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<DATE>2014-02-27</DATE>
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<NAME>Brian Matzge</NAME>
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<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="B15838">
<STC T="S">22768</STC>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1">
<PB REF="1">
<P>TVVO SERMONS PREACHED BY Ma&s;ter HENRY SMITH: <HI>with a Prayer for the morning there|unto adioyned.</HI></P>
<P>And publi&s;hed by a more perfect Copy then <HI>heere|tofore.</HI></P>
<P><FIGURE>
<FIGDESC>book, hourglass, skull with wings, and globe</FIGDESC>
<P>I <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 word"> to dy I dy to liue</P>
</FIGURE></P>
<P>AT LONDON, Printed for <HI>William Leake,</HI> dwelling in Pauls Churchyard at the &s;igne of the Ho|ly-Gho&s;t. 1610.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="table of contents">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>The Contents.</HEAD>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1 The &s;inners conuer&s;ion.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. The &s;inners confe&s;&s;ion.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. A Prayer for the Morning.</ITEM>
</LIST>
</DIV1>
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<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="sermon">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>THE SINNERS Conuer&s;ion.</HEAD>
<HEAD>The Text.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL>Luke 29. ver&s;es 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.</BIBL>
<P N="1">1 Now when Ie&s;us entred and pa&s;&s;ed through Iericho,</P>
<P N="1">2 Behold there was a man named Zaccheus, which was the chiefe receiuer of the tribute, and he was rich.</P>
<P N="3">3 And he &s;ought to &s;ee Ie&s;us, who he &s;hould be, and could not for the prea&s;e, becau&s;e he was of a low &s;tature.</P>
<P N="4">4 Wherefore he ranne before, and climbed vp into a wild Figge-tree that hee might &s;ee him, for he &s;hould come that way.</P>
<P N="5">5 And when Ie&s;us came to the place, bee looked vp, and &s;aw him, and &s;aid vnto him, Zaccheus, come down at once: for to day I mu&s;t abide at thine hou&s;e.</P></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>_IN the end of the Chapter before go|ing, we may &s;ee how Chri&s;t healed a man, blinde in his bodily &s;ight, namely, Bartimeus, whereby hee &s;heweth him&s;elfe to be the Phy&s;iti|an of the body: Here we &s;hall &s;ee how he cured one blinde in minde, namely, Zaccheus, whereby he &s;heweth him&s;elfe to bee <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe. 5. 23.</NOTE> the Phy&s;itian of the &s;oule, and therefore the Sauiour of the whole man.</P>
<P>In &s;peaking of Zaccheus and his conuer&s;ion, we will ob&s;erue foure circum&s;tances: Fir&s;t, the place where he
<PB REF="3"> was called, which was Iericho, &s;econdly, the per&s;on that was called, Zaccheus the Publican. Thirdly, by whom &amp; how he was called, by the voyce of Chri&s;t. And la&s;t|lie, the effect and fruit of his calling, his good confe&s;&s;ion.</P>
<DIV2 N="1" TYPE="circumstance">
<HEAD>The fir&s;t circum&s;tance.</HEAD>
<P>Fir&s;t therefore for the place where he was conuerted, it appeareth to be Jericho, a citie not farre di&s;tant from Jeru&s;alem. It was &s;omtime a notable Citie, till it was <NOTE PLACE="marg">Io&s;u. 6.</NOTE> &s;ubuerted and ruinated by the Lords Champion Jo&s;ua. <NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Reg. 16. 34.</NOTE> It was builded againe in the dayes of Ahab, by Hiel the Bethelite, and remaineth at this day with the re&s;t of that holy Land, vnder the Turki&s;h Empire. Vnto this Ie|richo, the Lord of heauen and earth vouch&s;afeth to come in the likenes of a &s;eruant. And as Io&s;ua co~pa&s;&s;ed Iericho &s;eauen times minding to de&s;troy it, &s;o Chri&s;t the true Io&s;ua, re&s;orted oftentimes to Iericho, minding to &s;aue it. But as in the de&s;truction of Iericho, Io&s;ua &s;pared none but Rahab the harlot: &s;o Ie&s;us in his iour|ney to Iericho conuerted none but Zaccheus the Pub|lican. When Io&s;ua had conquered and raced Iericho, he &s;owed &s;alt in it to make it barren, and cur&s;ed him that &s;hould attempt to build it vp: yet in this barren &s;oile Chri&s;t hath his &s;pirituall haiue&s;t, and in this cur&s;ed Cit|tie he hath a holy Temple, a ble&s;&s;ed building. Samaria that wicked city, affordeth many that beleeue in Chri&s;t. Iohn 4. 39. And out of Galile, from whence they thought no good thing might come, Iohn 1. ver&s;e 46. Chri&s;t called diuers of his Apo&s;tles; and euen in Ieri|cho <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 7. 52.</NOTE> this cur&s;ed Citie, Chri&s;t hath a rich man that is to be &s;aued. In euery place Chri&s;t hath his cho&s;en. There is neither Iew nor Gentile, Barbarian nor Scythian, bond nor free, but Chri&s;t is all in all, to all that call vpon him, Rom. 10. 12.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="2" TYPE="circumstance">
<PB REF="3">
<HEAD>The &s;econd circum&s;tance.</HEAD>
<P>Now followeth the de&s;cription of Zaccheus, which is mo&s;t plainly &amp; fully &s;et foorth vnto vs. The holy gho&s;t &s;peaking of Zaccheus and his conuer&s;ion, comes in with an <HI>Ecce,</HI> Behold, as if it were a wonder that Zaccheus &s;hould be conuerted: Zaccheus was a Gentile, a Pub|lican, and a rich man, and therefore behold a myracle, as if in the conuer&s;ion of Zaccheus, the&s;e three &s;hould be conuerted at once.</P>
<P>Zaccheus was a Gentile; a maruell to &s;ee a Gentile be|come a Iew, that is, to beleeue in Chri&s;t. Hee was a <NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 19. 28.</NOTE> principall Publican; a &s;trange thing to &s;ee a chiefe cu|&s;tomer to giue ouer his office: and he was rich al&s;o; a rare matter to &s;ee a rich man to enter into the kingdome of God: and therefore behold a miracle, as if at this day the Turke, Pope, and the King of Spaine, were at once <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 2. 28.</NOTE> per&s;waded to for&s;ake their idolatry and &s;uper&s;tition. Chri&s;t going to <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> conuerteth a Gentile, to &s;igni|fie the calling of the Gentiles: he conuerteth a publican, to &s;hew that notorious &s;inners may hope to bee &s;aued, if they repent and amend, as Zaccheus did. He conuerteth a rich man, to &s;hew that al rich men are not excluded from the kingdome of heauen.</P>
<P>He was called Zaccheus before his conuer&s;io~, but hee was neuer truely called Zaccheus till Chri&s;t called him &s;o. His name &s;ignifying, &s;imple, pure, hone&s;t; but his life was &s;ubtill, impure, and mo&s;t dete&s;table. Thus many are called by hone&s;t names, who&s;e deedes be wray their di&s;|hone&s;t natures, and vices oftentimes are &s;hrowded in the habits of vertue, like Ae&s;opes A&s;&s;e, masking in the Lions skinne, till his long eares detect his follie, or like the Crowe that is deckt in others plumes, till euery bird doe plucke his feather.
<PB REF="4"> Zaccheus by his profe&s;&s;ion was a Publican, and there|fore much dete&s;ted of the Iewes: for Publicans were Roman officers, appointed to gather and receiue pub|lique cu&s;tome or tribute of the Iewes, who were at that time in &s;ubiection to the Romanes. And among&s;t the&s;e Officers, Zaccheus was the chiefe, and (as it &s;eemeth) Ouer&s;eer of the re&s;t that were in <HI>Iericho,</HI> and therefore in chiefe hatred among the Iewes, as one that chiefely fauoured the Romans tyranny, and &s;erued to abridge their country liberty, which ought not to be &s;ubiect to any Nation.</P>
<P>Be&s;ides, he contemned the ceremonies of the Iewes, and regarded not their religion, nor liued after their law, and therefore with the re&s;t of the heathen Publicans, was excommunicate out of their &s;ynagogue, Matth. cha. 18.</P>
<P>Thus was he hated for his profe&s;&s;ion, becau&s;e he was a Publican, and for his religion, becau&s;e he was a hea|then. Yet was he beloued for his wealth, for rich men haue many friendes, Prou. 14. 20. And though they doe neuer &s;o wickedly, yet haue they &s;ome to take their parts. If they &s;peak neuer &s;o proudly, yet are there &s;ome to prai&s;e their &s;aying, Eccle. 13. 23. 24.</P>
<P>Zaccheus was a Publican, and therefore rich: for Pub|licans mu&s;t needes be rich, and v&s;urers will be wealthy. But rich Publicans make poore Princes, and wealthy v&s;urers make many beggars. In euery prouince there were many Publicans, and therefore much poore peo|ple in euery place: for where there be many caterpil|lets, the fruit is &s;oone con&s;umed; &amp; where there be ma|ny extortioners, beggars mu&s;t needs abound.</P>
<P>By the Law of God, there might be no beggars in I&s;|rael, but when &s;o many Publicans were &s;uffered to re|ceiue <NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 15.</NOTE> tribute of the Iewes contrary to Gods lawe, no maruell though &s;o many &s;ate and begged, contrary to Gods lawe, Luke 18. Iohn 9. Acts 3. By the lawe of
<PB REF="4"> God, there ought to be no beggars among Chri&s;tians, P&s;al. 32. 25. But when &s;o many v&s;urers are tollerated in a chri&s;tian common-wealth, contrary to the Lawe of Chri&s;t, Luke 6. 35. no maruell though we haue &s;o many beggars, contrary to the minde of Chri&s;t. <HI>The poore</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Leu. 35. 36. 37. Mark 14. 7.</NOTE> (&s;aith Chri&s;t) <HI>yee &s;hall haue alwaies with you, but when you will, you may doe them good:</HI> and we &s;hall be &s;ure to haue the poore among&s;t vs alwaies, but we mu&s;t make &s;uch good proui&s;ion for them, that they be not faine to beg <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 3 7.</NOTE> their bred.</P>
<P>Thus was Zaccheus rich to him&s;elfe, for hee was a Publican, but hee was rich toward God al&s;o, for he had a de&s;ire to &s;ee Chri&s;t. Almighty God, <HI>who is rich in mercie,</HI> Ephe. 2. hath &s;o in&s;pired his heart with the de&s;ire of heauenly riches, that whereas before his whole delight was in &s;eeking of worldly wealth, now his greate&s;t care is to &s;eeke for heauenly trea&s;ure. Hee now forgetteth what his profe&s;&s;ion is, &amp; begins to be of a new profe&s;|&s;ion: and hee who&s;e heart was wholly &s;et vpon earthly profit, is now like olde <HI>Simeon,</HI> mo&s;t de&s;irous to &s;ee his Sauiour. The Tetrarch Herod de&s;ired to &s;ee Chri&s;t, and de&s;pi&s;ed him when he &s;aw him, Luk. 23. 8. 11. but Zaccheus the publican de&s;ired to &s;ee Chri&s;t, &amp; reioyced when he &s;aw him, like Abraham that de&s;ired to &s;ee the day of Chri&s;t, <HI>Iohn</HI> 8 56. And therefore of the &s;er|uant of Sathan, Zaccheus is now become the childe of Abraham, which reioyced to &s;ee the day of Chri&s;t. Hap|py were his eyes that &s;aw &s;o ble&s;&s;ed a &s;ight, for many <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 10.</NOTE> Prophets and righteous men haue de&s;ired to &s;ee and to heare tho&s;e things that Zaccheus both &s;aw and heard, and could not &s;ee nor heare the &s;ame. If Iacob thought him&s;elfe happy, if that he might but &s;ee his &s;onne <HI>Io&s;eph</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 45.</NOTE> before his death, then &s;urely thrice happy Zaccheus, who&s;e hap it was, not onely to &s;ee (as Iacob did) but to reioyce (as Mary did) in Chri&s;t his Sauiour.</P>
<P>As Zaccheus was de&s;irous to &s;ee Chri&s;t in earth, &s;o I
<PB REF="5"> would haue the rich men of our time, de&s;irous to &s;ee Chri&s;t in heauen. For although with the eyes of our bo|dy we cannot &s;ee chri&s;t as <HI>Zaccheus</HI> did, yet with the eies of our faith we may behold him as Stephen did, Acts 7. But if our faith be &s;o weake &s;ighted that we cannot &s;ee Chri&s;t, yet let vs haue a de&s;ire to hear chri&s;t in his word, whereby our faith may be increa&s;ed, for faith comes by <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 10. 1. Reg. 10.</NOTE> hearing the word of God. And as the Queene of the South de&s;ired to heare the wi&s;dome of <HI>Salomon,</HI> &s;o let vs be de&s;irous to heare the wi&s;dome of Chri&s;t our Sauiour.</P>
<P>King <HI>Salomon</HI> left &s;ome Bookes in writing, wherein is &s;eene &s;ome part of his wi&s;edome; and Chri&s;t our king, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn 20. 31.</NOTE> hath left vnto vs his mo&s;t &s;acred word, as it were a ta&s;te of his wi&s;edome, &s;ufficient matter for our &s;aluation, this is that heauenly foode, Mat. 4. 4. whereby our &s;oules are fed vnto eternall life, let vs therfore labour for that hea|uenly foode: and as the I&s;raelites were carefull to gather Manna to &s;u&s;taine their bodies, &s;o let vs be as carefull to heare the word to feede our &s;oules. The people in the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 19.</NOTE> time of Chri&s;t, <HI>Iohn</HI> 6. 24. tooke great paines to fol|low Chri&s;t both by land and &s;ea, and many now adaies (I confe&s;&s;e) are very forward to follow his faithfull Mi|ni&s;ters, but as they followed Chri&s;t &s;o fa&s;t to fill their bellies, &s;o the&s;e frequent Sermons for fa&s;hion to &s;erue the time.</P>
<P><HI>Zaccheus</HI> is de&s;irous to &s;ee Chri&s;t, a godly care, but yet he could not obtaine his purpo&s;e: a thing common; for <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 6. 26.</NOTE> euery one that hath anie good motion, hath alwaies &s;ome hinderance to cro&s;&s;e the &s;ame; and Zaccheus hath a double impediment to hinder his hone&s;t enterpri&s;e: The prea&s;e of the people, and his little &s;tature. Where|of the former, that is, the multitude, is alwayes wont to <NOTE PLACE="marg">Two impe|diments.</NOTE> be an enemie to tho&s;e that would come to Chri&s;t. This hindred the blind man from receiuing his &s;ight, Luk. 18. for the people rebuked him that hee &s;hould holde his peace, till Chri&s;t called him and opened his eyes. This
<PB REF="5"> hindred them that brought the man &s;ick of the Paul&s;ie, Mar. 2. for they could not come at Chri&s;t for the prea&s;e, till they vncouered the roofe of the hou&s;e, and let down the bed wherein the &s;icke of the Paul&s;ie lay.</P>
<P>This hindered the healing of the deafe and dumbe, Mar. 7. till Chri&s;t tooke him a&s;ide out of the multitude, and cured him. This hindered the rai&s;ing of the Rulers daughter, Matth. 9. till Chri&s;t had thru&s;t out the Min|&s;trells and the multitude, and then re&s;tored the maid to life. Finally, this hindered Zaccheus here from com|ming vnto Chri&s;t, till Chri&s;t vouch&s;afed to call him to him&s;elfe. Thus alwaies a multitude that is prone to euill, doth withdraw and hinder vs from approching vnto Chri&s;t: and therefore we mu&s;t not follow a multi|tude to doe euill, nor decline after many, to ouerthrow the trueth. Exod. 23.</P>
<P>The &s;econd impediment that hindereth Zaccheus from &s;eeing Chri&s;t, is his little &s;tature. He was &s;o low of &s;tature, that he could not &s;ee Chri&s;t aboue the multitude: but Chri&s;t was aboue the multitude, and therefore could &s;ee Zaccheus though he were &s;o low of &s;tature. For God looketh not on the countenance, nor on the height of <NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Sam. 16. 7. 1. Sam. 16. 12.</NOTE> mans &s;tature, but the Lord beholdeth the heart, and preferred little Dauid before Eliab his elde&s;t brother, becau&s;e hee findeth in him a better heart to &s;erue the Lord. And <HI>Zaccheus</HI> in his little bodie, hath a heart and minde prepared to &s;eeke and &s;ee the Lord. <HI>Zaccheus</HI> was &s;o low, that hee could not &s;ee Chri&s;t: but many a|mong&s;t vs are &s;o high that they will not &s;ee Chri&s;t. The common people in time of Chri&s;t were &s;o de&s;i|rous to follow Chri&s;t, that neither lamene&s;&s;e nor blind|nes, nor &s;icknes, could &s;tay them from comming to him; but the common people in our time, are more readie to follow their &s;port and pa&s;time, then to come to the church to heare of Chri&s;t. And as for our rich men, who &s;eeth not that they will make great ha&s;te to &s;ee a co~mo|dity,
<PB REF="6"> but will &s;earce come out of doores to heare a Ser|mon?</P>
<P>They come to Church as Nichodemus came to Chri&s;t, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn 3. 2.</NOTE> by night, as if they were a&s;hamed to come to Church: but they runne after profit, to get riches, as Gehezi ran <NOTE PLACE="marg">2. King. 5.</NOTE> after Naaman the Syrian to get a bribe.</P>
<P>Thus hath Zaccheus two lets that he could not &s;ee Chri&s;t, the one in the people, the other in him&s;elfe: and we haue many lets to with-draw vs from Chri&s;t, &s;ome are externall, and without vs, as the inticements of the world, and &s;ome are internall and within vs, as the lu&s;ts of our owne fle&s;h. The prea&s;e of the people hindereth <NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay 59. 2.</NOTE> Zaccheus from &s;eeing Chri&s;t in his humility, &amp; the mul|titude of our &s;innes doe pre&s;&s;e vs downe, that we cannot &s;ee Chri&s;t in glory. Zaccheus was a man of little &s;tature, and that hindered him from &s;eeing Chri&s;t in earth; and we are men of little faith, and that is the cau&s;e we cannot behold Chri&s;t in heauen.</P>
<P>Though <HI>Zaccheus</HI> was a man of little &s;tature, yet it appeareth that he was not a man of little wit. For when he could not come to the &s;ight of Chri&s;t for the multi|tude, he had the wit to runne before, and to climbe vp into a tree to obtaine his purpo&s;e. And for the mo&s;t part it falleth out, that men of low &s;tature, are men of high conceit, and the &s;horte&s;t bodies, haue the &s;harpe&s;t wits, God &s;o prouiding, that the defects of their bodies might bee &s;upplied with the gifts of their minde. Now Zaccheus that before was loth to moue his foote from the cu&s;tome-hou&s;e, for lo&s;ing his profit, begins to run after Chri&s;t for feare of a greater lo&s;&s;e, like Eliza that left his plowing, and ranne after Elias to follow his new vocation. But Zaccheus doth not only runne, but al&s;o climbe vp into a tree to &s;ee Chri&s;t: A &s;trange thing that Zaccheus a rich man, and a chiefe cu&s;tomer, &s;hould be|haue <NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Reg 19.</NOTE> him&s;elfe &s;o childi&s;hly in the &s;ight of &s;o great a mul|titude; but the de&s;ire he had to &s;ee Chri&s;t, made him
<PB REF="6"> forget him&s;elfe: and to commit &s;uch things as were not fitting for his &s;tate and credit. So they that will follow <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 12. 2.</NOTE> Chri&s;t, mu&s;t make account to doe many things contra|rie to the fa&s;hion of the world, and their owne liking. If Chri&s;t him&s;elfe were content to leaue the glory which he had with his Father to come downe to us, &s;hall not wee bee content to leaue the reputation which wee haue with men to goe vp to him?</P>
<P>But alas, where is there any almo&s;t that preferreth not the fruition of this earthly pri&s;on, before the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of that heauenly man&s;ion? and had rather hazard the hope which they haue of eternall glory, then lee&s;e the pre&s;ent enioying of their fading plea&s;ure.</P>
<P>The ambitious man hunteth after honour, and will not lee&s;e an inch of his e&s;timation. The couetous man <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn 12. 6.</NOTE> &s;eekes after profit, and counts (like Iudas,) all lo&s;t that comes not to his bagges. And the voluptuous man be|&s;towes his time in plea&s;ure, and thinketh that his cheefe felicitie. Thus euery man makes his heauen of that wherein he mo&s;t delighteth, and is content to take great paines to accompli&s;h his fond de&s;ires. But heere Zac|cheus is of an other mind; for beeing a publike officer, he climbes into a tree, which &s;tood not with his grauitie, and beeing a rich man, he runs to &s;ee Chri&s;t, which was not for his worldly profit; yea he takes great pains to &s;ee Chri&s;t, not re&s;pecting his ca&s;e or plea&s;ure.</P>
<P>Thus mu&s;t we bee affected if wee de&s;ire to come to Chri&s;t, that neither honours, nor preferments, nor pro|fit, nor plea&s;ure, nor kindred, nor friends, be able to hold vs backe: We mu&s;t be ready, not onely to runne, but al|&s;o to climbe (if need require) as <HI>Zaccheus</HI> did: that is, to take &s;ome paine and trauaile to haue a &s;ight of Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>The Queene of the South vndertooke a great and <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 3. 22. Luke 14. 29. 1. King. 10.</NOTE> tedious iourney to heare the wi&s;edome of Salomon, but we are loath to take any paine to heare one that is grea|ter then Salomon.</P>
<PB REF="7">
<P>The people in Dauids time brought &s;o much trea|&s;ure, and &s;o many gifts to the building of Gods Tem|ple, that the Prie&s;ts were faine to bid them cea&s;e: but a <NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Chro. 29. 9.</NOTE> great part of the people in our time, are &s;o &s;paring of their paines and co&s;t, that they thinke that very time mi&s;&s;pent which is employed in the &s;eruice of God; and that mony ill be&s;towed, which is giuen to the maintenance of his Mini&s;ters.</P>
<P>When <HI>Zaccheus</HI> could not &s;ee Chri&s;t for the multi|tude hee climbes into a tree, that groweth in the way where he was to pa&s;&s;e, that from a tree he might be|hold him, which was to &s;uffer on a tree for mans &s;alua|tion. So when we cannot draw neere to Chri&s;t, by rea&s;on of our &s;innes that pre&s;&s;e vs downe, we will climbe vp by a liuely faith, which is the tree of life, that groweth in the way to eternall life, that &s;o, with the eies of our faith, wee may behold him that died for our &s;innes vpon a tree.</P>
<P>It was a wilde Figge tree that <HI>Zaccheus</HI> climbed, but not like that vnfruitfull one which our Sauiour cur|&s;ed: for this bare mo&s;t pretious fruite, euen &s;uch as <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 21. 1</NOTE> Chri&s;t him&s;elfe vouch&s;afed to pluck. A happy tree that bare &s;uch pretious fruite as Zaccheus was; but thrice happy Zaccheus, that &s;o happily climbed on that hap|py tree.</P>
<P>This tree grew in the way that Chri&s;t was to pa&s;&s;e, for el&s;e Zaccheus might haue climbed to no purpo&s;e: So if we de&s;ire to find Chri&s;t, we mu&s;t &s;eeke him in the way where he hath promi&s;ed to &s;hew him&s;elfe vnto vs, that is, in his holy Temple; where his word is duely preached, and his Sacraments reuerently admini&s;tred, for where <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 19. 20.</NOTE> two or three are gathered together, he hath promi&s;ed to be pre&s;ent among&s;t them.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="3" TYPE="circumstance">
<PB REF="7">
<HEAD>The third Circum&s;tance.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>When Chri&s;t came to the place, hee locked vp and &s;aw Zaccheus.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P>As Zaccheus ranne before Chri&s;t, &s;o Chri&s;t followed after to &s;ee <HI>Zaccheus.</HI> Sathan for his part <HI>went about like</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Pet. 5. 8. Iohn 10. Luke 11. 21.</NOTE> <HI>a roaring Lyon, &s;eeking to deuoure him;</HI> but Chri&s;t for his part goeth about like a good &s;heepheard, minding to &s;aue him. And although Sathan a &s;trong armed man had taken &s;ome po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion in the heart of <HI>Zaccheus,</HI> yet Chri&s;t a &s;tronger then hee commeth vnarmed, and ta|keth from him his harne&s;&s;e wherein he tru&s;ted, and re&s;|cueth the &s;poile.</P>
<P>Chri&s;t commeth to the place where Zaccheus was, becau&s;e otherwi&s;e it had bin vnpo&s;&s;ible for Zaccheus to come to his pre&s;ence: for vnle&s;&s;e the Lord vouch&s;afe to come vnto vs, wee cannot attaine to the pre&s;ence of God. As no man might haue any acce&s;&s;e to king A&s;&s;ue|rus except he &s;tretched out his golden &s;cepter: &s;o no <NOTE PLACE="marg">He&s;ter 4.</NOTE> man may come to Chri&s;t, vnle&s;&s;e he be called by the golden &s;cepter of his &s;acred word.</P>
<P><HI>Chri&s;t looked vp and &s;aw Zaccheus,</HI> before <HI>Zaccheus</HI> could looke downe to behold him. Thus doth the Lord preuent vs with his mercy, whom he might ca&s;t off in his iu&s;tice: and if he perceiue in vs a willing mind to come vnto him, he is content to come fir&s;t vnto vs. And like that good father, Luke 15. to behold vs while wee are yet a great way off, and to haue compa&s;&s;ion on vs.</P>
<P>When Iobs three friends that came to vi&s;it him in his <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob. 2. 12.</NOTE> great calamitie lift vp their eies a farre off, they knew not <HI>Iob,</HI> becau&s;e he was &s;o &s;ore afflicted. But Chri&s;t who is the mirour of true friend&s;hip, cannot &s;o &s;oone forget his friends, how&s;oeuer they be di&s;gui&s;ed. He knoweth his owne &s;heep where&s;oeuer he &s;eeth them, <HI>Ioh.</HI> 10. whe|ther
<PB REF="8"> they be vnder the Figge-tree, as Nathaniel was, or vpon the Figgetree, as <HI>Zaccheus</HI> was, he hath re&s;pect vnto them. And if they haue a de&s;ire to &s;eeke they &s;hall bee &s;ure to find, Math. 7. And if they labour &amp; are hea|uy laden, hee will refre&s;h them, Math. 11. Chri&s;t is now come to the place where <HI>Zaccheus</HI> is to be called; and as Abraham, Gen. 22. lift vp his eyes and &s;aw in the bu&s;h a ramme that was to be &s;actificed, &s;o Chri&s;t lifting vp his eies, &s;aw in the tree. Zaccheus the &s;inner that was to be conuerted. And now beginnes the conuer&s;ion of Zac|cheus, for now Chri&s;t begins to &s;peake vnto him.</P>
<P>Zaccheus de&s;ired onely to &s;ee Chri&s;t, but now Chri&s;t calleth him by name, and offereth his owne &s;elfe vnto him. This was more then Zaccheus expected, and yet no more than Chri&s;t vouch&s;afeth, namely, to giue more <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn 1. Luke 5. 1. Kin. 3. 12. 13 Gen. 28. 20.</NOTE> then is de&s;ired. The &s;icke of the pal&s;ie that asked health, obtained al&s;o forgiuene&s;&s;e of &s;innes. <HI>Salomon</HI> de&s;ired wi&s;edom, and the Lord gaue him wi&s;edome, and abun|dance of wealth be&s;ide. Iacob asked but meate and clo|thing, and God made him a great rich man. And Zacche|us de&s;ired only to haue a &s;ight of Chri&s;t, and was &s;o happy as to entertaine him into his hou&s;e.</P>
<P>Thus the Lord that is rich in mercy to all that call vp|on him, v&s;eth oftentimes to giue more then wee aske: and hee that is alwaies found of them that &s;eeke him <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 10. 12. Ephe&s;. 2. 4. Ior. 29.</NOTE> with their whole heart, is found al&s;o &s;ometime of Gen|tiles that knew not God, E&s;ay, 65. 1. Let vs therefore that were &s;ometimes &s;inners of the Gentiles, &s;eeke the Lord as Zaccheus did, while he may be found, and call vpon him while he is nigh. Hee will be found of them that &s;eeke him hartily, and is nigh to all them that cal vp|on <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 10. 20. E&s;ay. 55.</NOTE> him faithfully, P&s;al. 145. 18.</P>
<P><HI>Zaccheus, come downe at once.</HI> Now Chri&s;t beginnes to call Zaccheus from the tree to be conuerted, as God cal|led Adam from among the trees of the garden to be cur|&s;ed, Gen. 3. Before, Zaccheus was too low, and therefore
<PB REF="8"> was faine to climbe, but now he is too high, and there|fore he mu&s;t come downe. And we (for the mo&s;t part) are either too high, or too low, too hote, or too colde, too quick, or too &s;lothfull in the Lords bu&s;ine&s;&s;e. Some|time we flocke together to heare a Sermon, like the peo|ple, Luke 5. that pre&s;&s;ed vpon Chri&s;t to heare the word, and anon we run to &s;ee &s;ome plea&s;ant pa&s;time, like the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 17.</NOTE> Athenians, who&s;e eares alwaies itched to heare &s;ome newes.</P>
<P>Who make more &s;hew of con&s;cience and religion, then they that &s;hew them&s;elues mo&s;t irreligious and vncon|&s;cionable? Who &s;eemed more confident and vertuous in <NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 26.</NOTE> Chri&s;t his cau&s;e then <HI>Peter?</HI> and not long after, who more traiterous and faint hearted?</P>
<P>Many can &s;ay with <HI>Peter,</HI> that they will not &s;tick to die before they will denie Chri&s;t; but when it comes to the triall, they are ready to abiure Chri&s;t and his religion be|fore they will hazard either life or liuing.</P>
<P>He that will come to Chri&s;t, mu&s;t come at once, with|out delay, for delayes (&s;pecially in the matter of our &s;al|uation) are mo&s;t dangerous, and repentance may not be deferred. <HI>Wee mu&s;t make no tarrying to turne vnto the Lord, nor put off from day to day. le&s;t the wrath of the Lord</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccle&s;. 5. 7.</NOTE> <HI>breake foorth &s;uddenly, and wee bee de&s;troyed in our &s;ecurity, and peri&s;h in the time of vengeance.</HI> When the Lord is min|ded to do vs good, he will haue vs come quickly, like Io|&s;eph, Gene&s;is 45. 9. that in the time of famine would haue his father Iacob to come downe quickly vnto him, to &s;oiourne in Egypt, where there was &s;ome plentie of foode.</P>
<P>As the children of this world are very nimble to worke wickednes, &s;o the children of light &s;hould be as nimble to follow goodnes. Iudas was nimble to betray Chri&s;t, Iohn 13. 27. and the bad debtors, Luke 16. could &s;it downe quickly to mi&s;-reckon their creditor: &s;o let vs come quickly to heare of Chri&s;t, that Chri&s;t may accept
<PB REF="9"> of vs quickly; let vs be nimble to make our accompt be|fore, that we do not (like the fooli&s;h builder) come &s;hort of our reckoning. <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 14. 28.</NOTE></P>
<P>But why mu&s;t Zaccheus come downe &s;o ha&s;tily? Euen to entertaine Chri&s;t into his hou&s;e: <HI>For to day</HI> (&s;aith Chri&s;t) <HI>I mu&s;t abide with thee.</HI> This was ioyfull news to little Zac|cheus. Not long before, he wanted meanes to &s;ee Chri&s;t, but now he hath opportunity to entertaine him into his hou&s;e.</P>
<P>There was more humanity in Chri&s;t then in Zacche|us: for if Chri&s;t had not bidden him&s;elfe to dinner, he had not bin bidde~ for Zaccheus: So if Chri&s;t do not offer him|&s;elfe <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 35. 40.</NOTE> vnto vs in his afflicted members, he may go long i|nough before we will offer him any entertainement. As often as the poore craueth any reliefe at our hands, let vs imagine that Chri&s;t asketh &s;omething of vs: but as Zac|cheus mu&s;t entertain him pre&s;ently without delay, &s;o let vs be ready to helpe them pre&s;ently, becau&s;e they &s;tand in neede of pre&s;ent helpe. And as he mu&s;t receiue Chri&s;t in|to his hou&s;e; &s;o we mu&s;t make account to receiue his nee|dy members into our hou&s;es. And as the vniu&s;t &s;teward <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 6.</NOTE> procureth him&s;elfe friends with his ma&s;ters goods, &s;o let vs make the poore to be our friends, by our benificence and bounty towards them, that &s;o receiuing them, (when they haue need) into our earthlie hou&s;es, they may re|ceiue vs when we &s;tand in greate&s;t need, into euerla&s;ting habitations.</P>
<P>They that were inuited to the marriage, Matth. 22, re|fu&s;ed to come; but Chri&s;t is content to come to Zac|cheus hou&s;e before he was inuited. Wherein al&s;o he &s;he|weth his great humility, in comming before he was re|que&s;ted, as they be wrayed their great arrogancy, in re|fu&s;ing to come beeing &s;olemnly bidden. It was a part of great humility, that he that was mo&s;t free from &s;inne, would vouch&s;afe to come into a &s;inners hou&s;e: but it was a &s;igne of great humility, that hee would be wray his
<PB REF="9"> great nece&s;&s;itie, and &s;eeke for &s;uccour at a &s;inners hand.</P>
<P>Ala&s;&s;e poore humble Sauiour, who though thou be Lord of heauen and earth, as thou art the &s;onne of God, yet as thou art the &s;onne of man, ha&s;t not whereon to lay thy head. Matth. 8.</P>
<P>How iu&s;tly did thy prophet Ieremie wonder at thy <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 14.</NOTE> humble pouertie, &s;aying; <HI>O thou hope of I&s;rael, the Sauiour thereof in the time of trouble, why art thou as a &s;tranger in the Land, or as one that pa&s;&s;eth by to tarry for a night?</HI> The Sonne of God vouch&s;afeth to come, and that vnreque&s;ted to a &s;infull mans hou&s;e; a &s;pecial fauour: but he di<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="3 letters">eth not to make his nece&s;&s;ity knowne vnto him; O &s;trange humilitie! Here therefore appeareth the &s;ingular humani|tie and great humility of Chri&s;t to &s;infull men: he offereth him&s;elfe to betheir gue&s;t, if he find the~ willing to intertain him for their gue&s;t, And Zaccheus no doubt was willing to entertain him, for although Chri&s;t heard not the voice, yet he heard the affection of Zaccheus inuiting him to dinner.</P>
<P>As therefore Zaccheus was willing to receiue Chri&s;t into his hou&s;e, &s;o let vs be ready to receiue him into our hearts. For as Chri&s;t &s;aid to Zaccheus, <HI>This day I mu&s;t a|bide at thy hou&s;e:</HI> &s;o he &s;aith to euery one of vs. <HI>This day I mu&s;t abide in your hearts.</HI> Wherefore as the prophet Da|uid <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 24.</NOTE> &s;aith, <HI>Open your gates that the King of glory may come in:</HI> &s;o I &s;ay vnto you, <HI>Open your hearts, that the word of God may enter in.</HI> This day the word of God may abide in your hearts, for this day the word is preached vnto you; and who knoweth whether hee &s;hall liue to heare it the next Sabbath: <HI>To day therefore if you will heare his voyce, harden not your hearts,</HI> as did the I&s;raelites, le&s;t if you har|den <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 95.</NOTE> your hearts, his voyce be heard no more among&s;t you.</P>
<P>This day you may gather this heauenly Manna, as the I&s;raelites might gather their Manna &s;ix daies together, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 16.</NOTE> but to morrow (perhaps) and &s;ixe daies after, you may
<PB REF="10"> not gather it, as on the &s;eauenth day Manna might not be found.</P>
<P>The Lord grant that you may gather &s;ufficient foode for the &s;u&s;tentation of your &s;oules, that as Elias the Pro|phet iournied in the &s;trength of the meate that the An|gell brought him, euen vnto Horeb the mount of God: &s;o you in the &s;trength of this &s;pirituall meat which heere <NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Reg. 19.</NOTE> I bring you, may bee able to pa&s;&s;e through the dange|rous waies of this trouble&s;ome world, vnto Gods holy Mountaine, the hauen of all happine&s;&s;e: whither he bring vs, that hath deerely bought vs with his pretious blood, euen Chri&s;t Ie&s;us the righteous: to whom with the Fa|ther, and the holy Gho&s;t, three per&s;ons and one God, bee giuen all glory and maie&s;ty, world without end.</P>
