A COMFORTABLE AND HEAVENLY INQVISITION: Not made by the unmerciful Pope, Christs pretended Vicar: but by our merciful God, in Christ, our assured loving father.  
Or a Sermon preached at the funerals of the virtuous and religious Gentlewoman Mris. neal of Homersfield in suffolk.  
LONDON, Printed for NATHANIEL butter. 1618.   

TO THE RIGHT honourable SIR Edward cook Knight, one of his majesties Honourable privy Councellors Grace, Mercy, and Peace.  
RIght Honourable, this sermon being preached at the funeral of your loving, and religious Sister Mris. neal, hath been to me( as most children are to their parents) Both cause of grief, and cost: but in what manner I think not fitting to publish, let the world imagine it was by the dreadful blasts of malediction,& enmity: for 〈◇〉, evil words wound deeper then sharp swords,& are the cause of much contention:& albeit I can look for no other but that perget maledicere, qui nunquam been loqui didicit; he will not cease to speak evil who never learnt too speak well: yet in the midst of these blustering furies this is my comfort that many wise and learned fathers ( out of whose wels I haue drawn much for the furnishing of this little work) haue in time past been as little beholding to such as now I am; and therefore at length I haue learnt this wisdom that vituperari ab illaudato viro laudari est, it is the greatest praise to be dispraised of an unworthy man: so that the sole care I now take for my wandring orphan, is that he may by his travell attain that favour to be received to your honours service, and I shall then assure myself that nec oleum, nec operam perdidi, praying from my heart that he may do your honour that good service his place requires, to which end I cease not to pray to the Lord God that he would preserve your honour vnblameable in your soul, and body until the day of his appearing.  
Your honours humbly 
 at command, 
 VALENTINE DAY.   
GEN. 3.9. Where art thou? 
TO speak of all Gods benefits bestowed on our first parents, were to make too large a portal for this so small a building, it shall suffice therefore only to point out this one thing: that notwithstanding Gods manifold benefits, they sinned against God, and added this to their sin that they fled from him, and God added this to his former mercy, that he made this inquisition after them, for he that keepeth Israell neither slumbereth nor sleepeth; his eye and his care was over them in their profoundest sleep: Adam may fly into the land of forgetfulness, fall into the depth of despair, tyre himself in the ways of wickedness, as a man without strength, become free amongst the dead and exiled from the law of the living:( for this was his estate) yet doth not God forsake him, but followeth after him drawing him to repentance, to make him an example of mercy to many babes yet unborn. Of Iudgement therefore& mercy is our song; Iudgement in his flight, mercy in his retraight, Iudgement in his hiding of sin, mercy in Gods uncovering of it; for man was fallen into a sleep( not that sweet sleep of the body whereby he is refreshed, but that of the soul) in sin, which makes me quake to think of, and that also of soul, and body in eternal destruction ( which you cannot but tremble to hear of) had not God in mercy awaked him. O the height and depth of Gods mercy, who although he suffereth his children to fall, yet not to lye and die in sin, as the wicked world doth: but suddenly striketh their harts with repentance not to be repented of, before they be cauterised through custom; as we see in a cloud of witnesses, as david who when he had numbered the people his hart presently smote him, and in jonas who when he was fled from God, the winds sent as a pursiuant to fetch him back, who else would haue posted to hel, for he was well onward in his journey having run to the haven, paid his fare, entred the ship and slept securely in his sin. Peter likewise thrust himself into evil company, for fear of a weak damsel not only denied, but with bitterness forswore his master: but the crowing of the cock and the glance of his masters eye made him go out and weep bitterly. And Adam likewise received no less grace, for he had liked, lusted after, tasted the forbidden fruit, done his endeavour to cover himself with fig leaves, and his sin with a silly and slender excuse: but God leaves him not so, but as a good shepherd seeing his lamb fallen into the mouth of the roaring lion the devill, hasteth to help him, finding him out, uncovering his wounds, and pouring in the oil of his mercy to heal his wounded soul. Seeing therefore that God makes such hast to call us; let us not be slow to answer, but with samuel say; speak Lord for thy seruant heareth, let not Gods carefulness be a cause of our carlesnesse, nor his watchfulness bring us into a slumber, look not to haue the son go back or stay still expecting our repentance for the day passeth and the night cometh when no man can work. The Greekes require earthly wisdom, and the Iewes a sign, but we preach Christ crucified,& woe to us if that cannot convert vs. I hope we look not with dives to haue one sent from the dead. If any such, I say not with Abraham you haue Moses and the Prophets, but with the Apostle, in these last dayes God hath sent his son to call us to repentance. Oh how long hath he called us to awake out of the sleep of sin, assuring us if wee repent our salvation is nearer then we think, if not our damnation nearer then wee fear. Wee red in the Canticles that our saviour stands knocking at his spouse door while the due had bedewed his locks; but she would not let him in: at length in her better cogitations she openeth the door, and he was gone: teaching us that if we will not open the door of our harts by the key of our repentance when he knocks, the time shall come that wee shall seek him, and he will not be found. 
