THE HIGHWAYS OF GOD AND THE KING. WHEREIN ALL MEN AUGHT to walk in holiness here, to happiness hereafter. Delivered in two Sermons preached at Thetford in NORFOLK, Anno 1620. By THOMAS SCOT Bachelor in Divinity. Qui ambulat in via vna& Regia, non laborat. Hier. Com. in Esa. cap. 57 Printed at London. 1623. TO THE READER. THat which I preached once with approbation of the godly hearers, I publish now for the use of all beholders: No other reason persuading me to it, than the necessity of the Times, which begin to be like those, wherein S. Augustine would have all men write. Farewell, and the Lord make it, as I intent it, a blessing to thee for Instruction, Admonition, Reformation. Amen. Tho. Scot THE HIGHWAYS Of God and the King. Proverb. 14. 12. ❧ There is a way which seemeth right unto a Man: But the end thereof are the ways of death. THE Philosopher Pythagoras, (whose Ipse dixit, was warrant and reason enough to satisfy, or silence at least, his whole School) considering the birth of all Mankind to be after one manner, and their deaths a like certain, expressed his conceit by the Greek letter Y; showing thereby, that all have alike common entrance into the world; the King and the beggar; the fool and the Philosopher; and that only the difference betwixt Man and Man was, in the different use of themselves, and the choice of their ways here, where there was a way of wisdom and virtue, and a way of ignorance and vice propounded to all; and as Men walked in the one or in the other, so was their lives, and the issue of their lives (their deaths) either miserable or happy. Our blessed Saviour (the true Pythagoras) the wisdom of his Father (whose Ipse dixit must silence the most curious, and satisfy the most contentious) hath said, Mat. 7. that there are two ways; A straight gate, and narrow way which leads to life, and a wide gate, and broad way, which leads to destruction. And every Man that is borne of a woman walks in one of these ways, and to one of these ends. josuah 23. 14. Now as life is the most sweet and desirable estate, and Death of all things the most hateful and terrible to Nature; So the means to attain life and avoid death, should be carefully sought by every wise Christian. Pro. 19 19 For he that regardeth not his way (saith Solomon) shall die. This then concerneth every man to look to; and is a Doctrine fitting all persons, all places, all times. For if the way of life be so hard to find that few attain it, and that those who suppose themselves to be in it may be out of the way, we cannot be too wary and sedulous in this inquisition, nor need we fear the loss of our time in seeking, but rather the loss of our souls for lack of seeking. This Text contains one of those wise observations which Solomon assisted by the Spirit of God made, out of his extraordinary experience in the passages of this world: and thought so needful to be understood of all, as he repeats it again verbatim in the 16. Chap 25. verse, and in divers other places in a divers manner of words to the same purpose. We observe herein two principal parts: Division. 1. An erroneous opinion of Privacy, in these words; There is a way which seems right to a Man. 2. An infallible judgement of verity, in these words; But the end thereof are the Issues of Death. In the first part we note. 1. The subject or matter propounded; There is a way. 2. The quality or condition of that way; It seems right. 3. The judge of that quality: A man's self; The spirit of privacy. In the other part, the public judgement, we observe, 1. The end or purpose and scope thereof, compared with or opposed to the beginning or pretence. 2. The certain ill quality opposed to the seeming good quality; It did but seem good or right, but it is, certainly it is the way of death. 3. The judge of this Quality, Solomon, the Public Magistrate, directed by the Spirit of God, opposed to the erring partial spirit of a Man's self, of privacy, to whom the way seems good. So the way seems right, but it is wrong; It seems the right way to life, but it is the ready way to death; It seems good in Man's eyes, but it is not so in God's eyes▪ Multa videntur, quae non sunt. 1. The Subject. There is a way. A way literally and properly is thus defined by some; viae una pars est Locus; Com. in Arist. Metaphys. lib. 8. & alia est dispositio in loco, per quem initio est possibilis, in ea ad finem intentum. By others Thus; Est via Locus per quem habere iter imnibus licet. via est transitus à lòco in locum. The Latins call it via (as Varro thinketh) either ab eundo, quasi jam▪ the Impartive to Eo; Or else a vehendo, quast primum veba, & tum deinde via. The Greeks' call a way 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, which some likewise derive from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, quasi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, proficiscor, or iter facio. But none expresseth it so aptly and fully as the Original, which is Derech, whose radix is Darech, calcavit or conculcavit, from the ordinary trampling and beating of the way with the feet of many passengers. And thus it is used properly for a way or place of journeying and travail, but metaphorically translated pro more, ratione, seu vitae institutione, seu consuetudine. Now in this place it is used in a borrowed sense, and yet holds proportion or similitude with the thing that lends it. And thus it must here be understood of the ways of God, or the ways of Man. The way of God is considered after a twofold manner. 1. His counsel or secret will which is called a way, Rom. 11. 33. O the depth of the riches, etc. 2. His revealed will in his Word, of which the Psalmist speaks, Psal. 18. 3. The way of the Lord is an undefiled way. This last is likewise twofold. 1. Either via legis & mandatorum. 2. Or via gratiae, promissionis & Euangelij. The first of these we walk in when we perform obediently that which is commanded; the second, when we believe faithfully that which is promised. So the first respects obedience, life, action, works; the other, knowledge, faith, hope, and the affection of love, which performeth all the Law by being accepted in Christ. But of these ways as the first of all here spoken of, which is that of God's Counsel, is too deep for any of us; yea or for Solomon himself to wade in, (though the shallowest fools will be busiest in it) so the other, his revealed will, is the rule of our ways, and neither of them here intended by Solomon; because they are both good and seem so; Vrim or light of knowledge Thumim, prefection or holiness Exod 28. 30 but this seems good, yet it is not so. Then this is spoken of the ways of Man; and they are likewise twofold. Either the way of knowledge and understanding: Or, the way of Practice or Action. The way of knowledge, 1. Vrim. is that Faith or Religion which a man believes to be the truth so fare as he understands, and by which he hopes to attain l●fe and happiness hereafter. Act. 24. 14. And in this sense it is taken, Act. 14. 16. 19 9 And so it sounds, as if Solomon had said; There is a Religion which a man supposeth to be the truth, and the right way to Heaven, but it is false and erroneous, and the next way to Hell. The way of Practice or Action is our conversation, 2. Thummim manners, and fashion of living and dealing betwixt man and man, in vice or in virtue, justice or injury, equity or iniquity: and so it is taken, Mat. 21. 32. And then the sense is, as if Solomon had said, There is a course of life which a man thinks very upright and just, and so judgeth himself a holy Man whilst he life's here in it, but it is a most deceitful trade of life, bringing a man to death, dishonour, and destruction. But for our more clear understanding and discerning of this point, we will speak first of the way of Religion, being the Speculative part, whose object is truth and falsehood: And then of Practice, being the active part, whose object is good and bad. And this the rather, because knowledge or the Theory better suits and answers the way, than action or the practic: and action more properly corresponds to our passage, travail, and walking in that way. So for doctrine we will only speak of the truth or falsehood of Religion, and will reserve the practic part, our life, our manners, and conversation, for the use and application of those points of doctrine, which from hence shall naturally and properly flow. And thus much for subject, that we may know, what it is that Solomon veils under this shadow, The way. 2. The Quality. Which seems right] This is the Quality of the Way, which whilst Solomon thus describes, he affords us from hence a fourfold division, according to that common Proverb, The Italian seems wise, and is wise; the Spaniard seems wise, and is a fool; the French seems a fool, and is wise; and the English seems a fool, and is a fool: So here, There is a way which seems right and is wrong▪ and to that is opposed, A way which seems wrong and is right: and there is A way which seems wrong, and is wrong; and to that is opposed, A way which seems right and is right. Now these seem four divers ways, Terminus a quo. Terminus ad quem. but indeed are but two: as two cross or overthwart ways seem to him that stands in the midst to be four, yet have but two beginnings and two ends: so here the difference is not so manifold in the subject, but in the judges, to whose sight these ways appear after a divers manner, according to the truth or error of their apprehensions. For that the right way seems wrong, or the wrong way seems right, proceeds a deceptione visus, from error of judgement. For we see an evil way may to one man seem right and yet be wrong; and the same way to another may both seem wrong, and be wrong: and a good way may to an evil sight seem wrong, 1. Sam. 12. 23. and yet be right; and the same way to a good sight may both seem right, and be right. Now whilst I speak of a good way, and a bad way, I intent a true Religion and a false Religion: for as a way may be fair, (which we call a good way) and yet be indirect: so a Religion may be glorious to the eye, and furnished with fair pretences, & yet be false. And as a way may be foul, (which we call a bad way) and yet carry us directly to the place whither we tend, so a Religion may be naked, poor, plain in show, persecuted, afflicted, scorned, contemned of the greatest part of the world, of the mighty, noble, learned, politic, and yet be the true Religion, and the true direct way to happiness hereafter, the less happiness it hath here. Having then Religion for our subject, if we look upon it, we shall find three Religions in the world, especially justling for the truth of this way: The Turks, the jews, the Christians: nor need any man to wonder at this, that I should mention Turks and jews with Christians: for the jews Religion, yea the Turks superstition seems in their eyes to them, as true and as right, as ours doth to us; and we have nothing but the Scriptures to distinguish them and us asunder: I mean, the consent of Scripture, Law and Prophets, Old and New, Spirit and Letter: for some passages and obscure places, they pretend (though unjustly) to be for them. But because we know (whatsoever they boast) that their Religions are ways which both seem wrong to all good or indifferent judgements, as they are wrong in God's judgement: and because our hope is to have no hearers here but Christians, we will leave them to themselves, & speak of the diversity of ways amongst us, which appear principally to be four, every one claiming truth, and holding their Religion to be Orthodox, and so the only right way to heaven. 1. The first of these, are the Grecians, or the East Church. 2. The second, the Abissins, or South Church under Presbyter john. 3. The West Church, or Church of Rome under the Pope▪ 4. The fourth, is the Reformed Church under diverse Princes: which for distinction sake, and perhaps situation, (having respect to some of these) we may call the North Church. Now if any man expect I should sub-divide the Reformed Religion, because there are some differences amongst us, and such as in some times, and with some hotheaded persons, breed great combustions in the Church, I shall not need, neither truly ought I to do it; because all of us (except the Heretics who are generally cut off from the body of Christ by us all, or those schismatics who separate and cut themselves off, as persons that have no way, that have no tract of Antiquity, or any footestep to follow directly in the Scripture) agree in the way itself, though perhaps some of us may vary either in the manner of walking in that way, or in some ceremony and circumstance of devotion or discipline, which is as the hedge, and ditch, and fence of this way, and no essential part of the way it self, but rather for the order, ease, and conveniency of the Traveller. And thus those whom our adversaries miscall Lutherans, Protestants, Puritans, walk as jacobs' sons did out of Egypt to fetch their good old father thither, to whom their brother joseph knowing their stubborn, cross, proud, and perverse natures, gave them this admonition aforehand, See that you fall not out by the way. Genes. 45. 24. In via out per viam, non pro via, or propter viam: such are our hot alterations, not for the way, but in the way. And thus such as the Papist calls Lutherans and Puritans, walk the one upon the one hand, and the other upon the other, the Protestant in the midst, shunning both the Extremes. Via Regia temperata est: nec plus in se habens nec minus. Hier: in Esai. cap. 57 Wherein whilst the other walk with most violent and obstinate averseness, they think themselves only safe, and become severe and supercilious censurers of us and all men who in the least circumstance dislike their Criticisms, or in the least ceremony vary from their rigid rules. But for the way itself, all of us agree in one, & with us the whole Catholic Church, both Grecians, and Abissins, as the learned know; and as it were easy to demonstrate to the understanding of the simplest, if time would permit so long a discourse, in defect whereof I refer them over to a book called Catholic Traditions, collected by a Frenchman, written in English, and dedicated to our late Prince Henry of blessed Memory. The only material difference undecided, hangs betwixt us and the Church of Rome, they holding themselves to be only in the way as persons that cannot possibly err from it, and all others to be out of the way, that in all points walk not step by step, and hand in hand with them. Like a man, who would persuade all England there were no other way to London, but through his ground, that so he might exact a general toll of the Passengers for his private benefit. Now whilst I say, we with all the Catholic Church agree about the way, and our only difference is with Rome: I neither intent to affirm, that either our agreement with all is so intite, nor our variance from those of Rome so distant, as some of ours and some of theirs would bear the world in hand. Only whilst some Churches join with us in the Articles of our faith, and in all the fundamental points of Religion (absolutely necessary to salvation) we dare not judge them for erring in some matters of lesser moment. For what have we to do to judge another man's servant? he stands or falls to his own Master. Yet whilst I say, we will not judge, I show there is cause and fear of judgement, which they may avoid, who wisely leaving ambiguous and unnecessary questions, rest and build upon that which is generally and undoubtedly agreed upon. These & such like I forbear to judge, because I hear Christ say, judge not, lest you be judged. Mat. 7. 1. And I know well it is the presumptuous pride of Antichrist, and an infallible note of that man of sin who sits in the seat of God, and exalts himself above all that is called God, 2. Thes. 2. to press with Lucifer into Christ's Office, and to judge the quick and dead before his coming, condemning all for Heretics who walk not in his way. I know it is the only desperate error, not to see and acknowledge our error; but to proceed erring with a presumptuous opinion that we cannot err. These brands therefore I leave to him, who only by these (if there were no other) might be known to be out of the right way. And yet in the eyes of these men (led by flesh and blood, and the outward appearance) how well doth their way seem, how indirect and crooked seems ours? Let us a little behold them comparatively. Doth it not seem right to a man (who hath but natural reason, flesh and blood to direct him) to follow that faith which his forefathers professed time out of mind? And doth it not seem ill to adhere to a faith which they say had no being till about these hundred years, and was never heard of before Luther? Doth it not seem right (whilst we fancy God like ourselves, or something better, like a good old King troubled with many employments) that we should go to Saints, and Angels, and other spiritual favourites to intercede for us and prefer our petitions? And doth it not seem ill, that we (vild sinners) dare press even to the Throne of grace itself, and refuse to use any other means to obtain our suits then the name, aid, and mediation of the Prince himself Christ jesus? Doth it not seem right, whilst we keep the pictures of our earthly Parents and friends, that we should with greater reverence and care prefer the pictures of God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, the Parent of our souls, of the Virgin Mary, and other Saints our celestial friends? And doth it not seem ill, that we should not only neglect these, but also cast them out of our Churches and houses, break and burn them; And the more precious account we have of the persons dignity, by so much the more to hold the picture perilous? Doth it not seem right to flesh and blood, that man should satisfy for his own sins by suffering penance, affliction, chastisements, fastings and the like? that man should merit his own salvation by vows, pilgrimages works of charity, chastity, voluntary poverty, obedience, and other freewill offerings of supererogation? And if here there were any thing unpaid, is it not according to reason, that after this life it should be taken out in Purgatory before we go to heaven? And seems it not as ill to deny flesh and blood these sensible satisfactions, & to teach, that all proceeds out of God's mercy; that we must do good, but not trust to it; that man cannot satisfy, much less merit; that the chastisements we suffer, or the best actions we do, are not worthy of heaven, either ex condigno, or ex congruo; and that as there is no third way here, but a right way or a wrong way, so there is after this life no third place, but men presently pass either into eternal joy, or eternal pain. Doth it not seem right, that since Christ is God, and God is Omnipotent, able to do whatsoever he saith, that therefore when he saith, This is my body, that we should then believe, the bread in the Sacrament to be transubstantiated into his body, and the wine into his blood? And doth it not seem ill, that we who grant this power of his, should understand these words spiritually, sacramentally, figuratively, and mystically? All these things, and many more like these, appear thus to the natural Man. But appearance and seeming are no infallible notes of verity, as we shall manifest, when we come to speak of the Opposition, or the public judgement of verity, and now will partly show, coming by order to treat of the judge of these controversies, who is here said to be man, guided by his own imagination, and the giddy spirit of Privacy. 