<CLOSER>Amen.</CLOSER>
</DIV2>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="sermon">
<PB REF="10">
<HEAD>THE SINNERS Confe&s;&s;ion.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL>Pro. 28. ver&s;e, 13.</BIBL>
<P>He that hideth his &s;innes &s;hal not pro&s;per; but he that con|fe&s;&s;eth and for&s;aketh them &s;hall haue mercy.</P></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<HEAD>The Text.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<BIBL>Luke 19. ver&s;es 6. 7. 8. 9.</BIBL>
<Q><P N="6">6 Then he came downe ha&s;tily, and receiued him ioyfully.</P>
<P N="7">7 And when all they &s;aw it, they murmured &s;aying, that hee was gone to lodge with a &s;infull man.</P>
<P N="8">8 And Zaccheus &s;tood forth, and &s;aid vnto the Lord: Behold Lord, the halfe of my goods I giue to the poore: &amp; if I haue take~ from any by forged cauilation, I re&s;tore him foure-fold.</P>
<P N="9">9 Then Ie&s;us &s;aid vnto him, This day &s;aluation come vnto this hou&s;e, for a&s;much as he is al&s;o become the &s;onne of A|braham.</P></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>_YOu heard the la&s;t Sabboth, how <HI>Zaccheus</HI> the Publican was called to be a Chri&s;tian: now you &s;hal heare the fruit of his conuer|&s;ion. No &s;ooner had Chri&s;t called him from the tree, but that he came downe ha&s;tily, &amp; receiued him ioyfully.</P>
<P>This was the fruit which it had in the heart of <HI>Zac|cheus,</HI> namely obedience to the voyce of Chri&s;t: a fruit
<PB REF="11"> more pretious and acceptable vnto God, than the mo&s;t plea&s;ant fruits which Eden yeelded; and a &s;acrifice more &s;weet &amp; acceptable vnto him, than al the &s;acrifices which the Law required. This is the &s;acrifice wherewith the Lord is plea&s;ed, euen when his voyce is obeyed, 1. Sam. 16 22. The voice of the Lord is a glorious voyce, &amp; mighty in operation, diuiding the flames of fire, &amp; &s;haking the <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 29.</NOTE> cedar trees. So the voyce of Chri&s;t is a glorious voyce, his voice is mighty in operation, diuiding the &s;oule and the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 4. 12.</NOTE> &s;pirit, and &s;haking <HI>Zaccheus</HI> from the wild figge-tree, whereinto he had climbed.</P>
<P>The &s;ame God to who&s;e command the windes, the &s;ea, the diuels, and death it &s;elfe obey, heere comman|deth <NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 8.</NOTE> <HI>Zaccheus</HI> to come down at once, and he commeth downe ha&s;tily to receiue him into his hou&s;e, and hee receiueth him ioyfully. As Zaccheus could not come at Chri&s;t till he was called, &s;o no man can come to Chri&s;t <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn 6. 44.</NOTE> except the Father draw him: And as Zaccheus could not choo&s;e but come, when he was called by the voice of Chri&s;t, &s;o when any man is called effectually by the preaching of the Go&s;pel, he cannot choo&s;e but come to Chri&s;t: for where there is an effectuall calling, there is grace giuen al&s;o to obey the &s;ame, Rom. 8. 30. The Lord is faine &s;ometime to call vs often, becau&s;e we know not the voyce of him that calleth vs, as he called Samuel three times before hee an&s;wered; becau&s;e at that time Samuel knew not the Lord, 1. Sam. 3. 7. But as &s;oone as he vnder&s;tood that it was the Lord that &s;pake vnto him, he replied pre&s;e~tly, <HI>Speak on Lord, for thy &s;eruant hea|reth.</HI> So when the Lord calleth any man effectually by the preaching of his word, all the parts and powers of his body doe yeeld their obedience, the care li&s;teneth, the tongue confe&s;&s;eth, the heart beleeueth, the head de|ui&s;eth, the hand performeth, the foote runneth, the eye directeth, and all concurre <HI>To doe thy will O God,</HI> P. &s;alme. 40. 7.</P>
<PB REF="11">
<P>Such and &s;o effectuall is the voyce of Chri&s;t in the hearts of his cho&s;en, that it maketh Saul of a bloody per|&s;ecutor to become Paul a painefull Preacher: it cau&s;eth <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 9. Math. 4.</NOTE> Peter of a &s;illy Fi&s;herman, to become a catcher of men: and Zaccheus here of a vile Publican, to become a zea|lous Chri&s;tian. And &s;uch al&s;o is the nature of the word preached, where&s;oeuer it plea&s;eth the Lord to giue &s;uc|ce&s;&s;e and encrea&s;e thereto, that it is able to tran&s;forme the minds of men, to beget faith in the harts of Jnfidels, <NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 3. 7.</NOTE> and (in a word) to &s;aue &s;uch as are ordained to eternall life. Acts 13. This is the power of the word of God, e|uen to cau&s;e a con&s;enting to the truth thereof; and this is the property of the children of God, to yeeld all obedi|ence <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 1.</NOTE> to the word of God. As &s;oone as Chri&s;t calleth Zac|cheus, he comes downe pre&s;ently, like the light in the creation, that was made as &s;oone as God &s;aid, <HI>Let there be light.</HI> Heere therefore of Zaccheus that obeyed the voyce of Chri&s;t, let vs learne obedience to the voice of Chri&s;t: &s;or as Chri&s;t biddeth Zaccheus to come downe, becau&s;e he was too high: &s;o he &s;aith to euery one of vs, <HI>Come downe,</HI> becau&s;e we are too high minded. But with vs the voice of Chri&s;t is not &s;o effectuall as it was with Zaccheus: for he was content to come downe at the fir&s;t bidding: but we mu&s;t be often bidden, to beware of pride &amp; ambition, and yet we wil &s;til be climbing. There are few &s;o high that are content with their calling, but as Haman was alwaies a&s;piring till he came to the gal|lowes, <NOTE PLACE="marg">He&s;t 7.</NOTE> &s;o many among&s;t vs are alwaies climbing till they catch a fall.</P>
<P>Againe, as Chri&s;t &s;aid to Zaccheus, <HI>To day I mu&s;t abide at thy hou&s;e:</HI> So Chri&s;t &s;aith to vs, To day my poor af|flicted members &s;hould receiue &s;ome &s;uccour at your hands. But as the Prie&s;t and the Leuite, Luke 10. pa&s;&s;ed by the wounded man leauing him halfe dead, &s;o we (for the mo&s;t part) pa&s;&s;e by our needy brethren, leauing them vnreliued. Thus are we euery way di&s;obedient to the
<PB REF="12"> voice of Chri&s;t. He teacheth vs to be humble as he him|&s;elfe is, Matth. 11. 29. and we waxe proud and in&s;olent as Satan is. Hee willeth vs to be mercifull, as our hea|uenly Father is, Luke 6. 36. and we are cruell and vn|mercifull, as the rich Glutton was, Luke 16. This is the cau&s;e why the earth deceiueth and rendreth not her fruit, E&s;ay 24. 5. This is the cau&s;e why the &s;word de|uoureth abroad, and the pe&s;tilence de&s;troyeth at home, Deut. 28. 15. Leuit. 26. 24. 25. and in a word, this is the cau&s;e of all the mi&s;chiefes and calamities that are threat|ned, euen becau&s;e we are ob&s;tinate and rebellious again&s;t the Lord, we are vndutifull and di&s;obedient to the voice of Chri&s;t, that calleth vs &s;o louingly to come vnto him, Math. 11. 28.</P>
<P>Zaccheus was called but once, &amp; he commeth quick|ly: but we are called oftentimes, and almo&s;t euery day, and that by the voyce of Chri&s;t him&s;elfe, <HI>For hee that heareth you</HI> (&s;aith Chri&s;t) Luke. 10. 16. <HI>heareth mee:</HI> and yet we cannot find the way to Chri&s;t. The word of God, which is the lanterne vnto our feete, and the light vnto our paths, P&s;alm. 119. hath beene plainely and plentifully preached among&s;t vs the&s;e many yeers, and yet many a|mo~g&s;t vs haue not yet learned to come to Chri&s;t. <HI>Zacche|us</HI> comes quickly when Chri&s;t calleth him, let vs there|fore learne of Zaccheus to come quickly when Chri&s;t calleth vs. We mu&s;t be quicke in the Lords bu&s;ines, for God cannot abide loyterers &s;tanding al the day idle, Mat. 20. and as he loueth a cheerfull giuer, 2. Cor. 9. 7. &s;o he li|keth a cheerfull follower.</P>
<P>It followeth therefore that Zaccheus receiued him cheerefully. Still Zaccheus is a receiuer: before he was a receiuer of cu&s;tome, now he is a receiuer of Chri&s;t. Zaccheus receiued Chri&s;t two waies: fir&s;t into his heart, when he de&s;ired to &s;ee him: and then into his hou&s;e when he gaue him ho&s;pitalitie. Many receiued Chri&s;t to hou&s;e, but not into their hearts, and therefore receiued
<PB REF="12"> him grudgingly: but Zaccheus receiued Chri&s;t fir&s;t into his heart, and then into his hou&s;e; and therefore receiued him ioyfully. Of Zaccheus his ioyfulne&s;&s;e, we mu&s;t learne to be ioyfull when we do any thing for the cau&s;e of Chri&s;t: we mu&s;t be glad to harbour Chri&s;t in his members, as Zaccheus was glad to harbour Chri&s;t him&s;elfe. As before in comming downe from the tree, Zaccheus &s;hewed his obedience: &s;o heere in receiuing Chri&s;t into his hou&s;e, he &s;heweth the loue that he bare vnto him. If Zaccheus had not loued Chri&s;t, he might haue &s;ent him to &s;ome common Inne: But Zaccheus is content to receiue Chri&s;t in his owne hou&s;e; yea he re|ioyceth to haue gotten &s;o good a gue&s;t; like Abraham, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 18.</NOTE> that v&s;ed to &s;it at the doore of his tent, and reioyced to entertaine &s;trangers that went by the way: and therefore, though Zaccheus were a Gentile borne, yet herein he &s;heweth him&s;elfe the child of Abraham, becau&s;e he doth the works of Abraham, Ioh 8. ver. 39. So did Abraham, and &s;o we mu&s;t doe, if we will &s;hew our &s;elues to be the children of Abraham.</P>
<P>When Abraham thought only to haue entertained <NOTE PLACE="marg">Abraham. Gen. 18. 3.</NOTE> men, he receiueth the Angels in the &s;hape and likene&s;&s;e of men: and when Zaccheus thought to entertaine the &s;onne of man, he receiueth the &s;onne of God him&s;elfe. Let vs therefore (as the Apo&s;tle willeth vs.) Hebr. 13. 2. be mindfull to entertaine &s;trangers, for as much as there|by <NOTE PLACE="marg">Lot. Gen. 19. 3.</NOTE> &s;ome haue receiued Angels into their hou&s;es vna|wares; and why &s;hould we not hope to entertaine the like, or better gue&s;ts, if we be giuen to ho&s;pitalitie, as tho&s;e godly Fathers were? For as the Angels came to them in the likenes of men: &s;o Chri&s;t him&s;elfe comes to vs in the likenes of a poore man, of a lame man, and of a blind man: and when he commeth, he commeth hungry, or thir&s;ty, or naked, or harbourle&s;&s;e, or &s;icke, or im|pri&s;oned: and happy are they that feede, or cloath, or harbour or vi&s;ite him, when he commeth thus afflicted,
<PB REF="13"> When Abraham entertained the Angels, he was not onely bu&s;ie him&s;elfe, but his wife, and all his hou&s;hold were carefull to make proui&s;ion for them; &s;o when Zac|cheus receiued Chri&s;t into his hou&s;e, his whole familie (no doubt) were no le&s;&s;e willing and carefull to enter|taine Chri&s;t, then their Ma&s;ter was: and therefore not onely to Zaccheus, but euen to his whole hou&s;e &s;aluation is promi&s;ed, becau&s;e the whole family reioyced at Chri&s;t his comming. Let rich men learne of Zaccheus to entertaine Chri&s;t in his needy members, and let rich mens &s;eruants learne of Zaccheus family, to &s;hew them|&s;elues mercifull, like their mercifull ma&s;ters, that they may receiue the reward of mercy and ho&s;pitalitie at the la&s;t day. <HI>Come ye ble&s;&s;ed, for I was harbourle&s;&s;e, and ye tooke me in.</HI> Generally, as Zaccheus gladly receiued Chri&s;t: &s;o let euery one that is able, be glad to di&s;tribute to the ne|ce&s;&s;ity <NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 25.</NOTE> of the poore Saints: if we haue much, let vs giue plentifully: if we haue little let vs giue gladly of that lit|tle: if wee be not able to giue a penny, yet happily wee may affoord a mor&s;ell of bread: if not that, yet there is none &s;o needy, that cannot giue a cup of cold water, and euen &s;o &s;mall a gift &s;hall not lo&s;e his iu&s;t reward, Matth. 10. 41. Zaccheus receiued Chri&s;t into his heart, but many among&s;t vs are ready to driue Chri&s;t out, and to receiue Sathan in&s;tead of him: Zaccheus receiued Chri&s;t into his hou&s;e, but there are many rich men among&s;t vs, that like Diues, Luke 16. will not affoord poore Laza|rus the crummes that fall from their table: but as the da|mo&s;ell, Acts 12. opened not the doore for ioy when &s;he heard Peters voyce; &s;o by contrary, the&s;e men for verie griefe &s;hut their gates, when they perceiue a begger there Finally, Zaccheus was ioyfull when he entertained Chri&s;t, but many among&s;t vs are &s;orrowfull when they &s;hould relieue the poore, like churli&s;h Nabal, 1. Samu|el 25. that reuiled Dauid, when he &s;hould haue releeued him.</P>
<PB REF="13">
<P>So long as Iob pro&s;pered, hee kept a worthy and a wor&s;hipfull hou&s;e, he &s;uffered not the &s;tranger to lie in thee &s;treets, but opened his doore to the Trauailer that went by the way, Job. 31, 32. But now many Gentlemen of the country are content to &s;uffer the &s;tranger, the fatherle&s;&s;e, and the widow, not onely to lie but euen to &s;tarue and die in the &s;treets with hunger and cold, and neuer receiue them to hou&s;e or harbour, nor affoord them any reliefe or &s;uccour. But as the voyce of Abels blood did cry from the earth to God for vengeance a|gain&s;t <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 4. 10.</NOTE> his brothers crueltie: &s;o the voyce of the poore and their piteous cries, &s;hal enter into the eares of the Lord, and their guiltles blood (which is powred forth in euery place without all compa&s;&s;ion) &s;hall pull downe ha&s;ty and &s;udden vengeance from heauen vppon the heads of tho&s;e vnmercifull cormorants, vnle&s;&s;e while this time of mercy la&s;teth, they &s;hew mercy to their di&s;tre&s;&s;ed neigh|bours.</P>
<P>Thus you haue heard how Zaccheus behaued him&s;elfe in entertaining of Chri&s;t: now you &s;hall &s;ee the behauiour of the Phari&s;ies in di&s;daining at Chri&s;t. <HI>When all they &s;aw it, they murmured &s;aying, that he was gone in to lodge with a &s;infull man.</HI> Before, they hated Zaccheus for his vices, becau&s;e he was couetous: now they enuy him for his vertues, becau&s;e he was giuen to ho&s;pitalitie. For the wicked will alwaies haue &s;omething to finde fault with in the children of God, like the &s;onnes of Iacob, Gen. 37. that hated their brother Io&s;eph becau&s;e of his dreames: and like Saul that vnhappy King, that enuied Dauid for his happy victories, 1. Sam. 18. 29. Thus the wicked when they cannot charge the godly with anie grieuous crime, they beginne to grudge at their well doing: and therefore not onely Zaccheus is hated for receiuing of Chri&s;t, but Chri&s;t is hated al&s;o for beeing his gue&s;t: When they could not accu&s;e Chri&s;t for &s;inne, they accu&s;e him for companying with &s;inners: For
<PB REF="14"> they mu&s;t &s;till be accu&s;ing &s;ome or other, for one thing or other, like their father the diuell, that both by name, Reuel. 12. 10. and by nature, Job. 16. 7. is a continuall ac|cu&s;er of the brethren. It had beene the dutie of the Phari&s;ies to haue receiued Chri&s;t, and made much of him as <HI>Zaccheus</HI> did: but they are &s;o far off from entertaining him them&s;elues, that it greeueth them to &s;ee <HI>Zaccheus</HI> giue him entertainment. And &s;urely, &s;uch is the peruer&s;e nature of the wicked, that they will neither receiue the grace of God when it is offred them, nor willingly &s;uf|fer any other to embrace the &s;ame: like the wicked Iewes Acts, 13. 50. that would neither beleeue the doctrine which Paul preached, nor could abide that the Gentiles &s;hould be brought to the faith of Chri&s;t. The high Prie&s;ts thought them&s;elues too high, to haue poore humble Chri&s;t among&s;t them: The Scribes and the Phari&s;ies, in their owne conceit, were too good, too wi&s;e, and too holy to receiue him into their company and not content to &s;e|que&s;ter and e&s;trange them&s;elues from Chri&s;t, they di&s;|dained al&s;o that he &s;hould be conuer&s;ant with Publicans and &s;inners, as though he were not worthy to be conuer|&s;ant among&s;t them.</P>
<P>If it were the office of Chri&s;t to conuert &s;inners, why &s;hould the Phari&s;ies be offended at him, if he were &s;ome|times <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 9. 13.</NOTE> conuer&s;ant with &s;inners to work their conner&s;ion. If Chri&s;t were a Phy&s;itian to cure the &s;ickne&s;&s;e of the &s;oule, that is, to &s;aue the people from their &s;innes, why <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 9. 13.</NOTE> &s;hould the phari&s;ies murmure at him for keeping of company with <HI>Zaccheus,</HI> that was &s;icke in &s;oule? for as it is expedient for the Phi&s;itian to vi&s;it his patients for their better recouery, &s;o it was conuenient Chri&s;t &s;hould vi&s;it &s;inners for their &s;peedier conuer&s;ion. But as the Phi&s;itian that re&s;orteth vnto &s;icke per&s;ons, is not &s;trait|way infected; &s;o the &s;oules Phi&s;itian that conuer&s;eth with &s;inners, is not thereby polluted. And therefore, as Chri&s;t performed his office though the Phari&s;ies mur|mured,
<PB REF="14"> &s;o let the mini&s;ters of God learne by this exam|ple, to performe their duties, though the wicked be offen|ded. It was the office of Chri&s;t to call &s;inners to repen|tance, yea, hee came to call Phari&s;ie &s;inners as wel as Pub|lican &s;inners if the phari&s;es would haue confe&s;&s;ed them|&s;elues <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 18.</NOTE> to be &s;inners, as the Publicans did; but becau&s;e they &s;tood &s;o much vpon their owne righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and de&s;|pi&s;ed others, therefore Chri&s;t denounceth &s;o many woes again&s;t them, and preferreth the penitent Publican that <NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 23.</NOTE> tru&s;ted in the Lords mercy, before the proud Phari&s;ie that tru&s;ted in his owne merits.</P>
<P>Though <HI>Paul</HI> was a Phari&s;ie, and the &s;onne of a pha|ri&s;ie, yet hee &s;hameth not to confe&s;&s;e him&s;elfe one of the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 23. 6.</NOTE> chiefe &s;inners that Chri&s;t came to &s;aue. So if the Pha|ri&s;ies that murmured at Zaccheus would haue beene &s;a|ued, they &s;hould haue confe&s;&s;ed them&s;elues chiefe &s;in|ners as <HI>Paul</HI> did. They &s;hould not haue accu&s;ed Chri&s;t for <NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Tim. 1. 15.</NOTE> keeping company with &s;inners, but they &s;hould haue ac|cu&s;ed them&s;elues for not keeping company with Chri&s;t. The iu&s;t man (&s;aith Salomon, Pro. 18.) is the fir&s;t accu&s;er of him&s;elfe; but the Phari&s;es are &s;o farre from accu&s;ing them&s;elues that they began to accu&s;e Zaccheus &amp; Chri&s;t together. Thus the phari&s;ies of our time that make religi|on a cloake to couer their corrupt dealing, haue this pro|perty to thinke other men to be heinous &s;inners, and them&s;elues only to be righteous: in &s;o much as they will not &s;ticke to &s;peake like that proud people that was wont to &s;ay, <HI>Depart from me, for I am holier then thou:</HI> and like the pre&s;umptuous phari&s;ie, Luk. 18. <HI>I thank God I am not as others are, extortioners, v&s;urers, adulterers, dru~kards, or &s;uch like. I &s;anctifie the Sabbath,</HI> which other men pro|phane: I frequent &s;ermons, which they neglect: J reuere~ce the name of God, which they bla&s;pheme: I pay tith, which others withhold: and fa&s;t oftentimes, which they doe &s;eldome, or neuer. The&s;e were the &s;peeches of the Phari|&s;ies, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 15. 7. Luk. 11. 44.</NOTE> that liued in the time of Chri&s;t, whom hee &s;o often
<PB REF="15"> calleth hypocrits: and the&s;e are the &s;peeches of the hypo|pocrits of our age, that &s;eeme to liue after the &s;traighte&s;t <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 11. 1. Act. 26. 5. Mat. 23. 25. 27</NOTE> &s;ect of our religion. Acts. 26. They wa&s;h the out&s;ide of the cup and of the platter; that is, they iu&s;tifie them&s;elues, and &s;eeme maruellous holy in the &s;ight of men, which can di&s;cerne by the outward appearance only: but vnto God that &s;eeth and &s;earcheth the &s;ecrets of the harts and reines, they appeare like painted toombes, full of dead mens bones, and all filthine&s;&s;e: that is, they haue their inward parts full of rauening, and all kinde of wicked|ne&s;&s;e. Wherefore, as Chri&s;t &s;aid to his Di&s;ciples, <HI>Ex|cept your righteou&s;nes exceed the righteou&s;nes of the Scribes and Phari&s;ies, you cannot enter into the Kingdome of heauen:</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 5. 20.</NOTE> So J &s;ay vnto you, that except your righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e exceed the righteou&s;nes of the&s;e phari&s;aicall hypocrites, ye can|not be &s;aued.</P>
<P>The&s;e holy phari&s;ies did v&s;e to call the publicans, not v&s;urers, nor extortioners, as they them&s;elues were; but by the generall name of &s;inners, as though they them|&s;elues were free from &s;inne. Thus the Papi&s;ts at this day doe v&s;e to call the mo&s;t &s;incere profe&s;&s;ors of the Go&s;|pell, not <HI>Lutherans, Caluini&s;ts, Zwinglians,</HI> or Prote|&s;tants, as they were wont to call them: but now they terme vs hereticks, a name more odious then any other; whereas in the meane &s;ea&s;on, they them&s;elues are of all others the greate&s;t heretickes. So the Athei&s;ts of our time, when they cannot accu&s;e the godly that are a|mong&s;t vs, of v&s;urie, or briberie, or extortion, or drun|kenne&s;&s;e, or any &s;uch notorious &s;inne, they call them hy|pocrites, which is the &s;umme of all: when as in very trueth they them&s;elues doe be&s;t de&s;erue that name: but it makes no matter what they call vs, neither are wee to be mooued at their de&s;pightfull &s;peeches: for as the bit|ter taunts of the&s;e murmuring phari&s;ies, could not hin|der Zaccheus in his conuer&s;ion, &s;o the &s;launders of the&s;e godle&s;&s;e men, mu&s;t not di&s;courage the &s;eruants
<PB REF="15"> of God from their good profe&s;&s;ion. The Phari&s;ies did Zaccheus great wrong for calling him &s;inner, when hee had repented of his &s;inne: and the Athei&s;ts at this day doe greatly wrong the true profe&s;&s;ours, in calling them hypo|crites, which haue truely repented of their former &s;innes, and endeuour by all good meanes to lead a godly life. Therefore as Zaccheus preferred his &s;oules health before all their murmuring: &s;o it behooueth vs to looke to our &s;oules &s;aluation, notwith&s;tanding all the reproches and &s;landers that are deui&s;ed again&s;t vs. And as the Phari&s;es might call Zaccheus &s;inner, but could not hinder his con|uer&s;ion: &s;o the malicious worldlings may take away our goods, our good names, yea, and our liues al&s;o, but can|not depriue vs of our &s;aluation.</P>
<P>Wherefore, as our Sauiour &s;aid to his Apo&s;tles, <HI>Feare not them that can kill the body, and then can do no more:</HI> &s;o I <NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 10.</NOTE> &s;ay vnto you, Feare not the frownes of the wicked, for they are not able to hurt your better part: &s;eeke not to gaine the fauour of the world, for the whole world is not able to &s;aue a &s;oule, but feare to offend him that is a|ble to de&s;troy both body and &s;oule in hell, and &s;eeke to plea&s;e him that is able to &s;aue them both in heauen for euer.</P>
<P>Now followeth an other fruit of Zaccheus conuer|&s;ion: namely his good confe&s;&s;ion: for, as hee beleeued with his heart vnto righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, &s;o he confe&s;&s;ed with <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 10. 10.</NOTE> the mouth vnto &s;aluation. VVhen Zaccheus was moc|ked of the Phari&s;es, it &s;eemeth that hee &s;hould &s;toope downe for &s;hame: but when he was thus reprooued and reuiled by them, the Scripture &s;aith, that hee &s;tood vp in &s;igne of gladne&s;&s;e. As the Apo&s;tles went away reioy|cing that they were counted woorthy to &s;uffer rebuke <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 5.</NOTE> for the name of Chri&s;t: &s;o Zaccheus the Publican went foorth reioicing, that he was reproched for the cau&s;e of Chri&s;t. Before, Zaccheus was a Publican, and therefore &s;tood in &s;inne very dangerou&s;ly, like the hou&s;e that is
<PB REF="16"> builded vpon the &s;and, ready to be ouerturned with eue|ry tempe&s;t: but now Zaccheus is become a true chri&s;tian, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 6. 46.</NOTE> and therefore &s;tands in righteou&s;nes very &s;afely; like the hou&s;e that is built vpon a rocke, free from any danger of falling.</P>
<P><HI>Behold Lord, the halfe of my goods, &amp;c.</HI> There are two parts of this confe&s;&s;ion. The fir&s;t is his gift to the poore: The &s;econd is the re&s;titution of his vniu&s;t gotten goods. Before, Zaccheus was an oppre&s;&s;or of the poore, now he is a great benefactor to the poore: before, hee was an en|crocher vpon other mens goods; now he is a di&s;tributer of his owne goods: before, he was a receiuer and a taker, <NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Tim. 6. Matth. 13.</NOTE> now he is a re&s;torer and a giuer: neither doth he giue &s;pa|ringly, but he giueth liberally, laying vp a good foundati|on again&s;t the time to come.</P>
<P>Now hath Zaccheus found that pretious pearle, and for ioy thereof, he is content, not to &s;ell, but to giue all that he hath to enioy the &s;ame. VVhen the rich Ruler (in the former chapter) was willed to &s;ell all that he had, &amp; to giue it to the poor, he went away very &s;orrowfull, for <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 18.</NOTE> he was very rich: but Zaccheus perhaps as rich as he, is content, of his owne accord, and vnbidden, to be&s;tow halfe his goods vpon the poore, and that with a cheerfull minde. If Zaccheus had giuen only the third part of his goods, no doubt but Chri&s;t would haue accepted it, for he accepted the widdowes farthing, becau&s;e it was giuen with a willing mind: but if he had giuen all <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 21.</NOTE> his goods to feede the poore, as the Phari&s;es gaue their almes, to bee &s;eene of men: yea, or his body to be bur|ned, as &s;ome Romans haue done, to get renown, it &s;hould haue beene to no purpo&s;e, becau&s;e it was done to a wrong <NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 13.</NOTE> end.</P>
<P>Now, as Zaccheus was rich in the goods of his life, &s;o was he rich in faith al&s;o: neither was it an idle or dead &s;aith that Zaccheus had, but it was a fruitfull and liuely <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 5. 6.</NOTE> faith, a faith that worketh and laboureth by loue, &s;uch
<PB REF="16"> as is required at the hands of Chri&s;tians. Saint Iames &s;aith, <HI>Shew me thy faith by thy workes.</HI> And here Zaccheus doth &s;hew his faith by his works. Before, he was exer|ci&s;ed in vngodly works, which are the fruites of infide|litie: but now he is exerci&s;ed in the works of mercie, which are the fruites of a liuely faith. Zaccheus is very liberall in releeuing the poore, but he is liberall of that which is his owne: &s;o there are many now a daies that are very liberall, but it is of that which is none of theirs; for as Nahab and Abihu offred &s;trange fire vnto the Lord, &s;o the&s;e men offer &s;trange goods vnto the Lord, There are &s;ome among&s;t vs, that thinke to make amends <NOTE PLACE="marg">Leuit. 10.</NOTE> for their vniu&s;t dealing, by giuing part of that to &s;ome good v&s;es, which they haue gotten by bad meanes; if they haue gotten a pound by v&s;ury and oppre&s;&s;ion, they are content perhaps to giue a penny to releeue the poore. But as it was not lawfull for the I&s;raelites to bring the price of the hire of an harlot into the hou&s;e of the Lord, &s;o it is not lawfull for vs to apply the gaine of our ill got|ten goods to the &s;eruice of God. <NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 23.</NOTE></P>
<Q>The halfe of my goods I giue, &amp;c.</Q>
<P>Zaccheus &s;aith not, I haue giuen as an vpbraider of God: or, I will giue, as a delayer, that meanes to giue away his goods after his death, when he can keepe them no longer: but he &s;aith, <HI>I giue,</HI> to &s;ignifie, that his will is his deede, and that he meaneth not to take any daies of paiment for the matter. For as before he ranne apace to &s;ee Chri&s;t, and came downe ha&s;tily to entertain Chri&s;t in his owne per&s;on; &s;o doth he here giue quickly to releeue Chri&s;t in his needy members. This is Zaccheus la&s;t will and Te&s;tament that he maketh before his death and &s;eeth the &s;ame proued &amp; performed before his eies. If therefore we de&s;ire to doe any good to any of our poore brethren, let vs learne of Zaccheus to do it quick|ly while we are aliue, for time will preuent vs, and death wil preuent vs, I know there would be many that would
<PB REF="17"> be willing to giue &s;ome part of their goods to the poore before their death, as Zaccheus did: but that they know not what neede them&s;elues may haue thereof before they die; and therfore for the mo&s;t part they will hard|ly for&s;ake or leaue their goods, till their goods for&s;ake and leaue them. But heerein they &s;hew them&s;elues to doubt of Gods prouidence, and as it were to di&s;tru&s;t of his paiment, who hath promi&s;ed to repay what&s;oeuer is giuen vnto the poore, as it were lent vnto him&s;elfe, and that not &s;ecretly, though they did their almes neuer &s;o &s;ecretly: but the Lord will reward them openly, as our Sauiour &s;peaketh, Matt. 6. The wi&s;e preacher, Eccl. 11. <NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 19. 17.</NOTE> willeth vs to ca&s;t our bread vpon the waters; that is, to be liberall to the poore, who&s;e watery eies bewray their great nece&s;&s;ity: or (as others expound it,) to hazard and aduenture &s;ome of our goods vpon our needy bretheren, as Merchants do aduenture their goods vpon the &s;eas: for although they may &s;eeme to bee in great perill and danger of peri&s;hing in the waters, yet commonly it falleth out, that by the ble&s;&s;ing of God they return with greater profit. So albeit, the reliefe that is be&s;towed vp|on our di&s;tre&s;&s;ed neighbours, may &s;eeme to be lo&s;t; yet as the wi&s;e man &s;aith, after a time we &s;hall find it again: and as the pretious oile de&s;cended from Aarons beard to the skirts of his cloathing, &s;o certainely the oyle of mercy and charity which we poure into the wounds of <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;alm. 13 3.</NOTE> our di&s;tre&s;&s;ed brethren, &s;hall de&s;cend into our owne &s;oules; and as the widdowes oyle was encrea&s;ed in the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 10. 1. King. 17.</NOTE> cru&s;e, becau&s;e &s;he releeued the Lords Prophet, &s;o &s;hall this pretious oyle be&s;towed vpon the poore, bee returned vpon our heads in great mea&s;ure. Thus is Zac|cheus liberall as you &s;ee: for he giueth a way halfe his goods, but he giues it not to the rich, that might giue to him againe, but he giues it to the poore that cannot requite him: to teach vs vpon whom we &s;hould be&s;tow our almes. As God that is rich in mercy, giueth all things
<PB REF="17"> vnto vs that cannot requite him: &s;o the rich men of this world (if they haue any &s;park of mercy in them) &s;hould giue vnto the poore that cannot requite them. But a|mong&s;t vs in euery place almo&s;t, it is farre otherwi&s;e: for if any thing be to be giuen, not they that are poore&s;t and &s;tand in greate&s;t need, but they that can make be&s;t friends are be&s;t preferred. Thus Diues is &s;till enriched, and Lazarus is &s;till reiected. If wee &s;end to a great man, we &s;end an oxe for a pre&s;ent, but if we &s;end to a poore <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 16.</NOTE> man, we &s;end a cru&s;t for an almes. Therefore as Chri&s;t <NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 12.</NOTE> &s;aid to the Iewes, that the Niniuites &s;hould ri&s;e in Iudge|ment again&s;t them, becau&s;e they repented at Ionas prea|ching: &s;o it may be &s;aid vnto vs, that Zaccheus &s;hall ri&s;e in iudgement again&s;t vs, and condemne vs: for he &s;hew|ed great mercy vpon the poore, but wee are voide of all compa&s;&s;ion.</P>
<P>Thus you haue heard the fir&s;t part of Zaccheus con|fe&s;&s;ion, wherein you &s;ee his liberality to the poore. Now you &s;hall heare the &s;econd part of his confe&s;&s;ion, where|in hee promi&s;eth re&s;titution of his vniu&s;t gotten goods. Before, Zaccheus gaue to the poore the halfe of that which was his owne: now hee re&s;toreth that which is none of his, to the right owners. And becau&s;e hee had detained their goods &s;o long, to their great lo&s;&s;e &amp; hin|derance, therefore he doth not onely re&s;tore the princi|pall, which he had taken from them, but hee alloweth them their co&s;ts and dammages they had &s;u&s;tained. As Ioram King of I&s;rael cau&s;ed to bee re&s;tored to the <NOTE PLACE="marg">2. King. 8.</NOTE> Shunamite her hou&s;e and land, and all the fruites and profites of the &s;ame, which were wrongfully kept from her &s;eauen yeares together: &s;o Zaccheus the cu&s;tomer re&s;toreth to tho&s;e that he had oppre&s;&s;ed, their goods which he had gotten from them, by fradulent dealing, with all the fruits and profits that might come thereof: during the time of his vniu&s;t profe&s;&s;ion. So liberall was Zaccheus to the poore, that hee gaue them halfe his
<PB REF="18"> goods: and &s;o little got Zaccheus by his v&s;ury and op|pre&s;&s;ion, that for euery penny he re&s;tored foure. If the v&s;urers and extortioners of our time would re&s;tore foure|fold for that they haue wrongfully gotten. I feare me they would haue but a &s;mall halfe to giue to the poore, and but a little left to help them&s;elues. There was no law to compell Zaccheus to make &s;uch re&s;titution, except he will confe&s;&s;e him&s;elfe to be a theefe, becau&s;e he was an v&s;urer, and then the law of God requireth &s;uch re&s;titution. And &s;urely Zaccheus &s;eemeth after a &s;ort to confe&s;&s;e his theft, becau&s;e he promi&s;eth foure-fold re&s;ti|tution. If a man had &s;tolne a &s;heepe, the law of God re|quireth that he &s;hould re&s;tore foure &s;heepe for one: and the ancient Romans had this law, that v&s;urers <NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 22. 1. 2. Sam. 12.</NOTE> &s;hould forfeit foure times &s;o much as they tooke for v&s;u|rie. If the &s;ame law were now to v&s;e again&s;t our theeui&s;h v&s;urers, as it was &s;ometime among them, we &s;hould not haue &s;uch complaining of the poore both in pri&s;ons and &s;treetes. But if the&s;e great theeues (I meane our biting v&s;urers) that rob and &s;poile without cea&s;ing when they haue no neede, might find no more fauour then tho&s;e petty theeues which rob and &s;teale &s;ometime, when they are driuen thereto by extreme nece&s;&s;ity, then &s;urely the Common-wealth would &s;oone be disburdened of that pe&s;tilent brood of caterpillers wherewith it is pe&s;tered. I wi&s;h them betimes to looke to their owne e&s;tate, and with Zaccheus to for&s;ake their damnable trade. If they haue liued hitherto by the gaine of v&s;ury, let them now lament their &s;inne and call to God for mercy and for|giuene&s;&s;e: let them make re&s;titution of that they haue wrongfully taken, and grieue that they haue &s;o long de|tained that which is none of theirs. For as no &s;inne is par|doned without repentance to God, &s;o v&s;ury is not par|doned without repentance to God: and as the &s;inne of theft is not remoued, before re&s;titution be made to men (if the party be able,) &s;o the &s;inne of v&s;ury (which is a &s;e|cret
