THese words which I haue read to speake of, they are the words of our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ: and they are some of his last words, being spoken as ap­peares Mark. 14. 1. about two dayes before his passi­on: and as they are Christs last words, so they are of our last things, those nouis­sima, death and iudgement, heauen and hell, the remem­brance whereof, as Moses teaches vs Deut. 32. 29. will [Page 2] make vs wise: and againe (which makes them more obseruable) they were not openly deliuered to the hea­ring of all, but in priuate, and at the instance of those of his Apostles, to whom, at other times, hee manifested himselfe in secret, for so saies Saint Marke, Mar. 13. 3. Our Sauiour hauing foretold them of the destruction of the Temple, that of all those glorious buildings, there should not be left one stone vpon another, that should not be throwne downe; Peter, and Iames, and Iohn and An­drew asked him priuatly, Tell vs, when shall these things be? And what shall be the signe when all these things shall be fulfil­led? The things they enquired of, as Saint Matthew more fully expresses them, Mat. 24. 3. were two: the one of the destruction of Ierusalem and the Temple: the other of his second comming to iudgement, and the end of the world. These two questions pitch vpon the two peri­ods of time, with which the Scriptures bound them­selues: the one of the old Testament or the Law, which had his full consummatum est, with the destruction of Ie­rusalem: the other of the New Testament, or the Gos­pell, which shall receiue his accomplishment, or period, with the second comming of Christ. Which because they beare some correspondency the one with the other, our Sauiour in this Sermon twists and weaues his an­swers to their two questions both together. And touch­ing the first, of the destruction of Ierusalem, he shewes them the token, by which they were to looke for it, ver. 20. of this Chap. when they should see Ierusalem compassed about with armies, then they were to know that the desolation thereof was at hand: The vnmatch­able misery of it, Mat. 24. 21. it should be with such tri­bulation, as had not beene from the beginning of the world, nor euer after should be: The compasse of time within which it should be fulfilled, v. 32 of this cap. du­ring and suruing that present age and generation then liuing, all which accordingly came to passe within 40 [Page 3] yeares after the speaking of these words.

Touching the second, of his second comming to iudg­ment, he sheweth them the fearefull terrours that shall goe before it; The Sunne shall be darkened, the Moone shall not giue her light, the Starres shall fall, the powers of heauen shall be shaken, and so forth, as followes Mat. 24. 29. The secrecy of the time of it; Of that day and houre knowes no man, no not the Angels in heauen, but my father onely, Mat. 24. 36. The security of the world before it; As in the dayes that were before the floud, they were eating and drink­ing, marrying and giuing in marriage, vntill the day that Noah entred into the Arke, and knew not till the flood came and tooke them all away, so also shall the comming of the Sonne of man be, Mat. 24. 38. Vpon these aduertisements of his comming to iudgement, our Sauiour infers an exhorta­tion to vigilancy and wathfulnesse. Watch therefore, saies Saint Matthew, Mat. 24. 42. for yee know not what houre your Lord doth come. Take heed, watch and pray, saies Saint Marke, Mar. 13. 33. for ye know not when the Muster of the house commeth, at euen or at midnight, at cockcrowing or in the dawning. And here Saint Luke records a further dire­ction, which by the copulatiue in the beginning of the Text, should seeme to haue beene ioyned by our Sauiour to the watch-words of the two other Euangelists; not onely requiring heed and wathfulnesse, but directing them what they should watch or take heed of. And take heed to your selues lest at any time your hearts be ouer­charged with surfetting and drunkennesse, and cares of this life, and so that day come vpon you vnawares. Thus then, the day here mentioned in the Text, is the day of our Sauiours comming to iudgement, and the whole Text is nothing but a caueat for watchfulnesse or preparation against that day.

As is the matter it selfe, so are the words, very ponde­rous and emphaticall, and therefore by your honourable and Christian patience for our due consideration of [Page 4] them, wee must insist vpon no lesse than these seauenThe diui­sion of the Text. points. 1 Our Sauiour not onely requires this prepara­tion to be made, but hee will haue it to be done with heed, warinesse, and circumspection, as being matter of danger in the neglecting it: therefore he sayes, not onely doe it, but take heed that you doe it. Secondly, hee sets forth the obiect of this heed: It must not be a heed of o­thers, nor a heed of other things, but it must be refle­cted vpon themselues, Take heed (saies our Sauiour) to your selues. Thirdly, it must not be delayed, it must not be done by fits, but it must be begun speedily, and con­tinued constantly, for sayes our Sauiour, Take heed lest at any time. Fourthly, though this heed be to be reflected on themselues, yet it is so to be applied to them­selues, as that chiefly it be fixed on the heart: Take heed (sayes our Sauiour) to your hearts. Fiftly, there are di­uers distempers and passions of the heart, that our Sa­uiour here giues warning of, is, grauedo cordis, the heaui­nesse of the heart: for he sayes take heed, [...], ne grauentur corda, lest your hearts bee pressed downe­ward as it were with clogs and weights. Sixtly, there are some speciall things, with which the heart is subiect to be pressed downe: of them our Sauiour heere parti­cularly notes two. 1 surfetting and drunkennesse. 2 cares of this life. Seuenthly and lastly, he sets forth in the end of the Text the mischiefe that will follow vpon the neg­lect of this heed, which is to be taken with that day vnprepared, and so that day will come vpon you vnawares.

1 To returne to the first, Take heed. Our SauioursTake heed. [...], is as much as [...], adhibite ani­mum. i. apply your minds to a diligent obseruation of that I forewarne you; which will consist in two things. First, in the foresight of the danger, and secondly in a care to auoid it. The danger first consists in this; that there is such a day to be expected as the Text here [Page 5] makes mention of: A day of account, a day of triall, a day of iudgement, a day of doome. Which although it be an Article of our Creed, and therefore should need no proofe, yet because Saint Peter Prophecies. 2 Pet. 3. 3. that in the last dayes there shall come mockers who shall make a question of it, and say, Where is the promise of his comming? And wee in these dayes of ours, which are some of those last dayes, may see in the liues of too ma­ny, an accomplishment of that prophecie, who liue as if (in good earnest, and without all question) there were no such day to be expected: therefore it will not bee vnfit in a word to set forth vnto such, the light of this truth.

And first, Verbum Dei, is Fundamentum fidei: Gods word is the right bottome and foundation of our faith; For faith yeelds God this honour, that it giues him cre­dit vpon his word. Wee haue here the word of the Sonne of God, come out of the bosome of his Father to declare this secret vnto vs: who although (as he sayes in this Sermon) he be to come as a theefe in the night, yet that he may not come as a theefe vpon vs, is pleased here graciously to discouer himselfe, giuing vs warning before-hand, both of that day, and of his comming.

2 Againe secondly, though reason cannot ex condigno, ground an Article of our faith, 'yet ex congruo it may ap­proue it. The very Heathen themselues, by the twi­light of naturall reason, had a glimpse of this mystery, They saw that the world was out of frame, It was Ma­lis bene, bonis male, ill men prospered, good men suffered; and therefore they thought it did not stand with the iu­stice of their Iupiter, whom they called Optimus, as well as Maximus, good, as well as great, to suffer things to continue alwayes in that state, and therefore they loo­ked for a time of reformation, when their good were to be rewarded, and their euill punished. Nay looke into 2 Thes. 1. 4. and see the Apostle himselfe pressing this [Page 6] reason. The tribulations and persecutions of you that are Chri­stians (sayes the Apostle) are a manifest token of the righteous iudgement of God; for God must be righteous, and it is a righ­teous thing with God, to recompence tribulation to them that trouble you; and to you rest with vs: which therefore shall bee done when Iesus Christ shall bee reuealed from heauen with his mighty Angels in flaming fire, to execute venge­ance, &c.

Thirdly, as doe the hopefull expectations of the godly, so also doe the terrours of conscience in wicked men, strike a deepe impression, and an infallible Charecter in their hearts of this truth. Wee read Act. 24. 25. that when Saint Paul reasoned of righteousnesse, and tempe­rance, and iudgement to come, before Foelix the Gouer­nour, Foelix trembled. What was the cause of this feare? Not because he beleeued the Apostle, for he continued an Infidell. But the reason was, hee had beene a great offender against righteousnesse and temperance, and therefore his owne heart misgaue him the words of the Apostle were too true, hee must bee called to account for it.

Fourthly, nay not onely wicked men, but euen the Diuels themselues haue some apprehension of this point of our Faith. Thou beleeuest there is one God, thou doest well (sayes Saint Iames,) I am. 2. 19. the Diuels also beleeue and tremble. And wherefore doe they tremble? Not so much because there is a God, if they might alwayes haue liberty of compassing the earth too and fro, and disport themselues in hunting after and preying vpon mens soules as now they doe: but because as Saint Peter teaches vs, 2 Pet. 2. 4. that God hath cast them into the dungeon of hell, and hath deliuered them vp into chains of darkenesse to be reserued vnto iudgement.

