CHAP. I. Of Originall sinne, The first Part. and how the same is deriued from the Pa­rents vnto the Children.

Of the worke that is done, i. e. Sinne. HEre you see, sinne is the roote of death, and death is the fruit of sinne. Sower must be the roote when the fruit doth proue so bitter, and sinne must needes bee execrable, when as death is a thing so lamentable, and therfore sinne makes me quake to thinke of it, and death should make you tremble to consider of it, because death is the wages of sinne.

And sinne is either

• 1 originall.
  Sinne is two­fold.
• 2 actuall.

the first is traduced vnto vs from Adam, the second is daily committed by our selues.

For the first, In what day thou eatest of the tree of knowledge of good and euill, thou shalt die the death (saith the Lord vnto A­dam) but you may eate, Gen. 2.17. and you shall not die at all (saith the Diuell vnto Euah:) she beleeued the Diuell; and the man obayed his wife; and so both would needes eate, and therefore God can­not be true, or else man must needes die, and he must iustly die, because he did vniustly eate. i. Of Originall sinne. Rom. 5.12. Here was the sinne committed by one; and from him it was deriued vnto all: for by one man, sinne entred into the world, and sinne went ouer all, and spread it selfe like that far-spreading tree which Olympias dreamt shee bare or like a vile gangrene, ouer all the face of the whole earth, and corrupted all the race of mankinde, for it is a schoole-point most infallible, that Adam now stood, not as a priuate person, or as one particular man, but as the roote of all the branches, and as bearing in his person the nature of all mankinde.

And therefore if he had stood, we had all stood, Heb. 7.9. but as A­braham paying tythes, Leui paid tythes in Abraham, so Adam sinning, we haue all sinned in Adam, Et omnes peccauimus in isto vno homine, quia omnes eramus iste vnus homo. And wee haue all sinned in that one man, because we all were that one man, saith Saint Augustine. And so both himselfe and wee all, The dammage that we receiue by Adams fall, is two-fold: 1. A depriuati­on of all good­nesse. doe by this fact of Adam, receiue a double dammage.

1. A depriuation of all our originall goodnesse, the image of God in vs, and the loue of God towards vs, and therefore if at the losse of earthly treasures we shew our selues so much grieued, O then how should our soules, for the amission of such heauen­ly graces be continually perplexed, vntill wee see the same once againe restored?

2. An habituall naturall pronenesse to all kinde of wickednesse, 1. A pronesse to all wicked­nesse. and to commit sinne euen with greedinesse.

In respect of the first, we are altogether vnable to doe any good: for who can bring a cleane thing out of that which is vncleane? how can wee, being voide of grace, bring forth any fruits of goodnesse? and,

In respect of the second, wee are naturally inclined to all [Page 4] kinde of euill, like a stone tumbling downe a hill, that can neuer stay it selfe vntill it come to the bottome; So Medea saith, Video meliora proboque, deteriora sequor, Though I see the good, yet am I naturally driuen to doe that which is euill; for our whole na­ture being defiled, we are wholly inclined to fall from one wicked­nesse vnto another, as the Psalmist speaketh.

And in respect of both these wee are said to bee conceiued in sinne, borne in iniquiitie, destitute of grace, void of goodnesse, nothing but flesh, full of corruption, children of darkenesse, sonnes of wrath, heyres of damnation, slaues of death; for the reward of sinne is death.

But here it may be questioned, and it is not easily to be resolued, how originall corruption is traduced from the Parents into the Chil­dren. The question is not of the verity of the matter, for it is plaine, Ezech. 18. that our Fathers haue eaten sowre grapes, and the childrens teeth are set on edge, and euery one may truely say with the Pro­phet, Psal. 51.5. in sinne my Mother hath conceiued me, but it is of the Myste­ry of the manner, Iohn 3.9. as Nicodemus said to Christ, how can these things be? for

How originall sinne is tradu­ced from the Parents into the Children.1. On the one side, they say the childe receiueth from his Parents, not his soule, but onely his body; for if the soule were ex traduce, begotten by naturall generation, then it must needs be traduced, either from the body, or from the soule of the Pa­rents.

Whether the soule is begot­ten by the Pa­rents.If from the soule, then is the soule subiect to deuision, to cor­ruption, and then we might as well say, an Angell may beget an Angell, as to say, one soule may beget another; but to say that the body being an elementarie substance, subiect to corrup­tion, should beget a spirituall soule that is incorruptible, is more absurd, as Aristotle doth most truely declare.

And therefore they say that the soule creando infunditur, & infundendo creatur, is infused as it is created, and created as it is infused; and then, as cleane water powred into a foule Cisterne, must needes bee presently corrupted, so the pure soule infused into a polluted flesh, must needes be instantly defiled, for he that toucheth pitch, shall be defiled with pitch.

And to confirme this supposition, they alledge that testimo­ny of Scripture, Heb. 12.9. where the Apostle calleth our naturall Fathers, [Page 5] [...], the Fathers of our flesh, and God [...], the Father of Spirits.

2. On the other side they say, if the soule should not proceed from the Parents, then not onely God might seeme to deale vniustly:

1. In not performing his law, when he saith: Ezech. 18.20. the soule which sinneth, the same shall dye, and not the soule which neuer sin­ned.

2. In the composing and ioyning together of two substan­ces, so vnequall to be vnited, a pure soule that neuer offended, in­fused into a most vnpure substance wholly corrupted: but also, the flesh must needes be yeelded to be, the primarie seat of sinne: and though it be a corporall grosse composition wanting life, yet must it needes proue to be not onely the taynter and defiler, but also to predominate, and to be the guider and ruler of that spiri­tuall substance which giues vs life, which is euery way most absurd.

And so you see that (as Saint Augustine saith) of this traducta culpa, the traduction of this sinne, nihil ad predicandum notiu [...], Aug. de moribus Ecclesiae c. 22. nihil ad intelligendum secretius, nothing is better knowne to bee published; (for experience, wofull experience shewes it) that in Adam and through Adam, all the race of mankinde is corrup­ted: but how this corruption is traduced in the propagation of the posteritie, nothing is harder to be expressed. For (as the Pro­phet Dauid saith) we are fearefully and wonderfully made, Psal. 139.13. and ver. 5. and the knowledge thereof is so excellent, that we may well wonder at it, but no wayes well attayne vnto it.

And therefore, as a fellow fallen into a dungeon, and cry­ing vnto his companion for helpe, that his life might be preser­ued; his friend wondring how hee came there, began to que­stion with him, which way he had fallen, and how long he had continued: but he replied; Tu cogita quomodo hinc me liberes, Aug. de moribus Eclesiae: c. 26. non quomodo huc ceciderim quaeras I pray thee rather thinke thou how I may be deliuered, then stand questioning how I came indangered; so should we rather earnestly seeke the meanes how this originall corruption may be remoued from vs, then curiously to search how it is traduced vnto vs.

But because, as it seemed vnto Festus to bee vnreasonable to [Page 6] send a prisoner, Acts 25.27. and not withall to signifie the crimes laide against him, so this seemes to me very vnfit, to propose the doubts, and not to doe our best to expresse the truth: therefore I will set downe mine opinion touching this question that is full of con­tradiction.

That God created all soules at once, as he did the Angels, in the beginning, and then infuseth them into the bodyes, as they are still begotten of their Parents, though it was an opinion much patronized by the Origenists, yet hath it beene long ex­ploded, and truely confuted by the learned; and that God still ex nihilo, of nothing, createth the soules, as hee infuseth them into the bodies, I see as little shew of reason, as nothing, yet alledg­ed; In what sence God is called the Father of spirits. whereby the said thesis may be confirmed. For the Apostle in the place aboue cited, doth not meane that God is more pro­perly, a Father vnto our spirits, i. e. our soules (as if they were more immediately proceeding from God) then of our bodies; or that our naturall Parents are more properly the Fathers of our flesh then of our spirits: for though the soule, in regard of its spirituall being is neerer and more agreeable to the nature of God; then the body, yet in regard of its being, God is the au­thor, the framer, and the principall Father, as well of the bo­dy as of the soule, Psal. 139.12. for my raynes are thine, and thou hast couered me in my Mothers wombe, saith the Psalmist.

And our naturall Parents may be truely said, to be the instru­mentall authors and begetters of the soule, as well as of the body: for, Gen. 5.3. when it is said that Adam begat a childe in his image; wee must not referre this image onely to the similitude of the body, but also to the like qualities and properties of the soule, and so wholly like him both in body and soule: and the Apostle, by the Fathers of our flesh, doth vnderstand Fathers of our corruptible being, such as make vs naturall men and no more; and by Fa­ther of spirits, he vnderstandeth the Father of our spirituall birth, which makes vs spirituall men; and so the meaning of the Apo­stle is no more but this, viz.

That euery godly man hath a double being.If we doe so reuerently and so contentedly suffer the corre­ction of those Fathers, which giue vs our naturall being, quae nas­cimur ad laborem, nascimur ad mortem, whereby we are borne to miseries, born to die: how much more contentedly should we [Page 7] receiue the chastisements of that Father, which giues vs our spirituall being, qua nascimur ad salutem, nascimur ad vitam, whereby we are borne vnto Sanctification, and brought vnto eternall saluation? For all men may easily see from the context of the place it selfe, that the Apostle speaketh thus, not of the na­turall and carnall men, that are borne only of flesh and blood, but of these spirituall and regenerate men, which are also borne of water and of the Spirit.