<PB REF="18"> theft,) is not remitted, before re&s;titution be made to tho&s;e that are oppre&s;&s;ed and &s;poiled by this &s;ecret theft. Thus you haue &s;eene how Zaccheus that was once a hoorder of his goods, as our rich men are is now a li|berall di&s;po&s;er of his goods, as I wi&s;h they were. He that lately was a Camel laden with riches, and therfore vnapt to goe thorow a needles eye, hath now like the Ca|mell ca&s;t off his rich lading, and therefore may enter in <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 19.</NOTE> at the narrow gate. Some rich men would rather haue lo&s;t their liues, then forgone their goods, and for halfe <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 7.</NOTE> that lo&s;&s;e would haue prooued very pen&s;iue: but this was the ioyfulle&s;t newes that euer came to Zaccheus hou&s;e, &s;weeter to him then all his gold and &s;iluer: that whereas before, he was in the &s;tate of damnation, now &s;aluation is promi&s;ed to him and his hou&s;e: and where as before he was the &s;eruant of Satan, now he is become the child of Abraham. Now Zaccheus hou&s;e is become Gods hou&s;e, and Zaccheus him&s;elfe is the &s;on of Abra|ham; and therefore no cau&s;e why Chri&s;t &s;hould not re|&s;ort to Zaccheus hou&s;e. As Chri&s;t &s;aid to the penitent theefe, <HI>This day &s;halt thou be with me in Paradi&s;e:</HI> So he &s;aith heere to the penitent Publican, <HI>This day &s;aluation is</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 13.</NOTE> <HI>come vnto thy hou&s;e, and this day thou art become the child of Abraham.</HI> Chri&s;t loueth not to be lo~g in any mans debt: for as he &s;aith to Zaccheus, <HI>To day I mu&s;t abide at thy hou&s;e:</HI> &s;o he &s;aith to the &s;ame Zaccheus, To day and hence-forth for euer, thou and thy hou&s;e mu&s;t abide with me in hea|uen. Here is a happy change in &s;tead of a little worldly trea&s;ure, &s;ubiect to lo&s;&s;e by theeues, and to &s;poile by ru&s;t and moths, to haue all &s;tore of heauenly trea&s;ure, which neither theeues can &s;teale, nor canker can cor|rupt: in &s;tead of an earthly hou&s;e, &s;ubiect to fire and fal|ling, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 6.</NOTE> to haue a hou&s;e giuen of GOD: not made with hands, but eternall in heauen, 2. Cor. 5. 1. Who would not rather choo&s;e with Zaccheus to giue halfe his goods to the poore, that he may be an heire of &s;aluation, and
<PB REF="19"> the Son of Abraham to re&s;t in his, Fathers bo&s;ome, than with Diues to keep all from the poor, &amp; be tormented in tho&s;e eternall flames? That rich glutton that denied the crums from his table, chalenged Abraham for his father, but he was refu&s;ed, becau&s;e he had not the faith nor works of Abraham: but Zaccheus, though by nature he <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 16.</NOTE> were not the child of Abraha~, yet by grace he is become the child of Abraham, becau&s;e he walked in the &s;teps of that faithfull Father. Abraham beleeued before he was <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn 8. 39.</NOTE> circumci&s;ed, &s;o <HI>Zaccheus</HI> beleeued before he was circu~|ci&s;ed. As Abraham left his countrey and all that he had <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 4. 12.</NOTE> when God called him, &s;o <HI>Zaccheus</HI> left his office and the mo&s;t part of his riches, when he was called by the Son of God: &amp; as Abraha~ de&s;ired to &s;ee the day of Chri&s;t, &amp; &s;aw it &amp; reioyced; &s;o <HI>Zaccheus</HI> de&s;ired to &s;ee Chri&s;t, &amp; he &s;aw <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 32. 1. Acts 7. 3.</NOTE> him &amp; reioyced. Now is <HI>Zaccheus</HI> a gentile become the child of Abraham, &amp; not only he, but his whole hou&s;e al|&s;o is become the hou&s;e of Abraham; for when Zaccheus <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn 8. 56.</NOTE> is conuerted, his whole hou&s;e is conuerted. As the Ma|&s;ter is, &s;uch are the &s;eruants; if he be godly and religious, they proue godly and religious; if he bee an Athei&s;t, they prooue Athei&s;ts likewi&s;e. Therefore keep no companie with the wicked, for it is mo&s;t, pernicious: but a&s;&s;ociate thy &s;elfe with tho&s;e that feare the Lord, that thou al&s;o maie&s;t learne to feare the Lord: who for his mercy grant that we may with Zaccheus be de&s;irous to &s;ee Chri&s;t, ioyfull to receiue Chri&s;t, liberall to releeue the members of Chri&s;t, and ready to make amends when we haue <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 18.</NOTE> wronged any of our brethren, that &s;o with Zaccheus wee may be heires of &s;aluation, and the true &s;ons of Abraham to raigne with Chri&s;t in heauen for euer, by the meanes and merites of him that died and ro&s;e againe for vs. To whom with the Father and the holy Gho&s;t be all glorie,</P>
<CLOSER>Amen.</CLOSER>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="prayer">
<PB REF="19">
<HEAD>O Lord prepare our hearts to pray.</HEAD>
<P>O Lord God our heauenly Father, we thy poore and wretched creatures, giue thee mo&s;t humble and hearty thanks for our quiet and &s;afe &s;leepe, and for rai&s;ing vs vp from the &s;ame. We be&s;eech thee for Ie&s;us Chri&s;ts &s;ake, to pro&s;per vs this day in our labour and tra|uell, that it may be to the di&s;charging of our duty in our vocations, principally to thy glory; next to the profit of this Church and Common-weale, and la&s;t of all, to the benefit and content of our Ma&s;ters. Grant deere Father, that we may cheerfully and con&s;cionably do our bu&s;ines &amp; labours, not as men plea&s;ers, but as &s;eruing thee our God, knowing thee to be the chiefe M. of vs, and that thou &s;ee&s;t and beholde&s;t vs with thy fatherly eies, who ha&s;t promi&s;ed reward to them that faithfully and truely walke in their vocation, and threatned euerla&s;ting death and damnation to them that deceitfully and wickedly do their works and labours. We be&s;eech thee, O heauen|ly Father to giue vs the &s;trength of thy &s;pirit, that godly and gladly we may ouercome our labours, and that the tediou&s;nes of that itk&s;ome labour which thou for our &s;ins ha&s;t powred vpon al mankind, may &s;eem to vs more delectable &amp; &s;weet. Fulfill now O Lord, the&s;e our reque&s;ts, for thy Sonne our Sauiours &s;ake, in who&s;e name we pray, as he him&s;elfe hath taught vs. <HI>Our Father which, &amp;c.</HI></P>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="20">
<PB REF="20">
<P>FOVRE SERMONS PREACHED BY MASTER <HI>Henry Smith.</HI></P>
<P>And publi&s;hed by a more perfect Copy then heere|<HI>tofore.</HI></P>
<P><FIGURE>
<P>I <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 word"> to dy I dy to liue</P>
<FIGDESC>book, hourglass, skull with wings, and globe</FIGDESC>
</FIGURE></P>
<P>AT LONDON, Printed for <HI>William Leake,</HI> dwelling in Pauls Churchyard at the &s;igne of the Ho|ly Gho&s;t. 1610.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="21">
<PB REF="21">
<HEAD>&para; To the right noble Lord, the Lord Edward Earle of Bedford, <HI>grace and peace from the Lord.</HI></HEAD>
<P>_AS the little Bee gathereth not hony for her &s;elfe alone, but for others; &s;o right Honourable, I am bold to pre&s;ent your good Lord&s;hip with my Choice, my Care, and the I&s;&s;ue. The fir&s;t, your hono|rable &s;elfe, and in this, as you are the <NOTE PLACE="marg">The Choice.</NOTE> hope of the reuiuing of your vndoub|ted noble Grand father and Father: &s;o my hearty well wi|&s;hing (together with the prayers of all the godly) is, that what the Almighty graced the~ with, in you may be redoubled. The &s;econd is, the Fountaine whence the fir&s;t had his streame, and <NOTE PLACE="marg">The Care.</NOTE> being in me (as a member of the Church) what I wi&s;h to the &s;ame a&s;&s;ured a&s;&s;embly of Gods people, I leaue to the alone de|terminer of all Controuer&s;ies what&s;oeuer. The la&s;t I comme~d to the onely direction of the Lord. Now as the faithfull di&s;|po&s;er <NOTE PLACE="marg">The I&s;&s;ue.</NOTE> of Gods truth, was a man linked vnto mee in a&s;&s;ured friend&s;hip whil&s;t he liued: &s;o I hauing with care long fithence collected the&s;e his Sermons together, doe now with &s;inglene&s;&s;e of heart pre&s;ent the &s;ame to your Lord&s;hip, and heerewith am pre&s;t to performe all &s;uch duties to your honour, as God &s;hall enable me vnto, both in prayer for your health, and in|crea&s;e of zeal to the maintenance of his poore flocke, which I hope is the onely aime and end of all your honourable purpo|&s;es. Thus with all other graces, I most heartily de&s;ire that Fa|ther of light to enrich you in this life, and after this to ble&s;&s;e you with immortality in that place of re&s;t for euer.</P>
<CLOSER>Amen.</CLOSER>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Your Lord&s;hips to com|maund, W. S.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="table of contents">
<PB REF="22">
<HEAD>The Contents.</HEAD>
<LIST>
<ITEM>Two Sermons of the Song of Simeon.</ITEM>
<ITEM>The third, of the calling of Ionah.</ITEM>
<ITEM>The fourth, of the rebellion of Ionah.</ITEM>
</LIST>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="sermons">
<PB REF="22">
<HEAD>THE SWEET SONG OF OLD FATHER SIMEON, in two Sermons.</HEAD>
<DIV2 TYPE="sermon">
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL>Luke 2. ver&s;e 29. 30, 31, 32.</BIBL>
<P N="29">29 Lord now lette&s;t thou thy &s;eruant depart in peace, accor|ding to thy word.</P>
<P N="30">30 For mine eies haue &s;eene thy &s;aluation.</P>
<P N="31">31 Which thou ha&s;t prepared before the face of all people.</P>
<P N="32">32 A light to be reuealed to the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people I&s;rael.</P></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>_THis is the &s;weet &s;ong of olde Father <HI>Simeon,</HI> wherein is &s;et forth the ioyful and peaceable death of the righteous, after that they haue embraced Chri&s;t Ie&s;us with heart and mind vnfainedly as hee did, &s;eeing their death is to bee the beginning of a better and more ioyfull and plea&s;ant life then the former.</P>
<P>But before we proceed further in it, let vs heare a lit|tle of that which went before. The Euangeli&s;t &s;aith, ver&s;e 25.</P>
<Q>And behold, there was a man in Ieru&s;alem, who&s;e name was Simeon&punc; this man was iu&s;t, and feared God, and waited for the con&s;olation of I&s;rael, and the holy Gho&s;t was vpon him. And a reuelation, &amp;c.</Q>
<P><HI>Simeon</HI> feared God. Religion may wel be called feare, for there is no Religion, where feare is wanting: for the feare of the Lord is the beginning of wi&s;edome, and this <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prou <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">. 7.</NOTE> priuiledge hath God giuen to tho&s;e that feare him, that they neede to feare nothing el&s;e.</P>
<Q><PB REF="23">And waited for the con&s;olation of I&s;rael.</Q>
<P><HI>Simeon</HI> al&s;o waited for the con&s;olation of I&s;rael, vntill hee had embraced in his armes him whom hee &s;o long longed to &s;ee and feele. How many waiters bee there in the world? yet few wait as <HI>Simeon</HI> did: but &s;ome wait for honours, &s;ome for riches, &s;ome for plea&s;ures, &s;ome for ea&s;e, &s;ome for rewards, &s;ome for money, &s;ome for a deere yeere, and &s;ome for a golden day, as they call it: but <HI>Simeon</HI> waited and expected with many a long looke, vntill he had &s;eene and embraced Chri&s;t Ie&s;us, the light of the Gentiles, the glory of I&s;rael; the &s;aluation of all that with a faithfull and zealous affection and loue doe waite for his comming, to the com&s;ort of the afflicted, and to the terrifying of the wicked and vngodly, which haue not already waited, neither embraced him as <HI>Sime|on</HI> did.</P>
<Q>And waited for the con&s;olation of I&s;rael.</Q>
<P>Faith in all afflictions doth lift vp her head, waiting in a&s;&s;ured hope, beyond all hope, and &s;eeing the clouds &s;cat|tered ouer her head, yet &s;he is euer comfortable to her &s;elfe, &s;aying: anon it will bee calme: and although all the friends in the world doe faile, yet it neuer faileth nor fainteth, but euer keepeth promi&s;e in that which by the verity of the &s;pirit of God it a&s;&s;ureth, vntill her ioy bee fulfilled. <HI>All are not I&s;raelites that are born of I&s;rael. Sime|on</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 9. 6.</NOTE> was an I&s;raelite indeed, for hee waited for the Me&s;&s;ias from God with patience and expectation: &s;o the &s;pirit of God dwelleth alwaies with them which alwaies &s;ay, <HI>Thy will be done.</HI></P>
<Q>26 <HI>And a reuelation was giuen him.</HI></Q>
<P>If we wait as he did, the &s;pirit will a&s;&s;ure vs as it did him, that we &s;hal &s;ee God before we die: and they that long in faith to &s;ee the ioyes of heauen, the &s;pirit a&s;&s;u|reth and promi&s;eth faithfully vnto them, that they &s;hall &s;ee it.</P>
<P>27 <HI>And he came by the motio~ of the Spirit in to the Temple,</HI></P>
<PB REF="23">
<P><HI>Simeon</HI> came into the Temple at this time by the proui|dence of God. The worldlings will call it chance, but <NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 16. 13. Mat. 10. 39.</NOTE> the Euangeli&s;t would not chop that in, becau&s;e it is ma|nife&s;t, that al things come to pa&s;&s;e by the prouidence of God, without which there is nothing done. By this pro|uidence Rebecca came forth to wait on her fathers cat|tell, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 24. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19.</NOTE> when Abrahams &s;eruant praied, and looked for her co~ming, that he might take her for I&s;aac to marry withal. By this prouidence Saul was annointed king by Samuel, <NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Sam 9. 20. &amp; 10. 1.</NOTE> when he had no &s;uch thought in his heart, but went a|bout &s;eeking for his fathers a&s;&s;es that were lo&s;t.</P>
<Q>And he came by the motion of the &s;pirit.</Q>
<P>The diuell led Chri&s;t vnto the top of an high moun|taine, that hee might &s;hew him the glory of the worlde, which deceiueth vn&s;table minds: &s;o would he doe you, if you would be led by &s;uch a guide: but I would not haue you to marke the vaine motions of &s;uch a &s;pirite, which leades to nothing but to vanity and pride: for af|ter he hath led you to the top, and allured you by carnall plea&s;ures as much as hee can, if you then fall downe to wor&s;hip Mammon, &amp; embrace the world, the &s;ame &s;pi|rit will afterward lead you, nay rather ca&s;t you downe from the top of all vnto hell. Therefore I be&s;eech you, and heartily entreat you, that you would bee the &s;eruants of God, and &s;eruants of the &s;pirit of God, to be led by it, to obey it, and to do nothing contrary to his will that you can refraine, but all tho&s;e good things which you would were done by you, and go thither whither you would come; for all would come to heauen, but all will not goe to heauen. If you will all heare, I will teach you all: yea, J wil vndertake this: heare and mark my words, and you &s;hall be led by the power of the &s;pirit to our Lord Ie&s;us Chri&s;t. And I pray to the Lord that I may neuer preach to the condemnation of any among you all; yea I wi&s;h that euery one of you were more zealous and more godly then my &s;elfe. But to whom &s;hall I compare you? euen to
<PB REF="24"> the vagabond Iewes, of w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="4 letters"> Luke m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ntioneth in the Actes, that they tooke vpon them to abiure euill &s;pirites by the name of Ie&s;us whom Paul preached, to whom the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts. 19. 1. 14. 15. 16</NOTE> euill &s;pirits an&s;wered, &s;aying: Ie&s;us we know, and Paul we know, but who are yee? and tho&s;e which had the euill &s;pirits ranne vpon them and ouercame them, &s;o that they &s;ted out of that hou&s;e naked and wounded: and thus the diuell preuailed again&s;t them at that time, becau&s;e they &s;ought to worke with an others in&s;trument, and preuaile with an others weapon. If they would haue &s;aid, In the name of Ie&s;us whom we preach, they might haue preuai|led; but they thought it &s;ufficient that Paul preached him, though they neuer profe&s;&s;ed him. And &s;o we leane vpon an others &s;taffe, and thinke to be &s;aued, becau&s;e God &s;a|ueth others. We &s;hall be dealt withal as were tho&s;e vaga|bond Iewes: for he will an&s;were: &s;uch I know, and &s;uch I know; but who are yee? Therefore it behooueth vs all to pray vnto the Lord, that hee would furni&s;h vs with wea|pons to encounter again&s;t all the euill motions of the &s;pi|rit of Sathan, that we may ouercome, and not be ouer|come and put to flight, like tho&s;e vagabond Iewes, but that we may haue oyle alwaies in our lamps burning, and alwaies armed with watchfulne&s;&s;e again&s;t our enemies, le&s;t Sathan &s;teale vpon vs vnawares, in the darke, and lead vs to fulfill his lu&s;ts, and &s;poile vs, and &s;trip vs, and leaue vs &s;tarke naked.</P>
<P>27 <HI>And he came by the motion of the &s;pirit into the Tem|ple, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>If we would thinke that his &s;pirit doth leade vs into the Temple, we would marke very diligently the moti|ons thereof when we are there, whether it &s;peaketh to vs in our owne &s;oules by the mouth of the Mini&s;ter of God, who is the Mini&s;ter, not of the letter, but of the &s;pi|rit and grace of God.</P>
<P>28 <HI>And when the Parents brought in the childe Ie&s;us, to do for him according to the cu&s;tome of the Law.</HI></P>
<PB REF="24">
<P>28 <HI>Then he tooke him in his armes.</HI></P>
<P>Happy <HI>Simeon</HI> embracing Chri&s;t, but not happy that he embraced him with his hands, but therefore happie, becau&s;e he embraced him in heart. Happy are they and ble&s;&s;ed which &s;ee the things that ye &s;ee, and the eares <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 13 16.</NOTE> that heare the things that ye heare, &s;aith Chri&s;t; but cur|&s;ed are we, that hearing and &s;eeing doe not repent: for we cannot be ble&s;&s;ed by hearing and &s;eeing only, vnle&s;&s;e we heare and &s;ee with profite, &s;o that we in hart embrace Chri&s;t. But we will obiect, that we are I&s;raelites, and are circumci&s;ed, and haue receiued the Sacrament of Chri&s;ts blood, that we might be his people, and he our God: but this will not excu&s;e vs, nor make vs &s;eem any thing bet|ter in the &s;ight of God, but rather wor&s;e, if we haue not cea&s;ed to embrace the world, to embrace vanities, and <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 4. 20. 22. 23. 24.</NOTE> haue vnfainedly embraced the word of God, and al&s;o the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t. For it is &s;aid, that Chri&s;t came among&s;t his owne, and his owne receiued him not: but therefore <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn 1. 11.</NOTE> accur&s;ed are &s;o many of them as reiect their own &s;aluati|on, which being freely offered vnto them, wil not &s;tretch forth their hands to receiue it: that is, will not attend with their eares to hear it, or at lea&s;t wil not enlarge their hearts to embrace it.</P>
<Q>And prai&s;ed.</Q>
<P>If Samuel had heard the fir&s;t time that God called him, then God needed not to call him the &s;econd or the third. Jf Peter had marked the crowing of the Cocke <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 22.</NOTE> at the fir&s;t time, as he did at the third, the Cocke needed not to crowe thrice.</P>
<P>Now therefore, when you heare the &s;ame &s;ound againe which you haue heard before, reme~ber now that the Cock croweth the &s;econd time: for you know what di&s;com|modity doth come by negligence, and what commodity by attention: for if you attend and follow, iu&s;tice &s;hall bee &s;wallowed vp of mercy.</P>
<Q><PB REF="25">Simeon prai&s;ed God.</Q>
<P><HI>Simeon</HI> was thankfull. Here is the example, but where be they that follow it? If nine lepers be clean&s;ed, yet but <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 17.</NOTE> one returneth to giue thanks, then one is all. Vnthank|fulnes is the fir&s;t gue&s;t that &s;itteth at the table; for &s;ome wil not &s;ticke to &s;ay, that they neuer &s;aid grace &s;ince they were children: but if they had &s;aid, they neuer had grace &s;ince they were children: but if they had &s;aid, they neuer had grace &s;ince they were children, I would rather beleeue them. Doe you not &s;ay, <HI>Giue vs this day our dayly bread?</HI> If you do, for &s;hame &s;ay &s;o no more, beg no more at Gods ha~ds, vntill you bee more thankfull for that you haue receiued. <NOTE PLACE="marg">Leu. 16. 16.</NOTE> For behold, the heauens frown vpon you for your &s;innes, and the earth denieth her fruite, and is become barren, becau&s;e of your vnthankfulne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P><HI>And prai&s;ed God, and &s;aid: &amp;c.</HI> Here <HI>Simeon</HI> praied and prai&s;ed God, yet but in few words, for God delighteth not in much babling: hee praied not like the Ethnicks, the Phari&s;ies, or the Prie&s;ts of Baal; but <HI>Simeon</HI> praied with the heart like Mo&s;es, and was heard.</P>
<P><HI>And &s;aid.</HI> He ioyfully prai&s;ing God &s;pake, yea &s;weetly as it were &s;ung it. Though you &s;ing all Dauids P&s;almes ouer, and haue not Dauids &s;pirit, it profiteth nothing: and though Dauid was heard when he &s;ung them, yet you cannot be heard. Therefore let vs pray &s;o, that our pray|ers may be heard. But we cannot with the heart, &amp; &s;o that <NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 28. 9.</NOTE> we may be heard pray, if we turne away our eares from the word: for &s;o doing, what&s;oeuer praiers we make, they are abominable. Therefore let vs heare &s;o, that hea|ring we may profit by it. Let vs not heare &s;till &s;o vnpro|fitably as we were wont to doe: if we do, it &s;hall be requi|red at our hands. Do you think you &s;hall neuer be cal|led to account of that which J haue preached vnto you, and therefore as &s;oone as ye are gone out of this place, al is &s;hut vp, and all is forgotten; God is exempted fro~ your minds? Our Sauiour Chri&s;t &s;aith, the word I &s;peake vnto you &s;hal iudge you at the la&s;t day. Mary is commended <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 12. 48. Luke 10. 41.</NOTE>
<PB REF="25"> for that &s;he heard our Sauiour very diligently, laying vp his words in her hart, &amp; Iacob was wi&s;er then al his chil|dren, in that he remembred the dreame of Io&s;eph vntill he &s;aw it fulfilled. Tho&s;e that loue the Lord with an vn|fained loue, do gladly heare his voice and become obedi|ent. <HI>My &s;heep hear my voice,</HI> &s;aith Chri&s;t: &amp; they that loue <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 10. 17. 2. Sam. 6. 14. Gen. 21.</NOTE> the Ark as Dauid did, will dance about the Arke as Da|uid did, and that with ioy and gladnes. I&s;aac was a good man, his name &s;ignified laughter, whereby was &s;hewed what ioy and laughter there &s;hould bee about Chri&s;t Ie|&s;us, for he was the figure, the truth was Chri&s;t him&s;elfe. The Virgin &s;ung when &s;he knew that &s;hee &s;hould beare <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 2 46. Luk. 2. 13. 14.</NOTE> him, the Angels &s;ung ioyfully when he was borne, and <HI>Simeon</HI> &s;ung when he was brought into the Temple.</P>
<P>If <HI>Simeon</HI> had not longed, and &s;o waited for the con&s;o|lation, &s;hould hee now haue had this ioy and exultation? he could not haue felt it, for as our de&s;ire is, &s;o is our ioy. And &s;urely therefore we receiue not &s;ound comfort, or feele &s;mall ioy by the preaching of the Go&s;pell, becau&s;e we with longing wait not for it, we haue no liuely de&s;ire of it, we hunger and thir&s;t not after it.</P>
<P><HI>Lord now lette&s;t thou thy &s;eruant depart. Simeon</HI> waiting for the con&s;olation of I&s;rael, longing to &s;ee the Sauiour, was like the Hart panting for the water brooks, til he had beheld his be&s;t beloued: but as &s;oone as hee had take~ him in his armes, whom his &s;oule de&s;ired to &s;ee, hee &s;o thir&s;ted for death, that he thenceforth thought of, &s;ought after, be&s;ought God for nothing, but to leaue this life, &amp; hence to depart: for he forthwith &s;inging, praied: <HI>Now lette&s;t thou thy &s;eruant depart.</HI> But doe you (&s;ay &s;ome) com|mend him herein? did he well? May not any man de&s;ire death? may not the fa&s;tned &s;hip in a &s;trange land de&s;ire to be loo&s;ed to ha&s;ten to his longed for port at home? may not a man impri&s;oned among&s;t bitter enemies, de|&s;ire to be &s;et at liberty, to returne to his owne country, in freedome to liue among&s;t his &s;weet friends? Are wee not
<PB REF="26"> &s;trangers heere, and by vnpeaceable mo&s;t deadly ene|mies, our owne fle&s;h, the world, and the diuell, held pri|&s;oners in the chaines of &s;inne, and manifold infirmities? and is not our home, heauen; and the Saints and Angels, our mo&s;t deere friends? No maruell then that <HI>Simeon</HI> here de&s;ireth to bee loo&s;ed, or let depart. And Paul pro|fe&s;&s;eth, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 2. 23.</NOTE> hee de&s;ired to be di&s;&s;olued or vnloo&s;ed, as &s;hips in a &s;trange land fa&s;tned, as &s;trangers among&s;t cruell ene|mies impri&s;oned. They were vnnaturall if they did not: it were vnrea&s;onable to require they &s;hould not: for wee not onely may thinke it lawfull, but mu&s;t al&s;o acknow|ledge it, euen a nece&s;&s;ary duty to de&s;ire death. For is there till then in vs any perfect, yea any pure obedience of God? Doth not &s;inne as long as this life la&s;teth, dwell in our members? Is there any pa&s;&s;age to the perfect life, but by the fir&s;t death? The fi&s;h which is taken in the net out of the &s;ea, &s;trugleth to get in againe: and Adam thru&s;t out of Paradi&s;e, would faine haue beene within a|gaine: how much more &s;hould we be de&s;irous to bee &s;etled in the true Paradi&s;e, in a&s;&s;urance neuer to bee put from thence? Therefore al&s;o it is not onely our dutie to de&s;ire death, but al&s;o as &s;oone as any cleerly &s;eeth Chri&s;t, pre&s;ently hee de&s;ireth to die. For though his &s;tate bee ne|uer &s;o plea&s;ant, though his life bee mo&s;t delightful, though hee excell in riches, and plea&s;ures, and honours, and knowledge, and glory, and &s;arre exceede all that e|uer were: yet at the &s;ight of Chri&s;t hee euen reioyceth to forgoe all, the loue of the world falling away like the mantle of Elias when hee was rapt into heauen, and &s;o crieth with the Apo&s;tle, <HI>I de&s;ire to bee di&s;&s;olued;</HI> that he may be with Cri&s;t. For Chri&s;t is light, and as &s;oone as they &s;ee him, they &s;ee al&s;o them&s;elues and the worlds fal&s;e happine&s;&s;e: his glory, and their &s;hame and filthi|ne&s;&s;e, which maketh them wi&s;h for death, that they may cea&s;e to &s;inne again&s;t God, &amp; perfectly plea&s;e him and enioy true happine&s;&s;e with him: for all &s;inne is blood in
<PB REF="26"> their eies, and all worldly plea&s;ures vanities.</P>
<P>But why then (&s;ay you) haue Heman the Ezrachite, P&s;al. 88. 15. 16. 17. and Ezekiah that godlie king, E&s;ay 38. 10. 12. 13. 14, and that man after Gods owne heart the &s;weet &s;inger of I&s;rael, Dauid, P&s;alme 6. 4. and 30. 8. 9 &s;o prayed, and taught others to pray again&s;t death? Why? Becau&s;e they all were, and would haue others to be in the feruent loue of God, both to die, and to liue <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 6. 10. and 36. 10. &amp; 88. 11. 12. 13. E&s;ay 38. 11. 12 Phil. 1. 23. 24.</NOTE> de&s;irous: to liue, that they might among&s;t men vphold and further the true wor&s;hip of God, &s;o to &s;aue their brethrens &s;oules, and aduance the glory of God the more: to die, that they might perfectly obeying God, fully plea&s;e him, and freed from all euill, enioying all good, with him mo&s;t ble&s;&s;edly liue. For not onely the Apo|&s;tle Paul, but all the&s;e, and who&s;oeuer are grounded in the faith of Chri&s;t, but e&s;pecially all that haue &s;trong hope to aduance the honour of God, are in a &s;traite, as the Apo&s;tle &s;peaketh, Philip. 1. 23. and cru&s;ht on both &s;ides, euen with two contrary de&s;ires: to be with Chri&s;t, which is be&s;t of all for them&s;elues; and to continue among&s;t men, which is mo&s;t needfull for them. So that this remaineth a manife&s;t mo&s;t nece&s;&s;ary dutie, and of all that haue truelie, as <HI>Simeon,</HI> beleeued in Chri&s;t, performed: namely, thenceforth &s;till to de&s;ire death, though they al&s;o withall de&s;ired, life for others, death for them|&s;elues.</P>
<P>Yet all that de&s;ire death performe not a dutie: for the wicked often de&s;ire to die, but not duely: for, though they wi&s;h &s;ometimes for it, and be willing al&s;o to abide it: yet do they not in heart de&s;ire it, becau&s;e they thinke it not a thing in the ordinance of God good, and that for them, but vtterly hate it, holding it an extreame euill. For they acknowledge as, the trueth is, it will depriue them of all ther delights which heere they de&s;ire, and they cannot but at lea&s;t feare, it will take from them all plea&s;ure, and bring them to ea&s;ele&s;&s;e, and yet endle&s;&s;e
<PB REF="27"> paine and torments intollerable, and yet vn&s;peakeable: For the &s;entence of the vnchangeable God is already gi|uen.</P>
<P>The fearefull, and vnbeleeuing, and the abomina|ble, and murtherers, and whoremongers, and &s;orcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, &s;hall haue their part in the lake <NOTE PLACE="marg">Reu. 21. 8.</NOTE> which burneth with fire and brim&s;tone, which is the &s;e|cond death. And the iu&s;t Iudge &s;hall &s;ay to all woor|kers of iniquity: Go ye accur&s;ed into hell fire prepared for the diuell and his Angels: hell fire, where the worme <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 9. 43. 44. 48.</NOTE> neuer dieth, and the fire neuer goeth out. Wherupon, this the Prophet auoucheth, <HI>There is no peace to the wicked,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay 57.</NOTE> <HI>&s;aith my God.</HI> For in their &s;trong hope they feele a &s;tin|ging feare, their greate&s;t confidence is not without trem|bling of con&s;cience. Therefore fearing the euent of death to be for them (as indeed it is) mo&s;t horrible, they vtterly abhorre it, they dete&s;t it extreamely. How then (&s;ay &s;ome) &s;hould they &s;eeke death &s;o eagerly? How &s;hould they murder them&s;elues &s;o willingly? They doe it not altogether willingly, but wittingly; not freely, but forced with feare of &s;ome &s;uppo&s;ed greater euill: The troubles of this world, the angui&s;h of body, the horrour of mind, they are mo&s;t impatient of, they cannot, they will not endure them, and thereupon they &s;ometimes preferre death before life, le&s;&s;e willing to liue in vexati|on, then dying to try, whether they &s;hall feele what they feare, euen de&s;erued damnation: for they are neuer wil|ling to die, but vnwilling to liue often, and &s;o work them|&s;elues endle&s;&s;e woe, in hope of &s;uppo&s;ed happine&s;&s;e, ab|horring life, not truly de&s;iring death. For how die they, when they mo&s;t voluntarily bereaue them&s;elues of life? not in loue of God, longing to plea&s;e him, performing all &s;eruice to him: but either in paine of bodie, or el&s;e angui&s;h of mind, either raging that they cannot &s;atisfie their lu&s;ts, or haue lo&s;t outward things immoderatelie loued: for fearing, if they die, de&s;erued torments: if they
<PB REF="27"> liue they &s;hall either continue in felt horrour, or lo&s;e ho|ped for honour: either impatient of Gods rod, fret|ting again&s;t him that they &s;o heauily feele his fury, and cannot fiercely fulfill their malitious minds, or freelie feede on the re&s;t of their fle&s;hly lu&s;tes, or impotent in their de&s;ire of &s;ome fal&s;e fondly conceiued good ho|ping, with dreadfull doubting, by death to better their &s;tate, they choo&s;e rather to prooue the truth of Gods threats, and of the terrors of their trembling minds, then in life to remaine any longer, rather abhorring life, then any way truly de&s;iring death. Therefore, in that <HI>Simeon</HI> duly de&s;ired death, that which we heard of <HI>Simeon</HI> in the beginning is proued true, to wit, that he was <HI>iu&s;t and fea|red God.</HI></P>
<P>For none but the truly religious, none but they that by faith are a&s;&s;ured they are before God righteous, can rightly de&s;ire death. For who would de&s;ire a change but for the better? But all that are ignorant of God, all the vnfaithfull, what knowledge &s;oeuer they haue, can|not be in better ca&s;e dead, then they are now in liuing, though mo&s;t mi&s;erably pained: nay, they cannot be without iu&s;t feare when they forgoe this life, to feele for euer the &s;econd death. But the faithfull hauing their con&s;ciences quiet, and al&s;o ioyfull in Chri&s;t, free from the feare of that death they haue de&s;erued, and a&s;&s;ured by death to pa&s;&s;e to that life which God to all faithfull hath promi&s;ed, earne&s;tly wi&s;h to die in feruent loue of God, and zeale of his glory, that &s;o they may cea&s;e from offending their good God, and neuer cea&s;e magnifying his mercy; &s;hewing thereby that they are weary of the &s;eruice and bondage of Sathan and &s;inne, and a&s;&s;ured af|ter death to enioy the true life, mo&s;t fully glorifying God, and mo&s;t perfectly plea&s;ing him for euer: and therefore al&s;o they de&s;ire death, not &s;hortning their life, but waiting his lei&s;ure and calling, thereby glorifying God, as in their liues they haue done, and &s;ought to doe.</P>
<PB REF="28">
<P>For man was not borne at his owne will, and therefore may not die at his owne plea&s;ure. Therfore they beg it of God, referring them&s;elues euer to his good will, when, where, and how by death they &s;hall glorifie him, &s;til de&s;i|ring it, but neuer wilfully procuring it.</P>
<P>If any obiect, that Samp&s;on pluckt the hou&s;e on his owne head, as well as on the Phili&s;tines, we mu&s;t vnder|&s;tand, that Samp&s;on was a figure of Chri&s;t; and therfore as it were offring him&s;elfe to God a &s;acrifice, fir&s;t praied, and then glorified God at his death, more then al his life, in killing &s;o many of Gods enemies.</P>
<P>And becau&s;e they waite the Lords lea&s;ure, they not only wilfully murder not them&s;elues, but are carefull al&s;o le&s;t fooli&s;hly vnwittingly they ha&s;ten it. For all they are guilty of their owne blood, that either by foole-hardie, ra&s;h, or vnwi&s;e behauing, or with &s;urfets, drunkenne&s;&s;e, or any intemperat v&s;ing of them&s;elues, &s;horten their life. Yea, though they tender their liues neuer &s;o deere, yet are they in the guilt, becau&s;e they willingly v&s;e the meanes that brings death.</P>
