SECT. I.

OF this profitable Con­sideration, God is of­fended be­fore wee are puni­shed. I desire this may be the first step or de­gree: Let vs consider and esteeme our Miseries as the strokes of wrath, euen of an offended Creator. That we may the better perceiue this Truth, let vs looke stedfastly vpon them, and behold the breadth and depth of these stripes, and I thinke they will shew vn­to [Page 6] vs the very Print and Stampe of diuine Indigna­tion. It is almost an Im­pression in Nature; surely, it seldome failes in the Sons of Grace, when plagues are notable in Greatnesse, vn Nature beleeues it. wontednesse, or vnsutable­nesse to their Causes, they crie out, Digitus Dei, The finger of the Lord. The men of Ashdod being stric­ken with Emerods, acknow­ledge that the hand of God was [...]ore vpon them. The very Heathen Mariners, in an extraordinarie storme, crie vpon their gods, belee­uing strange punishments to be the effects of a diuine Wrath. Euen Fooles being Ps. 107. 17. plagued for their Trans­gressions, [Page 7] crie vnto the Lord, and by crying to him acknowledge that their plagues come from him to whom they crie for deliue­rance. Grace ac­knowled­geth it. No maruell then, if Moses the friend of God vnderstood Gods punish­ments, to bee the effects of Gods wrath; who when the plague was begun after the Rebellion of Korah, Num. 16. 4 [...] said plainly, Wrath is gone out from the Lord. And that we may know in some measure, what punishments are the strokes of that wrath, God himselfe giues Leuit. 26. Deut. 28. the Names of some of them Now let vs looke on our Chastisements, and see if we can find the Names of [Page 8] them, in those Rolls of Gods Iudgements. Yea, let vs see whether there be not in them that greatnesse or strangenesse which hath drawne an acknowledge­ment of Gods wrath, I say, not from Saints onely, but from Heathens and Fooles.

SECT. II. The first Iudgement.

ANd here in the first The weight of the Iudge­ments shew it. place, let vs call to re­membrance a Iudgement of Note, whose stroke by the weight of it, lookes like the blow of prouoked Om­nipotence, whose name is found in the Catalogue of [Page 9] Gods Iudgements, and whereof it hath beene said in the Word of Truth, that the wrath of God hath gi­uen lesse blowes with the same Rod. The punishment which I speake of, is the Pe­stilence, which almost de­uoured our chiefest Citie, and with the sicknesse of the Head, the Body of this Land was also distempe­red. I doubt not, but some that haue forgotten it, will be almost angrie to haue it remembred; but it were better to haue a profitable remembrance of the same plague, then to haue a re­uengefull remembrance by another. It is the forgetful­nesse of Gods old chastise­ments [Page 10] that makes vs so soone to haue need of new ones: for if we laid the for­mer to our Hearts, the lat­ter perchance would not be laid afresh on our backs. Surely, it ought not to bee forgotten vntill it hath done the errand for which God sent it. This it seemes is not yet done, for then new punishments would not be sent vpon the same errand. Let vs therefore re­member it, vntill we haue dispatched the businesse of it; and then may we best forget it, when it hath once beene soundly and effectu­ally remembred. For in this case Remembrance is the best way to forgetfulnesse▪ [Page 11] and forgetfulnesse is an espe­ciall reason of Remem­brance. But herein let vs see the basenesse and bar­rennesse of our Hearts. Wee can for our pleasure reade in a Chronicle the storie of a great Mortali­tie, how so many thou­sands died in one weeke, so many were layd in one pit, so few, or so none left to at­tend, and burie, the dying and the Dead. But to reade of such things for our pro­fit, in a worke of Applica­tion is noysome and trou­blesome. What is this else but to make a meere Re­creation of miserie, to [...] the benefit of so re [...] [...] a Chastisement, and [...] [Page 12] vnlearning dulnesse, to call vnto God to make vs a mat­ter of like recreation to o­thers? But to the wise of Heart the remembrance wil be profitable, for the wise­dome of God hath not bin scrup [...]lous to record a lesse plague in the Scriptures, and Gods wisedome will be iu­stified by the children of Wisedome. Moses the Al­mighties Numb. 16. 49. Secretarie vouch­safeth to speake of fourteen thousand and seuen hun­dred dying by a plague; yea of that plague hee sayes vn­to Aaron, That wrath was gone out from the Lord. If then so small a plague was a stroke of Gods wrath, what shall wee thinke but, [Page 13] that a farre greater stroke comes of a farre greater Wrath? When Dauid re­ceiued 2. Sam. 24. a pestilence whereof there died seuenty thousand Men, it is recorded, that the Wrath of the Lord was kindled against Israel. What shall we thinke, but the like blow comes from the like Wrath, except out of Secu­ritie or Selfe-loue, wee will thinke, that in the same pu­nishment God was diuersly affected, and that he loued vs more in these last sinfull Times, then hee did Israel in the Time of Dauid? If wee would yet doubt whe­ther the pestilence bee a chiefe Rod of Gods Wrath, God himselfe will resolue [Page 16] [...] maintenance to many. Nei­ther is this decay of Trade in some lesser limbes and farthest from the Heart of it, but in a principall Mem­ber, euen a Member where­in consists, almost the Life of our Liuelihood. For if a man in a Word would name the chiefe Commodi­tie of this Land, which it nourisheth most, and by which it is most nourished, it is the Fleece of the Flock; and a losse in such a general Good, is a generall punish­ment. It was reckoned a­mong Deut. 28. 4. Gods promised bles­sings, That Israel should be blessed in the flockes of his Sheepe; And it was recko­ned among the curses, That [Page 17] Israel should bee cursed in the flockes of his Sheepe. The substance of that bles­sing is the benefit that Israel should take by the Flocke, and the substance of the Curse was a Losse. So then if wee want the benefit of the Flocke, and haue a losse in stead of it, the substance of the Curse is vpon vs, though the manner may differ. And if we will doubt whether this Losse be a pu­nishment of Gods wrath, Let vs but looke about vs, and see with what Miseries it punisheth vs. The Land­lord feeles a losse in his Rents and Fines; the Te­nant, a disabilitie in paying either; but especially the [Page 18] Poore, in his whole Liueli­hood. So that to the Poore, the vility of this Commo­ditie is both a Famine and Nakednesse. For, whereas [...]eretofore by their Labors they got both Bread and Clothing, now their La­bors are so little worth, that they they can pay for nei­ther. And if it be so, then to the Poore euen a plentie is a famine, and abundance of wooll is Nakednesse. For what is the Bread to him that he cannot buy, and the Clothes which [...]ee cannot put on? A pitifull thing when men would labour for their liuing, but cannot get their liuing by their La­bour. And though some by [Page 19] the greatnesse of their E states, and dulnesse of their Soules, may put from them­selues a feeling of this iudg­ment (though they can hardly some part of the Losse) yet Christian Hearts by Compassion seele the Miseries of others, and by Sorrow or Succour beare a part of their Burden, know­ing that it is their own flesh that is hungry and naked, Esa. 58. 7. though it bee worne by o­thers. Not to doe this, were not to bee so good, as one that was euill. For, in the Famine of Samaria when a woman complayned to Ie­horam, that shee had boy­led her Son and eaten him, the Abomination of this [Page 20] Miserie made him to teare his clothes. And if yet we 2. Kin. 6. 30 would see more plainly a hand out of Heauen reach­ing this blow to vs, Let vs marke in what an vnlikely season it falls vpon vs. It is fallen in a time of our v­niuersall peace with the World, and Peace is vsual­ly the Nurse of Trafficke, but with vs the child pin [...]s at the brests of the Nurse. Warre the Step-mother of Trade, hath somtimes nou­rished more Returnes, then now Peace the Naturall Mother, and what shall we say vnto this, but that a Curse, euen the Curse of Dauid is vpon vs? Let their Psal. 69. 23, 25. Table be made a s [...]are, and [Page 21] that which should haue beene for their welfare, let it become a Trap. Which how shall we separate from that which followes? That Gods Indignation is pow­red out, and his wrathfull Anger takes hold on vs: And yet his Anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

SECT. IIII. The third Iudgement.

FOr another Misery hath ouer-taken vs. And as a Man decayeth two wayes, either by debarring foode that should come from without, or wasting the [Page 22] bloud that is alreadie with­in, so doe wee decay both for want of that supply which Trade might return, and by the wasting of that which is returned in an in­ward Consumption. Whi­ther by the gaine of Trans­portation, or the practice of some that wish well to our pouertie, but sure I am by Gods permissiue displea­sure, the Treasure of the Land is abated, if the voyce of the people be the voyce of Truth. And though Dis­proportion of Trade, and this Scarsitie be some Kin, yet hath this more kinred besides, for pouertie comes more wayes then one. By the losse of this bloud the [Page 23] Commonwealth faynteth, and the limbs therof grow feeble. Hospitalitie dyeth, Almes are diminished, and Neede increasing, the sup­ply of Neede decreaseth. Commerce deceiueth and is deceiued, and euen Ho­nestie it selfe growes like Dishonestie, while it fay­leth to performe what it promised, because another promise fayled it. No Trade prospers so steadily as the Trade that deuours trades; for the scarsitie of Money makes a plentie of Vsurers; their hunger deuouring most Money, when least is to be gotten. A strange ab­surditie, that Mony should bring most to the Lender, [Page 24] when it brings least to the Borrower; and that the Rent of Money should bee dearest, when the Rent of Land is cheapest. By this Meanes pouertie in the Bo­dy Politick, is like pouertie in the Body Naturall. For pouertie in both breedes store of Vermine, which being bred of pouertie, doe increase that which bred them. And while Pouertie by the mediation of Vsurie increaseth Pouertie, Vsurie in the middle of these two Pouerties growes the ri­cher by both of them. A Plague begot of a Plague, the effect of an old Want, and the Cause of a New. So while the Dragons giue [Page 25] their brests to their young ones, and each thing re­leeueth and preserueth his Kind, Man onely is cruell to his owne Flesh, and en­ioyeth the Miseries of his owne Kind; he releeueth not Want, but releeues him selfe vpon it. Yet men must bee mannerly in touching this Vice, for else they will amend their fault with a worse, and in stead of a lei­surable vndoing by lending, they will vndo men at once by calling in suddenly what they haue Lent. And so from the vnmercifulnesse of an ouer-cruell Lending, they fall into the vnmerci­fulnesse of not Lending. I wish they could finde the [Page 26] middle way betweene hur­ting by lending, and hur­ting by not lending, which perchance might bee this, when such a Rent is set vp­on money, as both the Bor­rower and Lender might be able to thriue. For this I thinke is the golden Meane of lending in Commerce; though I know there is a Lending beyond this, a worke of Almes and Mer­cy, which lends to the Lord in the poore, and neither lookes for lending againe in exchange, nor for any o­ther earthly Reward. But auoyding those Rocks in our Sea of Miserie▪ which both make wrack, and yet seeme to entertayne the [Page 27] wracked, I arriue at this safe and true Conclusion; That if the increase of sil­uer as stones, was recorded as a blessing in Solomons time, then may this Want be taken for a punishment. Yea, this is the putting of money into a broken bag which the Prophet Haggai Hagg. 1. names for a punishment, in­flicted by God vpon the Iewes. And if it be a blessing when Israel lends to many Deut. 28. 11, 12. Nations and doth not bor­row, then is it a Curse when Israel borrowes and doth Leu. 26. 16. not lend. This is a Con­sumption, which in many hath consumed the Eyes, and caused sorrow of Hart, and yet the wrath of God [Page 28] is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

SECT. V. The fourth Iudgement.

FOr to vs of late, euen the Lawes of Heauen, haue seemed to change, and the Couenant with Noah from Gen. 8. 22. his generall Course, hath had a particular exception. While the Earth remayn­eth, saith the Lord, Seed­time & Haruest, Cold and Heate, Summer and Win­ter, Day and Night shall not cease. True is that which the Lord saith, The course of these things shall neuer generally faile, nei­ther [Page 29] by their ceasing (as in the Verse before) will hee smite euery liuing thing. But in particular Cases and for the sinnes of particular Nations. The Sunne stands still vpon Gibeon, and the Iosh. 10. 12. Moone in the Valley of Aialon. Thou shalt sow, but Mica. [...]. 15. thou shalt not reape: yea, bee yee ashamed, O yee Husband-men, for the Wheat and for the Barley, Ioc [...]. 1. 11. because the haruest of the Field is perished. And such hath beene of late our pu­nishment. Our Summers haue beene changed into Winters, the Seasons of the Yeere haue inuerted their order, and resembled them that haue peruerted [Page 30] their Liues. The Sunne e­uen in the pride of his As­cending, hath couered his face, with blacke mourning Cloudes, as loth to looke vpon vnmourning sinners. Yea, the teares of Heauen, vnseasonably in regard of the yeere, but seasonably in regard of our sinnes, haue fallen downe to wash away the filthinesse with which we are defiled. The fall of the Leafe hath beene in Summer, and a Spring in the fall of the Leafe. The Husband-man this while stands amazed, at the strange displacing, and con­founding of his husban­drie. By incessant showres the Corne brings forth in [Page 31] the same place where it selfe was bred; and the same wombe where it selfe was bred, is also the wombe in which it brings forth. So that which should haue made bread for food, is tur­ned to an vnkindly Seede; which wil neither be Bread nor Seede. Yea, we haue had a strange kind of Rea­ping, and that Reaping hath beene also an vnkind­ly Sowing. For, the Wind hath reaped much Corne, and that Reaping hath bin also a Sowing. So the Hus­band-man hath saued three labors of Reaping, Thresh­ing, and Sowing, but by all this sauing he hath beene a great Loser. What shall I [Page 32] say of it? Acerba res est terrae sterilitas & frugum Greg. Naz. Orat. 26. pernicies, &c. A bitter thing is the barrennesse of the Earth, and the destruction of Corne, now flattering vs with Hope, and drawing neere to the Barne. A bitter thing is an vnseasonable Haruest, and to see the Hus­band-man sighing ouer his Labours, and looking vp­on them as vpon vntimely Births. Wee looked for much and it came too little, God hath blown vpon our Labours, and what is this but a punishment pronoun­ced by the mouth of the Lord of Hosts, in his Pro­phet? Hag. 1. 6. And I wish the pre­sent Time shew [...] vs the [Page 33] worst of this Iudgement, and that it doe not grow as Time increaseth. The great pouertie of many dri [...]es their Corne to the Market in the beginning of the Yeere; but in the end of the yeere, when Pouertie can sell cheape no longer, because it hath no more to sell, then commonly the wealth of wretched world­lings sells cruelly, because it may choose whether it will sell or no. So Pouer­tie in the beginning of the veere, takes lesse because it hath more need; and Ri­ches in the end of the yeer, craue more because they haue lesse need. Yea, Pouer­tie somtimes at the end of [Page 34] the yeare payes deare, for that which at the begin­ning of the yere it selfe sold cheape. This is a Iudgment of God prouoked to anger; Leu. 26. 20. and yet thus the Wrath of God is not turned away, but his Hand is stretched out still.

For many other Mise­ries Many o­ther Iudg­ments l [...]ft to priuar [...] Considera­tion. haue beene vpon vs, a Canker and Caterpiller In­iustice and the Proiector, losses in the East Indies, a Massacre in the West; most lamentable losses in the Pa­latinate; Losses by Pirates of Ships goods and Men, and I wis [...] with those Men no losses of Soules. But I desire not to bee ouer-large or vehement in expressing [Page 35] our Miseries, for their smart of it selfe would make them well knowne. Onely I take such a part and pa­terne of them as may in­force vpon vs an acknow­ledgement of Gods wrath, and by that acknowledge­ment set our feete one step in the way of remouing it. Else we are like Fooles that goe laughing to the Stocks, and wee call for Greater strokes by not feeling the Lesser. Let vs therefore consider these Iudgements, vntill wee acknowledge, Paena patient is, ira creditur decernentis. The paine of Hillar. in Psal. 2. the Sufferer, is the Wrath of the Inflicter.

SECT. VI. The vnseasonable kind of cu­ring these Iudgements, confuted.

BVt heere the Politician giues mee the stop, and Amos. 3. 6. is himselfe at a stand, for hearing these Euils he will goe no further, but falls in­to a [...]rance, and therein cleaues his Brayne in two parts, and with the fore­part hee will discourse to you of the Causes, and with the hinder part of the Remedies, but in both sets God aside, and thinkes not of him either as a Cause, or a Remedie. But first for his Causes, I would faine [Page 37] know of this wizard, when euer this Kingdome had more likely Causes of pros­peritie, then it now had, in the Vnion of the whole I­land vnder one King, of the same Religion, and set­ling vs in an vniuersall Peace. And then for his Remedies; how can wee trust any Remedies of his, when Parliaments, that here to ford [...]aue beene the Remedies of most weightie grieuances haue not liued themselues, vnto [...]ipenesse and perfection▪ If then such great Remedies proue sick, what will become of the small Remedies of the poli­ticke Discourser? Alas, if wee be bound in [...]uen, [Page 38] how can a piece of Earth not seuen foot high, reach vp thither to vntie the Knot? especially, since hee that bindes vs, hath said himselfe, when hee shuts, no man can open. When God hath a Rod in his Hand, and chasteneth sin­ners, it is little good man­ners, and as little possibili­tie by craft or force to wrest the Rod out of his Hand. But the only way and Me­thod to get away the Rod, is first to worke on his Will, and next vpon his Power. If his Will be vn moued, the World cannot master his Power; but his Will being moued, that moueth his Power▪ [Page 39] Now God himselfe hath shewed vs Meanes how to moue his Will, but he neuer shewed any meanes, his Will being vnmoued, how to master his Power. Let vs therfore follow his own Order in preuailing with him, for the God of strength as Sampson the strong, hath shewed vs the onely way, how he may be ouer­come. And when once God is ouercome, and his Furie turned into Loue, then shall wee be loosed aboue, and set free below: for the higher Cause being plea­sed, will giue a blessing to the Causes below. If Hea­uen and Earth be at odds, let the [...]sbandman sow [Page 40] and plant neuer so diligent­ly, the Heauen can make fruitlesse all his Labours on Earth. The Sunne and the Clouds by aboundant absence or presence can de­stroy his Hopes. But when Heauen and Earth are friends, then Summer and Winter▪ Seed-time and Haruest run on their Race. When God was displeased what was the effect? Yee haue sowed much and rea­ped little. Againe, when God was pleased; Marke that very day, for from Hagg 2. that, day I will blesse you Wherefore▪ let vs follow Gods owne order of Re­medies, and striue to bee first healed abo [...] ▪ and then [Page 41] expect a successe on our Remedies below; and to this end let vs passe on to a second Consideration, which may be this.

Sect. I.