And therefore seeing the Apostle here by Spirit, vnderstan­deth the fruits of the Spirit, that is, the spirituall graces of regene­ration, whereby we liue (sayth the Apostle) that is, eternally: as the coherence of the place, and the maine scope of the Apostle makes it playne, and not the Soules or Spirits of our naturall ge­neration; I say that the parents begetting a childe, doe beget both Body and Soule: not that the Soule begetteth a Soule, That man and all other crea­tures, receaued power to pro­duce creatures like vnto themselues. Totum generat totum, hoc est corpus generat corpus me­diante anima & anima gene­rat animam, mediante cor­pore. Psal. 51.5. or the Body begetteth a spirit, but that as all other creatures receiued power from God, to produce creatures like vnto themselues, as the seede of the vegetatiue to bring forth vegetatiue creatures, and the sensible, sensible creatures, so man consisting both of Body and Soule, should beget a creature like vnto himselfe, con­sisting of the same parts: for otherwise sinne must needes bee in the body, before the Soule be infused: for if the schoole of the na­turalists be to be belieued, the Soule is not infused into the Bo­dy, vntill the thirtieth (as some) or fortieth day, as some affirme; and yet the Psalmist saith that he was conceiued in sinne: therefore, both Body and Soule were both conceiued at once, or else corruption was in the Body before the infusion of the Soule, and this liuing Soule by this dead flesh must needes be de­filed, which is most absurd: for (as Saint Augustine sayth of A­dam, It was not his corruptible flesh which made his Soule to be­come sinnefull, but his sinnefull Soule made his flesh subiect to corruption, so it must needes be in the sonnes of Adam, Gene. 5.3. that not our flesh corrupts our Soules; but both body and soule are con­ceiued in sinne, both produced of sinfull seede, and so sinne prin­cipally resides in the Soule and not in the Body, because the Soule giues life and motion vnto the flesh: hence it is that Adam ha­uing defiled both his Body and Soule, is sayd to haue begot a childe in his owne image: i. e. sinfull and polluted like himselfe, both [Page 8] in regard of his body and Soule: Bosquierus de finibus bonorum. lib. 1. con 6. p. 27. Nam Adam vt persona publica sibi ac suis aut sapiebat aut delirabat, for now Adam standing in paradise a publique person (as I told you before,) was to make or to marre himselfe and all his posteritie: and therefore if this roote had continued holy, the branches had beene likewise holy, but the tree prouing to be euill, Rom. 11. the fruit could not possibly be good, Math. 7.18. for a bad tree cannot bring forth good fruit, sayth our Saui­our: and therefore Adam sinning, all his seede are become sinnefull, & all his ofspring, tanquam serie continuata, as in a conti­nued line, doe like corrupted branches of a rotten tree, bring forth still corrupted fruits: and so make all their generation, so soone as they are begotten, liable to the curse of God for that first transgression: for the reward of sinne is death; and the Pro­phet Dauid sayeth, Psal. 51.2. hee was shapen in wickednesse, and conceaued in sinne, Iohn 3.6. and our Sauiour sayth, that which is borne of flesh is flesh, i. e. he that is borne of a sinnefull man, can be nothing else but a sinnefull man: That Gods graces are not traduced from the best pa­rents. (not that a godly man begets a godly man; for the graces of Gods spirit, are not begotten in our carnall generation, but they are giuen from aboue in our spirituall regeneration, and a man begets his childe, not as he is spirituall, but as hee is a crea­ture consisting of body and soule) and therefore whosoeuer is borne of flesh and blood, must needes be tainted and corrupted with sinne and wickednesse: for flesh heere is not taken pro na­tura carnis, sed pro vitiosa qualitate totius hominis, for the single nature of flesh, but for the corrupted qualitie of the whole man, as Saint Paul excellently sheweth, when hee sayth, in my flesh dwelleth no goodnesse, Rom. 7.8. i. e. in the corrupted nature of a natu­rall man there is no grace, there is no goodnesse.

And therefore hoc virus paternum, this hereditarie poyson (as Paulinus calleth it, What we learne from this doctrine.) this our originall sinne that is inbred in euery man, since the fall of the first man, may sufficient­ly serue to teach vs.

First, to iusti­fie God.First, to iustifie God for inflicting death vpon euery man, though man should doe nothing else to procure his death: quia damnati antequam nati, because euery one is guilty of this sinne, and therefore of death, before hee commeth to this pre­sent life; for the reward of sinne is death: and therefore the death of children and infants that haue done no actuall sinne, doth [Page 9] proue them tainted with this sinne, because death cannot be iust­ly inflicted vpon those that are no wayes infected with sinne; for the reward of sinne is death: but you see they are subiect vnto death, and therefore you may know they are tainted with sinne.

Secondly, Secondly, to be humbled. this may serue to teach all those that stand so much vpon the honour and dignity of their naturall birth, to con­sider wh [...]t they are and what they haue thereby, a sinnefull, cor­rupted, and contagious being, children of wrath, subiects to death, slaues of damnation: be they Kings, Princes, Nobles, what you will, this is all they haue or can haue by their naturall birth: Iohn 3.6. for whatsoeuer is borne of flesh is flesh, i. e. all things that parents can conuaye vnto their children is but a corrupted natural being: yea, though the parties should be sanctified themselues, and thereby procure their children to bee receiued and reputed members of the visible Church before men, yet can they not infuse Grace, Perkins in Jud. 1. nor produce sanctified children in the sight of God. For though we reade of some that were sanctified in their Mothers wombe, as Ieremie, Iohn Baptist, and the like, Ier. 1.5. yet this sanctifying grace was infused by God, and not traduced from their parents: Luke 1.44. and therefore this should make all men to be of an humble spi­rit, and to reioyce more in their second birth, in the Baptisme that they haue receiued, it may bee by the hands of some meane Minister, and their begetting vnto the faith of Christ, by the preaching of the word of God, then in all that glory and excel­lencie that they haue gotten from their naturall parents: for they did but make vs Men, these must make vs Christian men.

And thus you see that by the guilt of Adams sinne, euery childe of Adam deserues eternall death, before he comes to this present life.

But because we would be sure enough of death, wee will ha­sten it, and draw it on, as it were with cart-ropes throughout all our life, and we will not haue it sayd, Ezech. 18.2. our fathers haue eaten sower Grapes, and the childrens teeth are set on edge, or, that Adam sinned & we are punished; nam errauimus cum patribus, for we haue sinned, & wil sinne with our fathers, & more then our fa­thers, we will drinke iniquity like water, and adde vnto our origi­nall corruption those daily heapes of our actuall transgressions.

And therefore you must giue me leaue to insist a little vpon this point, and to take a further view of this our immortall e­nemie, this actuall sinne that bringeth death. I confesse it is an Hydrian beast, that hath many heads, it is like a continued quantitie that admits of infinite sections: I cannot touch them all, yet for methods sake and the furtherance of our memory, I desire you to consider these three points.

• Three things considered in the handling of actuall sin.
  1. The nature of it, how it is defined.
• 2. The degrees whereby it is increased.
• 3. The manner how it is committed.

CHAP. II. Of actuall sinne, what it is: and by what degrees it inwardly increaseth.

Aug. contra faustum. lib. 22. cap. 27. What actuall sinne is. SAint Augustine defineth sinne to be factum, aut dictum, aut concupitum contra legem Dei, any fact, or word, or thought, that is contrary to the Law of God; and Saint Ambrose briefer, sayth that sinne is the breach of Gods Law: but Zanchius fuller, Zanch. de pec­cato actuali. lib. 1. thes. 1. pag. 161. and to my content, play­ner, sayth, that an actuall sinne is an anomie A want of rule. whereby those humane acts, that doe proceede from the corruption of our flesh are contrary to the Will of God, ingraffed in the mindes of men, and especially reuealed in the word of trueth: for heerein is ex­pressed both the matter and the forme of sinne.

The matter of sinne must be a humane act.First, Materiale peccati, the matter of sinne, is sayd to be a humane act, whether thought, word, or deede, for otherwise it cannot be sayd to be an actuall sinne where there is no act: and therefore not onely in sinnes of commission, as adultery, murther, theft, and such like; but also in those sinnes which are called, sinnes of omission, as not to pray, not to doe that seruice vnto God which we owe vnto him, there is not onely a meere priua­tion, but there must be also, aliquid positiuum, some act that makes the sinne: as when thou omittest thy duety, either because thou wilt not doe it, and there is an act of thy will; or because thou canst not remember and hast forgotten to doe it; and there is an [Page 11] act of thy memorie; or else thy vnwillingnesse, thy vnablenesse, and thy forgetfulnesse, doe proceede from some act and occa­sion either present or precedent, Furor iraque mentem preci­pitant. which makes thee to omitte the things commaunded, and so to sinne; as when thy feare blindes thy iudgement that thou canst not discerne the trueth, or thy drunkennesse causeth thee to sleepe, when thou shouldest be hea­ring the word of God.

But you must not thinke euery humane act to bee a sinne, but onely those that doe proceede from the corruption of our flesh, and are contrarie to the Will of God. For:

Secondly, Formale peccati, The very be­ing of sinne, is an erring from the will of God. Psal. 40.10. (as the Schoolemen call it) the very being of sinne, is a deuiation from the Will of God. For the Will of God is to be alwayes set before our eyes, as the onely rule whereby we are to square all our actions; and therefore eue­ry man should say with the Psalmist; In the volume of thy booke it is written of me that I should fulfill thy will, O my God, I am con­tent to doe it; and euery man should doe as he saith, Thy will be done in earth as it is Heauen; for whosoeuer erreth from his Will sinneth against his owne Soule, but whosoeuer doth the will of my Father, the same is my brother, and my sister, and my mother, Mar. 3.35. sayth our Sauiour Christ.

