MAny and fearefull haue bene the iudgements, which Almighty God from time to time hath executed vpon man for sinne: But of all the ex­amples of Gods ven­geance, this which he shewed vpon So­dom [Page] and Gomorrha for their impiety is most horrible and dreadfull: for whose eares do not tingle, whose flesh doth not tremble, whose hart doth not melt, to heare of such a sudden, strange, and mercilesse fire as this was, The de­structiō of Sodō and Go­morrha, the most fearefull example of Gods vēgeāce that euer was in­flicted in this world vpon mākind for sin. which like a showre of raine fell vpon these cities and destroyed them? Wée read of the torments of hell, that they are vnspeakeable, and as the heart of man cannot imagine the ioyes which are prepared for the godly, no more can the heart of man imagine the miseries which are reserued in hell for the wicked and vngodly. Now of all the iudgements which God hath inflicted vpon man in this world, there is none which doth more resemble the paines of hell, then this wherewith Sodom and Gomorrha were ouerthrowne. Esay. 30.33. it is sayd, that in Tophet there is burning fire, and a ri­uer of brimstone is there sayd to kindle it: and Reuel. 20.21. it is sayd, that the diuell was cast into a lake of fire and brim­stone; and Reuel. 21.8. all the wicked and vngodly are threatned to haue their portion in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. [Page] So that the torments of hel, and the iudge­ment wherewith Sodom and Gomorrha were destroyed, are fire and brimstone. As therfore the torments of hell are vnspeak­able, and passe all other torments: so this vengeance which the Lord inflicted vpon Sodom and Gomorrha, resembling hell torments, is the most grieuous and feare­full vengeance, which euer was executed vpon any people in this world, & for this cause ought we more duly and seriously to consider it, to the end that the horrour and dread thereof might strike and imprint a feare and trembling in our hearts, to offend so great and mighty a God, which is able to punish and destroy the vngodly, euen in this world, with such horrible and fearefull punishments.

And surely, if euer we stood in néed of pre­cepts to admonish vs, of counsell to fore­warne vs, or of examples to terrify vs, we now stand in néede of them in this hard and flinty-hearted age of the world, wherein neyther precepts nor counsell, nor exam­ples of other folkes harmes can any thing preuayle with vs to make vs beware: what things soeuer were written before, [Page] were all written for our learning: all peo­ple before vs haue bene made examples for vs, yet nothing can moue vs or make vs wise, but wée are as inrespectiue of Gods iudgements, and as carelesse of his displeasure, as though we had neuer read or heard any thing, and so resolute are we in our impenitency, that if we should see Sodom and Gomorrah burning before our faces, the fearefull beholding of so strange an obiect might happely breede admiration and wonderment in vs, but repentance and amendement of life it would not.

But Sodom lyes in the ashes of her de­struction, and wée haue raked by the re­membrance of her in the ashes of obliuion: Sodom is not so much as heard of by re­port in the day of our pride: her destructi­on was a wonder indéed: but we confirme the old prouerb, The greatest wōder lasts but nine dayes. And as the smoke of her and of her land sometimes ascended into the clouds, and so vanished: in like maner, the remembrance of her and of her destruc­tion is perished like smoke, and forgotten as though it had neuer bene: yet wée [Page] practise her sinnes, and are corrupted more then shée in all her abominations: shée is a younger sister to vs in iniquity, and we iustify her in all our transgressions. What a madnes is this to forget the iudgement wherewith she was destroyed, and to prac­tise her sinnes, which was the cause shée was destroyed? This is to be penny wise & pound foolish; for we may be well assured, If we practise the sinns of Sodō we shall taste of the iudgments of Sodom. that if we practise her sinnes, we shall taste of her iudgements. Therefore in her name I haue vndertaken to giue an Alarum to this City and this land, to eschew the sinns of Sodom, lest they burne in the iudge­ments of Sodom, and for the same pur­pose I haue made choise of this parcel of Scripture, contayning a true, plaine, and perfit relation of that feareful ouerthrow, which Almighty God brought vpon So­dom and her Cities for their abominati­ons.

In which ouerthrow we haue foure things especially to consider. 1. Fiue cau­ses why Sodom was de­stroyed. The sud­dennes of it: it was by Sun-rise. 2. The author of it, which was the Lord from the Lord out of heauen. 3. The maner of it, which was with fire & brimstone. 4. The [Page] generality of it, all the plaine, and all the Inhabitants of the Cities, & all that grew vpon the earth, were destroyed in this o­uerthrow. Lastly, the cause of this sud­den, fearefull, generall ouerthrow, which was sinne and iniquity.

The suddennesse of Sodoms destructi­on appeares, in that the History reporteth, that it happened by the Sunne-rise in the morning: so that their destruction came vpon them vnawares. Ouer-night, they were all gathered together about Lots house, to breake open his dores; and in the morning their owne houses crackle about their eares, & are burnt ouer their heads, and they themselues consumed in the same fire: They made Lot and his ghests haue an ill night; but now they themselues haue a worse morning: for in their sinfull beds did the fire take them, or if they were risen from their beds, a showre of fire and brimstone gaue them a wofull good mor­row: And though this fire and brimstone came downe in a showre of rayne, yet it was such a showre, as was not discerned, before it came: the Skye was not ouer­cast, the Sunne was not ouershaddowed [Page] with clouds, The sud­dennes of Sodōs destruc­tion. nor the firmament with gloo­my and thicke darkenesse, as vsually it is before other showres: but the Sunne did rise as fayre and bright vpon the earth, as at other times, so that there was no cause to expect or feare such a showre, and by reason it hapned so soone in the Morning, it took some of them in their beds, some asléep some not throughly wakened, some ap­parrelling themselues, others preparing themselues to go about their sundry oc­casions, but none of them dreaming of such an hot seruice, as to haue fire and brim­stone to their breakefast.

When Almighty God brought that vniuersall floud vpon the old world, No­ah was a Preacher vnto them of that age, and by preparing the Arke, he gaue them warning what was intended towards them.

In like maner, when Iericho was layd leuell with the ground, the ruines of that City were in a maner made mani­fest vnto the Inhabitants thereof, by the seuen dayes compassing of it about, and the sound of the trumpets did, as it were, sound foorth their destruction [Page] vnto them: and euen vnto Pharaoh was Moses sent still the day before, to fore­warne him, and giue him knowledge of the plagues which should ensue the day af­ter: but in this destruction of the Sodo­mites, there was no man to forewarne them of it, no prediction to foretell it, no signe to demonstrate it; so suddenly doeth vengeance take them, euen vnawares, and when they little thought of any such mat­ter.

Doc­trine.From whence growes this instruction vnto vs, that such as continue and goe on still in their wickednes without repen­tance, Venge­ance shal suddenly ouertake the vn­repen­tant sin­ner. Iob 34.20. shall suddenly be destroyed, before they be aware. God sendeth downe his vengeance suddenly vpon the wicked, e­uen when they cry, Peace, Peace, and all is well, then doth vengeance come sudden­ly vpon them, as sorrow commeth vpon a woman trauayling with child. This E­lihu noted in his experience. They dye suddenly (sayth he) meaning the wicked, and the people shalbe troubled at mid­night, that is, when they looke not for it, and they shall passe foorth, meaning, the iudgements of God, and take away the [Page] mighty without hand, that is, quickly, or contrary to all expectation.

Many and fearefull are the examples which we haue in the Scriptures concer­ning this matter: Gen. 19.26. Num. 25.8. Lots wife turning her head awry, was her selfe at that very in­stant turned into a pillar of salt. Zimry and Cozby were both slaine amidst their filthines. Belshazzar in the height of his feasting, reuelling, and banquetting, had his iudgement laid vpon him. Dauid be­ing astonied at the sudden destruction of the wicked, maketh an exclamation by way of admiration concerning this mat­ter, Psalm. 73.19. Oh how suddenly (sayth he) are they destroyed, perished, & horribly consumed! And surely, the sud­den destruction of the wicked is not onely terrible to them y ^t are striken with it, but it causeth as many to wonder, as eyther heare of it, or behold it: When the earth o­pened & swallowed vp Corah, Dathan and Abiram with their wiues and children, they themselues did not onely send foorth pittifull and rufull outcryes at the sudden­nes of their owne destruction, Numb. 19.34. but all Is­rael that were about them, fled at the cry [Page] of them: death, come it neuer so gently, yet it is most terrible & dreadfull to nature, be­cause it destroys nature: Sudden death is one de­gree more fearefull then death. but sudden death is a degrée more fearefull then death, be­cause death is the way of all flesh, and it is appoynted for all men once to dye: and therefore it is wisedome patiently to beare, and not to feare, that which cannot be auoyded: but sudden death is neyther common to all, nor necessary for any, but it is like a Kains marke, set vpon some few for examples sake, to warne others to feare and liue preparedly. In all worldly rea­son, it is better to dye in a moment, then of a long languishing sickenes. Therefore Caesar was wont to say, Suet. in vita Cae­sar. Repentinus & inopinatus finis vitae est commodissimus. But howsoeuer a long languishing sicke­nes is grieuous to nature, and tedious to flesh and blood, yet therein a man hath time to compose and set himself in order, to dispose and set his house in order, to yeld back his spirit to God which gaue it, with old Simeon to sing that Swanlike song: Lord, now lettest thou thy seruant depart in peace according to thy word: to giue testimony to the world, that he dyes in [Page] the true faith of Christ, and in loue and charity with all men; so that he leaues a good report behind him, which as Salomon sayth, is better then a precious oyntment: But as for him that dyes suddenly, he can do none of these things, and therefore he leaues a suspition behind him, neyther can the iudging Nature of man hardly be­léeue charitably of him: For indéed, to say the truth, where God will haue mer­cy, he commonly giues time to craue mer­cy: but when he strikes suddenly, it is a fearefull signe that he meanes to haue no mercy; for so he threatens to the vngodly: His destruction shall come suddenly, Pro. 6.15. he shalbe destroyed speedily without re­couery.

These things being duly considered, we haue iust cause to pray with the Church in her Liturgy, From sudden death, good Lord, deliuer vs. But you will say, Wee ought to pray a­gainst sudden death. that we ought continually to liue so prepared and prouided for death, that we should be ready at all times, steale it neuer so sud­denly vpon vs. True it is, such in déed should be our readines and preparation; But yet this is no good argument, [Page] that therefore we should not pray against sudden death: for thus I will instance a­gainst it: 1. Tim. 5.8. Euery man is bound to prouide for his family, things honest and necessary for their reliefe and mainetenance, and he that doth not so, is worse then an Infidell: yet euery man notwithstanding must pray Giue vs this day our dayly bread. Our prouision for bread must not hinder our prayer for bread, neyther must our prepa­ration for death hinder our praying against sudden death. But you will say vnto me, Doe you condemne all that dye suddenly? or doe you thinke that sudden death is al­wayes a spirituall iudgement? What say you to good King Iosias, so much lamen­ted by Ieremy, Lam. per. tot. and commended by the tes­timony of Gods spirit in the Scriptures? What say you to many good men, some drownd at sea? How to iudge of those which dye sud­denly. some kild in fight? some going well to bed, and found dead in their beds? do you affirme, that sudden death to all these is a spiritual iudgement? Surely, concerning Iosias, I answere, that he dy­ed not a sudden death: for he was wounded at Megiddo, 2. Chron. 35.23.24. and after he was wounded, he complayned to his seruants, that he [Page] was very sicke: wherevpon his seruants remoued him out of his owne charret, in­to an other, and afterward carryed him to Ierusalem, and there he dyed. Can Iosias be sayd to dye of a sudden death? They doe but f [...]atter the world, which countenance the sudden death of their friends, with the example of Iosias: for where it is sayd, that he was taken in there nets, Lam. 4.20. the Pro­phet doth not meane by Nets, the sudden­nes of his destruction, but rather the cun­ning deuices and stratagems which his e­nemies vsed to worke his ouerthrow: and so is Net taken, Iob. 18.8. and in diuers other places besides.

And as for such as perish at sea, they can­not be sayd to dye suddenly: for when a man sets his foote into a ship, he well knows, that there is but halfe a foots breadth at the most betwéene him & death; so that a mans entrance into a ship to goe to sea, is, as it were, an entrance into some dangerous sickenes: and commonly there is some storme before a shipwracke, which is a good premonition of ensuing danger; & when a man is vnder water, he is not pre­sently depriued of life, but there is some [Page] reluctation of Nature, in which time of reluctation, there may be many a déep sigh sent vnto God for mercy and forgiuenes; and as it is with those that goe to sea, so it is with those that goe to fight: who know­eth not, that the chance of warre is vncer­taine? & therfore when a man goes into the field to fight, he should make account that he lies him downe vpon his sick-bed. The Drums and Trumpets are to him as so many bells, that sound forth his dolefull knell: The Arrowes, the Pikes, the shot of all sort, are messengers of death vnto him, so that he cannot be said to die sudden­ly: Who are sayd to dye sudden­ly. but that man dyes suddenly, who being in perfect health, and frée from all immi­nent danger, is so depriued of life, that there is no reluctation of Nature to bée perceiued. And what are we to iudge of such? Surely, concerning such, we are not onely to consider the present condition of their death, but also to looke backe to their liues formerly past; and if we find them to haue liued in al good conscience before God and men, and to haue béene busied in some holy or charitable action at the howre of their death, these men, doubtlesse, dye in the fauor of God; & sudden death is but a tem­porall [Page] iudgement vnto them; Sudden death not al­wayes a spiritual iudge­ment. Amb. de obit. Val. & it were a­gainst the rule of charitie & piety, to iudge otherwise of them: for of what kind of death soeuer a iust man dyes, it shal be wel with him, & his soule shal be at rest: but if a man hath all his life time liued wickedly & vn­conscionably, and be also taken by death in some vngodly & vncharitable action, out of al question, suddē death is a spiritual iudg­ment to such a man, as it was to the Sodo­mites here in this place, whom the Apostle S. Iude doth definitiuely condemne, saying, Iude. 1.7. that they suffer the vengeance of eternal fire. Let this therefore be the vse of all that hath bin said, euen to pray against sudden death, & yet to liue alwaies so prepared for death, that we may be ready at all times with the fiue wise virgins in the Gospel, to go in with the bridegrome, Mat 25.10. & be partakers with him of al his pleasures which indure for euermore. Now we are in the 2. The Au­thor of Sodoms ouer­throw. place to consider the Author of this fearefull ouer­throw, wherewith Sodō & Gomorra were destroyed; & that was the Lord: for the text saith, The Lord rayned vpon Sodom & Gomorrha brimstone & fire frō the Lord out of heauen. The phrase of spéech here vsed, séemeth somwhat strange, & therefore [Page] diuers men haue diuersly interpreted it; some haue thought it to be nothing els but a speach proper to the Hebrew tongue: others haue thought it a redundancy of speach: some againe haue thought, that the holy Ghost would, by this forme of speach, note vnto vs a miraculous and extraordi­nary action, aboue and beyond the course of nature: but in reading the ancient fa­thers, we may finde, that they did vrge this place against certaine Hereticks of their time, to proue the eternity of Christ. So Marcus Arethusus in the Sirinian Coun­sell alledged these words against Photi­nus, expounding them thus, The Lord Christ, to whom y ^e Father hath committed all iudgement, did rayne from the Lord Iehouah his Father, brimstone and fire out of heauen. So that Almighty God by his Sonne, did execute this fearefull ven­geance vpon Sodom and her Cityes.

