the Preacher while he is in his profession, and the spirit giueth him vtterance. For it is as the Poet saith,

Elias thought himself the only remain­der of the Church of Israel, 1. King. 19.14.18. that had esca­ped the sword of Achab and Iezabell: But God otherwise rounded him in the eare, acertaining him of a number beside, that had neuer yet done the least homage vnto Baal. So Paul when hee thought to put vp his bookes, & to leaue the Church of Corinth, as a contumacious and incor­rigible companie: God altred him, certi­fying him of many religious people (though vnknowne to him) that were in those parts, saying: Acts 18.10 I haue much people in this Citie. It is the part of the faithfull mi­nister to despaire of none, for the Lords hand is not so short, but hee can saue. 4. Fishermen and such as are expert An­glers, consider many circumstances that [Page 86]make for their better angling disport, as the winde, the water, the ebbing and flowing of it, the time of the day, the tem­perature of the ayer, and many such like tokens. The opportunitie that is taken, is all in all in fishing affaires; and in all other affaires, which who so neglecteth, faileth of his fancie, 1. Cor. 9.19 20, 21, 22, 2. Tim. 4.2. 1. Tim. 5.1.2. 1. Cor. 4.21. Iob. 1.7. & 22 1. Pet. 5.8. The deceits of Sathan and wicked men, in ta­king oppor­tunities. and sheweth his folly. Hereto must the spirituall fisher take most heed, and espie his times and sea­sons for his purpose. This the deuill and his adherents doe apprehend in their de­uilish deuises: and therefore let vs in­tend the same earnestly in religious in­deuours. The deuill at his first onsetre of temptation against Christ in the wil­dernesse, tooke the occasion and ad­uantage of his hunger: for that is a forci­ble sollicitor with man to any euill at­tempt, for which cause the olde saying was, Ʋenter non habet aures, The bel­lye hath no eares, it will not bee led by reason. And the wiser sort haue called famine, Maleuada, a very badde coun­sellor in all kinde of actions. Gen. 4.8. Cain when hee plotted the butcherie of his brother, espied opportunitie of time and place for it, when hee had him in the fielde [Page 87]alone, and there was none to witnesse his nefarious villanie. Gen. 39.11, 12. Putaphars wife watched a fit season when Ioseph was by himselfe, to giue him a temptation. Gen 34.25, 26, 27. The sonnes of Iacob intending the mas­sacre of the Sichemites, proiected before for it, causing them to bee circumcised, and falling vpon them before they could be recouered. Matth. 26.16. When Iudas first concei­ued a treason, hee was alwayes hoouering ouer a time conuenient to bring it forth. Diabolus omnium discutit consuetudines, Bernard. ventilat curas, scrutatur affectus & ibi quaerit causas nocendi, vbi nos vidit magis occu­pari. The deuill weyeth well our would wonts, the course of our cares, the fa­shions of his affections, and out of the nature of our qualities, worketh his ma­lignities. Like a subtile Souldier tray­ned vp the in warres, that layeth seige to that place of the wall that is weakest, hee obserueth our weaknesse, and maketh great matter of it. As a man when hee would stricke fire out of a flint, mar­keth what ende of the flint is fittest for the blowe of the yron, that it may spar­kle the sooner: So the vilde tempter ob­serueth the affection that leaneth to sinne, [Page 88]and that he striketh only with his yron of temptation, that a sparke of our consent thereunto being expressed, the flame of sin which may consume the whole man, may thereby be kindled. Gregorius. Prius complexi­onem vniuscuiusque aduersarius noster per­spicit, & sic tentationis laqueos opponit: alius laetis, alius tristibus, alius timidis, alius elatis moribus existit. Sathan seeth euery ones complexion, and so spreadeth his nets of temptations: One man is giuen to solace, another to sorrow, one to feare, another to pride. Let the good Fisherman in the wisedome of his God that is in his heart, be as wise in working mens saluation: as the enuious man the Deuili is in the im­placable malice of his minde, to bring vs to destruction. This is the wisedome of the Serpent, which the wisdome of Christ in the persons of the Apostles commen­deth to his seruants, Matth. 10.16. saying: Be as wise as serpents. Marke the inclination of a man, whether he refort to the preached word, if hee doth, haue comfort in him, and doubt not but by trowling and trame­ling for him, thou shalt haue him. For his outward comming to the Word, giueth great hope of the inwarde comming of [Page 89]the spirit, and so of his happy comming into the nette, according to that which Christ saith: They that are of God, Iohn 8.47. heare Gods word: Marke his conuersation, & his company, for commonly as a man is con­sorted, he is qualified. The Lace­demonians. The Lacedemoni­ans when they did put their sonnes from schoole, the better to make iudgement of their inclinations, they inquired dili­gently after their companions. It is a cer­taine saying of the Psalmist: With the ho­ly thou shalt bee holy, Psal. 18.25 26. and with the froward man thou shalt learne frowardnesse. Ano­ther marke of the better sort of men, doth Dauid in the fifteeneth Psalme giue mee, He maketh much of such as feare the Lord. Psal. 15.4.

By this Rule I iudge of a Papist, and an enemie to Religion, hearing him blunder against Luther, Caluin, Beza, and such like renowned Saintes and Ser­uants of God. I will insist in such cir­cumstances no longer, a thousand such specialties may be inserted, which I leaue to euery faithfull Fisherman, to finde out in his own pastorall function, & to make wholsome and gainfull vse thereof, in his best discretion; only I say this, that though [Page 90]I see not a Fish in the water, yet when I perceiue that my corke or floate is vn­der the water, I know well enough that a Fish hath taken the baite: So, though we see not into the secret minde of man, yet by outward effects, one may deter­mine of inward affects, and certainely conclude, that our godly admonitions (which are our baytes we lay for soules) are taken. 5. It is the Anglers order, when hee hath a great Fish hanging at his hooke, to vse him gently with an euen lyne leading him vppe and downe, vn­till hee hath wearied him, and then he layeth his hande vpon him, and hea­ueth him vppe; for, if hee shall snatch him vp greedily at the first, and deale rigorously with him, with the poize and wayte of his body, hee will break lyne and Angle-rodde, and escape. So let Gods angelicall Angler Amplecti venientes, gently entertaine such as are comming on, and haue taken downe the hooke they haue layde for them, and by the coales of kindnesse heaped vpon their heades, Rom. 12.20 worke their full conuer­sion, least by beeing too seuere towards them, they marre all they haue made, and [Page 91]loose all together. Some fishes may bee pulled vp sooner then other some, ac­cording to the proportion of them, and the holde wee haue of them. Strangers are more fauourably to bee handled than our ordinary hearers: Such as are but Catechumen and Neophites in the faith of the first planting, are to bee ordered more tenderly, than such as haue made furder progresse in the same. This will well appeare if wee veiwe the course of the holy men of God, in the execution of their Ministry in olde time. When as Isaiah had to doe but with his owne peo­ple, Isai. 1.4. he was hotte at the beginning with them, with this declamatorie exclamati­on making entrie into his Sermon: Ah sinfull nation, ah people laden with iniquitie: a seed of the wicked corrupt children. But when Ionas was sent out of his owne pa­rish beeing preacher to the Iewes, to de­nounce Gods Iudgement against the Ni­niuites, who were of the Gentiles, hee in­sisted only in his text of commination ac­cording to Iniunctiō, Ion. 3.4. without any inlarge­ment therof by way of pathetical & seuere reprehension. Acts. 17.24. &c. When Paul was brought to Areopage, a place out of his walke, [Page 92]and iurisdiction, he maintained his Phy­losophy before them as they désired him, forbearing all kinde of crimination a­gainst them. 1. Cor. 5.1, 2, 3, 4. & 6.1. &c. But when he was among his Congregation at Corinth, he ratled them roundly, especially that incestuous com­panion against whō he thundred his most dreadfull Excōmunication. Acts 7.51. Stephen when he perceiued his Iewish people in a setled cōtumacie withstāding the truth, he poin­ted his words like the point of a diamōd, thus roused them for it: Yee stiffe-necked, and of vncircumcised hearts and eares, yee haue alwayes resisted the holy Ghost. Also according to their continuance in Gods Schoole, and the time of their learning, the Apostles framed their stiles of in­diting. Paul was ceremoniall when hee was to beget the yonger sort in faith and knowledge vnto God: yet in the Gala­thians he will not endure them, Acts 16.1.3. Gal. 3.1, 2, 3, 4. &c. Sathan skilfull in this angling occupation: his trickes. because they had otherwise a long time learned Christ. The deuill I warrant you as hee is perfect in this angling occupation, so hee knoweth how to handle a fish that hee hath hooked, that hee may not breake from him. Among other trickes that hee hath, he will giue them line and libertie, [Page 93]but he will not suffer him to walke fur­ther than he list, but he draweth him in againe when it best pleaseth him. Hee playeth with his Fish, as the child playeth with his bird, which he tyeth by the legge with a string, and suffereth him to flye the length of the threed only: when hee had hooked Herod by incestuous temptation, he drew him not vp forthwith vnto him­selfe, Mark. 6.17, 18, 20.21.22, 23. &c. but hee suffered him to heare Iohn Baptist willingly, and in many things to be coūselled by him, for the line of his vn­satiable lust was strong enough to holde him. Luke 18 11, 12. He was not displeased that the Pha­risee should fast twise in the weeke, that he should tythe rightly, & forbeare com­mon outrages of inordinate persons: as long as their couetousnesse, oppression, and hypocrisie were hookes in their noses making them cock-sure. I bring not in this in the behalfe of conniuencie, that I would should be shewed in case of iniqui­tie, that the Ministers should tollerate some sinnes in their people, as the deuill doth tollerate some good things in his followers; but to perswade Ministers to meekenesse, for their better reclaiming of sinuers from offences, and gayning them [Page 94]to goodnesse. They shall handle them as the fisherman doth his fish, if they shall touch their sores with a soft hande as though they were their owne, as Paul did when hee said, 2. Cor. 11, 29. Who is weake, and I burne not? and shall haue mercy in their lippes and hearts. Otherwise if they fasten their teeth vpon them vpon euery occasion, they are Non correptores, sedcorrosores, as Bernarde saith: Bernard. Augustine. Esay 92.3. Matth. 12.20. Non correctores sed tradi­tores: as Augustine saith: They betray them, rather than teach them: they gnawe and consume them, rather than correct them. And so they breake Christs rule in the case, by breaking the bruised reed, and quenching the smoaking flaxe, and kee­ping him downe that is fallen, Bernard: serm. 44. in Castic. that hee rise vp no more. If wee make a mixture of the oyle of admonition and the wine of compunction: the oyle of charitie, and the wine of zeale, it is the best ingre­dience and prescript we can minister.

