THese words are a speech or kind of exhortation, The summe of y ^e whole verse. made by our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ, vnto the poore man, whom a little before he had healed, de­scribing vnto him the dutie of his late recei­ued deliuerance: as also by a louing & friend­ly caueat, forewarning him of the feare and danger of a relapse into sinne againe, and for­mer follies. Wherein, The parts of it. for the better explana­tion of the particulars, we haue to consider these parts or speciall circumstances.

First, the time when Christ vttered these 1 words, The time whē. vz. a little after he had been healed of his great and grieuous paine, to the end hee might the better remember it: and immediat­ly he had talked with the Pharisies Christ his enemies, least by perswasion they should haue corrupted, or by threatning feared him, not to [Page 2] giue God his due: drawne out of these words of the text: And after that.

2 Secondly, the place where these wordes were vttered by our Sauiour Christ, The place where. vz. the temple: he found him in the temple: a fit place, that such heauenly and diuine words might take more effect. Dauid comming into the temple, alwaies his zeale and earnest desire to praise God was kindled. And if there bee any sparke of grace, vsually it will burst out, com­ming into the temple, the ordinarie place where God is worshipped.

3 Thirdly, the wordes of exhortation them­selues in these words: The words of exhortation themselues. and said vnto him, Be­hold, thou art made whole, sinne no more: a 4 friendly and louing caueat, The louing caueat. forewarning the daunger of not doing the dutie aforesaid, in these wordes: least a worse thing come vnto thee.

Of all these parts, and their seuerall branches in order.

1 Of the first part. The time whē these words were vttered, The time whē. was a little after our Sauiour Christ had shewed the great miracle vpon him, in healing him of his disease, which had vexed him thirtie eight yeres, to the intent he might the better remember it. Where first wee are to note, Christ a care­ful shepheard. the carefull dealing of Christ as a true shepheard, to vse all meanes for ga­thering into the folde, the lost and straying [Page 3] sheepe; he omitteth no occasion, neglecteth no meanes, neither is hindred by any labour, to instruct and edifie either by doctrine, or miracle. The like course must be imitated of all the faithfull shepheards of Christ Iesus: to be instant in season, and out of season: 2. Tim. 4.2. 1. Cor. 8.13. and 9. ver. 21, 22, 23 to ex­hort, to improue, rebuke: And with Paul, to become all vnto all, to the ende they may win some.

Againe, we note here the dutie of all Gods children, when God hath bestowed his bles­sings vpon them, euen immediatly thereupon to render thankes, & sing praises to the highest. Exo. 15.2, 3. &c Iudg. 5.2, 3. &c. Thus did Moses after the great deliuerances God gaue vnto Israel. Thus did Deborah whē God had giuen her victorie ouer her cruell e­nemie Sisera. Thus did Dauid for euery mi­raculous blessing God shewed vpon him, v­sing this or the like speech: Psal. 116.12.13. What shall I giue vnto the Lord for all the benefits he hath done vnto me? Luk. 17.16. And finally thus did the tenth lea­per when Christ had cleansed him, returne with speede to giue God praise. So that hence I conclude this doctrine, Delay not thy thankfulnes when God of­fereth his mercie. that immediatly vp­on the bestowing of Gods blessings vpon vs, wee ought with thanksgiuing to put them in remembrance. As most of vs now liuing in the North parts of this land, haue most largely tasted the comfortable, and neuer stinting streame of his mercies. First, in preseruing vs [Page 4] in the pinching time of dearth. Next, Some particu­lars wherein the North-parts haue found God lo­uing to them. in tur­ning our pouertie into plentie. Thirdly, his mi­raculous sauing vs in the vehement & ouer-spreading time of the pestilence. So that whē to mans expectation we haue been within the reach of it: yet euen then hath his power in mercie ouerreached and preuented the same. So that in regard of these late receiued deliue­rances, Our danger by-past. I may very fitly vse the patheticall con­clusion that Dauid vseth, after a large suruey of his mercies: Psalm. 105. O that men would therefore praise the Lord for his goodnesse, and declare the wonders that hee doth for the children of men.

2 Againe, the time when our Sauiour Christ vttered these words, was immediatly after the man healed, had talked with the Pharisies, Christ his vtter enemies: The subtill dealing of the Pharisies. the Pharisies dealt with him as they vvere accustomed to deale with all others, who they saw to fauour Christ, 1 either for his doctrine or his miracles. First to trie if they could perswade them, that Christ was a seducer, Note. Ioh. 9.24. Ioh. 6.47.48. and that they runne into great danger if any way they did affect him. Thus dealt they with the man that was borne blind, whom Christ had healed, The crueltie of y ^e Phari­sies, when the other would not preuaile. Ioh. 9.22. and with those ser­uants 2 they sent to attach Christ. But if by this perswasion they could not preuaile, then they assaied a sharper course, euen to threatē them vvith the law, and to cast them out of their Sy­nagouges: [Page 5] by which two meanes they held backe many, yea euen of the chiefer sort, Ioh. 12.42, 43. that they durst not openly professe any good will to Christ. Our Sauiour Christ therefore espy­ing the danger this poore man was in, after he had talked with the Pharisies, The loue and care of Christ to call vpon vs when we are in most dan­ger. thought it then a fit time, euen immediatly thereupon, to vtter these words of the text, thereby to bring into his remembrance afresh his late receiued be­nefit: as also to make him bold and zealous in the course of a Christian, by shewing him the danger that would ensue, if he did it not.

Here may we note, Dangerous for weak ones to be conuen­ted before persecutors. that it is very dangerous for weake Christians to hearken to the subtill perswasions of Gods enemies: or to be called before them being in authoritie and to bee threatned: as may appeare by the oftē reuolts and recantations of many weake Christians in the Primitiue Church, & our owne Church of England, when they were vrged thereunto by persecuting tyrants, or bloodsucking By­shops. A speciall re­medie against feare and fain­ting in our troubles for the Gospell sake. Therfore that neither the one may de­ceiue them, nor the other terrifie them, they are themselues to vse incessant prayer, that God would giue them his spirit, to leade them into all trueth: and being in the trueth, that he would in his mercie vouchsafe them the spirit of boldnes, to professe his name euen before kings and princes, and neuer be ashamed.

[Page 6] The dutie of good pastors.Secondly in Christ we are here to note the dutie of good shepheards ouer their flockes, as also of stronger Christians to their weaker and new conuerted brethren, The dutie of one Christian to another. vz. where they espie the intrumēts of Satan so busie, both by perswasions and threatnings, to quench the spirit of God in new conuerts, 1. Thess. 5.19. 1. Pet. 22. euen then to bee as readie as Christ was here, whensoeuer they meete with them, Exhort one another daily. Esay. 2.3, 4. either in publike exhorta­tions, or priuate conferences, with Christ to put them in minde of their late deliuerances out of the clawes of Satan, and kingdome of darknes, & of the danger y ^t will ensue, if euer they fall away. And thus much for the first part of the text, drawne out of these wordes, and after that.

The second part.The second part, vz. The place where. The place where our master Christ vttered these wordes to the man whom hee had hea­led before, was the temple. Iesus after the miracle shewed in healing the man, got him out of the way for a certaine space: and com­ming into the temple, there he found the man vpon whom the miracle of healing had been shewed, lately come from talking with the Pharisies: whereupon Christ, what in regarde of the vrgent occasion, and what in regard of the fitnes of the place, vttereth the words of exhortation in my text: Behold, thou art made [Page 7] whole. The temple was the place where God had promised his presence, when they came either to pray, or to perswade vnto Christia­nitie: as the Lord promised vnto Salomon the builder of the temple in these words: And the Lord said vnto him, 1. King. 9.3. I haue heard thy prayer and thy supplication that thou hast made be­fore me. I haue hallowed this house (which thou hast built) to put my name there for euer: and mine eyes, and mine heart shall be there perpe­tually. Christ therefore in this temple perswa­ding vnto newnes of life, had the promise of his fathers presence, to make his perswasion powerful, as also to print in the hart of the hea­rer, a more reuerend regarde and estimation thereof being deliuered. Dauid a type of the militant Church. Reade Psal. 84. & Psa. 122.1.2 1. Chon. 29.9. Dauid being a true type and figure of the Militant Church here on earth, neuer came into the temple but his heart leapt for ioy, his ioy was increased, and his zeale kindled: yea that which being out of the temple he could neuer attaine vnto, was in the temple made partaker of. Salomons temple a type of the spiritual temple. Though that temple was a type and figure of the spirituall temple neuer made with hands: and there is not the same vse of it now, as there was then, yet haue wee at this day two things, Two things now resem­bling Salomōs temple. Ioh. 4.24. that may fitly resemble that temple, and where God wil as well heare the praiers, and receiue the sacri­fices of his Church, being done in spirit and trueth, as he would then.

[Page 8] 1 The first is the godly societies and assem­blies of the righteous, Godly socie­ties meete to­gether for ex­horting one another. Matth. 18.20. wheresoeuer and when­soeuer they meete together, according to the rule and warrant of Gods worde: to such Christ hath promised his presence, saying: Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the middest of them.

2 The second is our ordinary assemblies and meetings together at the house of prayer, Publike as­semblies of the faithfull at the house of pray­er. to powre forth prayers to the Lord, be partakers of the word preached, and administration of the Sacraments. Where such assemblies are employed to these aforesaid vses, they are not as the Prophet calleth the temple in his time, the den of theeues: Esay 56.7. Ierem. 7.11. Mar. 11.17. but they are euen the bles­sed throne & kingdome of Christ Iesus, to whose faith and constancie Christ hath promised such power, that euen the gates of hell shall neuer bee able to preuaile against them. In these two temples (as I may call them) when we meete with our brethren, it is not our duties to prate and chat of worldly matters, but rather euery one of vs, Heb. 3.13. to exhort one another while it is cal­led to day, least we be hardened through the de­ceitfulnes of sinne. Yea, to keepe the profession of our hope without wauering, and to prouoke one another vnto loue and to good workes: Heb. 10.23, 24, 25. not forsaking the godly fellowship that ought to bee amongst Gods children. And to be carefull al­waies to cherish and embolden the weake, [Page 9] putting them in mind of their miraculous de­liuerance out of the kingdome of darknes, into the kingdome and cleere light of the Gospell. And thus much of the second part.

Of the third part, which is the words of ex­hortation themselues: wherein wee haue to consider these three branches following.

First, a rehearsall of the benefit done to the 1 man: behold thou art made whole.

The principall cause of his long sicknesse, 2 from which Christ had now deliuered him, was his sinnes and iniquities, which I gather out of these words: Sinne no more. As if hee should say, sinne hath bin the cause of thy for­mer sicknesse: if therefore hereafter thou wilt remaine a sound man, sinne no more.

Thirdly, what must be the effect of this mi­racle 3 by Christ, or the dutie of his deliuerance, which is the subiect of this treatise, euen true repentance, set downe here by the former part of true repentance: which is, to sinne no more, or to cease from sin. Rom. 2.4. The bountifulnes of God ought to leade vs to repentance.

Of the first branch: Behold, thou art made whole. Where first we are to consider that our Sauiour vseth a word of attention, or to make the matter hee hath in hand take more effect, saith: Ecce, Behold. Psal. 32. v. 5.7. The Prophet Dauid spea­king of any extraordinary matter, alwaies v­seth an hebrew verbe, importing y ^e like, which [Page 10] is Selah: so likewise the seruant of God Mo­ses, vsing any vehemēt exhortation, common­ly hath this word, behold or remēber, as thus: Behold, Deut. 30.19. Exod. 20. I set before thee this day, life and death, blessing and cursing. The Prophets of the Lord speaking either of the manifestation of Christ in his humane nature, or of his second com­ming againe to iudgement, or of any such great matter, vseth this word behold. As Esay: Tell the daughter Sion, Esay. 62.11. Zach. 9.9. Matth. 21.5. Mal. 4.1. Behold, thy King com­meth, meekely riding on an asse, &c. And Ma­lachie: Behold, the day cōmeth that shall burne like an ouen, and all the proud, yea and all that doe wickedly shall bee stubble. Apoc. 1.7. Behold, be com­meth with clowdes, and euery eye shall see him, &c. and 22.7. Behold I come shortly. Euen so here as a preface to the declaration of the benefit done to him, Christ saith, Behold: giue eare, consi­der well what I haue done for thee, passe not lightly ouer that miracle I haue shewed vpon thee, in giuing thee health. Where we are to note, Receiue his word, miracles and mercies with attentiō. that GOD would haue vs receiue his word, his exhortations, threatnings, blessings and miracles, with attention, heede taking, and waying well, who it is that doth such things for vs, and what is done, as we ourselues.

O my countrimen, and deare brethren in Christ Iesus, (for whose sake the Lorde hath moued me to penne this little treatise) haue iust occasion to giue eare what the Lords Ec­cho [Page 11] soundeth in our eares daily, Aboue many others the North parts. after our great and late receiued deliuerances: euen thus, Be­hold thou art made whole, &c. VVhereunto let euery one of vs fill our families, our meetings, and conferences with this heauenly harmonie and sweete sounding melodie, answering the former behold, saying then, sith it is so indeede: My soule praise thou the Lord, Psal. 13.1.2. Psal. 57.7.8. and all that is within me praise his holy name. Awake thou my glorie, awake lute and harpe, I my selfe will a­wake right early. And let vs one prouoke an other to praise the Lord of might, for his mi­raculous mercies, as Deborah stirred vp her owne soule, and Barake, to sing praise to God for their triumphant victories: Vp Deborah, Iudg. 5.12. &c. vp, arise sing a song: arise Barak, &c. Euen so, vp O Westmerland, Comberland, and Nor­thumberland: vp ye seuerall townes, congre­gations and families, & euery particular soule; whose safetie the liuing Lord, by the shadow­ing wings of his mercie hath preserued, and sing a song: cease not, but make the earth sound againe with the voyce of thansgiuing, and prouoking one another with such pathe­ticall speeches as this: O behold how greatly the Lord hath loued vs, how mightily he hath deli­uered, and hath shadowed vs vnder the wings of his mercie, vntill the dangers were ouer past. And thus much for this word behold.

Of the benefit it selfe. In the manifestation [Page 12] of the benefit, wee haue to consider foure cir­cumstances. 1 First, what his sicknes was. Se­condly, 2 how long he had been infected there­with. 3 Thirdly, what meanes he vsed himselfe 4 for his recouerie, and yet found none. Fourth­ly, by what meanes at length hee was made whole.

The first cir­cumstance.Of the first circumstance. Although it can not be gathered by expresse words in the text what manner of disease it was that troubled him: Not expresly, but by circū ­stances. yet by circumstances it may probably be coniectured. In the 3. verse of this chapter is set downe, that blinde, lame, and withered resorted to the poole, waiting for the mouing of the water: so that it is very likely, that one of these he was. To set downe which he was, I ga­ther that a certaine lamenes or witherednes did occupie & possesse his whole body, which is proued by his answer to Christ, vers. 7. Sir, I haue no man whē the water is troubled to put me into the poole. And the Greeke word sig­nifieth, to be caried by the helpe of another.

The second circumstance.Of the second circumstance. The text set­teth downe that hee had beene diseased 38. yeres, vers. 5. a long time, and if a man should consider of it with mortall eye, it were able to make him thinke God either had forgotten him, Though long we languish, yet still waite with patience. or giuen him ouer. Yet hence if we right­ly weigh it, we may consider many excellent poynts. First, we are here instructed to pati­ence: [Page 13] for the time of thirtie eight yeeres was very long, Caluin. in Ioh. cap. 5. ver. 7. quantumuis diù nos suspensos teneat, sic anxiè gemamus sub nostris arumnis, vt longi tempo­ris taedium nū ­quam nos exa­nimet. wherein God deferred his helping hand in healing this miserable man: which notwithstanding God had decreed from the beginning to doe. The like patience ought Gods children to haue in bearing any other afflictions of the body whatsoeuer: for as hee dealt here with this poore soule, so dealeth he for the most part with his whole Church, and euery particular member of the same. He de­ferred the deliuerāce of his people Israel, Exod. chap. 1. to chap. 12. from vnder the captiuitie and bondage of Pharaoh, euen for the space of foure hundred and odde yeeres, yea so long, till the enemies thought to haue them their bondslaues for euer, and his poore Church despaired of their deliuerance. Reade 1. Sam. chap. 17. to chap. 31. where is set downe the death of Saul. He suffered Dauid (after hee was annoynted king ouer Israel) to be for many yeeres tossed to and fro as an abiect, and at euery turne to bee in danger, yea euen forsaken and hated of all, like a forlorne creature: so that Dauid (if he had not possessed his soule with patience, and relied on the promises of the Lord) might haue thought Gods mercies turned into meere mockerie, and his promise no better then a va­nishing puffe of winde. 2. King. 38. He suffered his rebel­lious Israel to lie so long weather beaten vnder the captiuitie of the Babylonians, that though there was extāt a promise frō his own mouth, that a remnant should returne: Ezek. 14.22. & 39.25. yet were they [Page 14] out of al hope euer to returne, but euen in that strange land to lie buried in the dust & ashes of euerlasting ignominie & reproch. Yea so hopelesse were they of any returne, that the Lord God was enforced to send his Prophet vnto them, and to demonstrate their deliue­rance, Ezek. 32. ver. 1. to vers. 14. (though now in their iudgement des­perate) by the similitude of giuing life to a great number of dead mens bones dispersed and scattered here and there.

To conclude and come nier our own times: the Lord suffered for many hundred yeeres this land of ours, wherein we liue, to lie fallow and ouergrowne altogether first with Paga­nisme, and then with the brambles and bushes of Poperie and superstition, small hope that euer it should haue bin a well tilled field, and sweete garden to the Lorde. Many the like proofes might I bring, yea euen from the head of the Church Christ himselfe: but the former alreadie alleadged, are sufficient to proue my propounded proposition, vz. that as Christ deferred for the space of thirtie eight yeeres to cure this lame man, the like he hath done, and doth now, in afflicting his Church generally, or any particular member thereof, be it of the body or the soule.

Now followeth the second branch of my proposition: which is, that for all this long de­lay of the Lord, yet was it decreed with him [Page 15] from the beginning in the fulnes of time, and his owne appointed season, to worke their de­liuerances. So when the foure hundred and thirtie yeres were expired, the length and date of time, hee had decreed the Israelites should be in captiuitie and bondage vnder Pharaoh: Exod. 12.41. euen the very same day did the Lord bring his people Israel out of Egypt, Exod. 12.4. euen with y ^e spoyle of their enemies, and the enriching of them­selues. So did he with his seruant Dauid, when hee had a long time soked him in afflictions, and fined him in the furnace of aduersitie, so that thereby he had fitted him for such a future dignitie: euen then did the Lorde take Saul out of the way, 2. Sam. 2. and with great pompe crow­ned Dauid King of Israel.