THat these punish­ments Gods wrath pu­nishing is prouoked by our sin­ning. Proued by a compari­son of the contrary; equal bles­sings be­ing vpon holinesse. of Wrath, and the wrath that inflicts these punishments, are prouoked by our Sins. Whē the Harts of Men, are according to the Heart of GOD, when the Image of God is in their Soules, and their Actions proceed from that Image, then is there a most excellent Con [...]ort [Page 42] and Harmonie betweene Heauen and Earth, and from thence issue the most rauishing sounds of earth­ly, and heauenly Benedicti­ons. To this Harmonie the Quier of Angels adjoynes it selfe, and sings a Dittie expressing the Musicke: Glory be to God on High, Peace on Earth, and Good­will towards Men. When Man giues God in heauen his Glory, then God rea­cheth out to Man on earth Peace and Goodwill. Now the Peace and Goodwill of God though they passe our Vnderstanding, yet we vn­derstand so much of them, that from them flow all the Mercies and Blessings that [Page 43] wee can conceiue and vn­derstand, and those also which the Heart of Man cannot conceiue, nor his Tongue expresse. For the Lord hauing in himselfe, a boundlesse fulnesse of Ioy, and pleasures for euermore, his Goodwill and Peace doth vnlocke vnto Man that Treasurie, and from thence flow forth the innu­merable bounties of hea­uenly and earthly blessings. Hence are those manifold promises of GOD vnto Man, of God I say vnto Man, when Man is confor­mable vnto God. To Noah, pleasing God in holinesse, is an Arke of Saluation gi­uen amidst a generall de­struction. [Page 44] To Abraham, pleasing God in the Sacri­fice of his Sonne, is a pro­mise giuen that he should be the Father of the Sonne of God. To the Israelites Leuit. [...]6. walking in Gods statutes, and keeping his Comman­dements, God promiseth raine in due season, the Land shall yeeld her in­crease, they shall eate their bread to the full; in summe, he will be their God, and they shall be his people; which is the knot of per­fect Blessednesse. The like is repeated in Deuterono­mie, Deut. 2 [...]. where to the keepers of Gods Lawes are promi­sed, blessings in the Citie, the Field, the Sheepe, and [Page 45] the Cattell, &c. And Saint Paul testifies the whole sub­stance of this Truth, in this one sentence, Godlinesse 1. Tim. 4. 8. hath the promises of this Life and that to come. But By the dis­cord be­tween God and Man, made by sinne. on the Contrarie, Sinne makes a discord betweene God and Man, and from that discord flow forth in­finite punishments. There is no quarrell between God and Man but Sinne, and this is a mayne one, for it sets Heauen and Earth each against other. Man walketh contrarie to God in his sinfull disobedience; and God walkes contrarie to Man in his wrathfull Iudgements; but woe be to Man, for hee striueth [Page 46] with his Maker, the pot­sheard with the Potter, and By words of God in Scripture. he must needs be battred and broken in pieces. This also is strong by the pow­erfull confirmation of the word of Truth. Euen the Psal. 2. Kings of the Earth, if they band themselues against the Lord, the Lord shall laugh at them, but with a laughter most lamentable. For Gods Laughter is the fore-runner of Iudgement, as a blast of Sun-shine to a mighty Tempest. And be­hold the Tempest; Hee shall speake to them in his Wrath and vexe them in his sore displeasure; yea, he will breake them with a Rod of Yron, and dash [Page 47] them in pieces like a Pot­ters vessell. Neither is God terrible onely to the Prin­ces of the earth, but to the People also. If yee doe wic­kedly (saith Samuel) yee 1. Sam. 12. 25. shall bee consumed, both you and your King. And the same places that pro­mise Blessings to Man be­ing at peace with God▪ de­nounce heauie and bitter Curses vnto Man being at odds with God by disobe­dience. If yee walke con­trary vnto mee, I will walke contrary vnto you in Leuit. 26. [...]urie, I, euen I, will cha­stice you seuen Times for Deut. 28. your sinnes. Cursed shalt thou bee in the Cittie, and cursed in the Field. [Page 48] Cursed shall bee the fruit of thy bodie, the fruit of thy Land, the encrease of thy Kine, and thy flockes of Sheepe. Cursed shalt thou be in thy comming in, and thy going out; the Lord shall send vpon thee cur­sing, vexation, and rebuke. And the conclusion brings with it the reason of these Curses, which is the Burden of a Burden; Because Is­rael hearkens not to the Lord his God, to keepe his Commandements and his Statutes. Neither are these By the deeds of God in the Scrip­ture. words onely, but they are turned into deeds, and what was threatned was also sure­ly inflicted. Accordingly the whole storie of Israel [Page 49] vnder Moses, Iudges and Kings is a Mirrour of this Truth, the wickednesse of Israel being attended by the plagues of Israel. And euen this Morall doth the Pro­phet Micah giue of Israels Mica. 1. 5. Miseries. For the trans­gressions of Israel is all this come vpon them. And lest It is true vnder the Gospell as wel as vn­der the Law. wee should thinke this at­tendance of punishment vpon sinnes to belong onely to the Iewes, and not to the Gentiles; to the time of the Law, and not to the time of the Gospell, let vs heare Christ affirming it, and the Apostles after Christ, and First, Pro­ued by Christ. Mat 23. 37 the Saints after the Apo­stles. Christ himselfe ha­uing spoken of the bloudy [Page 50] sinnes of Ierusalem, (with teares) doth second the mention of their bloudi­nesse, with a prediction of Secondly, By Christs Apostle. 1. Cor. 11. [...]9, 3 [...]. Iudgement: Behold your house is left vnto you deso­late. The Apostle Paul saith to the Corinthians; That for their vnworthie recei­uing some of them were sicke, and some were dead. Yea, he in [...]ers a general rule, That not iudging ourselues we are iudged of the Lord. Saint Iohn in the Reuelation, [...]. 16. 6. or an Angell in Saint Iohn; Reu 18 4. Because they haue shed the bloud of the Saints, there­fore hast thou giuen them bloud to drinke: And the partakers of the sinnes of the Whore, shall be parta­kers [Page 51] of the plagues of the Whore. And since the time of the Apostles, the holy Fathers followed this rule Thirdly, And so stil vnder stood by the suc­ceeding Fathers. in the interpretation of Gods Iudgements, not loo­king for a Spirit of Reuela­tion, but guided by the Spi­rit of Sanctification. Saint Cyprian: Intelligendum est Cypr. Epis. 8. & confitendum, &c. Wee must know and acknow­ledge, that the troublesome desolation of this pressure, which hath greatly wasted our Flocke, and yet doth waste it, is come to vs accor­ding to our sinnes; while wee treade not stedily the path of the Lord, nor keepe his heauenly precepts giuen for our saluation. Ambrose Ambrose Se [...]. [...]5. [Page 52] saith, The Citie doth not perish but for the sinnes of the Citizens. Gregorie Na­zianzene, Greg. Naz. orat. 26. when in his Time a great Hayle had spoyled the fruits of the Earth, hee aduiseth the people that it is most safe to take it for a punishment of sinne, that they may be humbled ther­by. Gregorie Nyssene: When Greg. Nyss. in vita Mosis. wee heare that paynes and vexations, are inflicted by God vpon Men, wee must vnderstand that the begin­nings and causes of those vexations proceeded from our selues. And Hierome (according to his manner) most resolutely. It is mani­fest that Famine, Pestilence, noysome Beasts, or whatso­euer [Page 53] other Euils wee suffer in this world, they come vpon vs for our sinnes. Gre­gory Greg. Mag. in Psal. poe­nit. 3. the Great: Quia sentio poenam, recogito culpam. Pu­nishments felt, bring to my consideration sinnes com­mitted.

SECT. II. The greatnesse of our sinnes amounts to a proofe that Gods wrath is vpon vs.

THus wee see a cloude of witnesses confessing Saint Pauls assertion, That for sinne comes the wrath of God vpon the children of disobedience. And as wee see that the wrath of God commeth for sinnes, [Page 54] l [...]t vs also looke vpon our sinnes, and their greatnesse will shew them to bee such, which may iustly drawe downe the wrath of God. To reckon all our sins, our numberlesse sinning hath made it almost impossible. And [...]here are other works A patt [...]n of these sinnes. that haue in some measure described them, only I will giue a patterne of some of the chiefest either in weight or custome, and which I cannot auoide because they meet mee euery where. A 1. Swea­ring and blasphemy first that flies in a mans face is blasphemous Swearing, wherein if in any other there is a pride taken in of­fending God; for other be­nefite of it, I thinke no [Page 55] man can assigne. Yet if their dulnesse would see it, is it easie to reason; If there bee no God, why doe I sweare by him: If there bee a God, how dare I to of­fend [...] him? If thou sweare by nothing, thou art a foole in thy swearing; and if thou sweare to thy torment, thou art a veryer foole. God hath [...] said himselfe, The taking of his name hee will not holde guiltlesse: And by [...]. [...]. Zacharie, that there is a Curse flying out against Hos 4. Swearers: and by Hosea, that the wrath of God is­sues out against a Land for swearing. In all this, thou either beleeuest not God, and yet swearest by him in [Page 56] whom thou beleeuest not; or else thou beleeuest that thou shalt bee cursed for swearing, and swearest that thou mayest be cursed. But for my part, I thinke gene­rally the Swearers beleefe in God is very bad. And surely, if he beleeue not in God by whom he sweares, let him excuse me for belee­uing him when hee sweares by that God in whom hee Two kinds of swea­ring. beleeues not. But of swea­ring wee may consider two kinds. The one is this vo­luntarie 1. rash and vnneces­sarie swearing, which issu­eth commonly from a pro­fane heart and carelesse of Meditat. and Dis [...]. of the Time. God. Of this I haue twice elsewhere more largely spo­ken, [Page 57] and I thinke it would be best confuted by a Law whereof there was a con­ception at the last Parlia­mentarie meeting. For be­fore that time, I knew an order made at a meeting of recreation, that a penaltie should bee payd for euery oath, and that but a little one, and yet it wrought such effect, that they scarce swore three oathes in an afternoone, that by pro­portion of vsuall swearing should haue sworne three­score, if that order had not beene. To a Law against this sinne is there this en­couragement, That his Ma­iestie [...]. Dor. lib. 1. in his booke to his sonne with strong reasons [Page 58] diswadeth him from it, as being a sinne of neither ple­sure nor profit, and gotten onely by custome. Which exhortation I wish might take place, chiefly in the Cour [...], where it was borne; and next in the Countrey, to which it is come. For that saying of the Prophet, The soule that sinneth shall die, I take to bee generall, and to comprehend as well the soules at Court, as the soules in the Countrey. The other is a more solemne and [...]. Kind of [...]. formall swearing, and that by oathes proposed and of­fered. Surely in this also God hath beene much of­fended, and that diuers wayes. One is, when the [Page 59] Taker of the oath sweares 1. Swea­ring a­gainst con science. against knowne trueth, for which indeed there is a pe­naltie which can hardly be too great, since the sinne 2. Inconsi­derate & confused swearing▪ of this three sorts out-growes it. Another, when oathes are offered of things infinite vnlawfull or vnknowne, and of these I wish a suruey were taken. 1. Swea­ring to things by the heape and vndi­stingui­sh [...]d. It is a hard thing for a man to sweare at once to num­berlesse things, since consi­deration should goe before swearing; and he that swea­reth inconsiderately, swea­reth dangerosly. Now, how hard is it to sweare consi­derately [...] of many things a [...] once, and but once propo­sed? Secondly, I wish there were a search for swearing [Page 60] to things vnlawfull, since I haue heard it by credible information, that there re­maynes yet an oath of per­secuting the Lollards pro­posed to one of the chiefe of the Countrey-Offices. Thirdly, it is a miserable 3. To things ei­ther law­full or vn­lawfull, if not knowne, and iud­ged to be that which they are sworne to bee. thing to giue oathes vn­knowne. And an oath is vnknowne either where neither the words nor mat­ter of the oath are knowne, or when the words are knowne, but not the mat­ter. For these two latter kinds of oathes, a search and cure were very neces­sarie. And as in all other places so I wish especially they were examined in the Vniuersitie; That is the [Page 61] Salt of the Land, and if the Salt haue lost his sauour, how shall the Land be sal­ted; yea, how shall it selfe bee made sauourie? The doctrine of swearing from thence should flow most cleare and vntaynted, and with the cleerenesse of do­ctrine should be ioyned the puritie of example. And there I wish might bee con­sidered, whether the first degrees haue no oathes gi­uen them of the Statutes which they know not, and whether it be easie to know them. I haue heard it com­playned of; and it is pitie that he should first haue a torne conscience himselfe that coms to heale the bro­ken [Page 62] consciences of others. There is an excuse, that the submission to the penaltie is a performance of the Oath, but I wish it were well proued, that penalties were added to Laws to dis­solue them and not to binde them, to make them safely not to bee kept, and not to make them safely kept. Vide Say­er. Thesa. casu▪ cons [...]. lib. [...]. cap. 9. num. 10. And if this be the intent of the Oath, it were good it were made known to the Takers by the Giuers. Be­sides, I wish it were consi­dered whether there be no Oathes giuen to yong men of the first degrees, where­of the wordes they know, but haue not iudgement of the matter. The Bishop of [Page 63] Oxon. in his Sermons a­gainst Sermon. 4. prope fin. the Popes Suprema­cy, saith of young Acade­micks, They are led impetu & temeritate non delectu a­liquo aut sapientia ad judi­cand [...]m. Now that which I inferre, is this, That que­stions diuersly held by old Diuines, seldom come with in the Resolution of young Iudgements that are with­out iudgement; and if they in their Iudgements know not what they sweare, they doe not sweare in Iudge­ment, which condition I thinke is required by God himselfe in his prescribed Rule of swearing. God is Icre [...]. 4. 2. taken as a Witnesse of their Rashnesse and not of their [Page 64] Iudgement; and while they sweare, that they beleeue what they know not, God is inuoked to behold their Ignorance, and not their Beliefe. Neither doth it ap­peare to me a sufficient an­swer, That it is a Truth which is sworne, for it suf­ficeth not to the Swearer that it be a Truth which he sweares, except it be known to him for a Truth. In ciuill Causes I haue heard it taxt in a Swearer, when he hath sworne that such a Man at such a time was at such a place, when himselfe at that time was not at the place, but heard that, which he swore, reported by others. And this meetes with an o­ther [Page 65] Obiection, That el­der Iudgements may bee a ground to the younger. But how is it safe to lay the safe­tie of a mans conscience vpon another mans iudge­ment, since it is certayne that man is subiect to er­rour, and for ought the ig­norant Swearer knowes, that may bee the errour, which he sweares to bee a Truth. Is not this to be­leeue as the Church be­leeues, and to sweare a be­liefe in Men, and not the knowledge of a Truth. How pertinent is his Maje­sties aduice in this Cause? Yee B [...]lic. Dor. lib. 1. must neither lay the safety of your conscience vpon the credit of your [Page 66] owne conceits, nor yet of other mens humours how great Doctors of Diuinitie soeuer they be, but ye must onely ground it vpon ex­presse Scripture. For Con­science not grounded vpon sure Knowledge, is either an ignorant fantasie, or an arrogant vanitie.] And, if cōscience not surely groun­ded be an ignorant fantasie or an arrogant vanitie, then what is an Oath issuing from such a conscience, but the fruit of an ignorant fan­tasie or an arrogant vani­tie?

A second Sinne. SECT. III. Drunkennesse.

ANother lothsome Sin of this Land, that cal­leth for wrath, is beastly Drunkennesse; yea, it is a wrong to beasts to call it their sinne, for generally they are sober. And if the Swine be drunke, who is the Drunkards embleme, it is by Mans acquaintance, for I neuer heard of a wilde Boare that was drunke. Filthy in the people Wherefore it should haue a name inferiour to Beasts, as indeed it makes Men, at least for the time of it; for a Man hauing lost the vse of his Soule, is worse then [Page 68] a beast, that keepes the vse of his instinct. Yea, a man that hath lost his senses, is therein worse then a Beast that hath them; as sure, as a liuing Dog is better then a dead Lion. And as in the naturall body the liquor fumes from below▪ and workes vp on high, so I wish in the body of this Land, this Vice which had his first seate in the dregs of Men, did not aspire to places of Eminence. Yet the M [...]st vn­ [...]emly in the guides of the people. higher it is the more hurt­full it is, as the greater the light is, the greater is the darknesse by the losse of that light. So the darkning of many Starres doth not so much empaire our Light [Page 69] as the Eclipse of a Sunne or a Moone. This sinne in the great doth double harme, for by putting out their light, there is lost both the Light of Direction and the Light of Example. If to en­tertayne a great Man, a Roome should bee drest as this sinne doth dresse it; I think he would lothe both his Host and his Lodging. How much more abomi­nable is it to doe filthinesse then to see it; yea, to doe that Filthinesse which hee cannot abide to fee? I may bee the more earnest with the greater, because this sin is like to part from the Les­ser, and hath most possibi­litie to remayne with the [Page 70] Greater. For God hath met it with most kindly Iudge­ments, Shot at by the Ar­rowes of the Al­mightie. euen with Iudge­ments most proper to pierce the heart of it. For Pouer­tie & Scarsitie are the great Enimies of Drunkennesse; the Drinke by dearnesse calls for more Money; and the Money that should bee more, growes Lesser; so, the Drinke departs farther from the Money, and the Money farther from the Drinke. Then how shall a poore Drunkard continue his Trade, since it is the e­quall meeting of Drinke and Money that giues him his drunkennesse, and how shall they meete that are still going farther asunder? [Page 71] These are punishments, I confesse, but most proper for our sinnes and how can wee spare them, or with them away vntill that Dis­ease bee rem [...]oued, whose Cure they are working? A poore Sobrietie is better then a rich Drunkennesse. When a Player was turned Cypr. Ep. 61 Christian (a farre better change then for a Christian to turne Player) hee would continue his Playing by this reason, because Play­ing was his maintenance: But what saith Cyprian, Contentus sit frugalioribus sed innocent thus ci [...]s, let [...]im be content with a more sparing but a guiltlesse maintenance. So may I say [Page 72] of that Scarsitie that brings forth Sobrietie, that a so­ber Scarsitie is better then a drunken Plenty. Yet were it best of al if we could both begg and obtayne (and by begging we may obtayne) the grace of Sobriety. Then should wee practise Vertue out of a loue of Vertue, and should not neede a con­straint by Scarsitie. Then God would bee pleased while our Sobrietie is vo­luntarie, and we should be blessed while a needlesse Scarsitie would be turned into Plentie. But if we will needes continue our sinnes, let vs look for continuance of wrath, it being farre bet­ter that a Man should bee [Page 73] miserable then drunken, and most iust that he that is drunke should be mise­rable. A man of God (saith Huntingdon) fore-told great Hunting­don. lib. 6. punishments to this Land for great sinnes, and one of them was Drunkennesse. Surely, if punishment and that sinne be tyed together, when haue we more strong­ly then in this Age drawne Tyed vn­to punish­ment by the Curse of the Al­mightie. punishment vpon vs, by a huge Cart-rope of Drun­kennes? And lest we should thinke that this sinne and punishment may be par­ted, we haue other prophe­sies, aboue all doubt and exception, that tye woes vnto Drunkennesse, Woe Hab. 2. 15. vnto him that giueth his [Page 74] Neighbour drinke, that puttest thy Bottle to him and makest him drunken also: the Cup of the Lords right Hand shall be turned vnto thee, and shamefull spewing shall bee for thy glorie. And another woe vnto them that are mightie Esa. 5. [...]. to drinke wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drinke. All the beasts of the field are called to deuoure; yea, all the Beasts of the fo­rest: For, come yee, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill our selues with strong drinke, and to mor­row shall be as this day, and much more abundant. But the Drunkard (and it is no wonder) knowes not what [Page 75] he sayes, for where he pro­miseth abundance to mor­row, behold, scarsitie to day; yea, Scarsitie and her sister Pouertie. The Flesh prophesies prospe [...]itie to sinne, but Gods Spirit Af­fliction, God is true and all Flesh is a Lyar. And how­soeuer it goes here, it is most certayne, that if this life be to day, and the next life be to morrow, abun­dance of drinke to day, shall haue scarsitie to mor­row. Hee that powres in Punished with eter­nall thirst hereafter. Gallons here, shall lacke Drops hereafter. The fire is hot, the thirst is great, a drop of water is but little; yet in this hot fire and great thirst, the little drop [...]l be [Page 76] denyed. Wherefore drinke lesse heere that yee may drink more hereafter, drink not without thirst heere, that you may not thirst without drinke hereafter. But a larger Antidote I Diseases of the Time. cap. 16. haue elswhere allowed this sinne, to which I remit him that would see more cause to bee sober, which vpon the matter is nothing else but to see reasons to pre­serue Reason, then which nothing is more reasonable

A third Sinne. SECT. IIII. Vnthankfulnesse.