Thus heres the first part of the danger: a second con­sists in this; that as there shall be a iudgement, so it shall be a iudgement of the greatest importance; for as that [Page 7] day goes with vs, so shall it be well or ill with vs, and that in the highest degree, yea, and that for euer. Wee take more care in a triall for our liues than for our li­uings. Skin for skin, and all that a man-hath he will giue for his life, saies Sathan; and that truly, Iob 2. At this triall, not onely our skin and flesh, but the soule it selfe which makes skin and flesh sensible, shall lye at the stake. There shall be on the one side immortalitie, in­corruption, glory, splendour, strength, an eternall Sab­bath of rest, an euerlasting festiuall of felicity, songs of glee, halleluiahs of triumph, fulnesse of all ioy and plea­sure in the presence of God, Christ, Saints and Angels. There shall be on the other side, all woe and misery, all paine and torment, with a life onely reserued to feele it, shame and perpetuall contempt, vnquenchable fire, the worme that kils not, vtter darkenesse, weeping and howling, and gnashing of teeth, of Diuels and damned soules, and all to be shared according to the right hand or left hand sentence of that day.

Thus here's the danger: now the care to auoid it, is chiefly to be fixed on those things, for which at that day we are to be accountable. And what those are the Apostle will tell vs, 2 Cor. 5. 10. Wee must all appeare be­fore the iudgement seat of Christ, that euery one may receiue the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. Where note two things: First, the things that we shall be called to account for, are the things done in these bodies of ours, the affaires of this life: This short race that we so desperately run through, this span of time, that we so prodigally passe away, it shall be called to account, and as wee are found in this moment, so shall it be with vs for all eternity. Againe, secondly, that that shall be put in issue concerning these things done in our bodies, and in them concerning our selues, shall not be that which we make most account of, whether rich or poore, noble or base, worldly wise or [Page 8] vnwise, but the morall part, sayes the Apostle, whether it be good or bad: And as our Creed teaches vs out of our Sauiours words, Mat. 25. 46. Those that haue done good shall goe into life euerlasting, and those that haue done euill into euerlasting fire.

It is not then without cause, that our Sauiour pre­fixes this note of heed, here in the beginning of this Text. That which is matter of account, and account of such importance, ought to be carefully lookt vnto. They watch for your soules, as they that are to giue an account (saies the Apostle) of those holy primitiue teachers of the Church, Heb. 13. 17. Do they watch for our soules as they that must giue an account, & ought not we much more to watch ouer our owne soules, who must abide the pu­nishment both of theirs and of our owne negligence? The Apostle 1 Cor. 11. 27. and 31. aduises vs to examine our selues, to iudge our selues, as if one maine taske of our liues were often to arraigne our selues, to try whe­ther we shall be able to stare in iudicio, to stand vpright in the iudgement at that day, yea or no. And yet of all our accounts, what is there that we make lesse account of? We count our rents, our flockes, our treasures, our gains, our honours, our offices, all which we shall resigne and leaue behind vs: but our selues, our soules, our consci­ences, our workes, which onely (as he Apo. 14. 13.) shall follow vs, of them we make no account. Well, to conclude this point, though we keepe not the account, there is one that sits ouer our heads, that keepes it for vs. Euen he of whom the Psalmist speakes, Psal. 11. 4. Whose eyes behold, whose eyelids try the children of men. Hee hath on the one side bottles of the teares of his seruants, and bookes of their patience. Psal. 56. 8. and he hath also bags of their good works, their deeds of charity wherein they are treasured vp in heauen against their comming thither. Luke 12. 33. And he hath on the other side bags of transgression too: for so sayes Iob 14. 17. My transgression is sealed vp in a bag, and thou so most vp [Page 9] mine iniquity. And he hath his bookes of record of all our acti­ons, which at that day shall be brought forth, Apo. 20. 12. and out of which men shall haue their iniquities set before them, yea, and that in order, Psal. 50. 21. Nay, mens owne consci­ences, which now they corrupt and bribe with pleasures, with profits, or cauterise with the continuall practice of sinne, shall then be awaked like Adams eyes after his transgression, to be at the iudgement, in stead of a thou­sand witnesses to conuince them, and after the iudge­ment, a neuer dying worme to torment them. And thus much shall suffice for this note of heed in the beginning of the Text.

We come now to the second point, which sets forth2 To your selues. the obiect of this heed. Take heed (sayes our Sauiour) to your selues. The Apostle, Rom. 14. 10. rebuking them for their censoriousnesse against their brethren, thought it sufficient to restraine them from iudging others, by putting them in mind of their owne account, which they were to giue before the iudgement seat of Christ. Why doest thou iudge thy brother (sayes the Apostle,) we shall all appeare before the iudgment seat of Christ? And againe, vers. 12. Euery one of vs shall giue an account of him­selfe vnto God, let vs not therefore iudge one another any more. And surely if wee did seriously looke to this ac­count of our owne, wee should find so much worke at home, that we should not haue leisure to bee so busie a­broad in iudging others. But as the Apostle, 2 Thes. 3. 11. speakes of some [...], doing nothing, and yet busie bodies; doing nothing in their owne affaires, but busie in other mens: so there are too too many, that are so heedfull of the account of others, that of their owne account they take little or no heed at all. And therefore our Sauiour leaues not his precept for heed at large, but hee limits and bounds it to his due obiect. Take heed, saies our Sauiour, to your selues.

Reproofe of others, is reckoned amongst the deeds of Charity, Leuit. 19. 17. Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart, but thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer him to sinne. But being a deed of charity, as all charity should begin at home, so especially should this. God requires of vs that wee loue our neighbour but as our selues, but in this we will supererogate, wee will loue him better then our selues, take more care of his reformation than of our owne. The Apostles pre­cepts are, Examine your selues, and iudge your selues. And the rule by which we should examine and iudge our selues, should be Gods Law, which as S. Iames teaches vs, Iam. 1. 23. is like to a looking-glasse, to which euery one should resort, to note and to wipe out the blemishes of his owne face. Into which glasse the holy Apostle loo­king, in his humility, thought his owne face the foulest, 1 Tim. 1. 15. Iesus Christ came into the world to saue sinners, of whom I am the chiefe, sayes the Apostle. But this glasse deales too plainely with vs, it shewes vs our wrinckles and deformities too truly. We choose rather therfore to looke into the false glasse of our owne selfe-loue, where­by first we contract a confident opinion of our owne righteousnesse. From trusting in our selues that we are righteous with the Pharisee, Luke 18. 11. we goe a step higher, wee fall to despising of others, not onely iudging, but crucifying them too, with our rigorous censures. I thanke thee O God, I am not as other men are, extortioners, vniust, adulterers, or like vnto this Publican. Next, hauing thus dignified our selues, and in comparison of our selues vilified others, we grow to think them too bad to come neere vs, like those holy ones, Isa. 65. 5. who say, Stand by thy selfe, come not neere to me, for I am holier then thou. And so at last, by these steps and degrees many fall to a Schismaticall separation of themselues from the Church of God, and so become proselytes, either of Rome or of Amsterdam, two-fold more the children of [Page 11] hell, then they whose vices they doe condemne.

From hence likewise it comes to passe, that the reli­gion of a great many, consists in nothing so much, as in statising discourses, like Salomons foole, Prou. 17. 24. When they should be at home about their owne affairs, their eyes are in the corners, or in the ends of the earth: the theame of their talke is no lesse then the affaires of all Christendome: their relations all forraine intelligences: their prouidence in nothing but prophecies of prodigi­ous imminent alterations: their conferences in shops, in priuate houses, nothing but proiects of new formes of gouernment, and elections of new gouernours: their daily pastime nothing so much as an ignorant, and an vncharitable censuring and traducing of others, especi­ally their superiours: deploring the times, crying out for reformation of all saue themselues: with ô tempora, ô mores! when commonly their owne manners are one of the foulest blots of the times. Nothing so corrupt as their owne consciences, nothing more disorderly then their owne families, no businesse worse managed than their owne estates.

I speake not this as if reformation ought not to be de­sired where there is need. It is not onely to be desired, but also to be endeauoured of all, but in due order. Saint Paul, Act. 20. 28. hath a double Caueat: Take heed, sayes the Apostle, to your selues, and to the flocke: But to whom is this? To those whom the holy Ghost had made o­uerseers of the Church of Ephesus. So must we say to all that are in authority, they haue a double charge, they must attendere sibi, & attendere gregi too: take heed to themselues, and to the flocke committed to their charge. But marke; our Sauiours Caueat stands first. First sibi, then gregi: first to themselues, then to the flocke: lest that mocke be truly put vpon them, which was falsely put vpon our Sauiour: Hee saued others, him­selfe he cannot saue. And so likewise for others: As the [Page 12] Apostle wishes Gal. 5. 12. Vtinam abscindantur qui con­turbant vos, I would they were cut off which trouble you: so all may wish and pray that all incorrigible trou­bles of Israel might be cut off. But because euery mans particular vices and transgressions must be numbred a­mongst the troubles of Israel, wee must first euery one ease Israel of his troubles by cutting off our owne trans­gressions, and then will it be fit time to seeke and call for the reformation of others: Lest that brand of hypo­crisie be found vpon vs, which our Sauiour notes, Mat. 7. 5. Thou hypocrite, first cast the beame out of thine owne eye, then shalt thou see cleerely to pull the moat out of thy brothers eye. To conclude this point with the Apostle, Gal. 6. 5. At that day, the day here in the Text, Euery man shall beare his owne burthen: therefore now let euery man bee carefull to proue his owne worke.