3. The judge, A Man's self. To a Man] Man judgeth of things either by his Sense, or by his Reason (for I speak of the natural man, that is, of Nature corrupted, not as God made man righteous, but as man hath corrupted his own ways.) By his Sense if he judgeth, he finds himself often deceived; for a strait stick put into the water, seems crooked in his eyes, an echo beguiles his ears; his feeling, tasting, smelling, all of them are subject to deception. And for his Reason, the best it can do, is to discourse probably of the least common accident of a Plea or a Fly; and than whatsoever he brings, may be controverted so by another seeming reason, that the judge who should from this base, ground his determinations, had need do it with caution, and leave room to retract and reverse his sentence. Much more is man puzzled and lost, when he climbs up to higher contemplations, to consider the hidden things of Nature, as we may plainly see by God's arguments to job, job. 38. 39 If then the spirit of a man cannot infallibly judge of the things of a man, of his own soul and body, or of such things as are subjected to his government, how shall he be thought a competent judge to determine the things of God, though we grant him to be of as upright a heart as David, and as wise as Solomon himself? All that man can do, is to judge by appearance, and we see here things may seem otherwise then they be. Now besides the insufficiency of Man this way, 1. Tim. 5. 21 we shall find other defects in him which accompany impotency, and are unworthy of a judge: for in a judge two things must be principally avoided; prejudice, and partiality: now both these we shall discover in our judge, Man. First, Prejudice: Man naturally abhors all things propounded by his adversary, and the hate of the person will not suffer him to entertain the truth of his discourse, but rather seek arguments to oppose it, his judgement is so taken up aforehand. Thus I have seen the sentences of the Fathers rejected for heretical by Roman Catholics, when they have been found in Luther or Calvin, Whitaker or Perkins. Secondly, Partiality; Man naturally affects what either proceeded from himself immediately, or from his near, dear, honoured, and beloved Predecessors, or some that in his eyes seems learned wise, honest, religious. In which regard God himself disputes this point with man, Ezechiel 18. 2. and in the 29. verse, concludes with an interrogation, with an expostulation, saying, Yet saith the house of Israel, The way of the Lord is not equal: O house of Israel! are not my ways equal? or are not your ways rather unequal? And this is come into fashion again, that Man dares argue the cause with his Maker; and if God do not as man will have him, subject his actions to man's reason, and a●e all his creatures; but that, according to the rule of justice, he condemn some Reprobates, he is like to be judged the Author of sin. And I wonder he escapes censure, for making fishes, fowls, beasts: I muse they find no fault, because he made not all these to be men and immortal, and why he made not men Angels, whilst holy David wonders at his extraordinary care & love shown towards man, saying; O Lord, what is man that thou so regardest him? or the son of man that thou so visitest him? He wonders that any man is regarded; these wonder, that all men, and all creatures are not alike regarded. Thus man that judgeth by appearance, whose sense and reason may be deceived and so deceive him, as he deceives others, who may be iniquus judex, a judge full of prejudice, full of partiality, especially in his own case) is unfit to decide a controversy of this nature. And this therefore caused that resolute Luther to utter that speech for which he hath been so often and so unjustly taxed and challenged, That he preferred one Saint Paul, before a thousand Ambroses', Augustine's, Hieroms or Chrysostoms'. Because Saint Paul by the judgement of all those was, for the first planting of the Church, guided by the infallible direction of God's Spirit, after a wonderful and extraordinary manner and measure: But all these men grant themselves that they might err; nay, that they did err, and so retracted divers of their former opinions; desiring neither to be believed nor followed farther, than their words and writings should be found consonant to the verity of the written Word of God. Now than all the judgement of Man; nay, of all men contradicting the Word of God, is of a private spirit, such as Adam was directed by when he left the guidance of God's Spirit; of which Saint Peter speaks, 2. P●t. 1. 19 20. 21. If therefore a multitude of men (how learned, wise, or holy soever they be) should join against the Scripture, their authority must not carry it, for they all err, and their interpretation is private, though their persons, their places, their professions be public. And one or a few men expounding with the Scripture, doth not expound by a private spirit (though his person perhaps be private) but by the spirit of Truth which directed the holy Penmen of the Scripture; and his opinion and interpretation is Catholic and orthodox, whatsoever his person be. Cyprian was a public teacher, yet interpreting some Scriptures to prove rebaptisation, his interpretation therein was private, because against the general sense and scope of Scripture. And Augustine was a Bishop, and so a public person at whose mouth we are to seek wisdom, yet when he brought Scripture interpreted by himself, contrary to the general scope, to prove Children should receive the Lords Supper, his interpretation was worthliy rejected as of a private spirit. All the founders of Heresies have been public persons, such as were Novatus, Arrius, Eunomius, and with these divers Bishops of Rome have joined either as authors of Heresies, or Sectators of such; and herein they were all led by private spirits. Therefore Bellarmine confesseth, lib. 3. cap. 3. De verbo. That the Spirit of interpretation (which in S. Peter's sense is public) is often given to private men. So then the Scripture must be expounded by the Scripture, the darker place by the place more clear. Man must not seek a fortification in Scripture for his opinion: but he must be careful to raise his opinion and judgement, out of the Scripture, evidently confirmed & explained by itself, and by conference and coherence of the same with itself; and this is public interpretation; whatsoever is contrary, is from the spirit of privacy. Veritas docendo suadet, falsitas suadendo docet. All this that I have spoken then, is not totally to exclude man from determining questions and doubts in Divinity, but to show by what rule he ought to judge; that is, by no other rule then by the Scriptures: for I gladly acknowledge, that whereas there is an authentic and fundamental judge, Christ himself (the best interpreter of the Law being the Lawmaker) so he hath placed a ministerial judge, which is the Church, which must interpret Scripture by Scripture, and ever be wary not to contradict the will of the Lawmaker Christ. Now the Romish Synagogue considering the Church of Christ in a threefold manner: 1. First, as it is Essential; 2. Secondly, as it is representative: 3. And thirdly, as it is virtual. They make the representative part to consist in the Ministry; and this Ministry to flow from the Pope as from the head; and to this part that is to the Pope, they attribute that power which God hath given to the whole Church. Now the Pope being thus invested in absolute power with an opinion of infallibility, laying aside the Scriptures, judgeth without them; nay, against them; nay, judgeth them, and yet must not be challenged of error. This we judge unreasonable, that a Man should make his own will the Church's law, and judge in his own cause without examination. And therefore we show, Amor & odium & proprium commodum faciunt saepè judicem non congnoscere verum. Aristotle: lib. 1. Rhe. that man who judgeth by his sense or reason, is not sufficiently qualified for such a business; or if he were naturally so adapted, yet is he unfit to judge in this question which wholly concerns himself, in regard of partiality or prejudice, to both which he is subject. Therefore in questions betwixt us and the South-Church, Presbyter johannes is an unfit judge; and in questions betwixt us and the Grecians, the Patriarch of Constantinople is as unmeet: and in controversies betwixt us and Rome, the Pope is not a competent judge. Ecclesiasticus. 8. 14. Go not to Law with a judge, for they will judge for him according to his honour. Let us therefore seek a judge who judgeth not by the outward appearance, whose sense and reason cannot be deceived, who is neither prejudicial not partial; who searcheth the reines and the heart; for vain is the judgement of man, to whom this way seems right, when the ends thereof are the Issues of death. And this we shall find in the Opposition, which we come now to handle. The Opposition, or Public judgement. 1. The end thereof; or purpose pretended. We had the way judged before prima fancy, by the outward appearance, by the beginning thereof, and so it seemed right. But here we find fronti nulla fides, no credit to be given to the countenance, but the end betrays the truth of every thing. The woman beheld the fruit which Satan so fare magnified; She saw the tree was good for food, and pleasant to the eyes. Genes. 3. 6. so she eat thereof and gave part to the man. Thus they judged by the outward appearance, by seeming, and were deceived, even then when their sense and reason were at the perfectest. But after they had eaten it is said, Their eyes were opened, and they knew that they were naked, Genes. 3. 7. And then likewise they knew, that the curse of God, The day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt dye the death (Genes. 2. 17) would surely light upon them. So this way seemed the right way to them to attain knowledge & happiness, but they found the end thereof to be the way of ignorance, of darkness, and of death. And as with them, so with all their posterity since, this hath succeeded as a testimony of their hereditary sin, still to be deceived with the seeming of things; insomuch as that is true which the Poet long since sung. Fallit enim vitium specie virtutis & umbra, juven. sat. 4. Cum sit triste habitu, vultuque & veste severum. The face and habit of an Anchorite, May be the cover of an Hypocrite. Therefore all wise men judge of things not by their shows, but substances, and not by their beginnings, but ends. Now the end of a thing is either propositum, the purpose for which a thing is done; and so the end of preaching is the salvation of souls, or Terminus, the issue or determination of a thing, as death is the end of a man's life; and so it is here properly taken. A judge oftentimes saves a thief, because he hopes he may prove an honest man, and do good in the Commonwealth: There is the first end, The judge's purpose: But the Thief proceeds in his the every till he brings himself to the gallows, and that's the extreme end, the ultimum vale. Of both these we intent to speak briefly, though the last only be proper to this Text, and the first borrowed for illustration. First, then remembering we have Religion for our subject, let us see what it is, together with the end thereof, to what purpose it tends. This is Christian Religion, August. i● joannem. Tract. 23. cap. ●. that one God, not many, be worshipped: because nothing makes the soul happy, but only one God. The infirm soul is not made happy in the participation of another soul that is happy, but is happy in the participation of God; nor is a holy soul happy in the participation of an Angel; but if an infirm soul seeks to be happy, let it seek from thence, whence a holy soul is happy. For thou art not made happy by an Angel; but from whence an Angel hath happiness, thou hast it also. Faith with a serious fear of God, Polan. Syntag. is the pure and true Religion; as Fear contains in itself a voluntary reverence, and carries with it a right worship of God, such as is prescribed in the Law. Religio dicta est eo, Isidor: lib. 18. Etymilog. quod per eam uni soli Dco religamus animas nostras, ad cultum divinum animo seruiendi. Religion then being the band or tyall whereby we are fastened and bound to God as to the sovereign good, consisteth of three twines, uz. of faith, of hope, of love; and a threefold cord is not easily broken. Now the proper or principal end of this Religion is the glory of God, the subordinate end is our salvation. That Religion therefore which most directly and clearly tends to the principal end, must needs effect the subordinate end most certainly, and so must necessarily be the only true and direct way to life; and the other, what show soever it makes, must needs be the way and Issue of Death. Again, the glory of God is most advanced here in this our way or Religion, by two affections of fear and love, and by the true fruits and effects of them. Now that Religion which trains a man up to fear God, and to love God, as God ought to be feared and loved, gives God the truest glory, and so must necessarily be the truth. Lastly, this fear and this love is then most rightly generated and cherished in the soul of Man, and so God's glory most advanced, when man's nature is truly set forth, and he thereby humbled in himself, and so taught to fear; and when God's power and mercy is so expressed, as he hath been pleased to reveal it to man's comfort; That so man seeing his own wants and misery, and Gods all-sufficient power and mercy, might fear and reverence God as a good Master, might love and delight in God as in a good Father, and might wholly seek to him, and cleave to him as to the chief and sovereign good, able to supply and satisfy all his desires abundantly. This being thus laid down for a rule, let us by this comparatively proceed to try some points of Religion, controverted, which are fundamental, or lie next to the foundation, and judge them right or wrong from the nature and quality of their doctrine: that is, whether they aim at the right end, The glory of God, or at an obliqne end, the gain of this world, and the glory of Man that propounds them, according to that direction which our Saviour gives, john. 7. 18. He that speaks of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory, that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him. 1. First, for Faith the foundation; Our Adversaries teach a faith which only believes the power of God to save man: we teach a faith which believes both his power and will. Theirs teacheth fear; ours both fear and love; Theirs clouds his mercy; ours gives true glory both to his power and mercy. 2. Secondly for hope; Spes boni incerti. our Adversaries teach a hope which uncertainly expects a good to come; whether they shallbe saved or no they know not, but they hope well: whether there be a heaven prepared for them yea or no, they know not, but they hope well. We teach a hope which the Scripture teacheth: that is, an earnest out-looking, expectation, and longing, for the accomplishment of those gracious promises which God hath made to us in his Word. So our faith believes, that there is a heaven, and a heaven prepared for us; our hope longs for the time when this shallbe perfected; and taught by patience and experience, stays the Lord's leisure, and yet cries out, Apoc. 6. 