PLus mouent exempla quàm verba. Gregory. Examples doe moue more thē precepts, and a good life, then a good lesson. For, Homines facilius ad benefaciendū, exemplis, quàm verbis, inuitantur. Origin. Men are incited soo­ner [Page]by workes, then by words: and by liues, then by lawes to do wel. Where­fore Dauid, intēding to preferre a pre­cept, first propounds his practise, be­cause, haec iustitia est, vt quod alterum fa­cere velles, tute prius ipse incipias. This is the law of iustice, to practise that wee would haue others performe, & to be­gin that our selues wherein we would haue others to go forwards: And hap­py shalt thou be, if Dauids hazzard be thy happines, his practise, thy presidēt, and his cure in extremitie, thy care in aduersitie, to cast vpon the Lord. For being persecuted by Saul, hee wisheth wings like a Doue, in the 6. verse. But hac via non succedente, preuayling not this wayes, hee betakes him vnto his prayers, and cries vnto the Lord in the 17. verse; there is his practise: and his soule was deliuered in peace, in the 19. verse; there is thy warrant. Now for thy instruction, this Psalme is by the Greeks intituled, [...]. A Psalme of Dauid, to giue in­struction. Or, ode didascalica, Tremeli. wherein Dauid, or God by Dauid, playes the master, and thou (if thou fearest God) [Page 2]must be the scholler. Or lastly Maskille Dauid, according to the Hebrewes, as who should say, In this Psalme is con­tayned, Doctrina situ dignissima: Sadel. in Psal. 32. A doctrine worth thy knowledge for thy vnderstanding: and wee may adde a practise worthy imitation for thy li­uing. For when prosperitie on thy right hand, shall vpbraid thee with, Quis tu es? alas thou art grasse, and thy glorie as the flower of the field: Esai. 40.6. then mayest thou cast this burden on the Lord, & say with Dauid: How euer it be, yet God is good. Psal. 73.1. And when aduersity shall demaund, Vnde es? Gen. 3.9. thou art of the earth, and to the earth thou must re­turne. Iob. 17.14. Corruption was thy mother, & wormes are thy sisters. Thy dayes are swifter then the weauers shittle, Iob. 7.6. and for thy abiding, thou hast not whereon to lay thy head: Math. 8.20. Thē cast this burden, &c. and make it knowne with holy Iob, that naked camest thou out of thy mo­thers wombe, and naked shalt thou re­turne. Iob. 1.20. For dant superi cuncta vel aufe­runt. Pindarus The Lord giueth, and the Lord taketh away. And yet say with Dauid, Psal. 127 3. The Lord hath done great things, yea [Page]great things for vs already. Though vertue reiect thee with this question, Qua semita huc accedes? it is a hard mat­ter to clime the tree of vertue, especial­ly for thee that art borne in sinne, and conceiued in iniquitie: Psal. 51.5 whose righte­ousnes is like a filthie clout, Esai. 64.6. and all the cogitations of thy heart are prone to euill euermore: Gen. 6.5. Yet cast this burden likewise vpon the Lord, and say with Dauid, Misericordia Domini plena est ter­ra. The earth is full of the goodnes & louing kindnes of the Lord: and with Augustine, Plus vult ille misereri, quàm nos a miseria liberari: The Lord is more willing to shew mercie, then we are to receiue it. And when vice shall inuade thee, with Qua cautela huc recedes? thou art now in the custodie of sinne, and fettered with the bonds of iniquitie: if thou wouldest breake prison, or vn­loose thy fetters, thou must first binde the strong man. Mat. 12.14. But alas, thou art weake, Phil. 2.30. and not able so much as to wil, thou art dead in thy sinnes, Ephe. 2.1 and how wilt thou deliuer thy selfe? then cast this burden also vpon the Lord, and say with Nehemias, Nehemi. 4.20. The Lord shal fight [Page 3]for vs. And with Paul, Ro. 8.31 If God bee with vs, who can be against vs? And with Dauid, Psal. 3.6 The Lord is my saluation, there­fore I will not be afraid for ten thou­sand that beset mee round about. Though that heauen denies thee with Quo titulo introitum vindicas? Alas, thou art flesh: for what is of the flesh, is flesh: Iohn. 3.6 but flesh and bloud cannot in­herit the kingdome of heauen: 1. Cor. 15 Yet mayest thou cast this burden vpon the Lord, and say with Bernard: Puto iam spernere me non poterit Christus, os de ossi­bus meis, & caro de carne mea. I know that Christ my redeemer will not now reiect me, that so dearely bought mee: who for this cause became bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh, that he might bring me vnto his heauenly Pa­radise. And though hell and sinne do make challenge to thee, with Quo iure exitum aduocas? descend to hell, for he that committeth sinne, is of the diuell: 1. Ioh. 3.8. but thou art altogether sinfull, take therefore the broad way that leades vnto hell: Mat. 7.13. behold, the Angels defie thee, heauē denies thee, vertue reiects thee, vice retaines thee, and the diuell [Page]will haue thee: yet cast this burden likewise vpon the Lord, and say, Nihil odisti eorum quae fecisti? Wisd. 11 thou hatest no­thing that thou hast made. But behold (saith God) all soules are mine: and therefore take me, that am the worke of thy owne handes. And thus we are led by the title of this Psalme, to tune Dauids Harpe vnto Christs musike, being like vnto the loade-star, that in the darke night cōducts the wandring traueller to his wished hauen: so this, the wearied Christian, vnto the hauen of his sure deliuerance. For albeit the browne diuell penury oppresse thee, and the blacke diuell of persecution pursue thee; though the world bee en­camped about thee, and the heauens bee banded against thee: yet this will leade thee vnto the true deliuerer, which is the Lord thy God, thy true saluation.

Basil vpon this text compares man vnto a true penitentiary, cloathed in sackcloth, and apparelled with a gar­ment of hayre, going into Gods house weeping, but returning from his pre­sence laughing; going heauily burde­ned, [Page 4]but returning altogether ea­sed. Yet Augustine [...] comming more nigh the letter, compares man in this world, to a loadē ship sayling vpon the boistrous seas, drawing the warrant of his cōparison, first from the word hash­lecke, which signifieth cast, as the Mar­riner that casts his anker. Secondly, frō mote of mute, fluctuatio, a fluctibus. The Septuagints translate it [...] of [...], which signifieth procella, a storme by sea: from whence comes salum, which Ennius makes salus, and signifieth the sea. Thirdly, from Beer, whereof com­meth the Greeke [...] puteus, a wel with water. And thus compared, the text affordeth vs these three partes: First, a casting or lying at anker, from [...], racta sicut anchoram in mari, Lyrain Peter. 1.5 cast as an anker is cast in the sea. The second thing, is, his arriuing in the ha­uen, from [...]. He will not suffer the righteous to fall for euer: videris fluctuari in mari isto, sed excipit te por­tus: Aug. Thou seemest to be dāgerously tos­sed in this sea, but, the hauen that re­ceiues thee, yea portus tranquillissimus, Cassidori. the most calme, and blessed hauen, that [Page]will neuer deceiue thee. Thirdly, the shipwrack from veattah Elohim. Thou, O God, shalt bring them in puteum sub­mersionis: Aug. into the pit of drowning or destruction, to teach vs that sayle here in this world of calamitie, to cast sure vpon the ground of Gods prouidence, that we may arriue in the world to come, in the hauen of happinesse, lest we perish with the wicked for neglec­tance. Because this world est vallis me­dia inter coelum, et infernum, quasi inter montem vitae, & montē mortis. A valley placed in the middest betweene hea­uen and hell, as betweene the moun­taine of life, and the mountaine of death. And because this world is via peccati, & vmbra mortis, in qua pyrata diabolus recte gradientibus retia deceptio­nis expandit. Aug. vol 1. serm. 13. It is the way of sin, and the shaddow of death, wherein the diuell the arch-pyrate, sets his nets of murde­ring deceites, to entrap them that would walke in the wayes of Gods commaundements. And thus much of the introduction and interpretation of this scripture. Now to the parts as they lie in order: And first of our ankering, [Page 5]contayned in these words: Cast thy burden vpon the Lord, and hee shall nourish thee.

This clause affords vnto vs these three things; First, the ankers that we must cast, and they are two: prayer and affiance. The second is the ship that must bee stayed by these ankers, and that is lehabhka, thy burden, thy burdened and wearied life. The third is the ground whereunto these ankers must bee fastened, or where­vpon they must bee cast: and that is two-fold. First, a generall ground, and that is God. Secondly, a more particular, and that is his prouidence: Cast thy burden vpon the Lord, and he shall nourish thee.

Now to the first, which is our an­kering. Selucus beeing expelled out of Babylon, & returning by the helpe of Ptolomy with a band of souldiers, as hee made haste vnto the Citie, stum­bled, and stumbling, hurt his foote: whereat his friends somewhat agrie­ued, reauing vp the stone, found a ring that was hidden vnder it, in which ring was engrauen the similitude, and [Page]forme of an Anker: which they in­terpreting, supposed it to portend cap­tiuity. But hee being of another spi­rit, cryed out vnto them with a lowd voyce, Bono animo estote omnes, nam quā terram calcamus, & retenturi sumus, & possessuri: Be of good cheere, my friends, and fellowes; for this ground, whereon we now tread, as aliants and exiles, wee shall assuredly possesse, as heires and owners. And thus, that An­ker, which they construed to signifie captiuity, hee interpreted to pretend conquest, and security. In which sence Plutarch vseth [...], for an anker, signifying security, making it with Lu­cian, the very rescue of defence. And the Egyptian Hieroglyphickes, when they would describe vnto vs, true safe­ty, or safegard, they painted a ship and an anker; noting vnto vs, that if aduer­sity beset vs in this world, as a tempest sets vpon a shippe in the sea, yet there was an Anker, a readie refuge, to stay vs from drowning.

Now then, seeing man with his burden, is compared vnto a ship with his loade, and wee must assure our [Page 6]selues, that heere we shall finde a sea; therefore let vs prouide for our selues, a steady Anker, lest wee bee suddenly inuaded with a storme of boysterous calamitie, and so perish in our sloth­full securitie: for nauigamus in hac vi­ta, quasi per quoddam mar [...], vbi & ventus est, & procell [...] non desunt tentationum: Aug. tract. in Iohn. 14. We sayle in this life, as it were thorow a sea, wherein there are both windes of aduersity, and stormes of temptations: Here being but two seas to passe, mor­tuum and rubrum: the dead sea, and the redde sea. The first is mare pacaetum, a sea calme, without surges, and the saylers heerein, are worldlings: there­fore called calme, because dead: and therefore dead, because the saylers herein are already smitten with death, being slayne by sin, and murdered by iniquity: for sin is gladius, serpens, vene­num, a sword that wounds the soule; a serpent, that stings the conscience, and poyson, that kils Christ the true life of the soule.

The second, is turbidum, a rough & troublesome sea, and the marriners herein, are the louers of God, red with [Page]the bloud of the Saynts. For heere funditur ater vbique cruor, crudelis, vbique luctus, vbique pauor, & plurima mortis imago. Cor. Tac. in Ner. persecut. Here is shed euery where the bloud of Christians; here is heard in all places, the lamentation of Saints; here is feare, and the image of death seene, and seazing vpon the liues of holy men, and Gods seruants. These are the two wayes whereby the deuill assaults & sets vpon men in this world, persuasione, vt molliat; persecutione, vt frangat: Greg. by perswasion to winne, and vanquish man by fayre meanes, as hee set vpon Christ, Mat. 4.8,9. offring him all the kingdomes of the world, and the glory of them, if he would worship him: Iob. 2.7. or by persecution, to break & bend him with foule meanes, as he inuaded Iob, smiting him with sore boyles, frō the sole of his foot, to the crowne of his head, to cōpel him to blaspheme God, and forsake his Creator. Quid igitur facies? Excita Iefum, & dic, Magister, perimus: Aug. 49 tract. vp­on Iohn. What is now to bee done in this case? Euen that which the Disciples did when the tem­pest arose in the sea, and the shippe was couered with waues: They came vnto [Page 7]Christ, Mat. 8.25. and awoke him, saying, Master, saue vs, we perish.

This is that anker, which the Em­blemists paint tied vnto a strong rope, with this title or mot, Tutum te littore sistam, Claudius Paradin. I will place thee safe vpon the shore. Signifying vnto vs, that our hope of saluation, being fastened vp­on our Sauiour Christ Iesus, who is our surest safegard, and sauing refuge, whereunto we must continually flie in all our troubles and aduersities, it will bring vs vnto the hauen of safe deliue­rance, and quiet happinesse.

This anker wee are put in minde to haue in continuall readinesse, if by no other name, yet by this, that wee are called saylers, whose condition is so pe­rilous, and estate so dangerous, as Ana­carsis could not tell whether he should account them inter viuos, vel mortuos: among the liuing, or the dead. And if we will needs haue thē to be numbred amōgst the liuing, yet the farthest they are from death, is but spissitudo tabula­rum nauticarum, the thicknesse of a three inched boord: a most brickle & lamentable case: yet were we happy, if [Page]our vessell wherein wee fayle in this world, were thus strong, as is the mar­riners boate. But alas, it is much more fraile and fickle: being compared some­times vnto a flower, Iob. 14. vita in carne, flos in foeno: Greg. Am. vp­on Luke. as the flower in the grasse, so is this life in the flesh: sometimes to a shaddow, sometimes to a reede, yea, sometimes to vanitie it selfe. Psa. 144. Notwith­standing, the enemies that daily assault our vessell, are much more mighty, & enuious, then those things, which are obnoxius to the sailers ship: albeit they be ignis aqua, and hostes: Bernard. fire, water, and enemies: then the which, in their fury, there is no earthly thing more dange­rous: for here is concupiscentia, cogita­tio, & opera: concupiscēce, & thoughts, words, and wicked works, like fire to burne it, water to drowne it, and ene­mies to destroy it. Fire, but it is the wild fire of cōcupiscence, which Saint Paul cals for the trouble, Rom. 7. [...] & for the hurt it brings with it [...] flat sinne: and Saint Iames compares it, Ia. 1.14. for the subtilnesse of it, vnto a tēpter, and for the cruelnesse of it, vnto a fow­ler, because [...] it tempts & drawes [Page 8]vs from that which is good, and then, [...], it snares and ouertakes vs before wee be aware. And Saint Iohn makes a threefold kind thereof. 1. Ioh. 2.16. First, [...], [...], and [...]. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life: yea this fire is so much more dan­gerous then the elementary fire, by how much it is more secrete, and vn­knowne. Wherefore Dauid calleth it a hidden fire, crying out, Who vnder­standeth his faults? and costing the an­ker of prayer for his deliuerāce, calleth vpon God, Psal. 19.13. saying, O cleanse me from my secret faults. To second this, there comes the water of actuall sinne, some­times like vnto a boystrous sea, where­in one waue ouertakes another: so is the sinne of thought, sometimes follo­wed by the sin of words, & sometimes both thoughts & words are accōpani­ed with wicked works: otherwhiles this water of actuall sin enters our ship by drops, and makes a great flood within our soules: for Aug. de guttis minutis flumina implentur: and humor per rimas influens nauem confundit: great floods arise of [Page]little drops: &, water issuing in by small riftes, drownes and sinkes the ship. O therefore (sayth the wise man) Ecclesi. adde not sin vnto sin, for this is but to adde fire vnto fire, when we would haue the first fire to be quenched; and water vn­to water, when we would haue the first water dryed. If we would know how this water of sin sokes in by little and little into our rifty soules, Isidore makes it manifest vnto thee: Suggestio parit co­gitationem: cogitatio, delectationem: de­lectatio, consensum: consensus, actionem: actio, consuetudinem: consuetudo, necesii­tatē: necessitas, malam mortem: mala mors, dānationem: damnatio, poenam aeter­nam in Gehenna.