But because the will of God is not alwayes knowne to vs, neither can we search into that which hee concealeth from vs, therefore you must vnderstand that the reuealed will of God is lydius-lapis, that touch-stone which trieth euery action, and makes it either iust or sinnefull. The will of God is reuea­led in our consciences, and in the Scriptures. Now this will of God is re­uealed in the booke of euery mans conscience, and in the booke of holy Scriptures. For of the first, the Apostle saith, that the Gentiles though they had not the written Law of Moses, yet had they the Law of God written in their hearts, because there con­sciences bare them witnesse what was to be performed, and what was to be eschewed, and did accuse them when they did ill, and ex­cuse them when they did well: and therefore whatsoeuer they did against their owne conscience, they did the same against the will of God, reuealed and ingrauen in their hearts: and therefore the Apostle saith, that as many as haue sinned without the law, Rom. 2.14. verse 14. i. e. with­out the written law of Moses, shall also perish without the Law: be­cause they hauing not the law, were a law vnto themselues. And,

The word of God is diuided into two parts, id est, 1. The law, & 2. The Gospel.For the 2. wee must not onely vnderstand the Law of deca­logue, or 10. commandements (although that bee the chiefest rule to expresse all sinne,) but we must also consider the Gospel, as a part of that booke wherin, the reuealed will of God is expres­sed; for there are many things forbidden, and many things com­maunded in the Gospell, which are not plainely expressed or mentioned in the Law, as to beleeue Iesus the sonne of Mary to be the Messias whereby all sinnes are taken away, and with­out whom all sinnes doe remaine: for so Christ himselfe testifi­eth, Iohn. 6.9. that the holy Ghost should reprooue the world of sinne, because they did not beleeue in him; and therfore whatsoeuer act is done a­gainst the will of God reuealed either in the Law or the Gospell, the same is sinne.

Secondly, For the degrees whereby sin is increased, we must note, Bernardus de grad: humili­tatis. that nemo repentinè fit pessimus sed paulatim descendit, no man is suddenly desperately euil, but he descendeth to hel by lit­tle and little: for the deuill is like a serpent, creeping, and sliding by little and little, when wee cannot perceiue his pathes: and therefore we should be very wary to marke his footesteps.

Now as euery sinne is committed either inwardly or outward­ly, Jsidorus de summo bono. Sinne is in­wardly increa­sed by three degrees. so euery sinne is increased either inwardly in our mindes, or outwardly in our actions.

1. Inwardly it increaseth and groweth by 3. degrees,

• 1. By the suggestion of Satan.
• 2. By the delight of the Flesh.
• 3. By the consent of the Spirit.

The first we cannot well auoyde, because Satan is euer busie to suggest sinne into vs, Satan sugge­steth sinne di­uers wayes. sometimes horribly to prodigious villa­nies, sometimes secretly hee insinuates himselfe vnder the shape of an Angel of Light, and suggesteth sinne vnder the shew of Ver­tue: and thus in euery member of our Bodies, and in euery cor­ner of our Soules, he lurketh and lyeth vpon a bed of fornication, suggesting falsehood into our hearts; lightnesse into our heads, adulteries into our eies, oathes into our mouths, intemperancies into our whole bodies.

The first sug­gestions of Sa­tan are sinnes.And although this suggestion is from Satan yet is it a transgres­sion in vs, Inest enim peccatum cum suggeritur, regnat cum delecta­ris, primum peccatum cogitasse quae mala sunt: for sinne entreth [Page 13] when it is suggested it raigneth, when thou consentest and art de­lighted with it: because the first sinne is to haue any thoughts of sinne, saith Saint Hierome: Hierome: lib. 1. in Amos. and therefore we should labour and striue what lyeth in vs to preuent the comming of the Deuill, to suggest any sinne vnto vs, and this we may doe, if wee looke vpon him before he comes vnto vs, and if wee shut him out when hee comes vnto vs.

Hee that would see the deuill comming, How we may auoyde the suggestions of Satan. must behold him be­fore he comes too neere; for as in the optikes, if a man would per­fectly see the perfection of any picture, hee must stand a pretty distance from it, so in the aspects of Satan, if a man would throgh­ly perceiue the deceitfulnesse, and the vglinesse of his shadowes, 1. By behol­ding his vg­glinesse in others. and the filthinesse of his forme, hee must looke vpon him be­fore he comes to neere him; and this is the reason why many doe not detest him, because they neuer looked on him, before he imbra­ced them: for as our eyes being too neere any obiect, the beames of our sight will be confounded, so-Satan hauing closed with vs, he darkeneth the eyes of our vnderstanding, that we cannot see him as he is.

And therefore it would be well for vs, if we could bee indu­ced to behold his pride, his drunkennesse, his oathes, his auarice, and all his foule deformities in other men, that this might make vs to detest him, and shunne him before he comes into our selues. for,

Faelix quem saciunt aliena pericula cautum, euery schoole-boy learnt it: let vs all learne to practise it, behold the vglinesse of Satan in his sinners, before he comes into our Soules. and,

Secondly, When wee haue beheld him, 2. By the con­tinuall follow­ing of our vo­cation. let vs not stand still while hee comes vnto vs: but let vs quickely runne vnto the workes of our vocations before he can fasten on vs any of his suggestions: For as a bird sitting still vpon the pearch when shee seeth the fowler, may bee easily catched; but if shee soone flies, she is safe enough from all danger: so a man giuing himselfe to idlenesse is soone tempted to wickednesse, Idlenesse is a great furthe­rance to wic­kednesse. Quaeritur Aegi­stus quare sit factus adulter: in promptu causa est, desi­diosus erat. How apt our flesh is to com­mitte sinne. but if he giues himselfe to reading, praying, or any other worke of his vocation he shall be the freer from the deuills suggestion; and therefore Saint Hie­rome exhorteth his friend Rusticus to be neuer idle: but alwayes busied about some good worke or other, vt quando diabolus [Page 14] veniret, inueniret occupatum, that whensoeuer the deuill should come, he should finde him working in Gods vineyard.

Secondly, When Satan by his wicked suggestions, hath emi­sed the seed of sinne into our hearts like a father, then our cor­rupted flesh, by wicked thoughts and imaginations, receaueth and conceaueth sinne as a mother; and it is as fruitfull of all manner of sinne as Diodorus Siculus reporteth the Egyptian I­lands to bee of vermines: and therefore, (as the wise man sayth) cum omni diligentia obserua cor tuum, Prouer. 4.22. Looke not onely to thy hands, and to thy feete, to thy words, and to thy workes, (though these also should be carefully looked vnto,) but especi­ally aboue all things, looke to the thoughts and inward affecti­ons of thy heart; How wicked thoughts will bring foorth wicked works. for as the wood is, so the fire will be; vnsauo­ry wood will make vnholesome fire, but sweete Frankincense or drie Iuniper, will yeeld a pleasant perfume: so wicked thoughts and affections will bring foorth Ieude words, and wicked actions: Matth. 12.34. for, out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

Aug de trinit. lib. 12.And therefore Saint Augustine sayth, that our hearts should be very wary, neuer to be delighted with any sinne suggested by Satan: Nam cum sola cogitatione mens delectatur illicitis, for when the minde in the thoughts and cogitations onely, That the least titillation of the minde with sinne is sinne. is delighted with vnlawfull things, though it purposeth not to doe them, but doth as it were thinke of them and is tickled with them, that litle delight it conceaues of those thougths, Non negandum esse peccatum, etsi longe minus quam si & opere statuatur implendum: It cannot be denied but it is a sinne, though not neere so great as when we purpose to bring the said cogitations into actions, and therefore (saith he) Statim vt attigerunt animum, respui de­bent, assoone as euer such thoughts of euill, do inuade or touch our mindes, we should presently smother them and cast them off, and then De talibus quoque cogitationibus venia petenda est, pectusque percutiendum atque dicendum, Dimitte nobis debita no­stra: We should craue pardon of God for such wandering thoughts, and striking our breasts say, O Lord forgiue vs our sinnes, for who can tell how oft he offendeth,

Thirdly, When Satan, like the serpent, hath perswaded and the concupiscence of our flesh, like Eua, is delighted when she sees [Page 15] the fruite faire vnto the eye, and the sinne pleasant vnto the taste, Genesis 3. How the flesh laboureth to draw our mindes to yeeld consent to sinne. Rom. 7.17. Gregor. mar. 16. then they draw in Reason, like Adam, to giue consent, and so to finish all, and perpetrate the sinne; and this agrauates the sinne, and makes vs voide of any excuse: for whereas before, when the flesh was onely delighted, but the spirit was not consenting, a man might say, It is not I that doe it, but the flesh that is ioyned with me; and so if reason had refused when the flesh was deligh­ted a man might in some sort be excused, quia peccata non nocent, si non placent, Because sinnes shall not hurt our soules, if our soules doe not delight in sinnes, and that man; haud est nocens, Seneca. in Her. oet. quicun (que) non sponte est nocens, is scarcely guilty that is not willing to offend, saith Seneca: and therefore recipe iam sensus hera, quid te ipsa lacerans, omnium aspectum fugis, mens impudicam facere non casus solet, those that are violently haled to sinne, Idem in hippol. Act: 3. like Lucretia that was rauished against her wil, need not so much vexe them­selues with griefe, and shunne for shame the sight of men, be­cause the minde yeelding or denying consent vnto the desires of the flesh, doth either aggrauate or extenuate the fact.

But when the spirit yeelds consent vnto the desires and de­lights of the flesh, as Adam tooke of the tree likewise, Idem epi. 58. We are fully miserable when we yeeld full consent and delight in sinne. and he did eate, then (as Seneca sayth) consummata est infelicitas, vbi non solum turpia delectant sed & placent: The miserie and iniquitie of man is perfected, when the sinne doeth not onely delight the flesh and sensuall part of man, but is also pleasing and ac­ceptable vnto the spirit and reasonable part of man, and there­fore (as Boetius sayth) voluntario facinori nulla est excusatio, Boetius rhet. nouor. lib. 2. to such witting sinnes delighting the flesh, & consented vnto by the spirit, there is not nor can be, any excuse: Nam vt nequius est odisse iustitiam quam non fecisse ita nonnunquam grauius est peccatū diligere quam perpetrare: For, as it is a viler thing to hate righte­ousnesse then not to doe righteousnesse; so many times, Hierom. in quad. epist. it is a greater offence to delight in sinne, or to loue euill, then to commit euill, as Saint Hierome sayth.

