QVò breuior, [...]ò obscurior: the shorter this Prophesie is, the more mysticall. In holy Writ, these two thinges euer con­curre: (Sententia breuis▪ res am­pla) a finite Sentence, an in­finite Sense: As in a little Map we see a world of Countries, and what the Foote cannot measure in many dayes, the Eye peruseth in a moment: this is the little Mappe of Idumea or Edom, (wherein we may suruey the state of that whole Region) not much vnlike the situation of it, standing in this Chapter betwixt Chaldea and Ara­bia: The Burdens against them both are heauy, and the Plagues aggrauated with more circumstaunces: The burden of Dumah, (though short) shall weigh with them graine for graine.

As you trauaile with me into this Countrie (by the guidance of that inlightning spirit) tie your considera­tions to two especiall thinges; Diuision. the Mappe, the Morall. In the Mappe you shall finde 1. an Inscription, 2. a De­scription: In the Inscription obserue, Mappe. 1. the name of the [Page] Countrie: 2. the nature of the Prophecie. The De­scription restes it selfe on 3. Obiectes; 1. a Mountaine, 2. a Watchman, 3. an Edomite: where is shadowed 1. vnder the Mountaine, Securitie: 2. vnder the Watch­man, Vigilancie: 3. vnder the Edomite, Scorne. Now, if you aske (as they did the Prophet Ezekil) what these thinges meane? Morell. the Morall directes you 1. by a Q [...]e­stion, 2. by an Answere: The Question would know, what was in the Night: the Answere declares it 1. by a Resolution, 2. by an Aduice: The Resolution (Venit manè et vespè) The [...]orning c [...]mes, and also the night: the Ad­uice, If ye will aske, enquire: returne, and come.

In the Inscription, Dumah. we propoūded to be considered 1. the name of the Country, 2. the nature of the Prophecie: For the Country, there is some question what this Du­mah should be: some affirme it to be the Country of the Ishmaelites, and to receiue the name from Dumah, that sonne of Ishmaell, mentioned Gen. 25. 14. but that Dumah, with other the sonnes of Ishma [...]ll inhabited Arabia, which is burdened in the Prophecie following, di­stinctly seuered from this: this Dumah then was the Countrie of the Idumeans or Edomites, the place where Esa [...] and his generation dwelt: this is cleare by the Mount Seir, which was an Hill of the Ed [...]mu [...]s: Ezech. 35. 15.

This Idumea is heere called Dumah: Pearphaer [...]sin. thus God insi­nuates his contempt of that rebellious and accursed na­tion, by cutting short the name, as vnworthy to stand in his Booke, graced with the full length: the estimati­on which the wicked beare with God is heere expres­sed: he thinkes the mention of them a blurre to his sa­cred leaues: now, shall their persons sit in his Kingdome with honour, whose names may not stand in his Booke without disgrace? Sometimes they are concealed, as Diues: Luk. 16. 19. that reall Parable giues no other title to the con­demned [Page 2] churle: Luk. 13. 32. Christ allowes the Tyrant Herod no other name then a Foxe: Goe tell that Foxe, &c. God calles those Princes, Amos. 4. 1. the Bulles of Bashan on the Moun­taines of Samaria: they would be blottes to his holy Booke, if they were expressely named. Sometimes they are named, (but) with abbreuiations; Dumah for Id [...]mae [...]: Ruth. 4. 19. Thus Aram is called Ram: Ephesdam [...]im, a coast of the Philistines, neuer spoken of without con­tempt, is twice thus curtalled. 1. Cro. 11. 1. Chron. 11. 13. it is called Pas­daemmim: and 1. Sam. 17. Dammim. 1. Sam. [...] .1.

Let not this Obseruation slippe from vs without our vse, If God take letters from the name, he intendes to take blessings from the person, Ier. 22. 28. when Ieconiah's curse is written in the cutting off his Posteritie from the throne of Dauid, and himselfe from the prosperitie of the earth, he is called Co [...]h: the reason is added, He is a despised person, let him haue a shortned name: a broken Idoll, and an vnpleasant Vessell, &c.

Thus God crosseth the worlds fashion, by putting them in his Chronicle, which are not heere thought of, and leauing those out, which the world boastes of as her glorie: to a soule that hath more Affection in her, then Religion, it seemes a great matter of pitty: that Plato, Cato, Alexander, & some of those mighty Romane Cesars, honored with the graces of Nature, the bounties of Fortune, & the greatest glory, the fore'd world could yeeld them, should yet want a name in Gods Booke, a place in his Kingdome. Greatnes is the fairest obiect to the eye of the world, Goodnes to the eye of Heauen: There is a glorious splendour in pompous Honour, to draw the eyes of admiration after it; it litle affectes the sight of God, if Vertue giues it not a Lustre: hee that is goodnesse and greatnesse it selfe (when others haue it in the concrete, good and great, he hath and deserues it in the abstract) is pleased (to preferre his title of Optimus, before that of Maximus) and first to be called Good, Exod. 14. [Page] and then Great. His affections should be ours: he is the absolute precedent of our imitation.

There are infinite wayes that conduct to seeming Honour, excluding Vertue; the end of them al is shame: since of a naturall man it is true, that ( Quan [...]ò ornatior, tantò nequ [...]or) The more adorned, the more wicked: our Bonnets vaile, our Knees bow to many, whom the sight of Heauen and Vertue, scornes: This imparitie of men lyuing, is made euen by death, who sweepes all (Beggar and Prince) with his impartiall Beesome, into one Bagge: and when Iudgement comes, they are made odde and vnequall againe; for then, the least in the worldes estimation, shall sit downe with the blessed Kinges and Patriarches in Heauen, when Kinges and Patriottes without grace, shalbe excluded. If you de­sire your names to be registred with the pen of Eterni­tie, write them your selues with the pen of Charitie: the Booke of Grace, is the counterpaine to the Booke of Election: they are written in Heauen first, and there God reades them: Wee cannot see into this Booke through the thicke cloudes of the Ayre and Sinne; let vs write them in the leaues of Obedience, and there read them: 1. Tim. 2. 19. they stand sure with God before, not sure to vs till now: 2. Pet. 1. 10. Write them in the entrals of the Poore, in the ruines of the Church, by you bettered, repayred, main­tayned, ( Non norunt haec monumenta mor [...],) and you shall one day heare the Iudge himselfe, read them in the au­dience of all the world, Math. 25. to your ioy, crowne, eternitie of blisse.

Christ diuerted his Apostles triumph to an other ho­nour: they were litle lesse then proud, Luke. 10. 17. that the Deuils were subdued vnto them through his name whom they serued: True (sayth Christ) I saw Sathan fall from heauen like lightning; neuerthelesse reioyce not that the spirits obey you, but reioyce that your names are written in Heauen. ver. 20. Reioyce not of your innobled bloodes, admired with liuing [Page 3] praises, & rescued from the iawes of obliuion by sump­tuous Sepulchers: there is small matter of ioy, that the name liues in bright honour on Earth, when the Soule lyes in the rusting miseries of Hell: but reioyce on your assurance of memoriall with God: Prou. 10. 7. The memorie of the iust shall be blessed; but the name of the wicked shall rotte. A great name commonly ariseth either from Blood, 1. Descent▪ popular ap­plause, 2. Ho [...]our or Golden trappinges: 3. Wealth. the last vseth a man like a Counter that standes now for a Million, instantly for a Penny: The first findes Honour, perhaps deserues it not, leaues it by succession: The middlemost is vncon­stant, as the causes are: the vulgar opinions, whose di­stracted voyces seldome hit on the same tune, or neuer keepe it long. The Monarches of the world haue large and tedious Titles, according to their seuerall Domini­ons: good lucke haue they with that Honour, which the hand of God reacheth foorth vnto them: there is a Title that betters all theirs; those are foulded vp in time, that perisheth: this bringes Honour without end or limits, to be a Christian; such haue their names pro­ducted in Gods booke, to shew that they stand written with Golden letters in the Lambes booke of Heauen: Abram shalbe called Abraham: Iacob, Israell. The He­brewes well obserue, that God to those he loued, added a letter of his owne name (that tetragrammaton) Iehouah: as the letter He, to Abrahams and Sarahs name the letter Iod to Iehoshua's, who was before called Hoshea.

It was happy for Mordecaj that his name stood in the Persian Chronicles, that Ahashverosh might read him: his seruice shalbe found out with rewardes, array him with the Kinges Robe, set him on the Kinges Chariot, and proclaime his name through the popular streetes, This is the man, Ester. 6. 9. whom the King will honour. It is more bles­sed to stand in the Chronicles of Heauen, registred by the Penne of that eternall Spirit; wee shall one sit with the King in his Throne (Vnicenti dabitur sedere, Reuel. 3. 21. &c.) and [Page] put on his robe of Glorie; Philip. 3. [...]1. (Be fashioned like his glorious body, Psal. 149. 9. ) Such honour haue all his Saintes. It is the decree and promise of him, whose word is more stable then the foundations of the Earth: Those that hon [...]r me, I will ho­nour. Reuolue then his sacred Name in your sanctified mouthes: sing Hosa [...]na's to it heere, that you may [...]ing Halle [...]uia's hereafter: & hauing drunke heartie draughts of his Waters of Mercie, blesse with Dauid his great and glorious Name: the honour of your owne names is at­tayned, nay consistes in this: maintaine the glory of it with your strengthes, sound it with your prayses, and (if need be) seale it with your bloodes; and God shall write your Names (not shortned like Dumahs,) but at full length, in a Booke neuer to be blotted out.

The nature of the Prophecie followes, being that other branch of the Inscription; Burthen. A Burden: a matter not easily portable, but will weigh heauie on whom so­euer imposed: the Burden is in 2. respectes: 1. of the Prophet that beare it: 2. of the People that were to suf­fer it.

1. The Word of the Lord is to the Prophets a heauy Burden till they are deliuered of it: there is no rest in the bones to the surcharged Conscience, no more then to the pregnant Woman till she be eased: I confesse, that Securitie, Vanitie, abundance of Wealth, setting their shoulders to this Burden, make many a Prophet forgoe all sense of the weight: Ionas loden with his Commission for Niniueh, lay as securely in the sides of the Shippe, as if the God of Israel had layd no Burden on him: but himselfe was a Burden to the Shippe, and the furie of the Waues, Windes, and his Anger that mooues all, was not appeased, till the Shippe was dis­burthened of Ionas, that had disburthened himselfe of the Message of God. Let me speake it with griefe and feare; We are the sonnes of those Prophets, (I meane) their successors in Gods Ministeriall worke: and the [Page 4] Word of the eternall God is no lighter a Burden to vs then it was to them: nay let me adde (that, which is not to be thought of without trembling) there is the Burden of a Curse threatned to them that neglect this Burden; Cursed is hee that doth Gods businesse negligently. Least I should seeme bitter in applying this too generally, let me freely speake what Paul applyes to his owne per­son, if he slighted this ponderous charge: A necessitie (which is no lesse then a Burden) is layd vpon me, and woe vnto me, if I preach not the Gospell.

I know that our Haruest aboundes with plentifull and painefull Labourers, that beare the heat and burden of the day, and according to their seuerall offices (whe­ther in Ouerseeing, Planting, or Watering) with the sweate of their browes, they labour in Gods Vineyard: but to complaine o [...] the euill that is, is no wrong to the good that is: [...] excellent thinges are sp [...]ken of thee, Oh thou Citie of God; Oh thou Church of England: Oh might it be no wrong to thy Perfections, no staine to thy Beautie, to condole some wantes in thy Sonnes: It is sin to be silent, where an impartiall speach may take good effect: the sweete deawes of holy Admonitions may from this place, (as the Liuer) spread into all the Vaines of the Land.

The Ministerie is a matter of both Honour and Bur­then: Are there none, that catch at the Honour, will not meddle with the Burden? whose pined Flockes must either content themselues with a bare Pasture, or else stray foorth into neighbouring Commons; whiles they forget to breake their Maisters Bread; yea perhaps to set the whole Loafe before his guestes: Are there none that loade their mindes with the Burden of Cares, too heauie for a Christian soule to beare? the loade of Am­bition, the burden of Couetousnes so pressing them downe, as if they were exonerated of the Burden of the Gospell: But if any soule be sensible of this Burden, (as [Page] one, into whose bowels God hath put the compassion of distressed soules,) Esay. 62. 1. for Zyons sake he will not hold his peace: yea, let me speake it of him, that Iob of himselfe; He is full of matter, and the spirit within him, compelleth him: the word is in him, Iob. 3 [...]. 18. like new Wine in Bottles, which must be ven­ted, or will burst foorth: And if we slippe our shoulders from vnder this Burden, God can make the whole world too hotte for vs, and at last impose a Burden of another nature, on our then weaker and more vnable soules (the Mountaines and Rockes (if weighed in the ballance) will be found lighter) the Burden of all their sinnes, whose soules haue bled to death by our negli­gence: We may, through our impatience and weake­nesse with Ieremy, curse the dayes of our Natiuitie, and cry woe worth the time, Ier. 20. that euer we were borne, to so troublesome an Office: but a greater woe and curse attendes vs, if we attende it not: passiue Corruptions in our selues, actiue Reproches, Iniuries, Oppositions of others, impulsiue temptations of the Deuill, may make vs wearie of our callinges: but his Word is in our heartes, as fire shut vp in our bones, and we shall be weary of forbearing; we cannot smother the flames of it, but with tearmes of defiance to the stoutest that beare a forehead, we must declare it: God giues vs the pro­uision of this Burden, before hand, that we may stoope the shoulders of patience and zeale to it: Thus to Eze­kiell: Sonne of man, Ezek▪ 1 [...] I send thee to Israel; What are they? I will not dissemble with thee: They are a rebellious house: contumelies against thy selfe, blasphemies against thy maker, the bitinges, smitinges, woundinges of tongues, handes, and swordes: this is the Burden thou must beare; if any lighter and better thinges come, let them be (praeter spem) beyond thy expectation: Thus is the Word a burden to the person that beares it.