THere are yet many sinnes full of horrour and danger, And among [Page 77] them there is one as feare­full and dangerous as the rest, and that is Vnthank­fulnesse. But there are so many sinnes between that and the Physitian, that Almst be­yond cure there is almost no hope of comming neere it with a Cure. For before this sinne can come to be cured, the manifold abuses of Gods blessings must be remoued. For how can men bee thankefull to God for his benefits, vntill they leaue to offend God by his Bene­fits? Can they (though it were but in Words) giue God any praise for his bles­sings, when in their deeds by these blessings they dis­honour him. We haue had [Page 78] great deliuerances, wee haue the Gospell set at li­bertie among vs. We haue not yet beene giuen vp in­to the hands of our Ene­mies but our mercifull God hath hitherto chastised vs with his owne hands, euen with fatherly Corrections. But how shall a man looke In the a­ [...]es of Gods bles­sings. that a Drunkard, a Glutton, or a Player-like Fashionist, should bee thankefull to God, I say not for the light of the Gospell, which Owles cannot see, but for meat drinke or apparell, when they all abuse these blessings vnto Luxurie, pride and vanitie? Surely if they should giue GOD thanks for them, it must be [Page 79] in these words, I thanke thee for giuing mee these blessings which I haue conuerted vnto the fuell of eternall Cursednesse. Ther­fore first I wish they might be brought to leaue the a­buse of Gods blessings, and then would there be some hope that they would giue God thankes for them; if once by a right indgement they saw them to come from God, and returned them to the honour of him that gaue them, then would they giue him thanks both for the blessings and the blessed vse of them. And then indeed doe they onely become blessings vnto vs when wee blessedly vse [Page 80] them: In the meane time A Cure is yet expe­cted in the godly. I expect onely of the righ­teous that they be thank­full, for it becommeth well saith Dauid the righ­teous to bee thankfull. These by their thankful­nesse retaine the blessings for which they are thank­full, for thankfulnesse being bred of Gods blessings pre­serueth that which bred it. On the other side vn­thankfulnesse looseth the blessings, which thankful­nesse might haue preserued, for it is not fit man should receiue blessings from God when God from Man for such blessings hath no re­turne of glory. It is a small thing to returne thanks for [Page 81] reall and great blessings, which if we doe we are in­finite gayners. Yea, the more we thanke God, the more cause shall wee haue to thanke him. For thanks for old benefits drawes an increase of the benefits for which we gaue thankes, as else-where more at Art of Hap. part. 3. cap. 6. large I haue shewed.

A fourth Sinne. SECT. V. Deceitfulnesse of Trade.

ANother great sinne of A Trade in a Trade this land is deceitful­nesse of Trades. Single trades are growne to bee double, for there are two [Page 82] Trades in one; the one is a skill of doing it truely, the other of doing it deceitful­ly. And hee is the more skilfull Tradesman that knoweth the falshood of his trade, rather then [...]ee that knoweth the truth of it. Hee that can make an excellent Counterfeit, and sell the Counterfeit at the price of the true, is an ex­pert Tradesman. Thus men take money not for ware but for cousenage, they sell deceipt and with the price thereof buy dam­nation. The Scripture saith Prou. 11. 1. that false weights be an a­bomination to the Lord. The force of that speach Ha [...]d by God. lies not in the word weights [Page 83] but in the word false. For God hateth not weights more then any other In­strument of Trade, but hee hateth falshood, as in weights, so in all things else. Therefore let euerie Tradesman that deales not by weights, take out the word Weights, and put in the subiect of his falshood, and then let him take the verse to himselfe, and say, The falshood of my Trade is abomination vnto the Lord. These bee they that Amos 8. make the shekell great and the Ephah small, the goods sold as little worth as they may, and the price of the goods as great as they can and these are as C [...]affe and [Page 84] the wrath of God is as Fire. How should they escape, yea, how should a Land escape where they are, since God hath not onely said but sworne it. The Lord hath sworne by the excel­lencie Ibid. ver. 7. And with an oath condem­ned to bee punished. of Iacob, surely I will neuer forget any of their works. Shall not the Land tremble for this, and euerie one mourne that dwelleth therein? I will turne your Feasts into Mourning, and all your Songs into Lamen­tation, and I will bring vp sackcloth vpon all loynes, and baldnesse vpon euerie head, and I will make it as the mourning of an onely sonne, and the end thereof as a bitter day. Neither let [Page 85] euerie man looke for this sinne in others but in him­selfe, for few there bee that in dealings doe not worke vpon the ignorance or need of the buyer or borrower. Neither hath this sinne gone without attendance of an immediate punish­ment, for I haue heard a Yea alrea­dy punish­ed. credible report, that a­mongst other naturall cau­ses of the decay of Cloa­thing, this hath beene one, that Cloathes haue beene deceitfully both made and coloured; and men will not giue money againe, to bee againe deceiued. It seemes to me the very profit of ho­nestie should bee powerfull with those, with those that [Page 86] measure all their actions by To be left for the same cause for which it is vsed. profit. For honestie though it gaine but a little at once, yet it gaines that little of­ten and long; for it keepes the Customers which it hath gotten. But deceit when it gets extraordinari­ly, gets it but once, for no­thing but meere Necessitie will bring a man into a trap where hee hath once beene taken, nor make him ioyne with a knowne theefe in his owne robbing.

A fifth Sinne. SECT. VI. Carnall and vnnaturall Filthinesse.

THere is another sinne which I would wil­lingly passe by, but that the wrath of God doth not vse to passe by it. In regard of the filth of it, a man can hardly speake of it, and in regard of the wrath of it, a man may not hold his peace. This wrestling of thoughts Epiphanius ex­presseth, when hee writes against the Gnosticks. He is pained in speaking, and pained in not speaking; if hee speake he feares to dis­couer [Page 88] the face of a Basiliske, which may rather bring death then amendment. If hee speakes not he feares the Curse, Cursed is hee that knowes a murther and doth not reueale it. And it may bee (sayes he) some So filthy that it makes the words that r [...]proue it almost lothsome. seeing the vglinesse of this Monster will not onely a­uoyd him, but goe about to destroy him. O the drun­kennesse of Lust, which like the drunkennesse of Lot, takes away all sight of the vgliest filthinesse euen in acting it, when yet to a so­ber minde the abominati­on of it is painefull euen in speaking it. O the wild­nesse of Lust, which like a fed Horse, breakes ouer [Page 89] hedge and ditch, and will not bee bounded but with Diseases, Death and Hell; God hath giuen a bound and that bound is a Reme­die So wilde that it de­ [...]piseth Gods laws and reme­dies. for this ranging Furie. It is better to marry then to burne, saith Paul. But some loue single filthinesse, rather then honourable marriage, some flie from Paradise and runne into Sodom, some leauing Gods Remedies seeke Remedies of the Deuill, whose office is not to quench fire but to kindle it, euen the fire of Lust heere, and the fire of Hell hereafter. Therefore art thou inexcusable O man whosoeuer thou art, That preferrest thine owne [Page 90] Diseases before Gods Re­medies, That wilt not suf­fer the Creator to giue Lawes to his owne Creati­on; but transgressing the Law which by Nature he hath set vpon his Creature, thou makest vnnaturall Lawes to crosse thy Crea­tor. A most abominable absurditie, that God should be the Creator of vs, & not the disposer of vs, that his owne order should not be obserued in his owne Cre­atures, and that blind Lust should change the Law which infinite wisedome hath giuen. Surely the Wisedome that was wisest to make vs, was no doubt wisest to order vs, this wis­dome [Page 91] gaue the woman to A compa­nion and punish­ment of spirituall filthinesse. Bern. Sup. Cant. Serm. 66. and Ser. de co [...] ­uersione ad [...]ler. cap. 29. Numb. 25. 1. 2. Rom. 1. 23. 24. the man, all other gifts are presents of Lust and gifts of the Diuell, the first per­uerter of Nature, and a de­stroyer of the Creation as soone as it was borne. These sinnes of filthinesse were wont to bee the fruits of Romish Chastitie, and I wish that Romish Loue haue not brought with it Romish Lust, for wee see that spirituall and corpo­rall filthinesse are oft tyed together; Israell whoring with Moab fell to Moabs Idols, and the Gentiles tur­ning Gods glory to Idols fell to abominable filthi­nesse. But let vs remember that carnall filthiness is a [Page 92] sinne that hath cast out the Blasted with hea­uie Iudge­ments. Ier. 5. 9, 10. Amorites, and burnt the Sod [...]mites, and brought vengeance on the Israelies, and how may wee escape the punishment of this sin, when so many for this sinne haue beene punished? The same God and the same sinne▪ and why not the same wrath? Who hath giuen vs a Patent of priuiledge from Gods generall Law, but he onely who is a Lyar from the beginning, and told our first Parents, they should not die at all, when his whole dri [...] was to make them to die euen by a be­liefe of not-dying. So doth hee deale with vs still, hee shewes vs the fairenesse of [Page 93] sinne, but hides the miserie that attends it, hee affirmes the pleasure and denies the torment, hee sheweth vs the Bayte and hideth the Hooke. But let euery soule A Reme­dy for this and all o­ther plea­surable tentations that would not bee caught by this Fisher of soules, deale quite contrarie to the Deuill. As hee hideth the punishment and sheweth the pleasure, so let the soule that would be safe, fixe her eye on the punishment, and turne her eye from the plea­sure. A miserable exchange, an eternall punishment for a short pleasure; yea, a wretched Method, that short pleasure should bee first, and eternall punish­ment after. For what a­uayles [Page 94] thee that thou hast had pleasure, when now thou art in payne, thy plea­sure is not, and thy payne is, and shall bee for euer. Therefore fight against all vnnaturall fire of Lust in this world, where men may fight and ouercome; for to fight against the Fire to come there is no hope but it will ouercome thee for euer. Binde thy selfe to the order wherein the great Creator hath ranged his Creatures, and be not found out of thy ranke; for, if thou wilt not be righted by his Law of Nature, thou shalt be ordered by his Law of Iustice; for Payne shall set in order what wicked [Page 95] Pleasure hath confounded. Bee chastly single; but if thy singlenesse doe endan­ger thy chastitie, bee chaste by being double; take no other remedie but what God hath allowed thee. All strange fires, and strange re­medies beginne and end in Hell; Learne not of the Deuill the abuse of Crea­tures whereof he is not the Maker but the Destroyer; and if thou wilt needs haue him to bee thy Schoole­master, bee thou assured that he which teacheth thee, shall also cruelly scourge and torment thee. And The De­uill whips his best Schollers most. here is the Mysterie of that Infernall Schoole of Ini­quitie, they which learne [Page 96] most there shall bee most tormented.

A sixth Sinne. SECT. VII. Declination to profane­nesse.

THere is yet another Sin that calleth for Iudge­ments, and it is a declina­tion from Religion to pro­fanenesse. The ordinarie meanes which Christ hath left to maintayne the life of Religion is the Word and sacraments by the dispensa­tion of his Ministers. Now this Word and Sacraments, and the Ministers that dis­pense them, for the due per­formance [Page 97] of this work must haue a fit maintenance, a fit time, and a fit place. If By want of main­tenance to the Mi nisterie. any of these be wholy wan­ting Religion falls to the ground, and as much as they are impaired, so much Religion is diminished. For the maintenance of the Mi­nistrie, Tithes are allowed; for the place, the Church; and for the time, the Lords day. Therefore, the abate­ment of tithes, the ruinous­nesse or the neglect of the House of God, and the profaning of the Lords day must needs be corrosiues to Religion. Yet the first hath long since beene done by Popish superstition, neither hath it yet beene healed by [Page 98] a due Reformation. I haue spoken elsewhere, and now Medit. 79. 3. part. heartily pray, That in such places where teaching wants for want of mainte­nance, that there might bee a supplie of it, by a supplie of maintenance, which it seemes to mee doth not ex­ceed the wit of man to de­uise. And till that time that it would please Authoritie either to allow them some helpe from the adioyning Ministers, or permit them to buy bread for them­selues, or by some other meanes prouide for that want; since howsoeuer ful­nesse of bread be suspected of nicenesse and wanton­nesse, yet it is pitie that [Page 99] want of bread should there­fore lacke that compassion which belongs to it. As By the neglect of repairing Gods House, or repayring to it. for the place allotted to the Ministerie, it hath of late receiued decent Reforma­tion, but I wish the houses be not emptier as they grow fairer. For Mans corrupt Nature is apt to make ill vse of Libertie and Impu­nitie, and as there is a Re­cusancy of a deceiued Con­science, so there is a Recu­sancy of a No-Conscience; and I wish the latter Recu­sants make no ill vse of any Libertie giuen to the for­mer, neither that they grow bold vpon any Impunitie not intended to them. Last­ly, for the Time, which is [Page 100] the Lords day, to lay aside By workes or playes of distra­ction and incongrui­tie on the Lords day. all Iewish superstition, it is most assured, That as the Church cannot ordinarily consist without the Word, nor the Word without a Place; so neither can the Word in his place be profi­tably communicated with­out an appointed Time. If Dange­rous to the very Life of the Church. so; then the Time appoin­ted for the Ministerie of the Word is a mayne preserua­tiue of the Church; and on the contrarie, the peruer­ting of that Time is a very corrosiue and consumption to the Church: Then how wary should men be of en­croching vpon that time by any vnfit or derogatorie action, since the ouerthrow [Page 101] thereof hath such a fearefull effect as the ouerthrow of the Church? It is fit that men should keepe off from the borders of such a capi­tall Sinne, as they would keepe themselues a good wayes off from the brinke of a bottomlesse pit. And a good and tender Consci­ence should cast with him­selfe, how he may bee sure with discretion to goe farre enough from it, rather then how hee may safely come nee [...]e it. Againe, it being The day of Gods Ser­uice to be reu [...]ndly vsed as the place of his seruice. confessed that the worship of God hath as much need of a determinate time as a determinate place, and that one worke euen the publike seruice of God hal­lowes [Page 102] both the Time and the Place, why should wee not thinke it a profanenesse in turning the time as the place from the worke ap­pointed to it. To turne the place of Gods seruice into a place of sporting, euen when Gods seruice is not there, is in most mens eyes a profane incongruitie and indecencie. And why is it not a like profanenesse to turne the day appointed to Gods seruice into a day of sporting, euen then when the seruice of God is not doing? Surely, to doe the dayes worke in the day seemes to bee most proper and reasonable. If so; then works, or if you will, playes [Page 103] of distraction that make the proper workes of the day lesse profitable and more forgotten, how can they be iustified? Yet men are not bound wholly and onely to the chiefe works of the day, which are Prayer and Tea­ching, but any action is lawfull that furthers them and is agreeable to them, as workes of mercy and cha­ritie, profitable and com­fortable conference, and a­ny such refreshing as with­out scandale makes vs more cheerefull and able in the duties of the day. So that a Christian is not bound from any [...]it Libertie, but [...]om that licentiousnesse [...]ch vnnecessarily tur­neth [Page 104] the day from and a­gainst his proper workes, which as much as it is, so much it decayes Religion, and admits profanenesse. Yet herein men haue beene most audaciously violent; and especially such Gentle­men who hauing played the six dayes haue least need to play the seuenth, yet are in greatest paine if they may not make it out a whole weeke. For, three houres labour of sitting (if not sleeping) in the Church, is so full of wearinesse, though a Dinner come in the mid­dle, that a whole sixe dayes recreation cannot expiate it, without an euening sacri­fice to the Boules or Cards [Page 105] on the seuenth. And these men yet would fayne be ex­cused, Profane­nesse seeks out means of defen­ding, not of amen­ding. and to that end are glad to lay hold on any [...]hew of protection; But thereby they plainly shew their partiall Loue to a car­nall libertie, since it is com­mon to heare from them a­ny pretence for their pa­stimes on Gods day, but I could neuer heare three men to speake of his Maiesties Giuen at The [...]lds. Proclamation forbidding pastimes on that day. And therein this is remarkable, that it agrees almost in words with the Decrees of ancient Emperours, cited Chemni [...] ▪ exa. part▪ 4. ca [...]. De Fe­s [...]is. by Chemnioius, to this ef­fect. The holidayes dedi­cated to the highest Maie­stie [Page 106] wee will not haue to be bestowed in our pleasures, nor profaned by the vexa­tion of exactions. Therfore wee decree that the Lords day shal be kept with honor & reuerence, &c. and a little after; Neither doe we giue such libertie to the leasure of this day, that we should suffer any to employ him­selfe in obscoene pleasures. Let the Stage that day chal­lenge nothing to it selfe, nor the conce [...]tations of the Circus, nor the lamentable spectacles of beasts; yea, if the solemnitie of our owne birth light on that day, let it be deferred: The words of the Proclamation doe thus paralell them; For that [Page 107] wee are informed, that there hath beene heretofore great neglect in this Kingdome of keeping the Sabbath day: for better obseruing of the same, and auoyding of all impious profanation of it, wee doe straightly charge and command, that no Beare-bayting, Bul-bay­ting, Enterludes, common Playes, or other like disor­dered or vnlawfull Exerci­ses or Pastimes be frequen­ted, kept, or vsed, at any time heereafter vpon any Sabbath day.

A seuenth Sinne. SECT. VIII. Back-sliding to Idola­trie.

I Might here adde as grie­uous a Sinne; a back­sliding to Idolatrie, but that the falling of some is ouer­come by the strong con­stancy of many. It is com­fortable to heare, that the blasts of Superstition haue beene to so many like the winde to a Traueller, that makes him to binde his loose garment the faster. Somewhat t [...] com­pensed by the con­stancy of many. This is to follow the very patterne of the Apostles, of whom it is said, that the vn­beleeuing [Page 109] Iewes stirring vp the Gentiles, and making their minds ill affected to the Brethren, Therefore Acts 14. they abode long time spea­king in the Lord. Where the truth is much opposed, there it ought most strongly to be maintayned. And I Gods end in permit­ting oppo­sition. thinke it to be the very end of God in permitting oppo­sition; that the truth which before was held too remis­ly, and perchance too in­discreetly, might bee held with a more inflamed loue, a greater constancy, and The best meanes of preseruing the puritie of Religi­on. sounder Iudgement. And surely there is no better meanes of keeping the Truth, then a heartie loue and strong affection. It is [Page 110] the doctrine of Christ to the Churches of Asia, and in them to the Churches of Europe, yea, to all that haue eares to heare, That the holding of the first and dea­rest loue is the meanes of keeping the Candlesticke, and the losse of that Loue the cause of remoouing it. Let vs therefore encrease in our loue to the Trueth, as much as we would encrease the keeping of the Truth; And let vs assuredly beleeue that God may well be care­lesse of giuing that to vs, which wee our selues are carelesse to keepe being gi­uen. But to them that with­draw themselues basely or wilfully from Trueth to [Page 111] Superstition, I need not say, Heb. 10. 38. for the Lord hath said it, his Soule hath no pleasure in them. But this I say, and de­sire that all me [...] may know it; That such Back-sliders, Three mayne follies and miseries at attending Back-sli­ders. besides the Egyptian darknes of Ignorance, & a multitude of errors fal by reuol [...]ing in­to three most grosse absurdi­ties of miserable cōsequence.

A first wretched ab­surditie. SECT. IX. Apostasie from the spirituall worship of God vnto Idolatrie.