EVery Fisher-man hath his pro­per baytes, agreeable to the nature of those fishes that hee trowleth or angleth for. For at a bare hooke no Fish will bite. The case­worme, the dewe-worme, the gentile, the flye, the small Roche, and such like, are for their turnes according to the na­ture of the waters, and the times, and the kindes of fishes. Whoso fisheth not with a right bayte, shall neuer doe good. Wee that are spirituall fishermen, haue our se­uerall baites sutable to the stomackes we angle for. If we obserue not the natures of our auditors, & fit our selues to them, we shall not do wisely. Hic lauacra mollia, Cassidorus. ille ferrū quaerit ad vulnera. One mās sore hath need to be bathed and suppled with oyle: and another mans wound would be sear­ched and seared with a hot, and hard yron. [Page 96] Ʋana poscit remedia diuersa qualitas passi­onū. Gregorius. Iude 22.23 1. Cor. 4.21 & 5.3.4.5. The differing kinds of maladies, must haue diuers kindes of remedies: what preaching is there of mercy to the vilde and wicked man, whose heart is harder than the nethermost milstone, a razor be­ing sooner able to cut a whet-stone, than any doctrine powerfull to stirre him to compunction? Sing woe, not therefore songs of mercie, to such sinners. For if we do, we may put vp our pipes, we speak rather to the ayre, than their eares, and our wordes are but winde; for what saith Isaiah in this case? Let mercie be shewed to the wicked, Isai. 26.10. yet he will not learne righteous­nesse. The stomacke of such a soule, no more sauoureth such a bayre of the bles­sings of God layd vp for those that loue him; than the appetite of any man relli­sheth and tasteth a Boxe of rotten and stinking oyntment. Rō. 2.7, 10. 2. Tim. 4.8. Reuel. 22.1 2, 14. Matth. 5.8. Hebr. 12.22 23. Reuel. 7.13, 14, 15, 16.71. 1. cor. 2.9.14. Tell such of honor, glory, peace, an incorruptible crowne, of the fruites of the tree of Life, of the fruiti­on of the presence of God, of their soci­etie with Angels, Saintes, congregation of first borne, of new Names, white gar­ments, of abundance of pleasures at the right hand of God, and they will scorne [Page 97]them, and set their faces against them, Dan. 5.17. and say to. vs as Daniel did to Belshazzar: Keep thy rewards to thy self, & giue thy gifts to an other. Wherfore baite thy hooke for them, with the bitter worme of Gods iudge­ment, with the worme that dyeth not; Deut. 27.15 16, 17, 18 &c. Exod. 19.16, 18. Isaiah 3.24 25. &c. rend not their garmēts but their hearts, by rea­ding ouer them the curses pronounced on mount Ebal, speake of the thundrings and fire flashes on mount Sinai: giue them la­mentation for ioy: ashes for beautie, a rent for a girdle: the spirit of heauines for the ioy of gladnesse: and if all this auaile not, Matth. 24.6.21. publish wars, & rumors of wars, and such tribulation which was not from the be­ginning of the world to this day. It may be, that feeding vpon this baite they may be caught, and conuerted vnto God. Luke. 3.3.4 5, 7.8. Luke. 3.9.10, 12.14. For the Baptist by such a baite did speede ex­ceedingly. For by turning the axe of Gods iudgement towards thē, they came in all the sort of them. Now is the axe layde to the root of the tree, that was his text: with the ende of this Sermon, began their con­uersiō. Publicans, soldiors, cōmons cōmu­ning with the Preacher, how they might be saued Such an argument likewise ser­ued Ionas his turn worthily. For no sooner [Page 98]Gods iudgemēt was out of his mouth, Ion. 3.4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. but the Niniuites tooke vp repentance in their hearts. 2. Sam. 14.30, 31, 32, 33. Ionah 1.2, 3, 4.4.15 & 2.1.2. & 3.3.4. When Absolom could not make Ioab of his faction by gentle entreatie, by extremity he gained him, burning his bar­ly landes. When God by a still voice could not winne Ionas to doe his dutie, and to goe to Niniueh, by lifting vp his voyce like a Trumpet, and by speaking by a tempest vnto him, he made him buckle himselfe roundly to those businesses. So let such as will not bee led by loue, bee drawne by feare. 1. Cor. 4.21. Iude 22.23 2. Cor. 2.7, 11. & 1. cor. 9.19, 20, &c. But with some the spi­rit of meeknes will doe most, and loue ra­ther then a rodde doth more good: and we shall do indiscreetly, to deale roughly with such. For as the water of a spacious and deepe Lake, being still and quiet by nature, by ruffling windes is moued and disquieted: so a people tractable by na­ture, by the rough behauiour of the Mi­nister may be much turmoyled and alte­red from his nature. The Barber that is to shaue the haire of the beard or face, first washeth those parts, & then vseth his ra­zor; for if he should not doe so, the razor would cut & raize the skin. The vnskilfull minister, whose office it is to shaue off sin [Page 99]as it were with a razor, by not washing them & gently vsing thē, but very fierce­ly handling them, they hurt them, & help them not. Therefore we must haue two strings to our bowe, that if one will not serue, another may; and fish for euery one with the baite that is fittest for thē, whe­ther it be of law, or Gospell; of iudgemēt, or mercy. Exod. 3.2, 7. & 13.21 & 19.16. & 24.16, 17. & 33.9 Ezech. 10.14. So did God in fishing for the Iewes: sometimes speaking to them by a burning bush of fire: & sometimes againe by a cloude of water, and againe by a pil­lar of fire: that is to say, he was a light to the godly to comfort them. The Cheru­bims that were depicted in the temple, o­uer the place where the people did pray, were portraied with a double face, one of a mā, another of a lyon: to signifie the car­riage of a minister in his place, either in hu­manitie, or in a lyon like seueritie accord­ing to his auditors qualities. Aworthy minister de­scribed. Matth. 5.14. The eies that are the lanterne of the body, are only sea­ted in the head: to shew that the minister who is the head of his people, & is called by Christ, the light of the world, ought to haue his eies about him, to see what euery one needeth. He is in sagacitie & foresight to imitate Ioseph who in plentifull times, [Page 100]did prouidently prouide against yeeres of future scarsitie. Gen. 41.46, 47, 48.49. Leuit. 22.22. It was prouided by God by speciall decree, that no blind creature as an oblation should bee presented vnto him: the Minister that giueth not to eue­ry one his due, is blinde, and vnworthy of his place. Cherubims that were pic­tured, were full of eyes; and such were the supporters of Salomons temple: 1. Kin. 6.23 the mini­sters that are the bases and proppes of the spirituall building, must haue eyes of knowledge to guide all their actions. Those that are made watchmen in the borders and skirts of the land, are such as dwel there. For to them are best known the neighbour countries round about and they haue in greatest hate the adioyning enemie, from whom they haue so often receiued the great scathe. Eze. 33.2.6 7, 8, 9.10. &c. The Minister is called the watch-man of the Lorde of hostes, and such a one should fully be ac­quainted with the state and condition of the people that are round about them; and he should be an enemie to Gods ene­mies, and should set foorth the truth with modestie and veritie. A Minister there­fore must sometimes bee graue, that hee may not be contemned: and sometimes [Page 101]affable, that hee may not seeme proude. He must as Salomons wise man, know his time and place, and minister mercie and iustice accordingly. Matth. 9.18, 25. Luke 7.11, 12.14. Ioh. 11.37.44, 45. Rom. 14.1. & 15. Matth. 18.15. &c. Tit. 1.9. & 2.2. &c. 1. Tim. 1.20 & 5.1.2. 1. Cor. 5.5. Iude. 22.23 2. Cor. 6.14.15. As the Rulers daughter was raised vp to life in her fa­thers house: the widdowes sonne of the citie Naim, out of his mothers doores. Lazarus before a generall assembly of all sorts: so some are to be dealt withall pri­uately, othersome openly: othersome are to be handled as weaklings; and others as wilfull ones: we are to beare with some men, and other some are to bee giuen vp to Sathan: some are to bee plucked out of the fire, and other some are to be cast in­to the fire: some are to bee kept in feare, and some are to be helde vp by loue: some are to be vsed as our owne bowels, and some as rotten members are to bee diui­ded and sundred from the body. But be­cause there is no communion betweene light and darknesse, truth and falshood, the table of the Lord, First repen­tance, then mercie doth follow. Hebr. 6.1. and the table of de­uils: lay first the ground of repentance from dead workes, and heaue vp sinners by their shoulders and set them vpon their feete, and then thou shalt haue time and place according to his apprehension [Page 102]of the former, to make profit of all Gods mercies. A vine-yard before it can bee planted, must haue all stones, stubs, ob­stacles first to be remooued. No man can can build a newe house in the roome of the olde; vnlesse he first doth take downe the old: wherefore when Ieremie was au­thorized by God a preacher to the natiōs, Ierem. 1.10 the parts of his commission were to pluck vp, and roote out, and to destroy, and throwe downe, Matth. 3.2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 10, &c. 2. Tim. 4.2, 5. to build, and to plant. The Euange­list, from God hath receiued such a rowle, it being inioyned him, to prepare the way of the Lord. Which is performed in these two points: First, Reprehension. Second­ly, Instruction.