2. It is no lesse to them that must suffer it: the Iudge­mentes of God are heauie on whomsoeuer they light: a [Page 5] Milstone bound to the sinner, & throwne with him into the Sea, will not sooner sinke him to the bottome, then these bound to the soule, will sinke it to the depth of dephtes; Math. 18. 6. therfore Christ sayes, B [...]tter a Milstone, because lighter. The wrath of the Lambe, at the consummation of the world, is acknowledged more heauie then Rocks and Mountaines; Reuel. 6. 16. and happy were it for those repro­bates, if such intollerable pressures could dissolue them into emptines: These on the body are more sensible, on the soule more miserable. In the infancie of the world, Gods blowes were most outward; in this ripe (or ra­ther rotten) age of it, they are most inward & spirituall: We haue no Beares to deuoure the Mockers; no fierie Serpents to strike the Murmurers: Gods punishments reach most to the Conscience: (T [...]plex circa prae [...]a ferrum,) a sensuall and senseles heart without apprehen­sion of Gods incensed anger, (Cor nuliis violabile telis) not made of penitrable stuffe: if Gods finger touch the bo­dy, we grone vnder the weight; let his whole hand lie on the soule, we feele nothing: If this be not our Burden & Miserie, what is? Like curious Visitors, will ye not beleeue this age to labour of this Sicknesse, (vnles you behold some Symptomes? Let your eyes take notice (and that not without griefe of soule) the deadnesse of heart among vs: We ply the World hard, dallie with Religion: We serue God in iest; our selues, with all re­spect & earnest: Our Deuotions are like Winter, frosty, misty, & windy of many natures, none other then cold: Nothing armes, charmes, and confirmes our senses with attention, spirits with intention, actiue powers with contention, but vanitie. Are not the Benches in Ta­uernes, and Theaters, often wel replenished, when these Seates are thinne and almost empty? Are not the Allies in this Temple often fuller of Walkers, then the Quire of Petitioners? Conference with prophane ostentati­on of Cloathes; perhappes plottes of mischiefe, as fre­quent, [Page] as sutes to God: (making it little lesse then a den of Theeues:) If men stumble into the Church, as com­pany, custome, recreation, or (perchance) sleepe inuites many, they feed their eyes with vanities; if any drops he admitted into their eares, they are entertayned vn­der the nature of conceates: Iudgements (they thinke) be none of their lessons, they will not suffer their con­sciences to apply them: Mercies they challenge and owne, though they haue no right to them: If this estate be not a misery, iudgement, burden, there is none: The fire of the Pestilence is well quenched, the rumours and stormes of Warre are layde, the younger brother of death, Famine, doth not tyrannize ouer vs: But here it is; our sinnes and Gods wrath (for them) meete, and the heart is hardned: this is the sorest iudgement. Let me speake a Paradoxe, but a trueth; it is the plague of ma­nie, that they are not plagued: euen this is their pu­nishment, the want of punishment: & the hand of God is then heauiest, when it is lightest: heauiest on the Conscience, when lightest on the Carcase: it is true on them, what the Philosopher sayd of himselfe ( Perieram misi perijssem) they are vndone, that they are not vndone: God suffers their bodyes to possesse, and be possessed of rest: they sing to Viols, daunce to Measures: their Heades ake not, Much lesse their Consciences: But (as to Israel, fatte with Quailes) God withall, sendes Lea [...] ­nesse into their soules: the present indulgence, giues sufficient argument of future woes: they surfet on plea­sures, till death puts them out of breath: that worthy Father saw this their (selfe-commended) estate, and prayed against it; Aug. Domine, hic [...]re, hic seca, vt in [...]ternum parcas. Lord, heere plague, cut, massacre, burne me, so that for euer thou wilt spare and saue me. This is ( O [...]u [...] grauissimum,) the most grieuous Burden. Securitie is the very suburbes of Hell: (Miseri [...] nihil est miser [...], se non miserante,) there is nothing more wretched, then a wretched man, that reckes not his owne miseri [...]: an [Page 6] insensible Heart is the Deuils Anuile, he fashioneth all sinnes on it, and the blowes are not felt.

You wounder at the frequencie of Burdens, and that the Turtles of this Land grone out of this place, the sadde tunes of woe and miserie. Alasse, how should we sing the songes of Syon to a strange people? The Pul­pit (I confesse) should be the Mercie seate; but your sinnes haue made it a Tribunall, or Bench of Iudgement: Nothing but the thunders of Sinaj, (and scarce those) can waken vs from our dead sleepe: this is ( Ima S [...]cu­ritas) deepe Securitie, fitly applyed to vs, whose is ( Sine cura aetas) an Age without care; or rather, if you will, (Se curans [...]tas) that loue none but our selues, and that not enough to seeke our owne peace: Let me speake it in the tune of Ieremie (Non habet vlterius, quod nostris mo­ribus addat posteritas) we flow with those sins, to which no following posteritie shalbe euer able to adde; so sprea­ding, an infection of sinne is among vs, that, as in a great Plague, we wonder not so much at them which die, as at them whch scape; so there is nothing a Wonder, a Mirror, a Miracle in Nature, but he that liues vnspot­ted of this world. If you thinke I speake too bitterly, I would to God, it were not worse then I speake: I would your reformation might conuince our shame, and giue vs cause to recant this in the Pulpitte: this turnes the Message of Edome vpon vs; the Burden of Dumah, the Burden of England: we cast from our shoul­ders the Burden of the Law, God layes on vs the bur­den of Iudgement: we load God with our sinnes, Amos. 2. 13. and presse him as a Cart with Sheaues: we packe vp a bun­dle of Lyes, Blasphemies, Adulteries, Periuries, Extor­tions, Fraudes, and then hasten to the Crosse of Christ to vnload them; as if pressing our soules to Hell with wilfull sinnes, yet Christ on the least warning, must ease vs: Math. 11. 28. But the Promise is not to men laden with sinne, but with sorrow for sinnes: It is such a load as must [Page] make vs weary, or we haue no promise to be eased.

But alasse, sinne (which is Burden enough to sinke the world) is made light by custome; as if resting in mans heart, it did (Quiessere in propriam sedem) settle it selfe in the owne naturall place: It is a philosophicall Axiome (Nullum elementum suo loco pondurat) no element is heauie in the proper place: Though Sinne be as weightie as a Talent of Lead, Zachar. 5. 7. (sayth the Prophet) yet it is at the Center, (when) got into the corrupted heart, and weighes light: and except the wrath of God fall vpon the naked Conscience, Sinne lyes at the doore, and Cain neuer cryes, It is greater then I am able to beare. Iudas had Burden enough of treason, hypocrisie, ma­lice, couetousnesse, to sinke him downe; it was no Bur­den, till the finger of Gods wrath touched the tender heart-stringes, and then it pressed him downe to his owne place. Act. 1. 25. How many haue in curuate and oppressed soules, bowed downe with the spirit of infirmitie (nay of ranke iniquitie) more then 18. yeares, that are not yet sensible of their owne crookednes, nor the cause there­of: for it can not be, but the de [...]owred Patrimonies of many Orphans, the ruines and depopulations of Townes, the deuastation of Holy thinges, should be Burd [...]ns too heauie for a poore crasie Soule to stand vnder: Piles of V [...]urie heauier then Ae [...]na, Burdens of Bribes out ballancing the Axeltree, are more then the Gyants, Geonaxo, Monsters of Men, and Prodegies of Nature were able to beare. We could not see a corrup­ted Lawyer, Citizen, Cormorant, goe so nimbly, and so bolt vpright vnder such a masse of sinne, if they had not some helpe: Heere it is, the strong man Sathan (so it plea­seth Christ to tearme him) puts vnder his shoulder, and makes the Vessell goe tight and easie, with an equall Ballance, which could not else swimme vpon the Wa­ters without sinking: Pride could not else carry a whole Towneship on his backe, which his father Co­uetousnesse [Page 7] had (but newly) deuastate, clambring vp to Honour, (as Ionathan to the Garrison of the Phi [...]istens by the raggednesse of these two Rockes, Bozez and Seneh; so these) by the desolation of our two maine Rockes, the Church, and Common-wealth. The vn­mercifull Monopolies of Courtiers, the vnreasonable Prices of Marchantes, the hoordes (if not transportati­on) of Graine with Cormorantes, the aduantages made of the poores necessities, vnconscionable sinnes, and Rentes, wringing the last Penny from their Pur­ses, and drop of Blood from their Heartes, (Oh durum et importabile pondus) an intollerable weight. These wret­ches were neuer able to beare it without the ayde of the Deuill, who, whiles they draw with him in the same yoake, is content to beare all the Burden.

At last, when Presumption hath left the Stage, and Desperation begins to knit vp all with a direfull cata­strophe, the Pulses beating slowly, the Head akeing ve­hemently, Body and Soule refusing all proffered com­fort, then the Deuill castes the whole Load on them, that at once they may despaire and die: then that which was lighter then Corke and Feathers, becomes heauier then Lead & Earth: God hath often stroue with them by his Word; they would neuer yeeld ( Avinces) Thou shalt ouercome Oh Lord: Now (perhaps with Iulian too late) they pant out ( [...]) Thou hast ouercome: Our cryings in the day, could not wake them; that cry at midnight, shall fetch them vp, With the Burden of Enuie, Couetousnesse, Drunkennesse, &c. And as it was doo­med to Babilon; Reu [...]l. 13. 7. Looke how much her glory and pleasure hath been giue be [...] so much torment and sorrow. Nay, then the De [...]ill gettes vp too (like a mercilesse lay our) with the addition of his owne weight, to aggrauate their woes. Striue then euerie one to abate the Bur­den of Iudgement, by lessening the Burden of Sinne: Euery repentant Teare that falles, washeth a [Page] Talent from this Burden: euery remorcefull sigh, and faythfull Prayer, 2. Cor. 4. 9 diminisheth the Load; that which re­maines, may presse, shall not oppresse: Christ will put vnder his shoulder; Come all ye laden (exonerate animas) vnload your soules: he bore them on his Crosse, and our beleeuing soules shall neuer feele the weight of them: the Crosse onely is left heauy to blood and flesh, but to a heart (made) spirituall, Math. 11. 30. Thy yoake, Oh Lord, is easie, and thy burden light: our owne heauy, but thine light.

Wee haue perused the Mappe to the end of the In­scription, the Description standes next to our speach; where we haue an Edomite standing on Mount Seir and calling to the Watchman, with the voyce of derision, What he saw in the night, &c. a proude Edomite securing himselfe the strength of his owne armes, deriding the Prophet of God, which came against him with the burden of Warres: this is the sense I fasten on. I haue read other Expositions, as if it was a question of feare: I approue and dwell on the former: from the perswasi­on then of immunitie, impunitie, and safe standing out of the reach of Earth, Seir and Se­curity. of Hell, of Heauen, proceedes this Question. Edom hath shaken off the yoake of Israel, and begins to crowne his dayes with the Rose buddes of Peace, and not to feare the Sword of Egipt, nor Ashur, nor Gods himselfe in Heauen: their conceite was (though faignedly) as strong of this Mount Seir, as the promise of God was really true to Mount Syon, neuer to be moued, though the battlementes of Heauen shotte Thunder, and the pillars of the Earth quaked.

There is question about the name of this Seir; Hierom. some affirme it deriued from Esau, Gen. 36. 9. as being the place where he and his generation dwelt: Indeed the nature of Esau, and the name of Seir, agrees fitly, for both signifie, Bris­seled, or Hairy: but it had the name of Seir, before Esau came thither. Some Hebrewes thinke the Mountaine [Page 8] was called Seir, from the apparition of Deuils, who she­wed themselues in the shapes of hayrie men, such as the Fawnes were imagined to be: Mercer, But most like to take de­nomination from Seir the Horite, Gen. 36. 20. who inha­bited there long before Esau: Gen. 14. 6. And the Horites in their mount Seir, vnto the plaine of Paran; it being the Countrie of the Ho [...]i [...]s or Horites: Esau was drawen hither for many reasons; 1. because that corner of Canaan about Hebron, Mercer. where he and his brother Iacob dwelt, were too scant for their Flockes: 2. because Mount Seir fitted Esau's minde, Perer. being a place of excellent hunting: 3. his Wiues were of that Countrie: 4. Gods prouidence so disposed of Esau's remouall, that Iacob might liue in safe­tie: And euen in this, God wrought Esau's good, by putting him out of Canaan; for then with the rest of the Canaanites they had been destroyed by Israel; Gen. 27. 39. 40 but God made good that temporall blessing vpon Esau and his seed, which his father Ish [...]c gaue him. Indeed the Ama­lekites (though deriued from Esau) were destroyed by Israel; but the reason may be thus gathered, because Amalek was the Sonne of Eliphaz (the sonne of Esau) by a Concubine: Mercer. the Idumaeans, that were legitimate suc­cessors, were preserued: such was the different respects to the tight, and to the bastard seed; for God is sayd to giue Mount Seir to Esau; Ioshuah [...] 4. 4 I gaue vnto Esau mount Seir to possesse it; therefore the Israelites among their spoyles of Canaan, Deut. 2 5. were expressely forbidden to destroy it: Yee shall not prouoke them; for I will not giue you of their Land, so much as a foote breadth, because I haue giuen mount Seir to Esau for a possession: Such was Gods mercie to Esau for his Fa­thers sake, that his posteritie was made great and ho­nourable: But if the Horites first inhabited Mount Seir, how comes the posteritie of Esau to enioy it? It is an­swered in the 2. of Deutr. Deut. 2. [...]2. The Horims dwelt in mount Seir before-time, whom the children of Esau chased out, and destroy­ed them before them, and dwelt in their stead: So doth Sinne [Page] quench the very cinders of naturall affection, after it hath put out the flames of Religion, that the children of Esau ceased not till they had extinguished their owne kindred: the respect of blood must giue way to Rapine and Malice: too weake is Nature to restraine the fu­rie of Sinne, when it is stung by that fiery Serpent, the Deuill. The Romish Mountaine doth claime some kin of this Mount Seir, (at least in the opinion of the Iewes:) There is one place in Edom, called Magdiell; this the Rabbines take for Rome, and say, that of the Idumeans came the Romans: it is not so locally; it may be well spiritually; For, for persecution of the Saintes, there is no such Edome in the world, as Rome: But Magdiell sig­nifies, Praysing God: Oh blessed were Rome, if in this, she could be called Magdiell. This Seir was a Mountaine of great strength, not infertile; and as great probabilitie giues it, graced with either one or many goodly Cities: Who will bring me into Edom, Psal. who will lead me into the strong Citie? Neither may we thinke, that the offspring of Edom, when once made Dukes, nay Kinges, contented themselues to dwell in Tentes.

But what if a Mountaine, what if a Citie, or the strength of Edom, is it able to grapple with the Wrath of God, or buckle with his Iudgementes? If any peece of the broad Earth were shot proofe against the Anger of God (as they faine the [...]arden of Hisperides against the Planets) it would not be vnsought, vnbought: there haue been Mountaines and Cities before and after Seir, prouder and stronger then shee, that haue measured their length on the ground, and been dissolued to dust and rubbish; and Edom her selfe hath daunced the same measure. The world hath gloried in her seuerall ages of many goodly Cities; [...] the pride of Assyria, Troy the pillar of Asia, Babilon more a Region then a Citie, Carthage graced with 17. tributarie Kingdomes; and let not Ierusalem be shut from both the glory and [Page 9] sadnesse of this relation: may we not say of them all now (Etiam periere ruinae) That litle of them is dissolued to nothing. Thus God cooles and dampes the glory of Israel: Goe you vnto Calneh, and see: and from-thence goe vnto Hamath the great: Amos. 6. 2 then goe downe to Gath of the Philistines: be they better then these Kingdomes, or the border of their land greater then your b [...]rder?

Constantius spake of old Rome, that Nature had emp­tied all her forces on that one Citie: the time came, she was ouerthrowne, and her Walles made euen with the ground. The titles of new Rome are greater, not her Priuiledges: (shee is called, Vrbs aeterna,) yet that Eternall Babilon shall fall, and her honour be layde in the Dust: her doome is past, and in the decree of Hea­uen, she is already fallen for the more surenesse; and all her Marchants (petty Leases taken out of her graund Lease) shall mourne bitterly for her: shee shall be made a Cage of vncleane Birdes, Owles and Vultures; as she is now a Denne of vncleane Beas [...]es, Lyons and Tygers. If any Citie on earth might boast her Priui­ledges, let Ierusalem speake; shee was called the Holy City, and the City of God: the Temple in her, a figure of the Church militant; as Salom [...]n the buylder of it, was a type of Christ: Beholde, her House is left vnto her desolate: Sinne layde her Pinacles in the dust: At the murder of his Sonne, God with his owne handes, rent the Vaile, and after gaue the whole Fabricke a spoyle to the Gentiles: They that haue trauayled the lower Prouinces, testifie, that the rude heapes of ruined Churches, Monasteries, and Religious places, are no lesse frequent then pittied spectacles: Deuotion built them, kept them; Sinne polluted them, Hostility subuerted them: Sinne prepared the way for Ruine and Blood: the Idolatry within ouerthrew the Walles with­out: they could plead more then Dumah, they and their pleas are perished.