A First is that mayn and capitall point of Apo­stasie, [Page 112] The turning vnto dumbe Idolls from the li­uing God. For if Paul make 1. Cor. 12. 2. 1▪ Thess. 2. that the Character of a Conuert, euen the turning from dumbe Idolls to the liuing God, then it is a no­table Character of an Apo­stata to turne from the li­uing God vnto dumbe I­dolls. For in the same path wherein the Conuert walks from Idolls vnto God, in the same doth the Aposta­ta goe backe from God vn­to Idolls. And whereas there hath beene a sleight excuse for so grosse a fault, That an Idoll is the Image of nothing in the world; surely, this answere is no­thing in the world. For the [Page 113] Image of those things that are, may be Idols, if diuine worship bee giuen vnto them, as Aquinas teach­eth, Th. Aqu. 2, 2 [...]. quaest. 94 art. 1. & art. 4. Bellar. de verb. Dei. l. 1. cap. 13. compared with de Ec­cles. Trium. lib. 2. cap. 5. Act 7. and Bellarminc himselfe prooueth against himselfe. Yea, which is more, euen the things themselues may be turned into Idols, for so the Starres of Heauen were turned into Idols by the Israelites, and the Licaonians would haue made Idols of the Apostles themselues. The meaning therefore of the Apostle is manifestly this, That an Idoll is not at all that thing for which it is worshipped; or in regard of that Godhead which by worship is attributed to it, it is nothing in the world. [Page 114] This interpretation doth Idolatrie practised most hear­tily by the Papists. Aquinas himselfe giue, and reason it selfe doth shew it. For though as it is a piece of Metall, or a Starre, or Man, it hath a being, yet as it is an Idoll, and by wor­ship made a God, the I­doll of it is nothing in the world. It is a meere lye, as the Prophet sayes, euen an affirmation of that which is not, For it tels the People it is a God when it is not. And for this reason doe we detest this wickednesse of the Romanists, because by curious shapes, rich orna­ments, forged miracles, and dangerous Doctrines, they And taught by their Doctors. draw the people to giue di­uine worship to that which [Page 115] is nothing. And lest wee should doubt much whe­ther diuine worship bee by their Doctrine ascribed to Images, wee shall find that in plaine termes they haue confessed it. Indeede the Councell of Trent hath How the Councell of Trent is a generall Councell. herein dealt most cunning­ly, yet withall most cōtrari­ly to the intent of a Coun cell; since herein it onely deserues to be called a ge­nerall Councell, because it couers many Questions with generall Termes; and so in this Question it sayes, wee must worship Images debit a veneratione, with due worship. Surely, a Coun­cell should haue resolued doubts, and not haue con­tinued [Page 116] them, but hereby it appeares that they would not, or could not resolue, either of which is faultie. But if their Councells will not tell vs their Doctrine, we must aske next of their Doctors, and some of them plainly shew vs that Do­ctrine of Idolatrie. Aquinas though he saith that Idola­trie is the giuing of diuine worship to a Creature, yet Aqu. part. 3. quaest. 25. art. 2. 3. he excepteth the Image of Christ, and sayes, diuine worship belongs to that. His reason is most weake for so mightie a Doctor, but we must remember his iudgement was preiudiced by Custome and Educati­on. Because of Christs Dei­tie, [Page 117] saith he, Christ must be worshipped, & the Image for representing Christ. But what doth Christs Deitie to the deifying of a piece of wood? Not by Represen­tation, for the Godhead, as Paul saith, is not like siluer Act. 17. 29. or stone. Neither by Vni­on or Communication, for the Deitie hath by no meanes giuen it selfe so much vnto stone that it should be worshipped. Yea, the Deitie hath sworne cleane contrarie, that it Esa. 42. 8. will not giue his glorie to grauen Images. Another Gregor de Valent. A­pol. de Idol. citat. à Rai­nol. & con­fut. pre [...]ect. 249. Doctor, Gregorie de Valen­tia, amending the nicenesse of some, in this point plain­ly confesseth, that he giues [Page 118] diuine worship to the I­mage of Christ. And Azo­rius Azor. Iust. Mor. lib. 9. cap. 3. saith, that the Image of that which is worshipped with diuine worship, may with diuine worship also be worshipped. But Christ may so be worshipped, and therefore his Image. And Bellarmine himselfe cites many great Doctors of the Church of Rome, in these latter times, that maintaine Idolatrie. Alexander, Th. Aquinas, Cardinall Caje­tan, De [...]ccles. Triumph. lib. 2. cap. 20 Bona [...]enture, Marsilius, Almayne, Carthusianus, Ca­preolus, and others. These hold that the Image of Christ is to be worshipped with Latria. And Latria, by Bellarmines owne testi­monie, Ibid. c. 24. [Page 119] is a chiefe worship due to the true God, and being giuen to an Image, it is true Idolatrie. And though for his owne part, he would fain in this point, as in others, bee somewhat neater then his fellows, yet shal we find in his Doctrine two mayne props or parts of Idolatrie: the one, where he sayes▪ That the worship giuen to the Image, is de­termined or bounded in the Image. And herein he doth no other, but make the I­mage, a very obiect of wor­ship. And secondly, lest by making it a lower kinde of worship, and an improper Latria, he might flie out at a back-doore, which hee v­sually [Page 120] leaues open for that purpose: hee saith further, That an Image may pro­perly bee worshipped with Latria, if wee ioyne the I­mage Cap. 23. and the Paterne in one Imagination. Then a strong or intense Imagina­tion, may worship Images with diuine worship, which is flat Idolatry. This strong imagination is indeed one of the strong delusions, be­longing to the Chayre of Pestilence, by which men are led to beleeue lyes. A noble subtiltie, and meere trick of a Iuggler, which makes things really diui­ded, seeme to be one; and from a seeming Vnitie, will enforce a reall Vnitie of [Page 121] worship: The Image and the Paterne are asunder in themselues, and together onely in the Imagination, then how can they scape I­dolatrie, that giue diuine worship, to a thing really and truly diuided from the Deitie? Surely, Bellarmines reason, if it be holpen, will onely goe so farre, That men may worship the I­mage which is in their Brayne, and not the Image before their Eyes. For the Image in their Brayne, hath an imaginarie Vnion with the Paterne, but the Image before their eyes hath none at all. But what is this, but to become vaine in imagi­nations, & while men pro­fesse [Page 122] themselues to bee wise in their subtilties, to be­come stark Fooles, as Saint Paul speaks vpon the same Rom. 1. 21, 22. subiect. It must bee a reall Vnion, as that is betweene the Deitie and Humanitie of Christ, that must giue a reall Communitie of wor­ship. I would fayne know of Bellarmine, if hee came into the Popes Wardrobe, and there saw the Robes of the Pope, and imagined them on the Popes body, whether hee would fall downe, and giue the same honour to the Clothes, that he would doe to the Pope himself, if the clothes were worne by him. And yet I may tell him farther, That [Page 123] the clothes being worne by him, there is no reall or personall vnion betweene them, and therefore there is some difference of ho­nor, giuen to the Man, and to the clothes which are no part of the Man.

Now, if these great Do­ctors maintayne sdolatrie, what shall the blinde Mul­titude doe but stumble, at Gal. 5. 20. these stumbling-blocks laid before them by the Lear­ned? The flesh inwardly is prone to Idolatrie, as the Scripture teacheth; the ob­iect without by beautie and conformitie is fit to tempt to Idolatrie; Ducit enim & affectu quodam infirmo, rapit infirma corda mortalium, [Page 124] formae similitudo, & mem­brorum imitata compago. As Ionas Aurelianensis hath out De cul. Im. lib. 1. of Saint Austine. The like­nesse of shape, and a resem­bling ioynture of the mem­bers, drawes the weake hearts of men, to an yeel­ding affection. And to the two temptations inward and outward, is ioyned in the Middle a Doctrine to consummate the worke of Idolatrie, by ioyning a car­nall Heart, to the beloued Image, in a wretched wor­ship. I may notdenie an e­lection of grace, which was found in Israel, when their estate was outwardly so de­sperate, That Elias could not see one true worshipper [Page 125] besides himselfe. But I find both by Doctrine and Pra­ctice, that Church is gene­rally and maynly giuen to Idolatrie. Agobardus, a reuerend Bishop, and neare to eight hundred yeeres Antiquitie, saith, Nullus an­tiquorum [...]ib. de [...]. & Imagini­bus. Catholicorum &c. None of the ancient Ca­tholikes did beleeue that Images were to bee wor­shipped. But now this error by growing is made so ma­nifest, that it is come neere to Idolatrie, or the Heresie of the Anthropomorphites, men worshipping Images, and putting their trust in them. So we see how it was in the time before him; the Fathers generally denyed [Page 126] worship to Images. But N [...] dum e­ [...] error e­merserat qu [...] n [...] de ca▪ bon [...]bus▪ [...]inio (que) vel [...] de fi­guratae of fi­gies Sanctae Imag [...]nes v [...]carentur & adoran­dae praedi­carentur, ibid. Ionas Au­re [...]. [...]ib. 1. de cult. Image. withall we see how it began to be in his time, That Ido­latry came to be taught and practised, as more largely in the same Treatise hee sheweth. Long after this time Claudius Taurnie [...]sis, saith, That when hee came to his Bishoprick in Italie, he found his Churches full of accursed Images, & that men did worship them, nei­ther doth his Aduersarie Io­nas denie it in his answer, but acknowledgeth it to be lamentable, Largissimis fi­delium lachrymis lugendum & plorandum. And now for these last times, wee see before, how Idolatrie hath beene improoued by the [Page 127] writings of many Doctors; wee haue seene with our eyes how it hath beene in­creased by a mightie stock of miracles tyed to many of them; and we see no refor­mation by the Pope, but rather an approbation, by his [...]cribes and Inquisitors. Accordingly, a good Au­thour of ours shewes out of Authours of theirs, That a Mihi vnus tantui [...] vi­detur cu tus imagini de­bitus, idem nempe qui debetur ex­emplari. Rainold. Thes. 5. certayne Canon was con­demned at Si [...]il of heresie, for denying the worship of Latria to the Crosse. But now if any man will see the danger of this sinne, let him take the storie of the Israe­lites and looke steadily vp­on it, and there will arise to his sight a most feare­full [Page 128] apparition of grieuous plagues, successiuely tor­menting them for this sin in their successiue genera­tions. And to this day the remembrance of them is so terrible, that of all other sinnes, the Iewes will by no meanes be brought to Ido­latrie. And in this respect, I thinke, the Church of Rome by her Idolatrie, is a mayne obstacle to their Conuersion; and it seemes by the same reason, the ta­king away of that fountain of Idolatrie, would further much the conuersion of the Iewes. Certayne it is, that the Iewes shal be called, and that their Calling shall bee to a pure and primitiue [Page 129] Truth, for their Calling shall be glorious, euen as a Rom. 11. 15. rising from the dead? Nei­ther shall the Gentiles be­gin their Calling in a pri­mitiue purity, and the Iewes haue their vprising clouded with the Errors and impu­rities of the Gentiles. If it should be so, where is that priuiledge of loue for the Fathers sakes? If then the Iewes shall bee called by a Doctrine of puritie, what must become of the Romish impuritie, the Mother of superstitions and abomina­tions? But in the meane time, let this be our griefe, that a Nation denyeth Christ which hateth Ido­latrie; and a People main­tayneth [Page 130] Idolatrie that pro­fesseth the Name of Christ. To conclude this point, if any would feele the weight of the iealousie of God (and iealousie is the rage both of God and Man) threatned in his Commandement; if any man would fayne haue the Iudgements of God powred on him, which were heretofore on the Iewes, of which themselues are wearie: If any would be partaker of the plagues of Babilon, let them be also partakers of Babilons Idola­trie, Reu. 9. 21. euen the worship of Gold, Siluer, Wood, and Stone.

A second dangerous Ab­surditie. SECT. X. Partaking of a Religion la­den with bloud.

ANother grosse absur­ditie and step into Mi­serie, is the entring into a Religion laden with bloud, euen the bloud of the Pro­phets and Saints, and those which are slaine vpon earth. When a Murthe­rer is conuinced of some cruell blood-shed, who would infect himselfe with his guilt, and take part to himselfe of a Murtherers guilt and punishment? But in this purple Congregati­on, is the bloud of many [Page 132] thousands; yea, the bloud of Reu. 18. 24. many Prophets & Saints, and of all that were slaine vpon earth. A most grie­uous burthen, and pressing down into hell. This moun­taine of bloud will make bloud-guilty men to cry for Mountaines of earth to fall vpon them, & couer them. And as vpon the last Ierusa­lem that slew Christ, the sin of the first Ierusalem that Mat. 23. 34 slew the Prophets; yea, euen before Ierusalem the bloud of Abel the righteous, came altogether in one recko­ning Yea, with the bloud of al▪ Sai [...] slaine vp­on the [...]. of punishment; So by the like proportion vpon the latter Rome by which is shed the bloud of latter Christians, shall come the [Page 133] bloud of the first Christi­ans shed by the first Rome. Yea, I may say that from Abel the Righteous vnto the last Protestant slaine for Religion, all the bloud­shed shall bee required of Rome. For first it is said, That in her shall be found the bloud of the Prophets, and all slaine vpon Earth. And secondly, why should not Rome bee as guiltie of the bloud of Abel as Ieru­salem, and if of Abel, much more of the bloud of nea­rer succeeding Prophets. Neither is it without Rea­son; for the Communication of bloodinesse, is the Communication of blood, the incorporating into a [Page 134] sinfull societie, partakes the Iudgements of that Socie­tie. For as Saint Austen well obserues, There is one Citie of the Diuell which began first in Cain, and en­deth in the last sinner, and they that come to be a part of that Citie shall receiue the Cursed priuiledges of that Citie; they haue a Communitie of plagues by Reu. 18. 4. partaking the fellowship of that Communitie. Nei­ther are men in danger onely of partaking their plagues, by partaking the Communitie of Associati­on, but because by the com­munitie of Association v­sually comes the commu­nitie of Infection. So the [Page 135] associating of a bloudie So­cietie Yea, tain­ting with an Infecti­on of cru­eltie and bloudines. often infects men with a bloudie Conformi­tie. Romish Religion (if it shall bee called Religion) herein is most contrarie to true Religion. For whereas true Religion, turneth cru­eltie into meeknesse, and makes the Lyon to sleepe Esa. 11. 6. with the Lambe, this Reli­gion hath turned Lambes into Lyons, and made men of excellent natures to be­come Sauage and Cruell. There are too many exam­ples to proue this Truth, and wee need not to set sayle for the fetching of them; for euen in this land Sir E. Dig. Knight. Amb. Rook. Esquire. to the foulest Treason vp­on Earth, hath this Religi­on [Page 136] peruerted the fairest dis­positions. And howsoeuer the fact being by Gods mercy defeated, now it is stiled by some the deed of desperate and forlorne per­sons (for such facts Non laudantur nisi peracta) yet these men neither in estate nor disposition were such, but in both eminent; and I pittie much that euer it should come to passe, that sweet dispositions should bee made cruell by any thing called Religion. But as pittifull as it is, yet true it is, That a Popish prose­lite, being transplanted by a Iesuite, doth too often proue a stocke on which Murther and Crueltie is [Page 137] grafted. Let vs therefore feare the Communion of this bloudie Citie, lest wee get a Communion of their bloudinesse, which if we doe, let vs looke for a com­munion of their plagues, let vs expect a part in all the vengeance belonging to innumerable Murthers. Then may wee feare that the bloud of former dayes shed in this Realme, will light vpon vs, when wee partake with the Doctrine that shed it. If the Son see Ezek. 18. 14 his Fathers sinnes, and a­uoyd them, they shall not bee imputed to him. But if a bloudie Father bring a bloudie Sonne, then the bloudinesse of the Father [Page 138] descends on the Sonne. In Iosiahs time after Manasses bloudinesse, the destructi­on of Israell was stayed, and he had a promise of ending his dayes in peace, which he did, for no man fought against him, but he sought warre against himselfe. But when Zedekiah raignes that Ier. 36 26. and 38. 5. Ier. 22. 17. cuts Ieremies Roll, and casts him into Prison, whē Iehoi­akin is full of bloud and vi­olence, 2. Chro. 36. 16. when the Prophets are misused, and there is no Remedie. Then comes the bloud of the Fathers vpon a bloudy posteritie, and Ie­rusalem is carried away in­to Captiuitie. So if wee ioyne hands with a bloudy Doctrine, then let vs looke [Page 139] for a share in the whole rec­koning of bloud which that Doctrine hath shed. Our sinnes are great and grieuous, but yet in this sinne, let vs giue Rome leaue to outcry vs, that the great­nesse of their cry may couer ours, and stop it from hea­ring. And indeed, though our sinnes bee grieuous, yet their sinnes herein haue an eminence, because theirs are sinnes of Antiquitie, and sinnes of Doctrine; Ours, though grieuous, are latter and of fleshly Corruption, not of Doctrine and In­struction. We are naught as wee are men, not as we are Protestants; Their bloudinesse and Idolatrie [Page 140] hath beene theirs, as they are Papists. Let vs take heed then that we bind not sinne vnto sinne, since one sinne will not escape vnpu­nished. Let vs not ioyne the sinnes of Antiquitie to the sinnes of latter Ages, nor the sinnes of Doctrine to the sinnes of naturall Cor­ruption.

A third Dangerous Follie. SECT. XI. To runne from God pre­seruing, vnto God destroying.

A Third dangerous Ab­surditie, is to forsake [Page 141] the Religion wherein God hath giuen vs miraculous deliuerances, and to runne to that Religion which in the same deliuerances of vs, God hath blasted with fa­tall ouerthrowes. This was [...]. Chro. 25. 14. the folly and destruction of Amaziah, that hee would seeke after the Gods of that people, which could not deliuer their owne people out of his hand. What a madnesse is this to flie from strength vnto weaknesse, from safetie into danger, from Gods protection into Gods desertion, to rest on the helpe of that, to which God hath shewed himselfe an Enemie. Surely if all the Nations of the earth would [Page 142] flie from God to Superstiti­on, this Kingdome aboue all other should say with Ioshua, I and my people wil serue the Lord. For our de­liuerances haue beene so e­minent, that they cry a­loud, The hand of God and not of Man. It is be­yond Our be­ing this day, is no other but a fruit of Gods wonderful deliueran­ces. beliefe if it had not bin seene, That halfe of an Iland should stand strong­ly, as it hath done, amid great oppositions, & many Treasons, without any no­table supply or helpe from any other Nation. Yea, it is stranger, that it should be more then able to helpe it selfe, and haue a superero­gation of helpe for others. For the helpe of this King­dome [Page 143] ouerflowed to Henry the Fourth of France, and to the distressed Prouinces of the Low-Countries; yea, it maintained and ended a most consuming Warre in Ireland. And in the middest of publike oppositions, a multitude of priuate Trea­sons issued out of Hell, a­gainst the person of the most glorious Princesse of the world. Yet was she safe in the midst of dangers; yea safe without danger. For though their malice reach­ed at her, yet shee was in no danger, because their chayne was so short, that she was out of their reach. God at once defended her, and limitted them; yea, she [Page 146] [...] and resist that which hee hates; an irreconciliable E­nemie is then most harme­lesse, when hee hath no power of hurting. If at any time he hurt not by not­hurting, he endeuours that he may hurt the more hereafter; An Enemie seemes not to hurt, while he is gathering of men, and mustering of his forces, but euen then when hee hurts not, he is commonly in the way to do [...] the more hurt. Implacable enmitie hath mischiefe still for the end of it, so that the very smiles and benefits of it are dan­gerous, and ayme stedily to this end. A third Conclu­sion, 3. [...]. That there is a mayne [Page 147] difference of goodnesse be­tweene our Religion and that of Rome, and of Gods dispensation to either: The Religion of Rome in the Queenes time, made her own Subiects traytors, and sent forth Assasines a­gainst her, but God wholly defeated them. Our Reli­gion neuer suborned pri­uate Assasines against any King, but GOD gaue vs publikely great successe and oduantage. Wherefore let me heere note, that our Re­ligion agrees better with the ancient Religion of the Sea of Rome, then the Reli­gion of present Rome. For this was the Religion of Gregorie the great. If I [Page 148] would haue to doe with the death of the Lombards, the Nation of the Lombards, this day had beene with­out a King. But because I feare God, I feare to medle with the death of any man.

Neither hath God alone The strāge preserua­tion from the Pow­der trea­son. defended vs in the dayes of that happy Queene, for e­uen in the raigne of our King, wee haue receiued a miraculous deliuerance. It was God that deliuered vs, and he deliuered vs so, that he would be knowne to be our Deliuerer. For when Strange, because done by contrarie meanes. God sends a deliuerie by the hands of our Enimies, the deliuerie that cannot be imputed to our Enimies, must be imputed vnto God. [Page 149] Our Enimies would haue destroyed vs, God would preserue vs, and God resol­uing to preserue vs, per­formes it by our Enimies that would destroy vs. By Traytors he sends notice of the Treason, and so defeats the Treason by the same that should effect it. And he that was wonderfull in sen­ding the words, was won­derfull in giuing the Inter­pretation. And as once the words on the Wall were by God vnvsually written, and by him in Daniel strangely interpreted; so it pleased God that directed the Letter, to giue his Ma­jestie an vnvsuall interpre­tation of it, so that Gods [Page 150] wonderfull Prouidence by that Letter, spake to them to whom the Letter meant not to speake, and spake a meaning in the wordes, in which the Letter had no such meaning. So are there two Senders and two Indi­ [...]ers; God sends the Letter one way, the Traytors an­other; God writes one sense in the words, and the Wri­ter another. A strange deli­uerie, both in respect of the prodigious danger from which we were deliuered; in regard of the meanes of deliuerie; and lastly, in re­gard of the opportunitie of it. For our deliuerie from danger was almost in the time when we should haue [Page 151] beene deliuered into it.