The third point sets forth the constancy of this heed. 3 Lest at any time. Take heed, sayes our Sauiour, ne quando, lest at any time. This word ne quando, seemes to haue relation to that that our Sauiour had before spoken, of the vnsearcheable­nesse of this day. Though the thing it selfe (our Saui­ours comming to iudgement) be most certaine, yet the time when he will come, is most vncertaine, being an inscrutable secret, to men, to Saints, to Angels, nay, Ie­sus Christ himselfe, as being the Sonne of man, will not be acknowne of it, Mar. 13. 32. and therefore sayes our Sauiour, because yee know not when the time is, yee must take heed, watch and pray at all times.

Here it may be, it will be exputed and desired by some hearers, who are readier to pry into this secret, than to prepare for it, that wee should set forth the ro­uing coniectures of some, at least at the scantling of time wherein this day is to be expected. For the daring wit of man, like him that would build againe Iericho, hath not beene afraid to assay the stealing of this secret from heauen it selfe, by groundlesse, nay by impious prog­nostications. [Page 13] For to goe about to know or discouer this time, what is it else but to reuerse and to make void our Sauiours words? He saies, Take heed, watch and pray at all times, because ye know not the time; they by professing a discouery of the time, say plainely, their is no such cause at all times to take heed watch and pray.

There are others, who though they will not define this time, yet they will confine it. There are (say they) some prophecies in the Scripture, as that of the disco­uery and destruction of Antichrist, Apoc. 17 and 18. chap. that other of the conuersion of the Iewes, Rom. 11. 25. which must be fulfilled before Christs comming to iudgement, therfore yet he is not to be expected. But let vs take heed, we be not so deceiued about Christs second comming, as the Iewes were about his first. Because it was prophecied, Mal. 4. 5. Behold I will send you Elijah the Prophet before the comming of the great and dreadfull day of the Lord: The Scribes taught the people, Mat. 17. 10. that before Christs comming, Elias the Tisbite, must rise vp from the dead and come amongst them. But saies our Sauiour, Elias is come already, and they knew him not, meaning by Iohn the Baptist, who though he came not in the flesh, yet came in the spirit and power of E­lias, as it was prophecied of him by the Angell, Luke 1. 17. and so that prophecie receiued his accomplishment, and they were not aware of it. So, tis true, there are such predictions in the Scriptures, Antichrist is to be disco­uered and confounded, and the Iewes are to be conuer­ted: but yet although God haue reuealed the things, seeing he has reserued vnto himselfe the manner, why may not these also receiue their accomplishment in some such manner, as our blindnesse shall not be able to obserue it? It was the saying of Origen of old, and our age does well allow of it, vpon that Rom. 11. 25. blind­nesse in part is happened to Israel, vntill the fulnesse of the Gentiles be come in, and so all Israel shall be saued [Page 14] Quis autem sit iste omnis Israel, quisaluus fiet (sayes that Father) aut quae erit ista plenitudo etiam gentium, Deus solus nouit, & vnigonitus eius, &c. But what this all Israel is that shall be saued, or what this fulnesse of the Gen­tiles also shall bee, God onely knowes, and his onely begotten.

To returne then to our Sauiours words: The quando of his comming is most vncertaine, therefore wee must take heed, ne quando, lest at any time he come vpon vs vna­wares. We see then this Caueat hath beene in force now any time neere this sixteene hundred yeares, taking place not long after the speaking of these words, but ought most of all to be in force with vs, vpon whom not onely as the Apostle speakes, 1 Cor. 10. 11. the ends of the world, but the very ends of those ends of the world are come. Especially if we adde to the expectati­on of this day, the consideration of the shortnesse and frailty of our owne time. See to what trifles our liues are compared; Like grasse, like a flower of the field, likePsal. 90. Psal. 39. Psal. 78. ver. 39. Psal. 102. ver. 3. & 11. Psa. 73. 20. Psal. 62. 9. Psa. 144. 4. Iam. 4. 14. a flood, or a rising of the waters, like a wind, like a va­pour, like a shadow, like smoake, like yesterday, like a watch in the night, like a sleepe, like a dreame, like a vaine shew or a pageant, like a tale that is told, like a span or a hand breadth, like vanity, nay very vanity, al­together vanity, lighter then vanity. Yet hoc momen­tum, vnde pendet aeternitas: These liues of ours are that moment vpon which all eternity does depend And yet for all that, how wastfully, and how desperately doe men passe them away? It is their study and care to find pa­stime, as if they had so much time here, they knew not what to doe with it: They while it away, gaze it a­way, dreame it away, prate it away, carke and care it away, droyle and drudge it away, feast and dance it away, play and sport it away, drinke it away, drabbe it away. Our whole life is well compared to a iourney, and as well may the seuerall parts and times [Page 15] of our liues be compared to the diuerse wayes and places which in our iourneyes wee passe through. Some­times we passe through tedious, irksome, wearisome wayes, seeming longer then they are: such is our idle time, wherein we are weary both of our time and of our selues. Sometimes through places barren, yet delight­full by variety of new obiects, like walkes in a garden; such is our wanton, our sporting time. Sometimes tho­row rough, thorny, darke, durty, difficult passages; such is our carking time Sometimes we trauaile through dangerous wayes for theeues and wild beasts; such is our mischieuous time: our time spent in malitious and harmefull persecutions one of another, wherein we are Homo homini lupus, one man a woolfe to another. Little or none of our time vsefull or profitable either to our selues or others: like those corne-fields in the Gos­pell, through which the Disciples passing relieued themselues.

The reason of this is two-fold. Either wee thinke not of that we haue here to doe: or wee put it off. 1 There are many so farre like the beasts that perish, that they are at their iourneyes end before they know whether they are going: They are ready to goe out of the world, before they know for what cause they came in. 2 Others how there is a worke, a taske here to be done, but they put it off, like them about the building of the Temple, Hag. 1. 2. Tis to be done, but the time is not yet come. And soLuk. 12. 19 deferring all to the fagge end of their age, or the houre of death, hauing with the rich foole in the Gospell giuen themselues many good morrowes, and sent them­selues before hand many new yeeres gifts, they are vpon a sudden surprised and ouertaken with the night of death.

To preuent this folly Moses in that Psalme of his, Psal. 90. 12. directs vs to a point of wisedome, which is to learne to number our dayes. Our dayes may be num­bred two wayes: compleat, or current. Compleat, hee [Page 16] hath summed them vp for vs, ver. 10. The dayes of our yeeres are but threescore yeeres and ten, or at the most fourescore. A short time, and therefore to be spa­ringly spent. But this is not to euery one what shall be, but at the vtmost what may be, for we see the most cut off before they see that age. If then wee shall count our time running, let vs but obserue with what a spa­ring hand it is ministred vnto vs. We count it in grosse, by dayes, weekes, moneths and yeeres, and no doubt many of vs haue already proiected before hand, what we will doe for many yeeres yet to come; But in so counting we count more than is our owne. For this pre­sent day, a good part of it was, but is not ours now, for tis past; that of it that is to come we cannot call ours, because wee know not whether wee shall liue to see it. Onely that that is ours is the time present, which comes vpon vs by such small, punctuall, indiuisible, insensible minits and moments, that tis come and gone, before we can say tis heere. That great Lord of times and seasons, spinning out vnto vs this precious treasure with so sparing a hand, to the end, we should be as frugall in the bestowing of it. The very phrase of the holy Ghost ad­monishes vs of this thrift, in that Psal. 90. 10. not onely the yeeres of our life, but the dayes of the yeeres of our life, are threescore yeeres and ten. And so likewise speaks Iacob in his counting of his age vnto Pharaoh, Gen. 47. 9. not onely the yeeres of my pilgrimage, but the dayes of the yeeres of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thir­ty yeeres: reckoning not onely yeeres but dayes, as if the least shread of this precious stuffe were not to bee cast away. Nay, our blessed Sauiour himselfe, though here speaking of a day he seem to require only a daily watch, yet elsewhere he breakes this time into smaller fracti­ons, Mar. 13. 35. into the watches of the night, which were but three houres a piece. Ye know not when the master of the house commeth, at euen, or at midnight, at cockcrowing, [Page 17] or in the dawning. Nay, Mat. 24 42. to an houre: Watch therefore, for ye know not what houre your Lord doth come: As if there were not onely a daily, but an hourely watch to be set for his comming. But while we speake of fruga­lity of our owne time, let vs be frugall of the time of this exercise.