And the reason hereof is playne, The approba­tion of our fleshly desires maketh sinne the more ex­ceedingly sinnefull. because it is the consent of the will, and the approbation of the fleshly desires, that makes the sinne, without which some wayes, or in some respects, it cannot be sayd to be a sinne. Nam quemadmodum qui videt me­retricem & scit esse meretricem, non est scortator, propter hanc cog­nitionem: [Page 16] For as he which seeth a harlot, and knowes her to be a harlot, is not thereby a transgressor, because of his know­ledge of her; but if he consenteth, purposeth, or affecteth to be ioyned vnto her, Tum est scortator, aut actione aut affectione: Then is he a fornicator and offender, either in action or in affection: Iustin. Mart. in resp. ad Or­thodox. ad q. 8. f. 273. Sic & bonorum & malorum hominum cognitio non est in causa vt boni sint aut mali: sed propositum quod eligit id quod ei visum est: So the knowledge of good or wicked men, is not that which causeth them to be either good or bad, but it is their will and purpose to choose that which pleaseth the same, which maketh them to doe well or ill: saith Iustine Martyr.

If sinne did forcibly in­uade the mind, the punish­ment of sinne might seeme vniust.And as this consent of will maketh the sinne, so without this consent of will, there can be no sinne: Nam si defectus iste qui peccatum dicitur, tanquam febris inuitum occuparet, recte iniusta paena videretur, quae peccantem consequitur & quae damnatio nuncu­patur: For if sinne, like a Feuer, did violently inuade vs, and take hold vpon vs against our wils, then the punishment which is damnation, and is imposed for the sinne vpon the sinner, would appeare to be vniustly inflicted; And therefore, Vsque adeo peccatum voluntarium malum est, vt nullo modo sit peccatum nisi aliquo modo sit voluntarium: Sinne is so voluntary an euill, that by no meanes it can be sinne, vnlesse by some meanes it be voluntary: Aug. de vera relig. Et hoc quidem ita manifestum est, vt nulla huic doctorum paucitas nulla indoctorum turba dissentiat: And this is so manifest, and so agreed vpon by all men, that neither learned nor vnlearned, doe deny the same, saith S. Augustine.

And therefore though the Diuell, like a father, be alwayes ready to beget sinne, and the lust and concupiscence of the flesh, which is appetitus sensitiuus, be alwayes like a mother, apt to conceaue sin, yet if appetitus rationalis; If our reason be not intreated, as a Mid-wife, to bring forth sinne into action, it will prooue an abortiue, like the vntimely fruite of a woman, which perisheth before it seeth the Sunne; that is, though the least concupiscence (as I said before) be a sinne, yet this sinne will neuer prooue so odious in the sight of God, nor yet so dan­gerous vnto man, as when the sinne is fully finished.

Ob.But how then is that true (may some man say) which you said a little before, When the mind is any wayes delighted with [Page 17] the least tickling thoughts and cogitations of euill, non negandum esse peccatum, we cannot deny the same to be sinne, therefore the sensitiue appetite of any euill makes it sinne, though the rationall appetite doth not consent vnto the same.

I answere, that the Obiection answereth it selfe, Sol. for it saith when the minde is any wayes delighted; but the minde can­not be any wayes delighted, without some consent of the rea­sonable appetite; therefore this proueth not any sensitiue de­sire to be a sinne without the consent of the reasonable ap­petite.

But we must note, The sensitiue facultie doth soone defile the reasonable soule. that here is aliquod malum propter vicinum malum, the will and affection of the reasonable soule, by reason of his contiguity and vicinity with the sensitiue lust and con­cupisense of the flesh, is so dammaged, that, as no man toucheth pitch, but is presently defiled with pitch: and the fire can neuer touch the tinder but the same is presently kindled; How we should beware of sinne before sinne comes neere vnto vs. so the thoughts and the apprehensions of the sensitiue faculties, as soone as euer, they touch the discussiue facultie of reason, doe instantly taint and corrupt the same.

And therefore that our reasonable will and affection doe not yeeld to the finishing of sinne, reason should haue her eyes alwayes open, and with an Eagles sight to behold sinne afarre off, to subdue the vile thoughts and desires of the flesh, before euer it enters vpon any faculty of the soule: And so you see how sinne is inwardly increased, Sathan suggesteth it, Lust conceiueth it, and the Will finisheth it.

CHAP. III. By what degrees actuall sinne is outwardly increased.

SEcondly, Isidorus de sum­mo bono. Iacobus de va­lentia: in Psal. 91. Actuall sinne is outwardly increased foure wayes. sinne is outwardly encreased and aug­mented (saith Isidorus) three speciall wayes.

• 1. It is secretly committed.
• 2. It is publikely aduentured,
• 3. It is vsually practised: and to these wayes I may adde, that then
• 4. It is exceedingly, & most fearfully inlarged.

When we first practice sinne, we seeke by all meanes to conceale and to hide our sinnes.First, we will commit the sinne, credamus tamen, astudoloque tegere nos tantum nefas; yet then we wil seek by all craft and sub­tilty, & by all other meanes, to conceale the same from the eyes of the world; for at the first we are like Adam, ashamed that God should see our nakednesse, or that the world should know those things that are d [...]ne of vs in darkenesse: and therefore wee will vse all our skill to couer it, and conceale it vnder the sh [...]dow of the fig-leaues, that if it be possible, neither God nor the world may espie the same. For sinne of it selfe is so vgly, and so deformed a thing, that the sinner himselfe, if hee could but truely see the same, would truely lothe it.

How Satan seekes by all meanes to conceale the light of Gods WordAnd therefore Satan laboureth by all meanes to put out either verbum predicatum, the preaching of Gods Word, which is the true light and candle that shineth vnto euery man, and sheweth him the right wayes of godlinesse, or else verbum ap­plicatum, the applying of this word vnto our soules, which is as the eyes whereby we doe perceiue this light, without which we are like blinde men that can see nothing in the clearest day: the first of these he put out in the dayes of superstition, when men walked in darkenesse, and knew not where they went, they knew not what was sinne: And the second hee puts out now in the Sun-shine of the Gospell, when the light shineth in darkenesse, John 1. and the darkenesse comprehendeth it not: and therefore he causeth more sinnes, and more horrible sinnes, to be committed now in the light of the Gospell, We care not what great sinnes we doe so we may conceale them. then euer were done heretofore in the night of ignorance; for now, hauing our owne eyes of the application of Gods light, put out by that myst of malice which blindeth vs, we care not how much, how great sinnes wee doe commit; so wee could put out the eyes of perspection, that the world might not see the same. As the Hypocrites care was altogether that their good works might be seene of men: so all our care is, that our euill works may not be seene of men.

Sinne creepes into vs as the Serpent crept into Paradise, we know not how, we may well demaund the question, quomod [...] intrasti? how camest thou in hither? but we shall finde the re­solution, that it was most secretly and insensibly, and therefore we will conceale it as cunningly; either like Appollonius the Iugler, [Page 19] who as soone as he was before the Iudge, was presently vanish­ed out of his fight. Wee hide our sinnes that none m [...]y see them, and we will stand in sinne that we haue not sinned; and as Salomons harlot would wipe her mouth, and it was not shee, or, as Pilate would wash his hands when he had condemned the Innocent blood; So now the drunkard, when he cannot stand, will stand to it, that he is not drunke, and the swearer sweares and out-sweares all, and if you tell him of it, he presently sweares he swore not at all. And thus, as Rachel hid her fa­thers Teraphim, vnder a smooth pretence, Gen. 31.35. that it was with her af­ter the manner of women, or as Achan hid his wedge; so doth euery sinner seeke to hide his sinnes. And if we cannot hide them, but that sinne it selfe, like Abels blood, will cry so loud that it must be heard, then presently we will either lessen our sinnes with Saul, and say we did it indeed, but it was with no ill intent, I saued the fattest, but it was for a sacrifice for the Lord; or else with Adam, we will transferre our sinnes from our selues to others, light where they will, though it were on God himselfe: For, the woman that thou gauest me, gaue it me, and I did eate. So cunning is euery man to conceale his sinne.

But alas: Quid ille qui mundum quatit, vibrans corus­cat fulmen Aet­neum manu, stator deorum? credis hoc posse effici inter vi­dentes omnia vt lateas avos? Senec. in Hipol. act. 1. Iohn 1. That we can­not possibly hide our sins from the eyes of God. Psal. 139. Iohn 1.18. Iohn 1.48. Melissa par. 1. serm. 16. Quid ille rebus lumen infundens suum matris pa­rens? What if thou couldest escape the eyes of men, is it possi­ble for thee to blinde the all-seeing eyes of God? for hee is the true light that shineth and giueth light to euery thing, and he behol­deth the ends of the world, and seeth all things that are vnder Hea­uen, saith holy Iob, He is about our beds, and about our pathes, and espieth out all our wayes, saith the Prophet Dauid; and his name is [...]; Because hee seeth and beholdeth all things; all things are naked in his eyes: and therefore what ad­uantageth it thee to conceale thy sinnes from the knowledge of men, when thou canst no wayes hide them from the eyes of God? For though no man saw God at any time, yet God seeth man at all times: He saw Nathanael vnder the figge-tree, when Nathanael saw not him; and hee seeth thee committing sinne, when thou seest no man but thy selfe.