Lamen. 1.12  hark hark what a lamentable complaint our saviour made on the cross for the hardness of our harts. Haue ye no regard all ye that pass by, behold and see if ever you saw misery like my misery in the day of the visitation of the fierce wrath of God: as if he should say did you ever see such a woeful spectacle, as one nailed hand and foot to the cross, his tender skull pierced with thorns, for the sins of others, as mine are? Yf you should see one justly suffer such grievous tortures, you cannot but pitty him, but if unjustly and yet patiently, and willingly for the love he beareth to others, not his friends, but enemies; this would stay you in your greatest speed. Wherefore though you be in the full pursuit of your sin, behold this my love with the eye of faith as you pass by and it will mollify your hardest harts. But if you will not regard it, I call heaven and earth to witness against you: for at this my passion the stones claue in sunder on the earth, and the son lost his light in the heauens: wherefore your harts be more hard then stones, and senseless then the heauens, if you will not tremble and forsake your sins. Thus doth Christ not with tears( as he called the Iewes) but with drops of blood seek to mollify our harts, least as wee came naked into the world so wee should return naked of the best riches. To day therefore if you will hear his voice harden not your harts to go astray with the prodigal, and promise yourselves quick return: do not with grieving, quenching, and checking the good spirit lose him by degrees and think to find him on the sudden, for, When Mary lost Christ but a dayes journey she was three daies finding of him, and shall we lose him thirty or forty yeares, and think to find him in the last hour of our death? shall wee be going from a city a whole year, or more, and think to return in a moment? surely this were to delude ourselves. Well therefore, saith the good father, he that promiseth salvation to the repentant, hath not promised repentance when thou wilt: lest therefore the sin of thy soul and the end of thy dayes make too near a coniunction, and God leave thee to thyself, so that thou depart with a burden of sins unrepented of; While it is to day hear his voice so lovingly calling thee, for to morrow thou mayst seek it with tears, and not obtain: to day, for this is the acceptable time, grieve not therefore the good spirit with cras, least your almost come to nothing: to day repent, for it is more dangerous to sleep with one sin, then an hundred Scorpions; for they can but kill the body, this both body and soul and cast into hell fire. To day therfore hear his voice, least to morrow he say to you( as to his disciples in an other sense) henceforth sleep and take your rest, for you shall be no more called for me, and then good had it been for us if we had never been born. Thus haue I( as loud as I could) sounded Gods trumpet in your ears, to awake you out of the dead sleep of sin, let him therefore that hath an ear, hear God calling unto him where art thou.  
Haec est vox interrogantis, increpantis, et commiserantis first by way of interrogation: look how a loving father dwelling in a wood inhabited with beasts, if he miss his son, searcheth every pit, calling with a shrill voice, fearing least some naughty beast hath devoured him: by which voice his child( who was fallen into a sleep) is awaked; even so( me thinks) I see with the eye of faith God calling man who was fallen into a dangerous sleep in the wilderness of sin, where the roaring lion was ready( if God had not prevented) to haue devoured him, but God in mercy calls to awake him out of the dangerous sleep of sin. Was God ignorant where man was? noe but man was ignorant where himself was, for he had sinned and knew not, but fled from God, and had run headlong into the pit of destruction ( undè non datur regressus) had not God in mercy stayed him and called him back; man was become a wild three therfore God the good husband-man cometh with the sword of his word to cut off his top gallant and graft in a sien scilicet, a knowledge of his fault, that so he might repent.  
Secondlie, non tam interogantis quam increpantis vox est. It is by way of reproof: for all Gods words before mans fall were commandatorie, and commendatory, approbationis, non exprobationis, but man sliding God fell to chiding as in this manner: where art thou, what hast thou done? who toulde thee thou wast naked? hast thou eaten the forbidden fruit? every word as a several sword to pierce their naked harts. Thus you see beloved that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God: judge therefore yourselves that you bee not judged of the lord, for though our sins be superannate, worn out of date, yet if they be unrepented of, God will call them to mind with a witness, and set them in order against vs. There be four sorts of men that get heaven, some by violence; such are they who suffer persecution for righteousness sake: others steal it( which is a holy theft) when by our prayers and alms done in secret, we show a lively faith which is rewarded openly; others purchase heaven, such are they who make them friends of their unrighteous Mammon whereby they shall be received into everlasting habitation; the last sort are they which are drawn by threatenings or punishments, and this is the worst way: for look how the rack is to the body, to extort and wring a confession out of the offender, so is punishment to the soul of the sinner; for a wounded conscience who can bear. For although God when he hath drawn the sword, doth not throw a way the scabbard, as if he would never put it up again: though he will not alway be chiding, yet if wee sin he will chastise us with the chastisements of men, hewing our harts and dividing between the marrow and the bone, never ceasing to punish until he hath drawn us to repentance, and how much better it is to be drawn by gentle persuasions then by the rod, judge ye.  
Thirdly, non tam increpantis, quam commiserantis vox est, look how a loving father pitying rebuketh and rebuking pitieth his son gone astray: so me thinks I see God rebuking man, in that he would rather hearken to the serpent his enemy, then to him his loving maker: but yet he pitieth him in that he fell not like the Angells of malicious wickedness, but of weakness. God had adorned man with all the heroic virtues of the mind as iustice and mercy and such like, but man having sinned, they flew from him as not deigning to live in so foul a cage, but flew back to heaven, from whence they came, the one pleading for, and the other against man, iustice calling to God for reuenge, that seeing man had sinned against an infinite God and that with an infinite will( as you may easily perceive in his flying from God and that he was so far from confessing his sin, that he justified himself, and accused God to his face as the author of his sin in giuing him the woman) seeing therefore he had sinned so with an infinite will, he pleads against man, that according to his offence he might infinitely be punished: but mercy pleads for man, that seeing he hath sinned of weakness, God would be pleased not to take his mercy clean from him, but in iudgement to remember mercy whereby he might call him to repentance, and say peace to his soul. Thus God being solicited with sundry advocates for and against man, he calls to man to see what he could say for himself, that at least he might confess against himself, and his iniquity might be forgiven. Thus wee see abyssus abyssum innocat, the depth of our misery called on the depth of Gods mercy, and the depth of his mercy called on his wisdom& power:& so in mercy wisdom& power he hath wrought our redemption. Wee red of david when he heard of the death of his son absalon that he dyed in his sin, he bewailed him, saying, O absalon, absalon, O my son absalon, would God I had died for thee my son, my son; here was a loving wish of a feeble father, but here( me thinks) I hear a more loving and powerful call: O Adam, Adam, O my son Adam, thou shalt not die( if thou wilt repent) but live, for I will die for thee my son, my son, for though thy sins make me to be spitted upon, I will kiss thee with the kisses of my mouth; though my head be crwoned with thorns, I will crown thee with glory; though my side be thrust thorough with a spear, yet will I show thee the love I bear thee at my heart; and albeit thy sins crucify me to the death, yet if thou wilt repent, I will procure thee life. O hear this( ye sons of Adam) to revive your dying and languishing spirits, for though God be justly displeased with our offences, his anger endureth but the twinkling of an eye, but his mercy for ever to them that repent; he is a just God, and punisheth to the third and fourth generation, them that with a stiff neck in hatred and malice go on in sinning against him; but he is a merciful God, that shows mercy to thousands in them that love him, and endeavour to keep his commandments. O turn you, turn you, why will you die? turn unto God in sorrow, and contrition, that he may turn unto you in pity and compassion, and heal your wounded consciences. This briefly of these words as they haue relation to God the maker of this inquisition, wherein he discovereth his anger to sin, and his compassion to the sinners, in that they had sinned of weakness: now this inquisition is to bee considered as it hath relation to our estate which is five fold.  