The like may be said of the captiuitie of Iu­dah and Ierusalem vnder the Babylonians: who when they thought they should neuer re­turne to the temple any more, to build vp the breaches thereof, and to sing praises to Ieho­uah in their owne land: yet then, when they least looked for it, did the Lord bring them againe, Ezra. 1. v. 1, 2, 3, 4, &c. and gaue them power to repayre the breaches of the temple, and to build vp the broken walles of Ierusalem. And withall, those roddes of his indignation (I meane the Babylonians) hee cast into the fire, and vtterly consumed, with the breath of his nosthrils. And how true finde we this by the [Page 16] experience of our owne nation, that when the Gospell and the light thereof was euen as it were quite buried, Gods glorie defaced, his Saints (if any were raised vp) cruelly murthe­red, and in stead therof, first the stinking dung of Paganisme, and after that the perilous poy­son of poperie planted, small hope that euer any redresse should be had: yet euen then did the Lord put into the heart of King Henry the 8. of famous memorie, to begin a refor­mation, King Edward the 6. painefully to pro­secute the same, and now our gratious Debo­rah to finish and build vp that which the o­ther two in their owne did not: whose glo­rious and gratious gouernment God long prosper, with encrease of knowledge, zeale and power, for the glorie of his great name, the propagation of the crowne and kingdom of Christ Iesus, and the vtter defacing and ra­cing out of the traces of Antichrist. Amen, Amen.

And to conclude by the example of this poore man, he had been diseased 38. yeeres, old, and so the lesse hope, withered and dried vp, so as to the iudgement of all he was like to die so, as long he had liued. Yet when Christ saw his appoynted and due time, he came and made him a sound man as euer he was. Hence (as I said before) let vs learne patience in our greatest miseries: and though our burthens [Page 17] which the Lord hath laid vpon vs bee such, as oft they make vs groane, yet still let vs sigh and groane vnder hope, The burthens of the faithfull vpholden by the Lord. with full assurance groun­ded vpon Gods promise, that when he seeth it most meete, hee will worke our deliuerance. Let the due consideration hereof, take away from vs all murmurings, grudgings, or male-contented hearts in all our troubles, whether they bee troubles of the body, or anguishes of the minde, still grounding our patience vpon Gods reuealed promise in his word, as thus: All things shall fall out for the best, Rom. 8.28. Vers. 38. 1. Cor. 10.13. to thē that loue God. Nothing shall separate vs from the loue of God in Christ. And, God is faithfull, who hath promised he will lay no more vpon his children, then he will make them able to beare: but in the middest of the temptation he will giue them a happie issue and ioyfull deliuerance. And when thou art wearie therewith, haue recourse vnto Christ, Matth. 11.28. and he will take thy burthen vpon his backe, and relieue thee.

Now, if any demaund of me the reason why the Lord doth so sore, and for so long a space afflict his children before hee worke their deli­uerance: my answere is this. The Lord doth it for diuers ends: some whereof I haue here (for the comfort of his afflicted ones) set down as followeth.

First the Lord doth sore afflict his people, 1 Reasons al­leadged, why God doth so long & largely afflict his own people. and long delay before he worke their deliue­rance, [Page 18] to teach them humilitie, least they shuld out of measure be puffed vp. For this cause did he sore afflict and buffet the Apostle Paul.

2 Secondly, to teach them obedience, least they should be too stiffe-necked: thus did he tame the Israelites.

3 Thirdly, to make them more carefully learne his law, and continually studie therein. Thus dealt the Lord with Dauid, in afflicting him so long, til Dauid could say from his very hart, It is good for me that I haue been afflicted, that I might learne thy law.

4 Fourthly, he afflicteth them, least they erre and goe astray in the dark desert of this world: for this end also did Dauid make of his afflic­tion, saying: Before I was afflicted I went wrong.

5 Fiftly, to make vs become obedient spouses vnto our husband Christ Iesus, that in matters for Gods glorie, and our saluation, wee admit of none else, neither in part or whole, for the foundation and cornerstone of our saluation. Thus afflicted hee Iudah and Ierusalem, who were wont to play the harlots vnder euerie greene tree.

6 Lastly, hee continueth his afflictions vpon vs, to teach vs that our sinnes are the cause of all our sorrow, and therefore to sinne no more, least a worse thing come vnto vs. Thus afflic­ted hee for a long time this poore man, whom he now had healed.

[Page 19]The Lord grant for his infinit mercies sake, The applica­tion. that the long and late afflictions laid vpon vs and our countrie, may worke these aforesayd effects in vs, euen to pull downe our proude hearts, to mollifie our hard hearts, to instruct and teach our ignorant hearts, to direct aright our vnstable and wandring hearts, to make chast and pure our vnchast and whorish harts, and to redresse and amend our wicked and transgressing hearts: that so our pride being turned into humilitie, stiffeneckednes into cir­cumcision, instabilitie into certaintie, disho­nestie against our husbād Christ, into loyaltie of a cōscience vnspotted: and to conclude, our daily sinning into a continual godly sorowing for the same: we may then say with Dauid, (as many I meane as haue these aforesaid effects wrought in them by their afflictions) glad are wee, and good hath it been for vs, that long, largely, and yet most louingly, the Lord hath afflicted vs, seeing they haue taught vs the mi­serie of our daies, the danger of our sinnes, the loathing of this wretched world, and a loue of the life to come.

Doctrine. In this course of continued afflictions vpon the Church of God, note euery profitable and necessary doctrine, vz. It is the vsuall manner of dealing with the Lord, to defer his helping hand and full deliuerance, till all meanes of helpe inuented by man bee frustrate, and the [Page 20] case in the iudgement of many seemeth des­perate: God helpeth when all other meanes are helples. The end of the Lord so long deferring. thus did he with this poore man, and in all the aforenamed proofes. And he doth it for this especiall end, that in victories, con­quests, or deliuerances, God might haue his owne, which is euen the whole glorie. If wee had no warrant out of Gods word, for the cō ­firmation of this poynt: yet our owne expe­rience these two yeeres by-past, Our countries late visitation approue it. in the most places of our countrie, is of sufficiencie to te­stifie and witnes how true a doctrine his is, seeing that no watching, no gouernmēt, great multitudes or carefull keeping could preuent his punishments, but they came vpon vs: no phisick could stint it, but it encreased and con­tinued: yea when all mans remedies were ad­ministred, yet were the poore afflicted ones still remedilesse: so that great townes, many congregations, and infinit families espying all these hopes, now hopelesse: and though by some called comforts, yet comfortles now, haue in vtter despayre of them all, let goe the anchor, pulled downe the sayle, and commit­ted the whole custodie of their poore tossed ship to him, who first raised vp the tempest a­gainst it, and he, euen that mightie God Ieho­uah, (who iustly for our countries rebellion a­gainst his almightie maiestie, did wound the hairie scalpe of his enemies, and the transgres­sions of his rebellious Israel) did in the end (O [Page 21] admire his mercies) heale that which before he had wounded, saued vs, that in the sight and iudgement of many seemed as forlorne: and in stead of many blacke and gloomy dayes, tokens of his anger, hath at last spoken peace­ably vnto vs againe, and granted vs more then we expected, or our harts could desire. O my countrimen deare, then le [...] [...]rge the pa­theticall exhortation that [...] [...]oth in his Psalme, to all men in his t [...] [...] [...]red out of dangers: O that we would therefore praise the Lord for his goodnesse, Psal. 107.5. and declare abroad the workes that he doth for vs most sinfull men.

Further, in that he healed this man, which had been possessed with a lamenes or numnes so long a space as thirtie eight yeeres in his whole body, appeareth the exceeding great power of almightie God: for in that the dis­ease was vniuersall ouer the whole body, and besides had continued so long till he was old, The power of the Lord set forth. there is no rule in phisicke that euer could giue him any hope of recouerie: yet herein note the vnspeakable power of the Lorde, that by speaking a word or two, he healed him per­fectly: in mans hope past healing. By the like power hee healed the woman of the bloodie issue, Luk. 8.42. who had spent all her substance vpon Phisitions, and could not be healed. By this power he healed the woman who had a spirit of infirmitie eighteene yeres, and was bowed [Page 22] together. Ioh. 11.43, 44. Mar. 7.32. and 9.26. Matth. 11.5. & 24.36. Mar. 1.42. Ioh. 6. Matth. 14.19. By this power hee raised Lazarus from death to life, who had lien in his graue foure daies. By this power he made the deaffe to heare, the dumbe to speake, the lame to go, and clensed the leper. By this power hee fed fiue thousand with fiue barly loaues and two fishes. I may in like sort speake of this migh­tie and exceeding great power towards all those that are translated and deliuered out of the kingdome of darknesse and Satan, into the kingdome and cleere light of the Gospell of Iesus Christ. What a great power of the Lord was it, Act. 9.1.20. that persecuting Saul was healed of his sinne, & made zealous Paul, preaching Christ Iesus and him crucified? What a great power was it, that Mary Magdalene, in whō raigned & dwelled 7. The true con­uersion of a sinner mani­festeth Gods power. Luk. 7.37.38. &c. diuels was cleāsed, made whole, and a woman euer after to weepe for her sins, and to wash Christ his feet with her teares? But greater was y ^e manifestation of his power, whē he healed the man which had a legion of di­uels in him. And at this day may euery true conuert say: oh the exceeding greatnes of Gods power towards me poore wretch, who being vnder the bondage of sinne, and there­by the bondslaue of Satan, all the power that was in me, or that I was able to make, could neuer make me free from that thraldome, till that the exceeding power of GOD, by the sounding ministerie of his word, cryed vnto [Page 23] me: Awake thou that sleepest, Ephes. 5.14. and stand vp from the dead, and Christ shall giue thee light. Such a miraculous power, and a powerfull miracle is the raising vp of a sinner from his snorting in iniquitie, to walke and runne the race of a Christian.

Moreouer, Note his mer­cie. as we note his power in healing him of such a long continuing sicknesse: so note wee his compassionate mercie, in hauing a feeling and before touched with our infirmi­ties We haue an high Priest, Heb. 4.15. who cannot be tou­ched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all things tempted in like sort as we are, sinne only excepted. This his compassion and mer­cie, made him to weepe ouer Ierusalem, Luk. 19.41. view­ing their great sins, and his fathers wrath rea­die to fall vpon them for the same. It made him pitie the great multitude of people that came pressing vpon him, when hee saw them as sheepe without a shepheard. It made him to sigh and groane at the hardnes of the peo­ples hearts: yea so forcible and plentifull was it in him, that hee neuer denyed helpe to the miserable, comfort to the comfortlesse, nor heauēly counsell to them that carefully sought for it. His loue to vs for our saluatiō, is as large as the East is from the West, Psal. 103.12.13. and the North from the South, as great and greater then the loue the father hath to his sonne, or the mother to the babe sucking her breasts: for that hee [Page 24] euen spreadeth out both his armes of mercie, readie to embrace euery sinner, truly turning vnto him: and clocketh vs vnto him by his li­berall mercies, Matth. 23.37. Deut. 32.11, 12, 13. euen as the hen gathereth her chickens vnder her wings. Yea, this one thing doth greatly extoll the largenes of his loue and fauour, in that he extendeth it to vs, with­out any of our merits or deserts. For he loued his owne, before euer the foundation of the world was laid: Rom. 9.23. ere euer Iacob had done good or euill, he loued him, and hated Esau. The Apostle Paul saith: Rom. 10.12. He that is Lord ouer all, is rich vn­to all that call vpon him. Rich he is in power, able to helpe; rich he is in mercie, most wil­ling and readie to heare all those that call on him faithfully. I should be endlesse, if I should repeate the proofes of this great loue & mer­cie of God, The loue of God to vs in his son Christ is endlesse. in and by his Sonne Christ Iesus. But because his loue to vs is endlesse, I wil here end the speaking of it with that admiration, wherewith the Apostle Paul endeth his speech of Gods election and reprobation: O the deep­nes of the riches, both of the power and mercies of God, Rom. 11.33. how infinit is the one and the other, not able sufficiently to be expressed by the tongue or penne of any man?

Our dutie hence.Our dutie hence that we must learne, is re­generation and true repentance: otherwise wee shall treasure and hoord vp wrath and clowdes of witnesses against the day of wrath, [Page 25] and declaration of the iust iudgement of God: Rom. 2.3.4. Seeing the bountifulnes of God ought to leade vs to repentance.

The comfort we may hence reape is great: The comfort Art thou sicke? art thou afflicted? art thou pressed downe with the sight of thy sinnes? criest thou after Christ, and desirest with blind Bartimeus, to be healed of thy infirmitie? No sore to the Christian but Christ will serue it. then continue thy crying, labour that thy sighs and groanes may be increased, yea (if it were pos­sible) euen to pearce into the heauens. And though thou findest not present remedie, dis­payre not; consider Gods power is able to raise thee vp when thou art fallen; consider also his mercie to bee such, that although the wife play the harlot, and her husband giue her a bill of diuorcement, hee will neuer receiue her againe: yet saith our gratious and merci­full God vnto our sick soules, turne again thou disobedient man, whosoeuer thou bee, and though thou hast committed whoredom with thy louers, Ierem. 3.2, 3, 4. yet will I receiue thee into my fa­uour againe. And thus much for the second circumstance to bee considered in healing of the man, vz. how long hee had beene grieued with his sicknes.

Of the third circumstance, vz. what meanes the poore man vsed for his recouerie himselfe, and yet all in vaine. Here wee must consider, that there was in Ierusalem a poole or pond [Page 26] at the South side of the citie, Tremelius and Iunius in Ioh. 5. Hebr. Syr. neere vnto the Sheep-market, the name whereof was Bethes­da, or in the Syrian lāguage Bethchesda, which signifieth the house of bountifulnesse: for be­cause in that place God most mercifully she­wed his power, in healing many of their infir­mities. Hierom greatly erreth in calling it Be­theder, Gregis domus. which signifieth the house for beasts & cattel: for mentiō is made here of a pōd, which was neere vnto the Sheep-market. Caluine affirmeth those to want all reason, Cal. in Ioh. c. 5. ver. 2. who call it Bethseda, as though it were a place of fishing, adiudging thē to determine of the word more probably, who doe expound it locus effusionis, the place of powring out water. The Hebrew worde signifieth a falling downward: for I thinke the water was drawne from it by con­duites, that the priests might draw thēce wa­ter. The vertue of the poole was this, that al­waies at a certaine season an Angell descen­ded into it and troubled the water, and who­soeuer then first after the mouing of the wa­ter stepped in, was made whole of whatsoe­uer disease he had.

Here by the way wee may not thinke, that the vertue of healing consisted in the water: for saith Caluine: Cal. ibid. Sic externum symbolum cōmendat, vt symboli aspectu, ad ipsum vnicum gratiae authorem aegrotire spicere cogantur: For this cause doth hee commend the outwarde [Page 27] signe, that by the sight thereof, all sicke men may bee enforced to haue respect by recourse vnto God, the sole author of all grace. Yea herein we must acknowledge Gods power to bee such, as that he is able at his pleasure to vse the very clemēts to be instrumēts of health, God can vse y ^e very clements to stand for the good of his owne. or any other blessing in his own appointed time, vnto such as are his own in Christ Iesus: as on the contrary, he is able to make them all serue for the manifesting of his power in wrath, a­gainst all such as rebell against him, Euery crea­ture against the wicked. or his Church: as may be seene in Pharaoh, and the congregation of Choree, Dathan, and Aby­ram, where the water drowned the one, and the earth opened her mouth to swallow vp the other. And to conclude, (this being but spo­ken by way of digression) in that he made the muddie and troubled water to heale, Digression, yet necessarie. we note that the Lord oftentimes doth execute his will, and manifest his power in mercie, by contrary and vnlikely means in our iudgement. The Lord of­ten healeth by contrary and vnlikly means So He­lisha healed the waters by casting salt into them: whereas naturally salt mixed with wa­ter bringeth barrennesse. Here by the muddy water in this pond was many a man healed: whereas naturally a cleere and christalline wa­ter is more apt for mans health. The like course the Lord vseth in spirituall things, he worketh life by death, ioy by sorrow, exaltation by hu­miliation, comforts by the crosse, peace by [Page 28] vvarre: He sendeth to hell before he bring to hea­uen. The end of his so doing. yea those that hee bringeth to heauen, he first maketh them saile by hell. And the Lorde doth thus for this especiall ende, that Gods Church may be assured, that the Lord is able to execute his will and performe his pro­mise, although the meanes or instruments of executing the same, seeme vnto them neuer so base or vnlike, yea though there appeare to mans iudgement no meanes at all, yet euen then can the Lord our God performe and ex­ecute that, which he in his eternall wisedome hath already decreed.

Now to returne againe into the way from whence we haue digressed, this lame man hea­ring of so many to bee healed in this pond, came by helpe thither, but being there he was neuer a whit the better: for lying there a long time, still he was preuented of the benefit of the water, because other went downe before him. Here wee see he vsed the likely meanes and the lawfull meanes, Outward, like­ly, and lawfull means alwaies preuaile not. and yet had no re­dresse thereby: because it was the purpose of God to heale him after a more miraculous manner, for the more speedie conuersion of the partie healed, and further manifestation of his owne glorie. Let vs a little further consider this matter. This sicke man vsed the lawfull and likely meane to bee healed of his infirmi­tie: so is it lawfull for those that are sicke, to vse the aduice of the Phisition, and receiue the [Page 29] hearbes for medicine, The sicke may receiue the hearbes for medicine in the Lord, not otherwise. so farre forth as they are the Lords instruments, but no further: and if health come thereby, to giue God the whole honour, as his owne due. Againe, in that hee vsed the likely and lawfull meane to bee hea­led, and yet could not, because God had de­laied his recouerie for another end: let euery one of vs make this vse of it, and thinke, that when we are sicke, or otherwise troubled, and doe vse the lawfull and outward meanes ap­poynted by God for our deliuerance, and yet finde no recouerie thereby, not to murmure, A necessary consideration. grudge, or thinke with the Atheist, God hath forgotten vs: but by the example of this man, to rest contented, resoluing with our owne soules, that God doth deferre our recouerie for some better end, knowne and alreadie de­creed vpon with the Lord, though hidden and vnknowne to our blind eyes, euen either more miraculously to restore vs to health againe, for our greater repentance, and more manifesta­tion of his owne power, or else fully and final­ly to worke our deliuerance, by making a dis­solution of our fraile tabernacle, and conuey­ing our soule into the bosome of Abraham, I meane the eternall and vnspeakable ioyes of Gods kingdome.

Furthermore, in that this man vsed the like­ly and lawfull outward meane for his health, and found none, wee may note a most profi­table [Page 30] doctrine, Man may pur­pose, but God disposeth. vz. that Paul may plant, and Apollo may water, but it is God that must giue the increase. The fishermen may take great paines in fishing all night, and catch iust no­thing, till Christ come and command them to launch into the deepe and make a draught: which done, though before they had tried that place, yet at Christs command shal they catch an innumerable multitude of fishes. Luk. 5.6. Psal. 127.1.2. Psal. eodem. Vnlesse the Lord keepe the house, the vvatchmen wake but in vaine. It is but lost labour to rise early, and goe late to bed, vnlesse God blesse our la­bour. And therefore all our duties in phisicke for health, What course we ought to take in all our dealings. in matters for wealth, and in going about such occasions as are beseeming our cal­ling in this euill world, to commend the begin­ning, middle, and issue thereof by prayer to almightie God, that hee would so direct vs in them, as may stand with his glorie, & redound to the comfort of our owne consciences. Fur­ther, Note well all the prophane and gracelesse Atheists. note another excellent poynt, which is, that if men walke in their lawfull trades and callings, vsing lawfull and ordinary meanes of deliuerances out of any danger, doe notwith­standing preuaile or profit nothing at all, till God of his mercie giue the blessing; what shal wee thinke of them, that in sicknesse counsell with witches and sorcerers, The practises [...] such very dangerous. in troubles raise vp spirits, for things lost vse enchauntment, for to haue their sutes goe forward vse briberie, for [Page 31] their benefices vse symonie, for preferment vse flatterie, with the Herodians? Yea to conclude, what shall we think of all such, as make gaine wrongfully gotten, their god, and wicked and vngodly practises the whole course of their life; but that euen the heauie iudgement of God hangeth ouer their heads: and as their beginnings and proceedings are in sin, so let them assure themselues, without speedie re­pentance, their endings shal be in same, euen sudden confusion both of body & soule, with all the reprobates and castawaies mentioned in the Scriptures. A caueat. Let all bold hardy men ther­fore take heede, who enterprise many actions without either prayer to the Lord, or warrant of his word.