First, there is offred a suggestion: a suggestion ingenders a thought or co­gitation: cogitation breedes delight: delight begets consent: and consent brings foorth the action: one action must haue another: and many actions turne vnto custome: custome cannot be left; and so it produceth necessitie: necessity that must not be repēted of; and so it brings vs to an euill death: an euill death, that drawes vs to dam­nation: [Page 9]and damnation, to the eternall paines of hell. And thus sinne entring in by a little hole, yet stings to death: and what doth it aduantage thee, whe­ther thou bee smitten with a broade sword that makes an apparant wound, or stabbed with a small poinyard that makes but a small breach; seeing thou art assured to die as well by the one as the other? Wherefore let this be a ca­ueat for vs to take heede of all sinnes: for if they be great, the world will con­demne vs: if small, either the poyson thereof will kill vs, or the number of them will destroy vs. But least the fire should loose her nature, & so not con­sume this shippe; and the water should forget her moisture, & so not drowne it: the enemie will set his hand to de­stroy it; euen the enemy which is called the Diuell, with his great army of An­gels, and powers, vnder whose banner doe fight, men and spirits, the flesh and the world. For there is a neuer ending warre betweene him and vs. The He­rauld whereof was God himselfe, who sowed this dissention, and proclaimed [Page]this warre saying: veepah Ashith bene­cah. Gen. 3.15, I will put enmitie betweene thee and the woman, and betweene thy seed and her seed. 1. Pet. 5.8. Hence hee is called our aduersarie, and that no small one, but that great red Dragon, euen that Dra­gon that fought in heauen: Apocal. 12. the olde Serpent and Satan which deceiueth all the world; who set vpon God in hea­uen, Adam in paradise, and Christ in the wildernesse, and will neuer leaue vs, which alas haue neither force to re­sist him, nor wit to discerne him. Bernard. 7 serm. de aduent. domini. Si discernere volumus inter bonum & ma­lum decipimur, si tentamus facere bonum deficimur, si conamur resistere malo deijci­mur. If we would discerne betweene good and euill, we are deceiued: If we go about to do good, we quickly faint: and if we indeuour to resist sinne, we are easily ouercome. A fight most vn­fit, and warre most vnequal: he strong, we weake: he full of experience, we al­togither vnexpert: he subtill, we sim­ple: he valiant, and we full of coward­nesse. Onely this remaines to keepe vs from destroying in this dangerous bat­tell: [Page 10]namely, [...]: to let downe and cast this holy anchor, fall to prayer, and call vpon our God. For vt nauem ancora: sic oratio vitam firmam reddit. As the anchor staies the shippe, and keepes it steadie against winde and weather: so doth prayer maintaine the Christian from perishing by the temp­tations of Satan, and inuasions of the wicked world. For the Diuell is com­pared by Saint Peter, vnto a Lyon: and saith Gaudentius Merula: As a Lyon is discomfited at the sight of a Cocke, and at his crowing betakes him vnto his heeles: so doth Satan that murthe­ring Lyon, both stand in feare when the godly man appeareth, and flies a­way when he betakes him vnto his prai­ers. The Diuell is a venemous Serpent, and saith Isidore: Mustela bellatura cum Serpente: primo rutam comedit, cuius vir­tute & odore contra venenum se munit: & sic ad bellum secura procedit. The Weafell going to fight with the Ser­pent; first eates Rue, the smell and ver­tue whereof, armes, and defendes her against the force of the poyson, and [Page]then she goes boldly vnto the battell. So must we, who are continually inui­roned, and daily besieged by Satan, and his army; first arme our selues with prayer, which will defend vs against Satans temptations, and then may we be bold to encounter the enemy, accor­ding to Christ his precept, and practise; who prayed himselfe, saying: O my Father: Mat. 26.41 and likewise commaunded the same vnto his Disciples, saying: Watch and pray, least ye enter into temptati­on. For a prayer is sacrificium Deo, de­monibus flagellum; and oranti subsidium: a sacrifice to God, a scourge for the Di­uels, and a refuge, and a rescue for him that prayeth. First a sacrifice vnto God, which Saint Paul calleth the sacrifice of praise; Heb. 13.15 that is, the fruit of their lippes, which confesse Gods name. This is that munus, that gift which Christ com­manded the Leper to offer vnto the Priest: Tertul. ad­uers. Mars. lib. 4. namely, orationem & gratiarum actiones (saith Tertullian) prayer, and giuing of thankes. For sicut Thimiama bene confectum delectat hominem odoran­tem: sic oratio iusti suauis est ante Deum. Chrysto. [Page 11]As sweete perfume much delights the smell; so is the prayer of the righteous man, much pleasing in the nostrels of God. The altar whereon we offer this sacrifice, is Altare coeleste: our faith, which Ambrose calleth an heauenly altar, whereon our prayers being offe­red, Christ (saith Chrysostome) receiues them, and purifying them, commends them vnto his father, vnto whom for Christ his sake they are acceptable. Wherefore he that offereth vnto God sacrificium orationis, must diligently ob­serue three things: Bernard. Epist. ad frat. de mont. Dei. Quis, Cui, Quid. First, who is he that offereth, and he must be pauper spiritu, the poore in spirit. Secondly, to whom, and that is to God, vnto whom he must sursum cor, lift vp his heart. Thirdly, what he must offer, and that is a right qualified prayer, proceeding from true saith, and feruent loue: and then God wil receiue thy sacrifice, and the Diuels will bee much tormented with it, which is the second benefit which followeth heartie and earnest prayer. Bernard. For per orationem vincuntur demonia, the Diuels are cast [Page]out, and subdued by prayer. By this was the Lunaticke person deliuered frō that tormenting Diuell, which often­times cast him into the fire, and often­times into the water, because this kinde goeth not out but by prayer and fa­sting. Mat. 17.21 Neither is this all that we receiue by prayer, but we are defended also by it from all assaults, and temptations. Ambrose. For it is bonum scutum, quo omnia spicula aduersarij repelluntur: that good shield whereby all the dartes of the aduersarie are repelled. It is [...], the Christian mans physicke, against all spirituall dis­eases. Theodoret If we be in medijs aquis: in the middest of the waters, this is our safest deliuerance, and as it was vnto Ionas, Ionas. 3.2. who being in the bottome of the sea, and the belly of the Whale, cried vnto the Lord, and he heard him. If we be in igne, in the fire, by this we shall be deliuered: Dan. 3. as were the three children in the middest of the firie furnace, who cried vnto the Lord, and he deliuered them. If we be inter medios Leones: a­mong the middest of the Lyons, Dan. 6. as was Daniel in the middest of the Lyons [Page 12]denne, who cried vnto the Lord, and he deliuered him. This is Gods pre­cept, and Dauids practise. For the first saith God: Psal. 50.15. Call vpon me in the day of trouble, and I will deliuer thee. And for the second, saith Dauid: out of the deepes haue I called vnto thee O Lord, and thou deliueredst me. Psal. 130. If we be be­sieged by our enemies, by this we shal haue deliuerance, as was Elisha, 2. Kings. 6.18. who prayed vnto the Lord, and was deliue­red.▪ vertit se eo, vbi omnes verum auxi­lium inuenerunt, scilicet, ad orationem, quae vnica desper atorum ancora est. And lastly, if a whole army be set against vs, by this we shall ouercome them; Numb. 17 as did Moses the Amalekites, who pray­ed vnto the Lorde, and was deliue­red. Glossa. For, plus valet vnus sanctus orando, quam innumeri peccatores praeliando, one good man will do more good by pray­ing, then an innumerable number of sinners by fighting. Thus in the army of Marcus Antonius the Philosopher, at the prayers of a band of Christians, God sent water, and things necessarie for the army, Xiphilinus togither with a mightie [Page]tempest, to the destruction of the e­nemy. And thus the kingly Prophet Dauid praying against his persecuting enemies, saith: That the Lord thun­dred from heauen, hee sent out his arrowes, and scattered them; and in­creased his lightnings, and destroy­ed them. Psal. 18.13,14. God hath called our ar­my abroad, the enemy is encamped a­bout vs, and hath shaken his sword a­gainst vs: and who can tell, whether the Lord will likewise shew mercie vpon our prayers? The Heathens could giue this report of the Christians: Capitolin. in Marco. nihil esse, quod ij qui Christiani nominantur, preci­bus à Deo impetrare non possent. That there is nothing, which the Christian man by his prayers, may not obtaine at Gods hand. This was it that so trou­bled the cruell persecutors in the primi­tiue Church: as Plinius Iunior, writing to Traian, about the professours of Christianitie, acquites them of all faults and offences, both against Prince and people, excepting this one: quod ante Lucanos hymnos in cuinsdam hominis lau­dem, qui [...] Palaestina crucifixus erat de­cantarent. [Page 13]That they sung hymnes and psalmes before breake of day, touching thankesgiuing and praise, for Christ which was crucified in Palestina. O has Plinie liued in these daies, he would neuer haue found this fault with Chri­stians: among whom the name of God, and his sonne Christ, is more abused to his dishonour, then rightly vsed for his praise and honour. Notwithstanding, neuer was there more neede of prayer, then in these daies, wherein faith is al­most forgotten, and charitie waxeth too colde: wherein the world is turned vpsidowne, and Christ begins to sum­mon vs to our account: and wherein God and Satan, haue this long time bent their bowes against vs. God hath bent his bow, but it is the bow of long suffering; the wood whereof is iustitia, iustice; the string misericordia, mercie; and the arrowe vindicta, reuenge: and if we stil abuse his patience by our sins, as we haue begun, and despise his long suffering by our iniquities, as we go for­wards: then must needs his iustice for­get his mercie, and send the arrowe of [Page]reuenge against vs. Happy therefore shall they be that can cast this anchor of faith and prayer vpon Christ: Psal. 2.12. For when his wrath shall suddenly burne, then blessed are all they that put their trust in him. The Diuell likewise hath bent his bowe, but it is the bowe of e­ternall death & destruction; the wood whereof is malitia, the Diuels malice: the string experientia, his experience: and the shafte temptatio, alluring and deceitfull temptation, which he often lets flie round about vs, woūding some, and killing others. This man with pride; that with gluttony; another with couetousnesse; and a fourth with periu­rie. Filling the world full with all vn­righteousnesse, fornication, wickednes, maliciousnesse, enuie, murther, deceit, debate, and what not, to bring vs all vnto confusion. O beloued, neuer more shooting, and neuer lesse pray­ing: neuer more dartes, and yet few or none applies his shield. For who now moisteneth his prayers, with the teares of true repentance; thereby to quench the firie dartes of Satan? O lacrymae quo [Page 14]fugistis? redite obsecro redite lacrymae, flete me coelum & terra. Lugete me omnes creaturae, & me plorate omnia elementa. peccaui enim crudeliter; lapsus sum gra­uiter; cecidi mirabiliter, Nullus est mor­bus vitiorum, à quo non contraxi contagi­um. Isiodore Dial▪ ho­minis de­flentis, lib. 1. cap. 41. High time it is, to crie with the penitent person: O teares, whither are you fled? ô sighes, whither are you gone? Come againe ye teares, and re­turne ô ye sobs. Come heauen, come earth and bewaile me. O ye creatures lament ouer me. For I haue sinned cru­elly: I haue fallen grieuously: there is no sinne wherewith I am not fowly be­spotted. Did not the heauens raine at Elias prayer? 1. King. 18 and the rocke send foorth flouds at Moses stroke? Exod. 17.6 and shall God smite, Satan wound, and yet we bee without prayers of repentance? The Poets report of Hector, that so long as he liued, Troy could not be destroyed: calling him [...], the immoueable, and inexpugnable pillar of Troy. But much more may it be spokē of the beleeuing mā, whose prai­er bindeth God to doe good vnto the [Page]countrey. As was Lot vnto the Sodo­mites, of whom God witnesseth that he could doe nothing against them, so long as Lot liued amongst them. Gen. 19.22 In what a lamentable case then, is that countrey and place, wherein there is no Moses, Eze. 22.30 no man of prayer to stand in the gappe before God for the land? A token that God intends a present pu­nishment to fall vpon that countrey: and on the contrarie, where God be­stoweth the spirit of prayer, he will like­wise giue a blessing of mercie. For this cause Dauid ioynes prayer and mercie togither, saying: Psal. 66.20. Praised be God, which hath not put backe my prayer, nor hid his mercie from me, noting prayer to be the especiall meanes, whereby God will conferre a benefit vpon a people. Because, Aug. quamdiu Deus non tollit à te o­rationem tuam, non amouebit à te misere­cordiam suam: so long as God depriues thee not of the spirit of prayer, he will not denie thee his mercifull kindnesse. Seeing therefore that by prayer Cassianus. Ira Dei suspenditur, venia procuratur, poena refu­gitur, and proemiorum largitas impetra­tur: [Page 15]wee haue accesse vnto God; the prisoner to intreat the Iudge; the Iudge is mooued to mercie, and his mercie in­dueth him with all kinde of blessings. O therefore prouide in time while it is to day for this happy anchor, if not to stay thy tottering selfe in this miserable world; yet to defend thy tossed coun­trey, from the boistrous inuasion of the open foe, and the deceitfull practise of thy traiterous friend. But because this sea is verie boisterous, waue following waue, and tempest running after tem­pest. It is not amisse to follow Pynda­rus his counsell, especially [...], in this winters night to loose two an­chors. The time was indeed, wherein man quasi dies in gratia claruit: Greg. mo­rale. 35.18. was as bright as the day, and as cleare as the sunne, walking in the day light of bles­sed grace. But being enwrapped in sin, and fallen into the dungeon of iniqui­tie, is now in nocte erroris; constrained to wander, and roaue in the darkesome night of misleading error. So that if we will [...], Pindarus. cast an­chor for our true safetie and felicitie, [Page]we must let downe one in the head, and another in the sterne of the shippe: that so here relying vpon two anchors in this heauen, we may there arriue with all ioy in that blessed heauen.

Wherefore vnto this anchor of pray­er, let vs ioyne the anchor of stedfast faith, and affiance. For this is that which the Apostle calleth [...], a shield a­gainst all the firie dartes of the Diuell. This is that true Solsequium Marygold, Eph. 6.16. that goes and turnes with the sunne of righteousnesse Christ Iesus. It is the right Salamander, that will liue, and continue in the fire without cōsuming. And as if a man doe make him nap­kins and cloathes of the Salamanders haire, although they be throwne into the fire, they will not be burned and consumed, but purged and purified: so will not this perish in the fire of per­secution, but rather with the Salaman­der quench the fire, then be destroyed by the flame. Whereof wee haue a cloud of witnesses in the second of the Hebrewes: Yea, this is anchora ani­mam seruans, the anchor of the soule, [Page 16]that keepes it sure and stedfast, from o­uerwhelming and drowning in the boi­strous stormes of craggie temptations, and grieuous afflictions. Wherefore blessed is he that trusteth in the Lord: Prou. 16. for he shall be like the mount Sion that cannot be remoued, but remaineth for euer. And as the mountaines are about Ierusalem, so will the Lord be about him for euermore. Psal. 125. Aura tonet, sonet vn­da, maris fremat orbis & orcus.