First, ubi Paradisi, secondly ubi tenebrarum, thirdly, ubi miseriae, fourthly, ubi foliorum, fiftly, ubi gratiae. First, ubi Paradisi, what estate art thou in in paradise? In the creation God who delighted to see all his creatures good, joyed to see man happy, he spake the word, and they were created, but to make man, he seems himself for to command, and calls a consultation that nothing might bee wanting to the perfecting so excellent a creature; he made him natures beauty, the form of the creation, earths sole potentate, he infuseth a divine soul into a majestical body: and every soil was not fit for man to dwell in, but he must haue a paradise, a place of pleasure, where the trembling trees bowed themselves in obedience, offering their fruits unto him, the silver streams ran by, offering their continual service, and the majestical lion, with all other beasts subjecteth themselves more willingly than to Noah in the ark. O foelix, O nimium foelix, bona si sua nosset, said hinc illae lachrymae, Man knew not when he was happy enough, it was not enough for him to bee Gods Vicegerent here on earth, but he seeks to be a God in knowledge: thus he that desired to be more than a man, became a worm, and no man, in respect of that he was before; for he rebelling against God, all the creatures rebeld against him; the waters were ready to overwhelm him, as they did the whole World in the time of Noah; fire was ready to come down from heaven, as to sodom and Gomorra; the earth ready to swallow them, as Corath, Dathan, and Abiram; beasts ready to devour them, as they did the children which mocked Elisha; and the air ready to infect them with pestilence as in Dauids time. Thus man being in this great danger in the midst of happiness, God calls unto man, Where art thou? as if he should say, how was it possible that thou shouldst forget so soon him, that was so careful of thy wel-fare? what blessing was there with which( through my fatherly affection) I did not endow thee; for as if too little to make the world for thee, I made thee sole governor under me, and set thee vpon a Throne far excelling Salomons in glory, from which( by ingratitude) thou hast cast down thyself; so that albeit I need not ask who was I, that thou wert so unmindful of me,( for thy conscience tells thee) yet I cannot but cry, what was man that I was so mindful of him, seeing he so little regarded? surely, I begin to repent that ever I made thee, for by sin thou hast disfranchized thyself of so ample amonarchy, and thrust thyself into a dungeon. beloved, if it were possible for a people to enjoy a paradise on earth, we do here in this land, for we haue that happy Common-wealth the Psalmist speaks of, Our wives are like the vine, our children like olive branches round about our tables, our oxen strong to labour, our sheep bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our streets: and are not wee happy, that are in such a case, yea rather blessed in that wee haue the Lord for our God: For had not many Moseses been instant in prayers for us, we had perished( like the Israelites) with quailesin our mouths, so grievously do wee daily abuse the blessings of God. It is not long since the plague swept away whole housholds in our land, great inundations by water, and the earth denied her increase; so that many poor souls, having their children hanging on their tender breasts, had nothing but salt tears to relieve them. But( may some say) what is this to us? Surely, a warning to teach, that unless wee repent, wee shall all likewise perish, and bee brought from our greatest plenty to that want, that wee shall desire a cup of cold water to cool our tongues, and we shall not obtain it.  
As this land is a model of paradise, so many( like Adam) are raised out of the dust, to be Gods vpon earth, like Moses and david, from the sheephooke to the sceptre: or, as Saul, from seeking his fathers asses: or, like the Disciples, of fisher-men made fishers of men: I speak not this, as if all were raised out of the dunghill: for I know many are nobly descended, yet it was God which raised their ancestors, and who likewise hath furnished them with girts which are not hereditary: Therfore Plato said well, that God mingled the complexions of Princes with gold, of their helpers with silver, and the Commons with brass: showing that God furnisheth men with gifts fitting for their places: and therfore to show all foulemouthed Papists,( who rail against the supremacy of our King) that God hath given him power ecclesiastical as temporal, he is so furnished with knowledge of divinity, that many Priests, both of the Papists and Protestants, who haue been Proficients in serious studies, may notwithstanding learn of him. Seeing therefore that God thus bestoweth his gifts, that wee haue nothing that wee haue not received, let them that are exalted beware of pride, for if foelicitas superbiae, superbia infoelicitatis sit parens: for superbus in solio est simia in tecto, in a fit place to break his neck: and pride is the root of all evil, but vita ima, and seeds prima agree not; but verbum sapientibus satis est.  
