THE DAY OF HEARING: Or, SIX LECTURES UPON THE latter part of the third Chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews: of the time and means that God hath appointed for men to come to the knowledge of his truth, that they may be saved from his wrath.  
The summary points of every one of which Lectures are set down immediately after the Epistle dedicatory.  
Hereunto is adjoined a Sermon against fleshly lusts, & against certain mischievous May-games which are the fruit thereof.  
By H. R. Master of Arts, and now Minister of the word.  joh. 3 19 
This is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  
Printed at Oxford by joseph Barnes, and are to be sold in Paul's churchyard, at the sign of the Bible. 1600.   

TO THE RIGHT Honourable, SIR THOMAS EGERTON, Knig●●, Lord Keeper of the great seal of England, & one of her Majesty's most Honourable pr●v●● counsel, my especial benefactor, the increase and continuance of all spiritual blessings, with that true honour which is from God, & lasteth for evermore.  
DUTY binding me (Right honourable) to show some testimony of a thankful mind towards you, I have presumed so far as to offer to your good Lordship this small exercise of mine, such as it is, which I have taught and written according to the ability that God hath given me, & as the charge committed to me required.  
The Apostle Paul instructeth his scholar Timotheus, and in him all ministers that have the charge of teaching, to show themselves approved unto God, 
〈◊〉. Tim. 〈◊〉. 〈◊〉  as workmen that need not to be ashamed, dividing the word of truth aright. For in so dividing of the word consisteth the life & force of the ministry, that all men, what age or condition soever they be of, which willbe fed to live everlastingly, may have their portion of meat given them out of that word, & that in season, or conveniently, that it may be savoury & pleasant as the venifon of jacob was unto his father Isaac, and not unsavoury as the sons of Elie made the offering of the Lord to be abhorred.  
But such is the untowardness of this age, which, in respect of the time, should have abounded with all knowledge necessary to salvation, that not only country people (specially where the word hath seldom been divided aright) but also the inhabitants of towns & cities, in too many places of this land, have need to be taught the first principles of the word of God. For now in the latter days, on the one side, the pride of life, Atheism, & the custom of sin hath so bewitched the world, that the hearts of most men are become fat, & their ears are dull of hearing, that the word which they hear doth not profit them: neither do the manifold tokens of God's anger revealed against the impiety & unrighteousness of this age, (as the pestilence, the late dearth, sundry new & strange sicknesses) nor the present troubles of wars, beside other innumurable examples of God's displeasure daily seen among us, any thing move secure worldlings, and such as are hardened in ungodliness, to turn from their own ways, & to obey the gospel of God while it is yet called To day. And on the other side, the poison of the whorish church of Rome hath so spread itself over the world, that as certain wild beasts, of which Cicero writeth, 
Den●l. dear. lib. 2.  when they be hunted, are wont with an intolerable filthy sent to drive from them the hunters; so the leaven of Antichrist, though he be now hunted to his place, hath infected all that way where he hath gone, that the unwholesome savour there of cannot yet be purged with the bright fire of God's word: no not in those places where the word hath of a long season been divided aright, not withstanding the continual diligence of faithful Pastors in their ministry, the unreproveablenes of their conversation, and the godly writings of many learned and zealous men.  
For mine own part (being one of the least & last among my brethren in this so weighty a calling) as afflictions are the assigned portion of a Christian, I have been weakened with God's visitation of sickness, & chastened with the adversities of this life, that little was the good that could be done by such as I am. I rejoice of mine infirmities, knowing (as 
* Mar●i● 〈…〉 h●r.  one, that was sufficiently tried with afflictions, hath written for the comfort of others) that experience & practise in bearing the cross is that which maketh a right divine, & a true Christion indeed. Howbeit, having, now above a year since, at several times, according to that measure of grace that I received, exercised upon the latter part of the 3. Chap. of the ●ipist to the Hebrews, & supposing that setipture to be most fit to be handled in these days, and among those people whom I was to instruct, I thought it my duty, and the rather being requested, to publish the same to the benefit of others, specially of such as hunger after good things, & accept of that portion of meat which curious & full stomachs have no lust to. I have added thereto a sermon, the matter whereof & the cause of annexing it to these Lectures is briefly specified in the preface to the reader. if profane writings, as histories of profane men's lives, books of lustful love, invented fables, & tricks of vain men's wits, which help to build the Babel of pride, & to fortify the Egypt of sin, be so favourably received & studied on in the world, much more is Christian doctrine to be regarded of Christian men. And whereas great clerks and grave divines do out of the treasure of their many years studies bring their gold and blue silk to the building of the lords sanctuary, let goats hair be accepted at the hands of younger and Poorer men, so it be fit for the building, and be offered of a willing heart, as the Lord requireth. It 
〈◊〉 ●55  skilleth not what proud and envious men judge of our enterprise, so long as we have the testimony of a pure conscience. The world is always like itself, full of scorpion like scoffers. And it is no new thing to see the common evil of envy so to reign in most men, that they have other men's doings in obloquje, & ●●eke to depratie them. And this they do, as the Poet saith: (ducunt; Vel quia nil rectum, nisi quod placuit sibi, 
〈…〉 〈◊〉. 〈◊〉. 〈◊〉.  Vel quia turpe putant parere minoribus. either because they count nothing well done, but that which pleaseth their humour: or else because they think it a foul disgrace that their inferiors should; go before them.  
But that I be not tedious unto your honour; as I have found undeserved favour at your hands, so, being not otherwise able to testify my love to you, I am bold to present unto your Lordship this little fruit of my labour, hoping that of your wont clemency & favour, you will accept of it, as a mite of a willing mind, and unfeigned good will. And in that I have therein alleged other authors beside the holyscriptures, I did it of care to have every truth confirmed in the mouth of approved witnesses.  
I need not here speak of your Lordship's good deserts. I know that a virtuous man loveth not to hear his own praise: for it is better to be a good man indeed, then in men's opinion to be so accounted. Wherefore as GOD hath exalted you to honour and dignity, and (as a learned young man hath lately written to you) hath made you a keeper of many vines, and, as we see, hath wrought in you a notable care under her Majesty to provide for the welfare of his Church; so I beseech him that is Lord of Lords long to preserve your honour in all safety, and to increase in you his gifts of grace, to the setting forth of his glory, to the continual good of his church, & finally to your own eternal comfort, through the merits of his son Christ jesus. And whereas the world is in danger of eternal perdition, as great part through irreligiousness and atheism without either knowledge or true fear of God, and a great part through affected ignorance and obstinate frowardness in Popish customs; we are to pray daily that it may please God to wake men out of the sleep of sin and voluptuous living, and by the power of his holy word still to weaken the kingdom of sin and of Antichrist, and to call those that are to be called to the knowledge of his truth while it is yet called To day.  
Your Honour's most bounden Orator, HUGH ROBERTS.   

THE CONTENTS, OR BRIEF sum of the Lecture: upon the latter part of the third Chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews, set down in order, as followeth.  
1 The first Lecture, upon the 7. 8. 9 10. and 11. verses; of the authority of the word of God; & of the special causes why this scripture, being part of one of the Psalms of David, is alleadge● by the Apostle writing to the Hebrews.  
2 The second Lecture, upon the 12. and 13. verses; of the fru●t of an evil heart; of mutual ex●●●tation; and of the dectit fullness of sin.  
3 The third Lecture, upon the 14. verse; of faith; and of the assurance of salvation, and ever lasting felicity to the true believers.  
4 The fourth Lecture, upon the 15. verses of the necessity of hearing the word of God; how the bardening of the heart is to be understood; and of the error of praying in the church; specially in the time of public 〈◊〉, or of c●mmon pr●●ers.  
5 The fifth Lecture, upon the 16. and 17 verses; of the wickedness of m●ns nature; all ●en are naturally bend to idolatry; we must imitate the faithful (though they be but few in number, or in one age) whom God raiseth up in all ages to confess his name; of God's long sufferance & bountifulness towards (inners; of sin, and the fruit thereof.  
6 The sixth and last Lecture, upon the 18. and 19 versest of the punishment of the● that obey ●●t the Gospel, though for a time they be borne with, and live in a flourishing states what the tokens of God's judgements, which befall in the world, and wherewith some men are visited, should profit us; the word of God is the judge of men, which word is to be obeyed while the day of grace lasteth.   

THE FIRST LECTURE, UPON the words of the Prophet David, alleged by the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews, cha. 3. ve. 7. 8. 9 10. & 11. of the authority of the word of God: and of the special causes why this scripture of the Prophet is here alleged: with the application thereof.  
7 Wherefore, as the holy Ghost saith, to day if ye will hear his voice.  
8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, according to the day of temptation in the wilderness.  
9 Where your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works for ●i● years long.  
10 When fore I was grieved with that generation, and said they err ever in their heart, neither have they known my waie●.  
11 Wherefore I swore in my wrat, if they shall enter into my rest.  
IN the beginning of this chapter (men and brethren beloved in Christ) the Apostle, that was the author of this epistle, exhorteth the Hebrews, or jews, to whom he writeth, to consider Christ jesus, the Apostle, & high Priest, as he faith, of our profession of Chrstianisme; & he compareth him with that great and renowned Prophet of God, Moses; because the Jews did magnisie the remembrance of Moses, by whom God had planted and established both the religion & civil government of the people of Israel: and therefore it is written of him, there arose not a Prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, who, the Lord knew 
Deut. 34 10  face to face. And for this cause in the ninth of john, the jews stand so precisely upon the authority of Moses, and say, we be Moses diseiples. 
To 9 28. 29.  we know that God spoke with Moses. Now to prove that Christ far excelleth Moses in honour and authority, the Apostle useth two notable and familiar arguments. The one he draweth from a comparison between the builder & the house which he h●th builded: Ch●ist is the builder of his spiritual house, which is the church; Moses was but one part of the building: therefore Christ is above Moses. The other from a comparison between the heir, or the natural son, and the servant of his house: Christ is the son; Moses was but a servant: therefore Christ is more honourable than Moses. Here upon the Apostle inferreth th●t all the faithful which profess Christian religion are the house of Christ, if they persevere and continue in his grace unto the end.  
But because without faith it is unpossible 
Heb. 11. 6. Row. 10. 17  to ple●se God, and without the hearing of the word of God faith is not attained, and without a good heart there cometh no profit 
Heb. 42.  by hearing.  
Therefore, that they which hear the word of God may be effectually joined to this building of the house of God, and that they may be so prepared to hear this word, that it may be so prepared to hear this word, that it may not be unto them a favour of death unto death, but of life unto life, the Apostle allegeth this scripture out of the Psalms of David: the authority whereof 
Psal 95.  he attributeth to the holy Ghost, who spoke by the Prophets. And here we learn that the holy scriptures which we hear or read, thought they be named after that Prophet, that Apostle, or that Evangelist by whom they were ministered or written, are not with standing the lively oracles of God, and the very words of the holy Ghost, who inspired the Prophets ●nd holy Ghost, who inspired the Prophets and holy men, and moved them to speak as they were taught and directed from above: according as the Apostle Peter 
2. P●●. 1. 10. 21.  witnesleth, know this, that no prophecy in the scripture is of any private 〈◊〉: for the prophec, came not in old time by the will of 〈◊〉: but h●l●● 〈◊〉 of God spoke as they were moved by the holy Ghost. And likewise when of sin, is by the faithful pastor collected and preached out of the sacred scriptures, we are to teceyve the same, and to esteem of it, as if God himself did speak unto us, who then showeth his face unto us so far as we are able to abide it, but his glorious voice, our frail nature clad with sin and transgression cannot endure to hear, without the ministery of men, as it appeareth in the Israelits, who say to Moses, talk 
Exod. 20. 19  thou with us, and we will heart: but i●t not God talk with us lest we die.  
And yet, when we are taught by God's ministers, it is the holy Ghost that teacheth us, Of whose wisdom the Apostle saith, we have this treasure in earthen vessels: 
2. Cor. 4. 7.  even heavenly treasure, pure and vndesiled. for, as we see the water of a fountain when it is put into the earthen vessels, doth not change his nature and quality that it had before: And the light of the sun, though it shine through a window into a dark place, doth nevertheless retain that virtue & operation which it hath from the body of the sun; so the ministry of men, which are the organs or instruments of the holy Ghost, altereth not the nature and property, neither diminisheth the authority of those things which they, minister. We must beware therefore that we give not the less credue to the wisdom of the holy Ghost because we hear it at the mouth of men. For, it is written, God 
2. Cor. 4. ●  that commanded the light to shine out of darkness, is he which hath shined in the hearts of his Ministers to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of GOD in the face of JESUS CHRIST. And therefore whosoever believeth not men, teaching as they are taught of GOD, the same believeth not the spirit of GOD who hath made them able Ministers of his holy will revealed in his word. For CHRIST hath given that commission to his true Ministers, that he sayeth of them, he that heareth you, heareth 
Luke 10. 1●  me, and he that despiseth you despiseth me  
Now seeing that the Canonical scriptures are the sayings of the holy Ghost, who yet speaketh to us, 〈◊〉 oft as we hear them ministered and taught, shall we not give great heed to so great a Doctor, that his words may persuade and take place in our hearts to the winning of the soul? for this cause this scripture with the rest of that Psalm of David was usually sung among the Jews, upon the sabbath days, when the church came together, that it might stir them up to a more attentive hearing of the law and the Prophets. And so likewise this psalm is wont to be read, or song in our churches in these days, before the common prayers and divine exercise of the other scriptures, as a preparative to the estectuall hearing of Good voice; And not to give place to evil thoughts, and worldly cogitations which are wont to harden men's hearts, and to cause many to departed out of the church, as wise, and with as little knowledge, as they came to it.  
To omit now the particular handling of these words of the Prophet: for they are afterwards repeated and applied by the Apostle, as we shall see in the handling thereof: let us here consider three especial causes why this scripture is here alleged: whereof the first is, that the Hebrews might have no 
I  cause to glory of their farhers and progenitors after the ●lesh. For those their fathers which, as they boast of, had eaten Manna●●● 
joh. 6. 31.  the wilderness, tempted God, faith the Prophet; and therefore he exhorteth their posterity, and all that hear the same word of salvation, which was preached unto those fathers by Moses, not to harden their heart ●s as they did.  
There is nothing so common in the mouth of vanie and superstitious men, as the praise of their forefather's, and of the days that are past; as if it were enough for us, if we could but follow the example of our fathers; never examining how they believed, ●r how they heard the word of God, or whether they have heard it at all. And we think that our sins sh●l not come into judgement if we have learned them of our fathers. But do we not hear that God faith in the second commandment, that he is is a jealous God, visiting the sins of 
Exod 20. 5.  the fathers, upon the children, upon the third generation, and upon the fourth of them that hate him? that is, as a worthy teacher expoundeth 
Bullinger upon the second commandment.  it, if the children walk in the crooked steps of their fathers, and think that their iniquity ●hall not be punished, because they have learned it of● their fathers, yet God will sharply revenge it in the children, although he touched not their fathers when they committed the same iniquity. The people that were left from the captivity of Babylon object against the Prophet jeremiah that when they, and their fathers did burn incense unto the Queen of 
jer. 44. 17. 18.  heaven, and power out drink offerings unto her, they had plenty of victuals, and all was well with them. But when they left of that service, we have had, say they, scarcenesss of all things, and have been consumed by the sword and by the famine. The Prophet replieth, that because they and their fathers with their Kings and Princes h●dde done such things, therefore the LORD could no longer forbear 
jer. 44. 20. 21. 22.  it, but brought those plagues upon them.  
And thus do the froward people of our days, which wink at the light, deceive themselves, objecting that our fathers, (which as they say, were of the old religion) had plenty of all things, and felt no want. And because they are touched with the evils of these days, (which notwithstanding are nothing so great as the obstinacy and wilful ignorance of this age hath deserved) they run into that note of folly, why is it that the 
Eccle. 〈◊〉. 12.  former days were better than these?  
This hath been the old complaint of all ages. The heathen 
* Ovid fastlib. I. laudamus veteres, sed nostril utimut annis.  Poet saith laudamus veteres, we are wont to praise the years of our forefathers. This cometh from the darkness of our nature, that we judge foolishly of those things whereof we be ignorant, according to this saying of a learned teacher: because we 
Bishop jewel.  feel not our fathers evils, therefore we imagine they had no evil at al. But though it were true that our fathers have had the peace, and posperitie of this world, yet if we will look into that age, wherein they lived, we shall find nothing whereof we may glory. For indeed it was the Egypte of superstition and spiritual darkness, and therefore as 
* Deering upon the epistle to the Hebr. lect. 24.  one hath left in writing upon this Epistle to the Hebrews, if we go after Baalims' which our fathers have taught us, we shall be fed with the wormwood which our fathers have leaten. Yea let us assure ourselves we shall be beaten with more stripes than our fathers, if we will wittingly tread in their steppe●. For as Bulliuger saith, if thy forefathers 
Bulliuget upon th● Apoc. set. 35.  bad had the like opportunity which then neglectest, what a space would they have run afore thee.  
And therefore, as it shall be easier for Tyr●● 
Luke. 10. 14.  and S●lon at the day of judgement then for them that heard Christ, and saw his miracles, and were not the better therefore: so, I may say, it shall be easier for our forefathers at that day, then for them, which bring forth no good fruit, nor make profession of the truth (being preached and made known unto them) which hath not been so revealed to our fathers, as it is now to the people of our days.  
The second cause why the Apostle reciteth 
2  this scripture of David, is, that with the example, and punishment of them that tempted and hardened their hearts in the deseite, he might terrify the Hebrewes, and make them more careful to receive the words of exhortation, and to obey the voice of Christ the mediator of the new testament, whose voice; as he is greater than Moses, so shall they draw upon them great erpunishment which neglect to hear it.  
The children of Israel, of whom mention is here made, after they were delivered out of Egypt by Moses, for all that they had seen the works of God, & his miracles which he wrought for them in Egypt, & at the red sea, yet they tempted him in the wilderness, and doubted of his ●goodnesse and providence towards them, and said, is the Lord among us or no? because they had not 
Exod. 17. 7.  water at their pleasure. This was the provocation which is here mentioned, wherewith the Lord God was tempted, in the wilderness, of his own people, after that he had delivered them out of the hands of their enemies.  
And again when they should have gone out of the wilderness into the land of Canaan to possess it, and to dwell therein, where they should have had rest, peace, and prosperity, yet they believed not the word of God, 
* The children of Israel are commanded to go up and possess the land which God had said before them: but they say they will send men to search out the land, Deur. I. 21. 22. and therefore the Lord, s●●ll, bearing with them, biddeth them len, Num. 1●. ●3. how be it the event and issue of their sending, declareth that it came from the people● disobedience to the word of God: for the years, in which they did b●●r● their iniquity in the wilderness, are measured with the number or the days, in the which they had searched out the land of C●naan, Num. 13. 14. 33. 34.  but sent twelve men, a man out of every tribe of the children of Israel to search the land to know what manner of land it was, and whether they might obtain it or no; as if the living God, and Lord of the whole earth, which had done so many things for them, should not now be able to subdue their enemies, and to give them the land according to his promise. And when the twelve men returned, after forty days, from searching of the land, and brought with them of the fruit thereof to show to all the congregation of the children of Israel, ten of the twelve brought up an evil report & slander upon the land, & to these ten men, the whole assembly gave credit, and their words to them seemed to be true. And therefore they murmured against Moses and Aaron, and would have made a 
Num. 14.  new captain to bring them again unto Egypt; but joshua and Caleb (two of the twelve that had searched the land) all the multitude would have stoned with stones, for the truth sake which these two men reported of the land, & because they persuaded the people not to rebel against the Lord.  