<P><HI>Simeon</HI> had &s;eene much in his many daies, but when he &s;aw Chri&s;t, he was vnwilling to liue any longer to &s;ee more. His de&s;ire accompli&s;hed, his long longing at length is &s;ati&s;fied, his feruent expectation with free ioy now fulfilled. It is enough, &s;aith <HI>Simeon,</HI> that I haue &s;eene my Sauiour: as Iacob &s;aid, <HI>It is enough that my &s;on</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 45. 18.</NOTE> <HI>Io&s;eph liueth.</HI> How much more then &s;hould wee bee &s;a|tisfied with this, and in all thankfulne&s;&s;e re&s;t in it, that we haue &s;eene Chri&s;t; not as <HI>Simeon,</HI> in weakenes and ba&s;e|ne&s;&s;e, but victorious, mo&s;t glorious, ouer &s;in, death, and hell triumphing, and are more a&s;&s;ured then Iacob was, that hee, not as Io&s;eph vnder Pharaoh in Egypt, liueth, but in heauen with his Father in highe&s;t maie&s;tie raign|eth Lord ouer all, hauing all power both in heauen and <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 17. 14. 1. Iohn 3. 3. Rom. 8. 18.</NOTE> earth? and moreouer, where he is, thither &s;hall wee come and be like him, and with him as fellow-heires reigne in
<PB REF="28"> the kingdome of our Father for euer.</P>
<P><HI>Simeon</HI> knew Chri&s;t as &s;oone as he &s;aw him, and em|braced him as &s;oone as he knew him, and enioyed him as &s;oone as he embraced him: &s;o &s;ome know the word of God as &s;oone as they heare it, and beleeue it as &s;oon as they know it, and feele the comfort of it as &s;oone as they beleeue it. But others heare it as though they heard it not, like deafe adders which &s;top their eares at the voyce of the charmer. So Pharao would not heare the voyce of Mo&s;es, nor Baals Prie&s;ts the voyce of Elias: and others <NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 5. &amp;c. 1. King. 18.</NOTE> though they know it, yet will not beleeue it, as if God were vntrue: &s;o all malitious wretches that pre&s;erre the plea&s;ures of &s;inne before the glory of God: and others though they beleeue it, yet can they not either pre&s;ently, or when they will, feele the comfort of it, much le&s;&s;e the ioy which is offred by it, namely, the heart oppre&s;&s;ed, the de&s;olate afflicted &s;oule.</P>
<P>The &s;eede is not ca&s;t all on a heape, but it is ca&s;t abroad: therfore where be the fruites of the &s;pirit that you haue brought forth? For the &s;pirit of God is not like a dead potion in the &s;tomacke, which worketh not; neither can we haue this &s;pirit in vs, and feele it not. For if thou ha&s;t it, it will leade thee as it did longing <HI>Simeon</HI> (as wee haue hitherto &s;eene) to the Temple, and when thou art there it will leade thee to Chri&s;t, and when thou ha&s;t re|ceiued and embraced him, it will po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e thee with ioy, and &s;o with thankfulne&s;&s;e and godly care to keepe him and to entertaine him, and to be obedient vnto him: nay, al&s;o with a longing to bee loo&s;ed hence, and euermore perfectly to plea&s;e him. Therefore beloued, iudge your &s;elues, that ye be not iudged of the Lord.</P>
<Q>Thy &s;eruant.</Q>
<P>The godly would not leaue this priuiledge for all the riches in the world, for that they are the &s;eruants of God, fellowes to princes and Angels, for wee &s;erue him whom Dauid, Salomon, Ezechias, Io&s;ias &s;erued: yea,
<PB REF="29"> to whom a thou&s;and thou&s;ands, Dan. 7. 10. euen innume|rable Angels mini&s;ter, Heb. 12. 22. euen him who is mo&s;t ble&s;&s;ed for euer. Euery &s;eruing man beares the cogni|&s;ance of his ma&s;ter vpon his &s;leeue. What then will the Lord &s;ay, when he commeth and findeth vs marked with the badge of Sathan? Surely he will &s;ay, giue vnto Sathan <NOTE PLACE="marg">Exo. 12. 22. 23. Eze. 9. 4. 11. Re. 10. 7. 3. 5. 6</NOTE> that which is Sathans. But all the hou&s;es of I&s;rael are &s;prinkled with the blood of the Lambe, and all mourners in Ieru&s;alem are marked, and all the cho&s;en are &s;ealed with the &s;eale of the liuing God.</P>
<P>Well, was it &s;aid the poore receiue the Go&s;pell? The young men are more forward in the trueth, and more zealous then the aged, the &s;onne then his father, the &s;er|uant then his Ma&s;ter. Once the younger Brother &s;tole away the ble&s;&s;ing from the elder, therefore the elder ha|ted him euen for his zeale. And when was Iacob hated more then he is now? When was he &s;o hated and per&s;e|cuted as he is now by E&s;au? Yet in the old time men were more zealous in their age, then euer wee heare of them to be in their youth, yea, they were zealous in the Lords bu&s;ine&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>Age hindreth not Noah from building of the Arke when God commanded him: age hindered not <HI>Simeon</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 5. 32. &amp; 6. 22.</NOTE> from reioycing and mirth when he beheld and embra|ced the Lord Ie&s;us Chri&s;t. Then old <HI>Simeon</HI> embraced Chri&s;t, and he enioyed him with hearty ioy in zeale, but now where is old <HI>Simeon?</HI> There be but few of them to be &s;eene comming to the Temple to receiue Chri&s;t, but <NOTE PLACE="marg">Dan. 1. 8. 1. Sam. 2. 3. 1. Ti. 4. 12. Phil. 10. Mat. 21. 15.</NOTE> now young men receiue him, yong Simeons, young Daniels, young Samuels, young Timothies, and young One&s;imus, and the young infants beginne to &s;peake a|gaine.</P>
<P>The young haue him, they are zealous, and J hope they wil keepe him, though old men neglect him. Sathan, thou ha&s;t too much for nothing already.</P>
<Q><PB REF="29">In peace, &amp;c.</Q>
<P>Chri&s;t brings peace with him, not the peace of the world but that peace which pa&s;&s;eth all vnder&s;tanding, <HI>My peace I leaue with you,</HI> Iohn 14. 27. My peace remaine with you, <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 37. 37.</NOTE> &s;aith he. Our peace is laid vp in Chri&s;t, and all the peace we haue, we haue by him, el&s;e it is not true peace. <HI>Si|meon</HI> was iu&s;t, and feared&punc; God in his life, and therfore he departed in peace: &s;o marke the end of the iu&s;t, and fol|low their &s;teps, and you &s;hall then depart in peace, like the Lambe vpon the Cro&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>Faine would Balaam die the death of the righteous, but Balaam mu&s;t then liue the life of the righteous: ther|fore <NOTE PLACE="marg">Nu. 23. 14.</NOTE> all men looke to this. Happy are they that depart in peace, who when Death &s;aith feare, and the &s;erpent &s;aith de&s;paire; they &s;ay by the &s;pirit to the fle&s;h, crouch, and bid the Serpent flie, while Death openeth the pri&s;on doores.</P>
<P>If the Papi&s;ts would haue men to depart in peace, they would neuer &s;ay, that tho&s;e which depart goe to Purgatory: for &s;o by their owne &s;aying, the wor&s;t part is behind. For they affirme, that the paine thereof is farre grieuou&s;er then any that in this life may be &s;u&s;tained. But againe, &s;ome &s;ay, this Purgatory is in the earth neere to hell, and &s;o it is too farre from heauen to be &s;aued. Some doe &s;ay, they are puni&s;hed there by fire; and &s;ome &s;ay, by water; and &s;ome &s;ay, by fire and water. Some la&s;tly doe &s;ay, that the good Angels torment; and others &s;ay that the euil &s;pirits doe it. Jn this variety of mo&s;t vncomfor|table opinions, how is it po&s;&s;ible hence to depart in peace? But wee mu&s;t vnder&s;tand it is a painted Sepul|cher, made for the pampering of the liuing, not for the puni&s;hing or purifying of them that be dead. For the locu&s;t of Rome doe liue altogether by &s;uch Trentalles, and by &s;uch traditions, and this is the profitable&s;t dream that euer any of them dreamed: but it is manife&s;t by the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prou. 30. Eccle. 11. 3.</NOTE> word of God, that where the tree falleth there is lieth &amp;
<PB REF="30"> &s;hall lie for euer. Diues and Lazarus are dead; and where they are, thither &s;hal we al go. Sathan hath many &s;leights <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 16. 22. 23.</NOTE> to deceiue vs, of which this is one of the greate&s;t, to bring vs from the word of God, to dreames and traditions, and things inuented by the braines of mortall men, which haue not the &s;pirit of God in them.</P>
<Q>According to thy word.</Q>
<P>All the &s;eede falleth not into good ground, and there|fore, though I haue &s;hewed you it is vngodly, as beeing not according to the word, &s;ome thinke it but a &s;mall matter to &s;ay for the dead, Lord haue mercy vpon them at lea&s;t they thinke it as a veniall &s;inne if it be a &s;inne. But let vs take heed how we make trifles of &s;innes, for there is no dallying with God, who is iealous as a con&s;uming <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 12. 29.</NOTE> fire, when his people make &s;uch &s;mall account of his words. Other demaund, whether it be not better to &s;ay. God be with them, than the diuell be with them; both which are naught and to be e&s;chewed. And herein they aske this que&s;tion like a theefe, who hauing robbed a man by the hie waie, and being taken with it, and de|maunded why he did &s;uch a villany, &s;aith; Is it not bet|ter to rob him than to kill him? as though hee mu&s;t needs doe one of them: then what a &s;hamele&s;&s;e an&s;were is this? for it is manife&s;t, that of two euils none is to be cho|&s;en.</P>
<P>Some will &s;ay, it is a te&s;timony of our good will. To &s;uch we mu&s;t reply, &s;aying; &s;o it is a te&s;timony of your ignorance: and then after a little conference they will graunt, that indeed it doth not profit them. Then wee mu&s;t reply and &s;ay, God hath made all things to profite vs, and hath commanded that nothing bee v&s;ed vnprofi|tably no not &s;o much as a vaine word &s;peaking, &s;aying; <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 12. 36.</NOTE> that for euery idle word wee mu&s;t giue account at the day of iudgement. Then they reply againe, &s;aying: Jf it do them no good, it doth them no harme. But we mu&s;t an|&s;wer, it were good to beware le&s;t it doe thy &s;elfe harme.</P>
<PB REF="30">
<P>Another &s;ort will reply and &s;ay, I pray God I neuer doe wor&s;e. But to &s;uch we mu&s;t an&s;were; I pray God you may doe better: and you &s;hould fir&s;t know whether you doe not harme, before you doe it. For indeed it mu&s;t proceede of harme being &s;poken in doubting without faith; for if you beleeued that they were laid vp in peace, whom you pray for, what neede you pray for them at all? But it &s;hewes an vnbeleeuing hart, and we know that what&s;oeuer is not of faith, is &s;inne, and the Lord will &s;ay of them, who hath required the&s;e things at your hands? <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 1. 23.</NOTE> You haue wrought vanities. Now therefore you will not leaue it becau&s;e you v&s;ed it: then wil you &s;ay al&s;o, we will not leaue our lying, nor our &s;wearing, nor our cur&s;ing, be|cau&s;e we haue v&s;ed it. It will grieue me if I heare you v&s;e the&s;e &s;peeches heereafter, hauing no rea&s;on nor proofe of &s;cripture to maintain it by, or to be your warra~t in it: ther+fore I charge you in the name of God, that you v&s;e them not, but rather when you heare this, or any other &s;in con|demned, lay hands vpon it, &amp; &s;ee that you put it to death without delay, according to the law of God.</P>
<Q>According to thy word.</Q>
<P>When Sathan hath thus po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed vs with this opini|on that in the &s;eruice of God we may neglect the word of God, then profites and plea&s;ures guide vs in our pro|fe&s;&s;ion: but they that doe &s;o profe&s;&s;e Religion and godli|ne&s;&s;e, can neuer haue any comfort by it all their life. For their owne hearts accu&s;e them for hypocrites, becau&s;e they wait not for the con&s;olation of God, according to his word, and what&s;oeuer is not done according to that word, cannot be acceptable: and this word they care not for, neither haue it in e&s;timation. When Adam &s;eeth his nakednes, the &s;ubtile &s;erpent can deceiue no longer, but before he &s;eeth his nakedne&s;&s;e, he is euer deceiued, and led away with the multitude into innumerable er|rors. Some &s;ay, they &s;hall be &s;aued by good works, and
<PB REF="31"> &s;ome by the Popes pardon, others &s;ay by Purgatory, and the&s;e will haue a Ma&s;&s;e &s;ung for them as long as the world &s;tandeth, and all for one &s;illy &s;oule thinking to bee &s;aued by it. And yet &s;ee their blindnes, for they &s;eeme to thinke that their torment &s;hall not cea&s;e as long as the world &s;tandeth; el&s;e why &s;hould they find and hire men to &s;ay Ma&s;&s;e for them &s;o long? but the&s;e are the far mor|&s;els of Baals Prie&s;ts, and for this cau&s;e is the Popi&s;h Creed made very fauourable to the Cleargy-Wel, &s;ay that Igno|rance is the mother of their deuotion, for when the coue|touines of the Prie&s;ts and the Ignorance of the people ioyned together, then they inuented Purgatory, Ma&s;&s;es, Prayer for the dead, and then all their trinkets. For if they had not held our Fathers in ignorance, keeping them from the word, they would neuer haue beene Papi&s;ts. But when they ca&s;t a mi&s;t before the eyes of men, then the blind fell into the ditch, which doth containe &s;o ma|ny gro&s;&s;e corruptions.</P>
<Q>For mine eies haue &s;eene thy &s;aluation.</Q>
<P><HI>For, &amp;c.</HI> Becau&s;e the holy Gho&s;t by in&s;piration had de|declared vnto him that he &s;hould not die, till hee had leene Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, therefore the &s;ame &s;pirit led him to the Temple, and &s;hewed that which it promi&s;ed and ha|uing &s;eene the &s;ame, he de&s;ired and wi&s;hed to die, and be relea&s;ed from this earthly pri&s;on, that he might <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">iue with God. As id<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">e and euill wi&s;hes are vaine, becau&s;e they are not according to faith, not grounded vpon the word of God, &s;o though we aske as cunningly as Iacob, and as earne&s;tly as the &s;onnes of Zebede, yet if wee aske <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 27. 17. 18 19. 20. &amp;c. Mar. 10. 35. 37. Iam. 1. 7.</NOTE> not in &s;aith according to knowledge, we cannot ob|taine. But wee &s;hould aske &s;o that we may receiue, that we may not returne empty. Therfore the ground where|on <HI>Simeon</HI> &s;etled him&s;elfe to wi&s;h for death, was, that hee had receiued a promi&s;e of God, that he &s;hould be deliue|red from this mi&s;erable life, when hee had once &s;eene the light of the Gentiles, the Chri&s;t: and now hee had
<PB REF="31"> &s;eene his Sauiour, and embraced the true Me&s;&s;ias, which was promi&s;ed by the Father, figured by the law, &s;poken of by the Prophets, foretold by the Fathers, and poin|ted at by Iohn Bapti&s;t. For thus he rea&s;oneth; Now that I &s;ee thy &s;aluation according to thy word, and there|fore the condition is now performed, let thy promi&s;e al|&s;o be fulfilled: <HI>Now let thy &s;eruant depart, &amp;c. For mine eyes, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<Q>Mine eyes haue &s;eene, &amp;c.</Q>
<P>Then we &s;ee that Chri&s;t was no &s;pirit, neither was his body a fanta&s;ticall body; for if he were a &s;pirit, <HI>Simeon</HI> could not &s;ee him, and if his body were a fanta&s;ticall bo|dy, then could not he haue embraced him. Therfore wee <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn 11. Luke 29. Iohn 4. Luke 10. Luke 5.</NOTE> &s;ee that the words of the Scripture are true, which &s;aith, that Chri&s;t was perfect man in all things, &s;inne onely ex|cepted. For he &s;ometime wept, as at the death of Laza|rus, and like wi&s;e ouer Ieru&s;alem. Sometime he thir&s;ted, as at the Well where the woman of Samaria di&s;puted with him: and al&s;o &s;ometime eate, as at Marthaes hou&s;e, as al&s;o among Publicans and &s;inners, and in euery thing &s;hewed him&s;elfe to be perfect man.</P>
<Q>Haue &s;eene &amp;c.</Q>
<P>O Lord, &s;aith he, I de&s;ire now to be di&s;&s;olued and free from the bondage of &s;in, which &s;o long hath inhabited in my mortall body, for now he is come, by whom thou ha&s;t promi&s;ed to free and &s;et vs at liberty, he is come by whom thou ha&s;t promi&s;ed to breake the Serpents head, and he is come that will heale our infirmities, and giue &s;trength again&s;t &s;in and &s;athan by faith &amp; peace towards God through loue. And now, &s;aith hee, I haue embraced him, and thankfully do receiue him. I beleeue, &amp; am per|&s;waded that this is the &s;ame Me&s;&s;ias, whom the Father promi&s;ed, and the Prophets fore-told, all I&s;rael longed &amp; expected for, who is the light of the Gentiles, the glory of I&s;rael, and the God of the whole world. So they which loue the truth of God, and waite with de&s;ire to bee
<PB REF="32"> filled with the knowledge thereof, &s;uch &s;hall not die vn|till they haue their harts de&s;ire with contemplation ther|of. <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 10. Acts 8.</NOTE> For as Peter was &s;ent to Cornelius, and Philip to the Eunuch: &s;o the Lord will &s;tirre vp &s;uch of his &s;eruants, as may bee fit in&s;truments to mini&s;ter the &s;ame vnto vs. Iudas indeed died before the time, and liued not to &s;ee Chri&s;t crucified, but the Di&s;ciples which loued Ie&s;us, did &s;ee him die like an vndefiled innocent Lambe, and that to their exceeding ioy and comfort, when they vn|der&s;tood how that he &s;uffered death for loue of them and for their redemption. Now if Chri&s;t cannot hide him from &s;uch as hunger after him through loue, then what &s;hall we &s;ay of our Fathers which liued in the time of ignorance, that longed to &s;ee his light, although they had a mi&s;t ca&s;t before their eyes? Surely, &s;uch died not till they &s;aw Chri&s;t, and embraced him in their hearts. And this is our iudgement concerning them that died in the time of Popery. And likewi&s;e as concerning the re&s;t, which thought to be &s;aued by Purgatory and Ma&s;|&s;es after that they are dead, we &s;ay that they which &s;leep without oyle in their lampes they die ere they are aware of, and ere they wi&s;h for it, like the Phili&s;tines which &s;ent for Samp&s;on to laugh and mocke at him, and to &s;port <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iudg. 16.</NOTE> them&s;elues, vpon whom the hou&s;e fell and de&s;troyed them all: or the Egyptians, which thought that the waters had made pa&s;&s;age for them a&s;well as for the I&s;ra|eliers, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezod. 16.</NOTE> both which died in and for their &s;ecurity becau&s;e they were not watchfull, nor prepared again&s;t the Lord called them.</P>
<Q>Haue &s;eene thy &s;aluation.</Q>
<P>Seeing now hee is come for whom <HI>Simeon</HI> longed, what are the troubles that are pa&s;t, and the &s;orrowes that are come to an end? &s;o when wee haue our de&s;ires accompli&s;hed, feeling the &s;ound comfort of the Go&s;|pel, what &s;hould we? how may we thinke, either on the length of time wherein we waited for them, or the tedi|ou&s;nes,
<PB REF="32"> or al&s;o grieuou&s;nes of the troubles whereby wee haue obtained them.</P>
<Q>Haue &s;eene thy &s;aluation.</Q>
<P>As Mo&s;es died on the mount where hee &s;aw the land of Canaan: &s;o the godly die in the &s;ight of God, and in <NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 34.</NOTE> the contemplation of his glory, like Stephen, who at the very in&s;tant of his death, &s;aw the heuens open, and Chri&s;t Ie&s;u<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;itting at the right hand of his Father, and like <HI>Si|meon</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 7.</NOTE> here, which de&s;ireth to bee loo&s;ed, and no doubt &s;hortly died, viewing ioyfully and &s;o thankfully behol|ding the Lord of life.</P>
<P>Beloued, you are not ignorant that the great day of the Lord is neer at hand, and therfore they that haue not yet &s;eene Chri&s;t, they that haue not yet embraced him, but &s;till &s;leepe without oyle in their lampes, &s;hal &s;odainly be ouertaken without the wedding garment, and &s;hall be ca&s;t into eternall torment for euer.</P>
<Q>Haue &s;eene, &amp;c.</Q>
<P>There be many &s;ights of Chri&s;t, all goe not vp to the mount, as Peter, Iames and Iohn, all &s;ee not his face with <NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 17. Exod. 33. Iohn 13. 2. Cor. 12. 2.</NOTE> Mo&s;es, all &s;leepe not in his lappe with Iohn, all are not taken vp into heauen like Paul, all embrace him not in their armes with <HI>Simeon.</HI> But as plea&s;eth God, &s;o he &s;hew|eth him&s;elfe vnto vs, and all that loue him, both &s;ee him and embrace him.</P>
<P>To &s;ome he &s;hewes him&s;elfe as in a gla&s;&s;e, to &s;ome ge|nerally, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 20.</NOTE> to &s;ome particularly, &s;ome he calleth early, and &s;ome hee calleth late, and there is no houre in the day, wherein he calleth not &s;ome to get labour in his Vine|yard. To &s;ome he &s;heweth him&s;elfe by Angels, &amp; to other&s;ome by vi&s;ions. Abraham &s;aw three Angels, Lot <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 18. Gen. 19. Iudg. 13.</NOTE> &s;aw but two, Manoahs wife &s;aw but one, and yet one was enough. It is &s;aide that Abraham &s;aw Chri&s;t his daies; but we &s;ee him cleerer then Abraham, and cleerer then Iohn, if we beleeue in him as we &s;hould. Some &s;ee <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn 8.</NOTE> Chri&s;t, and not his &s;aluation, and &s;ome &s;ee his &s;aluation,
<PB REF="33"> and doe not embrace it. We &s;ee Chri&s;t when wee heare his word, and we embrace his &s;aluation when we beleeue it: they &s;ee him that heare him, they embrace him that follow him. Heere if they had heard me, I would haue &s;earched Ieru&s;alem with lampes, to &s;ee who &s;itteth in darkenes. But how can they beleeue the word of God which heare it not? how can they embrace Chri&s;t which know him not? and all through ignorance, hauing not the meanes to &s;ee him, becau&s;e their leaders are either blind guides, &s;leepy watchmen, or hireling &s;heepheards. And &s;urelie it is a wofull ca&s;e, when &s;hepheards goe to taske, and let their owne &s;heepe alone &s;ummer &amp; winter. They &s;heare them, but neither &s;ummer nor winter doe they feede them. How &s;hould tho&s;e people vnder their charge &s;ee Chri&s;t and his &s;aluation, when they are &s;o de|barred of the whole&s;ome food, and euen &s;tarued to death many thou&s;ands of their &s;oules, becau&s;e they haue not the foode that nouri&s;heth the &s;oule vnto &s;aluation? and how many bee there that are as old as <HI>Simeon,</HI> and yet haue not embraced Chri&s;t Ie&s;us? yea they know him not though they &s;ee him, neither do they wait for his com|ming, becau&s;e they haue no de&s;ire to embrace him, and therefore they defer that &amp; put it off from their youth to their middle age, from their middle age to their old age, from their old age to death, and &s;o they can haue no lea|&s;ure in all their life to embrace him. But to &s;uch as doe &s;eek him, &amp; wait for him with vnfained diligence, we &s;ay as the Angel &s;aid vnto the woman at the &s;epulchre, feare <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn 20.</NOTE> not, you &s;eeke the Lord Ie&s;us. How is this world &s;et to deceiue vs? We can find lea&s;ure to doe euill at any time, but we can find no lea&s;ure in all our life long to doe good, that we may at length enioy the true &s;aluation.</P>
<P>I haue &s;omwhat to &s;ay to you of this pari&s;h: A dainty was prepared for you, and you let the &s;trangers take it from you; you were required to a fa&s;t, and you did fea&s;t your &s;elues; you were required to come &amp; pray vnto the
<PB REF="33"> Lord, and to humble your &s;elues in his &s;ight, that he may turne away his wrath from you, and you let the Temple &s;tand open, and empty, for your parts, and your &s;hoppes were as open &amp; you were about your merchandize, for|&s;aking God, and &s;eeking to winne the vniu&s;t Mammon, and the vanities of the world.</P>
<Q>Thy &s;aluation.</Q>
<P>He came not by Angels, or by men, or by any other meanes, but onely from the alone and eternall God. He <NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 1.</NOTE> calleth him thy &s;aluation, for his name was not giuen him by Io&s;eph, nor by Marie, but by the Angell of God, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 1. Luke 3. Luke 14. Mat. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">7. Math. 2.</NOTE> &s;ignifying that he was come from heauen. The Father &s;aw him when he was borne, the &s;pirit came vppon him when he was baptized, the Angels mini&s;tred vnto him in the wildernes, his enemies &s;ub&s;cribed vnto him vpon the Cro&s;&s;e, the Virgin trauailed, the &s;tarre walked, the Wi&s;emen came out of farre Countries to wor&s;hip him. Then is not this Iehouah the mighty God, who&s;e birth is glorious, who&s;e life is famous, which death is merito|rious? None can take vpon him the authoritie of God, but he, on who&s;e &s;houlders the Lord layeth it, beeing &s;ent of God, and from God. Then we &s;ee that our Saui|our is the true Sauiour &s;ent from God, for all creatures beare witne&s;&s;e vnto him, yea the very diuels, with all the euils &s;pirits doe obey his voyce at who&s;e name all knees <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mark 1. Phil. 2.</NOTE> &s;hall bow. He came not to bring health, wealth, plea|&s;ures or profits, for the which if he had, then multitudes of worldlings would haue followed him; but hee came to bring &s;aluation, righteou&s;nes, peace, truth, and life, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Matt. 7.</NOTE> therefore few care for him. Hee came to &s;aue &s;inners, not all &s;inners, not euery one that &s;ayeth Lord, Lord, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 5.</NOTE> but he came to &s;aue penitent &s;inners, which turne vnto God by their repentance. Therefore he praieth in Iohn <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn 17.</NOTE> for tho&s;e onely that were giuen vnto him. So &s;oone as the &s;eede is &s;owne, the &s;tones refu&s;e it, or the Sunne par|cheth it, or the thornes choake it, and what comfort
<PB REF="34"> hath the Lillie among thornes? Therfore wi&s;edom taketh her vnto her wings, and whi&s;pereth &s;aying, you &s;hall &s;eek <NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 1.</NOTE> me before I come, you &s;hall &s;eeke me, but &s;hall not find me, becau&s;e ye haue refu&s;ed me when I offred my &s;elfe to you.</P>
<P>Chri&s;t is their &s;aluation that beleeue in him, and make much of him, and thankfully receiue him. The godly he deliuereth from &s;inne, but the wicked he leaueth bound in the chaines of their iniquity, to be tormented of him which had tempted them thereunto, who&s;e will they al|waies endeuoured to fulfill, and not the Lords; and hee &s;heweth them a hand vpon the wall writing writing their con|demnation, and another catching them by the hairy &s;calp <NOTE PLACE="marg">Dan. 5.</NOTE> which maketh all their ioynts to tremble, and their harts to de&s;pair, and he &s;aith vnto them; What do&s;t thou heere without thy wedding garment? How dare&s;t thou come to &s;teale the childrens bread? The Spirit of Saul wor|keth <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 20. 1. Sam. 16.</NOTE> in him, in his bed, and euery where, and he calleth for the Harpe of Dauid to comfort his heart which can|not be comforted. And this &s;pirit &s;aith to Iudas; Thou ha&s;t betraied the Lord, and crucified him, therefore goe <NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 27.</NOTE> and hang thy &s;elfe: for euen at the preaching of &s;aluation, the horrour of damnation, the marke of Caine &s;ticketh within thee who&s;oeuer beleeue&s;t not in Gods &s;aluation. But the godly heart goeth home, hauing embraced this <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 4.</NOTE> &s;aluation, chewing the cud, and reioycing like the Apo|&s;tles, which reioyced in that they were counted worthy to &s;uffer for his names &s;ake: and they &s;ay, O what a good <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 5. 4. 1.</NOTE> banquet we haue had this day! what delicious dainties hath God fea&s;ted vs with! and &s;o the Bee goeth loaden to the hiue, and goeth longer in the &s;trength thereof then <NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Reg. 17.</NOTE> Elias did.</P>
<Q>Thy &s;aluation.</Q>
<P>The onely Sauiour is heere called &s;aluation it &s;elfe: for if he were called a bare Sauiour only, then you might likely vnder&s;tand by &s;ome other Sauiour; but heere is
<PB REF="34"> he is called &s;aluation it &s;elfe, to &s;hew that there is no o|ther. For there be more Sauiours, but no more &s;aluations, as there be many waies to death, and yet but one death. The bra&s;en Serpent was a figure of Chri&s;t, that they which are &s;tung by &s;in, by fire, and by the Serpent which <NOTE PLACE="marg">Numb. 22. Iohn 3.</NOTE> beguiled Euah, may make &s;peed, becau&s;e there is no re|medy but to come to Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>The Papi&s;ts haue found out many &s;aluations, they haue found out a &s;aluation by Saints, a &s;aluation by An|gels, a &s;aluation by ma&s;&s;es, a &s;aluation by merits, a &s;aluati|on by Idols, as though Chri&s;t had lea&s;t to doe in his own office, for they haue other &s;aluations to flee vnto: They will haue it, but they will buy it, and what will they giue for it? Why, they will fa&s;t &s;o many daies, goe &s;o far on pil|grimages, hire Prie&s;ts to &s;ay &s;o many Ma&s;&s;es, build &s;o many Abbies, and giue &s;o many &s;ummes of Money to the Monks and Friers. Therefore the Scripture goeth a|gain&s;t them, and di&s;honours their &s;hamele&s;ne&s;&s;e, who (like Nimrod, that heaping &s;tone vpon &s;tone, would haue built vp to heauen) heape &s;inne vpon &s;inne, and euerie <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 11.</NOTE> houre, &s;ome one here&s;ie or &s;uper&s;tition groweth vp from this filthy roote.</P>
<P>For what Papi&s;t dare &s;ay, that <HI>Simeon</HI> thought on any of the&s;e, or put confidence in any other Sauiour, but on|ly <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal 3. 1. 18. 2 Cor. 1. Gen. 42.</NOTE> in him whom he embraced in his armes? For &s;aluati|on is by the promi&s;e of God, and all promi&s;es are in Chri&s;t. And though Iacob wanted bread, Io&s;eph wan|ted not mony, therefore he gaue them backe again their money, and likewi&s;e he gaue them that corne that they would haue bought with it. I would wi&s;h them there|fore to &s;ay as Io&s;ephs brethren did, that they haue their corne for nothing, and their mony too: let them I &s;ay be content and reioyce, to &s;ay, that they haue mercy for nothing, and their works too. For God cannot be wonne by mens works, becau&s;e they profit not him, but them|&s;elues.</P>
<PB REF="35">
<P>There is no water can wa&s;h Naaman but Iordan, no water can wa&s;h the lepro&s;ie of &s;inne, but the blood of <NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Reg. 5.</NOTE> the Lambe. By this the I&s;raelites were &s;aued when the de&s;troyer pa&s;&s;ed by. By this the Lord knoweth vs to bee <NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> his people: and by this the diuell knoweth vs to be none of his. As it is proper vnto God to be called goodne&s;&s;e, &s;o is it proper vnto Ie&s;us Chri&s;t to be called &s;aluation. He is al&s;o called the way, the truth, and the life: for that life <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn 14.</NOTE> which wee haue, is but a &s;parke and &s;hadow of life, but he is the true and eternall life.</P>
<P>Then &s;eeing Chri&s;t is both our righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, &s;aluati|on; and al&s;o the way, the trueth, and the life, to leade vs thereunto: it is as po&s;&s;ible for vs without Chri&s;t to be iu|&s;tified or glorified, as it is to be wi&s;e without wi&s;edome, righteous without righteou&s;nes, or &s;aued without &s;aluati|on. Therefore let vs not be a&s;hamed to take our wa|ter from the fountaine, &s;eeing Chri&s;t is the fountaine of all wi&s;edome, of all righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, of all truth, of all knowledge, of all &s;aluation, and briefly of all goodne&s;&s;e: for there is no other Arke to &s;aue vs from the floud, no other ladder to a&s;cend with into heauen, no other Io|&s;eph to feede vs in the famine, no other Mo&s;es to lead vs through the wildernes.</P>
<P>But as the riuer Siloa runneth through all the land of Iudea, and watereth the whole Citie of God: &s;o Chri&s;t <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe&s;. 4. 2. Cor. 15. Rom. 5.</NOTE> doth &s;hew him&s;elfe all in all, &amp; all-&s;ufficient in mercy to &s;aue and ble&s;&s;e all his Church with &s;pirituall gifts. If Chri&s;t be &s;aluation, what &s;hall make vs de&s;paire? Shall Sathan? No, for he hath ouercome Sathan. Shall death? No, for he hath ouercome death. Shall hell? No, for he hath ouercome hell. Shall the Law? No, for he hath ful|filled <NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay 63.</NOTE> the Law. Shall wrath? No, for he hath troden the wine-pre&s;&s;e of his Fathers wrath. Therefore it was a &s;weet &s;aying of one at his death: VVhen mine iniquity is greater then thy mercy, O God, then will I feare and de&s;paire.</P>
<PB REF="35">
<P>Saluation is borne, therefore we were all in the &s;tate of condemnation before: light is come, therefore we &s;ate all in darkens before: glory is come, therefore we were all loaden with &s;hame before: life is come, to &s;hew that we were all dead in &s;inne before. Life is come, and light and &s;aluation: life to the dead, light to the blind, and &s;al|uation to the damned. For Chri&s;t is called &s;aluation, to &s;hew that without him, we are all damned fire-brands of hel, heires of condemnation, and for&s;aken of God. To him that is &s;icke, it is ea&s;ie to bee thankfull when hee is whole, but when he is whole, it is harder to be thankfull then to be &s;icke. I would faine be di&s;proued, that Nini|uch might be &s;aued, though Ionah would not.</P>
<Q>Thy &s;aluation.</Q>
<P>This word &s;aluation is a &s;weet word, yea the &s;weete&s;t word in all the &s;cripture, and yet many de&s;pi&s;e this wor|thy iewell, becau&s;e they know not what it is worth, like the dawes, which would rather haue a barly corne, then a pearle or a iewell, becau&s;e they know not the value thereof.</P>
