THREE GODLY AND FRVITFULL SERMONS, DECLARING, FIRST HOW WE MAY BE SAVED in the day of judgement, and so come to life everlasting: secondly, how we ought to live according to Gods will during our life: which are the two things that every one ought to he most careful of as long as they live. * ⁎ *  
Preached and written by the reverend & godly learned M. JOHN MORE, late Preacher in the City of Norwitch.  
And now first published by M. NICHOLAS bound whereunto he hath adjoined of his own, A Sermon of comfort for the afflicted: and, A short treatise of a contented mind.  1. Thessal. 5. 21. Try all things, and keep that which is good. 
Seen and allowed.  
Printed by john Legatt, Printer to the University of Cambridge. 1594.  
And are to be sold at the sign of the Sun in Paul's Churchyard in London.   

TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFUL AND SUCH AS FEAR GOD, THE Knights, and Esquires, justices for the preservation of her majesties peace in the County of Norfolk, and to every one of them, Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father, and from jesus Christ our Lord.  
WHereas among the many hundred Sermons, or rather certain thousands preached by this grave and learned father, by the space of more than twenty years, in which he was licenced thereunto by the University of Cambridge; he left no such notes at large whereby the principal heads or chief matter of any of them almost might be well collected for the better understanding of others, saving only of these, which he wrote out word for word as you have them: It seemed unto me, that his meaning and purpose was, thereby to commend the most necessary doctrine in them contained, to as many as he mought, and that it should not be proper to them only, to whom it was first uttered, but stretch out itself further: neither that the fruit of it should perish with the sound thereof, but remain afterwards, yea live when himself should be dead. Which moved me thus to publish them, that so they might more speedily be carried far and near, and more easily be in the hands and eyes of all them, to whom they were meant. And as they entreat of that matter principally, which was most common in all his preachings, as being most necessary, (namely how we may be saved in death, and how we ought to lead our life) which can never be too much preached of, or too often heard of any; and therefore if he had still lived, he would still have preached of this; so now because he is fallen asleep in the Lord, and can speak no more unto us, and these points are but shortly set down of him in the beginning of his Catechism, (which yet with great fruit these many years hath been often printed) this larger discourse of his might be in stead of a continual preaching unto all those that are desirous still to be confirmed in them: In which besides the matter whole and entire without any alteration, you have his own very words also as they were penned by himself, that so by the grave simplicity, or simple gravity appearing in them, all that were acquainted with his preaching, might thereby as it were by the colour & lineaments of it, easily discern that it is altogether his own doing in deed: especially so many as then heard him, might thereby as it were by his footing, trase out the author himself. Seeing then, upon this occasion these sermons come abroad, I thought it expedient, or rather necessary to commend them to your Worship's godly consideration & Christian protection; because that being first preached in a Right worshipful assembly and meeting of yours held at Ocle for the quarter Sessions then; and afterwards (the Lord so effectually blessing him, and moving some of you with his holy spirit) being written at the earnest request (as it seemeth) of your Worships, himself in his life time dedicated them after a sort unto you: so that I could not now after his death, have alienated them from you: unless I would of purpose have violated the will, and made frustrate the good intent of the dead: which yet if I had inconsiderately done, your Worships might have challenged them, and recovered them into your hands. Hoping therefore that your Worships will favourably interpret my boldness, who being unknown even in the face unto the greatest part, yea almost all of you, have presumed thus far: seeing that therein I have not so much disorderly intruded any thing upon you against your wills, as dutifully tendered & delivered up unto you your own: (as hereafter you may for my credit herein, hear in this treatise the author himself speaking unto you by name) I humbly beseech you to receive it as your own: I count it altogether needless to write in the commendations of it, (neither are my praises any thing, if they were needful) the name of the preacher and writer of them commends them sufficiently, especially unto so many of you, as knew his great learning, both in all the liberal arts, and almost all languages, and also in other studies meet for so great a Divine: with his great godliness and continual grave carriage of himself in the whole course of his life, which worthily did purchase him great reverence amongst all: besides his fervent zeal for the house of God, which at the last did eat him up: & his endless pains in preaching the Gospel in season and out of season: sometimes almost every day in the week, for the space of certain years, and every Lord's day three or four times: and when he did least, so often as ordinarily the strength of man will permit, as many of your Worships are credible and eye-witnesses of it, besides many hundreds more: By all which it may seem he untimely shortened his days, yet seeing the end of our life is to do good, and he by making haste, did in so short a time, as much good, as if by sparing himself he had drawn out the same in length, if he could possibly so have lived an hundred or two hundred years: what cause had he in his death thereof to repent, or we now in that behalf to be sorry for him? But I will keep your Worships no longer from him; you shall hear himself speaking unto you, or rather the Lord by him: unto whose gracious blessing, for the fruit of this, and all other his good ordinances towards us, for our direction in this life, and salvation in the life to come, 
Phil. 4. 8. 9  commending all your Worships, I humbly take my leave, praying you to think on these things, which ye have both learned and received, and heard, and seen in him: those things do, and the God of peace shallbe with you Norton in Suffolk. 26 August. 1594.  
Your Worships in all Christian duties for the Lords sake, Nicholas bound.   

THE FIRST Sermon.  2. Cor. 5. 10. For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, that every one may receive the things which are done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or evil. 
WE have heard (good Brethren) heretofore, how to behave ourselves one with another touching strifes and contentions; that we must not be moved to revengement upon every light occasion, but put up injuries and harms, and pray for our enemies, following the example of our Lord jesus our chief peacemaker with God: that we every one in like manner should be studious of peace in ourselves, and help others to be at one among themselves, that the prince of peace may rest among us: all this we have heard at large declared unto us: it remaineth only that we be diligent followers of it, for thereunto tendeth all teaching and preaching, to beat into our heads knowledge of our duty towards God and our neighbour, that we should not only be knowers of his will with the wicked servant, but practisers of the same with the godly child. And because in this point we be very dull, & content ourselves often with the bare knowledge of our duty, thinking it sufficient, that we can make jolly discourses of matters, whereof we be nothing at all touched in our heart: I have therefore chosen out this portion of Scripture, to this end, that it might partly awake us out of such a sound sleep of security, to the more deep and effectual consideration of our duty.  
These words as I have read them unto you be uttered by the Apostle to this end, that he might stir himself up more fervently and earnestly to the doing of his duty not only before men in show, but also sincerely from the bottom of his heart before God the searcher of the heart. For so it doth appear by the verse going before: howsoever it be, saith he, whether it be that we be at home in this body, 
2. Cor. 5. 9  or removing from home out of this body, we do always endeavour that our actions and deeds may please our God. For we must all once appear before the judgement seat of God, as though he should say, How men judge and esteem of me, I make not so great account, so that my doings may be allowed of my God, for there is no remedy they must once come to be scanned before God, where all the allowing or disallowing of man can take no place. 
2. Cor. 5. 17.  And herein also he secretly represseth and beateth back the vain ostentation of the false teachers, 
1. Cor. 4. 2.  that had nothing before their eyes, but only to have the applause and the liking of men. I dare not so do my duty, saith he, as some teachers among you, who frame themselves to please men, but my chief and whole purpose is to please God in my calling; for when men shall have given upon my doings their verdict and judgements, either in liking or disliking of me, I know that when men shall have done with me, with their judgements and censures, that I must after all that come before God, and he must take the view of me and my life, not according as it hath appeared outwardly to the show of men, but as it hath been indeed before God, and therefore I dare not frame myself to the only liking of man, but especially to the pleasing of my God, before whose judgement seat I must once stand, and that is it, that maketh me so careful (as he addeth in the verse following) not only to do my duty before men so truly as they can not justly blame me, 
2. Cor. 5. 11.  but especially to examine my heart before God, that it be upright before him, as my outward doings are before men: because I set before mine eyes this terrible judgement of the Lord, who is a sore revenger of all dissimulation. Thus ye hear then for what purpose the Apostle bringeth in this sentence of our appearing before the judgement seat of God, that is, to stir himself up to walk more sincerely before God, & not to be contented with the applause or liking of men. It remaineth now that we gather our profit by it, & apply it to our use, that it may serve us in as good stead, as it did the Apostle: for I need not stand long to prove the truth of the sentence, seeing it is so evident through the whole body of the Scriptures, & so apparent as can be, that Christ shall come to judgement: it is a thing evident enough of itself, and denied of none, the simplest of all do acknowledge it, every one knoweth that dooms day will come, it is an article of our Creed, that Christ shall come to judge us, so that I need not busy myself to set out that matter in large proof, which is of all so generally confessed: but this especially we have to note out of it, that we learn to make our profit & benefit by it unto our soul's health, as the Apostle doth unto his soul, and apply it unto our souls, as he doth unto himself. For he bringeth this sentence, not to do us to understand, that he knoweth only and acknowledgeth a judgement to come (for the very devils do in like manner so much, & yet cease not continually to rage's against God) but that by the acknowledging of that judgement, 
2. Cor. 5. 11.  he is inwardly touched with a reverent fear, and an earnest desire to do his duty and walk uprightly both outwardly before man, & inwardly before God. This profit doth he gather to himself then, by thinking upon the judgement to come, & setting it before his eyes, that thereby he is stirred up to walk this life warily & sincerely both before God & men: & by this example we are admonished (good brethren) to do the like, that is, to set the remembrance of the judgement seat of God before our eyes, that thereby we may be raised from our security: but alas, we are very far from it; every one of us, I grant, can confess, (and I think we do believe it too) that Christ shall come to judgement, we can so say, but alas we go no further, we gather not hereupon with the Apostle, a lesson to ourselves to walk therefore uprightly and without guile before God, knowing that all our doings must once come to the scanning before his judgement: this we leave out, and content ourselves only with a vain repetition of bare words in our Creed: & think that we are notable Christians when we have rolled up the words in our Creed, that Christ shall come to judge both the quick and the dead, & in the mean time never apply it to our life, to take admonition thereby to walk in the fear of our God, this I say, men little think upon: but we see how the Apostle teacheth us another lesson by his example, to apply the consideration of the coming of Christ unto our souls with fear and trembling, to walk in simplicity before God, because we cannot escape his judgement. And it standeth us in hand to learn it well, and put it in practice, for we see the untowardness of the world, & our own blindness, how we do not only suffer ourselves to be blinded by others, but willingly cast before our eyes a thousand clouds and mists of hypocrisy and security to blind ourselves with all, that we should never see our own peril and danger, & utterly to bury in us altogether the remembrance of the last judgement, that we might more safely sleep in our deadly security and sinful behaviour, to our utter destruction both of our soul and body: therefore it is notable here that the Apostle calleth us to the judgement seat of God, for such kind of doctrine hath great force to waken us more lively out of such peril & danger, when we commonly use to tumble and wallow without feeling: for as long as we think we have to deal but only with man, we take upon us to rage's like cruel beasts, without all reason & conscience in oppressing one an other & in deceiving one an other, we commit all abominable wickedness in corners, & in the dark night, & think we be in excellent good safety, because our naughtiness cannot be espied, nor tried out by men: but alas the Apostle saith we must all appear before the judgement seat of God; when all the men in the earth have done with us, and can find out none of our naughtiness, then must the Lord begin to try out our wickedness: and shall he in like manner (think you) be constrained to give us over as one not able to bewray our lewdness! 
1. King. 8. 39  No, no, all the secret thoughts of our hearts are open unto him: all our subtle practices which we contrive never so closely are every one of them apparent to his eyes, and he will sit in judgement upon them, and even condemn us for them to everlasting torment, if we do not now repent while he gives time. Ye see then it standeth us in hand to put this lesson well in practice, to avoid the danger now in this time of mercy, which otherwise will fall upon us. And away with all vain gloss, and visors of hypocrisy, whereby we use both to deceive ourselves and others, and let us learn now at last to walk in simplicity before our God, and in plain dealing with men. For otherwise, there is no remedy, when we have wrangled out the matter never so stoutly before men, it must be brought notwithstanding in hearing before our God, whom we can not with all the fetches of our subtle heads, neither deceive nor abuse. And yet it is a wonder to see how boldly men dare deal with God, and how impudently they dare behave themselves in his presence, what wickedness we dare commit even before his eyes, without all fear of his judgement seat, as though he had neither eye to see out our lewdness, nor sword to punish, nor yet judgement seat to condemn. We dare boldly in the open presence of our God commit filthy adultery, fornication, & all uncleanness, which we durst not for our lives be so bold as do in the presence of a child of xiii. years old for fear of his presence, that could bring us to a little shame here in the world, & yet stick nothing at all like bruit beasts, to commit all such villainy in the presence of our God, who hath his judgement seat to condemn us eternally. Doth not this sufficiently bewray our blockishness, that there is no fear of God in us at all, when we dare so proudly check against his majesty, and do utterly se●● to bury up all the remembrance of his judgement, that we might like filthy swine wallow and tumble ourselves in all wickedness and abominations without controlment! But like miserable caitiffs, which dare be so bold with our God, to make no account of his majesty, and do so lightly esteem of his judgement continually in our sins without repentance, we shall be haled before his judgement seat in spite of our teeth, when we would be glad to have the hills & mountains to fall upon us, 
Luc. 23. 30.  to hide us from his presence: 
Revel. 6. 17. & 9 6.  but all shall not prevail. This sentence must stand more firm & sure then heaven and earth, that all of us must appear before the judgement seat of God; wherefore good brethren, let us not abuse this time of mercy, but now repent, while God giveth us time, for afterward is a time of judgement without mercy to all those that dare so horribly abuse God's majesty, & do not study to repent while they have time: let us now, while we live upon this earth set daily before our eyes the continual remembrance of Christ's coming to judgement, that we flatter not ourselves in our sins: and the more carefully must we look unto it, because we see what blockish heathenishnes the world is grown unto for lack of practising this lesson: for what is the cause of all the disorders grown amongst men, & all outrageous dealing, but that men forget themselves, and think nothing of their appearance before the heavenly judge? What is the cause of such flattery & craft among us, such fetches, shifts, & devices to deceive one another, such swearing & forswearing? what is the cause, I say, of all this, but only that men do not effectually consider with themselves of the day of judgement, when all matters shallbe righted, all secrets revealed, & crafty juggling with God & man disclosed? men, I say, do not think upon this, & therefore do harden themselves in their sin. And especially here in Norfolk it is a marvelous thing to see how we have so shaken off all fear of God, & utterly buried the remembrance of his judgement: if we can once devise shifts & subtleties to delude justices, judges, and Gods magistrates, that the la of man can not take hold of us, we think ourselves as sure and ●●●e as can be: if we can find out any colour or fetch that can not be espied by man in the judgement seat, we on as slily with the matter as can be, & think all cock sure. And though the matter be never so well known unto our consciences, when we do injuries unto others, yet if there be no witnesses of the matter, or evident proof by la to convince us, we think we be as safe as can be: & if we be dealt withal by good men to deal uprightly with men & according unto conscience, oh we be straightways upon them; what sirrah? what know ye by me? what can ye charge me withal? what witness have ye against me? if ye have any thing to charge me withal I will answer it: & thus we play the jolly fellows in advancing of ourselves, & setting up our crest, if nothing can be proved against us by man. And what if no man living can charge thee with any thing, thou miserable caitiff, & that things can not be laid out plainly by witnesses, & evidences before men? dost thou think therefore to escape scotfree at God's hand, & so to escape his judgement? what if there be no man that can charge thee? hast not thou within thine own breast a guest at home, even thine own conscience that chargeth thee of a thousand matters more strongly, and more fiercely pursuing the matter then a thousand witnesses? So could that cruel beast Cain, that bathed in the blood of his brother, wrangle with God after that manner: 
Gen. 4. 8, 9  What dost thou mean to ask me of my brother? saith he, what have I to do with him? am I my brother's keeper? is he not old enough to keep himself? He thought forsooth, he had made sure work on all hands when he had gotten his brother into the broad fields far from the presence of men that none could espy him to bear witness of the fact; 
Gen. 4. 8.  but the Lord findeth out this cruel tiger, and subtle fox, & bringeth in witnesses enough to condemn him, that were present, even at the deed doing. 
Gen. 4. 10.  Thy brother's blood, saith God, crieth aloud for vengeance in mine ears: dost thou think to escape scotfree in my judgement, because no mortal man can testify of it? the blood which I put into thy brother's body, and thou cruelly didst let out the same, that same blood hath a loud voice before my judgement seat, 
Genes. 4. 11.  to bear witness against thee, and to call for justice at mine hand to revengement: the very earth which opened her mouth to receive the blood is another loud witness before me to condemn thee, what sayst thou to the matter? what hast thou to say for thyself? Alack poor soul, he standeth as dumb as a block before his judge, & hath not a word to answer in his defence against these witnesses but like an obstinate rebel against God's majesty, doth murmur against God, that he is hardly dealt withal, and that his punishment is greater than he is able to endure, 
Gen. 4. 13.  that he is oppressed and thrown down with the fierce wrath of God. Let us see then what we can prevail with all our shifts and subtleties here, where we think no man can charge us, no witness against us: the Lord needs no such witness in his judgement seat, he can call all his creatures to witness against us: the very house wherein we commit wickedness, our conscience in our breast witnessing thereunto, the dark night, the ground we tread upon, the bed we lie upon, all the creatures of God about us, when we are committing wickedness, shall be sufficient testimonies against us. The matter that we so subtly contrive in our brains, for to wind in our neighbours and deceive them, even the very matters themselves shallbe sufficient before our God to stand against us to condemn nation. The pen, ink, paper, parchment, scribe, subtle pettifogger, and whatsoever have been instruments with us in our crafty devices, whatsoever of God's creatures we have used or rather abused thereunto, shall testify their humble obedience to their creator to our condemnation: yea, even our own hands that wrote, our tongue that spoke, our feet that went, our heart that devised, our body that executed, must needs stand in judgement as an army of witnesses, to condemn us. What did it avail that miserable caitiff, that he could use his legs and feet to meet his Master, and his arms to embrace him, and his tongue falsely to speak words of pretenced friendship, 
Matt. 26. 48.  Hail master, & his mouth like a trusty friend to kiss him: what could all these prevail, I say, when God pursued him more narrowly, and haled him more nearly unto his judgement seat? what did they prevail? Alas poor damned creature, his conscience was made his hangman. The Lord needed no other witness to bewray the false meaning of his feigned friendly heart, than his own conscience within his breast, that spoke so loud against him to his condemnation, that he could not abide, but cruelly caused his own self same legs and feet to carry him to his own death, and the self same hands to hang up his body to dispatch his life: and then, which is most lamentable, when he thought to be rid from his judge, then alas did he but begin his torments, which never can be ended. 
Heb. 10. 31  So horrible a thing it is to fall into the hands of so mighty a judge. O good brethren, let us lay up these examples deep in our hearts, to bring in continual remembrance before our eyes the judgement seat of God, that we may learn to fear his majesty, and stand in awe of his dreadful judgement seat, that we be not so bold with our God, to dally with him, and as it were, play with his nose as they say; thinking ourselves sure enough when we can make fair weather with men, and with our smooth looks, sugared words, and fair countenances subtly entrap our brethren. Alas good brethren this gear will not be good stuff with our God, when he calleth us to answer the matter in his highest court of parliament, it vanisheth away as smoke. Those same judas kisses be to common against us, and which worse is, it is holden almost no sin: nay, I am afraid, it is accounted of most of us a notable point of policy, as without which we could not be able to live amongst men, to flatter, speak fair, and as it were, to creep into men's bosoms, whereas within there is nothing but falsehood and a double heart: and yet we are grown to this brutishness, as though God had no judgement seat, that we think we could not otherwise live amongst men, unless we play on both hands with God and the world: and we have made it, as it were, an infallible rule, and brought it to a common proverb, Nescit regnare, qui nescit dissimulare, He knoweth not how to keep his own, that knoweth not how to dissemble & fayne: flattery & fair speech is called holy-water of the court, and I can not tell what. I know not what is in the court, for I am no courtier, but I am sure that we have too much of such holy-water amongst us here in Norfolk: fair words and false hearts, sugared talk and subtle meaning; it is too too common the Lord be merciful unto us, as though God did not see us, view us, mark us, and even register us up unto his judgement seat: 
Psal. 10. 11.  well good brethren, let us not deceive ourselves, all this our fair subtlety is no more but judas kisses, and undoubtedly, unless we in time repent, we shall with judas at the hand of Almighty God taste of the like vengeances for God will not be mocked: 
Psal. 6. 7.  & although during our life we come not to the gallows, or to fordo ourselves as he did, yet our God hath his judgement after this life, & will hang us up in hell with judas everlastingly: all of us, if we do not repent, yea although we do wear velvet coats on our backs, all shall not save us: there is no remedy, we must all appear before the judgement seat of God: & therefore let us now think upon it whiles we have time, that we may be in a readiness when it cometh: for therefore we are summoned, & in that court we must appear. Away then with all these counterfeited devises, which be so common amongst us, and fall at length to plain dealing: let us examine all our doings even now presently, as they must be examined before the judgement seat of God, 
Dan. 5. 27.  and farce in no bumbasies of our own gloss, for that will be found too light in the balance: let every one of us now present, examine ourselves, & apply this sentence unto ourselves, & make our profit by it, to the direction of our life according to the will of our God, and not only to please man. What naughtiness soever we go about, let us always enter into ourselves and say, what am I doing now? doth not God see me? yes: doth he not abhor this my doing? yes: hath he not summoned me to answer this my doing before his judgement seat? yes: O what a miserable wretch am I then, 
Psal. 50, 21.  that dare so boldly commit open sin before my God, as though he were fellow with me in my sins! should I cast mine own soul away! O good Lord forgive me, I will never do the like again, grant me thy strength to beat back all the false allurements of Satan, that goeth about to destroy my soul, be merciful unto me, & set always before mine eyes a reverent fear of thy judgement seat, that I never ●●ep in my sin, but thereby may be awaked to walk simply & plainly before my God without hypocrisy dissimulation, or subtlety during the whole course of my life. Lo then how we must apply this doctrine unto ourselves, that it may be profitable unto us, & stand us in stead against the subtle practices of our adversary Satan.  
But here is yet a further thing in this matter needful to be considered, namely that whereas the holy ghost here calleth into our remembrance the coming of Christ to judgement, he leaveth out the time when he will come, & maketh no mention of it at all. We must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, but when the time shall be, whether to morrow, this night, or the next year, or ten, twenty years, he telleth us not: no he speaketh not one word of that, he leaveth it out clean: the holy ghost through the whole Scriptures hath left that time uncerten unto man, 
Mat. 24. 36.  yea the very angels in heaven are ignorant of that, they know not when the Son of man shall come, no creature in heaven, earth, or hell knoweth that; the Lord hath hid it from his creatures, & only reserved it to himself: wherefore? that we knowing certainly that he will come, & not knowing when, 
Mat. 24. 41.  might always be in a readiness, when he cometh, lest he taketh us unwares: 
Mat. 13. 35.  for so doth our Lord jesus Christ admonish us, 
Mat. 24. 44.  therefore be ready, saith he, for ye know not when the Son of man shall come: & to waken us up more sharply, he telleth us, that his coming will be sudden, saith he, at an hour when ye least think, even as a thief in the night. And upon the contemners of God saith Paul, which lie and wallow themselves in their sin, 
1. Thes. 5. 2, 3  the day of the Lord shall come upon them suddenly to their destruction: yea when they shall think themselves most sure, & safe, & make no more but a tush at the matter, & say in themselves, 
Vers. 34.  tush all is well, all is quiet, even then suddenly shall destruction come upon them, as sorrow upon a woman with child. God then hath left the certain time of his coming uncertain unto man, that we might always be ready and defer not the time of our repentance till to morrow, because we know not whether the Lord will call us before to morrow: and this point is most specially to be noted, for else all that ever hath been taught hitherto concerning the appearance before God's judgement seat will be altogether unprofitable unto us: we will acknowledge that we must appear before the judgement seat of God, but we think it will not be so soon, but that we may have a little space to continue in our sin: & you shall see that this is the chiefest thing that Satan useth to bring into the heart of man, to make him believe that the day will not be so soon, but that he may have time enough before that day come, and therefore that he may yet a long time take his pleasure in his sin and repent before that day come. And I waraant you he hath been busy even with some of you since that time that I have been entreating of this matter, to blow this blast in your ear, that that day is not yet so near, but that you may continue a while in your sin & amend afterwards. The carnal ear of him that is soaked in the sweetness of his sin, hath heard me all this while entreating of the judgement of God to come, & very pleasantly laugheth in his sleeve: oh, saith he, here is a fellow indeed, he is afraid of his own shadow, belike he thinketh we be babes, & would afray us with bugs: he hath been telling a long tale of God's judgement seat, as though there were any that denied it, & as though we did not know it as well as he: but what for that? should we forego the pleasures of our youth, the commodity of our crafty subtleties, & the hope of our gain thereby for fear of this judgement? as though forsooth we could not amend all this gear before that day come: nay, nay, let him speak what he will, we will take the pleasure and gain of our sin, and afterwards we will amend, & we trust all in time enough too. O subtle devil that can so be witch the soul of man to utter destruction! but hearken thou carnal beast to the voice of the Son of God, 
Mat. 24. 41, 44.  he telleth thee that this day is not known to any of God's creatures, & darest thou appoint with thyself a certainty of it, as though it were not so soon? thy God saith, it shall come suddenly, and darest thou set him to school, to be wiser than he? and say tush in thine heart, it will be long first? no but he telleth thee, if thou be secure, it will take thee unwares, in a moment, 
1. Cor. 15. 52.  in the twinkling of an eye, before thou beware, and where is thy amendment then? 
1. Thess. 5. 2.  therefore he chargeth thee to amend now, & defer not the time, lest thou be taken unawares, and so carried to eternal destruction, and what shall then all thy vain hoping for a longer day profit, when thou art taken suddenly, as the bird in the net? But thou sayst, it will not come so soon, but Christ saith, it will come at an hour, when thou least thinkest: 
Luc. 21. 55.  & telleth thee flatly, that if thou shalt play the wicked servant, and think thy master will tarry long, and be many years and days before he come, 
Mat. 24. 48, 50, 51.  and thereupon fallest to beat thy fellow-servants, and deal subtilely with them, without regard of the coming of thy master, jesus Christ flatly telleth thee, that he will come in an hour, when thou least thinkest, and give thee thy portion with hypocrites in eternal burning fire: then what hast thou gained by such presuming upon God's mercy, and hardening of thyself in thy sin against God, when thy pleasure is turned into pain, and thy security and ease into continual torment? Alas, good brethren, that we should be so blinded with the subtleties of Satan, for the gain of a small earthly trifle to cast away soul and body eternally. 