Thus the Israelites that came out of Egypt tempted the Lord in the wilderness and provoked him to anger by following the counsels of their own hearts, & therefore the Lord saith of them, as it is in this text, they err ●ver in their hearts, and what was then their punishments? as I live, saith the Lord, I will surely do unto you, even as ye have spoken in mine ears; 
Num. 14. 28. 2●.  your carcases shall sal in this wilderness etc. And so it came to pass: for of the six hundredth thousand, which came out of Egypt●, and were able to discern between good and evil, none but two men, Caleb the son of jephiumeth, and joshua the son of Nun, which constantly, as the scripture saith, followed 
Num. 32. 12  the Lord, did enter into the land of Canaan to inhabit it; all the rest were consumed in the terrible wilderness according to the word of the Lord, for Moses saith, and the Lord was 
Num. 32. 13  very angry with Israel, and made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation that had done evil in the sight of the Lord were consumed. And here the text saith, therefore I swore in my wrath if they should enter into my rest.  
Where it is said, in my wrath, we are to understand that God, who is a spirit immortal, infinite, and incomprehensible, with whom is 
1am. 1. 17.  no variableness, neither shadow by turning, is not subject to any of these passions which the scriptures seem to attribute unto him, as wrath, jealousy, grief, repentance, and the like. But these things are figuratively applied to God after the manner of men for our understanding sake, which are not able to conceive of heavenly things, without metaphors, allegories, ●arables and similitudes, borrowed from earthly and natural things, which are therefore so much used in holy scriptures for ou●● learning. And here by the name of wrath, or anger, is set forth the determinate sentence of God's eternal justice against sin and disobedience.  
And when it is said, that he swore, it teacheth us fear, and confirmeth to us that God's threatenings fall not to the ground without 
Augustine in Psal 95.  full effect. For as Aurelius Augustine saith upon this place, iurantem hominem debes timere, thou oughtest to fear when a man sweareth, lest for his oaths sake he should do that which is 
* As Herod did Mar. 6. 26. when he caused john Bapsist to be beheaded.  against his will; how much more, saith he, oughtest thou to fear when God sweareth, who can swore nothing rashly? his oath is a sure confirmation. Whereas in deed, as another father saith, every word of God ought to be taken for anoth. And this phrase, of they shall outer, doth aggravate the threatening. For here is an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, that is, a concealing of that that would be uttered, after the manner of men, when one through indignation, or anger, or otherwise moved with some passion of the mind, uttereth not out his meaning to a full and perfect serce. And the meaning of this is, if they shall enter into my rest, my word is of no force, or I am not to be believed when I speak. Our saviour Christ, mourning for the pharisees because of the hardness of their hearts, useth the same phrase of speech in the gospel by Mark, sayings, verily I sa●● unto you, if a sign 
Mar. 8. 12  shall be given to this nation; as if he should say, if a sign be given them there is no truth in me, or let me be a deceiver.  
Thus as M. Beza● wri●eth, when God sweareth by himself, he suffereth his truth, 
In Mar. ca 8. ver. 12.  and his glory to be judged of according! to the words which he affirmeth.  
And what do these things teach us? forsooth they confirm Gods just judgements to overtake them which harden their hearts and obey not his voice, that we thereby might be taught to fear, & brought to obedience. For to us is now preached the same Christian verity, and religion, that the Apostle preached to the Hebrews in this Epistle. Seeing therefore how fearfully the children of Israel were punished for their provoking, and disobeying the word which was brought unto them by the servant of God, Moses, how great then shall their punishment be which harden their hearts, & set light by that word of grace which was brought into the world by the son of God himself? surely as one faith, we, if we harden our hearts, shall be 
Eralmu●.  so much the more grievously punished, by how much the greater he is that hath vouch safed to speak unto us in his own person.  
Seeing therefore that Christ the mediator of the new testament, who by his own testimony is greater than lonas greater than Solomon, and greater than all the Prophets that went before him, hath uttered his voice; unto us with his own mouth, and yet the same voice is heard in our ears; how then shall we escape if we neglect so great salutation?  
Lastly the rest mentioned in this scripture 
The third cause why this scripture is alleged of the Apostle in this text to the Hebrews.  doth notably express the rest and promise of God set forth in the new testament, as a figure most agreeable to the thing figured. For the external rest wheronto the childs of Israel were to be brought, was the land of Canaan. The rest of the gospel is the celestial jerusalem, the city of the huinge GOD described in the twentieth and one of the Revelation, into the which none unclean thing shall enter. And now as the murmuring Israelites were deprived of entering into the land of Canaan: because they believed those ten men, which brought avile slander upon the land, and would give no credit to the other two, Caleb and joshua, which stood for the truth; so we, if we go after Baal's Prophets, false teachers, and deceivers which are more in number then Elyab, or Caleb and joshua, and so follow the multitude and decline from the truth, shall be excluded from the rest everlasting; and shall have our portion with the multitude of Hyppocrites and unbelievers.  
The Papists that are against us, do brag of the multitude of people: and nations, which have followed the church of Rome, and received their traditions: but this proveth not the truth to be of their side, but rather the contrary. For Christ calleth his church a little flock. And he saith, that wide 
Luk. 12. 32. Mat. 7. 13.  is the gate, and broad is the way that leadesh to destruction. So the whole world in the days of Noah consented together in ungodliness confirmed by the custom of many ages: but Noah and his family is all the 
Gen. 7. 1.  flock that was CHRIST'S, and that had not consented to the ungodliness and custom of those evil days. And L●● alone is found righteous in a whole city of wicked people. Caleb and joshua, even 
Gen. 19  two men are found faithful and constant in all that great multitude of Gods own people which came out of Egypt. And in the revelation, the Lord calleth his servants, my two witnesses; as if they were the fewest in 
Revel. 11. 3.  number of all other.  
Now here are two ways set before thee. If thou wilt go to hell; Fellow the multitude and thou art never out of the way. But if thou wil● enter into life; follow the example of good men though they be but one or 
Luke 13. 24.  two amoug many thousand: for Christ faith to thee strive; because the gate is so strait that it is hard and most difficult to enter in there at. Yet harden not thine heart, neither regard what thy forefathers have done before thee; but regard and obey the Lords voice, and walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit: and thou art in the way to that glorious rest which remaineth to the people of God, purchased with the blood of the mediator of the new testament, to whom be praise in the church throughout all generations for ever.   

The second Lecture, upon the 12. and 13. verses; of the fruit of an evil heart; of mutual exhortation; and of the deceitfulness of sin.  
12 Take heed brethren, lest at any time their be in any of you an evil heart, and unfaithful, to departed away from the living God.  
13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called to day, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.  
THese words, my brethren, have a relation to that scripture which continueth from the seventh ukase of this chapter to this twelfth verse of the same, taken out of the Psalm of David, as an excellent sermon of the holy Ghost, and so applied by the Apostle to declare, as you have heard, that the authority of men, and examples of fathers can be no ground, nor stay of faith, or religion to any man; because the best of them have erred; as all those fathers of the Hebrews, who after they had seen the glory of God, and were delivered out of Egypt with signs and wonders, even the whole company of them (two or three men excepted) provoked God in he wilderness, and would not believe the word which was preached unto them. Where we have also learned that if Moses the servant of the house, and the law given by him could not be despised without punishment: for they which obeyed not were deprived of the promised rest, and overthrown in the wilderness; much more shall they be punished which will not hear the son, of whom Moses did bear witness, and whose voice inviteth to a more glorious rest then the earthly rest of the land of Canaan  
These things being so alleged, by the Author of this Epistle, to warn the Hebrews, and in them all other people, to whom the same gospel is revealed, to the end that they might hereby receive instruction to be the more careful to hear the voice of Christ the prince of all the Prophets, and the end of the law to every one that believeth.  
Now he proceedeth to apply the exhortation of the Prophet more particularly, according as the time of Gods calling requireth. And by this word, brethren, he declareth his tender affection toward them, and the earnest desire that he hath to win them to Christ. Where we are to know in what sense they are called, brethran. Not according to nature, as jacob and Esau were 
4 So●tes of brethren.  brethren; nor ●or consanguinity sake, as all the Jews were brethren; neither are they called brethren by imitation, or for their agreement in evil, as Simon and Levi are 
Gen. 49. 5.  called brethren in evil, because they had consented to slay a man; and in this sense malefactors and wicked men imitating one another, and consenting to do evil, are brethren.  
But according to truth the Hebrews are cheer called, brethren: for all the faithful are brethren by grace. It appeareth in many places of this Epistle, that much people of the jew were converted to the Christian faith, and had received the doctrine of the Gospel, and acknowledged CHRIST JESUS for their Messias.  
And also it is recorded in the Acts of the Apostles that many thousand Iewes 
Act. 21. 20.  did believe. Yet the chiefest of them, and for the more part the whole nation were obstinate and persisted in the blindness of their own hearts; and also those that believed were all zealous of the law of Moses, retaining with the gospel, the Circumcision, the sabbath day, the purification; and other ceremonies of the law. And therefore as the doctrine of the holy Ghost, in this scripture, is most forcible to persuade the unbelieved to receive the grace of God in Christ; so is it most necessary to keep and strengthen the weak members in the sincerity of the Gospel, and to teach them to forsake the ceremonies and earthly rudiments now abrogated and taken away by the death of the Messias. Thus we understand that, as brethren by grace, and endued with Christian faith, he exherteth them to be ware of an evil heart of unbelief.  
There is no defection or falling; away from the living God where there is not an evil heart. And therefore where the Prophet speaketh of the provoking and apostasy of their fathers in the wilderness, it is added with all, they err ever in their heart. There 
Psal 95. 10. Hebr. 3. 10  is the root of evil and infidelity, even the heart. The holy Prophet saith, the heart is deceitful and wicked above all things; who can 
jer. 17. 9  know it? Hear we see that naturally in the heart of man there is nothing but wickedness and obduration: and this is the cause that the children of men are accustomed to do evil and to delight in sin. For such as the tree is, so is the fruit thereof. And so long as this obduration possesseth man's heart, his voluntary religion is nothing but Hypocrisy, his outward show of obedience is but dissimulation, when he offereth his prayers and intercessions, it is but lip labour, like the people which drew near unto Christ with their mouth, and honoured him with their but their heart, faith he, is far from 〈◊〉: and therefore they worshipped him it vain.  
Simon the Sorcerer, as it is in the Acts 
Act. 8. 11.  of the Apostles, believed and was baptized: but he was not therefore the better: for, Peter said to him thine heart is not right in the sight of the Lord. Wherhfore if you will love the Lord your God, you must love him with love out of a pure heart. For that is the end 
1. Tim. 15.  of his commandment. For the Lord judgeth not as men do after the outward appearance, but as it is written, the Lord be holdeth 
1. Sam. 16. 7.  the heart. If the heart be not purged by grace, all outward holiness is but as painted sepulchres fair without and foul within, or as green grass, and fair flowers under the which lieth a venomous snake that will sting you to death. Christ telleth you that out of the heart come those things that defile the whole man, as, evil thoughts, murders, 
Mat. 15. 19 20.  adulteries, fornications, thefts, false testimonies, slanders, and the like. And for this cause his Apostle faith, purge your hearts ye 
lamb 48.  wavering minded. For while the heart is not purged, there is nothing in man but a wavering mind; and as the same Apostle faith, awavering minded man is unstable in all his ways. He is carried from one vanity to another, he selleth himself to sin, from miquitie to iniquity. He is content with judas to sell Christ and Christian religion for the gain of this world, and for the pleasures of sin, this is the fruit of an evil heart and unfaithful, which hateth to be reform, and will not obey the voice of the almighty.  
The Prophet Zachariah crieth out against the people, that would not, hear the law of their God, and saith, they made their hearts, as 
Z●c. 7. 12.  an adamants stone lest they should hear the l●we, etc. Their hearts were so far from believing the word of the Lord, that for the hardness thereof, he compareth them to the adamant stone. 
Plin. nat. ●ist. lib. 37. cap. 4.   
The adamant as the historiographers do observe, is the hardest of all other stones. It is so hard that no tool can break it, no fire can heat it; yea nothing can overcome the hardness of this stone, or soften it & break it, but only the warm blood of the he Goat: And surely the hearts of the children of this world are rightly compared with the hard adamant, which naturally are so hardened in sin, that without the dew of grace, and the virtue of the blood of Christ make them soft, and renew them, all our preaching, all our exhorting, and dehorting, though we had the tongues of men and angels cannot soften, nor turn the heart. For as it is written, that which is crooked can ●o 
Eccle. 1. 15.  man make strait. We see that the gracious, and most powerful words of Christ himself did nothing prevail to win though hard hearted jews, but ratheri hardened them in their contumacy, and made them more perverse than they were before, because the vail of unbelief was laid over their hearts.  
Behold how great a root of wickedness is the obduration and frowardness of the heart, whence cometh the forsaking of life and health, uttered in that desperate sentence against the counsel of the almighty, depart from us▪ for we desire not the 
job. 2●. ●4.  knowledge of thy ways. Nevertheless, although most men have not the hearts of brethren, yet this doctrine must be preached to all, take heed brethren, lest at any time there be in any of you an evil heart, and unfaithful, to departed away from the living God.  
He is called the living God in two respects: the one is for difference sake put between him and the Idols of the Gentiles, which were the work of men's hands, and had no life, and yet were they called Gods. But he is more properly and truly called the living God for excellency sake, because he ever liveth, and is the well spring of life, which giveth to all things life and being. To fall away therefore through the evil of thine own heart, from him, which is to thee all in all things, is a desperate evil case.  
Here we learn that it profiteth us nothing to have believed the word of life, & to have begun in the spirit if afterward we fall by the way, and seek to be made perfect by the flesh. For, as the Prophet saith, whensoever the righteous man turneth away from his 
Ezech. 18. 〈◊〉.  righteousness, and committeth iniquity, he shall even die for the same. Many have begun well, and have afterward fainted in the midst of their race, & departed from the living God. joash king of judah began to do well, and did that which was acceptable in the sight 
2 Chro. 24.  of the Lord, so lon as Ieho●ada the priest lived; but afterward he fell to idolarry, & departed away from the living God. So Amaziab his 
2. Chio. 25.  son, at the beginning of his taigne, did uprightly in the eie● of the Lord, but not with a perfect heart. For he was weary of well doing. And therefore he was slain and ●reason was wrought against him, when he turned away from the Lord. The Galathians 
Gal. 3. 3. Gal. 5. 7.  began in the spirit, & did run well for a time; but afterwards they turned away from the truth to the weak rudiments of the world, and would be made perfect by the flesh. 
Gal. 3. 3.   
And among other examples of this Apostasy, or falling away from grace, not able is that of julian the Emperor, who for his revolting is called, Apostata. In his youth he was brought up in the college of clergy men, and profited so well in Christian learning 
Greg. Naz. in jusiansi or at. 1.  that he became a public reader of the holy scriptures; but afterward he sufrered himself to be deceived of heathen Philosophers, and then renouncing Christianity, he gave himself to Paganism, in the reign of the Emperor Constantius. He was taken for a sound Christian; and for his sucsesse in war, for his learning, his gentleness and many other laudable gifts that he had, he was highly renowned. But when he was promoted to the empire, and had full authority, than he showed himself an Apostaia. He was wont contunieliouslye to call Christ our saviour, Galileus, the man of Gablee, and by all crafty means to seek the dishonour of the Christians, advancing the Pagans, and such as would forsake Christ and his religion, to honour and offices, and so, in despite of Christianisme, he licenced and aided the Iews to build the temple at jerusalem. 
Greg. Naz. in lusianan oral. 2.  But when they laid the foundations thereof, the earth clave asunder with a great earth quake & a mighty storm of wind arose, that their whole work was overthrown, & many of the Iews slain, many of them burnt & maimed in their principal members, with lightnings and fire from heaven. Other tokens of God's wrath were seen among them, as also in the host of lulian. And so the Jews were made to desist from their wicked enterprise. And lulian, when he had reigned a year and seven months, or there about, having received his deaths wound in battle against the Persians, took his hand full of blood and threw it into the air, saying, vicists tandem Galiae, thou man of Galilee, meaning Christ jesus, when all is done thou hast the victory. With this blasphemy uttered in despair, and in a feeling of woe, he perished. Here is a notable pattern of an evil heart and unfaithful.  
Many in all ages have after this manner fallen away from the living God, and have gone from Christ to Antichrist, though not so famous as Indian.  
It can not be unknown to them, which by reading & exercise seek the ground of true religion, how many in this land, which seemed to be professors of the word of God in the reign of the last king Edward, have fallen away again in the days of Queen Mary, and like the weathercock have turned from the Gospel to the Mass, and from the servants of Christ became the servants of the Pope, rather than they would forsake either wife, children, lands, houses, or other earthly commodities for Christ & the Gospel's sake.  
Again, which is more to be lamented, not few within these forty years, being brought up in this their native country in schools and universities of learning, when they should have done good in the church of God, have contrariwise run beyond the seas to commit fornication with that painted harlot the false church of Rome: & then have become rebels against God and his eternal word, against their lawful prince and their natural country. They have imitated lulian in apostasy. And it is come unto them according to the saying of the holy Ghost, the doggees returned to his vomit, and the 
2. Pet. 2. 22.  sow that was washed to the wallowing in the ●●re & to leave these men to him to whom they fall; there are now abiding in this land too many, that are infected with the leaven of them, which have drunk of the poisoned cup of Rome, and do wilfully withdraw themselves from the true church, and refuse ●o hear the doctrine of the Gospel, lest they should be converted thereby, and lest the saviour of the world should heal them. An evil heart therefore hath deceived these people. And this is the just judgement of God, to send them strong delusion, as the scripture 
2. Thess. 〈◊〉. 11. 12.  faith, that they should beleeuel●●s, that all they might be damned which believed not the truth, but bad pleasure in unrighteousness. Now the remedy which the Apostle prescribeth against the custom of sin, against apostasy, and falling away from GOD, is, exhort one another daily, while it is called to day, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitnesse of sin.  
Although this duty of exhorting doth chiefly belong to the Ministers and teachere of the word of GOD, as Paul teacheth 2. Tim. 4. 2 preach the wordo:, be instant, in season and out of season 〈…〉 prove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine, yet here the holy GHOST, speaking by the Author of this Epistle, will have all men, which profess true religion, to exhort one another, and that daily or every day; for as much as there is no day, nor hour of our life without temptations of infidelity, and without the snares of death laid in our ways. And therefore we are taught in diverse places of holy scriptures to have a care of our brethren, and to instruct them; so Paul saith to the Thessalonians, exhort one another, and edify one 
1 Thesse's. 5. 11.  another even as ye do. And because he deserveth not the name of a Christian, whosoever is ignorant of the ground of faith, and religion contained in the sacred scriptures, and is not able to edify another, nor to speak as the word of God. Therefore the same Apostle writeth to the Romans, I am persuaded of you my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness and filled with 
Rom. 15. 14  all knowledge, and are able to admonish one another. The doctrine of the holy GHOST delivered by the Apostles, as it appeareth in their writings, is full of such exhortations, as, edify one another, exhort one another, be fulfilled with the spirit.  