10. How long, Lord, how long? They call this hope Presumption, but we know they are presumptuous for calling it so. 3. Thirdly, Solent Haeretici semper prospera polliceri, & caelorum regna peccatoribus pandere: ut dicunt parata sunt tibi regna caelorum, potes imi●ari maiestatem Dei, ut abs● peccato sis. Accep. st● enim liberi arbit●i● potestatem. Hieron: Com: in Hier: cap. 23. for Charity; They teach what Charity is truly, but in this they err, that they make it (that is, the charity of man) to be the cause which moves God to save us; nay, which deserves and merits salvation of God. And this Charity they teach so to depend upon freewill, as thereby they exalt the nature of man, conceal his fall, and make the decree of God to be grounded upon the mutable and unconstant will of man. We on the other side teach, that our salvation wholly proceeds from the charity and love of God, and that all means conducing to that end, rise from the same fountain of love; and so our charity, as an effect of that charity of God to us, serves not as a cause moving God to save, but follows as a cause declaring whom God will save. And that our Charity, as it is a fruit and effect of God's Charity, is true charity; and the works proceeding from that charity of ours, good, but imperfect; good, as done by a person accepted, imperfect as done by a sinner, as done by a babe which grows and labours towards perfection; which perfection is not wholly to be attained, till this imperfection be wholly put away, and corruption hath put on incorruption. And therefore for merit, we are fare from it, as a doctrine opposite both to our charity, and to the charity of God. To our charity, because charity is a free worker, not respecting the wages; if she thinks to merit, she is not Charity. To the Charity of God; because if God gave for the merit of our works, heaven were not properly a gift, nor grace were not grace; nor charity, charity: for charity is free. Thus even Adam himself in his integrity could not merit, because be had nothing but what he received, he was indebted for his daily bread, and for the grace he had to see and acknowledge this love of God: so whilst we are giving thankes for benefits received, we are not paying our debts, but running farther in; for every grace that we have is a new obligation: To him that hath shallbe given, and we are receiving whilst we think ourselves giving. Again, they teach, Though Christ died for us, and though God's grace guide and direct our actions and affections, yet there are some sins left to be satisfied and discharged by ourselves, either in this life by works of merit or penance here, or hereafter by punishment in Purgatory. Now this they do teach, not ever perhaps because they so believe, but because it is a profitable error, and they know they may easily undertake to pardon all that come into Purgatory. Besides, it is a great glory for their Hierarchy to be sticklers in so large and spacious a room as they fancy or feign it to be; not only to have all earth, but all Purgatory also within the verge of their Inquisition. Now we teach the contrary, because we see this doctrine derogatory to God's infinite mercy and glory, and to the infinite merits of our Saviour. As if God had forgot to be gracious, or as if our Saviour's merits and actions were imperfect as our works are; or rather indeed as if our works were perfect to merit & supererrogate, and his imperfect, not able to do enough for all, when our Saviour's death did satisfy for all the faithful, and was sufficient for many world's more, and his merits were superaboundant for us, and for all that believe and repent. Fiftly they say, that after the words of consecration, the bread is changed into the body of Christ, as he was borne, as he suffered. This they do to exalt the dignity of their Preisthood: we teach the contrary, that it is his body and truly eaten, but both by faith, after a spiritual manner, as the Angels eat Christ in heaven by contemplation. And this we teach, both because we have good testimony of Scripture, with the whole choherence thereof, and the Analagie of faith so to expound it, as also because it makes more for the glory of God, and the humiliation of man, when our Adversary's doctrine doth the contrary. For doth it not call in question the truth of God's word, the truth of Christ's body, when we are led to imagine such a body as might be borne of the Virgin, or not born; might be crucified, or not crucified, being neither to be felt, nor seen, nor tasted, yet to be taken with the hand, eaten with the teeth, received into the stomach? And doth it not exalt man, when it makes him able to make his Maker? And with his word to make him so, as it should be in his power according to his intention & will to have him present or not present? What is this else, but to sit in the seat of God, and to be exalted above all that is called God? Like in spirituals, to that of the great Earl of Warwick's in the time of H. 6. in temporals, who chose rather to be called Primus Comes Angliae, then Rex Angliae; and thought it more honour to make a King, then to be one. Lastly, they say they humble man more than we, and exalt God more than we: 1. They humble man more whilst they tell him his sins are such as he must not presume to go to God, but by means of Saints or Angels. 2. They exalt God more, whilst they exalt his servants, and give as much reverence to the Saints as we to God. To this we answer, they arrogate to man, whilst they will see me wise above that which is written; they derogate from God whilst they make his service common to the Saints, and can only colour it with a distinction; nay, whilst they make him and Christ only severe judges, and the Saints and Angels merciful, and so their Mediators. They ought not to do evil that good might come of it; this is evil to lie of God, whilst they feign him to be what he is not, and deny him to be what he is. And of this kind, and to this end are all their fictions in the Legend, to prove the Saints merciful, and God severe; yea the blessed Virgin Mary to be more pitiful than Christ her Son and Saviour, in whom she was blessed more as a child, than a Mother. That they may do this the more safely, they contend and say, That besides the written word of God, there are many other decrees and dogmatic points and traditions necessary to be believed to salvation, which the Church (that is, themselves alone) have in custody upon trust and credit. Now we teach the contrary, aswell because we have clear testimony of the Scriptures and Fathers generally, as of a cloud of witnesses to prove the contrary, as also because it makes more for the glory of God in things of absolute necessity toward salvation, to govern by positive laws of his own, rather than by arbitrary and changeable laws of Man; and that he should reveal to us his will by his own Son Christ jesus, who came to save us, rather than to leave us to the uncertain relation of Man, who for aught we know may be Antichrist, and so intends to deceive us, though perhaps he comes in sheep's clothing, or may seem an Angel of Light to blear our eyes with appearance. We might join in this issue with them upon all the questions controverted, but these shallbe sufficient to give light to see the rest at more leisure. In the mean time if we cast our eyes truly upon the end of their designments, we shall easily see, that gain and glory unto themselves are the only arguments which draw them to fight for the Pope's Supremacy, the Mass, Purgagatory, Pilgrimages, and all the rest of their opinions, wherein they are opposite to us and to the Scriptures. To this end they are called Merchants, Revel: 18. 23. Because for gain and glory they sophisticate Religion, as Merchants their wares, and thus make merchandise of heaven and earth, and of God himself. And as the Merchants in London have foreign commodities whereby they suck the sweet sap of the Country to themselves, and they in the Country have means again to recall it; as Norwich by stuffs, York by Cattles, some places by wool and cloth, others by come, and others by Metals: Or as England with these commodities furnisheth other Countries, and supplies her own wants from thence; and France with her wines buys her children wool, and Spain, with Figs, Raisins Lemons, and Oranges for sauce, buys herself bread and meat: so these spiritual Merchant's chop & change commodities, and toss to and fro by that means the wealth, the pomp, the glory of the world, the fat of the Earth, the Crowns of Kings. To this end Walsingham had a lady to bring suitors and sees Eastward, and Canterbury had a Saint Becket to draw it Southward, The North had a Winifrid, Scotland a Saint Andrew and his arm, the Low-Countries a Lady of Hales, France a Saint Denis, Spain a Saint james, Italy a Lady of Loretto, and every Country was full of these Marts, where the Saints did several cures and services to the Church, and had continual Votaries, and those of the frankest sort, as superstition is commonly a prodigal. And this was a golden world, and a glorious Religion to the eye, so that we hear old men and women talk of these things still; but we know this was not sound at the heart; the way might seem good to a man but the end thereof were the Issues of death. 2. The certain ill Quality; or Determination. Is the Issues of Death] having spoken of the first end, which is the purpose and scope of this way, we come to speak of the Issue of this end; that is, The Terminus ultimus or determination of this purpose and aim, and that is, Death; They are the Issues of Death. Life was promised in their first appearance, it seemed the right way, but upon trial we find Latet Anguis in herba, the end is the Issues or ways of death. A great distance betwixt the promise and the performance, betwixt the pretence and the Issue, the passage and the port, the starting place and the end of the race; when life is proclaimed in the beginning, and death meets us at the concluding. I have fought a good fight (saith the Apostle Paul. 2. Tim. 4. 7. 8) I have finished my course, from henceforth is laid up for me a Crown of glory which God that righteous judge shall give me, and not to me only, but to all that love his appearing. Now the Apostle hath fought, and if he had deserved ex condigno, might challenge this crown as a debt due to his worth, but he doth not so, he expects it indeed out of grace, of free gift; he doth not deserve it by fight, but he obtains it fight, it is given freely by a righteous judge who gave him grace to fight, and promised him both to overcome and to triumph. 2. Cor: 12▪ My grace is sufficient for thee, makes Paul fear no buffeting of Satan, no sting or prick in the flesh, for that grace gave him strength to fight and conquer, and was manifested the more by his infirmity: for God's power is made perfect through our weakness. And after he hath fought he expects a crown, that grace is his assurance, he cannot challenge it by any other right, and in that right he is assured of it both for himself and all others who love the appearing of our Lord jesus Christ. To all that love, not to all that fight; the affection, not the action, is respected; the person, not the passion is accepted. But now if Paul had been of the Romish faith, this speech of his would have been judged presumption; not presumption to challenge by merit, but presumption to challenge of gift, and so resolutely to rest upon the grace of the giver, as to assure himself and others of this crown. Presumption is faith with them, and true saving faith is Presumption. When they heat him say, Rom. 8. 38. I am persuaded, that neither death nor life, nor Angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shallbe able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ jesus our Lord; they would gladly make this only a probable persuasion, no certain faith: but others seeing this too gross a dallying with the manifest scope of the Text, say, Saint Paul was assured of the certainty of his salvation, of the happy end of his right way by extraordinary revelation only. But let it be so; was it revealed to him for others that believe too? he saith so; for he saith nothing shallbe able to separate us: Now than if it be revealed to him for others, let us believe the revelation, and apply it with unfeigned faith to our own hearts in particular, as he did to his. And by the way, observe what it is that Saint Paul builds his faith upon, so that nothing can prevail against it. Is it upon Peter that rock? Is it upon Indulgences or Pardons of man? Is it upon personal righteousness, inherent justice, or his own or other men's merits? No; It is upon that rock Christ jesus; it is upon the love and Charity of God, in and through the merits of Christ jesus our Lord; which love, not death, nor life, nor Angel, nor power, nor heaven not hell can alter; for God's love is immutable, he is not as man that he should repent: whom he love's, he love's to the end; his ways seem hard, but the Issues of them are the ways of life. Whereas therefore our Adversaries accuse us of novel presumption, for teaching a faith that may assure us of our salvation, and (to elude this clear place of Saint Paul, and divers other the like) say, This was revealed to him by extraordinary favour. We know and confess, that he as a worthy instrument of God's glory, as a Master builder, had many things revealed unto him for the edification of the Church, but for this particular it was no otherwise revealed to him than it is to every faithful Christian, in whom the Spirit of God dwells, as in a temple, and there teacheth them to offer Sacrifice, and to cry Abba Father with tears and groans that cannot be expressed. Well may there be a difference in the measure of the revelation, not in the matter revealed: We know (saith Saint john. 1. Ep. 3. 14.) that we are translated from death to life, etc. and after, verse 23. He that keepeth his commandment, dwelleth in him, and he in him: and hereby we know, that he abideth in us, even by that Spirit which he hath given us. So the persons are we, not I, not Saint john alone but we, all that believe, and love; for this faith and love are inseparable: Again, we are translated, not it is probable we shallbe, but we are, which makes it certain by faith, as if it were done and accomplished: Lastly, we know this, and we know it by the Spirit which God hath given us, the same Spirit that taught Saint Paul and Saint john is our tutor too. For other revelations Christ himself hath silenced all pretences and shadows, and given absolute authority to the Scripture opened and interpreted by the Spirit of God to resolve all scruples in case of conscience. Luk 16. 19 And this we may see clearly in the Parable of Dives and Lazarus, where Dives after he had failed of his personal suit, and could not obtain a drop of mercy for himself, yet requested Abraham to send one to his friends to forewarn them of the state he was in, not that they might pray for him, for that was to no purpose, the tree was fall'n, but that they might by repentance and amendment avoid the danger themselves. To whom Abraham gives this answer, They have Moses and the Prophets, let them hear them; so he turns them to the Scriptures wherein the will of God is revealed to every man, what they should shun, what they should do, what they should believe, and how they should live. And when Dives persisting in his suit saith; Nay father Abraham, but if one went unto them from the dead they will repent. Abraham replies definitively and resolutely, If they hear not Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rose from the dead. So we see, he that doubts the Scripture, or believes any thing against it, under pretence of revelations from heaven, or hell, or Purgatory, or the like fictions of Ghosts and Spirits appearing, is in a wise case, and may be drawn▪ into a fool's Paradise, but never into the true Paradise, and so wander in this way which seems right, but the end thereof are the Issues of Death. To shut up this point, observe the certainty of this judgement, as the Apostle Saint john before in the 1. Ep. 3. Chap: 14. verse, speaks in the present. Tence, we know that we are translated, to note the certainty of their translation to glory; so here Solomon saith, It is the way of Death, and the end thereof is so, to note the certainty of the thing. And this is a plain proof of the Spirits assistance to discern the end and determination of a thing before the end be come; when otherwise it were too late to do it. For it is too late for Dives to repent in hell, when the end is come; he should have attended better to Moses and to the Prophets before, and believed the word of God, not the foolish traditions of his forefathers against the Word, or the idle oldwives tales of his foremothers, besides the Word: he should have attended the admonition of the faithful Pastor and Prophet, and not to the feigned Legend of his flattering Patasites, trencher-fed Chaplains. The perfection of all humane judgement, is to judge by the end and issue; and even here we often err too: but if man goes farther of himself by nature, it is but conjecture and presumption arising from long experience in observation of like circumstances, as the effect leads us to the cause; but yet even then we cannot say it is, or certainly it shall be, but it may be so, it may so fall out, it may be the end of Death. But the Spirit of God sees the end before it comes; he sees the thoughts afar off, and judgeth, and warneth men aforehand inwardly by good and holy motions, outwardly by the Scriptures; and he that will not believe the holy Spirit of God in the Scriptures, it is but justice, if God give him over to a reprobate mind, that he should be seduced and believe lies, who would not receive the truth of God, but was transported with respect of times, persons, places, and other humane Motives. And here before we part, I give the intelligent Hearer this one observation by the way, that of all the controversies betwixt us and our Roman Adversaries, we are not challenged for doing any thing in the service of God which we ought not to do: for we believe with them all the Articles of the Creed: we pray as Christ himself hath taught us, we live (at least we teach, that almen should live) as God hath commanded us in the Decalogue. Only the exceptions they take at us, are for omissions, because they say, we do not something we ought to do; and our exceptions are against them. 1. First, for omitting some things which God commandeth; 2. Secondly, for doing something that God commandeth, not after the pattern prescribed, but after another manner invented. 