Mat. 16. 26.  What can it profit us to win the whole world, and lose our own soul? and this we do so long as giving care to the vain allurement of Satan, we continue in our sin, deferring the time of our repentance till afterwards, thinking that the Lord will not come so soon: you see then the lack of practising this doctrine, that is here taught unto us, is the cause that at this day men are so hardened in their sin, and boldly go on forward to eternal destruction. Men do imagine with themselves, that although they must one day appear before the throne of God, yet it will not be so soon, and thereupon they never think of that matter, but devise all wickedness in their brains to fill their purses, feed the paunches, deceive their neighbours, and generally all other spite and villainy against God and man: and all because they think themselves in sure case, that the day of repentance is not so near, but that they may amend all this gear in time: but it is not so, they are deceived. The Scripture telleth us it will come sooner than we think, & therefore amend betimes, lest we perish all. And it is a marvelous matter to see how wonderfully the adversary hath prevailed in this: for whereas God would have us always in readiness, because the time 〈◊〉 uncertain, the clean contrary is settled in our hearts, namely to take our liberty in sinning, because the time is a far off, as we dream: and this persuasion is so deeply settled in our breast, that if men be admonished to take heed of their dealings: for a day will come when all things shallbe righted, than they think straightway they have a great long scope given them to range in: for they take it as a principle most surely rooted in their hearts, that that day is a far off. If they be threatened with the coming of Christ to judgement, you shall see them make of the matter no more but a scoff and a mock: oh sir, if ye give me so long a day, nay then I shall do well enough: and here they can fall to gibing, and make themselves merry with the talk of the welshman, who having rob a man of his budget, and being threatened that he should answer for it at the day of judgement, made answer, that if he might have so long a day, he would have the cloak too: and thus miserable caitiffs they think they have notably prevailed, when thus they have scoffed out the matter: but alas, poor souls, it is no more than a laughter from the teeth forward: for when they have put from them the day of the Lord as far as can be, and that God for a time let them play upon the hook, yet alas, there is a thing within their breast, that sometimes will sting them to the heart in spite of their teeth: but yet herewithal you see how common this is amongst men, that the day of the Lord is a far off: 
Amos 6. 3.  for when we can so readily give such answers as this, If ye give me so long a day, etc. surely we bewray our own hearts unawares, that we are persuaded in our breasts, that it is long to that day. And the same opinion have we in like manner of the day of our death; there is scarcely found amongst us any so old, but he will think he might live one year longer, or at least one month, or one day, so far he is off from thinking on his death: if we be young, oh then we think ourselves as sure from dying, as God had sealed us his letters patents for our life till old age: and hereupon it cometh, that in our lusty youth (as they term it) we never think to make ourselves ready to Godward: nay so far are we from all 〈◊〉 of God, that unless we play the wild colts in all licentiousness and sin, we think we have not well spent our youth according to the course of nature: and into such beastliness we are gone, that we have framed an heathenish, nay worse than heathenish, rather a devilish proverb, A young saint, an old devil; as if so be we should begin to be holy in our young age, it were the next way to make us devils when we are old: and as though it were the best way to be a devil in thy young age, that thou mightest be made a good holy man in thy old age. But I pray thee, what if thy God call thee while thou art a young devil, what shall become of thee in thine old age? if the Lord cut thy years short, and make an end of thy life, while thou art playing the young lusty devil, I warrant thee thou shalt never come to be neither old saint nor young saint. This I speak (good brethren) with grief of heart, to see into what miserable blindness we are tumbled, that the thing which God hath hid from us so secret to himself (the day of his coming, and the day of our death) as though we were of God's counsel, we will be so cunning in it, as if he had not only revealed it unto us, but also had sealed unto us the assurance of it. And all this we do, that we may more boldly sin without controlment, thinking when we are old, we will then begin to frame ourselves to godliness: but alas, good brethren, we deceive ourselves, it is not so, we have no assurance of our life, we can not tell when it shall please our God to call us, at midnight, noontide or cockerowe, we are not certain one minute of an hour to live, and therefore let us not drive off from day to day, and think he will amend, lest he come upon us unwares, and find us unprepared. Take heed, good brethren, that we do not flatter ourselves, to think I am but young, & I trust I shall not die so soon, I will take the pleasures of my youth a while, and when I begin to be old, I will then wholly apply myself to Gods will: or thus, although I be some what aged, yet I trust I shall not go so soon, I thank God I feel myself strong and lusty, I can eat my meat well, and I will not yet settle myself to be ready, when God calleth me: I may continue yet a little while in my craft and subtlety, till I have got but such a piece of ground▪ or so much money to lie by me, and then I will amend: when I shall begin to be sick, than I will settle myself wholly to Godward: Let us take heed, good brethren, of these blasts and temptations of Satan, that we be not deceived; do we not see both daily and hourly how that the Lord calleth as well the young as the old? and what patent have we of our life, that we are not in the number? Do we not see that God calleth men even suddenly, when they are in as good health as can be, yea even when they are eating their meat at dinner, even supping an egg is the last breath that ever they draw? wherefore doth the Lord this, but only to let us understand and see before our eyes, how soon our life is gone, that so we might always be in readiness: we see these things continually, and yet alas how smally we profit by them: wherefore we see it needful, and a thousand times more than needful, to have this sound imprinted in our heart, and the remembrance of it continually before our eyes, that we must hence we can not tell when, that our heathenish ears, and Epicures pleasures may be cut off by the continual meditation of the same, otherwise undoubtedly, good brethren, when we think ourselves most at ease, we shall understand the sentence here that Christ jesus spoke, 
Luc. 12. 17, 18.  That we shallbe taken in an hour, when we least think. That rich Epicure that wallowed and tumbled in his wealth, little thinking upon his death, but soaked in his sinful pleasures, sitteth at his ease debating with himself how he may make his life most easy, and at length concludeth with himself such a way, as he thinketh to live most pleasantly and easily for many years: he will pull down (forsooth) his old barns, and build him greater, that shallbe able to receive all his grain, and then like a jolly carnal swine, he will say to his soul, Oh soul, eat and drink, and make lusty good cheer, for thou hast enough laid up for many year▪ here is nothing with him but cherishing the belly and pampering the body, as though God had put life into him, and set him in this world for none other end, but like a bruit beast to cram up his belly to the courge, and feed himself fat against the 〈◊〉 of slaughter: this miserable caitiff hath forgot himself that he must die, there is no remembrance of death, but as though he must live ever: but when the carnal belly-god in his chiefest ruff and (as he thinketh) in his greatest felicity, his cheer was clean changed in a moment, he heard a voice that daunted his courage, it was said unto him in the self same hour, 
Luc. 12. 22.  Thou fool, this night shall thy soul shall be taken from thee, this night thou must needs die, and what shalt thou then be better for all this false conceived joy in thy pleasures and riches, when thou must not enjoy them one minute of an hour? I am afraid, good brethren, it is too lively and too true a description of us Englishmen, which have never done with feeding the belly and clothing the back, as though we should live here ever. I am afraid too many of us have utterly vanished out of our remembrance the day of our death, 
Amos 6. 5.  or else have put it a far off, as though it would not come of a long time: I am afraid too many of us say in our hearts with this worldly wretch: Oh, if such a thing and such a thing were brought to pass, I would say to my soul, take even thy full pleasure, eat and drink thy belly full, make merry, take even thy hearts desire. Alas, good brethren, let us take heed unto ourselves, what shall it avail us, when God shall suddenly take us from all our pleasures in a moment, and throw our souls into everlasting torment? The cause of this looseness amongst us is, because we do not practise that doctrine that is taught us out of this sentence, namely that the day of our departure is uncertain, even oftentimes when we least think: wherefore I desire you in the fear of God, for the love we bear unto our own souls, that we make our profit of this sentence better than we have done heretofore: let us apply it unto ourselves, and call ourselves to an account, every one of us enter into his own heart, and thus say, What wickedness do I know by myself? Am I a thief, a murderer, a covetous person? is all this hid from man? yea. But alas, God doth see it, and hath appointed a judgement to punish it, therefore I will no more continue in it: I will now repent while I have time, I will not dam mine own soul, for once I must appear before the judgement seat of God. And if the devil would go about to suggest into thine heart, that it willbe long before the day come, and that that thou hast yet a long time to live, 
Matt. 24. 51. and 21. 44.  and therefore thou mayst a while continue in thy sin, answer him with jesus Christ's words, that then I shall have my part with the wicked servant in the continual burning lake: that the time is not known to any creature, it is uncertain, it will be sudden when we least think: & therefore defer not to be always in a readiness: if he will reply and say, it is not like to be so soon, for that all things are well, and there appears no tokens of sickness, much less of death, answer him again, that even therefore I ought more to suspect the day to be near, 
●. Thess. 5. 2.  because it shall be at such a time, as men shall think all things well and quiet, even than shall it come and take men unprepared. Let us, good brethren, in this manner apply this doctrine to ourselves, that we may profit by it in newness of life: let us not defer the time till to morrow, the Lord God knoweth where we shall be to morrow: we are all of us here now, God be thanked, but the Lord knoweth whether we shall ever come together again or not: the Lord may take us before we go out of the Church-door; so uncertain are we of our life: wherefore let us for God's sake defer the time no longer, but every one of us now begin to amend, and lie no longer in our sin, but turn to the Lord by true repentance, knowing that our time is uncertain; thus doing, we shall find the Lord our God merciful unto us, he will increase in us his graces and gifts of his holy spirit, that we may grow on forward from faith to faith in sanctification and newness of life, till it shall please his goodness to call us in his good time to everlasting rest.  
Thus we have heard, good brethren, what we have to learn out of this sentence, it remaineth that we knowing it, put it in practice, and that we do not think it sufficient to come hither to sit here, and to lend our ears to the preaching to give it the hearing, and have yet notwithstanding no purpose of amending, but rather some hard heart still to continue in our sin, as we we came: for assuredly if we do so, the eternal God will never suffer unrevenged such horrible contempt of his blessed word: it is an horrible abuse of God's word, yea of God himself, when we so dally with God: ye, if I that preach the word should think it sufficient for me, when I have told you Gods will out of his word, and yet not apply it to myself, to reform my life after the same, assuredly I should answer that horrible contempt of God's majesty before his eternal throne of justice: if ye shall then (good brethren) harden your faces against this word of God, and shake it off, and say still in your hearts, For all this I will continue in my sin a while, and for all his threatening I trust I am not so near death, but I may amend before that day come, let him say what he will, I will not yet begin: then I testify unto you before the eternal God, that the master of the house will come in an hour, 
Matth. 24. 5.  when ye least think, and give you your portion with hypocrites, where shall be weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth: and then when ye would it is too late, 
Rom. 2. 4.  alas ye can not. If ye shall now abuse this day of mercy, and Gods long suffering that draweth you to repentance, 
2. Pet. 3. 13.  and like carnal beasts fling abroad, and kick up your heels against the Lord, violently throwing from you all godly admonitions, whereby he goeth about to pull you unto him, he shall come upon you like a fierce lion, & utterly consume you in your greatest pride, when ye least think: but I hope better of you, brethren, and good cause I have so to do, I thank God for it, I trust the Lord will work in your heart, that ye will not defer the time, but even now begin to turn to him, while he offereth you mercy, and presume not of hereafter. Remember the five foolish virgins, 
Math. 25. 11.  that had no oil in their lamps, and yet for all that took no thought, but snorted and slumbered without all care, thinking they should have time enough to prepare, but alas they were deceived, for the bridegroom came suddenly, and those that were found ready entered in, and those jolly fools that deferred so long were shut out, and shall never enter in: for God's sake, brethren, let these things enter deep into our head & heart: let us have these things so deeply imprinted in our hearts, that we may think upon them continually, & say always with that holy man, whether I sleep or wake, me think I hear continually sounding in mine ears, the trump of the Lord that saith, Arise ye dead, come to judgement: let us always be prepared against that day, & always say in our heart with the saints in the Apocalypse, Come Lord jesus, come quickly, I am ready for thee, 
Revel. 22. 20  come when thou wilt: that our hearts may still long after it, 
Phil. 1. 23.  & say with the Apostle, I desire to be dissolved, & to be with thee, o Christ: otherwise if we shall defer it, and take our pleasures in this world, then alas even the remembrance of death, Oh how bitter will it be to him, that hath his heart upon the things of this world? it will nip our heart a sunder to part with our goods, to part with our pleasures, and all because we have so long abused Gods long sufferance, and prolonged the day of our repentance, till suddenly we are taken: then we could with the wicked contemners of God, wish the very hills and mountains to cover us and hide us from the presence of the fierce judge, 
Luc. 23. 30.  whom we have so stubbornly contemned: 
Revel. 6. 17. and 9 6.  but alas, it will not prevail, we must even be hailed before his judgement seat in spite of our teeth: wherefore, good brethren, let us think upon it, and think upon it again, that it never part from us: these be weighty matters to be thought upon, these be things that must always keep us occupied, and not heard with the ear for the space of an hour, but they must be our continual meditation our whole life: I trust by God's grace ye will think upon it, that you may profit by it: I hope well of you, as good cause I have, especially because I see the Lord hath moved you to this good work, whereunto you are assembled, that you think not much neither of cost nor travail for the benefit of the commonwealth and ease of your brethren: continue and go on forward, be not weary of well doing, seeing the Lord is with you in blessing your labours, remember the time we have is short, let us be doing good while we have time, remember that your callings require the same, being magistrates of peace, to be careful of peace: remember that ye must once be called to account before the judge for your calling, & then though all the men in the earth would clear you, if God do condemn you, there is nothing but destruction: let the uprightness then of your consciences be in these your meetings, that ye may be void of vain glory before men, and be simple before God to do good, and then the Lord will bless your labours in this life, and in the life to come ye shall receive full joy both of soul and body for ever. Ye see then the meaning of this sentence, and how the Apostle takes it to his use, to take his profit by it, in setting it always before his eyes, to keep him thereby in a continual awe of God, while he skanneth his doings, not only by man, but especially by God, who hath his judgement to call us unto, to answer the matter when we least think: & herein how we are admonished to do the like, and to take our profit by it in like manner; thus much, I say, hath been declared out of this place, in that sense and manner that it is used by the Apostle. There is yet further doctrine in particular to be delivered out of the same very profitable for us for our instruction, of which we must in like manner gather our profit: for whereas it delivered unto us, that we must once appear before the judgement seat of God, we are not only thereby taught to be raised up to a more diligent view of our doings, that they be sincere before God, which the Apostle doth here, but further having entered into ourselves, and found in us many imperfections, yea and horrible sins, which the Lord hateth, and which he hath pronounced to be punished with his heavy curse and eternal condemnation, knowing that he is both a just God and a true, which hath set this punishment down, and hath already summoned us to his judgement seat, we are hereby (I say) admonished carefully to consider how we may be discharged in that judgement day, & delivered from that same punishment, which our sins have deserved. This is a special point to be considered, and deeply to be weighed of every one of us, and not slightly to be passed over: it is our chiefest joy in our life, our only comfort in our death, and our true happiness after death. Without this we are most miserable of all creatures, yea in worse estate than the very brute beasts: for they (silly poor things) yet shall have an end of their misery and toil in their death: but we if we know not this, shall then in death and after death begin our eternal torments, which shall never have end. Without this although we live in this world most pleasantly, most wealthily, and most gloriously, yet we are of all creatures most unhappy: for what shall it avail us, if we win the wealth, pleasure, and glory of the whole world, and at the day of judgement lose our own souls, and be thrown down into eternal torment? what benefit doth that rich glutton, that now lieth burning in hell, and shall, what benefit doth he reap of all his good cheer, that he devoured in his life time? what is he better for all the fine apparel, that he clothed himself withal? all? what doth he now gain by all the glory that he enjoyed in this world? what doth it help him now, when he is in everlasting torments? He would now have ease for a minute of an hour, and can not. Ye see then it is a most needful thing to think upon this now while we are living; that seeing we must once appear all before the judgement seat of God, we may now begin to be careful to know the ways and means how we may be set free in that judgement, & so come to eternal life: for unto this end the Lord giveth us life and being here in this world, to the glory of his name, to learn all this while we live here the true ways & means how to be delivered in that day to live ever & never die: you see this, it is a special & a most principal point, that we be here taught, that is, that we be most careful to be discharged in the day of judgement, because it standeth us in hand in pain else of casting away both of soul and body into eternal fire. But it is lamentable to see the great ignorance among us in this most chief and most necessary thing: there is none almost but he knoweth he must come to judgement & looketh for dooms day, but alas, how or by what means he shallbe discharged in that doom and judgement scarcely shall ye find the hundredth person, that knoweth it: in this point generally the whole earth is ignorant. It is too lamentable, good brethren, especially among us that have the name of Christians, yea in the time of the gospel that we should be ignorant of this chiefest point, how we are saved by Christ. The multitude generally are so ignorant in this, as is marvelous: ask them how they hope to be saved in the day of judgement, they can not tell: some peradventure will give answer in general words, Even as it pleaseth God, or by God's mercy, I put me wholly to his mercy, or by Christ, or such like words: but ask them further how & by what means it pleaseth God to save them seeing their sin must be punished? or how they trust to be saved by God's mercy seeing God in justice must punish their sin? or how or by what means they hope to be saved by Christ? these things, I say, they are utterly ignorant of. And you shall see not only simple souls (as they call them) ignorant of these points, but commonly even those, which otherwise have great gifts of wit, & skill of things in the world: ye shall see a company that are so skilful in any matter almost which is to be scanned before a mortal judge, that they will go near to go beyond a good skilful lawyer, & put him to his pinch, & yet notwithstanding examine them of this law point, how they shallbe saved in the day of judgement, they have no wit to answer it, they are not book learned forsooth, as though only book-learned men shallbe saved, & not the simple as well. Nay come also to those that have excellent gifts to serve in the common wealth, & seem to be of great countenance & wisdom, and I warrant you, if due examination were made, they should be found to be ignorant in this point, & not to know the way and means of their salvation. I speak that which I know, it is a lamentable thing to see it. I have dealt with such men diverse times, and have found them utterly ignorant in the knowledge of their salvation, & yet otherwise men of great wisdom. Wherefore the case is too lamentable, that that thing which the most simplest aught to know, even the most excellent are ignorant of. Nay there is yet a further thing that augmenteth the matter, and maketh it worse: namely, that men are not ignorant of this so needful a thing, but also they are altogether reckless, and have no care to seek to know it: we have never done with carking and caring for our bodies, we ride, we run, we dig, we delve, we labour, we toil, and all we think too little to preserve our bodies, and in the mean time what shall become of our souls and bodies in the day of judgement we have no regard: and yet every one of us will confess that we ought to be more careful for our souls, then for our bodies, more careful for the life everlasting, then for this present momentary life: and yet contrary to our own conscience, contrary to our own knowledge we leave the principal not regarded, & bend our whole force, wit, skill and travel to the other, that endureth but a moment in comparison of the other, what do we now hereby good brethren, but only make ourselves unexcusable before the throne of God: Nay further, even all the whole parts of us both of soul and body, which God hath given us to be most chief exercised about the heavenly life, we make them even so many witnesses against us in the day of the Lord, because we have abused them to serve our turn in this bodily life, far above the heavenly life. So that the Lord need no other witnesses against us to condemn us in the day of judgement. The wit that God giveth us, which we have so carefully used to devise for our bodies in this life, and never bend it carefully to seek for the life to come, must needs bear record against us in the day of judgement: the tongue that we have used so carefully to speak and crave for worldly things, and hath been so dumb in heavenly things: the feet that have so speedily run about worldly gain, and have been lame in heavenly profit: the ear that could so carefully listen after worldly gain, and was deaf at heavenly matters: and to be short, all the whole parts both of our souls and bodies, that we have so carefully and miserably used about these worldly things, and so slackly used about heavenly things which should have been the chiefest: all these, I say, shall be sufficient to condemn us before our God, when he shall come in judgement. It standeth us in hand then, good brethren, to be more careful how we may be discharged before the judgement seat of God, and so come to eternal life: more careful, I say, than we have been. The matter must once come to handling, and it is a weighty matter, it toucheth the life everlasting. There is none of us all, but if we had a matter to be answered before an earthly judge, if it were but touching a parcel of our lands & goods, if it were but an hundredth pound matter or a thousand pound, there is none of us all, I say, but in such a case we would be marvelous ●●refull for the answering of it, and seek all the means possible to know the remedy in law how to be discharged: but if it were a matter that touched the loss of our life, oh then we would trudge post up and down for counsel this way and that way, and seek all the means that could be: we could never sleep quiet in our beds, till we knew how the matter would fall out. But in the case that must be answered before the heavenly judge, and toucheth the loss of the lands of heaven, the loss of the goods of heaven, the loss of the life everlasting, O Lord, how careless are we? we never care for it, we never ride nor run for it, we never break our sleep for it: we shall see men in this behalf as senseless as can be, utterly overwhelmed with a brutish security: & yet we think ourselves notable Christians, and to have wound up the matter very cunningly, when we can have given some general answers, as to say, even as it pleaseth God: but as he hath revealed himself in his word, we never seek that, but only keep ourselves contented with such general speeches, and never seek in his word the mean how. If there were any such one among us, as having a weighty matter before a judge to be answered, cared not for it, and would seek no counsel, nor use no ways nor means for to answer the matter, would we not sharply rebuke the man, & bid him take heed to himself, to seek for help in time, and cast not himself away, & his wife and children, & so forth? and yet if the stubborn man would notwithstanding be careless of the matter still, and wilfully cast himself away, will we not say straightways, he was well served? he mought have helped the matter if he would have sought for it in time, but he would take no counsel, and therefore he hath cast himself away? we can have these speeches too common in our mouths concerning these worldly matters, and yet in the mean time do ye not see, how we give sentence against ourselves? for, there is none of us all, but we have a great weighty matter of life and death, of soul and body to answer before the great judge jesus Christ, and yet as though the matter were nothing we will not now in this time of mercy be careful how we may answer it, but only wipe it away with a word: even as it pleaseth God (say we) even as it pleaseth God. True it is, that all must be as it pleaseth God, that is true, and that God will deal with us in that last judgement even as it pleaseth him, all that is true: but seeing God hath set down in his word how and by what means it pleaseth him to deliver us & discharge us in that judgement, if we shall now not seek to know that same means of our deliverance, which he hath so plainly left unto us in his word, surely we can not but be guilty of our own condemnation, and must needs confess, that we are but rightly served at the hands of our judge, when he giveth sentence of condemnation upon us, because we would not seek that counsel, that the Lord had left us, nor seek to know the way and means of our deliverance, when we had time, although we can cover it never so closely, with, as it pleaseth God, as it pleaseth God. We shall find that it pleaseth God to punish with everlasting destruction such horrible negligence and contempt of our salvation. Away then with all such vain colours as Satan would cast before our eyes to make us negligent still: and let us in the fear of God begin to seek carefully how we may be discharged in the day of judgement, and so come to everlasting life. It is a weighty matter, it is a great matter, it must be looked unto, it passeth a Westminster matter, this toucheth lands, goods, and life everlasting. The reason that maketh men so reckless and negligent in caring for the heavenly life, is because we dream it to be but an easy matter to come to everlasting life, we think it but a small matter and soon gotten, and therefore we busy ourselves the less about it. True it is we will not say so with our tongue and lips, that it is but a small matter, but it is evident, that we accept it so in our hearts, seeing we take so little pain about it. For that we might obtain the things that we judge hard to come by, we do not use small pains, but great care and labour, for otherwise we think that can not be had: that is it that maketh us so careful for the bodily life, because we see it so hard a thing, that do we what we can, all is little enough to get us our living. So that if we were persuaded, that if it were as hard a matter to get everlasting life, as we see it is to get a temporal thing, we would bestow as much pains in the one, as in the other: and therefore say what we will, our own heart condemneth us, that we count it but an easy matter, and therefore are too negligent to provide for it. And again, the griefs and miseries of our souls we do not feel half so much, as the pains and griefs of our bodies, and therefore that maketh us to be so careful to provide remedies for the one, and utterly to neglect the other: if our bodies be but a little touched with sickness, we can feel it straightways, we can complain, sigh, and groan, and because we feel the pain nip us, there is riding and running for the physician, no cost, no labour spared, yea if our little finger be but cut, we make a do in wrapping and salving, & all because we feel the grief of it: & yet for all that the silly poor soul, that same nice body is pained with sickness even unto death, wounded unto eternal damnation with the fiery darts of whoredom, covetousness, usury, oppression, crafty dealing, idolatry, superstition, vain glory, and such like others, and like senseless blocks, we feel it never a whit, it is no grief unto us, no pain unto us at all. These diseases of our souls do not grieve us a whit, and therefore we are not careful to run to the physician jesus Christ to be cured: if the body be but a little pinched with cold, nakedness, hunger, or any other calamity, we cannot abide it, it grieveth us, we are marvelously troubled with it, and therefore are we so careful to provide meat for the body, and clothes for our back, we have never done with that, all is too little, that we can cram into this our filthy paunch, and to hang upon our lazy backs, all is too little, we have never done purchasing, and preparing for it. What shall I say? wholetownships and lordships will not serve to fill this our greedy maw, and clothe our fine and delicate back. And yet in the mean time alas, our poor soul within, starved with hunger, pined even to death with cold and nakedness, and we not a whit careful to provide for it the bread of life, the food of life to relieve his hunger, nor the righteousness of Christ to clothe the nakedness of it, lest it die eternally: we are not a whit careful for that, because we feel nothing at all the misery & danger that our souls be in. The whole world is asleep in sin, wallowing and tumbling themselves therein, in peril and danger of eternal destruction, and hell fire everlasting, and yet do not see it: they think themselves in no danger, and that maketh men so careless, that they never seek for any remedy. Oh a hard world, a hard world. God help, never so hard a world, we have much a do to live, it is so hard a world: (thus can we say touching the body) never so much poverty, and such exclamations and outcries for the pinching of the body as is marvelous, and I partly believe them to be true. But in the mean time in this great misery and peril of our souls, in the great hunger of our souls, who doth exclaim upon that? scantly the hundredth person: and although it be exclaimed upon, yet it is but coldly looked unto for the remedy of it: other things yet touching the hunger and harm of the body they are looked unto to be remedied, and this hunger of our souls which bringeth to eternal death is smoothly passed over. I can not see but it is the Lords just scourge to punish us with our rods in sending such scarceness in so great plenty, because we will needs contrary to his commandment be more careful for our bodily life then for our heavenly life. For if we did chiefly and above all seek for the kingdom of heaven, 
Matth. 6. 33.  God giveth his promise that all other things needful should be ministered unto us: but because we will needs be wiser than God, like a young scholar to set him to school, and whether he will or not, needs before the kingdom of heaven seek the kingdom of this world, he layeth our own devices upon our own necks, and giveth us neither the one nor the other. Therefore let us repent in time, for a judgement will come, there is no remedy, we must all appear, there is no remedy. Let us now be careful to be saved in that day both in soul and body; let us be careful for it, it is a weighty matter, it is not so easy a matter as men think. The Lord jesus telleth us so, the way to the devil and eternal destruction is easy, 
Math. 7. 13.  broad, and wide, and many find it, they flock thither even by heaps; but the way to life, he telleth us, is very painful and rough, many pricks in our way, and therefore few find it. It is not a tush with thy mouth, and a fillip with the finger, and three words speaking, as they say, at a man's death, that will bring a man to heaven; nay the Lord jesus saith, that in that day there shall be many that can say gloriously, Lord, Lord, yea and with great knowledge have taught other the Lord, and yet for all that shall have their portion with the devil in the burning lake. Men think it not so weighty a matter, because they do not see in what peril & danger they stand in, they think themselves in good case, because they see a great number worse than they: they think they shall do as well as the rest, and they are content to take part with the rest, and because Satan hath blinded them, they think if they be void of great notorious crimes, such as are punished with death by the magistrate, treason, murder, theft, and such like, they think God can not justly condemn them; what (say they) I labour truly for my living, and I thank God I am no thief nor murderer, I trust I shall do well enough in the day of judgement: so he thinketh because he is not an outrageous sinner, his other sins be but small petty sins, & that God must needs forgive, and so he flattereth himself: and because he seethe not the danger of his sins, he never careth to provide the remedy. But alas, it is far otherwise, the punishment even of the least sin, if it were but in thought is the eternal curse of God, and his everlasting vengeance: the Lord God himself hath appointed it, 
Deut. 27. 26.  which can not go back. 
Gal. 3. 10.  Cursed, saith he, be every one, which doth not fulfil all things, that are written in the book of the Law: 
Mat. 5. 22.  where be now your small sins, when God appointeth his curse to all? And our Saviour Christ telleth us, that he that speaketh but a railing word, as fool or such like, is guilty of hell fire: where be now our petty sins, when a word speaking is hell fire? Let me see what man upon earth now is not guilty of hell fire. 
Prov. 20. 9  Who can say, My heart● pure? 
1. Kin. 8. 46.  there is none but he sinneth; and the reward of sin is death: 
1. joh. 1. 8.  who is there then not in danger of death? if our case stand thus, 
Eccl. 7. 22.  then good brethren, have we not need to look how this may be answered before the judgement seat of God? 
Rom. 6, 23.  have we not need to be raised out of our security, seeing the great danger we stand in? God is just and true that hath spoken the word, 
Rom. 3. 4.  and therefore must punish our sin with his curse: 
joh. 3. 33.  it standeth us in hand then I trow (unless we will dam our own souls, to look for the answer of this gear Well, the ways and means how to answer it, is by Christ, and it is set down unto us in every point to the full in the word of God, for the answer of the matter, which by God's grace I shall declare unto you hereafter more largely: but because it is weighty, and containeth much matter, I leave the full handling of it till the next day: I trust by God's grace, ye shall have the whole matter out of the word of God, as fully answered before the judgement seat of God in his heavenly court, and as strongly as you have your evidences to confirm your goods and lands before the judgement seat of man, in their earthly courts: in the mean time, because I will not pass mine hour, I do here end this matter, desiring you in the fear of God, good brethren, to apply unto yourselves all that have been here taught: have always before your eyes the remembrance of this judgement seat, and think with yourselves it must once come, and therefore frame your doings so, as they may be clear before God, not only have a fair show before men: and away with this crafty dealing, which doth so overflow in this our country: begin to deal simply and plainly, knowing that jesus Christ will once call you to account, and because the time is uncertain, be always ready, defer not one minute of an hour. And because our account must be taken by the Son of God, whose eyes we can not desell with our juggling shifts; let us be careful to see how the case of our salvation will stand in that day: let us as carefully look for that, as we do use daily for the safeguard of our body: consider it, it is a weighty matter: if our case fail 〈◊〉 in that day, remember all the pleasures that we have had will stand us in no stead, when we must be thrown into continual torment for ever without end: good brethren, for the love of the Lord jesus, for the love of our own souls, let us look to this gear now whiles we have time, and then our God shall be merciful unto us, he shall increase in us continually his heavenly graces daily more and more, till it shall be his heavenly will and pleasure to take us to himself, to reign with him in continual glory for ever and ever. The Lord in mercy grant it. Amen.  
John More.   

THE SECOND Sermon.  
We must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, etc.  
OUT of this portion of Scripture (good brethren) the other day we were taught to examine all our thoughts, words, and deeds, how they should be allowed before God, and not to content ourselves either with the vain allowing or applause of man, nor yet with the simple discharge of man, because our God, when all men have done and can find nothing by us, hath afterward his judgement seat, whereunto we must be brought to answer the matter there where no wrangling nor crafty juggling must prevail, but things must be laid open even as they are in deed, and not as they appear to be before men: and moreover because the Scripture leaveth this time uncertain, we were admonished always to be in a readiness, and not to defer the time from day to day, because we know not when it shall please God to call us, for that every moment we are subject unto death, yea oftentimes when we think ourselves most safe, and furthest from death, it pleaseth God even then oftentimes to call us suddenly, whereof we see daily examples before our eyes: And even since that time that we were last here, it hath pleased God to teach us by experience, how true these things are by one of our neighbours in Yarmouth as ye know, whom suddenly the Lord took away even in drinking of a cup of beer, otherwise being in as good health as could be: thus the Lord letteth us see in what case we stand in the uncertainty of our departure hence, that we should not give ear to the flattering allurements of Satan, to sleep in security, but to be awaked out of our drowsiness, and fall earnestly to repent, and make ready for the Lord against he call. We are all in the same taking that he was, he thought himself as sure of his life as any of us doth now, and yet now he is gone ye see; and after him must every one of us go, how soon we can not tell, whose course among us is next we know not: but every man persuadeth himself it is not he: so far off are we from that which god would teach us hereby, that is, that we should every one of us think that our own course is next, so far are we from that, I say, that we think clean contrary, it shall not be we: it is marvelous to see how little we profit by such examples for all that, that every one almost thinketh he hath notwithstanding assurance of his life for as many years, as he himself shall think good: it is wonderful, I say, to see how such examples move almost no whit at all, but are straightways buried in forgetfulness, as though there were no such thing: well, for my part, I can not, nor dare not, let such examples slip, but put you in mind of your duty by them, especially when I see God speaketh, as it were from heaven, by such examples, and as it were by his own finger to write out our lesson, 
Luc. 13. 3, 5.  I dare not but with the Lord jesus say, Unless ye repent, ye shall all in like manner perish: gaze not so much upon the man, but look into yourselves; it is for us, for us (good brethren) and not for him alone, that we might be taught hereby to think that all of us are in like case, if God should call us: we be too carnal, we think ourselves too sure of our life: the Lord would open our eyes by such signs, if we were not to stubborn & wilful to shut our eyes against them.  