And therefore beware of sinne, though no man seeth thee, Nam quemadmodum ignis, si tunica tegatur. For as the fire that is hid vnder thy coat, or in the straw, may bee concealed for a [Page 20] time, but at last it will burst out to thy cost; so thy sinne, which thou doest in secret, may be kept secret for a while, but at last, like an vnwedded Virgins pregnancy, it will appeare to thy shame: Claudian de 4. consul honorij. Nam lux altissima fati, occultum nil esse sinit; latebras (que) per omnes intrat, & obstrusos explorat fama recessus. For there is no thought so secret that it shall goe for nought, Sap. 1.7.10. because the Spirit of the Lord filleth the world, and hath knowledge of the voyce, and the eare of ielousie heareth all things, & the voyce of murmu­rings is not hid; and therefore our Sauiour saith, That whatso­euer is done in secret, shall be preached openly. It may be in this life, as the adultery of Dauid, and almost all other horrible facts, as Treasons, Adulteryes, Murthers, and such like, whereof we see almost none, but God, strangely, and by vnknowne wayes doth bring to light; or assuredly in the next life, when God shall shew the Nations our shame, and discouer all our most secret sinnes in the sight of men and Angels.

The longer we practice sinne, the more im­pudent we grow in sinne.2. After that the Sinner hath accustomed himselfe to priuate and secret sinnes, then he begins to grow bolder and bolder, and as further and further from all goodnesse; so worse and worse in all wickednesse. For as Seneca saith.

When we haue cast off all shame of sinne, we are past all hope of good­nesse?To withstand the sinne is the best, and not to fall; but if we haue fallen, to be ashamed that we haue learned the way to sinne, is the best planke after shipwracke, to saue a man; but when a man hath cast off all shame of his ill-doing, then is he almost past all hope of well-doing. For, not onely the Apostle saith, it is a shame to speake of those things which are done of them in darkenesse; but the very Heathen Poet could say:

What a madnesse is it to speake openly, what abhominable sinnes thou hast committed secretly? And if it be a shame and a frenzie to speake of thine abominations openly; O then how lamentable is thy case, to commit them publikely in the sight of the Sunne? Isidor. de sum­mo bono l. 2. Quia maior est culpa manifeste quam oeculte peccare, Because it is a farre greater sinne to commit any wicked fault openly, then it is to commit the same fact priuately and [Page 21] secretly: for he is doubly guilty that sinneth publikely; What a hay­nous thing it is to sinne pub­liquely, and so to teach others by our ill ex­amples. Matth. 5.19. Et quia agit, & quia docet; First, because he doth that euill himselfe; and secondly, because he teacheth others, by his example, to doe the like; and you know what our Sauiour saith: Hee that breaketh the least of these Commandements, and teacheth others so to doe, he shall be called the least in the Kingdome of heauen: i. e. None at all: He shall haue no place at all in Heauen.

And yet as the Prophet Ieremie said of the Iewes, That they carryed their sinnes in their foreheads: and had Whores faces, Ier. 3.3. which would not be ashamed: so may we now say of our selues, we are as an impudent Strumpet, that will play the Harlot in the sight of her Husband, and are more abashed at our base apparrell, then we are at our wicked liues.

Thirdly, when we are come to that passe, to commit sinne without feare, and to doe it openly without shame, to haue our conscience seared, and our hearts hardned in sinne, then (as the old saying is) Consuetudo peccandi tollit sensum peccati; Custome of sinning doth take away all the sense and feeling of sinne, & in familiaritatem grauissima adducit, and makes the heaui­est sinnes, like Miloe's Oxe, seeme light and small vnto them: for now the sinner is in his owne element, and no element is heauy in his owne spheare: Ideo & peccata, Seneca de tranq. quamvis magna & horrenda, cum in consuetudinem venerint, aut parna, aut nulla esse credunt peccatores: The custome of sinning makes the greatest sinnes seeme but ve­ry small. And therefore the sinners which are accu­stomed to sinne, doe esteeme their sinnes, though they be neuer so horrid and horrible, to be either no sinnes, or but very little sinnes; and therefore though euery sinne in it selfe is like a talent of Lead, able to sinke downe the strongest soule to Hell: or like the poysonous iuyce of Aconite, Lurida terribi­les miscent a conita nouercae (which they say is the mortallest poyson in the world; because, as the Poets faine, this hearbe grew from that froth that fell out of the Iawes of Cerberus, when Hercules dragg'd him out of Hell) yet doe these men carry all their sinnes away, Iudg. 16.3. as nimbly as Sampson did the Gates of Azza, and drinke vp the same as smoothly as the drunkards vse to sip vp their pleasant Wine.

And when we haue accustomed our selues to sinne, then are we bound in sinne as with a chain more strong then those seauen greene Withes, or those seauen new Ropes wherewith [Page 22] Dalila bound Sampson, The longer we continue in sinne, the harder it is for vs to for­sake our sinnes. for he brake the same as a thread; but we shall hardly escape out of these miserable bonds of sinne: Nam vsitata culpa ita mentem retinet, vt nequaquam ad rectitudi­nem surgere possit: For an vsuall custome of sinning, doth so retaine the soule in sinne, that it cannot rise to vertue; yea, though he should sometimes endeuour to rise, yet should hee alwayes faile to stand; Greg. in quad. Homilia. Quia vbi sponte diu persistit, ibi & cum noluerit cadit; Because where he willingly long persisted, there of necessity, he shall often nillingly fall: saith Saint Gregory. And so Saint Chrysostome saith, Chrysost ad­uersus gentiles: ad Babylam Martyrem. that the soule of man which once tasted of the sweetnesse of sinne, and is not moued with sorrow or repentance for the same; causeth by her owne neg­ligence, the strength of sinne alwayes to encrease. For as a sparke of fire falling among the stubble, How sinne will encrease, if it be not at the first resisted. doth instantly kindle it, and is more and more augmented, if it be not presently ex­tinguished, and then it neuer leaueth burning, till all be consumed: Euen so is the nature of sinne, when it hath once seized vpon the thoughts of man, if it be not presently subdued, crusht in the shell, or as Saint Augustine speaketh of the children of the Babylonians, dasht to the walls, while they are yet tender and yong, it will grow further and further, and euer prooue worse and worse, and more and more wilde and vntamed: and so the latter sinnes doe alwayes proue the greater sinnes, and the end of such Sinners, farre worse then their beginnings, as our Sauiour speaketh; for seeing they would not quench the first flames of sinne, they are soone fallen into all kinde of sinnes.

Chrysost. hom. 59. in Matth. What a slaue­ry it is to serue sinne.And then, Quemadmodum qui sub mille paedagogis vitam degunt, Euen as those men which are kept vnder a thousand Schoole­masters, dare not looke aside for feare of being espied of them; nay more, then the daughter of Inacus durst turne any where for feare of Argos eyes; so they that are filled with sins, cannot, nay dare not speake of vertue, no more then a seruant dares to speake against his Master: Iohn 8.34. He that doth sinne is the seruant of sinne, 2 Pet. 2.19. saith our Sauiour: Et duram seruit seruitutem; and surely such a one hath but a hard seruice of it, as hereafter I shall shew vnto you.

Hypocrat. l. 2. Aphor. 9.And therefore seeing, that as, [...]; the infected parts of the body the more [Page 23] they are cherished, the more they are indammaged: So the soule daily accustomed to sinne, is the more infinitely endammaged by sinne. It were well for vs Christians, if we would often re­member the Heathen mans saying, [...]; No wise man will twise commit the same sinne: and it would be better for vs, that we would follow the other mans counsell, which saith:

Giue the water no passage, Ecclus 25.25. no not a little (saith the Sonne of Syrach) and suffer not sinne to haue footing in thee, How we ought to be very carefull to re­sist the begin­nings of sinne. but withstand the very first motions, and the least beginnings of the same; so maist thou the easier keepe all these mad Greekes out of Troy, these deadly sinnes out of thy heart, if euery Prote­silaus, euery first sinne that seekes entrance into thy soule, shall vpon the first footing, be there laid for dead.

Otherwise, as Nature, though it can easily exclude somekindes of diseases which casually come, yet is it pressed and wea­ried with those that are habituall: Thriuer. in A­poth. 169. Euen so (saith Thriuerus) the soule of man that is but once wounded, may the easier be cured, and the Sin by repentance may be the sooner excluded, but the same wounds being still wounded, and the same sinnes being vsually practised, they will neuer, or hardly be subdued.

For if an Ethiopian can change his blacke skinne, Ierem. 13.23. or a Leopard his spots that are vpon his backe, then can you doe well, hauing lear­ned and practised all the dayes of your life to do euill, saith the Lord, and therefore as our Sauiour saith of rich men, I may as true­ly say of these men, Matth. 19.23. that they can hardly enter into the Kingdome of Heauen.

O then beloued Brethren, let vs not continue in sinne; Luc. 15.13. for the further we goe with the Prodigall Child, the harder it is for vs to returne, and the more steps we goe from any Citie, the more paines it will be for vs to returne to that Citie againe; so the more sinne we commit, the more must be our sorrowes for our sinnes, and the harder it will be for vs to forsake our sinnes; Great sinnes must haue great repen­tance. for as, [...], Great sinnes and offen­ces, deserue great punishments, so they must be greatly sorrow­ed for, before they be pardoned; for whosoeuer sinneth wickedly [Page 24] with Saint Peter, he must goe out with Saint Peter, out of wic­ked company, out of his wicked sinnes, and weepe bitterly.

And he that is vsed to sinne, and to leese grace, will hardly be induced to leaue his sinnes, and to seeke for grace: or if he should seeke it, Luke 2.46. That we ought suddenly to re­turne vnto the Lord, and not to deferre our conuersion. yet will it bee very hard for such a one to find it: for when Mary lost Christ but one dayes iourney; she was three dayes seeking and searching after him, sorrowing, before she found him: and therefore questionlesse if we leese him thirty, forty, or fifty yeeres, (as many men vse to doe) it will be very hard for vs to finde him in an hower, in the last hower, when we haue no more howers left vnto vs; and therefore, to day if you will heare his voyce, harden not your hearts, but returne O Shu­namite, Qui non est ho­die, cras minus aptus erit. returne, returne, and seeke him diligently whom thy soule loueth, but seeke him quickely, and seeke him now, while he may be found.