And so come to the the next point which fixes this4 Your hearts. heed chiefly vpon the heart. Take heed, sayes our Saui­our, to your hearts. God requires a conformity to his will in all our parts: We must circumcise our eares, Acts 7. 51. We must make a couenant with our eyes, Iob 31. 1. We must set a watch before our mouthes, Psal. 141. 3. We must cleanse our hands, Iam. 4. 8. We must lift vp the feeble knees, Heb. 12. 12. and wee must take heed to our feet too, Eccles. 5. 1. But our Sauiour here, wee see, singles out the heart to bee taken heed of, and that for two reasons. 1 Without the heart all heed of the outside is vaine and idle. 2 If the heart be vnfainedly taken heed of, a well ordering of the outside will follow of it selfe.

1 First, how vaine and idle all heed of the outward man is without the heart, our Sauiour shewes in his com­plaint out of the Prophet Mat. 15. 8. This people draweth neere vnto me with their mouthes, and honoureth mee with their lips, but their heart is farre from mee, therefore in vaine doe they worship me. The reason is, the heart is as it were, the metropolis, the chiefe City or fort of these little kingdomes of ours: and those that will hold vs, would be possest of that. And there are two pretenders for the possesion of our hearts. First, My Sonne giue me thine heart sayes God, Prou. 23. 26. And my sonne giue me thy heart saies Sathan too: for tis with the heart, he negotiats, Iohn 13. 2. he put it into the heart of Iudas Iscariot to batray him. But here's the difference, God with the heart will haue all, as our Sauiour expres­ses his mind, Luke 10. 27. Thou shalt loue the Lord thy God with all thy heart. i. with all thy soule, with all thy strength, [Page 18] and with all thy mind. But the Diuell, so he may haue the heart hee'l be content to quit al the rest. Satan is himselfe a great disguiser, for as the Apostle saies, 2 Cor. 11. 14. of a foule Diuell he can transforme himselfe into an Angell of light, and is well content that his ministers and ser­uants should be like vnto himselfe. So hee may haue the heart, hee'l allow them the eare to heare, the eyes to lift vp in prayer, the lips to make long prayers, the tongue to reproue vice, and cry out for reformation, nay, sometimes the hands to doe good workes, deeds of charity; What not? the more shewes the better, as Iu­das when he meant to play the theefe, pretended for the poore, Iohn 12. 6. It is one of Sathans old methods of temptation, to dichotomise his followers into two rankes. He had amongst the Iewes his Sadduces and his Pharisees: the one Atheisticall, denying both resurrecti­on, Angell, and Spirit. Acts 2 [...]. 8. the other hypocriti­call, reducing the obseruation of Gods Law to the out­side obedience, as appeares by our Sauiours confutation of them, Mat. 5. but both of them a generation of vi­pers, as Iohn the Baptist cals them Mat. 3. 7. Sathan holds the same method still: Hee hath amongst vs his Suddu­ces, Atheisticall Epicures and Libertines, who as if they said in their hearts with the foole, Psal. 14. 1. that there is no God; giue the Diuell heart and all, inside and out­side too, without either feare of God, or reuerence of man. He hath againe his Pharisees, hypocriticall titulary professors, who as if that God were an Idol, and hauing eies saw not their hypocrisie, giue the Diuel their hearts, and think to present God with a mask. He that saies Pro. 23. My Son giue me thy heart, saies also Rom. 21. 1. we must present our bodies for liuing sacrifices to him; so that the whole man is to be giuen as a present vnto God. But we instead of presenting the whole of our selues, thinke to content him with sending him a present out of our selues. Somewhat like as Iacob did vnto Ioseph. Gen. 43. 11. [Page 19] Where he sayes to his Sonnes, Take of the best of the fruits of the land in your vessels, and carry downe the man a present, a little balme, and a little hony, spices, and myrrhe, nuts, and almonds: so likewise we, liuing in a place where there is a face and a forme of godlinesse, and profession of Reli­gion is after a sort in fashion; wee are content to send God a present of the best of the fruits of the land, of eue­ry good thing a little; according to the vse of the times, and the fashion of the place: a little piety, and a little charity, and a little equity, and a little honesty, now and then a little, to keepe vp our credit amongst our neigh­bours, and to beare vp the name of our profession, but the streame of our affections and our courses runs ano­ther way. Our Sauiour therefore, well knowing what a heauy doome belongs to hypocrites, giues here spe­ciall charge to take heed of the heart. Mat. 24. 51. Giue him his portion with hypocrites. As if the Diuell were the chiefe Lord of the Mannour, and hypocrites the onely freeholders in hell, and all other were but vnder tenants, cottiers, or inmates taken into them.

Secondly, as without the heart all heed of the outside is vaine, so if the heart be once vnfainedly reformed, a reformation of the outward parts will follow by con­formity. Philosophy teaches vs that in the life naturall, the heart is primum viuens, & vltimum moriens: the first that liues, and the last that dyes; and so it is in the mo­rall life too. For vertue and piety, First with the heart man beleeues vnto righteousnesse, and then with the tongue he confesses vnto saluation, Rom. 10. 10. And so also for vice, adulteries, murders, thefts, and the like, though they be acted outwardly with the body, yet sayes our Sauiour Mat. 15. 19. they proceed from the heart. Because the heart is as it were the wombe of sinne, as Saint Iames de­scribes the bringing forth of this monster, Iames 1. 15. Euery man is entised of his owne lust, then when lust hath conceiued it bringeth forth sinne. First, some plea­sing [Page 20] sing obiect, like a sparke falling vpon tinder, inflames the heart: ther's the seed of sin. The heart inflamed with desire growes to con [...]ent and resolution: there's the con­ception of sinne. That resolution, with time and op­portunity, breakes out into act and execution: and ther's the birth of sinne. Our Sauiour therefore in gi­uing warning of the heart, aduises vs to vse the same policy for the destroying of sinne, which we vse for the destroying of euill birds and noysome beasts. Wee kill ill birds in the egge, and wee destroy noysome beasts when they are but cubs: so likewise should wee endea­uour to stop drunkennesse in the obiect, as Salomon ad­uises Prou. 23. 31. Looke not on the wine when it is red: adultery in the occasion, as Ioseph Gen. 39. [...]0. who to auoid the solicitations of his mistresse, would not come where she was: reuenge in the resolution, as Da­uid 1 Sam 29. when he happily changed his desperate purpose of destroying Nabal, and all his house; coue­tounesse in the tinder, as Peter to Simon Magus. Act. 8. 20. Thy money perish with thee.

As then before in the second point, we prest the Apo­stles precept, Examine your selues, and in age your selues: so here we must presse the Psalmists precept, Psal. 4. 4. Ex­amine your hearts and iudge your hearts: Wherein wee are taught, that as we are often to arraigne our selues vpon the whole course of our liues, to try whether we shall be able to stand vpright in the iudgement or no: so to pre­uent those crimes of sinne, which at that day may con­demne vs, we should doe the like office vpon our hearts, in preuention of the day of iudgement, that Iustices of peace doe in preuention of the Iudge of assise. Euery good Iustice, if he haue information of vagrant and dis­orderly persons, examines them whence they come, whether they goe, how they liue, what's their names? and though they haue committed no selony, yet for their idle and desolate course of life, hee whips them home, [Page 21] sends thē to the house of correction, whereby many times capitall crimes are preuented. So likewise should wee doe by the rouing vagabond, dissolute thoughts and de­sires of our owne hearts: where wee shall finde some borne of lust and idlenesse, and stealing in the twilight to adultery and vncleannesse: some bred of couetousnesse and hasting to iniquity and iniury: some growne of pride and selfe-loue, and swelling to insolency and tyran­ny ouer our brethren: some rising of rancour and ma­lice, and posting to bloody reuenge and mischiefe: which if we would correct and crucifie, while they are in the heart, it would preuent those foule felonious acts of wickednesse, adulteries, thefts, murders, oppres­sions, tyrannies and the like, for which many shall bee condemned at that great day. For Cains murder was at first but a malicious intent, and a downe looke: Dauids adultery was at first but a iustfull desire: Absaloms trea­son in the beginning, was nothing but an ouerweening imagination, which had they beene strangled in the wombe of sinne, or dashed against the stones when they were but babes, those foule facts of wickednesse had been preuented.