It pleased God then at our last meeting, to use my tongue out of this portion of Scripture, to admonish you to be always ready to this judgement of the Lord, because our life was so uncertain, that we are often taken away when we least thought, and it hath pleased God to confirm the same hard by us, by this example of this our neighbour, now suddenly gone from us: let us take it as though God in heaven himself had spoken unto us, & said, Ye Norffolkemen beware, look that ye be ready when I call you at a minutes warning: then we shall like the dear children of God, well profit by the Lords dealing, & not like stocks and stones without sense never be moved, though the Lord should knock us on the head with a beetle: you know how Christ jesus teacheth us to apply such things to our profit, 
Luc. 13. 3. 5.  to stir us to repentance: Let us do it then in deed, God loveth no delaying: he would have us begin, & therefore useth all means to draw us thereunto. And thus much for that point.  
Now whereas the holy Ghost calleth us to the judgement seat of God, we were admonished the other day not only to view our doings before God to be sincere, not double, nor dissembled, but also we were further taught to provide for a remedy when as we see ourselves in so much sin & wickedness, considering that God, as he hateth sin, so because he is just, must needs punish, & because he is true must punish with the same punishment, which he himself appointeth: considering this, I say, we were taught to seek for remedy against this evil, how we might be discharged from this punishment in that day: for it is not sufficient, that moved with this fear, we endeavour ourselves to uprightness of life only, unless our consciences also be persuaded of our full discharge in the same judgement day from the great debt that we own unto God for out daily sins: this, I say, is the chiefest thing to be carefully considered upon, while God giveth us now time: and hereunto we were exhorted the other day, and our negligence herein condemned, I trust we have amended it: & now if the Lord hath given you ears willing to hear, & hearts ready to embrace, I purpose to lay out the matter more at large, and fully to set before your eyes, as plainly as God will give me grace, the ways and means how we are discharged before this judge from whatsoever can be laid against us: & because the matter is touching our care before a judge, I purpose to handle it even after the same manner, that ye use to handle your law matters before judges, saving that I mean not to bring such slender stuff for the proof of the matter, as you use in your brabblings. I dare not so deal with so weighty a cause, especially before so wise and sincere a judge, that can not be deceived, and will not be corrupted: I mind to bring into this heavenly court no other evidences, but of such strength and soundness, as shallbe able to abide the piercing eyes of this severe judge without blemish, and that is even out of God's blessed word: I purpose to bring no other evidence, witness, nor writing, then is there found, and that only will stand for good stuff in this high court, 
joh. 12. 48.  and no other thing, for so saith the same God, that by his word he will judge in that day: he will not go by hearsay, nor by had I witted, nor by conjectures, nor receive one man for favour, an other for fear, but look how he answereth the matter by proof out of God's word, so doth this judge pronounce upon him sentence, either of salvation, or of damnation: all devices of men's brains, what goodly shows so ever they have made here in this world must needs vanish away as smoke, before the heavenly judge. I purpose therefore, as I say, to handle this matter of our salvation even after the same manner, that ye use to handle your court matter, that it may more deeply sink into our dull brains: for we can good skill of law matters, we be marvelously practised in them, every countri-clowne here amongst us in Norfolk is able to set a good lawyer to school, in worldly brabbles, about worldly goods, lands, and livings. Well, because ye have so good a fancy to law, I will teach you, if ye will learn, to be as cunning in this great law matter touching the goods of heaven, the land of heaven, the living in heaven. I would, if it pleased God, that all Norfolk men were men of law to answer this weighty matter in the high court: 
1. Cor. 9 10.  we must all to it: the simplest must answer it: we must needs appear to the action, and that by no attorney, but in our own person: we must all be summoned to appear there personally, the writ is already gone out, and served upon us: The Apostle Paul here is our herald, shrieff, sergeant, or bailiff, that doth ascite us before this judge: we be arrested already, and the mace upon our shoulders, to be ready at a minutes warning (when we shall be called) to answer to an action of high treason committed by us against the King of kings, for that he taking us to be his subjects, we have traitorously forsaken him, and joined ourselves with a foreign prince enemy to this high king: & further also to answer an other action of rebellion against his majesty, for that he favourably receiving us to mercy, after our treason committed against him, have never since ceased to rise up against him, but continually spurned against his will, and never would suffer ourselves to be ruled by him, but like proud rebels have started up against him, seeking to thrust him out of his throne, and to place ourselves, and our own devices there, that we might rule and reign after our lusts: and for these and many such like heinous crimes are we to receive judgement, to lose the hold we have of God's kingdom in heaven, and to take possession of the eternal torments in hell. These great and weighty matters are we summoned to answer unto, not in Westminster court before my L. chief justice, my L. chancellor, the Q. Majesty, or her counsel; those be men flesh and blood, and not appointed judges of so weighty matters, they must needs come to be judged themselves, and yield up their account then and there: but we are summoned to answer these matters in the Court holden in heaven, before the king's majesty of the whole earth, and his counsel and assembly of glorious Angels, before my Lord chief justice of the whole earth, and chancellor of the whole world, the dear Son of God, jesus Christ the Lord of all: before him we must appear personally then and there, to answer these and such other weighty matters, as shallbe laid to our charge. Thus we are all summoned and ascited, & thither must we go whither we will or not, there will no bail serve, we can not use any shift to wind us out of his presence, we can not fee the officer with bribes, that the might friendly in our behalf return, Non est innuentus, the Lord will find us, I warrant us: we are found out already, & apparent before his eyes. Well, thus standeth the case, what shall we do then? flying will not serve, bribing will not serve, bolstering will not serve, there is no remedy but appear we must to the action, & stand to the answer, & submit ourselves to the sentence: what shall we do then? I told you before, because we might see the matter more plain before us, I purposed to handle it after the common process in law, as we use to deal with our common worldly matters: what then would we do any of us if we had a matter to appear unto that we must answer, the writ and all served, what would we do in this case? we would straight ways first learn out at whose suit we are troubled, who it is that is our accuser, than we would learn out diligently what matter he hath to lay against us, what it is that he purposeth to charge us withal: and last of all we would be glad to know what evidence he can show for the proof of his matter: all these things we would be glad to know if we can by any means before we come in open court: and if so be that we have once gotten out, who is our accuser, what matter he hath against us, and what sound proof he can bring in for to make his matter good: when we know all this, we know in a manner before we come there how the matter will go: for than we will seek out our evidence on our side, what sound gear we have, and how we may make answer to his evidences on the contrary side: thus we use to do in our worldly matters. It standeth us in hand I trow to be as careful in this our heavenly action. Now before we come to the judge, unless we will lose the hold of everlasting life, and throw ourselves headlong into everlasting death. It standeth us upon loss of life and goods everlasting to look to this gear, both to look out our accuser and pursuer of this matter against us, and also what we are charged with: and finally what proofs he hath for it, that knowing the matter thoroughly, we may be careful to see it answered now before the great judgement day come suddenly upon us. Who is then our accuser? can we know that? I told you the word of God will lead us straight to all those things that must be handled in this judgement, as straight & more strait than any counsellor can inform us of our worldly matters out of his la book. 
Apoc. 12. 9  The holy ghost telleth us plainly, that the devil is our accuser, for so he saith, the great dragon, that old serpent, which is called the devil & Satan, which deceiveth the whole world, & the accuser of our brethren, which accuseth them before God day and night, the same old subtle beast, saith he, is thrown down. Lo here the spirit of God giveth us to understand, that we have an old subtle serpent, the devil, that by his craft hath deceived the whole world, we have such a furious beast our accuser: yea, that doth not reserve his matter till then only, but even now is always accusing us before our God, and never ceaseth night nor day: it is high time for us then to look about us, seeing we have so crafty an accuser that hath by his subtlety deceived so many, and by his long experience is an old worn soldier in such dealing, yea, and our old sworn enemy, furiously set on rage against us to destroy us in a moment if he could: be sure we shall have no favour at his hand, but whatsoever he can lay against us, for he hath been privy to most of our naughty doings, yea the very author himself, and we his slaves in doing them: well than ye see, seeing we have such an enemy for our accuser, we had need to furnish ourselves on all sides against him. But what can he lay to our charge now? let us see that: hath he any matter of weight to lay to our charge? He layeth to our charge matters of high treason against God the supreme King, and rebellion against his majesty, and there withal putteth in his plea, to prove us guilty of the forfeiture of our heavenly inheritance, & therefore to be thrown out into everlasting fire: these matters than toucheth the quick, seeing they concern life everlasting, or else death everlasting: if we be convicted, there is no way with us, but everlasting torment. But let us see what proofs he hath for his matter, what evidence he can bring into this high court to prove this great action: for if he have nothing to prove and make good that, which he layeth against us, then, although the action be never so great, it is to no purpose, it must fall and come to nought: for it may be he playeth with us, as a company of his members useth to deal with poor men here about us, who put in their actions of thousands and thousands, and make simple men believe that great matter is against them, and when all comes to all that poor men have been tossed from post to pillar up to London, and down again, and emptied their poor purses among the rich layers, than the matter falleth out neither so nor so, neither thousands nor hundreds, no not of a farthing weight, not the very turning of a straw: and yet great a do made about it till it come to the trial, as though it concerned infinite worlds and mountains of gold, and at the length all not worth a straw. It may be then their master Satan purposeth so to deal with us, as he hath taught these idle fellows his servants to play with poor folks. It may be, I say, he purposeth to face out the matter with great brags in this high court, and make us believe we be in danger of hell, and loss of life everlasting and such like, and when it cometh to the trial, nothing so: therefore let us see what strong evidence he can show for the proof of it. He bringeth in for the proof hereof no smaller stuff than the very word of God: he bringeth in the great charter made betwixt God and us, wherein the Lord bindeth himself to be our God, and we to be his people, if we perform the covenants therein contained: & we on our side do assent to the performance of the same, if he will vouchsafe to be our good and gracious god, & take us to be his servants & tenants: this great charter & handwriting of God confirmed, sealed, and ratified unto us, first by the old seal of the blood of calves and goats, secondly in the new seal of the blood of the Son of God: this same great charter & hand writing of God doth Satan bring in against us, to prove us guilty of forfeiture of the kingdom of God, and heirs of hell sire, because we have not performed the covenants of that writing; for that is one clause of the charter: if we do not fulfil all the covenants, that then we should be excluded from the joys of heaven, and have Gods curse reigning over us, as it doth appear Deuter. 27. 
●●ut. 27. 26.  Cursed, saith God, is every one, which doth not fulfil all that is written in the book of this law: 
Gal. 3. 10.  and the Apostle Paul bringeth the same sentence in, to prove that all of us are guilty of curse & condemnation, & saith moreover, that the law doth condemn us, because we did not perform the covenants contained therein. Ye see then what is brought against us to prove us to be cast off from God, and guilty of the wrath and curse of God, here is the word of God brought against us to prove the same, because we have broken and transgressed the covenants which God gave us to walk in: & further to prove that we have broken them (if we should be so impudent as to stand to the denial) there is avouched the self same word of God, which flatly convinceth us, and telleth us that there is no man but sinneth; all have sinned and stand in need of the glory of God: 
1. Kin. 8. 46.  If we should say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, 
Rom. 3. 23.  and there is no truth in us: these evidences and records out of the word of God do beat us down to the hard ground before the judgement seat of God, 
1. joh. 1. 8.  besides the record and testimony of our own consciences, which standeth in greater force to condemn us, than a thousand witnesses, 
1. joh. 3. 20.  especially before God, who is greater than our conscience, and knoweth all▪ yea many things which our consciences be not touched withal. Thus you see here is brought in, in this judgement, sufficient proof against us for our condemnation, it is no sleight nor slender stuff, but sound proof out of the word of God: 
Mat. 5. 17.  here is no counterfeit deeds, no forged evidences, but such as are sealed and ratified by the Son of God himself, 
Mat. 5. 18.  which testifieth of himself, that his coming was not to disannul them, 
Luke 16. 17.  but to fulfil and accomplish them: we must not then think, 
joh. 12. 48.  but that this gear, that is here brought in against us, 
Matt. 24. 35.  will stand and be allowed even before the Lord in his tribunal seat, because it is nothing but his own word, by the which he telleth us he will judge us: and though heaven and earth pass, yet that word never passeth: wherefore it standeth us now in hand to see how this matter may be answered on our part: we had need to look about us, and seek for as good stuff for the answering of the matter to our discharge, as is brought in against us to our condemnation, or else (the Lord knoweth) we be in miserable case: unless we have as sure proof out of the self same word of God for our discharge, there is no remedy but we perish every mother's child: for the Lord can not go against his word. let us see then, good brethren, how we can answer the matter, and let us beware that we bring not our own cavils against God, not the devices of our own brain, nor that which we think good of ourselves, unless it have his ground on the word of God, which only must be the great court rolls that this heavenly judge will use in this court. And this is one special cause that moveth me to handle the matter of our salvation before the throne of God, & not as here upon earth, because every fond devise of our own foolish head seemeth to us while we keep us here below to be most excellent & sound, as nothing can be more: every toy & trifle that liketh us, seemeth to be so firm & strong, as God must needs yield unto our liking: but it shallbe far otherwise when is cometh to be handled before God: all such imaginations must needs vanish away as smoke before the judgement seat of God: nothing can abide his presence there, but only his own blessed word, and that which is grounded upon it. Let us therefore so examine the matter of our salvation, as it may stand steady & strong before the eternal God against Satan, sin, & all the powers of hell. Let us come now to the answering of the matter. There hath come proof against us as ye have heard out of the word of God, that we are all of us accursed of Gods own mouth, 
Deut. 27. 26.  because we have transgressed his la and holy commandments, 
Gal. 3. 10.  this is proved against us: what shall we say, can we deny it? not unless we will deny God himself, 
1. Reg. 8. 4●.  for it is proved unto us out of his word, that all of us have sinned, 
Rom. 3. 23.  & none but sinneth, we can not then deny that; 
1. joh. 1. 8.  & if that be granted, the other must needs follow, that we are therefore subject to the curse of God & eternal death, because it is written, 
Rom. 6. 23.  that the reward of sin is death: &, Cursed is every one that doth not abide to fulfil all that is written in the book of the law: 
Gal. 3. 10.  it is then apparent, that the wrath of God is pronounced upon us for our disobedience to God: that can not be denied, what shall we say then? we stand before God to answer the matter, what shall we say to it? I am afraid a great number of us are far to seek in these la points of our salvation, although we be otherwise never so excellent, cunning & skilful in other la matters to handle them marvelous subtly & wisely, I am afraid for all that we are far to learn in these most chief & weighty causes of life & death eternal. And yet I know we be not altogether without our answers, such as they be, very simple (God knoweth) & slender, far unmeet to come before so glorious a judge in so weighty causes. We do not deny but we have broken these blessed commandments of God, we confess that, but in the mean time, we have our shifts & gloss to assuage the matter withal: we can allege for ourselves, that although we have broken Gods commandments & offended God, yet they be not so great offences as deserve any great punishment: & herein we be marvelous eloquent to paint out the matter, to make ourselves believe that our sins be not so great, because we see other men have done greater: or, because we see ourselves void of notorious crimes, & such as be punished by the magistrate: we can very readily allege for ourselves; what man? I trust I am not so great a sinner, I thank God I am no thief, I labour truly for my living: nor, I am no murderer or common whoremaster, & such like: and hereupon we set ourselves in a good stay, & never busy ourselves to answer the matter any further before the throne of God: but conclude with ourselves that God must be good unto us, because we be not so notorious sinners, as outrageous men be. Yea (good brethren) but will God be so answered think you? will this stand for good evidence before the throne of God? Doth the word of God say, Cursed be every one that doth not abide in the greatest commandments, as in abstaining from murder, man slaughter, whoredom, these & such like? doth it speak on this matter only? no it goeth further & saith, Cursed be every one that doth not abide, & fulfil all that is written in the book of the law: it doth not say, some part, but all: & so forth in the rest. Although thou be no whoremaster nor murderer, & yet be a swearer, thou hast not fulfilled al. And therefore the Apostle S. james reproveth such kind of people as dare so boldly blanche with God's commandments, to think themselves in good case for doing one or two of the commandments, 
james 2. 10.  & neglecting the rest. He telleth us, Whosoever should filfill all the commandments, & yet break but one of them, is guilty of the whole burden of the law; which threateneth curse to the transgressors & breakers of any one, 
Mat. 5. 10.  yea even of the lest, as Christ jesus also witnesseth: yea further, God's commandments be so pure, dear, and precious, that they are to be fulfilled and done not only with our outward body, but especially with our heart: for the commandments of God are spiritual, (so saith Paul) & pierce even to the heart: 
Rom. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉.  & God that giveth them, is not God of our bodies only, but also of our souls, & therefore giveth us laws not only to tie our hands from doing evil, but the heart also from thinking & devising evil, because he is a God that loveth pure truth & sincerity, not only in outward show, but especially in the in ward heart, 
Psal. 51. ●.  as testifieth the Psalm. Therfork jesus Christ doth tell us, that they be broken, not only when our body doth commit the outward fact, but also even when the heart doth break it, although the body have not done it, that thou art guilty before God, 
Mat. 5. 28.  when thy heart hath broken it, even when thou hast lusted after thy neighbour's wife, 
Mat. 5. 22.  thou hast committed adultery in thine heart, saith Christ: yea, and if thou speak but a railing or reproachful sentence, thou art guilty of hell fire: & although thou never neither kill thy brother nor smite him, 
1. joh. 3. 15.  yet if thou hate him in thine heart, thou art a mankiller before God, who condemneth the thoughts of our hearts. Yea & further, it must be done not only with thy heart after a cold fashion with some part of thy good will & liking, 
Matt. 22. 37.  but cheerfully with all the heart, with all the mind, yea & with all the soul. So that although we could fulfil all the commandments of God, & yet break but one of them once in all our life, yea & although it were but in our heart, yet that word condemneth us as guilty of God's curse, 
Gal. 3. 10.  which saith, Cursed is every one, which doth not fulfil all that is written in the book of this law: if any one commandment be but once in all our life broken, all is not fulfilled, & therefore is a curse pronounced against us. This is brought in against us ye see, and alleged to prove us guilty of the curse and vengeance of God, for breaking his commandments: the least of them, although it were but in thought, yet sufficient to throw us down to hell: all this is brought against us out of the word of God in this judgement, & therefore cannot be answered with gloss: we may well enough surmise of our own head what we think good here below, when we come before god nothing will serve but his word. It will not avail thee a straw (when thou shalt stand before the judgement seat of God) it will not avail thee to say, O good Lord, I grant indeed I have sinned, but yet they are but small sins, for straight thou shalt have answer, Cursed is every one that doth not fulfil all, not only the great, but also the small, these gloss will not serve at that day: and yet see how many are carried away now a days by such imagination of God's commandments. For a great number think, that if they be not notorious sinners before men, they shall be well enough: for they think that the rest of their sins are not of so great weight because they be known only to God, & not greatly hated of the world: & this the, fall into because they measure the breach of God's commandment by the rule of their own judgement, or by the common opinion of men. But alas (good brethren) it will go far otherwise with us before the judgement seat of God, 
Rom. 6. 23.  who will measure the breach of his blessed will not by men's word, but by his own word: & that word telleth us, that the reward of the lest sin is death. We must seek then for more sound stuff then this to answer our cause, or all will else go wrong with us. We go on yet further with the matter, & when we are convicted that our sins are great & grievous before God, we acknowledge it to be so, but we have remedy enough for it, as we think: for we bring in to answer the matter, the punishments wherewith we have punished our bodies, as pining ourselves with fasting, whipping, scourging, & such like: and these things we think be a sufficient recompense to God for our sins, as so much as he must needs be satisfied with, & therefore we call them Satisfactions. oh, (say we) we have sinned indeed, & our sins be grievous, but yet for all that we have pinched our body for our sins, we have scourged ourselves every day, we have gone on pilgrimage in frost & snow barefoot, and therefore although we have sinned, yet we have satisfied God for our sins: we trust this will be a sufficient recompense to God for our sins: yea but let us see, whether this will be a sufficient answer before God, whether God will take this recompense for our sins or no. The Lord our God hath appointed in his word a far greater punishment and recompense for our sins, then can be fall the body of man: when they have pined it all that ever they can: the punishment and due debt of our sin by the word of God, is not only a punishment of the body but also of the soul, not only for a certain time of days and years which have an end, 
Matt. 25. 4●. and 10. 28.  but days and years which never end. It is the fire which never goeth out, 
Marc. 9 44.  which can never be quenched: it is the worm which never dieth: 
Apoc. 20. 6. and 21. 8.  it is a second death, where men be always dying, and never can make an end, because it is everlasting; this is the just recompense of our sins: we must not then think we have trimly satisfied for our sins, when we have undergone and taken upon us certain punishments in our bodies, which we think be very grievous; for although we should our whole life long pine ourselves with the greatest and extremest torment that could be, it is nothing in comparison of that full measure of punishment for our sins, which God setteth down: for that is not for a day or two, or as long as we live, no not for twenty thousand years, but for ever, ever, ever, and hath never end: and not only in the torments of the body, but also in soul, the grief whereof can not be expressed, a thousand times more intolerable than any grief that can come to the body. Doth the Lord God say, Whipped be that body for certain years, which doth not fulfil all that is written, 
Gal. 3. 1●.  etc. no, he saith not so; but he saith, Accursed be he: I trow the curse of God stretcheth further than the body of man: the curse of God containeth in it all the torments that can be devised both in soul and body, even as his favour and goodness containeth all happiness. This curse of God which is due for our sins, as it containeth all the torments which can be devised both of soul and body, so is it set forth unto us in Scripture by such things as seem terrible unto us, to express unto us more deeply the terror of it by such things as seem terrible unto us in this earth: 
Matth. 5. 41.  as fire that can not be quenched, burning lake, 
Apoc. 19 20. and 20. 10.  second death, damnation, where is weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth, and such other like kind of speeches, 
Marc. 9 44.  to express unto us the horror of the same: not that any terrible thing in this life can sufficiently express the horror of these pains, as they are in deed, for the tongue of man can not utter, nor heart think the torment prepared for sin. The burden thereof caused the dear Son of God to sweat, not usual sweat, but drops of blood, not one or two drops, but in such abundance, 
Luc. 22. 44.  but in such abundance, that it came flowing down to the ground: the weight of the punishment of our sins, is more grievous than men do think. Let us not then flatter selves, good brethren, and dally in this matter with our God, bringing in recompense and satisfaction for our sins, after our own devising, it will not stand for good stuff before the judgement seat of God: if we will take upon us to satisfy for our sins, than we must take upon us hell fire, the curse of God, eternal death, for these punishments hath the Lord God appointed to be due for our sins. 
Gal. 3. 10.  Let us not then think that the torments of our body, 
Rom. 6. 23.  although it be never so heinous as long as we live, although it be an hundredth year can be any sufficient satisfaction unto GOD, no not for the least of our sins, for we see flatly that the Lord himself hath appointed far greater, to be endless both in soul and body forever. Peradventure it may be, that we shall think ourselves well enough eased by these satisfactions, so long as we are quiet here be low, and no torment cometh to our consciences, but alas, when we must answer it before our God, all these our dreams must needs vanish away as smoke, from the presence of our God, because they have not their ground upon the word of God, by which all things must be tried in that day. It is alleged us before the great judge, that we have sinned: 
joh. 12. 48.  we confess it, but we say, we have satisfied for our sins, we have pined our body with fasting all our life long, we have gone on pilgrimage barefoot and bare legged, we have whipped our body till the blood every day, we have worn haircloth upon our body, and this we have done for a recompense for our sins: God answereth us by his word, I have appointed the due recompense for sin, my everlasting curse, 
Marc. 9 44.  the worm that never dieth, the torments of hell, have ye suffered these, 
Matt. 16. 28.  and overcome them? we must needs confess No: but we say, yet good Lord we have suffered a little (in our body: but he saith, the punishment which I appoint is both of soul and body everlasting, and therefore that punishment which ye bring in, is not able to answer the debt, it is but only a forged recompense of our own brain. This gear then good brethren, can not fall out jump in the judgement seat of God, the Lord our God will not be satisfied with our answer to the debt, which we forge of our own head, but he willbe answered the true debt in deed: the true debt which we own our God in deed for our sins, is the everlasting curse of God, which never hath end, it is not a certain punishment of the body for a certain time, that is but false and forged of our own head, that is not the right debt. Is it not an intolerable thing, and not to be suffered before a mortal judge, when as the right debt is a thousand pounds, to bring in stead thereof a false forged debt of half a mite, and there face out the matter, as though all were discharged, because he can bring proof enough, that that forged debt is discharged? can this be suffered among earthly magistrates? and shall we think to gloze out the matter with our forged debts before the heavenly judge? There is sound proof come in against us, that we are indebted unto our God the penalty of his curse, everlasting torments both of soul and body, this debt must be answered unto our God, or else we shall never he discharged, this our right debt must be paid, and sure proof brought in how it is paid, or else we shall never have our general acquittance, but lie in the prison of hell for ever. The like is to be said of all other the satisfactions, that have been forged by man, they can nor stand in this judgement. That same great and horrible Mass, which hath been thought to be a sufficient recompense for the sin both of the living & the dead, it can not stand before the judgement seat of God, it is but a counterfeit payment of our debt: the true payment is to pay the true debt of our sins, and that is the curse of God, but the Mass is not the payment of that debt, that is too weighty and heavy both for the masser and the mass itself, to overcome the torments of everlasting death; that can not recompense God there for our sins, seeing the true and only recompense is, to undergo the torments of hell due for all our sins. Neither can their forged purgatory pains be a recompense to God for our sins, because the true debt which must be answered, is infinite and without end: the full punishment which we own for our sins is incomprehensible and infinite, even as our God, against whom the offence is committed. All these then, and whatsoever have been devised by man, will fall out in the day of judgement to be no payment, but only forged payments, and so we found always guilty, and our debts unanswerable: it standeth us in hand (good brethren) to look to it, you see it is a more weighty matter, than men do commonly judge it, it will not be so soon discharged as men do dream: let us take pains in it for God's sake, now while we have time, and not flatter ourselves with our own weening, the Lord will not so be answered at our hands: he giveth us now time to look for the answering of it, he giveth us his blessed word, wherein we may learn how to answer it, even to the full: if we carelessly pass over this time of mercy, and seek not for this gear, we shall hereafter taste of his judgements without mercy. Well, thus ye see all this stuff that is yet brought in, will not serve to answer the matter: we must try further what we can say for ourselves: we go on yet further, and will acknowledge that we have sinned grievously, and that our sins are horrible, but we think although we have done many ill deeds, yet because we have done many good deeds, we think God must needs hold us excused: and therefore we think our alms deeds and many prayers, and fastings, must needs bind God to give us heaven for them, we think we may addle heaven (as they say) by our good deeds. But the answer is given us herein, that was given us before, that the recompense to God for our sins, is not two or three good deeds, no not twenty thousand thousand, but the curse of God, death, and damnation: that must be sustained and overcome, or other recompense to God is there none. True it is that the Lord promiseth unto us everlasting life for doing his commandments: he that doth them shall live in them: God promiseth life to the doing of his commandment, yea even everlasting life, but then he requireth that they be done not in part (as hath been said before) but in whole, 
Matt. 22. 3●.  and that with all the heart, with all the mind, with all the soul: upon this condition in deed, that we do all his commandments, and never break one of them, he putteth us in good assurance of everlasting life, and surely he will not fail us, if we perform all those covenants: but if so be we break but one of them, we then forfeit our hold, & incur the penalty of the breach of the covenants, which is the everlasting wrath of God: 
Gal. 3. 10.  for so doth God say, Cursed is every one which doth, etc. The life everlasting is, as ye would say, let to farm to us, to have and to hold to us and our posterity for ever, upon this condition, that we perform all such and such covenants as are contained in the book of God: Do these, saith God, and thou shalt have life. But provided always, that if thou break any one of them once in all thy life, then accursed be thou from my face: here is indeed heaven promised to us, if we do Gods commandments, but then we must do all, and not some one, or else we forfeit all. Now let all the men upon the earth come and stand before the judgement seat of God, and let me see amongst them all, that ever have been, or ever shallbe to the end of the world, let me see if any one can be found, that ever hath done all these commandments of God, that he may justly challenge his right and interest in heaven by it: let me see if such an one can be found; only one excepted. jesus Christ God and man. The Scripture and word of God flatly condemneth all of us of sin, 
Gal. 3. 22.  and therefore can we challenge no right nor interest in heaven by our deeds, 
Rom. 3. 23.  because we have not done all: 
1. joh. 1. 8.  but rather our interest for our deeds is of right in hell, because we have broken some one, 
1. Reg. 8. 40.  yea all, 
Prov. 20. 9  and all again even the best of us all. We must not then seek to claim heaven by our deeds, but we must be careful how to be delivered from hell, which we have deserved by our deeds. Thus you see then it will not avail to allege one or two good deeds before God, no nor twenty thousand, unless thou bring the full performance of the deeds of the whole law: for God promiseth not life but to the performance of the whole: our good deeds will not serve us then to set against our evil for payment before God, seeing one of our evil deeds, even the least which we do or think, condemneth us to hell. We can not seek life then in our works, because we are not able to perform all, 
Gal. 3. 20.  and never offend: and that is that the Apostle so often saith, That by the deeds of the Law, 
Rom. 7. 4. & 3. 20. & 4. 15.  no man can be saved: that the law worketh death, bringeth the knowledge of sin, worketh wrath, can not give life, etc. because we do not fulfil it. This will then seem for no answer before God, 
Gal. 3. 20.  to say I have sinned, but I have done so many good deeds for the recompense thereof: 
Rom. 6. 23.  for he answereth out of his own word, that the reward of sin, is death, and he will take no other recompense, but that which he himself hath set down, and therefore we must look that that may be carefully sought. Thus then, good brethren, in viewing the true and right debt which we own to God for our sin, it bringeth to nought all forged debts of man's brain: for seeing the curse of God, everlasting death and damnation, is the just punishment which God hath set down for our sins, and all our fastings, masses, pilgrimages, pardons, scourge, mans-merits, wilful poverty, watchings, prayers, alms deeds, purgatories, will not serve to recompense God, because the punishment is far greater than all these, and a thousand such like: And yet herein, good brethren, I would not have you take me, as though I did speak against fasting, praying, and alms deeds doing, I do not mean so; the word of God straightly chargeth us both to fast, pray, and exercise ourselves not only in alms deeds doing, but also in all other kind of well doing, and the Lord knoweth we are too slack in such matters (but I shall have occasion to handle those matters hereafter, God willing:) my meaning now, I say, is not to speak against fasting, prayer, and other good deeds, for the word of God commandeth them to be done: but here only I tell you out of the word of God, that these and all the good deeds that ye do, can serve for no part of the least recompense to God for one of your least sins: for the least deserveth everlasting death. You see then it is a greater matter to satisfy God, than to bring in a company of good deeds, seeing our least evil deed hath the threat of God's everlasting curse: that debt must be satisfied, or else the Lord our God will never be satisfied. The Lord will not accept our own forged debts, but he will have the true debt answered: this is a great matter, and deeply to be weighed, good brethren, that we may understand the depth of our salvation to be more weighty, than it is generally accounted. This maketh men so careless of their salvation, as common they are, because they dream the price of sin to be so vile, that a certain pining of the body will satisfy God for it, or that a little holy-water will wash it away, or certain deeds doing, or certain prayers said, will please God for it: they do not way that the debt for sin is God's curse and condemnation. And surely now in these our days in the time of so great light of the gospel, the people are marvelously ignorant of their salvation: generally they know no other way to be saved, but by their good deeds, and yet they be void of them too (God knoweth) and hereof cometh that common saying, framed in the time of darkness, and continued still among us, that we must carry nothing with us but our good deeds and our bad; and where is Christ jesus then? 