Secondly, ubi tenebrarum? in what estate of darkness art thou? God made the sun to shine by day, and the moon by night, and gave his word to bee a light to their feet, and a lantern to their paths: but this is our condemnation, that wee loved darkness better then light, and so gropt at noonday, changing the estate of righteousness for the polluted garment of sin: And well may sin be called darkness: First, in regard of the author of it, the Prince of darkness. Secondly, in that it brings us to the darkness of ignorance here, and( if God in mercy prevent not) to that more then egyptian darkness hereafter. Our first parents being fallen into this estate, God calls unto them, to bring them to a sight of their sin, that so they might repent, as if he should thus expostulate with them; Was my burden so heavy, and the yoke I laid on you so uneasy, that you could not longer bear it, but so soon cast it off? I did not cumber you with many commands, for at that time I needed not, you could envy none, for none more happy then yourselves, there were no virgins to ravish, no widows to defloore, or wives to defile, no Churches to rob by sacrilege, or brethren to bee oppressed with usury: In fine, I gave you but one command, scilicet, to forbear the fruit of one three, and was this command so grievous? had you not both store of fruit, for necessity and delight? did I not in a manner make myself poor, to your store? see then how ungrateful thou art, and ingratum modo dixerim omnia, this fowle beast Ingratitude hath made a breach for all other sins: First, beloved; our bodies are not so subject to diseases, as our souls to sins, pride is the souls tympany, envy the worm that gnaweth at the heart, wrath a pleurisy which will not be appeased without blood, lust is the souls feauour: nay, whereas the body hath respite from sickness, the soul none from sin, and all sicknesses haue their symptoms: yet wee so ignorant of sin, that who knows how oft he offends; yea, many are so filthy, that you may trace them as a fox by his sent, yet they haue no feeling, oderunt peccare boni virtutis amore, as Seneca would not sin, lest he should defile so noble substance as the soul. And I red of Anselmus, that he was wont to say, that if he should see all punishments without sin on one hand, and sin without punishments on the other, he would embrace punishments, and forsake sin: Surely, it was a most Christian-like resolution; for what wise man having a many jewels in the rain, would not cover them with his cloak( though he be well drenched with the rain, or beaten with hail himself) to keep them from rusting: and do wee not see that sin is as a putrefied fly to precious ointment, or as rust and canker to the soul? for if thy soul be adorned with virtue, as great ones with jewels, one foul sin reigning, takes away the lustre& beauty of them. How many men see we daily of good aspects, excellent gifts, and comely personages, who by pride, selfe-conceiptednesse, drunkenness, or such like 'vice, overthrow and stain all their other gifts, thus hateful is sin of itself: But sin and Punishments are twins, sin as the elder may feast itself within, but Punishment lieth at the door, idleness attended with the Scuruy, drunkenness with the dropsy, Pride with Lunacy, and our first Parents affencted knowledge with our ignorance, which how great a punishment it is, I appeal to any ingenious nature: who cannot, but to his endless grief find, that when he hath turned strength into weakness, marrow into dryness, and his colour into paleness, by watchings and continued studies, at length he attaineth hoc vnum scire, that he seeth no more then a prisoner at a creuice in a dungeon, scilicet, that there is a sun which once enlightened him, which though he cannot now enjoy, yet he hopeth one day again to be comforted with the clear shining beams thereof. But whither doth mine ignorance led me? I had almost forgot that the punishment of sin was reserved for the next place: but seeing that I am entred into this subject, I hope I shall not digress in touching this part, so far as it expresseth the miserable estate of sin: examine therefore, and you shall see what a sympathy there is between the punishment of God appoynted for sin, and the estate of sin: For first, the earth( for sin) brings forth thorns, briars, and thistles; so our hearts being become earthly, bring forth the briars of sin, and not the wholesome fruit of righteousness, as you may see in children and fools, who will sooner learn to cry bald-pate, then to sing Hosanna; and well may sin bee compared to thorns, in that it hath the same power to tear the conscience, as the other doth the garment. Secondly, as for sin, in sweat wee eat our bread; so in sweat we eat the stolen waters and bread of iniquity. Doth not the envious man more vex his wretched soul at the prosperity of the righteous; then he doth his righteous soul, at the sins of the wicked? Doth not the wrathful man take more pains to execute his fury, then the patient man to put up an injury? I red of one, that being desirous to go to Olympus, and being discouraged with the tediousness of the journey, he was counseled by his friend, to go so far every day that way, as he used to walk for his recreation, and at last he should arrive at his journeys end: So, if there be any( as I fear there be many) that would willingly go to heaven, but that they see a lion in the way, and a lioness in the path; I assure you( that if you would as much fight against and grieve your spiritual aduersaries, as you do the good spirit of God, which sealeth your redemption) you should at last arrive at the haven of bliss: for so painful are the ways of wickedness, that that is most true of the sinner, which is said of the woman, that in sorrow he shall bring forth: Thirdly, as the woman shall haue a desire to her husband, and he shall haue the rule of her: even so wee, to bee wedded to our fleshly bodies( for skin for skin and all that a man hath, he will give for his life) yet hath our flesh rule over us, so that Paul himself could not but confess, that he had a law in his members, contrary to the law of God; For our spirits are like to a bide tied to a mill-stone, they may hover up in heavenly cogitations; but soon again are pulled down with the mass of our fleshly corruption, as you may see in Peter, who was ready in spirit with his master to die, but presently he did him fearfully deny: In a word, our corrupt nature is so filled with the wormwood and gull of the bitterness of sin, that Nitimur in vetita cupimusque negata, the very forbidding of an evil is enough to make us desire it; yea, with the spider, we suck out poison from the best flowers; from learning we gather pride; from courage, rashness; from liberality, prodigality; yea, so are we naturally delighted in sin, that we delight to see others sin: not unlike him, that standing on the shore, or rather being tossed with the waves at sea, should delight to see another drowned before his eyes: for 
Solamen miseris socios habuisse doloris  
said miserum,—  Like to him that joys to see his neighbours house fired, whereas he hath more cause to weep, fearing that his will be the next. If this will not suffice to convince thee from corruption, from thine own mouth I will condemn thee; for why hast thou consented with the body of this land, to make so many necessary penal statutes? it were cynical to think to this end they were made, that great theeues might hang little ones; and it is the common folly, to compare them to spiders webs, wherein little flies are entangled, and great ones break thorough: for daily experience confuteth this error. But if thou wilt look into thine own bosom, thou should soon find out the cause, scilicet, thy natural corruption, for we are all naturally Atheists, ready to sin against God, the state, and nature. Hence proceed these heauen-threatning blasphemies, Church-deuouring sacrileges, unmerciful extortions, and such like sins flowing from a corrupt fountain: for though with Hazael, we think we could not commit such evils, unless we were doggs; yet so dogged we are, that wee make no bones of them.  