Lastly, it might (in regard of the flesh) haue been a matter of great griefe vnto this poore soule, to see all others that came to this poole to be helped, yet he lie still, expecting remedie and found none. Yet hence let vs learne this for our owne vse, that though we be sicke, and our neighbours likewise, we in trouble, they so likewise, they are made whole and deliuered, yet we still tossed to and fro, not likely any de­liuerance: and it may bee this befalleth vs, when we are more carefull to serue our God then they were, not to be hereat dismaied, see­ing the Lord (as I haue said before) hath secret ends in his eternall purpose, of our continued [Page 32] afflictions or sicknes, yea euen such (if wee a­bide with patience) as shall bee to our greater comfort both inwardly and outwardly. And thus much for the third circumstances to bee noted in his healing, vz. what meanes the man vsed himself for his recouerie, and found none.

Of the fourth circumstance, vz by what meanes at length hee was made whole. The author of his health. The Israelites (as it is recorded, Numb. 21.) for their rebellion against the Lord, were stung and ve­nomed with firie Serpents, a paine most into­lerable, which neither plaister or medicine could abate: til at the length vpon the earnest crie of the people, and Moses, the Lord com­manded Moses to make a brasen Serpent, Numb. 21.6. and set it vp vpon a pole, with this promise, that as for sinne they were stung with a Serpent, so whosoeuer looked vp vpō that Serpent which Moses so vp, should presently be healed, and no other way. Genes. 3. Our first parent Adam trans­gressed God commandement: for a punish­ment whereof, God inflicted vpon him sick­nes both in his soule and bodie, and which should continue from generation to genera­tion in his whole posteritie: which sicknesses and diseases, as they came vpon vs for the diso­bedience of one, so can they neuer truly bee healed and taken away, but by the obedience of one man. The first man sinning, and so bringing condemnation vpon all, was Adam. [Page 33] The second man fulfilling the law, and there­by bringing saluation to all, that by faith and true repentance accept it, was the man Iesus Christ, a man in all poynts as the first Adam was, sinne only excepted. Donec coelestū medicus opem nobis fert, nos non tantum in­tùs fouemus multos morbos, sed etiam mor­ter. Caluin in Psal. 103. ver. 3. 1. Ioh. 1.7. 1. Pet. 1.19. Rom. 5.4. Ioh. 14.6. He was that imma­culate lambe of God that taketh away the sins of the world, and who was the author and sole worker of this poore mans health. He it is who is the true Phisition for euery diseased soule & body: the plaister and very purgation it selfe which must cleanse and cleere vs from all our sinnes whatsoeuer. And who alone is all suffi­cient, and able to present vs holy and pure to God his father: by whom also we haue accesse vnto the throne of God in our praiers. It is this Christ Iesus, who is the way, the trueth, and the life: vnto whom is giuen a name, in whom must bee saued all that are registred and writ­ten in the booke of life. Here then doe wee see, whether all sicke men, all sore men, al trou­bled and distressed men, yea to conclude, all prodigall and sinfull men must resort to bee healed of their sicknesse, eased of their griefes, and receiue forgiuenes of their sinnes, euen to Christ Iesus, the top and roote, beginning and ending, the [...] and [...], Apocal. 1. and the corner stone of our saluation: and with the halt and lame in the Gospell, to crie out vnto him, Luk. 17.15. O Iesu thou sonne of Dauid haue mercie on me. Let the Pope promise health by his pardons, the Iusti­ciaries [Page 34] by their workes, All meanes of health by man meere mocke­rie, without Christ Iesus. the Votaries by their vowes, the Heathen by their blind mentions: yet when it comes to the hammering, and the day that euery mans workes shall be tryed by fire, they shall then finde that all these inuen­ted meanes of health, are euen a potion of ranck poyson prepared by the diuell: and that it is onely the blood of Christ Iesus that must purge out the poison of the Dragon, & cleanse vs from all our leprosie whatsoeuer.

This point being most pregnant, I might bee very plentifull in proofes out of the word of God for confirmation, in gathering profi­table doctrines for instruction, and in laying downe many duties for edification: but see­ing it is so plaine a point, Christ our sal­uation a plain point. that proposuisse is con­firmasse, so manifestly in the word described, that he that runneth may reade it: so sensible a matter, that they are past feeling who are not touched with it: and finally to all the elect ones of the Lord, a matter of such certaintie, that whosoeuer doubteth of it, A most certain point for truth he is puft vp in the raging bellowes of his own imaginations: and without speedie repentance, it shall be a stone to fall vpon them al, of such weight that it shall grinde them all to powder. Therefore I will here end it, Matth. 18. 1. Pet. 2.8. Matth. 11.28, 29. with Christ his large offer to all that lacke helpe: Come vnto Christ all ye that labour and are heauy laden & he will re­fresh you. Cast your cares and your distressed [Page 35] causes vpon his backe, and rest contented that he careth for all his owne. And thus much for the fourth circumstance to bee considered in healing the man, which was the meanes, or partie by whom he was healed.

THe second branch of the exhor­tation, vz. what was the cause of his sicknesse, drawne out of these words, sinne no more: It appeareth here that sinne was the cause of his sicknesse, and sinne is the cause of our troubles, griefes, losses, hurts, dangers, or damages whatsoeuer, yea of sicknesse, be it of body or of minde. That this may better ap­peare, let vs search out the originall of sicknes, sorrow and griefe, and we shall finde that be­fore sinne entred, there was neither sicknesse; sorrow, nor griefe: but as soone as euer sinne entred, the other were inflicted, as a iust re­ward for sinne. When, where and how sinne entred, you may finde plainly in Genes. 3. When. It entred euen then when our first parents were created in their happie estate of innocencie, like to the image of their Creator, perfectly [Page 36] righteous in the soule, and all the parts thereof throughly sound in the body, and the consti­tution thereof, yea both in body and soule free from any griefe, vexation or sorrowe. Sinne entred in Paradise, Where. our parents being placed there. The meanes. The meanes whereby he entred, was by the subtill perswasion of the Serpent, the diuels instrument, and by our parents volunta­rie hearkening and yeelding thereunto, to dis­obey and breake the commandement of their Creator: which so soone as euer they had done, the curse of God for the same fell vpon our parents for sin. If we will set downe what it is, it is nothing else but the transgression of the law of God. 1. Ioh. 3.4. Presently after y ^e transgression of the law of God, entred the reward or pu­nishmēt of this their transgression, which was mortalitie in stead of immortalitie, Mans mise­rable case af­ter his fall. weaknes in stead of strength, sicknes in stead of health, toyle and trauell in stead of continual rest and peace, sorrow and sadnes in stead of ioy and comfort: the earth to yeeld nothing but brambles, briers and bushes (though it bee tilled) in stead of plentie of good fruite; to trauaile vp and downe as pilgrimes vpon the face of the earth, in stead of perpetual pos­session of Paradise: and though they thus pro­long their toyling daies for a time, yet at lēgth enforced to yeeld to natures course and to dye, in stead of liuing for euer the life of the [Page 37] Angels. All this is apparant in the third of Genesis.

You haue heard now the first man that euer sinned, euen Adam, the first man (that as a me­rit for his sinne) euer was sicke or troubled, e­uen Adam. You haue heard what happy case he was in before he sinned, and what wofull e­state hee was in after his fall, a creature full of sorrow, toyle, trouble, feare, griefe, vexation, digging and deluing, planting and sowing, and yet but to reape little increase: and though hee was before a most pleasant plant of the Lord, seated in a most fertile soyle, yet now through sin, is he euen become a filthie puddle and standing poole of all iniquitie, a seruant to Satan, and a poore prisoner to the diuell.

Hence let all Gods children learne to af­fect holinesse of life, The vse. and lothe the life of the wicked: yea euen all the motions, obiects and occasions of wickednesse, so farre as the very garment stained with sinne, shal be vnto them odious and lothsome. You haue heard now the roote to bee infected, and the bole poyso­ned, and withall you haue heard the cause of this infection. The roote and bole are our first parents, they sinned, and presently vpon their sinne came shame for a fault, and all kinde of troubles and diseases as their due desart. Let vs now examine a little whether this poyson hath not infected all the branches, I meane A­dams [Page 38] posteritie, which posteritie we our selues are. Herein let vs consider that Adam and E­uah were not priuate persons, Caluin. in Psal. 51. ver. 7. but such as had in them the state of the whole world: what good Adā had, he had it for his whole posteri­tie: All men in A­dam haue sin­ned. what euill soeuer hee brought vpon him through sinne, it was to bee propagated vpon his whole posteritie. Therefore it is that Dauid crieth and saith: Psal. 51.6. Contra Pelag. qui dicunt pec­catum non esse haereditarium, sed sola imita­tione ex Adamo profectum. Genes. 6.5. Behold, in sinne my mother conceiued me. Wee bring sinne with vs from our mothers wombe, and therefore sicknesse and sorrow the stipend of sinne. And the Lord saith, that the imaginations of mans heart are euill continually. Hereupon it plainly follow­eth, that euen al of vs may impute our sicknes, our sorrow, weaknes and wants, troubles and torments, dangers, and finally death it selfe, to our sinnes, as the originall and first cause of them. That sicknesse and death did take hold vpon all Adams race, euen euery one of vs for sinne, Paul maketh very plaine thus: By one man sinne entred into the world, and death by sin, Rom. 5.12. and so death went ouer all men, for as much as all men haue sinned. Vers. 18. And by the offence of one man the fault came ouer all vnto condem­nation. Vers. 19. And by one mans disobedience many were made sinners.

Now let vs come to proue by example out of the word, how in Adam his posteritie for sinne, God hath inflicted sometime sicknesse, [Page 39] sometime sores, sometime troubles of bodie, sometime griefe of minde. Vpon his owne children, as louing corrections, to make them more diligent schollers in Christs schoole. Vp­on the wicked, either to draw them to repen­tance, (if they belong vnto Gods kingdome) or if they hardned their harts as Pharaoh, then to make them euen beginnings of the flash­ings of hell fire. And first let vs see out of the word, how for sinne the Lord hath afflicted his owne Church, with sicknesse, trouble, danger, &c. In Genes. 6. appeareth, that because the sonnes of God, contrary to his commaunde­ment, ioyned in mariage with the daughters of men, I meane the wicked seede, and for o­ther great sinnes amongst them committed: when after a long time of repentance giuen them by the Lord, they would not amend, the Lord destroyed them, and the whole world ( Noe and his familie excepted) with water. When Dauid had grieuously offended the Lord, with Berthshebah the wife, 2. Sam. 11.4.17. murther vpō Vriah the husband, and after all this by labou­ring to cloake his sinne, the Lord therefore in­flicted vpon him these troubles. 1. His owne sonne Ammon to defile his sister Tamar, 2. Sam. 13.14. Vers. 29.30, 31, 32. 2. Sam. 16.22. and commit incest with her. 2. One of his sonnes to kill another. 3. And in the end as a iust re­compence for his adulterie, the Lord suffered his owne sonne Absalon to rebell against him, [Page 40] take away his fathers concubines, and to lye with them. Againe, when Dauid in pride of hart numbred his people, cōtrary to the Lords minde, the Lord for a reward of his sinne, infe­cted the whole land of Israel with the disease of the pestilence, 1. Chro. 21.14. in so much that there dyed of the sicknes 70. thousand men.

O my countrimen, in the Lord Iesus, I be­seech you throughly and soundly let vs search to the bottome, the originall and chiefe occa­sion of our so great and long a visitation, and I am afraid we shall finde, that not Dauids a­dulterie, murther, and proud heart alone, haue procured these afflictions to fall vpon vs, but a huge masse of many infinit sins more, A masse of sins amongst vs crying for vengeance. which this 40. yeeres by-past, we haue till now hoor­ded and treasured vp against our selues, till they made such a crye in the Lords eares for vengeance, that (though his mercie be great) yet they haue enforced him at length, to powre out vpon vs the violl of his wrath and by these afflictions to manifest vnto vs his indignation kindled against vs. The Lord giue vs eyes to see this, hearts to be sorie, and a care and con­tinuall conscience, euer hereafter to walke more carefully, as in the Lords presence.

To returne againe to Dauid: as you haue heard the Lord to haue dealt sharply with him in outward troubles, for his sinnes: so how he dealt vvith him by inwarde troubles, griefes, [Page 41] and sicknes of the minde: Psal. 6. and 38. and 55. and 77. his often complai­ning in these Psalmes quoted in the margent, sufficiently doth witnesse. Which Psalmes I wish the gentle reader to peruse and ruminate vpon them, assuring him (if he be distressed in soule for sinne) thereby hee may receiue and finde comfort. The Israelites offending God, Num. 21.4, 5, 6. in murmuring against Moses and Aaron, the Lords messengers, were stung with fierie Ser­pents, and destroyed with the meate in their mouthes. Yea, that excellent woman My­riam, Aarons sister, but once murmuring a­gainst Moses, Exod. 12.1.2. for marying a woman of Aethio­pia, and because the Lord talked more fami­liarly with her, then hee did with Aaron and her selfe, Vers. 10. the Lord for this sinne smote her with the disease of the leprosie, that she was all ouer as white as snow, Vers. 14. till that Moses made earnest suite & intercession to the Lord for her health. Hezekiah was grieuously sicke both in bodie and soule, 2. King. 20. Esay. 38.1. 2. Chro. 32.14. Hosea. chap. 8. and chap. 9. till in mercie God restored both to health. Sinne and iniquitie was the cause of famine and sword, threatned to the rebellious Iewes. Often we finde in the Gospell, that our Sauiour Christ giuing sight to the blinde, or health to the sick, vseth this speech, Go thy way, Mar. 2.5. thy sinnes are forgiuen thee: as if hee should say, sinne hath been the cause of thy long sick­nes, but now thy sins being pardoned, which before as fetters chained thy feete, thou maiest [Page 42] rise vp and walke as a sound man. And of all other most excellent and memorable is that of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians, 1 Cor. 11.30.31 where he telleth them, that for the abuse and prophana­tion of the Lords Supper amongst them, Prophaning of the Lords Supper caused death. ma­ny of them are weake, many sicke, and many fallen asleepe, that is, dead. Truly I am per­swaded, that one of the greatest and capitall crimes, that hath puld these plagues vpon our countrie, This holy Sa­cramēt great­ly prophaned in our North parts of this land. First by the pastor, & how. and hath made vs a talke in the mouthes of the people of other countries, is the grieuous and monsterous prophanation of this holy Sacrament the Supper of the Lorde, being for so long a time so horribly propha­ned, both of pastor and people. The pastor (or at least hee that occupieth the roome of a pa­stor) without all due care and consideration, ministreth it to all alike without exception, examination, or making any separation of the vnholy from the holy, the prophane from the sound professor, the dogs and the swine from the sincere and sanctified people of the Lord: who ought to vse the power of the keyes be­longing to their calling, if any such vncleane and vnsanctified people doe offer themselues to communicate, themn by the power aforesaid, to barre such men from the Supper, vntill there appeare in them testimonies of repentance, and change of manners. This being the true and onely remedie prescribed by Christ him­selfe, [Page 43] both against such men, and to take away all offences of the Church: and finally to e­scape the iust vengeance of God, that euer frō time to time haue fallen vpon the contem­ners of the Gospell and Sacraments. But alas, thee careles guides and vnsauourie salt, The lets that stay them frō doing their dutie in this behalfe. either because they are men-pleasers, dare not: or be­cause they may bee attainted of some noto­rious fault themselues, wil not: or else because they are sillie, simple, ignorant sots, and know not how to doe it, doe still continue in their careles course, to the vtter destruction of thē ­selues, and many a poore soule vnder their charge, The poore soules in great danger hereby vnlesse God in his great mercie take pitie vpon them. These euill workers, nay ra­ther betrayers of the sillie sheepe of Christ, either know not, or at least care not for so ma­ny inuectiues, as the godly fathers in the for­mer ages of the Church, haue giuen out most boldly, both by word and writing against the pastors, who suffer such monsterous propha­nation of the holy Supper of the Lord: as also the great care that Christian Churches haue still had, to keepe themselues cleane from that pollution. Amongst the multitude of y ^e god­ly writers, I cannot passe ouer but set downe that most excellent saying of Iohn Chrysostome in his Homilies vpon Matthew concerning this point, whose words are these: Chrysost in hom. 38. in Mat. c. 27 No small punishment hangeth ouer your heads, if knowing [Page 44] any man to bee taken in wickednesse, you suffer him to be partaker hereof, for his blood shall be required at your hands. Therefore if any Cap­taine, if the Consul himselfe, if he that weareth the crowne come vnworthily barre him & keepe him backe, Against the vnlawfull fea­ring of any. thou hast greater authoritie then he. Therefore if a most cleere spring of water were committed vnto thee, to keepe it onely to serue the flocke, when thou diddest see beasts vse to strike and gore, and most filthie swne come to­wards it, thou wouldest not suffer them to goe downe into the water, nor to trouble the spring. And now when as the most hallowed spring, not of water, but of blood and the holy Ghost is com­mitted vnto thee, if thou shalt see men notori­ously defiled with sinne come vnto it, wilt thou not be angrie, nor forbid them? And a little af­ter he saith, If you will feare men, he will laugh at you; if God, you shall be reuerenced of men. Surely I will rather yeeld my bodie to death, and suffer my blood to be shed, then to be partaker of this pollution.

For the example of the practise of Christian Churches, one example likewise shall suffice, which shall bee the example of the Greeke Church in former times, The example of the Greeke Church. [...]. A congrega­tion of the faithfull. who had such a reue­rent estimation of this holy banket, that the very name wherewith they called it, argueth the same. First, Vocarunt eam [...]: that is to to say, a congregation of the faithfull, which [Page 45] was so religiously obserued: Quod quamuis tolerabantur in concion. publicis prophani, ve­rùm vbi inchoanda erat ipsa Dominicae caenae communicatio, iubebantur illi discedere, & ac­cedere &c. Although the wicked and open prophane were permitted to bee present at their publike preachings & sermons: yet when­soeuer the Supper of the Lord was to bee ad­ministred, then they vsed these words: Depart ye wicked and prophane, and draw neere ye that truly and sincerely professe Christ and his Gospell. Againe, Vocarunt eam [...]: A holy table. they called it a holy table, both in regard of the holy and heauenly foode of the soule there of­fered: as also in regard of those holy people, who alone are admitted to the eating there­of. So that these being well considered, I will conclude this point concerning the pastors abuse in the aforesaid prophanation, with this earnest wish: that all who are called to this waightie calling of the worke of the ministe­rie, with care and conscience so to behaue themselues therein, as they that shall giue ac­count in the great day of the Lord for euery soule that hath perished within their charge, through their negligence.