Fourthly, When the custome of sinning hath taken away the sence of the sinne, and that the consciences of the sinners are cauterized, and as it were seared with a hot iron, then they doe aggrauate each sinne, and make euery sinne exceedingly sinne­full: for now, peccator non timet suam famam, sinne is growne to his tallest groweth, and the sinner hath eaten shame, and drunke after it, and therefore hee can well digest it, hee can fearelessely commit it, in all places, at all times, and before all persons.

Iacobus de va­len in ps. 91Nay now he will,

First, Excuse it, and say, it is no sinne, or if it be, it is but a sinne of Infirmitie, issuing from the temperature of his body; a tricke of youth, or his heate and choller: or else it is but a sinne of Con­formity, he doth but as the most men doe, because he would not be singular.

1 Sam. 13 12. What wicked men will doe to iustifie themselues.Secondly, They will lessen it, and pretending some ex­cuses, they will say with Saul, that they presumed and forced themselues to doe such things; but they hope they are but trifles, small veniall sinnes; Tush say they, wil God be angry for such small sinnes? Why; if he will; then,

Thirdly, They will cleere themselues, and say with the same Saule, wee haue performed all the commandements of the Lord; Matt. 19 20.we haue kept them from our youth vp as the young man in the [Page 25] Gospell sayd: and if, as the bleating of the sheepe, and the lowing of the oxen told Saul that hee lyed, so their sinnes doe testifie vnto their face that they haue offended; then, 1. Sam 15 15. as Saul layed all the burthen vpon the people, saying, the people spared the best of the Sheepe, and of the Oxen, and not I: and as Adam layd all the fault vpon his wife, saying, Gen. 3.12. the woman whom thou gauest to be with me, Shee gaue mee of the tree and I did eate, and therefore is shee in all the fault and not I: euen so doe they lay all their sinnes on others, euen on God himselfe, rather then they will confesse themselues guilty of sinne. Then,

Fourthly, They will not onely cleere themselues from sinne, and blasphemously say, that either God is in fault that they doe sinne, or else because he did not make them so that they could not sinne, but they will also approue these sinnes in others, and knowing the iudgement of God (that they which commit such things are worthy of death) not onely doe the same, but also haue pleasure in them that doe them: Ro [...] [...] a most fearefull behauiour of most impudent men, and yet not all: for then,

Fiftly, They will not onely consent with them that doe such things, but they will also teach them how to doe them: as our Sauiour sheweth; they will set vp a Schoole of wickednesse: these shall be the least in the Kingdome of Heauen, i. e. none at all, Matt 5.19. saith the blessed Veritie. And yet for all this, we are not come to the height of our times iniquity, for we will be sure to haue a note aboue Ela, to goe a little further then either Scriptures or times can giue vs presidents: and therefore,

Sixtly, If these mens schollers be not able enough to learne to sinne, they will cause them and compell them to doe it: there is no resistance. See how the drunkards doe it in euery place, and many more, who take delight to driue men into Hell.

And therefore now, this [...] ▪ this spirit of slum­ber, or this sleepe in sinne, which we may rightly call [...], the brother of death, or a deadly sleepe, makes these wofull sinnes to sit in the seate of the scornefull, that is, secure & pertinaciter perseuerare in delictis, Psal. 1 1. Mollerus in Psal. 1. & omnem pietatem habere pro ludibrio: most securely to continue, most obstinately to goe on in all iniquity, and most basely to esteeme of all piety: making but a mocke of God and of all godlinesse: And there­fore [Page 26] the Prophet sayth of such sinners, that they haue made a co­uenant with death, and an agreement with hell it selfe, i. e. neuer to forsake that sinfull course of life, till death doth send them quicke to Hell.

But I could wish that they would be herein false, and as they haue broken the couenant of their God, That wee should breake the couenant which we haue made with Hell, if euer we would goe to Heauen. which they haue made with him in Baptisme, so they would break this agreement with Hell, and cast off these cords from them: for the reward of sinne is death, and therefore much more of such fearefull sinnes as these bee. And so you see the degrees by which sinne is increased.

CHAP. IV. Of the manner how euery Sinne is committed.

THirdly, hauing seene how sinne is augmen­ted, The manner how euery sinne is com­mitted is foure-fold. and groweth more and more haynous by degrees like the Cockatrice egge, that in a short time prooues to be a destroying fiery Serpent, you must now vnderstand the manner, how euery sin is committed and that we find to be;

• 1. Of Ignorance.
• 2. Of Knowledge.
• 3. Of Infirmitie.
• 4. Of Malice.

First, The heathen man sayth, [...]: Whosoeuer knoweth nothing, sinneth nothing: and Diuines say, he that knoweth least sinneth least.

That igno­rance is two­fold.But here you must vnderstand Ignorance to be twofold.

First, Simple, when a man therefore knowes not, because he cannot learne.

Secondly, Affected, when a man therefore knowes not be­cause he will not learne, as those in Iob, who said vnto God, Discede à nobis quia scientiam viarum tuarū nolumus; Job. 21.14. Depart from vs, for we will not haue knowledge of thy wayes: and therefore the Prophet complaineth of such ignorant men, quod nolue­runt intelligere vt bene agerent, that they refused to learne that they might doe well, & quod caeci licet, ducem tamen non modo non quaerunt, sed & oblatum respuunt; and that although they [Page 27] were starke blind and could see nothing, Bern: in ep. ad magist. Ʋincent. yet not onely sought no guide, but refused and contemned them that were offered, as Saint Bernard speaketh.

The first may excuse vs, à tanto licet, non àtoto, That simple ignorance doth extenu­ate the sinne. Acts 17.30. 1. Tim. from the grea­ter punishment, though not from blame, as Saint Paul sheweth of the Gentiles, saying, The times of this ignorance, God regarded not; and of himselfe, That God had mercy vpon him, because, in per­secuting the Church, Hee did it ignorantly. For this circum­stance doth much extenuate a sinne, when a man can pleade for himselfe with, Abimelech, Gen. 20.4. Lord wilt thou slay the righteous Nati­on? As if he should haue sayd, O Lord, lay not this sinne to my charge, for if I had knowne her to be his wife, I would neuer haue intended to make her mine.

And therefore this moued our Sauiour, at the time of his passion, to say, Father forgiue them, Luke 23.43. for they know not what they doe: Which is as if he should haue said, if they knew that I were the Messias, the sonne of God, and the Sauiour of the world, and would notwithstanding crucifie me, Luke 24.43. then would I not de­sire thee to pardon them; but now these things are concealed from them, and therefore I desire thee that this sinne may not be imputed vnto them.

And so Saint Peter, after he had declared their sinne, how They had denied the Holy and Iust, and had preferred before him, a most vniust and wicked murtherer, he deliuereth their com­fort, that if they would repent, and beleeue in him, they should obtaine remission, and haue their sinnes done away at the time of refreshing, Acts 3.17. Because they had done all this through ignorance.

And so the Lord himselfe sheweth this to be the reason, why he spared Niniueh, after the denouncement of her iudgement, because, There were sixescore thousand persons therein, Ionas 4.11. which could not iudge betwixt good and bad, which could not discerne betwixt their right hand, and their left. For a simple ignorance, in a deuoted and well-meaning man, such as Saint Augustine calls, fidelis ignorantia, a faithfull ignorance, or the ignorance of a good & faithfull man, whose heart like Iehosophat, 2 Chron. 20.32.33. is vpright to­wards God, though he faile in many particular duties, is either passed ouer in mercy, as was the superstition of our forefathers, Acts 10. [Page 28] or else is illuminated with knowledge, in Gods appointed time, Psal. 50. vlt. as we reade of Cornelius, and as the Apostle sheweth, and the Psalmist promiseth, To him that ordereth his conuersation right, will I shew the Saluation of God.

Bosq. de finibus bonarum, l. 2. conc. 12. p. 123.But the 2. that is, affected ignorance, Scaelus adcusat grauius non excusat, auget (que) non minuit supplicium, it doth inlarge the sin, & increase the punishment, and it should treble the same, sayth Bosquierus; First, For committing the sinne: Secondly, For neglecting to learne, and Thirdly, For affecting ignorance; for when things are not knowne, because men will not learne, such ignorance is without excuse, Quia aliud est nescire, aliud est nolle scire: Bernard. in ep. ad Valent: Chrysost. nescire ignorantia est, scire noluisse superbia est: Because this refusing to know, is rather Arrogancie, then Ignorancie; as Saint Bernad sayth.

Gregor in Moral.And therefore of such ignorant men, quibus fuit inveniendi facultas, si fuisset quaerendi voluntas, Which had the meanes to know, How dange­rous a thing it is to be wil­fully igno­rant of the will of God. if they had had the desire to learne, the Apostle sayth, si quis ignorat, ignorabitur, if any man know not God, the same shall not be knowne of God: for as the blinde, and lame, were not to enter into the Temple, so the iudge biddeth vs, educere foras, populum caecum occulos habentes, to bring forth, and shut out of his kingdome, those men which haue eyes, and cannot see, and which haue eares, and doe not heare, that is, which are borne to know, but will not learne, and which are capable of discipline, and yet will remaine vntaught.

Cokus de iure regis ecclesia­stico.And so in humane lawes, we find the same truth. Nam tan­tum abest vt ignorantia excuset, &c. For it is so far from reason, that ignorance should any wayes excuse the fault of him, which might know the truth that hee ought necessarily to haue knowne, but through his negligence, or wilfulnesse, would not learne the same, as that there is very great reason that he should be, the more seuerely punished; because that to be ignorant of those things which a man ought to know, but will not learne, non pro ignorantia, sed pro contemptu haberi debet, is rather to bee iudged a contempt of knowledge, then an ignorance of the trueth.