[Page]Let me not speake as a Prophet, but as an Admoni­sher: Is it impossible for the Sinne of England, to haue the like effect? Wee are ready to say in pride, what Dauid spake in the assurance of Fayth, I can not fall thou oh Lord of thy goodnesse, hast made my Hill [...] strong: Let vs prayse God for that we haue, and pray that our sinnes auert it not: Let Dumah speake with his pride; though our Priuiledges be more, let our Presumption be lesse: it is wise and safe, to possesse more then wee boast of: though Nature hath bound vp the loynes of our Kingdome witha girdle of Waues, & Pollicie ray­sed another fence of woodden Walles, yet God must put about vs a third Girdle, the bandes or circle of his Prouidence, or our strength is weaker then the waters. It is an old and sure rule against the Atheist, against the Worldling, that whole cannot be perpetuall, whose partes be alterable: If the members of this great body, the World, change, faint and grow old, it argues a cree­ping decay to the whole: Let the Cormorant know (that would build his neast heere for euer) that parts of this land are alterable, therefore the whole not perma­nent. If the Plague takes away men, the fields grow barren; nay, the wearied earth (after much industry) is dull in her fruits; like an vnnaturall Stepdame, she produceth not good things of her selfe: if a Deluge ouer-run vs, wee and our glory vanish: God hath more meanes then one, to inflict his iudgements. It is with no lesse admiration then trueth reported, that a whole field in England, is turned in one moneth from a fertile soyle, to a most Barren wast: It lyes from the danger of innundation, from the reach of the hand of warre; what then can turne it to a perpetuall barrennes? Thus, God raiseth a mighty winde, that vncouers a moun­taine of sande, which ouerspreads the fruitfull valley to a great thicknes; and it is made worse then Carmell, which God thus threatens: I will turne L [...]banon into Car­mell, [Page 10] and Carmell into a Forest: Esay. it lyes in the power of mans sins, to make God curse his very blessings.

The Burden of Dumah is warre, Mount Seir feares it not: if the booke of our hearts lay open to be read, I thinke our feare of warre is lesse then theirs. God graunt our presumption, our securitie be not as great: Wee sitte vnder our owne Figge-trees, and eate the fruites of our owne Vineyards: Our Children goe out by flockes and daunces, and flourish like the Oliue branches round about our tables: Our Oxen are strong to labour, our Sheepe bring foorth thousands and ten thousands in our streets: There is no leading into cap­tiuity, no dashyng of our Children against the stones, no complay­ning in our streetes. If this one blessing exceed not our thankfulnesse for all, my obseruation is deceiued; but what a bold inference is this? there is no warre, there­fore may be none, nor can we be ouerthrowne: It is a speech as common as the stones in our streetes, when consideration of warre is offred: Wee need feare no Ene­mies, if we be true amongst our selues: Vaine security, that is built vpon if's and and's: Who shall make vs true to our selues, that haue beene false to God? Are there no sonnes of Behal amongst vs, that curse the prosperitie of Syon, and gape for the day, to cry Downe with it, downe with it, euen to the ground? wee know they haue openly and priuately with coate of Armour, and coate of Maile, assaulted the peace of Ierusalem, but (praise to our God) receiued shame in putting of their Harnesse: Let this make vs thankefull, not secure; as if God could not reach his arme ouer our narrow Seas: Behold France made a Cock-pitte for massacres, by the vnciuill ciuill warres thereof: Thinke of the vnquiet bread long ea­ten in the Low-countries: and when thou sayest, wee lay our heads on the Pillowes of peace, and eate the Bread of plenty, kisse his hand with praises that feeds thee with these blessings, but let not thy owne strength make thee carelesse. The Papists thus re-hearten them­selues [Page] against all their ouerthrowes giuen them by this litle Iland, that our time is not yet come, our sinnes are not yet full: That Ignatian Sectarie Pererius so notes in Gen. 15. The wickednesse of the Amorites is not yet full▪ &c. He giues it by way of Comment; but it is a false glosse, I trust, and carryes no more trueth with it, then other the fictions of Rome; his wordes are these: Let no man wonder why God suffers the persecution of the Catholikes in England, (the sinnes of the Amorites are not yet full) their wickednesse is not yet compleat; when it is, the diuine reuenge shall fall: They expected this day at the last change; God changed their expectation to follie: and as it was our griefe, Mira cano: sol occubuit, nox nulla se­cura est. that (Sol o [...]cubuit) our Sunne-set, so it is our ioy, wonder, (Nox nulla secuta est) no night followed. I hope his Prophecie is as false for the euent, as I am sure his application is for the thing: wee are neither those vncircumcised Amorites, vnchristened Pagans, nor doe we persecute the Catholikes; except to haue liber­tie of Law grow rich, purchase Lands, beard and braue the Ministers of God to their faces, be called Persecu­tion: (Heere I cannot but mention, what is well obser­ued by a most reuerend and honoured Iudge of this land, L. Cooke. that) whereas haue been 300. burnt by Q. Mary for Religion, there haue scarce 30. Papistes been exe­cuted by Q. Elizabeth for Treason: yet, I hope, there is some difference betwixt 300. and 30. Religion, and Treason; betwixt the fiue yeares raigne of the one, and the 44. of the other. I know their rebellions, trea­sons, conspiracies, meete with execution, no persecuti­on to their Religion: Happy would our Martirs haue thought themselues, if on such tearmes they might haue redeemed their Consciences: no, the iniquities of Babel haue filled vp their measure rather, and their iudgement long agoe was not farre off, and their damnation slee­peth not. Pererius is his owne Prophet against vs, we speake not against them of our selues, the Holy ghost [Page 11] speakes for vs, Who shall shortly consume that m [...]n of sinne with the breath of his nost [...]ls: Let their eyes stare for our ouerthrowes, till they fall out of their vnfortunate heades; Deut. 18. 32. God hath blessed, and the Balaam of Rome shall neuer be able to curse: onely let not our zeale be wan­ting to our God, to our Church, to our selues, and God shall not be wanting to vs, nor all the hostes, which he fightes with: and once againe, if need be, Coniurati ve­nient in classica ven [...]) the Windes and Seas shall take our part: Let not our Peace make vs wanton, nor our Wealth, proude; our helpe standes, in the name of God, not in Fortes and Swordes.

To speake more particularly, Bee not too confident (who so euer) in thy Mount Seir; euery wicked soule hath her Mount Seir to trust in: they that haue no assu­rance of rest in Heauen, haue their Refuges and Moun­taines of helpe of Earth; Dauid so returnes it vpon the wicked: Psal. 11. 1. In the Lord put I my trust, how then say you to my soule, flee as a Bird to your Mō [...]taine. Why should I seeke to forraine helpes, that haue setled my selfe in the bosome of Rest it selfe? Riches are a Mount Seir to the Coue­tous, they rest on them, as the Arke on the Mountaines of Armenta: Honour is a Mount Seir to the Ambitious, against all the beseeginges of riuals: Sensualitie to the Voluptuous, against all the disturbances of a cla­morous Conscience: Pride, Fraude, Drunkennesse, is a Mount Seir to the louers; but alas, how vnsafe? if stron­ger against, and further remooued from the hand of man, yet neerer to Gods hand in Heauen: though we acknowledge no place (Procul a [...]o [...]e, or, procul a fulmine) farre from God, or from his thunder: But we say, it is not safest sailing on the toppe of the Mast, to land on the mountainous height of a temporall estate, is neither wise nor happy: Men standing in the shade of humble Valleys, looke vp and wonder at the height of Hilles, and thinke it goodly liuing there, as Peter thought Ta­bor, [Page] but when with weary limbes they haue ascended, Bonum est esse hic. and finde the beames of the Sunne melting their spi­rites, or the cold blastes of Winde making their Si­newes starke, flashes of Lightning, or crackes of Thun­der, soonest endangering their aduanced heades, then they confesse (decking their proud Conceit,) the low valley is safest: for the fruitfull Deawes that fall first on the Hilles, stay least while there, but runne downe to the Valleyes: and though on such a promontorie a man further sees, and is farther seene, yet in the Valley, where he sees lesse, he enioyes more: Take heed then, least to raise thy Mount Seir high, thou deiectest thy soule low: Am. 6. 1. Woe vnto them that are at ease in Zyon, and trust in the Mountaines of Samaria: If we build our Houses by Vnrighteousnesse, and our Chambers without [...]quitie, though as strong as Mount Seir, they shall not be able to stand in the Earth-quake of Iudgement: God so threatens Iehoiakim: Ier. 22, 15. Shalt thou reigne because thou closest thy selfe in Cedar? did not thy father eate and drinke and pros­per, when he executed iudgement and iustice. &c. Thinke not your Houses, Fortresses; when your Soules are vn­armed of Christian weapons, Fayth and Obedience: You had, and shall haue peace, whiles you pursue it with righteous liues, whiles your guide all your actions by the line of the Sanctuarie, and stirre your Attempts by the compasse of the Gospell: Plentie shall spread your Tables, whiles Charitie takes away, and giues to the Poore. These holy courses, shall make you conti­nue, in despight of Hell and Rome; your Mountaine shalbe hedged about with the Mercies of God, & your Children shall defie their Enemies in the Gates.

The Person must not be omitted, to whom this scof­fing Question is mooued; The Watch-man. It seemes the Prophet had denounced against Edom, Watchman, & Vigilancie. Warre; they deride his message, as a leafing, and his person vn­der the name of a Watch-man: nay, therefore they [Page 12] scorne him, because a Watch-man. I will not insist on the duties of Waich-men: euery common Souldier can schoole the Watch-man: Many presume to teach vs our duties, that will be ranged within no order them­selues: that which a Watch-man is to the Citie, or Cen­tinell to the Leagure; a Minister is to the People: to Watch ouer your selues, is euery particular mans dutie; to watch ouer all, (Opus Ministrj) is the worke of the Ministry: If our Eyes be blinde in descrying Dangers, our Tongues dumbe to giue Warning, the Citie or Fort is easily taken: [...]reg. Now, (Quam clamoris vocem datu­rus est praeco mutus?) What warning shall a dumbe Watch-man giue? Some will not speake, the Fountaine of their knowledge is shut vp, like Labans Well, with a great Stone of securitie, saturity, statelinesse: others will speake too much, making the Pulpit a Pasquill, to ease their spleenes, to traduce superiours: (Medio tutissimus ibis) The meane and honest way, is the sa­fest.

But what say we to Vsurpers, Wolues, Tyrantes, that call themselues Watch-men? that (Bi-nominis, bi-linguis) Double-named, double-tongued, double-sworded; and not single hearted. Demi-god of Rome, calles himselfe sometimes a Watch-man, sometimes a King: the Ser­uant of seruants, the King of Kinges: as if there was no difference betwixt the seruiceable Watch-man, and the commaunding Prince; betwixt the Centinell of the Leagure, and the Generall of the Armie, (Ad duo qui tendit, non vnum, nec duo prendit) Whiles he claimes both, vsurpes one, trueth allowes him neither: His actions shew him no Seruant, (F [...]riendo non ferendo agit,) Hee giues blowes, but takes none. To be such a Watch-man as he desires, possibility is denyed him, since his eyes can not looke so farre, as hee would extend his arme; not to watch ouer Rome onely, but so farre as the world is Christned: Behold, sayth he, I haue two Swords; [Page] one of them he lets rust, I meane, the sword of the Spi­rit: the other, he keepes bright with the blood of Saints, and makes it shine with the Gall of Martirs: (Principa­ [...]is principatus a triplici corona) the principall principalitie is from the triple Crowne: As the Sunne exceedes the Earth, so the Pope all Christian Princes; other Kinges are but his Bayliffes. Did you euer heare a Watch-man speake thus? or arrogate to himselfe such a reigne (In foro pol [...], in foro pluij, in foro conscient [...]ae) In the court of Heauen, in the court of Hell, and in the court of euery Conscience? If any resist his tyranny, he snacheth from Christ that his Word, Luk. 19. 27. and vsurpes it: Bring those mine enemies, that would not haue mereigne ouer them, and slay them before me: If he can not behold it in action, he will see it in picture, as the massacre of Paris on S. Bartholomewes night, was pictured in the Popes Pallace, to entertaine his holy eye with pleasure: so would the Powder-treason haue been, if the matter had hit right: as horred, as the thought of it is to an honest minde, the hoysting vp of Buildinges, shiuering of Bodyes, tearing vp of Monuments, dissipation, massacre, murder of olde, young, Prince people, Senators and Senate, drawne to the life by the art of a Painter, would haue been a con­tenting spectacle, for so holy an eye to contemplate: sure there is honesty in Hell, if this be Religion: if the Deuill can deuise more execrable stratagems, let him change Seates with the Pope. Christ medled with nei­ther Herod, nor Emperour, King nor Cesar; no Empe­rours held his Stirrop, no Kings kissed his blessed feete; hee onely fought with the weapons of the Spirit a­gainst Sinne and Satan. This is a Watch-man indeed; but he watcheth to inuade, beseidge, enter and spoyle the Citie of God: hee liath other Watch-men vnder him, Vncleane birdes, fluttring from that Vulture of Babilon, and flying like Battes and Owles vnder the eues of night, to vomite the poysons of Heresie and [Page 13] Treasons from their swolne gorges: Watch-men like the Chaplens of Mars at Rome in the dayes of Idolatry, that practised to tosse Fire-brandes from Campe to Campe, to inflame euill affections; that care not whose blood they sacrifice to their Romane God, without di­stinction of Troian, of Tyrian: nor out of whose Sepul­chers they digge themselues an estate: They watch in­deed, for they keepe a Register of all our proceedinges against them, in these ltaleyon dayes of ours; and if euer the S [...]nne of Alteration shine on their faces, they will repay vs tenne blowes for one vpon our Burgonets: meane time (our Prayses to Heauen) they watch their owne bane: and (as one writes of Parry,) so I may of the end of them all (Itala gens sceleri te dedit, Angla cru [...]) Italy giues them their villanie, England their Gallowes; this is (their malus, but meritus sinis) the euill, but deser­ued end of them all: England is sinfull enough, but she professeth not her selfe a Schoole-mistris of Sinne, This their Chamber of meditation doth testify. as Rome doth of Treason: there it is professed, taught, lear­ned, and (as on the sandy Theator) exercised before it come to the fatall execution.

The Priestes of peruerted Israel, Hos. 6. 9. were but shadows of these of apostate Rome: As Theeues waite for a man, so the company of Priestes murder in the way by consent. Hence that Prouerbe carryes no lesse trueth, then antiquitie with it: An Englishman Italianate, is a Deuill incarnate: these are those Iesuites, Iebusites, Incendiaries, Traytors, and not lesse then Deuils, but that they haue bodyes. God blesse vs from such Watch-men: if these be Watch-men, who are enemies?

We see then the vanitie of their laboures, that would vndertake to bring vs to a composition: if Heresie can be made Sinceritie, Idolatrie true Religion, Treason Obedience, we may be vnited: but it is a sure rule, Contraries in the abstract, can neuer be reconciled: God put an vn-appeasable Contention betwixt the [Page] two Seedes of the Woman, and Serpent, when hee put Enmity betweene them▪ for an Enemy may be made a Friend, but Enmitie can neuer be made Frendship: the Ayre that is darke, may be made Light; but Darknesse cannot be made Brightnesse; a Papist may be conuer­ted to a Christian, but Papistry can neuer be made Christianitie, no more then Antichrist can become Christ: our strife with them is not for the extention of Limits, but for the possession of the Inheritaunce, whe­ther Grace or Nature, the Popes Law or Gods, shall take place in the Conscience: So I haue read of that audacious and sottish Hermite, that would vndertake, to make God and the Deuill friendes: the impossibili­tie of which attempt, the Deuill could tell him; God is all Light, and I am all Darknesse, that my foule nature can not be hidden: our affections, seates, persons, are so opposed, that I haue no hope of peace. They will not, we may not yeeld; except the Sheepe shall com­pound with the Wolfe, or the Mise with the Catte; which the old tale forbids, though the Catte gette on a Monks Cowle, & cries demurely through the creuices, ‘Quod fueram, non suw, fra [...]er, caput aspice tonsum.’