For the peoples prophaning this holy Sacra­ment, Secondly it is prophaned by the people, and how. I my selfe haue bin oft an eye witnesse (God is my record) to my griefe, when I haue seene great multitudes of people in the house [Page 46] of the Lord, My self an eye witnesse. with striuing, thronging, & pres­sing forwarde, contend who should first re­ceiue the outwarde elements at the hands of their minister, making no better then a com­mon banket of it, or as though they were in extreame haste. Againe, the Parsons proctor to be reckoning for his fees in the very time of administring the Supper, Great propha­nation, and worthie pu­nishment. and that within the Lords house, not farre from the minister, as great a noise of brauling about him, as of sing­ing Psalmes amongst the Communicants: yea farre greater, for the one is often vsed, the other very seldome or neuer. I might bee large in laying downe such manifold abuses as these, Many moe be­sides these. which I haue seene with mine eyes, as euery one after they haue gotten their rightings (for so our sillie ignorant people call it) to hasten out of the congregation, neuer reuerently a­biding till all be partakes, that they might all depart with a ioynt thanksgiuing. But these are sufficient to the reader, to testifie how iust­ly I am perswaded, Ex vnguibus leonem astima. that for these and such like abuses, the Lorde hath rightly plagued our countrie. After the receiuing of this holy Sa­crament and seale of the true Christians sal­uation, they hold on à malo in peius, they then goe for good fellowship to the tauerne or ale­house altogether, The Magi­strates cold­nes in correc­ting, a great cause of these abuses. and thence they come not till they are inflamed and made drunke with strong drinke, and then out they must, but o­therwise [Page 47] then they came in: for now they run out to purge themselues and their heauie sto­mackes, by belchings and beastly vomiting: others to brawle and fight: so as it would wound a Christians hart, to see how the sense­lesse soules, worse then brute beasts, This cryeth for vengeāce, without spee­dy repentance doe in re­ceiuing the bread and wine at the Supper of the Lord, eate and drinke their owne condem­nation.

Others there be, more nise in outward shew, As euill as the other. it may be will walke solitary that day, abstaine in outwarde appearance from their wonted course of sinne: but if they do this for one day, two were too many, and therefore the morow after the Supper, is as the day before, euen to drinke sinne like water, and draw iniquitie as it were with cartropes.

A third sort of vnworthie receiuers there be in our countrie, whom I may very well call carnall gospellers, and lip-professors, Too many of such amongst vs. who doe receiue this holy Supper together with Gods deare children, and thereby doe make their so­lemne profession of newnes of life: but after a season it proueth rather worse with them then with the former: for they are such, that though they crie, Lord, Lord, voce: yet they deny to doe the will of their heauenly father, What dange­rous effect follow such wicked dea­ling. vita: and so are an occasion to the wicked and professed enemies of Gods trueth, of blas­pheming that glorious Gospel of Christ Iesus, [Page 48] whereof they make profession, though vn­soundly, and after an vncleane manner. These men, to speake plainly, they are very neere vn­to, if not the same men whereof Christ testi­fieth, Matth. 12. that they expulse out the vncleane spirit: but after a season the same spirit returneth a­gaine, he bringeth seuen other spirits with him worse then himselfe, and finding all cleane swept and garnished, they reenter and take possession in the man, and make their dwel­ling there: whose latter end (horrendum dictu) is worse then the beginning. And such as Pe­ter painteth out, 2. Pet. 2. ver. 20 who after they haue in shew throwne and shaken off sinne, and bidden the world adiew, doe notwithstanding after all this, enter couenant to bee Satans seruant a­gaine, in whom the prouerbe is too true: Vers. 22. The dogge is returned to his vomit, and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mare. The Lord for his mercies sake, Amen, Amen. work reformation hereof both in pastor and people: which refor­mation if presently it appeare not, I feare me a worse day, I feare the se­quell. then hitherto hath been seene, will insue: whereof more at large hereafter. And let this suffice also for proofes out of y ^e word, how the Lord for sinne sendeth troubles and sicknesses, both of body and minde vpon his owne people.

Let vs now in a word shew how he doth it vpon the wicked: wherein I may fitly vse the [Page 49] speech of the Apostle, that if for sinne iudge­ment begin at the house of God, what shall be the end of the wicked? A fearfull end without all doubt. And if hee deale thus with the greene tree, what may wee thinke will be the end of the drie and withered tree, but to be cast into the fire and burnt vp for euer?

And first, most famous and worthie of all memorie is the example of Gods iudgement vpon Ioab and al his posteritie, 2. Sam. 3.29. for murthering so cruelly and deceitfully two valiant Cap­taines, Abner and Amasa, as appeareth in their stories at large: where Dauid thus threat­neth the iudgement of the Lord against him, and his whole posteritie, saying: Let the blood of Abner fall on the head of Ioab, and on all his fathers house: that the house or issue of Ioab be neuer without some that haue running issues, or a leper, or that leaneth on a staffe or that falleth on the sword, or that lacketh bread. Loe here how many wayes, for this bloodie fact, God will plague & punish him. First with running 1 issues, a sore disease. With leprosie, a sorer if it 2 can be. With lamenes, meant by leaning on 3 a staffe. Blood for blood, according to the 4 Lord his threatning: He that sheddeth mans blood, by man shall his blood be shed againe. Po­uertie, 5 meant by lacking of bread: and Cain for shedding the innocent blood of his bro­ther Abel, Genes. 4. vvas both he and his posteritie made runnagates ouer the face of the whole earth.

[Page 50]In the 7. and 8. of Exodus, you shall finde how oft the Lorde plagued Pharaoh and the whole land, for cruelly oppressing his people, euen with ten principall plagues: there withall their great and capitall offences. 1. King. 13. So he dryed the hand of king Ieroboam, when he stretched it out against the Prophet of the Lord to take him. Take heede of this, the coue­tous men that haue long no­ses to smell your profit a farre off. Ahab and Iezebel, because vniustly they tooke away Naboth his vineyard, and lead a great number a whoring after strange gods, the Lord caused Iezebels daintie carkasse to be eaten vp of dogs, by the wall of Izreel: yea, that his posteritie should neuer haue the ho­nor of a comely buriall: but if they dyed in the citie, 1. King. 21.25. 2. King. 9.10. 1. King. 24.10. & 16.3.4. the dogs should deuoure them: and if in the field, the foules of the ayre should eate thē vp. Euen as the Lorde executed his fierce wrath vpon all Ieroboam his seede: and vpon the whole house of Baasha, for their Idolatrie. Let all couetous cormorants, and Idolatrous whoremongers repent, for feare the like iudge­ment should fall vpon them. 2. King. 1. ver. 1 2, 3, 4. Ahaziah ha­uing gotten a fall through a lattise window, and hurt himselfe very sore, despaired of helpe from the true God, and therefore sent messen­gers to enquire of the god of Ekron, concer­ning his recouerie: which thing was so abo­minable to the Lord, that he sent a messenger vnto him, to tell him, that he should not come downe from the bed whereon he lay, but dye [Page 51] the death. In our sicknes seeke vnto none but God. 2. King. 6. Beware in our sicknesse wee seeke not vnlawfull meanes for our recouerie. The King of Syria his host comming to take the Prophet in Dothan, the Lord for their boldnes smote them all with blindnesse. A dangerous matter to attempt the persecuting of Gods children. Gehezi for coueting that vnlawful­ly, 2. King. 5.27. which his master had refused of Naaman religiously, when it was offered, was smitten with a leprosie. And of all other, 2. Chro. 21.18.19. most fear­full is the sicknesse and death wherewith the Lord smote Jehoram, for vnnaturall murthe­ring his brethren, and for abominable Idola­trie: he smote him with an incurable disease, euen the disease of his bowels: so that day by day, through the disease, his bowels fell out: so after the end of two yeeres, continuing in this sore disease, his guts fell out with the disease. And lastly of Herod, Act. 12.25. how horrible a thing to bee heard, that for his pride, and arrogating glorie to himself, which was only due to God, Pride wil haue a fall. was most fearefully throwne downe from his throne of estate, and deuoured of wormes.

To leaue the testimonies of the word, and to come to the demonstration of Gods feare­full visitations by strange sicknesses, Examples of Gods iudge­ments vpon wicked perse­cutors of the Church. against wicked persecutors of Christs Church, & blas­phemers of his name, recorded and spoken of in ancient histories, let this bee the first. One Henry, a famous Archbishop of Mentz, a [Page 52] vertuous and wel disposed prelate, being most cruelly dealt withall by the Bishop of Rome and his substitutes, and being debarred of all lawfull proceeding and iudgement in law a­gainst him, mildly answered the wicked Iud­ges thus: Seeing that neither by appeale to the Apostolike sea, nor by your vpright senten­ces of your selues, I can haue my innocencie tried, I appeale to the Lord Iesus Christ, as to the most high and iust Iudge, A righteous appeale. and cite you before his iudgement, there to answer me be­fore the high Iudge: for neither iustly nor vp­rightly, but by corruption (as it pleaseth you) you haue iudged. Whereunto they scoffingly answered; Goe you first, and we will follow. Not long after the said Henry dyed: whereof the two Cardinals, that were the wicked Iud­ges, hauing intelligence, said one to the other iestingly: Behold he is gone before, and vvee must follow after according to our promise. And verely they said truer then they were a­ware of: A terrible ex­ample for cor­rupt Iudges to beware. for within a while they dyed both in one day. For the one sitting vpon a Iakes to ease himselfe, voyded out all his guts into the draught, and miserably ended his life. The o­ther gnawing off the fingers of his hands, and spitting them out of his mouth (all deformed in deuouring himselfe) dyed. And one Ar­nold, who became a false Iudas to the good Archbishop, in accusing of him, when hee [Page 53] should haue excused him: Anno Do. 1105. Ex Helmoldo & Gotfrido Viter­biensi. & Act. & Mon. Fox. pag. 196. shortly after dyed likewise, and for certaine daies lying stinking vpon the ground vnburied, was open to the spoyle of euery rascall and harlot.

The like horrible and fearfull stroke of Gods hand, was executed vpon a wicked papist and persecutor of y ^e good Merindolians in France, who was called Iohn de Roma: this wicked wretch, of meere malice against the trueth, plagued the poore protestants of Merindoll, with a strange and vnwonted kind of torment, wherein hee most delighted, and most com­monly practised: he filled bootes with boy­ling grease, and put them vpon the legges of Christians, tying them backward to a forme, with their legges hanging downe ouer a small fire: and in this torment he examined them of their faith, belike thinking by this intolerable paine, to make them reuolt from their faith. This monster at length hauing almost finished the date of his wicked daies, fell sicke of a most horrible disease, strange and vnknowne to a­ny Phisition: so vnnaturall were the paynes, wherewith he was continually vexed in all his bodie, that no oyntment, no fomentation, nor any thing else could ease him one minute of an houre: neither was there any man could tarrie neere about him, nor yet would any of his friends come neere him, so great was the stinch that came from him. For which cause he [Page 54] was carried from the Iacobines to an hospitall there to bee kept. But the stinch and infection there so increased, that no man there durst come neere him: neither was he himselfe able to abide the horrible stinch that issued from his owne bodie, full of vlcers and sores, and swarming with vermine, and so rotten, that the flesh fell from the bone by peece meale. Whilest he was in these tormēts and anguish, he cried out often in great rage: Oh who will kill me? Act. & Mon. pag. 945. who will rid and deliuer me out of these intolerable paines, which I know I suf­fer for the euils and oppressions that I haue done to the poore men? In these horrible tor­ments and fearefull despayre, this blasphemer and cruell homicide ended his vnhappie daies and cursed life; as a spectacle to all persecu­tors, receiuing a iust reward of his crueltie by the iust iudgement of God. Being dead, none would come neere to burie him; but a Frier of his owne order, with a hooke caught bold of his stinking carkasse, and drew him into a hole of the earth.

The like fearfull iudgement was vpon the Lord of Reuest, being chiefe president of the parliament of Aix, putting many a good chri­stian to death: afterward was himselfe striken with such an horrible sicknesse, that for the fu­rie thereof, his wise, or any that were about him, Pag. eadem. durst not come neere him, and so dyed in [Page 55] this furie and rage. The like fearefull sudden death had Barthol. Cassaneus, who succeeded the other both in place and persecution. I can not but set downe likewise a note of another bloodie persecutor of the poore Merindoli­ans, Iohn Miniers Lorde of Opede, whose iudgement from the Lord, for shedding so much innocent blood, was a strange kinde of bleeding in his nether parts, Like for like. like to a bloodie issue or flux: and not being able to voyde any vrine, Pag. 953. till by little and little his guts at length within him rotted, and his intrals began to be eaten vp of wormes. In which extremitie, The wicked in their extremi­ties howle and cry most des­peratly. raging and casting out blasphemous words, and feeling a fire burne within him, from the nauill vpward, with extreame stinch of his lower parts, at length finished his wretched life.

The like may be said of one of the accusers of Narcissus, the good old Bishop of Ierusa­lem, who wished if his vntrue accusation were not true, that he might shortly fall into some great and grieuous sicknes: which wish most fearfully afterward was executed vpon him, Euseb. lib. 6. cap. 9. and that shortly after being striken with a sore sicknesse from top to toe, and so dyed.

And to conclude this point, the like may be said, concerning the sudden death of one Nightingale parson of Crondall in Kent, who was made by the Cardinals authoritie, chiefe [Page 54] [...] [Page 55] [...] [Page 56] Penitentiary of that Deanry. He comming in­to the pulpit vpon a Shroue Sunday, read pub­likely the Popes bull of pardon that was sent into England, most blasphemously vttering these words: That he fully beleeued, that by the vertue of that Bull, he was as cleane from sinne, Intolerable blasphemie. as that night he was borne: immediatly vpon the same, fell suddenly dovvne out of the pulpit, and neuer stirred more hand or foote.

These are sufficient to proue vnto you this point, how the Lord for sinne inflicteth vpon the wicked, sicknesses, diseases, and troubles of the body. And how he dealeth most feare­fully in tormenting their consciences, I referre you ouer to Cain, who supposed euery man would kill him that met him. Both body & soule plagued in the wicked by the Lord for their sins. To Saul, who wished himselfe slaine. To Achitophel and Iudas, who hanged themselues: and the too many experienced testimonies in our owne times both of men and women, that hauing been plunged to desperation, at the view of their horrible iniquities, haue been the instru­ments of their owne death themselues.

A Catalog of them all.Let vs now as in a little Catalogue set down all these seuerall sinnes aforenamed, so seuere­ly punished by the Lorde in seuerall wicked men, that so the diligent reader may more ea­sily beare them away, to make him euer here­after learne by other mens harmes to beware: and my propounded proposition bee by so [Page 57] many clowdes of witnesses ratified and con­firmed: so to continue herafter without con­trolement.

Murther and shedding of innocent blood, 1 Murther. punished in the offender and his posteritie with the state of a runnagate as in Cain: with running issues, lamenes, blood for blood, po­uertie: as in Ioab and his posteritie.

Hardues of heart, and contempt of Gods 2 word punished with losse of goods, Hardnes of heart. as corne and cattell: yea losse of children, as in Pha­raoh.

Stretching the hand to make our authority 3 hurt Gods messengers, Abusing of authoritie to persecution. punished with withe­ring and drying vp the hand, as in Ieroboam: and punished with the blindnes in the king of Syria his seruants.

Couetousnesse, oppression, and killing, Couetousnes, oppression and killing. to 4 come by their purpose vnlawfully, and Idola­trie ioyned there withal, punished in the offen­ders and their posteritie, neuer to haue the ho­nor of a comely buriall: but dying in the citie, to bee eaten vp of dogs: or dying in the field, to be deuoured with the foules of the ayre: as in Ahab, Iezebell, and their posteritie.

Pride and exalting of our selues against 5 God punished, Pride and ex­alting against God. by making the offender like a brute beast, as in Nabuchadnezaar. And with a fearfull sudden death, as in Herod.

[Page 58] Despaire of Gods helpe in extremi­ties.Despayring of Gods helpe in our sicknesse, and seeking the helpe of false gods, punished with neuer recouerie of health: but dying of it, as in Ahaziah.

7 Extreme co­uetousnes.A couetous heart that cannot bee content to forgoe any profit, if they may haue it, whe­ther it stand with a good conscience or no, and often ioyned with lying, punished by the Lord with leprosie for euer: as in Gehezi, E­lisha his seruant.

8 1. King. 16. Idolatrie in our selues and drawing o­thers vnto it.To commit Idolatry our selues, and by our perswasion, or power, to draw others to doe the like, punished in Batasha and his poste­ritie.

Vnnaturall murthering of our kindred, ioy­ned 9 with grosse Idolatrie, Vnnaturall murther. 2. Chron. 21.13.14.15.16. most fearefully plagued with the disease of the bowels incu­rable, and in the end the guts to fall out, as in Iehoram.

10 Desperation.Desperation of Gods mercies, punished with killing and hanging themselues: as in Saul and Iudas. Corruption in iudgement, and condemning the innocent without a cause, plagued with fearful and sudden death, as hath been shewed by the example of the Cardinals, iudges of the good Archbishop of 11 Mentz.

Strang and vnnaturall persecution.Vnnaturall and not heard of before per­secution against the poore saints, plagued with [Page 59] strange and vnwonted diseases: as in Iohn de Roma, a Iacobine, the Lord of Reuest, and the Lord of Opede.

Blasphemous derogating from the crowne 12 and dignitie of Christ Iesus, Blasphemies. the washing away of sinnes in all men, and arrogating the same to the Pope and his pardons, plagued with sudden and present death, as in the parson of Crondall aforesaid.