Eph. 3.  If he be not in our hearts, we shall never come to life eternal: if we have Christ, we have life and all: if we have not Christ, all our good deeds and bad deeds we carry with us, shall nothing avail us, but throw us down to hell. This will not then serve before our God, to bring in our good deeds for recompense of the debt we own, which is the very wrath of God: we must then yet look further, what we have to say for ourselves, and lay in for answer of the matter. We go on yet further, and will acknowledge ourselves sinners, and all that hath been said before, that the punishment of sin is everlasting death, and that nothing that we can do is able to recompense or satisfy God for it; but yet we have our starting holes, & windings whereby we can wind and wring ourselves jollily out of the matter, that we may more safely lie and continue still in our most senseless security and wilful wretchedness and blockishness. We flatter and sooth up yourselves with the mercies of God, and because we hear that the Lord God is merciful, we sleep in the matter, & never go about to see his justice answered, but content ourselves with these vain gloss, that he is a merciful God, and therefore we will never trouble ourselves about the matter to see our sin answered: for why? God is merciful, we shall do well enough with him. Yea, but is not God also a just God? 
Rom. 3. 4.  is he not also a true God? is he not an hater of sin? 
joh. 3. 33.  is he not a sincere and grievous punisher of sin? Will't thou make the Lord so merciful a God that he shall not be also just? wilt thou make him so merciful, that he shall not be also true? shall God become so merciful to forgive thy sins, that he shall not be also just to punish thy sins? wilt thou have him so merciful, to pass over thy sins, that he shall not be also true to execute to execute that, which he hath appointed for the reward of thy sins? The Lord hath appointed for all sins, yea for the least breach of his commandments, (as hath been proved before) eternal death. 
●al. 3. 10.  Is God false and untrue when he saith, Cursed is every one, which doth not abide, and fulfil all that is written in the book of the Law: is not this sentence true? wilt thou have God in forgiving thy sins go back with his word here, and play as men play, say and unsay, one thing to day and an other thing to morrow? and wilt thou have the Lord of truth in forgiving thy sins to forget all truth, as he shall not look unto the execution of the curse upon thy sins, appointed by the everlasting truth? It will not avail thee to allege God's mercy to forgive thy sins, unless thou seek also the satisfying of God's truth and justice which punisheth thy sins. The Lord God can not of his justice and truth, but he must needs punish all sins of all men with his heavy curse, which he hath appointed for all sin in all men, as he is also a merciful God notwithstanding when he hath appointed a mean to save from this curse all those that be his, God cannot then go back with that which he hath spoken, because he is the truth that can not lie: he must therefore needs unless he should deny himself, punish thy sin with everlasting curse, because he hath so spoken, that both meant it, and can not go from it, but must needs execute it. If thou say; yea but he is merciful, and therefore I trust he will not: it is answered, he is just and true, and therefore he must and will. Let us see now what all the wranglers upon the earth can say to it, in bringing in all their brabbles against God to impeach Gods clear justice and truth, to establish their fleshly mercy, such a mercy in God as they dream, that doth uphold their carnal security and beastly pleasures. Nay, nay, they shall find him a God of justice, a severe revenger of all such contempt, a sharp judge against all such worldly hearts, that under pretence of God's mercy set them down in all sin and filthiness, never seeking for the remedy hereof in this time of mercy, they shall find it I warrant you too true. The Lord God give us hearts and minds to think upon it while we are here, for all such gloss can not prevail against God in the day of the Lord. True it is, that the Lord is a merciful God, a God of all mercies, 
2. Cor. 1. 3.  yea so merciful that all his works are judged with his mercies, 
Psal. 145. ●. & 86. ●5.  yea even unto those that he doth of his justice condemn. They can not deny, even the damned caitiffs can not deny, but that the mercies of God have been powered upon them abundantly, yea a thousand thousand fold: it is God's mercy that maketh the comfortable sun to shine upon them, that maketh his sweet showers to water their grounds, that maketh their land fruitful, that giveth them eyes to look upon the light▪ ears to hear, feet to walk, to take the profit and benefit of all God's blessings: these singular mercies and a thousand more, it can not be denied but God showeth upon the wicked and damned creatures, as well as upon his own children, but they like carnal swine do abuse them every one of them: they will not give their ears to hear the word of life, they will not give their hearts to take pleasure in it, they will not use their feet to seek after life, they cast of all these heavenly mercies of God, and abuse God's benefits to devilish uses, there ears are open to hear wickedness, vanity, and filthiness, their tongue lose to speak lies, abomination and naughtiness, their feet swift to shed innocent blood, and all other the great mercies of God do they horribly abuse to their utter condemnation, so that they can have no just cause to wrangle against God, but must needs acknowledge their condemnation to be most just, having tasted so many of God's mercies, and utterly abused them. So then this their wrangling shift of God's mercy will help them not a whit in that day of judgement, but rather increase their damnation; and let us that be the children of God here also be admonished that it will not avail us to allege God's mercy for us, unless we can also as well allege how his justice and truth is satisfied. And this must now be looked for, while we are here, God giveth us our life to this end: we must seek for it more earnestly a thousand fold, then for our bodily life, as ye often have heard. Let us not flatter ourselves with these speeches, God is merciful, God is merciful, and therefore will forgive us our sins, but also let us acknowledge that God is just and true, and therefore must punish our sin even with that same punishment, that he himself hath appointed: and let us be careful now to seek out how and by what means this same justice and truth of God in punishing our sin may be answered, that we may be saved. Well then, because God is true, which hath appointed every of our sins to be punished with damnation, and therefore will have it so, we must therefore seek how this same may be undergone and overcome. Are we able to take this heavy curse upon us, and make an end of it? It is endless, the worm that never dieth, the fire that can not be quenched. 
Mark. 9 44.  The most highest, that ever were, are, or ever shall be of the posterity of old Adam must needs shrink under this burden, 
Matt. 25. 40.  no flesh is able to sustain and overcome it: the damned souls indeed do feel the weight of it, & shall both in soul and body feel the full measure of it after the last judgement, but they shall never be able to overcome it, they shall always be dying and never die, they can not make an end of it, they can not overcome it. Let all flesh stoop then under the heavy judgement of God upon sin, let us pull down our lofty crests, which we so proudly set up, & let us learn at length to humble ourselves under the hand of our God, and seek otherwhere then in ourselves the discharge of this heavy burden of our sins, which so presseth down all the posterity of Adam, that the holiest quail under it. It is time for us to look to it, and high time: ye see what is laid against us in this high court, whereunto we are summoned, even matters of high treason against the king of glory, we can not deny it, the matter is so evidently proved against us by Gods own mouth in his word, and therefore guilty of the forfeiture of our hold and interest of everlasting life, and to be punished with everlasting death, as a just recompense for our treason & rebellion against our God. No other forged recompenses of our own fancy will be received, no presence of God's mercy will colour the matter against God's truth and justice. What shall we do now? we in ourselves cannot endure and overcome that same punishment of our rebellion▪ shall we stand to it, and stick by it, to take the debt upon us? then we utterly perish: and if we bring any other debt but that, it will not serve; so that both that debt, & no other forged debt must be answered, and we also are not able to pay it. What shall we do in this case? justice must proceed, the law must have his course: if it were a worldly matter we could devise shifts for it, to save us from the jail: when the matter is fully concluded against us, that the debt must needs be answered, and we not find ourselves able to discharge it, our last refuge is to try our friends, and try if we can find any of ability, that can and will pay it for us, and if we have found out such a one that will undertake the debt for us, we are discharged: We shall see, good breethens, if we will be conversant in the word of God, that the Lord God hath been as careful for us in this point, as any of us could be careful for ourselves in our own worldly causes: he hath provided for us a good and trusty friend, that freely and frankly hath discharged for us the whole debt. We find in the word of God that same true and trusty friend, that hath paid the debt for us; that although the angels can not help here, 
1. joh. 2. 1.  nor the Saints, nor any other creature in heaven or earth, the Son of God steppeth out, and taketh to him that which pertained to us and was ours, and whatsoever Gods justice & truth doth require on us, he willingly hath performed it for us: whatsoever is due for our sins, he hath willingly taken it upon him, and discharged it: and because he could not taste of the punishment of man's sin, unless he had been man, he took upon him true flesh of the virgin, 
Gal 4. 4.  that he might become perfect man, 
Heb. 2. 9, 10. & 4. 15.  as we are subject to all infirmities, sin only excepted: 
1. Tim. 2. 15.  and that he might not only as man sustain and abide the punishment due to our sins, but also (which no man can do) overcome and make an end of it, he joined his God head with his manhood, so being perfect God and perfect man, hath fully in our nature paid whatsoever the justice of God can lay against us. What is due to our sins? death: he hath sustained death. 
Rom. 8. 3.  What is due to our sins? curse: he became accursed for us, sustaining and abiding the fierce and terrible wrath of God for our sin: 
Gal. 3. 13.  as testifieth the Apostle: that he delivered us from the curse of God in that he became accursed for us: for it is written, Cursed is he that hangeth upon the tree. This was an apparent proof unto us that he hath undergone the curse for us: 
Matt. 27. 46.  and partly he giveth us to understand the heaviness of it, when he mightily crieth unto his father, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? He felt the taste of abjection to be cast off from God, 
Esa. 59 2.  for that same is a part of the curse of God which is due to our sins, according as the holy ghost saith, that our sins do separate us from God: we deserve then to be cast off from God, 
Luc. 23. 46.  and this same sharp abjection did Christ sustain and yet overcame it: for although he cried never so loud as forsaken of God: 
1. Cor. 4.  yet he willingly yieldeth his soul into the hands of his Father: 
Eph. 1. 20.  Father, into thine hands I commit my spirit. And although he suffered death, yet by suffering he overcame death, and rose up from death, and is ascended up into heaven, above all power and principalities of things in heaven, in earth, or in hell. Here than you see jesus Christ the Son of God, taking upon him our nature hath borne and overcome for us whatsoever God of his justice and truth can lay against us. And here behold the depth of the mystery of God's eternal wisdom, his mercy and his justice joined together: his mercy in forgiving our sins, his justice in punishing our sins: his justice that would not suffer one of our sins unpunished, but even with his heavy curse doth reward them: & yet his mercy toward his elect, that he doth not punish their sins in themselves, but layeth them all upon the shoulders of his own dear son for us. Here behold the wonderful wisdom of God, who in saving of his children, yet omitteth no part of his justice, but punisheth their sin even to the full with that self same punishment which he himself hath appointed: & this which he hath suffered is a full recompense for all our sins, according as the holy ghost allegeth, If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, 
1. joh. 2. 1, 2.  even jesus Christ the righteous, and he is the propitiation or ransom for our sins, so much as is sufficient, & well pleasing the Lord our God, it is a sweet smelling sacrifice before our God. 
Eph. 5. 2.  This then is sufficient for the sins of the whole world. But here yet ariseth a doubt, for seeing jesus Christ hath sustained and borne the punishment of our sins, so much as the sins of the whole world deserveth, it should seem then that all the world should be saved: but we see the clean contrary, 
Matth. 7. 13.  even by the testimony of jesus Christ himself, who saith, that many run to damnation, and few in comparison to salvation. How can this be then that Christ hath satisfied the punishment of all our sins? True it is that jesus Christ hath borne whatsoever is due for all our sins, & that which he hath borne is also sufficient punishment for all the sins of the earth, and yet as true it is also that a great number are damned notwithstanding, and that because they have not the hand of faith to take some part of this recompense for their sins. For the blessed word of God, which setteth forth unto us jesus Christ a full ransom of our sins, doth also give us to understand, that none are benefited to salvation, saving only those, which do believe. So God loved the world, 
Io●. 3. 16. 18.  that he gave his only begotten son, to the end that all that believe in him should not perish, but have everlasting life: he saith not, all the world; but, all that believe: he saith on the contrariwise, whosoever doth not believe is damned: 
Vers. 18. 36.  look now, none are saved, save only those which do believe in Christ: if we do not believe, the word of God saith, we are condemned: ye see then although Christ hath suffered for sin, yet unless we believe, we can not be saved. But yet here ariseth another doubt, which might seem to bring with it also a liberty to sin, for it should seem, if all are saved that believe in Christ, than all England, France, Ireland, Spain, Italy, and all Europe shallbe saved; & none should be damned, but the Turk, jew, & such other as deny Christ: for all Europe do believe in Christ, & acknowledge Christ, whether they be papists or protestants, none doth deny Christ: all believe that Christ is God, the son of God, borne of the virgin & so forth, therefore it should seem that none of those should be damned, for they all believe. True it is, I grant, all these do believe, & so do the devils too & yet are damned. They do believe & confess as fast as the best of them all, 
Mat. 8. 29.  that Christ is God, son of the living God, 
Mark 5. 7.  we know whom thou art (say they) even Christ the son of the highest God: yea they believe he shall come to judgement, 
jam. 2. 19  art thou come to torment us before the time? to be short, there is no article of our faith but they know it as well as we, & believe it to be true, & yet notwithstanding they do nothing but tremble, & shake, & must utterly be damned. The whole company of them that bear the name of Christ, & are called Christians do believe, that Christ is God▪ so do the devils. They believe that Christ is the son of God, so do the devils: They believe that Christ was borne of the virgin, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified for man's sin, rose again, ascended into heaven, & shall come again at the latter day, all this do the devils believe, & yet are damned: seeing then the word of God setteth down unto us two kinds of faith or believing in Christ, the one, such as the devils & wicked members of Satan have to damnation: the other, such as the children of god have to salvation, we must therefore be very careful to seek out that true & sound faith of God's people, lest we flatter our selves, & think we believe well enough, when we have no other belief, than the very devils in hell have: we must be therefore very careful to know in what points the devils faith doth differ from the sound faith of God's people. First of all the devils although they believe that all that jesus Christ did was truly done, yet they do not believe that he did it for them: although they can acknowledge & confess all the articles of our faith, yet they can not apply them unto themselves: although they can believe that jesus Christ is God, & soon of God, & hath paid the punishment of man's sin, yet they can not believe that he hath done this for them, they can not believe that he hath paid the punishment for their sins, they can not believe that, for they have not assurance thereof out of the word of God: nay they know the clean contrary, 
Hebr. 2. 16.  that Christ came not to save them: for the Apostle to the Hebrews writeth, that Christ took not upon him the nature of spirits & angels to ransom them, but the nature of man: therefore although the devils can say never so fast, we believe that Christ hath paid the punishment of man's sins, yet they must needs withal say, acknowledge, and believe, he hath paid the punishment of man's sins, but not for ours, & therefore we look & believe to be tormented. This is then the most chief and principal point in our belief, that is, that we believe whatsoever Christ hath done for the salvation of man, pertaineth to us ourselves as well as unto others: we must believe every one of us that willbe saved, that the ransom which Christ hath performed is even the ransom of our sins, yea every one of us particularly must apply it unto himself, & say, I believe that jesus Christ did suffer to pay the punishment of these my sins, I believe that he hath purchased everlasting life even for me as well as for others. Otherwise if we believe never so much that Christ hath suffered for the ransom of others, & not for us ourselves, it is no faith, but a devils faith, such as makes us tremble before our God. For alas, what would it avail me if I could never so much believe, that Christ had ransomed other men's sins, & in the mean time could not believe that he had ransomed my sins? I believe indeed, he hath purchased life for others, his elect, but alas not for me. I must look for nothing but hell, what, I say, could all this belief help me? Alas nothing, but make me look for God's dreadful vengeance, and therefore every hour tremble and shake. So could that miserable poor caitiff Francis Speyra acknowledge & confess, when they brought out of the word of God that Christ was the Saviour of the world, the ransom of men's sins, that by his death he had pacified God's wrath, that he had purchased everlasting life for us, & so forth: all this is true, saith he, I believe it as well as you, but all this pertaineth nothing to me, he hath done this, saith he, for his people, not for me. I believe, saith he, that he suffered the punishment of the sins of his people, not for my sins, I look for nothing but extreme horror, which I do already taste of. For this cause doth the word of God set forth unto us jesus Christ to be ours, not only other men's, 
1. Cor. 1. 30.  but our own. Christ is become our righteousness, our justification, our sanctification, our redemption: 
Rom. 8. 15.  and for this end is the holy spirit of God sent into our hearts, that we might cheerfully believe God to be our Father: he beareth record to our spirits, that we are the children of God, not only others, but that we ourselves are the children of God. And this our true faith doth not only let us see Christ a far off to appertain unto others, 
Eph. 3. 17.  but bringeth him to us, and maketh him ours, even to dwell in us, even in our hearts, not only in others, but in us, yea in our hearts. The promises of God which be in general to his people the particular faith of every one applieth them to himself, and maketh him say, I am fully assured, that neither life nor death, principalities nor powers, 
Rom. 8. 38.  neither things present nor things to come, neither height nor depth, nor any other creature can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ jesus our Lord. And for the confirmation of this in us, be the Sacraments ordained to be applied to every one particularly, not only to be delivered to others, but also to every one of us to be partakers of them, that we might be more certainly persuaded, that the benefits of Christ's passion wrought for the salvation of his flock in common pertaineth even to every one of us particularly, as certainly as we be partakers of the outward seals & pledges of them. This is then the chiefest point in a sound belief, wherein it differeth from the devils belief, to apply whatsoever Christ hath done to ourselves, not only to other men: this is a special point, and pertaineth to the true faith of the children of God. The devils can not believe that Christ is theirs: peradventure they may say Christ, Christ, and Lord, Lord, but they can not believe in their heart that jesus Christ is theirs with his death and passion; and that is also another point in true and sound faith, that is, not only to say with the tongue notably and finely, that I believe that Christ is mine, and died for me, etc. (for so can the devils and damned creatures say, and yet lie impudently) but it is to believe, and inwardly to be persuaded thereof in the heart, which no devil nor damned creature can do, but rather they feel the horror of God's judgements in full measure in their hearts and consciences. True and sound faith of God's children is not then a whirling knowledge and speculation of the brain, but it is an inward feeling of the heart: for a great number have a knowledge what they should believe, and yet not an heart to believe: yea further, not only a knowledge what they ought to believe, but also be able notably to set out the matter, to teach others how they should truly and rightly believe, and yet they themselves damned creatures, members of Satan, and firebrands of hell, 
Mat 6. 10. 1.  as the miserable caitiff judas, who with the rest of the twelve went and preached the Gospel of the kingdom, and sealed it with miracles in Christ name, and as Christ jesus testifieth of many that not only know to say Lord, Lord, but also had knowledge to teach others, and prophesy and preach in his name, and yet jesus Christ refuseth them to be his. Let us then, good brethren, look well to ourselves, and content not ourselves with a vain babbling tongue-faith, that will not serve in the day of the Lord, it must be an heart-faith: let us look whether we feel jesus Christ there or not. Therefore saith the holy Ghost, 
Eph. 3. 17.  that this true faith maketh Christ jesus dwell not in worldly bravery in our tongues, but in our hearts, in our hearts: in our hearts, good brethren, in our hearts. It is too too lamentable to see how the world is bewitched with this tongue faith, with this carnal gospelling-faith: it is an horrible abuse of jesus Christ's gospel, we shall dearly abide at his hands, unless we speedily repent: it is evident enough that jesus Christ dwelleth not in that inward heart, where the devil apparently showeth his horns (as they say) in the outward deeds▪ there is not jesus Christ in that heart, but the whole power of Satan, and therefore no children of God's faith in that heart, but a devils faith. Let us not deceive ourselves, good brethren, a true and a sound faith admitteth Christ with further entrance into us, than our tongues, & lodgeth him into our hearts: I can not enter into your consciences, but there is a Lord jesus that seethe them: only I desire you in the name of God, to enter every man into his own heart, and examine himself diligently whether he believeth that Christ hath redeemed him & ransomed, or not, whether he believe that Christ jesus hath purchased everlasting life for him, or not; Let him examine himself thoroughly whether he believe it in his heart, now while it is the time of mercy: for once we must come to judgement, and so let him rest himself in the Lord jesus with full assurance of everlasting life, not mistrusting our good and gracious God, nor doubting of his good will towards him: 
jam. 1. 6.  for he that doubteth is like the waves of the sea, that be tossed to and fro: such wavering is far from the certainty that true faith bringeth unto our consciences, 
Rom. 5. 1.  whereby being justified by faith, we have peace with god. 
Eph. 3. 12.  For this true & sincere faith maketh us to have entrance unto our God with boldness, so that it is far from the wavering uncertenty of the wicked unbelievers, & yet the dearest children of God, even the most faithful, have often marvelous assaults to shake their faith, & oftentimes feel themselves almost deadly wounded, as though they were almost past all hope, but yet their faith getteth the victory in the end. At that stay was the Prophet, 
Psal. 77. 3.  when he said to himself, Hath the Lord forgotten to be merciful? is his mercy clean gone? but yet they use to strive and stir up themselves by calling upon God and tarrying God's leisure: 
& 42.  Why art thou vexed, o my soul? (saith David) why art thou so troubled within me? etc. So that although the children of God be oftentimes marvelously assaulted with distrust and doubtings of their salvation, yet they strive against them, 
Phillip 5. 6.  & at God's appointed time & leisure, they feel the peace of God which passeth all understanding. Thus far ye see then the full answer of our cause and matter of our salvation before the judgement seat of God, against Satan, sin, devil, death, and hell, that we that be the people of God do fully believe, not only say with our tongue, but believe assuredly in our heart, that jesus Christ hath satisfied whatsoever Gods justice doth require for our sins not only for other men's sins, but even for our sins, whereby we feel ourselves at peace with God, reconciled by the death of his Son, & brought into an assured hope of everlasting life: thus far have we heard taught, and now yet further lest any carnal wretch should thereby take liberty to sin, saying within his heart, If there be nothing but this, that whosoever believeth shallbe saved, than I care not what I do, I will continue in my sin, & then I will believe to be saved, & I shallbe saved, I can believe when I list: the word of God to answer all such filthy sin, doth testify unto us, that this true & lively faith of God's people to salvation, is not in the power of man, to believe when he list, but it is only the work of God: 
Matt. 16. 17.  Flesh and blood, saith jesus Christ, hath not revealed this unto thee, but even my heavenly father which is in heaven: it was the Lord which touched the heart of Lydia to believe the doctrine of salvation preached by Paul: 
Act. 16. 14.  It is the Spirit of God that beareth record to our spirits, 
Rom. 8. 15.  that we are the children of God, and heirs of everlasting life: all the men of the earth if they would come, & bear record with us in the day of judgement, that we are saved, can not prevail, unless God be witness unto our hearts & consciences: no if all the men of the earth should but speak to a poor soul in this life, & say, I warrant thee man, my soul for thy soul, thou shalt be saved, unless God touch his heart & persuade it, their warrants be nothing. Alas what can the witness of the whole world prevail, when the Lord is witness in the heart of the poor man against himself. So could Franciscus Speyra cry out to them that persuaded him to believe assuredly that jesus Christ hath saved him, I would, said he, I would believe, but I cannot: faith is God's gift: all the world can not give it me: you far with me, saith he, as if one were fast tied with chains, and the passers by bid him come out and lose himself, but they can not help him, neither can he help himself, although he would never so much: even so, saith he, ye pity my case, and bid me believe in Christ; I would do so, but I can not, for it is God's gift, and I have denied him before men, and therefore he hath denied me, and will not give me an heart to believe. Let all the scoffers upon the earth that think it so small a matter to have a true faith in Christ, and therefore take liberty to sin freely, let all the pack of thembe taught, if they will be taught, by this horrible judgement of God, that they can not believe, unless it be a special and mighty working of God: and let us (good brethren) let us hereby be admonished and all the dear children of God with us, to seek the Lord now while he may be found: and let us in this good time of mercy that he giveth us, enter deeply into ourselves, and examine it to the full, whither we have this faith or no, in this full assurance that we be saved: if we have it not, let us never rest knocking, ask, and seeking at God's hand till he give it us: we shall surely have it, if we ask, for he promiseth that never deceiveth any, 
Math. 7. 7, 8.  Ask and ye shall have, seek and ye shall find, knock and it shallbe opened unto you. Can a father deny his child any good thing, if he have it? this is a good thing, and our God hath it in store, he will never then deny it us. Thus than ye see it is a greater thing to have faith, than a great number of men make account of, it is the only work of God, and a rare work of God which he bestoweth upon his children only: men may have peradventure a certain fleshly persuasion, and some carnal opinion of their salvation, which peradventure may seem unto them, while all things be quiet and no distress of conscience, to be marvelous strong; but alas, because it is not from the spirit of God, but only a fleshly bravery, as soon as God doth but touch them, it vanisheth away as smoke: as that carnal brag of Peter, which was at the very look of a little damsel clean daunted. So all the worldly persuasions of men, which for a time keep them in very great security, must needs fall before the judgement seat of God: there can nothing stand against the devil, death, hell, sin, & Satan, but only that which proceedeth from him, who hath overcome hell, death, sin, Satan. It may be that for a time it may be covered as it were a sparkle of fire in ashes, but gathering strength by gods promises, & depending only upon him, it passeth through all doubts, till at length it getteth victory. Thus ye see them the true and lively faith of God's children, is not in the power of any to have it when he will, it is the special gift of God, and peculiar only to his people, and therefore can give no liberty to sin unto the carnal man, in hope that he can believe when he wil And yet here on the other side we must beware of an other vice tending to the same, and yet growing of a contrary cause. A great number of worldlings and others, which care neither for God nor devil, hell nor heaven, so they may live at ease in this world, those, I say, hearing that faith whereby we come to salvation, is the only gift of God, and not in man's power, these jolly fellows set cock on hoop (as they say) and utterly cast away all care of their salvation. For say they, seeing faith is the gift of God, and not in our own power, wherefore should we trouble ourselves about it? we will never care to seek for it, for if so be God will give it us, we shall have it, though we never seek after it, but lie snorting in our beds: and if God will not give it us, we can never have it, therefore we never purpose to care for the matter, but even sit us down, and take our ease, and fill our paunch, and if God will give it us, he will give it us even in our greatest security. But here I ask these senseless caitiffs, of whom they have their life and being, and who doth feed their bodies, and preserve their life: they must needs confess it to be God that giveth food to all living creatures: I ask them whether they will sit them down, and never neither eat nor drink, because it is God that feedeth us: they should within a little while taste of such horrible contempt, and be guilty of their own death, at the hand of that God that gave them both life, and the means to preserve their life. For although God doth feed us, yet he doth it by the ordinary means of meats and drinks, which if they be rejected, the life itself is rejected. Even so the Lord our God hath prepared a remedy against these wranglers against their own salvation: for although he only do give faith, whereby we come by salvation, yet he plainly in his word doth show unto us a way whereby he giveth it unto us, and that is the preaching of the word, 
Rom. 10. 17.  for so he saith, Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God: & lest we should think it were a sufficient means the hearing of the word read, he addeth & saith, 
vers. 14.  Who can believe without the hearing of the word preached? by this mean of preaching the word hath the Lord appointed to give faith ordinarily, & by no other ordinary means; For who, saith he, can believe without a preacher? & unless we believe, there is no salvation, for whosoever believeth not is damned: if this then ordinary means of preaching the word be rejected, 
joh. 3. 18. 36.  we reject our salvation, & so are we willingly guilty of our own damnation: So than the Lord only doth give faith, yea but he giveth it ordinarily by the preaching of the word. It may please him, I grant, to give faith otherwise, if he see it good, but we have no warrant out of his word to come by faith, but only by the preaching of the word. So it may please him, if he see it good, to feed us otherwise then by meat & drink, but if we refuse these ordinary means of feeding, surely we shall die, and be guilty of our own death. 