But Satan the enemy of all truth hath always too many of his side, which are against this doctrine; yea and in these dai●● some that have the name to be preachers, (I pray God they be not for Baal) whose vo●ce soundeth, let not artificers, husbandmen, and men without learning, busy themselves with holy scriptures, and with matters of faith and religion, let them not go about to tell other men what they should do, and to admonish other men of their errors, tracteit fabri●●a fabri, let them meddle with those things they have to do; and take no care of other men though they be in an error. This is the wisdom of the flesh, and here we see how contrary it is to the wisdom which is from above, and teacheth us to exhort, to edify, and to admonish one another, what calling, what trade of life, or what condition soever we be of. For God hath always required this duty of mutual exhortation of them that profess his name, as it is written, thou shalt not hate thy brother in 
Levit, 19 17  thine heart, but thou shalt plainly rebuke thy neighbour, and suffer him not to sin: For this cause Augustine saith, that every Christian hath the 
August. do verb. domini serm. 16.  keys in his hand to bind and to loose his brother upon earth: for when he giveth him warning and admonition, if he hear him, he hath won him, but if he despise him, he hath bound● him: because the words of exhortation, taken out▪ of the doctrine of Christ and his holy scriptures are a favour either to life or to death, by whomsoever they be spoken or delivered. For we have learned, that not only the minister of the word, but also all Christians without exception are commanded to instruct, and exhort their brethren, & the greater that every one is in respect of his place, or calling, the greateri● his charge herein, and the more cause he hath to covet with that faithful servaunt of the LORD, Moses, that all the 
Num. 11. 29.  lords people were Prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them, that so they might be able to teach one another, that none might perish for lack of knowledge. For the Lord complaineth that his people is go●e into captivity, because they had 
Isa. 5. 13.  no knowledge. If there be no knowledge, there can be no exhortation, & then no setting free from the captivity of s●nne.  
The time to exhort, and likewise to learn, is, while it is called, to day. It must not be deferred, or put over till to morrow: for the scripture saith, ye cannot tell what shall be to morrow. 
jam. 4. 14.  By the date in this place is not meant the whole course of our life, as some have taught upon this text. But the day is taken for the acceptable time of grace, in which the wisdom of God uttereth her voice among us, & inviteth us to the marriage of the king's son. For not withstanding that no time, while we live upon the earth, is to late to amendment of life, yet the Gospel of Christ, which is the light of the world that teachceth us faith and repentance, may be taken from us, and then it is night, and no day, even as it is this day with the Turks, ●he Papists, and all other nations of the earth, to whom the Lord hath not given the light of his holy word, thought they have the natural day, yet have they not the day of grace, but they walk in the night of ignorance & superstition, in which they go out of the way and perish. We have had this day almost this forty years; and yet so far are we from being able to exhort one another that the most part of our elder men and women have not yet learned the meaning of their baptism, oh, how lamentably have these people been hardened through the deceitfulness of sin And will you still walk in this fearful darkness, & not come into the light of ●he day? now let the sun of right cousnesse shine in your hearts For even this day it is called to day, and we know not how long this day will last; but when it is passed it will not be redeemed though we would seek it with tears, 
Heb. 12 17.  as Esau sought the blessing; and yet was rejected, because the day was passed.  
Now that which hardeneth us, is, the deceitfulness of sin. If sin were not deceitful, it could not overcome, nor prevail against so many men, and all sorts of people, and all ages, as it doth. It prevaileth against old men, which in respect of time ought to be teachers, and deceiveth them, that notwithstanding they be come to that age, that their strength is but labour and sorrow, yet will they not give over the love of this world: for it is with them as Cicero saith, there is none 
Cicero lib. de senectute.  so old, which doth not think himself able to live one year. And so deferring from year to year, and from day to day, the hoar head is childishly deceived, and all his experience cannot draw him out of the snares of sin. It deceiveth youth and middle age, and telleth them, it is time enough to serve God, and to be religious when old age shall approach; and being deceived they will not hear verity, which saith, remember now thy creator in the days of thy youth. For when age 
Eccle. 1. 12.  cometh then are the evil days, and the years wherein thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them.  
Sin is so crafty and deceitful that it deceiveth even the wise and the prudent of this world; it is observed in the little beast Chameleon, that it can change itself into all colours that it si●teth upon, except white. But there is no colour or ●hew of virtue which sin cannot change itself into. For thereby it deceiveth and hardeneth all sinners. It cometh to the coneteouse man, having the colour and name of good husbandry, and not of covetousness, and so hardeneth him. It cometh to the drunkard, not under the ●ame of drunkenness, but of good fellowship, and hardeneth him so, that he is nothing ashamed of his sin.  
The sin of whoredom cometh to the lecherous, and to the wanton naming itself, sweet love, or, a trick of youth, and then it is received as a delectable guest, and not as sin which stayeth ●he soul.  
Pride in apparel deceiveth the proud, & vain glorious soul, under the title of cleanliness, and decencte: because, if it come under the name of pride, it is more odious, and is known to be sin. Neither is there any sin so soul or detestable, which is not smoothed with some fair name, and title to cloak it with all. For herein is the deceitfollnesse of sin and here with are men deceived and hardened that they sin as with cart ropes, and drink up iniquity like water. But woe unto them, saith the Prophet, that speak good of evil, and evil of good, which put 
Isa. 5. 10.  darkness for light, and light for darkensse, that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for s●wre. Now, if you have not an evil heart of unbelief, call upon the name of the Lord, seek the Lord while he may be found, seek the knowledge of his ways, while it is called to day, that so you may be able to exhort and instruct one another, and to avoid the deceitfulness of sin, before you be hardened and blinded through the craftiness thereof, let us now ●o●e together and pray.   

The third Lecture, upon the 14. verse; of faith; and of the assurance of salvation, and ●verlasting felicity to the true believers.  
14 For we are made partakers of Christ ●f we keep sure unto the end, the beginning wherewith we are upholden.  
THE Apostle having already proved by plain and strong arguments that Christ is the son of God, and the Messias that should redeem Israel, and having exhorted the Hebrews to beware of infidelity, and disobedience, which wa● the cause that their forefathers perished in the wilderness, whose example he layeth before them in the scripture of the Psalmist before alleged: now he declareth how and by what means we are made true members of Christ, and fellow heirs with him of the celestial inheritance.  
We are made partakers of Christ, saith he, if ws keep sure unto the ●nd the beginning, wherewith we are upholden. These words lead us to speak of faith, and justification by faith.  
In the 6. of john it is recorded that when the people which had seen the miracles of Christ, asked what they should do, that they 
Io. 6. 28.  might work the works of God: Christ telleth them, this is the work of God, that ye● cleeve in him whom 
ver. 29.  he hath sent. And in the 2. of the Acts, those jews, which had heard the sermon of Peter, being pricked in their hearts, said to the Apostles, men and brethren what shall we do? To whom 
Act 2. 37.  the Apostle Peter answereth, amend your lives, 
ver. 38.  & be baptized every one of you in the name of jesus Christ for the remission of sins. And in the 16. of the Acts, to the lay●er, or keeper of the prison, 
Act. 16. 30.  demanding what he must do to be saved, Paul 
ver. 31.  & Sylas say, believe in the Lord jesus Christ.  
These & the like place● of scriptures, my brethren, do teach us principally two things, the one is, that there is a fear of deat● eternal, and of God's judgements, naturally remaining in the hearts of all men, according as it is written, that for fear of death, men are 
Heb. 2. 15.  all their life time subject to bondage.  
And that is, because of sin and the testimony of a guilty conscience: which, as we see upon any occasion of fear, bewraveth that sin lieth at the door. The other thing which we do here learn, is, where the remedy against the strength of sin, & the sting of death is to be found, namely in the Lord jesus Christ by believing in him: for among in in there as given no●e other name under heaven, whereby we must be saved, but by the 
Act. 〈◊〉. 11.  name of Christ jesus, who was delivered to death for our sins, and is risen again for our justification. 
Rom. 4. 25.   
As in the time of Moses there was no remedy, not cure that could help them, that were stung with the fiery and venomous serpents in the wilderness but only the be holding of the braslen serpent, which Moses had set up, made the poison harmelesle, 
Num 21. 9  and saved from death them that were bitten; so is there no mediator, nor advocate in heaven, nor in earth, nor any oblation, or offering of man, that can deliver from the death of the soul, and break the force of the poison of sin, but only true faith, which is the eye of the soul, whereby we behold him that was figured in the brassen serpent, and is lifted upon the tree of the cross for the health and salvation of all that believe. This is the wedding garment, which whosoever hath not put on, is in danger to be cast into utter darkness, where shall be weeping and guashing of teeth. This is the faith whereby 
Mat. 22. 12. 13  the just do live. This is the beginning where with we are uphold, which we must keep sure unto the end. In the text it is called, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the beginning of the substance. And some translate it, the foundation of the assurance: which foundation is the sound doctrine of the Gospel of CHRIST apprehended by faith: or according to Chrisostomes' exposition, faith itself. For that is the organ or instrument whereby we are made partakers of Christ. We find in an other place of this Epistle that the Apostle useth the same word, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, in the 
Heb. 11. 1.  definition of faith. By this phrase therefore, the beginning of the substance unto the end, is meant nothing else but continuance, or perseverance in the faith of Christ, according to that to the Coloss. 1. 23. If ye continue grounded 
Col. 1. 23.  and established in the faith. These, and the like places in the scriptures, which speak with this condition, if, ought not to be; so understood, as if any of the faithful, that are elected to life eternal, could perish or fall away from grace; but they do effectually exhort us to be the more strengthened in the spirit, against the weakness of the flesh, & the continual all temptations of this life that would guench our faith. For there are many imperfections in the faith of the godly so long as they live upon the earth. And the narrowness of our hearts is such, that we cannot comprehend, as we ought to do, what God will do for us, but yet the gates of hell, and the storms of this life, that never put out the candle of Gods elect, which is their faith. This faith therefore is here called, the substance, or unholding, or sure standing, by a the use of building: for as no building can stand without a sure substance, or foundation to stand upon, so no man can stand or walk in the way of life without; faith, which is the thing that quickeneth even true Christian, and is unto him a rising again from death unto life through Christ the saviour. For even as the body is dead without the soul, so the soul is dead without faith; and therefore Augustine writeth, 
Super 10. tract. 49.  avima ●u● anima si●es est, faith is the life of thy soul. And again where the Apostle faith, that Christ may dwell in your hearts by 
Eph. 3. 17  faith. How should Christ dwell in my heart? he answereth, thy faith in Christ is Christ dwelling in thine heart.  
And now speaking of this faith that justifieth the elect of God, we must note that it differeth from other gifts of the spirit, which in the scriptures have the name of ●aith, that so we may the better understand what that faith is whereby we are said to be justified, and made the sons of God.  
There is therefore an illumination, or enlightening 
4 Kinds of faith.  of some men's minds, to consent to the doctrine of the Gospel, and to receive it for the infallible truth of God: for in the gospel they that are on the stones, which 
Mat. 13. 20. 21. Mat. 4. 16. 17. Luk. 8. 13.  receive the word with joy, but have no root, are said to believe for a tune, but in the time of temptation they fall away. This belief, or faith for a time is commonly called, temporary faith, because it is not permanent, nor effectual to justification, but it is a faith that reprobates have that are yet in the state of condemnation. There is also a gift of doing Miracles, which an ungodly or reprobate man may have: and this is called, the faith of miracles: of the which 
1. Cor. 13. 2.  the Apostle speaketh, if I bade all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and had not love I were nothing. This faith, or gift, maketh no man partaker of Christ. thirdly there is a general kind of acknowledging the word of God and the history of the Gospel to be true, and that Christ is such a saviour of men as the scriptures do report of him, and yet he that so believeth cannot apply the grace of Christ, nor the comfort of GOD'S promises, confirmed in CHRIST, to himself. He cannot believe the remission of sins to belong to himself for CHRIST'S sake. This is called, faith historical, and is common both to the devilles and to reprobate men. And of this kind of faith, the Apostle james faith, thou believest that there is one God: thou dost well: the devilles also believe it, and tre●ble. 
jam. 2. 19  Lastly, the faith which the Apostle speaketh of in this text, and which is proper to God's children only, is called a pastifying faith, because it apprehendeth, and layeth hold on the justification which is in CHRISTIE-SUS.  
Some learned divines make of these 4. sorts of faith, but two, whereof the one (as they call it) is a faith of Christ, and this is such as the de vils & false Christians have the other a faith in Christ, such as true Christians have. Yet for difference between the faith of repiobate men, and the saith that devils are said to have, the former kind of faith, to wit, a faith of Christ, is divided of others, as we have hard, into a temporary faith, a 〈…〉 h of miracles, and a faith historical.  
Now the faith in CHRIST, which none but the godly areindued with, is defined in the 11. chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews, 
Heb. 11. 1.  to be the substance of things which are hoped for, and the demonstration of things which are not seen. It is called the substance, or ground, or the state of the soul: for that we live by it. I live, faith the Apostle, yes not! I 
Gal. 2. 20.  now, but Christ liveth in me: and in that I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith in the son of God.  
When the scripture faith that we are justified by faith, it signifieth as much, as that we are set free from the penalty of the law, and acquitted from the sentence of condemnation. For this word, justification, is the contrary to condemnation: and without Christ it is manifest that all men are in the state of condemnation, as it is written, like wise then as by the offence of one, the fault came 
Rom. 5. 18.  on all men to condemnation, so by the justifying if ●ne, the benefit abounded toward all men to the justification of life. This is the free gift of GOD, to be justified by faith, and counted righteous in the sight of GOD through the imputation of CHRIST'S righteousness. We conclude, faith the Apostle, 
Rom. 3. 28.  that a man is justified by faith without the works of the law. And again, being justified by faith, we have peace toward God through 
Rom. 5. 1.  our Lord jesus Christ. And to the same effect again, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. Thus we see 
Rom. 5. 9  how the faith that justifieth differeth from other faiths, which reprobate men, and devils are said to have. We see also the virtue and property of this faith, and what it is to be justified by it.  
But, in that we are said to be made partakers of Christ by a right faith, we are further to note two things in the virtue and quality of this faith that justifieth. I he one is the assurance of our salvation, because our sins are for given us. The other is the assurance of our glorification with Christ in life eternal: for where remission of sins is, there is also life everlasting.  
Touching the assurance of our salvation, we are sure to be saved, because we believe, and are surely Persuaded that the price of our redemption is 
* Christ hath in his own person sustere whatsoever was due to our sins, & hath thereby fully ●reed us from the ire of God, & the curse of the law. Of his sufferings I have else where spoken more at large, which, iflets were not, should have been published.  fully and sufficiently paid. For the holy Ghost witnesseth, God so loved the world, that he hath given his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life. 10. 3. 16. & again he beareth witness, saying, the son of man came. Wherefore? to give his life for the ransom of many; or as the word, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, is interpreted of the best translators, for the price of the redemption 
Mar. 10. 45.  of many. This assureth us of full satisfaction made for our sins. For to ransom, or to redeem, is properly used to signify the desiverance of captives, when man for man, or life for life is redeemed.  
So Christ, being the good shepherd, did give his own life for the life of his sheep. And 
10. 10. 11. Gal. 3. 13.  thereby hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, when he was made a curse for us.  
For the plainer understanding of this so great a mystery, mark a familiar similitude. There is a king, whose laws are just and good, and by the law all his enemies which have rebelled, and are found guilty of high treason ought to suffer death: and the sentence of condemnation is already denounced against them, and there is no hope of life remaining. Yet the king hath no pleasure in the death of these rebels, but the law, which declareth that he is a most just king, must be fulfilled: and therefore the kings own son doth offer himself to die, to satisfy the law, to the end that these men may be acquitted from the judgement that hath passed against them; and now these condemned persons are ransomed, and set at liberty, but the price of their redemption was paid by the kings own son, and it cost him his life. Thus was the cause with all the children of Adam. We had all rebelled against the king of heaven, and earth, and there was found none that kept his law, none that was righteous, 〈◊〉 not one. And therefore death was gone over 
Rom. 3. 10  all men: for as much as all men had sinned; and 
Rom. 5. 12.  now the son of God Christ jesus taketh our nature upon him, and being made like unto one of us (sin only excepted) he suffereth the cursed death of the cross for our redemption. Here appeareth the love of God to us ward, and herein standeth the assurance of our salvation, that God's son, the king of kings, was wounded for our transgressions, and broken for our iniquities: that the chastisement 
Is●. 53. 5.  of our peace was upon him, & that with his stripes we are healed. And that we might be sure that he hath paid our debts to the uttermost farthing by sustaining the infinite wrath that was due to us, the same Prophet saith, that he was plagued and smitten of GOD, and that he powered out his souls unto death, and all this for our transgrestion. Isa 53. 4. 8 12.  
And therefore thou that art a Christian, and believest without waveringe that CHRIST hath suffered these things for thee, and for thy deliverance out of the hands of thine enemies, having that feeling of thy sins that thou feel thyself to stand in need of every drop of that precious blood which was shed upon the tree of the cross for the redemption of mankind: thou that hast this faith, if thou hold if fast unto the end, art made partaker of CHRIST. And now it is unpossible that thou shouldest be damned. For there is no condemnation to them, 
Rom. 8. 1.  that are in CHRIST JESUS. Yea (as a Godly Doctor faith Christ the redeemer 
Martin Luther.  must be damned before the elect man can be damned, for whom he delivered himself to death. And another faithful teacher 
Bradford the Martyr in his ser. of repentance.  saith, if the sufferings of Christihad not been enough, he would yet once more come again, yea God the father, if the death of his son incarnate would not serve, would himself & the holy Ghost also become incarnate & die for us. Hereof then is that assurance which the elect have of their health and salvation through the grace of GOD in CHRIST JESUS; according to that notable testimony of the Apostle, I am persuaded that neither death, nor life; nor Angels, nor 
Rom. 8. 38. 39  principalities, nor powers, nor things present, not things to come, nor beight, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ jesus.  
If this be not true, why dost thou say in thy creed, I believe the forgiveness of sins? For to believe & to doubt, or to be uncertain, can never go together.  