And therfore if for our sinnes we pleade ignorance, when we might easily haue knowne the will of God, if we had had any [Page 29] desire or diligence, to search out the same, we shall but deceaue our selues, and be found guilty of greater condemnation.

Secondly, For the sinnes of knowledge, Iohn 9.39. What a feare­full thing it is to commit those sinnes which we know to be sinnes. Our Sauiour sayth of the Pharisees, that if they were blind they should haue no sinne, but because they said they did see, therefore their sinne remained: For as Adams great perfection, both in power and knowledge, made his sinne so vnexcusable, and the like transcendent excel­lency of Lucifer, made his fall so vnrecouerable; so the more noble, the more powerfull, or the more excellent in knowledge we be, the more haynous and intollerable are our sinnes.

And therefore Saint Chrysostome saith, Chrysost. hom. 5. in Rom. [...]. Hee that hath enioyed more instruction deserues to vndergoe the more punishment, if he transgresse: and our Sauiour saith, Luk. 12.47. that the seruant which knoweth his Masters will, and doth it not, shall be bea­ten with many stripes: For to him that knoweth to doe good, James 4.17. and doth it not, to him it is sinne: i. e. Sinne [...]. Sinne in the highest degree, saith the Apostle.

And yet as an old man said of the Athenians, at the games of Olympus, Plutarch in la­con. Athenienes norunt quid sit honestum sed eo soli vtuntur Lacedaemonij: They knew what was honest, but they did it not, they were excellent gnostrickes, but bad practitioners, like the Pharisees that sate in Moses Chaire, and taught what was good, but did none of those things themselues. That we doe those sinnes which we know to be grieuous sinnes. So might I say of many millions of men amongst vs: they know that swearing and drunkenesse, lewdnesse and prophannesse, and such like horrible sins, are most odious & damnable in the sight of God. They know the Sabbaoths should be sanctified, our poore Brethren should be releeued, Rom. 1. vlt. and our good God should be wor­shipped, they know that they which commit such sinnes are worthy of death; and that they which doe such workes of pietie shall be sure of life; and yet you see how we doe continually com­mit the one, and omit the other.

Alas, beloued, we cannot say with Saint Paul, 1 Tim. 1.13. we doe it ig­norantly. We cannot say we know not these things to be sinnes, for we know them, we doe know them, and yet we daily doe them.

And therefore, art thou inexcusable, O man, Rom. 2.1. whosoeuer thou art [Page 30] that knowest these things, Bern. in Cantic. Ser. 36. or the like to be sinne; and yet wilt fearelesly & carelesly commit them, then of all other men thou shalt finde thy selfe at last to be most wofull and lamentable: for, The excellen­cy of our knowledge makes vs the more horrible sinners in the sight of God. vt cibus sumptus & non decoctus perniciofus est; As meate re­ceiued, and not digested, proues most dangerous; or as phy­sicke taken inwardly, and not working outwardly, proues poy­sonous; so the knowledge of the truth, which is the meate and physicke of our soules, being receiued in our vnderstanding, and not practised in our conuersation, will proue to be a most dangerous deadly disease vnto euery Christian soule.

What the sins of infirmity are.3. We say those are the sinnes of infirmity, when in our hearts wee haue an earnest desire to serue our God, and to re­fraine from sinne; but through the violence of Satans temptati­ons, and the vntamed lusts of our owne flesh, (which is euer prone to euill, and vnapt to good) wee either neglect that duty which wee heartily desire to doe, or perpetrate those deedes which by no meanes wee would doe: for so our Sauiour saith of his Disciples, Math 26.41. that the spirit was willing, but the flesh was weake: So Saint Peter in heart was willing to die with his Master, but for feare of death, he was driuen to deny him, and to sweare that he knew him not; Cap 26.14. and so all other Saints of God doe finde, that how desirous soeuer they be to doe their duties, and to serue their God, their flesh is often times weake, and vnwilling to performe those good things, and most violently strong to draw their vnwilling soules to sinne.

Aug. de eccles. dogmat. That no man is free from the sinnes of infirmity.And therefore Saint Augustine saith, that in respect of this infirmity of the flesh, Nullus Sanctus & iustus vacuus est peccato, nec tamen definit esse iustus, quia affectu semper tenet Sanctitatem: There is not any Saint that is void of sinne, neither yet may he be said for that to be no Saint, because in heart and affecti­on he alwayes desireth, and to the vttermost of his ability, fol­loweth after Sanctity: and so Saint Iohn sheweth, quod non est ho­mo qui non peccat; Iames 3.2. That no man liueth, but he sinneth: for, in some things we sin all, i. e. through the infirmity of our flesh; and yet he that is borne of God, Iohn 3.9. sinneth not, that is, with his full consent, but doth euen then sigh and grieue in spirit, when his flesh drawes him on to sinne.

But, that we may the better know those sinnes, which though [Page 31] they be enormities in themselues, yet may be truely sayd to bee infirmities in the Saints, and may stand with grace, Galat. 6.1. as they are committed by them, it is obserued by Diuines, that they are;

First, Such sinnes as are committed of incogitancie, Aug. de peccat. merit, & remiss: l 2. cap. 2. and besides the purpose generall or particular of the offender. i. e. sinnes of precipitation, and not of deliberation, as Saint Gregorie tearmes them: for so Saint Augustine, speaking of these sinnes sayth, Tentatio fallit & praeoccupat nescientes, How we may know sinnes of infirmity, by foure speciall differences they doe suddenly assault vs, and attache vs vnawares: and we are as it were ouertaken with the sinne, before we can see the sinne: So the adultery of Dauid, was not thought of, before it was suggested; and the deniall of Saint Peter, was neuer purposed, vntill it was acted.

Secondly, Such sinnes as are euer resisted, to the vttermost of our abilities, before they be committed, and yet at last are perpe­trated, quia tentatio praemit & vrget infirmos: Aug: quo supra. because the vio­lence of the temptation subdueth the infirmitie of our flesh.

Thirdly, Such sinnes as haue for their causes, some preua­lent passions in nature; as the feare of death in Saint Peter, which is the most terrible of all euill, sayth the Philosopher; and the feare of shame in Dauid, which many men doe more feare then death.

Fourthly, Such sinnes, as in the reluctation are many times subdued, and after they be committed, they bee not often ittera­ted: (I speake not of the ineuitable lustings of the flesh, against the spirit, which no strength of grace, in the best men was euer able in this life to suppresse; but I speake of outward enormities, that are sometimes committed, through the infirmities of the Saints,) for so Saint Augustine, speaking of Noas sinne sayth, Aliquando fuit ebrius, sed non ebrosius: Idem. de peccat. merit & remiss. l. 2. c 10. that he was once drunke indeed, but he was no drunkard, quia vt actus virtutis, be­cause as one act of vertue makes not a vertuous man, so one act of sinne in a Saint, makes him not wholly vicious, sayth the Philosopher.

But those that plot for iniquitie, and imagine mischiefe vpon their beds; those that neuer seeke to resist, but euer to kindle the sinders of sinne; that follow after drunkennesse, and hunt for opportunities, and like Salomons strumpet, will come foorth to meete sinne, and reioyce when they find it, and commit it with [Page 32] greedinesse; I dare not not say they sinne of infirmity, but I ra­ther feare, that they are in the gall of bitternesse, and in the bond of iniquitie.

Acts 8.23. Esay 5 [...]2.And therefore, though they that are mighty to drinke Wine, the common swearers, and blasphemers of Gods sacred name, the lasciuious talkers, and all leaude liuers, doe pretend infir­mities, to excuse their sinnes, yet may they truely feare, that these spirits of infirmities, are no humane but hellish spirits, wherewith they are like the woman in the Gospell, Luke 13.11. most lamen­tably possessed.

Malicious sinnes haue two violent properties.Fourthly, For sinnes committed of malice, it is obserued that they haue two violent and bitter properties.

• 1. Wilfull.
• 2. Spitefull.

First, They be wilfull sinners, and they doe commit their sinnes, with resolute wilfulnesse, i. e. with an absolute will, and with a full consent: for otherwise euery sinne is voluntarie, or else it cannot be iniquitie; Zanch. de pec­cat: actuali li. 1. Thes. 1. pag. 101. Acts meerely violent are no sinnes. for those actions, quae mouentur a principio extrinseco, which are outwardly compelled by vio­lence, and are meerely violent, without any consent of the will; as if a man were dragged by force, into the idols temple, or a wo­man forced to adultery, and she no wayes yeelding consent of will, either before the deed, or in the doing thereof; wee say these things cannot bee sinnes: because they are outwardly compelled by force, and not inwardly moued by the will; & voluntati vis inferri non potest, and no outward force can worke vpon the inward will: Jdem ibid. but all those actions, quae mouentur a principio intrinseco, which proceed from within, and are done with any maner of consent of will, must needs bee sinnes, (if they be such acts as are contrarie to Gods will;) because they are voluntary, though not wholly, yet in part; in respect of the flesh, though not in respect of the spirit.

But this sinne, that I am to speake of, which is done of ma­lice, is not onely voluntarie In some respect, but wholly in all respects, with all greedinesse committed, and without any maner of vnwillingnesse effected; so as Satan doth no sooner tempt them to sinne, but they doe as readily attempt to commit the sinne: for as the godly are desirous to serue God, [...] [Page 33] [...], not by constraint but willingly, Examples of most wilfull sinners. so doe malicious sin­ners perpetrate their sinnes, not through any great constraint, but with all willingnesse.