And now let this great I [...] per­swades vs to conti­nue our safetie by the same meanes, which then gaue vs our safetie. example of Gods wonder­full preseruation, make vs strongly resolute in the Truth which he defendeth; and confident in God such a Defender of the Truth. Let vs be ashamed to be a­fraid, since our feare can but betray vs, and make vs weaker, and so more sub­iect to that which we feare. Wee see here was no feare, nor preuentions carnally politick, the Bastard-issues of feares; and yet while we feared not, nor by feare preuented not, we were de­liuered from a destruction most fearfull. Yea, whatso­euer plots, either feare or [Page 152] policie shall hereafter vn­lawfully actuate, let it still be remembred, That a deli­uerie, wherein there was neither feare nor policie giues vs our being. And in that deliuerie it was the Truth to which God gaue our liues as a prey, where­fore it stands vs vpon, to preserue confidently that Truth, by which our liues haue beene preserued. To runne to Popish superstiti­on is to runne to destructi­on. Let vs therefore abide rather with the Israelites then with the Egyptians, with those that were mira­culously deliuered, then with those that strangely perished. I will adde for a [Page 153] Corollarie some sentences of Gregorie the great, which I desire the Reader to giue to them to whom most fitly they belong. Surely, to me it seemes he had in his No­strils a strong sauour of An­tichrist, as if hee were not farre from the place where he wrote.

SECT. XII. Some markes of Antichrist discouered by witnesses, not to be refused by Antichrist.

ANtichristus veniens ip­sas Greg. Mo­ral. lib. 33. cap. 23. etiam summas huius saeculi potestates obtinebit; qui duplicierrore saeuiens co­natu [...] [Page 154] ad se corda hominum, & missis praedicatoribus tra­here, & commotis potestati­bus inclinare.

Antichrist when hee comes, shall bee powerfull with the Princes of this world; and raging with a two-fold wickednesse, en­deauours to bow the hearts of men to him, both by e­missarie Preachers, and by incensed Princes.

Quale illud tempus perse­cutionis [...]d. ibid. apparebit, quando ad peruertendam fidelium pie­tatem alij ver his saeuiunt, alij gladijs? Quis enim etiam in­firmus Leuiathan istius den­tes non despiceret si non [...]os per circuitum potestatum sae­cularium terror muniret?

[Page 155]How great a persecution will that bee, when some shall rage with words, and some with swords, to ouer­throw the godlinesse of the Faithfull? For what man, though he were but weake, would not despise the teeth of this Leuiathan, if the ter­ror of secular powers did not fortifie them.

Bene eundem Antichri­stum Greg. ibid Psalmista descripsit di­cens; Sub lingua eius labor & dolor; sedet in insidijs cum diuitibus in occultis▪ Propter [...]nim peruersa dogmata su [...] lingua eius labor & dolor est. Propter Miraculorum vero specie, sedet in insidijs prop­ter Psal. 10. s [...]cularis autem potesta­tis gloriam, cum diuitibus in [Page 156] occultis. Quia enim simul & miraculorum fraude, & ter­rena potestate vtitur; & in occultis & cum diuitibus se­dere perhibetur.

Wel did the Psalmist de­scribe the same Antichrist, saying: Vnder his tongue is labour and mischiefe; he sitteth in ambush with the rich in secret places. For by peruerse doctrine labour and mischiefe is vnder his tongue. By the shew of mi­racles, he sitteth in ambush. By the glorie of secular Power, he sits with the rich in secret places. And be­cause hee vseth both the deceit of miracles, and worldly power, he is said to sit both in secret pla­ces [Page 157] and with the rich.

Praedicatores Antichristi Greg. Mor. lib. 33. 26. where he shewes that mira­cles must be tryed like mony. quomodo veram numismatis qualitatem tenent, qui in his quae agunt intentionis rectae vim nesciunt quia per haec non coelestem patriam, sed culmen gloriae temporalis ex­quirunt? Quomodo à mone­tae figura non discrepant qui ab omni pietate iustorum iu­stos persequendo discordant? Quomodo in se integritatis pondus ostendunt qui non so­lum humilitatis perfectio­nem, sed ne (que) ipsam primam eius januam contigerunt? Hinc ergo hinc electi cognos­cant quomodo [...]orum signa despiciant, &c.

How can the Preachers of Antichrist haue the qua­litie [Page 158] of currant mony, who in their actions haue not the power of a right inten­tion; since by them they doe not seeke the heauenly Countrey, but the top of temporall glorie. And how doe they not differ from the Image of true coyne, who by persecuting the Righteous, differ from all godlinesse of the righteous? How doe they shew the weight of soundnesse, when they attayne not the perfe­ction of humilitie; yea, they haue not touched her first and vttermost Gate? Hence, hence then let the Elect know, how they may despise their miracles, &c. Moral. lib. 12. cap. 5▪

Sicut incarnata Veritas in [Page 159] praedicatione sua, pauperes, idiotas & simplices elegit, sic è contrario damnatus ille homo, quem in fine mundi Apostata Angelus assumit, ad praedicandam falsitatem suam, astutos ac duplices at­que buius mundi scientiam habentes electurus est.

As the incarnate Truth, in his preaching chose poore, vnlearned, and sim­ple men; so on the contra­rie, that Man of perdition, whom the Apostata-An­gell shall put on in the end of the World, to preach his false-hood, shall choose craftie and double-hearted men, and such as shall bee skilfull in worldly policie.

In fine Mundi Satan ho­minem [Page 160] ingrediens quem sa­cra Scriptura Antichristum appellat, tanta elatione extol­litur, tanta virtute princi­patur, tantis signis & prodi­gijs in sanctitatis ostensione eleuatur, vt argui ab homi­ne eius facta non valeant, quia cum potestate terroris, adiungit etiam signa ostensae sanctitatis.

In the end of the world Satan entring into the Man, whom the holy Scri­pture calleth Antichrist, is lifted vp with so great pride, doth reigne with so great power, is exalted in the shew of holinesse by so great signes and wonders, that his deeds may not be reproued by any man; be­cause [Page 161] with terrifying pow­er, he conioyneth the signes of seeming holinesse.

Tu quid Christo vniuersa­lis Greg. Epist. lib. 4. ep. 38. sanctae Ecclesiae capiti in extremi iudicij es dicturus examine, qui cuncta ei [...]s membra tibimet conaris vni­uersalis appellatione suppo­nere? Quis rogo in hoc tam peruerso vocabulo nisi ille ad imitandum proponitur, qui despectis Angelorum legioni­bus secum socialiter constitu­tis, ad culmen conatus est sin­gulantis erumpere, vt & nulli subesse, & solus omni­bus praeesse videretur.

What wilt thou answere in the triall of the last [...]udgement, vnto Christ the Head of the holy vniuer­sall [Page 162] Church, who wouldest bring all his members into subiection to thee by the Title of Vniuersall? I pray thee, who is herein set be­fore thee to be imitated, but he that despising the Legi­ons of Angels, which were placed in fellowship with him, stroue to ascend into a Top of Singularitie, that hee might appeare to bee vnder none, and to bee a­lone aboue all.

Ego fidenter dico, quia Epist. lib. 6. ep. 30. quisquis se Vniuersalem Sa­cerdotem vocat, vel-vocari desiderat, in elatione sua Antichristum praecurrit, quia superbiendose caeteris praeponit.

I say confidently, that [Page 163] whosoeuer doth call him selfe Vniuersall Bishop, or desires to bee so called, by his pride, he is a fore-runner of Antichrist, because by pride hee lifts himselfe vp a­boue the rest.

Let Saint Hierome before him in time, but below him in Ecclesiasticall dignitie, speake a little after him.

Tantum vt Romanum Im­perium Hier. ad Al­gas. qu. 11. quod nunc vniuersas gentes tenet, de medio fiat, & tunc Antichristus veniet, Fons Iniquitatis.

It remaynes that the Ro­mane Empire which now commandeth all Nations, bee taken out of the way, and then Antichrist shall [Page 164] come; a Fountaine of Wic­kednesse.

And that you may see what is become of the Ro­mane Empire, let Bellarmine though a Cardinall, yet lesse then a Saint, speake af­ter Hierome.

Annon Gothi, Vandali, Bel. de Rom. Pon. lib. 2. cap. 2. Hunni, Longobardi Romanae Vrbis Imperium ferè ad ni­hilum redegerunt?

Haue not the Goths, Van­dals, Hunnes, Lombards, brought the Empire of Rome almost to nothing?

Latini non amplius reg­nant Bel. de Rom. Pont. lib. 3. cap. 10. in toto orbe terrarum, sed Turcae sunt qui verissimè regnant, & apud nos Hispani & Galli, non Latini.

[Page 165]The Latines doe no lon­ger Reigne ouer the whole world, but [...]e Turkes are they which may bee said most truely to reigne; and among vs, the Spaniards and French-men, not the Latines.

Let a Iesuite and no Car­dinall attend a Cardinall and no Iesuite.

Romanus Pontifex vtrius­que Azor. instit. moral. par. 2. lib. 10. cap. 2. Regni, terreni & coele­stis claues accepit.

The Pope of Rome hath receiued the Keyes of both Kingdomes; the Earthly and the Heauenly.

An eighth Sinne. SECT. XIII. Monstrousnesse of Ap­parell, &c.

ANother sinne which presents an vgly sight to the face of Heauen, is Monstrousnesse of Appa­rell. Monstrous it is euen in the ordinarie sense of the word. For, when wee see a thing excessiue in measure or extraordinarie in shape, wee account it a Monster. So the Poet describing a Monster, he doth it princi­pally by these two Epithits, Informe & ingens, Huge and vnshapely. Either of these sticke as fast to our [Page 167] Fashionists, and therefore 1. In vnco [...]th deformity. makes them to bee Mon­sters. And first deformitie cannot bee auoided; [...]or if there be an vnshapely shape in the World, then haue they found i [...], and worne it, while they haue found all shapes and worne them all. Besides, if little bee hand­some, then great is defor­med; if great be handsome, then little is vncomely, and yet by following the Tide of Fashion, men fall both into the great and little de­formitie, for sometime both men and women swell in Ruffes, and Puffes, and Gownes, and Garments; yea, Beards and Curles; and sometime they [...]bbe a­way [Page 170] [...] windowes. An ancient Fa­ther Clem. Alex. [...]aed. lib. 2. cap. 2. Cypr. de dis­cipl. & ha­bitu Virg. Impudi [...]è [...] nemi­ [...]m conspi­ [...]is; sed i [...]sa [...]nsp ceris impudi [...]è [...] tuos tur [...]i obla­t [...]tione non p [...]uis▪ sed [...] oble­ctas alios, ipsa [...]. giues better counsell: Nullo modo pe [...]mittendum est mulieribus vt nudam ali­quam partem corporis offe­rant viris, ne ambo prola­bantur; hi quidem, vt qui ad videndum inuitentur, illae verò quae in se virorum in­tuitum attrahant. It is by no meanes to be permitted vnto women to shew vnto man any naked part of their body, lest both offend: the men in being prouokod to behold their nakednesse, and the women in tem­pting men to behold it.] Surely, a good Woman is a priuate good, reserued from all except preserued for one, and euen her face, [Page 171] which Vse and Nature al­low to be seene, should bee modestly showne. The rest of the body should be like Cant. 4. 12. Christs Spouse, the paterne of Puritie, euen a Garden shut vp, and walled about. As much of it as thou doest publish in so much thou art common; and if single, In the Vir­gin i [...] gi­ueth away part of her virgi­nitie. And in the wi [...]e part of her hus­bands propertie. thou hast in so much lost thy virginall reseruednesse; and if married, thy hus­bands particular interest: the first thou shouldst keep for thine owne sake, and the second for his sake whose onely thou shouldst bee. Leaue off then this naked foolishnesse, which makes onely for thy shame; Neither let Nakednesse bee [Page 172] the Ladies pride which is the Beggars disgrace. Yea, it is more disgracefull in the Ladie then in the Beggar, as a want affected is farre worse then a want necessa­rily indured. And take heed Es [...]. 3. 17. lest God send thee or thine a true nakednesse in stead of a false one, as he did hereto­fore to the women of Israel, which were as fine as most of our fine Ones. In the meane time wee see God hath met our Nakednesse with a sutable Iudgement. For, nothing is more con­trarie to Nakednesse then Cold and Raine, and these heeretofore haue met this vnmodest Nakednesse, euen in the strength of Summer [Page 173] against the nature of the Time. Yea, Pouertie grows on, that may cure a coun­terfeit Nakednesse with a true one. But yet behold Mōstrous­nesse, in peruer­ting of sexes. another speciall Monster of Apparell; and that is, when Apparell goes about to make an alteration of sexes. For such an hideous confu­sion hath Impudence at­tempted; & by a curious in­uention hath wittily found out the chiefest fashion of Lothsomnesse. This Earth that beareth and nourisheth vs, hath beene turned into a Stage, and women [...]aue come forth acting the parts of men. It seemes this Mon­ster Ad Eus [...]och. de custod. Virg. was seene at Rome in Saint Hieroms time, for he [Page 174] [...]aith, Virili habitu, veste mutata, erubescunt esse quod natae sunt, crinem amputant, & impudenter erigunt facies Eun [...]chinas. Wearing Mans apparel, and changing their garments, they are ashamed to bee that which they were borne, they cut off their haire, and impudently look vp with their Eunuchs fa­ces. But let vs withall re­member, that in Hieroms Ad princi­ [...] epi­taph. Mar c [...]l. time Rome also was taken; And as when a strange and vncouth birds doe come in­to the Countrey, the people take it for a signe of some plague that will follow; So may wee iustly thinke that these prodigious ap­paritions, and monstrous [Page 175] shapes, are both the causes and signes of ensuing mise­rie. But see with Solomon Eccles 7. 25 the foolishnesse of mad­nesse. A man by creation is the most excellent creature. A woman by creation is in­feriour to the man. The excellencie wherein Man excelleth the Woman is the knowledge and power of goodnesse; Therefore, if women would be taken for men, they should striue to doe it by a likenesse of wise­dome and goodnesse. But now while they doe it, in [...]olly and vanitie, they goe f [...]rthest from them, when they striue to come neerest them. Surely, it is very farre from the power of a Taylor [Page 176] or a Barber to make a foo­lish woman resemble a wise man. What an endlesse Maze of Vanitie is this, that after the change of all fa­shions, Nature her selfe is growne out of fashion, and violent hands are layd on the Creation? Is it not time that the vniuersall Fire should cancell all creatures, when the chiefe of creatures cancell their owne creation? Surely, it seemeth to mee Vnnatu­rall sinnes hasten the end of Na­ture it self. that these sinnes against na­ture, as the sinnes of Sodom, aboue all other sinnes, that runne not immediatly a­gainst the Deitie, crie aloud for brimstone, and fire, and vtter destruction. For why should they be any longer, [Page 177] who themselues will no lon­ger be that which they are? Why should the Heauen, the Sea, and the Earth keepe their courses steadily, to maintayne a Creature that runnes all out of course? A strange Patience of the Al­mightie, that order should continue the nourishment of disorder, and Nature should goe on to maintayne them that sinne against Na­ture. But let all Vnnatura­lists bee fully assured, that Damnation sleepeth not though presently she strikes not; the blow is the grea­ter, the longer it is com­ming; God shall take part with his Creation, and iusti­fie it against all that violate [Page 178] it; yea, he shall condemne such, and cast them farre be­low beasts and vnsensible Creatures; For these haue generally kept their courses and kinds, but Man, who by his Reason should best haue kept his course, he hath most forsaken it, yea, hee hath made head against it. For the height and perfe­ction The top of sinne to which a­spireth mans am­bitious wicked­nesse. of Vice is now no o­ther but a maine opposition against Nature, and a tur­ning of kinds out of kind, by abominable Pride and Luxurie.

A second kind of mon­strousnesse 2. Kind of Mostrous­nesse; Ex­cesse. hath beene de­scribed to be excessiuenesse of measure, or an vnmeasu­rable greatnesse. This great [Page 179] excesse in Apparell hath beene too apparent; for it was made of purpose to be seene, and yet the more it is seene the more is our sham [...] and vanitie seene. Hospita­litie, Charitie, yea the Patri­monie it selfe hath been cut vp into Cloathes; for an excesse both in costlinesse and varietie hath diminish­ed House-keeping, Almes; yea, somtimes clothes here­by haue taken away the maintenance of Cloathes. Vertues by staruing them­selues haue nourished Vice, and that which should haue liued is dead, that what should haue dyed may liue. Besides, this excesse of Ap parell hath remoued the [Page 180] whole Land out of his place, and lifted it out of the hinges. For by the am­bition of cloathes there is a generall remoue, and the Lower is stept into the place of the Higher, and each goes about to bee like them who are vnlike him. Besides, the whole shape of this Nation is changed, and cloathes are no longer in­terpreters of the wearers, but need themselues an in­terpretation. So that if a man that for sooke this land some fortie yeares since, should now returne againe; in good manners hee could not but say your Lordship to a Gentleman, and your Worship to the Sonne of a [Page 181] Farmer. But (which is ano­ther mischiefe) if by an in­terpreter hee once bee brought to know a man, the next time he meets him hee hath need of a second interpretation, for the old man is lost in some new dis­guised fashion. Such a con­fusion hath this vice bred, That by it both men and their degrees are growne out of knowledge; for vn­knowne they are both to themselues and others. Surely if euer that were true which Hunting don speakes, That the vanitie of mens mindes should expresse it selfe in the strangenesse of Apparell, these are the times wherein as wee haue com­mitted [Page 182] the sin, why should wee not expect our deser­ued punishment. Our An­cestors were wise in seeking Which hath bred a diminu­tion of ne­cessarie duties. remedies for this Vice, and I wish it were seconded; and that it would please Authoritie to enioyne some rules of distinction, and that the ordinary sort of men might be tyed to our owne Cloathes, especially now when our owne Cloathes lacke money to buy them, and men lacke money to buy the Cloathes of other Countries. Why should such buy the stuffes of other Nations, when our owne will very well become them, the Poore shall bee kept in bread by their [Page 183] worke, flockes and Pastures shall at least keepe their va­lue, and the Land shall keepe her money? It is a The true way to re­moue Los­ses, is to remoue Vices. most-proper Cure when in one Act a Vice and a Losse are remoued, for the remo­uing of the Vice is the true way of remouing the Losse. For till God be pleased, by the remouing of Vices, it is in vaine to talke of the re­mouing of Losses. But if no other Remedie bee gi­uen, Pouertie the naturall Remedie of Pride, I thinke, at last will cure it. And that either a particular pouertie which is commonly the fruit of prodigalitie; or a generall while needlesse Commodities abroad fetch [Page 184] away the money that wee need at home. In the meane time this is most certaine, That the wrath of God and the punishments of that Esa. 3, 22, 24. wrath are denounced a­gainst this Monster of Ap­parell. The changeable sutes shall bee taken away, and in stead of a Girdle shal be a Rent, in stead of wel­set hayre shall be baldnesse. Yea, God threatneth this sinne by the Prophet Ze­phanie, saying; In the day Zeph. 1. 8. of the Lords sacrifice I will punish all those that are cloathed with strange Ap­parell. And that wee may know what kinde of day that day of the Lord is, he giues vs the sight of it. [Page 185] That day is a day of wrath, Ver. 12, 13, 15. a day of trouble and di­stresse, a day of darknesse and gloominesse, a day of clouds and thick darknesse. And because these generall vices are vsually accompa­nied with a generall securi­tie (for if men did general­ly feare, they would not ge­nerally sinne.) Euen to such fearlesse men thus setled on their lees, and that say, the Lord will doe neither good nor euill to them, it is said; Euen their goods shall be­come a bootie, and their houses a Desolation.

I must stop my selfe from running on in a boundlesse waste of sinne, for sinne is almost boundlesse and [Page 186] giues mee no stop. And Too ma­ny other sinnes to be found easily in our selues, and by the discouc­ries of o­thers. See diseases of the Time. Mr. Brins­leys third part of true Watch. Mr. Dikes, deceitful­nesse of heart, &c. though this Land bee an I­land, bounded by the Sea, yet euen in this Iland our Sinnes are a continent. For a limit of their extent will hardly be found, I wish we might at length find them bounded with a Sea of pe­nitent teares. In the meane time it sufficeth if I haue said enough, in that which is too much, though I haue not said all; Surely this is enough for my present pur­pose, if I shew▪ sinnes e­nough to deserue our Mise­ries; But I thinke those which I haue shewed are so much enough, that they are enough to bring the Torments of Hell vpon [Page 187] Earth, or to carrie down [...] the dwellers on Earth aliue into Hell. We may rather wonder at the Mercie of GOD in sparing, then at his Iustice in punishing; how it can be that he punisheth no more, rather then that hee punisheth so much: Therefore let vs confesse Dan 9. 11. with Daniel, The curse is come vpon vs because wee haue sinned against GOD. And with Maurice the Niceph. Cal­list. Emperour, when before his face his Children were slaine, Righteous art thou O Lord, and Iust are thy Iudgements.