The other property of faith that justifieth, is, to be assured, not only of forgiveness of sins, and deliverance from death, but also of eternal life, and that we shall be communicants with our redeemer Christ in the glory that shall be revealed. For, if we be justified by faith, & engraffed into his mystical body, according to the meaning of our baptism, we are not only acquitted from the judgement of condemnation, and saved from wrath, but we are also made partakers of all the merits of Christ, and they are as surely sealed to be ours, as if we ourselves had wrought them. For now the kingdom of heaven, and the inheritance of the blessed life is due unto us, as to heirs annexed with 
Rom. 8. 17.  Christ. And whereas of ourselves we are without understanding, full of iniquity, unholy and lost sheep. The holy Ghost saith, that Christ is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, 
1. Cor. 1. 30.  & sanctification, & redemption. For, (as the same Apostle speaketh in an otherplace) if God spared not his own son but gave him for 
Rom. 8. 32.  us all to death, how shall be not with him give us all things also? This is most true, as it may be illustrated by example, the spouse, after she be once married to her husband, is not only called after his name, but is also made partaker of all things that her husband hath right to; his honour is her honour, his wealth is her wealth, what estimation, what dignity, and what deserts soever the husband hath, the spouse his wife, is made partaker of the same; because they two are made one flesh, as 
Mat. 19 5.  saith the scripture: even so the faithful soul, which is justified by faith, and married to the bridegroom Christ jesus, is fully beautified withal the graces of Christ, with his righteousness, with his innocency, with his holiness, with his honour, & with his glory: yea the faithful are so honoured that they shall sit 
Luk. 22. 30.  on seats, and judge not only men but also the Angels themselves. Know ye not that we shall 
1. Cor. 6. 3.  judge the Angels? how much more things pertaining to this life? such is the honour that they have in whose hearts Christ dwelleth by true justifying faith. And thus are they made partakers of Christ.  
But let none of them that are hardened in sin, and which delight and take pleasure in the works of the flesh, think that they a● made partakers of this g●ace. For without that sure faith, whereof you have heard, there is no salvation, and where no works of the spirit, nor any token of regeneration appeareth, there can be no sound faith: and therefore where the Apostle saith, that there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ jesus, 
Rom 8. 1.  he addeth, and showeth, who they are, which waelke not after the flesh, but a●●er the spirit.  
These three things are proper to a saving faith: that thou stedfasthe believe in th●●● heart; that thou make confession of thy faith to the world be confessing Christ before 
Mat. 10. 32. Col. 1. 10.  m 〈…〉, and that thou be fruitful in all good works, adorning thy faith, with works worthy amendments of life. Walk according 
Mat. 3. 8.  to this rule and persenere in it to the end, and thou art ●●d● partaker of Christ. And it his appearing thou shalt receive an incorruptible crown of glory. Let us humble our selves in prayer.   

The fourth Lecture, upon the 15. verse; of the necessity of hearing the word of God; how the hardening of the heart is to be understood; and of th● error of praying in the church; specially in the time of public teaching, or of common prayers.  
15 Soling as it is said, to day, of ye hear his voice, barden not your hearts as in the provocation.  
OF the word, to day, I have already showed that it is applied unto the time of grace, that is, so long as the word of GOD which is the light of the world is made manifest unto us. And here again we may observe, that when the Apostle saith, to day, he giveth us to understand that the spirit of God did speak by the mouth of the holy Prophets, not only for the learning & instruction of the people that lived in the days of the Prophets, but also for the learning of all men in all times and ages to the end of the world.  
For the Prophet David to instruct the people of his time saith, to day, Psalm. 95. 7. and the Apostle, almost eleven hundredth years after David, teaching the Hebrews, saith, to day if ye hear his voice harden not your hearts, Whereby he would have them to understand that the same scripture did then call them to the obedience of the Gospel, which to the same effect was preached to their father▪ so long ago by the Prophet● David. & so at this present time, you are called of God to the spiritual marriage of his son, that you may receive forgiveness of your sins, and inheritance among them that are sanctified by faith in him, here is no more required of you but obedience and attentiveness to hear, so long as it is called to day. For now we have the word near unto us even in our mouth, and in our hearts, as the scripture 
Rom. 10. 8.  saith: And no man is commanded to go beyond the sea to hear it. For it is not to be heard at the mouth of the Priests of Egypt; nor of the Philosophers of Greece; nor of the Rabbins of the jews: to whom men in times past were wont to travail for to hear wisdom, as the Queen of Sheba came from the furthest parts of the earth to jerusalem. 
1. King 10. 1 Mat. 12. 42.  To what end? to hear the wisdom of Selomon. We may easily gather that such a journey could not be performed without great charges and many danger 〈…〉 and therefore, as Christ witnesseth, she shall rise in judgement, and shall condemn those that are careless to hear the wisdom of Christ, the true Sal●mon, which he hath now, (blessed be his name for it) sent out of jerusalem, And out of the land of judea, even into this land; and hath dispersed it over the same, so that we need not travail far for to hear it.  
For now it is called, to day, with us, and now we may hear it if we will, and by hearing it we may live. the hour shall come, saith Christ, and now is, when the dead shall hear 
Io. 5. 2●.  the voice of the son of God, and they that hear it shall live. Lo hear it appeareth that we are spiritually dead, and are estranged from God through sin, and therefore oppressed with eternal destruction without hope of life, except we be quickened by hearing of Christ's voice. The Prophet David had experience of this in himself, which made him say, I will never forget thy precepts: 
Psal. 119. 93  for by them thou hast quickened me. As if he should say, before the time that I heard and obeyed thy voice, I was dead, but now the Gospel of thy saving health hath restored me to life.  
Consider therefore the necessity of hearing and let that move you to put away hardness of heart. It is manifest that without 
Io. 3. 36.  faith none can be saved from the second death, nor from the day of God's wrath: and faith, as witnesseth the holy Ghost, cometh by hearing. Neither hath God appointed any other 
Rom. 1●. 17.  means, than the hearing of his vo●ce for the attaining of faith, and by faith salvation: as it is most evident by that one and notable example of the rich man, who because he had not regarded the day of grace, was after his bodily death tormented in hell; 
Luke. 16.  and desiring to have Lazarus sent to preach unto his brethren, lest they also should come into that place of ●orment, receiveth this answer from Abraha●●, they have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear the●. But 
●er. 29.  when he was yet more instant to have one sent unto them from the dead, Abraham, replieth again, If they hear not Moses and the Prophets, neither will they b●e persuaded 
ver. 31.  though one rise from the dead again. This may suffice any man, that will understand, that God will have no other way, nor means for man to come to the knowledge of his will, and to be saved from the wrath to come, but by hearing his voice revealed in the scriptures. Wherhfore, so long as the time of grace lasteth, let no man harden his heart from hearing, let no man look the gate of heaven against his own soul, not become the minister of his own death, let no man, (as the manner of most men is) be like the vain Athenians, more desirous, either to tell 
Act. 17. 21.  or to hear some news of other men, or that concerneth some worldly commodities, then to hear the wisdom of God, which yet crieth openly, & uttereth her voice in the stre●●●. 
Pro. 1. 20.  For the voice of this wisdom, if thee be heard and received with meekness, saith the 
jam 1. 21.  scripture, is able to save men's souls: and is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth. 
Rom. 1. 16.  Herein the wisdom of God excelleth the wisdom of this world. For all the counsel of the wise men, and lawyers of the world, all the learning of the Philosophers and schoolmen, and all the eloquence of the readiest orators & advocates, though a man hear them never so attentively, cannot make him wise unto salvation; neither is it in them to bring the glad tidings of peace to a troubled soul disquieted with the fear of death & the terror of hell: for only the voice of Christ hath that prerogative; & therefore all men are commanded not to harden their hearts, if they will hear it. But is it in the power of man not to harden his heart, sith the scripture saith, I will harden Pharaches heart; and in an other 
Exod. 〈◊〉. 3. Revel. 〈◊〉: 〈◊〉.  place, he shutteth and no man openeth? Here we must understand that there is two manner of hardening of the heart, to wit, a divine hardening, and a human hardening, or the hardening of God, and the the hardening of man, and yet the one of these doth not harden without the other: for God hardeneth not Pharaohs heart, but that Pharaohs own will is the cause of it, & his hardening proceedeth not from any other, but from himself. And therefore the scripture saith, that Pharaoh hardened his heart. Neither for all that 
E●od 9 34.  doth Pharaoh harden his own heart, but God doth it judicially, or according to his secret judgements: for the king's heart is in the hand of the ●ord. Pro. 21. 1. But when it is said that God hardeneth the heart; we must not so understand it, as if God should make that hard, which before was soft and tender, or of itself was not hard. For the truth is, that all men are borne with a hard heart and dark understanding, even with a heart of stone like the Adamant, of the which we have heard already. And for this cause the Lord saith by his Prophet, I will take away the sto●●● 
〈◊〉. 36. 26.  heart o●● of your body, and I will give you an heart of flesh. God therefore is said to harden the heart, when as he denieth his grace, and the fire of his holy spirit to mollify and soften that which is naturally hard, even as when the heat of the fire is denied to the softening of the hard and untempered wax. This is called of some, a privative hardening; because God detaineth his grace from men for just causes which are not known to us.  
Beside this God hardeneth after an other manner, when he doth not only suffer the heart to remain in that hardnesle and obduration which it hath by nature, but doth also externally harden it more and more by his ministers. For, as we may see in 〈◊〉, Pharaoh was made more obstinate & hardhearted by the ministry of Moses and Aaron, than he was before he had heard ●hese men. And in these days we have too much expetience hereof by seeing ungodly men to become the more froward and malicious, the more that they hear God's word and are taught by his ministers. This is God's judicial hardening of the heart, whereby in his just judgements he punisheth the former sins of men: and for this purpose he commandeth his ministers as it is written, Make the heart of this people ●at, make their ears heavy, 
Isa. 10.  & shut their eyes, lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and convert that I might heal them. Here we see how, and wherefore, God hardeneth the heart.  
Now the human hardening, or the hardening attributed to man himself, is that, which the text that we handle warneth us to beware of, if ye hear his voice harden not your hearts. This hardening of the heart is nothing else but a voluntary purpose and intent of man to continue in sin, and not to follow nor obey the doctrine of God's everlasting truth howsoever it be preached unto him; as hereof we have examples in king Saul, in judas, in juhan the Aposta●●, and others '; but specially in Pharach, whom the scriptures do set before us as a notable pattern of a disobedient and hardhearted man. After this manner thhrefore the Israelies in the wildernesle hardened their hearts, by grudging and bitter strining against Moses when they wanted water, notwithstanding they had the word of the Lord among them. This is it 
Exod. 17.  which the Apostle putteth us in mind of, when he saith, harden not your hearts as in the provocation. And this is the hardening wherewith man hardeneth his heart; even his own perverse will, and purpose of sinning wherein he persisteth, and so becometh the minister of death & perdition to his own soul. Now the cause of all hardening of the heart is sin and the custom of sinning. For Moses saith, Phiraoh sinned again and hardened his heart. 
Exod. 9 34.  There Pharaohs sin goeth before the hardening of his heart. Wherhfore consider how fearful and dangerous the custom of sin is: it bringeth hardness of heart which denieth obedience to the word of God, and despiseth his holy ministry, and so groweth to fullness of sin, the wages whereof is death eternal. Let the consideration 
Rom. 6. 23.  of these things cause you with fear & reverence to hear the Gospel of your salvation; and before you come to hear it, be careful, as the Apostle exhorteth, to cast away every thing that presseth down, and the sin that 
Heb. 12. 1.  hangeth so fast on, that when the Lord speaketh by the mouth of his messengers, you may have cares to hear, & hearts to understand, & be in a readmes to hear his voice, & to say with Samuel, speak Lord for thy servant heareth. Here 
1. Sam. 3. 10  we see that as there was a voice hard, so there was a readiness to hear it. Here ●od did speak & here man was prepared to hear him.  
But this example of obedience & preparation to hear the Gospel, which is more glorious, & speaketh better things than the law, is too rare in our age. For most men and women, though they resort to church, and to Christian congregations, are yet in the time of divine exercise of the word of God more ready to speak then to hear. They are more ready to pray by themselves, and to offer up a sacrifice of their own superstition, then either to hear reading or preaching of the holy scriptures; or to consent with one mind to the common praters of the whole church, if the time so require: yea and some are not content to be thus far superstitious, but will also give themselves to read on some prayer book, when God speaketh to them out of his book of life. Such blind devotion of men, and private repeating of words, out of due time and place, must needs be a sacrifice, not accepted, but rejected of God For it cannot be the fruit of faith, because you have not so learned Christ: and whatsoever, saith the Apostle, is not of faith is sin. 
Rom. 14. 13   
Mark a special doctrine of that famous preacher Solomon touching this point, take heed to thy foot when thou interest into the house 
Eccl. 4. 7.  of God, and be wore near to hear then to give the sacrifice of fools: for they know not that they d●● evil. If they know not that they do evil, than they do it of ignorance. But it is evil saith he; and we are taught that Christians must abstain, not only from evil itself, but, from all appe●●●nce of evil. Yet because nothing is so 
1. Thess. 5. 22.  evil, but if it be commonly used, seemeth to be good, and men will needs defend it so to be, as in this case some are wont to say, that when they give themselves to pray privately in the church, they do it that they may be the better prepared to serve God. But, as the Apostle saith to the Corinthians, which came disorderedly to the receiving of the lords supper, have ye not houses to eat and to drink 
1. Cor. 11. 22.  in? So I may say to such men, if you will pray alone, and pray privately, have ye not houses and private places to pray in? aught ye not at home, and before ye come from home to prepare yourselves, & to remember that, going to church, you go to appear before the Lord to hear his voice for the attaining of faith, and to praise him with the congregation. And for this cause, as a learned & painful teacher in these days hath written, ought 
M. Perki●s upon the fourth commandment.  we on the Sabbath day to arise early in the morning, that we may prepare ourselves to the better sanctifying of that day. And this preparation, as he saith, consisteth in private prayers and taking account of our several sins. but no man can be ignorant that private prayers must be referred to private places, and time convenient. For, as Solomon saith, to all things there is an appointed t 〈…〉. 
Eccle. 3. 1.   
But if you think that the temple or material house, where we assemble ourselves for divine exercise, can make your prayers more holy, than your hearts from whence they proceed can make them, ye are then indeed super 〈…〉. For the Lord of heaven and earth dwelleth not in temples built 
Act. 17. 24.  with h●●ds. Neither is one place of the earth (in respect of the place itself) more acceptable to him then an other. For now, the temple at jerusalem, which was called, the house of prayer, hath an end. And, as the scriptures affirm, you yourselves (if ye be true Christians) are the temple of the living god. 
2. Cor. 6. 16 1. Cor. 6. 19  No place therefore, as one father saith, doth sanctify or make holy the man that is in it, but rather the man the place.  
yet for the defence of this evil custom of praying in preposterous manner, some say, it is a decent order for men when they come into the church to kneel down and pray. The contrary is rather true: for it is an affected disorder, and betokeneth what of reverence to the word of God & his ordinance, for some men to be at their own prayers, when the whole assembly doth either hear the word, or pray otherwise with one accord. This is not according to the rule o● the Apostle, with one mind, and with one month to praise God, except they 
Rom. 15. 6.  that will pray by themselves, when time and place serve not thereunto, have another God beside the father of our Lord ●esus Christ.  
Where Luke writeth how the Apostles recemed the holy Ghost upon the day of Pentecost, he saith that then they were all with one 
Act. 2 1.  accord in one place. And for this cause hath Christ promised to be in the midst of them that 
Mat. 18. 20.  are gathered together in his name, assuring us of his spiritual presence to be with us, if there be unity of faith, & Christian concord in our assemblies. And this unity is, when, as the Apostle exhorteth, all speak one thing, & are knit together in one mind and in one judgement without distentions. But for all this, some men, 
1. Cor. 1. 10  because they will not seem to do otherwise then they have been accustomed, can cavil & say, that, because prayer is good, it is good to pray always: & therefore they will repeat their prayers when they may be seen of men, and when other men pray not. These are like the Heretics which were called Euchites, 
Euchits or Psalliapist●s.  for that they were wont to spend much time in praying, and to repeat their prayers as it is recorded of them) so hastily, and with swiftness of tongue, as if God had been to be served with lip labour. This is contrary to the rule of the Apostle james, which saith, let everse man be swift to hear, slow to 
jam. 1. 19  speak. And the son of Sirach saith to the same effect, ●e swift to hear good things. For 
Eccl. 5. 1●.  shall the natural men of this world be swift & ready to hear the counsel of a lawyer or advocate in some earthly matter, & shall not Christians be more careful & ready to he are the counsel of God, which is able to make them wise unto salvation?  
Yet some will say that when they pray, they are careful to serve GOD, and they mean well, and therefore they will do it at church, and regard no time. But as one hath truly said, a good meaning doth not excuse an evil act, and this we may see to be most true, if we remember the punishment of V●zah, who, without doubt, meant well in that he put his hand to the ark of God, and held 
2 Sam. 6. 6.  it, because the oxen which drew it did shake it. But because he had no warrant from God so to do, the Lord smote him that he died in that 
.  place. And it is probable that Saul meant well, in his own opinion, when he spared the fat beasts, and the best of the sheep, and of 
〈…〉. 15. 〈◊〉  the oxen of the Amalekites, because he would sacrifice them unto the Lord. But what saith the oracle of God to him? hath the Lord as 
ver. 22.  great pleasure in  offerings and sacrifices, as when the voice of the Lord is obeyed? behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken is better than the fat of Rams.  
Behold here how acceptable a sacrifice it is to hearken to the voice of the Lord. And contrariwise learn of Solomon, how abominable the prayer of them is, which will pray, and will not hear the law of the Lord, he that 
Pro. 28. 9  turneth away his ●are from hearing the law, even his prayer shallbe abominable. Let no man therefore harden his heart, and prefer superstition before truth, that his prayer be not abominable but acceptable, being offered in due season, and proceeding from faith & knowledge, which is by hearing, and hearing by the 
Rom. 10 17.  word of God. As the ministry of the new testament is principally divided into the ministration 
Act. 6. 4.  of the word, and prayer, so in the time of teaching the minister is the mouth of God unto the people: and in the time of public prayers, he is the mouth of the people to offer their sacrifice to God● and he that despiseth, or regardeth not these things, despiseth not man, but God. For these very words of the text, if ye hear his voice harden not your hearts, declare unto us that when we hear that doctrine wih●h teacheth us faith in the son of God, and repentance from dead works, it is God that speaketh unto us by the mo●th of men: and he requireth at our hands that s●l●ng as it is sa●a to day, that is so long as we may hear the voice of the new covenant of grace, we be more near to hear it, then to give the sacrifice of fools. For ought not Christians so to profit by hearing & learning that they may be able (as it is required in these places of scriptures. Col. 3. 16. Rom. 15. 14. Heb. 3. 13. 1. Thess 4. 18. & 5. 11.) to teach, to edify, to admonish and to comfort one another with the word of God? but if the knowledge of these things had any place in the heart● of vain men, they would abhor to be at their prayers, or to speak their own words, when they should be intentine to hear the word of faith. Let us beware therefore, as Origen saith, lest there be a vail laid over our hearts, not only when Moses is read 
Super Exod. ho●il. 12.  but also when Paul is read. And without doubt, if we be negligent in hearing, and set not our mind to learn, and to understand, not only the scriptures of the law and the Prophets, but also the scriptures of the Apostles and Evangelists are covered with a vail that we shall not understand them. Thus saith O●●gen. And surely, as the Iews rejected the Gospel of the new testament, and boasted that they were the see 〈…〉 Abraham, and 
〈…〉 〈…〉 2. C●●. 〈◊〉. 14. 15.  the disciples of M●ses, when is in the reading of Moses, their ●●nds wer● h●●d 〈…〉, & the vail of unbelieve was la●d over th' 〈…〉 〈…〉 es that they did not understand the old testament: so do ●ost ●en in these d●●es, being content with the b●te name of 〈…〉, & with the blind customs received from their fathers harden their hearts in sin, & stop their ea●es against the same Gospel of grace. But woe be to the security of these men.  