Tu tamen insertos nos tibi Christe te­ges. Let the winde thunder, and the waues make a noyse: yea earth and hel fret and fume, yet thou ô blessed Christ wilt bee a wall of brasse for their de­fence, and a shield of proofe to keepe them safe that trust in thee. He that thus casts anchor, shall be as a man that is prouided of two houses, whereof if one should faile, yet the other would receiue, and keepe him. This was Da­uids practise, to cast both anchors for his assurance. For praying vnto God, he calleth God his God, saying: Hear­ken vnto the voice of my prayer, [...], Psal. 5.2. my king, and my [Page]God. Hearken King, there is the first▪ and my God, there is the second. And in the thirteenth Psalme wherein hee sings [...], a Psalme of triumph, yet he begins the same with sorrow, saying: Gnathana, Gnathana, Gnathana: Howe long, howe long, repeating it foure times in two verses: but he staies his griefe with the anchor of prayer, say­ing: Behold, heare me. But his prayer is mingled with faith: for he saith; Be­hold, and heare me, O Lord my God. Heare me, there is his prayer: but heare me Iehouah Elohai, O my God; there is his faith. And this confidence, he sets downe with the cause thereof, saying: Psal. 13.1.2.3.4. But I trust in thy mercie, my heart shal reioice in thy saluation, and I will sing vnto the Lord. Thus hee that began with sorrowing, ends with singing, be­cause he did cast this twofold anchor, faith, and prayer. The Cananitish wo­man, whose daughter was troubled with a diuel, came vnto Christ by pray­er, saying: [...]: Haue mercie vpon me O Lord, thou sonne of Da­uid. And the text saith, Matt. 15.22.28. that Christ [Page 17]heard her: and why? because great was her faith, therefore it must be vnto her, as she desired. For God is cordis inspe­ctor, the beholder, and searcher of the heart. Wherefore he saith not vnto her, O canis magna est fides tua, but O mulier, mutauit vocabulum quia mutatum vidit affectum. Aug. de fi­de & ope­ribus, c. 16. O dogge, great is thy faith; but O vvoman: changing the word, because shee had changed her faith. eudiant haec audiant, qui constanter orant, necrecedant. flexi inquis genua, curuasti quidem, sed mens tua for as vagabatur, cor­pus intus, sensus foras, os loquitur, mens vsuras cogitat, O, Diabolus astutus: imitare imitare igitur Cananaeam. Chryst. ho­mil. 17. in Matth. Heare this, O heare this, ye that pray with vnconstant mindes, being wearie of your worke, if you haue not too soone your reward, and continue stedfast. Thou saiest I bende my knees: it is true; but thy minde, that runs aroauing: thy bodie indeed is in the Church, but thy vnder­standing in the streetes: thy mouth mutters, but thy minde, that runs after thy vsurie. O, the Diuell is craftie, that seekes thus to delude thee. Imitare, i­mitare [Page]therefore the Cananitish wo­man; indure, and thou shalt be heard: adde faith vnto thy wordes, and thou shalt be blessed. Ad orationem assisto, non orarem si non crederem, sed si vere crederem, illud cor, quo Deus videtur, mundarem, genas lacrymis rigarem: iace­rem ad domini mei pedes, eos (que) fletu per­funderem, crine tergerem, haererem certo trunco crucis, nec prius amitterem quam miserecordiam impetrarem. Hieron. in Dialog ad­uersus Lu­ciferi anos. Marke what a learned father speaketh in thy person. I come (saith he) and set my selfe vnto prayer. I would not pray vnlesse I did beleeue I should be heard. But if my faith were true, then would I cleanse my heart which God so neerely marks: then would I moisten my cheekes with my teares: then would I hang about my Maisters feete, and all to bewash them with the moisture of mine eyes, and wipe them with the cleanest of my haire: then would I cleaue vnto the Crosse, and neuer leaue it, before I had obtained mercie. But now I walke while I pray, sometimes reckening my accounts with my minde, sometimes [Page 18]hauing lustfull desires in my thoughts; seldome goeth my mind with my lips: oh where is faith? Thus did not Ionas pray: thus did not the three children call vpon God. Daniel beleeued, when he prayed in the denne; and the theefe, when he prayed on the Crosse, he was crucified with Christ, and prayed in be­liefe. But we crucifie Christ, when we pray without beliefe: presenting our selues before the king, without his son; before the angrie iudge, without the princes pardon, and before God, with­out his Christ. Like vnto a subiect, that hauing murthered his princes only and deare sonne, [...]: with hands al besmeared with the bloud that issued from the tender wounds, shall present himselfe before the childes angrie Syre, holding vppe those bloudy hands, requiring friend­ship of the father: will nor his sonnes bloud, which still presents it selfe be­fore his tender eies, incite and mooue him rather vnto furie and reuenge, a­gainst that murtherer and slaier of his [Page]sonne, then procure friendship and ap­peasement for his fault? Such is the case of all those that remaine still in infideli­tie, and hardnesse of heart, and yet will offer vp their prayers vnto God the Fa­ther. For they holde vp defiled hands, bespotted, and besprinkled with the bloud of Christ, his deare and onely sonne; because, who so thus remaines in his sinne, is partaker with the Iewes in the crucifying of Christ, and shed­ding of his bloud, [...] Basil.. O therefore you that haue soules to saue, haue some care to bring them to hea­uen, and deliuer them from hell. Bee sorie with Peter, and repent with Ma­rie Magdalen, for the folly of your liues, and the iniquitie of your daies, which you haue forespent in sinne and trans­gression. Tunc enim incipit medicina vi­tae proficere, vbi in animo contribulato mens maerorem exercet: For then begins the Physicke of grace to amend our sicke soules, when the minde of man draw­eth foorth sorrowe and griefe from a troubled spirit in detestation of his sins, [Page 19]that haue so highly dishonoured his mercifull God. Dauid in remembrance of his sinnes washed his bed with the drops of his eies, and saith: that his teares were his bread, both day and night. And God set the letter Tau, Ezec. 9.4. as a marke of saluation, vpon the fore­heads of them that did mourne for the abhominations of Ierusalem. And Au­gustine writeth thus of himselfe. Pro­baui animam meam, & impatientem por­tari à me, at vbi eam ponerem non inueni­ebam: non in amaenis nemoribus, non in ludis at (que) canticis, non in locis suaue olen­tibus. Aug. 4. lib. of his conf. I tried and searched my soule, and found it to be heauie, and full of impatience; but where I should ease me of this loade, or finde release for my burthen, I could not tell. I went to the pleasant woods, but there I found it not. I sought for musicke, and sport, but there it was not. I had recourse to the sweete smelling gardens, but here I found no ease. I feasted, and deligh­ted my selfe in dainties: sometimes I betooke me to my chamber for wan­tonnesse, sometimes to my Librarie for [Page]wearisomnesse: but neither in meates, nor drinckes, in bookes, nor beds, did my soule take rest or comfort. It de­tested all thinges, that were not that thing which it selfe desired, and that was God. Each thing was odious vnto it, if it were not a sob for sinning, wher­in alone it found some rest. As in a healthfull bath, that washed it of vn­cleannesse, and made it fresh for the iourney of saluation. O remember the country Metaphore of the Psalmist: He that sowes in teares, shall reape in ioy▪ [...]. Basil. This world is the re­penting, that the repaying world: this for worke, that for paiment: this for triall, that for comfort. And if thou shalt with patience vndergoe the fire of triall in this world; thou shalt with comfort, receiue the ioy of perfection in the world to come. If in this world, thou shalt work out thy saluation with feare, and trembling; thou shalt receiue Gods blessed paiment (a crowne of e­ternall happinesse) in the worlde to [Page 20]come. If in this worlde, thou shalt cleanse thy pathes, and moisten thy soule with the teares of repentance; thou shalt receiue a paradise of ioyes in the world to come. For then God will heare our prayers; when wordes and workes, hands and hearts, faith & repentance shal kisse each other. Wher­fore, when the tempest of persecution shall inuade vs, and the stormes of tēp­tations shall rise against vs, and we cast the anchor of prayer, either in this house, or in anie other: let vs take heed that we come in feare and faith; and not in toying and tatling, least we make [...]: the house of prayer, a place of prating. For [...]: the Angels stand by vs to take our words, and God is present to knowe our hearts. But if our prayers be made in faith, we shall no sooner aske, but God will an­swere. [...]: behold, I am present to grant thy request. Out of this that hath been spoken, there ariseth especi­ally two conclusions. First, that pray­er is a necessarie anchor for this shippe. [Page]The second, that prayer without faith, is not a sufficient anchor to stay so hea­uie a shippe, in so troublesome a sea. Against the necessitie of the first, the Epicures, Stoickes, and Egyptian Phi­losophers dispute, after this manner. If this be so necessarie an anchor, for so burthensome a shippe; then it must serue either vt intimemus ei à quo peti­mus illud quo indigemus: or vt per oratio­nem flectatur animus eius qui oratur: Th Aquin. lib. contra gētes, c. 96. ei­ther that we might signifie vnto him of whom we desire a thing, what we doe want: or els that we might mooue, or by our prayers bend his mind to grant our requests. But neither of these is needfull. For the first: God standeth not in need of our instructions, neither doth he want vs to admonish him of our necessities: but knowes [...], Basil. what we haue neede of before we aske. Mat. 6.32. As Christ speaketh vn­to his disciples, saying; that your hea­uenly father knoweth that ye want all these things. And for the second Ain Iehouah lo shanithi, Malach. 3. I am the Lorde, I change not: with whom there is no va­riablenesse, [Page 21]nor shaddowe of turning. Iam. 1.17. But vt immutabilis natura sic voluntas, Greg. 5. moral. nat. 18. as his nature is vnchangeable, so his will cannot be altered. Vnto the first we may giue this manifold answere. First, with Hierome, nos non sumus narra­tores, sed oratores: wee are not tellers, but sutors. For it is one thing to declare a thing to him that knowes it not, and another thing to require a thing of him that alreadie knoweth it. Secondly, we answere with Augustin, that it is elenchus causae, a false cause; and therefore denie the argument. For albeit God knowes how to giue good things vnto his chil­dren, yet he commaundeth vs to aske, seeke, and knocke, that by this meanes, exerceri in orationibus desiderium nostrū, Aug. Epist. 121. our desires might be exercised in our prayers, whereby we may receiue those things, which he hath prepared to giue vs. And lastly, the necessitie of pray­ing consists not, in that we should open to God our wants; but that we might be put in minde, whither to haue re­course in our extremities. And for the second, we may answere, that it is the [Page]felfesame fallacion. For albeit God be said to change; yet that is but by a Me­taphore [...]: because it is not mutat [...]o Dei, but rei: not consilij, but o­peris: not affectus, but effectus: not God, but the thing is chaunged: not Gods councell, but Gods worke: not his af­fect, but effect. Yet this is not the end of our prayers to make God changea­ble, but that by praying we might ob­taine those things in time, which God hath decreed to bestow vpon vs from all eternitie. For prayer is not ad im­mutandam prouidentiam sed ad insplen­dam: not to alter Gods minde, but to fulfill his prouidence: seeing that those things quae sancti viri orando efficiunt, ita praedestinata sunt vt precibus illa obtineant, Greg. mo­ral. 16.18. which holy men haue accomplished by praying, were so ordained, as they should obtaine them by their prayers. As when God had promised Abraham, Gen. 22. that in Isaac his seede should be bles­sed; yet God gaue vnto Isaac a barren wife, wherfore Isaac praied for his wife Rebeccha, Gen. 25. and the text saith; that the Lord was intreated of him, and his [Page 22]wife Rebeccha conceaued. This then re­maines a firme anchor for this shippe, contrarie to the opinion of the aunci­ent Philosophers, and the followers of Pelagian: yea contrarie to the common Christian, who though he professe chri­stianitie in word; yet he practiseth Pe­lagianisme in his works. For doe not our liues practise that which Pelagian professed: namely, that we thinke prai­er is but needlesse? Yea, was not this an especial heresie of the Pelagian, quod destrueret orationes ecclesiae, Aug. Epist. 106. that he went about to destroye the prayers of the Church? And is not this our professi­on by our practise, who so seldome frequent the Church, and seeke in­deede by couert meanes to ouerthrow religion?

Against the second conclusion, the aduersarie obiecteth after this order: If faith be so necessarie a companion for prayer, as without it, prayer can­not anchor this heauie shippe: then how commeth it to passe, that the vn­faithfull mans prayers, are oftentimes heard, and fulfilled; but the godly and [Page]faithfull mans requests, are often deni­ed, and reiected.

Touching the first, learned writers sufficiently resolue thee after this sort: First, God heares our prayers, vel ad iustitiam, vel ad miserecordiam: Aug. tract. 37. in Ioh. either for iustice, or for mercie. And for both these endes, he oftentimes receiues the prayers of the wicked. First according to his mercie, vt eos beneficijs ad amorem suam alliciat, Bellar. li. 1. cap. 4. de bonis oper. that he might win them vnto him by his benefits: and thus he heard the praiers of the Niniuites, not according to his iustice, but according to his mercie. Secondly, according to his iustice; and thus he heard the Israe­lites, requiring flesh in the desart. But while the meate was in their mouthes, Numb. 11. the wrath of the Lord came vpon them and destroyed them: Metuendum ergo est (saith Saint Augustine) ne id hoc pos­set non dare propitius, det iratus. O ther­fore let vs take heede, least that which God cannot bestow vpon vs as a mer­cifull God, he repayeth as an angrie Iudge.

A second cause why God heareth [Page 23]the prayers of the wicked, is populi sui causa: Sadel in vera pec­cati remis­sione. for the more comfort of his be­loued people. Seeing that God is so mercifull vnto those which are wicked, and his enemies; how must they but needes be persuaded, that he will bee much more fauourable vnto the godly and his friends?

Thirdly, the wicked are not heard, ex speciali gratia, sed ex communi misere­cordia: Caluin. lib. 3. confess. ca. 20. sect. 15. not that God is well pleased at their prayers, but to set out his mercie by this circumstance: For that euen vnto vnbeleeuers their prayers are not denied, the more to pricke forward those which serue God, to be carefull at all times to pray vnto him, seeing that the verie wicked and prophane, of­tentimes obtaine their petitions.

And as concerning the second part of their obiection; It is true, that the Lord at all times grants not the prayers of the godly. For Paul himselfe pray­ed against the messenger of Satan, 2. Cor. 12.2 yea hee besought the Lord thrise, that it might depart from him; but hee was not heard. And the reason was (as [Page]saith Saint Augustine) quia non expedie­bat: Aug. Epist. 121. First, least that he should be exal­ted out of measure: and secondly, that Gods power might be made manifest through weakenesse. And yet he was heard; and not heard, because there is a double kinde of hearing; one ad vo­luntatem, another ad salutem: Aug. in E­pist. Iohn. one to answere our wils, and another for our good. So likewise there is a twofolde kinde of deliuerance: one ex presenti­bus periculis: one for present dangers, and calamities; as he deliuered Dauid from Saul, Daniel from the Princes, the Israelites from Pharaoh that his Church might haue some outward testimonies of his loue and fauour. And this is cal­led a corporall deliuerance. There is another deliuerance, which is called a spirituall deliuerance: When God so strengtheneth the harts of his seruants, as they patiently abide the afflictions of their foes. And thus God deliuereth them, [...] Basil. ▪ not so much by freeing them from their per­secutors, as by strengthening them a­gainst [Page 24]persecutions. Psal. 34.17. For the righteous crie, and the Lord heareth them, and deliuereth them out of all their trou­bles. He heareth them for their good, though not for their delight; and deli­uereth them spiritually, albeit not cor­porally. Yet the time will come, when they likewise shall be deliuered: name­ly, when he shall take them from this miserable life, to euerlasting ioyes. Wherefore, aske (saith Christ) Iohn, 16. in my name, and ye shall receiue, but ye shall receiue quando debetis accipere, quaedam enim non negantur, sed vt congruo dentur tempore differuntur: Aug. tract. 102. when ye should re­ceiue them. For some things are not simply denied, but conditionally de­ferred, to their proper time and place. Let vs therfore aske (saith Saint Iames) Iames, 1. in faith, nothing doubting: and then (saith Christ) Matt. 21. whatsoeuer ye shall aske, ye shall receiue. For prayer thus ap­parelled; Est Dei columba quae ramum o­liuae apportat, dum pacem hominibus impe­trat: Is Gods Doue, which carrieth the Oliue branche in token of peace be­tweene God and man. Yea the holy [Page]Ghost the true Doue, that first persua­ded vs to pray, shall assure vs of our re­quests, because God is well pleased with vs. But that this may please God, and profit vs; we must vnderstand, that there is a threefolde kinde of prayer: mentalis, vocalis, vitalis. The first is, when we pray with vnderstanding: the second with our lips; and the last with our liues. All which, if conioyned in brotherhood, they make a strong cord to binde Gods blessings vnto vs: but if disioined in hatred, they seperate Gods fauour from vs. For he that saith well, but liueth ill; non inuocat Deum patrem, sed diabolum: Greg. Nicen. 2. orat. de dominica orat. maketh not God his Fa­ther, but calleth on the Diuell, when he prayeth our Father. And saith the wise man: He that stoppeth his eares least he should heare the law, shall be abhominable. Wherfore (saith the pro­phet) If thou loose the bands of wic­kednesse, let the oppressed goe free, breake thy bread vnto the hungrie, lodge the wanderer, and couer the na­ked: Esay, 58.6.7.8.9. then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answere; thou shalt crie, and hee [Page 25]shall say, here I am. And thus much for the first part, which are the anchors that we must cast; and they are two: Prayer, and Affiance.