The Baptist the midle-man between the law and the Gospel: Luke 7.26, 27. a Prophet, and more than a Prophet, had this double face of Ianus. For hee prepared the houses of their heartes for the entertaynment of Christ their King, by casting downe mountaines, Isaiah. 40.4 and receiuing vp valleyes, euen the high and humble thoughts of men: and the first part of his Sermon, wholy consisted in the reprehension of sinne. Matth. 3.7, 8, 9. O generation of vipers, and the detection of their dissimulation; Say not [Page 103]that yee haue Abraham to your father. There is no man (sayeth Chrst) that peeceth an old garment with new cloth, Matth. 10. Luk. 5, 36, 37. for the rottennesse of the threades vna­ble to beare the entrie of the needle, it wideneth the former rent. Neither did newe wines agree with the olde Lea­ther caskes of those times: the newe tydings of the grace of the newe Te­stament, appertained to newe men that had put of their olde conuersation. The singster of Israel hath taught vs our Lesson, and giuen vs the Notes wee must alwayes treble vppon, our song must alwayes bee of mercie and iudgement that wee sing vnto the Lorde, Psal. 101.1. such as woulde drawe men from vice to vertue, and vse not the ordinarie meanes thereunto. Plutarch. Plutarch compareth them to such, who snuffe a candle, but minister not oyle to pre­serue the candle. To preach mercie, and not iudgement: grace, and not repentance. It is as if so bee a Phy­sition should promise health to his pa­tient, when he goeth not about to purge his hurtfull humors. The fire of the spirit not onely giueth light, but also burneth: [Page 104]that is to say, it comforteth & consumeth: the fire of our religion burneth not, but onely giueth light if wee preach but the Gospel: and it burneth onely and giueth not light if we preach but the law. Wher­fore in due time and place preach both: preach the law to keep downe presump­tion: and preach the Gospell to preuent desperation. This was the Baptists course; He first shewed them an axe that should cut them downe for sinne. Luc. 3.9. Iohn 1.36. Act. 3.14, 15, 17, 19, 20. Now is the axe layd to the roote of the tree. Then he poin­ted with his finger to the Lambe of God, that taketh away the sinnes of the world. First Peter wounded the heartes of the Iewes, by laying downe their horrible crueltie against Christ: which done, hee gaue thē medicine to heale their wounds, perswading them to faith in Christ Iesu, for the remission of their sinnes. Paul when he was a Saul, Act. 9.4.3.5, 6, 10, 11. was first felled to the ground by a light from heauen; but im­mediately therewithall hee was erected and comforted by a voyce from heauen, which gaue him certificate what hee should doe. These baytes being well con­fected and applyed, and put to the hooke as they ought, we shall make a very gain­full [Page 105]fishing. For if they bite not at these, there is no stomacke in them, or any hope to be had of them, and so wee relinquish them.

ALl the labour and times of spirituall fishermen is to be bestowed vpon the soules cōmitted to their charge, for the drawing them vp from the sincke of their sinne, and from the bottomlesse pit of their destruction, to the toppe and height of their eternall heauenly happi­nesse. For they haue not their places to purchase Mannors, but men; they are not to fish for siluer, but soules. If any get a soule to God, Iam. 5.19.20. Dan. 12.3. he hath made a fayre pur­chase, and he hath gotte a goodly inheri­tance. [Page 106]Wherefore when Christ called fishers out of their shippe vnto the A­postleshippe, he tolde them not that hee would make them fishers of money, but of men, Matth. 4.19. saying vnto them: Follow mee, and I will make you fishers of men. This laying out of the nette and hooke, for the preferments of the world (all being fish that commeth to their nette, so that Naboth cannot keepe his vineyard in qui­et, 1. Kings. 21.4, 7, 8, 9, &c. because it laieth so to the backe-side of Achabs Orcharde) is nought in all that are spirituall fishermen, and quite oppo­site vnto their profession. Isay. 8.20. Ad legem & testimonia: to the study of the Lawe and the Prophets are they onely called, for the instruction of men, which they di­uert to their owne lawe and profits, to the impouerishing of men. Are not too many Ministers now adayes, more trou­bled in themselues for a beast that they haue lost, then for a soule that they haue lost? If they were not, they would not seeke after the one so much, Iob. 21.14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21.22. and the o­ther so little. They are better taught of Iob, if they would follow him, whose out­ward passions put him not to passions for the losse of his sheepe, camels, cattell, did [Page 107]not mooue him, but at the newes of the death of his deare children, hee rent his garmēts (as willing to haue rent his heart) for so maine a losse. O that this extremi­tie were in vs, for the downfall of our spi­rituall children stroken dead, not by a wind of the wildernesse, but by their wil­full wickednes. O that hee that in name is a Dispensator, were not in nature a Dissipator, and that the Speculator, were not become a Spiculator: that the Prelate, were not a Pilate; the Pastor, an Imposter; the Doctor, a Seducer. Oh that men were the mayne chaunce of these men, the marke and white that they did ayme at, and the onely fish that they did angle for. Then wee should not haue so ma­ny fatte Priests, and leane people as wee haue: then should the people bee better fedde, and lesse fleeced then they are: then would not Sermons bee so daintie as they are, which come from some strawberre-wise, that is, once a yeere: then should not ignorance set vp such a Monarchie, and spreade so vniuer­sally. For aske the greater part of people in coūtry towns, whether they do beleeue in the holy Ghost: & they wil answer you [Page 108]as the Ephesians did Paul, wee haue not so much as heard whether there bee an holy Ghost. How many be there that set their faces against Religion, seeking the spoile of it, by all hostile persecution, to whom if Christ should say as he said to Paul be­fore his conuersion, Acts. 9.4, 5 Why persecutest thou me? their reply would bee, Who art thou Lord? Many of them may know that there is a God, Daniel 4.31 32.34. and Dan. 6.23, 24, 25.26, 27. Acts 7.3, 4, 5, 8, 9 &c. Ionah 2.3, 4, &c. but the right God, the God of Sidrach, Misaach, and Abednago, which Nabuchodnezzar professed when his vn­derstanding was restored him; or the good Daniel, whom Darius did magnifie and adore after that God had deliuered Daniel out of the Lyons denne, or the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Iacob, to whom the promises were made, or the Lord God of heauen which hath made the sea, and the dry land, whom Ionas in his distresse openly witnessed, they know not. This is to them a matter of deepe vn­derstanding, such knowledge is too excel­lent for them, they cannot attaine to it, so rude are they and ignorant, Psal. 73.16 22. and as a beast before thee. And all this may bee giuen to these false fishers that haue changed their coppy fishing, rather for the commo­dities [Page 109]they may reape frō men, than any way for the commoditie of the mē them­selues. And so in this contrary sence, they fulfill the sentence of their calling, and are fishers of men, by prying into all aduan­tages they can fish for against men, and by grinding the faces of men betweene the milstones of their horrible oppression. But by this wringing the Scripture and causing it to bleede, Ezek 33. [...], 8. they shall bleed one day for it, and the blood of so many soules that runne into hell, shall bee required at their hands. Paul otherwise fished for men then so, when he said: Non quaere vestra, sed vos. I seeke you, & not yours. The other sort I know from what rocke they are hewne, they come from the sons of Eli, sonnes of Belial, who haue this stile after them, like the tayle of a blazing starre: They were wicked men, 1. Sam. 2.12. and knewe not the Lord. And what was their vse? truely to get all they could into the nette, fishing for flesh, bayting onely for their belly, and troubling the streame of eue­ry porridge potte, with their vnconscio­nable flesh-hookes of such ranke beards, as did but touch and take. But let them feare their stripes, that follow their steps. [Page 110]They are also of the generation of such as did much hurt, Ezech. 34.2, 3, 4, 5, 6, &c. Mal. 1.6, 7, 8, 10, 12, &c. in the times of the olde Prophets; against whome the Prophets pointed their pens very sharply, who did eate the fatte and cloath themselues with the wooll, and killed of the best, and were such wretched ones, as not one of them would shut the Church doore for Gods sake, or put fire vnder the Lordes Altar, vnlesse first they had their fee for it. The mopish monkish short are all such, who will wincke at any wickednes, so it touch­eth no way their credite commoditie. But if it concerneth their Free-hold and questious affaires, the whole crowde of them come together, Acts 19.24 25, 26, 28, 29. &c. as Demetrius and all that appertained to the forge came against Paul, when in the pulpit at Ephesus, hee declaymed against that Image, for which that company did make shrines. All hu­mane flesh is fish, that is for our spirituall angling or fishing: not one is more to bee neglected, then another. For Christ without restitution of persons, sealed a generall graunt to his Apostles to fish in all streames, Matth. 28:19.20. and to cast their nettes ouer all Nations, by the Preaching of the Gospel: Hee willed them not to fish for [Page 111]the Iewes onely, or to lay a hooke for a Pharisee, Priest, or the vulgar sort peculi­arly, but for all men generally, rich or poore; wise or vnwise: despitable or ho­norable; saying, Matth. 4.19. I will make you fishers of men. All mankind absolutely are vnder the charge of the Euangelicall Fisher­men, to be drawne out of the tempestuous sea of this world to the kingdom of grace. It is a manifest marke of a false fisherman; of a barterer and purloyner of the worde of God, Matth. 17.27. to runne vp and downe ferreting the richer sort, and in a sordide obsequie, to attende such onely as may bring them to dignitie. The Pharisees were such, and such were the Pseudo-apostles of all times, whose resort was onely to the the rich, hanging at euery Noblemans sleeue. Who so is a wise merchant will not vnbundle his seuerall wares to such, as hee obserueth to bee more curious in viewing them, than willing to buy them. So the Preacher should more respect such as will be benefited by his preaching, and are ready to buy such commodities of him, as he shall bee rea­dy to expose vnto them. It is good an­gling for fishes, when they list to bite. [Page 112]For what comfort can an Angler haue, barely to beholde fishes floating vp and downe, and compassing the hooke and putting their noses to it, and nibling vpon the baites, & not fancying to swallow it? I haue euer had more comfort in my spiri­tuall angling of the poorer sorte, who haue swallowed downe the blessed bayte of Gods word readily and greedily, Math. 11.5 when as Knights and Gentlemen haue but ga­ped vpon it, and so passed away from it as they came. When Ionas cast his preaching nette ouer Niniuch, the common assembly were his at the first, wherefore it is sayd; The word came vnto the King of Niniueh, Ionas. 3.6. That is to say, it came from one to another vntill at last it came to the King. It is the commendation Christ giueth the poore to Iohns Ambassadours, that they were the forwardest to receiue the Gospell. The poore receiue the Gospell. Luc. 7.22. That such are the first fruites of the Church of God, and the fittest to set forward his worke. The A­postle witnesseth, when he saith. God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to con­found the wise, and the weake to confound the mightie, &c. The natiuitie of Christ by Gods heauenly Herauld, was first publi­shed [Page 113]to the poore shepheards. The sicke, 1. cor. 1.27. Luke 2.8, 9 10, 11, 12. 1. Sam. 30.11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16. faint, hunge-starued Amalechite, ser­uant to an Aegyptian, was the messenger that brought good tydings vnto Dauid: so Christ the secōd Dauid, hath instituted & ordained poor Apostles to bring to the worlde the glad tydings of saluation: and most commonly such now are the poorer sort, and the poorer sort most followeth thē. As Gedeon, Iud 7.2.22, 23, &c. but with a weak & meane retinue, surprised the whole vnited force of Median: so Christ with a fewe despi­sed fishermen, hath wonne a great part in al parts of the world. This hath euer been the wont of this world, and the course al­most of all kings courtes, and pallaces of princes. They should bee in the forward in obedience to the word, according to that which is required of them. Be wise, O ye kings, Psal. 2.10, 11, 12. be learned ye that are iudges of the earth: serue the Lord with feare, and re­ioyce vnto him with reuerence. Kisse the sonne least he be angry, and so ye perish from the right way. But as if Religion were no part of their professiō; they are in the rere­ward, and in hunting, hauking, feasting, building, bestow their whole liues. And such haue their A thists, Parasites, and Sy­cophants, [Page 114]to enchaunt their soules with a supine securitie, and to stir them vp into all presumption: soothing them vp in their euils already done, and giuing them libertie to doe more. For which cause they will capitulate and indent with prea­chers, and prescribe them a course of speaking, and inhibite the printing of such books, and prouide that such billes come not to the Kings hands, which they haue not first examined and allowed. Wherefore Princes are much to be pittied and prayed for, that in such slipperie pathes they may keepe their feete, and a­mong so many Syrens winde themselues out of the bias of the world, and come to the hooke and net of Gods word. But of these men-fishes that we are to bayt for, are many sundry sorts. I list not to diuide them into their seuerall kindes by way of comparison, but I wil diuide thē as they were of olde in the Iewish policie into these two natures. Luit. 11.9, 10, 11, 12. 1. Cleane. 2. Vncleane. Vnderstanding hereby; First, the Rege­nerate. Secondly, and the naturall man. Absolutelie, by the name of a Fish, the Aegyptian cleargie vnderstoode whatso­euer was prophane and abominable; [Page 115]wherfore they did so, we will shew in his place. In this signification wee may fitly put mankinde in general, grounding our comparison vpon this part of Psalmodie. They are all become abominable in their do­ings: there is not one that doeth good, Psal. 14.13 and 53.1.3 no not one.