Last of all, let vs by some few proofes out of the word, confirme this which hath been illu­strated, both out of the examples of the Scrip­tures, and the Acts and Monuments of our owne Church. In the 29. Deut. 29.22. chapter of Deutero­mie, vers. 22. Moses sheweth, that the genera­tion of the Israelites which was then for to come, and the strangers that should come from a farre land, shall say when they see the plagues and diseases of this land, wherewith the Lord shall smite it: Vers. 24. Vers. 25. Wherefore hath the Lord done thus vnto this land? And they shall answer, Because they haue forsaken the coue­nant of the Lord God of their fathers, which he made with them. And chapter 31.17. Cap. 31.17. They shall be consumed, and many aduersities and tri­bulations shall come vpon them. Then they shall say, Are not these troubles come vpon vs, be­cause God is not with vs? Of all other places in the Scriptures, let the 28. of Deuteronomie, Deut. 28. Leuit. 26. and the 26. of Leuit. be as glasses for all men [Page 60] to behold themselues in: where you shal find, for disobedience and breach, of Gods com­mandements, the Lord will inflict vpon them most extreame diseases, and sores of the body: as the pestilence, Vers. 21.22 Vers. 27. a consumption, the feuer, the burning ague, the botch of Egypt, the Eme­rodes, the scab, and the itch. He threatned to smite them in the knees, Vers. 35. & in the thighs, with a sore botch, that they could not bee healed, euen from the sole of their foote to the top of their head. For other griefes of body, and hor­rible tormēts of the mind, that there is threat­ned against the obstinate offenders: I wish the godly to peruse them, thereby to be as bridles and stayes vnto them, whensoeuer Satan by his suggestions, laboureth to driue them there­vnto. Take the so­wer with the sweete. And I wish that the wicked would (in their boldnes to drinke vp sinne like water) once giue a glance backe to these fearefull threats of the Lord, and view what shall be the wofull ende of their grosse and abominable wickednesses. I wish also that both these, and all the aforenamed proofes, together with the manifold examples out of the Scriptures, and sundry histories of the Church before allead­ged, Let them be for a Christian Chronicle. be in stead of a little Chronicle for all sick and sore men, either in body or minde, for all those that are strangely visited, or grieuously afflicted, to be exercised in: wherein they may finde the Lords iudgements frō time to time, [Page 61] executed vpon the wicked and abominable li­uers, without abatement, controlement, or dis­pensation, fearing no power, The wicked neuer able to stay Gods iudgements. preuented by no policie, stayed by no bribes, nor abated by any medicine: till such time as hee hath layed the honors, houses, habitations and whole poste­rities of the wicked euen with the ground. The end of the wicked. As may be seene of Ieroboam, Baasha, Ahab, and Ioab, that I say men visited with sicknes, vpon a sound sauerie of the premisses, may without delay enter into a serious speech, and due con­sideration of their owne estate, in regarde of sinne: Search sound­ly without soo­thing your selues. and if they finde that such sinnes as you haue heard here before to bee plagued of the Lord, to rule and raigne in them, or any sinne and transgression of Gods commandements, then let them impute the cause of their visita­tion, to their owne sinnes, and wicked conuer­sation, resoluing further, that he will not with­draw it, who hath sent it, hee will not heale them, who hath wounded them, they shall not recouer of their sicknesse, nor come downe from the bed whereon they lie, till such time as the Lord see them broken hearted with Da­uid; and vowing to his maiestie, the continu­all sacrifice of a better life, or at least, if they passe that disease or fit (vnlesse they from the heart repent) let them looke ere it be long, One being gone, another will come, vn­lesse thou re­pent. to come vnder the extremitie of some other: that shall be as a beasome in his wrath to take all away. Last of all, I wish euen from my very [Page 62] heart roote in Iesus Christ: that all of you my Countriemen (for whose comfort especially I was moued, to pen this little vnworthie trea­tise) may search, and throughly ransacke your hearts to the bottome: for these sinnes, vz. Murther, contempt of Gods word, persecuti­on of Gods children, couetousnes, oppression, killing, pride, despairing of Gods power: Ido­latrie, lying against ones owne conscience, despairing of Gods mercies, which sinnes flou­rishing in the reprobates, haue been fearefully plagued as you haue heard before. Search till we finde them, for they are a­mongst vs. Search fur­ther for wicked and vnlawfull mariages: for whoredome, murmuring against Gods faith­full magistrates or ministers. And so the mon­strous profanation of the supper of the Lord: sinnes for committing whereof, the Lord hath grieuouslie punished his owne people, as plainely hath been proued: yea and for many moe, then all these would I haue you, with your selues to make a particular and strict ex­amination, Pray you so likewise. Ephes. 1.17.18. and I beseech God, euen the father of our Lord Iesus Christ, that the eyes of your vnderstanding may be enlightened, that you may discerne and clearely see how farre you haue entred a couenant, and bound your selues in league with most of these sinnes, and many other most abhominable sinnes; Ouer all ge­nerally. In many pla­ces. as your hor­rible Atheisme, affected ignorance, grosse Po­perie: and in most places mocking, and con­temning [Page 63] the Lords ordinarie meanes of your saluation: in seeing of them, acknowledge your long and continued afflictions, to be sweete corrections, The Lord hath dealt ea­silie with you, as yet. in regarde of that fearefull and dreadfull condemnation, they haue long since before this cried for, as a stipend of desert due vnto them; yea in vtter loathing of them, and heartie griefe for offending God by them: let vs all crie with the prodigall childe: that for our sinnes we are not worthy to haue the hea­uens to couer vs, the earth to beare vs, Luk. 15.21. Iehouah to protect vs, or Iesus Christ euer to be a Saui­our vnto vs: yet here not to stay, but in hope as our anker, through faith, as our hand, by the promise of the reueiled word for our certainty to prease and post forward, and with the Eagle to soare vp to the true phisition of our soules, for healing our sicknesses, the good Samari­tane to bind vp our wounds, the euerlasting high Priest, for bearing our infirmities, euen Iesus Christ the righteous: that thereby our sinnes, the originall of our sicknesses, may be blotted out and cleane clensed: and from Christ we may heare this comfortable voyce: Arise and walke, &c. Be whole, for thy sins are forgiuen thee. My beloued in the Lord, No sounde course but this to saue vs from perishing. except this through course be taken, neuer looke for sauing, sound, and continuing health; but e­uen with Gehezi to die a leprous man. Now as I haue spoken of particular men, for parti­cular [Page 64] sinnes diuersly diseased: so may I speake of whole countries, kingdomes and places, who for sin and iniquitie haue been plagued. Some with sudden destructiō, Genes. 19. as Sodom & Gomor. Some with captiuitie, as the Israelites vnder the Babylonians. 2. Chro. 36. Some with hauing the god­ly, wise, and aged Counsellors taken from thē, as Esay threatneth the Iewes. Esay. 8.1.2.3.4 1. King. 20. 2. King. 6.19. 2. King. 17.29. Some with death and famine, as was Samaria and Ierusalem, and as this our nation of late: and some with the disease of the pestilence, burning ague, and bloody issues, as this our owne land: first, not long since in the South parts: We haue felt the same. and now these two yeres last past in our Northerne parts. And seeing it hath been proued, that these correcti­ons and punishments flow from our owne disobedience and wilfull rebellion, From whence these punish­ments flowe. therefore if euer the effect wee desire to haue remoued, let vs first take away the cause, which is our sinnes, Sublata causa tollitur effectus. and assure our selues the effect will cease, which is Gods fearefull punishments. Doctrine. These proofes, examples, and vses being thus laid downe, this doctrine following shall bee the conclusion of it, vz. what euill soeuer wee suffer either in body or minde, we may impute it to our sinnes, Psal. 38.5. as the originall and first occa­sion thereof: whereupon may bee gathered a second doctrine. Caluin. in Ioh. cap. 5. vers. 14. Non sunt fortunae hominum calamitates, sed totidem sunt castigatoriae feru­lae: Our sicknesses, diseases, or griefes, bee they [Page 65] inward or outward, proceed not from fortune, or by chance: Amos. 3.6. but by the foredecreed counsell of the highest, that they may bee as so many checkes vnto the pride of our sinnes: the truth hereof being granted, there ensueth an excee­ding comfort to the conscience, A comfort. carefull of Gods seruice, vz. that our heauenly father ta­keth no delight, nor pleasure in punishing vs: and therefore doth hee neuer seuerely scourge vs, Calu. ibid. but whē he is highly offended by our trans­gressions, and perforce vrged to change mer­cie into iudgement, The Lord is haled on to iudgement by our sinnes. & his louing countenance into seuere corrections. And thus much gene­rally haue I set downe, and proued the cause and originall of sicknesse, sorrowes, troubles and death itself in all men liuing vpon the face of the earth, as they are Adams branches and posteritie.

Now least the godly man (for conscience sake persecuted, or for his further triall of the Lord afflicted) should be too much dismaied, and thinke his persecutions were but iust plagues for sinne, and his crosses no comforts, contrary to the sweete promises of the Gospel in that behalfe: How and for what end af­flictions are laid vpon the godly. therefore let vs search how and in what sort they are laid vpon the godly. The nature and condition of all troubles both of body and minde, in respect of their first origi­nall, are qualified to the children of God and true Christians: not by any dignitie, or desert [Page 66] at all of their owne, but as Elisha healed the bitter and venemous waters, by casting salt into them: Note well. so the bitter and intolerable sting of death, the bitter and vnsauorie sicknesses and diseases both of our bodies and our soules are healed, the nature of them changed, the poyson remoued, by the sauourie salt of Christ his blood: yea, all sicke, halt, lame, and withe­red men, haue their griefes eased, by the trou­bled, persecuted, scorned, scoffed, and cruci­fied body of our Lord Iesus Christ: as this sick man was healed in his body, by troubling the cleere water: Christ his blood shedding being (in iudgement of wicked men) as vnlikely to worke vs any good, as salt to make fruitfull, or muddy water to make a lame man whole. In this, Christ Iesus our debt for sinne is dischar­ged, and vpon his crosse is the obligation of ordinances (that was against vs) fastned, Reuel. 3.18. and he is the very purgation that cleanseth, the sa­uing eye-salue that giueth light, Matth. 3.17. Collos. 1.13. 2. Pet. 1.17. and the wel-beloued sonne of God, by whom our cries are conueied to his father, in whom he receiueth and heareth our plaints, and for vvhose sake wee enioy all the blessednes and good things that euer we haue.

Christ wholy altered the nature of af­flictions to his owne Church.Now therefore in this Christ our alone Sa­uiour. sicknesse to his faithfull members is as comfortable as health: affliction as sweete as peace, aduersitie as acceptable as prosperitie, [Page 67] death as welcome as life, the graue as a most sweete perfumed chamber, for the bodies of the Saints to lie in: for they can with S. Paul say, Rom. 8.1. There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Iesus. It makes them not feare death, but rather in Gods appointed time desire it, in seeing the miseries of this present life, and by a liuely faith soaring vp into the vnspeakable ioyes of the life to come. And therefore they say with Paul: We know, that if this earthly ta­bernacle of ours be dissolued, 2. Cor. 5.1. we haue a building giuen of God, not made with hands; but eternall in the heauens. And Christ Iesus whether wee liue or die, is vnto vs both in life and death ad­uantage: yea, we seeing that while we liue, 1. Thess. 5.10. Phil. 1.21. we are naked in this world, we sigh; desiring to be clothed with our house, which is from heauē. And seeing while we are here iournying vpon the earth, wee are absent from our head and husband: therefore we desire to be dissolued, Philip. 1.23. and to be with our husband & Sauiour, which is best of all. And finally, seeing there is no­thing in this world, but corruption, Eccles. 1.1.2. alteration and vanitie, we waite, we looke, and long for the day of our refreshing, when we may fore­uer lift vp our heads, meete our elder brother in the clowdes, and receiue the incorruptible crowne of glorie, laid vp in store for all the Lords elect, ere euer the foundations of the world were laid.

[Page 68]Thus Gods children may reioyce, when the wicked shall howle and weepe, they shall bee satisfied as it were with marrow and fatnesse, yea euen when they seeme to be full of faint­nes: when the fat buls of Basan, and the de­uouring lions shall be sent emptie away: yea they shall clap their handes, and lift vp their heads for ioy of that. In terror and feare wher­of, the wicked shall gnash with their teeth, grin like a dog: and for auoyding of it (though all in vaine) they shall wish the rockes to o­pen, the hils to couer, and the mountaines to be as a shelter vnto them, from the glorious presence of him that sitteth vpon the throne. Thus death against the godly hath no sting, hell against the Christian hath no victorie, Reade Heb. 12 11. Psal. 30.8.9. & 34.18.19 & 119.71. af­fliction is not our confusion, as husbandmen vse to bring dead trees and burne them in the fire: but our affliction is for our firmer & fur­ther consolation and edification: like as a good husbandman purgeth his vine, that it may bring forth more fruite. Psal. 30.5. Heauinesse with the godly may endure for a night: but assu­redly peace & ioy commeth in the morning. Seeing then that thus happily it goeth with vs all in our greatest afflictions (if we belong vn­to Christ) I will conclude as Saint Paul con­cludeth his treatise of our immortall state in the life to come: that seeing death once had dominion ouer vs, but is now destroyed; af­flictions [Page 69] hurted vs, but now they profit vs; sicknesse affraied vs, but now comforteth vs: euen thankes and all thankes be giuen for euer to God the father, 1. Cor. 15.57. who hath giue vs this hap­pie victorie, through our Lord Iesus Christ.

Now for the wicked, their sicknesse, sores, As for the wic­ked it is not so with them. griefes and vexations, are still vnto them as sti­pends of sinne, tokens of Gods wrath, and (vn­lesse they speedily repent) euen beginnings (as I said before) of the flashings of hell fire. I de­nie not but the godly man may haue for the outward operation, the same sicknesse, sore, For the out­ward opera­tion of the sicknesse they may agree. Cal. in Psal. 37.19. A difference betweene the afflictions of the godly and vngodly. Psal. 1.4 griefe and trouble, that the wicked and vn­godly haue: yet inwardly euer this difference shall be found: Quòd Deus suis in necessitate manum porrigens, impios deferit: God in time of his childrens necessities, bee they neuer so great, still stretcheth out his hand for helping them, and vpholding them, least they fall: but as for the wicked, it is not so with them: he vt­terly reiecteth them, forsaketh, and giueth thē ouer vnto their owne hearts lust. Propter pecca­tum. Flagellantur iusti propter probationem, iniusti ad perditio­nem: The godly are afflicted for their greater triall: but the wicked are afflicted for their cō ­fusion, because of their great sinnes. Esay. 9.13.14. For the people (saith Esay) turneth not vnto him that smiteth them, neither doe they seeke the Lord of hosts. Therefore will the Lord cut off in one day from Israel, head and tayle, branch and rush. [Page 70] Pijs afflictio est disciplina: qua docetur iram Domini effugere, & voluntati eius obsequi: Afflictiō to the godly is for discipline in them­selues, whereby they are taught to auoide the Lords wrath, by reformation of their liues, and willingly to yeeld obedience to his comman­dements. Whereupon Paul saith, When we are iudged, 1. Cor. 11.32. wee re chastened of the Lord, because we should not be condemned with the world. Im­pijs verò afflictio, est obduratio, qua a malo in pe­ius progrediuntur, sicut Pharaoh. But vnto the wicked, In euerie af­fliction two things to be considered. afflictiō is a meane of hardening their hearts, whereby they proceede from worse to worse. In euery affliction two things are to be considered: first, Gods iudgement: secondly, Gods mercie. The wicked partaker of the former but neuer of the latter. The wicked in their afflictions are partakers of the one, which is Gods iudge­ment: but neuer of the other. The godly are partakers of both; iudgement for their sinnes, mercie for Iesus Christ his sake. Hereupon saith Nahum: Nah. 1.7. Good is our God, and comfortable to his owne children in the day of trouble. And Dauid: Call vpon me in the day of trouble, and I will deliuer thee. Loe his mercie, whereof the wicked are neuer partakers. So that herein ap­peareth againe wherein the godly are commō partakers with the wicked in afflictions, and where they differ. Psal. 85.

The last thing that I will note out of this part and so end it; is this: That in the words, [Page 71] sinne no more, we may note that the Lord was priuie to al his former sinnes and offences that euer before he had committed: and therefore it is, as if he should say, I haue seene, noted, and obserued all such sins, as euer before this thou hast committed, either publikely or priuately, inwardly or outwardly, by thought, word and worke: and for the same haue afflicted thee, and also in the end deliuered thee: take heede therefore thou sinne no more. Hence note the Lord hath Eagles eyes to see the corners of our hearts, and all our sinnes neuer so closely committed: nothing so secret but it shall bee made manifest: Mat. 10. Read Psal. 138. and that which is committed in corners, shalbe published on the house top. Then euer hereafter let euery man worke as in the day time, walke as in Gods presence, be­haue themselues as hauing the Lorde an eye vvitnesse, who if we doe well, in his mercie vvill accept of vs: but if wee doe euill, Gen. 4.7. then know sinne standeth at the doores, who will neuer cease crying in the eares of the Lord for ven­geance, till such time as it bee powred downe vpon the wicked in fearfull manner, and exe­cuted vpon the vnbeleeuers, to their euerla­sting destruction. And thus much for the second part of the words of exhorta­tion, which is, that sinne was the cause of his long sicknesse.

The third Ser­mon. NOw followeth the third part, vz. what must be the effect of his health, recouerie, or what must bee the dutie of his deli­uerance: drawne out of the same wordes that the other part was, though not in the same sence, Sinne no more. This is the subiect of the whole trea­tise, describing the dutie that this man healed must euer bee mindfull of, to his louing and mercifull father for his great and large deliue­rance: and in him may fitly bee gathered the dutie of all Gods children to the Lord, for so many liberall and louing mercies, as conti­nually he powreth vpon them. Particulars shewing the mercies of God. How greatly this poore man was bound to render thankes to the almightie for his deliuerance, I haue be­fore set down in some particulars: as the dan­gerous disease ouer his whole body: the long continuance of it, euen most of his life: the little good that any likely meanes of outward medicine did for him, with some other moe: the consideratiō whereof, could not but make him returne from the water with Naaman, and come to offer the rich and precious gift of his [Page 73] whole heart to the Lord, as an acceptable sa­crifice, wherewith hee in mercie is euer well pleased. The like course if euery one of vs would take, after our great and marueilous de­liuerances, euen with the Ruler, Ioh. 4.52.53. whose sonne Christ had healed, being at the point to dye, to enter into a serious and through search, This particu­lar course is meete for all of vs, the more to moue vs to thankfulnes. of the very particular circumstances, of the daunger wherein we were, and the deliuerāce thereout in Gods mercie; it could not but vrge the ef­ficacie of this point wonderfull much, Sinne no more.

And first I will by some examples and proofes out of the Scriptures shew, how from time to time the godly being deliuered out of any dangers, either spirituall or corporal], the Lord hath required, and they willingly haue acknowledged some speciall dutie therefore. Moses with the Israelites, hauing enioyed the great and memorable mercies of the Lord, in ouerthrowing Pharaoh, and deliuering them from him, letting them goe through the red sea as on drie land, doe present]y ioyne all to­gether with hart and voyce to praise the Lord, Moses beginning, and they all following in the heauenly melodie of thanksgiuing, thus: I will sing vnto the Lord: Exod. 15.1. for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and him that rode vpon him hath he ouerthrowne in the Sea. Vers. 4. The deliue­rance. Pharaohs charets and his hoste hath he cast into the Sea: [Page 74] his chosen captains also were drowned in the red Sea. Therfore as his dutie, he acknowledgeth & saith, Ver. 2. The duetie. The Lord is my strength, and my praise, and he is become my saluation. He is my God, and I will prepare him a tabernacle. He is my fathers God, and I will exalt him.

Iudg. 5. Ver. 27.The Lord hauing giuen Deborah and Ba­rak a triumphant victorie ouer their cruel ene­mie Sisera, Deborah thereupon reasoneth of the miracle in her song, and resolueth of per­forming a most excellent dutie, as thus: They that remaine, The deliue­rance. haue dominion ouer the mightie: the Lorde hath giuen me dominion ouer the strong. Ver. 13. He (meaning Sisera) bowed downe at her feete he fell downe, and lay still: at her feete he bowed him downe, and fell and when he had sunke downe, he lay there dead. Therefore as our dutie, Vers. 2.3. The duetie. Praise ye the Lord for auenging of Israel, & for the people that offered themselues willingly. Vers. 12. J will sing vnto the Lord: I will sing praises vnto the Lord our God. Vp Deborah, vp, arise, and sing a song arise Darak, and loade thy captiuitie captiue, thou sonne of Abinoam.