Hence let us learn, not to delight in the falls of our brethren, but to pity them, saying with that good Father, Ille hodiè, ego cras, he hath fallen to day, I may fall to morrow. Secondly, let him that standeth, take heed he fall not, for you see wee stand on slippery places: see how Esau hated jacob, for getting from him his birth-right, how much more should wee hate sin, which impouerisht all our ancestors. Thirdly, if at any time we do sin, let us comfort ourselves in this, that wee haue an advocate to the Father, Christ Iesus the righteous, he is the propitiation for all our sins, for as the high Priest presented the names of the twelve Tribes on his breastplate, so Christ the names of his Elect. So that, albeit with joseph, our garments bee rent by the temptation of our mistress and Dalilah, our flesh; and our body also cast after into the dungeon of the grave, yet( at last) shal we be brought forth to a Kingdom most glorious. Sweet Iesus bee to us a Iesus, let thy patience answer for our wrath; let thy mercy, for our uncharitableness; and thy righteousness, for our sin.  
Thirdly, ubi miseriae? what estate of misery art in? as if he should say, hast thou so soon forgot that I forbade thee the eating of the three of knowledge, sub poena, which( like the Law of the Medes& Persians) cannot bee revoked. O miserable man, evil is thy estate, and better had it been thou hadst never been, if thou wilt not now harken unto me, for in iudgement I will remember mercy, and the seed of the woman shall bruize the Serpents head: whereby, if thou wilt repent, thou shalt bee freed from the second death. See therfore thine own misery,& by these symptoms and shadows of the other, learn to shun that great and intolerable pain; for having eaten the stolen bread of sin, thou must now haue sour sauce. The Poets do fain of Prometheus, that he stolen fire from heaven, whence noua febrium terris incubuit cohors: By Prometheus is meant Adam, by fire his affencted knowledge, for as fire enlighteneth, heateth, and kindleth, so his knowledge enlightened him to see his nakedness, heated him, that he blushed for shane, and kindled Gods wrath against him: So that( like unmerciful fire) in a moment it brought them from the height of happiness to the extremest misery. I may compare us sinners to job, who was not onely tormented with botches, but his friends were miserable comforters, and every messenger brought tidings of woe: this is our estate, our souls and bodies are defiled with the leprosy of sin, our breath stincks with the surphur therof, our ears are deaf in hearing Gods word, our eyes bleared with ignorance, and our mouths dumb to speak of Gods praise: Thus wee having metamorphosed ourselves, we haue made God, of a loving father, an angry judge, our own conscience mustreth up accusing thoughts to torment us, and the best comforts that are sent unto us, are mixed with sorrow: so that I may well compare us sinners to a traitor, who while he is plotting mischief against the state, hath his weapons taken from him by one, and arrested by another, and cast into a dungeon, and by his own guiltiness being condemned, every day expects the executioner: So wee, while either plotting the hurt of our brother, or how to sin against our God, if wee would but look vpon ourselves, might see that our weapons are taken away: for whereas God hath given to other creatures, weapons to defend and oppose; as to the Horse, the hoof; the Bull, the horn; the boar, a tuske; and the lion, the paw; man onely is naked, and yet he will not forbear to plot mischief, which while he is brewing, peradventure a briar catcheth hold of him, and tears him, as if content with nought but his blood, and if they had tongues to speak, they would say, that God( in wrath) hath sent them armed with so many pricks, as sundry bills and staues, to arrest us of treason, for sinning against God. But alas, our affencted knowledge hath cast such a mist of ignorance before our eyes, that wee cannot see our misery, like foolish prisoners that know the judge is at hand, the witnesses ready, the bill of inditement drawn, the executioner appoynted, and the place of torment certain, yet do they arm themselves to outface their misery: So we haue God our judge at hand, our consciences a hundred witnesses, the divell ready to torment, and all records sundry bills of indictment, to show that we are unthankful to God, murtherers of our neighbours, enemies to our own souls, and injurious to nature: So that Imminet mors, judicium, infernus,& omnia horrenda,& quasi nihil ad nos, ridemus, ludimus, peccata peccatis adi●cimus. But as they when death approacheth, quake and tremble: so do wee, O mors, quàm amara memoria tua homini habenti solatium in hac vita? O death, how bitter is the remembrance of thee to a man whose comfort depends on this life? For though thy estate is not like the Marchants, which hangs by cables, or rather in regard of his manifold dangers, by a twined thread; nor like the usurers, which is sure so long as the common Law lasts, if the debtor prove not Bankrupt: but suppose thou wert like the rich man in the gospel, that thou hadst not little but much goods, and that in possession, which is eleven points of the Law, thou hast got it thou carest not how, and thou wilt bee sure to keep it, let others haue watery eyes for wanting of it, yet thou wilt laugh in enjoying of it, and so thou mayst haue goods, thou carest not for God: imagine thou wert thus like the rich man, and wentst on as comically, what good would these goods do thee, seeing thou must end tragically? for though he had gathered his crop, enlarged his barns, sung a Requiem to his soul, yet had he a turbulent catastrophe, hearing this doleful ditty; O fool, this night shall thy soul be taken from thee: Thus you see our wisdom is but foolishness with God, for God walks opposite to the greatest man, if a great sinner. Thus am I brought into the large sea of misery: but if I should search into every creeke and arm thereof, my life would not suffice, I will onely carry you from the land of security, and point unto you the principal creeks, that so you might bee sea-sicke, and bee the more healthful ever after: but seeing tears are the best orators to express misery; while you sail along, bewail your sins, which are the cause of this your misery in all ages and estates. As in our infancy wee come crawling into the world, and had wee so much understanding to see it, wee might perceive our mothers half dead by giuing us life, and had wee not the help of others, the hour of our birth would end our life; in our youth correction( which is as necessary as food) is a burden and intolerable yoke: after, like untamed heifers subject to disordered passions; in old age loathsome to ourselves and others: these are the dayes wherein there is no pleasure, and as all ages, so all estates miserable; if rich, full of care, fear, and grief; if of mean estate, subject to discontent; and if poor, God help; for