3. Thirdly, for doing many things which God hath directly and expressly prohibited, prohibiting in the mean time what God hath commanded. Now I desire you so to observe this passage, that you may take it up rightly, and understand what I mean. I say therefore again, the questions and controversies betwixt us, are not for the things we do, but of the things that they do. As for example, they dare not find fault with us for praying as Christ taught us, Our father, etc. But the question is, whether or no they do as they ought, whilst they pray to Saints and Angels. The question is not, whether we may pray to God without Images or no, but whether we may pray by, at, in to, or before Images, with any reference to them, as they do. And so for Latin Service, for the Communion in both kinds, the questions are about the things that they do, not for the things we do: so the doubt is upon their side; and such a doubt it is, that the Pope would gladly have granted Queen Elizabeth (of happy Memory) liberty for her and her people to do these things as we now do them; (as witnesseth the learned B B. of Ely in his Tortura Torti, and Master Camden in his Annals), if the Queen would have taken licence from him, or would have subjected her Crown to his Mitre; for that was the mark he shot at; the gain of his Peter pence, and other spiritual trading, and the glory of a Kingdom so obsequious, so fruitful, so helpful as England had been, and might be. But she was too honourable to kiss his foot for fear or hope, and too honest to receive any courtesy from him: which I add the rather, to let them see, who perhaps are not altogether well affected toward us, nor persuaded of our truths, that there is nothing practised in our Church, but that which finds allowance and approbation from the modestest and learnedest of their side. And therefore they may well be present at our service, and communicate with us in our Sacraments, The Pope's word only hinders them from Communion with us: but God's word bars us from Communion with them. without scruple of conscience (unless the Pope's countermand be their scarecrow) although we may not safely communicate with them for fear of manifest Idolatry, knowing that howsoever their way seems right in their eyes, yet the Issues thereof are the ways of death. 3. The Public judge, Solomon. The last point comes now to be handled concerning the true judge of this way, which is the holy Spirit of God, directing the pen of Solomon the Public Magistrate, the King and the Preacher. A man, and a private spirit of a man, was the judge of the appearance, the seeming good, the beginning of this way; But God is the true judge, of the end, and issue of this way. Man was an impotent judge, God an all-sufficient judge; Man was a judge prejudicial and partial, Gen. 18. 25 God is an upright judge: for shall not the judge of all the world do right? But the Pope of Rome steps in here, Luk. 4. 6. challenging to be judge in this case by Charter (as Satan did in the like case) and to have a Patent sealed to that end by Christ himself. 1. Reg. 2. 27 And for fear Solomon (who as King durst dispose of the Preisthood) should bring evidence against him either by word or fact, he hath stopped his mouth, and condemned him aforehand to Hell, and brought out Traian the Emperor in his room; who though he were a Pagan, yet hath found so much favour, as to be preferred before Solomon; In the life of Gregory the great. who was a Type of Christ, and the wisest Prince that ever reigned. And doubtless if any other of the Prophets or Apostles should press him with arguments, he hath power to silence them, and to cry up and down, what Scripture he pleaseth; to make Canonical Apocrypha, and Apocrypha Canonical, ad benè placitum. For who would believe the Scripture but for the Church? and who is the holy Catholic Church but his Holiness? at lest who is the head thereof, who rules the roast there but he? Now if any of them urge him too fare, and make against him, he hath power to take order with them, either by binding or losing; which jurisdiction in this case he excrciseth after a fourfold manner. 1. By pronouncing them Apocrypha. 2. By eluding their genuine meaning and sense, by a foreign and forced interpretaton or exposition. 3. By warranting an erroneous Iranslation to be Authentical, and the only true one. 4. Lastly, by purging all humours that offend his humour. In which regard we see how the Ancient Fathers have been shaved, clipped, scoured, washed, let blood, purged, gelt, and mutilated: yea and many of the neoterics of their own Men and faction, have been dieted, and cast into a sweat, and hardly recovered with the application of their Catholicon. And all these acts of theirs justified and defended with as much eagerness and show of zeal and truth, as the honestest cause. Well may we therefore fear and flee from his censure, as from a judge full of prejudice, full of partiality; because it is in his own cause, where he will not limit his Prerogative royal, but extend it beyond all degrees of comparison. Yet though he be our Adversary, let us hear him a little, and see what notes and Landmarks he gives us, to know and distinguish the true way from the false by, that we may follow them, if they both seem and be infallible; and that we may beware of them, if they only seem right, but lead to the way of death, and then seek out others that we may clearly see to be true. Neither will the time permit, nor is it needful to bring forth all the marks of the true way, which the Church of Rome hangs out. The principal only I will briefly touch and point at. But before we do it, I must lay down this ground of their own which they give to discern true notes by. True Notes of the Church must be such as are able to constitute the absolute definition of the Church; so fare, that being found, the Church is found; and being lost, the Church is lost: So saith Stapleton, in his proaem. lib. 4. Again, they must be so proper to the Church, as they cannot be found in any other society or company of Men beside; And so notable, as they may be more eminent and notable than the Church itself; and so inseparable, as the Church cannot subsist without them. Such as these Bellarmine requires in his 2. Chap: De Notis Ecclesiae. Again, they must be such as Valentia assigns. Tom: 3. in 22. disp. 1. q. 1. de object: fide●, punct. 7. In notis requiritur ut Ecclesiae verae conveniant, at pque etiam ut illi soli. This premised, come we now to bring the notes they give to these rules, that thereby we may try their truth. 1. The first note is, Antiquity; but this is neither clear, nor proper: for the malignant Church is near as old; Mat. 13. 30 ●inite vtra●●rescere vs●● ad mes●●em. nay perhaps elder, than the true Church militant, of which we now speak, which consists of Men lapsed by sin, and restored by Grace. For the Church is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, quod est, evocare. Because the elect are by the outward preaching of the Gospel, and the inward operation of the Spirit called out of the Mass of corrupted mankind, mixed in a confused lump, where they were first evil, before the grace of God wrought their wills to desire to be good: therefore Quae nascentia mala sunt, ea crescentia peiora; And so Antiquit as sine veritate, est vetus error. Error and Antiquity may dwell together. 2. Secondly, they brag of Multitude, as of a certain note. But the most passengers travail (as our Saviour saith) in the broad way which leads to death: so that here it may be said as Livy said of old in his first Decad: Ferè fit maior pars, vincit meliorem. And therefore it is that our Saviour comforts his Church here with those gracious words, Luk. 12. 32 Fear not little Flock, it is your Father's pleasure to give you a Kingdom: as if he should say, You are but few, a handful; your enemies many, a multitude, therefore you have cause to fear; yet fear not, God is stronger than man or Satan, your Father is stronger than your Adversary and his Legions. You are but little and weak, you cannot conquer this Kingdom by force, no more than Abraham could; It shallbe given to your faith, as it was to Abraham's: you cannot merit it; if you could then you need not fear; it shallbe given freely; therefore though in regard of yourselves you have cause to fear, yet fear not in regard of the Donor, God. Lastly, you shall have a Kingdom, you have it not here, for than you need not fear, no more than Rome doth, but make all Kingdoms fear you rather; but it shallbe given hereafter, IO. 20. 27. therefore fear not but be faithful. Hope well, and have well. 3. Thirdly, they bring forth Succession. But evil men succeed one an other in evil places: this note therefore is defective. Succession of Persons without succession of Doctrine is a decession, a defection. The Priests and Scribes condemned Christ and his doctrine out of the visible chair of Moses, as Antichrist may do out of Peter's. 4. Fourthly, Luc. 11. 1●. they boast of unity. But there is a wicked unity in hell. And the Scribes and pharisees, and Sadduces, though they could agree together no better than the Franciscans and Dominicans, or the Secular Priests and jesuits, yet they bond themselves in a common band of obedience under one head the high Priest, and the then visible Church of the jews, against our blessed Saviour and his Apostles. 5. Fiftly, they call themselves the Catholic Church, and presume to carry it by that name. But the jews before them did boast of the Church, the Church, the Temple, the Temple, and called Christ's doctrine both new and singular, jer. 7. 4. Mar. 1. 27. and their own, old and universal; though Christ told them he was before Moses, Mat. 19 8. and ab initio no● fuit sic, there was a time when it was otherwise, when their traditions (now grown fusty with age) were novelties, or stolen news. Thus likewise they called Saint Paul's Doctrine, Act. 24. 14. Heresy. More they could not say against Luther, or can say against us. 6. Sixtly, they bring visibility for a note. But this is not a note of the thing, but the thing itself which we seek: for could the true Church be discerned to be the true Church by all, there were an end of this argument, and no farther use of these notes. But because though her being be visible, and her true being be visible, yet her being true, is not visible to all; we inquire for notes whereby we may not only discern her true being, but the being of her truth. Now all these notes (with divers others of the same kind) are not such as are required by their own rules, as able to constitute the being of the true Church: for a false Church may have all these and more too; they are not proper, for other societies have them; And if these would carry it, than the South-Church might contend for supremacy, and the East-Church would doubtless carry it against all pretenders as the Mother Church, For she is before Rome in time, she hath larger bounds, and multitudes of people; Almost all the Apostolic seas, most of the patriarchs, An Empire, Seven universal Counsels, The Syrian language wherein Christ spoke, The Greek, wherein the Scriptures of the new Testament was written; She hath Succession even from the Apostles themselves lineally without interruption, They are at Unity under one Chief, and they call themselves Catholics; And yet for all these, the Church of Rome (and that rightly) makes such exceptions against her, as we do against the Church of Rome. Since therefore these notes are not essential, but accidental; not proper, but common; not permament, but transient, we ought to be wary how we altogether trust to their probable direction, since all, or the most part of these are such notes as may accompany this way which seems right and is not so, and so may be made means to ensnare and entangle our affections with prejudice and partiality, and so to blind our judgements, that having these we shall be satisfied with show and appearance, though we walk as joseph and Mary did three days journey with the multitude of our friends, Luk. 2. 44. and never miss Christ, as if he were none of our Company. And I pray observe (to hold us to our Allegory of a way) if there were doubt of two ways, which were the right or the wrong way, and one that would undertake to direct you to find out the right, should say; You shall know the right way by these marks, It is an old way, a beaten way, a way where Passengers travel one after another, It is a way by itself, or one way, it is called the old way, and it is visible; what were a man the better for these directions? would he not think such a guide out of his wits? Especially when he shall see both ways alike old, alike beaten; both ways to have passengers successively, alike frequent, both ways to be entire and singular, both ways to be called old, and both ways to be visible? Thus both ways doubtless he would be wild except he had better directions: And yet this is the case of the Church, which some would thus mark out to the belief and obedience of all men. But to conclude, all these are no true marks; but the Scripture is the true and unfallible Evidence to bond the Church out, to him that will be heedful to observe, and faithful to believe, and humble to obey, as we hope to manifest. Hear than it were meet, I should give you some infallible and inseparable note of the true way, having shown, or rather pointed at the defect of these which the Church of Rome produceth. But then I should offer violence both to your patience, and to the Text; the time not permitting so large a discourse, and my Text leading me to discover the false way with seems right, but giving no warrant to proceed farther. Only to conclude all, since it is within my Commission to manifest the false way, I will give you one note, a sure one, whereby you may know when you are out of the right way, that so you may shun error and seek truth, and ensue it till death, that in the end you may find everlasting life. Briefly Christ himself saith, I am the way, the truth, and the life, joh. 4. no man cometh to the Father but by me. He is the way to walk in, the truth to guide you, the life wherewithal you walk. And if you would find this way, he himself learns you a rule, joh. 5. 39 Search the Scriptures, for in them you think to have eternal life, and those are they that bear witness of me. And he there upbraydes the jews, because they gave no credit or heed to the Scriptures, but preferred the traditions and doctrines of their forefathers before it, john. 5. 46. 47. saying, Had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me: But if you believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words? Therefore the Apostle calls all Scripture 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, 2. Tim. 3. 16 as a doctrine inspired by God to make men wise to salvation; and so believing himself, and teaching others to believe, he praiseth Timothy for being from a child brought up in them, 2. Tim. 3. 15 and he exhorts all men to follow him as he keeps in this way, and walks after Christ jesus and no otherwise. For so long he is sure he goeth right, and they may follow him with security. Now than I do not say wheresoever thou seest the Scripture set forth for a sign, there Christ is within: there is the true way, the true Church. But I say wheresoever thou canst not see the Scripture, be assured thou art out of the way: for the Scripture must be ever in thy eye, being that settled Landmark by which thou must try and know, and to which thou must reduce and bring all thy other coast-marks and sea-marks. So it is that Antiquity which agrees with the verity of the Scripture; that multitude which worship God according to the rules of the Scripture; that Sucession which succeed in the truth of doctrine delivered in the Scripture; that unity which believes the Trinity taught in the Scripture; that Catholic Church which is founded upon, and universally agreeth with the truth of the Scripture; that visible congregation which are seen to God, and which see God as he reveals himself in the Scripture, that become notes by which thou mayst safely travail in this doubtful way of mortality. So that the Scripture must ever be present to make these infallible, though perhaps it be not of absolute necessity, that all these be ever present with the Scripture to make the Church true. The Heathens of old burnt the books of Numa because he bewrayed therein the profane mysteries of their Idolatries. The Turks at this day keep their people in ignorance; no man must see into, no man must dispute or argue of their Sect. And thus our Adversaries of Rome deal with the Scriptures; & resembling heerin the Heathens & Turks, would yet make the world believe, that they are the only Christians. And lest they should seem insanire sine ratione, they have a seeming reason why they permit not the Scriptures to be in the mother-tongue of every Nation publicly to be read by them; lest forsooth (as the Rhemists say in their preface) they should hurt themselves, as with fire, or water, or knives, or swords, or the like. And why do they not put out the Sun because it hurts the gazer's eyes? or why put they not out their eyes to prevent hurting, especially since they mislead many a man to lust and vanity? To argue from the abuse of things indifferent, to remove the lawful use of them, is an abuse of sense and reason; But in things of this kind, of absolute necessity, it is an intolerable and presumptuous foolery. Nature cannot be so blind as to suffer any but naturals to believe this their doctrine, and to walk in this their way: Pro. 4. 18. 19 for Solomon saith, The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble: But the path of theiust is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. True; but will some say, All Heretics hang out this flag, and all boast of the Scriptures: how shall we then know the true way from the false by that which is common to all ways, or which all ways at least challenge and make show of? Observe even from this objection the force and authority of the Scriptures, under which, falsehood aswell as truth seeks to shelter herself, because falsehood by this glass learns to trim herself up like truth. And look as the Heathens by their Idolatries proved aswell that there was a God, Act. 17. 