Psal. 107. The deliue­rance. Dauid rehearsing in the 107. Psalme ma­ny and great deliuerances: as first of dispersed strangers, and their miserie, vers. 3.4.5.6.7. de­liuerance out of captiuitie and prison, vers. 10.11.12.13.14. and lastly, the deliuerance of poore tossed shipmen from the dangers of the seas, vers. 25.26.27.28.29.30: addeth the du­tie [Page 75] of all such as are deliuered therefrom, thus: Ver. 8.15.21.31. The duetie. O that men would therefore praise the Lord for his goodnesse, and declare the wonders that he doth for the sonnes of men.

In the 105. Psalme, Dauid from the begin­ning thereof, vnto the latter end thereof, Psal. 105. The deliue­rance. is wholly occupied in expressing Gods miracu­lous and merciful power, in protecting Israel from Abrahams time (when they were but a few in number, and strangers in the land) till such time as by a mightie hande; and out-stretched arme, he brought them into the plea­sant land of Canaan. And in the last verse he noteth what vse they must make of so many mercies, and what dutie diligently they must walke in, for Gods fauourable dealing with them, thus: That they might keepe his statutes, and obserue his lawes. Praise ye the Lord. Ver. 45. The duetie.

Many moe proofes I might alleadge out of the word of God, for corporall deliuerances bestowed vpō the Church from time to time, and what must be the duty of such deliueran­ces: but these may suffice for the plaine proofe of outwarde deliuerances and their duties. Of spirituall deliuerances. The deliue­rance. Luke. 1.74. Vers. 77. Vers. 79. Now of spirituall deliuerances, and their du­ties.

Being deliuered out of the hands of our ene­mies: knowledge of saluation giuen vnto vs by remission of our sins in Iesus Christ: light giuen to vs that sit in darknes, and in the sha­dow [Page 76] of death, and guiding our feete into the way of peace: must of necessitie in the parta­kers of this deliuerance, bring forth this duty: euen to serue the Lord without feare, Vers. 74.75. The dutie. in holi­nes and righteousnes all the daies of our life.

The Apostle Paul in his Epistle to the Ro­manes, Rom. 13.12. The deliue­rance. noteth a great deliuerance in a fewe words: The night is past: and being so, neuer forget the dutie which followeth: therefore let vs cast away the workes of darknes, Vers. 13.14. The dutie. and put vpon vs the armour of light, hereafter to walke honestly as in the day time, not in gluttonie, and drunkennes, chambering and wantonnes, strife and enuying: but put yee on the Lorde Iesus Christ.

1. Cor. 6.20. The deliue­rance. The dutie. Vers. 20. Paul telleth the Corinthians of a great de­liuerance, thus: Ye are bought with a price: and therefore your dutie is to glorifie God both in your soules & bodies: for they are the Lords. And againe, Seeing ye are so dearely bought, and purchased with such a pretious pearle: ther­fore be not the seruants of men. 1. Cor. 7.23.

1. Pet. 2.18.19. The deliue­rance. Peter speaketh of a most comfortable deli­uerance: Yee know that yee were not redeemed with corruptible things, as siluer and gold, from your vaine conuersation: but with the pretious blood of Iesus Christ, as of a lambe vndefiled and without spot. And therefore seeing the pur­chasing of our saluation was a matter of such difficultie: for siluer and gold could not doe [Page 77] it, a matter of such necessitie: for the diuell ru­led ouer vs, as a cruell tyrant: a purchase at such a high rate, and the matter of it of such a pretious valuation: for it was the blood of Christ, being most pretious, and the lambe of God vndefiled and without spot: 1. Pet. 1.17. The dutie. all Chri­stians duties therefore it is that are partakers hereof, euen hereafter to passe their time, and spend the daies of their dwelling here on earth in Gods most holy feare.

Now out of all these testimonies and ex­amples which haue hetherto beene allead­ged, concerning Christians duties, for de­liuerances either spirituall or corporall, may further very fitly bee gathered what is the end of the grace and fauour of God towards vs, in, The end of Gods mercies towards vs. by, and through his sonne Christ Iesus, euen thus: Vt Deo reconciliatus peccator, salutis suae authorem, piè, sancte (que) vtuendo colat: That the sinner being reconciled to God, must euer af­ter glorifie the author of his saluation, by lea­ding a holy and vncorrupt life. Yea, Eodem verbo quo venia nobis offertur, simul vocamur ad poenitentiam: By that same powerfull word of the Lorde, whereby health, life, libertie, or forgiuenes of sinnes is offered vnto vs: by the very same word is sounded out vnto vs, Sinne no more.

Now it followeth more throughly to search into the naturall sense and meaning of these [Page 78] words, The naturall sense & mea­ning of the word. Sinne no more: and to set down chiefly what is meant hereby: the which words vtte­red by our Sauiour Christ to the man healed, I take it may bee thus resolued. Whereas thou from the first time of thy cradle, till now, that I looked vpon thy distressed case, hast been no better then a dead man, in thy sinnes and tres­passes, Ephes. 2.1. Esay. 5.18. drinking sinne like water, and drawing n sin as it were with cart ropes, sin raigning in thee, Rom. 6.12. and Satan triumphing ouer thee, by captiuating and enthralling all the powers of thy soule, to his owne bend and obedience, making thee come when he called, and runne when he bad thee: this sicknesse in thy soule made sores in thy body, and thy senselesse and secure conscience brought an vniuersal lame­nes to thy carkasse: so that as the parts of thy soule being bereaued of their powers, were no better then withered and vnprofitable bran­ches: Iohn. 15 5.6 euen so the whole constitution of thy diseased body, lay withered and dead, no part able throughly to minister comforts to ano­ther, till such time as I viewing thy case, had compassion on thy calamities, and in my po­wer healed that disease with a word, which all outward medicines could neuer doe by con­tinual practise. Seeing it is so, the wages I wish is a continuall watch against sinne, my fee, a feare to offend, and all the reward I require, is true, heartie, and vnfained repentance for all [Page 79] thy sinnes, Psal. 51. an acceptable sacrifice wherewith I am alwaies well pleased. And as before through sinne thou wast sicke, through sinne thou wast weake, and by reason of thy sinnes thou couldest not stand vpright: so now thy sinnes being pardoned, thy sicknesse healed, and thy former strength restored: rise vp from sinne, awake from sleepe, and liue no more the life of the wicked. Thus then I gather the scope and drift of our Sauiour Christ his ex­hortation to bee, to draw the man healed to true repentance, the acceptable price he must pay to his God for all his mercies. And the phrase of wordes, are euen the very same both in sound and sense, that the first part of true repentance is described by vnto vs in the olde Testament: As in Esay. 1.16. Wash you, make you cleane, take away the euill of your workes from before mine eyes, cease to doe euill. And Psal. 34.15. Eschue euill. And againe, Esay 55. vers. 7. Let the wicked forsake his waies. And in Iere. 14. O Ierusalem, wash thy heart from wic­kednes. And in Ezech. 16.61. Remember thy waies, and be ashamed. And Iere. 4.4. Breake vp your fallow ground, circumcise the foreskin of your hearts, and be no more stiffenecked. And in the new Testament for the same purpose are these words vsed: Crucifie the old Adam, Colloss. 3.5. Two partes of true repen­tance. mor­tifie the earthly affections, &c. For whereas there are two parts of true repentance: the first [Page 80] called a killing, the second a quickening; the first a dying, the second a renewing; the first a forsaking, the second an embracing; the first a casting off, the second a putting on. And to conclude, the first a ceasing from sinne, the se­cond a continuance in care of a good consci­ence, the man is here exhorted by our Sauiour Christ to true repentance, by killing the olde Adam, dying to his iniquities, casting off the vnfruitfull workes of darknes, and neuer sin­ning as he hath done before, Ephes. 5.11. which is the for­mer part of true repentance. For this is the first degree of repentance to saluation, that the sin­ner forsake his former follies, which before he hath frequented, renounce his former life wherein before hee liued, and frame his whole doing to the rule of righteousnesse, which be­fore were out of frame. So that I may con­clude, where there is no forsaking, no remo­uing, nor better framing, there is neuer brought forth any thing, but fained, hypocri­ticall, and pharisaicall repentance. Hence out of all this which hath been deliuered, may it first be said to the man healed, and in him to all in generall who haue tasted and inioyed in abundance the sweete mercies of God, in the mediatour of the new Testament Christ Iesus: and especially to you my countrimen, who cannot deny but Gods mercies haue bin mul­tiplied vpon you in most sweete manner, Applie it to yourselues. euen [Page 77] like vnto the dew of Hermon that fell vpō the hil of Sion, & watered the dry earth that gaped for it: that for the man, he was like the t [...]e that was throughly dunged, and manured about: and of ourselues it may be said; what could the Lord haue done more for vs his vineyard, then already he hath done, seating it in a fruitfull hill, hedging it, gathering out the stones of it, and planting it with the best plants, building a tower in the middest, Looke to thy self wel, seeing this is thy case. and making a wine­presse therein? That therefore to the man Christ said in effect: this is my last yeere of my dunging and manuring, either cease from thy folly, and offend me no more, or else looke for nothing but hewing downe with the axe of my iudgements, and to bee burne vp for e­uer. But happy man, and thrice happy, so hea­led by Christ in his body: for it wrought in him euer after the sauing health of his soule. And to you my beloued neighbours, let me in the behalfe of our gracious God cry, that the matter and case on his part, going so with you as it doth, either now or neuer bring foorth fruites worthie amendment of life: you that haue hitherto been awake, but not with wine; Our wicked and damnable course enforce our effectuall calling. dead, when you seemed to liue; Atheists, ali­ants, and strangers from the common-wealth of Israel, stopping your eares at the voyce of the crier, senselesse at the stroke of Gods ham­mer, persecuting those that prayed for you, [Page 78] contemning those that gaue you holesome counsell: and finally, you that all your liues long hitherto haue sported and solaced your selues with sinne, as Sampson with Dalilah, shake off your sinne, awake from sleepe, and stand vpright, open your eares, and circum­cise your hearts, and let the Lords voyce enter into your soules, crying: worke as in the day, heare as from the Lord, and walk as in his pre­sence: to whom let vs all make answer with a sweete resounding eccho thus: Thy voyce, thy call, Happie are we if we heare a­right. thy law, thy lore, and eke thy praise will wee beare, obey, extoll, and magnifie all the daies of our life being here on the earth. This if we doe, then happy shall we be: stand fast for aye, and a parcel of the Lords vineyard beloued for euer: but if we doe not, but delay the time of our repentance, as we haue done: oh alas, I must and will tell you what he will then doe vnto vs sinfull, wicked, and carelesse contemners of his graces, euen take away his hedge from vs, breake downe his wall, lay vs waste, A fearfull af­terclap. and neither plant, prime, cut, nor digge vs any more: and then marke what wofull se­quell thereupon shall follow: we shall be tro­den downe, eaten vp, and destroyed by the wilde bore out of the forrest: and no good shal then grow amongst vs, but brambles and bryers, tokens of his wrath: as in Adma and Zeboim.

[Page 79]Againe, as this exhortation serueth to the man that neuer tasted of repentance before, that now without delay hee turne vnto the Lord, cease from his sinne, and bring foorth fruites worthy amendment of life: so likewise it may serue, and bee in place of a louing and pithie exhortation to the protestant, It serueth as an exhortati­on to all pro­testants of our countrie. Ioh. 11. Marke our happy case on Gods behalfe. Ephes. 2. and pro­fessor of Christianitie in these our daies, whose case on Gods behalfe is like to Mary Mag­dalens, out of whom went seuen diuels: like to Lazarus, who was raised from death to life, after foure daies rotting in his graue: like to the Ephesians, quickened, raised vp, made new, and brought to sit in heauenly places, by the blood of Christ, from aliants and strangers to the commō-wealth of Israel, without hope, without God in the world: yea of forreners and strangers, made citizens with the Saints, and of the househ [...]d of faith. And to con­clude on Gods behalfe, like to the vntoward and trewantlike schollers, of whom the author to the Hebrues maketh mention, who were lightened, tasted of the heauenly gift, Heb. 6.3.4.5.6.7. and were made partakers of the Holy-ghost, casted of the good word of God, and of the power of the world to come. The professors I say on Gods behalfe, being in as happie a case as Magdalen: grace offered from God the fa­ther, by his sonne Christ, to dispell and driue backe Satan, and dispossesse them of many [Page 80] diuels, as comfortable a case as Lazarus was in, called by the sounding ministerie of Gods word, out of the pit and graue of their sinnes, where they haue not laine almost foure daies, as Lazarus: but by an inueterate custome of sinne, all their daies rotting therein, yet at last made to heare this powerfull voyce, Awake thou that sleepest, and stand vp from the dead, &c. And to conclude, of no people made a beloued people; of aliants from the com­mon wealth of Israel, made owners and heires thereof by grace; and of seruants by nature, made sonnes vnto God, by adoption in Christ Iesus. But these professors of the Gospell, so gratious on Gods behalfe, who hath layd out himselfe, and his mercies wholly in his sonne Christ vnto them all: yet in regard of them­selues, and the courses of their liues, not vn­like the foolish Galathians, Gal. 3.1. who did for a time run well, but in the end obeyed not the trueth, loued their Apostle so dearely, Gal. 4.15. that they would haue plucked their eyes out of their heads to haue done him good: yet after a time harke­ning to false Apostles, they accounted him their vtter enemie, Vers. 16. be;cause hee told them the trueth. These at the first publishing of the Gospell were very feruent, accompting it sweete: but after some trials for the same laid vpō them, they fainted, adiudging themselues vnable to vndergoe the burthen. And to con­clude, [Page 81] though they begun in the spirite, yet Paul was afraid of them, that they would al­together end in the flesh. Yea, fitly may ma­ny of our Christians at this day, be compared with the protestants against whom Peter wrote, who promised vnto others libertie, 2. Pet. 2.20. and yet were themselues the seruants of corrup­tion: who after they had escaped from the fil­thines of the world, through the knowledge of the Lord, and of the Sauiour Iesus Christ, were yet againe tangled therein. And to con­clude, as I compared them to the Ephesians before, in regarde of the multitude of Gods mercies offered them: so now may I againe fitly resemble them to the same Ephesians, but not in the same sense as before, being now comparable with them for carelesnes, Apocal. 2.4. cold­nes, and luke-warmenes in Gods seruice. For vnto the Ephesians Angell or pastor, Iohn the Diuine was cōmanded to write diuers things: amongst which, this for one, that the Ephe­sians had forsaken their first loue.

Thus then the case going with vs all that professe the Gospell, so happily, so comforta­bly on Gods behalfe, euen raised vp to sit in spirituall places with Christ Iesus: and so dan­gerously and so doubtfully on our own parts, amongst many, in regarde of their sensuall, carnall and carelesse cariage of themselues, in the middest of a sinfull and crooked gene­ration: [Page 82] this dutie of the sicke mans deliue­rance, laid downe and described in our text here by Christ, may serue very fitly for vs all, and be continually applied of euery one of vs, and stil sounding in our eares, as though Christ were calling vpon, or conferring with vs, say­ing: Behold, thou art made whole, sinne no more.

Ye that were dead in your sins hath Christ quickened: Marke well ô my brethren. ye that were strangers from the life of God, through the ignorance that was in you, because of the hardnes of your hearts, hath he illuminated and opened the eyes of your vnderstanding, that ye may see and dis­cerne of things that differ one from another. Yea vnto you all that professe the Gospell let me speake: Behold, beho]d, ye that were deaffe doe heare, Blessed bee God for it. ye that were lame doe goe, ye that were dumbe doe speake, ye that were leprous are clensed: and ye poore soules whom Sa­tan once ouerruled, keeping you in darknes, poperie & superstition, to you, to you I say is the Gospell preached, the happy newes of sal­uation sent, and the kingdome and glorious throne of Christ Iesus erected amongst you. But me thinke I heare some say, that the man to whom these wordes were first vttered by Christ, The secure reasoning of many. had cause and great cause to put in practise this holesome counsell: for hee was made whole, not onely in soule, and the parts [Page 83] thereof, but also in his body, when he neuer ex­pected any recouerie: but as for vs, or as for me, although the spirituall blessings wee feele and perceiue: yet for bodily healing, or pre­seruing from dangers, wherein can wee finde it? O my beloued, behold further, and ye shall see what mercies the Lorde hath magnified towards you, in regard of corporall health, or bodily deliuerances.

First, it is not vnknowne what deuises Sa­tan by his ministers, An answer vnto it. hath vsed both forren and domesticall, for the subuersion of our gratious prince, (the stay of our safetie, and the staffe of our strength, next vnder God) the inuasion and possession of our Realme by forrenners: and frō all these, behold we are made whole, and both the deuiser and the deuises brought to nought. For other deliuerances corporall, as from famine, the pestilence, the running is­sues, and the burning feuer, whereof most parts of our land haue tasted, I spare to speake: be­cause wee are so lately made whole, or deliue­red from them, and doe conclude my answere of the obiection, with Paul the Apostle to the Romanes: If God spared not his owne sonne, but gaue him for vs all to death: how shall he not with him giue vs all other things also need­full for vs? Nay, blessed be God, he hath giuen vs them alreadie: so that now hence follow­eth the dutie he requireth; of you Magistrates [Page 84] that professe to defend the Gospell, by the sword of your authoritie; of you pastors that preach the Gospell; and of all others that o­penly professe the Gospell in more zeale, and forwardnes for outward shew, then many o­thers; to you all I say, take heede, looke to your selues, that ye receiue not the grace of God in vaine: that ye do not crie Lord, Lord in voice, and deny him in your liues; that yee bee not professors, and no practisers; hearers, but no doers. Sinne no more in your loose liues, as you haue done, by dispensing with iustice, daubing vp the Lords wall with vntempered morter, rising vp earely, or sitting vp late to drinke strong drinke, defiling your bodies by the vncleannes of whoredome, blaspheming God by swearing, or prophaning the Sabboth of the Lord, by following your worldly busi­nesses: for with these sinnes I am afraid, many that professe the Gospell are defiled, whereby iustice is peruerted, the Lords building hinde­red, the godly offended, and occasion of stum­bling to the weake ones thereby administred, and generally by meanes hereof, the wicked vncircumcised Gentiles, haue taken an occa­sion of blaspheming the glorious Gospell of Christ Iesus, as the wicked by Dauids offence in his daies. Doe not account the shew of this worlde such a siluer shrine as you doe: doe not with one hand receiue Christ, & with [Page 85] the other embrace this euill world with De­mas: Kisse not Christ once, and after with Iu­das betray him: be not so newfangled this day, as with the Pharisees to cry, Hosan­na, welcome Christ, and to be altered soone af­ter with the Camelion, crying kill, and cruci­fie him. Let not such vnsauorie and vnsancti­fied cōmunication come out of your mouths: as sometime one shall heare euen from those that brag much of the Gospell either concer­ning worldly matters, or their vaine sportes and pastimes of this life. Doe not for a time affect & loue your pastor for his message sake, and after a while to bring itching eares, that vnles he will speake ad placidum, you will persecute him, and vnlesse he wilbe a wether-cocke to transforme himselfe fit for your hu­mors: you will account him an vnprofitable watchman: runne not too fast for feare you faint, neither runne aside for feare you fall in the ditch: but runne so as you may finish your course with ioy: lay your building vpon that corner stone, as you resolue to perseuer: beginne not in the spirit, and ende in the flesh: remember from whence ye are fallen, euen from your first loue, and your former care: repent, and doe your first workes, yee that know the way of truth, walke in it, worke by it, let word and deed, profession and pra­ctise be simul eodem, & circa eadem: concurre [Page 86] together for the aduancement of the glorious crowne and kingdome of Christ Iesus. And to conclude, in the bowels of Iesus Christ I be­seech all you my brethren by profession, giue no more such a scandale, by your lewd liues, as you haue done, neither to Iewe nor Gentile, to those that are without or within the Church: take the Apostle Paul herein for an example: walke more warily, that the Gospell on your behalfe be not euill spoken of: & finally dear­ly beloued, let your light so shine before men & let your conuersation be so honest among the Gentils, that they seeing your good works may glorifie God our heauenly father in the day of their visitation. And thus much of the force of these words Sinne no more to all that doe professe the Gospell of Christ, not so syn­cerely as they ought.