Now seeing that to pray, or to be otherwise exercised in the congregation than the time and place requireth, when men come into the church, is not the least 〈◊〉, which argueth (if men will persist in it being admonished) that they harden their hearts in ignorance and will not be ready to come to Christ when he calleth: take heed that you give not the less credit to this, or any other doctrine confirmed with the truth, because you hear it from young men, or from your inferiors in the estimati● of the world. For he that despiseth the precepts of life ministered by men, despiseth not man but God, 
1. Thess. 4. 8  saith the Apostle. Satan is a most subtle adversary, and goeth about by all means to keep you under the vail of darkness, & natural ignorance. if other means fail him he can work by persuading you to measure your faith to the word of God, with the fame and estimation of the minister, and so either to receive or reject his doctrine according as the world judgeth of the man. Hereof we have a manifest example in the ninth of john; where, when the man that was borne 
Io. 9 30. 31. 32. 33.  blind began to preach unto the jews of Christ, known by his divine power in opening his eyes, the jews show their pride, and disdain to learn of such a one, and say unto him, thou art altogether borne in sins, and 
ver. 34.  dost thou teach us? saith an ancient Christian doctor upon these words, it is seen that 
Civil.  greater men do commonly disdain to learn of their inferiors▪ this proceedeth from the dangerous disease of pride, whereby man persuadeth himself in his own conceit, that he hath sufficient knowledge, when he is ignorant; and he is ashamed▪ to learn of them that are of less reputation, in the judgement of men, than himself, lest he should seem to be ignorant, or to have less learning than that man hath of whom he is taught. But, if our mind were endued with true humility. we should not be ashamed to learn, a quovis puerulo, of any child, saith he, that could teach us the thing which we know not. For the truth is to be embraced, & heard of whomsoever it may be learned. These at the words of a worthy teacher.  
And of this humility which ought to be in all Christians to learn, we have a notable example in Apollo's, a man eloquent, and mighty 
Act. 18. ●4. 25. 26.  in the scriptures, and yet humble to be further instructed of Aquila & Priscill●, a poor tentmaker and his wife. here every one, that will be the servant of Christ, may learn humility, and be prepared, like the men of Berea, with all readiness to receive the word, 
Act. 17. 11.  which is able to save his soul, and of the servant of sin to make him the servant of righteousness. It is yet called to day. And yet we may hear the voice of the bridegroom Christ jesus. And is there is one day of seven appointed for men to rest, And to hear his voice: and as there is a time of that day for men to hear, and not to be otherwise occupied then in hearing; let no man abuse that time; let no man them speak his own words. Art thou dull of hearing, and canst hardly settle thy mind to learne● yet be careful to hear from the beginning to the end, and thou canst not go away without some good leslon laid up in thine heart. Hast thou a good memory, and a●t thou apt to learn? then spend all the time of hearing in hearing, & thy knowledge shall be the more increased. Wi●● thou be justified by ●aith, & be made partaker of Christ? thou hast heard that saith cometh by hearing; and 
Rom. 10 17.  now thou m●ist hear; now is the day of hearing, so long 〈◊〉 the Lord calleth. Hereafter will be the day of rejecting, for them that would not hear when they were called. In that day men cannot learn though they would: for wisdom warneth them which sleep out the time of grace, when learning is offered unto them, when affliction and anguish shall come upon 
P●o. 1. 27. 28.  you: then shall they call upon me but I will not answer: they shall see●e me early, but they shall not find me. the reason is added, why wisdom will not be found of m● at their pleasure: because they hated knowledge, & did not choose the fear of the Lord.  
If therefore thou wilt not in this day of his g 〈…〉 hea●● his voice to thy salvation, thou shalt hereafter in the day of his wrath hear it to thy condemnation: & if now in the day of his calling, his voice cannot awake thee out of the sleep of sin & security, it shall hereafter in the day of his judgement awake thee to thine eternal confusion, though thou sleep in the earth, & though thou be returned into dust, doubt not of this: for the ●ord speaketh it, the hour sh●l● come in the which all that 
10. 5 28. 29.  are in the graves shall hear his voice. And they shall come forth, that have done good unto theresurrection of life: but they that have done evil, unto there surrection of condemnation. In that day shall every scripture, every sermon, & every word of exhortation, which thou hast heard, or read, be a witness against thee how thou hast hardened thine heart, & wouldst not obey his voice when he offered thee his grace. Consider therefore that this is the day where, in he calleth thee, and speaketh to thee, saying, behold now the accepted time, behold now the 
2. Cor. 6. 2.  day of salvation.  
This time, & this day, wherein he proclaimeth peace, is but short, and v 〈…〉 e: redeem it therefore with all readiness of mind, that thou mayst be at peace with God for all eternity.  
You that are diligent husbandmen are careful to redeem the time of fair weather in harvest, because you know not how soo●e it will rain, And man, whose life is compared to a vapour that appeareth for a little time, and after ward vanisheth awa●●, if he live to 
jam. 4. 14.  day, knoweth not whether he shall live to morrow. And if it be permitted him to live, yet knoweth he not how soon the Lord will send a famine of hearing his holy word; and send a dark night of ignorance, in the which no man can work, no man can hear the glad tidings of the Gospel, nor believe it, though he would. Let us pray that our hearts may be mollified, & prepared as good ground to receive the seed of the word, while it is yet called, to day.   

The fifth Lecture, upon the 16. and 17. verses▪ of the wickedness of man's nature; all men are naturally bend to idolatry; we must imitate the faithful (though they be but few in number, or ●n one age) whom God raiseth up in all ages to confess his name; of God's long sufferance, & bountifulness toward sinners: of sin, and the fruit thereof.  
16 For some when they heard, provoked him to anger: howbeit, not all that came out of Egypt by Moses.  
17 But with whom was he displeased forty years? was he not displeased with them that sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness?  
THe Apostle, which was the Author of this Epistles, applying the exhortation of the Prophet before alleged, seemeth here to allude to that desperate provoking, and disobedience of the children of Israel mentioned in the 14 of Num. When they believed those ten men that brought up a vile slander upon the land of promise, and murmured against Moses and A●r●●, and would have stoned joshua and Caleb, because they stood for the truth, as it appeareth more 〈◊〉 large in the 14. of Num. this is therefore as if 〈◊〉 Apostle should say, the whole assembly of them that came out of Egypt, to the number of six handieth thousand men of understanding, even all of them without ex●●●tion heard the word of the LORD, and his promise concerning the land of Canaan, but some of them, yea the greatest some, the ●●h●le assembly saith the scripture, and again, all the mul●●tua● (notwithstanding 
〈◊〉 4. 2. 〈◊〉  some are excepted) when they heard, did not believe, but provoked the ●o●d● to anger with their meredulous 〈…〉ing and 〈◊〉 bellion.  
And it is worthy to be noted that he saith, when they ●●●rd they provoked him, or hearing they provoked him●. For as he that is of God, 
10. 8 47.  heareth GOD'S words; so they that are c 〈…〉 lly minded, and have their understanding darkened, do never provoke the LORD so much as when his word, and his counsel 〈◊〉 p●e●ched unto them; which because it is contrary to the wisdom of the 〈…〉 h, ●●st●●eth up the natural man ●o●e●ll, and to oppose himself against the wisdom of the holy GHOST, according as it is written, the wisdom of 
Rom. 8 7.  the flesh is enmity against God. And again, the natural man perceiveth not the 
1. Cor. 2 14.  things of the spirit of GOD: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. For Satan, who worketh in the children of disobedience, will rather su●●er them to consent to any thing, then to that doctrine which ostereth unto them the peace and favour of God.  
And for this cause our Saviour CHRIST saith, that he came not to send peace into 
Mat. 10 34.  the earth: but the sword. A sword, as we know, cutteth asunder and maketh a separation. And CHRIST, although he be the very author of our peace, yet when his peace is preached unto the world, the wicked and disobedient, which before seemed to be quiet and calm, do now show forth their bitterness and corruption of nature, by contending against this peace, and against the messengers and professors of the same.  
And so CHRIST by their malice is made the occasion of t●multe and discord.  
They provoke him not before they hear him, for the wickedness of man's nature is like fire that lieth hid in quick lime, which never boileth, nor showeth his heat until you put water to it; which, being of a contrary nature and quality, causeth it to burn and cost out heat. It is also like to the vapours of the earth, which appear not so long as the virtue and heat of the sun is not on the earth, but when the sun ariseth then they arise and ascend, not from the sun, but from the earth.  
Thus is the case with the unregenerate & earthly minded man. If there be no word of faith preached, there is no provoking: but if the word be ministered to exhort, to improve, and to rebuke, than the wisdom of the flesh which is enmity against God, beginneth to be unquiet and to provoke. The high Priest of jerusalem, and the Scribes never provoked so furiously, as when they heard the words of Christ, saying, hereafter shall ye see 
Mat. 26. 64.  the son of man sitting on the right hand of the heaven. Then the high Priest rend his clothes. 
ver 65. Act. 7. 54.  And again, The stiffnecked among the jews provoked never so madly, as when they were sharply rebuked of the holy Ghost by the mouth of Stephen: for then, as Luke saith, their hearts did clean for anger, and they guashed at him with their teeth. So king Ahab provoked most of all, when he heard the Prophet Michaiah, 
1 King. 2●. 17. 18.  at what time he told him the truth from the Lord, & signified the event of the war, which Ahab waged against the king of Syria, to go against him. And the remnant of the jews which were left from the captivity of Babylon, although they had protested 
jer. 42. 5. 6.  unto jeremiah that they would obey the voice of the Lord whatsoever would come of it; yet when the same Prophet told them from the Lord, that if they did set their 
jer. 17.  faces to enter into Egypt to dwell there, they should die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, and none of them should remain nor escape from the plague, which the Lord would bring upon them. At the hearing of these things they disobey, and say that jeremtah speaketh 
jer. 43. 2.  falsely, and they will go into Egypt whether he will or no. So the multitude in the wilderness, of whom the Apostle speaketh here, provoked then most desperately, when Caleb and joshua rebuked them that they should not rebel against the Lord, neither fear the people 
Num. 14. 6. 7. 8. 9  of the land of Canaan who should be but bread for them, knowing that the Lord, whose word is a sure rock, would give them the land according to his promise. These thing▪ when they heard they so proucked that they would have stoned Caleb and 
ver. 10.  I●s 〈…〉  
By these examples we may learn how contrary, and repugnant the wisdom of flesh and blood is to the wisdom of the holy Ghost: for it is not subject, as saith the Apostle, 
Rom. 8. 7.  to the law of God, neither indeed can be. And for this cause the Lord saith, as the heavens are 
Isa. 55 9  higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts above your thoughts. This is it therefore why the nations of the world, and the most part of men in all ages have affected, & sought after false, & counterfeit religions, as most agreeable with the corruption of man's nature, at the hearing whereof no man might be displeased, nor made to provoke. Such were the inventions of the Heathen, they were content to receive & subscribe to any religion, or rather idolatry, except the religion of the true & everliving God.  
The Egyptians, as it is recorded of them, worshipped so many feigned Gods, that their several sacrifices and ceremonies are said to have been more than six hundredth & sixty in number. The Grecians imitated them. The old Romans in process of time exceeded them in the number of superstitious religions. But for all that, the Romans would never consent to worship the GOD of Israel, nor to receive the religion of that people: because they knew that he must be worshipped according to his commandment, and not as they would.  
The religion of Mahomet, which now the Turks do maintain, was patched together of the inventions of Mahomet, and of the devises of certain profane and wicked men, in such wise that the ignorant multitude might have no cause to dislike of the same, that so they might draw the more people to ●ome with them in their sect: But the doctrine of CHRIST, and his Apostles they sought by all means to slander, and tread under foot; and they do still provoke as oft as they hear it, because it is the doctrine of truth.  
We cannot deny that our forefathers, withal the adherentes of the false church of Rome have most fearfully provoked the Lord, for the space of five hundredth years at the least, by consenting to suppress the holy scriptures, that they should not be published to the understanding of the common people, and by persecuting and killing the little flock of Christ, which professed to be saved by faith alone in Christ jesus, and not by the law, nor by works. It is too well known that such hath been the fruit of Antichrist; making ignorance the mother of devotiò, & devising so many new Gods, or dead men to be called upon, & prayed unto for help, that in number the Gods of the heathen have not exceeded them. With these & the like impreties, that son of perdition the bishop of Rome hath of long time provoked the God of truth, and mightily bewitched the unthankful world. For (as it is written in the Pope's own 
* Gratian as distinct. 44. si papa.  law) he hath not only bee●e remiss and negligent of his own, and his brethren's salvation, but perversitas Papa 〈…〉 m●. rabiles populos catervatim secum duxit ad gehe●nam, the Pope's maliciousness hath drawn with him to hell innumerable people by heaps.  
And what shall we say of the provoking of these days? in which (the people of this land being brought out of the Pope's Egypt of dark ignorance, and superstition, and having heard the doctrine of Moses, of the Prophets, of Christ, and his Apostles, now forty years long, even so many years as the children of Israel heard the same doctrine of faith in the wilderness (yet Atheism, superstition, and contempt of the truth are so rife every where, that Caleb and joshua, the messengers of the truth, cannot persuade men to forget Egypt, and to set their mind upon the land of promise. Surely this must be the greater condemnation of the world, that 
Io. 3. 19  light is come into the world, and men loved darkness more than light.  
Here we see that all men are naturally inclined to superstition and idolatry. And therefore no man that continueth in sin, and neglecteth the calling of God, shall be excused because so many ages and so many people, our fathers, and our forefathers have so lived; yea & have so provoked the Lord, and walked in the broad way that leadeth to destruction: all such examples of disobedience, if we will sin after them, shall, as hath been already said, aggravate our punishment: because the Lord hath caused them to come to our knowledge for our admonition. For whosoever shall follow the wicked fact of Cain to shed innocent blood, shall be punished seven fold more than Cain was, because 
Gen. 4. 15.  he is warned by Cain's example to abstain from murder. And all those plagues which happened unto the Israelits in the wilderness for their infidelity & murmuring, came for examples sake, & ar● written, saith Paul, to admonish us, upon whom the ends of the 
1. Cor. 10. ●1.  world are come. And f●r this ●●use the Lord would h●●e his dreadful judgements, which have been executed against the sins of former times to be in all ages told and preached unto the world, that men might be warned thereby to amend their lives, as we may see by those messengers which came to job, one a●ter another, to tell him of God's judgements showed upon his ca●●ell, his servants & his children. Every one of these messengers saith, I only a● escaped alone. To 
job 1. 15 16 17. 19  what end? or wherefore are they escaped? it followeth, to tell thee. And to the same effect the Lord saith by Eze●●el, I will leave a little 
Eze. 12. 16.  number of them from the sword, & from the famine, & from the pestilence. To what end? that they may declare, saith he, all these abominations among the heathen where they come.  
We are then sufficiently admonished, by the examples of former ages, what will be the punishment of evil▪ & are taught what examples we must follow, to wit, the examples of good men, whereof we have some in all ages of the world. The Apostle saith here that not all which came out of egypt by Moses provoked. We must look on them that provoked not, but obeyed the word of the Lord, though they be but few among many thousands of disobedient and unfaithful people. It seemeth that the younger fort which were under twenty years old, among 
Num. 14. ●9  the children of Israel, provoked not the Lord, or if they did, yet, by the testimony of the Apostle here, there was a remnant left among those murmuring people which obeyed the word of the LORD, as Moses and Aaron, Caleb and joshua: unto those few we must have an e●e, and not unto the multitude of sinners. For the LORD saith, thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil, 
Exod. 23. 2.  neither agree in a controversy to decline after many and overthrow the truth. And therefore wicked is that common saying which hath been alleged of the Papists, communis error facit 〈…〉 s, a common error, or consent in evil standeth for a law.  
Notwithstanding that at all times, and in all places, the more part of men, which are evil, give evil examples to draw others unto sin, which is the cause that Christ saith, woe be unto the world because of offences: for it must needs be that offences shall 
Mat. 18. 7.  come etc. Yet, as the Apostle speaketh, we are 
Heb. 12. 1.  compassed about with a great cloud of witnesses, or good examples which we must imitate so long as we live in the wilderness of this world.  
We have the Patriarches, the Prophets, and the Saints of the old testament. We have Christ himself the author and finisher of nor saith. we have the Apostles, Confessors, and martyrs in the time of the new testament, for an example to suffer persecution for righteousness sake, and in all things to obey the will of God.  
And within the period of these last five hundredth years, even in the flourishing time of Antichrist, we have those faithful co●ses●ours (though they were but few in number that we have heard of) which have resisted Antichristian iniquity even unto blood: we have them, I say, for an example of love and long patience, witnessing, unto us, that in those days of desolation, and popish tyranny, all did not provoke the Lord, nor fall away from the right saith.  
For as in the days of El●ah, when that 
1. King. 19 10.  wicked woman jezebel had persecuted the lords Prophets, and when the true worship of God seemed to be utterly abolished o●t of the land, seven thousand were reserved (though none of them was known 
ver. 18.  to El●ah) which had not consented to idolatry, so in the days of our forefathers, many thousands did obey the Gospel of salvation, & did not defile their garments with Popish idolatry; and of them the Lord hath made some to be known to the world, and their memorial to remain as monuments of his grace for our comfort and example.  
And to come to examples nearer to our time, & to ourselves. I have heard it credibli reported, that, when here in England, within these 
* When this was preached, i● was the year 1598.  five & forty years, many of the Saints and true believers did constantly suffer martyrdom for the testimony of the word of God, there were here in Sussex whole parishes of men and women, which for all the heat of that grievous persecution in the 
The constancy of su●●ex people in the procession of the Gospel.  days of Queen Mary, came not at the false church, not bowed the knee to the idol of the Mass; beside those that were martyi●, which with their blood have sealed the confession of their faith.  
And (as it is best known to them that profess religion, & have long known this country) there were also divers which testified their love & obedience to the Gospel by assembling together at convement times in woods and ●●li●a●ie places, where they had the word of saith purely taught, & the sacraments administered; The Lord protecting them from the cruelty of those days.  
These are as clouds of witnesses for our example, that we should follow their faith & obedience to the word of God.  
And now in our days, notwithstanding that the love & zeal of many doth wax cold, and that the d●rnell and wild oats do● overgrowe the good corn. that, for the most part, we can see nothing but the multitude of lukewarm and irreligions' people, yet are there many faithful witnesses, & sincere professors of the Gospel of God among us. But alas, as the world is always like itself, we are so far from following the saith & example of the Saints, that while they live among us, we cease not to speak evil of them, & to persecute them.  
●hus we see that the Lord leaveth no time (no not when it seemeth that the professors of his name are rooted out of the earth) without worthy witnesses of his truth, whose steps we must tread in, unless we will run in the broad way that leadeth to destruction.  