<P>O Lord what is man that thou art &s;o mindfull of him! O man, what is God that thou art &s;o vnmindfull of him! <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;alm. 8.</NOTE> If a friend had giuen vs any thing, we would haue than|ked him heartily for it, but to him that hath giuen vs all things, we will not giue &s;o much as thanks. Now there|fore let the rocke gu&s;h out water againe, and let our &s;to|ny hearts powre forth &s;treames of teares in vnfained re|pentance. We haue all called vpon you, but none regar|deth vs, as though God were as Baal, and as though Diues felt no paine, nor Lazarus ioy, but all were forgot|ten. Many times Chri&s;t commeth into the Temple, and there is &s;carce a <HI>Simeon</HI> to embrace him, the babe is here, but where is <HI>Simeon?</HI></P>
<P>If God had not loued vs better then we loued our &s;elues, we &s;hould haue peri&s;hed long ere this, and yet we embrace not Chri&s;t as <HI>Simeon,</HI> who hath &s;aued vs
<PB REF="36"> from temporall and &s;pirituall puni&s;hment. Wee are in|uited to a banquet, he who calleth vs to it, is God. What is the banquet? Saluation. VVho are the gue&s;ts? The Angels and the Saints. What is the fare? Ioy, peace, righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e; this is the fare, and we inuite you euerie one: yet who will come at our bidding? &s;ome for want of faith, &s;ome for want of loue, &s;ome for wnat of knowledge, haue de&s;pi&s;ed this holy ban|quet; yet vnto this art thou called &s;till, O &s;oule vnworthy to be beloued.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="sermon">
<PB REF="36">
<HEAD>THE SECOND SERMON OF THE SONG OF old father Simeon.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q>Thy &s;aluation, which thou ha&s;t prepared before the face of all the people, a light to bee reuealed to the Gentiles, and the glorie of thy people I&s;rael.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P><HI>_THy &s;aluation.</HI> This word &s;aluati|is a &s;weete word, and holds mee to it like an Adamant; for when J thought to proceede, this word &s;aid vnto me, &s;tay here, teach this, and teach all, learne this, and learn all: for it is the pith of all the mer|cies of God towards his children.</P>
<P>Chri&s;t is called &s;aluation, becau&s;e no man &s;hould de|&s;paire, and becau&s;e it is impo&s;&s;ible to bee &s;aued without him, for &s;aluation is onely in him. Chri&s;t can doe any thing but this, hee cannot &s;aue him that will not repent. He is called the &s;aluation of God, becau&s;e hee came not from men, nor from Angels, nor by chance, but from <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 1. Luke 1. Matth. 2. Luke. 2. Matth. 2. Luke 3. Marke 1. Luke 1. 15. Iohn 11. Matth. 27.</NOTE> God him&s;elfe, and therefore his Name was not giuen him after the manner of men, which was, that euery Fa|ther &s;hould name his owne child, but &s;o did not Io&s;eph, for the Angell had giuen him direction for his Name.</P>
<P>The Virgin, the Oracles, the Babes, the Sheepheards, the Staire, the Wi&s;e-men, the voice of the Crier, the di|uels, the leapers, the &s;icke, the dead, the earth-quake, the Sunne, the Moone, and all the creatures doe beare wit|ne&s;&s;e vnto the Sonne of God, which is our &s;aluation. He is called the &s;aluation of God, becau&s;e he is &s;aluation
<PB REF="37"> according to Gods owne minde. He came not to bring ea&s;e and liberty, but he came to bring the &s;piritual &s;word, and condemnation to all ob&s;tinate &s;inners, yet &s;aluation to the penitent.</P>
<P>I &s;hewed you how many de&s;pi&s;ed this jewell, becau&s;e they know not what it is worth, how few <HI>Simeons</HI> there be in the Temple, how few Nathaniels, how few men that feare God: the&s;e plants grow not on euery ground.</P>
<P>Who would be vnthankfull if hee knew what the Lord giues and what he forgiues? Hee giues the &s;onne for the ba&s;tard, the Lord for the &s;eruant, the righteous for &s;in|ners, the innocent for the wicked, and the Almightie Lord, for the &s;infull &s;onnes of men. Doe you not mar|uel how you can offend this Lord willingly, which hath done &s;o much for you? Heere I reprooue vnthankful|nes, &s;ecuritie and negligence, &s;triuing as it were to cru|cifie Chri&s;t againe, as the wicked Jewes did, who neuer pro&s;pered &s;ince the time that they &s;aid; His blood bee vpon vs, and vppon our &s;eede. They were not like <HI>Si|meon,</HI> who as foone as he &s;aw him, embraced him, and re|ioyced ouer him. There is no &s;hew of grace in them|which <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 27. 25.</NOTE> &s;hew no liking of godlines, neither in them&s;elues nor in others: for this is the fir&s;t part of our conuer&s;ion, to loue them that loue God, and &s;o they are drawne to the Sonne. No man will builde an Arke vntill the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 7.</NOTE> flood come, no man will &s;eeke for corne vntil the famine come, and &s;carce Lot will bee gone out of Sodome be|fore the time of execution of Gods wrath doe come vp|on <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen 42. Gen. 19.</NOTE> them.</P>
<P>Wee preach vnto you, and call vpon you, wee haue e|uen wearied our &s;elues among you, wee haue reprooued you for &s;inne, and wee mu&s;t &s;till reprooue you vntill you amend: now therefore, if there bee any grace in you, if ye haue any knowledge, any feare of God in you, if you haue any goodnes in you, if you haue any lea&s;ure to bee &s;aued, turne backe now from doeing euill, come out of
<PB REF="37"> hell, and plucke your limbes out of the clouches of the Serpent, for verilie we haue not done &s;o well in this city as the Niniuites did, for all the preaching and teaching we haue had. For, who hath determined in his heart to amend his life? Who hath left his pride? Who hath re|&s;tored that which he hath taken by extortion, v&s;ury, and wrong? Surely they that haue done thus are mon&s;ters, I cannot &s;ee him, he walkes inui&s;ible and cannot be found. The heauens trembled at the death of Chri&s;t, the Sunne did hide his face, the earth quaked, the vaile of the Tem|ple <NOTE PLACE="marg">Matt. 27. 45. 51. 52. 53.</NOTE> rent in &s;under, the dead bodies ro&s;e out of their graues, and all this was to &s;hew that the Prince of the world &s;uffered violence, and that the Lord of life &s;uffered death for the ran&s;ome of vs, &amp; of all who&s;oeuer through|out the world doe beleeue the go&s;pell, and liue in obe|dience thereof, and withall, that hee &s;uffering for &s;infull and wretched man, was a conqueror ouer hell and all e|uill and hath ouercome death. The Scribes were again&s;t him, the Phari&s;es were again&s;t him, the Rulers band the~|&s;elues again&s;t him, the Athei&s;ts again&s;t him, and all the &s;pitefull and enuious Iewes again&s;t him, who&s;e birth was ba&s;e, who&s;e life was contemptible, and who&s;e death was ignominious, but God was with him, &amp; in him, by who&s;e power he ouercame them all, and &s;o became the &s;aluati|on of God.</P>
<P>Dauid being to encounter with Goliah, Saul tooke <NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Sam. 17.</NOTE> and put on him his owne harne&s;&s;e, but hee could not weare it, it was too heauy for his little bodie, therefore he tooke nothing but a &s;taffe, and a few &s;tones in a &s;crippe, and &s;o Dauid &s;lew the pride of the Phili&s;tines, and the feare of I&s;rael. And euen thus the Lord &s;et his &s;onne to fight with the Prince of this world, not with &s;words and targets, bowes and bills, but with the word and &s;pirit of God, with the which he hath ouercome, and through him we al&s;o haue the victory.</P>
<Q><PB REF="38">Which thou ha&s;t prepared before the face of all people, &amp;c.</Q>
<P>He &s;peakes this to the end that the eies of all mankind may be fixed vpon him, as the eies of all I&s;rael were fix|ed <NOTE PLACE="marg">Num. 22.</NOTE> vpon the bra&s;en Serpent in the wilderne&s;&s;e, that when they be &s;tinged with the &s;ting of that fierie &s;erpent which deceiued our forefathers, they may flie vnto him for help, lo&s;t they peri&s;h in their &s;inne, &amp; their blood bee on their owne heads.</P>
<Q>Which thou hast prepared.</Q>
<P>He was prepared long agoe, as it doth mo&s;t plainely appeare, for the virgin which bare him, the place of his birth, the poore e&s;tate wherein he was, his miracles, his Apo&s;tles, his torments, his cro&s;&s;e, his death, his re&s;urre|ction and a&s;cen&s;ion into heauen; all the&s;e were fore&s;he|wed and fore-told long before they came to pa&s;&s;e. Ther|fore &s;ome &s;aid, Who is this that is &s;o often &s;poken of by <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn 11. Luke 8. Matth. 27. Iohn 10. Marke 6.</NOTE> the Prophets? Who is this that can doe many miracles that the Scribes and Phari&s;es cannot doe? that can rai&s;e the dead, that can cea&s;e the windes, that can calme the waters: at who&s;e &s;uffering the earth quaked, the Sunne hid his face, darknes came ouer all: and beeing dead, ro&s;e againe by his owne power, and a&s;cended into heauen in the &s;ight of a great multitude? How can it be then but it mu&s;t be knowne <HI>before the face of all people,</HI> which was &s;o manife&s;t by dreames, by vi&s;ions, by oracles, by power; by authority, and euery thing? For there was nothing which had not a tongue to &s;peake for God. Euery thing was prepared for him before hee came to bee reuealed: hee came not in the beginning, nor in the ending: hee came not in the ending, that wee which come after him might long for his &s;econd comming. He came not in the beginning, becau&s;e that &s;uch a Prince as hee &s;hould haue many banners and triumphs before him. Hee came not in the beginning, becau&s;e the eies of faith &s;hould not bee dazeled in him, and le&s;t they which &s;hould liue in the latter times, &s;hould forget him and his comming
<PB REF="38"> which was &s;o long before, euen as you forget that which I haue &s;aid as &s;oone as you are gone hence. Hee came not in the beginning, becau&s;e if he had come before man had &s;inned, man would haue acknowledged no neede of a Phy&s;itian; but when man had &s;inned and had felt the &s;mart of &s;inne: for when they were ca&s;t out of Para|di&s;e they ranne vnto Chri&s;t, as the I&s;raelites did to the Serpent. He came not in the beginning, but in the per|fect age of the world, to &s;hew that he brought with him perfection, perfect ioy, perfect peace, perfect wi&s;edome, perfect righteou&s;nes, perfect iu&s;tice, perfect truth, &s;igni|fying thereby, that not with&s;tanding he came in the per|fect age thereof, yet he found all things vnperfect. The Iewes thought that he &s;hould come like &s;ome great Prince, with pompe and glory, which was a carnall con|ceite, for heerein they were meruailou&s;ly deceiued, his father was but a poore Carpenter, and his mother but a &s;imple woman, and he a &s;illy babe wrapt in clouts. Then ought not we to reuerence our Lord, and to prai&s;e his Name, for that he became &s;o humble for vs mo&s;t vile wretches that are worthy of nothing? yet we &s;ee how cruelly they dealt with this ble&s;&s;ed One, which came to &s;aue them. Ignorance &s;ate in the chaire, deceit gaue the &s;entence, and cruelty executed him with the mo&s;t pain|full and &s;hamefull death of the cro&s;&s;e. O that your eies doe not dazell, and your eares tingle, and your hearts meruaile at this dealing of theirs to our louing Sauiour, which came to &s;aue them that would, and &s;pecially in that now you &s;ee, that he aba&s;ed him&s;elfe for our &s;akes. euen to the vttermo&s;t! O wonderfull thing to thinke of? Jf you would marke, J would make you in loue with him before I haue done with you, I &s;ay vnto all tho&s;e that come hither to be edified, take your fill of plea&s;ure, enter into Paradi&s;e, lift vp your eyes, &s;tretch forth your hands, and eate your fill of the tree of life, and the Lord will goe home with you, embrace him and ki&s;&s;e him
<PB REF="39"> entertaine him well, and he will dwell with you for euer. But you that come hither for fa&s;hion &s;ake, either to &s;ee or to bee &s;eene, to finde fault with &s;ome-what, or to make an hypocriticall &s;hew of godline&s;&s;e where there is none: I tell you, that comfort &s;hall &s;hake hands with you at the dore: marke it, and you &s;hall &s;ee that my words are true. Shew me what it is that is better then &s;aluation. I would haue none of you to bee damned if I might pre|uen it, not &s;o much as a peece of you to be giuen vnto &s;athan, therefore I would J knew that &s;tone that would kill Goliah, for I would &s;trike it with my might into his temples. If you will, you may be &s;aued, and the Lord will one day put tho&s;e words into my mouth that will touch your hearts. Therefore now ari&s;e, ki&s;&s;e and em|brace the &s;weet babe Ie&s;us, and then afterward frame your &s;elues to obey him, for then the Lord wil knocke at your hearts, and if you wil let him in, he will teach you all things. The Lord came not in the beginning, nor in the ending, but he came in the middle age of the world, to &s;hew, that if it will not learne now, it will neuer learne <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 2.</NOTE> to come vnto God by repentance and amendment, that they may learne to ki&s;&s;e the &s;onne le&s;t hee be angry, and &s;o they peri&s;h in his wrath like Sodome. Hee came in the middle age of the world to &s;hew that he was indiffe|rent for the world to giue light and life vnto all that re|turne <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 10.</NOTE> vnto him. For God re&s;pecteth no per&s;ons, but e|uery man of what nation or Countrey &s;oeuer he be that feareth God and worketh righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, is accepted of him, and he will fufill their ioyes through Chri&s;t, yet not when wee will, but according to his owne good plea&s;ure and when he thinketh good. Therefore &s;tay Helias, a|non <NOTE PLACE="marg">1. King. 17. Exo. 14.</NOTE> the Rauens wil bring thee meat, and thou &s;halt haue enough. Anon Mo&s;es will deliuer I&s;rael. So &s;aluation is already prepared of God, and hath beene long &s;ince with fulne&s;&s;e of knowledge, and al excellent gifts, and he will giue them to vs when hee &s;eeth good. But wee are
<PB REF="39"> like whining children, that will not &s;tay vntill their milke bee cold, but would haue it though they be &s;calded with it: &s;o wee would haue the knowledge of God and liberty before wee know how to v&s;e it. Wee would know the high my&s;teries and deepe coun&s;els of God, before wee know our &s;elues; we would haue the liberty of the Go&s;|pel, when we know no way how to v&s;e it but in &s;ecurity. But the Lord, hee will wi&s;ely giue vnto vs as it were our bellies full when he &s;eeth it good, and when hee &s;eeth vs ready for it, who knoweth our hearts better then we our &s;elues.</P>
<Q>A light to be reuealed to the Gentiles: and the glory of thy people I&s;rael.</Q>
<P>You haue heard <HI>Simeon</HI> &s;hewing the cau&s;e why the &s;onne was &s;ent from the Father, why hee became man, which raigned before in Paradi&s;e. VVhat mooued God to leaue his ioy and his bli&s;&s;e, and &s;uffer more then all the world could &s;uffer together? A great cau&s;e it is that would make a king leaue his kingdome and fal to begge|rie. A great and wonderfull cau&s;e it was, that made Ie|houah to come downe from heauen to &s;uffer mi&s;ery vpon the earth. Two other cau&s;es <HI>Simeon</HI> &s;heweth why this Me&s;&s;ias came from heauen. The fir&s;t, that he might enlighten the Gentiles, which &s;ate in darkne&s;&s;e: and the &s;econd, that he might be the glory of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> which gloried in their &s;acrifices, and in their ceremonies, and &s;o had no glorie before he came, but were like the Moone when the Sunne doth &s;hine vpon it, or like Rachel which de|&s;pi&s;ed <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 29.</NOTE> Leah, and became barten. And they de&s;pi&s;ed the Gentiles light; like that &s;onne which was angry becau&s;e <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 15.</NOTE> his lo&s;t brother came home againe; or like tho&s;e labou|rers which checked the Lord of the vineyard, becau&s;e <NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 20.</NOTE> he gaue vnto the other labourers as much as hee gaue vnto them. But the Gentiles are like Leah, who be|ing <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gene. 29.</NOTE> de&s;pi&s;ed became fruitfull. <HI>Simeon</HI> did reioyce in Chri&s;t, not onely for that hee was the glory of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI>
<PB REF="40"> but al&s;o for that he was the light of the Gentiles. Shall the head be &s;orrowfull becau&s;e the hand is well? Nay ra|ther the hand &s;hould bee glad, becau&s;e the head is well, and the head becau&s;e the hand is well. The father &s;hould be glad becau&s;e his &s;onne is &s;tronger then him&s;elfe, the mother &s;hould be gladde becau&s;e her daughter is wi&s;er then her &s;elfe, the brother &s;hould bee glad, becau&s;e his brother is richer then him&s;elfe: the mi&s;tre&s;&s;e &s;hould re|ioyce, becau&s;e her maid is a better hu&s;wife then her &s;elfe. But we enuie our brethren and our neighbours, becau&s;e they are better then we, and becau&s;e God hath ble&s;&s;ed them with temporall or &s;pirituall things aboue vs: if we &s;ee that they haue learning, then we enuie them for their learning; if he haue more gifts, wee enuy him for his gifts, if he haue more knowledge, wee enuy him for his knowledge, if he haue more zeale, we enuy them for his zeale, if he haue more riches, we enuy him for his ri|ches, and how can we reioice when euery bodyes good is our euill and euery bodies ioy is our &s;orrow? But fixe your eies vpon Chri&s;t alone, and he will fulfill your ioy, if you looke not backe to Sodome like Lots wife: if you loue ioy and gladnes; Chri&s;t is ioy and gladne&s;&s;e: if you <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 19.</NOTE> loue comfort, why, Chri&s;t is the comforter of all that beare his cro&s;&s;e: if you loue life, Chri&s;t is eternall life: if you loue peace, Chri&s;t is peace: if you loue riches, Chri&s;t is full of heauenly riches, and full of liberality, to be&s;tow them vpon all &s;uch as loue God: &s;o Chri&s;t is all in all vnto the godly, and they haue more ioy in Chri&s;t alwayes and in all things then the riche&s;t, and mo&s;t glo|rious and &s;umptuous prince in the world; then <HI>Salomon</HI> him&s;elfe had in worldly riches, honours, plea&s;ures, ioy, ea&s;e or felicity. For the wicked which put their tru&s;t in riches, and make them gods of gold and money, of ea&s;e and plea&s;ures, though they do all that they can to fulfill their lu&s;ts, and take neuer &s;o much plea&s;ure, and be neuer &s;o merry, yet they can haue no true ioy, nor peace of
<PB REF="40"> con&s;cience; for all the peace, the mirth, and &s;port they haue is but deceit, all fal&s;e and indureable like the gra&s;&s;e, <NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;a. 58. &amp;. 57.</NOTE> greene in the morning, and withered ere night. But when the Lord doth knocke at their hearts &amp; &s;trike them with a feeling of their horrible tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions, as no doubt hee will, then they are all in a maze, and they can haue no ioy, no peace, no re&s;t; but they may &s;ay, in laughter my &s;oule is &s;orrowfull, in ea&s;e my &s;oule hath trouble, in mirth mone, in riches pouerty, in glory &s;hame, in life my &s;oule is euen dead, in plenty my &s;oule wanteth all things wherein it &s;hould reioyce, it is de&s;titute of all comfort, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gene. 4.</NOTE> and po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with all &s;laui&s;h feares; like Caine, who be|ing Lord of all the earth, yet had no ioy in it when God had once for&s;aken him. Likewi&s;e Saul when God had for&s;aken him, he had no ioy of his kingdome, nor of all his riches, and then who had more ioy, Saul the King, <NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Sam. 16.</NOTE> or Dauid the &s;ubiects? So then we &s;ee that perfect ioy can be had in nothing but in God, and in Je&s;us Chri&s;t. Wherefore as by the &s;treame you may be led to the foun|taine, euen &s;o let the ioy and peace of this life &s;erue to leade vs to God, which is perfect ioy and peace, and there re&s;t like the wi&s;e men which were guided by the &s;tarre, to come to the true &s;onne of grace, Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, when he was borne: and if we re&s;t not in him when wee haue found him, there is no re&s;t for vs, wee &s;hall bee like the re&s;tle&s;&s;e Doue, which fluttered about, and found no re&s;t any way, till &s;he returned to the Arke: but wee &s;eeme as though we &s;ought him and found him, when as we doe but play the hypocrites. Salomon &s;aith that the waies of the whore are pro&s;perity and welfare, for &s;he euer putteth on a vizard, that &s;he might not be knowne to bee &s;o vile as &s;he is: &s;o vnder the colour of goodnes euill is alwaies lurking.</P>
<P>Therefore al&s;o is Chri&s;t called the light, becau&s;e wee &s;hould leaue our fooli&s;hne&s;&s;e, &s;eeing light is come, and that wee &s;hould for&s;ake all our lights which are but
<PB REF="41"> darkne&s;&s;e, and cleaue vnto his light, which is the true light indeede.</P>
<Q>A light to be reuealed to the Gentles, &amp;c.</Q>
<P>He came to lighten the Gentiles, and they receiued him with thankfulne&s;&s;e, of whom there was no hope of good|ne&s;&s;e left. Who would &s;uppo&s;e that the barren woman &s;hould become fruitfull, or the prodigall &s;onne returne home againe? It is like as if one Owle &s;hould be conuer|ted to &s;ee light, or as if the &s;treame would returne into the fountaine, or as if an old man &s;hould become young a|gaine.</P>
<Q>A light to be reuealed to the Gentiles.</Q>
<P>To be reuealed, not yet reuealed, the Iewes mu&s;t fir&s;t reiect him before the Gentiles receiue him: and when the Iewes did oppre&s;&s;e him, condemne him, and crucifie him, then were his armes &s;pread vnto the whole world. When the gue&s;ts would not come, then hee &s;endeth into <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 14. 23.</NOTE> the high waies, to compell others that would not come willingly vnto it. Comfort is on foote, and that which will come, &s;hall come, &amp;c. The Queene of Saba came from the vttermo&s;t part of the earth to heare <HI>Salomons</HI> wi&s;edome, and the wi&s;emen came from the Ea&s;t to &s;ee Je|&s;us <NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 12.</NOTE> Chri&s;t: but we may &s;ay, the Lord was heere in the Temple, and I was in my &s;hoppe, &s;elling and buying, ly|ing, deceiuing, and &s;wearing. Well, when hee comes backe againe, I will be better acquainted with him; and &s;o we e&s;teeme not of his pre&s;ence in any reuerent &s;ort. The Shunamite &s;aid: Let vs build a chamber for the man of God: then we &s;hould build an hou&s;e. Zaccheus <NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Reg. 4. 20. Luke 10.</NOTE> climbed vp into a tree to &s;ee our Sauiour, and the Lord &s;eeing his diligence, called him; Zaccheus, come downe, for I will dine at thy hou&s;e this day, and that was a ioy|full day with Zaccheus, for then &s;aluation came into his hou&s;e, and vpon all his family: he gaue the Lord a fea&s;t, and the Lord made him a farre better fea&s;t of peace, a fea&s;t of ioy, a fea&s;t of heauenly things, and &s;o for his zeale
<PB REF="41"> and endeuour to &s;ee Chri&s;t bodily, he &s;hewed him&s;elfe vnto him &s;piritually, euen to his hearts de&s;ire.</P>
<Q>To be reuealed.</Q>
<P>Haue an eye to the future ten&s;e, that which is not, &s;hall <NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Kin. 3. 12. 11 Iud. 13. &amp; 15. &amp;. 16. Luke 6. Acts 1. Acts 9. Math. 16. Acts 4. Acts 7. Acts. 7.</NOTE> be. As for example, Salomon was wi&s;e, but he is fooli&s;h; Samp&s;on was &s;trong, but hee is weake; Iudas was a Preacher, but he is a traitour; Paul was a per&s;ecutor, but he is a Preacher; Peter was a denier of Chri&s;t, but now he is a bold profe&s;&s;our of Chri&s;t; Moi&s;es was learned in the wi&s;edome of the Egyptians, but now he is learned in the wi&s;edome of God, by which the wi&s;edome of the E|gyptians is made but meere fooli&s;hne&s;&s;e in the &s;ight of God. Others, as heathen philo&s;ophers, Plato, Ari&s;totle, Cato, Crates, and &s;uch like, were counted very wi&s;e men in the &s;ight of the world, yea they wrote &s;o many books full of wi&s;edome, and al&s;o adorned with notable &s;enten|ces and witty &s;ayings, that one would thinke all wi&s;dom were buried with them, &s;o famous were they, and &s;o full of earthly vnder&s;tanding, teaching maners, coun&s;els and policies: yet for my part I haue neither &s;eene nor heard of any &s;uch, being wi&s;e in worldly things, and without the wi&s;edome of God, but that they haue committed &s;ome notorious fooli&s;hne&s;&s;e in the &s;ight of all men, like Achitophel, of whom we read, that he was &s;o wi&s;e a coun&s;eller, that his coun&s;ell was like as one had as|ked <NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Sam. 16. 23 2. Sam. 17. 23.</NOTE> coun&s;ell at the Oracle of God; and yet &s;ee the end of him, he hanged him&s;elfe, and all for the want of the knowledge of God. It had bin better therefore for him to haue had more wi&s;edome and le&s;&s;e wit. Crates, Ari|&s;totle, Plato, and others of the wi&s;e Philo&s;ophers, haue either poi&s;oned, burned, or drowned them&s;elues: and &s;o wee &s;ee that the end of the worldlie wi&s;edom is meere <NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 1. 20.</NOTE> fooli&s;hne&s;&s;e, and the fooli&s;h haue more peace then the wi&s;e: for their wi&s;edome without the feare of God, doth them no more good then the Arke did to the Phili&s;tines, which did nothing but torment them, be|cau&s;e <NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Sam. 5.</NOTE>
<PB REF="42"> they knew not how to v&s;e it, and therefore vnre|uerently abu&s;ed it. For if your wi&s;edome con&s;i&s;t in elo|quence of words, in profunditie of wit, to gaine craftilie, and &s;pend warily, to inuent lawes, to expound riddles, and interpret dreames, to tell fortunes, and prophecie of matters by learning: all your wi&s;edome is but vexa|tion of the &s;pirit; for all the&s;e without the feare of God, doe vs no more good then their witte did the&s;e Philo&s;o|phers, which notwith&s;tanding &s;ate in darknes. And I am afraid though Chri&s;t broght light vnto the Gentiles, yet it may be &s;aid, that the Gentiles &s;it in darkne&s;&s;e &s;till, &s;a|uing a few Leuites &s;cattered vpon the mountaines, for who&s;e &s;ake Sodome is &s;pared. And becau&s;e tho&s;e had not the knowledge of God, therefore they wor&s;hipped Mars and Cupid, Sunne and Moone, bea&s;ts and &s;erpents: <NOTE PLACE="marg">2. King. 17. 30. Iud. 16. 23. Act. 19. 33. 2 King. 19. 37 Exo. 32. 4. 6. 2. King. 1. 2. 1. King 22. 13. 1. King. 16. 32.</NOTE> &s;o the Phili&s;tines wor&s;hipped Dagon, the Ephe&s;ians wor|&s;hipped Diana, the A&s;&s;irians Ne&s;roch, the J&s;raelites wor|&s;hipped a calfe, Ahaziah wor&s;hpiped Belzebub, the Moabites wor&s;hipped Chamos, the Samaritanes did wor&s;hip vnto Baal: &s;o the truth to &s;uch &s;eemeth fal&s;hood, and error &s;eemeth truth. As for example, that the word &s;hould be made of nothing, that the Word became fle&s;h that God and man was ioyned together in one per&s;on, that one man may be righteous in the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of a|nother; which is Chri&s;t, and that the dead &s;hall ri&s;e a|gaine: the&s;e &s;eemed fooli&s;hnes vnto the Gentiles, neither could they beleeue them. No more can &s;ome Gentiles a|mong&s;t vs at this day, which are but naturall men, there|fore they do not beleeue them, for when they profe&s;&s;ed them&s;elues to be wi&s;e, they became fooles, &s;aith the holy Gho&s;t. So then we &s;ee now what Chri&s;t hath done for vs, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 1. 22.</NOTE> he hath bound that Serpent, which hath &s;owne all the tares, &s;o that the diuell is faine for want of better lodging to enter into &s;wine.</P>
<P>Heeretofore, whereas one followed God, a thou&s;and followed Baal; But now Kings and Princes lift vp their
<PB REF="42"> heads, de&s;iring Chri&s;t to raigne with them and in them. Heeretofore we made our &s;elues like the wounded man, we were &s;poiled, we were &s;tript naked, and wee were ba|thed in our blood, being full of wounds; but now Chri&s;t hath furni&s;hed vs, he hath wa&s;hed vs, hee hath cloathed vs, and wee are now become true I&s;raelites: vs, which were the vile and wilde Oliues, hee hath grafted vpon the true Oliue, and planted vs in a fruitfull &s;oile. And what cau&s;e can we &s;hew for this, but onely mercie? For <NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 31.</NOTE> heeretofore wee were called fooli&s;h, but the Lord hath made vs wi&s;e according to the wi&s;dome of God in the&s;e dayes by his Spirit: but if yee de&s;erue to bee called the fooli&s;h Nation againe, then yee are mo&s;t vnhappy and mo&s;t cur&s;ed. So now we haue heard, that the Lord doth reueale his coun&s;ell vnto his Prophets, and how the glo|rie of I&s;rael is now reuealed to bee the light of the Gen|tiles. And you haue the cau&s;e why: becau&s;e the Iewes reiected their owne &s;aluation. You haue heard that the cau&s;e was onely his mercy and his loue, becau&s;e mercy cannot containe it &s;elfe within <HI>Ieru&s;alem.</HI></P>
<Q>A light to be reuealed to the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people I&s;rael.</Q>
<P>You haue heard why Chri&s;t is called light, why hee is called the light of the Gentiles, why the Lord did change a cur&s;e into ble&s;&s;ing, and why the Gentiles did change darkenes for light, and a thou&s;and gods for one true God. Then the Gentiles receiued more grace then they de&s;i|red, for the Lord came vncalled vnto their hou&s;es, and made a fea&s;t vnto them in their owne hou&s;es. The light of the Gentiles is our light, your light and my light: Chri&s;t is our grace, your grace, &amp; my grace: and Chri&s;t is our &s;aluation, your &s;aluation, and my &s;aluation. Hee came vnto the Iewes, &amp; for the Iewes, and yet his com|ming vnto the Gentiles, was better then to the Iewes. Hee came into the world when the world did abound
<PB REF="43"> in all wickedne&s;&s;e, and &s;aued vs when wee mo&s;t de&s;erued wrath. Wonder at this you that wonder at nothing, that the Lord would come to bring &s;aluation, to redeeme our lo&s;t &s;oules euen (as it were) again&s;t our wils: &s;o that now wee would not bee as wee were for a thou&s;and worlds.</P>
<P>The blindne&s;&s;e of the Iewes was, and is wonderfull, who heard of their reiection, and of our conuer&s;ion, and yet vnder&s;tood it not, neither &s;ought to preuent Gods wrath in reiecting of them. Therefore the Rocke, which &s;hould haue &s;aued them, &s;hiuered them in peeces, where|in was &s;hewed their wonderfull blocki&s;hnes, hauing it &s;o often fore-tolde by their Prophets, figured in their lawe, &s;hadowed in their &s;acrifices, and read in their Churches from &s;abbath to &s;abbath. Euery thing that co~|meth to pa&s;&s;e in Churches, in Common-weales, in Ci|ties, in Countries, in Kingdomes, and in Prouinces; the&s;e are all fore-tolde in the Scriptures, and yet none do vn|der&s;tand it, &s;auing a few cho&s;en ones whom God loueth: For, the comming of Antichri&s;t, the ouerthrow of King|domes, the darkne&s;&s;e of popery, the light of the Go&s;pell, the conuer&s;ion of the Gentiles, and the reiecting of the Iewes: all the&s;e are &s;et downe in the Scriptures, and yet wee cannot vnder&s;tand it, though wee heare it day by day, becau&s;e wee doe not giue our mindes to vnder&s;tan|ding.</P>
<P>Such hearers &s;hall &s;tand in a maze before the righte|ous and terrible throne of God: the dead &s;hall ri&s;e, the trumpe &s;hall blow, and all the world &s;hall be in an vp|roare, and they &s;hall &s;tand quaking; when their hearing without profiting &s;hall bee laid to their charge, and they &s;hall &s;ay: O wee haue knowne no &s;uch thing: but &s;urely if the Iewes could come out of hell, they would admo|ni&s;h vs to take better heed how we heare: for we heare as though we did not heare at all, our mindes are other|wi&s;e occupied. Now when wee &s;ee any thing cometo
<PB REF="43"> pa&s;&s;e as it is fore-told in the &s;criptures, then we mu&s;t &s;ay as Chri&s;t &s;aid. This prophecie is fulfilled; for all things that are written, are come to <HI>Scriptum e&s;t, &amp; factum e&s;t,</HI> that is, as &s;ure as it is written, &s;o &s;urely doeth it come to pa&s;&s;e. It prophecieth nothing but that which truely is fulfilled in due time, and the more often it &s;peakes of a thing, the more certaine, the more excellent, and the more to be beleeued it is. Like a Iewell that is be&s;et with pearle, &s;o is our calling adorned with Scriptures, for &s;o doeth God tender our calling, which is often in his mouth, and wee &s;o often in his remembrance, that hee &s;peaketh of vs in euerie booke throughout the whole Scriptures, like a kinde &s;pou&s;e who&s;e loue is in a &s;trange countrey, and he delighteth him&s;elfe with thoughts and meditations of her: &s;o hee did long vntill the Gentiles were come to him againe, like the prodigall child, who&s;e Father did long vntill hee had embraced him. When &s;hall my prodigall &s;onne come home againe, &s;aith hee? <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke. 15.</NOTE> I will put my be&s;t garment on his backe, and my golde ring on his finger, and his fare &s;hall bee the daintie&s;t mor&s;ell. And thus God longeth for our &s;aluation, and hee knocketh at our doores; Is faith heere? is loue heere? is one called the feare of God in this place?</P>
<P>And as loue maketh louers &s;ometime to &s;peake plaine|ly and familiarly one to another, &s;ometime by darke &s;peeches and riddles, &s;ometime by letters, &s;ometime by dumbe &s;hewes and &s;ignes, and &s;ometime to hide them|&s;elues one from another: So our God &s;peaketh &s;ome|time plainely to his Church, &s;ometime darkely and my|&s;tically, &s;ometime hee turneth his face from his Church and deere &s;pou&s;e, as though hee would not &s;peake vnto her for loue, as appeareth in the booke of the Canticles. Of the ca&s;ting off of the Iewes, and calling in of the Gentiles; the fir&s;t type or figure was Caine and Abel: Caine was the elde&s;t &s;onne of Adam, and Abel the yon|ger, yet God loued Abel, and accepted his &s;acrifice; but
<PB REF="44"> God reiected Caine for his wickednes, and hee became a reprobate. Euen &s;o doeth God, hee reiecteth the Iewes which were the elde&s;t &s;onne, the true Oliue, and the na|tural<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;eede, and Gods deere children if they had conti+nued in obedience; and he taketh vs being but the yon|ge&s;t &s;onne, the wilde Oliue, the &s;eede of the wicked, and maketh vs children by adoption vnto him, onely of his mercy without any other cau&s;e.</P>
<P>The &s;econd example was Sem and Iaphet, both which <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 9. Gen. 5. 1. 2 9. 24 10. 21. &amp;. 11. 10. Gen. 9. 27. Iohn 10. 16.</NOTE> were Noahs &s;onnes: Sem was the &s;econd &s;onne, and Ia|phet the fir&s;t, and of this Iaphet came the Gentiles: of him &s;aid Noah; <HI>God per&s;wade Iaphet that he may dwel in the tents of Sem:</HI> that is, that they may be vnited together, as wee &s;ee it is is come to pa&s;&s;e. Other &s;heepe I haue (&s;aith Chri&s;t) which are not of this fold, them al&s;o will I bring, and they &s;hall beare my voyce, and there &s;hall be one &s;heepefold, and one &s;hepheard.</P>