But yet there is that difference a­mong men, as wee haue made before of fishes; wee distinguish of both kindes by these two markes of knowledge. 1. Their sinnes, and scales. 2. Their defect of them. The cleane haue them both: the vncleane want them both. Their finnes (as it appeares) serue as wings vnto them to raise them vp on high, to the height of the water: which serue to sha­dow out a sanctified man, whose con­uersation is in heauen: who secketh those things that are aboue, and who lifteth vp his minde by heauenly contemplati­on, aboue all earthly things. The scales betoken as Gregorie Nazianzen insinu­ateth, the doing off the old man, and the putting on the newe: or as the Latines would haue it, the doing away their stiffe­nesse and hardnesse of minde, and their tractabilitie and conformitie vnto God. [Page 116]which are the two termes of a true con­uert, called in the Schooles; 1. Terminus a quo. 2. Terminus ad quem. An auersion from sinne, a conuersion to God: the mor­tification of the olde Adam, and the vi­nification of the newe man. Nowe such as haue neither sinne nor scale; neither floate high, or abide in deepes: but keepe wholely in Foordes, and in shallowe wa­ters, wrigling and wallowing alwayes in the mudde as the Eele, Lamprey, Turbot. Such are the worldly minded men that sinke downe into the mire and pudle of sinne, and are so ouerwhelmed and bur­dened with it, as neither they can for­sake their filthy affections: or raise them­selues higher by better cogitations. Such were the Phylosophers of the Gentiles, Rom. 1.22. Ephes, 4.17 18. Acts. 17.18 who insisting in the grosse rudiments of nature, would be led onely by the lyne of her suggestions, giuing the cause of euery action to naturall operation: vnable to consider of the author of nature, who ru­leth and gouerneth it to the accomplish­ment of his pleasure. But wee be to na­ture not accomplished with grace: for it is a perrilous pitte of puddle, to keepe vs downe for euer. When nature was soli­tarie [Page 117]in Peter, as it was when he mooued his Master not to goe to Hierusalem; Peter was Sathan. Matth: 16.16, 17, 21.22.23. But when grace gui­ded him, as it did when hee made that fundamentall confession, That Iesus was the Sonne of the liuing God, hee was not Sathan, but Cephas, and Simon, and a blessed man. Also those Lampreyes are those liuers, that straine the Lawe like skinne of parchment vpon the tortures of their wilde wittes, for the enlarge­ment of their lucre. They are slippery Eles indeede, of whome there is no holde to be had, varying the sence and iudgement of Law, as often as they list: and being so slimily and sordidly giuen, as they may not be handled. Of this ranke and reti­nue likewise, are many of our Clergie-Masters, who greedily swallow vp euery idle ceremonie, vrging the outward let­ter thereof, neglecting the spirituall mea­ning thereof, the soule and life of it. Let Orators, and Poets make vp the messe, the quintessence of whose wittes, are nothing else but waues of wast words, a streame of sillabical slight inuention, a flood of friuo­lous fantastical fictions, and merely a mud & mire of absurdities: the reformation [Page 118]of euill manners, and such cogitations as are of heauenly nature, agreeing not with their nature. Now, though the sea (which is the worlds looking-glasse, and presen­teth the image of mens manners vnto vs) affordeth no fish worthy of Gods taste, (howsoeuer it pleaseth him to ac­cept of such as will come to the hooke, or to the drawe-nette of his worde) and wee approue the Apohorisme of Pla­to in Phoedone, Plato. who saith that the sea can engender nothing that is meete for Iu­piter: yet the premised manners of men, shadowed by the second sort of fishes that are vncleane, are that abominable prophanation, which the Aegyptians vn­derstood by a fish, against which, ancient holinesse did so oppose it selfe. For such haue no sc ales, which should bee vnto them as it were a habergeon to beare off the fierie dartes of the deuil, vnlesse they be the scales of ignorance (as the scales of ignorance fell from Pauls eyes, Acts. 9.18. when Ananias did conuert him) neyther haue they finnes to raise themselues beyonde their worldly thoughts.

I May say of the Earth­fish, and Water-fish; of men-fish, and sea-fish, of the nature of them both: That poene illa est, & poene illa non est: It is almost like, and almost not alike, & that it is difficult to distinguish them. Wherein they agree and ioyne together in one, it shall bee shewed in this Chapter: some differences that wee doe obserue to bee in them, we put to the next. First, they are natur'd a like for their crueltie. Of crueltie. Beares beare good will to their owne kinde, and liue, & loue together. Lyons rise not vp in fight against Lyons: nor serpents a­gainst Serpents, but fishes feede one vpon another, and liue by the spoyle of their owne nature. Wherefore some of them are called Lupifluuiales, Plinius. [Page 120]and such are the Pike, Riuer­wolues, as The Pike, and Perch. The Ecle. and Pearch espe­cially; and the Ele may goe with them, that liue in the fresh waters; for I meddle not with sea-fish, as meaning onely to de­liuer such vse, as I haue made of my an­gling recreation. The great Ocean doubt­lesse hath infinit of that kind, thus cruel to their kinde. In which respect cheefely the Aegyptian Priests could not abide thē, but as vncleane and prophane, inhibited the seruice of fish to their table, because they did pray one vpon another. These wa­ter-wooules are the liuely Idea of the woolues of this worlde, whose doings the Prophet decyphereth in this wise: And they eate also the flesh of my people, Mich. 3.3. and fley of their skinnes, and they breake their bones, and choppe them in peeces as for the potte, as flesh within the chaldron. In initio non fuit sic. In the beginning it was not so. For man was made for a helpe to man, and as a god to man, as Moses was to Aaron. Exod. 4.16 Homo homini Deus, was then the sentence in euery mans mouth. But sin subduing nature, or rather grace; the case is altred, and this contrary prouerbe commeth in place; Homo homini Lupus: Man is a deuouring wolfe vnto man; clo­thing [Page 121]himselfe with crueltie, as it were a garment, and wearing it, as a chaine about his necke. The first reasonable creature that was giuen vnto Adam, was the wo­man, which was ordeined for a helper: but the first of her brood which was Cain, Gen. 4.8. a mercilesse murderer; and with such seed, hath the soyle of the worlde beene fur­rowed euer since. The brother hath beene the brothers bain; the child hath risen vp against the father, & the father against the child; kin against kin, kinde against kinde. And this is now as kind vnto them, as the skin wherwith they are couered, their ha­bit thereof turning vnto another nature. Wee are not content to wish our enemie dead, but it is a death to vs that hee li­ueth. We say not onely within our selues When will he die, and his name perish? But wee will bee (if we may haue our choice) the very speculators, or spectators our selues. I maruaile not therefore one whit, that Dauid made exception against his owne kinde, and did put vp this petition: Let vs fall now into the hand of the Lorde: and let me not fall into the hand of man. For he felt what he spake, and spake as he had felt. For hee knew them both, aswell as [Page 122]he knewe one hand from another: the mercy of the one, and the mischiefe of the other. For comparing them toge­ther hee doth thus distinguish them, by the kindenesse and crueltie of both na­tures. Wherefore, in the fore-named place, this as reason is giuen of his pe­tition, For his mercies are great. If you aske him how great, he answereth, that it is illimited in these words, the staffe and burden of his Ode: Psa. 136. Thy mercy endureth for euer. But hee casteth his owne kinde into contrary colours, thus portraying it out vnto vs, that wee might see our selues and bee ashamed. Their throate is an open Sepulchre: Psa. 140.3. Psa. 5.9. Psa. 10.7. Rom. 3.13. &c. they haue vsed their tongues to deceite: the poyson of Aspes is vnder their lippes. Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitternesse: their feete are swift to shed blood. Destruction and cala­mitie are in their wayes, and the way of peace they haue not knowne. Hee contra­rie to all craftes-men of such things, pain­teth out man vnto vs: so that Appelles compared with him, may put vp his pen­sill. For hee and his Apprentises can take out but the out-warde proproti­on of the man; the face, breast, bellie, [Page 123]thighes, legges, feete, and such like, the heart and inward parts, they leaue vnsha­dowed. But the hand of this cunning worke-man vnbowelleth him, fifteth him throughly, discouereth his hidden minde, and the whole man vnto vs. And truely the Poet consulted with this cop­py without question, when hee gaue this counterfeit, and did set him vp in a table to our view with a pale and wanne face without blood: with a leane and lanke body without moysture: with bleared eyes: blacke teeth; with a heart made of gall; with a tongue tipt with poison: neuer merry but when others mourne: neuer sleeping because they are alwayes imagining mischiefe. The truth heere­of hath beene practized vpon the ma­ster, by the seruant of his owne taber­nacle: vpon the Soueraigne, by the sub­iect of his owne Court: vpon the fa­ther, by the sonne of his owne loynes: vpon the brother, by the brother that hath layd in the same bed of his mothers wombe with him: vpon the husband, by the wife, sleeping securely (and as hee nothing doubted) safelie in her bo­some.