Experience would teach vs the answere of the verse, though we had neuer read it.

To leaue the incorrigible Watch-men of Rome, since we would haue cured Babel, and she would not be cu­red, let vs looke home to our selues. The Wolues of Rome haue not more honour, then the Watch-men of England scorne: the Edomites of the world can not abide Ministers: Heb▪ 1 [...]. the best is, they are but Edemites, heires of [Page 14] Esau, and as prophane as their Father; that make Reli­gion their Minstrell, to giue them sport and sleepe, no iest in such laughter, as that which is broken on a Priest; the proofe is plaine on euery Tauerne and Theater. We serue indeed contrary Maisters; wee Christ, they Lust and Sathan: and (Hinc illae rixae of theirs, hinc illae lae­chrimae of ours,) hence their flowts, & our teares: we bite them with the salt of Reproofe, hence they storme: we cast Incke and Gall on their Tetters, hence they startle: (Veritatem lucentem multi diligunt, arguentem reijci­unt: dum s [...] ostendit columus, dum nos ostendit, odio habemus:) The trueth shining▪ many loue; reprouing, they reiect: whiles it shewes it selfe, we imbrace it; whiles it shewes vs, we can not endure it: euen in this consistes at once, our Happinesse, their Damnation: our Happinesse, Blessed are yee, when for me porsecuted: their Damnation, That Light being in the world, they imbrace and are gladde of Darknesse: though their wronges done vs, be against the Law of Armes and Nature; for an Ambassadour should be (Inter hostium tela incolumis) safe among the Weapons of the Ene­mies:

But doe the Edomites onely take up these Weapons of scorne against vs? No, I speake it betwixt shame and griefe, euen the Israelites scorne the Prophets. There are some sicke of a wantonnes in Religion, so hot about the question, De modo, that the Deuill steales the mat­ter of Religion from their heartes: if we cannot wran­gle with Formes and Shadowes, and shew our selues refractarie to established Orders, we shall, Malè audire, our Sermons shall be slighted, our persons derided: thus, this is the mischiefe; men of name, professors of note, when they speake bitterly of vs, their credite carries it strong with our scandals: one Arrow of these Israelites, wounds deeper then a hundred Cannon-shot [Page] of the Edomites: I confesse I speake Stones, but if they hitte, as they are intended, they shall heale some, hurt none: (Dicatur veritas, rumpatur inuidia) Let Trueth be spoken, and Enuie burst her Gall: let all these Scorners remember, that the contempt done to vs, redowndes to God himselfe: Hee that despiseth vs, despiseth men: hee that Christ, despiseth his Sauiour: Is all this nothing? But hee that d [...]spiseth mee and you, despiseth him thot sent mee and you: It comes to somewhat then, and more then euer mortall man shalbe able to answere; is it not enough for them, that they haue drawne out the life-blood of our Li­uinges, but they must expose our persons to contempt? So the Iewes spoyled Christ of his Vestmentes, and then mocked him with basenesse. Our pouertie of flouted by them that haue our Liuinges: surely, if repentance and restitution preuent it not, they shall haue a Tith one day, which they haue more right to, the tenth Sheafe of that Haruest, which is reserued for Repro­bates in Hell. The Turkes lay it is an imputation on our Religion, that we spoyle our Gods: for shame, doe not the Turkes, and shall the Christians? Dauid would not haue Areunah's Threshing-floore without money; if these men should haue no roome in the Church, but what they pay for, I thinke they would quietly suffer themselues to be turned foorth of dores.

The last branch of the Mappe, and first of the Mo­rall, are not vnfitly conioyned, the Edomite, and his Question: Edomite, and Question. the Question then calles mee from the Watch-man, What is in the nigh [...]? And to make the De­rision fuller and fowler, it is doubled, like Phara [...]hs Dreame, What is in the night? Did they seeke for some prodegie or portent? Some diuine Reuelation, which should be receiued by Vision? Were the like Israel, of whom Christ thus testifies; This adulterous generation seekes for a Signe? Math. 12. 39. Thus Diues despayred of his brethrens beliefe, except one rose from the dead. I confesse wee [Page 15] haue some in the world sicke of this disease, a Iewish infection, The Iewes require a signe, &c. (Plus ocu [...]o, quam oraculo:) 1. Cor. 1. 22. miseries shall worke more on them then mi­steries: palpable actions of Gods mercie, iustice, pow­er, shall conuince them, the contemplation of them all in the theory of the word mooues them not: astonish them with wonders, S. Thomas, vnles he felt. heale their diseased, open their blinde eyes, raise their dead, and they will beleeue: Are there none among vs, that couch a willing & close eare to the charmes of Rome, in admiration of their feigned miracles? lying Apostles, that worke strange things by exorcismes? but our Church now is not in the Cradle of her infancie: One cuppe of wine brought by Christ, is worth all the cuppes of cold water by Moses: as S. Augustine alluding to that Marriage in Galile, sayes: All the adumbrations, tipes, figures, signes, were but that cuppe of cold Water, Ioh. 2. Christ reserued the good Wine (of the Gospell) till he came him selfe: and they that will not be­leeue without a Signe, without a Signe must perish. But I trauell no further in this, least it bring me out of my way.

It was no Signe they inquire for, no Prodegie they feare; they are onely pleased to make sport with the menaces of God: You talke of a Night, and an houre of Calamitie; but threatned men draw long breathes: You pretend Visions in the night, which portend our ruines; come tell vs the tale of the night: What is in the night? There haue been in all ages, some of these Frogges, to throate it out against God, so long as the weather was faire, as if he could not send a storme: the tempestes of Gods Wrath haue been derided to the last moment of a calme: the venime of Prosperitie so im­poysons a carnall minde, (Eilia diuitiarum superbia) the daughter of Riches is Pride: the Philosopher could teach vs that (Faelicitas & humillitas diuiduum haebent [Page] contubrinium: raro bona mens & bona fortuna homi­ni datur,) Happinesse and Humblenesse are not cham­ber-fellows: seldome a good Minde, and a good Estate, is giuen to the same man: God seemed to mistrust this in Israel, that the increasing of Goodes, and multiply­ing of Cattle, Deut. 8. 13. 14. would lift vp their heartes against him: The peaceable dayes of the Wicked, and their lucky proceedinges in this world (by the testimony of Iob,) durageth their impudence against Heauen: Iob. 21. 15. Who is the Almighty, that we should serue him? depart from vs, wee will none of thy wayes. That of the Psalme is of full strength to this: Psal. 10. 5. His wayes prosper: thy iudgements are farre aboue out of his sight: therefore defyeth he all his enemies: Man onely? no, God himselfe: I shall neuer be mooued. Mal. 3. 14. Let Malachi for all the Prophets, Peter for all the Apostles, make vp this cloude of wit­nesses: It is in vaine to serue the Lord: 2. Pet. 3. 4. and where is the promise of his comming? All thinges are still (Statu quo) continued in the same course: there is no alterati­on, no new thing done ( Quaecun (que) sub axe) vnder Hea­uen. We say, ( Non bonum ludere cum sanctis) it is no safe iesting with holy thinges: It is dangerous for an Edo­mite to make himselfe merry with God; this is the way to come short home: thou hadst better haue mourned all thy life, then made God thy play-fellow. When the vessell of Dust shall encounter with the arme of Omni­potence (Siue percutiat, Imus gradus & Limen [...]nferni. siue percutiatur, frangi necesse est) whether it smite, or be smitten, it is sure to be broken: The Chayre of the Scorner, is the seate of Sathan, the lowest staire and very threshold of Hell, as Dauid de­scribes it: Psal. 1. 1. Blessed is the man that doth not walke, &c. His first plot is, to get vs, to walke a turne or two with him: hauing perswaded this, he moues vs to stand still a litle; but so long as we are standing, we are going, therefore at last he intreates vs (for our ease) to sitte downe: but [Page 16] if we take our seate in that inchaunted Chaire, we grow to that impudence to deride God, and his iudgements. I will single you out foure fortes of these Edomites, Scorners (for I iustly paralell them) and propound their natures and conditions to your pitty and detesta­tion.

1 Atheistes, such as haue voluntarily, violently, ex­tinguished to themselues, the Sun-light of the Scrip­ture, Moone-light of the Creature; nay, the sparkes and cinders of Nature, that the more securely (as vnseene and vnchidden of their owne heartes) they might pro­digally act the workes of darknesse; not Athenian-like, dedicating an Altar to an vnknowne God, but annihi­lating to themselues, and vili-pending to others, Altar, Religion, God; and suffocating the breath of all Moti­ons, Argumentes, manifest Conuictions, that heauen & earth haue produced: for the reasons of Hell onely shall one day euince it (Deum esse) that there is a God: they affirme it impossible, that flesh should be turned to rottennesse, rottennesse to dust, and dust to glorie: Against whom, Qui potuit formare no­uum, non poterit repa­rare mortuū? Facilior est restitutio con­stitutione. Sect. 9. 4. well, S. Augustine; He that could forme vs of nothing, can reforme vs decayed: it is easier to repaire, then prepare. That Atheisme in the dayes of Salomon was the same in opinion, that ours is in practise: we doe (not say but) liue, as if it was better to a liuing Dogge, then a dead Lyon: which I would yeeld true a­mong Beastes; but among men, a dead Beast is better then a lyuing Atheist: let them aske Nature, it will tell them, (Insculptum est omnibus esse deum) It is ingrauen in all hearts, that there is a Deitie: let them aske the Crea­tures, they will witnesse, they had a Creator: nay, let the Deuill speake, to shame and conuince the Atheist, who beleeues a God, and trembles at his owne beliefe: the nature of his essence prooueth it: Qui negat esse deum, mihi negat et tibi, non sibi. &c. to know there is a Witch, may satisfie vs, that there is a God; for if the destroying power were not controuled, manacled, [Page] maistred, Oculos, quos culpa clausit, paena aper [...]et. how stand we vndeuowred? Let them aske (lastly) their owne dying hearts; for the eyes that sinne hath shut, Damnation shall open.

2 Epicures, that deny not a God, and a day of Iudge­ment; Amos. 6. 3. but put it farre off, with ( [...]) giue me the present, take thou the hope of future ioyes: these see a night comming, and therefore make haste to be drunke with Pleasures: Let vs eate and drinke, for to mer­row we shall die: 1. Cor. 15. (Cras ridendo moriuntur, hodiè bibendo sepe­liuntur) they will not die till to morrow, but be buried in Riot to day. They sleepe on their Beddes of Downe, rise to their Tables of Surfet, and from thence to their sportes of Mischiefe; sleeping, playing, eating, daun­cing, drinking, dallying, (Motu circu [...]rj) they runne round in a Ring: onely (Nulla interualla piando) no time must be spared from Sathan: they inuert the Order God hath disposed to the times preposterously, make­ing the night day, and the day night; at midnight they reuell, at noone they sleepe: though the day was cre­ated for labour, the night for repose: The Sunne is scarce beholding to their eyes to looke vpon him: the Moone and Starres haue (onely) their attendance; the workes and the houre of darknesse meete; they will be contrary to all men and all thinges but themselues, be­cause they will be contrary. If euer they begin any worke with the day, they dispose it on this fashion; First, they visit the Tauerne, then the Ordinarie, then the Theater, and end in the Stewes: from Wine to Ry­ot, from that to Playes, from them to Harlots, ‘Iste dies pulchro distinguitur ordine rerum.’ Here is a day spent in an excellent methode: If they were Beasts, they could not better sensualize, it would be but lost labour to tell them, that their course shall be so proportioned below: from Snakes they shall turne vpon Adders, from both to Scorpions, from all to vn­quenched flames; where they shall spend not houres [Page 17] but ages, nay that eternity of time, in waylinges and howlinges, grones and torments; when for euery ounce of Vanitie, they shall receiue (downe weight) a whole pound of Sorrow: Smoakes, blacknes, boyling Caul­drons, fierie burninges of Brimstone & Sulphure, kind­led and continued by the breath of an offended God, shall haue their interchanged courses: oft this torment, and then that, and indeed all, that a soule & body made immortall, can suffer: ‘Iste dies misero distinguitur ordine rerum.’ Heere is a day to be spent in a miserable methode: Oh how (yet) was it some happines, if in a day or set time, these woes could be determined: these are the Epi­cures, not so impudent as to deny the night, not so ho­nest as to part with their sinnes.

3 Libertines, that neither affirme no Night, nor put it farre off; but onely the strength of sinne preuailes ouer all: and come Sorrow, Death, Graue, Hell, they must haue their pleasures: Video melio­ra probo (que), deteriora se­quor, metam. they haue a pride in accom­complishing their owne willes, as shee in the Poet;

They can not be noted for Vertuous; but they will be Famous, though for Infamie: as that wicked Church-robber, that to doe some memorable act, pulled all the Lead off the Churches roofe, and thacked it: they must be mentioned, though like a Traytors name in the Chronicles. These sweare away all reproofes, & drinke away all the chidings of their owne Conscience: it shal be the worse for them, that euer they had a conscience: their Hell shalbe the hotter for the multitude of their neglected motions to good: their Mercies haue not bin more numerous, then shall be their Miseries: their Nurture or Learning (to omit those, that neuer read any other Booke then Vanitie) at once makes them better and worse; better in vnderstanding, worse in [Page] manners; whiles their contemplation is a Theater, and their study, new sportes, new fashions: Oh how farre better is the simple, honest, innocent Soule without knowledge, then that which is beautified with learning and debauched with vices?

More happy are those poore wretches confined and contented with a rurall charge: whiles they know not so much of good, they know lesse of ill: they skill not what the studying of oathes, the trickes of pride, the pollicie of Atheisme meanes: they make not sense the rule of their beleefe with the Gallant, but their Cate­chisme: Religion is their Queene, the Gallants drudge: they haue not so much of reason, therefore abuse the lesse: their sinnes proceed most from ignorance, the Gallants from knowing wilfulnesse: Now, which of these shall be beaten with most stripes? they worke out a poore lyuing with the sweate of their browes and nerues, these can play out a rich one from the quicknes of their wittes: they know not the detractions of slaun­der, vnderminings of enuy, prouocations, heates, en­luringes of lustes: the foule secrecyes of Idolatry, hypocracy, sacriledge, cleaue not to their consciences: they haue a kinde of happinesse, in that they are not so miserable: our impudent, imprudent, insolent Young­sters looke on these, betwixt contempt and anger, call them Clownes, Ideots, and the dregges of Nature, and thinke themselues Angells, if these be men; (Quorum prae [...] crdia Titan de priore luto sinxit) as if God had tempe­red them of a baser mould. But whiles Acteons Bond­slaue grindes securely (though laboriously) at the Mill, Hart. Hounds. his braue riotous, gallant, Hunting-maister is turned to a beast, and for his sensuallity eaten vp of his owne lusts: you all know the Storie, this is the Morall. Thus, this is the proper cause, that the auncient Houses fall; [Page 18] and what the long Industry of the progenitors haue gotten, the short Ryot of the Gallant, wastes: Wee are loth to heare of this; but it is too true, hee needes not drinke vp all the Sea, that will iudge of the [...]aste: hence young gentlemen by wilde vnthriftines become sports to Theators, and cannot sitte on their Fathers seates to doe good in the Common-wealth: they abounde with the guiftes of Nature, but like Fig-trees growing ouer deepe Waters, full of Fruite, but the Iayes eate them: Ruffians, Harlots, vicious Companions enioy those Graces, that might honour God.