<P>The third type or figure was I&s;mael and I&s;aac, both the &s;onnes of Abraham: I&s;mael was the elde&s;t, I&s;aac the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 21.</NOTE> younger, yet I&s;aac was cho&s;en of God, and enioyed the promi&s;e, and I&s;mael his elde&s;t brother a mocker of I&s;aac was put away, the Lord was not with him.</P>
<P>The fourth type or figure was Iacob and E&s;au, both &s;onnes to I&s;aac: E&s;au was the elde&s;t brother, &amp; Iacob the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 25.</NOTE> younger, yet God loued Iacob and hated E&s;au, becau&s;e E&s;au contemned his birth-right and &s;old it to Iacob for a me&s;&s;e of pottage, and therefore Iacob &s;tole the ble&s;|&s;ing from him: &s;o God ble&s;&s;ed Iacob, but cur&s;ed E&s;au: wereby is &s;hewed, that the Lord did for the contempt of the Iewes, take away their birth-right and their ble&s;|&s;ing, and hath giuen it vnto vs.</P>
<P>The fift type or figure was Leah and Rachel, the two daughters of Laban: Leah was the elder, but bleare or <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 29. 16.</NOTE> &s;quint-eyed: Rachel the yonger, beautifull and faire. 17. Therefore Rachel was beloued of Iacob, and Leah de|&s;pi&s;ed, 18. Yet Leah was fir&s;t married. 23. And al&s;o made
<PB REF="44"> fruitfull, 31. but Rachel al&s;o war after maried, 28. and more beloued, 30 and hauing enuied her &s;i&s;ters fruit|fulnes, 30. 1. and repented, God remembred her, and made her fruitfull. So Chri&s;t fir&s;t married the Iewes, and made them glorious; but when they de&s;pi&s;ed their glory, he married with the Gentiles, and they enuying their hap|pine&s;&s;e; of barren in all goodnes, became fruitfull in true holine&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>The &s;ixt figure was Mana&s;&s;es and Ephraim, the two &s;onnes of Io&s;eph: Mana&s;les was the elde&s;t, and Ephraim was the yonge&s;t. Both of them Jo&s;eph hauing brought to Iacob his Father, that he might ble&s;&s;e them, he tooke Mana&s;&s;es and put him towards Jacobs right hand, that he might ble&s;&s;e him fir&s;t and more plentifully, and hee tooke Ephraim and put him towards Iacobs left hand. But Iacob &s;tretched out his right hand and laide it vpon Ephraims head which was the yonger, and his left hand vpon Mana&s;&s;es, directing his hands &s;o of purpo&s;e, for Mana&s;&s;es was the elder of them. Thus the Lord ble&s;&s;ed vs when there was no hope left for vs.</P>
<P>The &s;euenth figure was Rahab a harlot in Iericho, who was a Gentile, yet her heart was touched &s;o, that &s;he <NOTE PLACE="marg">Io&s;. 2.</NOTE> receiued and entertained the &s;pies that I&s;rael &s;ent, and in time of danger hid them, that they &s;hould take no harme: &s;ignifying thereby, that the Gentiles &s;hould receiue and embrace the I&s;raelites and me&s;&s;engers of the Go&s;pel, and keepe them as &s;afely, and defend them as diligently as Rahab did the &s;pies of I&s;rael.</P>
<P>The eight figure was Ruth a Moabite: of her <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ruth 4.</NOTE> <HI>Ie&s;us</HI> vouch&s;afed to come as concerning the fle&s;h, to &s;hew that he came not onely of the Iewes, and for the Iewes, but al&s;o of and for the Gentiles, which were the lo&s;t &s;heepe, vnhoped for, being &s;trangers from the co|uenant.</P>
<P>The ninth figure was Samp&s;on, who being a Iew, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iudg. 14.</NOTE> would needes marry with a Gentile; &s;ignifying that
<PB REF="45"> <HI>Chri&s;t Ie&s;us</HI> would al&s;o marry with the Gentiles, as he did with the Iewes.</P>
<P>The tenth figure was Salomon who married Pharaos daughter, which was an Egyptian and Gentile, &s;ignify|ing <NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Reg. 11.</NOTE> therby, that Chri&s;t would take him a &s;pou&s;e among the Gentiles to marry with him&s;elfe, as Dauid in the <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 45.</NOTE> P&s;almes declareth.</P>
<P>The eleuenth figure was Naaman the Syrian, who&s;e lepro&s;ie is turned vpon Gehezie, the lepro&s;ie of an hea|then <NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Reg. 5.</NOTE> and ignorant man turned vpon an I&s;raelite, and one that had the knowledge of God, being the &s;eruant of a Prophet: &s;ignifying that our lepro&s;ie of &s;inne and igno|rance &s;hould be turned from vs vpon the Iewes, who had the knowledge of the law of God, but e&s;teemed it not, but were vnthankfull for it. Many like examples there are in the new Te&s;tament. For like as the Cherubins, though &s;euered in &s;under, yet looked one towards ano|ther, and both vpon the mercie-&s;eate: &s;o the olde Te&s;ta|ment and the new, looke one towards another, and yet point at one and the &s;ame thing.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t type or figure in the newe Te&s;tament, was the Wi&s;e-men, which were the fir&s;t fruits of the Gen|tiles, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mar. 2.</NOTE> and came from the Ea&s;t, being guided by a &s;tatre: &s;ignifying that by the guiding of the word and &s;pirit of God, the Gentiles &s;hould come from all the places of the world to embrace <HI>Christ Ie&s;us</HI> with ioy.</P>
<P>The &s;econd type or figure was Chri&s;t his going into Egypt, &s;ignifying thereby, that he &s;hould goe from the Iewes to the Gentiles, becau&s;e the Iewes refu&s;ed him, through vnbeliefe, abundance of wickedne&s;&s;e, &amp; want <NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 2.</NOTE> of reformation: &s;o we &s;ee that nothing can driue away Chri&s;t but &s;inne.</P>
<P>The third type was Chri&s;t whipping the Iewes out of the Temple, &s;hewing thereby that the Jewes &s;hould bee <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 21. 12.</NOTE> whipped or ca&s;t out of the &s;pirituall Temple; and the Gentiles &s;hould occupie it. This (beloued) belongeth
<PB REF="45"> vnto vs, to whom the Lord &s;o wonderfully hath made his light to &s;hine.</P>
<P>The fourth figure is the parable of the Vineyard, that <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 21. 33.</NOTE> was taken from them that po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed it, &amp; giuen to them that &s;hould bring forth the fruits thereof, and yeeld bet|ter increa&s;e vnto the Lord of the vineyard.</P>
<P>The fift figure was the parable of the two &s;onnes that were bidden to goe &amp; worke in their fathers vineyard, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 22. 28.</NOTE> of whom the fir&s;t &s;aid he would, and did not: the &s;econd &s;aid, he would not, and did repent, and went to labour in the vineyard: the fir&s;t &s;ignified the Iewes which made many vowes, with &s;uch a &s;hew of godline&s;&s;e which was but hypocri&s;ie, whom the Lord reiected and ca&s;t off and &s;aid, that the Publicans and &s;inners &s;hould &s;tand in iudge|ment to condemne the greate&s;t of them.</P>
<P>The &s;ixt figure was the fea&s;t that the Lord made vnto <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 22. 2.</NOTE> the di&s;obedient gue&s;ts, whom the Lord inuited to his banquet, which was onely ordained for them, and who promi&s;ed to come vnto it, and yet refu&s;ed &amp; would not come, but alledged &s;light excu&s;es taken from their loue of earthly and tran&s;itory things aboue God. Therefore the Lord &s;ent into the hie waies to call and compell the Gentiles to come, which came, though &s;ome left their wedding garments behind them.</P>
<P>The &s;euenth type or figure was the vi&s;ion of Peter in Joppa, when he was on the top of the hou&s;e, where hee <NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 10.</NOTE> &s;aw the ve&s;&s;ell come downe that had in it all manner of foure footed bea&s;ts of the earth, and wilde bea&s;tes, and fowles of the ayre, and creeping things, where al&s;o the voyce &s;aid vnto him, <HI>Ari&s;e Peter, kill and eat:</HI> wherein the Lord &s;hewed vnto him, that hee &s;hould count no man vncleane, although the Gentiles then were counted vn|cleane, as were the vncleane bea&s;ts &s;et downe in the law of God, therefore when Peter was &s;ent for, to Cornelius hou&s;e, hee &s;aide, <HI>Of a truth I perceiue that God hath no re|&s;pect of per&s;ons, but in euery natto~ he that feareth God &amp; wor+keth</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;e. 34.</NOTE>
<PB REF="46"> <HI>righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e is accepted of him.</HI></P>
<P>Many other examples of our calling, as the &s;traied <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 15. Luk. 5.</NOTE> &s;heepe, the lo&s;t groat, the prodigall &s;onne, and Chri&s;t eating with Publicans &amp; &s;inners, which when we reade we &s;hould ca&s;t our figure and &s;ay, Of whom is this &s;po+ken? of the Gentiles? then is it of mee, for I am a Gen|tile. But am I conuerted? if I be not, then haue I not fulfil|led this prophecie: therefore let vs &s;triue to doe well, and to mortifie &amp; &s;ubdue &s;inne which dwelleth in our mor|tall bodies, for none but the valiant can enter into the kingdome of heauen.</P>
<P>Now all the&s;e prophecies are &s;ulfilled, the blinde &s;ee, the lame goe, the dumbe &s;peake, the deafe heare, the maimed worke, the dead are quickened, the leapers are clean&s;ed, and the poore receiue the Go&s;pell. Therefore who wil de&s;paire and &s;ay, light is not reuealed vnto me, when as he &s;eeth it to be reuealed vnto whole Nations? And &s;o &s;olemne is our calling, as that in &s;o many places of the &s;cripture it is foretold, whereby we &s;ee how deere|ly the Lord tendreth our &s;aluation, like as a kind &s;pou&s;e which was longed for, while &s;he was in a &s;trange coun|trey, for Chri&s;t longed for the Gentiles, till they came home againe vnto him. Therefore let vs now con&s;ider what he giueth vs, namely, righteou&s;nes and &s;aluation: fir&s;t righteou&s;nes, then &s;aluation: fir&s;t repentance, and then forgiuene&s;&s;e of &s;innes, the Sun of the Go&s;pell, le&s;t we &s;hould &s;ee heauen in hell, and light in darkne&s;&s;e, and ioy in angui&s;hes. Let vs not contemne our light, or grow carele&s;&s;e of it: let vs not build with one hand, and ouer|throw with the other by profanene&s;&s;e, like tho&s;e men which while they &s;urfetted at their gluttenous tables, called vpon God for health. Chri&s;t is not receiued with the left hand: if the Father offering a gift, do &s;ee the Son &s;tretch foorth his left hand, hee will withdraw his gift from him. I &s;ay, let vs not contemne our light as the Iewes contemned their glory.</P>
<PB REF="46">
<P>For what is light to him that will &s;hut his eies again&s;t is? What is this light? It is &s;uch a glorious light, and <NOTE PLACE="marg">Natth. 13.</NOTE> &s;uch an excellent reuelation, that great and mightie Kings haue earne&s;tly de&s;ired to &s;ee, and Princes haue laid down their crownes to reueale it. Let vs embrace this light, let vs take and put on the wedding garment, and goe to the banquet, vnto which a thou&s;and me&s;&s;engers haue inui|ted vs, and alledge none excu&s;es: &s;ay not, <HI>I haue marri|ed a wife, I haue bought Oxen, I goe to &s;ee a Farme, &amp;c. and</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 12.</NOTE> <HI>therefore I cannot come,</HI> neither wil I come. Well, do &s;o, if that yee will needes: but remember that thou wa&s;t inuited, and therefore the ble&s;&s;ing &s;hall bee giuen to another: and E&s;au &s;hall weepe for the ble&s;&s;ing, but &s;hall not <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 12.</NOTE> haue it.</P>
<P>But giue mee a rea&s;on I pray thee, why thou wilt bee called the &s;eruant of God which do&s;t not &s;erue him, or the childe of God, which do&s;t not loue him; or the di&s;ciple of Chri&s;t, which do&s;t not learne of him: yet his raine falleth vpon all, iu&s;t and vniu&s;t, and hee giueth thee all things for nothing: The Sunne doth giue his light for nothing, the dew doth giue his moi&s;ture for nothing, the riuers doth giue their waters for nothing; and the earth doth giue her fruit for nothing.</P>
<P>What &s;hall wee doe then when the Sunne &s;hineth? <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 13. Ephe&s;. 5.</NOTE> Wee mu&s;t not doe as wee doe in the darke, for then men ought to betake them to their labour. Learne of the &s;a|uage bea&s;ts who as &s;oone as the day &s;prings, betake them to their trauell, and euery bird welcommeth it with ma|ny a &s;weete &s;ong. Chri&s;t is light, and this light is come: therefore hee that &s;eeth not now is blinde. Are not they then blind which yet &s;ee not that praier for the dead is vaine, needle&s;&s;e, and bootele&s;&s;e? But thicke darkene&s;&s;e haue a mighty light to cha&s;e it away. So that hee which beginneth to roote out &s;ome error or &s;uper&s;tition, at the fir&s;t &s;hall haue much adoe, for cu&s;tome and naturall corruption are the fir&s;t cau&s;ers of here&s;ie, and &s;hall crie
<PB REF="47"> again&s;t her in the maintenance thereof: and with&s;tanders of reformation &s;hall &s;ay, Great is <HI>Diana</HI> of Ephe&s;us: and &s;o for a long time they &s;eeme to wa&s;h the <HI>Aethiopian,</HI> or the blacke Moore, the more they wa&s;h him the more they gall him, and yet hee is an <HI>Aethiopian</HI> &s;till: but in the end the Arke &s;tandeth, and <HI>Dagon</HI> falleth downe: and truth tri|umpheth ouer fal&s;hood, hauing got the victorie; and light cha&s;eth away darkne&s;&s;e with the brightne&s;&s;e thereof. Why <NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Sam. 5. 8</NOTE> then doth this darkene&s;&s;e continue among&s;t vs &s;till? To him that asketh, what Scrpture haue you again&s;t it? it is &s;ufficient to an&s;wer, what Scripture haue you for it? For if the word command it not, God reiecteth it, and will &s;ay, who hath required the&s;e things at your hands? But what is this? for euery idle word you mu&s;t giue account, as our Sauiour Ie&s;us Chri&s;t &s;aith, Matth. 12. And what&s;oeuer is not of faith is &s;inne, Rom. 14. 23. They aske, what, &s;hall wee not &s;ay God bee with them? Why &s;hould you? Why (&s;ay they) mu&s;t wee &s;ay nothing? What if thou doe not? What &s;aie&s;t thou, when thou mentione&s;t the death of thy fir&s;t fathers, <HI>Adam, Seth, Enos, Enoch, Noah?</HI> Doe&s;t thou le&s;&s;e loue the&s;e, not praying for them, then thou doe&s;t them for whom thou &s;aie&s;t, God be with them? &amp;c.</P>
<P>But thou ha&s;t &s;peeches enow to v&s;e, if thou wilt needes &s;ay &s;omewhat, and leaue &s;uch &s;uper&s;titious and of|fen&s;iue &s;entences: if hee bee a good man, thou maie&s;t &s;ay, the Lord bee thanked for his deliuerance, or the like: but if hee bee not, then thou maie&s;t &s;ay, God grant wee may doe better then hee hath done, and that by his fall we may learne to ri&s;e, from &s;inne, or &s;ome &s;uch thing: what&s;o|euer hee bee, thou maie&s;t &s;ay as <HI>Dauid</HI> &s;aid of his childe, giuing a rea&s;on why hee would not pray for him any lon|ger benig dead: Can I call him backe againe? I &s;hall goe to him, but hee &s;hall not returne to mee: or any other words, &s;o they bee wi&s;e, and therefore not again&s;t the word. What then is to bee done? As <HI>Iacob</HI> &s;aid to his
<PB REF="47"> wiues and children; Giue me your idols that I may bury them: &s;o &s;ay I vnto you; giue mee your &s;uper&s;titions that I may bury them, that they may remaine with you, or in you no longer, to the di&s;honour of God, offending of your weake brethren, or to my griefe. For I am iealous ouer you, and becau&s;e you are mine, and I am yours; O that my voice were as the whitle-winde, to beat downe, roote out, and blow away all your &s;uper&s;titions, that they may no longer raigne among&s;t you: or rather, O that Chri&s;t which is our light were come into vs all, and &s;hi|ned &s;o bright, that wee were a&s;hamed of all our darknes: of all, not of mind onely, but of will al&s;o, and of workes, that wee no longer would walk in darknes, for few haue the wil to walke according to the word, either in dark|nes or light: wee can &s;ee to &s;inne in the darke a&s;well as in the light, and doe rather, becau&s;e the light di&s;couereth both the harlot and the theefe, &s;o they are afraide of the light; but a&s;&s;ured bee wee, where light is not, Chri&s;t is not: for Chri&s;t is light; and let none bee afraid to &s;eeke this light, which is &s;o good, &s;o excellent, and &s;o profitable for <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn 1.</NOTE> vs. For it doth not onely de&s;crie it &s;elfe, but all other things round about it. Therefore if thou haue this light, thy faith, thy feare, thy loue will &s;hew it &s;elfe, and good things cannot now hide them&s;elues, for hee that is light doth de|light to plea&s;e God in the light. It is no maruell though a man &s;tumble in the darke, but hee which &s;tumbleth in the light is not very &s;trong, becau&s;e hee &s;eeth his way before him. Once we &s;tumbled at euery &s;traw when we walked in darkene&s;&s;e, for then wrath had a fall, pride had a fall, lu&s;t had a fall, drunkenne&s;&s;e had a fall, penurie had a fall, igno|rance had a fall: or if you will, pride ro&s;e, and wee fell; lu&s;t ro&s;e, and we fell, &amp;c.</P>
<P>Were <HI>Aegypt</HI> as light as <HI>Go&s;hen</HI> wee &s;hould haue Idola|ters as ioyfull as true wor&s;hippers; but there is palpable darkene&s;&s;e, tedious, fearefull, and of long continuance in <HI>Aegypt,</HI> cleare light onely in <HI>Go&s;hen:</HI> therefore flie <HI>Egypt,</HI>
<PB REF="48"> but if thou liue in Aegipt, that is, walke in darkne&s;&s;e, or com|mit wickedne&s;&s;e, though thou &s;inne in the darke, the light will bewray thee, and thy con&s;cience will accu&s;e thee, and condemne thee for it. Therefore now giue ouer darkene&s;&s;e, and arme thee with light, for our life &s;hineth like the light, therefore now we &s;hould be <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> for <HI>I&s;rael</HI> is reuolted.</P>
<P>But many Scrouls may bee written of our &s;innes, and thus the Gentiles are as Gentiles &s;till. Hee that beleeueth not the word, is an Infidell: he that beleeueth not God, is an Athei&s;t: he that wor&s;hippeth any thing more then God, is an Idolater: euery mans con&s;cience &s;hall condemne him|&s;elfe. Yet men will leaue godline&s;&s;e for riches, but they will not leaue riches for godline&s;&s;e. What madne&s;&s;e? Yea the Iewes neuer &s;erued God at any time with &s;uch deuotion as many doe now their gold and their riches: O intollerable wickedne&s;&s;e? For many there are that could be content neuer to die, but liue euer heere with their riches and plea|&s;urs.</P>
<P>And is not the godly more de&s;pited for his godlines, then the wicked for his wickedne&s;&s;e?</P>
<P>Are not the members of Chri&s;t more hated, and wor&s;e entertained by vs, then the limbes of &s;atan? So dearely euery one loues &s;inne, and drawes &s;inne vpon &s;inne, till their be a chaine of many links and mon&s;ters therein drawn mo&s;t loth&s;ome. And though wee of our &s;elues run &s;wiftly to hell, yet the mo&s;t driue vs, to make vs hie fa&s;ter: they come vnto vs, and &s;ay, your fathers loued vs well, and &s;aid vnto vs, if you will bee faire, you &s;hall be wi&s;e; if you will be drunke, you &s;hall be rich, &amp;c. Yea euery one pointeth, and &s;hweth vs the way that leadeth to de&s;truction: and how few are the number of them that do &s;hew vs the way of vertue and golidne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>And thus wee are euen as froward as tho&s;e Iewes that &s;triue who &s;hall come into hell fir&s;t. Who did euer thanke God that he was not borne an hundred yeeres agoe, when ignorance &s;pred ouer all, and all <HI>Aegypt</HI> was &s;mitten with
<PB REF="48"> darkne&s;&s;e? or that the Lord hath nor left him to him&s;elfe to become an Athei&s;t, or an Epicure, which liues without God in the world? We haue all Gods gifts offered vs, but we haue refu&s;ed them. Chri&s;t brought light, but wee had rather he had brought darknes, for we loue darkne&s;&s;e more then light. The Angels, the heauens, the word, the &s;pirit, are light, and we that &s;ee it, are darkne&s;&s;e, for we cannot a|bide light, but are like an Owle that flieth out of a bare field from the light of the day, &s;uch a death is day vnto vs. Faith is flowne away, truth is become a pilgrime, and euery &s;tring is out of tune. He that &s;hould weepe and be &s;orrow|full, laughes: and truth is brought to the ground, yea poore truth is pe&s;ecuted to death: but &s;inners are &s;tubble, and their &s;entence is, Burne them.</P>
<P>How fine would be the way of vertue, if you would pare away the rubs that are in it, if you would take away all occa|&s;ions of &s;inne, and giue it gall to eate, and when you haue done &s;o, &s;et a crowne of thornes vpon the head thereof, and when you haue thus crowned it, make it carrie the cro&s;&s;e, and when it hath carried the cro&s;&s;e, condemne it, and when you haue condemned it, put it to death, and when ye haue put it to death, burie it; and when you haue buried it role a great &s;tone vpon the head of it, and &s;et watch|men to keepe it, euen fa&s;ting and praier, that it may neuer ari&s;e againe to raigne any more; the which the Lord for his mercy &s;ake grant.</P>
<CLOSER>Amen.</CLOSER>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="sermon">
<PB REF="49">
<HEAD>THE CALLING OF IONAH.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL>IONAH 1. 1. 2.</BIBL>
<P N="1">1 The word of the Lord came to <HI>Ionah</HI> the &s;on of <HI>Amittai,</HI> &s;aying;</P>
<P N="2">2 Ari&s;e and goto <HI>Niniuie,</HI> that great Citie, and cry again&s;t it, for their wickedne&s;&s;e is come vp before me.</P></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>_YOu haue heard the &s;weet &s;ong of old fa|ther <HI>Simeon,</HI> like the plea&s;ant &s;ong a &s;weet bird before her death, &s;etting forth the ioy of the righteous that embrace Chri&s;t Ie&s;us. Before Chri&s;t Ie&s;us vouch&s;a|fed to come to vs, we would not come vn|to him, but in all our doings we wrought our condemnati|on, and through the innumerable heaps of our iuiquities, la|boured to driue him without all hope of mercy from vs. So wee continued like flies, which flutter about the candle till they haue con&s;umed them&s;elues. When wee had done as much as in vs lay to driue him away from vs, then hee &s;aued vs, and recompenced good for euill vnto vs. So that if God had loued vs no more then wee loued our &s;elues, wee might haue peri&s;hed in our &s;innes, and our blood &s;hould haue beene vpon our owne heads. Jf Chri&s;t bee the light of the Gentiles, let vs embrace him, and euery one walke as becommeth the children of light: but ma|nie doe &s;hut their eies again&s;t it, le&s;t they &s;hould &s;ee, and not onely many &s;mother their owne light, but the Sunne &s;aith vnto the Moone, &s;hine not; and the Moone
<PB REF="49"> &s;aith vnto the &s;tars be not bright. And many haue &s;moothred their light &s;o long, that the dampe hath put out the candle; and thus they labour to bring the darkene&s;&s;e of <HI>Aegypt</HI> vp|on <HI>Go&s;hen:</HI> &s;o that their eies haue forgotten to &s;ee, and &s;omany goe cut of the way, becau&s;e they would not looke vpon the candle, and the diuell giueth to euery one that which hee wi&s;heth, &s;o it may bee for his hurt. But who can but pitty, that with the &s;ame Manna which commeth from heauen and feedeth many of life euerla&s;ting, &s;o many are poi&s;oned and find in it nothing but fauour of eternall death?</P>
<P>The Iewes had no cau&s;e to enuie our light, for he gaue them glory: hee was poore, and yet hee gaue them riches: hee was counted ba&s;e, and yet hee made them honourable: hee was contemned, and yet he made them beloued: they were full of darkene&s;&s;e, and hee brought them light; but they contemned his light, and &s;o procured their owne con|demnation. And therefore now it is come to pa&s;&s;e, that they are become vagabonds vpon the earth, and mo&s;t contemned of all other Nations, and euery people haue a dwelling, whereas &s;ince they prophecied euill vnto them|&s;elues, &s;aying; His blood bee vpon vs and our children, goodne&s;&s;e hath put on the face of ba&s;hfulne&s;&s;e among&s;t them.</P>
<P>Jf thou embrace Chri&s;t as <HI>Simeon</HI> did, the Chri&s;t is thy glory; but if thy glory con&s;i&s;t in beautie, which fa|deth; in gay cloth, which weareth; in wealth, which wa&s;teth; or in gold, which ru&s;teth; then Chri&s;t is not thy glorie.</P>
<P>Wee haue gone long with an old man, and now we haue lo&s;t him, but we are loth to part with him, he is &s;uch a good companion, neuerthele&s;&s;e wee hope to finde him againe in <HI>Ionah.</HI></P>
<P>Wee haue gone but &s;lowly with him, as with an old man that is not very &s;wift of foote; but now we mu&s;t runne with <HI>Ionah</HI> as with a Po&s;t, le&s;t Niniuie be de&s;troied.</P>
<Q><PB REF="50">The Prophecie of Ionah.</Q>
<P>J neede not to &s;hew the authority of Prophets: but concerning their &s;orts and differences, there are three &s;orts of Prophets. The fir&s;t were &s;uch, as called vpon the name of the Lord in praier for the people, and receiued an an|&s;wer from the Lord in the peoples behalfe: of which &s;ort <NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Sam. 10. 9.</NOTE> was <HI>Samuel,</HI> and the&s;e were called Seers. A &s;econd &s;ort of Prophets were &s;uch as God rai&s;ed to expound the Law, and declare the will of God vnto the people, when the prie&s;t and &s;uch as &s;hould doe &s;o, were &s;lacke in their callings, of which &s;ort was <HI>E&s;ay, Ieremy, Ezechiel, Daniel, Ho&s;ea, Ioel, Amos, Obediah,</HI> and the re&s;t of the holy Prophets. A third &s;ort were &s;uch as haue beene &s;ince Chri&s;t, working &s;uch like effects, of which &s;ort was the Prophet <HI>Agabus</HI> of whom mention is made in the 11. of the Acts, and 28. ver&s;e.</P>
<P>Now in the &s;econd &s;ort of the&s;e, was <HI>Ionah,</HI> whom God &s;ent to declare his will to his people, vnto whom al&s;o the Lord did reueale the &s;uber&s;ion of kingdomes, the ouer|throw of Tribes, the captiuitie of Nations, the calamities that were to come vnto the &s;onnes of men for iniquitie and rebellion again&s;t God.</P>
<P>As all wi&s;e men were not borne at once, nor liued toge|ther: &s;o the&s;e holy Prophets haue not beene at once, but were rai&s;ed vp by the Lord God, &s;ome here &s;ome there, ac|cording to his plea&s;ure, and as hee &s;aw the people &s;tand in need of them, by rea&s;on of the corruption of the times.</P>
<P>And furthermore, the Lord hath not at any time re|uealed vnto one of the&s;e, all things that might bee reuea|led, but as much as &s;ufficient for them euery one in their times and places. Neither hath any of them told as much of the will of God as might bee declared; nor fully expounded his Lawes: but the Patriarkes left &s;ome to the Prophets, and the Prophets left &s;ome to the Apo&s;tles, but they haue left none for vs, but they haue all &s;et open the whole will of God vnto vs, and euery Prophet now
<PB REF="50"> bringeth only golde, myrthe and frankencen&s;e, like the wi&s;e men that came to &s;ee our Lord.</P>
<P>There are three things that mooued mee to take this &s;tory in hand aboue all others. Fir&s;t, becau&s;e you know the &s;tory, and therefore can the better conceiue of the matter, as I goe forward with it. Secondly, becau&s;e it is briefe, and doth containe a great deale in a little. Third|ly, becau&s;e it is mo&s;t agreeable for the time and &s;tate of this &s;inful age wherein we liue, and therefore mo&s;t cun|enient for vs. Jt is manife&s;t that <HI>Ionah</HI> lined in a very trouble&s;ome time, namely, in the time of <HI>Ieroboam</HI> the &s;oune of <HI>Ioa&s;h</HI> King of I&s;rael, a wicked King, though not hee that is called the <HI>Ieroboam</HI> that made I&s;rael to &s;inne. For of this &s;econd <HI>Ieroboam,</HI> in who&s;e time he pro|phecied, it is written, 2. King. 14. 24. he departed not from any of the &s;innes of <HI>Ieroboam</HI> that made <HI>I&s;rael</HI> to &s;in; which commendeth the holine&s;&s;e of <HI>Ionah,</HI> in that he in the midde&s;t of the corruption wherewithall the people were ouerflowne, was vncorrupted and vn&s;potted, and called to be a Prophet among&s;t the people of God. For he had prophecied in <HI>I&s;rael</HI> before he was &s;ent to Nini|uie, as the word al&s;o doth argue; which laieth open and magnifieth the great loue of God, in that he &s;ent a Pro|phet <NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Reg. 14 25.</NOTE> to admoni&s;h this vngodly people, when as hee &s;hould haue &s;ent a thunder-bolt to terrifie them, or ra|ther vtterly to de&s;troy them; &s;o that there mercy &s;tept before iudgement.</P>
<P>His name was <HI>Ionah,</HI> which &s;ignifieth a Doue, which admoni&s;heth vs, that as we labour to be as wi&s;e as Ser|pents, &s;o we &s;hould al&s;o de&s;ire that we might be as &s;im|ple as Doues. his fathers name was Amittai, which &s;ig|nifieth truth. I would that Truth were euery Preachers father.</P>
<P>There are two &s;peciall things contained in this Hi|&s;torie. <MILESTONE N="1"> The fir&s;t, the great mercy of God &s;hewed vnto three &s;orts of men: the Niniuites, <HI>Ionah,</HI> and the Mari|ners
<PB REF="51"> in re&s;pect of the Niniuites, that he &s;ent a Prophet to Niniuie, a Citie of the Gentiles, which were &s;trangers from the couenant, from the promi&s;e, &amp; &s;trangers, from the common wealth of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> and conuerted them by his preaching, and &s;o &s;pared them now.</P>
<P>In regard of <HI>Ionah,</HI> that being, for his di&s;obedience in <MILESTONE N="2"> flying to <HI>Tari&s;h,</HI> when he was &s;ent to Niniuie, throwne into the &s;ea, he prepared a great whale to &s;wallow him, and in his belly, euen in the bottome of the Sea, where there was no hope of life for him, pre&s;erued him: and af|ter three dayes deliuered him thence &s;afe, and then ca&s;t him not off, but continued him in his calling, &amp; wrought powerfully by him, both in the &s;hip, conuerting the ido|latrous Mariners, and in Niniuie, humbling the King and the whole City.</P>
<P>And la&s;tly, when he had mo&s;t vnworthily doubly murmured and iu&s;tifie him&s;elfe again&s;t God, hee con|tented <MILESTONE N="3"> him&s;elfe with gentle and milde reproofe of him. In con&s;ideration of the Mariners, that hauing been idola|ters all their liues, &amp; now in daunger, giuing the honor of God to their owne fancies, God yet conuerteth them, &s;o that they called vpon him, and &s;acrified, and made vowes vnto the true God, and by his mighty power, ha|uing the winde and &s;eas calmed, were then and for euer &s;aued.</P>
<P>The &s;econd thing is <HI>Ionahs</HI> fall, and ri&s;ing againe. His fall, fir&s;t &s;inning, both flying from God, &amp; murmuring, and therein iu&s;tifying him&s;elfe: &s;econdly, &s;u&s;taining his puni&s;hment, manifold and long feares, ca&s;ting into the &s;ea, and continuing in the Whales belly three daies, and afterward his reproofe and conuiction. His ri&s;ing, fir&s;t repenting in the &s;hip, in the belly of the Whale, and be|ing ca&s;t out of it. Then al&s;o faithfully di&s;charging his duety, crying again&s;t Niniuie couragiou&s;ly.</P>
<P>We haue &s;eene <HI>Ionah</HI> a far off, if we would wee might &s;ee him neerer. He that receiues a Prophet in the name
<PB REF="51"> of a Prophet, &s;hall receiue a prophets reward. Therefore let vs prepare our eares to heare, and receiue the word of God preached by the Mini&s;ters, and let vs thinke that <HI>Ionah</HI> is come againe to our hou&s;es to preach, and whe|ther it be 40. daies, or 40. weekes, or 40. yeeres, they that liue like Sodome, &s;hall be puni&s;hed like Sodome. But as our Sauiour &s;aith to his di&s;ciples, <HI>Pray that your flight be</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 24. 21.</NOTE> <HI>not in winter, nor on the Sabbath:</HI> &s;o &s;ay I vnto you, pray that the Lords comming be not on the weeke daies, for if he come then, how &s;hould he find you? Therefore J pray you learn at lea&s;t now, and giue good eare, that you may heare &s;ufficient for all the weeke.</P>
<Q>The word of the Lord came to Ionah the &s;onne of Amit|tai, &s;aying: Ari&s;e and goe to Niniuie, &amp;c.</Q>
<P>Herein I ob&s;erue, that <HI>Ionah</HI> went not before he was &s;ent: for going to preach vnto the Gentiles, it was need|full that he &s;hould haue a &s;peciall calling and commi&s;&s;ion from the Lord him&s;elfe: for it was vnmeete to ca&s;t the childrens bread vnto the dogges, vnle&s;&s;e he had a &s;peciall commandement from God &s;o to doe.</P>
<P>None ought to take vpon him the function of prea|ching in the Church, vnle&s;&s;e they haue their warrant or authority from Gods, as Aaron had. And although they <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 5. 4.</NOTE> haue not their authoritie in that forme and manner as <HI>Ionah</HI> had his, (namely,) as it were by word of mouth, e|uen from God him&s;elfe, <HI>Ari&s;e and goe to Niniuie:</HI> yet they mu&s;t haue their warrant from him, el&s;e their calling is vnlawfull.</P>
<P>But now heere is another authority crept into the Church, that makes &s;o many Idolls, which haue eyes and &s;ee not, tongues and &s;peak not, eares and heare not, and that is this, when one &s;talleth vp another into Moi&s;es chaire, not hauing Mo&s;es rodde, nor Mo&s;es &s;pirit. But this gall will not hold &s;purring. Further I ob&s;erue, that as the word of the Lord came to <HI>Ionah:</HI> &s;o the word of
<PB REF="52"> the Pope came to his Prie&s;ts, Ie&s;uits, &amp; Seminaries, but &s;o and in &s;uch &s;ort many times, that they are drawne to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">borne while ma&s;&s;es are &s;aid for them at Rome.</P>
<Q>The word of the Lord came vnto Ionah, &amp;c.</Q>
<P>That which came vnto him was not alwaies with him, but &s;o it was, that when the word of the Lord came vn|to any of the Prophets, then they were well furni&s;hed with abilitie to teach, to preach, to reprooue, or to com|maund who&s;oeuer the Lord would haue &s;o handled. As by example: Nathan the Prophet did Dauid the King, that hee &s;hould build a Temple, 2. Sam. 7. and 1. <NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Sam. 7. 1. Chron. 17.</NOTE> Chron. 17. And a litle after he came and bid him that he &s;hould not build it. Where we &s;ee, that when he bid him build it, then the Spirit of the Lord came not vnto him to bid him &s;o to doe. And therefore the Spirit of God came vnto him the very &s;ame night, and bid him that he &s;hould goe to Dauid, and bid him that he &s;hould not build it. For this is euident, that as God him&s;elfe is con&s;tant, &s;o his Spirit and his word are con&s;tant, and therefore neuer &s;aith and vn&s;aith one thing.</P>