If we thinke better of man than thus, we doe beguile our selues, and so the Gentile Christian Seneca, telleth thee saying, Fal­lens si confidas ijs tibi occurrentibus: Seneca. facies habent hominum sed mentes feranum. Thou dotest, if hand ouer head thou beleeuest all thou meetest with. For they haue mens faces, but beasts affections. Thus, in re­gard of their deuouring condition, they may well be copulated, and coedimated with fishes. But herein in this comparison they doe exceed them. That fishes eate but for hunger, and for a time are satisfi­ed: but mens minds are alwayes set vpon the praye, and they are neuer satified. Caligula, surnamed for his bloody minde, Durt soaked in blood, Examples of mans crueltie. Caligula. could not glutte his blood-thirstie appetite, and staunche his bloody issue, without the destruction of the whole Roman nation: wherefore hee wished all their neckes were but one, that he might vnioynt them at once, and one stroke might make hauocke of them altogether. It is Medea, her wish in the Tradegie, Medea. that with her dissolution, there mightensue an vniuersall confusion. This is her speach, Ʋnica foelicitas est videre emnia in ruinam tendere cum ego disce­dam. [Page 125]It is the onely felicitie for me to see at my departure, all things come to wracke. Such a companion was one of the Poets, who commeth in with such a spoke: [...], that is to say, when I am once dead, what care I, though the worlde bee on a light fire. Domitius Nero. Domitius Nero, when hee had set fire to the citie of Rome, in twelue seuerall pla­ces, to shadowe out the combustion of Troy, to the Romans; sung in the meane time, when the citie was in burning, Ver­ses out of Homer, his heart being hoo­ped with all barbaritie, and beeing filled vp to the eyes with all Scythian crueltie. What shal I say of the Vice-consull Mes­sola, that ruled in Asia, Seneca. who beheading three hundred people on one day; after this butcherie thus done, he gaue a plau­dite vnto it, breaking out into these wordes: O nobile factum, Lucius Syl­la. O renowned acte? Or of Lucius Silla, who by one con­demnatorie sentence, did cast away foure thousand and seauen-hundred soules; and caused a Register to bee made of it, In perpetuā rei memoriam: For the euerlasting remembrance thereof? Or of those that killed Christians by thousands, as Maxi­mianus, [Page 126]who burnt in one Temple twen­tie thousand met together to solemnize the Natiuitie of Christ? Maximia­nus. The Spani­ards. The Spaniards are without all example; no, no: Domitian, Commodus, Bassian, Dyonisian, comming neere them, and this their villanie among the West Indians without mercie shew­ed, apparantly prooueth, who in one I­land called Hispaniola, of two hundred thousand people, scarse left one hundred and a halfe aliue. Thus they threshed with yron flayles those people, as the men of Damascus did Gilead, Amos. 1.3.13. and man­gled in peeces women with childe, as the olde Amonites: and mingled blood with their sacrifice of the Masse: as Pilate mingled the blood of the slaine, Luk. 13.1. toge­ther with the sacrifices: taking vp this Aphorisme and prouerbe of the Prophet; That that dyeth, Zach. 11.9. let it dye. How farre were these men, from the practise of the pre­cept of the Lawe, which in seeking of birds neasts, Deut. 22.6. inhibiteth the taking the damine with the yong?

2. Let the second sympathy, between the Soyl-fish and the Sea-fish, bee their greedie couetousnesse. Wherein the one Bee partaketh with the other. As if the [Page 127]sea-fish had fathered them, and they were of their spawning, no sooner a vild peece of worme is let downe the water, but if they bee in place, it is a wonder to see what a sort doe seeke af­ter it. There is no regard of degrees a­mong them: But Capiat qui capere potest, is the lawe of that Court. Yea, the frye, and pettie ones doe so fill the place, as the greater cannot come in place. And is not this the fashion of the worlde vp and downe? Is not euery meane office catched vp (if not before) yet as soone as it can fall? Runne not euery one to euery commoditie, as beggers to a doale? Are not many of best marke and quali­tie altogether vnprouided for; the mea­ner sort hauing beene before them, and taken vp their roomes? Euery one stri­ueth to bee first at the baite, though their baine bee vnder it: as it commonly fal­leth out. For Titles, Offices, wordly ri­ches, are nothing else but angle-lynes, snares, nets, to catch vs vnawares: Which so entangled Iudas, as hee could neuer get out of them, before they had trussed him.

The hooke or snare taketh not the fish, [Page 128]vnlesse the baite take him first. But whilst he runneth so hastily to the baite, & swal­loweth it home: the nette or hooke spee­deth him. The baite of the deuils hooke is couetousnesse, which killeth and not comforteth vs. The fisherman baiteth not his hooke that the fish might only take it; but be taken of it. The deuill could not make such a fishing as hee doth, had wee not such a delight to his baytes, little con­sidering what harme there is in them. But the poore fish feeleth it too late, when he cannot flye from it: Nam dum capit ca­pitur. For he is taken in taking it. The bait of an hooke is like the egge of an Aspe, which is very white and goodly to be­holde, to the out-ward sight, but if wee breake it, we shall finde nothing but poi­son in it; and the poison that breaketh out of it, killeth vs. The red worme, case­worme, magget flie, small roche, or such like, wherewith wee couer our hooke to beguile the fish, are glorious in out-ward appearance to the fish, but they are the death & destruction of the fish. So the ri­ches, prioritie, authoritie of the world, are but pleasant bayts, laid out for our destru­ction. The fishermans bayte is a deadly [Page 129]deceite: 2. Sam. 2.26. Luke. 17.27. so are all the pleasures of the world. Wee may say of them, as Ioab said to Abner: Knowest thou not that it wil be bitternesse in the latter end? As all the waters of the riuers runne into the salt­sea: so all worldly delights, in the saltish sea of sorrowes finish their course. The pleasures of the vngodly world in Noah his time, in cheering, carowsing, & sing­ing a Requiem to themselues, of a sud­daine swoomme away with the flood. Gen. 7.4. &c. The Iunckets and ioyes of the States-men of Palestina, came tumbling downe toge­ther, with the fall of the house vpon their heads. Belshazzar, Dan 5.4. in the middest of his cups, and Queanes, had such a blowe gi­uen him by the hand of a Scripture, as quailed his courage, and quenched all his comforts. The peaceable dayes of the wicked, their immunitie from the rodde, their dauncing to the instruments of mu­sicke, haue their present period, and in a moment they go downe to hell. Iob. 21.12, 13, 18. Eccle. 11.7, 21. &c. Luke. 16.19, 23. Let the lustie-guts, that is in the prime of his age, and pride of his rage, be sure of a iudge­ment.

The garmandizing Epicure, hol­lowed not so much whilest hee was in the [Page 130]earth, but he howled as much when hee was in hell. It was but dumpish delight, that Saul had in his mad melancholy in the sweete notes of Dauid, 1. Sam, 16.16, 23. & 18.10. &c. sung vpon the harpe. Wherefore mistrust worldly bene­fits as baites, 2. Sam. 20 9.10. & feede not so vpon them in hūgry wise. Their pleasings, are leasings: & their friēdships fallacies, as Ioabs kind­nes was to Amasa, 1. Kin. 21.10.13. and 22.6, 8, 12, 28, &c. killing him by kissing him. They are false witnesses against thy soule: such as Iezabel picked out to kil in­nocent Naboth. They are but Parasites to enchaunt the spirit, as Acabs Fanguests that egged him to battell, Reuel. 17.4. promising him victorie, when it fell out quite contrary. They are but the intoxication of the great whore, that giueth vs her poison out of a standing cup of gold. Thou mayst serte the world for such wages long enough, Gen. 29 18, 27. & 31.7 &c. from seuen yeeres to seuen yeeres, as Ia­cob did Laban, and loose both thy wages and labor in the end, as he did. If thou ser­uest God for goods, Iohn 12.6. Acts. 1.16.18. and for greedines of worldly gaine, as Iudas did his Maister: thou maist be a looser and gainer as hee was, who lost his Apostleship, & gained a halter. Wherefore, for our better secu­rity, vse we riches a raymēt, one that is fit, [Page 131]beeing better for vs, than one that is too long. But it so commeth to passe, that couetousnesse groweth with riches, as the Iuie with the Oke. Exod. 10.2 Num. 11.4. And as the Is­raelites murmured as much when they had store of Mannah, as they did when they had none: so haue wee lesse or more, it is all one, wee are neuer con­tented. Our hutches may bee filled, but not our heartes. But as fishes doe differ in biting, so doe men. The Roche, Dace, Breame, Rowde doe but pingle, to the Pearche, and Pike; who haue teethe like kniues, and very maine mouthes. If I like the Pope and his Prelats, to such; I doe them no wrong: for their dooing will make good my comparison. So hee may bee called, Caput Ecclesiae the head of the Church. The worde Caput, the head, or powle, beeing deduced from the Verbe Capio, which is to catch; he hauing beene euer such an absolute catch-powle. Where­vnto an auncient Writer alluding, hee pricketh these Verses vpon his holines sleeue: the whole course of the Con­iugation, from Capio, capis, ad capien­dum, without declination from any point [Page 132]thereof, being so inseparably conioyned vnto him.