SECT. XIIII. Against mutinous speaches and sean­dalous li­bels. A Madnes of the Vul­gar, who hauing drawne Miseries on them by sinnes, murmure against their Mise­ries, but not against their sins. A fault of the Vulgar.

BVt before I passe to a farther Consideration, I must needs meet with an ill custome of the Vulgar. When Miseries are vpon them, they haue common­ly mutinous and tumultu­ous thoughts; and from thence issue their censures of gouernment, their out­cry for want of Lawes, or want of keeping them. In this is a fault, and I desire they may know it. For whither their censure bee­true or false, they are in ei­ther to be blamed. If it be false, an apparant falshod is [Page 189] an apparent fault, and ther­fore needs not to bee pro­ued. But if it be true, they are to blame in the vn-due effects that issue from it. For besides that, Mutinie is an ill remedie of Miserie, the greatest Miserie being a bad helpe of the lesser, they are to blame in this, That they looke so farre from them, and aboue them, for the finding and amending of faults, which they should haue done most aptly at home. For if sinnes be the radicall cause of Miseries, then it is also the Cause of the Causes of Miserie. So, if faults in gouernment bee the causes of Miserie, sinne may be thought to be the [Page 190] cause of those Causes. Ac­cordingly Salomon saith, Pro. 28. 2. That for the sinnes of the Land the Princes are ma­ny, that is, because a Land is wicked, it is punished with a confused gouerne­ment. And when God was angrie with Israel, then hee 2. Sam. 23. 1 24 left Dauid to a sinne, that by the occasion of Dauids sinne, the sinnes of Israel might be punished. Here­vpon Gregorie the Great in­ferreth, Moral. lib. 25. cap. 14. That according to the qualities of the Sub­jects, are disposed the acts of the Rulers, so that for the sinne of the Flock, there may be a fault in the life of a good Shepherd. If this be true, let the People a­mend [Page 191] the faults in them­selues, which they seeke to amend beyond themselues, and by quitting their owne euill, escape that euill which dependeth vpon it. If the Ex quorum causa pec­cauit, saith Gregorie. sinnes of Israel be the cause of the sinnes of Dauid, the taking away of the sinnes of Israel, had beene the rea­diest way of preuenting that sinne of Dauid. There­fore, if thou wilt haue any thing amended abroad, a­mend it at home in thy self, for there is thy work which properly belongs to thee. But if thou looke to faults abroad, and leauest faults at home, which may be their causes; surely, wonder not if the faults abroad be not [Page 192] mended, while the faults at home which caused them bee nourished. Leaue then the Gouernours to their Lord and Gouernour, who if they offend can punish them himselfe. Therefore Gregorie saith of Dauid, be Moral. in Iob lib. 25. cap. 14. cause hee of his owne will growing proud, was not without fault, therefore he also receiued the punish­ment of his fault; for the raging wrath that strooke the Bodies of the people, strooke the Heart of the Gouernour. But which is farre more comfortable on all sides, Let the amend­ment of thy heart please the heart of God. For▪ God being pleased, frames the [Page 193] heart of Gouernours, that they shall bee pleasing to God, and from the abun­dance thereof send foorth that which shal be pleasant to the hearts of the people.

sinnes, humiliation for sin, and iustifying of God in his punishments for sinne, hee will then remember his Couenant with their Fa­thers. By Ezekiel he telleth Ezek. 18. 30 vs, Repent and turne your selues from all your Trans­gressions, so iniquitie shall not be your ruine; yea, he giues vs there particular ca­ses of this Doctrine. If the Vers. 14. Sonne see his Fathers sins and considereth, and doth not the like, he shall not die for the iniquitie of his Fa­ther, hee shall surely liue. Yea, the same Man that hath committed iniquities, if he turne from his sinnes which he hath committed, and doe that which is law­full Vers. 21. [Page 205] and right, he shall sure­ly liue he shall not die. Yea, all the transgressions that he hath committed shal not bee so much as mentioned to him. In Ieremie there is Iere. 31. 18. a passionate conference be­tweene GOD and Ephraim, which is a liuely Table and Representation of Gods dispensation vnto Man, formerly expressed in these passed considerations. First, Ephraim acknowledgeth to God that his chastisements were vpon him, Thou hast chastised me, O Lord, and I was chastised. Secondly, that his sinnes were the cause of his chastisements: He confesseth that hee was like a Bullock, vnaccusto­med [Page 206] to the yoke. Thirdly, he shewes the operation of Gods chastisement in him; it stirred him vp to call on God for the grace of Re­pentance, Turne thou mee and I shall be turned: And fourthly, the tendernesse of Gods mercy to Ephraim, being penitent in most af­fectionate wordes; Ephraim my deare Sonne and a plea­sant Child, since I spake to him I doe earnestly still re­member him: Therefore, my Bowels are troubled for him, I will surely haue mercy on him. This one president, if there were no more, doth sufficiently giue a perfect plat-forme of the Cure of our Miseries, ei­ther [Page 207] to the Teacher or the Practiser. The wrath and punishments which sinne hath twisted together, Pe­nitence vntwineth and dis­solueth. Sinne calleth for punishments, Punishments call for conuersion from sinne, and conuersion from sin expelleth punishments. Infinite it were to accumu­late And by the perfor­mance of those pro­mises. Gods Promises of mer­cy to repentance, or exam­ples of such Promises per­formed. Back-sliding Israel vnder the Iudges often fell backe to their sinnes, yet often returning from their sinnes, were deliuered from their miseries. Yea, euen Ahab by the out-side of repentance, which he wore [Page 208] on his body, in his garment of sack-cloth and gesture of going softly, deferred the rooting out of his Fa­milie for the terme of his life. When Manasseth had laden himselfe, and Iudah with the roaring sinnes of bloud and Idolatrie, yet Manasseth by repentance is vnladen himselfe, and to Iudah it is offered by Iere­mie, Ierem. 26. 2, 3. That yet they should hearken and repent, that God might repent of the euill, which for their euill doings he purposed to doe vnto them. Accordingly in Iosiahs time, which was a time of reformation, God spared Iudah, though bur­dened with these sinnes, for [Page 209] one and thirtie yeares. And yet to say the truth, it seems that Iudah all that while was but outwardly refor­med, and inwardly rotten. Such a blessing to a people Ier. 25. 3. 5. 7. Zeph. 1. 1. & 3. 1. 2. is a godly Prince, striuing for a true reformation, though attayning but to a seeming one. Yea, it seemes that God did not punish Iudah, vntill they commit­ted sinnes like to those of 2. Kin. 24. 3. Ier. 22. 15. 16. &c. Manasseth. So doth Tre­mellius interpret that place; yea, Ieremie affirmeth the substance of this interpre­tation. For hee saith it was well with Iosiah, who did Iustice and Iudgement, but the eyes and the heart of Iehoiakin the sonne of Iosiah [Page 210] were not, but for his Coue­tousnesse, for to shed inno­cent bloud, for oppression and for violence. Behold, a true paterne of the sinnes of Manesseth; but that yet wee may bee sure to finde none of them wanting, let vs heare the Scripture plainely affirming, He did euill in the sight of the Lord, according to ALL that his Fathers had done. And what followes im­mediately 2. Kin. 23. 31. thereupon, In his dayes Nabuchadnezzer came vp, and Iehoiakin be­came his seruant, and when he rebelled against him, the Lord sent the Caldees, Syri­ans, Moabites, and Ammo­nites against him; yea, hee [Page 211] sent them against Iudah to destroy it. Thus wee see that Repentance for sinne preserueth a Kingdome, though taynted with crim­son and crying sinnes, but the same Kingdome retur­ning from Repentance vn­to sinnes, and by new sins resembling the old, beareth the burthen in a fearefull destruction both of the new and the old. Neither hath the mercie of God extended it selfe onely to the penitence of the Iewes, and the Children of the Couenant, but euen to Ni­neueh, a Citie of the Hea­then, and strangers to the Common-wealth of Israel. Yea, by fact hee there ap­proueth [Page 212] what by word els­where Gods threat­nings though neuer so affirmatiue yet vpon a condition haue an implyed Negatiue. he publisheth. That the sentence of punishment though outwardly neuer so positiue, and resolutely af­firmatiue, yet inwardly it hath an implyed negatiue, vpon the condition of con­uersion and amendment. The Lord saith by Iermie, Ier. 18. 7. 8. When I shall speake of a Nation, and of a King­dome, to plucke vp and to pull downe, and to destroy it; behold a peremptory sentence of destruction, If that Nation against whom I haue pronounced it turne from their euill, I will re­pent of the euill I thought to doe vnto them; behold a negatiue of that Affirma­tiue [Page 213] vppon a Condition. God in his deed to Nineueh, is as good as his word by Ieremie, and as he is yester­day, to day, and the same for euer, so at the begin­ning of dayes, to day and for euer, Hee speakes the word and it is done, his words are most certainely turned into works. A Na­tion, not the Nation, not the Nation of the Iewes on­ly, but any Nation of the Gentiles, Nineueh, Tyrus and Sidon, yea Brittaine it selfe, hath an assured inte­rest in this promise of God; If wee repent of the euill of our doings, God will cer­tainly repent of the euill of Hierom in Daniel 4. our sufferings. Neque enim [Page 114] Deus hominibus sed vitijs irascitur, quae eum in homi­ne non fuerint, nequaquam punit quod mutatum est. God is not angrie with men but with sins; which sinnes when they are re­moued, he punisheth not a man for the sinne which is not in him.

SECT. II. The summe of the premisses cast vp, ariseth to a per­fect Medicine of our Miseries.

NOw if this foure-fold Consideration of Gods Iudgements hath discoue­red to vs these Truths, that the wrath of God and the [Page 215] punishments of that Wrath are vpon vs, That this Wrath and punishmens are vpon vs for our sinnes. That these Punishments And it is Repen­tance. which are vpon vs for sins, call for Repentance, And that Repentance remoueth the Punishments, What doth offer it selfe here plain­ly as the fruit of this Consi­deration, but an excellent cure of our Miseries. Re­pentance which our Mise­ries call for, is an absolute Remedie to remoue and heale our Miseries. Ita fit Fulgen. Epis. ad Ve­nantiam. vt qui in nobis abutendo sa­nitate, infirmitatem peperi­mus, per infirmitatem sa­nitatis beneficia reparemus. Et qui per lae [...]tiam in tribu­lationis [Page 216] incidimus per tribu­lationem ad laetitiam recur­ramus. By Repentance it will come to passe, that wee who by the abuse of our health haue gotten diseases, may by our diseases againe recouer our health. And wee who by our Mirth are fallen into Sorrowes, may againe by our Sorrowes, re­couer our Mirth.

But as the former truths Whereof the most perfect Receit is prescribed by God himselfe; and hath bin found good vp­on proofe haue beene copied to vs out of the infallible word of Truth, so from thence also let vs take the true paterne of an healing Repentance; There shall wee see that plat▪forme of Repentance, by which God hath beene pleased and miseries remo­ned, [Page 217] and let vs firmely be­leeue that the same prescrip­tion is left for a perpetuall Remedie, and is now as a­ble to cure vs euer; For the Word of God, and the Mercy of God endureth for euer. For one entire place there is scarse a fuller to bee Ioel 2. [...]2. Such a one is in Ioel, vpon which God pro­miseth to take pitie on his people. found then that in Ioel; Turne vnto mee, sayth the Lord, with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning. And Rent your hearts and not your garments, and turne vnto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and mer­cifull, slow to anger, and of great kindnesse, and repen­teth him of the euill. And the manner of the Fast hee [Page 218] describeth, Blow the Trum­pet in Sion, sanctifie a Fast, call a solemne Assemblie; Gather the People: sancti­fie the Congregation: as­semble the Elders: gather the Children, and those that sucke the breasts: let the Bride-groome goe forth out of his Chamber, and the Bride out of her Closet. Let the Priests, the Mini­sters of the Lord weepe be­tweene the Porch and the Altar, and let them say; Spare thy People, O Lord, and giue not thine heritage to reproach; that the Hea­then should rule ouer them, wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God? Then will [Page 219] the Lord be iealous for his Land, and pitie his People. This is the Repentance which God telleth vs is ac­ceptable, Let vs therefore consider it, doe it, and bee confident of acceptation.

SECT. III. Sound Repentance is found to haue in it. First, A confession of sins.

ANd if wee will by the direction of this place, ioyntly with others take a view of the mayne parts of Repentance, wee shall espe­cially discouer these. Wee must confesse our iniquities, confessing wee must loath them, and bewayle them, [Page 220] and loathing and lamen­ting wee must turne to the contrarie Righteous­nesse, and to this wee must ioyne vehement inuoca­tion. Wee may well con­fesse our sinnes in Repen­ting them, for we haue con­fessed them in acting them: Our sinnes with Sodome were not hid in the doing, let them not with Adam be hid in the curing. Yea, those that are more secret, God by punishments hath now publikely proclaymed, As in Absolons open Incest, Da­uids secret Adulterie was punished. Wherefore, if wee had not shame to doe that sinne by which God was offended, and wee are [Page 221] punished; Let vs not take shame to tell what wee haue done by a confession, wher­in God is appeased and wee are eased. Shame properly belongs to sin done, though denied, but shame belongs not to sin vndone, though confessed. And surely, what by corruption hath beene done, by repentance is vn­done. In confessing our sins, we accuse our sinnes rightly as the causes of our punish­ments, and wee glorifie God clearing him and his Iustice in punishing. This Leu 26. 48. is that which God calleth the accepting of his punish­ment, which is one condi­tion of remouing it; for we cannot but approoue and [Page 222] accept that punishment, which wee confesse hath beene iustly deserued. Ac­cordingly Daniel [...]eginnes with confession, and therein giues the shame to Man, and glorie to God. Confession by Solomon is made the first steppe to Gods fauour, an [...] Saint Iohn sayth, If wee ac­knowledge 1. Ioh. 1. 9. our sinnes, God [...]s faithfull and iust to for­giue our sinnes. Let vs therefore open our diseases to our Physician, and let vs not bee ashamed to bee healed. For certainly, ex­cept wee acknowledge our sicknesse, the Physician that came only to heale the sick wil not heale vs, being heal­thie in our owne opinion. [Page 223] Let vs therefore confesse our sicknesse, that wee may be healed, and not couer it with the shew of health, that we may neuer be reco­uered. When wee confesse our sinnes vnto God, wee tell God no more then hee knowes before, for our sins as all things else are naked before his eyes: But by the telling of our sinnes God knowes, that wee know them to bee sinnes, without which knowledge and ac­knowledgement there can be no conuersion, and with­out conuersion there can be no cure. How can any turne from those deeds which they acknowledge not to be sins, and how can that be a­mēded [Page 224] which is not known to be a fault? Then is a Man wakened, and ceasseth to dreame when he telleth his dreames, and when we tell the vaine fantasies of our sinfull actions, it is a signe we are departed from them. Therefore Confession must bee the first step to Conuer­sio [...], and by Conuersion the first step vnto Healing.

SECT. IIII. Secondly, a detestation of sin: and from thence a reuenge on our selues for doing that which we detest.

TO this Confession of sinnes, should bee ioy­ned a Detestation of the [Page 225] sinnes confessed. Wee must detest the sinnes that wee haue done, and our selues for doing them, and out of this detestation must arise an anger, yea, a resolution of reuenge against our selues. That our sinnes may appeare loath some, we need no more but in one view to looke vpon them, and look vpon Gods Law, and the puritie of the one will shew vs plainly the filthinesse of the other. And if we can­not well discerne the vgli­nesse of our sinnes, Let vs view the shapes which the seruants of God haue drawn of them, whereof some mo­dels are giuen in this Trea­tise, and else where Diseases of the time, &c. enlar­ged. [Page 226] Surely, there is no­thing more vgly then a sin­ner. For the face and cha­racter of his Creation is like a face whose parts are ei­ther scratched away, turned vpside downe, or couered with most lothsome corrup­tion. This vgly deformi­tie To detest sinne wee must see it, as God sees it. the Lord seeth plainly, and sheweth it to vs by most forcible comparisons. Hee expresseth the loath­somnesse of Sinners, by the most loathsome estate of a Child in the bloud of his birth. Ezek. 16. Againe, A sinfull Land is compared to the bodie of a Man from the head to the [...]oot turned into one scab or sore; so that sinners are as vgly as a Man Esa. 1. 6. [Page 227] couered ouer all with bli­sters, swellings and corrup­tion. Againe, if the Righ­teousnesse Esa. 64 6. of sinfull man be compared to a cloth of ex­treamest pollution, what comparison can wee fit for his sinfulnesse? Let vs then looke on our selues, with the same eyes that God lookes on vs, and then shall wee see our selues iust as lothsome as God doth see vs. A spirituall eye-sight, That is, Spiritual­ly. quickned by the eye-salue of the Spirit, will make both vs and Laodicea plain­ly Reu. 3. 11. to behold our Blindnes, our Nakednesse, and our Miserie. If a Drunkard with sober eyes could see himselfe drunke, he would [Page 228] appeare to himselfe as a most lothsome and beastly apparition. If a Swearer, with a temperate soule and awfull of his Creator, could heare himselfe swearing, cursing, and tearing his Maker and Sauiour, hee would thinke hee heard a mad man, and one farre madder then hee that cur­seth his Father, and drag­geth his Mother by the hayre of her head. Sure­ly, the greater the Father, the greater the madnesse of the Sonne that disho­nours and dispiseth him. If a Fashionist should with an ordinate and composed­judgment, see himselfe fea­thred, and fluttred, and [Page 229] ragged, and turned into a block, vpon which must be set an hundred shapes, and most of them vgly ones, hee could not but thinke himselfe some great Mans Foole, or an Ape that changeth himselfe into a thousand postures. If the Grinder of the Poore with an vnpartiall eye (and such is the spirituall) could be­hold his grating and eating of the Poore by fretting Oppression, if hee did but see how his heart pants for the day that approacheth, and his bread dimini [...]heth by the day when it is ap­proched, how the childrens faces are both made moyst with teares, and yet dryed [Page 232] [...] God the chiefe and soue­reigne of Spirits seeth, so we in our measure shall see; and by our seeing wee shall see in the sinnes of the flesh a most lothsome corrupti­on. To giue vs but a little Proued by experiēce; since the spectacles of the fl [...]sh being ta­ken off from the Soule by sicknesse, sinne ap­peares truly sin­full. pledge of this Truth, take but a natural Man with the small piece of Gods Image, giuen in the Cration, and left by the Fall, and behold him in the Chamber of Death, when the Flesh be­ing quieted & deadded by weaknesse, giues the Soule leaue in some smal measure to vse her owne Light, and therewith to behold the sinnes done in the body. For then doth sin appeare out of measure sinfull, and [Page 233] it lookes iust in its owne vglinesse. Tunc veras vo­ces emittunt pectore ab imo. Then a man beholdeth the crookednesse of his actions with a right eye, shewes and shadowes being taken away, & Truth remayning. Secum reputat & considerat Iustin. Mar. Orat. ad Graecos, ex Platone. num quempiam aliqua affe­cerit injuria, at (que) ita qui multa [...]e in vita improbè gessisse inuenit, vt è somno perindè at (que) pueri solent i­dentidem euigilat, meticulo­sus (que) est, & cum spe mala vi­u [...]t. Then doth a Man tru­ly weigh and consider the wrongs which hee hath done, then doth hee truly find that hee hath commit­ted many euils, and then [Page 234] doth he spend the remayn­der of his Time in wretch­ed despaire. But let vs pre­uent this fearfull and late sight of our sins, by a time­ly discou [...]rie performed by the Spirit. If this worke be done in our liues, then will our deaths be pleasant and cheerfull; our worke be­ing done before hand in our liues, we shall haue lei­sure in our ends to thinke on the ioyes of Heauen, the terrors of Hell being put a­way by a preuenting exa­mination. It is a wofull thing to haue much worke to doe, when the power of working is almost done. Yea, it is a pitifull Case, when to the terrour of [Page 235] Death, shall be ioyned the terrour of an affrighting Conscience; whereas on the other side, a comforta­ble Conscience is an abso­lute Remedie for the terror of Death. There are late and lamentable sights of sin which hee that had seene before, and cured, he nee­ded not at the houre of death, with horror to haue seene them. Let vs there­fore, in the time of our life, which is called To day, and by the Light of the Spirit which is the Day-starre of our life; behold, the vgli­nesse of our sinnes, and by seeing them put away both them and their terror. Let vs not deferre this serious [Page 236] businesse to the Night of Death, wherein men can­not well worke, and where­in vgly sights doe vsually most affright vs. But let vs in our liues with Iehoshua put off the rags of our fil­thinesse, and with the inui­ted Guests put on the wed­ding Garment, that when the Bridegroome calls, wee may haue no other busi­nesse, but to enter with him to his eternall Ioyes.