There was neuer any thing which hap­ned in the world, eyther so miraculous or extraordinary, but there haue bene euer some, which haue eyther douted of the truth of it, or disputed about the true cause of it. [...]er [...]. fict. Some haue doubted vpon the truth [Page] of Noahs floud: P [...]trusab Al [...]aco. Guil. Par. Others haue attribu­ted the cause thereof to the constellati­on of the Starrs, or to fatall necessity. Concerning the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrha, there be that do attri­bute it to the nature of the soyle: Strabo. for the country (say they) being full of pitch & slime, and other combustible matter, the fire that destroyed these cities, Against those that ascribe strange acci­dents to naturall causes. did burst forth of the earth. Which asserti­on of theirs is cleane contrary to the Scripture here in this place, which sayth, that it came from heauen. And amongst vs at this day, if any strange accidents do happen eyther in the Ayre or in the Earth, or in the Waters, we referre them to some naturall cause or other, being vnwilling (as it were) to acknowledge God to haue a hand in them. And why should we be so wil­ling to séeke out causes in nature for such things as fall foorth strangely in the world, and so vnwilling to intitle the God of nature in them? God made the Starres, and the Planets, and the [Page] rest of the celestial bodies of that kind, to be for signes, and seasons, & dayes, and yéeres: and this is the right and lawfull vse of them by their creation. Let them be for signes, Gen. 1.14. saith Almigh­ty God, but not for causes. Astra de­monstrant, non necessitant: The Starrs doe sometimes foreshew such things as happen, Against the vani­tie and incertaintie of iu­diciall Astro­logie. but they are not the inforcing causes of such things as hap­pen. Most impious therefore and blas­phemous it is, to ascribe these things to the influence and operation of the Stars: for it is to rob God of his ho­nour, to derogate from his power, to ouerthrow his prouidence, and to tye God to secondary and subordinate causes, and in respect of our selues, it extinguisheth the feare of God in vs, it hinders our repentance and conuersion vnto God, it drawes vs to Atheisme, and to a flat contempt both of God and his Iudgements. Pha­raoh was not mooued with all the miracles that Moses & Aaron could [Page] doe, so long as hée saw his Sorcerers could doe the same; because he attri­buted, whatsoeuer was in those mira­cles to Art and Nature, and not to the power of God. The beasts of the field doe not tremble at the braying of an Asse: but they are horrible afraid at the roaring of a Lyon. So we tremble not, we are nothing afraid, we are not mooued with any thing, be it neuer so strange, so long as we are perswaded it comes from naturall causes: but when we acknowledge the hand of God in such things as befall vs, this bréeds in vs a feare of his Maiestie, and we are the sooner mooued to repen­tance and amendment of life.

Origen is very bitter against these starre-gazing Naturalists, and sayth of them, that Dum alias stellas beneficas, alias maleficas faciunt, os suum in coelum aperiuno: Whiles they make some Planets beneuo­lent, and some maleuolent, they open their mouth against heauen it selfe. [Page] And that ancient Counsell of Toledo, holden in the foure hundreth yéere af­ter Christ, In assert. fidei cap. [...]lt. decréed thus against them, Si quis Mathesi aut Astrologiae existi­mat credendum, Anathema sit: Let him be accursed, y ^t thinks there is any credit to be giuen to Astrology, or Ma­thematisme. What comfort, I pray you, can any man haue, to thinke y ^t the Planets are the causes of such things as happen in the world? Admit the Planets could hurt vs: can they heale vs, when they haue hurt vs? can they relieue vs, when they haue plagued vs? can they helpe vs, when they haue crost vs? That man therefore must néeds be comfortles in his afflictions, that at­tributes the cause of them to the influ­ence of the Starres, or to Fortune, or to necessity, or to any other secondary cause whatsoeuer. But as the Lord Ie­houah did execute this terrible iudge­ment vpon Sodom and Gomorrha by the Lord Christ: so we must confesse and acknowledge, that it is God, and [Page] not Nature, the Almighty, and not the Planets, the Lord of heauen and earth, and not Lady Fortune, that is the cause of all such things as happen here in the world, whether they be par­ticular or generall, whether they be cursings or blessings, safety or destruc­tion, losse or gaine, iudgements or mercies, prosperity or aduersity. This doth the Almighty himselfe witnes of himselfe, Esay. 45.7. I make peace, and I make euill. And the Prophet A­mos affirmeth the same thing of God, Amos 3.6. Is there any euill in the City, and the Lord hath not done it, sayth the Pro­phet? Both which places do pregnant­ly proue vnto vs, that whether it be good or euill that happeneth vnto vs, God is the Author of it, and it com­meth from him, as the true and onely cause thereof. Therefore the Prophet Ieremy demaunds this Question of these that do so curiously obserue the rules of Nature, Iere· 14.22. Can the heauens giue showres? is it not thou, O Lord [Page] our God, Ps. 147.4. saith the Prophet? God be­ing the God of nature, ouer-rules na­ture, he calleth the starres by their names, and therefore disposeth them at his pleasure, & guides the Planets after his will. Let vs not therefore em­ploy our studyes in such vaine Arts, which haue no certainty in them: Let vs not beléeue, nor consent, nor consult with the rules therof: Hierom. in Esay. cap. 27. for as Hierome well saith, such Arts and the profes­sours, practisers and inquirers after the same, doe more harme in a citie, then fire. Canō. 16. And therefore the Councell of Venice, holden in the foure hun­dred and sixtieth yéere after Christ, de­créed, that if any man did study A­strologie, or gaue credit to any such as did studie that Art, if he were a mini­ster, he should be depriued, & whatsoe­uer he were, he should be excommu­nicate: For indéede, these inferiour, though celestiall creatures, were made to serue man, and not to rule man. Let vs not therefore obserue them, Deut. 4.19. [Page] attribute any thing vnto them, feare them, nor consult with them; for thereby we prooue both iniurious to God, to our selues, & to the creatures.

But this is our wisdome, Micah. 6.9. Doct. God the Author of al such things as befall man. to follow the counsel of the prophet, which is, ac­knowledge the rod, & who hath appoin­ted it: when any crosse, affliction, iudge­ment, losse, or tribulation doth befall vs, we must confesse & acknowledge, that by our sins we haue iustly deser­ued the same: & in the second place we must confesse & acknowledge, that God hath appointed, ordeined, inflicted & laid the same vpon vs, & not the starres, nor Fortune, nor Planets, nor Destiny, nor the diuell, nor man, nor any other crea­ture in heauen or earth; but as the Lord rayned fire and brimstone from the Lord out of heauen vpon these ci­ties, & this countrey of Sodom & Go­morrah, so al our crosses, losses, afflicti­ons, and tribulations come from the Lord out of heauen. This Iob wel vn­derstood, & acknowledged: for although [Page] the Chaldeans and Shabeans spoyled him of his Oxen, Asses, and Camells, yet Iob ascribes it all to God. Iob 1.21. The Lord hath taken it away, sayth he. So likewise Sathan is said to haue smitten Iob with sore biles, from the crowne of the head, to the sole of his foote, & yet he lays it vpon God: The hand of God hath touched me, Iob. 19▪ 21. sayth Iob. When Shemei cursed Dauid, & threw stones at him, and rayled vpon him, howsoe­uer the sonnes of Zaruiah tooke it to be the cursing of a dead dog, yet Dauid ascribed it to God. The Lord, sayth he, hath bidden Shemei to curse Dauid. Whereby it is apparant, 2. Sam. 16.10. that there is no euill that happens vnto vs, I mean the euill of punishment, or affliction, but God is the Author of it, and layes the same vpon vs; and to know and ac­knowledge this, is great comfort vnto vs: Vse. 1. for as God woundeth vs, so he is able to heale vs; as he afflicteth vs, so he can remoue our afflictions from vs: and therefore this bréedeth in vs a fer­uency [Page] in prayer, according to the coun­sell of the Apostle, Iames. 5.13. Is any man afflic­ted amongst you, let him pray? But to whom should he pray in his afflicti­ons? to the Starres and Planets? to Fortune and Chance? to Fate & Des­tiny? None of these can relieue vs, they cannot heale vs, they cannot helpe vs. But heere is our comfort, that God afflicting vs, he can also comfort vs; therefore this prouoketh vs to be in­stant with God by prayer. Againe, Vse. 2. to acknowledge God to bée the Authour of our afflictions, it bréedeth patience in vs: Euery one of vs by Nature are wonderfull impatient, euen in the least crosses which can befall vs: and the reason is, because we do not acknow­ledge from whence our crosses come; for it we did, we would neuer be found to striue against God. Dauid confes­sing his infirmity in this case, teach­eth euery man his duety, and how to carry himselfe in his afflictions, I should haue bene dumbe, Psal. 39.9. and not [Page] haue opened my mouth, saith he, be­cause thou didst it. Séeing his trou­bles came from God, he confesseth, he should haue indured them patiently. Let vs therefore learne what to doe in the same case, euen to be patient in our greatest troubles, because God inflicts them and layes them vpon vs. The bird being caught in the lime-bush, and not knowing the true cause of her ca­lamitie, striueth and struggleth to in­large her selfe, but the more she appli­eth her selfe to procure her fréedome, the more she plungeth her selfe into thraldome, the more feathers she lo­seth, and the more vnable she makes her selfe to make her escape, if she were at libertie. Euen so the partie afflic­ted, not knowing, or acknowledging from whence his afflictions come, the more he laboreth to recouer and rid himselfe out of his troubles, the more hee inwrappeth himselfe into trou­bles; the more meanes he vseth of his owne deuising, to relieue himselfe, [Page] the lesse comfort doth he féele, and the heauier are his crosses vnto him. But as the ship, which by the violent course of a spring-tide is driuen vpon the maine, doth patiently abide, til the next spring-tide come and fetch her off, knowing that as she was driuen vpon the ground by the Tide, so she must be brought off with a Tide: so that person which is crossed or afflicted, knowing that his afflictions come from God, doth patiently indure them, knowing that he which laid his afflictions vpon him, can also in his good time remooue them from him. Lastly, to acknowlege God to be the author of our afflictions, Vse. 3. stirreth vs vp more duly & seriously to serue & please him according to his wil. If there could haue bin found, but 10. righteous men in Sodom, the Lord would haue spared the whole citie for those Tens sake. So if the Lord finde any thing in vs, that is agréeable to his will, or acceptable in his sight, he will not punish vs, nor afflict vs, [Page] nor crosse vs further then may be for his glory, and our good: None can pro­mise to himselfe, though he be neuer so righteous, that he shalbe frée from afflictions: but the afflictions of Gods children are gentle chastisments, they come from the loue of a Father, and not from the rigour of a Iudge. We neuer read, that euer he rayned downe fire & brimstone vpon the godly: but if at any time he do correct them, his cor­rections are milde, fatherly, and ten­ding to amendment, and not to their destruction. If therefore thou wilt haue God fauourable, and kind, and good vnto thée, serue him, feare him, & please him: so if he do chastise thée, it shalbe for thy good, and not for thy destruction.

The ma­ner of Sodoms destruc­tion.Now in the third place, according to my first obseruations, let vs consi­der the maner of this destruction which the Lord brought vpon Sodom and Gomorrha, and that was fire and brimstone; fire, which as we say, hath [Page] no mercy, fire from heauen, which is more fierce & fearefull then other fire, fire mingled with brimstone; whereby the fire became more furious, and ter­rible, and the whole Land made bar­ren and fruitlesse for euer. And this mercylesse, fierce, & terrible fire ming­led with brimstone, came from heauen in a showre of rayne; but neuer was there such a showre of rayne fell vp­on the earth. This was a rayne, not to coole and refresh the earth, but to burne and consume the earth, and the Inha­bitants thereof. This was a raine, not to make the Earth fruitfull, but to make it fruitlesse for euermore. This was a raine, not to moysten the earth, nor to make it spring, and bring foorth things necessary for mans vse, but it was a rayne, to skorch and parch the Earth, and to destroy both man and beast, from the face of the Earth; Gen. 7.12. for it rayned fire and brimstone from hea­uen. In the destruction of the old world, we read, that it rayned vpon [Page] the earth forty dayes and fortynights: but it was water simply, without any other mixture. Exod. 9.23. Amongst the rest of the plagues of Egypt, raine was one, but it rayned hailes [...]ones & fire mingled with the haile, and that raine hurt no­thing but what was in the field: but this raine which fell vpon Sodom, was not water, but fire, nor hayle min­gled with fire, but fire mingled with brimstone, and it did not onely destroy that which was in the field, but what­soeuer was either in field, or citie, within the house, or without, at home, or abroad, was destroyed with this raine, man, woman, and child, beast, and cattell, trées, and herbes, all pe­rished with this raine. And the more strange was y ^e maner of this iudgemēt, because it is sayd, that brimstone came from heauen. We often read of brim­stone in hell; but it is very strange, that a thing of so stinking and odious a smell as brimstone is, should come from such a swéete and pleasant place [Page] as heauen is.