But come we now to the next point, which does in5 Be ouer­charged. some sort second this, setting forth vnto vs the disease of the heart, which our Sauiour here particularly giues warning of. There are diuerse distempers and sicknesses of the heart, that God dislikes. As first, there is a dull and a slow heart; quicke enough at earthly, but slow in conceiuing of heauenly things, reproued by our Saui­our in them of Emmaus. Luke 24. 25. O fooles and slow of heart to beleeue that which the Prophets haue spoken. Se­condly, there is disliked by God a heart of too hard a temper or mettall, which was lamented by our Sauiour in the Iewes, Mark. 3. 5. as a disease hardly curable, when besides the naturall indisposition that is in vs all, there is growne vpon the heart, by the continuall practice of [Page 22] sinne, that [...]: an addictionall brawny hardnesse, without feeling, so as neither exhortations nor admo­nitions, promises nor threatnings, iudgements nor mer­cies will enter it, but all recoyle from it as fruitlesse. A­gaine thirdly, Mat. 13. 15. our Sauiour complaines of a fat heart; Pinguefactum or incrassatum est cor populi huius: the heart of this people is waxen fat or grosse. A degree worse than the former, because in this by worldly pro­sperity and pride of heart, there is added a selfe-pleasing security in sinne, whereby they doe not onely reiect re­proofe, but sitting in the scorners chayre, they deride and disdaine at the repoouers. Of this speakes Saint Iames, Iam. 5. 5. where speaking of worldly rich men, he sayes of them, Ye haue beene wanton, ye haue liued in plea­sure, yee haue fatted vp your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. Fourthly, God hates a clouen or a souble hear, a heart, and a heart, as it is called, Psal 12. [...]. a deceitfull or a dis­sembling heart, which turnes Gods workemanship into a monster, who hauing giuen vs diuers of our members twins, as eyes, eares, hands and the like, yet for one soule, has giuen vs but one heart, and for that one heart but one tongue, as if betwixt soule, heart and tongue, there should alwayes be an identicall correspondency. Fiftly, ther's another sort of false hearts, which is a flee­ting and an vnstable heart, meaning well enough for the present, but not continuing constant. Of this the Psal­mist complaines in the Iewes, Psal. 78. 8. where he sayes their heart was not right, because their spirit was not stedfast with God. And therefore vers. 57 he compares them to a deceitfull bow, which though at the first ma­king it shoots straight, yet with a little lying warps, and so deceiues the shooter. These and many other di­stempers and passions of the heart there are, which God dislikes and reprooues, but of them all our Sauiour heere giues warning to take heed of grauidinosum cor, a heauy heart. Which is, when the heart that should mount vp [Page 23] aloft, to the apprehension, the contemplation, the affe­ction of heauen and of heauenly things, lyes groueling here vpon the earth, delighting it selfe in nothing but carnall, worldly, and earthly contentments. And there­fore saies our Sauiour; Take heed, [...], ne grauentur corda, lest your hearts be pres­sed downe to the earth with these earthen affections, as it were with clogs and weights, for so much does the word [...] signifie.

The Diuell, who as hath beene shewed before, is a great intruder vpon the heart, if he can get possession, his word is the same to the heart, that it was to our Saui­our, when he had him on the pinacle of the Temple, Mit­te te deorsum, Cast thy selfe downe: But Gods word to the heart is Sursum corda, Lift vp your hearts. As the Apostle speakes, Col. 3. 2. [...], Mind those things that are aboue, and not the things on the earth. And surely ther's great reason, that as God hath set vs with our faces looking vpward, Os homini sublime dedit, so our hearts should looke that way too. Dauid Psal. 121. 1. sayes, I will lift up mine eyes vnto the hils; his reason is, because from thence commeth my helpe. Surely our helpe, our hope, our comfort for this life, for that which is to come, is from the hils, from Gods holy hill, and therefore thither should we lift vp not onely our eyes, but our hearts also. First, from thence is our originall, as the Apostle shewes out of the heathen Poet. Acts 27. 28. [...], wee are Gods generation, Gods off­spring, Indeed our bodies are of the dust, and must to the dust, but the Spirit is giuen by God the Father of Spirits, Eccles. 12. 7. And shall the earthen part so clog downe the heauenly, that it shall not looke vp to the Rocke from whence it was hewen? Secondly, ther's our kinred, ther's our fathers house: God our Father, Christ our elder brother, the Saints of God our bre­thren: And shall wee be so wedded to our earthly alli­ance, [Page 24] as to forget our interest in the Communion of Saints, and the houshold of God? Thirdly, Vbi pater, ibi patria; where our Father, and our Fathers house is, ther's our countrey, here we are but pilgrims and stran­gers: And does not the trauailer, who is alwayes a­mongst strangers, sometimes amongst enemies, often thinke how happy it were with him, if hee were at home, sitting vnder his owne Vine, and vnder his owne Figtree? Fourthly, in our owne countrey, when we are like to tarry, then we build, for who bestowes cost on building in a place, from whence hee's sure to remoue? And where we build, there we furnish and lay vp, as they that are to remooue house commonly send their stuffe before them. And are there mansions building for vs in heauen, and haue we no mind to goe dwell in them? Must our treasure be laid vp in heauen, and will not our hearts be there also? Fiftly, Nay, dies diem trudit, one day thrusts on another, and euery day thrusts on with it his owne imploiments; and so euery day, euery span of time, though we thinke not of it, sets vs a pace nearer our arriuall there. And does not the trauailer comming homeward from a long iourny, reioyce when he is come within sight of the tunnell of his owne chimney; or the Marriner returning from a dangerous voyage, is hee not glad when he come within kenning of his owne coast? Sixtly, from thence he that came once to be our Sauiour, shall come againe to be our iudge, and by iudg­ment with mercy, will set vs in possession at his second comming of that heauenly inheritance, which with his precious bloud he purchased for vs at his first. And is he to come againe, and for this blessed end, and haue we no mind to looke for his glorious appearance? The Saints of God, our brethren, who now enioy his pre­sence in heauen, when they were strangers vpon earth, as we now are, they lookt for him: Our conuersation is in heauen, saies the Apostle, Phil. 1. 23. from whence also [Page 25] we looke for our Sauiour, the Lord Iesus Christ. Nay, they did not onely looke for him, but they longed for him too. We read of Abraham, Gen. 25. 8. that he died old and full of dayes, satur dieram, so cloyed with life as a man might be at a feast. And Saint Paul hee was hungry for death, Phil. 1. 23. I desire to be dissolued, and to be with Christ. These were the minds and affections, of these holy Saints and seruants of God: and such should, yea such would our affections be too, but for these clogges which presse vs downe to the earth, which we come now to speak of.

They are two: the first is surfetting and drunkennesse: the second is cares of this life. When God gaue sentence vpon Sathan in the Serpent, for his malicious seducing of our first parents, part of his curse is, Gen. 3. 14. vpon thy belly shalt thou goe, aad dust shalt thou eate: Satan to make man as accursed as himselfe, endeauours to bring him to his owne shape, and to his owne diet. Sometimes he tempts him to gluttony and luxury, that so hee may goe vpon his belly like him: sometimes to worldly care and couetousnesse, that so he may feed vpon the lust like him. According to which danger, our Sauiour here fen­ces the heart with a double cordiall: Against the first, Take heed lest your hearts be ouer-charged with surfetting and drunkennesse. Against the second, Take heed lest they be op­pressed with cares of this life. 1 With surfetting and drun­kennesse.

Touching the former. Cordials are prescribed by pre­cise quantities, drams and scruples, and therefore we must be strict in weighing the ingredients of our Sauiours re­ceit: First, the heart must not be ouer-charged, [...], which if we shall beleeue our Numularios verborum, in stricktnesse of signification, signifies the surcharge of the stomacke vpon ouer-much drinke alone; so called, be­cause it does [...], quatere or agitare caput, shake & distemper the head: or better [...] quasi [...]. i. lucta capitis, the wrestling of the head, because that by drinke there is a kind of a combat betwixt head and sto­macke, [Page 26] how the braine shall beare what the stomacke has taken in. But howsoeuer the good cheere of the feast be counted in the drinke, yet because the learned palates of our Epicures will eate as well as drinke, if it be but to relish their drinke the better: and although the blame be laid vpon the drinke as the principall, yet delicious meats are an accessary to the crapula too, as our English word surfeit shewes, which signifies any kinde of ex­cesse, of meat alone, or drinke alone, or of meat and drinke both together: therefore our Sauiour in [...], giues warning, as well of ouer-charging the heart by gourmandising in of delicious meats, as by powring in wine and strong drinke. But now secondly, because they had their [...] as well as their [...], their compotationes tiplings, as well as their comessationes iunketings and bankettings, and they are both together, and distinctly reproued by the Apostle, 1 Pet. 4. 3. And besides, because there is a generation amongst vs, who contrary to our Sauiours phrase in the Lords Prayer, summing vp all ne­cessaries to mans life in daily bread, reduce all their wants and desires of bread, meat, drink, cloath, and what­soeuer else to their daily drinke, and so commonly ouer­charge the heart with drinke alone, therefore our Saui­ours next word is a preseruatiue of the heart against drinke alone: Take heed, saies our Sauiour, your hearts be not ouer-charged [...] with drunkennesse. Thirdly, this is not all: the Epicures paradise is, not onely Eate and drinke, but be merry too, Luk. 12. 19. And the Prophet Isay speaking of the riot of his time, Is. 5. 12. sayes, that not onely the Wine, but the Harpe and the Viole, the Tabret and the Pipe were in their feasts. And Dauid com­plaines, Psal. 69. 12. that hee was made the song of the drunkards. Therefore with gluttony and drunkennesse, is to bee ioyned as an accessory to the clogging of the heart, all the full belly bagpipe mirth, with which the meetings of Epicures and drunkards are commonly ac­companied. [Page 27] Fourthly, yet we haue not all: if the Text bring in the mother, wee must not leaue out the daugh­ter: surfetting and drunkennesse is the mother; chambe­ring and wantonnesse is the daughter; for what intem­perancy and gluttony crams in, that incontinency and lust fomes out: as Salomon shewes, Pro. 23. 31. Looke not on the wine when it is red: his reason followes, ve. 33. Thine eyes shall looke vpon strange women. Therefore when our Sauiour bids Take heed of surfetting and drunkennesse, his meaning is not to leaue out chambering and wanton­nesse; which as it commonly followe? it in the wicked practise of men, so it is ioyned with it in the Apostles re­proofe, Rom. 13. 13. for whoredom as well as surfetting and drunkennesse is a clog to the heart: nay, it steales the heart quite away: so sayes the Prophet Hos. 4. 11. whoredome, and wine, and new wine, they take away the heart.