3. Herein also the similidude holdeth beweene men and fishes, that both kinds by nature are dissolute and lawlesse. The fishes without any order or ranke, runne euery way as they list, without checke or controulement; so doth the naturall man of himselfe, thinking euery thing to bee lawfull, which is lustfull vnto him. The smaller are a pray to the greater fish: so is the poore to the Potentate; the meaner to the mightier. If there were not lawes to curbe our crooked and cruell natures, each mans sword would be in his fellows bosome, and right should yeeld to might; and titles would bee tryed at the pikes points: a malignant masterie, should ma­nage matters among men, as it doth a­mong fishes in their element. How wilie and wilde we ar by nature, and how wee walke out of course of our selues, in the [Page 133]way of the worldly, as fishes in the deeps wee may soone consider, if wee woulde please to descend into our selues, and by others manners, to measure our owne. The vnruly rule of the olde Israelites, is with a solemne induction thus brought in, by Moses; Remember, and forget not, Deut. 9.8, 9, 22. how thou prouokest the Lord thy God to an­ger in the wildernesse: since the day that thou diddest depart out of the land of Aegypt: also in Horeb, Taberah, Massah, and in Ri­broth-hattaauah. They were so orderly vnorderly, as notwithstanding they had seen his miracles, which he did in Aegypt: Num. 14.22. yet they tempted him ten times, & obey­ed not his voice. Aarons rodde that bud­ded, was cofered in the Arke, Num. 17.8, 9, 10. &c, Of the a­buse of power, strength, prioritie. &c. as a liuely remembrance of their wonted rebelli­ons. Finally, we are rather Planets of vn­certaine motion, than fixed stars in their proper stations: or to keep my selfe within the hedge of my comparison; we course as fishes without course, in the whole course of our liues. Besides, as fishes wee take the priuiledge to the vttermost of our power, prioritie, and authoritie, ouer others; strai­ning it as a skinne of parchment on the hooks, & racking euery ioynt therof vpon [Page 134]the racke of our excessiue affections. So that did magistrates the vocall Lawes of the land, by rule of reason, strangle many mens passions, the lesser would be spoyled by the greater sort, without any compas­sion. For what keepeth these Pro­nounes in vse, Meum, and Tuum, and maketh euery one owner of his owne, but the power of good Lawes? Why are wee rather Christians, than Albini­ans, Nigrians, Cassians: That is, religi­ous, rather than rebellious: but onely for such sacred sanctions sake as are set before vs? What diuideth and distingui­sheth persons according to degrees, that they skull not, and skudde not confused­ly together, as fishes without difference: but onely such good lawes as are proui­ded in such cases? The Poets faine, that Thenus, the mother of all honestie and vertue, had three daughters, 1. [...], 2. [...], 3. [...]. 1. Good Lawes. 2. Iustice, the consequent of good Lawes. 3. Peace an indiuided follower of them both. I finde them all hand-fast together, in this peece of Psalmodie: Giue thy iudge­ments, Psalm. 7.2.1.2.3. O Lorde, vnto the King; and thy righteousnesse vnto the Kings sonne: [Page 135]then the mountaines shall bring forth peace, and the little hilles righteousnesse vnto the people. These alter our nature and pro­pertie very much, and by these some sort are ouer-awed sufficiently (though the behauiour of some cannot bee boun­ded, but it will flowe: as Iordaine ouer the banckes) counting as Theodosius, Theodos. that onely lawfull, which the Lawe doth per­mit. There is also another fashion which would be left, which was taken from fi­shes, and that is our pleasure which wee take in the worlde, as fishes in the wa­ter. But therein fishes are not to bee blamed, for they holde their right course: For the deepes are their dwelling places, and they liue no longer then they are in them. But Christians by Christ are cho­sen out of the worlde, and their con­uersation with the Apostle, is in hea­uen, and they are crucified to the world, that they might bee glorified with Christ. What felicitie can bee in those things, which are giuen vs for a Iudgement? If there were not a iudgement in them, they would not bee called Thornes, Mark. 4.7. 1. Tim. 6.9. Phil. 3.8. as they are by our Sauiour. If they were not a deathfull daunger to some, they [Page 136]woulde not haue beene called snares, as they are by the Apostle. If they were not of the basest reckning that might bee, Paul would haue giuen a better name than doong vnto them. But he gaue that name which was worst of al, to that thing which he himselfe esteemed worst of all. If the world were our proper Element, as the waters are to the fish, we had reason for our selues to bee worldly minded: But seeing Christ hath sayd vn­to vs; Yee are not of the world. For the loue of Christ, wee must forsake the worlde; Math. 9.9. as Mathew forsooke his custome, when he was called to a better condition: as the Samaritan woman forsooke her watter-pot, hauing drawne waters from the welles of saluation, Ioh: 4.28.29. Acts. 9.20, 22. Matth. 4.19, 20, 21, 22. by conference with Christ: as Saul forsooke all, when he was made a Paul, and betooke him­selfe to Christ: as the Apostles wound vp their worldly nets, when the draw-net of the Gospel by the gracious hand of Christ his dispensation, was put into their hands.

It is euery way commodious to the life of the fishe, to bee wholly in the water: But it is euery way hurtfull to the soule of [Page 137]man, to be giuen vp wholy to the world. For to get worldly gaine, the body would faine liue: but the desire of heauenly glo­ry, maketh it glad to die. Worldly cares maketh a man very vnrestie with himself: the comforts of the Spirit, are a superse­deas to them all, Acts 2.2. and giue them his abso­lute Quietus est: so that as the holy Ghost filled the house: so grace, peace, and ioy in the holy Ghost fulfilleth his heart. As he that may walke in the warme Sun, [...]uer desireth the light of the Moone; so he that walketh in the way to heauen, wil neuer force of his worldly wayes more. The fish liueth onely by the water, but man liueth not by the world only, but by euery worde of God. Matth. 4.4 As that picture is more cunning & curious, which the mai­ster painter himselfe draweth and casteth into colours, than that which is but done by his Apprentises: so our life is more liuely vnder God his protection, thā with al whatsoeuer worldly prouision. The wa­ter sufficeth the fishes in their appetites: but when we haue whatsoeuer the world can afford vs, wee are not contented. For when Alexander had cōquered the whole world, Alexander. he was cast into a melancholly pas­sion, [Page 138]because he had not any other world to warre withall. The world rather fee­deth than slacketh our appetites, as oyle doth the fire. The worldling riseth ear­ly, and goeth to bed late, and eateth the bread of sorrowe, Psal. 127.2. labouring to labour, and caring to take care: plowing vpon the rockes, Herod. lib. 4. Psylli: Democri­tus, & He­raclytu. and rowling the stone of Sysi­phus, and is neuer at rest. He is likned by one, to a people in Africa, called Psylli, that are at great warres with the windes. Democritus Abdorites, had in derision the whole estate of the world: and Heracli­tus wayled and lamented the course of it. Salomon gaue a blowe to the worlde on both cheeks, when he doubled the word Ʋanitie vpon it: Ecclesiast. 1 2. and when hee trebled hee, hee shewed that hee knew what he spake: and that hee would not repeale it. Iona. 2.8. And Ionas doth not nick-name them at all, when hee termeth all the delights of it, Tysing vanities. It is Iehouah, one­ly which is his Name for euer, that suffi­ceth vs for euer. The Rab­bins. The Rabbins doe ob­serue, that all the letters in that his Name, are Literae quiescentes: from whence they expressed this mysticall meaning, that all creatures haue from God their rest. And [Page 139]the Prophet countenanceth not a little that construction; saying: Psal. 11.1. In the Lord put I my trust: how say you then vnto my soule, Flie to your mountaine as a bird? Wee say with Bernard: Bernard in Cat [...]c. serm. 4. Sane esse omnium dixerim deum: non quod illa sunt quod est ille: sed quia ex ipse, & per ipsum, & in ipso sunt om­nia. Hee is God of all: not that those things are of that nature as hee: but be­cause of him, by him, and in him are all things. So that a stone that is cast out of a sling, or bowe, neuer resteth vntill it commeth to his center: so God, whose center is euery where, and circumference no where, is our onely rest, and without him onely infinite, our desires are ne­uer satisfied that are infinite. 5. Fur­ther, if wee consider of men and fishes in their naturall stoliditie, wee shall finde agreeable correspondencie be­tweene them. Whereas other creatures, aswell birdes in the ayre, as such as walke vpon the ground, giue many outwarde shewes and tokens of witte: onely the fish is a foolish creature altogether in­docible. So as by the sir-name of a fish, they vnderstood a man of absolute follie among the Aegyptians.

If wee giue man his right, Ephe. 2.11 12. Psal 32.9. Of the fol­ly of man, as he is without God. And of true wis­dome. Isa [...] 1.3. 1. Cor. 1.20. & 3.19. as hee is without God, hee is as foolish as the fish. For the horse and Mule without vn­derstanding, to whome Dauid compa­reth him; by the iudgement of God in the mouth of the Prophet, is of better vn­derstanding than hee. The Oxe knoweth his owner, and the Asse his masters cribbe: but Israel hath not known: my people hath not vnderstood. I grant they haue the wise­dome of the worlde, which the spirite of God calleth foolishnesse: Exod. 1.10. The wisedome of the world, is foolishnesse with God. Pha­roah saide, Let vs worke wisely: when hee wrought most foolishly. The Apostle maketh a great enquirie after the wise, and would faine finde him out; 1. Cor. 1.20 Where is the wise? where is the cribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made the wisedome of this world foolishnes? Christ calleth such, Wizards, Dizzards, wise without vnderstanding: Matth. 11.25. when as he saith: I giue thee thanks, O Father, Lord of hea­uen and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise, and men of vnderstan­ding, and hast opened them vnto babes, And the wisest of men (the Sonne of man on­ly excepted) calleth them starke fooles, Prou. 1.22. [Page 141]saying: O yee foolish, how long will yee loue foolishnesse? Hee is no more to be admired that can make much matter, by inuenti­on of wit, of a slender subiect: than the shoomaker is, that can make a great shoe for a little foote. How can they be wise, whose whole cogitations and actions are foolishnesse? For there is no true wisdom, but that which is heauenly, which is the word of God, or Christ the sonne of God, the onely subiect and argument of the worde, who is made vnto vs (by God his Father) Wisedome, Righteousnesse, 1. Cor. 1.30 Col. 2.3. & Sanc­tification, and Redemption. In whom are hid all the treasures of wisedome and know­ledge.