23. Rom. 1. as the jews by their true worship: because nature taught the most barbarous Nation to adore some Deity, and rather to make a God of a Calf, a beast, a bird, a stone, then to be a godless Atheist: so all Heresies and falsehoods bear witness for the truth and authority of the Scriptures, whilst they strive to justify themselves thereby; knowing, without the Scripture all other their arguments, notes, and pretences, how plentiful or plausible soever they be, are nothing to the purpose; and therefore they labour to wrest the Scripture to their fancy. And could the Church of Rome by this evidence approve her present practice and doctrine, I assure myself she would look no farther, but would permit every man to read the same at pleasure; nay, she would command the reading thereof under the pain of her curse, as now she forbids it with her Anathema. Ingenuous therefore is this speech of a Friar of her own; Math. Tilesius. justi. cap. 5. judeos' Scriptures tanquam quibusdam cancellis circumdedit Deus, ne aliorum more Paganorum evanescerent, atque in adinuentionibus manuum suarum-insolescerent. God did impale the jews with the Scriptures as with certain bounds or abuttals, lest after the manner of Pagans they should apostate and perish through the inventions and devices of their own hands. Cyrill. ad Regin. de fide. Therefore saith Cyrill, Necessarium nobis est Diuine sequi Literas, & in nullo ab earum praescripto discedere. It is necessary for us to follow the Divine Scriptures, and to departed or vary in nothing from that which they prescribe. Iren. lib. 2. cap. 59 And Irenaeus: Scriptures divinis, quae certa & indubitata veritas est, in firma & valida petra est demum suam aedificare: hac varò derelicta, alijs niti quibuscunque doctrinis, incertam effusae arenae, unde facilis sit eversio, est ruinam struere. To build upon the divine Scriptures, which is the sure and indubitable truth, is to build upon a firm and strong rock: but this being left, to rely upon any other doctrines whatsoever, is to build to certain ruin, upon fleeting sand from whence the overthrow is easy. Again, Ambros. lib. de parad. cap. ●. In Scriptures divinis non facilà reprehendamus aliquid, quod intelligere non possumus. they pursue this objection farther, saying, If it should be granted, that with much study the learned might attain the knowledge of the true way from the false by reading the Scriptures, yet how shall the simple resolve themselves by that rule, when the principal questions arise from the variable exposition of Scripture? I told you before, that I gave not this note as an absolute infallible mark to know the true way by, (though being rightly taken, it is truly such a note as is formerly required, Essential, Proper, Permanent, and the principal things whereby we are distinguished and discerned from jews, Turks, and Pagans) but I brought it to discover the false way, as by a light in a dark place. And though the Idiot (as S. Paul calls him) be not able to judge of the Scripture, yet he hath an abridgement of the Scripture, that is, certain short rules drawn out by the Apostles or Apostolic Men to guide his faith by, and to try the spirits and the doctrine propounded; this abridgement is called the Apostles Creed. Now none can be so simple, at least in these days, (except they be begged, or go a begging) but they can with labour and study (if they think the salvation of their souls worth the while) find, whether the doctrine taught, crosseth and contradicteth either the Lords Prayer, the Commandments, or the Articles of our Creed; all which they have commonly by heart. Yea God is often so favourable to these poor souls, who seek him in true humility with a sight and acknowledgement of their own weakness, and with a hunger and thirst after righteousness, that he reveals to babes and sucklings, what he conceals from great Doctors and Rabbis: Insomuch as though Balaam himself (blinded by covetousness, and the desire of gain and glory) cannot see when his way is contrary to God's way, and when the Angel is ready to smite him, Numb 2 32. yet Balaams' Ass can see this. And they are worse and more stupid than Balaams' Ass, that will not both see and confess these flat contradictions, opposing directly the written and revealed will of God. For it is easier to see flat contradictions and oppositions, than things only divers or dissentaneous; as weak eyes can discern what stands in the light, at lest what stops the light. To this end, whereas God to his own glory hath suffered Antichrist mightily to prevail, and to seduce many by glorious shows of unity and Antiquity, and general apparences and flourishes of truth, it hath pleased his goodness in that Sea & Kingdom of Antichrist to leave such open & notorious marks of falsehood, Abac. 〈…〉 as they which run by may read the Enmity betwixt the serpent and the seed of the woman still continuing & opposing the truth of the Scripture, by doctrines directly contrary both to the outward Letter of the Text, and inward meaning of the Holy Ghost. And that I may instance briefly what I have so peremptorily affirmed, If they hear Christ say, Mar. 6. When ye pray, pray thus, Our Father, etc. And then hear another say; Nay rather when ye pray, pray thus, O Saint Mary Queen of heaven, O Saint Michael, Saint Peter, Saint Paul, etc. they will know this is not as it should be, and that there is flat contradiction betwixt these two speeches, Thou shalt worship thy Lord thy God, Mat 4. and him only shall thou serve, which is the word of Christ, and this, Thou shalt not worship God only, but the Saints and Angels also, which is the voice of Antichrist. If thou hearest God say, Exod. 20. Thou shalt make thee no graved Image, etc. and hearest others say, Thou shalt make Images and worship them. The Images of God and Christ thou shalt adore with divine worship; the Image of the Virgin Mary and other Saints with the worship that is due to the person itself; and to this end shalt see them curtail this commandment out of their Catechisms, that by this means, & at this gap they may bring their Whore with all her abominations in triumph into the Church, as sometimes the Grecians did their horse into Troy; though thou canst not perhaps well understand their distinctions, yet thou canst distinguish this fasehood from truth, and see how this their doctrine and practice contradicteth the word of God: and therefore howsoever it may seem fair, & to be the right way to life, yet it is foul play, and the end thereof must needs be the Issues of death. Again, when thou repeatest in thy Creed this Article, I believe in jesus Christ, etc. He ascended into heaven, and there sitteth at the right hand of God the Father almighty, and from thence shall come to judge the quick and dead, etc. And hearest a presumptuous Priest with blasphemous mouth say, This wafer or piece of bread I will presently make the body of jesus Christ, the Son of God, and Saviour of the world, by crossing it, and using three or four words over it. Thou must needs see that this binds thee to believe two contrary things at once: for sitting at God's right hand, being spoken to our capacity after the manner of men, betokens a remaining and local residing in heaven, touching his bodily presence; and coming from thence to judgement assures thee, he will not come before he come to judge the quick and the dead. And thou mayst aswell call his birth, his life, his death, and all the rest of his actions & passions in question, as this. Therefore learn to understand the Doctrines that cross and contradict one another, and whilst thou believest Christ saying, This is my body, believe, so as thou mayst not cross the Articles of thy Faith; but know, it is his body after no carnal and fleshly manner, (for the flesh profits nothing. Ioh: 6.) but after a spiritual and divine manner. Not food for thy stomach, thy teeth, thy belly; but food for thy soul, thy understanding, thy faith. And so he calls the bread his body here; as himself a door, and a vine, and a rock; and Peter astone in other places of Scripture. And therefore consider, after Christ ascended, he never appeared to his Apostles in body again, as he used to do often before: Act. 7. 55. But in heaven he appeared personally to Stephen to confirm his faith. And when before his ascension he appeared to the twelve with whom Thomas Didimus was; john. 20. he did not urge Thomas to believe any thing contrary to his sense of seeing, hearing, and feeling, but rather willed him to confirm his faith by seeing and seeing, what before he doubted. And then he adds, Happy are those which see not, and yet believe; he doth not say, Happy are they who believe contrary things to that they see, (as they must do who believe the bread to be changed into his natural body, which they see and feel to be true bread still) but Happy are those who believe when they see nothing to the contrary, having the word of God (which cannot contradict itself) for their warrant. As we do believe his Resurrection and Ascension which we saw not, and his coming to judgement in glory, which we hope to see. Thus when thou shalt hear Christ command thee to take Bread and Wine in the Sacrament; 1. Cor. 11. and a Priest countermand this, and will thee to take bread only. Saint Paul commanding thee from God to pray with understanding; 1. Cor. 14. 16. and a Roman Priest willing thee to pray in a strange tongue. God himself blessing Matrimony, and permitting all men to marry; and the Apostle Paul saying, Marriage is honourable with all men, and in special terms, a Bishop or Deacon ought to be the husband of one wife, ●. Tim. 3. 2. etc. and hearest a Roman Priest say the contrary; nay, enjoin thee to do the contrary, and to bind thee by an oath to do it: Then thou that hast ears to hear, hear what S. john saith to thee, 2. joh. 10. 11. If any come unto you and brings not this doctrine, (that is, brings any contrary doctrine to Christ's) receive him not to house, neither bid him good speed. And hear what God gave his people in charge of old in the like case, Deut. 13. 1. 2. 3. If there arise among you a Prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder: And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spoke unto thee, saying, Let us go after other Gods (which thou hath not known) and let us serve them: Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that Prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the Lord your God proveth you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul. So thou art not to believe him though he confirms his Doctrine by miracles; nay, suspect him the more and the rather for that: for miracles are the principal shelters and pretences of Antichrist, as thou mayst see. Math. 24. 24. 2. Thes. 2. 9 So then believe nothing which contradicts the Scripture; for the Scripture cannot be contrary to itself; because it proceeds from the Spirit of God, which is the Spirit of unity, of love, and of truth. And to shut up all this with a familiar example which the weakest apprehension may conceive, the sleightest memory retain: Not long since there was a trial before the judges of Assize at Thetford betwixt two towns for a Common, Oxborough. Gooderstone. in which both claimed interest: The one town challenged by prescription, and pretended use, and proved the use by them & their forefather's time out of mind. The other parties produced an ancient Composition in writing under the hand and seal of the Lords and Tenants on both sides. The judge then determined, that against a writing there could be no prescription; though, without a writing, prescription would be currant. Because the writing controlled their present custom, and shown, Ab initio non fuit sic; there was a time when their old use was not, & therefore their claim was false. In proving their use against this composition, they proved themselves intruders, encroachers, trespassers, evil neighbours: It was so fare from doing them good, as it might have done them hurt, laying them open to every man's action, whom they had offended. So here, wheere the word is silent, there hear Antiquity, hear the Church, honour tradition, prefer prescription, custom, use. If thou dost not, than thou showest thyself a self-willed Schismatic, or an obstinate Heretic. But where the Scripture speaks; where thou hast that writing under hand and seal, that old composition betwixt God and Man, appointing Man his limits; there let not man presume to intercommune with God, but let the tongues of men and Angels be silent. And whatsoever doctrine crosseth that, cross thou it out of thy Creed, or God will cross thee out of the book of life. Hear Saint Paul advising the Collossians, Let no man bear rule over you under show of a voluntary humility and worshipping of Angels, Col. ●. 18. intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind. So whatsoever humble show or pretence he hath, he is puffed up, who presumes to cross the doctrine of the Scripture: And though he comes in sheep's clothing, Mat. 7. 15. with show of mortification and contempt of the world, yet inwardly he is a ravening wolf, and desires to swallow widow's houses under the colour of long prayers, Mat. 23. auricular confession, and alms; And, though he seems a worm and no man, and creeping humbly upon his belly, licks the dust of the earth; yet beware, he may be a subtle serpent, and no silly worm; for under the like fair show Satan deceived our Ancestors in Paradise. Therefore attend Saint Paul's admonition carefully, where he saith, Gal. 1. 8. But though we, or an Angel from heaven preach any other Gospel to you, then that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. And as if this were not sufficient, observe how he rivets this commandment or admonition again, Gal. 1. 9 and again, saying; As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other Gospel unto you, then that ye have received, let him be accursed. What you have received you know in the Lord's Prayer▪ the Ten Commandments, and the Creed, for these are Epitomees and abridgements of all. If therefore Saint Paul, or an Angel; an Angel that you were sure came immediately from heaven; or Saint Peter, or his successor; any Man that you were assured without controversy were his successor; or any other Man or woman how holy, chaste, learned, or religious soever they be, should cross this doctrine, believe them not; nay, let them be accursed, saith Saint Paul. Much less than believe the dotage of men, their gulleries, impostures, fictions, melancholy imaginations, dreams, visions, and revelations; with which, being deceived themselves, they seek and endeavour to deceive others. You have now seen the way, 1. What it is. 2. How it may seem good and not be so. 3. How impotent, prejudicial, and partial a judge man is, in his own case. 4. You have seen the end of this fair way to be false. 5. The issue of that pretence to be death, whilst life was promised. 6. Lastly, you have seen the judgement of God's spirit, showing you the true notes to know the false way by. Submit yourselves now, and your senses, and judgements to the direction of God's holy Spirit, and think not yourselves or your Predecessors wiser than Saint Paul, than Solomon, than God himself: but having found the right way, the way to life, walk in it constantly, and turn not back to fables, and traditions, and falsehoods, in which you have too long wandered astray; for howsoever that way may seem right, and many of our forefathers have ignorantly walked in it, yet the issues thereof are the ways of death: From which the Lord of his mercy deliver us, and direct us to be zealous according to knowledge; and from faith to climb up to practise, reforming those corruptions in our lives and manners; which now by the course propounded in the beginning, we come to search and lay open, in that which follows. THE SECOND SERMON, PREPARED FOR the judges, and preached upon Sunday, the Assizes following upon Monday after. We have spoken of the speculative part, Thammim the Theory, as the way was taken for Religion; now we are to speak of the practical part as the way may be taken for the custom and trade of our lives and conversations, or rather for our passage, or walking in that Religion which we believe & profess to be the truth. And as the Lord said by the Prophet jeremy, so may I say to you all. jer. 21. 8. Behold I have set before you the way of life, and the way of death: I have shown you that way which seems right in the partial eyes of man, who thinks all his own ways clean: Pro. 16. 2. And I have shown you that way that is both right and seems so; Pro. 15. 24. even the way of life which leadeth to heaven. And now I proceed to exhort you to walk in this way: for it is better not to know then not to practise what we know. An honest Turk which knows not the will of his Master, is to be preferred before a profane Christian, who knows his Master's will and doth it not, Luk. 12. 47 and therefore shallbe beaten with many stripes. A way then in this sense of Solomon. is the customary course of life which a man chiefly useth, whether it be in virtue or in vice. The whole race of mankind naturally walk in the road and way of sin and death: But some are regenerate and called out of this way by faith and repentance: others will not obey God's word, but rather choose to live in the pleasures of sin for a season. And they are said to be in their way, because sin reigneth in them, tramples upon them, & by custom takes away the sense of conscience; obdurating their hearts, as a way is hardened by the feet of many passengers, so as a plough cannot pierce the same. Thus men have their darling and beloved sins which is their way, out of which you can by no means put them; as a Hare starred before Greyhounds, will have her accustomed way and muse, or die for it; so these. And thus a man is not said to be in his way when he sinneth of frailty, he than hath slipped out of his way, and leaves not till he return into his way by repentance: but when he sins by custom than he is in his way. And a notorious sinner is not said to be in his way if now and then he comes to Church, prays, receives the Sacraments, and forebeares gross sins, or does some singular and solitary good: for he is not well, till he be out of this way again, and like a dog returns to his vomit. Therefore a man is judged wise or foolish, good or bad, and to be in, or out of his way, by his ordinary actions, not by a special single fact. For nemo omnibus horis sapit; Semel insanivimus omnes, and in many things we offend all. It is therefore the general course, proceeding, and perseverance in virtue or vice that brings life or death to our ways: for the crown of glory is at the end of this race of virtue, & here death is at the end of this race of vice: the end there of is the issues of death. David committed Adultery and Murder, ●. King. 11. grievous slips out of God's way; but being in those sins he was beside himself, out of his wit, out of his way, and never was at rest till by repentance he returned and witnessed his sorrow by that penitential Psalm, Psal. 51. in which he expresseth cordial repentance, and seems to do corporal penance in the Church to this day. His delight was in the Law of the Lord, he was a man according to Gods own heart; A man, and therefore might err, might slip out of the way; but a man after Gods own heart, therefore he would walk with God as Enoch did, Gen. 5. 