It followeth: but with whom was he displeased forty years? was he not displeased with them that sinned, whose carcasses fell in the, wilderness? Hear cometh the long suffering, and bountifulness of God to be considered, who never destroyeth any people, nor any child of man for their wickedness, before they be sufficiently warned, and have time to repent, and to turn from their evil ways if they will. Before he brought a stood of waters to drown the old world, he gave them, that then had sinned, the space, not of forty, but of three times forty years ●or repentance. He 
Ge●. 6. 3.  burned not the cities of S●dom and Gomorah with fire and brimstone from heaven, 
Ge●. 19 24. 25. 〈◊〉. Pet. 2. 8.  before he had given them time to amend, and warning from day to day by righteous Lot.  
And of that ungodly woman jezabel, the Lord saith, I have given her space. To what end? to repent of her fornication, & she repent not. so 
Rev. 2. 20. 21.  here, the holy Ghost saith, that forty years he was displeased with the Israelites after they came out of Egypt. So long endured he their manners and intolerable rebelling against his word in the wilderness.  
Here we may learn, as the Apostle warneth us, to walk circumspectly, & to ●edeeme 
Eph. 5. 15. 16.  the time, remembering also what he saith of them that abuse the time of repentance, despises● thou the riches of God's bountifulness, and 
Rom. 2. 4.  patience, and long sufferance, not knowing that the bountifulness of God le●●eth thee to repentance.  
●et a Christian therefore be careful to use well the time wherein he lives, considering that, while he is in this world, he is in a wilderness of innumerable dangers and temptations, whe●e it behoveth him to watch and to be circumspect, or else he is in a desperate case, & heapeth unto himself wrath against the day of wrath, whosoever he be that despiseth God's long patience.  
Forty years. This number forty is oftentimes used in the holy scriptures, and is commonly applied to the time of repentance●, of abolishing of sin, and stablishing of righteousness. And it teacheth us that the works of God are perfect, and that, when he beginneth, he maketh an end. As here, forty years he was displeased with the Israelites in the wilderness, according to the number of the 
Num. 14. 33. 34.  days in the which they had searched out the land of promise. In which forty years he overthrew them, and made an end of them with their sins. Forty days and forty nights was the rain upon the earth when all the inhabitants 
Gen. 7. 12.  of the old world (except Noah and his family) were drowned. In those forty days, and forty nights the Lord wiped away all wickedness and cruelty wherewith the earth was corrupted.  
Forty days are limited to the people of Ni●eveh for repentance. And in that space they repent: for they believed God, as it is in jonah, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackecloath 
jon. 3. 4. 5.  from the greatest of them even to the least of them.  
And to speak according to natural observation, it is noted in mankind generally that an 
* Plin. nat. hist. lib. 7. in proem.  infant doth seldom or never laugh before he be forty days old. Here we may see that man ●ath just cause to be always sorry, and to mourn for his sins which are the cause of all the miseries of this life.  
When God establisheth perfect righteousness upon earth, forty of days and nights are spoken of: as when Moses was called from the sight of the people, he was with the Lord in mount Sinai forty days and forty nights 
Exod. 24 18 & 34. 28.  in which he fasted miraculously, that so the law of God, which he was to deliver unto the Israelites, might receive the more honour and authority. And again, forty days and 
1. King. ●9. 〈◊〉  forty 〈◊〉 E 〈…〉 h, at the calling of the Lord continued ●●s●ing, because he was the minister that should restore the law to the former perfection thereof.  
And our saviour Christ is said to have fasted 
Ma●. 4. 2. ●uke 4 2.  〈…〉, and forty mights, before he began his public life, and preaching. The end of which fast, o● 〈…〉 le, as 
* Upon the harmony of the ●●angell. Mat. 4. 〈◊〉.  M. C●lv● doth well obsetue, was that it should be a seal to the doctrine of the Gospel; which as it is more glorious than the law of Moses, so was it to be adorned with miracles, and rate signs. And after he had suffered his passion, and was ●●sen again, he was seen of his Apostles by the spice of forty days. 
Act. 1. 3.  In which forty days he confirmed unto them the verity of his ●u●●ection.  
Thus we see where unto this number forty is usually applied in holy scriptures. For as te●●e is a perfect and absolute number, and all sup 〈…〉 numbers do arise either by adding unto te●●e, o● else by multiplying of ten, so the multiplying of ten in this number forty, declareth unto us the loving kindness, and mercy of God, who giveth unto men such space of days, or of years, either to see the confirmation of his truth, and his works, or to amend and turn unto him before they be destroyed for their sins and transgressions.  
And here we may learn that our departing from iniquity, our faith, and obedience to the word of GOD must be effectual, earnest and unsamed, and we must persevere in the same, not for one day, but forty days, or forty years, that is, so long as the LORD will have us to remain in the wilderness of this world.  
Now the cause why the LORD was displeased with his people forty years, was sin. For the Apostle sayeth, was he not displeased with them that sinned, whose car●●●ses fell in the wilderness? The root and beginning of all sin is the natural corruption, or original sin wherein all men are wrapped from their mother's womb, and wherewith mankind hath been infected ever since the fall of Adam.  
This corruption bringeth forth fruit unto death, by transgressing the law of God 
We sin three manner of waie●.  three manner of ways, that is, in thought, word, and deed, according to the words of our saviour Christ affirming that those things, which defile a man, come from the heart. For out of the heart, saith he, come 
Mat. 15. 19  evi●● thoughts. These are sins, and defile th● whole man. Murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts. These are sins in deed. False testimonies, slanders. These are sins committed in word.  
And now all these transgressions, and every one of them, as they are committed of men, are called actual sins. And they are 
Three sorts of actual sins.  of three sorts. One is counted a sin of infirmity, into the which the godly, and regenerate men of God, do commonly fall through the weakness of the flesh. Of this kind of sin speaketh Paul, when he saith, the evil which I would not, that do I. And 
Rom 7. 19 1. 〈◊〉. 1. 8.  of this Saint john saith, If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  
The second is a sin of ignorance, committed through lack of knowledge, when he that sinneth knoweth not that he doth evil. Such was the sin of Paul before his conversion, when he lived a Pharis●●, and persecuted the Christians, notwithstanding he had zeal, and in his life was unrebukable, 
Phil. 3. 6.  touching the righteousness of the law. And of this sin, after he was converted, he saith, I did it ignorantly through unbelief. 
1. Tim. 1. 13.   
The third kind of sin, is, a sin of malice, or a sin of disobedience to the truth of God, when they that have experience of God's favour, and goodness towards them, and know his word to be the rule of righteousness, will not for all that forsake their own ways to follow it, and to obey it. Such was the sin of Saul when he did not 
1. Sam. 15 9  obey the words of Samuel, being commanded to destroy the Amalekites, and all that appertained unto them.  
This sin of disobedience was the sin of the children of Israel, for the which the Lord was displeased with them forty years; who knowing the goodness of God to be more extended towards them, than any other nation of the earth, did notwithstanding disobey his voice, and tempt him ●enne times, as the scripture witnesseth. 
Num. 14. ●2  And therefore they were rejected of the Lord that they should not enter into his rest, and were punished in the wilderness with horrible plagues, where their carcases fell for an example, and a terror to all that should have thereof.  
This sin of malicious frowardness, & disobedience to the word of God, is of all other most fearful, & is therefore called rebellion, 
1. Sam. 15. 23.  wickedness, & idolatry, & compared with the sin of witchcraft. And of this kind of sin john saith, he that committeth sin●s of 
1. 10. 3. 8. 9  the devil. And whosoever is borne of God sinneth not.  
This is therefore the sin that we must beware of. We see how fearfully it was punished in God's chosen people. And their punishments, as Paul witnesseth, being written to admonish us, might, if they were 
1. Cor. 10. 〈◊〉.  well weighed, terrify the stubborn, & froward generation of this age, and might move those that prefer the darkness of their own hearts before the light of the truth, to examine themselves what ground they stand upon. For there shineth in many nowadays a goodly show of holiness & equity in their dealings, and yet are they enemies to the Gospel, & glad if they can find occasion to do hurt, & to slander the professors thereof. But if this sin of wicked frowardness, & disobedience to the word that we hear, were far from us, than all other sins would soon be corrected, & reform. Wherefore being compassed, as we have with a cloud of many witnesses, whose example, if we consider them, leadeth us to obedience to the will of God, we pray that every one of you show the like diligence to the resisting of sin & evil examples of the world, & to grow to perfect knowledge in the word of God while it is yet called to day.   

The sixth and last Lecture, upon the 18. and 19 verses: of the punishment of them that obey not the Gospel, though for a time they be borne with, and live in a flourishing state; What the tokens of God's judgements, which befall ●n the world, 〈…〉 and wherewith so●e men are visited, should profit us; the word of God is the iu●ge of men: which word is to be obeyed, while the day of grace lasteth.  
18 And to whom swore he that they should not enter into his rest, but unto them that obeyed not?  
19 So we see that they could not enter in, because of unbelief.  
WE have already heard of them, which, when they heard the word of God from the mouth of his ministers, provoked him to anger with their rebelling and murmuring against him, where it was noted how great the corruption and wickedness of man's nature is, which provoketh against the wisdom of the holy Ghost, & setteth more by superstitious vanities, then by the word of eternal life. We have also heard of sin, and the effect thereof. The sins of the Israelites, whom God delivered from the bondage of Egypt, were the cause that within forty years, in which they abused Gods long suffering, they were with divers plagues destroyed and consumed in the wilderness.  
And now to declare a further punishment of sin, and rebellion, then is the bodily punishment, and the evils of this life, the scripture saith here, that God swore to them that obeyed not, that they should not enter into his rest, By which words, repeated out of the scripture of the Prophet before alleged, the Apostle putteth the Hebrews in mind, not of the rest of the land of Canaan, which their fathers through disobedience and unbelief had lost, but of the rest of the heavenly 〈…〉 salem, the everlasting inheritance of the Saints, whereof the earthly rest and peace in the land of Canaan, as also the rest of the seventh day, was but a type or a shadow: & therefore he saith, If jesus (or joshua) 
Heb. 4. 8.  had given them rest, than would he not after this day have spoken of an other. For the Prophet David in his exhortation made long after the possessing of the land of Canaan, speaketh of the true and perfect rest, which the faithful do enter into, & which God hath promised 
Heb. 4. 3.  from the beginning of the world to them that obey his voice.  
To be excluded from this rest through unbelief and hardness of heart, is a wo●full case. It is to have thy portion with dogs & 
Rev. 22. 15.  enchanters, & whoremongers, and murderers, & idolaters, and whosoever loveth or maketh lies.  
The children of Israel, to whom the Lord made his power so manifestly known in Egypt, at the red sea, and in the wilderness, were afterward, when they sinned, most fearfully punished, & destroyed. And moreover, as this scripture witnesseth, the Lord swa●e that they should not enter into his rest. Here is the just reward of sin, & disobedience, that is, to be debarred, & shut out for evermore from en 〈…〉ng into the ●ords rest. And this is here declared in that he denieth unto those perverse people the sign or sacrament of his grace, signifying thereby that the grace itself is denied unto them: for the not admitting of those obstinate and unfaithful jews into the land of Canaan, showeth that for then unbelief they are not 
* As no sacrament 〈◊〉 instituted of God without signification of an invisible grace, so the taking away of the sacraments importeth a taking away of the grace that was signified thereby: howbeit not so but that God may, and doth extraordinarily save some where the ordinary means of salvation and the sacraments cannot be had.  admitted into the perfect and eternal rest figured in the earthly rest of that promised land: Which also in an other place, the Author of this Epistle (whom we understand to dispute here, not of the shadow, but of the substance, not of the transitory, but of the perpetual rest) inferreth with these words, they to whom it was first preached, entered not therein for unbeliefes sak● Heb. 4. 6. This passeth all the temporary plagues, & punishments which befall men for their sins in this present life. And yet this happened to them which in this world were reputed for God's people, & for a time were partakers of all the signs & tokens of God's favour.  
Wherefore, that no man be deceived in himself, and think that he standeth fast because he is in the church of God, when he is not of the church, here we see, that, as Paul saith, to be under the cloud, to pass through 
1. Cor. 10. 〈◊〉. 〈◊〉. 3. 4.  the se●, to be baptised unto Moses (that is, to be partakers of God's sacraments under their captain Moses) to eat man●a, & to drink of the spiritual rock. which, as he interpreteth it, was Christ, did nothing profit the children of Israel: for when they sinned, and would not obey, nor give credit either to the comfortable promises, or to the fearful threatenings of God, they were overthrown in the wilderness, & deprived of all hope of the rest promised to the faithful seed of Abraham.  
These things are written that we might learn & understand that our baptism ministered to us in the name of the holy trinity, our coming to church, our common prayers & our outward hearing of the word of God, our receiving of the communion of the Lords supper, our names of Christians, and whatsoever outward signs and marks of Christian religion we have, shall profit us nothing to attain eternal rest, so long as our hearts be not clean from the hypocrisy, & superstition of the flesh, & so long as we do not crucify the old Adam which is wont to rebel against the word of God, because it reacheth us things contrary to our own wil  
Whosoever therefore doth not suffer the words of exhortation, & doth not in. sincerity & truth obey the voice of Christ, hath no part in the inheritance which is prepared for the sons of ●od, notwithstanding that for a time he he partaker of the earthly sacraments and signs of the same.  
Moreover let no man flatter himself, & think that he is safe from God's judgements if he hath no● so tempted God as the Israelits did in the wilderness, or if he hath not so murmured against his ministers as they did; but let him rather consider whether his faith, and obedience hath been so tried as the●●s was, & whether without murmuring & distrust, he hath gone through the fire & water of temptation which they were brought unto for their trial, according as the scripture witnesseth, thou shalt remember all the way 
Deut. 8. 2.  which the Lord thy God led thee this forty year in the wilderness; for to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart whether thou wouldst keep his commandments or no. Here we see that the Lord exercised the Israelits with great dangers and many difficulties of the terrible wilderness, for to humble them, and to know whether with sound and faithful hearts they would cleave to him, & abide his trial.  
If thou hast not then been exercised with divers temptations as they were, or if thou a●t not yet come into the day of trial, persuade not thyself that all is well with thee, because thou standest when none doth sight against thee. Say not like the church of the 
Revel. 3. 17  laodiceans, that thou art rich because thou knowest not thy wretchedness & poverty, and that thou hast need of nothing because thou seest not thy nakedness. It is an easy thing to overcome where thei● is no battle, & to promise to thyself the victory before thou a●t tried. That lesson of the King of Israel is worthy to be remembered, let not him▪ 
1. King. 10. 11.  that guards his har●es, boast himself, as he that putteth it of. And that, of the Apostle is a notable warming, let him that thinketh h●● 
1. Co●. 10. 1●.  standeth, take heed lest he fall.  
Thirdly & specially let us here learn, that if such sins & iniquities, as are equal to the sins of the Israelits in the wilderness, be not visited with the like plagues as theirs were, they shall not therefore escape unpunished. For there is a judgement to come, & the Lord hath sworn that the unfaithful & unrighteous, which disobey his word, shall not enter into his rest. This is a sure testimon●e that putteth away all doubt: for if anoath for 
Heb 6. 16.  confirmation among men be an end of all strif●, as are the words of the Apostle, how much more doth it take away all occasion of doubting when the Lord almighty bindeth himself with an oath?  
The interrogation which the Apostle useth in these words, to whom swore he that they should not enter into his rest? doth more significantly express the punishment of not obeying. And here is also used a figurative kind of speech, whereby less is said, than 〈◊〉 understood, & whereby we gather that there are dreadful punishments ordained for all obstinate & unbelieving sinners. For what ensueth from not entering into the rest of immortality but to have thy part & portion with them which are shut out of the city of ●od? & what part have they? the holy Ghost declareth in these words, the fearful and unbelieving, and the abominable & 
Revel. ●1. 8.  murderers, & wheremongers & sorcerers, and idolaters and all ●●ers shall have their portion 〈◊〉 the lake, which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the secon● death.  
This is the wages of sin & disobedience; & although the time of payment be deferred until the harvest of this world, yet this cup of vengeance is prepared for all the workers of iniquity, which shall not enter into rest. And therefore, as one father saith, he that doth evil aught to fear the more if he be not punished in this world: for than he is to drink the deeper of God's wrath in the judgement to come.  
These things being most true, let it not grieve thee that art a true Christian, though sinners do flourish for a time, and though thou see the unclean conversation of wicked and profane people to abound in the earth, and yet in the mean while thou thyself dost suffer affliction, and art tried with diverse adversities. Remember for all this that God is good to Israel, and the damnation of his enemies sleepeth not.  
It cannot be denied but that many of those sins, which God in former ages did so 〈…〉 lie punish for an example unto the world, do now reign in the world, and yet are 〈◊〉 visited with the like severity and punishment, because as we read, God hath 〈…〉 a day, in the which he will judge the 
Acts 1●●1.  world 〈◊〉 righteousness. And therefore, as it is well observed of Chrysostome, many of those sins, for the which the world was drowned in the days of Noah, are day he committed in the world, & yet ●od bringeth not 
Ge● 7. ●1. 2●. 23.  a ●lo●d to drown the world, as he did then; because there is a ●●ood of wrath ordained for them in the world to come. Many of those sins for the which Sodom & Gomorrah were consumed with fire and brimstone from heaven, are still practised in the world, 
Gen. 19 24. 25.  and yet the Lo●d raineth not fire out of heaven to destroy them that do such things▪ because he hath appointed for them the ●i●e that ●hall never be quenched. Many are they which speak against God's word, and persecute his church as Pharaoh did, & yet 
Exod. 14. 27. 28.  are not choked with the sea water, as Pharaoh and his ●eruantes were; because the bottomless sea of perdition is reserved for them. Many do murmur against heaven, & dislike of God's ordinance as the Israelits did in the wilderness, and yet are not destroyed with fiery serpents, & with other plagues, as 
Num. 21. 5. 6.  they were: because the worm that never dieth shall hereafter torment them. Many there be which take bribes & gifts unlawfully as Gehaz● did; & yet they are not stricken with the foul disease of leprosy, as he was; 
2 King. 5. 27.  because they shall be plagued after this life where there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  
And again many do lie & dissemble in matters of religion, as Ananias & Sapphira 
Act. 5. 5. 10.  did, and yet are not punished with suden death, as they were: because death immortal, & everlasting waiteth for them.  
These things are thus applied of * Chrissostom's. 