It followeth now to set downe the measure of this dutie: Sinne no more. viz. How, and of what manner of strength sinning no more ought to be with the godly: and here we may not thinke that the drift of our Sauiour Christ in laying downe his dutie, is to persuade the man healed, or in him anie one of the godly: that he expecteth in them an immunitie and freedome altogether from sinne and the rem­nants thereof, and that after our deliuerance from dangers, either spirituall or corporall, we should become so perfect in our profession of [Page 87] Christianitie, Esay. 64.6.7. Prou. 20.9. Eccles. 7.21. 1. King 8.46. as that we should be altogether pure from the blots and blemishes of any sin whatsoeuer. For the example of the godly of all ages, recorded in the booke of God, testifie the contrarie: who still feeling in them a rebellious nature, prone and prompt to sinne, doe pray continually for strength a­gainst the same. And in all humiliation doe prostrate themselues, Psal. 143.2. &. 130.3. Dan. 9.5.6.7.8.9.10.11. before Gods tribunall seat, humbly crauing the Lord neuer to enter into iudgement with them for their sins daily committed: vsing these or the like speeches: Enter not into iudgement with thy seruant O Lord, for if thou doest, no flesh shalbe iustifi­ed before thee. Again, If thou ô Lord marke what is done amisse, oh who may abide it. The rule of praier giuen by our Sauiour Christ enforceth this point, teaching the godly while they liue, euer to pray, forgiue vs our debts, Mat. 6.12. the authoritie of the scriptures confirmeth the same in many and sundrie other places, Gal. 5.17. teach­ing vs to acknowledge and confesse, when we haue done all that euer we can, we are vn­profitable seruants: And that if we would, Luke. 19. we haue no sin, we deceiue our selues, and the truth is not in vs: so that hence, 1. Iohn. 1.8. if any spirit there a­rise, so foolish as dare affirme, that the Church and the particular members thereof ought to be a pure and sanctified Church of it selfe, and in it selfe, from all staine and corruption, either [Page 88] in doctrine or manners, The only per­fection in this life is to know our selues im­perfect. Ierom. in epist. Nunquam ad perfectionē per­tingemus, nisi confecto nostro stadio. Cal. in Ephes. we are taught what to answere, that we can neuer be partakers of that totall freedome, and finall victorie ouer sinne, and the poison thereof, till that mortali­tie be swallowed vp of immortalitie: and we enioy the presence of him that sitteth vpon the throne. The measure then of our sinning no more, that the Lord requireth of his chil­dren, as the duetie of their deliuerance, is the verie same which the Apostle Paule vrgeth to the Rom. Let not sinne raigne in your mortall bodies that ye should obey it in the lusts therof: Neither giue ye your members as weapons of vnrighteousnes vnto sinne, but giue your selues vnto God. VVherein the Apostle willeth the Rom. to straine and striue, that (being by Ie­sus Christ deliuered from the bondage of sin, and the slauerie of their spirituall Pharaoh) sin get not the dominion ouer them againe, that it should not like a mercilesse tyrant rule ouer them againe, neither that euer their powers and strengthes should serue to Sathans becke and bend againe: but to labour continually, that sin may die, the old Adam may be slaine in them, and a continuall care, and principall studie to serue God, should beare the rule, and haue the preheminence in them. Calu. in Rom. Cap. 6. ver. 12. Tamet si pec­catum in nobis residet, tamen absurdum est, vt ad exercendum suum regnū vigeat: Although sinne while we liue will haue some resiancie [Page 89] with vs: yet is it verie absurd and vnmeet that it should ouerrule vs. Totis viribus extinguē ­do in nobis peccato, Bucer. in Rom. Cap. 6. & vitae Dei excitanda in­sistere debemus: Striue we must with all our strength, that sinne in vs, may more and more be lessened, and the spirituall life of God rai­sed and quickned in vs, by Iesus Christ our Lord. This proofe of the Apostle Paule, be­ing so pregnant, for confirming this point of the measure of our ceasing from sinne, & per­forming obedience to the Lord, I wil (as God shall guide me by his holy spirit) insist a little further in laying downe the reasons and argu­ments, that the Apostle vseth in the two afore­said verses: That sinne in the godly ought not to rule and raigne, and carie them captiue af­ter their conuersion, as it did before.

Let not sinne raigne in your mortall bodies. The first ar­gument. The first argument he alleadgeth to proue that sinne ought not to raigne in them, is drawne from the filthinesse and power of sinne: it is a most filthie and daungerous matter to suffer sinne to rule in you, and to exercise power in you. But vnlesse you withstand sinne with all your strength, and keepe continuall watch a­gainst him, he will breake in vpon you, and bind the keeper of the house: this part is drawn out of these two words, sinne raigne. The second argument. The se­cond reason is drawne from the effect of sinne which is death, for it is sinne that causeth our [Page 90] bodies to be mortall, as hath beene proued at large before: this the Apostle noteth in these words, mortall bodies.

The third ar­gument.The third argument is drawne from the comparison of our worthinesse in Christ, clo­thed with his righteousnes, with the filthinesse of vnrighteousnes. For if we giue our members vnto sinne, we make them the weapons of vn­righteousnes, by meanes whereof issueth no­thing from them but that which is vnrighte­ous altogether, whereas God hath created them in Christ to be instruments of righ­teousnes drawne out of these words: Your members weapons of vnrighteousnes.

The fourth argument.The fourth reason is drawne from the com­parison of sinne & God: viz. of eternall death and eternall life: for when as the Apostle had said: Giue not your members to sinne: he an­nexeth the contrarie and saith: But giue your selues wholly to God: And that he may expresse with what seruice and endeuour we ought to addict our selues to God, and his worship, he doth not say barely: Giue your members to God: as he forbiddeth them to giue them to sinne, but hee saith: Exhibete vos ipsos vtique totos: Giue your whole selues vnto God, euen all that euer is in you.

The fift ar­gument.The fift argument is drawne from the pre­cious gift of God, which is bestowed vpon vs by Christ. viz. That when as through sinne [Page 91] we were dead, now we liue being endowed with the life of God: then why should we not apply our selues and whole strength, for the continuall enioying of it? especially when as to make a relapse into sinne againe is to fall into euerlasting death (without Gods great mercie in Christ) from eternall life, con­tained in these words, as they that are aliue from the dead.

The sixt and last argument is drawne from the excellencie of righteousnes: The sixt ar­gument. the weapons and defence whereof we make our members, when as we giue them vnto God, and dedi­cate them vnto all holinesse, the speciall end, for which they were giuen vs of the Lord. Now by the due and carefull consideration of all these arguments, the diligent and carefull Christian out of this one proofe, shall finde himselfe compassed about with many reasons and sound argumēts, all enforcing this point. After thy deliuerances bestowed vpon thee by God, Sinne no more: Viz. suffer not sinne to make thee his slaue no more, to make thee his carthorse, to rule and raigne in thee, to o­bey his lustes, to giue eare to his inchante­ments: but hauing the vncleane spirit driuen out of thee, entertaine him no more, being es­caped from the filthinesse of thy sins, fall not into thy old wont and vomit of sinne againe, but striue and straine to be lead forward to [Page 92] perfection. Phil. 3.24. 1. Cor. 9.24. Philip. 3.12. Follow hard toward the marke: so run, that thou maist obtaine and compre­hend that, for whose sake also thou art com­prehended of Christ Iesus: out of all which I may inferre this conclusion, no striuing, no ouerruling, no victorie ouer our sinnes wee haue had: most certainly no conuert, no true Christian, no dutifull man, for his manie and great deliuerances.

Heretikes. Papists. Cath. Coelest. Donat. Perfect. See Cal. in Ephes. 1. ver. 4Now because the arguments of the Papists Catherans, Caelestins, Donatists, and vnpure Perfectists, for prouing and confirming an absolute obedience to the law of God, & a to­tall puritie from sinne, amongest the godly in this life, seeme to the reader at the first view to carrie some weight, I will a little more stand vpon the confutation of their obiections & the right sense and meaning of those testimonies of scripture, which they falsely peruert to their owne destruction, & the endangering of ma­nie. Ierom. aduer­sus Pelag. ad Ctesiphon. And first let me set downe what Ierome his iudgement is of them in these wordes: What greater rashnesse can there be, then for a man to chalenge to himselfe, not onely to be like, but to be all one with God: which poyson hath issued from the impure fountaine of the Philosophers: and especially Pythagoras and Ze­no, who affirmed that those which the Graecians call [...], & we passions: as griefe, hope, fear, ioy. &c. may be puld out of mans minds, & that no [Page 93] string, or roote of vices at all, may be remaining in men, through the exercise of vertue: which is to take man out of man, and for a man being in the body to be without the body. Thus farre Ierome. And the same man a little after in the same treatise, saith very excellently thus: He that alwaies forgetteth things past, and longeth for things to come, sheweth that he is not con­tent with, neither that there is any perfection in this present world. The aduersaries, being by the examples of the diuers falles of the faithfull in all ages: their humble confessions concer­ning their imperfections: and the manifolde testimonies of the word to this end, so hampe­red, 1. Obiection. See Cal. lib. 2. instit. cap. 7. that they are grauelled and can go no fur­ther: haue no refuge, but are constrained to flye to the almightie power of God: leauing what man can do of himselfe, reasoning what is Gods power in man.

Answer. We answere and doe not denie, but God can perfectly regenerate vs in this life, if hee will: but why hee doth it not, he hath many causes: among the rest note these. First, that 1 wee may diligently consider the power of sin, how great it is, and what effect it hath in man, which we see cannot bee destroyed in vs, but by little and little, & that by the speciall grace of the spirit: and therefore we are so much the more to be afraid of it. Secondly, that when 2 to this life we finde no end or stay of the con­flict [Page 94] betweene the flesh and the spirit, we may so much the more long for that blessed life, wherein wee shall appeare before God, per­fectly regenerate and holy: whereas if God should out of hand renew, and totally sancti­fie vs, the dignitie should not bee of so great accompt with vs: but now, by little and little bringing the same to passe in vs, the perfection thereof is so much the more deare vnto vs. 3 Lastly, for this cause God doth not perfectly here regenerate vs, to the end that his power may bee made perfect in our weaknesse: and when wee are saued by meere grace, and not of workes, he that reioyceth may reioyce on­ly in the Lord.

Obiection. 2 Philip. 3.15.The Scripture (say they) attributeth perfe­ction to the godly, saying: As many of vs as are perfect, let vs be thus minded.

Answer. When Paul reckeneth himselfe amongst the perfect, he speaketh not of such a perfec­tiō of faith in vs, Cal. in Phil. 3.15. as the Perfectists do imagine: but hee speaketh there of the perfection of knowledge, in respect of the only foundation of our saluation Iesus Christ: when casting away confidence in all things, vvee reioyce in the onely righteousnesse of Christ Iesus: and setting all other things aside, to attaine to the fellowship of his sufferings, which may bring vs to the blessed resurrection. So that this proofe, which they vse as a daunt to driue vs [Page 95] from the trueth, may wee vse as a sword to pearce them thorow, who withstand so plaine a trueth. Secondly, it is true by comparison, 2 vz. If you compare persons with persons, that there is more vertue and knowledge to bee found in one man, then in another: so the A­postles well instructed in Christ, were called perfect, in respect of them who being too much set vpon ceremonies of the Law, were pulled asunder from the body it selfe. So Noah for his life, is said to haue been a iust and per­fect man in his generation.

Obiection. 3 They alleadge further, that so earnestly to maintaine this imperfection, is to make Chri­stians slothfull: which otherwise by preach­ing perfection, would be pricked forward to the attaining thereof.

Answer. I answere: that the knowledge of a mans owne imperfection in this life, doth rather stirre the godly forward, to endeuour to at­taine to perfection, and euery day to goe sted­fastly forward in the course of their calling: & to striue with the Apostle, Phil. 3.11. if by any meanes they may attaine to the resurrection of the dead. Which obiection being thus answered, appeareth manifestly how wicked, and di­rectly against this sound and holesome doc­trine of the vnperfect obedience of the faith­full in this life, is that Canon of the Triden­tine Councell, Can. 18. sess. 6. enacting thus: [Page 96] If any man say, that the commaundements of God are impossible to be kept, euen of a man iu­stified and vnder grace, let him be accursed.

And here for the summary conclusion of this point, I cannot omit the testimonies of two ancient learned fathers, concerning the premisses: August. contra duas epist. Pe­lag. lib. 4. c. 10. Augustine saying thus: With what presumption doe they openly gainsay the Lords prayer, wherein all the members of Christ doe cry with a true heart, and daily voyce, forgiue vs our debts? And a most excellent saying is that of Cyprian, Cypr. epist. de mortal. who saith: We haue a combat with couetousnes, with wrath, with ambition: we haue a daily and troublesome wrastling with the corruption of the flesh, and with the entise­ments of the world. If couetousnes be vanquish­ed, lust riseth vp: if lust be suppressed, ambition commeth in place: if ambition bee contemned, wrath galleth, pride puffeth vp, drunkennes allu­reth, wickednesse cutteth off friendship: and yet it pleaseth a man to stay long amōg these snares of Satan: whereas wee ought rather to wish to make haste vnto Christ, where we may bee freed from them all.

The last point that I haue thought good to note out of these wordes, Sinne no more, is the priuate and particular vse and application, that euery one partaker of any deliuerance, ei­ther spirituall or corporall from the Lorde, must make to his own soule, concerning such [Page 97] dutie as the Lord requireth of him, which is this: That the wordes and power of them, should euer sound vnto his owne soule, as a summon, to bid him awake, stand vp, and walke no more in the course and waies of his former wickednes, as thus: O thou man, who­soeuer thou bee, who hast tasted most abun­dantly the sweete mercies of thy God, escaped many dreadfull dangers, passed many perils, the Lord still preseruing thee, and shadowing thee vnder the wings of his mercie, till they were all ouerpast: looke now to thy selfe, how thou walkest hereafter: not so loosely, negli­gently and disobediently, as thou hast done before: sinne no more in vnthankfulnes, as thou hast done: sinne no more in contemning Gods long, louing, and gratious visitation: sinne no more in prophaning the Lords day: sinne no more by thy drunkennes, adulterie, Atheisme, contempt of Gods word, and ma­ny moe sinnes, wherein thou hast been found faultie: let Gods iudgements, shaken at thee as a sword for thy sinnes, terrifie thee: let the same now remoued allure thee, euer hereafter to walke, and worke, as in the presence of the Almightie. And thus may euery priuate soule, now saued from daungers, sound out the al­arme of his continuall dutie, in manner and forme aforesaid: euer labouring and striuing, [Page 98] that the Lords preseruation from imminent dangers, may bring foorth and breede in vs reformation of life, and mortification of sinne raigning in vs.

And thus much for the dutie of the man deliuered: wherein hath bin shewed at large, the dutie of vs all for Gods many and miracu­lous mercies, whereof we haue of late most abundantly tasted: and which whole point is the subiect of this vn­worthie treatise.

NOw followeth the fourth and last part of this treatise, The summe of the words. which is the louing and friendly ca­ueat of our Sauiour Christ to the man healed: forewarning him of the danger that would ensue, if he did not presently put in practise the dutie of his deliuerance, contained in these wordes of the text: Least a worse thing come vnto thee.

In these words vttered by our Sauiour Christ to the man healed, is described the danger this man was in, if he sinned againe, euen a worse thing to fall vpon him. The Lord in his for­mer sicknes had dealt with him like a sonne: but if he continue obstinate, and offend again, he will plague him like a wayward seruant. He had visited him with a long sicknesse, to purge him, that he might be a profitable plāt: but if after this purging of the Lorde, hee still became vnprofitable, hee will the next time plucke him vp by the rootes, and cast him into [Page 100] the fire. In his former sicknesse God shewed his mercifull power, and powerfull mercie in healing him, when he had no hope to be hea­led: but if he fall and offend againe, the Lord will shew his iust power, and powerfull iustice in condemning him. The danger of a relapse into sinne againe, after God hath deliue­red vs out of dangers. Heb. 6.6.7. The man stood there­fore in a dangerous case, better he had neuer been healed, then sinne againe: better neuer to haue receiued the sweete raine and dew of Gods blessings, then after the receipt of them, to bring forth nothing but bryers and bram­bles: for so hee is nie to cursing. Out of all which I gather this doctrine, vz: That when for sinne God hath inflicted sicknesse, sores, and griefe vpon any, and afterward he in mer­cie hath healed the disease, by remitting the sinne, and the partie so healed doth fall after­ward into his accustomed manner of sinning againe: that same partie, whosoeuer he or she be, is in great daunger that God will inflict a greater plague vpon him, then euer he had be­fore. For proofe hereof, reade Leuit. 26. from the 14. Reade Leui. 26. from vers. 14. to the end of the chap. and Deut. 28. verse to the end of the chapter, where the seruant of God Moses setteth downe, that for the peoples disobedience, and contempt of his lawes, God will bring a consumption, and a burning ague: but if they will not for these things repent, he will punish them seuen times more: if they will not then repent, hee will plague them seuen times worse then that. [Page 101] The Prophet Amos rebuketh Israell, that though she was in captiuitie, yet was she not humbled thereby to forsake her sinnes: Amos. 5. vers. 10.11.12. but rather worse and worse in contemning his Prophet in oppressing the poore, in peruer­ting iudgement, by taking bribes: the Pro­phet prophesieth & telleth them that a worse thing shall come, then euer befell them hi­therto: for whereas they seemed to crye for the day of the Lord, he telleth them the day of vengeance shall fall vpon them in stead of the other. Yea one iudgement shall follow after another. Vers. 19. As if a man did flie from a Li­on and a beare, and did meet him, or went into the house and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him: Gods iudgementes shall be readie to seaze vpon him, Pro. 1. vers. 24. what way soeuer he turne him. Wisedome telleth the wicked, that because she hath stretched out her hand, to correct diuerse of her rebellious sonnes, and yet they continued wicked, Vers. 28.29.30. and would none of her correction, loe the next time she will stretch forth her hand, but not as before: be­fore she stretched and spread abroad both her armes of mercie, clocking her disobediēt chil­dren vnto her: As the hen gathereth her chic­kens vnder her wings: Math. 23.37. But her second stretch­ing shalbe as an Eagle prepared for his pray, to bring vpon them sodaine desolation and de­struction like a whitewind. Esay speaking in [Page 102] the person of the Lord to his rebellious Israell saith: Esy. 65.12. I shall number you to the sword, and all you shall bow downe to the slaughter: because I cried and you did not answere, I spake and ye did not heare, Ierem. 2.30. but did euill in my sight. Ieremie complaineth, that although they were smitten and corrected, yet all was in vaine: And howe fearefull a thing it is, after God hath giuen vs health or deliuerance out of dangers, to offend him againe by our loose life, appeareth by Pharaoh and his fearefull ende, Exod. 13.28. Luke. 17.17. and by that sharpe censure Christ gaue of the nine leapers by him cleansed, and yet remained vnthank­full. Heb. 6.4. And if it be so dangerous to sinne againe after the recouerie of the health of the bodie; much and more dangerous it is for those to fall againe, Heb. 10.26. Mat. 12.45. whom God hath enlightned with the sight of their sinnes, and knowledge of the truth, Heb. 6.6. for they entertaine other spirites worse than the former, they crucifie againe the sonne of God, and therefore better had it beene for such neuer to haue knowne the way of truth, then after they haue knowne it, to prophane it, 2. Pet. 3.13. by their lewd and wicked practises, least a worse thing come vnto thee.