24. and was never well at his heart till, he was reconciled to God by humble and hearty repentance. jeroboam was in his way all his life, 1. King. 13. 33. and sold himself to commit sin: so that it is said of divers other Kings that succeeded jeroboam both in his seat and sins, That they did evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of jeroboam, and in his sin wherewithal he made Israel to sin. Ahab was not in his way when upon the Prophet's admonition he put on sackcloth and humbled himself before God: 1. King. 21 25. but he was in his way when he followed the counsel of jezabel, slew the Prophets of God, and murdered Naboth for his vineyard. jehu, 2. King. 10 15. 16. though he slew all Ahabs' children according to the word of the Lord, though he would needs have jehonadab see his zeal which he pretended was for God, in killing all the Priest of Baal, and in taking the Images out of the house of Baal, though he did many other things tending to reformation of Religion and the State. Yet all this while he was not in his element, in his way: for presently he was not well till he was committing the sins of jeroboam, worshipping the golden calves in Bethel and Dan. Therefore though the spirit of God praise him for what he did well, yet it adds in the end, 2. King. 10 3●. But jehu took no heed to walk in the Law of the Lord God of Israel with all his heart: for he departed not from the sins of jeroboam which made Israel to sin. And thus much to show what this way of practice is, and when we may be said to be in our way, or out of it. Now if those men may be deceived in their ways, who think they walk uprightly and like honest men, what shall become of such as have no ways, no vocations to walk in, or of such as know the way they walk in, is the way of death, and yet continue to sin against their own consciences, and the very light of Nature? If the honest Heathen or Turk, for whose truth the Christian dares depose, having had trial thereof in many bargains; if the devout jew, for whom Saint Paul gives testimony: Rom. 9 I bear them record they have the zeal of God though not according to knowledge. If the superstitious Anchorite, who locks himself from all pleasure, and makes this world a hell, that he might avoid Purgatory; if all these (I say) be condemned, when their ways seem good to themselves, having probable reasons to persuade them that they are so; what shall become of the irreligious Atheist, who like a fool saith in his heart there is no God, and yet by natural fear is often taught to give his heart the lie for so saying, and knows his way is the way of death, yet walks in it? what shall become of the profane Naturalist and Neuteralist, who is of all religions, or no religion; who goes to an Alehouse with better devotion then to a Church; and to a Play with greater delight and love, then to a Sermon? What shall become of the Murderer, Thief, Adulterer, Drunkard, Sodomite, and of the rest of those impadent sinners who offend against nature, and yet outface the light of the Gospel, life of the Law, and laugh Religion and Government to scorn? These men see their ways are naught, yet they sit in the seat of scorners, Psalm. 1. and walk in the way of the ungodly, without fear either of God or man. And their estate may be resembled to soldiers in a battle, who seeing their fellows die before, behind, on the right and left hand, and know their turn to be next, are yet so transported with the present hurry and fury of the fight, and their senses so damned up with the noise of drums and trumpets, the neighing of horses, the clashing of weapons, the thunder and lightning of the interchanged artillery, as they cannot hear the heavy shrieks and groans of their dying companions, but desperately go on, and seem senseless of danger, till indeed their bodies be made senseless, and their souls more sensible by death. So fares it with these, whilst they are sinning, and their souls ready to be slain by sin, they hear such a thunder of oaths, lies, and lascivious jests and songs, such drumming and tossing of pots and cans, such music which the Devil makes them, or they rather make the Devil, as they can neither look up to attend the admonitions of God or man, of their friends or foes, nor see the desperate condition, misery, and ends of their dying companions, some slain suddenly, others living miserably beggarly, basely, full of rottenness and sores, deformed, filthy, loathsome to the eye, to the ear, to the nose; and the rest of these, and the best of these, going (as they say) to heaven in a halter, if ever they come there. If the righteous scarce be saved, where shall the ungodly, and sinners appear? O Lord open their hearts, that as they see their ways are evil, so they may leave their evil customs, and turn to thee with sorrow and repentance, that if it be possible, they may be saved from the pit of destruction. But leave we these vagrants, who either walk in no way, or like rogues, and vagabonds travail without passport, & come to speak of such as seem to have warrant for their ways, though upon trial we shall find them forged and counterfeit. Ways are either 1. Vicinales. 2. Or Privatae. 3. Or Publicae. 1. Vicinales vi.e. Or ways of vicinity or neighbourhood, are betwixt street and street, neighbour and neighbour, house and house, in Cities or towns. And these may be compared first with those opinions in our Religion, or conditions and manners in our lives, which we take up by imitation of our Parents, Tutors, Predecessors or the like. Thus by imitation and example of others whom we reverence for knowledge or devotion, by the custom and consent of times and places, we are led as it were blindfold, to take up upon trust all matters of faith without examination of their principles or grounds; when if we were not kept back from search by ignorant superstition, we should find, that, As man naturally begets man to sin according to his depraved Image, and man is apt to follow man in evil then in good; so both in Faith and manners we are often misled and corrupted by our natural parents and superstitious predecessors: by which reason, as the tares overgrow the wheat, so the foolish overgrow the wise, the superstitious overgrow the truly religious; and the godless, the godly; and so stultorum infinitus numerus, the whole Earth is replenished with such people. For instance, we send our children beyond the Seas into France, Italy, Spain, Germany; they return not Englishmen from thence, but Frenchmen, Italians, Spaniards, Germans; They do not only bring home the Language, which was the pretence of their travel, but their religions, manners, customs, diets, gestures, cringes, vices, diseases: so that nothing here now seems good to them, but all that they bring home that seems right in their eyes, they hate to be reform, prejudice hath so taken up their affections and judgements aforehand. Thus young men taste according to the company which first enters and seasons them. By which means some smell of Rome, some of Constantinople, and the greatest number become like salt without savour. 2. Secondly, some vices by their propinquity and neighbourhood to virtues, do so resemble them, that they can hardly be distinguished from them: and so deceive many a soul, who takes a spetious vice for a wholesome virtue, and resteth satisfied with the shadow in stead of the substance, as children are pleased aswell with counters and counterfeit coin, as with pure gold and currant money. So prodigality is often taken for liberality, or for charity. Spiritual pride is taken for Humility: Single incontinency or impotency, is taken for chastity; temereity is taken for Fortiude: Security is taken for peace of conscience: Presumption is taken for faith: vainglory for Piety and devotion: choleric folly, for zeal: And deadness of heart, and dulness of affection, for Contentment. 3. Thirdly, some natural virtues, for neighborhoods sake, and for some resemblance betwixt them, are often mistaken, for Theological virtues; And this point would be well observed; for it deceives many both in judging of others, and in judging themselves too, whilst either they consider not the difference, or mark not the proper concurrants to both, or distinguish not betwixt Nature and Grace. Thus moral or civil honesty which a Turk may have, looks like true sanctity, which the true Christian only hath. So historical Faith, which wicked men may have, and the devils have, looks at first blush, to some that have eyes to see no farther, like justifying Faith, which the Elect only have: So natural love, which Ethnics have, is mistaken for Christian Charity: for that a work be good, that is, accepted of God, it must proceed out of Faith, and be done in obedience to his commandment, and to the end to glorify him. Now this cannot be without knowledge, that is the ground of all: for how shall they believe on him, of whom they have not heard? Rom. 10. 14. Bona opera dicuntur opera Ethnicorum, aut secundum apparentiam tantùm, aut quod substantia operis in se bona sit, licèt subiecto, obiecto, fine, alijsque circumstantijs sit malum. The works of Ethnics are called good, either by reason of their appearance only, or that the substance of the work is in itself good, although in respect of the subject, object, end, and other circumstances it be evil. And again, Opera Ethnicorum non idcircò mala dicuntur, quod fiant simplicitèr, sed quòd non fiant benè. The works of Ethnics are not therefore said to be evil, as they are simply done, but for that they are not done well as they ought to be. For that a natural virtue be christened, (as I may say) without which it cannot be acceptable to God, there must concur these circumstances: 1. First, that it be done in a right way, a right faith, a right religion, which is only in the faith of Christ: other foundation can no man lay, 1. Cor. 3. 11. 2. Secondly, that it be warranted by a special faith; that is, first, a certain knowledge out of God's word, that it is a work pleasing to him, and not contradictory to his will: secondly, with a full persuasion that his person, who performs it, is reconciled to God, in and through Christ jesus; and so his work, yea all his works accepted, as the person and sacrifice of Abcl was accepted of God, Gen. 4. 3. Thirdly, that it be done to a good end, that is, to glorify God, to testify our love and thankfulness to him, for his infinite love to us; and to make our own election sure. And all works done otherwise, how great soever they be, how glorious a show soever they make, either in our own eyes, or in the eyes of the world, are those appearances which often beguile good men, (I mean, men of good natures, of good natural dispositions and affections) and which S. Augustine calls splendida peccata, glistering sins; promising life, but leading to death: Their ways seem right in their own eyes, but the issues thereof are the ways of death. Viae privatae. In the second place we have private ways, which are ways of ease for a man's person, or the private use of his family, as garden alleys, walks, backwayes and byways. And these have their resemblances in our general callings as Christians, and in our particular callings, as we are Ministers, Magistrates, Lawyers, Merchants, or the like. 1. In our general callings, we have private ways, whereby with Novatus, we think to go to heaven alone by ourselves: As for instance, amongst our Romish Adversaries the infinite Orders and ways of perfection, (as they call them) do plainly manifest; and with us, that averseness and singularity of humour which prevails so fare with some, as it causeth whatsoever is commanded by the lawful Magistrate in Church affairs, to be by them and their followers utterly misliked; if for no other reason, yet for this, that it is commanded, and in obeying they should commit, as they say, three grievous faults. 1. Sin against their consciences. 2. Give offence and scandal to their weak brethren. 3. Infringe their Christian liberty. 2. In our particular calling, we have our private walks also, every one neglecting the main end at which they should drive, and aiming obliquely, either at private gain, at vainglory, or the satisfaction of some base humour and passion. And to begin with the Divine, because he should lead others right: The end of his vocation is, by preaching to acquaint men with the will of God, by praying to turn the wrath of God from the people, and to obtain a blessing upon his labours, and by practice to confirm such in the true faith by works, as he hath won by words to believe and embrace it: But doth he tend this errand? alas nothing less, for as soon as he is fligge, and comes fresh out of the University, if he be crossed in his first preferment, than he grows refractory to the State and present government of the Church established; neither makes he conscience to mislead others, so he may be head of a faction, and be thought somebody. But if in his first years he meets no check, but gets preferment, his study then is to grow with the time; and then he cannot distinguish the warts, moles, scars, and corruptions of the Church, from perfections and graces: his study is not to discharge one Cure well, but to procure and charge himself with many; to heap steeple upon steeple, as if he meant to climb up to heaven that way. And after all to retire himself to a Prebendary out of the way, where like a bird in a cage he may be fed fat, and provide to purschace some new and higher preferment, but never sing more. This his way seems good to himself (for I will not uncharitably judge him to sin against his conscience) and yet he finds the issue thereof to be the ways of death. But we must let him alone, he is in his way, it is in vain to move him to leave it, for he laughs both at the motion and the man that makes it: he abounds in his own sense, and will not be taught, but by sense, by feeling punishment when it is too late to shun it. The Lawyer is presented next, the end of whose vocation is to do justice, and determine controversies truly for the procuring and preserving of peace: But doth he hold himself strictly in his course to accomplish this end of his calling and profession? Alas no. But he demeans himself for the most part, as a man placed above the Law; And what he doth is either against the Law, or without a Law, as it were by his princely prerogative, 1. Tim. 1. 9 non est iusto lex posita, etc. There is no Law for a Lawyer. Thus he may take what cause he list in hand, though he know it be unjust: for his office (he saith) is not to judge, but to plead; and he speaks therefore with more affection and earnestness against the truth, then for it: Because a good cause will speak for itself, but he deserves praise that maintains an ill cause well; and for this he shall be famous, and get Client's, and so get wealth which is that he aims at. Again, he may take what fees he will, though the Law limits his take, and calls the excess, extortion. He is the expounder of the Law, he is Lex loquens, the tongue of the Law, and saith, That the intention of the Law was to limit men that they should take no less, and it limits such as can get no more. Again, other Trades must do their work, if they will have wages; and must acknowledge the benefit they receive, and the Benefactor: but here the Master is the servant; and whereas in all other vocations there lies an Action in the Case against such, as having taken a valuable consideration for their pains, will not perform their work; He, notwithstanding his fee, may speak or hold his peace as he pleaseth: for though he hath two hands to take fees on both sides, yet he cannot be at two Bars at once, and Demosthenes, we know, had as much for holding his peace, as AEschines for pleading. The Doctrine of Restitution he likes not, it is a popish point; in all other things he can be content to be Catholic, to be universal, to be for every man: To be for a man in one case, against him in another, though the cases resemble: nay, perhaps to be both for the plaintiff and defendant in one case; and though he cannot plead for both, because he hath but one tongue, yet he may give counsel to both, for that one tongue is double; and takes fees of both, for that's the end of all. His ways seem good and right; for can he walk wrong who hath the Law, the rule of Equity in his hand, and whose office it is to guide others right in the way? Yes doubtless, the end shows, that Malè parta, malè dilabuntur, the issues of all are the ways of death and destruction. Next look upon the Merchant as it were the General, and all Mechanics as under-officers of commerce, the end of their Professions is, or should be, by commutative justice to supply the necessities of each other, and so of the State. But see how they propound private gain to themselves, as the only main end and scope of all their labours. And under this cover what one can cheat or cousin his neighbour of, either by sophisticated wares, or false weights and measures, or by any other close devise or conveyance, he thinks it tolerable, nay laudable, a part of his trade, a mystery (as he calls it) of his profession; without which he could not be a good husband, or thought fit to deal in the world, or set up for himself. Thus perhaps he will be curious in the duties of the first Table, which touch not the corruptions of his profession; but for works of mercy commanded in the second Table, he knows not what they mean, or perhaps they are superstitious and popish works, though he hear God himself say, Hos. 6. 