Lamentable and rufull hath béene the diuastation & ouerthrow of diuers cities in the world, as of Troy, Car­thage, Ierusalem, Thebes, and such like, insomuch as the very relation of their ruines hath mooued mens hearts to pittie the perplexed estate of all degrées, distressed with such deso­lation. But the maner of this destruc­tion, wherewith Sodom and Go­morrha were ouerthrowne, is with­out comparison: Neuer was there peo­ple so distressed. If the rude and barba­rous souldier had entred these cities by force, and had put man, woman, & child to the swoord, imbruing their hands in the reuerend bloud of the old men, ripping vp the bodies of women great with child, taking the Infants & sucking babes out of their cradles vp­on the points of their speares, deflow­ring wiues, rauishing maides, spoy­ling the widdowes and fatherlesse, sparing no age, sexe or degrée, but [Page] destroying all before them with fire & sword: this had bene lamentable; but yet such is the condition of warre, and no strange thing had happened to these Cityes, but such as had bene common to other cityes in their ouer­throw. If the Lord had sent a famine vpon the people of these cities of So­dom & Gomorrha, & broken their staffe of bread, and diminished the oyle in the cruze, and the meale in the barrell, and had dryed vp all their springs & foun­taines, so that they had bene inforced to haue eaten and drunke their owne excrements, euery man to haue eaten the flesh of his owne arme, and euery mother the childe of her owne wombe, this had bene very miserable, yet such as diuers other people besides haue ta­sted of. But this people were other­wise surprised. It was no mortall eni­my, but the immortall God, that fought against this people. The hea­uens sent downe their forces against this people; and therefore in vaine [Page] was it to lift vp hands, head, or eyes towards heauen, because from thence came their destruction. If an enemy of the same mould that this people were of, had besieged them, there might haue béene some treaty, some parley, some conditions of peace, of departing with bagge and baggage, of ransome, or tribute hoped for: but when they saw the heauens open aboue their heads, and sending downe fire and brimstone vpon them, whē they saw their houses on fire about their eares, no place of refuge or safegard to flye vnto, no meanes to escape, when they felt the fire fall vpon their soft and tender bo­dyes, as thick as rayne, when they felt it scorche their flesh, when they saw one another lye sprawling vpon the ground, drawne to, like a scrowle of parchment, with y ^e scalding heat of the fire, none able to help another, none a­ble to cōfort another, what a miserable face of a citie was there, thinke you?

For the Lord rayned vpō these cities brimstone & fire from the Lord out of heauen. Reasons why God brought this maner of de­structi­on vpon Sodom and Go­morrha. Rea­son. 1. Now the reasons which moued the Lord to send this strange and ter­rible iudgement vpon these cities and people, were especially 3. This God so wonderfull in power & might, and so feareful in his punishment, had before this time drownd the world, for sin; but the people of Sodō & Gomorrha were nothing terrified with that iudgemēt, but were as wreched & wicked in their courses, as if they had heard of no exā ­ple of Gods wrath against sin; & there­fore now God sends fire to destroy them, to let all the vngodly of the earth know, that all the Elements and all creatures in heauen, earth and hell, are readie, and prest to take vengeance vpon man for his sin, when it pleaseth God to command & enioyne them: the Lord is not so bare of iudgements, that he hath but one kinde to reuenge him­selfe vpon y ^e vngodly, he hath more thē one arrow of vengeance to the bow of [Page] his wrath, he hath water to drawn thée, fire to consume thée, plague & pestilence to destroy thée, dearth & famine to pine thée, a thousand grieuous diseases to bring thée to thine end. The earth is at his beck, to open and swallow thée vp quick: the Angels are at his command­ment, to strike [...] sudden death: The deuils wayt vpon his will, and if he bid them goe, they haue power to tempt thée to bee thine owne butcher and executioner, as to hang thy selfe, to throw thy selfe downe headlong and break thy neck, to cut thine own throat. This God would haue y ^e sinner know. And therefore let all the vngodly of the world feare this God, trēble at his iudg­mēts, be careful & cōscionable to serue & please him, & take héed how they offend him; for if they prouoke him, he wil not spare them. They haue not so many wayes to anger him withall, as hée hath plagues & punishments to destroy them withall. And from hence an im­penitent sinner may gather, that there is no place of safety nor security for [Page] him; a walled citie is no place of de­fence for a sinner, his house is no ca­stle vnto him, his bed is no place of safegard for him; for in al these places God hath messengers of death and de­struction to attach him.

Rea­son. 2.The second [...], why the Lord brought this kind of iudgement vpon these cities, & people, was, y ^t the maner of their punishmēt might be suteable & correspondēt to the maner of their sin: for wheras they burned in the filthy lust of concupiscence one towards another, against the order & course of nature, the Lord, to punish this vnnatural heat of lust in thē, brought a supernatural fire vpon them: & as they delighted in the filthy & odious pleasure of sin, & defiled themselues with the hellish contagion of impietie: so the Lord punished them with brimstone mingled with fire, that as their sins made them stinke in the nosethrills of Almighty God: so they might be choked & stifled with the de­testable stinking smell of brimstone: & [Page] as the Lord made the punishment of this people suteable to their sinne: so he would haue al sinners know, y ^t where­with a mā sinneth, by the same also shal he be punished: for it was not vnpossi­ble to the Almighty hand of God, which made all the world of nought, to haue drowned this people & their land with the ouerflowing streames of Ior­dan, or to haue deliuered them into the hands of y ^e foure kings, as once before, or to haue sent the infectious & noysom pestilence among them: but God chose rather to destroy thē with fire & brim­stone from heauen, Gen. 14.10. to giue notice to all posterities, y ^t as they sin, so shal they be punished. Aarōs sonnes offred strange fire vpon the Altar: & therfore a strange fire from heauen destroyed them. Sam­son suffering the eyes of his mind, Leuit 10.2. and the light of his reason to be extinguish­ed, was for his punishment depriued of his bodily eyes, and lost the comforta­ble sight of this world. And as he suffe­red himselfe to be captiuated and in­thralled [Page] to the wil of a woman, so was he made a slaue to the will of his vn­circumcised enemies, & compelled by them to grinde in a mill like an horse, then which there could not be a more seruile seruitude. And it séemeth by the example of Diues, Luke 16.24. that in hel there shal be some thing in the torments of the damned, which shall haue some corre­spondency with their sinnes: for Diues being vnmerciful in the world while he liued, can finde no mercy nor compas­sion when he is dead, either in hell or heauen: he that would not giue a crum of bread to Lazarus in his life time, cānot now get a drop of water to coole the typ of his tongue. Howsoeuer ther­fore there be generall torments in hell for the damned, yet it should séeme that there shall be some particular thing in their torments, which shall haue some semblance with their sins; & the reason is, because they might, to their greater griefe, be put in minde of their sinnes, which were the cause of those tormēts.

[Page]The third & last reason, Rea­son. 3. Gen. 19.13. why the Lord from heauen sent downe this strange & feareful iudgement vpon these cities & people, was, because their sinnes cryed vp to heauen, therefore God answered the cry of their sins, with a punishmēt from heauen. And this God doth, to let vs sée how sin turneth heauen into hell, and maketh the mercifull Sauiour of mākind, to be an vnmerciful destroyer of mankind. God is by nature a preser­uer of men, The shepherd of Israel, Iob 7.20. Ps. 23.1. Ps. 18.2. A refuge for men to fly vnto for safegard & succour: but such is the strong effects of sin, and so strangely worketh it with God y ^t of a preseruer of men, it makes him a destroyer of men▪ of a shepheard, it makes him a leopard, & of a lambe a lyon. The heauēs by nature giue rayne vnto the earth in due season, Deut. 28.12. Hos. 2.21. to make it fruitefull and fertile, to bring forth things necessary for the vse of man: But sinne makes the heauens to bée brasse vnto vs, & causeth them to send downe fire & brimstone, storme & tem­pest, [Page] to make the earth barren & fruit­les, & destroy both man & beast from off the earth. Most miserable then is the estate and condition of a people or a land, when the sinnes of that people or land become to be crying sinnes: for in vaine is it for a people or a land to cry for mercy vnto God, whē their sins cry for vengeance. In vaine doest thou hold vp thine hands, or lift vp thine eyes to y ^e heauens for fauor, when thy sins with their cry haue sollicited against thée for iudgement. When Ziba hath once ac­cused Mephibosheth vnto Dauid, it is in vaine for Mephibosheth to excuse himselfe: 2. Sam. 16.3. 2. Sam. 29.16. so if thou hast practised sin so long, that it now beginnes to cry vnto heauen, God that is in heauē wil heare the cry thereof, & he will send downe some strange punishment or other vp­on thée to destroy thée. As Abigail ther­fore preuented the wrath of Dauid, by méeting him before he came at her husband: so preuent thou the cry of thy sins, & méete God with thy repentance, [Page] before the cry of thy sinnes bring him downe to take vengeance vpō thée: cry thou for mercy, before thy sins cry for iudgement: stop the mouth of thy sins with contrition & sorrow; stil their cry with repentance & amendment of life; & as Pharaoh dealt w ^t the children of the Israelites in Egypt, so deale thou with thy sins; kil them in the birth, neuer let thē trouble the house with their cry: Exod. 1.16. so shalt y ^u find God mercifull vnto thée, & the heauens fauorable vnto thée: other­wise, if thy sins send their cryes before thée into heauen, look for some fearefull iudgemēt frō heauen to light vpō thée.

The fourth thing we are to obserue in the destruction of Sodom and Go­morrah, The ge­nerality of Sodōs destruc­tion. is the generality of the destru­ction. Wherein we are to consider 3. things: First, that the whole countrey was destroyed. Secondly, the whole people, man, woman and child, old and young, were all taken away in this iudgement. Thirdly, all that grew vpon the earth, which Tremelius calls [Page] foetum terrae, the brood of the earth, whatsoeuer the earth brought foorth or nourished, was all destroyed in the de­struction of these cities. Concerning the countrey, we are to consider it in two respects. First, in regard of the largenesse and greatnesse of the countrey: and secondly, in regard of the excellency of the countrey. The large­nesse of the coun­trey of So­dom. Gen. 14.2. The largenesse of the countrey may be con­sidered, either in the number of cities which it contained, or in respect of the scite and circuite of the soyle, with­in the compasse and territories where­of it was bounded. Concerning the greatnes of this country, in respect of y ^e cities thereof; Moses describeth them to be fiue, Sodom, Gomorrha, Admah, Zeboim, Zoar, which was also called Bela: of these fiue cities, foure were o­uerthrowne in this iudgement of fire and brimstone, as you may read, Deut. 29.23. Gen. 19.22. for Zoar was preserued at the entreaty of Lot. And the cause why So­dom & Gomorrha are onely named in [Page] this place which we haue now in hand, is, because these were the chiefe cities of this countrey, more populous then the rest, more abounding in wealth, and more abominable in their sinnes.

The first thing then which we are to consider concerning the generality of this destructiō, is, that not villages, but cities, not one or 2. cities, but 4. ci­ties, not 4. poore, base, beggerly cities, but foure great, populous, rich cities, were ouerthrowne in this fearefull o­uerthrow, executed w ^t fire & brimstone.

The second thing to be considered in the largenesse of this countrey, is the scite and circuite of it, which was, as Pliny reporteth, one hundred miles in length, & 25. miles in bredth. But Iosephus, whose report is thought more true and certaine, describeth this coun­trey to bée but thréescore and twelue miles long, & ninetéene miles broad.

Whereby we gather, that not a fewe fields or acres of ground, not a small parcel or quantity of ground, but [Page] a large country was ouerthrowne in this destruction.

The ex­cellency of the coun­trey of Sodom.Concerning the excellency of this countrey, Moses sets it foorth vnto vs, Gen. 13.10. by comparing it to the Garden of God, or to that part of the land of Egypt, which is watered with the ouerflowing streames of the riuer Nilus: so that out of all question, this countrey of Sodom & Gomorrah was a most goodly countrey, fertil, pleasant, & delightfull; for as Paradise was wa­tered with the swéete, fresh, wholsome waters of Euphrates, & Egypt with y ^e faire, soft, sliding streames of Nilus: so this land of Sodom, lying alōgst the o­uerflowing banks of Iordē, might wel be compared to either of them for all [...]ind of riches, pleasures and delights. And surely, the sins of this countrey de­clare, that it was a goodly, rich, plea­sant countrey; Ezech. 16.49. for as it is in the prophe­cy of Ezechiel, the sins of this country were pride, fulnes of bread, and abun­dance of idlenes. The pride of this peo­ple [Page] shewed their riches; their fulnesse of bread, the fruitfulnesse and fertili­tie of the soyle; and the abundance of idlenes in this people, shewed the plea­sures and delights of the countrey: but how populous soeuer this countrey was, by reason of the cities that were in it, how large and great soeuer this countrey was, in respect of the soyle and circuit of it, how rich, fruitfull, and pleasant soeuer this countrey was, the Lord ouerthrew those cities, and al the plaine, euen the whole countrey, with fire and brimstone, so that it is now as vnpleasant as euer it was pleasant: for there arise such filthy, and foggy va­pours and mists out of the ground, as none is able to abide the smell of them, and as Borchardus reporteth, the neighbour mountaines are made barren with the contagion thereof: and how fruitfull soeuer it was before the desolation of it, vndoubtedly, it is now as fruitles and barren; the waters are so bitter and vnsauoury, that nothing [Page] liues in them: for if any fish doe hap­pen to fal into the waters of this coun­try, out of the riuer Iordan, by reason of the inundation of y ^e said ryuer, they dye presently: no grasse growes in the countrey: Trées there be, which beare fruite, which outwardly séemeth very faire, but within y ^e rine there is nothing but dust & ashes. And lastly, this coun­trey is now as desolate, as euer it was beautiful and goodly, for there is not a man inhabiting there, no creature a­biding there, Doc­trine. Nothing can pri­uiledge either place or person from Gods venge­ance against sinne. not a cottage or a houell standing in all the countrey: for the Lord destroyed all the cities, and al the whole countrey, with fire and brim­stone. Frō whence we for our instruc­tion may learne and know, that when Almighty God takes vengeance vp­on any land or countrey for sinne, he respects neither greatnesse, nor excel­lency, nor goodlinesse, nor beauty, nor any other outward thing whatso­euer: A fruitfull land maketh hée barren, a populous countrey makes [Page] he waste, Ps. 107.34. a beautifull countrey makes he desolate: and all this he doth, for the sinne of the people that dwell therein. Though Babylon sit as a Quéene, and saith she is no widow, neither shall sée any mourning, yet her plagues shall come vpon her in one day, death, sor­row, and famine, and she shall bee burnt with fire. The disciples woon­der at the faire and goodly building of the Temple: but our Sauiour Christ tells them, that there should a time come, euen the time when God should visit that people for their sinnes, at which time there should not one stone be left vpon another of all that beau­tifull building, that should not bée throwne downe.