Now solloweth the second, and that is the shippe that must bee staied by these anchors: namely, a loaden shippe, called here Iehabcha, thy burthen. For man, miserable man, is in this world [...], a ba [...]lus, a loaden and burthe­ned porter: yea [...], verie heauie loaden; Mat. 11.29 hauing one loade,

Sicknesse, pouertie, children, oppressi­on, death, hatred, men, beasts, sea, land, griefes, and troubles, all miseries for this life, and burthens for this loade. For vita est poena, yea totae poena, I poena & miseria: Aug. ciui­tat. 21. life is a punishment, yea al­togither paine and punishment, I no­thing but paine and miserie. Greg. mo­ral. 11. Being sometimes [...], other times [...]: 1. Cor. 11.23.24. &c. now in labour, then in punish­ment: now in prison, then in whip­ping: sometimes stoned, and some­times suffering shipwracke: sometimes [Page]in perils by waters, and sometimes in perils by theeues: otherwhiles in dan­ger by our nation, and otherwhiles in danger by strangers. Now in the city, and then againe in the wildernes: som­times subiect to wearinesse, and some­times to painfulnesse: verie often sub­iect to hunger, to thirst, to watching, to fasting, to colde, to nakednesse, to death, &c. Rightly compared vnto the sea, yea to Mare Aegaeum, where the venti, augustiae, Caribdis, stagna, Syrtes: Chrysosto. windes, waues, rockes, and sands, verie hard to be sayled. And by Iob called a warfare, where is nothing but hazard, and trouble; feare, and distresse. For in this life there is timor, tremor, fames, sitis, calor, frigor, languor, dolor: Aug. feare, trembling, hunger, thirst, heate, colde, faintnesse, and sorrow.

O miserable mortals, how are ye turned, and tossed, torne, and tormoi­led with mischiefes and miseries? your life is short of continuance, yet full of miserie. Iob. 14.1. A wonderfull thing, breuem appellat vitam; but miserias, quibus in hac [Page 26]vita afficimur multas. Gregorie. The holy man cal­leth life short, yet the miseries of this life hee tearmeth manie: but seeme it neuer so strange, true it is that our life is short, and our miseries verie manie. Wisdom. 5. For man is compared to the passing of a shippe, to the flying of an arrow to erreg: the little shippe that runneth tho­row the weauers shittle. Iob. 7.2. And verie well said to be swifter. For tela tordita­tem profectus habet, but vita moram de­fectus non habet. Gregorie. The shittle hath some slownes in going forwards, but mans life hath neither slacknesse nor delay, in going vnto death.

Being compared (by the Poet) vnto a whirligig, and proued by his owne ex­perience. For being now merrie drink­ing of wine, he was sodainly choaked with the grape, and died. Cron. 1.29. Yea it is compared vnto a shaddow, Iob. 14.2. and phra­sed by Iob, yibrach catzel: it flieth or vanisheth like a shaddowe: fugit, non mouetur, to note breuitatem: but sicut vmbra, to note inconstantiam. Eucherius. It flies not softly moues, to note the shortnes: [Page]but it flieth as a shaddow, and not as a body, to note the instablenesse. For there is nothing more vaine, more in­constant, more swift, and more fraile, then mans life, howbeit full of miserie. For here,

Griefe, and life, are like Hypocrites, twins, kinsfolke, and brethren. Here febres necant, dolores opprimunt, Aug. solil. 2 sicknesse killeth, sorrow oppresseth, hunger fa­misheth, thirst dispatcheth, water choa­keth, the halter strangleth, the fire con­sumeth, the beast deuoureth, the sword slaieth, and poyson corrupteth. Thus is life a fraile life, a flitting life: a life, the more it lengtheneth, the shorter it wax­eth; the more it increaseth, the nigher it draweth vnto death. A life transito­rie, deceitfull, miserable, and repleni­shed with change and mutabilitie: so that [...]: Atheneus. it is the best not at all to be borne, and if a man be borne, it is the safest to die soone. This maketh him begin his daies with teares. Innocētius Masculus recenter natus clamat A, fomi­na E, dicentes E vel A, quotquot nascun­tur [Page 27]ab Euah. The man child commeth into the worlde crying A, and the fe­male E, all sounding out E or A, who­soeuer come of the loynes of Adam and Euah. A condition exceeding in miserie, the estate of all other creatures; because no creature else beginneth his daies with woe and weeping but only man, as the Naturalists could well ob­serue. Plin. lib. 7. Tertul. August. For man is augur in commodorum, & propheta suae calamitatis: a Prophet and foreteller of his owne calamitie, and discommoditie: who no sooner borne, but fals to shedde his teares, as witnesses of his insuing miserie. O ge­neratio flebilis, O infoelix, &c. Bernard. de spec. poenit. O lamen­table, wofull, and vnhappy generation, whose father is care, whose mother is shame, whose sister is vncleanenesse, whose nurse is folly, and misguiding falsehood; whose wife is pleasure, and besotting sinne; whose childe & heire, is paine, and bitter punishment: called by the wise man, miserable earth; and by the Apostle, vessell of dishonour, begotten in vncleannes, liuing in wret­chednesse, and dying in distresse. Eccles. 17. Rom. 9. Psal. 51.5. Iob. 14. A [Page]rotten carkasse, meate for wormes, and matter for euerburning fire. Esay. 14. Esay. 51. Matth. 25. O memen­to homo quis es, vbi es, & vbi non es: call call O man vnto thy remembraunce, what thou art, where thou art, and where thou art not: Thou art the i­mage of vanitie, not by creation, but by default; thou art in the vaile of mi­serie, and valley of destruction. Beda: ex­hortat. cap. 119. O view and consider thy selfe instantly, and bewaile thy lamentable case inces­santly.

This search consisteth in these three things. First, why man is thus burthe­ned. Secondly, what brought this bur­then vpon man. Thirdly, what is the ease, or soueraigne remedie for this burthen.

First, why is man thus burthened? Gregorie answereth: ne viam pro patria diligamus: Greg. mor­ [...]l. 23. c. 22 least delighting too much in the way, we preferre it before our hea­uenly countrey. For this life is but the way, wherein we walke vnto our coun­trey, which is heauen. Now it is the custome of many trauellers, when they beholde some faire and pleasant places, [Page 28]obiected vnto them in their iourney, to slacke their pace, and walke out of their way; the rather to delight, and besot themselues with this obiect. So might it happen vnto the Christian traueller, were not this burthen heauie vpon his backe; the waight whereof, weans him from the delight of this world. For the world is like vnto Salomons harlot, that layeth open her breasts to intise trauel­lers and strangers. The two dugges whereof, are profit and pleasure. With the first, she deales like Hypomanes to Atalanta; who being to runne a race for a kingdome and victorie, Hypomanes casting a ball of golde on this side, and another on that side; so besotted Ata­lanta with the desire of them, as shee running out of the way to enioye the golde, lost the goale, the victorie, and the prise. So doth the world misleade the greedie, the couetous, and the gold-desiring Merchant. With the second, shee deales like Cyrces; who alluring Gryllus to taste of her drugges, made him so drunken with the pleasure ther­of, as he neither remembred the digni­tie [Page]of his nature, nor desired the sight of his countrey. So deales the world with the delicious, drunken, and plea­surable worldling. Being sometimes compared vnto birdlime: the Diuel the fowler, who wrappes the worldling, as the birde is wrapped in the lime. And sometimes vnto a Net: profit, and plea­sure are the baite; vnto which, the vn­worthy worldling no sooner stoupes, but he is taken in the net. Or he may be compared vnto a man, that running apace, falleth ere he be aware into a pit; and as he is falling, catcheth hold on a shrubbe; whereby getting a little hold for his feete, beginneth to looke about him; Damasce­nus, where behinde him, he seeth two Mice gnawing at the root of the shrub: beneath in the bottome, he beholdeth a firie Dragon gaping to deuoure him: at his feete, he perceiueth foure Aspes peeping out to sting him: aboue him, he descrieth some few droppes of allu­ring hony sprinkled vpon the shrubbe, wherewith hee being enamoured and besotted, not minding the rest of his miseries, looseth his holde, to take and [Page 29]taste the hony; but falleth downe, and is destroyed. The pit here signifieth the world, whereinto man is entred: the shrub representeth this life, which man awhile enioyeth: the two Mice are the night and the day, which catech and gnaweth vpon the life: the foure Aspes note our foure humours, which molest and consume vs: the firie Dra­gon is the Diuell, which gapeth to de­stroy vs: the hony is the delight and pleasure of this world, which sinfull man beholding, is enamoured with it, and being enamoured, catcheth to en­ioy it, and catching, forsaketh his hold, and falleth into the pit of destruction, there for euer deuoured of the Diuell. Yea iter vitae nostrae, is vt si stagnum esset transiundum▪ cui pons impositus esset ita an­gustus, vt vix harere illi pes posset. Isiodorus. Man in this lifes iourney, hath to passe (as it were) a great lake, or poole, whereouer a verie narrow bridge was placed for his passage, yea so narrowe, as he can scarcely finde any footing on it; vnder which bridge, there be firi [...] Serpents, venemous Crocadiles, and deuouring beasts, [Page]who are readie to receiue him, and re­ceiuing to destroy him, if he chance to [...]lippe, and fall off from the bridge▪ And yet on both sides of the poole, there are pleasant fieldes, delightfull gardens, and most artificiall buildings, which might bring great delight, and admiration to the beholders. What now doe we thinke is best for this man? Dare he cast his eies vpon this pleasure? Wisedome teacheth vs, no: for by that meanes, enioying a minde of pleasure with his eyes, he might perhaps fal, and sustaine losse and destruction for euer, and euer. And shall wisedome teach vs this pollicie for our bodies, and shall not the heauenly wisedome persuade vs, to be more careful for soule and bo­die? He will not cast his eies on those pleasures, least he sustaine a temporall punishment; and shall we set our affec­tions vpon wordly delights, for euer after to endure eternall destruction? O rather, let vs make a league with our eies, least we behold vanitie, and watch our waies, least we be ouertaken with folly; and so forget the streight bridge [Page 30]which here we are to passe, and slipping with our burthens vpon our backes, be pressed downe to the bottome of hell. Basill telleth vs, that there be but two waies for euery man to walke in, in this life: the one whereof he must needes chuse. The first is [...]: the second [...]: the first is the way that leadeth vnto vertue; and the second, the way that leadeth vnto vice. In the first way walketh the good and godly man: in the second, the sinner and vniust. The first way [...]: the se­cond [...]: Basil. the first way sheweth all the good we must ex­pect to be performed vnto vs in the life to come. The second sheweth all the benefit we can hope for, to be perfor­med in this present world. The first, as it promiseth much good for to come, so it assureth vs of much labour to bee vndergone. But mundus iste multa de­lectabilia ostendit hominibus, sed ad sedu­cendum. Chrysosto. The second, which is the way of the world, it sheweth and promiseth manie pleasures, and delights togither with much ease, but all to seduce the [Page]carelesse worldling. Euen as a couse­ning fellow, vnderstranding a childe an orphane to be possessed of his patrimo­nie, and substance; inuiteth him now to this feast, & then againe to that ban­quet (as the harlots dealt with the pro­digall childe) while he bereaues, and deceiues him of all his goods and sub­stance: So dealeth the diuel with man, he offereth him pleasure, but to destroy his soule: earthly profit, but to bereaue him of his heauenly treasure. For fru­ctus mundi ruina est, ad hoc floret, vt ca­dat, ad hoc blanditur vt decipiat, ad hoc germinat, vt quodcun (que) germinauerit cla­dibus consumatur. Greg. mor. 7. cap. 21. For the fruit which the world can giue, is but downfals, and the ende for which it bestoweth his fruit, & goods vpon vs, is but to flat­ter, beguile, deceiue, and destroy vs. [...]. Basilius. Blessed there­fore is that man which is not taken with the baite of worldly pleasure, nor turned into the way of destruction. Blessed is he that hath not walked in the way of sinners, Psal. 1.5. yea ten times bles­sed [Page 31]is he, whose burthen is borne here with patience, and so tied vnto the an­chor of faith, as it weanes him from this present world, and winnes him to breath onely for the world to come. Then medicina est, non poena: then is this burthen physicke to salue our soules, and not continuall paine to torment them. Aug. in psal. 103. Chrysosto. Then is this burthen pedagogus a schoolemaster, to traine vs in true do­ctrine, and teach vs in the way of life. Which who so wanteth, may rightly suspect himselfe, seeing the Lord (spea­king to the Angell of Laodicea) saith: Reu. 3.19. Whom I loue, I rebuke. Christ must passe by the crosse, vnto glorie: and all that will liue godly, must endure cros­ses. Wherfore (saith Salomon the wise) Prou. 3.1. My sonne, refuse not the chastening of the Lord, neither be grieued at his cor­rection: for the Lord correcteth him whom he loueth, euen as the father the childe in whom he delighteth. Is God a Father then when he correcteth? and sheweth he most loue when he beates? Aug. in psal. 91. Quid si te flagellat, modo propterea, quia tibi non seruat ignem sempeternum? Quid [Page]si illum dimittit quia auditurus est, Ite in ignem. What if God thy Father whip­peth, and scourgeth thee in this life; is it not because he prepareth thee for a better inheritance, and not preserues thee for euerlasting fire? And what if he letteth him or another man go scot­free, and escape; is it not because he giues him his portion of pleasure, and profit in this life, and shall therefore heare that fearefull sentence, Go yee cursed into euerlasting fire? O then blessed is he [...], Basil which sha­keth off the world, and the pleasure therof: neither putteth any confidence in the things of this life; but placeth all his hope, trust, and affiance vpon God alone, his maker, Sauiour, and redee­mer. And so much for the first point: why man is thus burthened.