1. Cor. 1. 21.  The Lord hath appointed to save his people by preaching▪ so saith the Apostle: he can save them otherwise if he will, but it pleaseth him by this means to save them; if this be neglected, our salvation is neglected, & whereas this faileth, the people perish. Alas, what shall we say to the state of this people here in this land? scarcely the twenty parish hath a preacher, 
joh. 3. 36.  & can they be saved then? Shall we make God a liar? 
Rom. 10. 14.  he saith, whosoever doth not believe, is damned: & none can believe without a preacher; if then we will have the people of the Lord to be saved, let them have preachers: It is a great blessing of God, I grant, that we have it as we have it, for the Lord knoweth a great number can not so have it: but alas, seeing the Lord giveth us this mercy and quietness, that we may have further care of it, let us for Gods love be careful for the souls of our brethren, poor souls that starve round about through the lack of the food of their souls: but alas, I can not preach to the whole land, but for the discharge of my conscience, I desire you, good brethren, so many of you as have any voices in place and parliament where these things may be reform, consecrate your tongues to the Lord in the behalf of your poor brethren, that ignorant & blind guides which have the conducting of God's people to the great danger of loss of the souls both of the leaders and the people, that these blind guides, I say, be removed, and true preachers placed in their rooms, that they may labour cheerfully to get the Lords harvest into his barn, to enlarge God's kingdom: the Lord shall then bless this land & kingdom, wherein his kingdom is first sought for: 
Matth. 6.  for so he saith, First of all seek the kingdom of God, and then all other things of this earthly life shallbe given you: be careful for this, good brethren, when ye come in parliament where these things may be provided for through the whole land, that God's people may be taught: In the mean time let every one of us do what we can by prayer to God, to thrust forth labourers into his harvest let us bestow our labours carefully to seek for them: let us stretch our purses to relieve them, than the Lord our God shall bless us with all spiritual graces daily more and more. Alas, let us remember, good brethren, that they are in danger of damnation, unless they have the word preached; the Lord saith so, let us not be wiser than God. Let those especially that by the government of this Church have the providing & placing of guides over the Lords flock, let them be careful that they seek out those only which be preachers, otherwise, good brethren, the people do perish, but they shall not scape scotfree that were the causes: whether it were the covetous patron in presenting, or the negligent Bishop in admitting, or the blind guide in taking upon him that weighty charge of leading God's people. The Lord will have the blood of his people answered: he will call to an account both Bishop, patron, and blind guide for the loss of the souls of his people. The same price of blood which is taken by the covetous patron, whereby the souls of God's people are bought & sold, although he laugh in his sleeve and think himself in good case when he hath pursed his hundredth pounds for the benefice, yet that same price of blood shall speak aloud in the ears of the Lord to his utter condemnation in the day of the Lord. I am not ignorant how the patron will shift it off to the Bishop, and say it is the Bishop's charge to look to its and that he as patron hath no more to do but seek out his clerk, the Bishop shall answer for it, if he admit him & be not able: & the bishop on his behalf can as cunningly shift off the matter from him to the patron, & say, he can not stay them, for the patron hath presented them, & if he should not allow of them, a Quare impedit would come upon him, which he purposeth not to bear for none of them al. And the ignorant blind guide, he hath his letters of orders, institution, & induction, & hath filled the purse of the patron, he thinketh himself as well discharged as the best, no law in England can put him out: & thus the poor sheep of jesus Christ, which Christ hath bought with his precious blood, they perish for it, and are devoured of Satan. But let them wash themselves as clean as they will, they shallbe found before the judgement seat of God no more innocent of the blood of Christ's flock, than was Pilate of the blood of Christ himself: let them shift off the matter as fast as they can, the people of God perish by them: I knit them together all of them in one farthel, & throw them into the pit of hell as guilty together of the death of the Lords flock, if they do not repent this perishing of all the Lords people. For jesus Christ that bought them with so dear a price, will not have them perish of so vile a price as they are bought and sold for. Seeing then the people perish without preaching, it standeth the patrons in hand, I trow, to present, & the Bishop to admit none but those which be able to preach, unless they purpose to be guilty of the blood of the people that perish for want of preaching. Neither shall the people that are led by an ignorant guide, & so perish, be excused before God: for although they can allege for themselves, we could not do withal, he is placed by law, presented by the patron, admitted by the Bishop, all the laws in England can not remove him, all this will not serve for excuse before God: for although there be no law in England to displace him for his insufficiency, that by law is placed; yet I answer there is no law in England that forbiddeth thee to place a preacher beside, if thou wilt stretch thy purse: I know no law that forbiddeth providing & seeking for preachers, unless it be the law of our purse: & if thou say, I am but one, the rest will not, I can not maintain him myself: then, I say, if thou can not get preaching to thee, there is no law in England that forbiddeth thee to go to it, to transport thy dwelling thither, where thou mayst have it: there is no law, I trow, forbiddeth this, unless, I say, the law of the purse. And if thou say, I can not there be able to live: I answer thee, first seek the kingdom of God, and the righteousness thereof, and all other things needful shall be given unto thee, as overplus. So we see, there is nothing can excuse us before God, unless we get us preachers. I know there be other kind of excuses, that we frame unto ourselves as we think sufficient to exempt us from the preaching of the word: but let us not deceive ourselves, unless there be preaching, the people perish: unless they have believed, they are damned: and believe can they not without preaching. Away therefore with all vain excuses, which might make us think ourselves well enough without preaching, these gloss will not serve before God; the Lord will have his people taught, there is no shift, otherwise we shall all of us answer for it, so many of us as have our hands stained with the blood of them that perish. And let all of us in the fear of this our God fall seriously to meditate of this gear, and now at the length begin to make more diligent and careful preparation for the preaching of the word then hitherto we have done, seeing it so standeth us in hand under pain of damnation. God may otherwise save us as I have told you, 
1. Cor. 1. 21.  if he will, but it hath pleased him to let us understand, that he will have us saved by preaching: if we shall not be careful and careful again to prepare for that means of our salvation, surely we shall declare ourselves either to be wiser than God, esteeming his heavenly wisdom but base and foolish, or else plain contemners of God in despising so heavenly and wholesome ordinance. Wherefore (good brethren) if ye will be saved, get you preachers into your parishes, that may instruct you in the ways and means of your salvation against that day that ye must appear before this judgement seat: bestow your labour, cost, and travel to get them, ride for them, run for them, stretch your purses to maintain them, we shall begin to be rich in the Lord jesus, and so much riches also of this world we shall have, as our God shall make us contented withal: and then our joy shall be full in the last day, when we must leave all these earthly things, & receive at the hands of the Lord jesus an heavenly & an everlasting crown. Thus far then, good brethren, how we are discharged in this judgement seat from the everlasting curse and condemnation which every one of us have fallen into by breaking Gods commandments: 
Gal. 3. 13.  ye have heard how we are discharged from this punishment by jesus Christ who hath fully taken it upon him & overcome it, 
joh. 3. 16.  how it is made ours & applied unto us by faith: 
Rom. 8. 15.  not such a faith as the devils have: 
Eph. 3. 17. 12.  but such as teacheth unto us all that ever Christ did for us, 
Matt. 16. 17.  & maketh Christ dwell with us, not in our tongues but in our hearts, 
Rom. 8. 15.  not in a wavering manner, but in a true certainty, not by a vain persuasion of the flesh, by the lively witness of God's spirit: & all this to be delivered unto us by no other ordinary means, but only by the preaching of the word. Here is then the full ways & means of our salvation declared unto us to be in Christ, & only in Christ, in no work, deed, or merit of ours, or any saint or angel for us, but in Christ alone, & none other: & herein remaineth our whole comfort & joy, which passeth all the joys of the earth. But I have yet one thing more to answer, which the devil might bring into the head & heart of the carnal gospeler hereby. What? saith that filthy Epicure, this is sweet doctrine in deed, now I may take my pleasure at will, & live at lust in my sin, for I believe in Christ, & therefore must needs be saved: it maketh no matter I will sin my belly full, for I believe that Christ hath borne the burden of my sin, & therefore what need I care. I answer, these abuses of God's mercy, that if there be any such that either hath such a blasphemous tongue to speak, or an heart to purpose to sin, or one minute of an hour to continue in sin, because he believeth that Christ hath paid the punishment of his sin, if there be any such that thus say or purpose, I say with the word of God, that such have no sparkle of true faith: for the word of God setteth forth unto us this true faith, not such a faith as filleth the heart with sin and all uncleanness, as these carnal Epicures speak of, 
Act. 15. 9  but such a faith as maketh the heart pure, such a faith as doth not encourage men to sin but such a faith as maketh men to hate their sin, 
Roman. 8. 9  loath, & abhor it; 
Ephes. 3. 17.  because this true faith of God's people proceedeth from the spirit of Christ, 
Rom. 8. 15.  & maketh Christ dwell in us by his holy spirit, which spirit of Christ can never dwell in one and the same heart with sin & wickedness in such manner, as to be at agreement with it, to like well of it, & take pleasure in it, but continually striveth and struggleth against it. And although sin do continually hang on us, yet this spirit of Christ dwelling in us will not let sin reign & rule in us: therefore such carnal wretches as shall love sin, take pleasure in their sin, do sufficiently declare that they have no part nor fellowship with God's spirit & consequently no true & lively faith. They have no part of the spirit of Christ that suffered death for sin, but the spirit of Satan the author of sin, the spirit of the world, the embracer of sin, the spirit of the flesh, the nurse of sin; for it filleth the heart with the fruits not of the spirit but of the flesh, 
Gal. 5. 19  lust, whoredom, fornication, uncleanness, wantonness, vanity, filthiness, covetousness, extortion, usury, oppression, pride, contempt, disdain, flattery, dissimulation, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, malice, division, drunkenness, gluttony, etc. And I warrant them, let these carnal swine, that thus wallow in their sin, taking their full joy & pleasure in it, & yet say stoutly, that they have a belief that jesus Christ hath paid the punishment of their sin, let them, I say, enter a little more deep into their own heart, & they shall find a thing within them that shall speak the clean contrary; even their own conscience doth cry aloud within their breast, if they would let it speak, that they believe no whit at all of the discharge of their sin by Christ: for than they would not love & like well of their sin, which was the cause of the death of Christ. Is it like they hold any thing of Christ, which join hands with the wicked jews to put Christ to death? They never therefore have any true faith in Christ, unless they detest their own sin, which was the cause of the death of Christ. Therefore this true & lively faith of God's people is so far from making men lie wallowing in their sin, that until such time as they have it they never have a perfect hatred of their sin: then only when we have faith, and never till then begin we to take pleasure in those things, 
Roman. 6. 4.  which are allowed and liked of God. For this true lively faith maketh us new creatures, 
Ephes. 4. 25.  beareth us a new, & maketh us the children of God, 
Galat. 3. 20.  whereas by nature we are the children of God's anger, 
joh. 1. 2.  that he can neither love us, nor any thing that we do. 
Ephes. 2. 3.  Then begin our blind hearts to be lightened to perceive our sin, which before we did not see, then beginneth our hard heart to be softened and effectually touched with grief and horror of our sin, which before we did like well of: whereas we had a delight in deceit and craft, flattery and bribery, now we begin to abhor it, and to love plain and simple dealing, whereas before we were covetous, hard hearted, unmerciful, usurers, oppresours, now we begin to hate it, and to study after pity and compassion. The self same tongue that had a pleasure to talk of filthiness, lying, & blasphemy, now is framed a new to hate all cursed speaking, and hath a delight to speak the truth, and talk of godliness, and to reprove wickedness. To be short, when we have this true and lively faith wrought in us by God's spirit, we are then framed a new by the same spirit into an inward loathing of our sin, and continually pricked on forward to strive against our sin by true repentance, and not to say, we purpose to continue in our sin, but to labour continually against our sin. Let us therefore, good brethren, diligently enter into ourselves, and examine the thoughts of our hearts, whether we have our delights in our craft, subtlety, whoredom, fornieation, uncleanness, and such like: whether we set down with ourselves to abide in it yet a certain time: and if we find such an unclean, filthy, and beastly heart in ourselves, let us not flatter ourselves, good brethren, undoubtedly there is no true faith in such a heart, but only a fleshly and carnal persuasion, there is not the spirit of Christ, which overcometh sin and death, & the devil in us, & continueth firm, steadfast, and strong even in the great and terrible day of the Lord, there is not that spirit in us: but the spirit of the world, which perisheth with the world, the spirit of Satan which shallbe confounded with Satan, and the Spirit of the flesh, which bringeth forth in us the works of the flesh and darkness, and therefore shall come to nought with the deeds of the flesh. Let all those therefore that have shadowed themselves under the name of the gospel, and say they do believe, and say they have faith, and yet when they come home nearer to themselves into their own bosom, and find no love there to the gospel, to Christ, to holiness and righteousness, but a lust, liking, and pleasure in all their wont sin, let them once for all be answered out of God's blessed word, that they have no portion with the gospel, that they pertain not to Christ, not his sanctification and holiness: and let all such as by these filthy beasts, which pretend the gospel and yet have such abominable hearts and carnal lives, are carried away to mislike Christ's glorious gospel, and to forsake the truth therein through these carnal professors: let all such as have been drawn away by them, I say, be answered, that the Son of God never taketh such carnal professors for his, that they be no true gospelers, that they be none of his members, none of his faithful, but mere members of Satan transformed into an angel of light: and therefore that although they cloak themselves with the name of the gospel, and can say, Lord, Lord, and Christ, Christ, that they may more safely work all sin and wickedness to the shame of the gospel & Christ, yet in the great and terrible day, when all must yield up their accounts, 
Matt. 28. 41.  he shall give sentence against them, Depart from me ye cursed caitiffs, workers of iniquity, I never acknowledged you for mine, depart from me into everlasting torments, to the devil and his angels, to whom always you appertained, and whom in heart you served, there shallbe weeping & wailing, and gnashing of teeth. Wherefore let us all humble ourselves under the hand of God: abuse not his gospel, so many of us as the Lord hath called to taste of the sweet comfort in his gospel, let the fruit of it appear in our life and conversation to the glory of God's gospel. For the Lord is a severe revenger of the blasphemy done to his heavenly gospel, if we shall seem to profess it, and through our conversation cause it to be ill spoken of. Wherefore, good brethren, let us remember ourselves, 
1. Thess. 4. 7.  that we are called to an holy calling, the Lord is holy and loveth holiness that hath called us, we are called to holiness, and not to filthiness, let us walk then in holiness and righteousness all the days of our life. Thus then, good brethren, you have heard the ways and means of our salvation handled before the judgement seat of God at large, how we are delivered from sin, death, hell, and Satan by the means that jesus Christ in our nature hath overcome them all for us, that so many as take hold of him by faith should be delivered from eternal destruction, and have everlasting life: ye have heard that this true faith is not to believe generally, but to reach all that Christ hath done unto ourselves, not to say with the tongue we believe, but to feel in the heart, not with a worldly persuasion of the flesh, but with an inward persuasion of God's spirit, that sealeth all these same in our hearts, ordinarily by the preaching of the word, whereby we are transformed into the image of Christ, and renewed in the inward heart to have our delight and pleasure to walk in holiness and righteousness all the days of our life: all this we have heard, as it hath pleased God to give me wisdom and knowledge out of his word to understand it, and utterance to deliver it. I have been peradventure longer in handling the matter then some would have wished, to whom these principal grounds of religion are known well enough, and peradventure therewith all looked for more curious speeches in handling of the matter: but such must understand, that my purpose is to instruct the ignorant in the ways and means of their salvation: not to speak to the ears of men, but to the hearts of men, if I can, that the devil may be pulled out from thence, and jesus Christ planted there. I will never so abuse God's blessed word to satisfy the vain humour of men, so long as I live by God's grace, it is sufficient for me that I know jesus Christ and him crucified. The matter of our salvation is weighty, and such deep matters can not be passed over in a word or two: and the best of us all can never learn it too much, nor hear it too often: it must be our comforts, and our only joy in death and after death: it must be that which must stick by us when we must shake hands with all the world, and say, farewell father, farewell mother, farewell my dearest friends, farewell my riches, wealth, and worldly joys, it must then be our only joy to say, welcome Christ, welcome heaven, welcome everlasting joy. Happy shallbe the day, and blessed shallbe that hour, when we shallbe crowned with an everlasting crown of glory, 
Phil. 1. 23.  when all tears shallbe washed from our eyes. The Lord God for his dear sons sake grant us to have hearts and minds to long after it, and to say with the holy Apostle, I desire to be dissolved and be with the Lord Christ: and that we effectually think upon it, & take our profit of all this that hath been taught us, let us pray to the Lord our God, that he will give his holy spirit to write it deep in our hearts, and seal it in our consciences, that it may bring forth fruit in us to the comfort of our conscience and glory of our God. O most merciful God and heavenly Father, etc.  
john More.   

THE THIRD SERMON.  joh. 13. 34, 35. I give you a new commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you, that you even so love one another: by this shall all men know that ye are my disciples if ye have love amongst yourselves. 
WE have heard, good brethren, heretofore sufficiently I trust out of the fifth to the Corinthians declared unto us, how we are cleared and discharged before the judgement seat of God, reconciled unto our good and gracious God, by the means of his dear son our only Lord & Saviour jesus Christ, our only reconciliation and atonement applied unto us by the holy spirit of god, working in our hearts a true & a lively faith, which taketh hold of all the righteousness, ransom, & satisfaction of Christ, and makes it ours, whereby we are justified and holden as righteous being clothed with the righteousness of Christ, & so our conscience pacified before the throne of God's glorious majesty. All this, I say, we have sufficiently heard uttered unto us out of the blessed word of God: & this is the chiefest & most principal thing that we must labour for during the whole scope of our life, and our only comfort in our death, and our only life after death, and therefore I trust it hath been well marked of us and considered, & in our hearts deeply imprinted. Now it followeth, that knowing how we be set at one with god, we do also endeavour ourselves to be at one with man: for which purpose I have chosen out this piece of Scripture, which you heard now read unto you, which containeth a short exhortation to love: a short lesson, & soon learned, that we love one another; in a word, it is no more, but that we have sincere love one with an other: it is an easy lesson & soon borne away, the dullest memory that is here present may easily bear it away, and the simplest wit among us may without any great discoursing of the matter, straightways understand it, that we need not pretend any excuse of simplicity and dullness, whereas the plainness and shortness will straightways convince us. It is then a lesson soon learned, which we have here taught unto us, to love one an other: if nothing else were required, but as scholars in grammar school to con it by heart, and say by rote, we might dispatch it in a minute of an hour: but alas, good brethren, because it is in Christ's school, we must not only like grammar scholars have it by heart, but like Christ's scholars have the feeling and love of it in our hearts; not only by rote like children say it with our mouth, but like God's children practise it in our deeds. And herein (good Lord) how smally have we profited this xv. years, learning the practice of this lesson in Christ's school? or if we have learned it, how soon have we forgot it? or if we have both known it and thought upon it, in what case are we that so generally have used continually against our own conscience & knowledge to do contrary unto it? Well, for that which is passed let us repent, and now in the fear of God let us begin more deeply to consider the thing, especially seeing the dear Son of God exhorteth us thereunto, and saith, I give you a new commandment, that ye love one an other: if a prince or any noble parsonage speak unto us, exhorting us to any good thing, we use to give attentive care, and for the authority of the person the words have credit with us, that we dare not do contrary thereunto for fear of losing their good will and favour: what shall we then say to our Saviour Christ, the king of kings, above all the nobles upon the earth, who doth here exhort us to love one an other shall we make none account of his words, but without regard fling them at our heels, not caring for the loss of his heavenly favour, who gave his own self to the death to purchase our life? Surely we should then declare ourselves to be worse than the bruit beasts, who yet use to have some regard to their masters that feed them and show them favour. If we should not then carefully take heed unto those things which are spoken unto us of the Lord jesus Christ, who hath so dearly loved us, even▪ the very bruit beasts should be sufficient to condemn us. Let us therefore in the fear of God look unto it, not slenderly and with dull ears, and hard hearts consider of it, for it is the dear Son of God that speaketh unto us, that requireth of us, that we love one an other. If he had but slenderly handled our matter concerning our redemption, we had been but in slender case: if we shall now give but slender ear unto that which he speaketh unto us, and make it as a thing of course, surely we provoke his judgement against us, whose majesty we dare so boldly abuse: if it be high treason to cast off the words of a prince, & make no account of them, what shall we say of the rejecting the words of this our heavenly prince and Saviour? Ye see then it standeth us in hand diligently to hear, prudently to mark, and deeply to weigh these words which here be spoken, for they are the words of the Lord jesus, who of his unspeakable love, hath given himself for us. And yet further than this, if we consider the circumstances of the time when these words were spoken, it will make us yet a little more careful to think upon them: It was at such time as he was now near his death, for in the verse going before he told them, he was going from them. These words were uttered then by our Saviour Christ, when he was going to his death, as a thing specially to be marked of us, & which he knew to be most needful for us, and therefore of us more to be considered and marked, yea and never to be forgotten, but always deeply imprinted in our mind. You know those things that are spoken of men lying upon their death bed use to pierce much, that commonly the words be never forgotten, but still almost as fresh in memory as when they were new spoken: those words which be spoken by a loving father upon his death bed unto his child, take great effect in a good child: if a tender father at the point of death doth call his son unto him, and uttereth these or such like words; Oh son, thou seest in what case I am, I am even now ready to go from thee, these be the last words that I shall speak unto thee, remember them well, thou shalt never hear me more speak, I must go from thee, yet for a remembrance, that thou mayst think upon me when I am gone; I will give thee one lesson from my mouth while I live, that thou mayst remember me when I am dead, as long as thou livest; I charge thee therefore, as thou lovest me, do this or that, etc. thou knowest I have had many troublesome days for thee, much cost and pains I bestowed upon thee, now I must go from thee, think upon this that I charge thee, even as thou lovest me: if a tender hearted father give this or such charge unto his son upon his death bed, will it not make the heart of any natural child to bleed in his body to hear such tender words of his loving father: alas, those loving words never be forgotten of any natural child and good son, unless he be an unthrift and past all grace, which careth neither for father nor friend, living nor dead. Even so in like manner will these words of our Saviour Christ, spoken at his death, pierce the hearts of any of the children of God, unless they be bastards and no sons: we can not if we love the Lord jesus, but remember this his last lesson, which he giveth us for his farewell. And I am sure unto the children of God it pierceth a thousand times more their tender hearts to hear them so lovingly taught of their loving Lord, than any other rough manner of dealing, because they be children and not slaves, and therefore serve of love and not of slavish fear; although it be sometime needful for the best of them to feel of the loving correction of their loving father for the taming of their wild flesh. But because in the house of God all be not children which have the outward countenance of children, but there be a great company of dissembling hypocrites, which take the liberty of the Gospel to live after the flesh, & do nothing but only make a mock of all loving kind of dealing & laugh in their sleeves when they hear any such exhortations, because they will not be taught by fair means, and as ye would say by manner of entreaty: therefore the Lord jesus for their cause especially dealeth after an other sort here in this sentence, and calleth this same his admonition to love not only a friendly exhortation as by way of request, but also a commandment. Not only a matter of entreaty forsooth, to do or not to do as best liketh us, but a special commandment to be done whether we will or no, whether we like it or not like it, unless we will abide the penalty of disobedience. And herein then he dealeth with us, not only as a loving friend to exhort, but also as a prince of authority to command, that if we should violently cast off from us all kind of friendly admonitions here, and think we have escaped well, because we have broken in sunder all the fast bonds of loving exhortations; we should yet understand he is our Prince, that hath his judgement seat to arrayne us there to answer the breach of his blessed commandment: and that we should not think or say, Oh I will indeed love my brethren, but it shallbe at leisure, when I see my time, and when I think best; but rather think because it is commanded us, we must do it whether we will or no, not at our pleasure, but at the pleasure of the commander, unless we willbe guilty of his curse in his judgement seat. So than ye see what we have to mark in this, where the Lord jesus doth not only exhort, but command us to love one an other, that is, that we not only have a cold affection thereunto, but that we be lively touched with the authority of the commander, setting before our eyes his princely judgement seat, where he will bring in trial all stubborn breaches of his blessed commandments, although they be never so smoothly passed over in this life. Ye see then this hath, or at least wise aught to have a wonderful weighty force with it, where the Lord jesus falleth a commanding, and therefore ought of us deeply to be considered, and not coldly for fashion embraced, because it is the Lord jesus, that not only willeth, but commandeth it. But alas, it is a wonderful thing, to see the authority of the Lord jesus so smally regarded among us: if once the will of a prince be but known, it is a wonder to see how ready we are to frame ourselves thereunto; but if he fall a commanding, who do not then tremble at his displeasure? But the Lord jesus may entreat, pray, and beseech, nay straightly charge and command, and for all that not regarded of a straw. It declareth certainly, good brethren, that there is no fear of God among us, but only a certain worldly fear of man, and yet the one killeth the body alone, 
Math. 10. 28.  the other throweth both soul and body into hell fire eternal. Oh, good brethren, let us not deceive ourselves, it is the Lord jesus that commandeth us, let us obey: he chargeth us to love one an other, let it be done, not only said, but done: done, done. Let us earnestly repent, that we have been so slack in doing this commandment for our Saviour hitherto, that we have done nothing, but only make a mock of it: oh it is his mercy that hath saved us hitherto, and hath not thrown us down to hell, as we have deserved, but in mercy hath kept us till this day: let us now from henceforth think earnestly upon this commandment of our Lord jesus Christ, and now begin to practise it, that there may be love among us, and not such brabbling, brawling, and contention, as we see daily, and is too lamentable, but like to good scholars in the school of the Lord jesus let us have love and peace among us; and surely than he will dwell among us, and protect us for ever.  
Now it is said in the text, that this commandment of loving one another, is a new commandment: it may seem strange that he calleth it new, and yet was given so long ago by the Lord God himself in his commandments, 
Lev. 19 18.  and is the very sum of the whole second table, as it doth appear by the Lord jesus Christ his own interpretation, 
Matt. 11. 39  that we love our neighbour as ourself. This then seemeth not to be new, which was delivered to Moses a thousand year before & more. True it is our Saviour Christ doth not here call it new, as though it had never been uttered before, but because he would call a new to the mind that which they had heard of old out of the law before: he calleth it therefore new, which is newly renewed again in memory: & moreover also now at his death, because he would have it stick continually in their minds, as a thing new told fresh in our minds: for we know things that be old done or spoken are not so ripe in our heads, as that that is newly done or spoken: that it might be therefore unto us continually new, and fresh in our mind, he calleth it new, not old and raw, but fresh and new. We have therefore well to consider of it, and every one of us to enter deep into ourselves, and try our hearts whether this commandment be new, fresh, and green in our minds or no, or rather whether it be so old unto us, that we have clean forgot it. I am afraid if we well try and examine ourselves, we shall find it fresh and new amongst a very few or none of us, but so old that it is even at the last cast with a great number of us, and a new commandment come in the room of it, not from jesus Christ, but Satan and the devil: a new commandment, that we love not one an other, but every man himself. This same new commandment of Satan of loving ourselves, oh it is marvelous rife, fresh, and new amongst us: but the new commandment of the Lord jesus of loving one an other, it is so stolen and worn out of use amongst us newfangled englishmen, and especially amongst us Norfolk men: if jesus Christ had given us this commandment to love ourselves, how notably could we have practised it? and what a number of followers thereof should we have found amongst us at this day? all England, all Norfolk should have been found very perfect in it: But alas, good brethren, it is clean contrary, that commandment which he would have new amongst us, is not to love ourselves, but to love one an other: this is that which is very rare in our days, and must be new, fresh, and rife amongst us, there is no remedy, or surely the Lord will begin a new work amongst us: he cannot abide to hear his commandment so contemptuously and despitefully trodden under our feet: therefore let us be careful in the fear of God, to amend that which is amiss in us, and now begin to embrace this new commandment of the Lord jesus of loving one an other, and utterly forsake and remove that old Satan's commandment of loving of ourselves, that we may be right disciples and scholars of jesus Christ, as we say we are Christians, and hold of Christ. Well, thus you see what weighty charge is given of our Saviour, to love one an other: it is no small matter, and therefore not hastily to be put up, because it is both a commandment, and proceedeth also from him that hath authority over all things to command, which hath his judgement for us in the life to come, if we will not be taught by fair means here in this life.  