1 Chrysost. in Act. Apo. c. 5. h●m. 12.  & for this cause, when the Apostle Peter saith, that God spared not the angels, that had sinned, but east them down into hell; & that 
2 Pet. 2. 4. 5 6.  he spared not the old world: & that he turned the cit●es of Sodom & Gomorah into ashes; he doth not say that God did then with the like punishments cut of the false teachers, of whom he speaketh, & such as walk● like the Sodomites after the flesh, in the l●st of uncleanness; but he gathereth thereby, that the Lord knoweth 
2. P●t. 2. 9  how to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgement to be punished.  
The heathen man, as justine Martyr allegeth, 
just. Mart. in h●de mo●●●chia.  was not ignorant of this judgement, & of the reckoning to come: for he speaketh platly thereof: S●●ustus et ●mp●us eadem conditione futu 〈…〉, rape, ●urare, frauda, misce, if after this life there be no difference between the just man & the wicked, then go to, catch what thou canst, steal, deceive, make confusion of all things: s●derrarenol●, but be not deceived: for, saith he, there is a●iudgment in hell beneath, which God that is Lord of all things will do, whose name is so dreadful that I d●re not name him. Th●● and much more he allegeth out of Phil●mo● & other heathen writers, which by the light of nature did set forth, not only the ommpotency of God & the immortality of man's soul, but also the reward of virtue, & the punishment of sin after this life; & how that God (which, as one of them saith, is the eye of equity that seethe all things) doth bear with the evil deeds of men in this life for that they shall come into judgement hereafter.  
The doctrine of the holy Psalmist is of singular force to this purpose, who for the instruction of others, confesseth that his f●●t● were almost gone, & that his steps had well-nigh slipped, 
Psal. 73. ●3. 〈◊〉. 5.  when he saw the prosperity of the wicked, how they thrive in the world, and are not in trouble 
ver. 17. 18. 19 20.  as other men: but when the Lord opened his understanding, he saw the end of these men, namely that they are se●● in slippery places, and are suddenly destroyed, & horriblelio consumed, as a dream when one awaketh. job 
job. 21. 17. 18.  testifieth the like both of their momentary prosperity, and of their sudden destruction.  
The servants of God have here a singular comfort, that they may not be discouraged with tribulation, and adversity, and that they may not at any time stumble at God's long patience and benignity toward reprobate and unjust men, seeing that he rewardeth every man according as his deeds shall be, though 
Rom. 2. 6. Rev. 22. 12.  he be not hasty in punishing, and though he doth not in this life punish all men's sins alike.  
Hear also secure worldlings, and such as are slow to believe the word of truth, may be moved to fear God's judgements, and by amendment of life to withdraw themselves out of the s●are of the devil, which, as the Apostle saith, are taken of him at his 
2. Tim. 〈◊〉. 26.  will.  
And now, if neither the promises of entering into eternal rest, nor the testimonies of Gods fearful judgements revealed against sin and disobedience, can move us to repentance, let us yet make use of God's visitations wherewith we hear, and see the iniquities of these our days to be visited; as in all ages God showeth divers tokens of his displeasure and indignation against the unrighteousness and unbelief of men. For every plague, ev 〈…〉 calamity, sudden death, burning with fire 〈…〉 there, strange sicknesses, famine, every stood of waters, ruin of buildings, unseasonable weather: every one of these, and of the like adversities, as oft as they happen in the world, are a sermon of repentance to all that see them, or hear thereof For whensoever God punisheth some kind of sins, or punisheth some men more severely than others that have sinned, even that his punishment is a warning & a memento to every one of us to look to ourselves, and to call to reremembrance our own sins, knowing that it is the same God that will take vengeance of eue●●e sin, and transgression of men, & that he will strike with a more heavy hand, if his warning, and example of his justice be not regarded.  
Wherefore, to come to ourselves. We see that beside the pestilence, and many other ●ignes of God's anger where with this land of late years hath been visited, the Lord hath now for the space of three years together sent scarcity of bread, famine, and penury among us▪ And shall we think that the poor, and the helpless, who (for the mostpart) suffer these things, are sinners above the rest that have not yet tasted of this cup? if we think so we utterly deceive ourselves For we are otherwise taught of the lords Prophet in these words, when the land sinneth against me by committing a trespass, then will I 
Eze●. 14 13  stretch out my hand upon it, and will break the staff of the bread thereof, and will send famine upon it. We see that the Lords hand is after this manner stretched out, and that the staff of bread is broken. We see, and must needs know that the sins of the land are great, and that the inhabitants thereof from the greatest to the least have not ob 〈…〉 the voice of the Lord to walk in all his ways; and yet we see but some punished with the scourge of hunger and advesitie. The rest, that are not yet touched, are so far from repentance, & newness of life that, as the Prophet saith, they drink wine in bowls and anoint themselves 
Amos. 6. 6.  with the che●●●e ointments, but no man is sorry for the afflections of joseph. Few do weep, or have that Christianlike affection to weep with them that suffer affliction. And will you still continued in sin and hardness of heart? shall not the afflictions of our brethren cause us to fear, & to turn into the way of truth before that greater plagues be powered out upon the land, even upon every soul that doth evil and continueth in sin and disobedience?  
Every man may gather that the calamities of other men do testify, that the punishment of his own sins lieth at the door; As to this effect, the heathen Poet speaketh. 
Et tua res agitur paries cum proximus ordet. 
Horatius.    
When thou seest thy neighbour's house set on fire thou hast warning to look to thine own And for this cause the Lord, sometimes, cutteth down the green tree, showing thereby what he will do to the unfruitful fig tree that keepeth bar●en the ground of the vineyard, though he let it stand for awhile.  
That no man therefore might sleep in his sins, or think himself to be the better man because he seethe other men punished, & himself not touched, Christ teacheth us most plainly by the cruel slaughter of the Galileans made by Pilate, & by the fall of the 
Luk. 13. 2. 3. 4. 5.  tower upon the men ●n Siloa●●, that the worst men are not first punished, but that if God show such tokens of his judgements upon some few, all other men (except they amend) shall nothing the rather escape his heavy hand for that they be borne with for a time.  
When we see therefore that God handleth some men severely, and in his justice, we ought to fear & examine ourselves what we have deserved, & so to consider that the longer that God beareth with us, the more terrible will be his revengement if we abuse his benignity & wink at the testimonies of his wrath showed upon others for our example.  
Now, having such evident testimonies of Gods severe judgements in all ages revealed against the unrighteousness and unbelief of men: as the Apostle saith here of the unbelieving Israelits, we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief; so we see, & declare unto you by the same word of truth, which we minister●, that all obstinate and unbelieving sinners which will not obey the truth, shall not enter in to the rest of life everlasting, or have any part in the felicity of the faithful. Do we therefore judge men? no in no wise. The word which we minister is the judge, and by it we denounce the judgements of God against them which obey not this word, instructing them with meekness, & proving i● God at any time will give them repentance that they may come to the knowledge of his truth: for this is the judgement of the spirit of God, he that obeyeth not the son, shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth 
●o. 3 36.  on him. and he that is in this unbelief, though he fasi from mea●●, though he say many prayers, though he give much to the poor, & though he build churches, and do many glorious works, doth yet nothing acceptable to God, while he believeth not in the son, & while hi● heart cleaveth not to the word of the Lord. For as it is written, without faith it is unpossible to please God. and again, 
Heb● 11. 6 Rom. 14 23  what soever is not of faith is sin. So far is the carnal man, which is possessed with unbelief, from pleasing of God, that all his works, even the best deeds that he doth are nothing else but sin.  
Many there be, which do many things that have in deed, as the Apostle saith, a show 
Col. 2. 23.  of wisdom, in voluntary religion: but if you ask these people, from what faith their works do proceed, and upon what promises of God contained in his word their faith is settled; they will commonly say, that though they know not these things, yet hope they to be saved as well as yourself. But be not deceived: for this hope is no hope. It is not the auker of the soul both sure and steadfast. And your faith is no 
Heb. 6. 19  faith, so long as it be not built upon the rock of God's word, which is the jewel that you should desire more than gold: and find to be sweeter than honey, and the honey comb. But while 
Psal. 19 19  you build upon the devises of your own heart, your adversary, when the day of trial cometh, will overthrow your whole building which is not grounded▪ upon the rock but upon the unsure sand.  
Wherefore if you will enter into God's rest, & dwell safely from the fear of evil, your heart must be purified by faith, and, as you hear daily, faith is by hearing, & hearing by the word of God. 
Rom. 10. 17   
If hitherto you have been dull of hearing, or slow of heart to believe this word, give now the more diligence to hear, and to exercise yourselves therein: lest it be taken away from you for your former negligence & unthankfulness. For so the Lord threateneth by his Prophet, bebould the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, 
Amo●. 8. 11 12.  not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of the hearing of the word of the Lord. And they shall wander from sea to sea, & from the North even unto the East shall they run is & fro to seek the word of the Lord, & shall not find it. This is a famine more to be feared then any famine of material bread. For this falmine of hearing the word of God, is a token of reprobation, & a sign that God doth utterly forsake, & cast away that people or nation where it is sent. For, when God taketh away the light of his word, what shall we find but hellish darkness, & the shadow of death? & this is the ●ust judgement of God for the unbelief of them that shall nos enter into his rest.  
Behold now, therefore the accepted time, behold 
2. Cor. 6. 1.  now the day of salvation. For yet it is called to day, & yet wisdom uttereth her voice in the 
Heb. 3. 13. Pro. 1. 20.  streets, & open assemblies of our people, & promiseth that whosoever obeyeth her, shall 
ver. 33.  dwell safely & be quiet from the fear of evil. Be hold now the Lord stadeth at the d●●re, & knockee●●, saying, if any man hear my voice & open the 
Rev. 3 20.  door, I will come in unto him, and will supp● with him, & he with me.  
To this Lord, that hath made his voice to be heard among us now above forty years long, and yet continueth unto us the glorious day of his grace, be praise in the church throughout all generations for ever. Let us humble ourselves before the throne of grace and pray.  
FINIS.   

A GODLY AND NECESSARY SERMON against fleshly lusts; and against certain mischievous May-games, which are the fruit thereof. Preached upon the first Sabbath day in May, in the year. 1598.  
By H. R. Master of Arts, and now Minister of the word.  Gal. 5. 17. 
The flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary one to the other.  
Printed at Oxford by Joseph Barnes, and are to be sold in Paul's church yard, at the sign of the Bible. 1600.   

To the Reader.  
THis sermon (Christian Reader) should have been published together with another of the sufferings & agonies of our saviour Christ, & of his victory over death, but that some, which would be counted the soundest clerks, and yet br●ach not the soundest doctrine to the world, want not their favourers and means to stop the way of all such things as do not concord & say amen to whatsoever they have said & fastened upon the world for truth. Omitting therefore things that must be deferred, I have here adjoined to these six lectures ●ntitled, the day of hearing, a sermon upon a text of the Apostle Peter exhorting to abstain from fleshly lusts. For as the son of S●rach forbiddeth us to keep back our counsel when 
Eccl. 4. 23.  it may do good, so the afore named Apostle of Christ commanudeth us, every man as he hath received the gift, to minister the same one to 
1. Pet. 4. 10.  another.  
Wherefore (as time & place required, & as God ●nabled me to be an instrument of his mercy) I have br●fly entreated of the perilous bondage and thraldom into the which we are brought through the lusts of our own flesh, that, seeing ourselves to be in a dangerous case, we may be the more s●irred up to watch, & by God's gar●● to have victori● against such invincible adversaries.  
And when I taught these things (n●w more than a year and a half agone) occasion was given that I could do no less then in their own colour, as near as I w●● able, set forth the manifold evils & incōvenience●● of certain offensive & unlawful games, special●y of 〈◊〉 may poles. Which though it be a▪ doctrine not acceptable nor welcome to the world, specially to such a● be lovers of vain pleasures more th●● lovers of God, yet must we not for fear of men keep back those things which may do good. These poles s●t up, & maintained to stand in sco many places of this l●●d, are evident marks of contempt of the word of God, & true godliness. and therefore, ●s we have already by the late dearth & scarcity of food that hath b●ne, & by sundr●e plagnes, & strange sicknesses tasted of God's anger against such contempt of his Gospel●● so (except, as the Prophet exhorteth ●s●. 55. 6. 〈◊〉 seek the Lord while he may be sound, and call upon him while he is near) it is to be s●ar●a that his wrath will in greater measure be ●owred out upon the inhabitants of this land to the perpetuall●●● of them that have neglected & despise● the gracious time of God's ●al●ng. For what can the end of the world which is so set on wickedness lo●ke for, but bloody wars, sudden sorrows, & deadly calamities? 〈◊〉 that we would judge ourselves that we ●ight not be judged of the Lord. The magistrate & the minister, if they do the work of the Lord either negligently or deceitfully must think that other men's blood shallbe required at their hands.  
Pray therefore that all which are in authority, & all that have the charge of men's souls committed unto them, may always be found faithful and vigilant to resist sin and offences, not fearing nor favouring the person of any mortal man whose breath is in his nostrils. And pray that we all, what calling or condition soever we be of, may be always mindful of our vow made in our baptism to sight against sin, the world, & the flesh, till we become conquerors through Christ jesus; to who● be all praise & dominion for evermore.   

Against fleshly lusts.  1. Pet. 2. 11. dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and Pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which fight against the soul. 
IN this parcel of scripture (which you have heard this morning, as it is usually read in the church this day) the Apostle Peter, as an excellent instrument of the holy Ghost, warneth the Christians of the jews of the imminent peril, not of thieves, nor of violent robbers, nor of wild beasts, nor of foreign enemies, but of the lusts of their own flesh, which are the more dangerous, and the more hard to be avoided, because they are inseparable companions of the flesh and nature of man.  
In the former chapter of this epistle, exhorting them to holiness & purity of living, he putteth them in Mind that they were not redeemed from their vain conversation, as he 
1. Pet. 1. 18. 19  saith, with corruptible things, as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb undefiled and without spot▪ in the consideration whereof, they might more clearly see what they were before their calling, & what they are now being called & sanctified in Christ jesus. They must walk therefore in their Christian race to withstand the continual●assaults of their spiritual enemies: among which the lusles of the flesh are not the least nor the casiest to be subdued, for that they fight against the soul, so long as this life lasteth, and bring forth fruit unto eternal death.  
Peter directeth this doctrine to them which believed of his own nation the jews: notwithstanding it appertaineth to all Christians which have obtained the like saith to become the true seed of Abraham. For as the believing ●ewes, to whom he writeth this Epistle, were at that time strangers scattered among the gentiles, & had lost the land of judea, so, as they were Christians, they were also strangers upon earth, and so are all the faithful what nation of people soever they be of, albeit that they live and dwell in their native country where they were borne and brought up.  
It behoveth them therefore, being strangers, to be more circumspect and careful to resist their enemies; these enemies are the lusts of the flesh, which fight against, the more excellent part of man, even against the soul.  
Here we may learn that man, as he hath a body of flesh wherein his soul dwells, is an enemy unto himself. This may seem to be a strange Paradox, or a thing that most men (because of the ignorance that is in them) will not believe. But the true Christian, that walketh not after the flesh, but after the spirit, findeth and feeleth it to be true, according as it is written, I see another law in my members 
Rom. 7. 23. 24.  rebelling against the law of my mind, and leading me captive unto the law of sin, which is in my members. O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death?  
And the heathen man by the light of 
Socrates.  nature could find out the true cause of man's wretchedness; whereof he thus speaketh, the chief cause of all evils that happen to man, is man himself: for he through his greedy lusts and desires troubleth both himself and all other, creatures.  
Chrysostome in a certain treatise of his, 
N●●● l●d●tur nisi aseipso.  doth notably prove that no man is hurt but of himself: for as he saith, he that hurteth not himself can of none be hurt: as Kaine, sudas Iscartot, king Pharaoh, & such others, could not have perished if the cause of their confusion, that is, the lusts of their own flesh, which prevailed against them, had not been within them. And contrary wise, job, joseph, Daniel, the Apostle Paul, and all good men could not be hurt, though for a time they did suffer, and took in good worth the spoiling of their goods, slander, imprisonment, persecution, and all ●●●ury at the hands of them which did hurt, and yet did to them no hurt: because with patience they resisted, not giving place to the motions of fleshly lusts. These lusts are those mighty enemies which overthrew the stoutest and the wisest among the sons of men. King David, and Solomon his son, with other godly men have been grievously wounded herewith. But the proud man is overcome of them, as Nebuchadn 〈…〉 r was of his proud lusts. The voluptuous man, the drunkard and the vain glorious in Apparel is overthrown of his own lusts, as Dives was. The covetous man, as ●uda● was and the wanton fornicator, As (if that story be true) the unjust judges were that condemned chaste Susanna.  
Seeing therefore that our flesh is as a strong castl: that defendeth so many lusts, which fight against the soul, as there be diversities of sins, we are well admonished of the Apostle, as strangers & pilgrims to look to ourselves and to abstain from such enemies.  
Strangers and pilgrims do commonly stand in more fear of enemies than they that dwell in their known country and among their acquaintance, as it appeareth by jacob how 
Gen. 34. 3 〈…〉  he feared the Canaanites when his sons had slain Hamor and Sechem. He feared because he was a stranger in the land & few in ●●mber in comparison of his enemies.  
So Lot is despised of the Sodomites, because 
Gen. 19 〈◊〉.  he was a stranger, and one that had not been borne in that country; therefore they regard not his prayers, nor his entreaty he made unto them, but bid him be pa●king as a stranger. This pride of insulting against strangers lieth as poison within us all, what nation soever we be of, and upon any light occasion showeth itself. It pleased God therefore, 
Acta. 10. 34.  (who is no accepter of people) to bridle such insolency by his holy word, as it is written, love the stranger. and again, thou shalt love the 
Deut. 10. 19  stranger as thyself. With a memento that we have just cause so to do. For ye were strangers 
Levi. 19 34.  ●n the land of Egypt.  
Io 〈…〉 hes brethren do behave themselves in the land of Egypt with great humility, and a 〈…〉 nde at the rough words of joseph▪ which they would not have done but for that they were st●●gers in the land & few in number. And that is it that should cause all strangers and pilgrim's to look to their own wa●es, & to live warily, because they are compelled about with strange people of strange conditions, which are many in number, & they few.  
Now the state of all true Christians here upon earth is by the condition and nature of strangers most ●i●ly expressed. For in the sacred scriptures ●hey are called strangers. The Prophet speaking in the person of the faithful confesses that they are so, saying, I am a 
Psal. 119. 19 Psal. 39 12.  stranger upon earth. And again, I am a stranger with thee, & a soiournor as all my fathers were, & in another place, where he confesseth his own, and his people's unworthiness, he saith, we are strangers before thee, & sojourners ●ike all our fathers: our dates are like the shadow upon the earth, 
1 〈◊〉. 29. 15.  and there is none abiding.  
We see that this is true: for man so long as he dwelleth in the tabetnacle of his flesh, dwelleth as a stranger among his spiritual enemies which are the lusts of his flesh, daily fight against him, and wounding his soul more deadly than the multitude of any strange and barbarous people can wound or hurt his body when they are moved to fight against him. Man can kill but the body, but fleshly lusts kill both the soul and body too. This the Apostle Paul showeth, where he saith, if ye live after the 
Rom. 8. 13.  flesh, ye shall die.  