The second is, what brought this burthen vpon man: and that is in a word: Sinne. For Adam sinning, cau­sed the earth to be cursed, lost his dig­nitie ouer the creatures, became sub­iect to sicknesse and death, and made himselfe, and his posteritie, obnoxious [Page 32]vnto destruction. For this cause, saith our Sauiour Christ vnto the man that had lien sicke eight and thirtie yeares; Behold thou art made whole, sinne no more, least a worse thing happen vnto thee: noting unto vs, that sicknesse is laid vpon vs for our sinne. For this cause labour and paine was laid vpon Adam and his posteritie, and most grie­uous paines in childbirth vpon the wo­man. Gen. 3. For this cause hath God added to this burthen, fearefulnesse, consumpti­on, burning agues, enemies: yea (saith God) if ye will not obey me, then will I punish you seauen times more, accor­ding to your sins; Leuit. 26.16.17.18. namely, with weak­nesse, drought, barrennesse, and famine. And if ye will not yet obey me (saith God) I will bring seauen times more plagues vpon you according to your sinnes; as the sword, plagues, wilde beasts. And if ye will not yet obey me, then wil I chastise you seauen times more, according to your sinnes; you shall eate the flesh of your sonnes and daughters, your places shall be destroi­ed, and your carkasses shall be burnt, [Page]your Cities shall be desolate, your san­ctuarie brought to nought, and your land turned into a wildernesse. I will scatter you among the Heathen, and draw a sword after you: I will send a faintnesse into your hearts, and the sound of a leafe shaken, shall chase you: you shall fall, and no man shall pursue you: ye shall perish, and your enemies shall eate you vp. Thus the Lord ari­seth in that Chapter, from seauen times to seauen times, threatning most feare­full punishments, and that by a thun­dring gradation, and all for sinne. Gen. 4.14. For this cause is added vnto this burthen, horror of conscience, madnesse, blind­nesse, and astonishment of heart: yea what is not added to this burthen, and all for sinne? If thou wilt not keepe my commandements (saith God) then all these curses shall come vpon thee, and ouertake thee: Cursed shalt thou be in the towne, and cursed also in the field; cursed shall thy basket be, and thy dough cursed: cursed shall be the fruite of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flockes of thy sheepe: [Page 33]cursed shalt thou be, when thou comest in, and cursed when thou goest out. The Lord shall send vpon thee cursing trouble, and shame, in all which thou settest thy hand vnto, vntill thou bee destroyed; and perishest quickly because of the wickednesse of thy workes. And if for all this thou wilt not keepe his law, then will hee make thy plagues wonderfull, & the plagues of thy seede. He will bring vpon thee all the diseases of Egipt, and euery sicknesse, and e­uery plague will he heape vpon thee: with many other fearefull threatninges forespoken in the booke of the scrip­tures. Thesialonians 1.1. cap. 8.9. Yea for this cause doth he adde to this burden euerlasting destruction when the Lord Iesus shal shew himselfe from heauen, with his mightie Angels, in flaming fire, rendering vengance vnto them that do not knovv God, and will obey not the Gospell of our Lord Iesus Christ, which shall be punished with euerlasting perdition, from the presēce of the Lord, and from the glorie of his power. Dam infelix homo a domino rece­dit, à carne molestias, à monte augustias, [Page]vndi (que) premitur anxietatibus, vrgetur infirmitatibus, polluitur passionibus, graue pondus seipsum portat. Greg. 8. mora. Cap. 21. while man vn­happie man, recoyles from the seruice of his God, he is molested by the flesh, vexed by the spirit: yea both body and soule are nothing but a burden to hea­uy, too heauy to bee borne, yet foolish mā hoped by disobeying God, to haue bettered himselfe. But anima versa & reuersa in tergum, ventrem, latera sentit, quodomnia sunt dura. Aug. Confess. 6. Turning and re­turning from backe to belly, searching the heart; the sides, the intrales, found all out of quiet and nothing to his ex­pectation. And why? Basilius. As smoake dri­ueth away the Bee from the hiue, so surfeiting, drunkennesse and other sinnes, chase away Gods spirit, and all other spirituall graces, which are the onely comfortes of the soule.

Iosephus reporterh that a little be­fore that Hierusalem was beseiged by Titus, the doores of the san­ctuarie suddenly opened, and a great noyse was hearde saying: migre­mus [Page 34]hinc: Iosephus. lib. 7.12. let vs go hence. To note vn­to vs that neither God nor his Angels will make aboad, where sin hath once obtained dominion, and preheminēce. For anima peccatoris magis fet at cor am deo, quam putridum carnis cadauer. The sinfull soule smelleth more filthily in the nostrels of God, then the rankest carrion in the nose of man. O therefore beware of the inticements of Sathan, the allurements of sinne, and stoupe nei­ther to their lure nor offer to tast vpon their baite, porris ac coepis simile est pec­catum: Greg mo­rall. 11. cap. 16. sin is like vnto garlicke and oni­ons that breeds loathing vnto the smel­ler and weeping vnto the eater. I am (saith the penitent soule) in the tauerne of vanitie, and I tasted the cup of ini­quitie: haustum felicitatis obtulit: but poculum mortis propinauit. there was mel in ore, but it fel in ventre, appa [...]uit in palato vinum, but in stomacho experien­tiae absinthium, & vera mors in olla. Beda ex­hor. 13.5. There was offered me a cup of felicitie, but sin began vnto me in a cup of mor­talitie, it seemed in my mouth to be as sweete as honie, but I felt it in my bel­ly [Page]as bitter as gall: I hoped to haue ta­ken a cup of delight, but behold in the bottome there were drugges of loath­some confusion. It seemed in my pal­late to be pleasāt wine: But I proued it in my stomach to bebitter wormwood, and to say the truth there was euē death it selfe in the cup. Neither are wee to expect any thing else of sin, then death seeing the greatest reward that sin can afforde vs is death and destruction. Rom. 6.21. vAnd thus much for the second point.

Now followeth the third, which is the remedy against this burden, & that is twofold the one to giue a remoue vnto sin, and the other, to cast they bur­den vpon the Lord. For the first. Sinne is like a leauen, that will leauen the whole lumpe, like a poyson that will corrupt the whole body: like a plague that will infect the whole house, yea it is ignis ardens, a burning fire that will consume the whole Cittie. Now if we would not haue the whole lumpe to be leauened, we must take away the leauē, nor the body to be corrupted, we must send away the poyson, nor the house to [Page 35]be infected, we must chase away the plague, nor the Citie to be burned we must quench out the fire, nor the man to be destroyed we mustremoue the sin. For quantum peccandi materiam sustule­ris, tantum extinguetur: quantum adie­ceris, tantum accendetur. Ma [...] Heremita. The more thou shalt detract from the matter of sin, the more thou shalt diminish it. seeing the cause being [...]aken away the effect likewise will decay. For as The­otimus, if he had obeyed the Phisicians counsell in abstaining from vncleānes, he had saued his eyes: Ambrosius in Luke. so man had sa­ued both body and soule, had he abstained from sin and iniquitie. Sin is like [...]nto a flegmaticke stomacke: si euomu­erit, releuatur: If it vomites it is eased, because it disgorgeth that which most heauily did molest it. The vomite of our sinfull soules is confession of our sinnes vnto God, and the best way to keepe our soules from corrupting, is to vse, the diet of abstinene from sin and iniquitie. Thus much was insinuated by Iohn Baptist vnto the Iewes, and by Christ vnto his disciples, willing them [Page]to preach repentance, for the kingdome of God is at hand. Now then seeing thou hast found the way to remoue thy sin, and obtained of thy Phisician a pur­gation, to purge thy iniquitie, which is repentance: cur cessas aggredi quod scias mederi tibi? cervus sagitta transfix­us scit sibi Dictamno mederi, Tertulliaus lib depaenitent. why doest thou delay to assay that which will be thy cure? The Hart no sooner peirced with the dart, but presently runnes to heale her selfe with Dittinie: The swal­low if her young ones chance to haue their sight put out by any mischance flies, presently for swallowort to redee­me their sight. The Lord counselleth thee, to seeke for him while he may be founde. For it may be qui tempus senectutis expectat ad poenitendum, dum spe­ret miserecordiam inveniet iudicium▪ Gregorius That he who boasteth of his repentance vntil the time of age, or the day of death, instead of mercie, may finde iudgmēt wherefore Chrysost. seminemus dum est tempus, vt metamus, nauigemus dum mare nauigari potest, antequam sit hyemps, quando magnus ille, & tremendus dies aduenerit non lice­bit [Page 36]nauigare: let vs sow our seede while it is seede time, and set forward to saile, while the sea will serue. For it may be it wilbe too late to begin our iorney when the sunne setts; Numb. 25. to hoyst vp saile, when the tempest ariseth, to sow our seede, when we should reape our corne to repent when we lie a dying, and to do good when we are dead. Remember that Zimry and Gozby were apprehen­hed in the very acte of their iniquitie, and suddenly were destroyed. Actes. 5. And A­nanias and Saphyra, were taken in the very moment of their sin, and without repentance perished, yea saith Augu­stine; spiritus reprobus repente in morte ra­pietur á corpore. The reprobate and sinfull soule shall be suddenly taken, from the body in the moment of death, and carried with vnspeakeable feare before the tribunall of the greate iudge of heauen and earth. Then shall the soule in the remembrance of her sinnes seeke of flye away from them, and re­quest but truce & respite of one howre to be seperated from their sight and cō ­pany, but shall not obtaine it. For they [Page]will answeare opera tua sumus, et tec [...]m ibimus, we are thy sinnes, & the worke of that hands and heart, and we will goe with thee euen to the iudgement seate of God, there to accuse, and for euer to condemne thee. Luke. 16.2 Thus happened it vnto the rich man in the Gospell, who being euen now in pleasure and delight, and not regarding repentaunce was not long after smitten dead, and ca­ried to hell fire for euer to be burned. This made that holy father Gregorie Nazinzin to say.

One thing I lament and I feare an o­ther; the first is my sins, and the second is gods iudgment seate, with hell fire. Basill. O therefore saith Basill bewaile euer thy sinnes, and lament for thy ini­quitie. Aug. Flie flie those destroying tor­ments vbi nec tortores desiciunt, nec torti misere morientur: where the tormen­ters are neuer wearie, nor the tormen­ted shall euer die. Where is death with outextinction, and burning without cō ­sumption. Wherefore while it is to day harden not thy heart but cast off [Page 37]thy sinne and remoue thy iniquitie, by true repentance for thy transgre­ssion.

Thus much for the first remedy, and that is to giue a remoue vnto thy sin. Now followeth the second, which is to cast thy burthen vpon the Lord, which is to lay it downe in the bosome & lap of God and that must be done by pray­er, and affiance. Thus did Dauid. Psal. 6. First he cryed my soule is soare troubled, thē hee prayeth, returne O Lord: which prayer being grounded vpon true faith he saith: the Lord hath heared the voyce of my petition, & therfore he triumphs all my enemies shall be confounded. Marke the burden which was the trou­ble of his soule, and the remedy, which was prayer and affiance. Wherefore being well practised in this diuine art, he sets vp a schoole for al christiā schol­lers saying: come, and I will teach you. And what (I pray you) is his me­thod? First decline from euill and then do good, there is the remedy of repen­tance, and the Lordes eares shalbe opē to your cry & he will deliuer you there [Page]is the remedy of faith, and prayer; This was Augustines practise; Rom. 6.24 Ho [...]eah. 14.10. First he cryeth with .S. Paule O wretched man that I am, when shall my crookednesse, be made euen to thy streightnesse? & then he falleth to confession, which he ac­knowledgeth to be the verie way, wherby he may go againe into the way out of the which he hath gone astray. Now his confession is that God is truth, and he vanitie, God is puritie but he filthi­nesse, God is good, but he euill, God is righteous, but he sinfull, God is life but he dead. Then he falleth vnto prayer, saying: Aug solit. 16, Audi o Creator, creatura tua sum iam perij, creatura tua sum, iam morior. Hearken then O Creator, I am thy crea­ture, and am now cast away, I am thy creature, and now do I die: thy work­manship (O Lord) I am, despise not the workes of thy hands, respect the woūds of thy owne hands (I beseech thee) loe thou hast written me vpon the palme of they hands: lege scripturam hanc & salua me: read that writing and saue me: which prayer being grounded vp­on faith, he calleth God his fortitude [Page 38]by whome he is vpholden, his helpe by whome he is assisted, his strength by whome he is sustained, his glorie, in whome he reioyceth, & his life where­in he liueth.

This method Basilius in his booke de Peccato commendeth vnto vs as the especiall remedy for this bur­den saying; there is one thing that thou must shun and eschew, and that is sinne, insinuating repentance, and there is one refuge for all thy mise­ries and that is God, intimating faith and true prayer. Let vs therefore take vp the parable of Gregorie Na­zianzen and pray after this man­ner

Thou O God hast had mercie vpon three famous Publicans, which are re­membred in thy holy booke: Math. 9. Mathew at the custome. Luke. 18. The Publican in the Temple. Luke. 19. Zacheus on the tree: O let me be the fourth and saue me. Thou hast had mercy vpon three, that were strongly bound and couldst nor stirre. The lame of the palsey on the bed, the [Page] Math. 9. sicke lying by the poole, and the bound by the spirit eightene yeares; Marke. 9. O Lord I am bound with the chayne of my sins, vnloose this chaine, let me be the fourth and saue me. Iohn. 5. Thou hast had mercy vp­on three that were dead, and saw no light. Math. 9. The Rulers daughter. Luke. 7 The widdowes sonne. Iohn. 11. And Lazarus whome thou louest. O Lord I am dead in my sinnes, let me bee the fourth and saue me, For thy great mercy sake.

And nowe giue me corasiues, that then I may haue comfortatiues. If in this life thou sendest me vanitie, there I shall haue immutabilitie. If in this life thou layest burdens vpon me, grant that in that life I may enioy eternal ease and quietnesse. And thus much for the third point, which is the remedy for this burden.

Now followeth the third thing con­sidered in the first part, which is the ground whereunto this anker must be fastened: and that is two fold, God, and the promise to the prouidence.

[Page 39]The first expressed in these wordes cast thy burden vpon the Lord. And the second signified by these: He shal nou­rish thee.

The first is gnal Ichouah: vpon Ie­houah shewing vnto vs by this name that God is he of whom all things haue their being, are gouerned, and preserued For Iehouah is a name of effence com­ming of houah, or hxiah, which is a verbe substantiue, and signifieth to be. From whence ariseth ehte: the name of sem­peternitie, & signifieth which is, which was, and euer shall be. Wherefore God calleth himself, Exod us. 3.14. (and none but himself) I am, as who should say: I am of my selfe, and others of me, and therefore cast vpon me. I am all sufficient, hauing no neede of others, but all other things haue neede of me. Sciebat enim se so­lum esse, alias creatures a se accepisse vt essent. Origin. For he knew well when he said I am: that he onely had being of him­selfe, & all the being that the creatures haue, they receiue it from him. Which indeede is no more to be called being (in respect of Gods being) thē the sha­dow [Page]may be said to be, in respect of the body, or the smoake, in comparison of the fire. Seeing then God is, and all sufficient, we note from this word Ieho­uah these two thinges. [...]: and [...]: Gods selfe existencie, and Gods selfe sufficiencie.

First Gods selfe existencie, whence he is called (Alpha) and (Omega) the beginning and the ending which is, which was, and which is to come. Apocall. 8. For Attahel: before the mountaines were made, and before the earth, world were formed, euen from euer­lasting to euerlasting, thou art our God (saith the kingly Prophet) Psal. 90.2. being the vncreated maker of all things yea the very author of life. Damacen. Orthodox cap.2. For of him we liue, we moue, and haue our being. Acts. 2.15. Ezekias dy­ing life, he prolonged at his pleasure, Acts. 17. For he hath power both of life, & death: other Gods cannot saue thee, for they cānot saue themselues. Esay. 38. Being like vnto Dagon the God of the Philistines, Wisedome 16.13. who fell vpon his face on the ground before the Arke of the Lord, and not being a­ble to help himselfe, Barauch. 6. lost both his head. [Page 40]and his hands. But Iehouah is he, that did answere Elias prayer by fire from heauen. Kings. 1.18. For the Lord himselfe is God, therefore call upon him.