And this is the summe of our Sauiours Cordiall against Epicurisme, which those ancient primitiue Christians, then expectants of Christ, now triumphant with him in heauen, were so carefull to keepe by them, against all temptations of this kind, that they did not onely re­fraine their bodies from these noysome superfluities, but also they abridged themselues euen of lawfull necessa­ries: I keepe vnder my body, and bring it into subiection, saies Saint Paul 1 Cor. 9. 27. and how he kept it vnder him­selfe shewes 2 Cor. 11. 27. in hunger and thirst, in fastings often. Not onely hunger and thirst for need, but in fa­stings often, by a voluntary forbearance. Neither was this the Apostles practise alone: They had their Church fasts Acts 13. 3. their houshold fasts 1 Cor. 7. 5. their personall fasts 2 Cor. 6. 5. And these to quicken prayer, and both fasting and prayer to keepe a continuall watch ouer their owne soules, that their master whensoeuer he shall come, might finde them so doing. They well knew that their bodies were ordained to be Temples for the [Page 28] holy Ghost to dwell in, and therefore they kept them al­wayes well drest vp with sobriety and purity, fit for the entertainment of so heauenly a guest.

But what is the practise of our times? Surely our fa­sting is to eate fast, and drinke fast, as if like those Epi­cures 1 Cor. 15. 32. being to dye to morrow, we desired to make an end of all before we went: our keeping vn­der of our bodies, is nothing but a pampering of them for lust, that like soyle-fed stallions, we may be libidine fortes, strong in lust: and a restlesse trimming of them vp with all home-bred and far-fetcht brauery, the Iuy­bush of an adulterous heart. Whereby it comes to passe, that instead of being Temples for the holy Ghost, they become kennels and styes for Satan, who as he is immun­dus spiritus, a foule spirit, so he delights to dwell in those that are like himselfe. He desired and obtained of our Sauiour a dwelling in the Swine, and will alwayes hold his possession in such as are of a swinish disposition.

But though wee will not be brought to that ancient primitiue discipline of taming our bodies by fasting, yet should we keepe our selues within the bounds of so­briety. Our Sauiour here saies that against his comming we should all be watchmen; but alas, a drunkard, that as Salomon saies Pro. 23. 34. dare sleepe on the top of a mast in the midst of the Sea, is but an ill watch-man: and therefore the Apostle Peter before he will giue his pre­cept of watchfulnesse, premises a precept of sobriety; 1 Pet. 5. 8. Be sober, and watch. Besides, we should be so­ber, not onely to shake off the clogs of the soule, but to auoid the hazards of the body too: for drunkennesse en­dangers both, being like that lunaticke diuell in the Gos­pell, of whom the father of the possessed cries out, Mat. 17. 15. Lord haue mercy on my sonne, for he is lunaticke and sore vexed, for oft-times he fals into the fire, and oft into the water. These are the effects of drunkennesse, not onely putting off the hopes of the life to come, which they re­gard [Page 29] not, but also hazarding the comforts of this life which they most esteeme. And yet how monster-like growne is this vice! God in the beginning destroyed the world with a deluge of water, we may feare lest now in the latter end, we be ouer-flowed with a deluge of drinke. God has set bounds to it as to the Sea, Eccles. 10. 17. for strength, not for drunkennesse: As if hee would say vnto drinke, Thus far shall thy proud waues come, and no further: Humane lawes haue reared bankes and rampiers against it, by pecuniary mulcts and corporal pu­nishments; but all in vaine, tis lawlesse, tis boundlesse, o­uerflowing all places, all ages, all sexes, all degrees, all conditions.

The Apostle Tit. 1. 12. cals the Cretians out of one of their owne Poets [...], slow or sloathfull bellies, as if they were all belly, and nothing else. And sure­ly such monsters does drinke make of a great many, all face and belly like the stone Iugges they so often empty. But slow or sloathfull bellies we must not call them, for indeed their chiefe actiuity is in their bellies. For where­as our noble ancestors, who made themselues and our Nation famous by their valour, exercised their bodies with those man-like Olympian, or rather English exerci­ses of wrestling, running, shooting, horsmanship, and the like: the exercise and actiuity of our times is whose belly shall hold most, whose braine shall beare most, and he that can get the victory in this vice, glories in it, as in a great mastery.

But that I may get me out of this sinke. To whom is woe? to them that sit long at the wine, saies Salomon, Prou. 23. 29. But me thinkes the Prophet Isay answers this question a little more punctually Is. 5. by a kinde of dichomy or diuision of drunkards. There is one sort that rise vp early to follow wine and strong drinke, but saies the Prophet they sit at it till the wine inflames them, so as they are ouer-come of their drinke, ver. 11. yee haue a woe a­gainst [Page 30] them. There are another sort that are so mighty to drinke wine, and men of such strength to powre in strong drinke, that though they rise neuer so early to it, sit neuer so long at it, yet the wine will not inflame them, but hauing ouer-come both the drinke and the drinkers too, they rise vp from their benches, as the Psalmist speaks, Ps. 78. 65. like Gyants refreshed with their wine, ver. 22. the Prophet denounceth a woe against these also. And so much shall suffice for the first clog of the heart, of surfetting and drunkennesse.

We come now to the other, of worldly cares and co­uetousnesse.2 With cares of this life. Take heed, sayes our Sauiour, that your hearts be not ouer-charged [...], with cares of this life: which are not onely clogs, but distractions too, and are therefore called [...], because they do [...], they doe diuide and distract the heart, pulling it this way and that way with their multitude and their variety.

The beginning of them is with cares for necessaries, such as our Sauiour speakes of to his Apostles, Mat. 6. 31. What shall we eat? what shall we drinke? wherewith shall we be cloathed. The poore widdowes care 1 Reg. 17. that the meale in the barrell, and the oyle in the cruse may hold out. Iacobs care, Gen. 28. 20. that God would giue him but bread to eat, and cloathes to put on. And this we call an honest care to liue; and so it is, prouided it be without a [...], without distrust and distraction.

Our cares make vs beleeue they will stay here: Oh, sayes the poore, How contented would I be, had I but a competent estate! But they doe but deceiue vs: After we haue ouer-come these necessities, we are as far from an end of our desires as wee were before: looke into 1 Reg. 21. 4. and ye shall see Ahab as much distracted for Naboths Vineyard, as he that wants bread. Looke into Luk. 12. 17. and ye shall find the rich foole as much per­plexing himselfe about building the great barnes, as he was before about filling the lesser.

Nay, what if with our abundance, our cares doe en­crease? Let's see if wee can draw this Hydra to some heads. Our cares for superfluities may be of two sorts: 1 for quantity: 2 for quality.

1 For quantity. That our conuersation might bee with­out couetousnesse, the Apostle aduises vs, Heb. 13. 4. to be content with that we haue in present, be it little or be it much, and for the future, to trust vpon God, who has promised he wil not faile vs, nor forsake vs. But suaue est de magno tollere aceruo. Though a handfull will serue our turne, yet if we take it not out of a great heap, that wee may see a great deale left behind to looke vpon, it does not content vs: Like the rich foole in the Gospell, Luke 12. who was neuer in full possession of his Paradise till he could say to his soule, Thou hast much goods laid vp in store for many yeeres, though he liued not a day after to enioy them.