Now it followeth in the text, Even as I have loved you: This sentence serveth both for a reason more vehemently to persuade us to love one an other by his own example, that so tenderly loved us, & also it serveth for a pattern to try our love by, whether it be sincere or feigned. The reason whereby he exhorteth us to love one an other, standeth thus: I so tenderly loved you, that being from all eternity with my father in joy eternal, 
Phil. 2. 6.  humbled myself to become man in your nature, 
Hebr. 4. 15.  subject to all miseries and sorrows as you are, and for your love yielded myself not only to all spite and villainy that wicked men could do unto me, but even to the very death I submitted myself, and that to the most shameful death for your death, to bring you to a glorious life: and this I did not only when ye were no friends of mine, but also when ye were mine utter enemies: 
Rom. 5. 8.  ought not you then in like manner much more love one an other, being thus redeemed silly poor souls by my bitter death? 
joh. 15. 13.  you were all alike subject to eternal hell fire, and now I so loved you▪ 
1. joh. 3. 6.  that I gave myself a ransom for you, ought not ye then much more considering my goodness, love one an other? If a king should of his great goodness give his own life to ransom a company of beggars being in bondage, and beside not only deliver them out of slavery of a foreign prince, but also exalt them to the state of lords and nobles, by dividing his inheritance amongst them, were it not, I say, an intolerable thing, if these exalted beggars, forgetting their former estate, should now be so puffed up in pride, that one of them would not vouchsafe to look upon an other, but contemn, hate, and disdain one an other, were not this thing intolerable and not to be suffered amongst men, so to requite the goodness of their king? nay would not we rather give our verdict upon them, and think them well served to be set again all alike in beggary and slavery as they were before, and look if they could agree any better among themselves there? yes surely would we, and think them well served; even so, good brethren, if we will not love one an other since our Lord jesus Christ hath so tenderly loved us, that he hath given himself for us, to redeem us from hell, surely it can not be otherwise thought but that we deserve to be thrown down headlong to hell eternally, and look if we can agree any better there. It pleased the Lord jesus to redeem us from damnation, that we might love one an other, as he loved us: if we will not then love one an other, what is it else but even to provoke the Lord jesus to leave us even where he found us, that is, even firebrands of hell, and look how we can away with that gear. Wherefore, good brethren, let us take this argument to ourselves, and although we would not love one an other for no other thing, yet at the least let us love one an other for jesus Christ's sake, who so tenderly and dearly loved us, that he gave his own life for us: if not for his sake, yet good brethren, for our own soul's sake, which shall perish in hell everlastingly: thus ye see what force this reason hath, which the Lord jesus useth here charging us to love one an other, as he hath loved us, that is, that it maketh us inexcusable before his judgement seat, if we can not find in our heart to love one an other, seeing he so dearly and tenderly hath loved us. It carrieth with it also a further thing to be considered and thought of, and that is this, that it serveth for a notable and most excellent pattern for us to try and examine our love by it, whether it be sincere and sound or no: for when he saith, Let your love among yourselves be such a kind of love as mine was towards you, he condemneth all feigned and vain love, all corrupt love, gainful love, tongue-love, false love, and such like; and biddeth look as his love was towards us, so let our love be one towards an other: his love was not towards us, when we were his friends, but even then he loved us when we were his enemies, and gave his life for us: this is a special point to be considered of us, good brethren, and pithily to be weighed; for it toucheth us very near: we be so corrupt in judgement, and measure all things so by our own ease, that we think it sufficient, if we have made some countenance of love to them, that never did us harm, when as in the mean time we rage like cruel beasts against those, which have but a little touched us with harm and injury, and we think we may do it lawfully, it is so general a thing, and toucheth the corruption of our nature so near, that if he do or speak but any ill by us, we think we may very justly be incensed against him. 
Rom. 5. 8.  Yea, but was the love of the Lord jesus so in that manner, nay he loved us even when we were his enemies, and telleth us that our love must be in like manner one towards another, not only to them that love us, but also to them that be our enemies. Our Saviour Christ telleth us, 
Matth. 6. 32.  that the very heathen will so love one another as long as they have no harm, and we would be ashamed being Christians to be no better than they: we say we are Christian men and not heathen, let us than I pray you proceed one step further than the heathen, who will as fast as we for our lives love them that do them good: let us, I say, go one step before them, & follow our Saviour Christ, who biddeth us love one another as he loved us, not as the heathen use to love. Oh saith one, I could be content to love him, if he had not so railed upon me, and done me so much spite and villainy, I could have been content to have borne it, but it is too too, no man can bear it: and I pray thee, hath he done thee more spite than thou hast done to the Lord jesus Christ? I trow not: thy spite and villainy hath put the Lord jesus to death, and wouldst thou have him not hate thee for thy spite done to him, as thou dost thy brother for the harm he hath done unto thee? thou shouldst be in hell then straightways. Look now then, I pray you, whether it standeth us not in hand to put well in practise this lesson that our Lord jesus Christ here teacheth us, when he saith, our love among ourselves must not be to avenge our spite, to wreck our malice, but even as he loved us: to be content to forgive our greatest enemies, & put our hatred and malice out of our hearts against them. 
Matth. 6. 12.  jesus Christ teacheth us to pray for forgiveness at God's hand even as we do forgive others: would we think it a good prayer to pray to God in this manner: O Lord God if my sins towards thee had been but a few and small, I could have been content, thou shouldest have forgiven them unto me, but because they be so many and so spiteful, now I would have thee even pour out all thy displeasure upon me, for so do I use to do with them, that do offend against me, therefore I pray thee, deal even so with me now, good Lord, for after this manner I do use to forgive them that offend me: I use to do the worst I can to them either by word or deed, therefore I pray thee, do the worst to me thou canst: were not this, I pray you, to pray for vengeance upon our own head? yes surely: and certainly even so do we, as oft as we dare pray the Lords prayer, and yet can not find in our hearts to forgive offences done against us. Good brethren, let us not deceive ourselves, 
Matth. 6. 15.  the Lord jesus flatly telleth us, we shall never be forgiven, unless we can be content to forgive others, let us say what we will, the Lord jesus saith so, we shall never be forgiven, unless we can forgive others, there is no remedy, the truth hath spoken it: let us flatter ourselves as long as we will, we cannot be forgiven unless we forgive, therefore if ever we will be forgiven at God's hand, unless we will be thrown into the pit of hell, let us forgive: and away with these fond & brabbling excuses, to say they be so many, and so great, I can never forgive him. wouldst thou be contented that the Lord jesus should answer thee so, when thou comest unto him for forgiveness? If he should say unto thee, O silly poor soul, I could be content to forgive thee, if thy sins had not been so many and so great, but because they are so huge & so heinous, I can not forgive thee, go thy ways to hell, for I can not find in mine heart to forgive thee; wouldst thou be content with this answer at the Lords hands for thy sins? I trow not: And yet cruel hearted tyrant thou canst be content to say so, and think so of them that have not offended thee the thousand part so much, as thou hast done the Lord thy God. Dost thou think than thou canst so s●●ly escape the Lord thy God? thou canst not, thou canst not: and therefore there is no remedy but either thou must forgive, or surely thou shalt never be forgiven: look now to it, as thou wilt, and fling away from God as fast as thou wilt, they be words of the Lord jesus which can not lie. Let us for Gods love look unto them, it standeth us in hand: think we to be forgiven of God our great and intolerable sins, and can not be content to forgive small sins in comparison? No surely, it can not be. The Lord jesus setteth out this matter more largely in the 18. of Matthew, 
Matt. 18. 23.  by the example of a king, which minded to take a reckoning of his servants, whereof one was brought unto him, which did owe him a thousand talents, & he not being able to pay, commandment was given, that he, his wife and children, should be sold and payment made: the man with pitiful tears fell down at the feet of the king, desiring him only to bear with him for a time, and he would pay him the whole: the king taking compassion upon the man forgave him the whole debt: this man being so discharged went his way, and found one of his fellows that owed him a certain small trifling piece of money, and ragingly caught him by the throat, commanding him to pay that he owed; the poor man amazed fell down at his feet with weeping tears, humbly besought him to be good unto him, and he would pay him all. The other would not hear, but cruelly commanded him to be cast in prison, and there the poor man lay. The king hearing of this cruelty, called him and said, I forgave thee the whole debt when thou besoughtest me, oughtest not thou to have had compassion upon thy fellow also, as I had on thee? & the king in great displeasure commanded him to be delivered to the tormentors. 
Vers. 35.  Even so, saith our Saviour Christ, will my heavenly Father do to you, unless you forgive one another from the bottom of your hearts your sins and offences done one to another. This is the doctrine of the Lord jesus, it is not mine, they be his own words, and therefore they must be marked. It is a wonder to see how much we can make of a small offence done unto us, & how small account we make of our great offences done to God: if one do but a little contrary to our mind in any small matter, oh we make it so great a matter we have never done with it, and hardly shall a man bring us to any good agreement: we be so hard hearted, it will not out of our stomach, but we must be revenged straightway, we will wait him at the advantage once in our life time, to be even with him if we can: What is this else but to provoke Gods fierce wrath and indignation upon us, and to heap God's judgement upon us? jesus Christ telleth us, even so will our heavenly father deal with us. Doth it not now then stand us in hand to forgive one another, to put malice and hatred out of our hearts, and now at the length to learn perfectly this lesson at our Saviour his hand to love one another as he loved us? not only them that do us good, but even our enemies, and them that hate us. True it is, we must never love the sin of our enemies, nor of none else, but always be in deadly hatred with that, but yet we must love and pity the person of our enemies, that is endangered thereby. And if this were well weighed, you should see that we had more need to pity, then to hate our enemies. If there be any injury or harm done unto us either by word or deed, 
Matth. 5. 22.  they that do it are guilty of hell fire, so saith jesus Christ: would it not pity our hearts to see any in the torments of hell? alas yes, if we were not worse than bruit beasts, we would take pity upon them: and surely in that case are all those which do us harm, unless they repent: and therefore the Lord jesus pitied the case of them that put him to death, because he knew in what dangerous estate their souls were, whereas they in spite and rage against him were so blind, that they could not see it: but alas, he saw it, and pitied their case, 
Luc. 23. 34.  and prayed, saying, O Father, forgive them. they can not tell what they do, they are even almost in the gulf of hell, and yet see it not, they are so blind in their rage, that they run headlong to hell, and never think upon it. The same affection must be in us towards our enemies, if we be of the same spirit of Christ: we must pity their case that have done any harm or injury against us, & thus think, O Lord God, this their fact is damnable before thine eyes, they have deserved hell fire, and yet, O Lord, they see it not, Good Lord give them hearts and minds to see their sin, that they may see in what danger they be in, and so turn unto thee and repent. Thus you see, how we must pity our enemies, and pray for them, & do what we can to bring them out of the danger: there is none without so much natural affection, but he will pity the life of any thing being in danger, if it be but an ox or an ass to put it out of the mire if he could, there is none so brutish that will suffer the life of a beast to perish if he can help it, much more is the life of man to be pitied being in danger, but much more is the everlasting life of the soul of man to be tendered being in danger: while thine enemy rageth against thee with all despite and villainy, his poor soul is in peril to be drowned in the gulf of hell, oughtest not thou to pity his estate, and reach out thine hand to help him out, and not like an unmerciful man to plunge him down to be drowned, that thou mightest revenge thy spite and malice for the injury & harm he hath done unto thee? There is none so cruel that would deal so with a very beast. If we had received any harm at any beasts hands, either a stroke with an horse his foot or such like, if we should happen to see the poor beast after that, in peril of drowning, is there any so cruel that he might be revenged of the harm done unto him, would let the poor beast starve, or else violently push him headlong, and hold down his head to drown him? Surely none would do it, unless he were worse a thousand fold then a beast. What do we mean then, seeing the souls of our enemies in so great peril by continuance in their sin, that we do not pity their case, to pray for them, to help them out, but rather to revenge our malice, do sooner push them in forwards headlong to destruction? Nay rather what do we mean in pushing them forward to destruction to throw ourselves down headlong with them to the pit of hell? For what is it else when we bear hatred, spite, and malice against them? It is murder before God, and therefore guilty of hell sire. Have we not then notably prevailed against our enemies, 
joh. 3. 15.  when for pure spiteful love, and revengeful good will towards them we will even jump with them into the dungeon of hell? This is not to love one another, as the Lord loved us: well then, good brethren, I pray you, let us look unto it, we must love one another, yea, even our enemies, for so did Christ love us his enemies: we must love their souls, and pity their souls, and help them even as we can: we must not so much regard the spite they have done unto us, as the danger their souls be in before God, and this may make us to stay our rage and revengement against our brethren, when they have offended us: for what is the cause that we be so out of patience with them that have done us injury, that we can not find in our hearts to forgive them? Surely even this, because we do only look upon the hurt done unto us, we muse upon that, we make much ado about that, and so marvelously weigh what loss we have by it on every side but in the mean while, we do not consider the soul of him that did us the injury, continuing in impenitency: for than we should be driven to pity him for the danger before God, and not hate him for our loss before man. The want of this is the only cause then why we be so hateful and malicious towards our enemies, which have injuried us, because we look upon our own harm, and not on the harm of the soul of man before God: but we must do it, certainly the Lord jesus commandeth us, Pray for your enemies, do good to them that hate you: and here biddeth us, love, as he loved us, even enemies to him. Well then, good brethren, thus ye have heard, how by the love that Christ loved us, we be taught, to frame our love one towards another, even towards our enemies, in pitying them, praying for them that they may be brought to amendment, not for the hurt done unto us, but for the avoiding of the hurt of their souls. I have been somewhat more long in this matter of love towards our enemies because I know it is so hard a matter for flesh and blood to be satisfied in this point to stay from revengement: it is marvelous near grown into the corruption of our nature, and therefore it must be more carefully taken heed of us, and we must bend our force more to resist it, and so shall we not only be hearers of this lesson of our Lord jesus, but also followers of the same.  
And yet further, when he saith, that we must love one another as he loved us, he giveth us to understand, that our love must be sincere, without respect of gain or advantage. Such love then as is commonly amongst us Norfolk men will not serve, that is to love a man as long as we can get any profit by him, and then farewell: no, our love must not be so, but it must be as Christ loved us, which was not for any great gain I trow that he hoped to get at our hands, and yet this is so common amongst us, as is marvelous: there is scarcely found amongst us any other love, then that which is for gain: a lamentable thing: If we have money enough, we make our account to get friends enough, and without money or hope of gain we shall hardly find any great store of friends. Is this the love, good brethren, which ought to be amongst us? Alas no: such love may be found amongst the very devils in hell: and yet we will be Christians forsooth, yea, and protestants to, but it is but only in name: for Christ saith, that among his true scholars, love must not be for advantage, but as he loved us. Moreover, we are hereby taught also, that our love must not be dissembled in fair countenance outward, & within nothing but rancour and malice, it must not be in a fair flattering outward show, but it must be as he loved us, even in very deed from the bottom of our heart: from our heart, from our heart, from our heart: Oh this must be marked, good brethren. The Lord jesus seemeth to pluck us English men by the sleeve, and condemn our fair flattering dissembled love, which reigneth so commonly among us: Such fair looks, sugared words, loving salutations, and courteous embracings as is marvelous, as though there were such perfect love and friendship amongst us, as could possibly be required, and yet such deep dissembled hatred and spite in the bottom of our breasts, as we would (if we could) even pull their hearts out of their bodies, and eat them with garlic, as they say. Alas, good brethren, is this Christian like? is this as Christ loved us? No, no, it is judas-like, fair kisses, & false dissembling hearts. Is there not a God in heaven think you, to revenge it? yes, no doubt, and I warrant us, we shall feel it, if we do not repent. We think we have done notable finely, when we have made a man a fair countenance, and in the mean while practise his death if we can: we go slily on with the matter, and laugh in our sleeve when we have thus done, as though there were not a God in heaven that did see, view, and try all the secret thoughts of our deep dissembling hearts, and spy out all our crooked ways, and when we have made fair with all the earth, will then call our crooked practices to account. Did that cruel wretch Cain any thing prevail, when dissembling his cruel malice towards his brother, he made fair words with him, till he gate him in the broad wild field alone, and then fell upon him, and killed him: did it any thing prevail with God, I say, that none was at the deed doing to accuse him? needed God any such thing, which was privy to his wicked malicious thoughts? No, but he bringeth in the very blood which he shed, and the earth which received the blood to bring evidence against the man to condemnation: what shall we say then? will our fair looks and sweet words one to another prevail before God, when there is nothing so in our hearts but murder and malice? No I warrant you, he will bring in account even the very secret wicked thoughts, that we conceive upon our beds, he will bring in even our pillows to bear evidence against us to our condemnation, if this gear be not amended, look as smoothly on the matter as we can: God will have an assaying with us, when we have made all whole with man. Wherefore, good breethens, in the fear of God let us look to this gear, let us give ear to jesus Christ his teaching, that commandeth our love one toward another to be as his was towards us, and away with this same dissembled love, which reigneth so amongst us, this judas love, these love, devils love, and let us like good Christians here in Norfolk once at the length begin to embrace Christ's love, true love, unfeigned, from the bottom of the heart, and sincere, to the glory of our God, and comfort of our souls: And thus much for this part, where we are commanded that our love should be as Christ's love toward us: now it followeth. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye love one an other. This is an other reason to persuade to the obedience of that commandment, which he hath given in the verse before, that we love one an other as he hath loved us, for that men shall thereby take them to be his scholars, his disciples, Christian men: This is an argument which carrieth with it great force to persuade amongst men, for there is none but he will say he is a Christian, every man will say so, yea and every man would gladly so be taken and esteemed of men, we would say so all of us, and so would gladly be counted Christian men: well, then let us look if there be love among us, for saying will not serve, he telleth us men shall take us for Christian men, not because we can boldly say so, but because they see amongst us love; sincere love, pure love▪ no dissembling, colouring, nor glozing, but simple tender love one towards another, even as he loved us: that is the cognisance, whereby we be known amongst men to be the servants of Christ; as the princes and noble men's servants are known by their cognisance and badges to be the servants of their several masters, so is this the cognisance and badge of true Christian men from a false dissembling Christian: its intolerable to abuse any prince's name without some warrant, & shall we be so bold with the Lord Christ to abuse his name with the title of Christian men, when we be nothing so? if any durst be so bold as to make a facing and bracing unto the poor people, and say, I am the Queen's servant, and under that title exercise all the authority of the Queen's majesties service, and yet never authorized into service, nor received her cognisance to be known by, could such dealing be well passed over without punishment amongst men? No surely, it could not be: such things would be or else should be severely punished, and that justly, for else no man should live unbeguiled by such counterfeits, and the authority of the prince abused, to the undoing of her subjects. And shall we think then that the Lord jesus shall so slightly overpass the abuse of his name, and authority of Christians, when we be nothing but only counterfeits? for he telleth us we can not be his disciples, we cannot be true Christians unless we love one an other: Let us say and face, and brace it out never so much, all will not serve: for he saith, he that can not lie, that by this we shallbe known, whether we be in deed Christian men or no, if we love one an other. What shall we say then, good brethren, to us Norfolk men, amongst whom reigneth too much strife & contention, hatred, malice, brabbling, brawling, & wrangling? shall we say we be Christian men, & so flatter ourselves in our sin, and deceive our own souls? jesus Christ telleth us the contrary, that we can not be justly accounted of men to be true Christians, much more shall he the searcher of hearts condemn us. What a lamentable thing is this amongst us in this little country of Norfolk, that we should be so far from the badge of Christian men, that clean contrary, such contention, strife, & brabbling, is amongst us, that we are become infamous thereby to the whole world, when there is found more wrangling in this same little part, then is in xx. parts of the land beside? What a thing is this, good brethren, that the judges in their assizes in other places find in some place four, in some place three Nisi priuses, and here amongst us x. score and more: cometh this because there is so much love amongst us? & yet we willbe counted Christians; but jesus Christ saith, that then we must love one an other, it can not otherwise be, he hath spoken it that can not lie. Therefore on God's behalf, good brethren, let us look unto it, let us not flatter ourselves, & so die in our sins; we can not be Christians, jesus Christ telleth us so, unless there be love amongst us: & I pray you, what appearance of love is there amongst us, where there is such brabbling and brawling, that never the like was heard of in any place of the land? nay, I think in Turkie-lande: and yet we willbe Christians. But the Lord jesus saith we be not, save only in name, & in what case are we then, I pray you? even firebrands of hell, unless we do repent. Wherhfore, good brethren, let us look unto it, and look to it earnestly in deed, that at the length we Norfolk men may become Christian men. I can not speak alas, to all Norfolk, my voice will not reach so far, but I exhort you, good brethren, for God's cause every man put to his helping hand, that such strife & contention as is amongst us my be suppressed, and the badge of Christians, which is true love, may come in the room. Where ye hear of contention between your neighbours, persuade with them as you can to take it up amongst themselves charitably, and that they do not like bruit beasts one revenge all their spite they can against an other: persuade with them & take pains with them, & you shall see God will bless your labours. And you, good brethren, which are here gathered together, whose hearts the Lord hath touched to take pains in such matters, I desire you in the fear of God to continue, be not weary of well doing, the Lord is with you, God doth bless you, and your labours, ye serve God in it highly, the Lord jesus Christ accounteth you happy, Blessed, blessed saith he, be the peacemakers. Although it be some pains unto you, & a little cost & charges, yet remember it is done to the Lord, & the commonwealth, whose you are, & to whom you own your service & duty. Although you shall hear some that like not of it, and peradventure of some countenance, yet good brethren, be not discouraged, the Lord liketh well of it, he which is of the greatest countenance of all, the Lord jesus himself he liketh highly of it, & calleth you happy & blessed, Blessed be the peacemakers, for they shallbe called the children of God. Be not discouraged then from doing good, because some do not like of it: Alas, they are deceived with false & slanderous lies, that men blow abroad in corners, I warrant you when they shall hear & know the truth, there is no good man but will well like of it, and further the like to the uttermost. In the mean time go you on forward, & content yourself with this that ye see the Lord so greatly bless your labours in so small time, that all your country is so clean swept of rogues, whereas in other places they abound, and so few misdemeanours found, scarce the tenth part that was before, and which is in other places & that even very near you. You see this God hath wrought by this means in so small a time, besides that the whole limits is so quiet & void of all contentions and brabbles, that now it is not one to an hundredth that was before, and in comparison of other places round about you. This ye see God hath brought to pass in a short time, for this must you be thankful unto God, and give him the honour and glory, and continue and go forward in your well doing▪ leaving the success to his majesty, as he knoweth shallbe most for his glory, your discharge, and the benefit of his people.  
Thus you have heard out of this text the earnest exhortation of our loving Saviour, joined with authority in commanding us to love one an other sincerely without dissimulation, even as he loved us: a needful lesson, but very ill practised of a great number of us, who yet continually will needs be counted Christians: well, let us think upon it more carefully than we have done, for we cannot deceive him with titles. Let us look unto it, especially in this country, that have been this long time so far from true Christianity a great number of us, that we have not so much as the outward cognisance, whereby men should know us from dissembling Christians: let us in the fear of God now begin, good brethren, and let us not be ashamed now at length of the livery of Christ, we bear his name, let us not refuse his livery: throw away the devils livery, which we have worn a great long time, we abhor the name of the devil, away then with his livery, and let us give a loving ear to jesus Christ thus friendly speaking unto us.  
John More.   

TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFUL AND TRULY RELIGIOUS S. ROBERT jermine Knight, & M. Robert Ashfield Esquire, justices of her majesties peace for the county of Suffolk, the continuance and increase of all needful blessings spiritual and temporal in this time, and everlasting life after death. * ⁎ *  
MAy it please your Worships to understand, that I have many years since, by the request of you both, committed these Sermons to writing; at which time I thought nothing less than of the publishing of them, especially in these days in which by the grace of God there is such variety and store of sermons, both preached and printed, as it may seem nothing can be added unto them: yet since it hath so fallen out, that these copies have been multiplied, and are diversly dispersed in the hands of many, and are still desired of some: whereupon I have thought it good by this one labour, both to ease myself of this burden in time to come, and also to satisfy the earnest desire of those, which have been lingering about it this long time. Not that I have any hope in this argument to add any thing to the treatises before written, (for what can be said in this great plenty and diversity of writing which we enjoy, that hath not been spoken before?) but that by saying the same thing again, yet after an other manner, I might somewhat deceive, and so in part satisfy the unquiet minds of some, who in their trouble can not long savour any old comfort, be it never so good, but through a loathsomeness in themselves are still enquiring after new. And if we in love thus stoop to the infirmity of the sick patient, by preparing the same meat divers ways to deceive his taste for his good, when he abhorreth the daintiest meat: then seeing in the soul of man there is much more loathsomeness, whereby they sometimes refuse all comfort, (as the Psalmist complaineth in the person of the whole Church) if they may be delighted with any thing here, as seeming new unto them, and so feed upon it to their comfort: neither my labour herein shall seem superfluous in doing that which seemed to be done before, nor they repent them for tasting of that as it were in an other kind which they refused before, yea if through weakness in long sickness, all places are so wearisome to them that it is an ease unto them sometimes to be brought back again unto that place which they were weary of before: why then may there not be hope also in the tired souls of men, through the continuance of their trouble, that by bringing them back again unto those places of holy Scripture (as it were of rest) which they had left long before as finding no ease in them, even in the very same they should find some comfort at the last, and lie down in peace in them, as it were in their old lodgings dressed & prepared for them: In which kind if I shall attain unto any thing, it's all that I desire, or hope to perform. The argument of the latter Sermon agreeth with the former, for commonly in trouble we are discontented with our present estate, & that makes us impatient, therefore it is necessary that such should be persuaded to think well of their estate as that which the Lord knoweth to be best for them: and therefore to determine to bear that, and to be quiet under it; which if they do not, they shall find, that when they be out of it, some other thing will disquiet them, and so they shall never be contented. In handling of which I have not so much tied myself to that special text chosen for that purpose, as laboured out of that, and other parts of the word to conclude a general proposition of a contented mind. Herein I crave pardon of your worships, that for these causes I have made that common to others, which was first proper to yourselves: which I hope so much the more easily to obtain of you, because hereby (in imparting it unto others) I take nothing from you, when, as it were by lighting others men's candles at yours, you have notwithstanding still the whole light of your own, if it gave any light unto you before. Desiring also of your worships, that as at the first you did favourably accept it in writing, so now it might not seem tedious unto you, to have it the second time after this manner presented unto you. I acknowledge it is unworthy of either of your worships, much more of you both, who have deserved so well a long time of the commonwealth and Church in our country, especially myself in many respects am much bound unto you both: but seeing God hath so nearly joined you in situation of the country, in office and calling, in friendship, in kindred, and yet nearest in profession and religion; I hope you will be contented even in this small treatise not to be sundered. And thus praying God to make you still more and more one in Christ, and one another's in him, and so long to preserve you both for the further good of our country, I humbly take my leave of your Worships.  
Norton. 26. August. 1594. Your Worships at all times in the Lord, Nicholas bound.   

A EERMON CONtaining many comforts for the afflicted in their trouble upon Rom. 8. vers. 26. unto 30.  
Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit itself maketh request for us, etc.  