But this wisdome, is of little woorth with those, who in the eyes of the world, seeme of most worthe; who stoppe their eares with waxe, when this wisedome is spoken off, and thinke themselues wi­ser than any of their teachers. But they are but wise after a sort, Luk 16.8. in their generati­on, as Christ distinguisheth: wherein in­deed they haue eyes as broade as the Moone, and haue a priuiledge aboue their betters. But such aduantage hath the Owle of a man, whose sight is bet­ter [Page 142]in the night-time, than a mans. In deedes of darknesse, such Owles faces are better sighted than the children of light. So is the Catte cunninger than a man, to beguile a Mowse: in wilie craftinesse, the rudest rusticke easilie circumuen­teth the greatest Scholler. But hee is but an Asse in the shape of a man, who hath not learned Christ: and whose bringing vp hath not beene in Gods Schoole. That is Moses iudgement, when hee sayth: Keepe the ordinances and Lawes which I haue taught you: Deut. 4 6. for that is your wisedome, and your vnderstanding in the sight of the people, which shall heare all these ordinances, & shall say: Only this peo­ple is wise, and of vnderstanding. When Saul started from the wisedome of the worde, Psal. 78.57 like a broken bowe, he was but a sotte for it, and Samuel doubted not to befoole him to his face, saying in broad words: 1. Sam. 13.13. Thou hast done foolishly. Salomon, I assure you, left his wisedome behinde him, when by marriage of strange wo­men, he worshipped strange gods, doing as foolishly as I heard of any, as the con­sequent thereof, euen to the common ca­lamitie of his Countrie, (it being beside [Page 143]the scandall of example, 1. King. 11.1.2.3.4.5.14.23, 25, 26.31. &c. Ierem. 8.9. the ocasion of the rupture, and mangling of his monar­chie) too lamentably confirmed. Ieremy wondered, how he should be a wise man, that is not a Gods-man, saying: How doe ye say we are wise? yee haue reiected the word of the Lord, and what wisedome is in you? As Ezechiel calleth them, Ezech. 13.3 foolish Pro­phets: and denounceth a woe as bitter as worme-wood, to such as take not their text from Gods mouth, but broach their owne fancies: so folly is with them, and they haue no lesse woe, that are wise in their owne conceits onely; The Turkes and wise to the world, and not to Godward. Though it bee a rascall religion that the Turkes professe; yet they haue that grace, as they command that religion, by the leuell of their actions: For their Professor of the Lawe standeth vp, and in his charge especiall commandeth, that before they beginne to sit in counsell, they consult of nothing derogatorie to religion: in­sinuating religion to the foundation of all wisedome.

Heathenish men, to drawe on the popular applause to those Lawes which they should propound to them: did beare [Page 144]the people in hand, that they were groun­ded vppon the rules of Diuinitie, and that they were warranted by their owne Gods. Numa in a generall assembly at Rome, Of Aegria, and Numa: Iuuen. Sad. 3. & me­tam l. 15. sab. 1. & 44. liu 1. ab v [...]b condit. & Plutar. in Numa. Solon. Ly [...]urgus. Minos. Cha [...]ondas. Osyrus. Zamolxis. alleaged that hee had conference with the Nymph Aegeria, in the scrowle of those statutes that he then set out. So­lon suggested direction of authority from Minerua in like case: Lycur gus of Lace­demon, pleaded his commission from A­pollo: Minos in Creete, sayd he came from Iupiter. Charondas of Carthage, tooke counsell of Saturne, as he suggested: O­syrus of Aegypt with Mercurie: Zamol­xis of Sythia with Vesta. And the peo­ple of those times vpon such supposals yeelded, & became obedient vnto them. wherein they plainly distrusted their own wisedome, and thought it the best wise­dome to anchor themselues vpon hea­uenly wisedome: wherein they were mis­led with the blindnesse of those times, ignorance as a hand-kerchiefe couering their eyes.

But sure we are, Exod. 19.16, 18, & 20.1, 2, 3. &c. and 31.18. that Moses had his lawes deliuered him from God, vpon the mountaine Sinai: which haue beene since confirmed vnto vs by the oracles of Pro­phets, [Page 145]and by Christ the Law-giuer and life of them himselfe. To this, beare all the Apostles witnesse, and the Martyrs haue set their redde waxe thereunto. Wherefore, stultorum omnia sunt plaena: The worlde runnes quicke with fooles; the children thereof sauouring, and fa­nouring nothing lesse, than Gods worde, the wisedome of the spirit. For if wee take a suruey of mens natures: wee may place them all in one of these 3. 3. Ranks or classes. ranckes and classes. 1. First, of such as are sim­ple by nature, and of shallowe capacitie, who are made to dwell in their home­borne stoliditie, by such as are about them of a peruerse subtiltie: These doe not so much as wet their lippes at this wel-spring of wisedome, they haue not a smacke or taste of Gods wordes, and therefore fooles they are euery inche of them. 2. A second sort there are, that are as dangerous, as the former were pi­tious; who are those that make a mocke of the counsels of God, 2, Pet. 3.3.4. Iude. 18. and entertaine with derision whatsoeuer is deliuered to them of God, of the end of the world, of the reward of the good, & of the wic­ked men, and of the whole mysterie of [Page 146]our sacred Religion. Such are fooles in graine, but they are lewde and knauish fooles; and I meruaile that the earth is not wearie of such a burden. 3. But the ranc­kest brood of all, are that butcherly bro­ther-hood, who not onely are colde in re­ligion, but burn in hatred and detestation towardes all such as are of that most holy profession. The flockrs of these diuilish foolish companious are beyond all com­parison, hell it selfe neuer casting vp more horrible abomination, than proceedeth from their viperous mouthes. And are there not euery where rablements of these? doe not this follie set vp a monar­chie in the Theater of this worlde? were the world sacked & ransacked according­ly, what a pitious part of true wisemen should we finde? Wherefore the Aegyp­tians spake by booke, when they follow­ed a man with a fish for his follie. For as we haue measured wisedome by the lype of truth, and weighed it according­ly by the shuttle of the sanctuary: man is wholly by nature out of square, and way­eth not a graine.

ALthough in some pro­perties (as wee haue for­merly shewed) men so sort with fishes, as if they were of the same body with them in those things, and specially that are of baddest nature: yet in many parts, they differ be­tween themselues, as we may now consi­der. 1. First, though they be of hurtfull na­ture to those of their own nature, in their owne element, where they catch & kill all they can, and liue vpon the spoile, yet they couet not to go beyond those boundes to prosecute their crueltie. But man wil haue his mind, though he compasseth sea and land, & taketh the widest perambulation that may be throghout the whole world. [Page 148]Wee may say with the Poet vnto him.

The sea with his barres, cannot barre him of his purpose; but as the Poet saith of him,

The fish is but foolish and innocent, in respect of man; for the munitions and machinations that hee dayly doth deuise are wonderfull, and those onely excogi­tated, and opposed against man-kinde. It would pose the best mans skill in cogita­tion (I will not say Oration) to com­prehend the seuerall deuillish deuises of man against man; his threats, reproa­ches, prisons, tortures, thefts, piracies, vi­olent affections, of which no man can be secure in his greatest securitie. Cicero. Cicero maketh mention of a certaine Phyloso­pher, who had made a booke of the va­rierie of diseases (vnto which wee are subiect) together with the proper causes thereof: as inundations of waters, epide­mies, [Page 149]apoplexies; the venemous teethe of beastes, and such like; in conclusion of all, saith, that more are cut off by the crueltie of man, than by all other means else. For hee is a hammer that is neuer batterred: a sword, whose edge is neuer dull: a snare, into which euery one must fall: a prison, which no man can escape: sea, by which we must needs trauell: a ge­neral punishmēt, that must be vndergone.