2 Secondly, we are not so couetous of the quantity, but we are as curious of the quality too of that we desire. Our superfluity and abundance makes our appetites grow wanton: Our desires are like womens longings, not so much grounded vpon reason, as vpon humour, and fancy: Like our first Parents to whom all the trees in the gar­den gaue no content, so long as they were barred of the tree in the middest of the garden: Like Dauids thirst, which would be quenched with no water, but the wa­ter of the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate. 2 Sam. 23. 15. We grow stomacke-sicke like Isaac in his old age; Our meat must be venison, light of foot and hard to bee come by, or else our soule loues it not; Our apparell must be of such a stuffe, colour, cut and fashion, or else it neither becomes vs nor keepes vs warme. Now what a world of cares does this mundus muliebris, yea, and viri­lis too (for men are as effeminate in it as women) bring with it? How many hands, how many trades does the curiosity of these backes and bellies of ours set a worke?

3 Our cares stay not here. After we haue beene drudges to our owne fancies, we must be drudges to the fancies and likings of others too. For the couetous will not one­ly be rich, but for his credit he will be accounted rich; and his question is not who am I? but whom doe men say that I am? And if the answer be not as of Samon Ma­gus [...], some great man, hee is malecontent. Though he haue the prosperity of Salomon, yet if the Queene of Sheba heare not of it, and come not to see, and be stricken with admiration at it, hee is not well pleased. Here comes in a new volume of cares; The noyse of the reuenewes must bee so many thousands a yeere: the fare must not onely be delicious, but it must be serued in in a Lordly dish: the apparell must not one­ly be neat and curious, but it must bee sumptuous and costly too, euen like Salomon himselfe in all his royalty: the buildings, furniture, attendance, prouisions, expen­ces, must not be after what is conuenient in his owne li­king, but after, what will the world say?

4 Our cares build one story higher yet. Though we our selues are mortall, yet in our posterity we may bee after a sort immortall, and so we would haue our estates too. Here comes in another heap of cares vpon the men of this world; not onely to haue their owne portion in this life, and their owne bellies filled with Gods hid treasure, but as tis Psal. 17. 14. to be full of children, and to leaue the rest of their abundance for their babes: not onely to be rich to themselues, but to be rich to their heires, to set their rest on high. Nay, many in the mid­dest of great abundance, are content to be poore, base and miserable to themselues, so they may be rich to their heires. And yet Iob tels vs that immediately after death the water of Lethe washes away all apprehension of it, Iob 14. 21. His sons come to honour, and hee knowes it not, they are brought low but he perceiues it not.

5 All these cares that we haue hitherto mētioned, though [Page 33] they be commonly without piety, by reason of their in­ordinatenesse, yet they are not without reason. But Sa­lomon tels vs of one without piety & reason too. Eccl. 4. 8. There is one alone, and there is not another, for he has neither sonne nor brother, yet is there no end of his labour, neither is his eye satisfied with riches, &c. The former cares may say for themselues; they are for necessity, for plenty, for curiosity, for glory, for posterity: This can say none of these: Not for posterity, for he is one alone, he has nei­ther sonne nor brother: Not for worldly glory, for to hide his abundance from the eye of the world, hee eats his morsels alone in darkenesse, Eccl. 5. 17. Not to content his mind with curiosities, for he will not allow his body necessaries, hee bereaues his soule of good, Eccles. 4. 8. Onely that that sets his cares aworke in this Amor scele­ratus habendi, to satisfie his eye with riches, which yet neuer will be satisfied. This is not onely a clog to the heart, but a rauing sicknesse, and a doting madnesse of the soule, as Salomon eals it, Eccles. 6. 2.

Thus here we haue, as the time will permit, a summe of the cares of this life, that our Sauiour here speakes of. Now obserue how they clog the heart: They worke vpon the heart two wayes; First, sometimes they per­swade the heart to a gathering of riches by courses in themselues not vnlawfull, yet too eagerly, to greedily. Which is noted by our Sauiour in his description of the last age of the world by the dayes of Noah and of Lot, Luke 17. 28. where saies our Sauiour, They ate, they dranke, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded. All things lawfull to be done with moderation, but pur­sued by them too inordinately. And therefore as they followed them without intermission, so our Sauiour heapes and piles the words together as it were in hast, They ate, they dranke, &c. without so much as the pause of a coniunction betwixt them. And this is enough to clogge the soule from heauen, because to climbe vp thither wee must not onely eschew euill, but doe good [Page 34] too. Secondly, sometimes they set the heart to an vnsa­tiable gathering of riches by all manner of meanes, law­full or vnlawfull, right or wrong: quocun{que} modo rem, by oppression, by sacriledge, by simony, by bribery, by v­sury, by deceiuing of trusts, by Ludgate-borrowings, by lyings, by periury, which are enough not onely to clog the soule from heauen, but to plunge it down to hell too.

And this is the deorsum corda that Sathan sings to those whose hearts he can possesse. The serpent whom once he possessed, has a property as appeares, Psal. 58. 4. that when the Charmer goes about to preuent the poy­son of his sting by his enchantments he will stoppe his eares, and make himselfe deafe, that so not hearing them, they may haue no power to worke vpon him. And as they write, hee does it by stopping the one eare with his taile, and clapping the other close to the ground. The like foolish subtilty as wee here see does Sa­than that old Serpent teach all those that will hearken to him, that so the poyson of his sting may not be preuen­ted; to stop the one eare with riot and luxurie, the o­ther with worldly cares and couetousnesse; and then the voyces of vs that are the charmers will not be heard, though we charme neuer so wisely.

But come we now to the last point, which will open7 And so that day come vp­on you vnawares. the eares of these deafe adders, if any thing will doe it: which is, the mischiefe that will follow vpon this gra­uedo cordis, this heauinesse of the heart: so that day will come vpon you vnawares. This is the butte end of the Text, giuing life and force to all that hath beene spoken. For were it not for terror of this day, all that wee haue said of heed, heed of our selues, continuall heed, heed of the heart, heed of the heauinesse of the heart, heed of vo­luptuousnesse and couetousnesse, the clogs of the heart, were all vaine and idle. Let vs first set forth that day, and then the misery of being taken with it vnprepared, will appeare of it selfe.

And first, marke but the titles with which the Scrip­ture [Page 35] sets it forth. 1 The Apostle, 2 Tim. 4. 8. cals it no more but that day. The crown of righteousnes which the Lord the righteous Iudge will giue me at that day: as if all other dayes, in comparison of this were no dayes, and this by an eminency carried away the name from all the rest. 2 Saint Iude in the 6. vers. of his Epistle, cals it the great day: because this day shall stand at end of our daies like a Table and the ends of a booke, summing vp in it the fruits and practice of them all. 3 Our Sauiour, Ioh. 6. 39. cals it the last day: because after that there shall bee no more dayes; for sayes the Angell, Apo. 10. 6. there shall be no more time, but all succession of time shall be turned into one euerlasting noonsted or solstitium of e­ternity. 4 Tis called, 2 Pet. 3. 10. the day of the Lord, vers. 12. the day of God. Phil. 1. 10. the day of Christ: because these are our dayes, giuen vnto vs to worke out our sal­uation in, with feare and trembling: as our Sauiour Luke 29. 41. to Ierusalem, If thou hadst knowne the things belonging to thy peace, in this thy day. But that shall bee Gods day, because all that hath beene done in these daies of ours, shall in that day be brought forth to light, and be layed together for the manifestation of his glory. Which because it shall bee set forth two wayes. 1 By the saluation of his seruants: 2 the condemnation of his enemies. Tis called in regard of them, The day of re­demption, Ephes, 4. 30. because then wee shall bee put in possession of our redeemed inheritance, which now we hold but in expectation. In regard of the other, tis called The day of wrath, Rom. 2. 5. because the dayes of grace be­ing past and despised, iustly shall come in place, the day of wrath, for the contempt of this grace.