YOu can not be ignorant of the general argument that the Apostle hath in hand, which is to entreat of the matter of afflictions, to this end that he might show, that none of them shallbe able to hinder us from our salvation, that so we might be prepared for them, and comforted in them. For he speaketh wisely and to the purpose, and therefore having proved that we are saved only by faith in Christ (which is the general argument of the Epistle) he removeth those things that might seem to make for the contrary. And namely first the consideration of our natural corruption, cleaving fast unto us, hindering us from that which is good, and drawing us to that which is evil, even after such time as we do believe, of which he hath spoken in the other chapter, and in the former part of this, declaring that by the imputation of the perfect holiness of Christ it is taken away: which we know both by the fruits of it, which is, that we are sanctified in part, and by the spirit of adoption, which teacheth us to call God Abba father. Secondly the consideration of those manifold & grievous afflictions which may & do befall us in this world, whereby it may seem, that our ways are not so acceptable to the Lord, that we might have comfort therein: in which he dealeth in the latter part of this chapter from vers. 17. to the end of it, showing that they shall be so far from keeping us from salvation, as that in them we have Christ jesus that went before in all afflictions further than we can, and yet at the last came unto glory, and therefore if we patiently abide, as we have not only the Prophets, Apostles, and Martyrs, but Christ himself to be our fellow in them, so we shall be fellows with him and like unto him in glory. And lest that it might seem grievous unto us, to go to so happy an estate, through so grievous a way, and so might think that the kingdom of heaven, though it be so precious, we should buy it too dear: he telleth us assuredly that by casting the account he hath found it to be most true, that all the afflictions in this miserable and wretched world are not to be compared in greatness or continuance, unto the glory that shall be revealed us, vers. 18. which as it is thus great, so it is most sure and certain, and therefore we need not in no wise to doubt of it: for the very creatures themselves have a certain sense and feeling of it, which but for a time are subject to this vanity (that is, corruption and abuse) which they are and by the instinct of nature do most earnestly, and as it were, with their heads lifted up, look for the revealing of the sons of God, that they might be redeemed from bondage, into their glorious liberty, and shall not be disappointed of their hope: therefore much more we that have received the first fruits of the spirit, should with greater patience in trouble abide the will of God, and with more certainty and earnest desire▪ look for an happy chance of all our afflictions in that most glorious day, v. 20, 21, 22, 23. The which condition, though grievous for a time, but happy in the end, that we might not refuse to undergo with the rest of he creatures, and our brethren, he willeth us to consider the order which the Lord hath appointed in saving of us, which is by hope, and because hope is of things not seen or enjoyed, therefore we must not imagine so soon to enjoy all happiness as we believe it, but be content to want all things for a time, that hoping for them with patience and long suffering, we might come to them at the last, unless we will go about to pervert this most excellent order, which the Lord hath determined and appointed to use in saving us, which is by training us up in the hope and expectation of all things promised for a season, v. 24, 25. And because the hope that is deferred is the fainting of the bones, & we might fear in respect of our own weakness, and the greatness together with the continuance of afflictions, that we should not with patience under the cross continue to hold out happily unto the end, he further addeth for our singular comfort, that the spirit which we have received, shall help to bear the burden with us, and so though we be never so weak, yet by the power of it we shall be able to endure, vers. 26. So that it shall be all one with us, as with the child upon whose shoulder the father laying an heavy burden, that were able to press him down, doth so put his hand under it, that he beareth the weight and burden of it himself: and if the father will not overlade the child, we need not to fear but that the Lord will so increase our strength according to the measure of our afflictions, that we shall find this promise to be true, that his holy spirit shall help our infirmities. For as a father hath tender compassion of his children, so hath the Lord tender compassion of us, seeing he knoweth whereof we are made, and remembreth that we are but dust, and that we flourish but as a flower of the field: which thing as it is most comfortable to consider, so we shall find it to be most true by experience: because our Saviour jesus Christ hath prayed unto his heavenly Father for us, that he might give us a Comforter, that might abide with us for ever, even the Spirit of truth, as the blessed Apostle confesseth of himself, 1. Corinth. chap. 4. vers. 9 saying, We are afflicted on every side, yet are we not in distress: in poverty, but none overcome of poverty: we are persecuted, but not forsaken: cast down, but we penish not: for (as it is in another place) his grace shall be sufficient for us, for his power is made perfect through our weakness, so that when we are weak, then are we strong 2. Cor. 12. 9, 10. and thus we shall always find it to be most true, that God is faithful which will not suffer us to be tempted above that we be able, but will even give the issue with the temptation, that we may be able to bear it, 1. Corinth. 10. 13. and if there were no Scripture to prove it, our own experience might tell us the truth of it: for if we have observed any thing, we may remember that many times we have been low brought, and have sustained very heavy things, and thought we should never have been able to have borne them, neither in deed should we, but that there was an other thing far above ourselves, which made us endure and overcome those things which we thought we should have fainted in the midst of them, so that we may boldly say with the holy Apostle, Blessed be God even the Father of our Lord jesus Christ, the father of mercies, and God of all comforts, which comforteth us in all our tribulations, that we may be able to comfort them that be in any affliction, with the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation aboundeth through Christ, 2. Cor. 1. 3, 4, 5. And this is so much the more worthy to be considered of us, because he saith that the spirit shall help us, not in some few only, but in all our infirmities whatsoever, and there can be no weakness in us so great, or infirmities so many upon us, which the spirit shall not strengthen, even to the bearing of the greatest cross that may be laid upon us, as we heard the Apostle saying before, that God did comfort him in all his tribulations; and that his consolations did abound, even as his sufferings did abound. In the mean season he giveth us to understand, that the afflictions of the godly are so great, that they far pass any strength that is in us to bear them: yea that we are very weak of ourselves, and subject to many infirmities, though we be partakers of the spirit of God; for it doth not rid us of them. Nay the very Apostles and Paul himself confesseth that he was not able to have undergone so many and great things as he did being a frail man like unto us, but that he had the spirit helping him in his infirmities. The truth of which may likewise appear in the great complaints of David, job, and the rest, who though they did patiently bear many great things, yet not without many infirmities. For job sometimes curseth his day: & David saith unto God in his haste. I am cast out of thy sight, Psal. 31. 22. & therefore we are not to imagine of such a portion of God, spirit, that might swallow up all our infirmities (for then we were no men) but it must be sufficient that we are aided with the strength of it, so that we finally fall not down, and lie still under the heavy burden of affliction, but that there is a mixed thing as it were in us: namely, our own infirmities to humble us, & the strength of God's spirit to enable us to bear: so that having so able an helper to bear with us, we may be comforted with hope of enduring the greatest thing that may befall us in this world, though continuing upon us never so long. And that we might do it the rather; the Apostle further addeth, that the same spirit shall likewise stir us up in all necessities of ours to pray unto God, and to make our moan unto him, as to our Father and shall be heard of him. For though we sometimes through the greatness of our misery know not what, or how to pray as we ought, yet his spirit shall stir up even then though not many well ordered speeches or words, yet those sighs and groans, which being unspeakable and only felt, are notwithstanding well understood and accepted of God, because they proceed from his spirit, whose meaning he knoweth and granteth, because it maketh request for the Saints according to the will of God, as it is ver. 26. wherein we are notwithstanding to consider, that though we have received the spirit of God, even the spirit that teacheth us to pray, so that we have many times called upon God with great assurance and comfort for and with ourselves and others, yet there may be a time and that very often, wherein we may be so distracted by some great affliction, and in that case that being as it were astonished and overcome with the greatness and strangeness of it, we can not tell what to pray: and though prayer then be our only refuge, yet we can not tell how to begin it, or what to say. And so unlike shall we be unto ourselves, and that that we have been in times past, as though we were not the same: nay our estate may seem like unto the wicked, who are at their wit's end. For if we were asked what we would have, we can not tell, and though we have liberty to ask of God, we can not use it: for we can not tell what to pray. A wonderful thing, but yet most true, and that which is to be found not in some, but in the most excellent servants of God, even the Apostles themselves, as Paul here bringeth in himself for an example, and in this infirmity maketh himself like unto the rest. And though we have a form of prayer prescribed us by our Saviour Christ, yet we ask those things many times which if we had them would hurt us, and when we ask that which is profitable and good, yet by prescribing to the Lord, the time, manner, and means of our deliverance, we pray with such impatience and distrust, that it may truly be said, we can not tell what to pray as we ought. This was the estate of good King Hezekiah, Isa. 38. 14. when he was oppressed in the bitterness of his soul (as he saith) & he chattered like a Crane or a Swallow, and mourned as a Dove. Such was the perplexity and more than infirmity of David, when instead of praying, he roared all the day long, Psal. 32. 3. and when he mourned in his prayer, and could but make a noise, Psal. 55. 2. and when (as he saith) for the voice of his groaning his bones did cleave to his skin, and that he was like a Pelicane of the wilderness, and like an Owl of the desert, and as a Sparrow alone upon the house top, Psalm. 102. 5, 6, 7. and when his heart panting and his strength failing him, even the light of his eyes, he roared for the very grief of his heart, and he powered out his whole desire before the Lord, by sobbing and sighing, rather than by any thing else. Thus these most excellent servants of God, in their greatest agonies, were so far from being able to pray unto God in any tolerable manner, that in their own sense and feeling they did but roar and cry, sob and sigh, mourn and complain, and that very confusedly, even like the Crane, the Swallow, & the Owl, so confused were they in themselves and full of disorder, and fallen into so many great infirmities at once: Therefore we may not judge of ourselves or others by any one such or few particular cases, lest we deceive ourselves: neither must we then in this great unfitness of ours be like unto the wicked, who give over all prayer because they are unfit for it, but strive earnestly against this infirmity of ours, and then pray unto God that we might pray, which if we will do, no doubt we shall find his promise to be true in this, That even then his Spirit shall teach us to pray; for as our Saviour Christ comforteth his disciples in another case. Matt. 10. 19, 20. that when they should be brought before kings they should not take thought what or how to speak for he would give them in that hour what to say, because it was not they which should speak, but the spirit of the Father which speaketh in them: even so we shall find when we are most unfit to pray, if we will not yield to it: there shall be a secret inward working, whereby we shall be stirred up to do something, and there shallbe a labour of the heart, and an endeavour of the mind aspiring unto that which we may seem not to attain unto, and there shall be many sigh, though few words, many great desires, though few voices, yea there shallbe that which we can not greatly conceive of ourselves, and every thing shall be unspeakable. For no doubt those men that we spoke of before even at those times when they could not tell, what and how to pray as of themselves, yet the spirit helping them, they did pray, and there were at least unspeakable sighs and groans stirred up in them, For it is said of Hezekiah that he then turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord and wept sore, 2. Kings 20. 2, 3. and David when as in his own feeling he did but roar and sigh: even than he poured out, &, that very plentifully his whole desire before the Lord, Psal. 38. and when he did but mourn and make a noise, it was counted a prayer before the Lord, Psal. 55. 2. and when as he saith that his groving were like the Pelicans, & the sparrows, or the shriekings of an owl, yet to show that in them there was a work of God's spirit, that made them acceptable to him, he beginneth the Psalm thus: O Lord hear my prayers and let my cry come unto thee. So it is said of the whole Church of God in Egypt, Exod, 2. 23. 24. that when for the extremity of their bondage they could not pray unto God, yet they cried and sighed and mourned unto him. This then is a most notable comfort in all afflictions, that believing in Christ and partaking of his spirit, it shall help us in all our infirmities so, that when we can not tell what or how to pray as we ought, it shall teach us so to do it, as we may have hope and comfort of being heard. For this is that which he addeth, that the Lord which searcheth the heart, knoweth the meaning of his own spirit, for it maketh request to him for the Saints according to his will: for by knowing, he doth not only mean, that he understandeth it, as he doth all other things, but he accepteth and alloweth it, and doth most willingly grant such requests, as though they were made in far better liking to ourselves, and so is the word taken, Psalm. 1. 6. The Lord knoweth the way of the righteous. For, he heard the cry of the Israelites when they did but sigh & moan, & delivered them from the bondage: he heard Hezekiah chattering in his prayer, & raised him up from death, & added 15. years more to his life: he heard David roaring for the extremity of his pain, and forgave the punishment of his sin: and he hath heard us many times in our greatest need, when we have howled and cried, rather than have made any settled and well ordered prayer: yea, when we have rather sighed then spoken. For the Lord in this case regardeth not so much the multitude of words, as he looketh to the meaning of his spirit, and granteth that though we speak never a word. For even as a father having a young Infant sick of some sore disease, though the child can speak never a word, is ready to help it: and if it can speak, yet being full of pain, can not call for things as it ought, yet if the mother can but by any signs guess at the meaning of it, she will accept as much of it as if it had spoken very plentifully: yea though it should say one thing and mean another, she would give it according to the meaning of it. So the Lord that is filled with the bowels of compassion towards us in Christ, far above any father or mother though he delighteth to hear us pray unto him, yet when as by the extremity of our miseries, we are oppressed or distracted, so that we can not in any orderly manner pray unto him as we ought, he alloweth of the sighs and sobs that we offer up unto him, and granteth not so much our words (which are none or few) as the meaning of his spirit which is plentiful in us. Hereupon it cometh to pass that the Lord in his rich mercy imputeth not unto his servants the manifold rebellions of the flesh, or great complaints in their prayers, as not unto job or to David who were full of them: because he hath respect unto the meaning of his spirit in them: even as the father is not so much grieved or offended with the murmurings, impatience, and outcries of his poor sick child, as he by the least token guesseth at the meaning of him, and taketh that in good part. What shall we then say to these things? is it true indeed that the Lord will vouchsafe to look upon the low degree of his servants, and have respect unto poor sinful creatures, who when they are in their just deserved misery, and even then cannot pray unto him one word aright; and when they begin to speak, and their tongue cleaveth unto the roof of their mouth, that he will then hear their sighs and their cries? yea undoubtedly, he that of his great mercy will not quench the smoking flax, nor break in sunder the bruised reed; will of the like mercy hear, not only the well ordered prayers of his Church, but even the very cry and roar of his servants, though they be like the Pelicans and the Owls: yea their mournings though they be like unto the Doves, yea when they say nothing, neither indeed can, their very lobbes and sighs which come from the abundance of a troubled Spirit and can not be expressed: for he alloweth of the meaning of his spirit which worketh those things in them, and if they could, are willing thereby to perform better service unto him. What can be more comfortable unto us then this? In all our necessities let us then with great boldness go unto the Lord by Christ, and though we cannot utter many words, yet 〈◊〉 us speak unto him: for surely the acceptation of our prayers consisteth not in the multitude or well placing of our words, but in the request of our hearts, and therefore if we can pray but two words, and say with the Publican. Lord be merciful unto me a sinner: with the Apostles, Lord increase my faith: or with the blind man, O son of David have mercy upon me: or with the Thief on the cross, Lord remember me: this short thing proceeding from the spirit in us, and offered up in the mediation of Christ jesus and in the virtue of his prayers, shall be as well received of him when we can do no otherwise, as if we had spent an whole hour in prayer: and if we can not do this, yet if we lift up our minds unto God as Hannah did, who spoke never a word, and as Nehemiah did: yea if we do but sigh after an unspeakable manner, the Lord will not refuse that. Vers. 28. Also we know that all things work together, etc. Wherein the Apostle proceeding to comfort us in afflictions ministereth this sovereign medicine against the contagion thereof, namely that all affliction come to the believers not for their hurt, but for their singular good, seeing that they do befall them not by fortune or chance but by the special providence of God, & that for the same end; who as he hath chosen them from everlasting, so in the same counsel of his, he ordained that they should be like unto his son, v. 29. & therefore calleth them in time, justifieth them by faith, and so by the cross bringeth them to eternal glory as he did his Son, ver. 30. & therefore concludeth that no affliction shall be able to hurt them, seeing the Lord is with them in it, meaning thereby to do them good, ver. 31. and that he is so, we may be assured of it, seeing that he spared not his own Son but gave him for us all to death, and therefore it can not be, but that with him he should give us all things also vers. 32. Therefore when he saith, All things, whether it be as generally taken as it is spoken, namely that not only prosperity but adversity also: or it be restrained to his particular purpose, namely all afflictions of what kind soever: true it is, that his purpose is to show, that all afflictions do not only not hinder the salvation of the godly, but do greatly further it: which howsoever it containeth an whole and entire matter by it self, yet being inferred upon the former words: The Apostle seemeth therein to answer a secret objection which might arise in men's minds from thence, namely, that it seemeth many times that the Lord doth not hear the prayers of the afflicted, because their afflictions be not only not removed according to their prayer, but sometimes increased contrary to their desire. Therefore we must remember what hath been already spoken, how the Lord in granting our requests, not so much looketh unto the particular things we desire, as to the meaning of his spirit, and granteth that in turning the afflictions unto our singular good, whereas if they were removed, it would be far worse with us though we imagine to the contrary: for as if one in a burning fever should in the midst of his fit ask cold water and his friend the Physician should in stead of that give him an wholesome medicine, should in denying that particular thing demanded, grant unto his general meaning which was that he might have that, which might do him most good, though now being distempered he was not able to judge of it, but did take one thing for another: So whatsoever we ask in our distress, our meaning must needs be, if it be ruled by God's spirit, that we would have that, which might procure our best good: therefore if the Lord turn our crosses to our good though we prayed for the clean taking away of them, he fulfilleth both these promises at once. Thus when Paul prayed thrice that the messenger of Satan might departed from him, the Lord in giving him his grace, that was sufficient for him, & making his power known in the Apostles weakness, 2. Cor. 12. 8, 9 did both satisfy the meaning of his spirit, & turn his cross unto his singular good. But further touching this matter we are more generally to understand, that th' Apostle saith not only that the cross shall turn to our good: but that this shallbe verified of all the crosses that ever may come upon us be they never so strange, as sickness, poverty, imprisonment, banishment, loss of husband, wife, children, father & mother, name, or any thing else; which is to be marked lest at any time we might be deceived, to think if it were some other affliction, we could have some good hope in it, but this is so great, it toucheth us so nearly, that we can not possibly see which way it should bring any good unto us. Which as the devil is ready to persuade us, and we too ready to yield unto his persuasion herein, so that we might comfortably withstand it, we must consider, that this good cometh from affliction, not as though it were natural and proper unto it (for indeed it is otherwise) that of itself it maketh men worse, and driveth them from God, as the rod doth the child from the mother: and this Satan aimeth at, as in job when he said, If the Lord touched him he would curse him to the face: and so he prevaileth with the wicked, as with Pharaoh. But in the children of God his goodness overcometh the devils malice, and the venume of the cross is taken away by the virtue of the cross of Christ, whereby it is sanctified, so that contrary to the nature of it, it worketh good, The which that it might not seem strange, much less impossible to us, we must remember that even men by their wisdom are able to make those things serve for the benefit of man which of themselves would hurt him. For if the Physician through his skill can cure a man by taking away his blood and humours, by cutting and searing his flesh, which of themselves are hurtful: if he can by art so temper that which is poison, (as the viper's flesh) remper it, I say, with other wholesome things, and correct it with those that be cordial, that of it, he will make a sovereign Treacle, even that which shall expel poison, and so make that which could cause death to be a preserver of life: Shall not the Lord by his infinite wisdom, & almighty power, the Lord, I say, which bringeth light out of darkness, & good out of evil, & calleth the things that be not as though they were: shall not he be much more able by the most grievous crosses that can befall us, work the greatest good for us that may be: so that when we would hope for good by our afflictions, and so be comforted in them, we are not so much to look to the things themselves, how they are like to work upon us: as the promise which the Lord hath made unto us concerning this matter, and so to be sure that the Lord himself will work our good thereby, because he hath said it. This persuasion, no doubt, should work in us great patience in all our afflictions. For how many grievous things will the sick patient suffer at the hands of a Physician or Chirurgeon, by lancing, searing, corsying, etc. when he is persuaded that it will work his good? but in deed here lieth the point of the matter, and this is all in all, that the poor afflicted soul knoweth not that the Lord by his affliction will work his good, and therefore is he so unquiet, and ever complaining; for give him this faith, and the feeling of it, and lay upon him whatsoever you will. Therefore let us hearken to that which the Apostle saith, that howsoever we, because of our ignorance are uncertain what will be the happy issue of all our afflictions, yet he knoweth very well that that shall work together our good, which he speaketh confidently both as a teacher of the Church, an Apostle, and as a man of experience, and therefore we ought to give credit unto him: even as the patiented doth to the Physician, though himself had never experience of any such thing before; which especially we ought to do, because unto his own word he joineth the testimony of many others saying, We know, meaning the rest of the Apostles and ministers, & men of experience, that all of them know it, and therefore this word being confirmed by the mouths, not of two or three witnesses, but having so great a cloud of witnesses for it, should be received without all gainsaying. For it is all one as if the fearful patient should have not one, but a whole company of Physicians saying unto him, that undoubtedly this medicine is like to do you good, we know the working of it well, and have had great experience of it in many, you need not to fear it, take it upon our credit: this would much move him: So, no doubt, this should correct the too much fear, that is in us, of being hurt by the cross, that we hear so many excellent and famous men very skilful therein, to speak so boldly unto us of the benefit of it: even those whom we are most ready to believe in all other things, why then should we not do so in this? but that we might do it the rather, let us a little consider in particulars of the benefit of the cross, and though the Apostle nameth one great one here, which might be sufficient, yet before we come to it, let us see what other ends of it the Scripture affordeth us. And first of all we shall find it to be a special mean to draw us from the too much love of this world, that we might use it as though we did not use it: for when we have all things at our will, we are wedded unto this world, and think it best for us always to abide here, and though heaven be a thousand times heavenly, yet we desire it not so earnestly as we ought, but are still groveling upon the earth: but when by affliction we find that there is no contentment in any thing here below, it may move us to despise them, and with more fervent desire to aspire at heaven, where is the fullness of joy and pleasure for evermore. For this cause the patriarchs suffered so many afflictions, to whom so many earthly things were promised; that they might not stay in them, but from them ascend up into heaven which they were especially to look for, as the Apostle faith, Heb. 11. 9, 10. that Abraham, Isaak, and jaakob heirs of the promise, abode in the land of promise, as in a strange country: for they looked for a city whose builder and maker is God. Thus the Lord dealeth with many before their death, laying long and grievous diseases upon them, that they finding no rest in this world, might be willing to go out of it, and to desire death most willingly, which before as most ugly, they did abhor. So that as the mother by some unpleasant thing weaneth the child from the breast, upon which it would otherwise always linger to the hurt of it, now when stronger meat is more fit for it: so the Lord weaneth us by the cross from the love of this world, and thus turneth it unto our good. Moreover by the same he bringeth us to a more through repentance & sorrow for our sins, & worketh that in us thereby which the word did not before, when we find by woeful experience what great miseries they have brought us unto: for if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged of the Lord, but when we are judged, we are chastened of him, because we should not be condemned with the wicked world, 1. Cor. 11. 31, 32. whereunto agreeth that Psal. 107. 10. etc. that affliction humbleth men unto true repentance before God, even as we see it to be true in the Prodigal child, who by his great misery came to repent him of his riotous life, Luk. 15. 16. and the brethren of joseph, though we may presume of them, that they being brought up in the house of there godly father, did secretly repent there ill dealing towards joseph, yet many years after, about 20. or there about, when they were in adversity, the memory of it renewed itself afresh, and thereby they wear brought more seriously to judge themselves for it; so that in this respect, it is compared to fire that purgeth the gold, & consumeth the dross of it; unto a file that scoureth oft the rust; unto a purgation that expelleth corrupt humours from the body. Therefore even as the fire doth not hurt the gold, in consuming the dross, and the file in taking away the rust, and the purgation in expelling ill humours: so afflictions causing us to abhor and leave some sin or other, which if we continued in, would destroy us, may truly be said to work our good. In the third place, it preserveth us from many sins, which otherwise we should fall into, but that being under the hand of God, we are kept in more awe: and as Physic serveth not only to cure us of the diseases we are fallen into, but to preserve us from them in some tolerable health: so the cross both recovereth us out of sin, when we are fallen into it, and preventeth many, that otherwise might creep upon us: so that as some sickly bodies are driven to diet themselves, and are in continual Physic to prevent that which their corrupt estate would otherwise necessarily pull upon them: so some are always, or the greatest part of there lives in the diet of affliction, not so much to bring them from gross and grievous sins which they are not yet fallen into, as to keep them from falling, which the Lord knoweth they are ready to do, in respect of their ages, callings, and places that they live in. So that if the Lord deal with us as with untamed heifers, which are kept from straying out of there pastures with hedges and ditches; so he puts thorns and briers in our ways as Hoseah saith 2. 6. that is, layeth affliction upon us, and so as it were stoppeth the way that we might not break forth by disobedience to our hurt, must we not needs say, that even this way as well as any other, the Lord worketh by affliction our singular good? and with the Prophet, Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O Lord, and teachest him in thy law, that thou mayst give him rest from the days of evil, while the pit is digged for the wicked. And Psal. 119. 67. 71. Before I was afflicted, I went astray, but now I keep thy word: and, It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn thy statutes. Besides all this, afflictions are called trials, because that by them the Lord trieth what is in us, not that he is ignorant of it, but because he would have thereby ourselves and others thoroughly to know what is in us, and in what measure, and what is both good and evil, which without the trial could not so well be known: which serveth for this end, that if we have received any good grace, we might be thankful to God for it, if not, we might labour for it. Thus speaketh the Apostle Peter, 1. Epist. 1. 6, 7. Now for a season if need require, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations, that the trial of your faith being much more precious than gold that perisheth (though it be tried with fire) might be found unto your praise, honour, and glory, at the appearing of jesus Christ. Where the Apostle saith, that if men by the fire will try the gold to the end that they might certainly know what is the value of it, and yet it is but a thing that perisheth, and therefore in no wise to be compared to faith and other graces of God's spirit: then the Lord much more by affliction may make trial of them, to the end that all men may see them to be so precious as they be. Thus was Abraham proved, Gen. 22. 1. when the Lord commanded him to offer up his only son Isaak whom he loved, which he willingly obeyed, and by faith offered him up, Hebr. 11. 17. so that the Lord saith, now it was known by good proof that he feared the Lord, when for his sake he had not spared his only son. Thus is it known who are they that have received the seed of God's word into good ground, and who into stony ground, even such as go away in tentation: and so though they believed for a time, yet then show that the word was not rooted in them, Luk. 8. 13. and thus it is known who have builded there houses upon the rock, and who upon the sands, who have been only hearers of the word, and who doers of the same. Even such as when the rain falls, the flood comes, and the wind blows, there houses stand or fall, that is, they that in affliction and tentation continue the same that they were before, or are unlike unto themselves; to be short, thus were the Israelites tried in the wilderness, where it appeared many ways what was in every man, where some were murmurers, some fornicators, some idolaters, some disobedient, and some faithful, and all this by the several afflictions and crosses that did befall them. Thus by the great afflictions that came upon job at once, appeared what was in him, when in all that he sinned not with his mouth, but said, The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord. And thus lastly by trial appeared the weakness of Peter, who though he had made so large a confession of his faith before; yet at the voice of a maid, when he saw greater danger, swore and foresware with cursing and banning, denying Christ, even that he never knew the man: therefore if it be good for us not to be ignorant of ourselves, and so not to be deceived with an overweening of ourselves; if it be good for any man to see his wants and weakness, that he may be humbled and seek to have them healed, if it be good to know certainly that we have received such and such graces, even in that measure that we have, that we might be thankful to God and comforted in ourselves: then seeing that affliction and the cross bringeth forth all this at once, and by trial we find what faith, hope, love, patience, obedience, etc. is in us, and what not, that whatsoever we seemed to be before to ourselves, and others, yet now we know certainly that we are thus and thus, it can not be denied but that affliction worketh much good unto us, and we ought to say with the Apostle, that we know it to be so. Which we may much more confidently when we shall see (omitting to speak of many more uses that the cross hath) that last and greatest of all, that is spoken of vers. 29. Hitherto we have seen that there is great use of affliction, and that it worketh much good, and that in every cross besides the present bearing of it, the Lord offereth great commodity unto us and worketh it in us thereby: so that as in all other things there is the present possession of them, and the use of them, in so much that many have great goods and yet not know how to use them; so many have great and long crosses upon them, yet labour not after the fruit of them. Thus seeing afflictions are common to the good and the bad, and both do bear them, whether they will or no, yet the one must labour for the good which the Lord offereth to them thereby, which the other not once so much as looketh after: which no doubt when God's children are some thing careless in, than he continueth his rods upon them, nay increaseth them, because his purpose is to do them good: and so herein dealeth with them as a father (even as he is) who spareth not the rod, till his child be thereby humbled, to the confession and amendment of his fault, because his purpose is to do him good, when as notwithstanding he letteth his servant go, when he seethe that he will not profit by words or a few stripes, as not caring for him: so the Lord when he spareth the wicked in their sins, and reserveth them to further judgement, correcting his own children again and again, showeth that his purpose is to do them good. Therefore let no man in the continuance of afflictions be too much discouraged, as though the Lord were continually angry with him, or had a purpose to destroy him thereby, which he could do in a moment at once, but let him thus reason with himself out of the word; Now I know assuredly that the Lord loveth me in deed, because he purposeth to do me good by all things, even by affliction, and therefore whereas I through the untowardness of my nature, have not profited sufficiently by his former chastisements, he sendeth a new fatherly correction, thereby to work my further good, and whereas I through my crookedness and stubbornness do not yet profit by them, as he would have me, therefore I see that in much mercy he continueth it, that so I might get good by it at the last: and herein the Lord dealeth like a wise & careful Physician, who purposing not so much to give Physic unto the sick patient, as to cure him thereby, if the first medicine will do it, there he leaves them; if not, he apply one medicine after an other, because he hath a diligent care of him: and if at any time he maketh any intermission, it is because of the patient's weakness, whom he would by that means to gather some strength, not that he meaneth to leave him: so the Lord purposing, according to his word, by affliction to do us good, when by the first cross we profit not as we ought, then either he letteth it lie the longer upon us, or removing it sendeth an other in stead of it, though not presently, because we could not bear it, yet afterwards when it seemeth best unto him. Therefore the best thing for every man is, soon to profit under the cross, that so it may be removed, and not so much to labour for the removing of it, as for the fruit of it, lest it going away without profit, the Lord bring upon us some greater afterwards, seeing he is purposed thereby most assuredly to do us good. Moreover, by this we know that whereas every man desireth that which is best for him, and yet most men err in the particulars, desiring that which is most pleasant, profitable, honourable, etc. in this world; that in deed is best for us at all times, whatsoever it be, which maketh most for the glory of God in us, our own salvation, and the edifying of our brethren, which because the Lord worketh many times by afflictions, as we have heard, even they then are best for a man: Even as when a man's body is so distempered, and some member so putrefied, than it is best for him to have his blood taken away from him, to be lanced and seared, yea to have a part cut off: therefore when any affliction or calamity doth befall us, let us not be discontented therewith, or be impatient, but submitting our judgements & wills to the judgements and will of God, let us quietly endure, seeing the Lord giveth us that, not which we fond desire as the best, but which he knoweth to be, and is indeed the best. Now seeing it is so, what then I pray you is the cause why not only the wicked, but even the godly, which ought to know this, and to believe it, do so grievously complain of there afflictions? as David, job, and the rest, as though they should be hurt thereby, when as we have seen they work their good and therefore are best for them: Truly it can not be denied, but that men for the most part do more complain of their afflictions then they ought to do, and do not so comfortablely bear them as they should: yet this hindereth not but that men should get good by their afflictions, and be also persuaded thereof, though they be full of complaints, whilst they are in the midst of them: for who complaineth more than these two men, and yet who had more profit and got greater good of them then they? for such is our nature, that we must needs have the feeling of afflictions, unless our heart were hard like iron or brass, and so we were stocks and no men: but seeing it is otherwise that our hearts are soft and tender, it can not be but that every thing should work upon us, and we be moved according to the nature of it, to joy, sorrow, love, hatred, anger, and fear, and therefore tribulation must needs trouble us, and affliction afflict, and the cross crucify, and yet we may be persuaded that it is for our good, and look for it from thence, even as the sick patient can not as he is man, but feel the lancing, and searing of his flesh, and so complain of it with great grief, yea cry out for the extremity of pain, though he knoweth it to be best for him then, and therefore after a sort doth most willingly suffer it. But many others are so full of complaints in their affliction, because they are not persuaded at that time, that the very thing is sent for their special good, and therefore such are to meditate upon that which we have already spoken concerning this matter.  