We therefore of this land and citie ought to take this Alarum, for a war­ning giuen vs by Sodom & other pla­ces, most excellent & eminent in their times, yet al destroyed & ouerthrowne for their sins and impieties: for though England be a Paradise for pleasure, a [Page] storehouse of wealth, and a rich Exche­quer of all plenty and delights; And though London be the Kings Cham­ber, the seat of the Nobles, the Mart of rich and worthy Marchants, & indéede the beauty of the whole land, yet if God once visit this land and citie, for the sinnes of the inhabitants thereof, neither this nor that, neither the large­nes of their territories, nor their beau­ty, excellencie, riches, or multitude of people, shall excuse them, but he will make them as Sodom, and like vnto Gomorrha. If God would haue spared any place for the outward worthinesse of it, Ps. 50.2. he would haue spared Zion, in which place the Lord appeared in per­fit beautie, and of which place God gaue this testimony, that he loued the gates of Syon more then all the habi­tations of Iacob. And in another place the Lord hath chosen Syon, say­ing, Ps. 87.2. Ps. 132.13.14. This is my rest for euer, here wil I dwell: for I haue a delight therein. And yet this place is so defaced, spoy­led, [Page] and ruinated at this day, that it lyes abhorred & desolate, being a cage of most vncleane birds, and a filthy denne of Turkes, miscreants, and Infidels. And how can England or London secure themselues, or promise any immunity of Gods iudgements vnto themselues, by reason of any out­ward worthinesse or excellency, where­with they séeme to be blest aboue other Nations? for whensoeuer God shall visit this Land & City for their sinnes, nothing shall exempt vs frō his iudge­ments, except we preuent them by re­pentance.

Concerning the generality of this Iudgement which the Lord brought vpon Sodom and Gomorrha, it is fur­thermore said, Man, woman & child destroy­ed in So­doms o­uerthrow that he destroyed all the Inhabitants of those Cities, the whole people of the Land, not men onely, but women too, not men & women onely, but men, women and children, euen all the Inhabitants of those Cities peri­shed in this ouerthrow, not the poore [Page] onely, but poore and rich; not the base and inglorious Pezant, but the Noble and honorable amongst them; not the subiect, but their Kings and Rulers; not those which were in the field, but all that were in the cities, euen all the Inhabitants of those cities were ouer­throwne in this destruction: So that as God spares no place, for any re­spect of outward excellency, no more doth he spare any person, for his owne worthinesse or eminency: but when he brings his Iudgements vpon man for sinne, the wise and the foole perish both together, the King that sits vpon the Throne, and the begger that sits vpon the ground, they beare both a part, and drinke of the same cup, when he is an­gry. This the Spirit of God doth te­stify vnto vs by the Prophet Dauid, You shall dye like men, Psal. 82.7. and ye Prin­ces shall fall like others. And the Pro­phet Ieremy tells Ieconiah King of Iuda, Ier. 22.24. that though he were the signet of the Lords right hād, yet he should [Page] be pluckt from thence. No title of ho­nour, eminency or excellency, can frée a man from Gods iudgements. The plagues of Egypt were vpon Phara­oh, as well as vpon the people. And therefore Kings and Princes, and the honorable and renowmed personages of the world, must not flatter them­selues, nor suffer the pompe of y ^e world to deceiue them: for whether their ho­nour and dignity consist in authority, or in wealth and riches, 1. Kings. 22.31. The greatest men doe often­times taste first of Gods iudge­ments. Dan. 5.30. or in the vo­luptuousnes and pleasure of life, none of these can frée them from GODS iudgements: Nay, if we marke the procéedings of God in the execution of his iudgements, we shall often sée, that the mē in chiefest place, do soonest taste of his iudgements. Ahab, king of Is­rael, was first slaine in the battell at Ramoth Gilead. Among all the people that met Iehu as he went to Izreel, we read of none that was slaine, but the 2. kings, Iehoram king of Israel, & A­haziah king of Iudah .1000. princes [Page] did profane the golden and siluer ves­sels, which were brought out of the Temple at Ierusalem, together with Belshazzar King of the Chaldeans, as also did his wiues and concubines; yet the Scripture makes mention of none that was slayne that night, but onely the King. This should teach Kings and Rulers, and such as are of note and place, to take no more liberty of sinning vnto themselues, then those of the vulgar sort and condition: for they are as subiect to Gods Iudge­ments, as the meanest among the peo­ple.

But now wonder all ye that read this History, let your hearts melt with griefe, and your eyes be resolued into teares of sorrow, when you heare, that not onely those of discretion & yéeres, but euen children, Childrē destroy­ed as wel as those of elder yeeres. Infants, and suck­ing babes, that hangd vpon their mo­thers brests, which knew not their right hand from their left, which ne­uer cōmitted sinne actually, were also [Page] destroyed in this ouerthrow: The tendernesse of their age might haue pleaded for them, they stucke to their mothers brests, as Apples to their trées, they could not speake, stand, nor helpe themselues: Their innocency & harmelesse simplicity might haue plea­ded for them, they knew not their right hand from their left, they could not di­stinguish betwéene good & euill, right & wrong, straight and crooked. Those of elder yéeres had iudgement, & will in themselues, & therfore they were iustly punished for their transgressions: but what had these infants done, which had not as yet attayned to yéeres of discre­tion? But so fierce is the wrath of God against sinne, that nothing could excuse these silly infants: for the Lord destroy­ed all the inhabitants of these cities, he reserued neyther man, womā, nor child aliue. Neyther was there any cruelty or iniustice in God, in destroying the childrē of Sodom, together with those that were of elder yéeres & discretion: [Page] for foure reasons may be yéelded of this action.

Rea­son. 1. Reasons why In­fants were de­stroyed.The first reason why the infants and sucking babes in Sodom were destroi­ed aswell as those of elder yéers was, because they were the branches of such cursed trées, & children of such vngodly parents: for howsoeuer it be true, that the Lord speakes by the Prophet Eze­chiel, that the child shall not beare the fathers sin, it is true also that the Lord himselfe speaketh in the second Com­mandement, He will visit the sinne of the fathers vpon the children: So that if a wicked and vngodly man be­get a child, that child shal not beare the sinne of the parents spiritually, and e­ternally, if it walke in good wayes, and betake it selfe to holy and vertuous courses: but if the childe of vngodly parents liue neuer so carefully and conscionably according to Gods will, yet the Lord will visit the sinnes of the parents vpon it corporally & tem­porally, and if it walke in the wayes [Page] of the parents, it shall beare the sinnes of the parents eternally also. But ad­mit that a childe of vngodly parents neuer come to commit sinne actually, the Lord in his iustice may visit the sinnes of the parents vpon that childe both temporally and eternally, because it is of the same nature that the parēts are: euen as the Hunts-man finding a litter of some noysome & obnoxious beastes, killes them, though they ne­uer did harme, because their nature is to doe harme if they liue: euen so, God in his iustice may destroy the very infants and sucking babes both temporally and eternally, though they neuer committed sinne actual­ly, because their nature is corrupt and tainted by propagation from their parents. But you will say vnto mée, The like may bée sayd of the chil­dren of godly parents. No: For the godly haue a promise, that God will not onely bée their GOD, but the GOD of their séede also: [Page] so that if the children of the godly dye while they hang vpon the brest, or in the wombe, yet there is hope of mercy, by reason of the promise: but if the children of the wicked dye before they be of power to commit sinne actually, there is no hope of mercy, but a fearful expectatiō of iustice, because there is no promise of mercy belōging vnto them.

You sée then the reason, why God destroied those infants & sucking babes of Sodom, with this temporall iudge­ment of fire & brimstone, euen because they were children of vngodly parēts. And if he hath destroyed them eternal­ly, he hath done no more then in his iu­stice he might, because he neuer made promise of mercy vnto them.

The second reason why God de­stroyed these children, was to increase the griefe and sorrow of their parents: for commonly the miseries of our chil­dren are more grieuous vnto vs, then our owne miseries. Dauid tooke the death of his sonne Absalō so heauily, [Page] that hée wisht hée had dyed for him. And out of question, when this people saw their children lie sprawling in the fire, scorcht and burnt with the heate thereof, when they heard them scréeke and cry, and could not helpe them, it was as grieuous vnto them, as their owne miserie; and therefore the Lord did it, euen to increase and inlarge their sorrow.

The third reason why the Lord de­stroyed these children, was, Rea­son. 3. because they should not walke in the wicked & abominable waies of their parents; for if they had liued, the nature which they drew from their parents, would haue drawne them to the sinnes of their pa­rents: lest therefore these children should haue traced the sinfull steps of their parents, the Lord takes them a­way in the same destruction with their parents.

The last reason why these children were destroyed, was, Rea­son. 4 because GOD would leaue none of that wicked brood [Page] to remaine vpon the earth; there were ouer-many of that ranke already: Doc­trine. Parents, euen in regard of their childrē, ought to liue con­sciona­bly. and therefore the Lord, to the end he might roote out the memorie of this people, he destroyed children and all. Where­by man is taught to liue holily, iustly, and soberly in this world, forasmuch as a man is not wicked onely to him­selfe, but to his posteritie also. The wickednesse of the parents lyes heaui­ly vpon the children: and therefore if thou hast no regard of thine owne soule, yet haue a respect of thy children, and for their sakes cease to doe euill. Esay 57.3. The Prophet Esay summons the chil­dren of Witches, the séed of the adul­terer and of the whore, and the chil­dren of the rebellious, hée summons them all before God, and he layes this heauie iudgement vpon them; There is no peace to the wicked, 20. saith my God. It is a fearefull thing to be the child of an Usurer, of an Adulterer, or Whore, of a Drunkard, of a mur­therer, of a blasphemer, or of any o­ther [Page] notorious wicked person whatso­euer: for surely God will visit the sinnes of the parents vpon the chil­dren, as he hath threatned in the com­mandement, temporally, liue the chil­dren neuer so well, but temporally and spiritually both, if the children doe walke in the wayes of their parents.

Last of all, concerning the gene­ralitie of that destruction, which the LORD brought vpon this Coun­trey and people, it is said, All li­uing creatures destroy­ed in Sodoms ouer­throw. that Hee destroyed all that grew vpon the earth: or as Tremelius hath lear­nedly translated the same wordes thus, All that the earth brought forth, and nourished, all cattell and beasts of the field, all creeping things, and whatsoeuer was vpon the face of the earth, was destroyed in this ouer­throw. And here we may iustly won­der at the iudgements of God, which he extendeth not only vnto man, which hath iudgements & will, nor vnto babes and sucklings which are tainted with [Page] corruption by the propagation of na­ture from their parents, but also to vnreasonable creatures, which neuer sinned, but are subiect to vanitie a­gainst their willes, which doe not of­fend their Creator, but follow the law of their creation, and shall neuer come into iudgement; yet these creatures, as void of sinne as of reason, are oftentimes plagued and destroyed for the sinne of man. Thus was the earth cursed for the sinne of Adam: Thus were al these creatures destroy­ed with the floud, for the sinne of that age; and yet we may say of them, as Pithagoras sometimes said:

What haue these poore sillie crea­tures deserued, that they should bée punished? nay, destroyed, hauing ne­uer offended? Wée are the sinfull wretches of the world, workers of all iniquitie, deseruing not to be scourged with rods, but with Scorpions: We [Page] (I say) being onely nocent, cause in­nocencie it selfe to be punished for our transgressions. Behold then, O sin­full man, thine owne vngraciousnesse, thou doest not only procure vengeance to thy selfe by thy sinne, but to euery thing else that doth serue thy sinfull vse. Man by his creation is a Lord, and a high commander vpon the earth; for as it is in the Psalme, Psal. 8. he hath do­minion ouer all the workes of God, all things are put in subiection vnder his feet, all sheepe and oxen, yea and the beastes of the field, the birdes of the ayre, the fishes of the sea, and what­soeuer walketh thorow the pathes of the seas: So that man in reason should content himselfe with this dominion and Lordship which he hath ouer the creatures, and not séeke and procure the destruction of them: Man should satisfie himselfe with the vse and com­moditie of these creatures, and not seeke the ruine and wracke of these poore bond-seruants, both by ill intrea­ting [Page] them himselfe, and by prouoking God with his sinne, to plague, punish, and destroy them. And surely, but that the prouidence of God doth re­straine these silly dumbe creatures, it is a maruell, that they doe not break their league with man, and shake off the yoke of obedience toward him: It is a maruell that y ^e earth doth not rent in sunder vnder man, as he walkes vp­on it, séeing it is so plagued with bar­rennesse for the sinne of man: It is a maruell, that our oxen and our horses, with their hornes and hooues, doe not make warre against vs, séeing we are such vnrighteous & tyrannicall Lords ouer them, not content to haue their vse and seruice, except wée plague them besides into such vndeserued vengeance of GODS wrath by our sinnes and transgressions. Let vs therefore forbeare and eschew sinne, and flye from it, as from a Serpent, séeing by it wée doe not onely draw downe Gods heauy iudgements vpon [Page] our heads, but also wée plague our posteritie, and the very dumbe and vnreasonable creatures into the wrath of Gods vengeance, by our sinnes and transgressions. And let vs further learne the perfect hatred of GOD a­gainst sinne, who doth not onely pu­nish it in mā which committeth it, but in all things which any way serue man in his sinfull courses: and let vs estéeme no sinne small, séeing the infi­nite maiestie of God is offended by it, infinite torments are prepared for it, and nothing can satisfie for it, but the inestimable price of Christes blood, applyed to the conscience by a true and liuely faith.