thou canst look for little of unmerciful man. Besides, the raw humours of the forbidden fruit are so undigested, that notwithstanding all the help of nature and art, there are sundry diseases, which like unto furies, destroy us, before wee can find a remedy, some gnaw at the throat, others dart at the heart, others weigh down the kidneys, and rack the whole body: How many haue lost their lives with fetching in of Indian drugs? And others in searching out of the virtue of them? And notwithstanding their care and pain, we get that in a moment, which cannot be clawd off in our lives. Besides these diseases, all the creatures conspire against us, for like to Acteons doggs, seeing us metamorphosed, they furiously pursue us,& as if this were not misery enough, wee wadge war one against another, so that man who was created a mild and loving creature is by sin become lupus, imò daemon, for there is not the like disparity between any creatures of the same species, as between man and man, as you may see by our artilleries, roaring cannons, swords, guns, and pistols; for notwithstanding God hath blessed our land with a peaceable King, that delights not in shedding of blood; yet twenty thousand pounds yearly doth not suffice to strengthen our land against our enemies; and, as if it were not misery enough to haue enemies abroad, wee are enemies to ourselves, our flesh fighting against the spirit, and which is more strange, our flesh fighting against itself: witness those jars at bed, and discontents at board, between man and wife: And, which is so unnatural a thing, as you shall not find it amongst the brutish beasts: many men lay violent hands vpon themselves, like bad tenants, so far from paying of their rent, that they pull down their Landlords houses, and as to the body, so are not miseries wanting to the soul, as sundry passions; for by choler we attempt that which after destroys us, or brings perpetual repentance: melancholy affrights us sleeping, and torments us waking; mirth incenseth us to lust; love is accompanied with iealousy, hope with fear, and our ioy ends in sorrow, teaching us that our hearts being made for God alone, no earthly thing can content them, while they return to God, from whom by sin they are gone astray. The Israelites before they came to the wilderness of Sine, tasted of the bitter waters, lest they should be delighted in building of tabernacles there, and hinder their journey to the promised land: so wee much more( while wee walk in this wilderness of sin) must eat with sweat, lest we neglect the manna for our souls. To this end wee haue sundry afflictions, as so many little deaths to fit us for eternal life: If ye therefore seek happiness, ye do well; for thereunto ye are created: but ye must seek it where it is to bee found, for resurrexit non est hic, here in the midst of life you are in death; here you must suffer with Christ, that after you may reign with him; here bear the cross, that after ye may sit on the throne: thus like wise mariners, if wee sit at the end of the ship, wee may guide it to the haven of bliss. Let us therefore with the dove, having a long time hovered,& found no rest in this deluge, let us( I say) return to the ark of the Church, where wee may haue rest for our souls, following this example wee haue before our eyes, which( me thinks) is a fit Commentary vpon this Text, as wee may see by expostulating with this our sister, before wee take our last farewell of her: First, wert thou not happily descended of the same root, from whence sprung that honourable Branch, to whom the whole land shall stand for ever obliged, for his painful and profitable expositions of our common laws? hath not God blessed thee with three husbands, by one of the which thou hadst issue, Mr. Mingy counselor of the Law, in whom thou livest now, being dead? and now in thine old age( though thou bee silent) the parish where thou didst live will witness that thou hadst no churlish Nabal: But what means this still silence? hark, hark, me thinks I hear her say, Fui quod es, er is quod sum, I haue been as able to speak as you, but now death hath sealed up my lips, but this is my comfort, that I did die daily, and as I often red of the Martyrs, so I go rejoicing to my grave, Non enim Deus deseruit, but hath made death a bridge for me to pass over to a better life. Let us therefore bewail our own misery in losing of her, for this congregation hath lost a principal member to accompany at prayer, hearing the Word and receiving the Sacraments, the poor( which are many) hath lost money for their purses, meat for their bellies,& cloths for their backs:& I myself, all the encouragement I had in this place in the work of my ministry: but whom wee haue lost, I am assured that the heauens haue found, and wee by following her good examples, may go to her, she cannot come to vs.  
Fourthly, ubi foliorum? what estate art thou under the figg-leaues. You may red of a widow, which desiring to see better, had her eyes closed up by a cunning Physician, who then stolen away her treasure, which her eyes being open missing, complained that shee saw worse then ever: This was the estate of our first parents, for they had made a proposition, that it was better to harken to satan, then God; that so they might see better, whereas indeed they saw themselves in a worse estate, and therefore sought to the figg-leaues for covers: God therefore seeing the evil event makes an Assumpsit, by questioning with them, that so they might conclude against themselves, that they were averted, and therefore might labour to be converted, as if in effect he should thus say, Alas silly man, who hath blinded thee, or rather bewitched thee, that thou thinkest to cover thy nakedness by figleaves from my all-seeing eye? or whither fliest thou so fast from me, who am thy shield, thy buckler, thy defence, thy shepherd, thy God, thy father? O whither canst thou fly from my presence, If thou climbest to the heauens, there is my throne; if thou takest the wings of the morning, and fliest to the further most part of the earth, there is my footstool; if thou diuest into the depth of the sea, there is my power; or if thou runnest headlong into hell, there shall I meet thee with my iudgement: So that if thou wouldst fly, thou couldst not; or if thou wert able to fly, it would not help thee, O hid not thy sin, for in this thou canst not prosper; but aclowledge it, so shalt thou haue mercy, for with me is plenteous redemption. beloved, wee haue all sinned with our first parents, none but Christ the immaculate Lamb can say, Who can rebuk me of sin? Let us therefore aclowledge our sins, and God is faithful and just to forgive them, as if he said, if thou hid thy sins God is faithful to punish them; but if thou confess them, he will forgive them. O ye that are in the same estate of iniquity, beware of hiding your sins, which is done two ways: First, by extenuating them: Secondly, by covering of them. 1. By extenuating, esteeming