But these be but titles: consider the substance from whence it has these titles, which is the work for which it is appointed, and that is iudgement, and which makes it more terrible, Gods iudgment. And did Foelix a hea­then man, that knew not God tremble at it, and shall we that know God, and beleeue his word, forewarning [Page 36] vs of this vengeance to come, not to be afraid? Let vs but consider those terrours that our Sauiour sayes shall goe before it. The Sunne and Moone shall blush and hide their faces, the Starres shall fall, the powers of heauen shall shake, the sea and the waters shall roare, both sēa and land shall vomit vp their dead, the heauens shall run together like a scrole, the Elements shall melt with feruent heat, the earth with these birds-nest buildings of ours, and all our childish vanities therein shall be con­sumed and burnt. Consider the glory and maiesty with which it shall be accompanied. The countenance of the Iudge, shall be like the Sunne in his strength, his eyes like a flame of fire, his voyce like the sound of many wa­ters, his word a sharp two edged sword, his attendance millions of Angels, his [...] or summons for appea­rance, the voyce of an Archangell, the trumpe of God so powerfull, that it shall awake the very dead in their graues. Consider the vniuersality of the appearāce, when all persons, of all times, of all places, shall appeare at one barre. No appearing by Procter, by Atturny, We must al appeare saies the Apostle 2 Cor. 5. 10. No excusing quod non possis itinerare, that thou canst not trauaile, for age, sicknesse, or infirmity; the very dead shall rise. No hi­ding, no returne of non est innentus. The Angels shal be the Baylies, who shall not only attache and lead vs, but they shall catch and carry vs [...] saies the Apo­stle, rapiemur in occursum Domini: wee shall be caught and carried to meet the Lord in the ayre. Consider the im­partiality of the iudgement. The purple and fine linnen withall that accompanies and bears vp greatnesse, bribes, freinds, pleadings and the like, shall all be left behind, on­ly the naked person shall appeare, carrying with it the conscience of that it hath done, to receiue according to that it hath done, whether high or low, bond or free, without respect of persons. Consider the terrors of wic­ked men, who stricken partly with these amazements without them, partly with the frights of their own con­sciences [Page 37] within them, shall cry vnto the hils fall on vs, to the rocks couer vs. Consider the vnauoydablenesse of the euidence. God will open his bookes, where all our doings are kept vpon record. The Diuell will open his books: for as he is now a tempter, so he will be then an accuser, Apo. 12. 10. nay, a pleader, for so S. Peter cals him. 1 Pet. 5. 8. [...] your aduersarie, [...] inlite, in iudicio, a pleading aduersary. Nay, we shall open our owne bookes. The counterpart of euery mans con­science shal be read either with him or against him. Con­sider the sentence, and first the heauinesse of it. Tis not a fine, an imprisonment, a brand, a maime, a whip, a cor­porall death: but tis either come ye blessed, or goe ye cursed; either into euerlasting life and ioy, or into euerlasting fire, prepared for the Diuel and his Angels. Consider againe the remedilesnesse of it; If this triall goe ill with vs, there's no going about againe, no writ of error to stay or to re­uerse iudgement, no remooue, no appeale, no mediation or after satisfaction. Tis like a skirmish in the wars: In bello non licet his peccare, A man can make but one fault in the wars. If he loose his life at the first encounter, he has not another life to venture, to recouer that he lost.

But perhaps we are of the mind of that euill seruant, whom our Sauiour describes, Mat. 24 48. and say in our hearts, My Lord delayes his comming: these things haue bin long read, often preacht of, yet all things continue as they haue done, Where therefore is the promise of his com­ming? Though yet the terrors of iudgement seeme to be far off, the tokens of death & mortality are neere enough. And though Christ seeme slack in comming to the gene­rall iudgement, yet we know not how soon he may sum­mon any one of vs by death to our particular doom. We see the deuouring iawes of time, consumes buildings, Cities, kingdomes and nations: and do we stand vnchan­ged? We see our elders gone before to giue vs place, our youngers treading on our heels, ready to shoue vs off, nay many times going before vs, and think we to tarry here alwayes? Though we doe not see those terrors in the [Page 38] great world that our Sauiour speaks of, Mat. 24. 29. The Sunne darkened, the Moone not giuing her light, the Stars falling, &c. yet many of vs may see those concussi­ons in our little worlds, that Salomon speaks of, Eccles. 12. 2. Our Sun, light, Moone and Stars. i. the comfort and ioy of our liues, in Scripture commonly compared to light, darkened by age, sicknesse or infirmity: the keepers of the house. i. our hands shaking and trembling: the strong men. i. our thighs and legs shrinking and bowing vnder vs: the grinders. i. our teeth failing vs: those that looke out of the windowes. i. our eyes dimmed and darkened. And if we find these decaies in our bodies, what are they but so many mementoes, that these earthen tabernacles will at last faile vs, and therefore high time to prepare for that building of God eternal in the heauens, 2 Cor. 5. 1.

But to conclude. Prepare we would, but how should we? We haue three things to dispose. 1 Our estates. 2 Our bodies. 3 Our soules, and answerably we are to make a threefold preparation.

First, for our estates wee are to make Hezekiahs pre­paration, 2 Reg. 20. 1. Set thy house in order, for thou shalt dye, and not liue. When our Sauiour sayes to the rich foole Luke 12. 20. This night will they fetch away thy soule, and then whose shall those things be which thou hast pro­uided? his words import, that not onely himselfe should be taken away from his estate, but also that by his sud­den taking away, This night, and consequently for want of this setting his house in order, by his last Will and Testament, it might fal to the sharing of those to whom he little intended it. Whose shall those things be? As many Nabals amongst vs, who not hauing the heart to thinke of giuing away that which is their Idoll by their owne Wils, leaue it to be scrambled for by the wils of others, who by endlesse suits and contentions become not Exe­cutors, but executioners of their states.

Secondly, for our bodies: Ioseph of Arimatheas prepa­ration, who amongst the rest of his prouisions, prouided himselfe a tombe, and that in his garden, that in the place [Page 39] of his delight might be the memoriall of his mortality. Abarhams preparatiō, of whom we read not that he made any purchase, saue of a burying place, Gen. 23. so hearse­cloathes, conffins, and winding-sheets should be a part of our houshold-stuffe; and indeed of all other, the most ne­cessary: for we may make prouision of food, & not liue to spend it; we may make apparrell, and not liue to weare it; but in these preparatiues for death we are sure neither to loose our cost, nor our labour: we leaue the care of these things to the suruiuors, who doe it for vs, if it be but to ridde vs out of their sight, but it would be both an ex­ercise and a testimoniall of our piety, if we would doe it our selues.

Now these two are the preparatiues only for death: but if that day in the Text should come vpon vs, it wold saue vs the labor both of wils and graues, that all-consuming fire that S. Peter speakes of being to be the Regus or the funerall fire both of our bodies and our goods.

But to come to the third, which is the vnum necessari­um, the preparation of the soule, at all times and in all respects the most necessary. In that we must looke two wayes, backward and forward. First, backward, vpon the course of our liues already past; for, as hath beene be­fore shewed, we must giue vp an account, and that must be made euen. And thou must doe it now, while thou art in the way with thine aduersary, lest he hale thee be­fore the Iudge, the Iudge deliuer thee to the Officer, and the Officer cast thee into that prison, out of which there is no redemption, Luk. 12. 58. If then any act of sin haue past from thee which may be restored, of that repent with restitution, as Zacheus, who restored his ill gotten goods fourefold, Luk. 19. If any act not capable of this re­pentance, of that repent with contrition, as Peter bewai­led his denial of his master, which he could not recal, with bitter teares: that so the wounds of conscience being searcht with contrition, and opened by humble confessi­on, they may be healed vp with the precious balme of the bloud of our Lord Iesus. Secondly, as we must look back­ward, [Page 40] so we must looke forward too, vpon the remnant of our time yet to come. And that for the keeping of a cōtinual watch ouer our own soules; first, for the eschew­ing of euill, lest either that day, the day of iudgement, or our owne day, the day of death, should take vs in our wic­kednesse. For if it shall be as our Sauior saies, Mat. 24. 40. There shall be two in the field, the one shall be taken, & the other left; there shall be two grinding at the mill, the one shall be taken and the other left, which we know are novnlawful imploi­ments: What thinke we shall become of confederacies of rebels, taken in their rebellion, as Korah, Num. 16. of drūk­ards smitten when their hearts are merry with wine, as Amnon, 2 Sam. 13. 28. of adulterers stricken in the very act of their vncleannesse, as Zimri and Cozbi, Num. 25. Again secondly, we must be careful not onely to eschew euil, but to doe good too, as Salomon aduises Eccl. 9. 10. Whatsoeuer thine hand findeth to doe, doe it, and doe it with all thy might, as soone as thou canst, as effectuall as thou canst; for there is neither worke, nor deuice, nor wisdome, nor knowledge in the graue whi­ther thou goest. Put not off thy good workes till to morrow, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. Leaue them not to be done by thine Executors: for that's to find a deuice in the graue, where Salomon sayes there is none. The worke is none of thine; for when thou hast ceased to liue, thou hast ceased to worke. The charge is none of thine, for although thou beest worth thousands before, yet af­ter death, all thy riches, all thy glory shall resolue it selfe into that of Iob 17. 14. to say to corruption thou art my Fa­ther: to the worme thou art my mother and my sister. And thus much shall suffice to haue spoken of this watchword of our blessed Sauiour, which that we may all of vs alwaies remember and obserue, euen hee himselfe giue vs the grace, who as he has come once with mercy to giue vs this warning, so will come againe at that great day with glory, to cal vs to account for the vse we haue made of it, euen Iesus Christ the righteous, to whom with the Fa­ther and the holy Ghost, three persons, one infinite, eter­nall and alsufficient God, be ascribed all kingdome, pow­er and glory, for euer and euer. Amen.