Now it remaines, The cause of Sodoms destru­ction was sinne. that in the last place we examine the cause, why the Lord brought such a fearefull destru­ction vpon this land and people. There must néeds be some great cause, that did exasperate the Lord to execute such a fierce & strange iudgemēt vpon them. The cause is not hard to be found out: [Page] for nothing doth separate man from God, but sinne; nothing doth prouoke God to punish, plague and destroy man, but sin; nothing doth draw downe the iudgements of God vpon man, but sinne; and sinne it was, that moo­ued the Lord to reuenge himselfe thus seuerely vpon this land and people, as it appeares by the wordes of Al­mightie God to Abraham, Gen. 18.20. Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is excee­ding grieuous, I will go downe now, saith the Lord. Sin brought death into the world, they are twinnes, bred and borne in one day; sinne and destructi­on are Relatiues; admit the one, and the other followes; death and destruc­tion growes foorth of sinne, as fruite from the tree: and therefore if we sin, we may surely expect to be punished; and if we be punished, we need not doubt of the cause, but we may safely thinke with our selues, it is for our sinnes. Therefore as we haue consi­dered [Page] the punishment of Sodom, so let vs consider the sins of Sodom, which were the cause of her ouerthrow and destruction. The Prophet Ezechiel doth make knowne vnto vs the sinnes of this people to be foure; Pride, Ezec. 16.49. The sins of So­dom. Gen. 19.5. ful­nesse of bread, idlenesse, and vnmer­cifulnesse towardes the poore. But these were not all the sins of Sodō: for the Scripture layes downe another sinne practised amongst this people, which because it did either beginne amongst them, or was more practise [...] amongst them then amongst any other people beside, deriued the name from them, and so holds it to this day: but the Prophet doth reckō the forenamed sinnes, to be the sinnes of this people, because they were the principall causes of that vnnaturall sin, which wi [...]h the cry thereof brought such a fearefull vengeance vpon them.

In speaking of the sinnes of So­dom, I will kéepe the same order, that the Prophet obserueth in the place [Page] before cited, Pride. placing Pride in the first ranke, as though it were the Ring­leader to the rest, and the roote from whence all other vices doe follow: and so it is indéed, and therefore it is called the Center in the sphere of mans life, from whence are drawne lines to the circumference of iniquitie. If a man haue any good gifts or qualities in him, pride doth expell and abandon them: if a man haue none, pride will not giue place for any to enter: A proud man cares not for God. Ps. 10.4. and the first thing that pride works in mā, is an irrespectiue care and an incuri­ous respect of God; hee cares not for God, he séekes not for God, hée doth not trust and relye vpon God, nay, he thinkes alwayes there is no God; for the obiect of his pride is his God, and in it he doth trust, vpon it he doth relye, and he sets it vp as an Idoll, not onely in his owne heart, but in the eyes and view of the world, to the end all men may applaud, admire, honour and magnifie it: as if a man be proude [Page] of his Nobilitie, of his dignitie and greatnesse, of his wealth and riches, of his credit and estimation, of his learning and wisdome, of his apparel, of his costly and goodly buildings, or whatsoeuer else is the obiect of his pride, he doth not onely set his heart vpon it himselfe, séeking all meanes to vphold and maintaine it, deriuing all his ioy and contentment from it, de­pending vpon it as vpon the staffe and stay of his strength, but he must haue all other men likewise to commit I­dolatry with it: and as the finger is alwayes where the paine is, and the eye where the affectiō is: so is the heart of a proud man alwayes setled & fixed vpon y ^e thing whereof he is proud. And therefore it is true that Dauid speaks of him; he cares not for God, Ps. 10.4. he séekes not for God, & he thinks alwayes there is no God: & as he is thus careles & in­respectiue of God, so is he most iniuri­ous to his neighbor, in scorning, disdai­ning, despising, & vildly estéeming him. [Page] Superbus nes [...]at esse socius: A proud man is iniuri­ous to all men. A proud man acknowledgeth none to be his e­quall. A proud man is alwayes con­tentious, and by reason he is wholy possest with selfe-loue, a man shall ne­uer haue iustice at his hāds: for which cause, Moses gaue warning to the Is­raelites, Deut. 17 20. not to chuse a King, that should lift vp his heart aboue his bre­thren: for when the chiefe Magistrate is proud and haughty, all iustice and iudgement is peruerted, & he gouerns all things after the rule of his owne proud conceyts: And euen as when a man winnoweth wheate, the chaffe mounts aloft, though it be light and vn­profitable, but the wheate falls downe vnto the groūd, though it be more pre­cious and excellent then the chaffe: euē so, when a proud man sits in gouern­ment, vanity is preferred, but iustice and iudgement are depressed. Ps 119.51.69. Dauid complayneth of the proud, that they had him excéedingly in derision: and in another place, that they imagined a lye [Page] against him: noting vnto vs thereby, that in the first place, they scorne and disdayne all men; and in the second place, that they wrong, maligne, and deale vniustly with euery man. Thus is a proud man foūd impious towards God, iniurious to his neighbour, A proud man not capable of grace. not capable to receyue any good gifts or graces, as a certain Philosopher told Alexander, perceyuing his pride, God (sayd he) is able to giue wisdome vn­to men, but Alexander is so proud, that there is no place for wisdome to take place in him. And lastly, a proud man is in danger to lose those good gifts and qualities which hée already hath, according to that old prouerbe, ‘Inficit egregios adiuncta superbia mores.’

Where pride is, there all excellent conditions are infected and poysoned, so that they eyther dye, or grow so weake, that they are not able to per­forme any good office or duety.

[Page] Psal. 36.11.This made Dauid pray, Let not the foot of pride come against mee: for well he was assured, that if pride set in a foot against him, hee should haue extreme wrong offered him. Pride then being one of the sins of Sodom, it is manifest, that there was no religi­on there, no séeking after God, nor a­ny care of his worship or seruice, nei­ther was there any iustice, iudgement, or equitie in the land, but all kinde of oppression and wrong, all grace & good­nesse was exiled thence, neither was there any place for vertue & godlinesse in that place: and therefore no maruel it was, if God brought such a fearefull destruction vpon such a proude place and people; for pride brings alwayes destruction with it, as Salomon saith, Pride goes before destructiō, Pro. 16.18. and an high minde before a fall. So that a man is neuer néere a mischiefe, till hée grow proud: for thē he procures Gods hatred towards him, as it is in y ^e Pro­phet, Amos 6.8. The Lord hath sworne by him­selfe, [Page] I hate the excellency of Iacob. And this hatred that God beares a­gainst pride, Iam. 4.6. prouoketh him to resist the proud, to crosse them, and by sun­dry meanes to reuenge himselfe vpon them. Zeph. 2.10. This shall they haue for their pride, sayth the Prophet. The Lord will be terrible vnto them, as he hath threatned by the Prophet Ieremy, say­ing, Behold, I come vnto thee, Ier. 50.31, 32. O proud man: And, The proud shall stumble and fall, and none shall raise him vp, and I will kindle a fire in his cityes, and it shall deuoure all about him. All these threatnings against pride, did the LORD bring vpon Sodom and her Cityes, in such sort as they are héere remembred, for an example vnto all posterityes: the same threatnings he will likewise bring vpon all those that are infected with it. The se­cond sinne of Sodom, fulnes of bread.

The second sinne of Sodom, was ful­nes of bread. By bread is signified all such meats & drinks as are vsed for the [Page] nutriment of the body, which this people of Sodom did vse with such sa­turity, and ingurgitation, as did not relieue nature, but destroy Grace: Nature is content with a little, Grace with lesse; but where this fulnesse and repletion of bread is, there nature is depraued, and grace destroyed. This sinne is the baite which the diuell v­seth, Glutto­ny, the deuils baite. to prouoke men to yéeld vnto all his temptations; for as the Faulco­ner, when he would call his Hawke to his fist, doth not hold out his bare fist vnto her, but sheweth her a piece of flesh, vnto which shee willingly comes, and so is taken: so the deuill, when he would tempt a man to any sinne, he offers him the baite of delici­ousnesse, knowing that the more the body is repleate, the more emptie is the soule of all grace and goodnesse. One cause why Diues was so vnmer­cifull towards poore Lazarus was, be­cause he fared deliciously euery day; for a full belly is neuer touched with [Page] the féeling of others miseries. The cause why the Israelites were not sor­ry for the affliction of Ioseph, Amos. 6.4.6. nor pi­tied the distressed estate of their bre­thren, was, because they ate the lambs of the flocke, and the calues of the stall, and drunke their wine in bowles. The cause why euery man among them neyed after his neighbours wife, was, Ier. 5.8. because they did rise in the morning like fed horses. And the cause why they committed idolatry, and worshipped the golden calues which Aaron made them, was, because they cram'd them­selues excessiuely with meat & drinke, and that made them forget God, which had done so great things for them. Whereby it is euident, that the reple­tion of the belly is the confusion of the soule, and that the deuill hath the greatest aduantage against vs to tempt vs, and wee the least strength to withstand him in this repletion and fulnesse of bread: Psal 69.23. therefore Dauid cal­leth the table of delicious féeders, a [Page] snare: for euen as birds are caught in that place where they come to féed: euen so are they that fare deliciously, caught in the Deuils net, whiles they féed. Pro. 23.20. For this cause, the Wise man for­bids vs to bée companions with those which cramme themselues with flesh, lest by eating and drinking excessiuely, we giue the deuil aduantage to tempt vs to some grieuous sinne. And in like maner did Almighty God forbid the Prophet to go into y ^e house of feasting, Ier. 16.8. to sit there to eate and drinke: for as he saith in another place, Hos. 13.6. When men are filled, their hearts are exalted, and then they forget God. And as this fulnesse of bread plungeth the soule into many in­explicable dangers, & makes it subiect to diuers temptations: so is this vn­measurable féeding hurtfull & obnoxi­ous to the body: for when the stomake receiueth such aboundance, & so many kindes of meat and drink, it is oppres­sed rather then relieued. Therefore saith Salomon, Eccle [...]. 5.11. that the saciety of the [Page] rich will not suffer him to sleepe: his body is so distempered by his féeding, that his quiet rest departeth from him. We estéem the goodnes of a medicine, Meat & drinke to be ta­ken like a medi­cine. not by the pleasantnes, nor by y ^e great quantity, but by the wholesome & good operation of it: so ought we to estéeme of meat, not by the deliciousnesse of it, nor by the abundance of it, but by the health it bringeth to our bodyes. No­thing bréeds a surfet sooner, then this fulnesse of bread; & out of all doubt, this vnmeasureable féeding hath brought many to an vntimely death. If there­fore thou wilt kéepe thy body in health, vse thy meat and drinke as thou vsest medicines; that is, seldome and in small measure: Fiue cautions to be ob­serued in eating & drin­king. for in fiue things doe wée especially offend in eating and drinking.

First, when wee make it our first worke in the morning, being no soo­ner out of our beds, but our minde is vpon our meat; for which cause Salo­mon denounceth a wo vnto that land, [Page] whose Princes eat in the morning: for such as eate in the morning, are fit for nothing all the day after. Secondly, wée offend in eating and drinking, when we are too curious and nice in our dyet, not contenting our selues with ordinary and common meates and drinkes, but longing after strange and vnusuall things, and those must be most costly and curiously drest: this was the sinne of the Israelites, Numb. 11.6. which loathing Manna, desired flesh for their lust: for which curiositie of theirs, God destroyed them, euen whiles the meat was in their mouthes. Plutar. in Rom. Apoph. Caution 3. And the Emperour Augustus did cause one Erotes, a Lieutenant in Egypt, to bée naild to the mast of a ship, because hée bought a Partridge and ate it. And our Sauiour Christ noteth curious féeding, as a fault in the rich Glutton, euen because he fared deliciously.

The third sinne in eating & drink­ing, is, when we eate and drinke with­out measure, not respecting what will [Page] suffice nature. Our Tables are cal­led mensae, as some thinke, a mensura, to teach vs to measure our appetite, and not to eat & drinke vnmeasurably; for euen as that raine, which comes downe méekely and gently vpon the earth, doth most good, and makes the earth most fruitfull: so that meate which is taken in measure, doth most benefit the body and soule: and this is the measure wée must obserue, wée must not eat much, but rather for ne­cessitie then for lust; then we must not eate nor drinke often: and lastly, wee must not eate nor drinke of diuers and sundry sorts: for all these things doe make our eating and drinking sinfull and hurtfull.

Fourthly, we offend in this kinde, 4 when we study and deuise what to eate or drinke. These persons are com­pared to those beasts, which are al­wayes either eating or chewing the cud: so these persons are either al­wayes eating, or deuising what to [Page] eate. This was the sinne of the sonnes of Hely; 1. Sam. 2 13, 14, 15. they were not content with those parts of the sacrifice which the Law had prouided for them, but they found out new deuices, and sometimes they would haue sodden flesh, & some­time they would haue raw, sometime without fat, and sometime fat and all. These deuisers are they, that make their belly their God.

Lastly, we offend in eating & drin­king, when wee gréedily deuoure the creatures like dogs, which haue it no sooner in their mouthes, but it is down their throats. This was y ^e sin of Esau, who comming hungry from hunting, Gen. 25.30. Sine me haurire: Tr [...]mel. desired his brother to féed him quick­ly, or to suffer him to deuoure those red pottage. But he had better haue taken more leysure, and eaten more aduisedly: for he lost the prerogatiue of his birth-right by his gréedinesse. And because man should not deuoure his meat and drinke with gréedinesse, Nature hath giuen man a lesse mouth, [Page] then many creatures which are lesse then he; to teach man by so small a re­ceptacle, to receiue his meate & drinke with time and leysure.

Thus haue we heard the fiue things, wherein wee offend in eating and drinking.

Now this fulnesse of bread is such a grieuous sinne in the sight of God, that hee hath sworne hee will neuer purge it. And the reason is, Esay 22.13, 14. because we are called to other duties. Non nati sumus ad libidinem, hoc possimus facere, sed non est opus nostrum: Wée are not borne into the world, neither do we liue in the world, to giue our selues to delicious & full féeding, to feasting and banquetting, nor to fulfill our owne lusts and desires; wée may doe these things, if wee will runne head-long into our owne mis­chiefe: but this is not our calling, it is not that wee are bound to doe, it is not the worke which we are com­manded and inioyned to performe: and [Page] therefore, as it is Crimen laesae maie­statis, a capitall and treasonable crime for an Embassadour, Fulnesse of bread most dis­pleasing vnto Al­mightie God. to execute his charge contrarie to the limitation of his profession: euen so it is most dis­pleasing vnto Almightie God, when we walke contrary to our calling, cros­sing the end of our creation. No mar­uell then, if Almightie God tooke such a fearefull vengeance vpon this peo­ple, which walkt so contrary vnto him, filling themselues with bread, and cramming themselues with flesh, when indéed the Lord calles men to wéeping and mourning, Esay. 22 12. to baldnesse and girding about with sackcloth.