of drunkenness, as good fellowship; and wantonness, but a trick of youth; and pride, cleanliness; covetousness, good husbandry; ignorance, innocency; giddiness, zeal; fury, manhood; oppression, the making of the most of ones own; and usury, a lawful gain: Thus satan takes on him the shape of an angel of light, and lest sin should appear in his likeness, he cloths this fox in a sheeps skin. And so setting such a varnish on sin, that it seemeth so pleasing, that wee can bee content to be trumpets of our own shane, with absalon committing filthiness in the sight of the sun. Secondly, wee hid sin by covering of it: First, by attributing it to the euilnesse of the times: Such are like to Harpastes a blind woman, who would not beleeue shee was blind, but that all places were dark; so they, that the world is bad, and all are sinners, as they are: whereas, as much difference between the sins of others and theirs, as between light and darkness; for the righteous cannot sin with that full consent, delight, and continual practise, as they do. Others say of sin, as Peter of Christ, non novi, for indeed they are as free from it, as the sea of water: others with david and Iuda can condemn sin in their dearest friends, but not in themselves: others( like Thamar) muffle themselves, as if none saw them; or with Gehezi, say they walk not the paths of iniquity: but the spirit of the Lord is present every where, uncovering and disclosing the secrets of of all hearts: to this end hath he placed the conscience in the midst of the soul, as the judge of our actions, and hath given it a voice to pursue us, that therein God may bee justified. I deny not but that there are sleeping and cauterized consciences which are seared, but they shall bee awaked: and( like a dog) they will fly at the throat, and we shall say unto them, as Ahab to the Prophet, Hast thou found me, o mine enemy? agree therefore with this adversary in the way, for why should our tongues be loth to confess that which our faces and other members aclowledge? For if thou beest accused of that particular evil thou never didst commit, the blood comes into thy face, acknowledging thou hast the root of sin, and so wedded unto it, that there is no evil so great, but thou art prove to commit: and if any evil befall us, wee strike our breasts, as if there lay the cause, and if the punishment be great, wee tear our hair and massacre our flesh, as if wee would bee revenged of ourselves. Thus nature forceth us to confess in action, and shall not the word of God wring out a confession from our hearts? I haue red a fable which I will insert, to commend unto you the moral: the fable is, That one being at confession, the divell intruded himself, and being asked to what end he came; he answered, to make restitution.( I wish usurers, Extortioners, Church-robbers, and such like, would learn of their beloved schoolmaster this lesson) But what would he restore? shane, which having before stolen away, to make him shameless in sinning, he had now brought again, to make him ashamed to confess. O let not satan so delude, let us bee ashamed to sin, in that God hath forbidden it; but not to aclowledge our sins, for God hath commanded it.  
To conclude, the first degree of righteousness is, not to sin; the second, to aclowledge and forsake our sins: wherefore, as by telling our dream, it is a sure sign wee are awaked: So a sorrowful confession, that we are awaked out of the sleep of sin: Seeing therfore the night is past, let us( by confession) assure our consciences, that wee haue put away the deeds of darkness; which mercy God grant to every one.  
Lastly, ubi gratiae; see what need thou hast of grace; for evil is thy estate, and requires mercy, yet is not thy cause so bad, that thou shouldst despair; for as in thee there is store of iniquity, so in me there is much mercy, thy sins being a fit object for declaration of my mercy; for I will sand my Son, the seed of the woman, to bruize the Serpents head. 
1 Kin. 6.  When the Prophets seruants helfe of iron was fallen into the water, Elizeus took a piece of wood, and threw it in, and caused the iron to swim above water, so that his man restored it to the owner, we are like iron, hardened in our sins; but Christ( by the power of his death on the cross) hath raised us from the whirlpool of destruction, and holds us up by his grace, that after we haue swum a while in this sea of misery, wee may render our souls into the hands of God our right owner. Thus mercy hath life( as I may say) by our death in sin, sin being precedent in us, 
Rom. 6.  the act of mercy follows after, for by sin came grace, 
2 Esdr. 8.31.36.  and because of sinners God shall be called merciful; for in this Gods goodness shall bee praised, in that he is merciful to us, who haue not the substance of good works; 
August. in Psal. 32.  for the heauens needed not Gods mercy, because in them there is no misery: but the earth needed it, in that it is polluted with mans sin, and how much more doth our estate require it, who are a lump of sin? but where the sin of man abounded, there Gods mercy much more abounded; for all things work for the best to them which love God, Etiam peccata Domine( as Augustine sweetly) for by sin wee see our infirmities, which brings humility; for thereby wee are exalted to perfect rest and endless peace. Thus by grace are wee saved; for without it wee are wholly deficient, and that onely is sufficient for us, both to move us to serve God( for God hath sent his spirit to work grace in our hearts, 
Tit.  teaching us to deny all ungodliness and worldly lusts, to walk righteously and soberly in this present worldly) And likewise, that soly moveth God to salve us: 
Fulgentiu.  so that, Datur ex gratia non solùm iustificatis vita bona, said glorificatis vita aeterna: The first you may see in Peter, who was vas gratiae; for when, as by lamentable experience, he had found that he had not strength sufficient in himself, to keep him from denying his Lord,& Master, but presuming that he was strong enough to encounter the whole world, he found himself too weak to withstand a silly Damosell, by this he learnt wholly to deny himself and his own strength; for being thrice asked after, If he loved Christ, he answered, thou knowest, as( if he should say) I haue no power, but that is given from thee, and how long it will bee continued, it is best known to thee, and thou no sooner takes this grace from me, but I fall from thee, so that in me there is neither strength nor knowledge of loving thee. O ye that boast so much of your succession from Peter, if you bee his successors, make it known by doing his works, scilicet, by denying your own merits, and establishing Gods grace; trust not to your own strength, for( like a broken reede) it is already run into your flesh, as you may see( by your great pollutions) which haue been in your holiest places; but rely wholly on Gods grace, for sufficit gratia, like the widows oil, lasting all the time