In the latter part of this verse when he saith, to them that love God, as he thereby restraineth this general promise, so he showeth to whom it appertaineth, namely to those that believe in Christ jesus, and are sanctified by his Spirit, for he entreateth of the certainty of the salvation of such: now the true and faithful believers as he hath before discerned them from others by this fruit of faith, namely sanctification, so he doth here by one part of it, which is love, as in the Epistle to the Galat. chap. 5. vers. 6. so that under one kind he comprehendeth all godliness, but he taketh this thing rather than any other, as most fit for his purpose; for speaking of affliction, he saith, By this we shall try our faith, if our love unto to GOD continue even then. For whereas the wicked will pretend to love God in prosperity, but in adversity they fall unto hatred, yea unto plain cursing and banning: he that truly loveth God, loveth him not for his back and belly alone, nor principally, but because he is goodness itself, and therefore to be loved. And herein the one bewray their servile nature, that like as servants love not their masters, if they once begin to correct them: and the other their liberal and childish disposition, whom no correction or stripes of the father, can make to change their love to him, much less drive away from him. This is that which Satan knowing generally to be in the nature of man, thought to have found in job, though he was deceived, when he said, Doth job love or fear God for nothing? hast not thou been an hedge round about him? but touch all that he hath, and see if he will not blaspheme thee to thy face. Therefore if in affliction we cease not to love God, and in love to serve him, we shall be sure that he will fulfil this promise to us, of turning all things to our good. Moreover, seeing that the Apostles purpose is, to entreat of patience in affliction, this no doubt, is most fit for the purpose, namely the consideration of the love which we ought to bear unto God. For if that in worldly matters we will bear many great things at the hands of them whom we love, as the child at the mother; the husband at the wife; and one friend at another; then how much more ought we to bear all things at the hands of God, whom we know so loveth us in Christ, and therefore we ought so to love him again: and no doubt would bear if there were that love in us unto him, which aught. When he addeth in the same verse, (Which are called of his purpose) as he doth further show to whom this promise doth appertain, even to such, so he showeth the cause of it, which is not any worthiness of theirs, or right be having themselves under the cross, as thereby deserving it, but the free love of God, whereby he before the beginning purposed to do them good, which purpose of his nothing can alter, but he maketh all things to further it, even afflictions? so that thus he declareth the certainty of this, for what can hinder the purpose of God? Nothing: and therefore afflictions can not hinder the good of his children, seeing that he hath purposed to do them good, which purpose of his appeareth by their effectual calling, and therefore when he had purposed to save them, he called them in time to the knowledge of it, and from thence it came that the word was effectual to them, when it was unprofitable unto others. So the Lord continuing the same purpose of his towards them, it shall come to pass that though all other men should wax worse and worse by their affliction, yet the Lord would turn all theirs unto their good because he had purposed it. So that for the certainty of this he leadeth them to the consideration of the purpose of God appearing in their calling, which being very strange, and many things against it, yet nothing could hinder it because it was purposed. So by the cross our good being ordained by the unchangeable purpose of god, how many things soever may seem to be against it within us or without us, nothing shall be able ever to hinder it, but we shall always find this promise to be true: that all things shall work together for the best to those that love God, even those that are called of his purpose. In the next verse when he addeth; For those whom he knew before, he also predestinate to be made like to the image of his Son, that he might be the first borne among many brethren: he declareth another most excellent end wherefore the Lord layeth the cross upon his children, namely, that thereby they might be like unto Christ their eldest brother, as the Lord hath ordained, that all that are his should be: and thus especially it worketh our good, when it maketh us conformable to Christ: where he not only saith, that afflictions do befall us by the very special providence of God, and not by chance, but to what end he sendeth them, namely that as Christ first suffered and then entered into glory, so all others going the same way might be like unto him, as he hath appointed that they should, and therefore we need not to fear that the cross should hinder us from our salvation, no more than it hindered Christ from glory: nay, that we ought in the midst of it, to have sure hope, that in the end we shall be like unto Christ in glory, because we are like unto him in the cross.  
Concerning the former, that no affliction cometh by fortune or by chance, but by the appointment of God, he not only suffering it, but first ordaining it, and then laying it upon us with his own hands, it containeth in it most notable comforts by itself, and is that which the whole Scripture beareth very plentiful witness unto: for seeing that we believe that God made all things of nothing, therefore whatsoever are the means of any thing the Lord is the doer of it, for that they did that which they did by his special power, seeing that without him they are nothing. Therefore the servants of God have confessed, that the Lord himself hath brought all their troubles upon them, as Psalm 66. 10. Thou, O God, hast proved, thou hast tried us as silver is tried, thou hast brought us into the s●are, and laid a strait chain upon our loins, thou hast caused men to ride over our heads. And job when all his goods were given into Satan's hand, who stirred up the Sabeans and the Chaldeans to spoil him, yet he saith, The Lord hath given, and he hath taken it. The devils besought Christ not only that he would suffer them, but that he would send them into the swine, that they might go into them, Mark. chap. 5. vers. 12. So Matth. chap. 4. vers. 1. Christ is said to be led by the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil, to show, that whatsoever did befall him there, the Lord sent him thither, and to that end. And so hath he taught us to pray, Lead us not into temptation, which is more comfortable then to say, Suffer us not to be led: because therein we confess, not only that the Lord beholdeth us in all our troubles, but that he, that is our Father, and knoweth our strength, layeth them upon us with his own hand, and therefore we need so much the less to fear lest we should be overloaded. The consideration of this should not only make us patiented in all afflictions, but to look for some good from them, seeing that he which hath promised to work our good by them, doth lay them upon us himself: this no doubt was that, that stayed the old man Hely when he heard that message from the Lord by Samuel, which otherwise might have been more uncomfortable unto him, as appeareth by his words, 1. Sam. 3. 18. It is the Lord let him do what seemeth him good. For this is all one, as if the sick patient should have a Physician to deal with him, that were his brother, his father, or his friend, who should not only prescribe the medicine, but make it and minister it himself, of whose fidelity and care towards him, because he doubteth not one whit, it might make him most willing to receive it, though very bitter and unpleasant, and to hope for some good from it. Thus our Saviour Christ speaketh, joh. 18. 11. Shall I not drink of the cup which my Father hath given me? speaking of ●his sufferings. To show us, whensoever any cross doth befall us, it is the cup which God our Father in wisdom and mercy hath mingled for us; and therefore we should not fear any hurt by drinking of it, but rather hope that it should work our good, as he hath promised. If when the child hath offended his father, he should say to his servant in his anger, Take him out of my sight and punish him, it would be more grievous than if he should take correction of him himself: so it may minister unto us some comfort that in afflictions we know that we are under our father's hand, and that he hath not delivered us unto any other, to be tormented. If one that were blind should be suddenly taken, & carried to some punishment, he knew not by whom, he might greatly fear, what would be the end or measure of it. Or if one should be dealt withal as is the manner of the Spanish inquisitors, to put the poor soul in the greater fear, if he should have a tormentor sent unto him very ugly disguised, who should carry him into a dark place, he knew not whether, that might increase the grief of his affliction the more, but if when he were in the midst of it, he should hear the unto us, because we look not up unto him that sendeth it, and we are so blind, that we consider not who striketh us, yet when we hear out of the word, the voice of our Father speaking unto us, and telling us that it is he that dealeth with us, how strange and deformed soever the tormentor may seem to be, let us not be too much discouraged, because that even when he striketh us, the bowels of compassion in him do yearn upon us more than in a mother towards her children, and he seeketh thereby to do us good. Thus we see that all afflictions are ordained and sent of God, and that the salvation of the Church, and every member of it is joined with bearing the cross, so that we are not to look to be freed from it, unless we will pervert this order established by God's decree, neither need we to fear it when as the Lord that hath determined to save us, hath appointed also this way and means to save us, and when his decree of saving cannot be severed from his decree of exercising us under the cross. Which that we might not look to be freed from, or fear lest it should hinder us in our salvation, the Apostle telleth us wherefore the Lord hath thus decreed of the whole Church, even that seeing his own Son Christ jesus came no other way but this unto glory, he being the eldest brother in the house of God, All other by their practice might yield unto his sovereignty, when they will not refuse to go that way to their inheritance, which he went before though never so grievous, even through many afflictions. So that even as a noble man will have all his servants to wear one livery, that they might be known: so the Lord would have all his children known by one badge: the badge that he put upon his eldest son Christ was the cross, therefore none of us the younger brethren must refuse it. For as in a family, great is the privilege of the eldest brother, and none must look to go beyond him, nay every one can not be like unto him, and if any might come to as great an inheritance, as he by doing those things which he did before them, they might not refuse the condition, unless they would prefer themselves before him. So seeing it hath pleased the Lord to consecrate the prince of our peace through affliction, Hebr. cap. 2. vers. 10. and he came unto glory no other way then this, we must think it good for us to go the same way, that we might be like unto him, and so by our practice, show that we acknowledge him to be the prince of our peace, and our eldest brother. Then even as he is the chief and principal in the common wealth, in the Church, in a private family, and in any place, that all desire to be like unto, so when we are contented to be like unto Christ in any thing, even in the cross, then shall we declare that we hold him to be the chief and principal, and as it is said here, the first begotten among many brethren. For indeed howsoever there is great difference between the head and the rest of the members, yet there is a certain conformity between the members of the same body and the head, and all of them are inferior unto it: so howsoever there is no comparison betwixt Christ and us, yet we must be like him in this, that we must not be above him, and therefore not to refuse any condition, that he hath undergone before, unless we would preposterously prefer ourselves the members before him our head: which were to darken the glory of him, that is the first borne, and to stain the honour of him that is the prince of our peace. For what a disorder were it, if the subjects would refuse to do that which the Prince had done before? and if the younger brethren should think much to be brought up that way that the heir hath been before? even so when we shall refuse to bear the cross which our Saviour Christ by the appointment of his Father hath borne in greater measure than we shall or can, it is nothing else but to lift up ourselves above him, and to say that we will not be conformable unto him as to our prince or eldest brother. And what a thing were this, that we being worse than dust and ashes, should desire to be spared above the only Son of God, and should so love ourselves, that the estate of Christ jesus should seem to be unmeet for us, and when he was in all sufferings and afflictions brought unto glory, we should dream of a more ready way, and think to come to it some other way we know not what? Therefore let this comfort us in all trouble and adversity, that we can never be pressed so low with it, but that Christ jesus hath been deeper plunged in it before, so that the more trouble and adversity we suffer, the more are we like unto him: yea, if it were possible for us to go down into hell, and to suffer all torments of a desperate man in soul and body, even in them we should be most like unto Christ in his great agonies and bloody sweats, yea in his cross when he cried out with a loud voice, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? But if all this do not satisfy us, and we further demand why the Lord should appoint so hard a way for us unto heaven, and ordain that by the strait way and narrow gate, we should enter into life, and should wish that he had appointed some easier way than this: First of all we must not prescribe the Lord any thing in the matter of our salvation, but think ourselves happy, that we are saved any way, yea if we went to heaven by hell: and secondarily when we are come thither, we shall find the joys so far surpass all troubles and adversities whatsoever that we have suffered both in greatness and continuance, that we shall never repent us of the hardness of the way, no more than it did joseph, that he first enduring the prison was afterwards made ruler in Egypt: or jacob that he came to inherit his father's blessing at the last, by a long exile & tedious bondage: or the Israelites, that by passing through a forlorn wilderness forty years, they came to the land of promise in the end. Or David that he came to the kingdom of Israel by suffering so many things under Saul as he did.  
Nicholas bound.   

A Treatise of a contented mind.  
Num. 11. From the 4. verse. Moses setteth down the most heinous sin of the people, which grieved him so, that he complaineth of it unto the Lord, vers. 11. Who gave him this answer concerning this matter, vers. 18. the execution of which is described, vers. 31.  
THeir sin was this, that they were not contented with that most blessed estate that the Lord had placed them in: which, howsoever it may seem to be but a small thing, yet if we measure it by the punishment that came upon them for it, we must needs confess it to be great. For if the justice of men doth punish men but according to the quality of the fault, the Lord doing it a great deal more, it can not be but a great sin that pulled so great a punishment upon them. And in deed seeing that we believe that the Lord doth govern the whole world, in wisdom and mercy, dividing unto every one that portion which he knoweth to be most convenient for them, look how much we are discontented with our estate, so much do we detract from the wise and merciful providence of God. Now this sin of theirs was so much the more grievous, by how much more their estate was so good as it was, and therefore had so many causes to be contented therewith. For besides that, they were delivered from the cruel bondage of Egypt, they had many singular testimonies of God's favour, both for this life and the life to come, and therefore the Prophet David, Psal. 78. 12. doth thus set forth the indignity of their sin, declaring how many benefits of God they did enjoy, when they begun thus to murmur. And if we do but consider the manifold public benefits in the Church and commonwealth, as the word of God, this long peace under so gracious a government, with so great plenty and freedom from so many plagues, whereby all these are so much the more comfortable unto us, besides the private commodities which every one of us many particularly remember in dangers escaped, in good things received upon soul and body, for this life and the life to come in our own persons, and such as appertain unto us, we must needs acknowledge that there is great cause why every one of us should be contented with our estates, and that our sin in murmuring at any time should be very great. But yet we must come unto that whereof the Apostle speaketh, Phil. 4. 11. I have learned in what soever estate I am therewith to be contented.  
Now that we might the better see into the sin of this people to avoid it, we must mark by what steps they came unto the height of it. First of all they did less esteem of that pleasant food, than they should, and did not see it to be so excellent & convenient for them as it was: for they speak of it very contemptuously, saying, There is nothing but this Man; when as it was not only able to nourish them, but was as pleasant as wholesome, for it had the taste of pure oil, and sweet honey, besides it being given them daily, they might see in it the special providence of God towards them in feeding them from hand to mouth as it were: so that this should have been unto them in stead of all dainties in the world, if they could have seen it, but as though all this were nothing, they say, There is nothing but this Man. Therefore we must heed take least at any time we do deny or lesson the benefits of God, but labour to see them all, and acknowledge them to be so great as they be, ●hat so in respect of them we may confess our estate to be so good as it is, and therewithal to be contented. And even then, when we begin to mislike any thing, because it is not such as we wish it were, than we must also remember how otherwise it may be commodious unto us, & what great use we may have have of it, and so beholding the goodness of God towards us in it, to rest with thankfulness well contented therewith.  
But they, giving place to the devil, & their own corruption in this, from hence it came to pass, that they preferred any other food which they had not, before that excellent meat which they had: & in deed thus Satan dealeth with men, when he hath brought them to a misliking of that which they should not, than he will offer them many other things, & persuade than to like of any rather then of it. And this is to be marked so much the rather because they esteem onions, leeks, & such like▪ & fish, not of the daintiest, but such as the poorest were wont to be fed withal, before this most wholesome & pleasant meat▪ and so are contented to change for the worse. And they were so much the more wicked in all this, because they say they had the other food for nothing, though in deed they had not, for they being used as cruelly as might be, were no doubt constrained to pay for every thing to the uttermost, but they mean, they had these base & common things for a small price: yet they might have truly said of the Man, that they had that for nothing, even for the gathering. But now in a murmuring spirit, they had rather give some thing for the worse, then enjoy the best for nothing, & would not only change for the worse, but also give something for the exchange: & thus had an imagination that it should be marvelous well with them, if they were any otherwise then they were yea though it were much worse. Therefore we must endeavour to profit by our present estate, & to serve God in it, never imagining that if it were any otherwise with us, we should be very well, & we would do great matters, when in the mean season we cannot keep a tolerable course in that condition we be presently in. But whether God blesseth us we must be thankful & rightly use it: or whether he chastiseth us, we must be humble & profit by it: & be assured that it is a mere illusion of the devil to be persuaded that if we were otherwise, them we would be a great deal better, when as now we cannot be as we should: forif we have no power over own will in time present, what hope is there we should have it in time to come, unless we presently labour for it? And if they could have served God with Man, than there had been hope, that if that they had been driven to onions and leeks, they should have done there duties then also: as he that serveth God in a single life, may hope to serve him also in marriage: he that doth it in one estate, may hope to do it in an other. But they that ignorantly dream, that if this were not their estate, let befall then what will, they hope to do well enough, or let this cross be removed, and let any other be laid upon them, and they will bear it, and let their estate be but any ways changed, and they will endure it: they shall find it far otherwise by experience, even as this people, who not using well their own condition, when they were fed with Man, after when the Lord gave them not common meat but quails, they were ten times worse than they were before.  
The devil doth not here leave them, but draweth them on further, and they following the corruption of their own hearts do not here stay, but being once persuaded, contrary to all reason, that to be fed with onions were better for them then with Man, do as men void of all reason, so unsatiably desire them, like unto bruit beasts, as they will not be quieted, till they have their greedy desires satisfied: for they say their soul is dried away, vers. 6. As indeed this is the nature of any immoderate affection, that it worketh upon the body to the hurting and consuming of it, especially a lingering and unreasonable desire. So that there fault was not only in that they desired that which they should not, but most of all, that they had no government of their affections to stay them, but did let them range so inordinately. But here if we demand, whether it be simply unlawful for a man to desire any thing that he wanteth, and to wish that his estate were bettered; or whether he must always remain in one estate: I answer, it is lawful for us to desire and pray for as many things as we want, and God hath promised, but in that manner that he hath promised them. Therefore whereas he hath first of all promised us the forgiveness of our sins, his favour and everlasting life, and these be the greatest things in the world, we may, nay we ought to desire our own salvation, and all the means of it, both first of all, and with the greatest desire that may be; and here we need not to fear any excess. For we must hunger and thirst after the righteousness of Christ jesus, Matt. 5. 6. and as new borne babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, even so earnestly as they do desire their mother's milk, 1. Pet. 2. 2. We must desire the public assemblies of God's people, even as the heart desireth the water brooks, in the heat of summer, when he is chased, Psal. 42. 1. And we must long to be present at God's service, even to our fainting, which is the property of longing, Psal. 84. 2. And it were a sin not to have these great affections in us unto them. But all outward things as they be promised unto us, even as they shall further us in these things, and make us more fit to glorify Gods holy name; and in the second place, so we must desire them, but to these ends especially, and all our affections unto them must be in a second degree, neither above nor equal with the former. Therefore first of all, we must desire them as it is the will of God to bestow upon us, and as he in his wisdom doth better know then ourselves, what will make us most fit to serve him: which will of his is first revealed unto us in his word, in that the things be honest and lawful in their own nature, in so much that we may never desire any unlawful thing, for it is not his will to give us that: Secondly in all outward things that be lawful (for we speak of them) I shall know whether it be the will of God to bestow this upon me or no, or whether as it is good in it own nature, so he seethe it to be good for me now by the ordinary means he giveth me to bring it to pass, and by blessing of the means: for ordinarily he worketh by means, in so much that if I desire a thing, and he deny me all means to compass it, or maketh not the means to prosper with me, than I am assured it is not the will and pleasure of almighty God to bestow it upon me, yet it is not the time, this is not the place or means whereby he will bestow it upon me: here I must stay my desire, but when I see the Lord both to offer and bless the means, whereby I conclude it his will, that it should be so, or whilst I see it, and so am in no doubt of it, I must take heed that my desire or my affection unto it be not over great, and that I be not like the people in consuming and pining away with the desire of it: and as Ahab and Ammon were sick of their unlawful desires, we must take heed of these unlawful desires so much the more carefully, because they always bring with them the abuse of the things we desire. For as the people did inordinately desire any food save Man, so when they had it, they glutted themselves therewith, as Psal. 78. 29. So they did eat, & were filled, for he gave them their desire, they were not turned from their lust, but the meat was yet in their mouths, when the wrath of God came upon them: Where he noteth their behaviour, that they did not only eat, but stuffed themselves till they were full, and they satisfied their lust and like bruit beasts, as their persuasion of the things was unreasonable, so their affection to them was intemperate, and the use of them unlawful. And this must needs follow it, for besides that our own affections, if they be not ruled by God's spirit, are heady and strong, and ready to blind our understanding, it is the just judgement of God upon us in punishing our unlawful desires, to suffer us to fall into the abuse of the things. Therefore as we must always desire the things here below but in that measure that we should, so we must pray unto God that together with them he would teach us the right use of them; & we must not imagine that if we had them, we should be happy and blessed, but pray the Lord that we may have them with his favour and blessing, and that by abusing of them we never offend his majesty. This we find to be true in all the commodities of this life by experience; he that ambitiously seeketh honour, is proud when he hath it, and knoweth not how to use it: the covetous man as he careth not how he comes by his riches, so he cannot tell how to spend them the voluptuous man, as his desire is unsatiable, so in his pleasure he observeth no circumstances of time, place, person, or end, but only satisfieth his lust. Therefore though to have these outward benefits be a singular blessing of God, yet rightly to use them is a special grace proper to his children that ask it of him.  
And the abuse of things is so much the more carefully to be looked unto, because the Lord though he satisfied their unsasaiable desire to the full, Num. 11. 19, 20. yet for all that, and for the abuse that followed upon it, he sent a most grievous plague among them, v. 33. And in deed these two as they be most usually joined together, so the Lord doth many ways punish them: for as concerning our inordinate desires, even that is the thing many times that hindereth us from obtaining the desires: for though in all heavenly things the more earnestly we desire than, the sooner we have than, yet in earthly things this only hindereth us from them, or at least wise causeth them to be deferred, that we have them not so soon as otherwise we might: whereby the Lord correcteth our desires, & teacheth us more earnestly to desire heavenvly things: or else if the Lord do give us the things that we thus desire, together with it he sendeth some grievous affliction, as upon this people here. And afterwards the same people, when they would needs have a King, & could not be dissuaded to the contrary, the Lord gave them one in his wrath, but it was a cruel Saul. And there is great reason of this in all things: for besides that the desire itself is worthy to be punished, unreasonable desires many times do make us to use unlawful means to have them satisfied, both which when they be joined with the abuse of the thing, must needs provoke the Lord so much the more grievously against us.  
The chiefest cause of all this, was their incredulity, Psal. 78. 22. they did not believe that the Lord had a fatherly care of them, & sought in all things to do them good, even as he knew what was commodious for them: which was so much the greater a sin in them, by how much the Lord had so many ways testified his great love to them, not only by his word, but by his works, v. 23. where he beginneth to reckon up so many benefits of his bestowed upon them. Therefore that we might avoid all these sins, we must labour first of all to believe the forgiveness of our sins by Christ jesus, and that we are received into God's favour by the imputation of his righteousness: then we must be persuaded of his fatherly providence watching over us for good, and that he having given his son Christ jesus unto us, will with him give us all things needful for us, and that there being a kingdom provided for us in heaven, much more are we heirs of this world: which faith that we might be confirmed and strengthened in, we must not only barely acquaint ourselves with the promises of the word, wherein he testified and showed all these things unto us, but also mark his fatherly dealing with us from time to time, wherein he hath confirmed the truth of these promises unto us.  
Moreover, concerning this matter, this is an especial means to bring us to a contented mind, if in worldly things we never propound too high an estate to ourselves, neither look for great matters of this life, but set a mean condition before our eyes as jacob did, Gen. chap. 28. 20. If God will be with me, and keep me in this journey which I go, and will give me bread to eat, and clothes to put on, so that I come again to my father's house in safety, etc. with words proceeding from the truth of his heart, not purposing to dissemble with God, did declare a marvelous contented mind, if we consider who it was that spoke it. First of all, the graundchilde of that mighty Abraham, who was able to reske we his kinsman Lot with three hundred and eighteen soldiers borne and brought up in his house, Gen. chap. 14. vers. 14. and who was so rich, that the land in which he sojourned was not able to bear them, cap. 13. 6. Then he was the only heir of that rich Isaak, who dwelling in Gerar, sowed and found by estimation an hundred fold, and was exceeding rich, cap. 26. 12, 13. and was so blessed, that the king of the land was afraid of him, v. 28. Thirdly it was he, who was so blessed in all earthly and heavenly things by his father in the chap. going before, and was confirmed in the same again in this very chap. v. 1. 3. and last of all, was established in the faith of it by the Lord himself, v. 17. After all so many and great things, which might have made him look a fit, what a mind had he that desireth 〈◊〉 meat and drink, and clothes? especially in so long a time of absence from his friends, for he knew well the cause of his own departure, even the cruel rage of his brother, which could not be appeased, but in a long time. And this is so much the more worthy to be considered, if we read the text, as some of the learned translators do, namely when the Lord shall have been with me, & shall have kept me in this way, by the which I am to go, and shall have given me bread to eat, and clothes to put on: and to be short, when the Lord shall have been my God, than this heap of stones, which I have set up for a pillar, shallbe God's house, etc. wherein as he doth not tie God's favour to the abundance of these outward things, but confesseth that he may be merciful unto him, yea in a mean estate, so this mercy of God he desiring above all, is contented that the Lord should show it unto him which way it pleaseth him, if it be but in meat and drink, and clothes. So our Saviour Christ hath taught us to pray for our daily bread, by which though he mean all things needful for this life, yet in naming bread, he showeth us what mean things we should look for: whereunto agreeth the prayer of the wise man Proverb. 30. 9 Give me not poverty nor riches, feed me with food convenient for me: and the exhortation of the Apostle, 1. Timoth. 6. 8. When we have food and raiment, let us be contented therewith: which that we might so much the more earnestly labour to attain unto, let us consider how God hath always blessed them, that have looked for small matters, and punished them that have had aspiring minds, resisting the proud, and giving grace to the humble. David when he was accused of treason against the king, truly protesteth of himself Psalm 131. Lord, mine heart is not haughty, neither are mine eyes lofty, neither have I walked in great matters, which are to high for me. And when Saul in policy offered his daughter unto him to be his wife, that by that means he might be destroyed of the Philistines, he answered, What am I, that I should be son in law to the king? 1. Sam. 18. 18. and when it was further urged upon him, he said, Seemeth it a small thing unto you to be the king's son in law? v. 23. yet afterwards God made him King. But Adoniah & Absalon both of them afterwards aspiring unto the kingdom, by the punishments which God brought upon them, were made spectacles of so great ambition to the posterity. Mordecai in time of the captivity having well deserved of the king, Hest. 2. 22. sought not ambitiously to prefer himself, but serving still faithfully in his former estate was highly advanced at the last cap. 6. Contrariwise Haman swelling with pride like a toad, as it appeareth in many places of that story, was at the last brought to that great shame & confusion, which deservedly fallen upon him. And that we might in all persons consider the truth of this we shall find that if they have no other punishment of God upon them, yet they have this, which is no small one, restless minds & unquiet spirits. For besides that, the mind of man is insatiable, & there is no worldly thing so great, but man's desire is greater, & therefore when he hath this & that, still he desires more, & is not satisfied: we must remember that great things are very rare, & hard to be attained unto▪ & therefore we like to miss of them: and so the mind must needs still be unquiet. So the other, if they have no other blessing yet they shall have this, quiet spirits, & contented minds, which is an especial grace: For besides that, small & mean things are especially promised of God, and are most common in the world, & therefore most like to be attained unto, and so the desire soon satisfied: the blessing of God also is upon such, which quieteth their minds, and is unto them in stead of all things which they want.  
Last of all concerning this matter, when we have through the blessing of God attained unto great things, we must make this account of them, that there is no certainty in them, for we may lose them all in a moment. jacob had experience of this, Gen. 32. 7, who being commanded of God to return into his country, & was in the way confirmed in the providence of God over himself in that journey, ver. 1. & came laden homewards with so great abundance, as is noted in that chap. understandeth of the sudden, contrary to his expectation, that Esau cometh against him with 400. men, who remembering his former threatenings when he departed from him, & now considering his great power & manner of coming towards him, is suddenly stricken into a great fear of losing his life & all that he had: & though it pleased the Lord to deal more mercifully with him, yet by the providence of God he greatly feared it, by which he was taught, not to place his chiefest contentation in this great abundance, but in the favour of God, which before he most of all desired: which, as he enjoyed when he had none of all these things, so it might continue with him when all they should be lost. Therefore we must not say, Oh if I had this or that, etc. I should be well, and then I would be contented: for what if I had it? how soon may I lose it again? then how quickly shall I be discontented? Therefore are they called uncerten riches. 1. Tim. 6. which is true of all worldly commodities & pleasures. And the whole scripture, besides daily experience teacheth, how great uncertentie there is in the enjoying of husband, wife, children, parents, friends, goods, houses, lands, liberty, life, or any thing else: only the favour of God in Christ jesus is certain, & his promises of the forgiveness of sins and everlasting life are irrevocable: for as all of them be Yea & Amen in Christ jesus, so he is to day and yesterday, and the same for ever: therefore if in all times and estates, we would be well contented, we must only make a certain account of that: so that whether we enjoy any thing, we must more account of the favour of God appearing unto us in it, then of the thing itself: or whether the Lord deny us the thing we desire, it must be sufficient unto us, that he hath received us into his favour, or whether he taketh the thing away from us again, yet this contenteth us, that he turneth not his loving countenance from us: which if we could come unto, than no doubt many times we should enjoy things longer than we do: for this is the next way to keep all things still, so to hold them, as being contented to give them to the Lord, whensoever it shall please him to take them from us. Besides it maketh the mind contented whether we have them, or we have them not, when we always esteem them but as things uncerten.  
Nicholas bound.  
FINIS.   

WHOSOEVER IS DESIROUS TO LEARN AND REMEMBER THE word of God that he might live according to it, let him consider that which is written in the Psalm 119. part. 2.  
THE TEXT. THE PARAPHRASIS. 
1 Wherewith shall a young man cleanse bis ways? In taking heed thereto according to thy word.  
2 With my whole heart have I sought thee, let me not wander from thy commandments.  
3 I have hid thy promise in my heart, that I might not sin against thee.  
4 Blessed art thou, O Lord, teach me thy statutes.  
5 With my lips have I declared all the judgements of thy mouth.  
6 I have had as great delight in the way of thy testimonies, as in all riches.  
7 I will meditate in thy precepts, and consider thy ways.  
8 I will delight in thy statutes; and I will not forget thy word.  
1 First of all be persuaded, that the word of God is only that rule, whereby the whole life of every man, & that in every thing must be ordered, even the life of a young man, who hath most reasons for himself, why he should be excused, as he is most disordered.  
2 Then upon this persuasion give yourself unfeignedly to the reading and hearing of God's word, as to the means which God hath appointed to teach you: & pray to God in the careful use of those means for his holy spirit, that thereby you might come to the true understanding of his word.  
3 That which you have thus learned, let it not swim aloft in your brain, but let it be deeply settled & hidden in your heart as a treasure, labouring to frame all your affections unto it, that so you may have it in a readiness, whensoever you shall occupy it, otherwise though you know never so much it will not keep you from sinning against God.  
4 You thus profiting give thanks unto god always for that which you learn, because be it never so little, it is more than many in the world do know, yet content not yourself with it, as though you had sufficient, but pray unto him to be further enlightened, because it is less than many others do, and you yourself should know.  
5 But above all be careful to talk of that unto others, which you do daily learn yourself, and out of the abundance of your heart let your mouth speak, for by teaching others you shall learn yourself.  
6 That you might do all these things, labour to have joy in the word, and in all the exercises of it, more than in any worldly thing, and be occupied about those things with greatest delight: for in whatsoever we take greatest pleasure, that will stick fastest by us.  
7 Last of all, meditate and consider of that with yourself, which you have learned, and muse upon it alone, not contenting yourself with the general rules, but labouring in your conscience to make the use of them profitable to your own self in the particular practice thereof.  
8 Thus doing all these things carefully, you shallbe sure never to forget that which you learn: though you do not remember every thing, yet God will by his spirit call so much into your remembrance as is needful for you to know, and then especially when you have most need of it, as in the hour of your death, & the day of temptation: but as you fail in all, or any one of these, so may you fear to fail in the truth of this promise.   A good help for an ill memory. 
N. B.