The third sin of So­dom was idle­nesse.The third sinne of Sodom and her people, was idlenesse, which was two­fold in this people. First, they gaue themselues to their ease, to vnthrifti­nesse and sluggishnesse, not following their callings laboriously and industri­ously, but liuing loosely and remissely, giuing themselues to all dissolute and vnthriftie courses: This may be ga­thered [Page] out of the 19 Chapter of Ge­nesis, the 4. verse, where it is said, that all the men of the Citie, euen from the yong to the olde, all people out of all quarters compassed Lots house about, to haue the mē brought out vnto them, that they might know them. From whence it may be gathe­red, that they were an idle and vnthrif­ty company, giuing themselues to no good employment, but rather to vaine & dissolute exercises. The second kinde of idlenes in this people was, a careles security, & a certaine respectles regard, wherewith they were so possessed, that they neuer thought vpon dangers, they feared nothing. Abraham had slaine y ^e fiue kings, which would haue made them tributarie, hee recouered all the spoyle, and gaue it to the King of So­dom, so that now they had no enemie to be afraid of; they had peace & plenty, and therefore they liued idly, that is, se­curely & carelesly, fearing no dangers, preuenting no mischiefes.

[Page]As the pride of this people prouoked God to resist them, and as their fulnes of bread gaue the deuill a greater ad­uantage to ouercome them by his ma­nifold temptations, so their Idlenes made them a burthen to the Earth: They were a coomber and a surchar­ging trouble to y ^e place of their abode, liuing vnthriftily & vnprofitably both to themselues, and to the land where they dwelt. Luk. 13.7 Idle per­sons a burthen to the earth. The figge trée in the Gos­pell being barren and vnfruitfull, is sayd to trouble the ground; so those persons which liue idly, do but trou­ble the world, & ouercharge the earth: for which cause the Bée driueth from the hiue the Drone, which takes no paines, but deuoures the hony, which others by their great labour do get & bring in; teaching the Magistrates of the earth their duty, which is, to cor­rect, with all sharpnes of discipline, those vnthrifty and vnseruiceable Drones, which liue idly in the com­mon wealth, trifling out their time in [Page] continuall lazines, as though there ne­uer had a law bin giuen to the sonnes of Adam to labour, nor to the daugh­ters of Eue, with the sweat of their browes to get their liuing. Pro. 6.6. All crea­tures in heauen, earth & hell, painefull in their places, but one­ly man. Salomon sendeth the sluggard to the Pismire, to consider her wayes, and to learne wis­dome: for she hauing no guide, gouer­nor, or ruler, prouideth meat in Sum­mer, & gathereth food in haruest. Man therfore may be much ashamed of him­selfe, that hauing reason to guide him, nature to direct him, law to gouerne him, grace to rule him, lims strong & able for performance, yet prouideth not, gathereth not, laboureth not, but like a Drone consumes his dayes in idlenes, liuing vnprofitably and vnser­uiceably both to himselfe and others.

God sanctified not his rest, before he had finished his labour. The An­gels in heauen attend in their pla­ces, and stand before their Creatour, and with all alacrity, readinesse, Iob. 1.7. 2. Pet. 5.8. and industry fulfill his will.

[Page] Iob. 1.7. 2. Pet. 5.8.The deuill himselfe is said to compasse the earth, and to walke about, séeking whom he may deuoure. Séeing there­fore God, Angels, Bees, Pismires, and the despised wormes of the earth, do all of them in their kindes & places giue themselues to labour: Nay, sée­ing the deuill himselfe spends not his time idly, they are worse then the de­uill, which suffer the dayes of worke to slide away, without labouring in the workes of their vocation. Idlenes, as Barnard saith, Idlenesse the sinke of all lawlesse tempta­tions. is a sink of all lustfull and lawlesse temptations. What was the cause that Aegisthus became an Adulterer?

Idlenesse was the cause that prouo­ked him thereunto. And if you will know the cause of so many robberies in the fields, ryots in the stréets, disor­ders in euery place: in a word, all these & many more inconueniences procéed and grow from idlenesse; for euen as that water that hath no currēt, doth in [Page] short time corrupt, & become offensiue: so that body or mind which exerciseth it selfe about no imployment, becomes a very sinke of all lewdnesse & disorder. Pro. 24. Salomon went by the field of the slug­gard, and lo, it was all growne ouer with thornes, and nettles had couered the face thereof. And as the field of the slouthfull is couered with nettles and thornes; Idle per­sons cor­rupt both in body & minde. so his body is ouer-growne with infirmities, his minde corrupted with the infection of sinne, his consci­ence destitute of a good testimony to it selfe, and his soule voyd of all hope of eternall happinesse. God hath placed vs in this world, as labourers in his vineyard, as souldiers in his campe, as trauellers to séeke a countrey to rest our selues in, as cursitors or runners in a race: whereby wee may gather, that idlenesse is not our profession: for we cannot obtaine, except we run the race: we cannot ouercome, except wée fight manfully: we cannot haue that pennie, except we labour in the vine­yard: [Page] the fruitles trée must be cast in­to the fire. The vnprofitable seruant must be bound hand and foote, and cast into vtter darknes. This world no place of rest. Therefore whoso­euer rests here in this world, where he should labour, shal labour in the world to come, where he thinks to rest. Our Sauiour Christ promiseth his disci­ples, that when he should rest, they should rest also. But when did our Sauiour Christ rest, sayth Barnard? not in this world: for he went about, doing good, and reioyced as a mighty Giant to runne his course: therefore his disciples must not looke to sit, and rest them in this world. It is a shame, sayth Augustine, that the Sunne, whose going out is from the end of the heauen, and whose compasse is to the ends of the same, should take any man in his bed: for may not the Sunne rightly say to such a sluggard, I trauel­led a greater iourney yesterday, then thou didst, and art thou in bed after me this morning? It should séeme, that in [Page] Iobs time, Iob. 30 5. there was very straight or­der taken for such as liued idly, and vnthriftily: for they were chased foorth from among men, and euery one show­ted at them as at a théefe. 2. Thess. 3.10. And the A­postle Saint Paul maketh a strict de­crée against them, that such as would not labour, should not eate. So much hath Idlenes bene alwayes detested among good men: & therefore no mar­uell if God brought such a fearefull de­struction vpon Sodom, whose Inha­bitants liued in this abominable and detestable sinne.

But this people was not onely possessed with a carelesse and secure slumber of Idlenes in their bodyes, A se­cond kind of Idlenes which was in the So­domits. but in their soules also; they did not onely liue loosely and remissely in their ordinary vocations and callings, but they liued without all feare of any imminent danger, or future calami­ty that should fall vpon them for their wickednesse: they liued sinfully in their liues, & securely in their hearts: [Page] Their sinnes cryed for wrath, but they cryed, Peace, peace, there shall no harme happen vnto vs: they prouo­ked the Lord to vengeance, and yet they promised themselues safetie. This slumber of the soule is worse then that of the body: for it is a present forerun­ner of destruction: when men shal say, Peace and safety, 2. Thess. 5.3. then shall come vpon them sudden destruction, as trauell vpon a woman with childe, and they shall not escape. Matt. 24.23, 24. Our Sauiour Christ dehorteth vs from this security, by the fearefull example of the old world; for whiles they in that age did eate and drinke, and buy and sell, and marry wiues and were marryed, the flood came and drowned them all: so if wée liue and lye snorting vpon the carelesse beds of sinfull securitie, the wrath of God will come suddenly vpon vs and destroy vs. 2. Cor. 5.11. 1. Pet. 1.17. For this cause the Apostle perswadeth the feare of the Lord vnto men. And S. Peter exhorteth men, to passe the time of their pilgrimage here [Page] in this world in feare: and Salomon pronounceth those blessed, Pro. 28.14. that liue al­wayes in feare: for they which harden their hearts, shall fall into euill.

This security is one of the signes, Securitie a fore­runner of de­structiō. which shall goe before that great and finall destruction of the world at the last day: and it is said, that the day of the Lord shall come as a thiefe in the night; euen when men are in the dead sléepe of sinne, then shall the last iudge­ment come vpon them. Whiles the Mariner sléepes at the helme, the ship is soone run against a rocke. Iudg. 4.21. Iael doth easily strike a nayle in the temples of Sisera, whiles he sléepeth vnder a coue­ring. 1. Sam. 30.16, 17. Dauid comming vpon the A­malechites, & finding them eating and drinking and dancing, slew euery man of them, and recouered all the spoyle. So when men feare nothing, but passe their time in pleasures, delights and vanities, without feare of God or his iudgements, then doth God come vp­on them suddenly, and destroyes them [Page] without mercy. Mat. 24.48. Therefore our Saui­our Christ giues euery one warning of this careles security, and accounts him an ill seruant, that shall say in his heart, My master doth deferre his cō ­ming, and so beginneth to eate and drinke with the drunken, and smite his fellow seruants: The master of this careles and secure seruant shall come in a day, sayth our Sauiour Christ, when he looketh not for him, & in an houre that he is not aware of, & will cut him off, and giue him his por­tion with Hypocrites, where shall be wéeping and gnashing of téeth. Seing therefore this people of Sodom labou­red of so dangerous a Lithargy, they were iustly surprised with so strange and fearefull a iudgement.

The fourth sinne of Sodom.The fourth sinne of Sodom, was, They did not strengthen y ^e hand of the poore, they were vnmercyfull, vncha­ritable and hard-hearted towards the néedy: and surely they could not other­wise be; for a proud heart, a full belly, [Page] and a vaine, careles, idle head neuer regards y ^e distressed estate of those that are in want and misery. Other sinnes prouoke God to wrath and indignati­on: but this sinne prouokes him to de­ny mercy, and to become inexorable, according to that saying of the Apostle, Iames. 2.13. There shalbe iudgement merciles to him that sheweth no mercy And the reason why God will shew no mer­cy to those that are mercylesse vnto the poore, eyther in oppressing them, or in not relieuing them, is, because he taketh all vnmercyfull and vnchari­table dealing with the poore, to be an iniury done vnto his owne person, according to that saying of Salomon, He that oppresseth the poore, repro­cheth him that made him.

Thus you may well perceiue, that all the wrong that is done to the poore, the LORD doth take it as done to himselfe: for in euery place through­out all the whole Scripture, the Lord GOD doth professe himselfe to bée [Page] the Gardian and kéeper of the poore and néedy, God the Gardian of the poore. and acknowledgeth them to be his Wardes and Pupils: and therefore God wil reuenge himself in iustice without mercie, vpon all those, which either deale vncharitably or in­iuriously with them. Whereupon the Lord expostulates the matter with his people, Esay. 3.15. and demaunds of them, What they had to doe to grinde the faces of the poore? As though it were a thing that they could not iustifie. And to the end that all the cruell and vnmercifull of the world might know, that GOD will not suffer the wrongs that are done to the poore, to escape vnreuēged, hee proclaimes it to the world by the Prophet Dauid, Ps. 12.5, 6. that for the comfort­lesse troubles sake of the needy, and because of the deepe sighing of the poore, I will vp, saith the Lord, and helpe euery one from him that swel­leth against him, and will set them at rest. As if he should say, Though I passe ouer other sinnes, and beare with [Page] patience other indignities, Though God beare with o­ther sins, yet he will not beare with the sinne of vnmer­cifulnes. Pro. 22.23. though I sit still and winke at other transgres­sions, yet when the case concernes the poore, when my Orphans and Wards are wronged, then I will vp, saith the Lord, Ile beare no longer, but I will reuenge their cause and relieue them. For which cause Salomon giues al the vnmercifull dogges of the world war­ning, not to bite nor deuoure these silly shéepe: for the Lord will defend their cause, saith he, & spoile the soule of those that spoyle them. The poore, saith S. Augustine, are Gods barnes, in which except we lay our earthly treasures of pittie and compassion in this world, we shall not finde that heauenly trea­sure of euerlasting life in the world to come.

Many and fearefull are the plagues which are threatned against those which deale vnmercifully with the poore. Their prayers are abominable; The prayers of the vnmer­cifull, are abomi­nable. the Lord will not heare them, though they cry vnto him in the bitternesse of [Page] their soule. Pro. 21.13. He that stoppeth his eare at the cry of the poore, shall also cry, and not be heard.

In which words, Salomō doth giue vs two things to vnderstand; first, that the vnmercyfull men shall crye, how rich, how honorable, how potent and mighty soeuer they be, yet the Lord will lay some grieuous thing or other vpon them, eyther in health or in sick­nesse, eyther in this world, or in the world to come, that shall make them cry, as vpon their death-bed: the guil­tynesse of their owne conscience, the feare of death, the horrour of hell, and dread of damnation. If God lay these things vpon them, they wil be inforced to cry: but if not, yet certaynly they shall cry in hell, with their fellow Di­ues; Psal. 104.21. Psa. 147.9. Hose [...]. 2.21. Gen 4.10. for cry they shall, as Salomon sayth: but the second thing is, they shal not be heard. The Lions roare, and the Lord heareth them: The young Rauens cry, and he heareth them: he heares the heauens, he heares the blood [Page] of those that are murthered, and in­déede he heares all things; but an vn­mercyfull man, he shall cry, and not be heard. Diues is a notable presi­dent to all those that are dogged and hard-hearted towards the poore; he cryed not in this world, he had his pleasure, as many more rich men haue: but for all that, the saying of Salomon proued true vpon him; for though he cryed not in this world, yet he cryed in hell, I am tormented in this flame. But was he heard? A­las, no, he could not haue so much as a drop of cold water graunted him. This therefore is one plague, and a fearefull one also, which shall happen to all vnmercyfull, cruell and vncha­ritable persons: They shall cry, and not be heard.

The second misery, that shall befall those that do not strēgthen the hand of the poore, nor succor them in their mi­seryes, is, they shall not inioy y ^e things which they chiefly desire to inioy, [Page] their present hope shal be frustrate, and when they think thēselues to be the su­rest of their wished desires, euen then shal they be depriued of al their hopes, and shall neuer sée the fruites of their labours. Amos. 5.11. This doth the Lord threaten by the Prophet, Forasmuch, he sayth, as your treading is vpon the poore, ye haue built houses of hewne stone, but yee shall not dwell in them, yee haue planted pleasant vineyards, Iob. 20.20. but yee shall not drinke wine of them. This is the miserie of the vnmerci­full, they shall purchase, for others to inherite, they shall builde houses, for others to dwell in, they shall get and scrape together, but others shall inioy their hopes, and carry away the fruits of their labours. Nabal, that foolish Churle, may serue for an example to confirme the truth of this vnto vs, who out of his hard, and incom­passionate heart denyed his bread, his water, and his flesh to Dauid and his followers in the wildernesse. This [Page] Nabal did sheare his shéepe, but he ne­uer liued to sell his wooll; he made a great feast, but hee neuer digested his meate: for he became as a stone, and dyed in tenne dayes after. So shal the hopes of all the vnmercifull bee fru­strate, and they shall not be partakers of their wished desires, but leaue their labours for others to inioy.