SECT. V. Anger and Reuenge, the true issues of Detesta­tion of sinne.

ANaturall and kindly issue of this detestati­on [Page 237] of sinne, is an anger or indignation with our sins, and our selues for sinning. The penitent sinner is at odds with himselfe for his sinnes; yea he, hateth him­selfe, and from this Indig­nation, ariseth a desire of Reuenge vpon himselfe for sinning. A commendable wrath and an excellent re­uenge. He confesseth him­selfe Reuenge two-fold. worthy of all the pu­nishments of God because he hath offended him, and taking Gods part as it were against himselfe, hee pro­nounceth 1. sentence of pu­nishment Outward. against himselfe, and executeth it soundly. His body he appointeth to the punishment of sack­cloath, [Page 238] ashes, watching, la­bour and fasting, or other Asperities; on his heart he puts the sack-cloth of com­punction 2. Inward. and sorrow. And indeed this inward sack­cloath is that which giues worth to the outward, for the hanging downe of the head without the hum­bling of the heart is to God a detestable sacrifice. It can hardly bee, that a heart duly humbled, should not communicate some humbling to the bodie, but if it might be, it were farre better that the heart should bee humbled without the humbling of the body, then that the body should bee humbled without the hum­bling [Page 239] of the heart. But it is fittest that since both haue Both [...]t and vsual­ly necessa­ry. sinned, both should bee humbled; so to auoyd the fault of the superstitious that with a proud and su­pererogating heart, haue a fasting body, and to auoyd the dissolutenesse of the Li­centious that say they are grieued in heart, when the griefe of the heart impar­teth not it selfe to the bo­dy, that had a chiefe part in the sinne. The Law of sinne Paul calleth the law of the members, Why should not then the mem­bers also bee punished wherein is the Nest of the law of sinne? Lust when it defiles the soule by sinne, [Page 240] the sinne of Lust is com­monly vshered with some filthy pleasure. Now when Repentance goes about to cleanse the soule, by a god­ly sorrow it purgeth away the filth which sinfull plea­sure hath left behind it. Yea it is not onely content to sweepe the filth of sinfull lust out of the soule by the besome of sorrow, but by it and exercises sutable to it, it would sweepe it out of the body also, if it were pos­sible, and so make all cleane by sweeping all filth out of doores. Therefore as by sorrow it casteth the dregs of sinfull Lust out of the heart, so by fasting and o­ther mortifying exercises it [Page 241] seekes to driue it out of the body, that both soule and body may be cleane. Nei­ther let the Papists haue a­ny And there­fore no pre-emi­nence in doing it to be allow­ed to Pa­pists, but onely in the pride and indi­scretion of doing it. aduantage on vs in the exercises of humiliation, but onely in doing it more arrogantly, and more indi­screetly. To doe it for Me­rit, or to disable the body, Let these be their priuiled­ges; But in doing it for a penitent humiliation, and with a measure that keepes the body seruiceable to the soule, true Doctrine giues them no precedence. And therefore, though they brag to their Disciples of their Religion as the onely tea­cher of Discipline, and ac­cuse ours as the teacher of [Page 242] Licentiousnesse, they de­ceiue and are deceiued. Li­centious men there are on both sides; and as some of ours puffe themselues vp with Libertie after sinning, so some of theirs glut their flesh before their penance for sinne; witnesse the most mad Licentiousnesse that commonly fore▪runs their Lenten-fasting. Vpon this is grounded an Apo­thegme of an Heathen, that the Christians are mad one time of the yeare, vntill one come and cast Ashes on them, and then they reco­uer their wits againe. But there are among vs holy and deuout men, that pra­ctise and aproue a reuenge [Page 243] on the flesh, and euen in these times desire it; For most true it is that either for the weakning of sinne in vs, or for humbling vs hauing sinned, the punish­ment of the flesh is an ex­cellent Medicine. But of a Voluntary penance, no satis [...]a­ction to Gods Iu­stice. voluntary punishment for satisfaction to Iustice I haue no Intelligence; I haue receiued from a better Pope then euer was since him, to the contrary. Con­fessionem Greg. Mag. Hom. in E­uang. 33. nostram ex puro corde desiderat, & cuncta quae delinquimus relaxat, &c. God desires the con­fession of our sinnes from a pure heart, and then he for­giues all our offences. The Mercie of the Redeemer [Page 244] hath tempered the rigour of the Law, for in the Law it is written, He that offen­deth let him dye the death, or bee ouer-whelmed with stones. But our Maker hath appeared in our flesh, and to the confession of sinnes (Non paenam fed vi­tam promittit) he doth not promise a punishment but life; hee receiues a woman confessing her wounds, and sends her away whole. And againe, Non in fletibus no­stris, non in actibus nostris, In Ez [...]k. [...]. 7. sed in Aduocati nostri alle­gatione confidamus, Let vs not trust in our teares, nor our workes, but in the Me­diation of our Aduocate. Let vs therefore bee hum­bled [Page 245] by outward humiliati­on, thereby to clense our filthinesse, but not trust in it as a satisfaction that me­rits forgiuenesse. This were in humbling not to bee humble, but to be proud vpon our humbling. A­gaine, in humiliation euery one that is weake may haue respect to his weaknesse. Ne dùm hostem oppugn [...]t ciuem perimant, But let men take heed, that herein their fauour of themselues bee caused by the weaknesse of their bodies, and not by the weaknesse of their an­ger against sinne; In good Fasting, strange onely to carnall men. duties let vs be feruent, and only slow vnto euill. What though carnall libertie by [Page 246] Dis-vse hath made some strangenesse of it, while it abhorreth to diminish one morsell of pleasure, for any degree of spirituall; yea, e­ternall consolation? yet the vpright in hart mourne and pine in secret for the sinnes of the time; yea, Da­uid a King, hee humbled his soule with fasting, and Iehosaphat a King fasted; yea, Ahab a wicked King fasted, and by it for a time deferred the wrath of the Lord. And I must needs But profi­table euen to keepe vs from fasting. tell thee that louest the ease of thy flesh, when wrath is vpon vs, it is most for the ease of thy flesh to punish thy flesh. For wee see that a short fast hath procured a [Page 247] long time of plenty and ful­nesse, and so for fasting our eating may bee the longer continued. If I say that the fast of Eightie eight hath left vs aliue this day, to en­ioy that portion of Gods blessings which is now a­lotted vs, I thinke I might doe it by the warrant of great example, and no man can confidently denie it. But vnder the standard of the Scriptures I may march valiantly, because vnresistably. In the storie of Iehosaphat, first is the fast, and then the deliue­rance; In the prophesie of Ionah, first is the fast of Ni­neueh, and then the deliue­rance, and without these [Page 248] deliuerances both the sto­macke and the meat had beene lost. In the prophe­sie I [...]el. 2. 15, 18, 19. of Ioel, first a Fast is pre­scribed, then a Blessing is promised. Yea, in this very point of plentie is the bles­sing promised, He will send them Corne, and wine, and Oile, and they shall bee sa­tisfied therewith. A short emptinesse, shall bring a long fulnesse; and there­fore fast that yee may bee full, for in this point also, Blessed are they that hun­ger, for they shall be filled. True it is, that turning must bee ioyned with fa­sting, but fasting also by Gods owne prescription is fit to bee ioyned with tur­ning. Ioel. 2. 12. [Page 249] And why should we not willingly fast, since wee see it so inseperablie atten­ded with deliuerances and plentie? Wee may be con­fident in Mercie, since it may not be thought that what hath neuer fayled o­thers, should now begin to fayle vs. Wee haue read that the wrath of God in­dureth but a moment, but we read that his Mercie in­dureth for euer. Surely, God is not changeable in his Mercie, wherefore let vs bee the same with others in our humiliation, and let vs be assured that God will be the same for euer in his Mercie.

SECT. VI. A clearing of the doctrine of Humiliation.

BVt here by the way, I desire to preuent Er­ror, and to put Truth in the stead of it, in this Doctrine of Humiliation. To this end I would shew how God comes to bee pleased with Man, by these exer­cises of reuenge vpon sinne in our bodies. So that the 1. For the licentious; that by knowing the bene­fits of it, they doe not vnder­v [...]e it. licentious Man should not thinke them vnprofitable in true Penitence, nor the Iusticiarie beleeue them to bee satisfactions vnto Iu­stice. True it is, that with this exercise of humiliation [Page 251] God is pleased, and his wrath for sinne appeased, but not as it payes the price of sinne, but as it is the abo­lition 2. For the [...]-sa­uing Pa­pists, that by know­ing the proper worke of it, they do not ap­point it to doe that for which Christs bloud was appointed. and expulsion of sin. God is satisfied with the Man humbled for sinne, but not with that humilia­tion as a satisfaction to his Iustice, but as a condition accepted by this mercy and goodnesse. It is the bloud of Christ onely that payes Gods iustice, the iust price of punishment for our sins, but the punishment of our selues is a part of our peni­tence, and penitence fitteth vs for the receit of the me­rits and satisfaction of Christ Iesus. For Christ that payed an equall price [Page 252] for our sinnes by his death, doth not impart this satis­faction of his Death, but to those that by his Spirit are made conformable to his Death. As Christ dyed for sinne, so Christians must die to sinne, and therefore by one Spirit Christ giues vs both the Death for sin, and the Death of sinne; Now in this humiliation and selfe-judging for sinne, we giue his Spirit leaue and power to ransack our harts and to kill the sinne that of­fended God; yea, by the same wee expresse and testi­fie our hatred of that sinne, and our cōuersion to God. And we being thus confor­med to the death of Christ, [Page 253] the death of Christ doth giue it selfe to vs, or rather vnto God for vs. For his iustifying Death is impar­ted by a mortifying and sanctifying Spirit, our pe­nitent Conuersion is the condition of Gods Abso­lution, and then the Death of Christ is the ransome of our sinnes, when the Spirit of Christ in penitence pur­geth the sinne that defileth vs. For as elsewhere I haue Art of H [...]pp. lib. 3 cap. 7. shewed, in sinnes there is guilt and a blot; The soule is thereby guiltie, & there­by filthy. Now, God hath so ordered it, that the ta­king away of the filth should goe with the taking away of the guilt, and [Page 254] therefore Christs iustifying bloud is giuen vs by the sanctifying Spirit, & with the taking away of the filth, the taking away of the guilt is conioyned. The Parable of Christ, with some like­nesse, and some difference, may make it more cleare to lower capacities. The Fa­ther hath two Sonnes, and the yonger cals for his por­tion and spends it; yea, hee makes a debt beyond it, and sets it on his Fathers Ac­count. Afterward, he is sor­ry for his prodigalitie, he returns to his fathers house, and there desires his elder brother to mediate for him. The Brother intreates the Father, he offers payment [Page 255] of the debt, only he intreats mercy and pardon for his Brother. The Father lookes aswell for amendment, as for satisfaction, and wil not accept this elder Sonnes sa­tisfaction, vntill he be assu­red of his younger Sonnes penitence and conuersion. To testifie this, it appeares to the father that he hateth his former life, because he hateth himselfe for it, and out of that hatred hee pu­nisheth himselfe with fa­sting, lying on the ground, and humbling himselfe to an equalitie with seruants. Vpon this penitent humi­liation, his brothers satisfa­ction is accepted. It is the elder brother that satisfies, [Page 256] but the penitence of the yonger makes him capable of that satisfaction. So af­ter our sins, Christs bloud is still the propitiation of our sinnes, but by serious penitence (the fruit of his mortifying Spirit, & wher­of these exercises of humi­liation are fruits) that pro­pitiation is made ours, and is receiued for vs. This is no new Truth, but hath been anciently known and approued. Poenitens anima Basil. regul. contrac. 10. & 12. damnatam pristinam vitam odio persequi, & ipsam me­moriam execrari debet. De­inde comminationem aeterni judicij ac supplicij pro timo­ris Dei doctrina complecti, & tempus poenitentiae tem­pus [Page 257] esse lachrymarum cognos­cere, certa quod mundatio peccatorum sit per sangui­nem Christi in amplitudine Misericordiae, & multitudi­ne miserationem Dei. The penitent Soule must hate and detest his old sinfull life. Next, he must receiue the threatnings of eternall condemnation and punish­ment, as a Doctrine of the feare of God; and he must be assured that the clensing of his sins is by the bloud of Christ, through the largenesse of Gods mercy, and the multitude of his compassions. And againe, Persuaderi potest anima &c. A Soule may perswade her selfe that her sinnes are for­giuen [Page 258] her, if shee can be­hold in her selfe the affecti­on of him that said, I haue hat [...]d iniquitie. For, hee that sent his onely Sonne for the forgiuenesse of our sinnes, hath done his part that the sinnes of all might bee forgiuen. But because the Psalmist sings both of Mercy and Iudgement, and thereby testifies that God is both mercifull and righteous, it is needfull that the Doctrine of the Pro­phets and Apostles concer­ning Repentance, bee ap­plyed by vs; that so both the Iudgements of Gods Righteousnesse and Mer­cy, may be fully bestowed vpon vs vnto the forgiue­nesse [Page 259] of our sinnes.] [...] of this seemes to bee th [...] sense. That the honour of Gods Righteousnes would be endangered, if he should accept Christs satisfaction for impenitent sinners, but if by penitence we hate our iniquities, then both his Righteousnesse and Mercy agree to forgiue vs. Hierome H [...]er. adu [...]r. Pelag. lib. 2. also most plainly, Quod autem scriptum &c. That place of Scripture, and the bloud of Christ shall clense vs from all sinne, doth be­long both to the confession in Baptisme, and to the Mercy in Penitence. Gre­gorie the Great thus, In Gregor. in Eze. Hom. 7. assiduis fletibus, in quotidia­na nostra poenitentia &c. In [Page 260] our continuall teares, and daily penitence, wee haue a Priest in Heauen that makes intercession for vs. Of whom it is said by Iohn, If any man sinne, wee haue an Aduocate with the Father, euen Iesus Christ the Righ­teous, and hee is the propi­tiation for our sinnes.

SECT. VII. A third part of Repentance, Turning from Sinne vnto the contrarie Righ­teousnesse.

TO the detestation of sinne, and reuenge on our selues for sinning, must inseparably and principally [Page 261] bee ioyned a conuersion from sinne vnto Righteous­nesse. This [...]rning is that which sanctifies our con­fession, our detestation, sor­row and humiliation, with­out which all other actions or passions of Repentance are but dead ceremonies; bodies without soules: for, turning is the very life of them all. Then onely doe the punishments for sinne take their leaue of vs, when wee are thus turned from sinne. For, this turning sets our soules in ioynt againe, which sinne had displaced; yea, hauing set vs in tune within our selues, it tuneth vs also at once to our Ma­ker; And when wee are [Page 262] in Harmonie with our Ma­ker, and in Harmonie with­in our selues, then fol­lowes a sweet Harmonie The only consum­matory meanes to set all in order. and agreement with the Creatures; so wee see the true way how to haue peace with the Creator, our owne selues and the Creatures. If God be with vs, how can any thing be against vs, how can wee be tormented by a­ny thing? Therefore let vs fasten our eyes and hearts on this turning, as the very key that openeth the doore, by which wee passe from Miserie vnto Felicitie. For on this side of that doore is Darknesse, Wrath, and Iudgement, euen sinne, and the punishments of sinne▪ [Page 263] But on the other side is Light, Ioy, the most glori­ous Countenance of a plea­sed Creator; In summe, The most excellent gifts, Holinesse and Happinesse. Esa. 45. 22. Turne vnto mee and be sa­ued, all yee ends of the Earth, sayth the Lord. And Ioel 2. 13. againe by Ioel, Turne to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and mercifull, slow to anger, of great mer­cy, and repenteth him of Ier. 3. 22. the euill. And by Ieremie, Returne yee backe-sliding children, and I will heale your back-sliding; what remaynes but that wee giue the same answere which there is giuen: Behold, we come vnto thee, for thou [Page 264] art the Lord our God. Yea, let vs continue our song vn­to God. Truly in vayne is saluation hoped from the hills, and from the multi­tude of mountaines: truly in the Lord our God is the saluation of Israel. For shame hath deuoured the labour of our Fathers from our youth; their flockes and their herds. And then God will continue his pro­mise of Mercy; If thou wilt returne, Returne vnto mee and if thou wilt put away thine abominations out of my sight, then shalt thou not remoue. Take to you words, saith Hosea, and Hose. 14. 2, 4. turne to the Lord, say vnto him, Take away all iniqui­tie, [Page 265] and receiue vs gracious­ly, so will we giue the calues of our lips. And if we take words vnto vs the Lord will take words vnto him, I will heale their backe-sli­ding, I will loue them free­ly, for mine anger is turned away. Seeing then we haue 2. Cor. 7. 1. such promises, let vs by true turning and repentance, cleanse our selues from all filthinesse of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holinesse in the feare of God. Let vs confesse, and with mour­ning detest, and detesting forsake the sinnes of the Time, and the sinnes of our persons. Nullus id quod pec­catum Hillar. in Psal. 137. esse confessus est dein­ceps debet admittere, quia [Page 266] confessio peccati professio de­sinendi est. When we haue confessed our sinnes, wee are bound to forsake them, because the confession of sinne is a profession of for­saking sinne.

SECT. VIII. This turning from sinne to be done, First, In our selues.