<P>Againe, the Prophet Eli&s;ha &s;aid, 2. King 4. that the Shunamites heart was grieued, but the Lord had hid it <NOTE PLACE="marg">2. King. 4.</NOTE> from him: and had not as then declared the &s;ame vnto him: which doth note vnto vs, that the &s;ame word whereby the Lord hath, and doeth reueale maruellous things vnto the Prophets, was not now vpon him, ney|ther is alwaies vpon any Prophet, but according to the will of God it comes vnto them, to reueale vnto them what he would haue them to doe, and when it plea&s;eth him.</P>
<P>Al&s;o Daniel &s;aid, that the Lord did not reneale the Kings dreame vnto him, for any wi&s;dome that hee had <NOTE PLACE="marg">Dan. 2. 30.</NOTE> more then any liuing, but onely for the Kings &s;ake, and for the poore people of Gods &s;ake: and &s;o you mu&s;t thinke of vs that are the Mini&s;ters of the Go&s;pell, that the Lord doeth not reueale his will vnto vs, for any wi&s;|dom
<PB REF="52"> or worthines that is in vs, more then other men, but for your &s;akes, &amp; that we might reueale it to you. Ther|fore heare vs euen for this cau&s;e, becau&s;e the Lord hath reuealed vnto vs the&s;e things for your &s;akes and good.</P>
<P>From the calling we come to the charge.</P>
<Q>Ari&s;e and goe to Niniue that great, &amp;c.</Q>
<P>God commeth and findeth vs all a&s;leepe, then he bids vs ari&s;e; for they are not fit to conuert others, which are not yet conuerted them&s;elues, according to that &s;aying of Chri&s;t to Peter: When thou art conuerted, &s;trengthen <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 22. 30.</NOTE> thy brethren, teaching them by your experience.</P>
<P>Now adaies men take vpon them to reprooue others for committing &s;uch things as them&s;elues haue practi|&s;ed, and do practi&s;e without amendement, notwith&s;tan|ding their diligence in teaching others their dutie; they can teach all the doctrine of Chri&s;t &s;auing three &s;ylla|bles, that is, <HI>Fellow me.</HI> Therefore the&s;e are like &s;ome Tay|lors which are very bu&s;ie in decking and tricking vp of others, but goe both bare and beggerly them&s;elues. Yet they will not let vs plucke out the more that is in their eyes, vntill wee haue plucked out the beame which is in our owne eyes.</P>
<Q>Go to Niniuie.</Q>
<P>Niniuie was the greate&s;t and the antiente&s;t Citie in the land of A&s;&s;yria, and the name of it &s;ignified <HI>Beautifull,</HI> which name was giuen it, rather for the greatne&s;&s;e and beautie thereof,, then for the name of A&s;hur, which, was the builder and fir&s;t founder thereof, as we reade in the booke of Gene&s;is. It had a faire name, but foule deedes, like this Citie. <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 10. 12.</NOTE></P>
<Q>Goeto Niniuie, &amp;c.</Q>
<P>God would not &s;uffer any people to bee vntaught; therefore he hath written this name in great letters, ea&s;ie to bee read of all. The heauens declare the glory of God, and the firmament &s;heweth the work of his hands. They haue no &s;peech nor language, without them is their <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 19. 1. 2. 3.</NOTE>
<PB REF="53"> voyce heard. Their line is gone foorth through all the earth, &amp; their words into the ends of the world. In them <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 1. 19. 20.</NOTE> is manife&s;t for all what may bee knowne of God. For his eternall power and God head are &s;eene by the creation of the world: but e&s;pecially hee teacheth &s;ome by his word al&s;o. Therefore he &s;ent vnto the old world Noah, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 6. Gen. 19. Act. 16. 6.</NOTE> Lot to Sodome, Moi&s;es to I&s;rael, and heere <HI>Ionah</HI> to Ni|niuie. But when Paul with Silas and Timothy had gone throughout Phrygia, and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden of the Holy gho&s;t to preach the word in A&s;ia. Then came they to My&s;ia, and &s;ought to goe into Bithynia, but the &s;pirit &s;uffered them not.</P>
<Q>Goe to Niniuie.</Q>
<P>The Iewes would not heare the wod of God by <HI>Ionah,</HI> and therefore the Lord &s;ent him to Niniuie. They that griue the &s;pirit, quench the &s;pirit. Then goes the Pro|phet from Samaria to Niniuie. The word was in Sama|ria, it went thence to Niniuie: the Go&s;pell was at Ephe|&s;us, it is come into England: it is gone out of the Citie, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Reu. 2. 4. 5. 1. Cor. 10. 12.</NOTE> but it may depart from England againe. If any thinke that he &s;tandeth, let him take heede left he fall.</P>
<P>But the Prophet goes from Samaria to Niniuie, that was, both to &s;hake off the du&s;t of his feete, to witne&s;&s;e a|gain&s;t them their ob&s;tinacie and hardnes of heart: and &s;econdly, to let them &s;ee that the wicked Gentiles were more righteous then they, in that they repented at the voyce of one Prophet; yea and that with one &s;ermon: whereas them&s;elues refu&s;ed, and re&s;i&s;ted all the holy and worthy Prophets that God &s;ent vnto them. And third|ly, it may bee to &s;ignifie, that the Iewes for their con|tempt and negligence &s;hould be reiected: and the Gen|tiles &s;hould be receiued into the fauor of God, that they might bee an holy and &s;anctified people vnto the Lord in their trouble.</P>
<Q><PB REF="53">That great Citie.</Q>
<P>Niniuie had fifteen hundred towers in it, as &s;ome doe <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ion 2. 4. 11.</NOTE> write, and a hundred &amp; twenty thou&s;and little children (as it is noted in the end of this &s;tory) therefore it may well be called a great City: but the greater it was, the more vngodly it was. For as one man taketh &s;ickne&s;&s;e of another: &s;o one man is infected by the wicked wordes and ill example of another, and &s;o taught to &s;inne the more, till the mea&s;ure of &s;inne be full.</P>
<Q>And cry again&s;t it, &amp;c.</Q>
<P>Fir&s;t God biddeth him; Ari&s;e and &s;hake off all impe|diments, &amp; then to goe and call them to the battell, and now he bids him cry out again&s;t them, and &s;o terrifie them. Euery Prophet is a crier, as appeareth where the Lord biddeth E&s;ay to lift vp his voice like a trumpet. E|uery <NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay 48. 1.</NOTE> Prophet mu&s;t both bee plaine and bold, and this many times maketh the poore &s;eruants of God to &s;peake their mindes as plaine and bold, as if they &s;ate in iudge|ment. <HI>Iohn</HI> was a voyce, a voyce would not &s;erue; he was <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 3.</NOTE> the voice of a cryer, and yet hee could not make all the crooked &s;traight, nor the rough plaine.</P>
<P>And becau&s;e all the Preachers of the Go&s;pell &s;hould cry, that is, preach zealou&s;ly, in the &s;econd of the Actes it is written; The Holy gho&s;t came downe in fire and tongues: but this fire is quenched, and the tongues are tied vp, &s;o that they that &s;hould cry are &s;tarke dumbe: but though they cannot &s;peake, they can &s;ee, they can &s;ee if a great benefice fall, though it be an hundred miles off: and Pharaoh had more care of his &s;heepe, then wee haue of our &s;oules.</P>
<P>If Preachers were not deafe, they needed not to crie one to another; but &s;uch is the dumbne&s;&s;e of Preachers, and the deafenes of all &s;orts of hearers, that there is great &s;lowne&s;&s;e of followers, &s;o that there is but little good done, and but a few fruits gathered.</P>
<PB REF="54">
<P>If ye were not deafe, we neede not to crie, but becau&s;e yee be dull of hearing, therefore wee cry with mouth, with heart, with hand, with foote, and with all the pow|ers of our bodies vnto you, and yet how little do you re|gard it? But are not ye commanded to heare as well as we to cry? Yet the cocke croweth when men are a&s;leep, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 36. 70. 72. 74. Prou. 28. 9.</NOTE> yea the cocke croweth, and &s;till Peter yet denieth his Ma&s;ter.</P>
<P>Before you cry vnto the Lord, heare what the word crieth vnto you, and let not your workes crie for ven|geance while your tongues cry for mercie.</P>
<P>When men heare the Preacher &s;peake again&s;t pride, hypocri&s;ie, couetou&s;ne&s;&s;e, or anie other &s;inne, then they looke one vpon another, as though it belonged not vnto them: but who can &s;ay his heart is cleane?</P>
<Q>And cry again&s;t it.</Q>
<P>Our &s;ins buffet God on euerie &s;ide, as the Iewes, buf|feted Chri&s;t, fir&s;t on the right &s;ide, then on the left &s;ide, and neuer leaue till they haue prouoked him to cry a|gain&s;t vs. When God cries, then we &s;hould weepe, con|&s;idering wherefore hee cries: for there is nothing that can prouoke the Lord to cry but &s;inne, and that hee euer crieth again&s;t. Doe what you will, and &s;ay what you will, and the Lord will not be offended with you, vnle&s;&s;e you &s;inne: but if you commit &s;inne, he is iu&s;t, and there|fore will not leaue til he hath by crying &s;laine either you, or &s;inne, that raignes in you. For as an angrie man euer pur&s;ueth that which he hateth, vntill he hath de&s;troied it: &s;o the Lord cro&s;&s;eth and followeth vs with his iudge|ments, vntill he hath &s;laine that which mo&s;t deadly hee hateth, &s;inne.</P>
<Q>And cry again&s;t it, &amp;c.</Q>
<P>Reproofe is the nece&s;&s;arie&s;t office, yet is it lea&s;t regar|ded, yea mo&s;t abhorred. For now wee thinke if one re|proue vs, he hateth vs. But the Lord &s;aith, Leuiticus 19. Thou &s;halt not hate thy brother in thine heart, thou &s;halt <NOTE PLACE="marg">Le. 19. 17.</NOTE>
<PB REF="54"> reproue him, &amp; &s;uffer him not to &s;inne: noting thereby, that if we flatter any in their &s;inne, or &s;ee them &s;inne, and not reproue them for it, it is a manife&s;t &s;igne that we doe it of hatred, how great loue and good will &s;oeuer wee pretend toward the~: &s;eeing the matter tends to the hurt of their &s;oules, and the offence of God.</P>
<P>Yea, if a Preacher reproue &s;inne, he is thought to doe it of hatred, or of &s;ome particular grudge: and to be too bu&s;ie, too bitter, too &s;harpe, too rough, and therefore &s;ay, he &s;hould preach Gods loue and mercy, for he is a Preacher of the go&s;pell, he tells vs of, &amp; threatens with the law, and &s;o throwes vs downe too low, &s;ome to de|&s;paire: as though we preached the law onely, or chiefly, and not the Go&s;pel al&s;o continually, to them that loath and &s;triue again&s;t their &s;innes, though they &s;inne gree|uou&s;ly. Others, as though they were galled, will &s;ay, let him keep his text, or they will &s;ay, he is be&s;ide his booke: as though no text in Scripture reproued &s;inne, and &s;o of all doctrines, the doctrine of reproofe and reprehen|&s;ion of &s;inne, is mo&s;t contemned, and lea&s;t e&s;teemed. But let a Preacher preach darke my&s;teries, or prophane &s;peeches, or vnprofitable fables, or friuolous que&s;tions, or curious inuentions, or odde conceits, or braine-&s;icke dreames, and any of the&s;e will be more welcome vnto them then reprehen&s;ion, which is mo&s;t profitable and nece&s;&s;arie&s;t of all. Balaams A&s;&s;e neuer &s;pake but once, and then he reproued. Then if Balaams A&s;&s;e reproued Balaam, how much more ought Balaam to reprooue <NOTE PLACE="marg">Num. 22. 28.</NOTE> A&s;&s;es, or &s;uch as will be no otherwi&s;e then bea&s;ts in their behauiour? But per&s;wade your &s;elues beloued, which is mo&s;t true, though we &s;peake as if we were angry with you, and threaten as if we would hurt you, and crie a|gain&s;t you as if we hated you, yet we loue you in the dee|re&s;t blood we haue, and therefore, though with per&s;e|cution we preach the law to leade you to the Go&s;pel; we preach iudgement, that you may finde mercie; wee
<PB REF="55"> preach hel to bring you to heauen; what&s;oeuer &amp; how &s;oeuer, we preach, we doe all to fill your hearts with ioy in beleeuing, and hauing made you fruitfull in all good workes, pre&s;ent you without &s;pot, nay glorious al&s;o, as a virgin mo&s;t beautifull, to the Lord of all grace &amp; glorie, Chri&s;t Ie&s;us.</P>
<P>Hitherto we haue heard of <HI>Ionah</HI> called, and charged to cry: but what &s;hould he cry? Indeede it is not expre&s;|&s;ed in this place. But what then? Why then the Papi&s;ts may &s;ay, that he was charged to crie again&s;t them for neglecting their traditions. A&s;&s;uredly they may with as great trueth and as much probabilitie, as they doe gather <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn 16. 12. Ioh. 21. 25. Acts 1. 3. 1. Tim. 6. 20. 2. Tim. 1. 13. and 22.</NOTE> out of diuers places of the new Te&s;tament, that they ought to be ob&s;erued. But <HI>Ionah</HI> hath not left it doubt|full what he was to cry, for in the third chapter, ver&s;e 2. the charge is repeated, and thus expre&s;&s;ed: Goe and pro|claime again&s;t it the proclamation which I &s;peake vnto thee. He was then to cry what God had commanded him. O that none would crie but what God had com|manded!</P>
<P>But what did God command him to crie? euen that which he afterward cried: Yet fortie daies, and Niniuie &s;hall be ouerturned. Ouerturned? yea ancient Niniuie, faire Niniuie, proud Niniuie mu&s;t be de&s;troyed. No man &s;its &s;o high, but de&s;truction &s;its aboue him, and will fall on all that per&s;i&s;t in their defection. Iu&s;tice would haue come again&s;t them, before it cried again&s;t the~; but God the mo&s;t gratious would haue them cried again&s;t, that they might cry out, woe and alas for their &s;innes, &s;o preuenting de&s;erued and threatned vengeance: for they hearing the crie of God, cried out them&s;elues, and that in great humbling to God, &s;o God heard their cries, and tooke pitty on them.</P>
<P>I&s;aiah was commanded to cry, and he cried: All &s;le&s;h is gra&s;&s;e, yea all the glorie thereof like the flower of the <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 40. 6. 7.</NOTE> field. The gra&s;&s;e withereth, the flower fadeth when the
<PB REF="55"> &s;pirit of Iehouah bloweth on it. Surelie the people is gra&s;&s;e. Iohn was commanded in the &s;pirit of Eliah to cry, and he cried, Prepare the way of Iehouah, make euen in the de&s;ert a path for our God. And <HI>Ionah</HI> was <NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay 40. Matth. 3. 3. Ion. 1. 2. &amp; 3. 2. I&s;a. 58. 1.</NOTE> commanded to cry, and he cried: <HI>Yet fortie daies, and Niniuie &s;hall be ouerthrowne.</HI> And all the Preachers of the go&s;pell are commaunded to <HI>cry,</HI> and that <HI>aloude,</HI> not to <HI>&s;pare,</HI> to lift vp their voyces like a trumpet, to &s;hew Gods people their defections, and the hou&s;e of Ia|cob their &s;innes. And then al&s;o, if they thereby be truely humbled, to proclaime vnto them, their iniquitie is par|doned, they haue receiued at the hand of Iehouah dou|ble for all their &s;innes. <HI>It is required of the di&s;po&s;ers of Gods</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 40. 4. 1. Cor. 4. 4.</NOTE> <HI>&s;ecrets, that they be found faithfull.</HI> And woe to them that loue the plea&s;ures of &s;inne, more then the glory of God.</P>
<Q>For their wickedne&s;&s;e is come vp before me.</Q>
<P><HI>For, &amp;c.</HI> We haue heard the charge it &s;elfe giuen, hea|uy newes, that a mo&s;t beautifull Citie, a mo&s;t rich Citie, a mo&s;t populous Citie, and a mo&s;t ancient Citie, mu&s;t be ouerturned, and that within fortie daies; what is the cau&s;e? Their wickednes is come vp before me: as if hee had &s;aid, Niniuie hath followed her lu&s;ts, and forgotten the Law, to &s;atisfie her de&s;ires; &s;he hath notoriou&s;ly di&s;|pi&s;ed her &s;oueraigne, defied all wel-meaning, all good dealing: and this is known to the iu&s;t Iudge, and at his barre &s;he is arraigned, and her accu&s;ers &s;tand crying at the barre for iu&s;tice. Therefore &s;he may no longer bee forborne, execution of iu&s;tice mu&s;t needs be done: let her therefore prepare for death; and that &s;he may <HI>Cry a|gainst her yet fortie daies and Niniuie &s;hall be ouerturned: for their wickedne&s;&s;e is come vp before me.</HI></P>
<P>When God &s;ends criers vnto a people, it is a mo&s;t ma|nife&s;t &s;igne that their wickednes is come vp before him, which doth cau&s;e him thus to exclaime, thus to cry out again&s;t them. And then if they will not repent while&s;t
<PB REF="56"> Gods criers continue crying among&s;t them, the Lord of Ho&s;tes will ri&s;e vp in armes again&s;t them.</P>
<Q>Their wickedne&s;&s;e.</Q>
<P>Will you &s;ee the Niniuities &s;ins in a &s;croll, that withall you the daughters of Niniuie may &s;ee, that wealth and wickednes goe together, pro&s;perity and &s;ecuritie ki&s;&s;e each other? Niniuie (&s;aith Nahum) was like a poole of waters, mo&s;t populous, and full of all &s;tore, which to in|crea&s;e, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Nah. 2. 8. 9.</NOTE> it was wholly full of lying, deceit &amp; fraud, full of <NOTE PLACE="marg">3. 1. and 2, 11. 12. Zeph. 2. 15.</NOTE> robberie, oppre&s;&s;ion, and all violence, a bloodie Citie: whereby it encrea&s;ed in wealth, they flouri&s;hed in ho|nour and glory, and therefore as Zephaniah hath it, was a reioycing, a rioting Citie, &s;ate &s;ecurely, and proudly contemned others, &s;aying, I am, and none is be&s;ides me. Moreouer, it was the Mi&s;tris of witchcrafts, a mo&s;t ido|latrous citie, yea &s;old people through her whoredomes, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Nah. 3. 4.</NOTE> and Nations through her witchcrafts, and made other idolatrous like her &s;elfe, as 2. Kin. 16. 10.</P>
<Q>Their wickedne&s;&s;e is come vp before me.</Q>
<P>Sinne mounts vp on hie, like the tempter which led Chri&s;t vnto the top of the pinacle, to behold al the plea|&s;ures of the world at once, and then becau&s;e wee haue falne down before the god of this world, and tempted the God of heauen, whether he be iu&s;t, or no; therefore wrath &s;peakes out of the fire, Now thou ha&s;t taken thy plea&s;ure, thou mu&s;t take al&s;o thy puni&s;hment.</P>
<P>A mo&s;t heauy and greeuous thing it is, if you knew what you are doing here, and what your &s;innes are do|ing at the barre of Gods iu&s;t iudgement. For euen now before you came hither, you were &s;eruing the diuell in &s;inne, but now it is too late to &s;peake of it, and where are they now? fle&s;h and blood could not &s;tay them, nature could not &s;tay them, plea&s;ures could not &s;tay them, ri|ches could not &s;tay them, nor they could not &s;tay them|&s;elues, but they are a&s;cended vp before the face of the eternall God, to &s;tand at his barre and cry for vengeance
<PB REF="56"> to fall vpon vs, for committing &s;uch hainous &s;innes a|gain&s;t the maie&s;ty of God.</P>
<P>An arrow is &s;wift, the Sunne is &s;wifter, but &s;inne is &s;wifte&s;t of all: for in a moment it is committed on earth, it comes before God in heauen, &amp; is condemned to hell, for though Nimrod could not climbe vp to heauen, his &s;innes flew vp to heauen: and though wee &s;tay below, our &s;innes a&s;cend high, like the tower of Nimrod, but they fling vs down to confu&s;ion, &amp; we become Babel. For when we &s;inne we are as the &s;hel-fi&s;h which the Ea|gle taketh, and flieth into the aire with, and then letteth it fall vpon the rockes, and &s;o da&s;heth it in peeces, and then deuoures it. For the wrath of God taketh vs vp on hie, and throweth vs downe low vpon the rockes of &s;hame and contempt, and terrour of con&s;cience: and &s;o hauing cru&s;hed vs, &amp; brui&s;ed our very bones, con&s;umes vs with double death, the graue deuouring vs, hel &s;wal|lowing vs.</P>
<Q>Is come vp before me.</Q>
<P>To them which aske, how our &s;innes a&s;cend and flie vp before God; J an&s;wer, God here &s;peakes vnto vs af|ter the maner of men, who cannot &s;ee a thing afore it be brought vnto them, euen where they are, and before them. So that hereby is &s;ignified God had &s;eene their wickedne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>We fa&s;t as before him, we pray as before him, we giue almes as before him, and wee doe euery good thing as before him, becau&s;e we doe it freely, and as it were, not caring who looks vpon vs. But we &s;inne as behind him, becau&s;e we hide and cloke our &s;innes, and commit them in &s;ecret, loath that men &s;hould &s;pie them: our con&s;ci|ence in &s;uch actions accu&s;ing vs, &amp; in&s;tantly telling vs, we are about that which we cannot iu&s;tifie. And wee &s;uppo&s;e that we &s;inne behinde him, becau&s;e wee &s;inne here below, &s;aying with our &s;elues in the con&s;ideration of our blinded hearts, as Eliphaz accu&s;ed Iob to haue
<PB REF="57"> &s;aid: Is not God in the height of heauen? and &s;ee the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob 27. 12. 13 14</NOTE> highne&s;&s;e of the &s;tarres, how high are they? Therefore how &s;hould God know it? Should he be able to &s;ee through the darke? The thicke cloudes are a couering to him, that he may not &s;ee, and hee walketh vp and downe the round circle of the heauens. But then chief|ly we imagine that God beholds vs not, when men can|not &s;ee vs: as if God could not know, what man can|not &s;pie. But let vs not deceiue our &s;elues, for God &s;eeth not as man &s;eeth. Man can &s;ee but only outward things committed in action, but God &s;eeth, and knoweth, and &s;earcheth the &s;ecrets of the heart, yea the &s;ecrete&s;t thoughts and imaginations of it. Againe, man can &s;ee but one thing at once, he cannot turne his right eye one way, &amp; left eie another: he cannot &s;ee before him &amp; be|hinde him with one looke: but God &s;eeth all things at all times. Though we &s;inne as clo&s;ely as we can for feare of hatred, or &s;hame of the world, or for any other re|&s;pect, yet God &s;aith, your &s;inne is come vp before mee. For though we couer it, and hide it, and colour it, yea and as it were bury it as well as lieth in vs, yet all is open vnto him: therefore he &s;aith, your &s;inne is come vp be|fore me.</P>
<P>For when we &s;peake euill, he is all eares to heare vs, and when we doe euill, he is all eyes to beholde it: Therefore, O fooli&s;h man, doe not thinke that God &s;ec|eth not which man &s;eeth not: for when he lookes vp, he &s;ees all below al&s;o, and when he lookes downe, he &s;ees all aboue al&s;o. If he &s;hould not, much wickedne&s;&s;e &s;hould lie in darknes vnrewarded, and men &s;hould not be terri|fied from &s;inne, but rather by the example of other al|lured to &s;inne freely &s;ecretly. For Ananias might haue gained by his craft, if God had not &s;eene his heart, which <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 5</NOTE> men &s;aw not: but God &s;aw his di&s;tru&s;tfull, and di&s;&s;em|bling, and corrupt heart, therefore he lo&s;t his goods, and his life too.</P>
<PB REF="57">
<P>If God had not &s;eene that which men &s;ee not, Ge|hezi might haue gained a bribe for his labour, when he <NOTE PLACE="marg">2. King. 5.</NOTE> ranne after Naaman the A&s;&s;yrian, &amp; tolde him a lie for his profit. But God &s;eeing his fetches, which men &s;aw not, turned his bribe to a lepro&s;ie, and &s;o made him a lea|per for his labour. A fearfull example for &s;uch as take bribes, yet many care not what bribes they take, &s;o men &s;ee it not.</P>
<P>The man that &s;aid, Be merry my &s;oule, and take thy <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 12.</NOTE> plea&s;ure for many yeares, might haue done it, ahd not God &s;eene him: but hee e&s;pied him falling to godle&s;&s;e &s;ecuritie, and threatned him, that night to bereau him of his &s;oule. Forget it not yee that abound in wealth, who&s;e cup runneth ouer. If God had not &s;eene Achan take vp the peece of gold, he had kept it to him&s;elfe for his labour, and no man &s;hould haue knowne where he <NOTE PLACE="marg">Io&s;u. 7.</NOTE> had it. But God &s;eeing it (though clo&s;ely done) rewar|ded him with &s;hame in the &s;ight of all I&s;rael. O Lord, what is man that thou &s;o watche&s;t him? Achan would neuer haue &s;tole~ if he had known that God did &s;ee him. Gehezi dur&s;t neuer haue taken a bribe, if he had thought that God beheld his doings. Wilt thou &s;teale, the owner looking on thee? Wilt thou &s;peak trea&s;on in the kings hearing? neither would we lie, nor &s;weare, nor &s;teale, nor hurt, nor be prophane at any time, if we co~&s;ider that the Lord &s;eeth vs, &amp; remembred that he watcheth vs: if we would do this, &s;inne might go a beginning for want of &s;er|uice. Therefore if you wil marke but this part of my &s;er|mon, that God &s;eeth all, you would refraine from tho&s;e things &s;ecretly, that are to the offence of God, which you for feare or &s;hame wil not doe before men: and you would &s;ay euen whe~ your ha~d is at it, I wil not do it, be|cau&s;e the Lord &s;eeth me. But as when we &s;in though in &s;ecret, he is all eies to &s;ee vs, &amp; when he &s;ees it requi&s;ite to make &s;ome example, to teach all, that when man cannot nor wil not di&s;couer vs, he will &s;hew that he &s;aw vs; then
<PB REF="58"> he is all hand to puni&s;h and plague vs, and in the end, to roote vs out from all our plea&s;ures: &s;o when we repent, he is all mercie and loue; and when we amend our liues, and leaue all our wicked waies, to walke before him e|uer after in holines, then he is all truth and righteou&s;nes, to forgiue vs all our former wicked life, and to wa&s;h vs from all our vncleannes. Now therefore repent thee of all the euill that thou ha&s;t done, lament truly, runne and hie thee as fa&s;t as euer thou can&s;t to the throne of grace, prone whether thy repentance will not as boldly &s;tand before God, and as powerfully cry for pardon, as thy &s;innes &s;peedily came vp before God, and vehemently cried fhr puni&s;hment. No doubt the Angel that cry|ed; Fallen is, fallen is Babylon the great, Reu. 18. 2. though he cried vehemently with a loud voyce, cried not &s;o au|dibly as thou &s;halt heare the &s;pirit of truth crying &amp; a&s;|&s;uring thee thy &s;ins are forgiuen thee; the God of glo|rie loueth thee, &s;inne &s;hall no longer raigne in thee, no euill &s;hall hurt thee, no good thing &s;hall be wanting to thee, all things &s;hall work together to the be&s;t for thee. <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 6. 14. P&s;al. 91. 10. 34, 10. and 84, 11. Rom. 8. 28. 2. Chro. 16. P&s;al. 16. 11. 1. The&s;. 5. 22. 2. The&s;. 2. 10. Heb. 12. 14.</NOTE> Wilt thou any more? he &s;hall euer dwell with thee, in who&s;e pre&s;ence is the fulnes of ioy, and at his right hand plea&s;ure for euermore. Repent therefore, but repent truely, loath all &s;inne, gricue that thou ha&s;t committed any, flie euery &s;inne, yea what&s;oeuer occa&s;ions of it, and all appearance of euill: but loue the truth al&s;o, and fol|low all holines, &amp; as much as in you is, haue peace with all men, and the God of peace will encrea&s;e your peace in Chri&s;t Ie&s;us.</P>
<P>All which euen this point that we &s;peake of, <HI>viz.</HI> what&s;oeuer we do, God &s;eeth vs, mo&s;t &s;ufficiently a&s;&s;u|reth vs of: for this &s;o often repeated &s;peech, Reu. 2. 2. 9. 13. and 3. 1. 8. 35. <HI>I know thy workes;</HI> is &s;poken as to rou&s;e the dead Sardians, 3. 1. and to heate the luke|warme Laodiceans, 3. 15. &s;o to commend the faith, hope loue, patience, &amp;c. of the other Churches, and &s;o to &s;ta|bli&s;h,
<PB REF="58"> and &s;et them forward therein, knowing he is iu&s;t, and a liberal rewarder of them that &s;eeke him, Heb. 11. 6.</P>
<Q>Their wickedne&s;&s;e is come vp before me.</Q>
<P>Sinne once committed, ca&s;ts no doubts of comming pre&s;ently before God: but the thoughts of the heart of the carnall man thinking of the way to heauen, are the faint Spies that went to the land of Cannan, which &s;ay, that iourney is farther then you are able to goe all your life, the way is like a thicket, &amp; the doore like a needles eie: therefore it is impo&s;&s;ible for you to come thither. But when you &s;end faith, hope, &amp; loue, (tho&s;e me&s;&s;en|gers of peace and truth) they will bring you word, &s;ay|ing, your ruffes mu&s;t bee rufled, and your fardingales cru&s;ht, pride mu&s;t be put off, and other &s;innes; and none &s;hall be kept out of heauen, but &s;uch as loue the world better then heauen, or &s;uch as will take their &s;innes with them; for they bee vn&s;eeming the fa&s;hion of that coun|trie: &s;o that ere we come thither, wee mu&s;t leaue them; like the &s;hadow when wee goe into the doore, and wee mu&s;t &s;hake hands with them, and bid them farewell.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="sermon">
<PB REF="59">
<HEAD>THE REBELLION OF IONAH.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q>3 But Ionah ro&s;e vp to flie vnto Tar&s;hi&s;h from the pre&s;ence of the Lord, and went downe to Iapho, and found a &s;hip going to Tar&s;hi&s;h: &s;o hee paid the fare thereof that he might goe with them to Tar&s;hi&s;h from the pre&s;ence of the Lord.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>_THe charge giuen to <HI>Ionah</HI> hath hi|therto bin &s;poken of, now it fol|loweth to be &s;hewed, how it was by <HI>Ionah</HI> di&s;charged. Fir&s;t <HI>Ionah</HI> rebelliou&s;ly neglected it, then be|ing cha&s;ti&s;ed, and &s;o repenting, he faithfully di&s;charged it. Fir&s;t therefore let vs con&s;ider his re|bellion: afterward we &s;hall &s;ee his correction.</P>
<Q>But Ionah ro&s;e vp to flie to Tar&s;hi&s;h from the pre&s;ence of the Lord.</Q>
<P>We cannot &s;tand to &s;peake of Tar&s;hi&s;h, nor what it is to flie from God, but this &s;hall be our meditation: <HI>Ionah</HI> the Prophet was commaunded to goe to Niniuie, and there to cry out again&s;t &s;in, to preach again&s;t pride, and all kind of vngodline&s;&s;e, thereby to reclaime them, and &s;tirre them vp, in laying open their &s;inne, and the pu|ni&s;hment that banged ouer them, that they might &s;pee|dily repent, and &s;o turne away from them the wrath of God thereby de&s;erued. How beautifull &s;hould haue beene the feete of him that &s;hould haue brought &s;o pow|erfull a me&s;&s;age, as &s;hould haue wrought &s;uch an hap|py effect? How ble&s;&s;ed &s;hould Niniuie haue beene
<PB REF="59"> when the Lord had vouch&s;afed them &s;o great mercie? but &s;till one flie or other marres the whole box of oynt|ment: As &s;oone as he was commanded to goe thither, Satan &s;tood in the gap, and enticed him to goe to Tar|&s;hi&s;h, for he thought, that if he could let <HI>Ionah</HI> from go|ing <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccl. 10. 1.</NOTE> to Niniuie, then fir&s;t of all he &s;hould put a &s;ingular Prophet out of Gods fauour, and bring vpon him &s;ome iudgement, not onely inward, as torment of con&s;cience, decay of gifts, or the like: but vi&s;ible al&s;o, whereby the people to whom he had preached, might thinke he was &s;ome fal&s;e Prophet, as they are euer ready to condemne for hated of God, whom they &s;ee grieou&s;ly afflicted. And &s;o &s;econdly the people &s;hould be hardened in their &s;ins, and ob&s;tinately condemne euer after, him, his like, and their preaching too. And thirdly, the godlie&s;t, the mo&s;t populous, &amp; the wealthie&s;t City in A&s;&s;yria &s;hould be de&s;troyed, the good with the wicked, the yong with the old, one with another, all &s;hould vnrepentant die in their &s;innes, and &s;o the very Angels in heauen &s;hould mourne. So that he thought he &s;hould by &s;topping <HI>Ionah,</HI> euery way gaine well by his labour.</P>
<P>Therefore he comes to <HI>Ionah,</HI> he flatters him, he tempts him, thus he begins with him: It is good that men looke before they leape, ha&s;te makes wa&s;te, words are not al|waies to betaken as they properly &s;ignifie: one thing is often &s;poken, and another meant: but thinke&s;t thou God meaneth thou &s;houlde&s;t goe to Niniuy? Why? doth he regard idolaters, and his profe&s;&s;ed enemies, &s;o that to haue them admoni&s;hed of their ruine, he will bring &s;hame vpon his own people? for the very going of a Prophet from I&s;rael to preach to Niniuy, mu&s;t needs proclaime that there is more hope of mo&s;t &s;infull Gen|tiles, then of naturall I&s;raelites. And how coulde&s;t thou &s;eeme &s;o to thinke of thine owne Nation, thine owne brethren, thine owne blood, the cho&s;en of God? Or if thou doe, &s;halt thou not thereby procure their vtter ha|tred
<PB REF="60"> for euer, and make them to dete&s;t both thy per&s;on, and what&s;oeuer thy preaching, what&s;oeuer thou ha&s;t heeretofore, or heareafter &s;halt teach them?</P>
<P>What? for thy faithfull prophecying heere among Gods people, will God, thinke&s;t thou, recompence thee, thee whom he hath made reuerend, and to be honoured of Kings and Princes of I&s;rael: recompence, I &s;ay, thee with &s;hame and contempt among heathens, yea, with a cruell death, or with a more mi&s;erable life? For what o|ther &s;ucce&s;&s;e may bee hoped for at the Niniuites hands of &s;uch a me&s;&s;age by thee? For thou knowe&s;t they haue all Iewes in contempt: therefore when thou &s;halt come among them, and tell them not the&s;e few words onely, and in this forme which God hath &s;poken them in; for if thou &s;o doe, who will not count thee rather a mad-man then Gods Prophet? But at large, that there is one all|&s;eeing, mo&s;t iu&s;t, almighty, and euerliuing God, and no moe? and &s;o all their gods are no gods but idols: and that they aboue all other haue giuen his glory to &s;tockes and &s;tones, wor&s;hipping them for gods, alluring and en|forcing others likewi&s;e to di&s;honor him: that they haue abu&s;ed his ble&s;&s;ings mo&s;t vnthankfully, mo&s;t vngodly to all exce&s;&s;e, and are mo&s;t proud contemners of their bet|ters, &amp; mo&s;t notorious drunkards, gluttons, fornicators, adulterers, theeues, oppre&s;&s;ors, witches, murtherers, and the like; &amp; therefore haue &s;o prouoked him that is mo&s;t merciful &amp; patient, that he will without all pity de&s;troy man, woman, yong and old, high and low among&s;t them; yea, their very Citie al&s;o, and all that is therein, where|by they haue beene &s;o wicked, and that within fortie daies.</P>
<P>When, J &s;ay, thou being a Iew, &s;halt tell them this, thus in de&s;pight reuile (for &s;o they will take it) thus vt|terly condemne them and their gods: will not the be&s;t of them mocke and de&s;pi&s;e thee? will not the re&s;t gna&s;h their teeth at thee, bee readie to teare thee in peeces, put