Now, The sin of vn­merci­fulnesse prouo­keth God to punish a whole land. Amos 8.4, 8. if the sinne of vnmercifulnes did onely prouoke God to inflict pri­uate and particular punishments vp­on men, it were the more to bee borne withall: but indéed it procureth the fierce wrath of God, and his heauy iudgements vpon a whole land, and a­gainst a people or nation in generall: For so the Lord hath threatned by his Prophet, Heare this, ye that swallow vp the poore, that yee may make the needy of the land to faile, shall not the land tremble for this, and euery one mourne that dwelleth therein? So that, vnmercifull men do not onely prouoke the vengeance of God vpon [Page] themselues, but to the land wherein they inhabite, and to the people of the land where they dwell. No maruell then, if the Lord God brought such a feareful and strange punishment vpon Sodom and Gomorrah, and the people of that country, séeing this sinne of vn­mercifulnesse was rooted amongst them so, that they did not strengthen the hand of the poore.

The last miserie that shall befal vn­mercifull men, is, that last and dread­full speech, which shall be pronounced vnto them at the day of iudgement, Depart, yee cursed, into euerlasting fire prepared for the deuil and his an­gels. The vn­merciful shall haue the curse of God, which is wo e­uerlast­ing. Then shal al the vnmerciful of the world know and féele, to their wofull experience, that there is a God that re­uengeth the cause of the poore and née­die. Then they shall pay deare for all that they haue gotten by oppressiō and wrong, and by hard and vnmercifull dealing. Then shall they haue as much torments, as euer they had pleasure, [Page] and as little comfort, as euer they had mercie: depart they must from the presence and fauour of God for euer­more. If vnmerciful and vncharitable persons would but think of such a day, of such a spéech, of such a departure, and of such a fire, they would distribute and giue to the poore, they would make friends of their vnrighteous Mam­mon, that in the world to come they might be receiued into euerlasting ha­bitations, and not thrust into euerla­sting fire.

The last sinne of Sodom, The last sinne of Sodom. was that vnnaturall sinne, which taking the name of that citie, hath carried it euer since, and is called Sodomy. In spea­king whereof, I will follow the aduice of Simmachus, who saith, that it is the safest, not once to name it. Paul had not knowne what lust meant, but that the Law said, Thou shalt not lust. So that sinne tooke occasion by the Law, Rom. 7.8. to worke concupiscence in Paul. So, if I should discourse of this sinne, [Page] you might haply say vnto mee, Wée had not knowne what this sin meant, if you had not taught vs. Therefore Solō would not make any law against parricide, lest, whiles he went about to represse it by law, hee should teach it rather. So if I should lay open this sinne at large, I should rather teach the world it, then doe any thing else. I will therefore passe it ouer in silence, as not worthy once to be named.

A com­parison between the sins of Sodō and the sinnes of EnglandThus haue we heard the destruction of Sodom, and the sinnes of Sodom, which were the cause of her destructi­on: and now it remaines, that wee compare the sinnes of Sodom, and the sinnes of England together: For, if we find our sins to be as great as the sinnes of Sodom, we haue iust cause to expect some such like fearefull iudge­ment to bee inflicted vpon vs, as was vpon that Citie, people, and countrie.

And first concerning the sin of pride, it is notorious, that we of England are no whit inferiour to those of Sodom [Page] in this sinne: For, whether we consi­der pride, as it is the botch of Nobili­tie & Honour, or the leprosie of riches, or the bile of apparell, or the scourge of authoritie, or the madnes of building, or the bane of good learning, certayne it is, that pride was neuer at such an height, as it is amongst vs in this age. The pride of England equall to the pride of Sodō. The Noble man will not be reproued, the rich man must not be mated, y ^e gay coate must be honored, authority will not yéelde, sumptuous building must looke ouer the whole country, and lear­ning makes vs swell aboue the banks of modesty and sobriety: So euery one thinks better of himselfe then of others, and euery one in the height of their pride scorneth another: and here­vpon comes those dissensions, opposi­tions, contentions, diuisions, enuy & emulation amongst vs: Iudges. 5.16. for as Debo­rah sung of Ruben, so may we sing of our selues, The diuisions of England are great thoughts of heart. Aske the poore country Farmer, wherevpon it [Page] is, that such vnreasonable fines are exacted of him, why his rents are so rackt and enhaunst, and hee will tell thee, it is to maintaine the pride of his Land-lord & Land-lady. Hospitalitie, charitie, patience, humilitie, & almost all vertue both diuine and morall, are by pride exiled and banished this land. The subiect is like the Prince, the ser­uant like the master, the maid like the mistresse; and such a confusion and disorder hath pride brought into this land, that euery one hath forgottē their duetie, calling and condition. The fa­ces of the Elders are not had in honor, that ancient reuerence, which some­time was giuen to the sacred calling of the Clergie, pride hath now turned in­to great contempt; deuotion is scorned, we giue nothing, for pride perswades vs, that all is too little for our selues. We forgiue nothing; for our pride still prouokes vs to crueltie and reuenge. That humble, homely habite, which kings in former times haue vsed in [Page] their apparell, is now of euery base vnthrift and prodigall companion scor­ned. Those frugall fashions, & course stuffes, both for woofe and workeman­ship, which ancient times delighted in, are now turned into veluets and silks of most strange and hellish deuices. The pride and profusion in apparell, together with the fashions and inuen­tions which are vsuall in England, were not once heard of in Sodom, in the day of her iniquitie. Our women, as soone as they rise, put on a Pedlers pack vpon their backs, they paint their faces, pinne their ruffes, frizzle their haire, & then their dayes work is done. Many there be, whose apparell is more worth, then all their estate beside: and very few there be, but their apparell is better then themselues. Our Sauiour Christ noted the rich gluttō, for that he was clothed in purple & fine linnen: but how many may he brand with y ^e mark of his heauy displeasure, which amōgst vs go as braue as he euery day! O that [Page] lawes could redresse y ^e pride of Eng­land, shame suppresse it, or preaching breake the neck of it! but all men & wo­men haue so generally taken it vp, that neyther lawes, shame, nor prea­ching can take it away. There is no­thing that hath vndone Gentlemen, & men of other ranck, so much as pride and profusion. Neyther are we euer to expect or looke for happy & good dayes, till such time as authority deuise some meanes, to purge out of the body of this Realme, the superfluous humour of this sinne: for it confounds all, con­sumes all, vndoes all: Thus by wo­full experience we haue foūd our pride to be growne to the highest pitch, so that the pride of Sodom could not ex­céede it.

Fulnes of bread in Eng­land e­quall to that of Sodom.Now in the second place, we are to compare the excesse in meate & drinke, which was in Sodom, to that of our countrey of England, of whom it may be truely sayd, that we build houses, as though we should neuer dye, and [Page] we eate and drinke, as though we should dye to morow. The very crea­tures cry out vpon vs for this sinne, be­cause we abuse them and kill them, not for our necessity onely, but also for our excesse and riot: we kill them, not to eate onely, but to eate them deliciously and intemperately. Our fasting dayes are despised, and we estéeme it a poynt of superstitious Popery, to obserue dayes, and abstayne from meats. Amb. E­pist. 82. ad Eccle. ver. The Church in the time of Saint Ambrose condenmed y ^e Iouianists for heretikes, because they called fasting, delirium, a mockery or madnes. And haue not we them amongst vs at this day, that hold fasting to be superstitiō? And although in former times, the time of Lent was approued and commaunded by nine se­ueral Councels and Synodes, besides the Canon of the Apostles commaund­ing the same, yet we, making a God of our bellies, do, without any diffe­rence, serue the beastly desires of the same. And although authority hath ta­ken [Page] order often, to restraine this our excesse in eating and drinking, yet when did wee pull one dish from our tables, or withhold one morsel frō our bowels, in signe of obedience to autho­ritie, and of contrition towards God? But what doe I speake of fasting, sée­ing our soules abhorre it, and in stead thereof haue intertained feasting, in which we shew our selues to bee Gen­tiles rather then Christians? Our feasts are the feasts of Sodom, and we imitate that villainous Emperor Vi­tellius, Suet. in vita Vitell. sect. 13. in his insatiable gluttony, of whom we read, that at one Supper he had prepared for him 2000. sundry sorts of fish, and 7000. sorts of Fowle. So the multitude of dishes, and the va­rietie of seruices, is our glorie at our feasts. And whereas one wood doeth yeeld sufficient sustenance for many Elephants, the earth, the ayre, the sea will hardly minister prouision for one of our feasts: but still we say, We are sory we haue no cheare: and therefore [Page] it is not possible, that the excesse of So­dom in their fulnesse of bread, should be greater then ours in England.

The third sinne of Sodom, was, Idlenes of Eng­land e­quall to that of Sodom. i­dlenesse; in which sinne, if we compare our selues with them, wee shall finde our selues nothing inferior vnto them. The Steward in the Gospell, that wa­sted his masters goods, confessed fréely that he could not worke, & that he was ashamed to beg: but we haue them a­mongst vs, that can worke, and yet are not ashamed to beg, being so impudent in this kind, y ^t neither shame nor lawes can restraine them. The Theaters, the Tauerns, y ^e Bowle-alleyes, the Bro­thel-houses, y ^e fields, the stréets of So­dom did neuer swarme more thicke with such vermin, then ours do, to the great displeasure of Almightie God, & the vnspeakable detriment of our coū ­trie and Common-wealth. The rich sit downe to eat and drinke, and rise vp to play. The poore laborer was neuer more idle in his calling, thē at this day; [Page] hee hath learned to make two dayes worke of one, & he makes no cōscience how he gets his wages, nor how he slubbers vp his worke. The Trades­man doth not liue on the labour of his hands, but by the tricks of his wits; and therefore is euery thing so deceit­full & full of sleight, because idle hands haue the handling of it. Others there be, which take the paines to rise to their dinner, and then walke to a play, and so returne home by a whore-house, thē to supper, and lastly to bed: and thus they passe their time from day to day, as vnprofitably, as euer did Marg [...]tes, of whom it is sayd, that he did nothing in all his life that might tend to good. Thus our Land is become a poole of standing waters, & a hiue of Drones, and except Authority draw foorth the sword of correction against the idle lo­zells of this Land, they will in time deuoure all the swéet from the payne­full and industrious hand: for where no Oxen are, there the crib is empty; [Page] and where none are that be paynefull, there is but want and beggery. Peter must be commaunded to cast foorth his Nets: The watchman must be char­ged to stand vpon his watch, and not vpon his honour, ease and reputation: Caesar must not sléepe, Suet. in vita Clau. 33. when he should administer iustice, nor the Captayne must not be in the Tauerne, when he should be in the field, nor the Trades­man, nor the Gentleman, nor the La­borer, must in no wise haue idlenesse sticke in their fingers ends; for as it was one sinne amongst the rest, that procured the ouerthrow of Sodom: so will it together with other sinnes, ha­sten our iudgement vpon vs, Wāt of mercy and cha­rity in England without compa­rison. séeing we haue it in as great aboūdance amongst vs, as euer they had it amongst them.

And now order leades me to y ^e com­parison of a sin practised amongst vs, wherein indéed we suffer no compari­son, which is vnmercyfulnes towards the poore and néedy. Our vnmercyfull & vncharitable dealing with the poore, [Page] was not heard of in the day of Sodoms iniquity; for their vncharitablenesse onely extended it selfe to strangers, as farre as can bee gathered by Historie. They were inhospitales: they harbo­red no strangers, but if any stranger happened to come into this country, they abused him strangely and villai­nously: and for this cause they would haue vsed Lot so il, because he intertai­ned and lodged strangers: following herein the custome of other nations, but especially of the Egyptians, who offered al strangers that arriued there, vpon the altar of Busiris, being some­times King of Egypt: Pined. in Iob, tom. 2. in cap. 31. in whose raigne there was a great drought in the land for the space of nine yéeres: whereup­on Busiris sent into Grecia for certain soothsayers to be sent him, to the end that by them hee might be certainly in­formed of the cause of this drought: vn­to whom was sent Thasius, a man ve­ry expert in this kind, who certified the king, that the ouerflowing of Nilus [Page] could not be procured, but by the blood of some stranger offered vp to Iupiter in sacrifice. Whereupon Busiris

And so offered this soothsayer stranger vnto Iupiter: and euer after, these E­gyptians, in any calamitie or distresse, vsed to offer the strangers that arriued amongst them, vpō the altar of Busiris. Frō which custome of the Egyptians, other nations became very barbarous, cruell, & vnmercifull vnto strangers. But amongst vs, Manasseh eates E­phraim, & Ephraim eates Manasseh, and both of them eate Iuda. And it may rightly be said of vs, as the Pro­phet sometimes said of his people, There is no mercie in the land. For whereas mercie and charity consists in giuing and forgiuing, our hard & vn­compassionate hearts will suffer vs to giue nothing, & our malicious minds will permit vs to forgiue nothing: [Page] there was somtimes an age of giuing, & lending: but now our pride, our coue­tousnesse, our selfe-loue, perswade vs, that all is too litle for our selues; & ther­fore this modern age neither giues nor lends; It may be, when we dye, then we will and bequeath, but as long as we liue, we kéepe and hold fast. And surely, if the most charitable man that liues in this age, would but compare that which he giues to the poore, with that he spends and bestowes idly, vain­ly, and vpon his pleasures, he himselfe would cry shame vpon his charity. The crying and complayning of the poore in our stréets, doth witnesse a­gainst vs, that we do not strengthen y ^e hand of the poore. There was an age, when men would haue forborne much, and haue forgiuen much: but now we go to law for euery trifling trespasse, and we take our debtors by the throat, and cast them in prison, till they pay the vttermost farthing. But it may be, the Sodomits were as vnmercyfull as [Page] we, in giuing and forgiuing: but the name of an Incloser was not so much as heard of amongst them: and happy had it beene for England, if Inclosure had neuer beene knowen. Against Inclo­sers. Esa. 5.8, 9, 10. Wo bee to these Inclosers, euen that wo denoun­ced against them by the Prophet: for they are the vnmercifull men of the world, they leaue no roome for the poore in the land, they appropriate that to themselues, which custome hath made common: iniurious they are to com­mon society, they pull downe houses, ouerthrow townes, send men, women and children of all sorts, the widow, & the fatherlesse, from their knowne and accustomed dwelling places, to seeke where they can thrust in their heads. Iniurious they are to Religion, Tho. More, Eutop. lib. 1. and to the worship and seruice of God: for ei­ther they pull downe Churches, or if they let them stand, it is not for deuo­tion, but either to crooue their sheep in, or else for some base and irreligious seruice: Iniurious they are to com­mon-wealth, [Page] by straitning, stepping, or turning high wayes out of their right course, into a wrong course, so that trauellers eyther cannot passe at all, or else with great danger and feare of robbing and killing: they destroy tillage, whereby corne is growne both very scarce and extreme deare. And now that they haue inclosed and con­uerted their Inclosure into pasture, they farme out their grounds at so deare rate, that Butter, Chéese, Milke, Béefe, Muttō, Veale, is at so excessiue a price, as neuer before among our forefathers. The fields of England were sometimes compared to Christs coat, which was without seame: so were they eyther without hedge▪ or ditch: but now they resemble a beg­gers cloke, being ful of seames, pieces, and patches. These vnmercifull men were not heard of in Sodom; for of Sodom it is said, that it was a plaine countrey: Gen. 13.11. and 19.29. therefore shall the Sodo­mites rise vp in iudgement at the last [Page] day against our Inclosers. Cymon, the Athenian, commaunded al hedges and pales to be pluckt vp, and taken a­way from his grounds, to the end that both Citizens and strangers might haue frée accesse into his fields for any thing they stood in need of: but the In­closers of our age do set down hedges and pales, where neuer any was, to kéepe out both strangers and home-borne persons, and to abbridge them of that which custome once made com­mon to all: therefore that heathen man shal rise vp in iudgement against the Inclosers of our age.