NOw toward the forsa­king of sinne, let vs ob­serue this order; first, to for­sake sinne our selues, and next to draw others to for­sake it. First, let euery man according to the King of Nineuehs proclamation, put [Page 267] away the euill that is in his owne hands. Let vs first be turned our selues, and put away the beames which are in our owne eyes. Let eue­ry man sit in Iudgement on himselfe, and take a suruey of his life, and examine by what sinnes hee hath offen­ded, and from those very sinnes let him turne with full purpose of heart neuer to doe them againe. Let there be a solemne hatred, a [...] dissention; yea, an vtter separation betweene our soules and our sinnes; and let vs cast them out as gar­ments that carrie in them the infection of the plague; yea, of all Gods plagues and punishments. As we would [Page 268] shut out Pouertie, Anguish, death, and Hell it selfe, so let vs shut out our sins; for our sins bring in all these with them inseparably attending them. And when we see, feel or heare of any of those pu­nishments which are now vpon vs, or may heereafter We should shun sins▪ as we doe punish­ments, since Gods Iu­stice tyes h [...]m to­gether. afflict vs, let the punishment presently bring thee into remembrance of thy sinne, and as much as the punish­ment is grieuous, so much let the sinne that caused it be loath some. For punish­ments and sinnes are like counterparts each to other, and in one is expressed the shape of the other. Our sinnes are that part which wee present vnto God, and [Page 269] punishmens are the part which God deliuereth vnto vs; and such a loathsome looke as the punishments expresse vnto vs, such and a more loathsome looke doe our sinnes present vnto God. So in the one we shall reade the other, in our pu­nishments wee shall reade our sinnes. But if wee blot out that counterpart of our sinnes, God will also blot out that counter part of his Iudgements; and vntill then, let vs complaine of our sinnes, and not of our punishments; of our sinnes that wilfully continue them, and not of the Iudgements which are necessarily conti­nued by our sinnes. For [Page 270] surely it were pitie, that sin should prosper and grow greater by impunitie. Let our malice therefore bee conuerted from any thing that punisheth vs, to the sinne, by which it came to punish vs; and let vs be as­sured, that when wee are turned from sinne, the crea­tures shall bee turned from punishing. In our selfe­iudging let vs take greatest notice of our greatest sins, and next of our strongest sinnes, which though lesser in shew, yet comming thic­ker by their vsuall preuay­ling, must haue a great strength of opposition and repentance. Wee must turne greatly from our great sins, [Page 271] and weep bitterly for them, wee must striue mightily with our strong sinnes, and beseech the Lord thrice for them; yea, let vs not leaue prayer and vnutterable groanes, vntill the house of Saul grow weaker, and the house of Dauid grow stron­ger. Let the Drunkard striue to turne from his drunkennesse, and though he find it a little hard in the beginning, yet at length he shall feele it more easie; and that a custome of So­brietie, is farre more com­fortable to bee kept, then a custome of Beastlinesse. The drie soule is the wisest and best soule, & so most fit Clem. Alex. paed. lib. 2. cap. 2. for diuine contemplation, [Page 272] not being dimmed by the smoking vapors of drinke, Custome in good­nesse, will make goodnesse more soundly pleasant, then cu­stome of sinning, doth make sinne plea­sant. which like a grosse cloud do couer it with darknesse.] Let the prophane Blasphe­mer striue a little with his custome of Swearing, and hee shall find that it is as hard for a man to sweare that disuseth it, as it is for him not to sweare that hath long time abused it. Let the Extortioner by turning mercifull, once taste the sweetnesse of Mer­cie, and of that Manna of Charitie, which is the very Honey of Heauen, and hee will say, that the taste of brotherly loue is farre swee­ter then the taste of the heart-bloud of his brother. [Page 273] Let the Sacriligious person striue to turne from his Co­uetousnesse, and see what odds of comfort there is in the soule of him that hath giuen of his owne to the Church, or giuen freely to the Church the things of the Church, & of him that hath starued the Church or a Church-man, and hee will not spare the Heauen of a good conscience, for all the earthly benefits, that haue Hell by their sides. Yea, let euery sinner looke vpon his euery sinne, either in this Treatise named, in others iustly reproued, or in his owne Conscience re­gistred and he shall gayne thereby to himselfe the [Page 274] ioyes of a good Soule, and shall procure to himselfe and vs all, a freedome from the euill of punishments. A power­full good­nes should be placed in the stead of sinne sup­planted. Neither let vs onely search out our sinnes and forsake them, but let vs striue to plant in our selues a solide and powerfull goodnesse. For such a goodnesse is on­ly able to keepe out sinne, when it is thrust out, since we haue to doe with strong temptations, and a strong tempter. Thinne and sha­dowie holinesse, and a shew of goodnesse, betrayes vs to all offers of sinne; and let it be sufficient that hereby wee haue alreadie receiued so many hurts, armed with too sleight an armour for a [Page 275] Christian souldier, euen with a talking and not a walking holinesse. But let vs striue by all meanes to fortifie the spirit in vs, by which wee are fortified a­gainst the spirit which is in the world; and let vs not leaue praying, fasting, rea­ding, meditating, vntill we feele the pulses of the spi­rit beat strongly, whose strength is the great prefer­natiue against sinne, and the mayne stablisher of our feete in the way of peace and holinesse.

SECT. IX. Secondly, Wee should procure others to turne from their sinnes.

NEither must wee moue our selues only to con­fesse, detest, and forsake sinnes; but we must ende­uour to draw others also to the same duties of Repen­tance. There is among vs a Natural communion, a Po­liticke Bound thereunto by a three­fold band. [...] communion, and a Spirituall communion. We are of one flesh and bloud, of one Common-wealth, of one Communion of Saints. And each of these Communions are forcible motiues and reasons, that incite vs to communicate [Page 277] goodnesse each vnto other; The members wee are of one Nation, of one King­dome, of one Church; It were a monstrous thing if the hand should not set a playster on a bruised foot, nor the head studie a reme­die for a sickly bodie. Yea, there is yet another Com­munitie, and that is, a Com­munion Yea, a fourefold. of Misery, and this vsually procures mutuall Pittie, and this pittie, suc­cour and reliefe. As the good Thiefe rescued Christ from the reuyling of the bad one, saying; Wee all are vnder one condemnati­on; So should wee say, Ge­nerall punishments haue inflicted generall smarts, [Page 278] and losses; Let vs there­fore St. Iude 22. 23. striue to saue one ano­ther with compassion, and 1. Hereto­fore be­gun by the Magistrat. 2. Chro. 20. 3. to pull one another out of the fire of Gods Indignati­on. If you aske where this should begin, I will tell you where it hath begun. When a generall Danger threatned Iudah, Iehosaphat the King of Iudah feared, and set himselfe to seeke the Lord, and proclaimed a Fast throughout all Iu­dah. When Iosiah heard but the threatnings of God against sinnes, and knew that those sinnes were com­mitted, to which those threatnings did belong, the King stood in his place, & made a Couenant before [Page 279] the Lord, to walke after the Lord, and to keepe his 2. Chro. 34. Commandements, and his Testimonies, and his Sta­tutes, with all his heart, and all his soule, and caused all that were present to stand to it. When Ionah did but pronounce the sentence of Destruction vpon Nineueh, (wee heare of no Plagues present vppon it, no Ene­mies vndermining it by policies, nor oppugning it Iona. 3. 6. by force) the King of Nine­ueh arose from his Throne, hee layd his Robe from him, and couered him with Sackcloath, and sate in A­shes, and it was proclaimed through Nineueh, by the King and the Nobles; Let [Page 280] neither Man, nor Beast, Herd nor Flocke, taste any thing, let them not feed nor drinke water. But let man and beast bee couered with sack cloath, and cry mighti­ly vnto God; yea, let them turne euery one from his e­uill way, and from the vio­lence that is in their hands. And as sure as they repen­ted, so sure they were pre­serued. Now S. Paul saith, That the things which Rom. 25. 14 were written here to fore, were here to fore written for our instruction. Surely, the greatest power worketh greatest effects, and a Refor­mation is neuer so publike, as when they that haue the most power on the publike [Page 281] set it on worke. The Ma­gistrate by good Lawes, by causing good executi­on of good Lawes, and by good Example is a most Catholike Reformer. The people tooke notice of 2. Sam. [...]. 35, 36. Dauids fasting for the mur­der of Abner, and it plea­sed them, for whatsoeuer the King did that pleased the people. And not onely the higher Magistrates are causes of Reformation, but the Lower in being carefull to suppresse Vice by law­full punishments, and to strengthen Vertue by law­full incouragements. Yea, their examples also may communicate, either much goodnesse, or much infecti­on. [Page 282] Next to the publique 2. The Mi­nister ought to call others to turne from their finnes. Magistrate, the Minister is a most publique-Person. Therefore it concernes him also to tell the People their sins, and to call them from their transgressions. Ezra the high Priest prepared his heart to seeke the Law of the Lord, and to doe it, and to teach in Israel Sta­tutes and Iudgments. Yea, Ezra. 7. 10. he rent his Garment for the sinnes of the People, and called them to the reuer­sing of their sinnes, vntill the fierce wrath of the Lord should bee turned a­way from them. Yea, this and 9, 10. hath beene the mayne of­fice of the Priests, and Pro­phets of God to turne them [Page 283] from their sinnes, and so to For the Minister is a Watch man to descry both Sins and Iudge­ments. turn away the punishments belonging to their sinnes. These are the Watch-men set vpon the Towre of di­uine Speculation, looking a farre off to see both the sinnes of the People, and the punishments of God comming for their sinnes, and to giue notice of both to the People. Thus stan­ding in their watch, if with the seruant of Eliah they see but a little cloud arising, they call to Ahabs, to Sin­ners, to escape betime from the Tempests that will fol­low. In Esay, a Watchman Esa. 21. 11. standeth in the watch-towr and speakes vnto Sinners. The Morning comes and [Page 284] also the Night, if yee will enquire, enquire, returne and come. Ieremie was set Ierem. 7. in a watch-towre, and then the Word of the Lord comes to him, Make your wayes good and your acti­ons right, And thinke not to steale and kil, and sweare falsly, and to worship Idols, and to trust in the Temple of the Lord, for as I de­stroyed Shiloh for the wic­kednesse of Israel, so will I destroy the Temple for the wickednesse of Iudah. Eze­kiel Eze. 3. 2. is set on a watch-towre to receiue the Word from God, and to deliuer it to the People. If God say to the wicked he shall die, the Prophet himselfe shall die, [Page 285] if he doe not tell this mes­sage of Death to the wic­ked: Habbakuk stands in his Hab. 2. watch, to heare what the Lord wil say vnto him, and hauing receiued the Word of the Lord, he proclaimes it to the people. Woe be to him that couets an euill Coueteousnesse, to set his neast on high aboue the reach of Miserie. Woe be vnto him that builds a Ci­tie with bloud, and that e­stablisheth it by Iniquitie. Woe bee vnto him that gi­ueth drinke to his Neigh­bour, adding his Bottle, and making him drunke, that hee may behold his shame Yea, Christ Iesus himselfe the Mediator of the New [Page 286] Testament, and our chiefest King, Priest, and Prophet, to the Scribes and Phari­ses expresseth their sinnes, and denounceth the woes belonging to them. And Ierusalem her selfe with teares he calleth to repen­tance, offering to gather her vnder the wings of an Almightie protection; Our Sauiour would, but Ierusa­lem would not. Saint Peter Acts 3. also, an excellent Scholer of that highest Teacher, tells the Iewes plainly, that they haue denyed the holy One, and desired a Murde­rer, and killed the Prince of Life; and withall he calls them to Repentance and Conuersion, that their sins [Page 287] may bee blotted out when the time of refreshing shall come. Now, whereunto doth all this amount being cast vp into a summe? That it is the office of the Mini­sters to see the sinnes of the People, to see the Iudge­ments of God comming vpon those sinnes, and by Repentance to call the People from their sinnes, and so to saue them from the Iudgements. Therefore The Mini­sters must be Seers and Cry­ers. euen at this Day must the Ministers bee Seers, they must see sinnes, and see iudgments. And they must be Cryers aswell as Seers, for when they see the sins, they must giue Men notice of the punishments that at­tend [Page 288] them, and when they see the plagues, they must giue men notice of the sins that cause them; yea, when they see both, as at this Time, they must giue no­tice of both. Euen now is Esa. 58. 1. Eze. 11. 13. the word Clama sent out to the Ministers, to cry aloud and spare not, euen to lift vp their voyce as a Trum­pet. Wherefore, let them not be silent, nor hold their peace for Sions sake, lest the Prophet die for not spea king, and the People for not hearing: Better it is to cry aloud a cry of peni­tence that brings forth safe­tie and rejoycing; then to cry bitterly hereafter in a cry of torment, when there [Page 289] shall bee none to deliuer. Therefore, let each Pastor of a Flock take heed to the Flock, whereof the Holy Ghost hath made him O­uer-seer, and in his Flock search and discouer the sins that are there most dange­rous, and shew his Flock both the sinnes & the dan­ger. Let him cal vpon them strongly for Repentance, e­uen this three-fold dutie of Repentance: Confession, Detestation, and Conuersi­on, by them striuing to dis­mount the sinnes of the Time, which like so many Canons are planted against vs, being full charged with the Iudgements of God. There is none that spareth [Page 290] his flock more, then he that spares the sinnes of his flock Repen­tance is e­uer safe, Impeni­tence euer dangerous least. You see a strong Ground and impregnable Examples, warranting this Action. And if carnall Se­curitie could truly say (as it is readie to say any thing; yea, to sinne quietly vnto Death, rather then to take the paines of Repentance) that there is no feare of such a wrath, as speculatiue men may forge out of the strength of Imagination, yet this is all the danger of this side, That by perswa­ding Repentance, men are lesse sinfull, more iust, and more safe; whereas on the other side, If our Sins, and Gods Iudgements bee so [Page 291] neere together, as the fore­said Proofes doe inforce, the danger of vnrepentance is no little one, but an vtter ouerthrow, and an abomi­nation of desolation. Let vs therefore striue by the profitable practice of peni­tence, to make our selues assured of safetie, rather then by an vnprofitable Impenitence to hazard an vtter ruine and destruction. Repentance is a thing ne­uer 2. Cor. 7. 10. to be repented of; But Rom. 2. 5. hardnesse of heart, and a heart that cannot repent, heapeth vp wrath against the day of wrath; And then there will bee no place for Heb. 12. 17. repentance; yea, though thou shouldest seeke it with [Page 292] teares. Next to the Mini­ster, 3. The Ma­ster of a Familie, ought to turne sinne out of his Familie. let vs speak to the Mai­ster of a Familie, who is a kinde of publique priuate person. For an House, is a little Church, and a little Commonwealth; and of many such little Churches, and litle Commonwealths, doth the great Church and the great Commonwealth consist. Accordingly in this little Church, the Maister of the Familie hath leaue to Pro. 23. 13. reforme by instruction, and in this Common-wealth Pro. 29. 19. he hath power to reforme by Correction, when In­struction will not serue. A­braham Gen. 18. 19. is loued and com­mended, because hee will command his children, and [Page 293] his houshold after him to keepe the way of the Lord. Iaakob also purgeth and re­formeth Gen. 35. his house, putting out the strange gods that were therein. Ioshua is re­solute, Iosh. 24. 15. though all Israel be contrarie to him, hee and his house will serue the Lord. Dauid promiseth re­formation in his house, as well as in his Kingdom. He that worketh deceit shall not dwell in mine house, he that telleth lyes shall not tarry in my sight. These paternes should the Mai­sters Psal. 101. of the Families pro­pose; which if they were followed, the reformation of all particulars, would be a reformation of the gene­rall. [Page 294] Therefore let euery [...]y refor­ming eue­ry hou [...]e, a whole [...]ingdome would be [...]ormed. man see what swearing and blasphemie, what drunken­nesse and luxurie, what ex­tortion & oppression; yea, what any sinne is in his house, and cast out from it the sinne, leauing the per­son; or the sinne with the person, if the person will not leaue the sinne. The house of the wicked, saith Solomon, shall bee ouer­throwne; Pro. 14. 11. but the Taber­nacle of the Righteous shal flourish. Wilt thou then keep that wickednesse that may be the ouerthrow of thine house, and not make Righteousnesse thy Guest, which will make thy house to flourish? Againe, as wic­kednesse [Page 295] makes one house to decay, so many wicked houses together by propor­tion make a Land to decay; so by not reforming thy house, thou art an vndoer of thy familie, and a Tray­tor to thy Countrey. Last­ly, 4. Each man striue to turne his Friend and his Neighbor. let euery friend to his friend, euery neighbour to his neighbour (yea, though he be but such a neighbour as the Iew was to the Sa­maritane) let him by ad­monition, and instruction call him to reformation. If thou feest thy enemies Oxe goe out of the way, thou must turne him into the way, how much more thine enemies soule, wan­dring in the way that lea­deth [Page 296] to destruction. Yea, for thine owne sake thou shouldest doe it, for by his sinne, the Land and thou in the Land may perhaps be punished; but by refor­ming his sinne, the Land and thou in the Land may bee spared. But if the wic­ked will not be reclaymed from his wickednesse, let the righteous mourne for 5. If the wic­ked fayle, let the righteous turne the more strongly. the wicked, and strengthen each other in Righteous­nesse. Let them mourne for the wicked, that so all sins may be repented, if not by the sinners them selues, yet by the righteous, which la­ment, euen for this that sin­ners doe not lament. Let that which wanteth in the [Page 297] wicked bee made vp by the godly, and let them mourne a double mourning, one for their owne, and another for other mens sinnes. So shall And dou­ble his mourning no sinnes bee left vnrepen­ted, and hereby shall they at the least haue this bene­fit, they shall be Gods mar­ked mourners, and they shal bee like the marked posts of the Israelites in Egypt; Gods Ezck. 9. 4. plagues shall passe ouer them. Let the godly also And strēg­then each other in holinesse. strengthen each other in goodnesse and godlinesse. For the godly are the but­tresses of a Kingdome, and the more ruinous a King­dome is, the stronger should the buttresses bee that sup­port it. Tenne such Pil­lars [Page 298] would haue supported Sodom from falling, and their prayers would haue cried lowder in Gods eares for mercy, then the sinnes of thousands did for ven­geance. And if they can­not saue a multitude of sin­ners, yet themselues shall bee saued from wrath in the Day of wrath. When Mal [...]c. 3. 16. the wicked were slout a­gainst God, they that fea­red the Lord, spake often one to another, the Lord hearkened and heard it, and a Booke of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and thought vpon his name. And they shall bee mine, sayth the Lord, in the Day [Page 299] that I make vp my Iewels, and I will spare them as a man spareth his owne sonne that serueth him.

SECT. X. To Repentance must be ioyned vehement Prayer.

LAstly, to our Repen­tance let vs ioyne vnde­nyable prayer. I call it vn­denyable, because it was neuer knowne that prayer ioyned to Repentance was denyed. Therefore in Ioel, Ioel 2, when God shewes how hee may be ouercome, hauing enioyned Penitence; euen a confession of sinne, and a detestation o [...] sinne ( [...] [Page 300] pressed in fasting and wee­ping) and a conuersion from sinne vnto God; hee also addes; Let the Priests and the Ministers of the Lord betweene the Porch and the Altar say, Spare thy people O Lord, and giue not thine heritage to re­proach, that the Heathen should rule ouer them. Wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God? And see what followes immediatly, Then will the Lord be iealous for his Land, and pitie his Peo­ple. The prayer of a peni­tent heart is a most accepta­ble Sacrifice; yea, it is an ac­ceptable Sacrifice offered vp by an acceptable Sacri­fice. [Page 301] For, first a penitent heart it selfe, as Dauid sayes, Ps. 51. is by excellence the Sacri­fice of God; and next the calues of our lips are an ac­ceptable sacrifice of that sa­crifice. So the penitent heart, which of it selfe is a sacrifice, is to prayer an Al­tar. An excellent Altar from which ascends a sacrifice of sweet sauour into the pre­sence of the Almightie. Therefore Dauid rightly Psal. 34. 15, 16. orders his song, when hee sayth; first, Depart from e­uill and doe good, seeke peace and pursue it, And when hee seconds it thus; The eyes of the Lord are vpon the righteous, and his eares are open to his crie. [Page 302] children of Israel had moc­ked Iudg. 10. 15 with God oft in a false and short repentance, so that God had put them off with a deniall; yet putting away their Idols, and to their repentance ioyning vehement inuocation, they were heard in that which they feared. So true is that Iob 33. of Elihu, The penitent man shall pray vnto God, and he will be fauourable vnto him, and hee shall see his face with ioy. It is sinne only that clogs our prayers, and keeps them from ascen­ding vnto God. The stin­king smoake of our sinnes infects the smoake of our prayers, and makes them vnsauorie in the nostrils of [Page 303] the Almightie. If therefore our sinnes be put away, and a pure heart send vp pure prayers, let it be confident, for there is no doubt of hearing. The Lord hath Esa. 58. 9. said it, whose word is stron­ger then the Couenant of the Sunne and Moone. Then shalt thou call and the Lord shall answer, thou [...] and the Lord shall say; Heere I am. Where­fore let vs depart from euil, and then confidently call vpon the name of the Lord, Let vs be as sure of hearing as we are of Repenting and Praying. Luxt [...] Io [...]annis vo­cen [...] ▪ Hierom in Lament. cap 3. [...]. Ioh. 3. Tunc cor [...]i­duciam in oratione accipit, cum sibi vitae prauit [...] nulla [Page 304] contradicit, & bonorum ope­rum ratio orationi conuenit. According to Saint Iohns Doctrine, 1. Ioh. 3. Then is the hart confident in pray­er when it hath not the checke of a wicked life, but good works doe accompa­ny When we know a way to bee healed, it can be no­thing but our owne sloath, that keepes vs from hea­ling. good prayers.] If it bee thus, Then doe we know a sure way to preuayle with God, and what remaines but that we preuayle? Let vs neuer complaine of God but of our selues, if wee be not saued, for God hath promised deliuerance to the prayer of the penitent; Let vs therfore neuer leaue reponting and praying, for we may be assured that the end will bee preuayling. [Page 305] This is the way, let vs walke in it, yea let vs lie downe in it, and with the woman of Canaan, let de­layes or seeming denyals increase the strength of our Cries, for there is no doubt but Importunitie will pre­uayle; and if our prayers mount vp vncessantly to God, our Sauiour wil come to vs assuredly with health vnder his wings.