The fish in the streame, is onely in dan­ger of the greater sort: for there is none of them assaulteth a bigger than himself: but the veriest mennow among men, the salt and sweepage of the court, dare conceiue and contriue the death of the Prince of the court: the mā most despica­ble, dare arise vp against the honorable. More vngracious is man by much in his generation: than fishes in their kindes. 2. Heerein also is absolute disproporti­on betweene the ordinarie, and spiritu­all angling, and the fishes of both na­tures: that in the one, the frie and smaller sort, doe keepe off the greater: in the o­ther, the greater doe hinder the smaller from comming to the baite. In ordinary angling, you shall often perceiue the bait [Page 150]so nibled away, and the end of the hooke made so bare by the paltrie sort of fishes, as the great ones seing it, dare not aduen­ture on it: wherefore anglers often drawe vp their hookes, and put whole baytes vnto them. But in our angling for men-fish, wee haue the contrary experience, the great water Pikes & Pearches, I mean Prelats and Potentates, by their corrupt examples discouraging them, or by their ouer-insolent authoritie, Isai. 1.5, 6, 10, 20, 23. &c. Matth. 6.22.23. detaining them from biting. If they would giue better example themselues, the people woulde soone be better. But if the head be sicke, the whole body will be heauie. If the eye be blinde, the whole body will be darke. The oyntment of example, Psal. 133.2 runneth from Aarons heade, downe his beard, and the skirts of his clothing: that is, to the mid­dle and lowest sort of the people. Prou. 29.12 It is Sa­lomons saying, & Scripture examples bind it; and moderne proofes find it: Of a prince that hearkneth to lyes, all his seruantes are wicked. For the people take their precepts out of princes, and prelats practise; suting themselues to their disposition, according to the Note the Prophet Isaiah taketh of them, Isai. 24.2. saying: There shall be like people, like [Page 151]Priest: & like seruant, like master: like maid, like mistresse: like buyer, like seller: like lender, like borrower. The sins of Ieroboam, 2. king. 14.24. 2. Chron. 13 6, 7. 1. king. 2.28.30. & 14.16. &c. were attractiue as the stone, that draweth yron after it, wherefore to the mention of him you haue alwayes this addition: Ieroboam the sonne of Nebat, that made Israel to sinne. Euery superior standeth doubly charged. 1. With the sin. 2. With the example. For their sin is, 2. Chron. 26 19, 20. as Oza his sore that was in his fore-head, which euery one might see. But a fault in a meaner man, Exod. 4.6, 7 is as Moses his le­prous hād, which he did hide in his bosom Princes, prelats, predominant powers, are the proppes and pillers of the people, Exod: 13. & 14. and they are as the cloudie pillar to the Israe­lites, who went as that went, & stood still as that stood stil. Gen. 34.20 24. The Sichemites were cir­cumcised, Lord Hemor their prince being circumcised before them. The whose gar­rison, Iudg. 9.48.49. did cut off euery one a branch from a tree, after the imitation and direction of Abimilech their leader. The armor-bearer slew himselfe: 1. Samu. 31.4, 5. Num. 10.2.3.4.5, &c. his soueraigne Saul being slaine first before him. It was giuen in charge by God, that the captaines & ring­leaders, at the first blast of the trumpet should set forward, that the people might [Page 152]follow them. Iosu. 3.15.16.17. Iosu. 4.1.2. &c. Duke Iosua, first himselfe passing ouer Iordan, with the Arke of the Couenant, and the Priestes with him: the rage of the waters abated, and al the peo­ple followed securely after them. No soo­ner came the Kings writ to his Lieuetenāt Ioab, 2. Sam. 11.15.16. for the dispatch of Vriah, but hee executed it accordingly. Baltazar, first giuing that euill example, all his concu­bines prophaned the holy vessels of the Temple. Dan. 5.2.3.4. Augustus laying an heauie tax­ation vpon the people, Syrenius his substi­tute, Luke. 2.2. by and by leauied it. Herod signing the bill for Iohns death, not one of his Nobles woulde speake a worde against it, Matth. 14.9.10. &c. Ionas. 3.5.6.7. but temporisors they are all the sort of them. The whole citie and court of Ni­niueh, were conuerted with their King. The Ruler first beleeuing in Christ, and becomming a Christian, his whole house­hold was a Christian congregatiō imme­diately. Iohn: 4.46.50.51.53. Math. 9.9. [...]0. Whē Matthew the master Publi­cane, wold be a professor; he inuited with Christ, many Publicanes to his house, thereby to toll them on to the same pro­fession. The sea followeth the tempera­ture of the ayre: so that if the ayer bee calme, the sea is quiet; but if the ayer ruf­fleth, [Page 153]the sea foorth-with stormeth: so the people wagge after the example of greater powers, whether it bee good or euill. The riuer hath his nature from the fountaine from whence it floweth: so that if the fountaine bee pure, the riuer water is cleare: but if the fountaine bee corrupt, the riuer must needs drawe cor­ruption from it. The heads of Countries, make their people like vnto themselues, in condition of manners. Matth. 2.3 When Herod was a troubled fountaine, at the tydings of Christs birth, all the waters of Hieru­salem (I meane his subiects) as the Text saith, were troubled likewise with him. Such things as we perceiue to be drawne into example by our betters, we conclude with our selues, that wee may safly imi­tate. Hereupon saith Chaerea in Terence: Chaerea in Terence. Haec inquit non facerem quae Iupiter fecit? Should not I do those things that Iupiter doth? Though reason rule some; yet o­thersome, measure actions by the rule of examples: as the Poets notably doe ob­serue. For what saith Claudian in the case?

From which obseruation, the selfe same Poet lessoneth them thus.

The same Poet in another peece of Ode and Dittie hath the like tunable harmo­nie, In stillico­nis laudi­bus. wryting thus:

Ouid hath the like direction vpon the like obseruation. Epist. ad Li­nia de mor­te filii.

Iuuenal to shew the force of examples, Iuuenal. sat. 14. writeth in this wise.

But here is the mischiefe, that this our contrarietie to the fish is so dange­rous. For if it were but through the mea­ner men, by whose rudenesse and barba­ritie the blessed baite of the Gospell were detained from the worthyer sorte, it would be farre better than it is. For the supine securitie of the ruder rowt, should red ounde vpon their owne heads alone: and the greater persons should haue no dammage by it. But the case beeing as it is, that the greater ones scare their infe­riors from the hooke that should heaue them vp to heauen, and from the bayte of their blisse, which are the soules, that by their hurtfull example, are carryed head-long into hell. For like oyle, they runne into euery ioynt and vaine: like a Gangreene, they spread ouer the whole body: like leuen, they sowre the whole lumpe: they are like a sincke in a Cittie; like a boyle in a bodie: a sparke that set­teth a whole country afire. Isa. 1.5.6. It is the con­sequence of the Prophet: The whole bo­by is heauie: hauing tolde vs first, that the head was sicke. The rancke corrupt hu­mour runneth frō the crown, to the soule of the foote, and leaueth no free spot of [Page 157]a sound body. Though a smaller stone chaunce to drop out of a wall, the voyde roome is not espied, or if it bee, it with ease againe filled: but if a great corner stone falleth, it bringeth downe a rowe and heape of smaller with it: when a meane man sinneth, he falleth alone, but the misdoings of the mightier men by hurtfull example that drawe on others with them, doe very mightie mischiefe. Wherfore the sinnes of the inferior sort, are wholy giuen to their rulers and go­uerours. Wherefore Moses, Exod. 32.21. when the people had sinned, censured Aaron the Priest for it, saying: What did this people vnto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sinne vpon them? And hee doth rightly in it. For if a clocke bee out of kelter and frame, I trowe the clock-keeper is more to bee blamed, than the clocke which is at his ordering? And bee such sure, that they shall bee one day soundly charged for it. So was Dauid by Nathan, who in the midst of mercie pronoūced ouer him in the forgiuenesse of his sinnes, sneb­bed in this sort for his euill example: The Lord hath put away thy sinne, thou shalt not dye. Howbeit because by this deed, thou [Page 158]hast caused the enemies of the Lord to blas­pheme, 2. Sam. 12.14. the childe that is borne vnto thee shall surely dye. The Oliue tree that is planted a­mong the vines, because it occupyeth but a little roome hurteth not the vines: but the nuttree, that cōbreth the ground, & taketh vp such a wide space, doth greatly hinder them. The Potentates, that take vp all the roome of the land, & sway al things as they list, are dangerous to the vineyarde of the Lord of hoasts, by their securitie and ho­stilitie: the trebuler sort that are thrust to the wall, that neuer growe high, or ouer­dreepe others little, by all the euill they can doe, can damnifie others. Otherefore, that it would please God, to sweepe their house, that we might finde his lost groat: to turne them that they might be turned, and thereby turne such as are vnder their charge, vnto the worship of God. For as by their fearefull euill examples, they holde vp as it were the chinne of iniqui­tie: so by these good examples in their conuersion vnto God, pietie would set vp a monarchie among vs. Dauid onely by the line of his good life, did drawe Saul vnto him, holding vp such a lumpe of vp­rightnesse vnto him, as did enlighten and [Page 159]inflame him. 1. Sam. 24. and 26.15. The Baptist beeing a man of such absolute carriage, as no man could approoue: hee had heapes of followers, who swarmed like Bees about him, & ad­mired him, & applauded him, as the Mes­sias. Luk. 3.7.12 15. & 23.43. The theef that was crucified with our Sauiour Christ, seeing such strange loue in the Lorde, as praying for his persecu­ters, at the very nicke and last cast was conuerted by it. Paul by his learning and life, together by his wordes and workes wrought a great worke among the Gen­tiles. He did not fight as one that beateth the ayre: but hee looked to his carriage, and so humbled his body, 1. Cor. 9.21.22.27. that thee might not bee a reprobate himselfe, whilest hee brought saluation vnto others. It is the point Peter much standeth vpon, and la­boureth to perswade, that such as are lights, might so lighten the world: 1. Pet, 2.3. that it seeing the same, may glorifie God in the day of visitation. 3. There is further this marke of difference betweene this two-folde fishing: that the fishes of the one side are taken to dye: but such as are taken by our Ministeriall fishing, are taken that they might liue, they are translated from death to life for euer.

Their resurrection from the pitte of their perdition, maketh them partakers of the second resurrection to eternall saluation. Common proofe teacheth the one, and spirituall proofe the other. You hath hee quicked, Ephes. 2.1. that were dead in tres­passes and sinnes, saith the Apostle. An­swerable hereunto; is this his other as­sertion: Col. 2.13. And yee which were dead in sinnes, and in the vncircumcision of the flesh, hath hee quickned together with him. And this estate and condition of the faithfull, is plainely declared by Christ, when hee saith; Ioh. 5. [...]5. The houre shall come and now it is, when the dead shal heare the voyce of the Sonne of God. Wee were all of vs without Christ, dead in our sinnes, and were buried in the bedde of darknesse of all errors, and superstitions, into which by the subtile illusions of Sathan wee haue beene ledde, and held in the cap­tiuitie and bondes of them. But Christ, who hath destroyed the kingdome of darkenesse, hath brought vs backe to life, and the light of faith. As he stayed the widdowes son when the Porters had him on their shoulders vpon the beare, Luke. 7.15. and restored him to his mother: So when [Page 161]wee were giuen vp to the second death, The great mercie of Christ in sauing re­pentant sinners. and the deuils officers were busie about vs, to carrie vs away with them: Christ with his sauing Worde came among vs, seazed vppon vs, tooke vs out of their hands, and restored vs to our heauenly Father. Christ was the day-man, and me­diator betweene God and man; and spake comfortably to vs, as vnto Hezechias, 2. king. 20 5. Gen. 2.15. &. 3.23.24. Iob. 30.31. Gen. 3.15. 1. Cor. 15.45, &c. Rom. 5.14. 1/5. &c. & Rom. 1.3. Thou shalt not dye, but liue. Adams state was happie in his earthly Paradise, but the case was quite altered with his sinne. And wee may take vp Iobs wordes con­cerning him; His harpe was turned into mourning, and his organs into the voyce of them that weepe. But wee are safe e­nough againe by his seede, the second Adam by whome wee are saued, the omnipotent worde of God, Hebr. 9.14.28. 1. Pet. 3.18 Iohn. 19.34 taking our nature vpon him, and vndergoing the wrath of his Father, and death the wa­ges of sinne due vnto vs. Whose side beeing opened with a speare, there ente­red liuing creatures into him, all such as are to bee saued, both cleane and vn­cleane: as of all sortes into the Arke of Noah, Gen. 7.1, 2, 3. &c. that were preserued from dan­ger [Page 162]of drowning. Wherefore my soule sleepe securely within him, as in a Caue; and nestle thy selfe in him, as Doues in the clifts of Rockes, and the Lord giue thee vnderstanding in all things. 2. Tim. 2.7.