Neither was the name of Engros­ser heard of in the day of Sodoms iniquitie: These are they, Against Engros­sers. Amos 8.5. which swallow vp the poore; for when they haue got a commoditie into their hands, they make the Ephah small, and the shekell great, and falsifie the weights by deceit: then they buy the poore for siluer, and the néedy for shooes, & sell the refuze of the wheat, [Page] and their commodities at their owne price. This is a wicked generation; for they appropriate that to thēselues, which nature hath made common to others: they care not who wéepe, so they may laugh: they séeke to bring all the water to their owne mill, neyther doe they respect the publike good of the Common-wealth, but onely their own priuate profit and gaine. Nature doth abhorre this kind of oppression. For as it were an vnnaturall thing in the bo­dy, if one member should draw vnto it all the blood and nourishment, which the other members should bee streng­thened and preserued withal; so is that man an vnnaturall member in the po­litike body of the Common-wealth, which by engrossing, forestalling, and regrating, doth get into his hands any commoditie to inrich himselfe, without due respect of the good of others. C. de M [...]n. lib. Iube. The ciuill law doth condemne these kind of men, as most pernicious and hurtfull to the State where they liue, & there­fore [Page] all their goods are by the ciuill law confiscate, and they themselues for euer banished: and the Magistrate which did conniue and winke at such persons, was to lose fifty pounds, for suffering such persons to practise such vnlawfull meanes to enrich them­selues by. And all Diuines doe hold, that Monopolies are directly against the eight Cōmandement, Thou shalt not steale: proouing it to bee a kind of publike theft. And yet though nature abhorre it, the Ciuill law condemne it, & the Law of God forbid it; the prac­tise of it is common amongst vs at this day, and many haue risen to the height of that greatnes which now they inioy, onely by this meanes, to the great dis­honour of Almighty God, contempt of law, vndoing of many hundreds in particular, and the publike detriment of the Common-wealth in generall.

The vnmercifull vsury of our age farre exceeds all that euer hath beene before vs: Against vsury. All ages before vs haue [Page] condemned it for a sinne, but we haue those in this age, that dare vndertake to defend it to be no sinne. Vsury hath alwayes drawne her name from by­ting: but now shee may well haue her name of deuouring; for vsury, as it is practised amongst vs, doth not only bite, but deuoure. The Vsurer in time past was excommunicated, as a man not worthy of the society and commu­nion of Saints; hee was depriued of Christian buriall, as though hee were not worthy to lye in the earth, but in hell; he was not permitted to make a will at his death, as though his goods were not his owne: but now they are accounted worthy of the best company, our Churches are profaned with their sepulchres, and their wils and Testa­ments haue as good approbation, as theirs, who haue gotten their goods most truely and vprightly. Thus we doe not onely defend the sinne which our forefathers haue condemned, but wee approoue, reuerence, and iustifie [Page] the sinner, which GOD will con­demne: and therefore wee surmount all that haue beene before vs in our sinnes.

What shall I say to the workema­sters of our time? Against the vn­merciful dealing of work masters. Neuer were there such vnmercifull persons heard of, as some of them bee: if I should speake what I could, it might séeme vncredi­ble, that euer there should be such vn­mercifull courses among Christians. These are they which grind the faces of the poore Tradesman, by changing his wages seuen times, as Iacob said to Laban: for eyther they deteyne the workmans wages, or they abate them, or they change them, or reckon them short, or pay them in such commodities as is to be wondred at. And surely, great pity it is, y ^t some mercifull man or other doth not take in hād to redresse this oppression of the workemasters: but if the poore Tradesman should complaine, or séeke redresse, then hee should lose all, and cleane thrust [Page] himselfe out of custome for all worke. Thus must hee take all, and hold him­selfe content, or lose all, and be content whether he will or not. Was there e­uer such a lamentable thing heard of, that the workeman liuing in his cal­ling, according to the law which God first layd vpon man, In the sweat of thy browes shalt thou get thy liuing, should notwithstanding, contrary to that law, bee wronged of his wages which are the stay of his liuing? Oh ye vnmercifull men of the world, haue you none to oppresse but y ^e poore work­man? haue you not read, Thou shalt not muzzell the mouth of the Oxe that treadeth out of the corne? If man owe a duty of mercy to the vnreasona­ble creature which laboureth for him, much more doth he owe a duty & right to man, which is his owne mould, and should not muzzell vp the mouth of the workeman, his wife & children, by vn­conscionable courses in his wages: for the like was neuer heard of in Sodom. [Page] Thus are wee vnmercifull in giuing, vnmercifull in forgiuing, vnmercifull in lending, vnmercifull in paying, vn­mercifull in buying and selling: so that it may iustly be said of vs, which was said of the Sodomites, They streng­then not the hand of the poore & néedy.

Thus haue we found, by comparing our sinnes with the sinnes of Sodom, that wee are nothing behind them in our sinnes; if we excéed them not, wee are surely equall with them. It is said of the sinnes of Sodom, that they cryed in the eares of the Lord: and surely our sinnes are as saucy and impudent, as euer were theirs; and if theirs cryed, Sinnes of Eng­land, crying sinnes. ours are not tongue-tide, I warrant you: we reach home to them with our wickednesse. The sinnes of Sodom were growne to their full height, & so are ours. For it is impossible, that a­ny man or womā in these dayes, should adde any thing to the sins which they practise: so that as in a general plague, it is not such a maruell at those which [Page] dye, as it is at those which escape: so in this generall infection of sinne, where­with the world at this day is defiled, wee are not so much to maruell that there be so many bad, as that there be any good. Now when the sinnes of a people grow to that height, that they come to be crying sins, then venge­ance loyters not, destruction comes spéedily.

When the LORD had taken knowledge of the cry of the sinnes of Sodom, and had found their sins to be according to the cry, euen the next day he rained fire and brimstone from hea­uen, and destroyed them all. So, when the Lord shal finde our sinnes at their full height, he will spéedily bring his iudgements vpon vs, and destroy vs: for as the husbandman thrusts the sickle into the Corne, when it is per­fitly ripe; and as the Oxe is brought to the slaughter, when hee is fat: so de­struction comes vpon men, when the measure of sinne is fulfilled.

[Page]Now, The sinnes of England at the ful height. that our sinnes are at their height, and are growne to their perfit ripenesse, it is manifest; because they are equall with the sinnes of Sodom, as hath béen already prooued, and also, because there can not be any addition made in the seueral humors and dispo­sitions of men, to the sinnes which they practise. But admit, these two reasons shall not bee thought of trueth sufficent, to confirme the height and ripenesse of our sins, I will adde foure infallible arguments, to proue the ripenesse of sinne.

First, when sinne is directly com­mitted 1 against God, against nature, The height and ripe­nesse of sinne, prooued by foure argu­ments. and against humane society, of which sort our sinnes be: they are directly a­gainst God, witnesse our horrible swearing and forswearing, and our fearefull blapheming of the most holy and blessed Name of GOD, and our prophane vnhallowing of his Sabboth, together with the con­tempt of his word, and neglect of his [Page] Ministers: They are against nature, witnesse y ^e filthy sinne of Sodomy, of which this Land of ours can not cleare it self; as also the Incest, the Parricide, the Fratricide, the Coosen-germane marriages which are committed a­mongst vs: & they are against humane societie, witnesse our inclosing, our in­grossing, our cruelty, extortion, oppres­sion, robberies, murders, and such like.

2 Secondly, the generality of sinne doth prooue the ripenes of sinne, when not a few, but a whole multitude are corrupt: and such is our estate, a gene­rall infection of sinne hath runne ouer the whole Land, so that except the Lord had left vnto vs a small remnant, we should haue beene as Sodom, and like vnto Gomorrah.

3 Thirdly, the impudency of the sin­ner doth prooue the ripenesse of sin, as when men are not ashamed to trans­gresse openly, and also to bragge and boast of their sinnes: and such haue we amongst vs, as might be instanced by [Page] men of note, if it were expedient to particularize.

Lastly, when the sinner is not hum­bled, nor amended by punishments, & iudgements inflicted vpon him, it is a true marke that his sin is at the height: and herein haue we shewed our selues to bee incorrigible: The Lord hath threatned vs with warre, he hath pla­gued vs with the pestilence, hee hath pinched vs with scarcity & dearth, and yet wee are not bettered, there is no turning vnto God, More tokens of Gods wrath a­gainst vs within fewe yeeres, then of long time be­fore. but wee fall away more and more: our sinnes therefore being at the height, the fierce wrath of God must néeds be euen néere at hand, and ready to be executed vpon vs. And will you haue such likely-hoods, as may perswade the trueth thereof vnto vs? Then wryte my words in tables, y ^t they may bee monuments for later dayes; for when your childrens childrē shall heare of them hereafter, they will bee astonished at them. The mo­neths of the yéere haue not yet gone a­bout [Page] eight times in their courses, wherein the Lord hath shewed more tokens of his intended & approaching wrath, then the agedst man in our Land is able to recount of in so small a time. The winds haue beene so out­ragious & violent, as though the foure ends of heauen had conspired to turne the foundations of the earth vpside downe. The anger of the clouds hath béene powred downe vpon vs in such abundance, as hath béene both vnsea­sonable for the time, and vnprofitable for the earth. The heauens aboue vs haue beene turned to brasse, and the earth beneath vs into iron, which hath wrought such effects, that the child vn­borne shall speake of it. The sea, with vnwonted inundations, hath attemp­ted to bring the Land within the terri­torie thereof. The fire, as an Ambas­sadour of the last vengeance, hath most fiercely raged in all parts of our Land. Treasons many, mighty & mōstrous, neuer before heard of, or imagined, [Page] haue beene plotted and contriued a­gainst our most dread & Soueraigne, our Quéene and Royall Issue, inten­ding the vtter ouerthrow of King­dome, State, and Countrey.

The Commons haue risen, preten­ding themselues wrongd in their com­mons, indangering the common peace and tranquillitie of the Com­mon-wealth.

The arrowes of a woful pestilence haue beene cast abroad at large in all the quarters of our Land. A present dearth without scarcity, doth pinch vs, bringing pouerty like a way-faring man vpon vs.

Our Summer is turned into Win­ter, our cheapenesse of all things into dearth.

The skies lowre vpon vs, because their Creatour is angry at vs. The Sunne hideth from vs his gladsome light, as though wee were not worthy to inioy it.

The clouds, night and day, do let fal [Page] showres of teares, bemoaning the miseries which God hath determined to bring vpon vs. And thus all the creatures doe threaten and foreshew our approching destruction: yet wee, more sencelesse then y ^e insensible crea­tures, neither feare any thing, nor suspect any thing. Well, there must bee an end of sinning, or else God will make an end of vs. There must be a turning vnto God on our parts, be­fore God will turn vnto vs. There must be a turning vnto God, or else God wil not turn vnto vs. If our sins be the sins of Sodom, our iudgement must bee the iudgement of Sodom. There must be some end of our sinnes, or if Moses and Samuel, with all the holy Angels, were amongst vs, to bestow both their preaching and their prayers that wee might be saued, they should saue but their owne soules, and neither vs, nor our sonnes and daughters: Wee are not sinners of yesterday▪ wee are not Nouices in the schoole of Sathan: but we haue long troden the pathes of vngodlinesse, & wearied our selues in [Page] the wayes of wickednesse. We haue wearied the tongues of y ^e Lords Mini­sters, and grieued the soules of those Preachers that haue bin sent vnto vs, in séeing their labour lost vpon vs; they haue preacht in season, & out of season, they haue brought out of their trea­sures things both new & old, they haue giuen vs milke, and strong meat, they haue come in the spirit of gentlenesse, and with a rod, they haue entreated, threatned, preached mercy, & preached iudgement, and yet all this without successe: for we haue beene like y ^e deafe Adder, stopping our eares, & refusing to heare the voice of the Charmer, charming swéetly vnto vs.

Hearken now, I pray you, and bee iudges your selues, O ye inhabitants of England, if y ^e men of Sodom might haue had those meanes to haue drawne them to repentance, which you haue had, would they not haue broght forth fruits more worthy of repentance then you haue done? Therefore shall they [Page] rise vp in y ^e day of Iudgement against you. Let this Alarum, giuen you by Sodō & her Cities, be a warning vnto vs all, to eschew their sins, lest we burn in their iudgements. Let vs al, frō the highest to the lowest, fall downe and knéele before the Lord our maker: let vs lye low before the footstoole of his Maiesty, and with all submission both of body and minde, acknowledge our sinnes, & preuent the intended wrath of God against vs, by our true & hearty repentance. For the Lord is our God, and will, and must be serued of vs: hée is our Lord, & wil, and must be honou­red of vs: he is our Father, & will, and must be obeyed of vs: he is our Iudge, and dreadfull Reuenger, and will eyther bee feared of vs, or else hee will reuenge himselfe vpon vs.