<PB REF="60"> thee to exqui&s;ite torments, condemne thee to &s;ome hor|rible death, or continue thee in intollerable paines, in a mo&s;t bitter life? No que&s;tion. Thinke not therefore that thy good God, thy mo&s;t kind and tender father, will re|compence thy faithfulnes, with &s;ending thee &s;o far to &s;u|&s;taine &s;uch mi&s;ery: It were impiety to think he willed it, it is bla&s;phemy, terrible bla&s;phemy to think he comma~ds it: for it is to condemne him of vnkindnes, for thou ha&s;t &s;hewed feruent loue; of vntruth, for hee hath promi&s;ed it &s;hould go wel with the iu&s;t; of iniu&s;tice, for godline&s;&s;e &s;hould haue the reward due onely to wickedne&s;&s;e. Yea he &s;hould &s;eeme contrary to him&s;elfe, to charge thee cruelly to murther thy &s;elfe, which hath commanded all to kill none, if he &s;hould will thee to prouoke that bloody citie &s;o. But the very thing it &s;elfe al&s;o argueth, God meant no|thing le&s;&s;e then to commit thee to &s;uch danger, or that thou &s;hould&s;t do to the proud Niniuites &s;uch a me&s;&s;age. For to what end &s;hould&s;t thou &s;o cry again&s;t that Citie? to make them flie, and &s;o to free them from de&s;truction? How &s;hold&s;t thou then not bee found a fal&s;e Prophet, and God a lier? What then? To bring them to repentance &amp; then to &s;pare them? how &s;hould not God &s;o againe be found vntrue, &amp; thou his lying me&s;&s;enger? what then? To conuert them, and &s;o to de&s;troy them? what iu&s;tice were that? and how contrary to his promi&s;e to Salomon? 2. Sam. 7. 14. Therefore it is manife&s;t, God meant not thou &s;hould&s;t go and cry &s;o again&s;t Niniuie, but &s;ignified that thou wert as good, for any good may be done here, to exclaime &s;o like a frantike man again&s;t Niniuie, as to preach in <HI>Samaria</HI> any longer now. Men here are &s;o hard+ned that they contemne all, part are &s;o cloyed that they loath all, the be&s;t part little e&s;teeme all that is preached: of none is the word accounted pretious, of none reue|rently heard: and therefore thou &s;houlde&s;t for a time, to make the word pretious, and to &s;harpen mens affections towards it, giue ouer preaching heere, and where thou
<PB REF="61"> wilt refre&s;h thy &s;elfe a while. Now heere thou maie&s;t not be idle: at Tar&s;hi&s;h thou maie&s;t be quiet: thou maie&s;t at Tai&s;hi&s;h that famous Citie, among the &s;trangers of many Countries, heare many &s;trange things, much delight thy &s;elf in the variety of their maners, in the abundance of all things, with great plea&s;ure liue. No time &s;o fit as this to &s;ee the worlde. At Iapho thou can&s;t not want &s;hip|ping thither. Seeme not to make &s;mall account of this kindne&s;&s;e of God, defraud not thy &s;elfe of the graunted good.</P>
<P>Thus Sathan is euer cro&s;&s;ing, tempting, enticing vs when wee are or &s;hould be addre&s;&s;ing our &s;elues to doe the will of our God. So was Moi&s;es, Ieremy, Ezechiel, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Exo. 3. 11. &amp;. 4. 10. 13. Ier. 1 6. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ze. 3. 14 15. Neh. 2. 19. 4. 2 8. 5. 5. 6. 6. 7. 10. Luk. 22. 31. 32 Matth 4. 1. L<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">k. 4. 2. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">. 13 1. Pet. 5. 8.</NOTE> Nehemiah, Chri&s;t him&s;elfe tempted, being about mo&s;t notable workes. What &s;aid our Sauiour to Peter? Sathan hath de&s;ired to &s;ift and winnow you as wheate. Who are the&s;e who&s;e perill &s;athan &s;o earne&s;tly de&s;ireth? Euen Peters, and Iames, and Iohns. No maruaile, for Chri&s;t him&s;elfe, though acknowledged the Sonne of God, was mo&s;t fiercely a&s;&s;aulted of the tempter fortie daies, and then indeed was left, but it was onely for a &s;ea&s;on, Luke. 4. 13. Therefore neuer dreame of a truce with Sathan, who&s;oeuer thou be, what&s;oeuer thou art about to doe. For the enemy, the enuious foe, the tempter, the fal&s;e accu&s;er goeth about continually &s;eeking whom he may deuoure. Now his manner of tempting is, fir&s;t and mo&s;t v&s;ually with flattering, but yet very often with mo&s;t ter|rible threatning. For what&s;oeuer we doe or feele, com|meth from one of the&s;e three &s;pirits, the &s;pirit of &s;athan, the Spirit of God, or our &s;pirit. Now our owne &s;pirit of it &s;elfe is alwaies occupied about worldly things, &s;eeking delights in plea&s;ures, not di&s;quiet by threats. The &s;pirit of God is gentle, louing, and meeke, not forcing, nor threatning. Therefore Chri&s;t &s;aith, If any will follow me let him deny him&s;elfe and take vp his cro&s;&s;e daily, &amp;c. <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 19. 23.</NOTE> And mark his &s;pirit, he &s;aith not, you &s;hall follow me, but
<PB REF="61"> you &s;hall denie your &s;elues, and take vp your cro&s;&s;e, but if any will follow me, let him deny him&s;elfe, and take vp his cro&s;&s;e: <HI>Let him.</HI> The &s;ame is to be &s;eene in the Canti|cles, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Cantic. 5. 2.</NOTE> where he &s;aith: Open vnto me my &s;i&s;ter, my loue, my doue, my vndefiled. For mine head is full of deaw, and my lockes with the droppes of the night. For <NOTE PLACE="marg">3.</NOTE> when &s;he opened not vnto him, making mo&s;t vnmeete excu&s;es, though he had mo&s;t louingly praied, and liuely vrged her to open, and &s;he mo&s;t vnkindly, mo&s;t vnwor|thily had denied, yet the went his way mildly without <NOTE PLACE="marg">2. 4. 6.</NOTE> any threats. But the &s;pirit of Sathan takes an other cour&s;e: For when by lying and deceit he cannot allure to &s;inne, he threatens mo&s;t fearfully with &s;inne, griefe, or lo&s;&s;e of goods, &s;olitarines and want of plea&s;ure, and &s;omtime by his mini&s;ters, impes of his owne likene&s;&s;e, hee threatens death, and deadly torments, what&s;oeuer they may inflict vpon any.</P>
<P>Chri&s;t &s;aith; If you will follow me. If you will: but he &s;aith, I will make ye follow me, and doe as I bid you, you &s;hall haue fire and fagot, &s;calding lead and burning pitch; if you will not follow mee, you &s;hall, whether you will or no: we will make you doe as we command, &s;aith his elde&s;t &s;onne Antichri&s;t, v&s;urping authority ouer na|tions, and inflicting torments on the Saints. His order of tempting is, fir&s;t to make vs doubt of the word of God: whether &s;uch and &s;uch doctrine be true, &s;uch and &s;uch an action bee commanded, &s;uch and &s;uch a promi&s;e, &s;uch and &s;uch a threatning be certain. Then &s;econdly he falles to flat denying of it, this doctrine, the&s;e promi&s;es, the&s;e threatnings are fal&s;e, this thing is not commanded, this action is not condemned. And then comes he in with his contradiction, contrary a&s;&s;ertions, &amp; countermands. For there is no commandement of God, but the diuell com|mands the contrary, &amp; he is euer gaine &s;aying that which <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 2. 17.</NOTE> God &s;aith For our God &s;aith vnto Adam, if you eate of the forbidden fruit, you &s;hall &s;urely die: the diuell came
<PB REF="62"> and he told them, fir&s;t <HI>ti is not certaine you &s;hall die:</HI> then, you &s;hall not die; then thirdly, you &s;hal be as gods, know|ing <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 3. 4. 5. 1. Pet. 5. 5.</NOTE> good from euill. God &s;aith, &s;ubmit your &s;elues one to another in brotherly loue: the diuell &s;aith, fir&s;t, you neede not to aba&s;e your &s;elues &s;o much; &s;econdly, you &s;hould not yeelde to others: then thirdly, aduance your &s;elues, and contemne others. God &s;aith, Loue thy neigh|bour <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 22. 39.</NOTE> as thy &s;elfe: the diuel &s;aith, fir&s;t loue little and our|wardly, then, loue none but thy &s;elfe: then thirdly, hate thine enemies, enuie thy betters, di&s;daine thine equalls, de&s;pi&s;e thine inferiours. God &s;aith, Labor for that foode that peri&s;heth not: the diuell &s;aith, fir&s;t, care not much <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 6. 27.</NOTE> for it: then &s;econdly, contemne it: then thirdly, &s;tirre not an inch for it. God &s;aith, For&s;ake the world: the Diuell &s;aith, fir&s;t, neglect not the world; then, loue <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 12. 2. 1. Iohn 3. 18.</NOTE> the world, then thirdly, giue ouer your &s;elues vnto the world aboue all, follow the world with all the lu&s;ts thereof.</P>
<P>Now, the meanes whereby the diuell tempts, are ar|guments fetcht, &s;ome from the wit and rea&s;on of man, or from the cu&s;tomes of the world: &s;ome from the holy Scriptures, either corrupted, or wrong applied: now in con&s;ideration of the per&s;ons, then in regard of the thing it &s;elfe, &amp;c. In re&s;pect of the per&s;ons to whom hee &s;hould preach, and him&s;elfe, <HI>Ionah</HI> is here tempted, and &s;o thus rea&s;oneth with him&s;elfe: I haue long preached vnto the Iewes, which are the cho&s;en people of God, &amp; &s;eeing they will not heare me, it is in vaine to preach vn|to the&s;e Gentiles, which neuer heard of God or godlines, and therefore will e&s;teeme my words the le&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>Thus <HI>Ionah</HI> is loath to lo&s;e his labour, and puts in a doubt where he needes not, becau&s;e he con&s;idered not the great power of God in mens harts. The Niniuites are heathen people, and therefore (&s;aith <HI>Ionah</HI>) why &s;hould I venture my &s;elfe among&s;t them? For &s;eeing my owne countrymen kicke again&s;t my wordes, and
<PB REF="62"> cannot abide to heare the word which commeth from the Lord to reprooue &s;inne, then how much more &s;hall I be de&s;pi&s;ed the&s;e, and per&s;ecuted to death? Thus fle&s;h and blood &s;tandeth &s;taggering when it &s;hould doe any good, mi&s;doubting troubles, iealous of his owne ea&s;e: but when it goeth about to doe any mi&s;chiefe, it neuer con&s;i|dereth the danger, it weighteth not the following wo: yet doing good, it is vncertaine whether all will not accor|ding, or euen aboue our hope &s;ucceede; it is more likelie we &s;hould be kept &s;afe: but doing euill, mi&s;chiefe mo&s;t certainely is procured, not danger onely, but lo&s;&s;e of the be&s;t things commonly, peace of con&s;cience or &s;pirituall graces, of &s;ome ble&s;&s;ings alway, or at lea&s;t not receit of tho&s;e things which much would reioyce vs. For &s;ure this was a &s;ore temptation, to bid a man (being in rea&s;onable good e&s;tate touching his body and life) that hee &s;hould goe and preach vnto a &s;auage heathen people that neuer <NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 6 4.</NOTE> heard of preaching, and that this doctrine; that there is but one onely true God, to them who will &s;erue a thou|&s;and, and cannot abide the contrary to be &s;poken.</P>
<P>If a Preacher were commanded to goe and preach at Rome gates, again&s;t Antichri&s;ts iuri&s;diction &amp; the ido|latry that is &s;o inordinately v&s;ed in that Sinagogue of vncleannes, &s;eeing that is a matter for which they tor|ment and kill all that preach it &s;incerely: I feare it would hardly come to pa&s;&s;e at all, that this preacher would go from a rea&s;onable quiet e&s;tate touching his body, to ven|ture his life among &s;uch cruell tyrants: I feare hee would rather content him&s;elfe with his pre&s;ent ea&s;e, then com|mit him&s;elfe to &s;o likely mi&s;erie.</P>
<P>If I goe to preach vnto the&s;e infidels, &s;aying, yet forty daies and Niniuie &s;hall be de&s;troyed, then (&s;aith <HI>Ionah</HI>) it may be, they will repent, &amp; God wil haue mercy vpon them, &s;o I &s;hall be counted a fal&s;e Prophet for my labour. And thus we regard our credite more then the glory of God, in the obedience of his will: and rather then wee
<PB REF="63"> would receiue any reproch by your doings (in the &s;ight of the world,) we rather choo&s;e to enter into no great action touching the glory of God, and the good of the Church. In re&s;pect of the I&s;raelites and him&s;elfe: If I leaue mine owne people, and preach vnto the Gentiles (&s;aith <HI>Ionah</HI>) I &s;hall bring &s;hame vpon I&s;rael before all people, becau&s;e a Prophet is gone from them for their ob&s;tinacie, choo&s;ing rather to preach vnto vncircumci|&s;ed Gentiles then vnto them, as if there were more hope of the Gentiles then of them. So <HI>Ionah</HI> more feareth the childrens di&s;grace then the Fathers di&s;honour, and their de&s;pight, then his di&s;plea&s;ure. Sathan is too well acquainted with mans nature, and &s;o more cartainelie knowes, then we wi&s;ely con&s;ider, that all Adams &s;onnes are from labour ea&s;ily brought to loiter: more willingly from feare and paine, to &s;ecuritie and plea&s;ure: there|fore &s;eldome or neuer doth he in tempting omit this en|ticement; It will be for thy ea&s;e, for thy delight, for thy &s;ecuritie. Therefore he &s;aith to <HI>Ionah,</HI> not onely the way to Niniuie is long and dangerous, thy per&s;on and me&s;&s;age odious, therfore thy trauell mu&s;t needs bee tedious, thy troubles greeuous, &amp;c. but al&s;o thy pa&s;&s;age to Tar&s;hi&s;h is ea&s;ie, thy &s;ecurity there &s;ure, thy plea&s;ures many, thy delight great. Yea, with this he a&s;&s;aulted Chri&s;t him|&s;elfe, &s;aying, when hee had &s;hewed him all the King|domes of the world, and the glory of them: All the&s;e will I giue thee, &amp;c. And doth thee not &s;o al&s;o euermore per&s;wade vs, this good; this gaine, this glory, this plea|&s;ure, or this preferment &s;halt thou get, if thou thus and thus deale? if if you will leaue the &s;ociety, the exerci&s;es, the profe&s;&s;ion, and the company of the children of God, and &s;erue me, and wor&s;hip mee: preferring your couetou&s;ne&s;&s;e, your pride, your lu&s;t, before the &s;eruice of God: not being &s;crupulous to &s;weare for your gaine &s;ometime, nor to lie for your plea&s;ure, nor to co|&s;en for riches: then you &s;hall not onely be free from
<PB REF="63"> the reproches wherewith profe&s;&s;ors are ouerwhelmed and the contempt wherein they are had, and the manie heauy &s;ighes that they are forced to fetch, but you &s;hall al&s;o grow rich &s;oone, and &s;o be well thought of, and had in e&s;timation, and by your wealth liue in ea&s;e with al plea|&s;ure, procuring euery thing your at hearts de&s;ire.</P>
<P>Thus <HI>Ionah,</HI> which way &s;oeuer he looke, is tempted on euery &s;ide: tempted to &s;inne, but not con&s;trained: vrged, but not compelled: for the diuell hath power to entice to &s;inne mightily, but not to enforce violently. Loe then comforts again&s;t this cro&s;&s;e. Our enemies power is in our Fathers hands: and our Sauiour pray|eth for vs being mo&s;t glorious in heauen, as he on earth <NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Co<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">r 10. 11. Rom. 8. 34. Luke 22. 32.</NOTE> in humility prayed for his Apo&s;tles, that our faith faile vs not. Bebold then al&s;o encouragements to fight a|gain&s;t his a&s;&s;aults: yet &s;ee a greater God hath giuen vs: this priuiledge, this promi&s;e haue we: Re&s;i&s;t the Diuel, and he &s;hall flie from you, Iam. 4. 7. God hath giuen no promi&s;e to the diuell, that if he per&s;wade hee &s;hall pre|uaile, if he vrge, we &s;hall yeelde: what a &s;hame is it to vs, that Sathan is bolder in tempting, then we are in re&s;i|&s;ting? Is he not? O that we could truely &s;ay, wee are as wi&s;e, as watchfull, as thoughtfull to with&s;tand Sathans a&s;&s;aults, as he is wilie, vigilant, and more then diligent to a&s;&s;ault.</P>
<P>But what doth <HI>Ionah,</HI> thus as we haue heard by &s;a|than a&s;&s;aulted? re&s;i&s;ts he as manfully as the Diuell hath &s;et on him cunningly? Alas no, <HI>Ionah</HI> is no &s;ooner di&s;|&s;waded to goe to Niniuie, then he is per&s;waded it were great folly: he is as &s;oone re&s;olued as he is enticed to go to Tar&s;hi&s;h, thinking it a chiefe point of wi&s;edome to &s;eek his owne ea&s;e, his owne plea&s;ure, his owne &s;weet de|light. One &s;aid, God &s;pake, and it was done. Surely the di|uel <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 1.</NOTE> al&s;o but &s;peakes, and it is done, for he is &s;uch an orator as no man can deny him. For who can gaine &s;ay him that coun&s;elleth as a &s;pecial friend, yea as a mo&s;t holy Angell?
<PB REF="64"> For he would &s;eeme to be not onely carefull, both to keep vs from danger, and the feare thereof, and to pro|cure vs all good: but al&s;o iealous of Gods honour, feare|full le&s;t men &s;hould de&s;pi&s;e the word, and &s;o their owne &s;aluaton: therfore he made not onely Gehezi to take a <NOTE PLACE="marg">2. King. 5. 22. 2. Tim. 4. 10. Mat. 26. 48. 70 Gen. 11. 8. Gen. 27. 13. 14. 18. Gen. 16. 43.</NOTE> bribe, Demas to embrace the world, Iudas to betray his Ma&s;ter, and Caine to kill his brother, but Rebecca al|&s;o to per&s;wade Iacob, and Iacob to be bold by lying to &s;eeke for the ble&s;&s;ing: yea the Father of the faithfull to commit folly with Hagar, as here <HI>Ionah</HI> not to go to Ni|niuie, le&s;t, for&s;ooth, God &s;hould not be true of his word: as if what to man &s;eemeth vnlikely, that were with God impo&s;&s;ible, and he could not be righteous, vnle&s;&s;e wee &s;hew our &s;elues impious.</P>
<P>We haue &s;eene &s;ome cau&s;es why &s;athan a&s;&s;aulting vs, hee &s;traight ouercomes vs: would any &s;ee more? we haue bin taught his power, malice, watchfulnes, and wilines: we haue mo&s;t fit and &s;ufficient armor mini&s;tred vnto vs: we haue a promi&s;e, that re&s;i&s;ting him, we &s;hall make him <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 6. 11. 14. 10. 16. Iam. 5. 7.</NOTE> flie from vs. Therefore &s;urely we forget our enemie, or neglect the promi&s;e, or take not to vs the whole armour of God, &s;pecially we like not that armor-bearer humili|ty: &s;ubmit your &s;elues to God, and then re&s;i&s;t he diuell. But moreouer, we to our owne certaine perill and paine (&s;o corrupt are we) ioyne with our enemy, more readie to doe his will then Gods word. Hereof no doubt foo|li&s;h Balaam asked againe and againe, till God &s;eeing him bent contrary to that he had bin commanded, left him <NOTE PLACE="marg">Num. 22. 8. 19. 21.</NOTE> vnto him&s;elfe: and &s;o Balaam went on in &s;inne &s;o long, till the very A&s;&s;e whereon he rode, was con&s;trained to reproue him. But would you how&s;oeuer Sathan temmpts, not be turned by him out of the right way? how&s;oeuer he fights, not to be foiled by him? would you haue him &s;oone to for&s;ake you, &s;peedily to flie from you, that is, would you re&s;i&s;t him? for when wee begin valiantly to fight, then forthwith he flies. Con&s;ider how &s;hamefull a
<PB REF="64"> thing it is, being euery way encouraged to fight, to &s;hew our &s;elues mo&s;t da&s;tardly cowards: how di&s;honourable to our captaine Chri&s;t, to yeeld the victory to his deadly enemy: how dangerous for our &s;elues, knowing he is a mo&s;t cruell tyrant, and mo&s;t inexorable, that mo&s;t glori|eth and &s;pecially takes plea&s;ure in putting vs to the mo&s;t bitter paine that po&s;&s;ibly he can, and therefore hauing ouercome vs, will for euer continue vs in mo&s;t intollera|ble torments. Yea, &s;aie&s;t thou, the&s;e things con&s;idered would make vs couragiou&s;ly to encounter with Sathan, and &s;o &s;oone to conquer him; but he comes often as a friend, as an Angell of light: how &s;hall I then de&s;cry him, that I may de&s;ie him and make him to flie?</P>
<P>How? here indeed is the hardnes: for he is a notable hypocrite, the father of hypocri&s;ie. But thou mu&s;t fol|low the coun&s;ell of Chri&s;t, Reu. 3. 18. Thou mu&s;t anoint thine eies with the eye &s;alue, that thou maie&s;t &s;ee. Thou mu&s;t be fulfilled with the knowledge of Gods will in all wi&s;edom &amp; &s;pirituall vnder&s;tanding, &amp; moreouer watch <NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 1. 9. 1. Pet. 5. 8.</NOTE> and be &s;ober. And la&s;tly, con&s;ider, fir&s;t how thy &s;pirit is affected: for our owne &s;pirit (by nature euermore hard) if it be moued by the &s;pirit of God, is &s;ad, &s;oft, and flow: but if it be moued by the &s;pirit of Sathan is proud, boy|&s;terous, and &s;tout: then, whether that which thou art in|deed mooued to be good or euill: if good, that is, agreea|ble to Gods word, then acknowledge it comes from God, for all good motions are the worke of the &s;pirit of God, how&s;oeuer they &s;eeme to proceed of our &s;elues. But if it be euill, that is, not agreeable with the word of God, then it is alwaies either a lu&s;t of our corrupt na|ture or a &s;ugge&s;tion of Sathan. Wherefore it is a &s;ure way to &s;ay when we are tempted to euil, this motion is of the diuell, for euen our corruption came of his &s;ugge&s;tion. For the &s;pirit of man is alwaies to&s;&s;ed betweene the&s;e two contrary &s;pirits, the &s;pirit of God procuring our &s;al|uation, &amp; the &s;pirit of &s;athan &s;eeking our condemnation.
<PB REF="65"> So that if any will get the victory of Sathan, he may not be without the &s;piritual &s;word, which is the word of God Ephe&s;i. 6. 17. Yea, he mu&s;t haue the word of God dwell in him plenteou&s;ly, Col. 3. 17. and cry &s;till, Open mine eyes, O Lord, P&s;alm. 119. 18 Giue me vnder&s;tan|ding, 34. and encline mine hart vnto thy te&s;timonies. 36 and beware that he &s;ubmit him&s;elfe duely, and diligent|ly watch.</P>
<P>Thus <HI>Ionah</HI> tempted, hath con&s;ented to neglect his charge, and doth he forth-with repent? No, he prepares him&s;elfe to his purpo&s;ed iourney. <HI>But Ionah aro&s;e to fl<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">e vnto Tar&s;hi&s;h.</HI> As <HI>Ionah</HI> was no &s;ooner tempted to goe to Tar&s;hi&s;h but he yeelded, &s;o as &s;oone as hee had yeelded, forth-with be to go. So <HI>Ionah</HI> made him&s;elfe a run-away and &s;hewed him&s;elfe a di&s;obedient &s;eraunt to his God. And in the meane while, Niniuie &s;et on the &s;core, and had no hoe with them in working wickedne&s;&s;e: but &s;till filling the cuuppe of all abominations, ranne downe to hell with as much force and &s;peede as they could. So Niniuie is &s;till Niniuie, but <HI>Ionah</HI> is not like <HI>Ionah,</HI> for the Prophet is flying, and &s;in is crying, and &s;o al falles to con|fu&s;ion.</P>
<Q>But Ionah aro&s;e vp to flie vnto Tar&s;hi&s;h, &amp;c.</Q>
<P><HI>Ionah</HI> flyeth vnto Tar&s;hi&s;h before he would goe to Niniuie; and euery one is like the &s;onne which &s;aid hee would not, before he went: and &s;o &s;inne is borne fir&s;t, as E&s;au, was borne before Iacob. Therefore if euill may compare with goodnes in particular actions, in al man|kind <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 34. 25. 26</NOTE> corrupt, euill may &s;ay he is the ancienter. But as &s;oone as thou perceiue&s;t any euill cogitation or motion in thy &s;elfe, be thou wroth with it, nip it in the head, put it to death, and then the vncleane &s;pirit that hath long bene &s;trong, and with delight dwelt in thee, will &s;oone <NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 8 31.</NOTE> be weary of thy hou&s;e, and &s;ay as the euill &s;pirit &s;aid; Here is no dwelling for vs, let vs goe to yonder heard of &s;wine.</P>
<Q><PB REF="65">But Ionah aro&s;e vp to flie vnto Tar&s;hi&s;h, &amp;c.</Q>
<P><HI>Ionah</HI> was &s;ent to Niniuie, but he went toward Tar|&s;hi&s;h. And &s;o it is alwaies with vs, wee are euer doing that we &s;hould not doe. For either we doe nothing, or that which we are not commaunded, or el&s;e otherwi&s;e then we are commanded. Sometime mo&s;t rebelliou&s;ly we do that which we know the Lord &s;traitly forbid|deth. And as <HI>Ionah</HI> tooke Tar&s;hi&s;h for Niniuie, &s;o we take the diuell for an Angell, light for darkne&s;&s;e, &amp;c. <HI>But Ionah ro&s;e vp, &amp;c.</HI> They that &s;hould preach at Nini|uie, are flying to Tar&s;hi&s;h, and though hee bee like a drone, yet doth hee, euen the Non-re&s;ident, keepe his beneficie fa&s;ting, fea&s;ting him&s;elfe: but wilt thou keepe it &s;till? go and preach at Niniuie as ye haue been doubly commanded, or for &s;hame leaue your priuledge and benefice: but they &s;tand &s;taggering, a&s;hamed to keepe it, and loth to leaue it. For the &s;weete mor&s;els of Baals prie&s;ts are plea&s;ant vnto them, that they cannot find in their hearts to leaue them, as long as they are able to keep them. But no maruaile that <HI>Ionah</HI> fled to Tar&s;hi&s;h, when he &s;hould go to Niniuie. For this is a &s;tumbling vo|cation among&s;t men, yea reiected by the children of this world which alway kick again&s;t it: &s;o that if you would aske for a painefull vocation, this is it; if for a thankle&s;&s;e vocation, this is it; if for a contemptible vocation, this it it: for reproouing, we are reproued: ble&s;&s;ing, we are cur|&s;ed: preaching peace we make war: proclaming liberty, we are impri&s;oned; doe what we can, we are per&s;ecuted: &amp; for our worke worthy of loue, we receiue of the mo&s;t, hatred: of few yea very few, not any more then a cold affection. Hereof it hath come to pa&s;&s;e that Moi&s;es and Ieremy called, excu&s;ed them&s;elues; Ezekiel hauing re|ceiued his charge, went in bitternes &amp; indignation of his <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ex. 3. 11. 4. 10. 13. Ier. 1. 6. Eze. 3. 14. 3. 15 Exod. 5. 2<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> &s;pirit, and &s;euen daies neglected his charge, as <HI>Ionah</HI> here doth his: and Moi&s;es, Eliah, and Ieremie, at length com|plained: &amp; (which to the be&s;t men is the greate&s;t griefe)
<PB REF="66"> it is as ea&s;ie almo&s;t to wa&s;h a blacke Moore white, as to conuert a &s;inner, becau&s;e Sathan is euer cro&s;&s;ing men do|ing <NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Kin. 19. 10. and 14. Ier. 20. 7.</NOTE> the will of God, but &s;pecially hindring the cour&s;e of right preaching. For the Lord was not &s;o earne&s;t to &s;top the way of Balaam, le&s;t he &s;hould commit wickednes, as the diuell is earne&s;t to &s;top the way of euery <HI>Ionah,</HI> le&s;t he fulfill righteou&s;nes, that is, cry again&s;t Niniuie, longing, and duely that is, wi&s;ely, and earne&s;tly labouring to con|uert Niniuie.</P>
<Q>But Ionah ro&s;e vp to flie vnto Tar&s;hi&s;h from the pre&s;ence of the Lord, &amp;c.</Q>
<P>The righteous fall, and now no le&s;&s;e then a Prophet, yea &s;uch a Prophet as was the figure of Chri&s;t. But who would haue thought that &s;uch a Prophet &s;hould flie from the Lord, yea and that when he &s;hould doe him mo&s;t &s;eruice? who counteth that no wickedne&s;&s;e now, that he euer thought and taught was rebellion, while he was among the wicked? A fearefull example: therefore let him that thinks he &s;tandeth, take hee left hee fall, for the way is &s;lippery wherein we are to walke. When thou remembre&s;t the fall of the Prophets, then con&s;ider that thou art much weaker then a Prophet, and therefore the ea&s;ier to be encountred and ouerthrown, and the like|lier to haue a mo&s;t greeuous fall, except the Lord doe mightily vphold thee, &s;eeing &s;uch a one cannot &s;tand in the &s;ight of his &s;o mortal enemy, but by him receiueth &s;o greeuous a fall. Secondly, if thou &s;ee <HI>Ionah</HI> flie, Moi|&s;es murmure, Dauid fal to adultery, Salomon to Idolatry and Peter to for&s;weare his Ma&s;ter, then mai&s;t thou learn not to tru&s;t to thine own &s;trength, for it is weaknes; not to thine owne wi&s;edome, for it is &s;infull; but &s;eeke helpe <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iam. 5. 5. Mark. 12. 20.</NOTE> and craue &s;trength at the hands of Almighty God, who giueth to euery one that asketh indifferently, and hit|teth no man in the teeth; which doth not bru&s;e the bro|ken reede, nor quench the &s;moking flaxe, but doth ra|ther encrea&s;e our zeale then dimini&s;h it. Thirdly, iudge
<PB REF="66"> wi&s;ely of the fal of <HI>Ionah,</HI> not ra&s;hly condemning him for his fault: for although Dauid ioyned murther with adul|tery, yet he repented, and is the deere child of God.</P>
<Q>And he found a &s;hip going to Tar&s;hi&s;h.</Q>
<P><HI>Ionah</HI> was no &s;ooner come to <HI>Iapho,</HI> but he goes to the hauen, or meetes with Mariners, and pre&s;ently vnder|&s;tands of a &s;hip, not going to Niniuie, but to Tar&s;hi&s;h. As &s;oone as hee &s;et forward to flie from God, Sathan &s;traightwaies prepared a &s;hip, &s;o that temptation and doc|ca&s;ion of &s;inne doe alwaies goe together. Shall <HI>Iudas</HI> lack money, or <HI>Ionah</HI> &s;tay for a &s;hip? No (&s;aith Sathan) by the mouth of his mini&s;ters; here <HI>Iudas,</HI> take thee money, and betray thy Ma&s;ter; and <HI>Ionah,</HI> here is a &s;hip for thee: goe ha&s;t thee away, and flie from the pre&s;ence of the Lord. For the diuell is alwaies a very &s;eruiceable and plea&s;ant diuell to &s;uch as flie from God: he can finde occa&s;ion at all times, and meanes, and in&s;truments fit for that pur|po&s;e. If thou wilt flie from God, the diuel will lend thee both &s;purres and a hor&s;e, yea a po&s;t-hor&s;e, and that will carry you &s;wiftly and lu&s;tily away, vnto all vanitie and vngodly lu&s;ts. Therefore if any will aske what the di|uels occupation is, it is to tempt, to entice by all meanes, to prouoke to &s;in, and then to prouide vs of the meanes to practi&s;e our purpo&s;e to commit (and as <HI>Iames</HI> &s;pea|keth) to bring forth &s;inne.</P>
<Q>And he payed the fare thereof.</Q>
<P>This mony was ca&s;t into the Sea, it did him as little good, as if hee had vtterly lo&s;t it: it had beene good for him if he had lo&s;t it, for it did him much harme. There are many that will &s;pend and wa&s;te, they care not how much vpon cards and dice, and vnlawfull games, this money al&s;o is ca&s;t into the Sea, for it doth them much more harme then they know of it, doth them no good, it were good for them they had not a penny to lo&s;e. And &s;o men care not what they pay for vanities &amp; braueries, the mo&s;t part of which is vnprofitable, &amp; rather hurtfull
<PB REF="67"> then nece&s;&s;ary for them, but onely for the vaine v&s;e of the pre&s;ent time, and for &s;ome vaine re&s;pect: this al&s;o is ca&s;t into the Sea, and better &s;hould they be, if they had it not to laui&s;h, and to their owne and many others hurt &s;o to garni&s;h them&s;elues. Men care not what they pay for their vanities, &s;o it doth plea&s;e their mind for the pre&s;e~t, with|out con&s;ideration of the end and v&s;e thereof; but they will giue little or nothing to do good withall: &s;o that La|zarus can get nothing, and Dauid can get no meat. Shal <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 16. 21. 1. Sam. 23. 10. 11.</NOTE> I take my bread and my wine, and the fle&s;h which I haue prouided for my &s;hearers, &amp; giue them vnto one, whom J know not, &s;aith churli&s;h Nabal? We can be content to giue any thing, or do any thing to win the world thereby but we will giue nothing nor doe nothing, thereby to win the kingdom of God.</P>
<P>We haue heard <HI>Ionah</HI> confe&s;&s;ing that hee receiued a charge to goe to Niniuie, but hee aro&s;e and fled toward Tar&s;hi&s;h, and went downe to Iapho, and found a &s;hip, going to Tar&s;hi&s;h, and paid the fare thereof, and went downe into it: heereafter we &s;hall heare, that being en+tred the &s;hip, hee went to &s;leepe, and &s;lept &s;oundly, and being wakened, hee confe&s;&s;ed not his &s;inne, but &s;uffered the Mariners to deui&s;e to find out for who&s;e cau&s;e they were to troubled, and at length al&s;o the lots to bee ca&s;t neuer confe&s;&s;ing it vntill he was enforced to it. VVhat needed hee to rehear&s;e all this? had it not beene enough to haue &s;aid, that he left his bu&s;ine&s;&s;e vndone, hee was a &s;inner? No, for God would haue men to know the &s;tubbornnes and di&s;obedience of <HI>Ionah,</HI> in that this, thing was not done vpon the &s;udden, but vpon deliberation, and in no &s;hort time, but in &s;ome continuance, while he went from Samaria to Iapho: and thence was depar|ted, and had &s;omewhile &s;ailed. In which &s;pace hee had lea&s;ure enough to haue repented, but did not. <HI>Ionah</HI> confe&s;&s;ed his &s;inne, that hee &s;hould not once haue li&s;tned to &s;athans a&s;&s;aults or rea&s;ons of the fle&s;h, and when hee
<PB REF="67"> had li&s;tned, he &s;hould not haue liked them, and when he had liked them he &s;hould not haue con&s;ented to obey them, and when he had con&s;ented he &s;hould not haue put them in practi&s;e; he &s;hould not haue fled toward Iapho; and when he was come to Iapho, he &s;hould not haue gone to the hauen; and when he came to the heauen, hee &s;hould not haue paid the fare; and when hee had paid the fare, he &s;hould not haue entred the &s;hip, and when he was entred the &s;hippe, he &s;hould not haue hoy&s;ed vp the &s;ailes, and &s;ailed, and gone to &s;leepe. But this he did, teaching that &s;inne runnes on wheeles, as it were downe a hill in a ll po&s;t-ha&s;t, and neuer &s;taies till it ariue euen in hell. For <HI>Ionah</HI> thought becau&s;e he came &s;afe to Iapho, therefore he might goe to the heauens &amp; becau&s;e he came well to the hauen, therefore he might pay the fare; and becau&s;e he paid the fare in peace, therfore he might take &s;hipping; and becau&s;e he entred the &s;hip in &s;afety, there|fore he might hoy&s;e vp the &s;ailes to goe, and becau&s;e hee hoy&s;ed vp the &s;ailes without danger, therefore he might go &s;ecurely to &s;leepe, and &s;afely to &s;aile to Tar&s;hi&s;h.</P>
<P>So &s;innes follow one another like linkes of a chayne, till the tempe&s;t of de&s;truction breake it in &s;under. So &s;aith the forlorne &s;inner, I haue &s;worne, and God did not puni&s;h mee, therefore I will &s;teale: I haue &s;toln and God did not puni&s;h mee, therefore I will kill. I haue killed and God did not puni&s;h me, then why may I not doe what I li&s;t? I may do this as wel as I haue done other things heeretofore. But if Ionah had con&s;idered with him&s;elfe that God is the Lord, who is all &s;eeing &amp; almighty, from whom nothing can be concealed, hee would neuer haue taken his iourney to Iapho, or when he came to Iapho, hee would not haue paied the fare, or when he had paied the fare, hee would not haue entred the ship, or when he was gone into the &s;hip, he would not haue hoi&s;t the &s;ailes, but rather would haue leapt out from that &s;hip that &s;hould carry him from his God,
<PB REF="68"> carrying him from his duty: but he forgets him&s;elfe thin|king the creatures can hide him from the Creator, which <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 4. 13.</NOTE> is an ab&s;urd thing to thinke, &s;eeing nothing can bee hid from him: neither would any, I &s;ay, adde drunkenne&s;&s;e to thir&s;t, or heape &s;inne vpon &s;inne, or &s;uffer an euill thought to take place in him, if they con&s;ider that the iu&s;t Iehouah be held them in all their very thoughts. All tho&s;e that pity <HI>Ionah,</HI> let them pity them&s;elues; for if we con&s;ider our owne e&s;tate, wee haue as many, and as &s;oule &s;innes in vs, as there were in <HI>Ionah,</HI> yea in Niniuie <HI>Ionah</HI> confe&s;&s;ed his &s;inne, that we might confe&s;&s;e. Hee confe&s;&s;ed it freely, he confe&s;&s;ed it fully, that hee knew his ma&s;ters will, but not onely did it not, but al&s;o took ano|ther cour&s;e quite contrary to that which hee was com|manded: and that not in purpo&s;e onely, but in deede al|&s;o; not for an houre, but a long time; not in &s;trugling with his weaknes, but in a profound vngodly carele&s;ne&s;&s;e, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 word"> in &s;triuing to ouer-ma&s;ter his con&s;cience, accu&s;ing him for his wickednes. And wherefore hath he written it but to admoni&s;h vs narrowly to looke to our &s;elues, and manfully to fight that we may &s;tand where he fell; and when we haue fallen, as freely and fully to confe&s;&s;e it to God al|waies, and to man al&s;o, when wi&s;edome com|maunds.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
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<P><HI>At London Printed for</HI> William Leake, <HI>dwelling in Pauls Church-yard at the &s;igne of the Holy Gho&s;t.</HI> 1610.</P>
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