6. I will have mercy, and not sacrifice. He will not swear perhaps; for that is too open a sin for his purpose; in this point perhaps he will be an Anabaptist: but if lies will sell his evill-conditioned commodities, he will let none lie by him, nor no man lie beyond him. He will not break the Sabaoth, no not to eat, no not to feed others, not to do good, he is a strict Sabbatarian, a jew in opinion; but that day or any other he will not stick to cousin his credulous brother, and aswell may you trust a jew as trust him. Thus he grows rich, and treasures up wrath for himself, and in his whole dealing shows himself a wrong Merchant, but a right judas, who will gain by the feigned show of godliness, or by any other course. His way seems right to himself▪ though the end thereof be the Issues of death. Viae Puplicae, vel Pretoriae. In the third place we have Public ways, common roads, the King's highway, which resembles public judgement, public authority, and the Common Laws of the Land. For because all men think their own ways good, be they ways of privacy, or ways of neighbourhood, therefore God hath appointed Kings and judges to be lifetenants and Deputies in his stead, to defend weak truth from strong falsehood and oppression, and to decide every controversy accordin to the right rule of reason and Equity contained and expressed in the Laws where they govern. Otherwise undoubtedly, if every man might be his own judge, the Thief, the Murderer, all would be quit, and the judge and jewry should smart for it; the Plaintiff and Defendant, all would be saviours, and the Lawyer should pay for all, who now is like to get all. To avoid therefore this confusion, God hath set Caesar to arbitrate indifferently betwixt party and party, and given him a Law and direct rule how to do it, and that he might do this freely without partiality, without fear or any other thing that might mislead his judgement, God hath set him above all, exempted him from all other judge but himself, and the Laws which are his rule and judge. Now to the end he might be fully and completely furnished, God puts an other spirit into him, as we see in Moses, and after in the 70. Assistants, and in Saul, David, Solomon and others who were extraordinarily endued from above with Graces fitting their employments; and this Spirit whilst it continues with them, doth never contradict the public voice, that is, the Law of the State, but joins with it and speaks the same language, from whence perhaps that common speech arose, that the voice of the people is the voice of God, if it be joined with the voice of the King; and this voice is to be heard and obeyed for conscience sake, being here opposed to the Spirit of privacy, which will rule, though without reason; and the more weak it is, is for that the more wilful. Now this Spirit of privacy (whose wisdom consists in wilfulness) may be in a public Person, when for his own or people's sin he hath lost the public spirit wherewith God endues Princes. So the public spirit departed from Saul, 1. Sam. 16. 14. and a private mad spirit possessed him, 1. Sam. 18. which made him hate David, for loving him, and being loved of God; to give him his daughter upon purpose to ensnare and betray him; to deal falsely with him in all his fair pretences; and lastly, to cross and contradict his own religious Law for the extirpation of witches, by consulting with them. Solomon was in the like case, whilst by the unclean sin of Adultery he fell into the snare of Idolatry; he crossed his people, and forgot his own writings, where he saith, Pro. 28. 15 As a roaring Lion, and a ranging Bear, so is a wicked Ruler over the poor people: Yet he thought himself then also perhaps as wise as before, because he found himself as witty, and forgot what he had written, That into a malicious soul wisdom shall not enter: nor dwell in the body that is subject unto sin. Sap. 1. 4. 5. 6. 7. For the holy Spirit of discipline will fly deceit, and remove from thoughts that are without understanding: and will not abide when unrighteousness cometh in. For wisdom is a loving Spirit, and will not acquit a blasphemer of his words: for God is witness of his reines, and a true beholder of his heart, and a hearer of his tongue. Wherefore, for this, when he recovered his former public spirit, he cried peccavi and miserere with his father David, and written that book called Ecclesiastes, to bemoan and manifest his own fall, and forewarn other Princes to beware of the spirit of privacy, that they may hedge in their royal ways with these conscionable restrictions, whereby they may be obeyed for conscience sake by their subjects. 1. First, Solomon, or Caesar must not rule without a Law, nor by his absolute power make any, but see to the execution of those that are made. It inclines therefore too much towards tyranny for a Magistrate to exercise an absolute authority without limit, and the Superior who rules without a Law, or against Law, walks in no way himself, but balks his own highway; for a way is fenced, but the champain fields are for the wild-goose-chase; and corners and holes for sinister actions. When as public persons should do public actions in public, Gen. 23. 10. in the Gates of the City, in the King's highway, Deut. 22. 15 in the eye of all. For chamber-workes are suspicious, and carry a show of privacy and partiality. And so it is said by Livy, that Tarqvinius made the name of a King odious at Rome, because he ruled all Domesticu consilijs by chamber-Councell, as Rehoboam in Israel, and Lewes the 11, in France. Thus Kings though they be in some sort above the Law, because they are dispeusers of it, are not yet without a Law, because they must rule themselves and others by it. And thus much the crown that a King wears testifieth, which is a type of the love, and acknowledgement, and consent of the people in his government; and lets him see, that there is a verge, a hoop, a compass for the heads of Kings, aswell as of subjects, and that we come to manifest in the second consideration. 2. Secondly, God's Law is Caesar's verge, which Caesar must neither transgress, nor suffer to be transgressed. Where God hath set no Law, there Caesar's Law (I mean the Law of the Land, which is the hedge to this highway of the King) must stand. And this must agree with the equity of the Law of God, from whence it originally takes life and strength. For as where it agrees with God's Law, we must obey it for conscience sake; so where it contradicts or crosseth the Law of God, the Apostle Peter gives a general rule, It is there better to obey God then man. Act. 4. 19 To clear this: Thou sayest thy conscience tells thee, the Religion commanded by the King, or some ceremony used in the Church according to the Laws established, is not agreeable, but contrary to the truth; If thou canst manifest this by the word of God, than thy Conscience tells thee right, and thou art not to do what is commanded by man, though he speaks humane Law, but yet thou art to suffer what is enjoined by him, so speaking with the Law, or so doing as Executor of the Law: and both these ways thou obayest God and Caesar too; God actively, doing what he wills; and Caesar passively, submitting thy will to God's holy ordinance, and obeying the Magistrate for conscience sake. But if thy conscience tells thee this or that, and cannot prove what it tells thee, but by shifts and shadows; than it is not truly thy conscience, at least no true but a lying conscience that so misleads thee; nay rather, it is thy fantasy, thy imagination, thy peevish, prejudicial, and froward conceit; And thou art bound to resist, and break thine own crooked and perverse will, and to subject it to the will of God, who hath subjected thee to Caesar. For Conscientia non est contra scientiam, sed cum scientia, Conscience is joined with knowledge; that's the ground, otherwise thou setst up an Idol in thy own heart, and worshippest it, whilst thou obayest an erring and ignorant conscience. For an Idol (saith Saint Paul) is nothing in the world; and such is thy conscience, a bugbear, a Scarecrow, a Chimaera of thine own melancholy imagination, or malevolent invention: And howsoever it may seem right to thyself & thy Sectators, or Sect masters, the Issues thereof are the ways of death. 3. Thirdly, as the Laws of God must guide our consciences in our rellgious duties, so the positive Laws of the Kingdom must be the highway wherein every one must walk in active obedience. And Kings and judges are the dispensers and disposers of these Laws according to reason. Neither shall they need in the execution to satisfy every private, curious, and contentious head, which pretending conscience, will disobey, or to satisfy every delinquent with arguments, for then his work were infinite; but strictly and directly to open the book, and to execute the Law of the Land, and every liegeman is to acquiesse therein. For the judge is, or ought truly to be, Lex loquens, and doth but tell us the Law, and show us the highway in which we must walk; and if we list not to walk in it, we must be content to suffer for our wilful folly, or walk out of the way, out of the reach of the Law. And there is great reason for this, for God hath set Kings as his Deputies to execute justice and judgement, he expects it at their hands; and where any evil falls out for lack of execution, the fault is the Magistrates, if there be Law to prevent it; of him shall the soul be required which perisheth for lack of government; as the soul shallbe required at the Pastor's hands, which perisheth for lack of instruction in the truth. Great reason is it therefore he should have power over such as he must answer so strictly for, that he may punish them, or compel them to come in, or keep them for drawing others out of his fold. So we see, judg. 17. Micha sets up an Idol contrary to God's Law, he will have a parlor-worship, a religion by himself: The reason of this error of knowledge and conscience is given there; Then there was no King in Israel, but every man did what seemed good in his own eyes. So the King is to see to Religion, and if Idolatry increaseth, or sects, or schisms arise, it is counted the King's fault, if there be a King; the fault arising here for lack of a King: that is, of a fit person to execute the Law against Idolatry. Likewise in the 19 Chap. of judges, the Levites wife is defiled after an unsatiable & brutish manner: The reason of this villain, this injustice, this error in practice, is given as before, Then there was no King, etc. So all disorders of life are for lack of execution of justice: for God gave the People a Law in this case; so they lacked not a law, but a Magistrate to execute it. Again, in the 21. Chap. of judge: There are two barbarous facts mentioned; the first, the bloody destruction of jabes Gilead; the other, the rape of certain virgins by fraud and force, who came out, without fear of treachery, securely trusting to their own innocence, and the peace of the State. The reason of these disorders is given as before; Then there was no King in Israel, but every man did what seemed good in his own eyes: There was a Law, but there was none designed to execute it. Praised be God, we have both King, Laws, Priests, and judges; how haps it then, that there are (I do not say sins, for there will be sins as long as there are men,) but such common, open, crying sins, such reigning, roaring, raging sins, such beaten roads, common highways of sins and sinning, as if there were no King, no Law, no Priest, no judge in England? I speak not of them, which may pretend their excuse from the frailty of our natures, and our proclivenes to sin, but of such as are committed with a high hand, standing like thiefs by the highways side at noonday, and robbing God of his glory, the Commonwealth of their honour, and that with violence, with applause, shadowing their unlawful actions under the pretence of Law itself, which should reform them. And some of these for the manifestation of this point, I intent to bring to the bar to answer for themselves. But see I shall not need; for impudent Sacrilege appears of himself to confront the Pulpit and the bench too; It is not a scarlet gown that can fright Dives; for he went in purple every day. If justice help not, he will strangle Devotion: for who will give to God, if the Devil enjoys what is given? Or who will give to the Clergy, to the poor, to charitable uses, if the Atheist, the profane person, the uncharitable wretch, the Politician, may seize upon it & sell it, or the title to i●, as he doth. It lies only in the hands of Power and Authority to stop his mouth; for he hath got such countenance and supportance as he sits in judgement, and hath given sentence (like the Man of sin) against the Clergy, that tithes are not due to them jure Divino; and therefore he and his may seize upon them with Prescriptions, Impropriations, Prohibitions, like an other threeheaded Cerberus, jure diabolico. The Countrypeople like well, and will soon learn this lesson, they thought before it was no conscience to pay tithes, but all being due by almos, it was no theft, no sacrilege, but wisdom and good husbandry to keep as much back as they might; we expected reformation, and a restoring of the oil to the lamps, as God had lent these times more light than others: But now there is cause to doubt rather substraction, then to hope for restitution; much less to expect addition: Simony, Sacrilege, all are let lose and armed, and judas hath sufficient colour to save like a thief his ointment from Christ's members and Ministers, under pretence of charity, and relieving the poor; though Christ sees the thief in judas heart; and though Solomon knows howsoever this way may seem right to themselves, yet the end thereof is destruction to the Church, and death to many a poor soul. But they are in their way, rather willing to pay tenths to Satan, then to God; It is therefore ten to one, if one of ten, have grace to return and to restore. God is just, who, whilst they withdraw their hands and hearts from good, withdraws his grace from their hearts; they may hear, but they profit not to obedience and practice; He will not suffer such to gain grace by the preaching of the Word, who for their own private gain would starve the Preachers of the Word. The Usurer comes next as a brother in evil to Sacrilege. This must not now be called a sin, it is justified out of the Pulpit to be none; and it is grown to be a profession too, and the Usurer is a freeman of every company, but not free in any good cause or company. It was a sin so ugly heretofore, as none durst practise it, scarce durst name it, but with the sign of the cross, as if they had spoken of a Devil: but it is now so common, as he is scarce thought an honest man that is not one: for he cannot be honest that is not rich, and he cannot be rich without this trade. This is the gulf wvith sinks and swallows our Merchants, Clothier's, Farmers, Owners, all. Men complain of the Law, (and that worthily) but this, this is the rock that Shipwrecks all, and spoils all trading and commerce, whilst the venture and hazard is the buyers and the sellers; but the certain gain falls betwixt both to the usurer. This Man pays neither duty to God nor the King, for his trade hath no warrant from either. God forbids it, the King tolerates it, as some States do the practice of the Stews, or as our Saviour said of Divorces, Moses for the hardness of your hearts; suffered you to put away your wives, but from the beginning it was not so; the time hath not been long, since this sin came in request for a virtue; nor will it be long ere the practisers shall see, that howsoever the way seems good in their own eyes, yet the Issues thereof are the ways of death. Next, the usurer and the Sacrilegious person, who are coupled like dogs, comes three together in a cluster: 1. The Forestaller, 2. The Engrosser, 3. The Depopulator; as several species of one Genus; birds of a feather, who hang together of a string, and it is pity they should not ever so hang. The Forestaller (I mean not the petty forestaller of a Fair or Market, but the forestaller of Commodities in a whole Country) bites closer than a Goose; for the Goose eats all above the earth, but this beast eats up all commodities before they spring, as soon as they are sown in the Earth, and therefore is a right earthworm. 2. Neither when I speak of Engrossers, do I intent petty persons, who engross up this or that commodity; but the Engrosser of Farms, who like another Cain takes possession of all, and will not endure any man to thrive or live by him. Every Farm, every trade, every Sheepes-course is his. Nothing fatts him but a dear year, nothing drowns him but a deep and long snow: for if that melts not the sooner, he melts. He hath in his hands perhaps what would employ and maintain ten households, and he scarce keeps one. Thus he beggar's himself, whilst he is not able to stock all his Farms, nor give them that compass, Arist. Oecon. lib. Sterquilinium which Aristotle saith is the best; namely, to compass the ground about often with the owner's feet: he beggar's his Landlord, whilst once in seven years he hangs his Lease on the hedge, quod agro est optimum, vestigia Domini. and trusts to his heels; he beggats the poor, whilst he will afford them no abiding place in the Earth, nor no employment to preserve them from Idleness; and he beggar's the whole State, whilst he breeds beggars, and makes the ground unfertile for lack of tending; which if it were in the hands of more, that could manure and follow every part; would yield more increase to the Occupier, to the Master, and to the State of the Commonwealth. 