The second is Gods selfe sufficiencie. For God calleth himselfe el shadday God all sufficient, being most worthy of that prayse and commendation, which the Poet ascribeth vnto nature: Genes. 17.1. saying.

He is rich enough of himselfe and wan­teth none of our riches to helpe him. And thus much he acknowledgeth of himselfe saying. Heare O my people and I will speake: Heare O Israell, and I will testifie vnto thee. Psal. 50.7.8.9. For I am God e­uen thy God. I will take no Bullocke out of thy house, nor goates out of thy foldes. For all the beastes of the For­rest are mine▪ and the beastes on a thou­sand mountaines. I know all the fowles on the mountianes, and the wild beasts of the feild are mine: If I be hungry I will not tell thee. For the world is mine and all that there in is. And thus much the word God importeth vnto [Page]vs. Euripides, For if he be God indeede he neither wants, nor stands in neede of any other but our God is almightie. Iob. 5.17. He made heauen and earth, and all that is therein And this is the law of reason, that omnis qui aliquid facit, eorum quae facit habeat potestatem; that euery man who makes of effects any thing, should haue power and dominion ouer the workes of his owne hands. Cassiodo­rus in Psal. 94.

But what should I spende my time in prouing of Gods sufficiency: seeing he is not onely [...]: but also [...]: yea and likewise [...] sufficiēt for himselfe, but also for others yea and sufficient for all be they neuer so many. Zenephon. For of him be all, [...]: nothing can bee without God: Arist. de. Mundo. who As Aristotle in his booke ae Mundo saith, that he is as the gouernour in the ship: the wagoner in the wag­gon, the Chanter in the Quire, the law in the Cittie, the Gene­rall in the army; the same and much more is God in the world. Now the ship cannot long indure without the [Page 41]Pilote, nor the Citie without the law, nor the army without the Captaine, nor the world without God. For God is vnto the world, as the Sunne unto the Moone: quo recedente deficit lumen Lu­nae. A quinas in Collos. But if the Sun pull backe his light from the Mooneshe must likewise loose her light, and if God withdraw his hād from vpholding the world, the world must needes decay. And therefore cast vpō him, for he only hath being of him selfe, and is sufficient for himselfe & thee And thus much for the first ground.

The second is the promise of Gods prouidence: noted in these words: He shall nourish thee: wherefore he may be called [...]: of [...]: because God by his prouidence, doeth as it were forerunne and prouide nourishment for all things. Greg. Ni­cen de prouid. And good reason, For [...] must bee [...]: he that made all things must prouide for all things, otherwise there would fall out some lacke or want, ei­ther in the maker, or in the prouider. For if one should make the world, and another keepe, and conserue it: the one would be weary of working misdowb­ting [Page]the care of the prouider, and the o­ther carelesse in keeping, fearing the goodnesse of the worker, wherefore [...] and [...] the generation conseruation & gouerment of all things are not amisse alledged by the Fathers to proceede, and come from one & the selfe same power.

The first nothing his creating facultie the second, is conseruing, and the third his ruling an guiding power. And this is acknowledged by the word of God, and practised by the creatures. For the eyes of all thinges looke vpō thee (saith the Psalmist) speaking of the Lord) Psal. 145.15 16. and thou giuest them their meat in due sea­son, thou openest thy hands, and fillest all thinges liuing, of thy good plea­sure. Psal. 104.4. This the rauening Lion confesseth by his practise. For the Lions roaring after their pray, do seeke their meat at God. And naturall Philosophy relating the nature of the creatures doth warrāt as much vnto vs. For they ripping vp the nature of the crow, do finde in her [...]: a certaine vnnaturall affection towards her young ones, who behol­ding [Page 42]the tallowy couller of her birdes when they are young, falleth into a loa­thing, and misliking of them. Where­fore for certaine dayes she leaueth and forsaketh them, whome God taking in­to his custody in meane time sustaines & releiues by worms, that breed in the doung and filth of their nest, vntill such time as the old ones returne vnto them againe. Iob. 39.3. For he prepareth meate for the Rauen, when his birdes cry vnto him wandring for lacke of meate.

This is further shewed by Gods mi­raculouse preseruation of the Kings Fi­sher a sea birde. [...]. Basil, de [...] precat. Who maketh her nest vpon the water of the sea, and that in the middest of winter, euen then, when the windes are most strong, and the water most boy­sterous. Yet by Gods prouidence the windes wax quiet, & the waters calme, so long as the Halciō sits vpon her eggs and produceth her young ones: yea for so long as the young ones haue neede of their damnes nourishment and are not fitt to prouide for themselues: And these dayes the saylers call the Halcio­nian [Page]dayes. Thus God sheweth him­selfe a Father vnto his creatures, being (as the psalmist speaketh) like vnto a father that hath compassion vpon his children. And good reason that the Lord should be thus vnto vs, if we trust in him. For do we not see the plants giue life, & nourishment, vnto the spig­ges, and twigges, that arise and issue of them. The beastes cherrish and now­rish their young, and man bringeth vp his Children that be borne of his loynes. Plato. And doe wee thinke that God can bee without naturall affe­ction, that is the Creator and ma­ker, of all fatherly loue in others? yea and is the cause of all the good in nature and he himselfe be without goodnesse vnto his creature? yes ve­rily, cogita de Deo quicquid melius potest & de te quicquid deterius, & de illo am­plius credere debes, quam cogitare possis. Bernardus. Meditat. 5. Thinke the best that thou cāst of God, and the worst thou canst of thy selfe, notwithstanding thou mayst beleeue much more touching his goodnes, then [Page 43]thou canst possibly thinke our image in For he is bonum, sine quo nihil est bonum: Aug. solil. 1. he is goodnesse it selfe without whome nothing is good: yea indeede none is good but one, and that is God himselfe And therefore cast thy burden vpon him; for he is thy sheaphard that will keepe thee so that thou shall not want: and thy shepheard that will seeke thee so that thou canst not be lost. Psal. He is like vnto a eagle that defēds her young ones against the heate of the sunne, and the rigour of the cold. Luke 15. Like vnto an hen that keepes her young ones against the fury of the vulture: Deut. 32. and may be wel compared to the winges of the Cheru­bin, Math. 23. which are alwaise spread abroad to receiue thee at thy comming. O there­fore praise the name of the Lord, for he is good, the earth is full of his goodnes. Psal. 106. Thus doth saints giue thanks vnto God Psal. 106 for his goodnesse. Pindarus. But alas and not onely but also olde fa­uour and frendship is now a sleepe, for men at these dayes are too forgetful and not onely old fauour but new like­wise, [Page]yea all the graces and louing kind­nesses of the Lord are put out of mind, and forgotten wherein men are like vn­to the Israelites that forgot God their Sauiour, which had done greeat things in Aegypt, and wonderous thinges in the land of Ham, and fearefull things at the read Sea: yet incontinently they forgat his workes. Psal. 106.13.21. Thus are men leade from God, and therefore woe and des­truction shalbe vpon them, (saith the Prophet) Ier. 2.12. yea, be astonied oye heauens, be affraid and vtterly confounded (saith the Lord) For my people haue commit­ted two euills, they haue forsaken me the fountaine of liuing waters, to dig them pits that will hold no water. For they haue forsaken God the rocke, the foundation and the sure ground, to cast vpon the creature, a sandie vnsteadfast & deceitfull grownd. And this grownd is especially of three sorts, wherevpon men especially cast their confidence, & fasten their ankers, and they are men, the world, and the deuill. Chro. 2.16 12. The first grownde whereupon men commonly cast, is man himselfe. As sometimes [Page 44]vpon the Phisician; thus did Asa, who being sicke and diseased, sought not to the Lord in his disease, but to the Phisi­tians: but death ouertooke him for it. Not that phisicke is to be discommen­ded, for the Phisician is honourable, but hee must be put in the second or third place. Sometime vpon pollicy, as did Nero and Absolon: the first whereof that he might establish his kingdome the better to him, and win the hearts of the people, under the pretence of cle­mencie when there was brought a bill vnto him, whereunto hee should sub­scribe, touching the condemnation & punishment of offenders, he would say Vtinam non scissem [...]itteras, I would I could not wright, as though (forsooth) he desired so much the wellfare and life of the people, that wished afterwardes that all Roome were but one head, that he might cut it off at one blow. Sam. 2.15. The se­cond that he might with more ease ob­taine the kingdome, 2.3.5.5.6. hee would get vp earely and stand by the entring in of the gate, and euery man that had anie matter, and came to the king for iudg­ment, [Page]him did Absolon call vnto him, and said of what cittie art thou? and he answeared, thy seruant is of one of the tribes of Israell: then Absolon said vnto him: see thy matters are good & righ­teous, but there is no man deputed of the King to heare thee. Absolon said moreover, O that I were made iudge in the land, that euery man which hath a­ny matter or controuersie might come to me, that I might do him iustice. And when any man came neare vnto him, and did him obeysance, he put forth his hand and tooke him and kissed him. And on this manner did Absolon to all Israell that came to the King for Iudge­ment. So Absolon stale the hearts of the people of Israell. See the nature of the pollitician; without a saint; within an hypocrite, deceiuer, murderer and trai­tor. And yet this is the practise of the world by pollicie, hypocrisie, and de­ceipt, to aduance, an maintaine their house and their estate▪ Sam. 2.17. but how God liketh the pollician (when pollicy hath not his warrant from him) appeares by the confusiō of Achitophel whose coun­sell [Page 45]and pollice being refused and ouer­throwne, he went and hanged him­selfe:

Thirdly vpon strength, as vpon kings and princes, souldiers, holds, muni [...]ōs and such like. Sam. 1.17.17. Thus did Goliah trust in his strength, and therefore desied the host of Israell, but little Dauid ouercāe him with a sling, and a stone. For the battle is the Lords. Chro. 2.16.2. Thus did Asa trust vpon Benhadas the King of Aram, but the Lord told him by the Prophet Haanaus, that he had done foolishly, & therefore henceforth hee should haue warrs. For the eyes of the Lord behold all the earth to shew himselfe strong with them that are of perfect heart to­wards him. Dan. 4.27.25.29. Thus did Nabuchadonezer cast his confidence vpon the strength of his Babell, saying. Is not this great Babell that I haue built for the house of my kingdome, by the might of my power, and for the honour of my maie­stie? But while the word was in his mouth, a voyce came down from hea­uen, saying: O King Nabuchadonezer, to thee be it spoken, thy kingdome is [Page]departed from thee, and they shall driue thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, they shal make thee eate grasse as the oxen, and seuen times shall passe ouer thee, vntill thou knowest, that the most highe bea­reth rule ouer the kingdomes of men, and giueth it vnto whomesoeuer hee will. And the very same houre was this thing fulfilled. Thus did Dionisi­us that said his kingdome was Adaman­tinis vinculis firmatum. Strenghtened with chaines of Adamant, and that in despite of God, but the blasphemous wretch found the contrary, when hee was dispossessed of it. And Aiax in So­phocles trusting vnto his strength, said, ignauis opus esse consilio diuino, se sine deo vincere posse, it is enough for cowardes to craue ayde and counsell at Gods hands, he was able of himselfe to get the conquest. But he spake as a man without a minde, as afterwards it pro­ued, when he fought with rāes in stead of men. Wherefore for all their brags these men must know, that there is nei­ther conquest, battle or victory with­out [Page 46]God, Psal. 33.16. and that the king is not sa­ued by the multitude of an host, Iudges. 7. nor the mightie by much strength Gedeōs army consisting but of three hundred men ouerthrew a mightie host of the Madianites. Chro. 14.9. For the Lord can saue as well with a few as with many. Sam. 1.14. Iona­than and his harnesse bearer, being but two, discomfited a mightie armie of the Philistines. Psal. 14.10. For the Lord hath no pleasure in any mans legges, but in them that feare him. Iudg. 5.20. Sicera had 700 chariots of iron, and a mightie army, yet was slaine by 200 men, for they fought from heauen against him. Aug. deci­uit. 5. cap. 23. The Gothes comming against Rome in the reigne of Honorius, were in one day discomfited and there King Radagisus with his sonnes taken captiue, yet not one of the Romans killed, no not so much as wounded. Ier. 17.5. For cursed is the man, that hopeth in man and maketh flesh his arme. Psal. 116.11 Because all men are li­ares and meare vanitie, being like vnto runing water, yea to a very swift stream that is here now and suddainly in an other place, or like to the falling of Epictetus Homer. Sophortes. Pindarus. [Page]leaues, yea to the shadow of smoke: nay man is the very dreame of a shadow. Chrysost. 27. ad po­puli. Cōpared by on to houses of dirt built by litle childrē, which a mā may breake with euery fillip. This made Xerxes to weepe, beholding his great army of 200000 men, because after a few yeares not one of them should remaine, or be aliue. O si possemus in tale ascendere speculum, de quo vniuersam terram sub nostris pedibus cerneremus, iam tibi osten­derem totius orbis [...]uinam. Hieron: ad Heliodor. O that wee might ascend to such a hill, from whēce we might behold all the whole world vnder our feete, then would I quickely shew vnto thee, the ruines of the same. Then would I shew vnto thee nati­ons against nations, wars, imprisomēts, tortures, banishments, and not only the ruine of Xerxes army, but the death & destruction of all the men in the world not long after to come to passe. Esay. 40. For all flesh is grasse.

Flos apparuimus, qui non eramus qua­si flos ariscimus qui temporaliter appare­bamus. Gregory We seemed to be what wee were not, as a flower we wither which [Page 47]are here but for a time▪ now may wee thinke ourselues to be iolly fellowes, but by and by we shalbe turned vnto dust, and then is the peasant equall with the prince. Nazinauz. Therefore let vs in Englād (enpironed now with enemies) make God alone our shield with Dauid, Psal. 91.2. yea our rocke and defense. Psal. 18. Let vs pray vnto him he is our King, and he must heare vs. Psal. 5.3. For if the woman could answeare Adrian the Emperour, when her suite was put off with, non est mihi Otium, I am not at leasure: Ergo imperare noli. King. 2.6. therefore be no longer King then saith she, whereat he turning vnto her, gaue her audiēce: Psal. 91.12 How much more will God (that commādeth vs to pray vnto him) be willing and readie to here our pray­ers? Elizeus prayed and saw the army of God pitched round about him. And Iacob had the host of God to meete him for his protection. For the Angell of the Lord shall pitch his tentes about thee, and carrie thee in their hands least thou be hurt, if thou wilt put thy trust in him. And therefore cast vpon the Lord.