4 Common Prophane persons, that will suffer themselues to weare Gods Liuery, though they serue the Deuill: these are they, that make the profession of the Gospell haue an euill name: hence that Prouerbe, Pater noster, set vp Churches, Our Father, pulles them downe. I will not fauour (with a partiall conuiuence) these Scorners, though they nussell themselues in the Churches bosome: nay, I will speake most plainely; these are the worst Edomites, if not to them selues, to vs. Let the Atheist deny, the Epicure remoue, the Libertine forget, that there is any other Day of peace or sorrow, besides or beyond the present; what is this to belee­uers? Wee are reedy to brand and howte at them (as they did to the Lepers in Israel,) nay to raine them to death with a showre of Stones, (as they serued Idola­ters and Blasphemers:) But be our owne handes vnde­filed, that take vp these weapons of Death against o­thers, as Christ charged the Iewes, that charged the ad­ulterous Woman? If we be sicke, our sicknesse is more dangerous then theirs: Interius, & in cute malum. The other Diseases are with­out the body, but this comes neere [...] the heart of the Church: we know what it is, to haue a Sicknesse come neere the heart: there is more griefe to the Mother of the Familie, in the miscarying of one of the Children, then of many Strangers, Edomites, vnbeleeuers, or mis­beleeuers: [Page] these haue learned to speake the language, to scorne the manners of Canaan; for, their liues testifie, that they beleeue not our report.

We haue gone the better halfe of our Iourney, The Answere. let not your attentions fayle to the end: Wee haue seene the nature of Edom, and Mount Seir, Atheisme, Scorne, Abhomination; wee are now entring an other Moun­taine, the Hill of Syon, the Citie of God. The Question of the Edomite was not more peruerse, then the Answere of the Watch-man is graue and sober. The Answers of God are not doubtfull, like the Heathen Oracles; nor obscure and tetricall, as Mahomets Riddles; nor ambi­guous, like the mixt, the motley, epicaene, equiuocating conclusions of Rome, but plaine, sweete, profitable: I call therefore the first part of it, The Resoluti­on. A Resolution: They aske as if they despised to know; hee resolues them iustly, as if he would force them to know against their willes. They aske him what is spiritually seene in the night of Vision? He tels them, what shall really come in the night of actuall Desolation: The Morning commeth, and also the Night, Let your vnderstandinges keepe pace with me through these 4. Circumstances. 1. The length of their Peace; Finitum pro indefinito, bre­uitatem tem­poris, dies exprimit. one whole day, the space betwixt mor­ning and euening: a short time. 2. The Certaintie of their Iudgement; The night (infallibly) commeth. 3. The qualitie of it, when it is come; ( Nox dicitur) it is called, a Night. 4. The Inuersion of this, to the Righ­teous.

1. The Happinesse of Edom is but a Day; The Mor­ning comes, and the Night followes: It is but the di­staunce of the Sun-rising from his setting. There is to all thinges liuing, such an alternation decreed; a morne, a noone, a night: a beginning, a stronge age, a declina­tion or full poynt: as the Historians write of certaine Flyes bred by the Riuer Hispanis, that are generated in the morning, at noone in full strength, at night make [Page 19] their endes, and are gone: Paul sayes, Our life is but a Tabernacle, it is all, if this standes a yeare: Esay calles it, Grasse; which growes but a Summer: Dauid, a Flower; that hath but his moneth: heere it is called, a Day; that hath but the Sun-rising and setting: Nay, Iob compares it to a Shadow; that hath (neither Yeare, nor Summer, nor Moneth, nor Day,) but an Hower: Nay, Moses to a Thought; whereof there may be a hundred in an hower: This is none of the shortest Comparisons, ( Manè et ves­pèrè) the measure of one day.

What then meane those Greedy Dogges in this Pro­phecie, Esay. 56. 12. to barke so madly, Bring more Wine, for to morrow shall be as to day, yea, much more abundant. Mee thinkes, I heare the gallant Epicures (the christned Atheistes) of this Citie, knocke thus in Tauerns, for yet more Wine, crowning the day with Riots, and blessing the morrow with promised Surfets, as if the Night should neuer come: alas ( Nescis quid serus vesper ferat) thou knowest not what sadde newes the Euening will bring: thou braggest with Cesar, the Day is come; Wee tell thee, as Cesars friend, It is come indeed and begun; it is not en­ded: the Lease of Vanitie, is but a Day; it may be not a moment, the tenure of this world is vncertaine. ‘Medio de fonte leporum, surgit amari aliquid:’ From out of the midst of the fount of Delicacies, ariseth euer some Bitternesse: when you haue spent your strengthes, your estates, bloodes, soules, vpon Vanitie, all is but ( Vnius diej hilaris insanta) the merry madnesse of a day; Non semper sequuntur vi­uentem, mori entem nun­quam. which to buy with the eternitie of insuffera­ble Torments, is a deare purchase: If they be not short of content and satisfaction, I am sure, they are of conti­nuance: They do not alwaies follow a man lyuing, euer forsake him when he dyes.

2 You haue measured the shortnesse of their day, heare the certainetie of their night: The morning comes, and (without preuention) night followes. You shall shake [Page] off the yoake of Israell, but put on you the yoake of Persia: The Edomites were long tributaries to Israell, ac­cording to Ishae's prophecie and blessing of Esau. Thou shalt be thy Brothers Seruant; Gen. 27. 40. but it shall come to passe, when thou shalt get the masterie, thou shalt breake his yoake from thy necke: The Prophet heere assures them of this masterie. ( Israell rebells against God, therefore Edome against Israell.) Ishae as Gods Prophet, subiects Edom to Canaan, the seede of Esau to the seede of Iacob: Ambr. (Intemperanti prae­fecit sobrium) he sets the sober man ouer the intemperate: and this seruice of the elder Brother to the younger, la­sted in the posterity 700 yeares. Yet twice after, they shooke off this seruitude: the first in Iorams time, which libertie they made a troublesome shift to hold till Hir­canus, 2. King. 8. 20. who subdued them, and made them be circumci­sed: this slauery they ouercame againe, and held it, euen till Herod, Ioseph. the sonne of Antipater, an Idumaean borne, obtayned to be King of the Iewes: heere Edom got the full mastrie. The first, was this Morning the Prophet speakes of; this Morning of freedome shall come, but last for a Day, and then be ouerclouded with a Night, a worse Captiuitie, because to a worse people, ( Qui De­um et misericordi [...]m nesciunt) that know neither God, nor Mercie: as those priuations are inseperable, there is no Mercie, where no Religion.

Edom is but a particular instance of a generall doome, which all the Sonnes of Adam, as the Daughters of E [...]e, I meane, all the Glories of this World shall beare; as sure as the Euening succeedes the Morning, Death shall seaze on Life, Iudgement on Sinne: you haue the sappe of Health in your Bones, the Riches of the world in your Coffers, your Life is in the Noone of pride, but (we say) prayse a faire day at Night. (Happy are they, whose life is hid with Christ in God, that this Night may not finde them out:) Col. 3. 3. your Sunne shall set, Beautie, Ri­ches, Glory, shall decay, as by the inuiolable law of [Page 20] Nature, night succeedes day; so by the eternall law of God, Death Sinne. If you could indent with the Sunne to stand still, Iosh. 10. 1 [...]. as in the dayes of Ioshua; or to goe backe ten degrees, as to Hezekiah; or with his Orbe to mooue slowly, yet it shall sette: Be the day neuer so long, yet at last, comes euening-song. The Sonne of God him­selfe, in this condition of mortall descent, was equall to his Breathren. That great Sunne of Righteousnesse, had his rising and his setting: Wee must all walke into the West, as well as he; and be our Day longer or shor­ter, Night must come, our Priuiledges are not beyonde others.

Heare this yee Edomites, that floute our presagings of a Night: you speake of a Night, and houre of Iudge­ment; When comes it? We tell you againe, The Mor­ning commeth, and also the Night. You haue had a time of Light and delight, and what your heartes could wish; you shall haue a time of Sorrow and Darknesse: Your Noone shall be turned to Midnight. Tender and deli­cate Babilon, Esay. 47. 7. that boasted her selfe a Queene, and free from mourning, shall weepe in the wydow-hood of her glory; and heare at last, ( Aduenit sinis tuus,) thy end is come. ver. 9. You that will not set your mindes to these thinges, nor remember the latter end, miseries shall come on you in their per­fection: so absolute as the Iustice of God, & the Malice of Sathan can make them. So Salomon schooles the art-les, heart-les, supine courses of vaine Youth: Reioyce, O Youngman, &c. Eccl. 1 [...]. 9. Reioyce in your day of Pride, let Plea­sure rocke you on her indulgent knee, you shall be brought to the night of Iudgement: The Surfets of the old World, the Mirth of the Philistins, (when Sampson was their laughing stocke) the carowsinges of that Caldean Monarch in the sacred Bowles of Ierusalem, had their Night: Salomon with his 1000. Wiues and Con­cubines, Belshazzar with his 1000. Princes, Ahashiuerosh with his 127. Prouinces, had their Night: High-looked [Page] Honour, and pursie Riches; the one diseased in his Eyes, the other in his Lunges, shall haue their Night: The fauour of Noble men, is the fauour of moueable men; Fauor nobili­um, fauor mo­bilium. the Ignis fatuus of Riches is long ingendring, soone extinct: let Ioab and Iob, be our precedentes in both these: the first, was great and euill, the chiefest Captaine about Dauid; yet by Dauid designed to exe­cution; The second was great and good; yet behold, the mightiest man of the East, As poore as Iob. is poore to a Prouerbe: What euer florished and had not this night? The rich Churle enlarging his Barnes proportionably to his de­sires, Hiatu labo­rantes. had his Night; hee heard that soule knell, Thou foole, this Night, shall they fetch away thy soule. The World it selfe shall haue this Euening: the Morning was in the dayes of the Patriarches; Christ boore the heate and Noone of the day, and wee are those vpon Whom the latter endes of the world are come. The World groweth old, and we grow old with it: 2. Esd. 14. 9. the bodyes of men in old age, waxe cold and want the heate of Nature; the soules of men in this decrepite age, grow cold in zeale, ( Deficiente feruore charitatis) the nourishment of old age turnes in­to cruditie, through want of heate to concoct, digest, and driue it into the Vaines; the nourishment of our soules turnes into Vanitie, because we want the heate of Grace to digest it: By all these symptones, you see the Sunne of this World ready to sette, and the Night drawing on: the declination of Goodnes, the fainting of Religion, sayes, that the World lyes bedrid, drawing on, looking for the good houre (to some,) and fetching a thicke, sicke and short breath: I am no Prophet (or what if I were, yet vnable) to define the time: but this I conclude (though more particularly) from the rule of my text; Wee had our Morning at the first preaching of the Gospell: it now flourisheth with vs, as at high Noone; Who shall say, the Euening will not follow, or our Sunne is without setting.

[Page 21]3 That it shall come, you heare; heare shortly the qualitie of it, when it is come: A Night. Miserie is not fitlyer shadowed, then vnder the name of a Night: Sorrow lastes for a Night, sayes the Psalmist, but ioy comes in the Morning. A sadde, heauie, and disconsolate time, full of horrour and amazement; when there is no obiect to withdraw the eye, thereby to diuert the minde from the thought and meditation of bitternesse. Sathan him­selfe is not sayd to be bound with any other Chaines but these of Darknesse: as the Ioyes of Heauen are de­scribed by that eternall daylight of glory and Sun­shine of the Lambe, Reuel. [...]1. and it is added in expresse wordes; There shall be no Night there: So the tormentes of Hell are called by Christ, Mat. 8. 1 [...]. [...], Vtter Darknesse: No maruell, if there ensue, weeping and gnashing of teeth, when miserie shalbe extreame, and no day-hole of hope, to afford one glimpse of comfort: this is that Night of nightes, Nox noctium. Io [...]l. 2. 2. worse then the palpable Darknesse of Egipt, as full of intollerable horrour, as Caliginous black­nesse: I find not onely the time of Iudgement generall, but of temporall and particular calamities, tearmed by the Night of horrour: the downefall of Dumah, a Night: the destruction of Israel, A season of blacknesse, darknesse, cloudes and obscurities. Therefore (as Christ to the Iewes, Pray that your flight be not in the Night,) pray that your departure out of this life, be not in the Night of your securitie and ignorance; and then feare not this Night, for you are redeemed from the land of eternall Darke­nesse.

Caligula (in im ta [...]on of Zerxes, that passed his Ar­mie ouer the streight of Hellespont vpō a wooden bridge) vpon ships moared together with Cables & An­chors, made a bridge of boords, with so much earth on it, that it seemed firme ground, like one of the streetes in Rome. Dion. It was the foolish pride of that Romane Emperour, hauing made a Bridge of grappled Ships ouer a narrow Arme of the Sea, and triumphing at midnight with in­numerable torches, to boast that he had (wrough two Miracles,) made the Sea dry Land, and the Night Day: but our Emperour of Heauen and Earth, did performe it indeed, when he dryed vp the Redde sea of his Fa­thers [Page] wrath, and changed our present Night of Igno­naunce, and future of torment, into the eternall day­light of his Grace and Glory.

4 The last part to this Suruey, is the inuerting of this vpon the Righteous: Where, behold the different beginnings and endes of both Holy, and Vnholy: to the children of Disobedience, the Morning is before the Euening; and this is Dumahs woe at Sun-set ( Fuisse faelicem) that she had her Day: To the Faythfull, the Euening is before the Morning; as at the Creation, The Euening and the Morning were the first day. Gen. 1. The Iewes were commaunded to begin their Feast of Reconciliation at Euen; Leuit. 23. 32. and, From Euening to Euening, shall you celebrate your Sabboth. It was Christes comfortable Answere to his Church, intending the date when the prophanation of the Temple should cease, to set the Morning of their peace, after the Euening of their troubles, by a sweete and mysticall allusion: Vnto the Euening, and the Mor­ning, Dan. 8. 14. two thousand, and three hundred: then shall the Sanctuarie be clensed: and the vision of the Euening and the Morning is true: ver. 26. The Euening of their sorrow precedes the Morning of their ioyes. Our Prophet so compares the tempest of the Assirians rage, to a Storme in the Night, which vanisheth at the rysing Sunne: Loe, Esay. 17. 14. in the Euening there is trouble, but before the Morning it is gone. Our Night lastes during this wret­ched life: the troubles of Miseries, stormes of Persecu­tions, and rage of that great Leutathan, disturbes our Ayre, Per varios casus, per tot discrimina rerum, tendi­mus in caelum. darkens our Day, and makes it a gloomy Night; cloudes, tempestes, obstacles, stumbling-blockes, temp­tations, machinations of Enemies, deceiuinges of Friends, through so many dangers and difficulties sayle we to our hauen of Peace: our assuraunce is, that ioy comes in the Morning, when we shall rise in the East, and beholde the Sonne of Glory shine in our faces. [Page 22] The Morning of the Edomites, Atheistes, Reprobates, comes first smiling on their browes; but ( Nox sequitur) they haue a Night behind.