This word (least) doth not here signifie a­ny vncertainty, as being a thing proceeding from man, The right sense of the word (least) in this place. whose promisses or threatings are vncertaine: but it signifieth a thing most assu­redly, that will come to passe, as being a iudg­ment [Page 103] proceeding from the father of light, Iam. 1.18. Gods iudge­ments are not to be dallied withall. with whom is no variablenes not shadow of turning. We may not dally with the threat­nings of the Lord here, as Euah did with the cōmandement in Paradise: who whē the Lord had absolutely threatned death to thē assoon as euer they should transgresse his commaunde­ment; Euah by the subtiltie of the serpent is brought to make a peraduenture of that which God absolutely set downe, and saith: Gen. 3.3. Of the fruite of the tree in the middest of the garden, God hath said, ye shall not eate least ye die.

It may be, some now a daies may sooth vp Gods iudgements and threatnings, The speech of a carelesse Atheist. and sooth themselues in their sinnes and say, tush, to sin is not so great a daunger as it is taken to be, for we see them that most offended, florish faire, and stand as wel as the best: and besides, his iudgements are but threatned with a per­aduenture, or perhaps take heed ye catiffes, and thrise blinded men of the world. For this word (least) signifieth thus much: That hee aduiseth them to beware, for if he doe not, A bone for such to gnawe vpon. as­suredly a worse thing will come vpon him. And that Gods iudgements threatned against the wicked, are without any peraduenture, as cōming frō a God not vncertain what to do; marke what Moses speaketh in the person of the Lord: If I whet my glittering sword, and my hand take hold on iudgement, Deut. 32.41.42 I will exe­cute [Page 104] vengeance on mine enemies, and will re­ward them that hate me: I will make my ar­rowes drunke with blood, and my sword shall eat flesh: And Dauid saith: God shall wound the hairie scalpe of such an one as goeth on still in his wickednesse. And the authour to the He­brewes, hauing perswaded to holinesse of life, addeth the daunger, Heb. 12.29. and saith: For our God is euen a consuming fire: Again the same author sheweth the danger all such are in, as by their continuance in sinne (after they haue receiued the knowledge of the truth) do crucifie againe the sonne of God, addeth as a cōclusion these words: It is a fearefull thing to fall into the hands of the liuing God. Heb. 10.31. To conclude therfore this point: Gods iudgements being threatned against the wicked for sinne, they are ineui­table without alteration: vnlesse they present­ly put in practise the holsome counsell of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthes: What will al­ter Gods iudg­ments. aduising them to enter into a serious and sound adiudging of themselues, and so they should escape the great and fearefull iudgementes of the Lord, 1. Cor. 11.31.32 which was partly begunne alreadie in execu­tion amongest them, and partly was readie to be inflicted vpon them. It must be an eye to see Gods iudgement, a heart to feele Gods iudgement, a conscience to condemne, and all concurring together, to prostrate, throwe downe, and truly to humble the sinfull man, [Page 105] vnder Gods mightie hand, crying with the prodigal sonne: O father I haue sinned against heauen and against thee: and am not worthie to be called thy sonne: I say it must be, all these wrought most soundly by the worke of Gods spirit in the sinner that must be as a stoppe to Gods iudgements, and a stay of his anger manifested. Least a worse thing come vnto thee, &c. These words may be the speech of a master to his seruant thus: I haue taken thee napping twise or thrise, nay often, and haue louingly admonished thee of it, but if thou plai­est the like again thou shalt smart for all: or of a schoolmaister to his scholler, whose waggish trickes and great negligence he hath often pardoned: but now threatneth the next time shall pay for all. Euen so God from time to time seemed to winke at the sins of this man, What the Lord long for­bearing requi­reth. yea euen at the sinnes of vs all, and like a lo­uing schoolemaster beares a while with our of­fences: but either now cease from sinne, learne to doe well, and be a good scholler in Christes schoole, or else looke thy lord and master, the Lord Iehouah will take an account for all, and in the ende pay thee home. (Least) importeth ne­cessitie. (Least) this word (least) vsually in the scriptures importeth great necessitie of the matter in hand to be put in speedie execution, as in Ieremie: Ierm. 4.4. Breake vp your fallow ground, sow no more among the thornes, be circumcised to the Lord, and be no [Page 106] more stifnecked, least my wrath breake forth and burne like a fire &c. Psal. 2.12. And the Psalmist: Kisse the sonne least he be angrie, and so ye perish so­dainely, if his wrath be kindled, yea but a little &c. And that necessarie admonition of our Sauiour Christ to his Disciples Watch and pray least ye enter into temptation. Luke. 22.40.46 Math 26.36. Mar. 14.32. And last of all, that earnest caueat of the author to the Hebr. to all the godly Iewes, for perseuerance in the profession of the Gospell, and practise of ho­ly daies meete for the measure of the grace of God they had receiued, saith thus: Take heed brethren (least) at any time there be in any of you an euill heart and vnfaithfull to depart a­way from the liuing God. Heb. 3.12 & vers. 13. Out of all these a­forenamed phrases may be gathered the vr­gent necessitie that was imposed vpon this man healed, presently to put in vre the conti­nuall dutie of his deliuerance, The vrgent necessitie of performing dutie to the Lord. and insinuateth also vnto euery one of vs, or rather as a conti­nuall cry soundeth in our eares. O ye negli­gent, coole, carelesse, disobedient, and scorne­full people in the North parts of England, who deseruing Gods wrath for your manifold sins are yet now in the multitude of his mercies, An Alarme to the North parts of Eng­land. freed & deliuered from the effect of his wrath, sinne no more, least if you againe tempt and prouoke the liuing Lord to anger, he call you to recken and giue an account for your selues, Heb. 3.9. & so ye shall neuer be able to answere one of a [Page 107] thousand. Further in that our Sauiour Christ heere admonisheth the man healed of his daily danger, if euer after hee, doe not cru­cifie the olde Adam with the lustes there­of: God euer war­neth before he plagueth. we note the louing care & mercy of God, not to bring destruction vpon any, before he hath both largly & louingly forewarned them of the danger, yea he desireth not the death of a sinner, but rather that he conuert and liue according to the rule of the Apostle, Ezech. 18.23. the Lord is not slack as some men count slacknes, but is patiēt towards vs, would haue no mā to perish, 2. Pet. 3.9. but would haue all men come to repentance, and all are inuited to the mariage of the Kings sonne. To conclude therefore this point, Matth. 22. No cause to censure the Lord of hard dealing in iudgement. we learne heere that all excuse or censuring the Lord of hard dealing in iudgmēt is remoued frō the wicked, seing all of thē before they vn­dergo the intollerable burthē of his wrath are offred most abundātly to drinke of his loue.

[A worse thing.] For the consideration of the measure and greatnes in some sort of this punishment, which heere is threatned the man if he offend againe, View in parti­culer. I wish thee diligent & wise reader, to g [...]ue a glaunce backe to the viewe of his former sicknesse, and certainly that will giue thee some probable demōstration of the measure of his punishment againe. Cal. in Ioh. Cap. 5. vers. 14. It is ve­ry likely that his correctiō was laid vpon him in his youth and the verie time, which by na­ture, [Page 108] yeeldeth pleasure to the bodie, was alto­gether painefull: Cap. 5. vers. 5. continuing with him, the space of 38. yeares, all that while no vse of his bodie, to minister any comfort. Whereupon I may say with Clauin, Cal. cap. [...]od. to euery man that con­sidereth hereon: Quàm grauis fuerit tot an­norum poena, reputa: Waigh well with thy selfe how painefull was the continuance of such a grieuous paine, for the aggrauating whereof, this one thing did not a little worke, that when this poore soule so long had beene soaked and bathed in his affliction full 38 yeares, he grew to be forlorne, forsaken, and helpelesse altogether in respect of any man: continually many diseased, by helpe of others brought to the poole, and so healed, and yet he a distressed soule, pitied of none, relieued by none, expecting stil, some would cary him, but all in vaine, crying for comfort, but comfort­lesse still: so that with Iob we may well say, that he seemed to be euen as a butte, or marke that God had set to shoote at, and to pierce through with the arrowes of his anger, and that to mans iudgement hardly a more com­fortlesse sorrow could be laid vpon him, and yet lo at last healed by him, Christ healeth when it see­meth to be past healing. who euer healeth, when all meanes of healing seemed to fayle: this man I say, is now by Christ admonished to looke to the dyet of his soule, that he do not surfet with sinne againe, least a sorer plague [Page 109] befall, both bodie and soule, [...] befell him before: a sorer will you say how can that be? for in his former visitation he was comfort­lesse, A glance to his former griefe. helpelesse, and hopelesse in regard of man: oh, how then can a worse thing come vnto him, I wish all men aswell those that haue felt great and grieuous troubles either in bodie or soule, or both themselues, as also those that haue beene eye witnesses, or eare witnesses of their neighbours, or countries great afflictions: Beware of cō ­plaining a­gainst Gods iudgement. to beware of such like com­plaints as there: or aggrauating their punish­ments so greatly, as though God had not in store a greater for them, if they offend againe, and to make all that shall reade this, more cir­cumspect in this point, I will set downe the excellent saying of the afore-recited author Caluin touching this one point: Caluin cap. eod. Non dubiū est, quin sibi horrendas saepè, & prodig [...]o so [...] crucia­tus, miseri homines, improbis suis quaerimonijs accersunt, dum nigant mala sua augeri posse. VVithout all question, wicked men do heape vpon their owne heads, many great and fear­full iudgements, Complaining against God hastneth con­demnation. while after a complaining manner they cry out and say, their griefes are so great, and punishments so intollerable, that God can lay no greater vpon them: let this euer be a warning vnto vs all, Patience in paines is profitable. patiently to abide, & willingly to wait for our deliuerāce out of dangers, and being deliuered, carefully [Page 110] to put in practise the dutie that we owe for our deliuerance: least if we doe not, a worse thing come vnto vs.

A worse thing] Two waies especially Christ here threatneth to bring a worese punishment vpon him then before, if hee offend againe. 1 First, though the former punishment for con­tinuance was long, for paines extreame, for remedie almost hopelesse: yet is the Lord of power to inflict, and here threatneth that hee will inflict a greater and more grieuous pu­nishment, in all circumstances then before: out of which learne this doctrine following: namely, Caluine. Nullas esse tam atroces & saeuas poe­nas, quibus non aliquid addere Dominus possit, quoties visum fuerit. There are no punish­ments so great laid vpon the wicked, which the Lord Iehouah is not of power to aggra­uate and make greater, whensoeuer the same shall seeme good vnto him.

2 Secondly, if the mā healed by Christ, offend and sinne againe as before, a worse thing shall befall him, in regard of the Lords protection. For though in the former his griefe was great, and his sicknes of long continuance: yet from the beginning thereof, till the perfect healing of the same, the Lord euer assisted him by his power, prepared him by patience and though of the one hand the poore man semed to bee forlorne, yet with the other hand the Lord still [Page 111] vpheld him, as faithfull in his promises, laying no more vpon him, but as he gaue him strēgth to beare, and in the midst thereof gaue him a comfortable issue thereout. But loe, the next time that the Lord commeth agaianst him, he will not onely by his infinit power, lay vpon him a sorer plague: but that also which is more fearfull, he will withdraw from him his louing protection: which blessed protection, did in his former sicknesse euer vphold him from pe­rishing. In his former visitation he dealt like a father, Comparison. whose tender affection and loue to his childe, euer ouercommeth his anger: but his next visitatiō (as I said before) shalbe in iudge­ment, giuing him ouer to his owne strength, and in the midst of his agonie, leauing him to shift for himselfe. Which, oh alas, when that commeth to passe, hee shall neuer bee able to shelter himselfe from Satans tyranny, nor saue him, as he was before saued, from deaths do­minion. Hereafter let all mouthes be stopped, from murmuring against their sorrowes: or saying, they are so great that God can make them no greater: seeing two waies haue been told you, how the same may be effected. 1 By greater plagues. The first by his great power, which is without bound or limitation. The second, 2 By spirituall desertion, and by withdraw­ing his former protection. which more fearfull is, by spirituall desertion, giuing them ouer to their owne strength, and by withdraw­ing from them his gratious and fatherly prote­ction, [Page 112] in the time of their fearfull affliction.

The vse.Then let all in generall, and particularly all of vs my countrimen, make this particular vse, and application hereout, to the benefit of our owne soules, euen throughly to examine and search, Search the particulars of your late visi­tation, both by dearth and the pestilence. with what sicknesse, sore, trouble, or danger, we haue been afflicted: in what man­ner, measure, and how long: and after this, that if extreame was our affliction, great our danger, and our case vtterly remediles, with­out the sole saluation and deliuerance of him, who is vnto his owne Church all in all: surely then to determine for a most certaine trueth, that hereafter, unles our Lord & maister finde vs more carefull schollers, in learning of his will, and more obedient sonnes in doing his commandements: as sure as we breathe, so to looke, that ere it be long, a heauier lode shalbe laid vpon vs, which we shall hardly disburthē vs off. If before this, yea euen of late, the Lord hath beaten vs blacke and pale, by his seuere punishments of dearth and pestilence: and yet being now healed thereof presently forget our punishments, and God, that inflicted thē vpon vs: Though we forget God in our dutie, yet he will not forget our sins tremble and feare, for certainly then God will not forget our sinnes: but if they hale him on to come against vs yet againe, take heede that with his third whip he scourge vs not, till blood run down from top to toe: when there shall be nothing heard, but a fearfull noise and [Page 113] lamentation, alas, alas: in which distresse, (which is most fearfull) the wicked carelesse contemners of his mercies, shall then seeke vn­to him earely and late for helpe. But I make a question whether they shall finde him or no: the shall call vpon him, but I am afraid hee will answere in thunder: and the reason doth Wisedome tell; Prou. 1.28.29. because they hated know­ledge, and did not chuse the feare of the Lord. The cause doth Ieremy tell: like disobedient children, Ierem. 2.30. they did not humble themselues vn­der the Lord, when they were corrected. And surely, if a worse thing, What is the cause if our countrie be plagued a­gaine. a worse plague come vpon our North-parts of this land againe, it is because (as diuers to their griefe, haue both seene and heard) that many of you, great townes, great congregations, priuate families and persons, after your deliuerances, healings, and restoring to your former liberty haue not with Moses and with Deborah, Exod. 15.2. Iudg. 5.2. assembled your selues together, and lift vp your voyces in praise to the Lord, and a faithfull promise to become euer after carefull in his seruice: which thing you ought to haue done. Much abuse in many pla­ces & townes after their late fearfull visita­tion. But ra­ther your meetings haue bin, and are, to shake hands with your former sins, and to bid them welcome againe amongst you: hauing for a time been taken from you, by reason of your affliction. Your songs haue not been to praise God, but rather (as I haue heard) in place ther­of, [Page 114] prophane Enterludes: Piping and dancing. Lords of mis­rule and dis­order, with many moe vnlawfull sports. Esay 49.13. and generally your protestations, not one to crie to another, and all ioyntly to sound together, saying: Reioyce O heauens, be ioyfull O earth, burst foorth into praise O mountaines: for God hath comforted vs his sinfull people, and hath had mercie on vs his late afflicted ones. Neither (I am afraid) haue you been carefull to say with Moses: The Lord is our strength and praise, and he is become our saluation: he is our God, and wee will prepare him a tabernacle: he is our fathers God, and we will exalt him. And to conclude, whereas many of you (my beloued countri­men) haue been depriued of the enioying of one anothers fellowship, Our meeting againe, after a long separa­tion, I am a­fraid abused. in the time of your affliction: which now (blessed be the name of God) is restored to free libertie of fellow­ship and societie one with another: I say, I am afraid, that your meetings together, after a long and lamentable separation, hath not bin to prouoke vnto loue, and to good works, and to exhort one another daily, Heb. 10.23. & 3.13. while it is called to day: but rather in stead of this, the drunkard to associate himselfe with his drun­ken companions, the whoremonger to seeke for his harlot, the vainglorious man for his flatterers, the carnall man for his confede­rates, the vsurer for his creditors, one wicked man with another, and so to renew that wic­ked bond and league of their sinne: at all [Page 115] which you ought to haue taken your last farewell, neuer to haue communicated any more with such vnfruitfull works of darknes. Ephes. 5.11.

Shall come vnto thee.] Out of this place we may gather this excellent point: namely, that as the godly bringing forth the pleasant fruits of righteousnes in their liues, Note well the godly goe still forward till they come to heauen: but the wicked stil backward till they go down to hell. haue still more & more the sweete mercies of God multiplied vpon them, till they enioy them in their fulnes in the kingdom of glorie. Euen so the wicked, that after Gods graces powred downe vpon them, doe still notwithstanding bring foorth nothing, but the weedes and brambles of ini­quitie, haue Gods iudgements still more and more increased against them, till at the length they presse them downe to hell. Againe, I ga­ther hence this doctrine, Thanke our vnthankfulnes if moe plagues come. that if euill come vpō euill, and punishment vpon punishment: we may iustly impute it to our owne obstinacie, and wilfull rebellion.

Last of all, let this doctrine be the conclu­sion, both of this point, and this part of Scrip­ture: Si nil ferulis proficiat erga nos Deus, qui­bus leniter nos tanquam teneros ac delicatos fi­lios, humanissimus pater castigat, nouā & quasi alienam personam induere cogitur: If God, by his whipping of vs, profit vs nothing, where­withall, like a most kinde father he correcteth our contumacie and disobedience: hee is en­forced to take vpon him another habit, and to [Page 116] manifest himselfe in another manner, If mercie will not moue, iudgement will throw downe. change­ing mercie into iudgement. And therefore let vs euer learne the end of Gods fatherly corre­ction, to bee our daily reformation, and more increasing in the gifts and graces of the holie spirit: euermore remembring the danger that will ensue, if daily we doe it not, and the sharp censure we shall vndergoe if we forget it: euen this, that the Almightie Iehouah will, quasi a­trocioribus malleis, with the heauy and insup­portable beetles of his iudgements, presse downe, & vtterly bring to desolation all those, quibus mediocris poena nil profuit, that is, whose hearts were not mollified, and their liues re­formed with the Lordes former sweete and comfortable affliction. The conclu­sion. Which (my beloued) that the former may euer take place in vs, and so escape, that the latter be neuer laid vpon vs, the Lord for his infinit mercies sake grant vs, euen for his sonne Christs sake, who by his blood shedding hath so dearely ransomed his Church: and vnto whom with the Father, and the holy Spirit, be all glorie, ma­iestie, praise, and dominion for euermore. Amen.