3. The last of these is the Depopulator, who to inhanse his Rents, pulls down all the petty Tenements and Farms, and will have none dwell near him. Assoon as this is done, he lacks neighbours; thus the justice of God whips him by his own hand. Then he hies to the City, where the Dicing-house upon the right hand, and the Drinking-house upon the left hand, and the Drabbing-house before him, spends all that is left; or if any be left, the tyre-woman, and the tailor, dogs and hawks, and Coach-horses divide it; and amongst these he wastes all that, wherewith his predecessors feasted themselves, and their poor neighbours. There are Laws against these, but often it concerns the jury, the justices; nay, the judges themselves, and therefore the Laws must be silent in this case; for these ways are good in their own eyes, though the Issues of them be the ways of death. There come next to hand three others, who depend of those that went before, and whose profession is practised with a kind of warrantable deceit; namely, the Malster, the Brewer, the Alehouse-keeper; these drink up the State, as the other did eat it up; and for their sakes, drunkenness is thought a tolerable, nay, a necessary evil. Their pretences are the provision for the poor, or the raising of the price of corn, that the husbandman may live, and that the racked Rent may not undo him; but what he gets of these at the Barn door, he leaves at the Buttery-hatch. Moths are no worse in cloth, rust in iron, nor whules in Malt, than these in the Commonwealth. For since these were set up, and manly exercises cried down, our bodies are weakened and corrupted, our spirits dulled, and made effeminate, and we fitted for slavery, being every day overmastered and made slaves by drunkenness and excess. And yet there are some who suppose this trading to be as necessary for the State, as Tobacco or the trade of the East-Indies; and for my part I am easily induced to believe them, whilst I know the equal discommodity of all; and see, that though their ways seem good to themselves, yet the Issues thereof are the ways of death. Next these, the bribing Officer appears, as in a cloud; for his ways are dark and past searching out, except to him that can hold a candle before the Devil. Mammon brought him in, Mammon keeps him in, and the excess of his wife, child, servants, gives notice to all eyes, that such bravery is not to be maintained without bribes. And therefore when poor men come to pass any thing how just soever, they are warned to open their purses wide; and so whatsoever the cause be, their reedles' eye shallbe made big enough for the Cable or the Camel to enter. ●sai▪ 1. 23. justly may God complain of us as of Israel. Thy Princes are rebellious, and companions of thiefs: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them. And jer. 5. 26. Among my people are found wicked men: they lay wait, as he that setteth snares; they set a trap; they catch men. As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit; therefore they are become great, and waxed rich. They are waxen fat, they shine; yea, they overpass the deeds of the wicked: they judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper, and the right of the needy do they not judge. Shall I not visit for these things, saith the Lord? shall not my soul be avenged on such a Nation as this? God himself must visit for these sins, the Magistrate will not; it is he that must be visited; it must be an omnipotent power that must therefore reform this general corruption, that spreads so wide, and climbs so high: for these ways seem good to the eyes of great men, yea to some of the greatest, (who should correct it) though the Issues thereof be the ways of death. Now I have proceeded so fare I will conclude with him that is the cause of all this, and that's the Courtly Thief; who begs a Patent, that all these before spoken of, and more too, may rob, as it were, with warrant under his seal. But I do him wrong perhaps to call him thief, he is rather a Beggar; not a beggar by the King's highway, but a Beggar of the King's highway; so that no man may pass up and down in course of Law and justice but he takes custom. Surely he hath begged so long, that he hath almost made us all beggars, and therefore it is pity there is no whipping post for him. But assure himself, though he be of the number of the sturdy and incorrigible persons here in this world, yet there is a whipping post for him in another world, and he shall see, that though his wicked ways seemed good in his own eyes, and in the eyes of his fellows, of his fools, of his flatterers, yet the Issue of them are the ways of death and destruction. But what should I need to dwell longer upon particulars, when not only this or that member, this or that finger or toe, but the whole body is corrupted? Look upon Religion, are not our adversaries on all sides increased? Do not all places swarm with schisms, sects, heresies, and private spirits? Look upon our lives; was there ever such defect of charity, as if indeed it were true which some slander us withal, that we teach a solitary faith would save, and that works were needless; nay sinful? was there ever generally such an itch of private wealth which ever foreruns and effects the ruin of the Commonwealth? Look upon all our Projects, of draining surrounded grounds, or whatsoever other profitable pretence they carry, see if they aim not at the draining of the public purse, at the milking of the state by private Monopolies; as if England were a hard stepdame, and no indulgent Mother to her prodigal and ungrateful children. Look upon our affections; was there ever such a dead lukewarm indifferency, a dough baked zeal, as if we cared not which way the world went, all ways were alike to us? Look upon man and wife, the Epitome of the Commonwealth; was there ever such jars, so little love, such chopping and changing of wives and husbands, such Nullities, such playing fast & lose with the sacred conjugal knot, such houses overthrown by busy, pragmatical, and disobedient Eva's, and effeminate, slavish, and passive adam's? Look in the street, if you can distinguish men and women asunder by their apparel, or behaviour; if every Succuba seems not an Incubus; so that you had need of a jury to inquire of their Sexes? Consider well if there be such a thing as modesty and chastity or shamefastness, left amongst women, or courage, manhood, and honour left amongst men. Look upon the highest, if they make any other account of the poor then of their tame cattles (I except their dogs and horses, and perhaps their sheep, dear, hogs; for these must all be fed before them:) Look upon the Commons, if their teeth grind not with indignation, as if they had stomach enough both to eat the beasts and their more beastly masters. Look upon all men, if sins of all kinds do not abound: See if you can distinguish the man from the Master, but that perhaps the man goes braver, sweats louder, and willbe drunk sooner. And if his Master keep from Church for conscience sake, he will keep from thence because he hath no conscience. Look every way if it be not a shame to seem good, much more to be so: If it be not a glory to regard neither God nor King, Religion nor Law. If they be not the only brave fellows who dare do the basest acts most boldly, and in a drunken desperate mood, justle sober and silent justice from the wall into the Channel. Behold if want hath not made a violent ceizure of us all; want of wealth, want of strength, want of courage, want of wit, want of conscience, want of grace; so that we resemble the people of Laish spoken of in the 18. Chap. of the judges, 7. 10. verses, and so are a careless, secure, irregular Nation, a fit prey for any Conqueror. This is all true, all men see it and confess it; but where is the cause of this? Our sins; they are both the cause & the effect; for sin is punished with sin: And we that are evil Customers to defraud God of his due, must look to have strict & severe Searchers, and Controllers, and watchers set over us. But where is that causa proxima of sin? Sin is a cause indeed of sin, but it is causa remota, so that every eye cannot discern that cause. Why, the next cause of sin which every eye may see, is the lack of Execution of good Laws; we have them, but thy lie as Henry the fifts Bows and Arrows at Pomfret Castle, with which he won the battle of Agincourt; or Edward the thirds sword in Westminster, which he used in the Conquest of France, and tells us now what brave fellows our forefathers have been: Hear only is the difference, that sword is ever drawn▪ but the sword of justice is ever in the Sheath. Now my honourable Lords, you have the sword in your hands, though not the sceptre; draw it forth, and strike with it the enemies of Truth and justice, who wander out of the King's highway, in their ways of neighbourhood, and ways of privacy. You hear Nehemiah say, Cap. 6. 11. Should such a man as I fear? It were a shame. Should such as you either fear, or favour, or respect causes or persons? I cannot suspect such a cloud, where there appears such a shining Sun of graces, and gifts of knowledge and profession. I dare not admonish you of any thing, I am so confident of your integrity. Yet because I know as you are the eyes of the State, the eyes of his Majesty, so you must see by othermen's eyes, and hear by other men's ears, I turn me therefore to them. Honourable Gentlemen, the King hath made you justices, to assist these judges in presence, to supply by your authority their absence: Show yourselves as your Predecessors have done, worthy of your places; reform what you can, inform where you cannot, that the higher power may. I know you know, you were not made justices of peace, to the end to be silent, but to speak. He is unworthy of his place, who attains it only for his own grace, to hurt his enemies, profit his followers, to uphold his faction and party; and therefore attends his profit or pleasure rather than his calling, where withal he thinks his conscience is not charged; but that it is enough for him to sit on the Bench, to tell the Clock, and keep his Cushion warm. You know, and therefore do the contrary; the Church, the Commonwealth expects more from you, and I excite you to this in their names. And you Gentlemen of the Grand-Enquest, and of other juries, with chief Constables, and petty Constables, I turn me to you: Consider you are the eyes and ears wherewithal justice sees and hears; without you she is blind and deaf: let not prejudice or partiality take up your affections therefore aforehand. Be not like Band-dogs muzzled for fear of biting: remember the dignity, authority and use of your places, and disgrace them not by your unworthy carriage. The poorest Constable is an eye to the richest and wisest Magistrate: but few of them I fear have eyes to see it; and that their Certificates would witness, if they were strictly examined, which commonly are nothing but matter of form, and yet without either matter or form. Consider, I beseech you, how Policy hath set one eye over another, and how many eyes there are overlooking all your voluntary, your wilful, your negligent and partial escapes; the petty Constables, chief Constables, Grand-Enquest, the justices, the judges and the whole County. And you that are next the lowest, consider the like, and so successively as you are superordinate; I ascend to you honourable judges, who know you have a King above you too, who can distinguish of ways, discern colours (though all scarlet sins, & crying crimes be kept from his eyes and ears artificially): Eccl. 5. 8. & there is one above him too, who rules the hearts of Kings as the rivers of waters; and being above him, he must needs oversee us all; Psal. 97. 9 Pro. 21. 1. Act. 15. 8. for he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, the searcher and seer of the heart. There is a double work at the Assizes, the trial of Nisi prius, and Censure of manners: This, this last (my Lords) is the needful, the acceptable work; for we have more need of a Cato to reform our corrupt manners, then of a Cicero, or Antony, or Sallust, to purify and polish our Language. We all speak like good Angels, but we live like evil. The Country Contention makes the Lawyer rich, but the neglect of justice makes us all poor. Hear nothing profits but due execution, which is then done, when your honours do not only give good and learned Charges, and good examples by present actions, but leave an impression for the future, and look at your return for full obedience to your commands and orders; which else are effectual no longer with some, than this my Sermon, which being taken for a matter of course, is perhaps ●ost by censure and science for a while, but scarce touched by conscience, or drawn into practice by any at all, though that should be the end of all hearing, as it is the end of all preaching. Now to conclude; that both my Sermon, & your Lordship's charge, and all our actions may be to the glory of God, and the good of this Commonwealth; Let us join together in humble and hearty manner, and commend the end of this our present way of knowledge and the beginning of your great work of Execution and practice, which follows, to his holy blessing and direction in faithful and humble prayer. Gracious God, thou that hast given us a way to walk to heaven in, the way of thy commandments; and, when we did not keep that way as we ought, didst in thy mercy reveal the way of grace unto us in thy Gospel, sending thy Son to be a way, life, and truth unto us. A way to walk in, the life and strength wherewithal we walk, and the truth whereunto we walk: dispose our hearts to meditate, & to observe those things that thou hast taught us, and obediently to show our thankfulness by labouring to practise the same in our several vocations with the care of good consciences to thy glory. Lord give us grace to shun all ways that seem evil and are so; or are evil, though they seem not so. Let us not be misled by ways of neighbourhood, by imitation or example, either of our predecessors deceased, or otherwise absent or present, nor wander in our private ways from the public rule of thy word, and the true end of our callings in Church or Commonwealth. Especially (O Lord) keep us from abusing the Law for a colour of sin, as if we had warrant and authority to justify our wickedness, and durst sin without fear of punishment in the sight of the Sun, in the King's high way like Robbers. And since we see, lack of execution of good laws is the cause of our evil lives, give care & courage to thy judges, & zeal and conscience to every other Officer of justice, that all may join together to root up sin, & to strengthen the man of God in the ways of God, that we may so walk with thee here in obedience as Enoch did; that as he was, we may be hereafter translated to walk with thee in eternal glory through jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. Amen. A Postscript to all Christian Readers, especially to my brethren and fellow-labourers in the Ministry, and to the Freeholders. YOu have seen the highways of God and the King plainly laid down. Keep you to the word of God strictly, for that is God's highway; 2. Tim. 3. 14. 15. 16. 17. Concerning the King's highway, that also is his revealed will in the Laws of the Land; which, although his absolute will do not constitute (as Gods will doth) yet his consent confirms them as the Parliament propounds them. In the Parliament then (which is the whole State representative) these highways are made; and the fundamental customs of our State, makes every Freeholder a way-maker in this case, not binding any man before he hath bound himself by the Knights and Burgesses who are his Spokesmen. Be therefore wary, when you hear a Parliament summoned by his Majesty, whom you choose Knights of the Shire, and Burgesses of Corporations; that is, whom you constitute in your places to repair or make these highways of the King, wherein you are bound to walk obediently for conscience sake: and remember what admonitions his Majesty hath given you often by Proclamation to this end: especially in the first year of his Reign, when he found fault with such as disabled their Counties and Corporations, using to choose strangers according as they were directed by letters or superior Command, as if they had no freedoms, or wanted sufficient men of their own to supply those places. And remember also how before this last Parliament his Majesty (hearing and beholding what packing, plotting, and undertaking there had been used in this important business) did command all men to forbear writing and underhand soliciting for the place, either on their own behalf, or others; and advised the people to choose freely, & not to betray their own liberties in the choice. Better counsel you cannot have. When therefore you hear of a Parliament towards, let the Ministers prepare the people, and warn them of the work in hand, and let such as are Freeholders confer together, and (neglecting both their Landlords, or great neighbours, or the Lord Liftenants themselves) look upon the wisest, stoutest, and most religious persons; and be careful to choose such as have no dependency upon Greatness, nor seek change of the State, Laws, and Religion, nor hunt ambitiously for place, honour, and preferment; for there is danger in these: but he that is religious, will stand for his Country's good; and in choosing such, you shall please God and the King, and profit yourselves, and your posterity. Finally, let none amongst you be seen idly to sit at home, whilst these things are doing in the full County, as if it did not concern you: but ride, run, and deal seriously herein, as for your lives and liberties which depend hereupon. And as you see such as are contrary minded bandy themselves together for their party, to choose one of their opinion for their turn, so see you do the like, that you may counterworke them and hold the liberty you have got; and the Lord prosper you, and make you of one mind as one man, that the Gospel may still flourish among you, that mercy and truth may meet, Psal. 85. righteousness and peace may kiss each other, that the Lord may give that which is good, and the Land may yield her increase. Errata. Fol. 10. lin. vlt. for alterations, read altercations. Fol. 73. lin. 2. for villain, read villainy. FINIS.