This disparitie consistes not onely in the counterpo­sition of their order, but in the circumstantiall diffe­rence of their length and shortnesse: Our Night is irke­some, but short; ( Compensatur acerbitas breuitate) What is ill in the bitternesse, is eased by the shortnesse: But our Day is euerlasting, from new Moone to new Moone, from Saboth to Saboth, wee shall prayse the Lord: Myriades of yeares and ages, shalbe expired, and our Sunne as farre from setting, as at our first en­trance; for time and mortalitie, and distinction of age, shall cease: there is nothing but eternitie aboue: It is not more blessed in being a Day, then in being endlesse: Their Morning is short, their Night euerlasting, their Debt never p [...]yde, their Fire neuer quenched: Here is their vnhappines, ( Florent ad tempus, pereunt in aeternum: florent fa [...]sis bonis, pereunt veris tormentis:) They flourish for a time, they perish for euer: they flourish with false ioyes, perish with true and substantiall tormentes: thinges that are soonest bred, haue the shortest conti­nuance: Psal. 73. 18. 19. a puffe of Winde rayseth the Chaffe from the earth, and a puffe scatters it away: the Wicked are soone raised, and with like speede depressed: How quickly is Esau's posteritie aduanced to a Kingdome, how immaturely cast downe? The Crowne is scarse warme on their temples, their eyes haue scarse taken a passing glaunce of their glories, but all is dispersed: the Godly are long kept vnder couert; but when they doe rise, their eleuation is permanent.

Loe, now cast a sober and intelligent eye on this strange opposition, and let the very enemie of Heauen and Grace, iudge, whether the vaine shadowes of Ioy, and those for a Day, liable to true and substantiall tor­mentes, and those for euer, be comparable with, or desi­rable [Page] before, a momentany Affliction (and that not without the best of comfortes) followed with an excel­lent and eternall weight of glory. It's confest; I speake for you, I thinke your Consciences are conuinced: but ( Vbi signa?) Where are the signes of it? If this be so, and you so acknowledge it, why lead you so dissonant liues? shall the voyce of your owne tongues, censure of your owne heartes, witnesse against you? Tacitus re­portes, that in the ciuill Warres betwixt Vitellius and Vespasian, a Souldier had killed his owne Father, which was of the enemies Armie; no sooner was this publi­shed, but euery man begins to abhorre, condemne, ex­ecrate that Warre, the cause of such an vnnaturall fact; yet how little effect this wrought in their proceedings, that Author describes; for their rage, rapine, crueltie, was not lessened, in spoyling Neighbour, Friend, Kins­man, Brother, Father, when they had slaine them. Wee abhorre the miseries and sinnes incident to this life; we loue it still, nay preferre it to Heauen: our condemna­tion will be easie and iust, what need is there of more Witnesses ( Ex ore tuo) thy owne lippes haue spoken a­gainst thee. For shame let our heartes and tongues be cut out of one peece, that what we allow in opinion, we may prosecute in practise.

You heare how the Day slippes from vs, and the Night steales on; what remaines, but in the Day to pre­pare for the Night. No maruell, if men sleepe in the Night; but in the broad day, to shut our eyes (with the Dormouse) is vnnaturall. There is a Night, when thou shalt rest, Esay. 57. [...]. euen on thy bed of Peace: onely walke, worke; loyter not in thy Day. Christ taught and ob­serued the Rule himselfe, to trauell his Day and all his Day; For the Night comes, wherein no man can worke. There are thinges, which if the Night findes vndone, we are vndone, because we haue not done them: if we deferre to prouide lodging, sustenaunce, safetie, the [Page 23] Night findes and leaues vs destitute. How madde is hee, that bound to some speciall designement, confined to his day, and then furthered with light, ayde, compa­nie, and conueniencie of all thinges, spendes one houre in catching Flyes, another after Feathers, and all the rest in seuerall toyes and leasinges, that on a sodaine the Sunne settes, and his chiefe worke is not done, nay not begunne.

The worke of our day, is the working vp our sal­uation; it is a speciall worke, Heauen & our Soules are vpon it, and we haue but our day to worke it; ( Tempus vitae, tempus paenitentiae) The time of life, is the time of Repentance. Wee spend one peece of our Day in Co­uetous scrapinges, another in adoring that wee haue scraped; some houres of our Day in working vanitie, and some in sleeping security; instantly the Night of death comes, & we haue neglected the maine chaunce: our Saluation is not finished like Courtiers, that hauing light to bring them to bed, play it out at Cardes, and goe to bed darkling: Woe to them that goe to their last rest thus: How vnworthy are wee of a Day, thus to spend it? It is pittie that euer the Sun of Grace shoone on our faces: Quake and feare, what soeuer thou art, to suffer the sinne of thy soule, and the end of thy life to come so neere togeather: If men stumble in the darke, it is not strange; to fall at euery stubbe in the day, ar­gues wilfull neglect, or want of eyes. It is enough for those poore Romanistes, that liue vnder that Egiptian darkenesse of the inquisition, to fall into grieuous ab­surdities, where the Sunne shines, to see men fall in heapes, is astonishing: Oh that euery baite of drunken­nesse, obiect of couetousnesse, presented glaunce of va­nitie, should make vs wander and stumble, stumble and falle, falle and content our selues therein without ry­sing: What (would wee? what) will wee doe, if our Sunne settes? For shame cast away the deedes of dark­nesse [Page] with the time: Ephe. 51. 4. Awake and stand vp, the light of Iesus Christ shines on thy face. As men from sleepe ope­ning their eyes, and seeing day broke, cast away their cloathes, wherein they were wrapt warme, and starte vp to their seuerall callinges; the Sinnes and Vanities of this world haue kept vs warme, as Caiphas kept Peter, whiles we were folded in them; but our maine worke lay dead for want of execution: Prouide then for this Night, Psal. 118. 27. ôh thou whose cheeke the Sunne of mercie and forbearance, kisseth: The sleepe of him that trauaileth, is sweete, Eccl. 5. 11. whether he eate little or much: but the satiety of the rich will not suffer him to sleepe. If the Day be well spent, the wearied bones reioyce in their earned repose; and the contented Conscience, applaudes it selfe in the thought of her carefull obedience; body and soule re­ceiues rest. Whiles the Day is slouthfully spent, Night bringes no reioycefull ease to either spirits or corpes: The Day of thy life worne out in the well disposed houres of a religious obedience, thy body shall rest in a perfumed Graue, and thy soule in the bosome of Abra­ham, when Night comes: but whiles pride, surfets, op­pressions, wantonnes, haue shared the Day, the Night comes with no lesse suddennesse then sorrow; thy rest shalbe vnrest, neither easier then smoake and thornes, and flames, nor shorter then the eternitie of all these can make it: Oh then, what folly, madnes, selfe-enmitie is this, to play out our short Day, and howle vnder the pressure of working tormentes for an euerlasting Night.

Wee are come to the last fruite that I shall gather you from this Tree, The Aduice. and it growes on three branches: the whole body of it, being applyed to the maner, not the matter of the Question: the matter is first satisfied, The Morning comes, & the Night; the maner is now touched: If ye will aske, enquire, returne and come. You aske in de­rision, keepe the Cloth, but reiect the Fashion: Aske [Page 24] still, but to repentance: Let your demaundes manifest your desires of resolution: If ye will aske, and needes be acquainted with your sorrowes, Enquire, with humi­litie, reuerence, fayth: Returne from your sinnes, by repentance, and come home to God by obedience, ( Triplex ex arbore fructus) heere is a threefold fruite from this Tree; whereon let your soules feede, and then de­part to refresh your bodyes.

Enquire: Enquire. Wee must not looke, that God should seeke vs with his blessinges; as Elias was charged to runne by the way of the Wildernesse, 1. king. 19. 5. in quest of Hazael to annoynt him: No, Seeke yee the Lord, whiles he may be found: the rule of the Prophet is iust: the Rich man comes not to the Beggars dore with reliefe in his hand; but the Beg­gar to his for it: there is small reason, to expect it from God, that he should both giue, and seeke: I confesse he doth, as Christ testifies of himselfe; I came to seeke and to saue that which was lost; Luk. 19. 10. but withall he conueyes into our heartes, a (preuenting) Grace to seeke him: Hence the Condition is annexed to the Graunt, by the giuer him­selfe; Aske, and you shall haue: Enquire, and you shall be satisfied: But if any will be ignoraunt, Resonant re­sponsa roganti let them be ig­noraunt still.

If you aske mee, 1. Where you should Enquire? Our Prophet directes you; To the Law, to the Testimonie: Where should a people enquire, Esay. 8. 20. but at their God? 2. If how? With Humilitie, Reuerence, and desire of Knowledge: ( Inter Iuuenile tuaicium, et senile praeiudicium multa veritas corrumpitur.) There must be in vs an equall auoyding of both Rashnes, and Preiudice: Young men appre­hend not the necessitie of Knowledge; Old men pre­sume of a plerophorie and abundance: hence neither young nor old enquire. 3. If when? The Wise-man an­swers; Enquire, seeke; Remember thy Creatour in the dayes of thy youth: Begin this search, in the Morning of thy yeares: ( Mane, is the Lordes Aduerbe, the Deuils [Page] Verbe:) the Lord sayth, Earely; the Deuill sayth, Tarry: to whom you harken, iudge your selues: One thing onely, take heed you stay not too long; the Deuill is a false Sexton, and settes the Clocke too slow, that the Night comes ere we be aware: tarry not then till your piles of Vsuries, heapes of Deceites, mountaines of Blasphemies, haue caused God to hide himselfe, and will not be found. There is a ( Sera nimis hora) time too late, which Esau fell vnluckily into, when hee sought the Blessing with teares, and could not find it. It may be the Statues, Word, Mini­ster, Vnder­standing. or the Guides, or thy owne Eies, may be denied thee, & then too late thou Enquirest. Whiles the Booke of God is not perused, his Temples not freuented, nor his Throne sollicited by Prayers, hard heartednesse steales on vs, and like Sampson bound by the Phili­stims, wee would breake their Bondes, and cast their Cordes from vs; but our Dalilah, our Folly hath be­guiled vs.

Is this all? no, there is second Fruite growing on this Tree, Returne. of equall necessitie, greater vse. After Enqui­ring, followes Returning: you are gone wrong, re­turne into the way of Peace; Enquire it first, and hauing found it, Returne, put your feete into it. God warnes you by the reuelation of his word, Math. [...]. 12. (as the Wise-men by the vision of a Dreame) to Returne into your Country, whi­ther you would arriue, and where onely is your rest, another way. If euer this exhortation was necessarie for Edom, let mee thinke it fitter for England: (as sin-full as wee are, let mee yet say, there is more hope of our re­pentance, then of Edoms:) our Iniquities as great, our Instructions greater then theirs; what remaines, but our Repentance? neuer more need: Our sinnes are not low, slow, few, or sleightly done; negligence sinnes, security sinnes, contempt sinnes, presumption and hard-heartednes sins: here is the Scorners Chaire, the Drunkardes Bench, the Idle-mans Cushion, the Vsu­rers [Page 25] Studie: Oh where is Repentance, to rowse these? God is angry; we haue been smitten, not in the Skirts and Suburbes of our Common-wealth onely, our Citie, Body, and whole vnitie hath been pearced to the soule, The whole Head hath been sicke, and whole Heart heauy: Where is the phisicke of Repentance? I can shew you many Actors presenting themselues on the Theator of this World; I see not Repentance play her part: I can point you to Vsurie, robbing, grinding, sucking blood, cutting throates, whiles he sittes in the Chimney cor­ner, & heares of his Zani's, whelpes, vnderling Theeues ending their dayes at the Gallowes. I can shew you Couetousnes sweating for gaine, crowching, ramping, playing Ape, Lion, or Deuill, for Money: I can disco­uer to you Drunkennesse, rising early to the Wine, Malice making haste to the death of Ammon, Ambition running after Honour, faster then Peter to the Sepul­chre; Pride whirling in her Charriot, Wantonnes shut­ting vp the windowes; Bribery creeping in at the Key­hole, euen when the doore of Iustice is locked vp a­gainst her. Among all these I see not repentance: Doth she stay till the last act? I feare the tragedy of many Soules ruine will be done first. This land is full of sinnes, (let me speake impartially) this Citie: as many Lines meete at the Center; so all sinnes by a generall confluence to this place: Glomerantur in vnum innumerae pestes Erebj: The mischiefes of Hell are swarmed to one Crowde, and we haue it. I know there are some names in Sardj, some that make Conscience of their wayes: the same ayre is drawn by men of as contrary dispositions, as is the opposition of the two Poles: that I may say of the liues of this Citie, as one doth of Origen's writinges: ( Vbi bene, nemo melius: Nil fuit vn­q uam sic im­par sibi. Hor. vbi male, nemo peius,) Those that are good, are exceeding good, and those that are euill, are vnmeasurable euill: nothing was euer so vnlike it selfe. You are as contrary as fire to water; but al the wa­ter [Page] of the one's deuotion, will not quench the Fire of the others wickednesse: This latter is so monstrously growne on vs with the times, that it is all, if the Idola­trie of Rome, or the Atheisme of Turkey can goe beyond it. They are rare heartes, that care not more to seeme, then to be Holy, if perhaps, they will either seeme or bee: Rare handes, that are free and cleane from either blood or filthinesse: rare Tongues, that doe not vie Oathes with Words; making scoffes, scornes, flatteries, vaine speaches, the greater part of their tongues exer­cise; that if their Words could be weighed, their Pray­ers of a yeare, are not so substantiall and ponderous, as their Oathes of one day: It were no wonder to see these abominations in Dumah, Egipt, Babilon; to find them in England is matter of amasement. It was an admirable and astonishing speach (the Prophet him selfe thought, by his aduertisement prefixed, Esay.) The virgin Israel hath done filthily. If Harlots and Brothels be vnchast, they doe not degenerate from their kind; in so pure a Virgin, no imagination would haue dream't it. It is no newes to find the Deuill in Hell: to haue him thrust into Para­dise, tempting and preuayling with our first Parents, is horrible. Let Rome and Turkey swell with the poysons of Sathan till they burst, who wonders? to finde the sputteringes of his venime in the Church is grieuous: If we be accused for accusing of sinnes, let the Physiti­on be blamed for discouering Diseases in the sicke bo­die: we must speake; Oh yet— Si nostra sperem prece posse mouer [...], that wee could hope with any sayinges to moue you: If the worst come, I can but speed, as others before me. Be there no Vsurers, that say to the Gold in secret, You are my Confidence? ( Populus me sibilat, at mihi plaudo ipse d [...]mi,) Hor. the world hisseth at me, but I hug & applaud my owne soule, & fat my spirits in the sight of my Bags. Is there neuer a Broker to comfort this sinne of death, in the distresse of his Conscience with? Vsury is no sinne, [Page 26] many learned men are of this opinion: But I aske him, if his Conscience can be so satisfied: would he not willingly giue one hundred pound bagge, to be secured in this poynt? Sure, it is (at the least) not safe wading farre in a questionable Water; if it could be safe to some, yet how many haue been drowned in this Whirlepoole? I con­fesse that flesh and blood puts the Bladders of Wealth and Promotion vnder their Arme-holes, and the Deuill holdes them vp by the Chinne, till they come to the deepest, and then, as the Priestes serued Iudas, they bid them shift for them selues; and wanting the helpe of Repentance of swimme, downe they sinke ( In profundum inferni) to the bottomlesse bottom of Hell. These two, are not vnfitly compared to two Milstones; the Vsu­rer is the nether Stone, that lyes still; he sittes at home in his warme Furres, and spendes his time in a deuillish Arithmeticke, in numeration of houres, dayes, and moneys, in substraction from others estates, and mul­tiplication of his owne, till they haue diuided the earth to themselues, and themselues to Hell: The Broker runnes round like the vpper Mill-stone, and betwixt both these, the poore is grinded to powder.