[Page]And thus much for the first ground whereupon the most part do cast their anker. Psal, 94.6. The second is the world, where on the couetous, luxurious, idle & shif­ting man doth put his trust. For the couetous boasteth of his riches, & trus­teth in them, saying vnto his soule, take thy rest, For thou hast many goods layd vp. Bernard: Theis sayle mare rubrum, the red sea, and fetch about to the riuer Ganges, which compasseth the land of Eu [...]la, where are bred the carbuncle, the Smaragde, and the golden mountaines, whereunto by reason of griffens, and dragons and mightie monsters, it is al­most vnpossible to attaine. Psal. 4. Yet man aduentures for it, quarit vt acquirat, ac­quirit vt perdat, perdat vt doleat. Basill. He seeks by all meanes to get, he gets to loose, & he leeseth to vexe and torment himself. O yee sonnes of men how long will ye seeke after vanitie? How long will ye hūt after gold, a net to catch our soules, the hooke of death and the baite of sin? How long will ye seeke after riches, the cause of warres, the discord of bre­thren that makes kinsmen forget na­ture, [Page 48]citizens maintaine sicophantes, and the high way theeues? Who is the fa­ther of lies, the coyner of false accusati­ons, and the author of periury? Are they not riches and the desire of gold? what made Ahab to slay his subiect? Achan to steale forbidden goods? and Iudas to betray his Maister, was it not the de­sire of gold and riches? O remember that couetousnes is carrid vpon a cha­riot, the foure wheeles wherof are pusil­lanimitas, in humanitas, contemptus dei, & obliuio mortis, Barnard. faint heartednesse, inhu­manitie, contempt of God, and forget­fulnesse of death. The coach horsses that draw the chariot are tenacitas: and rapacitas, holdfast and rauening. The waggoner is desire of hauing, and the whippes that scourdge forwardes these horsses are, desire to gette, and feare to loosse. And yet what hast thou gote by all this paines, but a Cittie of paper, a runnagate seruant, a sword to peirce thy soule, and euerlasting distruction (as did Diues) that for his riches was carried in to hell. But thou that by euill meanes thus castest after the world, forgettest [Page]that God is the giuer of all riches, who is the giuer of all thinges: in Citie in feild in cattle and corne, and what not. Wherefore least this be added vnto the heape of thy offences, forsake the world and cast upon the Lord, and he will pro­uide for thee.

But heere steps in the idle and delici­ous man obiecting for himselfe, and his ease saying: What then neede we for to labour if God be the giuer of all things? But this man must know, that when the scriptures speake (acknowledging to Gods prayse) that he giueth all things, yet they debarre not frō him the means which God appointed. Thus when the psalmist speaketh, Psal. 103.9. that the faithfull man who trusteth in God, shall haue riches and treasure, he vseth the word Hoon which properly signifith goodes and riches which are gotten by great inde­uour to admonish vs, that riches are be stowed vpon vs by those means which God hath ordained frō aboue, of which sort are labor, paines, care, and such like For man is borne to labour. He goeth out vnto his worke and to his labour [Page 43]vntill the euening, and without labour nothing can prosper. Howbeit both labor, thirst, sleepe, and all must be done according to the Phisitions rule, name-in a meane. But heere the idle man will take vp Christ his speech for his warant saying. Take no thought for thy life what to eate, nor for your body what you shall put on. The Rauens neither sow nor reape, yet God feedeth them, and how much is man better then fowles? But we must know that Christ forbiddeth not heere labour and ordi­nary meanes for prouision, Luke. 12.15. but giueth vs in charge, not to give ouer our selues to a coueteous care of this life, nor la­bor, sed mens suffoca, ta cura, damnatur: Chrysosto: not labour but a minde choaked with care is condemned. Labor est exercen­dus, but sollicitudo est tollenda: Hieron. labor is to be vsed, but ouer much care to bee re­fused, For labour is commanded. Gen. 3.19. In the sweate of thy face, thou shalt eate thy bread; vntill thou returne vnto the earth. Whereby we finde condemned the idle begger; vnto whōe God hath, afforded parts fitte for labour. The rob­ber, [Page]& the theife, the belly God, and the Fryar, the cousiner, the shifter, and all that liue by their wits without calling. For these liue vpō other mens labour, & not vpon the sweate of their owne browes, solliciti esse vetamur, laborare autem iubemur. Chrysost. For labour est naturae: sollicitudo est culpae, weare forbidden in­deed to be two carefull, but we are cō ­manded to labor. Tho: Aqui. For labour is of na­ture, but care of sinne, yet neither is all care forbidden. For there is a faithfull and a sinfull care. The first laboureth in his calling, escam in manum domini com­mittit, but he leaues the issue and euent of all his labor, vnto the hands and pro­uidence of God, building vpon him by a strong faith. The second laboureth but dispaires of the issue, quasi quinemi­nem habet gubernantem, Chrysost. as though all must come by his care and trauell; and there were no God to prouide for him and send a blessing to his labor. Nazenzēs. Wher­as, If the Lord giue a blessing carking care wil not preuaile: and if God do not giue a blessing, all our labour will doe no good. For as the Rabbines could [Page 43]well note God hath foure keys which he will not lend to any other. The key of the graue: the key of dearth an bar­renes. The key of raine, and plentie. And the key of foode and nourishment: yea except the Lord build the house, they labour but in vaine that build it: and except the Lord keepe the Citie, the kee­per watcheth but in vaine. It is in vaine for you to rise earely, and to lie downe late, and eate the bread of sorrow, vn­lesse the lord be with you to blesse you Psal. 127.1. &. 2. But if God lay to his helping hand, vn­to our lawfull calling and diligent inde­uour then may we be assured all things shall prosper, and succeed for our good So then, if we will not tempt God wee must vse the meanes, but such meanes as God alloweth of, and hath ordained. Wherefore craft, vsury, Simony, coun­terfeiting of wares, and such like, as meanes by God both forbidden and condemned, are to be eschewed and auoyded. And here may the poore man that faithfully laboureth in his cal­ling be comforted. For he shall not al­wayes be forgottē, because if God pro­uideth [Page]for the fowles, man is better thē they. Math. 6. If he cloatheth the Lillies of the feild, which to day are in your feild, & to morrow cast into the ouen: how much more will he cloath and feede us, if we will put our trust in him? This Dauid founde by experience, and pro­uoketh others by his example to trust in God. Psal. 34.4.6.8. I sought the Lord (saith he) & he hearde me, the poore crieth, and the Lord heareth him: O do but tast, and see how gratious the Lord is, and you shall finde that mā to be greatly blessed that putteth his trust in him. And this Christ maketh vs to be most sure of, when he telleth vs that God is our far­ther. For if pater, vult; If omnipotens potest, non est ergo timendum quin proui­deat nobis. Aug. If he be our father, then how can we doubt of his good will vnto vs his children: and if he be omnipotent how can we feare his abilitie to per­sorme his will: wherefore if he be both willing and able, let vs assure our selues that he, and he alone will assuredly pro­uide for us, and therefore let us cast vpon the Lord. And thus much for [Page 45]the second false ground which is the world.

Now followeth the third, and that is the Diuell. A ground whereon Magici­ans, coniurers, witches, an whosoever follow any such vnlawfull, and forbid­den craft, do cast their hope and rely. Men mightely mislead, and be witched with blockish Atheisme, and vn godly­nesse, yea with sottish forgetfulnesse, of their owne estate and wellfare. Per. 1.5.8. For can a man looke for any benefit, or help at the hands of his mortall enemie and professed foe? yet the Diuell, and his angels are our deadly enemies, seeking to deuoure vs, and our professed foes by open proclamation from the begin­ning. Gen. 3. Neither is this all; but God him­selfe will turne against them. Leuitic. 20 6. For If any turne after such as worke with spirits, & southsayers, to [...]o a whoring after them, then will I set my face against that person, and will cut him of from among my people. Sam. 28. Thus happened it to Saule for leauing God, to seeke vnto a witch: he was destroyed. Exod. 7. Pharoah run­neth vnto the wi [...]ardes, but he, and all [Page]his army perished for it. Kings. 2.1.3.4. Ahaziah fal­ling sicke sent to inquire of Baalze bub the God of Ekron, touching the [...]ecouery of his disease, but the angell of the Lord said vnto Eliah. Arise, and go vp to meete the messingers, and say vnto them: Is not there a God in Istra­ell? wherefore thus saith the Lord: Thou shalt not come downe from the bed, on which thou art gone vp, but shalt die the death, Domitian forsooth must needes hane his wizards to tell him of his fortune; But presently thereupon he grew suspitious of all his people, that he caused the wall of his gallery to be besette with the stone Phengiles, which is a verie bright and shining stone, that by that meanes hee might see, and behold, what was done behind him. Suetonius. cap. 14.15. For these fortune tellers, and cas­ters of natiuties either they tel vs aduer­sa, or prospera: some good and prospe­ritie which shall happen vnto vs, or else some ill and aduersitie, that shall betide vs. If they tell vnto vs some happy thing to come and do deceiue vs, they make vs vnhappie by expecting that which [Page]shall neuer be fulfilled. And if they tell vnto vs aduerse, and euill thinges to be­tide vs, and lie vnto vs, yet they make vs miserable by fearing that which shal not be effected, Howbeit, if they learn this knowledge of the Diuell, can wee thinke that he will tell vs any good that wisheth nothing but our hurt? or if it be else where to be found, were [...]t lawfull? would God then forbid it to be practi­sed? saying▪ Deutrie. 18.10.11 12. Let none be found amongst you that vseth witchcraft, or a regarder of times, or a marker of the flying of fowles, or a Sorcerer, or a charmer, or that counselleth with spirits, or a south-sayer, or that asketh counsel at the dead For all that doe such things are an a­bomination vnto the Lord. Iudges. 9. As for the Diuell he is an euill spirit, the spirit of hatered, a lying spirit, and the father of lyes, himselfe like lightening was throwen downe from heauen. And what stay then can they hope for or ex­pect, that put their trust in him? Kings. 1.22 But if thou hast sayd with Dauid, the Lord is my hope, and my fortresse, hee is my God, in him will I trust. Iohn. 10. Luke. 13. Then shalt [Page]thou be deliuered from the snare of the hunter, and from the noy some pestilēce from the feare of the night and the ar­row that flieth by day: Psal. 91. Thou shale walke vpon the Lion; and the Adder, the young Lyon, or the Dragon shalt thou treade vnder thy feete. For God will give his Angels charge ouer thee, to keepe thee in all thy wayes: As for the Diuell, what power and abilitie hath he to preuaile against thee, vnlesse God giue him leaue, Gregorius Qui etsam in porcos trā ­sire non potu [...], nisi permissus. Math. 8. which could not enter into the heard of swine vntill he had receiued leaue and licence from Christ our Sauiour. Iob. 1. Nor preuaile against Iob, no further then the Lord sawe it, conuenient, for Iobs triall, & the Lords glorie. Wherefore defie Sathan, and abandon all vsers of wicked craftes, & say with Augustine: Aug. Vna confidentia, vna [...]irma promissio Deus miserecordia tua. This is one only confidence, and firme promise, and that is thy mercy O God. Si insurgant aduersiis me praelia: Bernardus. Though warres and troubles rise a­gainst me. Though the world rage, and [Page 47]the Diuell fret. Though the flesh lust against the spirit, yet in te domine sperae­bo: I will trust in thee: In thee O Lord alone, my God, and my redeemer. Psal. 3. And with Dauid though my aduersaries be increased, and say vnto my soule, there is no helpe for him in his God, yet will I not be affraid for ten thousand. For thou O God art my buckler, and sal­uation belongeth onely vnto thee. O Christ my king thou art my coun­trie, my strength my riches, my hap­pinesse, yea thou art all thinges what tounge can speake, or heart can wish heere heere is the sure ground whereon, to cast our anker, other grounds will but deceiue Gregory. vs. Quid coelo securius, pa­radiso iucundus? Angeli tumen de caelo, de pariaiso homines c [...]ciderunt. What is more secure then heauen, or more plea­sant then paridise? yet the Angels fell from heauen and [...]e lost paradise: why then wilt thou cast vpon man, which is so fraile, the world which is so vaine, and the Diuell which is so deceitfull. Aug. Proijce te in illum qui semper stat: O no but cast thy selfe only vpon him, which is nei­ther [Page]fraile, or vaine, subtle, nor deceitfull but firme, constant and permanent, willing to receiue thee, and able for to help thee, euen the Lord thy God and he will nourish thee: and thus much for the first part of this text, which is the christiā mans laying at anker in the sea of this world contained in these wordes, cast thy burden vpon the Lord and he will nourish thee.

Now followeth the second and the third partes which for the time is past, I will contract and finish in a word.

The second part is the arriuing of the godly man in the hauen of happpi­nesse: Contained in these words, He will not suffer the righteous to fall for euer, insinuating vnto vs, that the godly man shall be tossed in this world with the waues of aflictions, and the windes of persecutions, but for all this he shall be deliuered from drowning, and at the last arriue in the blessed ha­uen of happinesse, where in we are to consider these two things. First the ne­cessitie of afflictions, and secondly the [Page 47]assurance of his arriuing in the ha­uen.

The first insinuated from the comparison of his sayling & the second assured from the promise. Who will not suffer him to fall for euer; for the first.

Mans life is compared vnto a shippe sayling on the sea, and therfore he must looke for waues and windes to tosse & assault him. To a warrefare: the christian man is the souldier, and he must ex­pect weapons, and men, and all store of warlike strategemes to oppresse him. Timothie. 2.2.3. Thus is Timothie called the souldier of Christ, and therefore perswaded by the Apostle to arme himselfe to suffer affliction as a good souldier. The Chtistian man is compared to a vessell, afflictions are the tooles, & the vessell must looke to be cut and squared fitte fo [...] the vse of that house, for which it is prouided. The Christian man is compared vnto a scholler, the world is the schoolehouse, afflictions are the rod and the scholler must looke nowe and then to tast of the rodde, and vnder goe [Page]correction. Psal. 66:10. The Christian man is cō ­pared vnto gould, the world is the for­ [...]e, afflictions are the fire, and the gould and mettall must looke to bee tried in the fire, that it may be purified. The Christian is compared to a runner and tryer of masteries, and the wrestler must looke for foiles and for falles. Cor. 1.9.24. The Christian is compared to come and he must looke to be sifted and threshed with the flayle of afflictions. The chri­stian man is compared vnto the grape, that must be pressed, strayned and stam­ped with tribulation. Thus God dea­leth with his children as a father with the sonne, whome he most loueth: Luke. 15. as a Phisitian with the patient whome he most affecteth, specified by the louing father vnto the prodigall son, by Christ vnto the theife vpon the crosse. Heb. 11. This was the way for all the god vnto walke into heauen, as appeareth by the patri­arkes, the Prophets the Apostles, Christ and his saints wherfore we must accept of afflictions, as the Lords most fatherly corrections, first because God is the sender of them, and being our father he [Page 49]will send nothing vnto his children, but that which shall be for their good and profit. Luke. 15. How mercifull was hee vnto the wounded man that fell among theiues, Math. 9. How carefull was hee of the sheepe that was lost in the wildernesse? Mat. 11.29. and how pittiful ouer the dis [...]sed, that were sicke, blind, doumb, and deafe, for vnto whome faith God shall I haue respect, but vnto him that is miserable, poore, brought low, troubled in spirite, and standeth in awe of my words. Esay. 66.2. Se­condly because God that sendes them is almightie, and able to deliuer vs: Our father will not suffer vs to be tempted aboue our strength. Cor. 1.10. Thirdly because af­flictions are short, yet a little and hee comes. Though mourning be at euen yet ioy cometh in the morning. Thus was Ioseph now a prisoner, by and by a Prince. Psal. 30.5. Dauid erewhile a banisht man, and despised, by and by a King & much respected; Iob a man euen now afflicted and contemned; by and by againe in much prosperitie and of all regarded. Fourthly because we are sicke, God is the Physitian, affliction the physicke, & [Page]we will suffer the phisician to giue vs bitter potions, and the surgeon to cutte and to launce our bodies. And why not much more God, who though hee kill yet will make aliue, and though hee wound, yet will make vs whole: In a word because afflictions bring vs to know God and our selues, to awake vs from sin, and conforme vs to the image of Christ his sonne, because in trouble betimes shall they arise vnto mee saith the Lord, and while wee are punished, we are corrected of the Lord, that wee should not be condemned in the world Let vs cry with Austine, hic seca, hic v­re, ne pere am in eternum, here cut, here launce, here box, here burne least I pe­rish with Diues and the rest of the wic­ked in the fire of hell which shall neuer haue an end, Actes. 3. yea let vs reioyce in aflic­tions as did the Apostles, let vs receiue them with thankes, seeing we suffer no more for our sinnes, then Christ sot vs, which had no sinne. Mat. 10. And seeing the desciple is not aboue his master but by this way Christ our master entred into his glorie: let vs humble our selves in [Page 49]afffictions for hee that will followe Christ, must deny him [...]elfe: Luke 24. And afflic­tions are Gods cogniscance to shew vs who is our Lord and maister. Esay. 33. Let vs repent vs of our sinne, for God is verie ready to forgiue otherwise the Lord will visit sinnes with scourges, And let vs continually call vpon the Lord, for so he commandeth saying: call vpon me in time of trouble, and I will deliuer thee, Kinges. 2. Thus did Hezekias in his sickenes Act. 12.20. and Peter in the Prison, and the one was healed, and the other deliuered; the paines of hell (saith Dauid) Psal. 18. came about me, and the snare of death ouertooke me, but in my trouble I called vpō the Lord, and he heard me, for whosoeuer calleth vpō the name of the Lord shall be preserued. And thus much for the first point which is the necessitie of af­flictiōs Rom. 10. Now followeth the secōd which is the certaintie of deliuerance, and arri­uing in the hauen of happinesse noted out of these words. He will not suffer the righteous to fall for euer. This is warranted from these arguments. First from the fore knowledge of God, who [Page]seeth all thinges before they come to passe, and therefore seeth the afflictiōs of his people, as he beheld the Isralites, afflictiōs, & will deliuer the godly now as he deliuered his people then. Exod. 3.78 For I haue surely seene the trouble of my people (saith God) which are in Aegipt and haue heard their cry, and therefore am come downe to deliuer them, and to bring them into a land that floweth with milke and hony. See, they shall be deliuered because God foreseeth their calamities, neither is his sight more dim or his loue lesse now to them that feare him. All thinges are naked and open in his eyes, he behouldeth the endes of the world, and seeth all that is vnder heauen. Heb. 4.13. He seeth all thinges, hee hea­reth all thinges and rewardeth all thinges. Orpheus:

Secōdly from Gods goodnesse and loue that is vnchangeable towardes his servantes, Luke. 10.28 for God hath written their names in heauen, and hath them in his booke of accounts. Luke 15.50 He will not lose the lost sheepe that is gone astray. They are in Corporated into his [Page 50]Cittie, and he knowes them by their names.