We read in an heathen writer that 
D 〈…〉 C 〈…〉. de b●th Tre. lib. 4.  the arrows of Hercules had been d●pt in the blood of the venomous monster Hidr●; And therefore whosoever was shot of wounded with any of them perished and dyeil without recovery. The lusts of the flesh may be compared to such Arrows: for the flesh of all men hath ever since the fall of Adam been infected with the vemme of ●lie old serpent the Devil; And therefore the lusts thereof ●lay the soul with endless death, of they be not refisted with great vigila●ty. For as james saith, when lust hath conceived, 
jam. 1. 15.  it bringeth forth sin: & sin when it is finished, bringeth forth d●ath. Here is the wound that lust giveth to the soul, to w●t, death which shall never have an end. & again the s●n●e Apostle saith, from whence are wars 
jam. 4. 1.  and contentions among you● are they not hence even of your lusts that sight in your members? here note that he saith, your lusts, and in your members. For if they were not in our members & within our bodies, we might be safe from the danger of them, if they were in our garments, we might have them washed out, or change and put on such as should be clean. or if they were in some one kind of meat, we might abstain from that and live by other meat; But the Prophet saith of them that had fasted from meat, your lust remaineth still. 
Isa. 58. 4.  Or if they were as a plague in some town or city, or in some men's houses, the inhabitants there of might change their dwelling and so avoid them. Or if they were in some one country more than in another, men would be content to leave that as a wilderness rather than to die in it, even as Abraham forsook 
Gen. 12. 10  Canaan, and went into Egypt in time of a famine. Nay if these lusts were but in some one outward member of the body, as in the hand, or the foot, some men would be content to cut of that member to save the rest of the body from infection or death. But the scripture saith, the heart is deceitful and wicked 
jer. 17. 9  above all things, who can know it? here we see that the principal part of the fleshis infected, even the heart; and no man can make him a new heart, no man can go out of his own flesh, nor change the dwelling place of his soul so long as this life lasteth.  
Luther writeth of one that was grieved 
Martin Luther of one that intended to be an Eremite.  with himself for sin, & weary with seeing & hearing the iniquities of the world; which made him forsake the society of men, & go into a desert place thinking there to be safe from evil, & from all occasion of sin. but herein he was greatly deceived: for, being in the desert, he had with him an earthen vessel, to hold water in: this vessel with often falling down from the place where he would have had it to stand, did move him to such anger●, that at the last it caused him to break it in pieces. Then he began to consider what his nature was: & saw that he could have no peace with himself though no man disquieted him. If this be true (as most true it is that in man's flesh dwelleth no good thing) 
Rom. 7. 18.  what excellent thing do the Heremits, & such people as forsake the fellowship of men under a pretence of religion, if they abstain from offending when they want occasion to offend? you know that the these cannot steal so long as nothing is les●e in his way. If there be no battle, there can be no victory; but we see that the Christians victory is not gotten by altering the dwelling place of his body, o● by going out of the wo●ld, that is, out of the ●o●ie●●e of men, but it must be in the world by ●e●i●●ing his dayl●e adversaries to keep himself, as ●●mes s●●th vnspo●ted of the 
jam 1, 27.  world. For Christ will not have his disciples to be exempted from the combats, & temptations of the world, lest they should wax de●●tie & slothful, or ●●●e unprofitable to other men: and therefore he doth not pray to h●ue them taken out of the world, but he 
Io●. 17. 15.  prayeth to have them kept from evil, that in the midst of dangers they may not be wounded to death, and that his power may be made perfect in weakness. For it is manifest that in the holiest men of this world, the flesh is weak and lusteth after evil things. I know, saith the Apostle, that in me, that is 〈◊〉 
Rom. 7. 18.  my flesh dwelleth no good thing.  
If the flesh were not corrupt & full of evil lusts, man should be free from all kind of dangers: for the● Sa●han could have no power over him, the world could not deceive him, and the vanities of this life could not enti●e him. But the flesh, which every man heareth about with him, so long as he is a pilgrim upon earth, is as a huge heap of all v 〈…〉 is like t● a puddle of water full of 〈◊〉 & ●●t in the bottom, which, as soon a● it is s●●red, infecteth and fowleth all the water that it becometh unwholesome both 〈◊〉 man and beast.  
So ●●than, finding store of corruption and sinful lusts within man's body and flesh, st 〈…〉 th' up the same and kindleth them, evermore ministering occasion to commit on● sinn● or other that the soul may be de●iled, and be made loathsome i● the sight of God. 〈◊〉 is the root of evil, and here is the puddle of deadly poison, even the flesh which ever l●st●th against the 〈…〉 is. And for this cause the holy Ghost hath not concealed from us what willbe the end if we suffer the flesh to have the upper hand. For he telleth us plainly, if ye 〈◊〉 after the flesh ye 〈◊〉. but if we will 
Rom. 8. 13.  escape th●● d●ath, he warneth us to play the Soldiers and to kill that we ourselves be not killed hereafter, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, saith he, 
Col. 3. 5.  Mortify, or kill your members which are on the earth. What members? fornication, uncls 〈…〉sse 〈…〉 te affection, evil concupiscence and c 〈…〉sse. But we have no members that are named with these names. We think so indeedes but the spirit of GOD see●● more than we do, and therefore signifieth unto us that sin hath taken so deep root in us that, for the most part, it overruleth us in so much that it calleth the affections of our flesh by the name of members. And therefore you cannot here an exhortation more necessary for Christians then is, to mortify, or to abstain from the deeds of the flesh: and whosoever is adoer of this on lesson, is a profitable scholar i●● the school of Christ. but when should we abstain from these lusts, and mortify them? there is no time, nor day of our life, not any hour in the day but some of them do fight against our soul: for they are so many in number (as you heard before) as there be diversities of sins▪ ●f you will know them by name, the lust of pride is one, the lust of uncleanness is another, the lust of anger & wrath is another, the lust of covetousness is another, the lust of back biting and slandering is another, the lust of envy or evil will to your neighbour is another, the lust of gluttony & drunkenness is another, the lust of sweeting, of slothfulness, & of filthy talking, with a number more are the lusts that lie still in our flesh whithersoever we go, and every one of them when opportunity serveth will show itself an enemy to our souls. These are the children of babylon which lead the children▪ of Israel captive; happy is he that taketh them and 〈…〉 th' them against the stones. Beat them down therefore while they be young: and put ye on the spiritual ●r●●ou●, & take to you the shield of faith that ye may be able to withstand them. You that will be active & seek to excel one another at games & places, you that think it a disgrace to put up I●●uri● & to be abused at the hands of men, wh●e are ye faint hearted herein? and wh●e will ye not see it when these enemies of your souls do abuse you and make you their slaves while ye serve them & a●e led by them to commit sin? many of them need not fight against you: for you ge●e place to them without resistance & do utterly forget the vow made in your baptism, which is, to forsake them & not to be led by them.  
It is seen that they which are the soldiers of earthly princes, when they come to the wars, can prepare themselves every man in his place to sight, and none must be idle, when his captain putteth his life in hazard; Because they are then to deal with their bodily enemies, at whose hands, if they be vanquished, nothing but death or bondage is to be looked for. And shall the soldiers of Christ sleep when they should watch? shall they play when they should fight? & shall they be careless when they are beset with so many enemies which intent to bring the soul to destruction and bondage to the Devil & his Angels? Christian men are always in this danger; and there is no hope of victory against these adversaries unless we will with manly courage sight against them under the banner of our captain Christ, according as we have promised at the time of our baptisine: & his banner & example that he 
The means or the weapons whereby we must fight against fleshly lust●.  left unto us, is sob●ie●●e, watching, earnest prayers, tears, abstinence, and abstaining even from all appearance of evilly. These things he, being free from sin & all fleshly lusts, exercised in his life, that he might leave us an example with what weapons we must overcome our enemies, & save ourselves from their lying in wait for our blood.  
How then will they be counted Christians, or Christ his soldiers that never imitate him, nor exercise any of these means. This is the cause that so few obtain the victory to be crowned kings, and so many daily perish in their sins by imitating the world and obeying their own lusts. For as one father saith, wh●t LORD or master would take it in good pait at the hands of his servant that when 〈◊〉 himself did lack and suffer hunger & did labour and watch, his servant should then give himself to eat and drink, to sleep and live at ease? the servants of Christ have no such privilege for the saith that the s 〈…〉 is not greater than his Lord, I●. 15. 20. Wherefore whosoever immitateth him not cannot be his servant, but is a servant of his own lusts whereunto he yieldeth and obeyeth: for so the Apostle witnesseth, k 〈…〉 not that you are his servants to whom 
Rom. 6. 1  ye obey, whether it be of sin unto ●eath or of obedience unto righteousness?  
Consider therefore, brethren, whether ye be the soldiers and servants of Christ, or whether ye serve your own lusts, seeing you are so far from performing the vow and promise made in your baptism that you sell yourselves to be the authors of vanities and vain pleasures, serving your own lusts by ungodly pastimes and profane exercises.  
Your wanton dauneing of men and women together in a most ●a●ciulous manner you will not yet l●aue.  
That pestilent play at football upon the lords day hath of late been very fearfully punished among you; even in a neighbour of your next parish, a spectacle sufficient to te●●●fie all, whose hearts are not hardened in sin, in whom neither the words not works of God can have any impression to draw them to the consideration of their own ways.  
This your neighbour being (as you know) at play this day fortnight, with running against another man, broke his leg so lamentably that (as it is reported for truth) the sight 
A notable example showed upon the abuse of the sabbeth day.  thereof made some of the beholders ready to faint. This wound could by no means be cured, but his body pu 〈…〉ng thereupon, it brought him to his end, & to his grave this day seven-night, to the great discomfort & undoing of his poor wife and six Children.  
Behonld here the f●uit of good fellowship (as they call it) where their meetings are often times mingled with their own blood, & one man murdered by another. Here is a lamentable acts. At whose hands shall this man's blood be required? for when the Lord maketh inquisition for blood he cannot but remember it. No doubt the magistrate cannot be clear therefrom, who ought carefully to have foreseen the suppression of such meetings, to the preyenting of this and the like noisome inconveniences which may and do commonly fall out at such unlawful assemblies.  
Yet all this cannot warn us to live soberly, and to leave these abuses, but rather to ●●●e other unto them as great, yea and more monstrous.  
Here I must change my voice and set before you some of your, desperate sins i● th●● own collo●● and property: I meant your mischievous pole, your maypole, or 〈◊〉 your madding-Pole. A manifest make of your irreligious folly, and of all other ill sports most oftensive to the church of God.  
1 They that will have such banners set up are not much unlike to the children of Israel which made a molten calf in the wilderness, 
Exod. 3. 5. 6.  and had their holy day for the dedicating of its whereupon they gave themselves 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 & 〈◊〉, & to play 〈…〉 But you will answer that you do not say of your pole as the: 〈…〉 lit● did of their calf, these be thy Gods. But 
●er. 4.  go further and compare your fact with theirs: Touching their holy day, the scripture doth not say that when they committed that Idolatry they proclaimed an holy day of the calf, but an holy day of the 
ver. 5.  Lord.  
And the dancers about Maypoles say, that they com● to church, & for all their spo●●e they serve the Lord as well as others. But GOD cannot be served by your coming to church, and by taking his name and cove 〈…〉 in your month when your heart & mind is not with him, but with your past●●e and pleasure, which you take most delight in. And therefore, if you ●all on the ●●me of Christ, you must departed from 〈…〉 tie▪ 
1. Tim. 2. 19  or else you provoke the Lord to greater anger and indignation against you by drawing near unto him with your lips, whereas you 
Psal. 50. 16. 17.  hate to be reform in your lives.  
Moreover who● Paul rehearseth to the C 〈…〉 ans, what the Idolatry of the Israelit● was, he speaketh not of their 〈…〉 ten c 〈…〉 but saith, they were Idolaters. If we ask why▪ or, wherein? the people 〈◊〉 dow●●, saith h●●, ●o 
1. Cor. 10 7  eat & drink, & r●s● up ●o 〈◊〉. There is their Idolatry. And now wherein doth your ●a●uivious pastime differ from this? the 〈…〉ing. Idolatry, so in yours: for in this sense the scripture calleth 〈…〉 tous●●s, Idolatry. Coll. 3. 5. no● that any man, were he never so covetous, v● se●h to worship his silver and gold, or to prey and m●ke petition unto his worldly wealth▪ but that the love and liking thereof draweth away his heart, that God cannot be worshipped 〈◊〉 spir●●● and truth. In this sense therefore what pastime or pleasure soever carrieth away men's hearts from the sincere worship of God, is Idolatry.  
2 Some will ask, do you find in the scripture that a Maypole is forbid 〈…〉 ask also of these men, where they find that the scripture forbiddeth men to be Papist●●: But 
Exod. 20. 4, 1. Io. 5. 21. Gal. 1. 7. 8.  the scriptures forbidden Idolatry, and cond●n● false doctrine▪  
And you see and hear that the Pope and all Pap●stes do practice the one of these▪ a●● teach the other: And therefore to be a ●●●ist▪ i● to be contrary to the word of God, 〈…〉 wis● the scripture do utterly forbid christiā● 
1. Cor. 14. 20. Rom. 12. 2. Eph. 5. 11. Rom. 13. 13  to be child● 〈…〉 understanding, to 〈◊〉 themselves like unto thi● world, to have fellowship with the un 〈…〉 of 〈◊〉; And they plainly forbidden 〈◊〉 & this scrip 〈…〉 a● you hear, exhorteth to abstain from fleshly lusts. But your Maypole, & May-games are the fruit of ignorance, are after the fashion of the world, and are the works of d●●knesse, proceeding from fleshly lusts. They are done in wantonness, and are the cause of drunkenness. Yea commonly they are the cause of strife & tumult; & sometime of murder also. Are they not therefore forbidden in the holy scripture 〈…〉  
3 There be others that are patrons & favourers of this goodly pageant, which allege antiquity, & custom for the defence of the same, & shy that it is a thing that hath been used in the time of our forefathers, & before we were both, & at this day, such a town, & such a parish hath it, & will have it in despite of them that speak against it 〈…〉 Let these men remember in like manner that Idolatry, rebellion, murder, & all other wickedness hath bend practised in the world of old time & before we wer● borne; & so God's just punishment hath been declared against them that were doers of such things. They that will therefore imitate men in their old sins, shall also be partakers with them of their old punishments. Ye●, & their punishment shallbe so much the sharper, by how much their warn●g hath been the more. And as for the example & custom of other places which now uphold & maintains these banners, that cannot make them to be the less hurtful, but rather it showeth that the whole world 〈…〉 th' 〈◊〉 〈…〉 
1. joh. 5. 19 Exod. 23. 2.  and we are commanded not to follow a multitude to do evil.  
When Demetrius & the men of Ephesus saw that Paul's preaching wrought so effectually that their gods D 〈…〉 was in hazard to be set at nought and rejected, they have no better weapons to defend her then the shield of custom, & example of the multitude. A● A. 
Act. 19 27.  ●i●, say they, and the world worshippeth her.  
We can be content when we come to church to here this and the like scriptures; but we● think that the preacher is out of his text if he apply them to us, or to the abuses 〈…〉ous time: for we have gotten the name of Christians & therefore we think that whatsoever we do is f●r enough from idolatry. Thus ar● most men through the blindness of the 〈…〉 hearts hardened in their sins.  
There is no commonwealth so well reform but (for the mos 〈…〉) in all place● t●● greatest number of me●●●e lovers of the wo●ld more than lovers of God; & every tr●e 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 stian hath just cause to be grieved to see that after forty years preaching of the Gospel in this land, men should still carry these and the like idols in their hearts. For whereyee see these may-poles stand▪ there shall you find that either the word of God is cont●ned, or else it hath not as yet been powerfully taught among the people of that place.  
It hath been seen in some places of this land that men have been so desperately dispose to maintain their maytriumphes that they have set up with them the Queene● arms, intending by this colour to entrap such men as would speak against them, or go about to have them down, as if the Queen's majesty had allowed her arme● to be set on may-pols. Lo here the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light. Oh that magistrates would look better to these abuses.  
4 Some men, that have ●●●s to see, do yet wink at this matter, and say that the setting up of a pole is no sin, & that it cannot hurt if other abuses did not follow it. But they might see that the thing itself is an abuse, & that there is nothing in it which is not sin. For it is not of the nature of those things which God alloweth for the mainetaininge of man's life, as sleep, meat, drink, and appatrell. These things are necessary, and without the use of them we cannot live; and yet when we abuse them, or exceed in any of them, it is sin: but the setting up of a pole, after the manner that we speak of, addeth one sin to another, contrary to the counsel of the son of S●rach, which forbiddeth to bind 
Eccl. 7. 8.  two s 〈…〉 together.  
First it is an abuse of God's creatures: for God created not the trees of the wood to be cut down and set up again for gazing stocks, to no other use but to satisfy men's fleshly lusts. God crowneth the year with his blessings, and satisfieth every tree with moisture, making it to be green and pleasant, and to be fruitful after his kind. But vain and graceless men destroy the most flourishing trees, and set them up to be dry and unfruitful like themselves.  
Secondly the deed done is an idle deed, and not only so, but also a deed of offence, and a stumbling block to draw away many that are weak, & to cause them to speak● good of evil, and to take pleasure therein. But every idle deed is more than an idle word. And every idle word is sin (or else Christ would not have said tha● men shall give 
Mar. 12. 36.  account thereof at the day of judgement) Therefore every idle deed is a greater sin. And every offence, which hindereth the faith of others, is such a sin that he saith, it were better for the author thereof that a millstone were ha●god 
Mat. 18. 6.  about his neck; and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.  
Thirdly the May-polers are caterpillars to the common wealth: for they make destruction of the fairest young ●ree●, which, if they were suffered to grow, would in time be good timber for necessary vse●. Thus in the act itself, not speaking of the mischievous sequels thereof, we may see many sins bound together, as the abuse of God's creature, a deed unprofitable, hurtful, & offensive to others, and finally an hindrance to the common wealth, which is a breach of charity.  
5 Who can tell whether the setting up of these poles proceedeth not from the leaven of our adversaries the Pope & his seminari●●● for it is not unknown to them that wheresoever such banners do stand there are many wavering & ignorant people, not yet instructed nor settled in religion, which, if they might have their defite would quickly b●● perverted to go after Ba●l, and to like better of the Mass then of the Gospel.  
6 To them that ask what recreation may be lawful for them, and what exercise young men shall have, we cannot appoint any, which the word of God doth not allow. Christians are commanded to abstain from all appearance 
1. Thess. 5. 22.  of evil. Howbeit, according to man's wisdom (which saith, of evils the less is to be chosen) of bodily exercises, such may be used as are profitable to the common wealth, & not offensive to religion: notwithstanding the chiefest exercise of Christian-men, whether they be young or old, should at all times be in the law of the Lord. For therein the godly man, as David saith, doth exercise himself day & night. 
Psal. 1. 2.  And that is the exercise wherewith the wisdom of God would have a young 〈◊〉 to redress his way; like the young men of whom S. 
Psal. 119. 9  john writeth, that they were strong, and that they had the word of God abiding in them, & 
1. ●o. 2. 14.  had overcome the wicked. But alas the contrary may be said of most young men in these days. Let them therefore consider what master they serve; & let them shake of the voke of sin, and abstain from fleshly lusts, redressing their ways according to the word of God, that so they may become the servants of Christ to whom they have made avow in their baptism. Let us pray for the assistance of God's holy spirit that we may subdue all fleshly lusts.  
And pray we that magistrate & such as ●re in authority may have a greater care to reform manners, & to see what ought to be reform.  
FINIS.