Vsury (you say) is exploded among Saintes, I would you would deale no worse with couetousnesse: But alasse, this is too generall a fault, to giue any hope of amendment: He that railed on Beelsebub pulled al Ekrom about his eares: He that sleighted Melchom, prouoked the Ammonites: But he that condemnes Mammon, speakes against all the world. This is the delight, the loue, the solace of many, the God of some: Pouertie, sicknesse, age, are all the Deuils they tremble at, and Be­liall, Melchom, Mammon, Pleasures, Honours, Riches, all the Gods they worshippe: These three vsurping Kings, like the three seditious Captaines in Ierusalem, or those three Romane Tyrants, Casar, Crassus, and Pompey, haue shared the world amongst them, and left God [Page] least, who owes all. Lactantius speakes of one Tullus Ho­stilius, that put Feare & Palenes into the number of Gods: It is pittie that euer his Gods should goe from him, it is (not pittie, but) iustice, that these Gods, and the true God too, should forsake such reprobates, that idolatrize the honour to Creatures, wherewith they should wor­ship the Creator. But alas, how is Pharaobs Dreame ve­rified among vs? The leane Kine eate vp the fatte: Gods leane blessinges, riches, and pleasures, deuowre his fatte ones, Grace and Religion: How it dishonours God, disparageth our selues, and our creation, to put Lead in a Cabinet of gold, base desires in a faire and precious soule. We neuer yet attained the toppe of Mount Syon: He that stands on the Towre of Diuine meditation, will iudge those Pigmeys, which below he thought Giants: but we desire not Heauen, Ignoti nulla cupido. because we know it not; we neuer looke beyond our Horizon: we liue in our con­tented slauery of Egipt, and neuer dreame of the free­dome of Canaan, (Vbi amor, ibi oculus:) where the loue is, there is the eye. This S. Augustine shortly and soundly reproues: ( Si sursum os, cur deorsum cor?) hath Nature gi­uen vs an vpright [...]ace, Preaepostera dissimili [...]udo vultus et animae. &c. and a groueling heart? this is a preposterous dissimilitude of the minde and counte­naunce: doe but compare (as lifting vp thy soule with thy eyes) heauen with earth, and thou wilt change thy opinion: Through want of these meditations, these earthly vanities carry away our inchaunted hearts, to neglect those better things of our eternall peace: and by the testimony of our Sauiour, It is hard for a rich man to get into Heauen: The Prouerbe sayth, There is no earth­ly Gate, but an Asse laden with Gold can enter: and this onely loding, hinders our entring the gates of Glory. A weal­thy and great man, serued vp to Gods table in his king­dome, is as rare as Venison at our Boardes on earth: there are sometimes such seruices, not often.

Is this all? no, Sen. ( Vidi Ebriosorum sitim, & vomentium [Page 27] famem) I haue seene Drunkennesse reeling from Ta­uerne to Tauerne, (and not seldome,) from thence to his Stewes. It was the sinne, nay the shame of Beggars; it is now the glory, the pride of Gallants: They should daily be transformed to the image of God, they come neerer and neerer to beasts, (let me say) to Diuells: For Saint Bernard sayth, ( Ebrietas est manifestissimus Daemon) Drunkennesse is a most manifest Diuell: They that are possessed with Satan, or with drunkennesse, fall alike into the fire, Math. 17. 16. 21 into the water, they gnash alike, alike they foame: And as all the Disciples could not cast out that one sort of Deuils; so nor all the Preachers this.

Gluttony is not much lesse generall, no lesse euill: Drunkennesse makes a man so giddy he can not stand, and Gluttonie so pursie that he cannot goe: That old Verse and Rule is forgotten in our Feastes:

There is an appetite naturall, when the stomach can extract no more iuyce from meates receiued, it couets more: There is an appetite sensuall, when the rich sayes, My Soule eate, not my Body: nay, are not some in this Citie, like those Horace speakes of? when their estate can reach but to Herrings, Sed prohibent grandes patinae. they long for fresh Samon. Wee desire the strength of bodyes, and the length of dayes; our full Dishes forbid it: If euer that Verse was true, now is the time: ‘Non plures gladio, quam cecidere gula:’ ‘The enemies Sword kils not more, then their owne Throate.’

Swearing and Whoredome I will ioyne togeather, (as most sinnes goe by couples) so the Prophet, The Land is full of Adulterers, and for Oathes the Land mourneth. Adde vnto Swearing, (the twin-brone brother of it) Cursing; Carnificem & Lictorem vin­dictae nostrae. a sinne that makes God (the summum bonum the base executioner of our reuenge: How strange? when men grieue vs, to turne our teene vpon God, [Page] and rent him to peeces. Blasphemers against mortall Princes are killed with the sword, and all their estates confiscate: against the Prince of Heauen it is not re­garded. Gladio [...]eri­untur, bonis f [...]co datis &c.

I must not forget my Edomite, the Gallant: If you would see an Impostume conflate and swolne vp with all these rancke corruptions, all the former mischiefes, reconciling themselues to a wretched vnitie in one soule, a packe and bundle of sinnes, snatched from their seuerall owners, (Enuy from the Malitious, Haughtines from the Proude, Derision from the Scorner, &c. and engrossed to one heart, an Embleme, a Pageant, a short Commentarie of all the Deuilles proceedings, a Mappe of his walkes, plottes, and actions; behold the Gallant: I taxe not the generous Spirit, whose birth and accou­trementes are worthy and high, his minde humble. Oh how comely are good Cloathes to a good Soule, when the Grace within, shall beautifie the Attire without; and not gay Ragges, impudently beare out Wicked actions: Farre be it from me to thinke these Edomites, or any other thing, then the Diamondes, that grace our Ring, no, they are the gallant Esauites, the profane Roy­sters, to whom I speake, and that from a text of Repen­tance, desiring from my soule, that they may scape the Burden of Dumah, by reiecting the manners, and make more account of their Birth-right, then sell it for messes of Pottage, Lustes, and Vanities: But if they will note themselues with the Cole and Brand of Prophanesse, they must not looke to escape our Censures: wee can­not heare their Oathes, beating the vnvulnerable breast of Heauen, not see their Pride, testifying to their face, if they should plead innocence; nor be vnwillingly conscious of their Atheisticall Iestes, Hos. 7. 10. Libertine Feastes, worse then Pagan Adulteries, and charme our tongues with silence; when the glory of our God, the price of their Redemption, and the danger of their owne soules [Page 28] lye at the stake.

There are other open, and infinite secret sinnes, which they thinke no eye sees: But there are witnesses, the Angels good and bad, the Conscience of the commit­ters, and the iudge of the Conscience: Si nemo, non tamen nullus) if no man, yet not none: therefore what thou da­rest not to doe thy fellow seruant looking on thee, Quod non audes facere aspiciente conseruo: hoc ne cogites in­spiciente deo. that dare not to thinke thy heauenly Master looking in thee. I confesse, wee haue a face of Religion, and lookes of profession, making toward Ierusalem; but how many make the noble Liuery of our Maister, a shelter to these abhorred corruptions? and till the tryall comes, it is not knowne whom many serue: A man that followes two Gentlemen, is not discerned which to serue, till they part companie: so long as wealth and religion goe to­geather, it is not apparant, to which of them most ad­here, till the crosse parts them, and then it is plaine and easie.

Were these the sinnes of Edom, and are they not the sinnes of England? The sinnes saide I? nay, the Gods of England: For the Vsurer adores his mettalles, the Epi­cure his Iunketts, the Drunkard his Gallons, the Vo­luptious his Lusts, the Adulterer his Harlottes, the Proude and gallant Edomite his gaye Cloathes, and stu­dyed carriage: And as the Israe [...]ies cried to their Calfe made of golden Eare rings, These are thy Gods oh Israell: So wee may speake it with horror and amasement, of these foolish, Exod. 3 [...]. [...]. bestial, diuelish, sinnes, Thesè are thy Gods oh England: weake, wretched, vnhelpefull Gods: For shame, what, where are wee? could Edom euer be worse? Haue we deuoured so many yeares of peace, ease, plentie, and saturitie, (if I may so call it) of Gods word; and are we still so lame, le [...]ne, and ill fauoured in our liues? what shall I say? hath the sweet Ghospell, and the sober preaching of it, made vs sensuall, senseles; impudent, franticke? as the nature of that Countrey is [Page] wonderfull, Siccita [...] dat Lutum, imbres puluerem. Plin. if true, that Raine causeth Dust, & Drought Durt: Haue the sweete Deawes of Hermon, made the Hill of Syon more barren? Hath the Sunne of Plenty, from the filth of our Securitie, bred monsters of sinnes? Haue Gods mercies made vs worse? what shall I say?

Fathers and Breathren, helpe: Pittie the miscarrying soules, that haue no mercy on themselues: our Wordes are thought ayre, let your Hands compell them to the seruice of God: Verbum in­formans, virga reformans. The word of Information hath done his best, Where is the rodde of Reformation? Let Moses Rodde, second Aarons Word. The loues of Sinners, the strength of Sinnes; nay, Principalities and Powers are against vs, and we come armed with a few leaues of Paper: The keenest Sword is with vs, but it is in our lippes onely, The sword of the Spirit; and though it can deuide the Marrow and the bones, Heb. 4. of an awaked Consci­ence, alas it moues not the stony hearts: it shall sooner double vpon our selues, then enter such Mayled Con­sciences: our blowes are filliped backe in contempt: be not wanting ye that haue the ordinaunce of God: You are his surrogates, and the Preachers hopes: good lawes are made, the life-blood of them is the execution: the Lawe is else a woodden Dagger in a faire Sheath: when those that haue the charge imposed, and the Sword in their hands, stand like the picture of S. George, with his hand vp, but neuer striking: wee complaine not of the higher Magistrates, from the benches, of whose Iudgement, impietie departs not without dis­grace, without stroakes: the blame lyes on inferiour Officers, who thinke their office well discharged, if they threaten offendours: these see, and will not see: Hence Beggars lase themselues in the fields of idlenesse; hence Tauernes and Tap-houses swarme with Vn­thrifts; of whom, whether they put more sinne into their bellies, or vomite more foorth, is a hard question; I meane, whether their oathes, or ebrieties exceed: [Page 29] Hence wee looke to haue Vagrants suppressed, Idle­nesse whipt, Drunkennesse spoke withall; but the ex­ecution prooues too often like the Iuglers feast, the Guests sette, the table's furnished, meate in dishes, wine in flaggons; but putting forth their hands to take them, they apprehend nothing but ayre.

The medecine to heale all this, both for Patient and Physitian, is repentance; not a iaculatory crye of Lord forgiue me, nor the flash of a melancholy passion, but a sound, serious, and substantiall repentance. Rome hath an holy water of vertue, they say, to purge and wash away all her spottes: England hath her holy water too, which, too many trust in for sufficient, we looke vp and crye, Lord thy mercie, and wipe our lippes, as if we had not sinned: yet by and by to our former vomite. But the repentance, that resolues for Heauen, throwes a­way all impediments▪ if Gold, if pleasure, if a Throne were in the way, she would fling them aside: she hath an eye bent on the Mercie [...]seate, and a foote that runnes straight to it: she turnes not into Samaria, because she is offered lodging there, nor into the Court of Egipt, to be called the Sonne of Phar [...]os Daughter: the pleasures of Babilon stay her not, the Good-fellowes of Sodome make her not looke backe: she forgets what is behind, and neuer rests, like the Kine that carryed the Arke, till she comes to the fieldes of Bethshemesh, the haruest of grace and goodnesse; nor ceaseth lowing with sorrow till she be sped of the mercies of God: she hath felt the weight of sinne and sorrow, and abhorres the cause of them both: she hates not the diuell worse then her for­mer iniquities, and if it were possible, she would neuer more offende: Thus, this is to returne; what you want of this, you come short of repentance.

The thirde degree followes to make vp our perfecti­on: Come. If Returning might serue as a labour of (but) indif­ferent trouble, we could afford it, but we must come: [Page] You haue heard the Whence, Vnde & quo [...] heare the Whither. Thou hast not done with Enquiring, with Returning; Vp and e [...]te Elias, thou hast a greater iourney to goe: strengthen thy heart, ôh Christian, R [...]stat tibi tertia meta) thou hast a third marke to ayme at. Come, home to thy God, by a Chast and Holy life; it is not currant pay with God, to part with our Vanities, except we imbrace a Religious conuersation. Paul makes it as necessarie a part of Christianitie, to Put on the New man, as to put off the Old: It is not enough to cease doing euill, but it is damnable not to doe well: Hee that gathers not with Christ, scattereth. It was the threatning doome in Iohn Baptists Sermon, not to the Barren, but to the Euil-fruited Tree. Christes speach carries the same sense and force against the Pha­rises, though spoken to his Disciples: Except your Righ­teousnesse, &c. he sayes not, Vnlesse your righteousnesse be lesse then theirs; but, Except your righteousnesse be more, exceed, you shall not see heauen. Hee that inquires the way to Heauen, and turnes toward it, hath past two degrees of my Text, and his owne Pilgrimage; but he gets litle of either prayse or comfort, except he come home to it: Heere is not so much perseuerance lessened, as perfecti­on: there is extreme wrong, extreme right and mercie. The 2. first, shalbe shut out of Heauen; the last onely, hath a promise of entraunce. Summa iniu­ria, summum ius, et mise [...] ­cordia. Iudgement without mercy, shalbe to him that sh [...]wes no mercy; not to the cruell onely, but to him that is but meerely iust: The want of [...]ustice is not onely damned, Iam. 2. 13. but the want of Mercy: the Rich Churle went to hell for not relieuing Lazarus, though he wronged him not. If the vsurer part with his extortions, the Wanton with his Minions, the Cheater with his Frauds, the Tradesman with his Oathes, he thinks him­selfe by this time a high Christian, and that God must nedes blesse him, he is so repentant. If the long perswa­sions of many Sermons, can worke this on vs, that wee abate of our former outragious licentiousnes, we straite [Page 30] spunge vp our selues; and with a conceite, that we haue done much for God, out-face all reproofes: but he that hath much forgiuen him, loues much. The Prodigall does not onely turne from his Harlottes and vices, but comes home to his Fathers house: There was no stinte in that sinfull Womans penitence, till she had powred [...]loods of teares on the feete of our Sauiour: The conscience of Zacheus was not disburdened, by ceasing his extor­tion, but by restitution to the wronged, commiseration to the distressed, euen to one halfe of his goods, and these are the commended penitents.