Thirdly from his promise, who hath promised when they crie vnto him, he will deliuer them: the certaintie hereof dependeth vpon his truth, which can­not lye, and vpon his omnipotency which cannot faile.

Fourthly from his iustice which will giue to euery one according to their desertes and therefore if not in this world yet in the world to come he will giue a worthy blessinge vnto the godly.

Fifthly from his mercie, which ma­keth his sonne to shine both on good and badde, and will not alwaise forget his mercie vnto his seruants that call vpon him. This is Christ his banner, vn­der which the seruants of Christ espe­tially do march. This is their tower wherunto they fly in all their assaultes, yea this was that which brake hell gates to let out the seruants of God, and it will open the dores of heauen to let in all those, that with true faith cast vpon Christ their true ground & foun­dation.

[Page]Lastly this is warranted from the ex­amples of all the Saints in holy writte, whome God preserued in the time of trouble. Noah was saued when the world was drowned, for he trusted in God. Lot was preserved when Sodom was burned for he serued God. The Is­raelites were deliuered, when Pharaoh perished because they where the peo­ple of the Lord what should I rippe vp a volumne of examples? when Dines perished in hell for his wickednesse, La­zarus was carried into heauen for his godlinesse, a kingdome, a throane, and paradise of blisse, not like earthly king­domes full of troubles (as was Dauids) nor momentary as was Salomons, but a kingdome more pure then the sunne which nothing can corrupt, more rich then pretious stone which nothing can valu; a kingdome which neithr eye hath seene; nor the glory thereof can any toung relate. What souldier would not indure any hard shippe for his kingdōe what wrestler would nor suffer any soi­les for his wager? What runner any [Page 51]labour for this prise? what prisoner a­ny fetters for this libertie? what gluttō any abstience? what Diues any pouer­tie? what Abraham any pilgrimage? what Dauid any banishment? and what Saint all calamitie, and affliction for this paradise? only cast and trust vp­on him and he will prouide it for thee: for he will not suffer the righteous to fall for euer. But the vngodly shall be throwen into the pitt of corruption. And this is the last part of this text: which containeth in it the shipwrack of the wicked man: who all be it he saile top and top gallant in the sea of this world, and flourish for a while, in the vanitie of the same, yet shall the waues of an euill conscience tosse him, and the winds of Gods judgments vtterly ouer throw him.

The stocke of Crassus, and the house of Pompey flourished in Rome for a [Page]space, but being erected and sette vp by ill meanes, & subtiltie: was ouerthrown, and came to nothing. This the scrip­ture abundantly proueth vnto vs. Som­times telling vs of the prosperitie of the wicked, and sometime shewing vs a­gaine the destruction of the sinner. Thus when Iob had declared vnto us, the flourishing estate of the wicked, vpon the necke thereof he inferreth the lamenta­ble fall of the vngodly. Now he saith: Iob. 21.71. they liue, wax old, and grow in wealth their houses are peaceable, and their bullocke falleth not, they send forth childrē and reioyce in the sound of the harpe, and Organes, they spend their dayes in wealth, and the rod of God is not vpon them, yet he concludeth; Let the coun­sell of the wicked be farre from me; for their candle shall be put out, and des­truction shall come vpon them; they shall be as stubble before the winde, & as chaffe that the storme carrieth away, yea God will lay vp sorrow for him, & when he rewardeth him, he shall know it. Psal. 73. So when Dauid had well nie slipt, beholding the prosperity of the wicked [Page 52]yet entering into the sanctuarie of God he vnderstood the slippery ende of the vngodly: who are suddenly destroyed as a dreame when one waketh. Psal. 1.6. For the way of the sinner shall perish Geminae sub terra viae ad manes sunt, Vna est pi­orum, sed malorum est altera. Te nullus error habeat, est ius inferis. Exod. 14.18 There bee two waies: the one leadeth to heauen, the other to hell, the one is for the good the other for the bad, and we may be a­ssured that God is iust, who will reward them both according to their workes. The first shall prosper, for the Lord will blesse them, but the second shall perish for the face of the Lord is against them that do euil, to cut off their remēbrance from the earth. Pharaoh sayled in pros­peritie for a while, but at the last he suf­fered shipwracke, and was drowned. Ester. 9. Haman sayled a loft for a while, but at the last, fell into his owne pit, and was hanged: Antiochus, prospered for a while, but at the last was slaine by Try­phon, and perished. Thus shall the trās­gressors be destroyed, & the ende of the wicked shall be cut off. What should [Page]I heere recken vp the temporary flow­rish of Herod, Nero, Domitian, Traian, Hadrian, Valerian, Aurelian, Dioclesian, Maximinus, Maximianus, and infinite others? Were not some of them deuoured with wormes, others spat out their lunges: some killed themselues, others were murdered by their seruants: some died of dropsie; others of an apoplexie some were taken captiue by the foe, & others destroyed by the enimie? Kings. 1.11. For God will rayse vp aduersaries to Salo­mon for his sinnes, and muster all the host of heauen against the wicked for their offences. Ierimiah. 5.6. A Lyon out of the For­rest shall sley them a wolphe out of the wildernesse shall destroy them [...] a Leo­pard shall watch ouer their Cittie, Actes. 1.18. and euery one that goeth out shall be torne in peeces, because of their trangressions, Iudas came to perdition by the halter, Lubian was deuoured with dogges; Actes. 13. E­limas was strucken blind: Manes was flead aliue. Arrius died of a flux. Ne­storius was swallowed vp of the earth, Benedict the 9. was strangled by Sathā and Zoroastes burned by the Diuell. [Page 53]The blasphemer was stoned: and the child that learned betimes to sweare was possessed of the diuell▪ the man that gather [...]d stickes on the saboth was stō ­ned: Leuit. 24. and Nicanor that regarded not the sabboth was destroyed, Greg. lib. 4. Dial. 18. Absolon was hā ­ged by the haire: and the posteritie of disobedient Cham was abolished: Numb. 15. verily the vngodly may make a shew for a while, but they are set in slippery places, Sam. 2.16. Fo [...] they shall be consumed. Deutri. 7. Cain must be a runnagate for his mur­ther, Psal. 73. and Sodom burned for vnclean­nesse: Genes. 4. Achan was stoned for taking a forbidden garment; Leo, Corponimus was smitten from heauen for sacriledge▪ Amos. 7. Amasiaz must die in a polluted lande for false witnesse: Darius Princes weare into the Lions den for accusing Daniell. Daniell. Thus will the Lord raine vpon the wicked, snares fire and brimstone. Psal. 11. His hand shall finde out all his enemies, and his right hand them that hate him▪ yea the Lord shall distroy thē in his wrath and the fire shall deuour them. Psal. 21.9 Where­fore let vs be wise like the children of this generation, and learne one lesson [Page]from the men of Tire, and Sidon, and that is, as they that feared the anger of H [...]rod the Prince, came to Blastus the chamberlaine to desire peace: Acts. 12. so wee fearing the anger of God the Father, let vs go vnto Christ the sonne, To make atonement for vs; The way must be: First by prayer to labour for faith. Secondly by faith to āttaine repentance. And Thirdly by repen­tance to bring forth a new life, for­saking old Adam the man of sinne, and putting one the newe Christ the man of righteousnesse. Psal. 33. For then God shall bee our father by adopti­on, and blessed is the people, whose God is the Lord: euen the people that hee hath chosen for his inheritance. Psal. 27. And then though Father, and Mo­ther forsake thee, afflictions and all the world do bande against thee yet will the Lord gather thee vp, and with his mightie arme deliuer thee. And therefore cast (with Dauid) vpon the Lord and hee will nourish thee. For he will not see the righteous pe­rish for euer, but the wicked shall [Page 54]be throwen into the pit of destruction. Whereby thou maist know howe to withstand the assaults of Sathan, who taking aduantage vpon thy homebred Atheisme, stirreth vp thy impatient nature to wage warre against thy Creature, and say with the wicked in Malachie. Malach. 3.14. It is in vaine to serue God, for they that worke wickednes are exalted: as who should say. To serue God is neither good for God nor profitable for man. First it is not good for God, for if thou beest righteous, what giuest thou vnto him, Or what receiueth he at thy hand? Iob. 35.7. Secondly it is not beneficiall vnto man, for then it should be in one of these respects, ei­ther that God would blesse vs for our seruice, or not punish vs for our sinnes: but neither are the good men rewar­ded for there well doing, nor the bad punished for there wicked working, & therefore it is in vaine to serue God: ye on the contrary it is good to be bad and best to be the worst. For are not the humble debased, and the proud exalted the wicked man rich and the good man [Page]poore? doth not oppression, and iniury deceite and cosinage, dising & swearing bring in welth and iolitie, but true dea­ling makes wo and pouertie.

Criminibus debent hortos pretoria mesas, was not Nabuchadonasar mightie, yet proud, Pompie great, O yet sacrelegious, Rapsakie rich yet a blasphemer; Alexan­der a Monarch, yet ful of sinne.

Aude aliquidbreuibus gyaris, et carcexe di [...] nū, siuis esse aliquis; victus laudatur et alget Malac. 8.2.17. verily he that wold be rich let him be coteous, & he it would be pore let him bee righteous: Psal. 10.11.13. he it would be great let him be vitious, & he that would be little & of no estēe, let him be virtuous. Prou. 5.2 [...]. For God either delights in thē that do euil: or be­holds not our actiōs: or els hideth away his face & wil not regard; Orpheus. al which thou hast hard euen now answeared by prac­tis, & proued false by wofull experience for God is no idle spectator of our actiōs nor vaine beholder of our works: he wil be fauourable vnto the good, & most se­uere against the bad The waise of man are before the eies of the Lord, & he pō dereth all his paths, he beholds al things [Page 55]hears all things & rewards all according to there workes. If thou doest wel (saith God vnto Caine) Genes. 4.7. shalt thou not be ac­cepted? & if thou doest not well sin li­eth at thy dore: and saith the heathen man.

Si genus humanum et mortalia temitis a [...] ma, at sperate deos memores fandi at (que) ne­fādi. Vira. Acnad. 6. Albeit mortal man is not able to offend thee, nor his weake arme sufficiēt to cōmand thee, yet the immortal God that keeps a register of our wayes will one day sette a due desert vpon our works.

But thou wilt say this punishmēt which God reserues for an other day is very late: And yet thou must know when it shall come it will be two bitter.

Lento garduira deidrocedit, sed tradi­tatē penae grauetate supplicij compensat. Valer. Maxi. God is slow indeede vnto anger, and very loth to come vnto reuenge, but when he comes he will recompence his slacknes with the greatnes of his puni­shments. Thus he delt with the olde world, with Sodom, with the Iewes, day by day, yeare by yeare, age after age ex­pecting [Page]there repentance, being called more properly pater miserordiarū then in­diciorum the father of mercies, then of iudgments, because the first proceedes from himselfe the second from our sinnes.

Howbeit thou wilt say againe: if God did so mislike sin or were able to punish it he would shew some token of his power and iustice in this life. True­ly so he doth remember the fall of the Angels, the banishment of Adā, the confusion of Babell: the drowning of the old world, the burning of Sodom: the ouerthrow of Pharaoh: Saule: Ab­solon: Herod: Iudas: the sword, the fa­mine, the plague instruments of his po­wer and iustice. And if thou wilt learne to distingush of Gods punishmentes, which are two fold, opē, & secret besids his open punishmēts which are cōmon thou shalt sinde his secret punishments to be continual, namely the sting of cōs­cience which like a neuer wearied furie will pursue the night & day vnto iudge­ment. Aug. in Psal. 30. The heathē mā could call a guilty cōscience occultum flagellū dei Gods hid­den [Page 56] whip: Caine felt the sinart thereof: and thou canst not auoyd it.

Notwithstanding thou seest the wic­ked flowrish in this world: which stil in­creaseth thy infidility & diffidēce; ô let it not do so, for they haue their portiō in this life: Luk. 16.15 thus did Diues receiue in this world profit, & pleasure, but Lazarus penury & paine: but now is Lazarus cō ­forted & Dines tormented. Psal. 73. Besids this there prosperitie is but momentary: Iob. [...]1. as a dreame, as the ice: as the cha [...]e before the winde; verily vanitie of vanities all is but vanitie, Psal. 37. cōpared by the Psalmist to the grasse, to the hearb: to the fat of the lambes, to the smoake, to a clowde that vanisheth away in a moment, whereas the godly shall possesse the land, for the Lord vpholdeth them: Psal. 37. the godly shall be preserued for euer, for the Lord is there strength & there saluation, wher­fore there ende shall be peace for euer more. Esay. 1.16. O thē ye that feare the Lord har­ken vnto his precept published by the prophet Esay saying, cease to do euill, learne to do well; & giue eare vnto his promise proclamed by the prophet Da­uid, [Page]saying, flye from euill & doe good and dwell for euer, For euer: Psal. 37.27 how can that be, seeing our selues momentarie our abiding temporary, and our dwel­ling transitory. Aug. 36. But, alia terra erit, vbi inhabitabimus in secalū seculi: there shall be an other land, and kingdom wherein we shall abide for euermore: an heauē ­ly kingdome: an eternall kingdome: a most blessed kingdome: Mathe. 25.a Paradise: a place of pleasure: Tim. 2.4. a building of God, an house that is eternall in the hea­uen. Luke. 14. To which place hee bring vs that hath so deerely bought it for vs, Math. 26. Iesus Christ the righteous.

Amen.