of the famine, even so long as we hunger& thirst after righteousness, until wee shall bee satisfied in glory; for although such is our frailty, we are unable to serve God, yet hath grace wrought a will in us, and God for Christs sake accepts our wills and endeavours, supplieth our spiritual wants, and pardoneth our defects, Omnia igitur mandata adimplentur cum quicquid non fit ignoscitur: for our righteousness consists of remission of sins, not perfection of virtues, that man onely being blessed, to whom the Lord imputeth no sin, for if God entereth into iudgement, no flesh shall be justified; all the righteousness of man being as a stained cloth: So that our good works cannot be justified before God for their worth: how far are those works then, from making satisfaction for our sins, which are not of God required, but fetched out of our own brain( as hearing of masses, going on pilgrimage, wearing haircloth, making of vows, whipping themselves, with such like, opera supererogationis, superfluous works, which God never commanded: and therefore are false coin, deserving death for minting it, and shall never be taken for payment of Gods all-seeing eye) for wee are dead in Adam, so that our best thoughts are mere mischief and malice against God, 
Gal. 2 10. 1 Cor. 8.46.  and when we haue done all we can, wee are unprofitable seruants. All our imaginations& thoughts are continually evil, 
Gen. 6.5. Eph. 2 1. ●oh. 15.5. ●. Cor. 3.  wee are dead in sin, and can do no good, no not think a good thought, so that Augustine saith well, 
August. d●●… ra●. cap. 8  Non libertate gratiam, said gratia libertatem:& Bernard, Natura volentes, gratia benè volentes, by nature wee may will, but it is grace whereby wee haue power to will good, a good thought is gratia infusa, a good word gratia effusa, and a good act gratia diffusa. For without faith in Christ, 
Rom. 3.9. Luk. 17.10  it is impossible to please God, all which cannot be denied, unless they deny the Scriptures as heretical, and directly against their holy Church, deserving to be burnt for heretics, for contradicting tradicting their service and Massebookes: But( poor souls) rather then they will lose their whole interest in Peter, they will imitate him in his infirmity, by trusting to their own strength, and so like him, they with cursing& banning, with bell, book, and candlestick, deny their Lord and saviour, as scorning to be beholding to him, for his righteousness, as the Doctors of louvain teach, 
council. Trident. sect 〈◇〉 can. de Ius●…  That God may not impute righteousness to any thorough faith, unless he be righteous of himself: And the counsel of Trent hath concluded, That whosoever will defend, 
Conc. Trid●… de ●ap. ca●… 10.  that the ungodly are justified by faith only, and that for the obtaining of Gods mercy, works are not needful; let him bee accursed, and whosoever will maintain that all sins( after baptism) committed, should be forgiven; or, at lest, may be forgiven only thorough faith, and power of baptism, let him be accursed; whereby you may perceive that baptism doth not purge& cleanse the spouse, 
●… it. 3.5. 〈◇〉. 5.26.  that she might be without spot or wrinkle( as Saint Paul teacheth) For after baptism wee haue a dangerous sea to swim thorough, And therefore( say they) we must haue the three of penance, whereby we may swim as lustily( as with a pair of hogs bladders) and this three( they say) consists of three branches; shrift, contrition, and satisfaction; and therefore some of the Romish Champions haue written, 
●omish ●… e-hiue.  that Christ hath satisfied for original sin, scilicet, fed us when we could not fly, but now our feathers are full-growen, wee must fly and help ourselves: but the mother, the holy Church, stands more on her own worth, and will not be in Gods debt, but will clear the score, and that she may stop Gods mouth that he shall haue no cause to say, 
The th●… of Sent●… ces, dist●… 20. in th●… conclus●…  that she is beholding to him for his grace, shee will satisfy in part for original sin, saying, Although the merits of Christ are the most special desert, thorough which Gods mercy, and the way unto the kingdom of heaven is granted unto us, yet this notwithstanding is in no wise to bee reckoned, for the onely whole and full satisfaction: And therefore for the satisfying for original sin, they adjoined the merits of the Sacrament of baptism, which give unto men mercy, ex opere operato, and to say all in a word, that wee must satisfy for all sins, and stand in no need of grace. For they magnify our pure Naturals, as able to perform good works congruously meritorious; saying, that Voluntas est absolutè& simpliciter actiua: but thus doing, they do not imitate him, which threw away his cloak to go to Christ; but the child Samuel, who being called of God, ran to Eli. But their manifold fals are sufficient to confute them, and there is no more to be said, but all are debtors to God, and stand in need both of supporting and directing grace; for here wee are ignorant travelers, and want a guide to us, Nudos nos in fide prima gratia genuit,& in assumptione nudos eadem saluabit; 
●… oh. 8.1.  I( saith Christ) am the light of the world, he that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall haue the light of life: So that wee sitting in darkness, he comes like a good friend to enlighten us; 
●… oh. 8.51.47.  Verily, if any keep my word, he shall not see death. Now what is it to keep his word, but to beleeue the word of his gospel? In a word, what is the whole word, but tuba gratiae, a trumpet of grace, sounding in our ears this sweet ditty; that, as by one Adam all die, so by Christ all are restored to life, 
Rom. 7.2.  O miserable man( saith Paul) who shall deliver me from this body of death: Thankes be to God thorough Christ, as if he should say, why stand I staring on mine own unworthiness, seeing it is Christs merit, which must give entrance unto the presence of God, Qualecunque sit ergo peccatum, of what high nature soever therefore thy sin bee( if thou wilt repent) God will pardon it. 
Esa. 65.7.  Beware therefore, that by desperation, thou shut not his hands, add not this to thy former sin, but forsake thy evil way, and return unto the Lord, and he will haue mercy on thee, for he is multus ad ignoscendum, very ready to forgive: comfort then thyself with this in thy strongest temptation, oppose against satan Christ who is stronger; and against our weakness, his grace; against our sin, his righteousness; against death, his resurrection, who is the first fruits of the resurrection; and against hels torture, heauens glory: Let us wholly distrust in ourselves, and trust in him; for he is our priest, Sacrifice, Light, saviour, Reconciliation, Propitiation, Oblation, Sanctification, justification, and Glorification: O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world, haue mercy vpon us; and so guide us here with thy grace, that wee may dwell with thee for ever in glory. Amen.  
FINIS.