How sortes our practise with this Doctrine? shew me a sacrilegious Patron, a Pyrate of the Church, that (if his hand cease from spoyling God of his Tithes, yet) will repayre the breaches, his rapine hath made: shew me a Bribe-guilty Officer, seeke out with wette eyes, and reward with a full hand, the wronged Suitors: how many are more cruell-hearted then Iudas, that neyther on repentance nor despaire will bring backe the price of the Poores Blood, which they haue sucked? Behold the earthly Churle, to make his sonne a Gentleman, prostituting his honesty, conscience, soule, and forsa­king his owne mercie: (as the Prouerbe is vile, if euer true, Happy is that Sonne, whose Father goes to the Diuell:) After he hath mowed Corne, or fatted his Oxe, on the very place, ( [...] Trotafuit) where the Towne stood; nay, kenneled his Dogges within the walles of the Sanctua­ry; Non ignota cano. and turned the Hall of Charitie into the Parlour of Pride; his Body sinkes to the Graue, and (it is to be feared) his Soule to Hell, being rung thither with the peales of Belles and curses. The better instructed Heire, (to omitte those that exceed the tiranny of their Fathers) seeing and detesting his dead Fathers deader courses, Q [...]is talia [...] [...]mperet a lad [...]? lud. 5. 23. withdrawes his hand from extortion, from depopulation, but what reasons can make him a resto­rer? it is enough (he thinkes) to cease wronging. But [Page] curseye Meroz, sayth the Angell of the Lord, curse the inha­bitantes thereof, because they came not foorth, to h [...]lp [...] the Lord in the day of battaile: Did they fight against God? No, they helped him not: Math. 18. that Seruant was condemned for clayming his owne debt: the Prayers and Fastinges of the Iewes were despised, for clayming their owne debts; and standing vpon Sacrifice with men, Esay. 58. 3. Whiles they would haue mercie with God. Neh. 5. Nehemiah threatned the same people with a stricter taxation: They must re­store the extorted Landes and Houses of their breathren; nay, remit some part of the debt, or they were cursed with that feare­full sacrament, the shaking the lappe of his Garment, so to be shaken out of Israell, all the congregation crying, Amen. Lastly, beyond all exception, the manner of the Lambes com­ming to Iudgement, testifies as much; Goe ye Cursed: For what cause? Because ye denyed the Labourer his hire, or tooke Bread from the hungry, &c. No, these are cry­ing Sinnes, and Hasten before vnto Iudgement: But, You gaue them not, therefore, (lie maledictj) Goe ye cursed; so Come yee blessed. What, because ye dealt iustly, and gaue euery man his due? no, these vertues may be in morall men that want Fayth and Christianitie: But, You gaue them your owne bread; Hungry, and clad them Naked, with your owne cloathes; therefore, Come ye blessed.

What vse you will make of this, I know not; what vse you should make, I know: If the Tree without good fruite shalbe burned, what shall become of the Tree that hath euill? If Barrennesse be cast into the fire, what doth Rapine and Robberie deserue? If it be dam­nation enough to deny our owne Bread, what is it to take away the onely Loafe, Coate, or Cottage of our poore brother? Woe to the Backe that weares the Gar­ment, to the Bellies that deuowers the Food, they neuer sweate for; I meane, that by force or fraud, tooke them from the owners. If Naball and Diues burne for not gi­uing their owne, what shall become of Ahab and Iesabell, [Page 31] for taking away the Vineyard of Naboth? If the righteous be scarcely saued, 1. Pet. 4. 18. where shall the vngodly and the sinner appeare?

Now if after this Phisicke giuen, I should aske many, how they feele the Pulses of their Consciences beate? I presume on this reply: (Notum loq [...]eris) you but guild Gold, and minister to vs such Phisicke, as we haue ta­ken before. All this we know; (we doe not euermore ply your vnderstandinges with new thinges; but lay old, almost dead & forgotten, fresh to the Conscience:) I aske further, how much of this haue you practised? and still looke for an affirmatiue answere, All this, haue I kept from my youth.

Let vs reason & discusse this matter a litle. To Enquire, is hearing, or rather harkning to the word to Returne, is repenting: to Come, is beleeuing, or rather looking more toward perfection, proceeding into the ripenesse of Fayth. This latter is so necessarie, that we can not come to God with his acceptance; our comfort, if wee leaue our Fayth behind vs; without this, impossible to please him, to be rewarded of him: This our Charter wherby we hold all our Priuiledges, our Title in Capi [...]e to Earth and Hea­uen: But (Sub [...]udice Lis est) the great Iudge of Heauen shall one day censure it: meane time, giue me leaue to helpe thee, peruse this euidence of thy Fayth, whereon thou so presumest. Christ dying, made a Will, sealed it with his owne Blood, wherein he bequeathed a certaine Inheritaunce to his breathren: the Conueyance is the Gospell, (this his Testament:) the executor of this Will, is the Holy ghost: our Tenure and Euidence, is our Fayth. Now, thou layest title to Ierusalem for a childs part: What's thy title? in Christes name and right: what conueyance did Christ euer make thee of such a portion? Yees, he conueyed it to mee by Will: What, by a speciall name? no, but by a generall title to all be­leeuers: That I am one of these heires, my euidence; my Fayth. Let God alone to try thy Fayth: If thou [Page] commest to me for counsell, sayth S. Iames, thou must shew me another euidence: Shew me thy faith by thy works.

If thy heart be corrupt, thy hands filthy, thy tongue false, thy euidence is but counterfaite. Christ giues not title of inheritaunce in Heauen, to such as haue no holi­nesse on Earth: [...]. Cor. 6. 9. Know ye not that the vnrighteous shall not inherite the kingdome of God? Be not deceiued, neither Forni­cato [...]s, &c. Reu. 21. 27. And there shall enter into it no vncleane thing, nor any thing that worketh abhomination, or lyes. Perhappes thou wilt yet stand vpon it: produce thy witnesses: they are onely two, thy Life, thy Conscience: they cannot speake with thee, against their maker and thine. Thy life speakes lowde, and plaine: Thy pride, drun­kennesse, oppression, cousenage, lustes, blasphemies, manifest thou hast but a broken title: and Paul pleads against thee, Tit. 3. 8. from this cleere aduantage: Protest to them yee beleeue in God, that they be carefull to shew foorth good workes. They that haue the euidence of faith, must haue the witnes of workes: It is a poore deed, without wit­nesses. Thy conscience speakes plaine too, that thy faith is but a carnall perswasion, bred of securitie; a for­ged Euidence, made by a false Scriuener the Diuell, to deceiue thy owne eyes and the worldes, not Gods. Now where is thy claime? stand vpon good assurance, lest when that subtile winnower Satan, comes to fift thee graine after graine, thou prouest Chaffe: we may come with this carnall perswasion, little better then re­probate hope, to the Temples, to the Pulpittes to the Sacraments, but if we come so to the tribunall of Christ, woe vnto vs: the too much trusting to a verball, leane, sicke, starued faith, deceiues many a Soule: whiles we couet to be solifidians in opinion, wee prooue nullifi­dians in practise: no matter for wisedome in the Soule, grace in the conscience, honesty in the life, if the pro­fession of faith be in the tongue: but the Poore may say as he in the Comedie: (Oculatae mihi sunt manus, cre­dunt, [Page 32] quod vident:) My handes haue eyes, and they be­leeue what they see: wee carry the formes and outsides of Christians, and thinke God beholding to vs, for gra­cing his materiall, earthly Temples; when in the Tem­ples of our owne heartes, wee sette vp the Idolls of our owne affections, H [...]s [...]e Deus templis gau­det. &c. yet are these the Temples, wherein he is best pleased to dwell: But if we be come to God by faith, 2. Cor. 13. 5. he is also come to vs by grace: The spirit of Christ is in vs, Rom. 8 9. 10. if we be not Reprobates. And if this spirit be in vs, the body of sinne is dead. At least hath his deathes-wound: But alasse, in how many of vs doth sinne liue, dwell, (I would I might stay there, nay euen) raigne? as if Christ had come to destroy the Diuell, Dominandi vim▪ and not the workes of the Diuill, to free vs from the damnation and not the dominion of sinne: Damnandi vim. but he that tooke from sinne the power to condemne vs, tooke also the power to raigne in our mortall Bodyes. And the second, is but a conse­quent of the first, Rom. 7 25. & 8. 1. postscribed with that word of infe­rence, now then▪ &c. 1. Ioh. 3. 8. Thus Christ came not onely to binde the Diuell, but to loose and dissolue his workes.

I haue read and obserued in the Historie of Scotland, a certaine controuersie betwixt that Kingdome and Ireland, for a little Iland that lay betweene them; eyther claimes it as theit due, and the strife growing hotte, was falling from wordes to blowes: but reason moderated both sides, and they put it to the decision of a French­man; who thus iudged it: he caused lyning Serpents to be put into that Iland; if they liued and thriued there, he iudged it Scotlands; if they pyned and dyed, he gaue it for Ireland. You can apply it easily: If the vene­mous Serpents, poysons, and corruptions of our na­tures batten and thriue in vs, wee are Satans; if they languish and consume, wee are Gods: thus is the title ended for the freehold of our Soules, by what sure rule wee may know, whether they belong to Hell or Hea­uen. If our harts be vnstabled of these beastiall lusts, and [Page] trimmed vp with Sanctimony to entertaine our holy Guest, there shall be a reciprocall and enterchangeable comming of vs to Christ, and Christ to vs: and we shall as surely suppe with him in his Court of glory, Reu. 3. 20. as he hath supped with vs, in our house of Obedience.

Let vs only feare, least our want of Repentance hin­der this. I should haue earst obserued it, as a materiall instruction from this place, I could not find a fitter time to insert it, then here, to draw your comming with more alacritie. There is a reseruation to repen­tance, euen to abhorred Edom: let the sonnes of the prophanest Esau repent, and they shall not be forsaken of mercie: Returne and come, and your night threatned, shall be made a ioyfull warning, though it had as cer­taine & defined a time, as euer had Ionas doome against Niniueh, the sett bounds of 40. dayes, with a Non vltra: yet be you humbled and this iudgement shall be dis­pensed with: If there be such mercie to Edom, let me say boldly, repenting Israell shall not faile of it: the night shall linger, and the Sun be kept from setting, if wee will returne in our day: the threatnings of God haue a condition included; that generall, that promised, that neuer refused interposition of repentance. As ab­solute as the speech might seeme to Abimelech, with­holding Abrahams wife, thou art but a dead man, yet it had an implicite condition, except thou restore her vndefi­led, as appeares by the sequele. It is a common Foun­taine where at euery repentant soule may drinke, at what time soeuer, what sinner soeuer, repent of what sinne soeuer, &c. And if yet any feele themselues thirsty, weake, and not throughly resolued, let him for euer confute the distrust of his owne heart▪ the malice of Sa­than, the present difficulties, Ier. 18 7. with that of Ieremiah, Where in expresse wordes, our repentaunce is sayd to make GOD repent, euen of his threatned, and in­tended Plagues.

[Page 33]God hath threatned to all sinners, a Night of sorrow, and it shall as surely come, as euer Euening succeeded day: but there is an Except, that shall saue vs, a seasona­ble and substantiall repentance: if we turne from those winding Labyrinths of sinne, and come home to God, hee will saue vs from this Night, that wee perish not: there is no comming to God, but in & by Iesus Christ; through his Sonne must God looke at vs, and wee at him; that he may be mercifull, we hopefull.

Come then beloued, to Iesus Christ: behold him with the eyes of Fayth, standing on the Battlementes of Heauen, and wafting you to him: come freely, come merrily, come with speede; come betimes, least when you would, you cannot for want of direction, dare not for want of acquaintance with him: he that comes not till the last gaspe of extremitie, knowes not how to come, because he begins but then. How prone are our feete to forbidden pathes? the Flesh calles, we come▪ Vanitie calles, we flocke: the World calles, we flye: Let Christ call earely and late, and either we not come, or vnwillingly, or late, or with no purpose to stay. How iustly may he take vp that complaint against vs, that against the Iewes: after all my Promises, assurances, reall performances of Mercies; Ioh. 5. 40. You will not come vnto me, that you might haue life: Perhappes, when we are weary of sinne and sinne of vs, then let God take vs; hee will none of the Deuils leauinges. Some would come, but for some impediments; that either Childes Portion to be made vp; such a House to be builded, such a Ground to be purchased: this same But, marres their comming, as he in the Gospell, But for burying his Father; and that other, But for bidding his Friendes farewell: so, But for Mammon, and that we cannot be rich with a good Conscience; But for Pleasures, that we cannot be wan­ton, yet nourish the hope of saluation: But for these ( veruntamens) But's, they would come, ( S [...]d v [...]x sunt [Page] vsi, qui carnere nisi,) we haue all one But, one exception or other, to keepe vs from our Christ: yet Paul countes all these but drosse, but dung: And if any thing seeme fayrer in thine eye then Christ, ( Detur digniori) giue thy soule to the worthyer: We can extreamely affect no earthly thing▪ but the Deuill (at one time or other) will bring it into opposition with Christ, as the Moone and the Sunne, to see which of them shalbe eclipsed. Alas, how ordinary (yet how vile is it ( Post-ponere Christum bonibus, qui nos [...]qua [...]it angelis;) to set Christ after our Oxen, that hath made vs equall to the Angels: yet all those Friends, whom we so trust, shall soonest faile vs, and at our most need run from vs, as Vermines from an house on fire. Giue me lea [...]e to shew you this in­dignitie offred to Christ by a metaphor; familiar com­parisons giue the quickest touch, to both vnderstan­ding and conscience.

A certaine Gallant had three Friendes: two of them flatter'd him in his loose humours; if in this, I may not rather call them Enemies: The third, louingly des­swaded him from his follies: on the two flatterers, he spent his Patrimony; the third he castes off with con­tempt: his ryot and wealth gone, his Friendes went too; for they were friendes to the Riches, not to the Rich man: Debt was required, hee arrested, and the Prison not to be auoyded: in this calamitie, he studies refuge; hence bethinkes himselfe of his two Friends, of whom he desires reliefe: the first's answere is cold and short, Alas, I can not spare it, you should haue preuented this [...]arst: The other speakes a litle more comfort; I haue no Money to helpe you, yet I will beare you company to the Prison-doare, and there leaue you: The distressed man findes small satisfaction in all this; therefore as his last refuge, hee calles to minde his third Friend, whom he had euer scorned, wronged; and after much wrastling betwixt shame and necessitie, hee sendes to [Page 34] him, with no lesse earnestnesse, then humilitie, discouers his exigents, requires helpe: the Message scarce deli­uered, hee comes with speed, payes the Debt, sets him at libertie, nay repayres the ruines of his estate. The Rioter, is Man; the two flattering Friends, are Riches and Pleasures; these the soule of man embraceth, spends her strength and time, most precious Riches, on them: The third Friend, that rebukes his sinnes, is Christ; this because distastefull to blood and flesh, without regard to his sauing health, is reiected: at last, all the time of Grace spent, the soule (so farre) in Gods debt, is arrested by one of Gods Serieants, Sicknesse, or Calamitie, or an afflicted Conscience; then those Friends begin to slinke; Pleasure is gone sodainely, so soone as the Head begins to ake: Riches (perhaps) will offer to goe with him to the Prison doare the gates of Death, the preparation to the Graue: the fainting Soule fore-seeing their falshood, weakenesse, aggraua­tion of his miseries; with an humbled Heart, remorse­full Conscience, Teares in his eyes, Prayers and Cryes in his tongue, sollicites his neglected Sauiour, to pittie his distresse, and haue mercie vpon him: these Messen­gers haue no sooner pierced the Heauens, but downe comes the spirit of Grace and Mercie, with Pardon and free Remission, payment of all Debts, & discharge of all Sorrowes.

If euer you meet with Friend more able, more wil­ling, more certen, to doe you good, reiect this coun­sell; The breath of all men is in their nostrilles, and there is no helpe in them, Psal. 146. though they were Princes; when not onely their materiall partes, Flesh, Blood, Bones, and Mar­row, but euen part of the inward man, so farre as their worldly intendementes went, Their Thoughtes perish. But GOD was, is, and is to come; not onely in Power, Heb. 13. 8. but in Mercie, Sweetnesse, Protection. Iesus Christ yesterday, and to day, and the same for euer.

[Page]That Iesus Christ put into our mouthes a tongue to Enquire, into our heartes a purpose to Returne, into our liues a grace to Come home to holynes, and himselfe.

This God graunt for his mercies sake, Iesus Christ for his merits sake, the Holy ghost for his names sake, to whom be ascribed all honour and praise, for euer and euer. Amen.