And we haue almost infinite examples of this kind: the So­domites would not be diswaded by any meanes, Gen. 19.8.9. from seeking to offer violence vnto the Angels of God; but still obstinately, and maliciously persisted, vntill they were wearied; and the Prophet Dauid, reporteth of the courtiers of Saul, that they said, our tongues are our owne, and we will speake, who is Lord ouer vs? Psal. 12.4. So the Israelites, in the dayes of Ieremie, being most earnestly in­treated, by Gods seruants, to walke in the good way, which is the commandements of God, did most wilfully answere, Ieremie 6.16. Wee will not walke therein; and so are all those amongst vs, that not­withstanding all the earnest admonitions of the preachers, and the sweet motions of Gods Spirit, that doth often times knocke, and call at the doore of their hearts for amendment, & the infallible testimony of their owne soules and consciences, that doe assure them they should not doe as they doe, yet will they commit all vncleannesse, all prophanes, [...], euen with all greedinesse.

But they may assure themselues, How fearefull is the state of wilfull sinners. Deut. 29.19. that their state is very dan­gerous, for hee that heareth the curse of the Law, and yet blesseth himselfe in his sinnes, and will still confidently and wilfully goe one in his wickednesse, the Lord will not be mercifull vnto that man, (sayth Moses) neither shall the iniquitie, Esay 22. of such a sinner be pardoned, (sayth Esayas;) quia in his nulla est excusatio in­firmitatis, sed culpa voluntatis; because such sinners can pleade no excuse, either of ignorance, or impotencie, sayth Anselmus: Anselmus in heb. c. 6. and therefore the Lord is mightily prouoked, and most highly offended with all such wilfull resolute sinners.

Secondly, The malicious sinners, are likewise spightfull sinners, Heb. 6. Examples of spitefull sinners. 2. Chron. vlt. 16. i. e. such as doe despight the spirit of Grace, and doe make but a mocke of Christ, and of all Christian Religion.

Such sinners were those Iewes, that mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his Prophets, vntill the wrath of the Lord arose against his people, so as there was no remedie: & such sinners were those stiffe-necked Iewes, who though they were not able to resist the spirit, to speake in Saint [Page 34] Stephen, yet with their stones they stopped his mouth; and (as he sayth) did alwayes resist that spirit, Acts 8. to worke in themselues.

2. Tim. 4.15.Such a sinner was Alexander the Copper-smith, who did not onely distaste, but also withstand, yea vehemently withstand, the Preaching of the word of God: Such were Iulian the Apostata. Libanius the Sophister, Pope Iulius the third, and the like; who scorned Christ, and scoffed at all Christians; and such are those in our dayes, whosoeuer they be, and wheresoeuer they are, which not onely wilfully sinne, but also most lewdly, and pro­phanely, make a mocke of Religion, and with Serapion, scoffe at all Preachers, and either wickedly hinder the free passage of the Gospell, or else secretly trample it vnder their feete.

And therefore, being thus growne to the height of sinne, to sit in the seat of the scornefull; Psal. 1.1. The fearefull state of spight­full sinners. 1. John 5 16. and with Achab to set and to sell themselues to commit wickednesse, presumptuously, and with an high hand to sinne against Heauen, and against the God of Heauen, they are not onely depriued of the prayers of the faith­full, for them; because we are forbidden to pray for such sin­ners, Iere. 7.11. (as Ieremie, was forbidden to pray for the Iewes, when the Lord himselfe sayd vnto him, Thou shalt not pray for this peo­ple, nor lift vp thy voyce for them:) but they are also continu­ally assaulted, with the prayers of the Saints, (like so many two-edged swords) against them: for so Dauid sayth, that hee would pray yet against their wickednesse: Psal. 59.5. and it is a heauie prayer that he vseth, that God would not be mercifull vnto them, that of­fend of malicious wickednesse: 1. Cor. 16.22. so Saint Paul accurseth euery one that loueth not the Lord Iesus: so did Simon Peter, pray against Simon Magus, Theodoret. l. 3. c. 9. and all the Christians against Iulian; and so doe wee pray against those malicious sinners, that despise Gods word, and scoffe at vs, and crucifie againe vnto themselues the Sonne of God.

And then God, hearing the prayers of his Saints, hee giues these sinners ouer vnto a reprobate minde, Rom. 11. to doe those things that are not conuenient; and to fall from one iniquitie vnto another, vntill they bring vpon themselues swift damnation: Christ hom. 67. in Joh. Nam cum a Deo deseruntur, tum diabolo traduntur: for when God hath once forsaken them, then doth the Deuill wholly inioy them; and filleth their hearts with all wickednesse, and with the very [Page 35] gall of bitternesse; and leaueth no place for repentance: Ansel: in Heb: 6. quia ( [...]) prorsus lapsi; Aquinas in loc. [...]. because they are altogether fallen (as Anselmus expounds the word, vsed by the Apostle) or, totaliter lapsi, totally fallen, and wholly eclipsed, and depriued of all the gifts and graces of Gods Spirit; and (as a stone, tumbling downe the hill, when it comes to the bottome, can goe no fur­ther; so these men, cum in profundum venerint peccatorum, being thus fallen into the depth of sinne, they can fall no lower, till with Corah, Dathan, and Abiram, they doe fall downe to Hell.

And thus you see, what sinne is, how it groweth, and how it is committed.

CHAP. V. Of the diuersitie of sinners, and of the inequalitie of sinnes.

FRom this that I haue spoken, concerning sinne, there is no meane capacitie but may obserue, these two especiall points.

• 1. The diuersitie of sinners.
• 2. The inequalitie of sinnes.
  Of the great difference be­tweene the sinnes of the godly and of the wicked, seene in three especiall things:

  • 1. Res [...]lution.
  • 2. Reluctation.
  • 3. Repentance.

First, The diuersitie of sinners: for though all men doe sinne, yet all men are not alike sinners: for the Saints doe sinne, and it may be the same sinnes, as the wicked doe; but they doe not sinne in the same maner, with the wicked: for the godly doe either commit sinnes of ignorance, that is such sinnes as they know not to bee sinnes, or if they know them to bee sinnes, then are they certainely committed of infirmitie, and the doers haue euer with them these three properties.

First, Before they sinne, they are firmely resolued, not to sinne.

Secondly, When they doe sinne, there is such a reluctation, and such a conflict, betwixt the flesh and the spirit, that the Soule sigheth euen then when the flesh reioyceth: and so they neuer sinne with a full consent: Rom. 7.17. and therefore they may truely say, It is not wee that doe these sinnefull acts, but it is sinne that dwelleth in vs.

Thirdly, After they haue sinned, the spirit will presently draw the flesh to ioyne with it in repentance, which a little be­fore had drawne the spirit to giue it motion to commit the sinne: Seneca in Agamem: and then (as Seneca sayth) Quum paenitet peccasse pene est innocens, When a man is sorrie that he hath sinned, he is almost as innocent as if hee had not offended; or as Saint Paul sayth, he is washed, he is sanctified; and he is restored vnto his former integritie.

How the sinnes of the wicked differ in three things from the sinnes of the godly: 1. greedinesse to doe it.But the sinnes of the wicked, are not of ignorance, not of infirmitie; but of an obstinate will, and of a contemptuous spightfull malice: For,

First, Before they sinne, they are as greedie to doe it, as Curio was ready to obay Casars commandes: they swell with desire, and burne with lust to haue it done: Et si non aliqua nocuisset mortuus esset; And if they may not doe it, they cannot liue without it; 1. reg. 21.4. for they are as sicke for sinne, as Achab was for Na­boths Vineyard.

2. Delight in the doing.Secondly, When they doe sinne, they haue their Iubilie, they are in their owne element, as Iudas is sayd to haue gone, in lo­cum suum, into his owne proper place; and they haue their full content; and therefore they are sayd, to drinke iniquitie like water, which goeth downe smothely without any stop.

3. Content when it is done. Hieron. l. 1. in Amos.Thirdly, After they haue sinned, they are so farre from sor­rowing for it, as that they doe euen reioyce, for the committing of it; & in suis complacent sibi delictis, and they doe delight themselues with their sinnes, as Saint Hierome sayth: Olim haec meminisse iuuabit, they doe delight to relate their sinnes: and therefore the Scripture sayth, Rom. 3.13. that as their feete are swift to shed blood; so their hearts doe reioyce in the workes of their owne hands.

And so you see, how differently sinne may be committed: the godly are most vnwilling to commit any sinne; the wicked are most greedie to commit euery sinne: the godly are hardly drawne to sinne, the wicked draw sinne as it were with carte­ropes: and in the godly, sinne is like a fire, which they inde­uor to quench; but in the wicked, it is like a fire which they la­bour to kindle.

Secondly, We may see from what I haue spoken, that stoicall [Page 37] paradoxe, of the equallities of all sinnes, sufficiently confuted: How some sinnes are a great deale more haynous then other sinnes. for sinnes publikely committed, are more haynous then those that are done in priuate; for that he doth not onely sinne; sed & peccat & docet, but he doth also teach others how to sinne, and likewise scandalize those, that doe detest their sinnes: & ideo qui publice peccat publice corrigendus est, hee that openly sin­neth, should be openly punished, for his greater shame, by rea­son of his greater sinne: and he that sinneth wittingly through knowledge, is worthy of many more stripes, Iustin Mart: in resp. ad ortho­dox. ad q. fo: 271. then he that sinneth through ignorance, sayth our Sauiour: and therefore Quemadmo­dum (autore Apostolo) sayth Iustin Martyr, fidelis qui rei suae non perspicit, deum negauit &c. Euen as hee which beleeueth in Christ, (as sayth the Apostle,) and prouideth not for his fa­milie, hath denied the faith, and is worse then an Infidell; and as he which professeth Christian Religion, and with his know­ledge, and Faith, and Baptisme, hath no good maners, no holinesse of life, and conuersation, which may expresse the liuelihood of this doctrine; but hath onely a certaine shew of Religion, ha­uing denied the power thereof, is farte worse then an Infidell; so is he, which sinneth wittingly, through knowledge, by so much worse then he is which sinneth through ignorance, as an inex­cusable sinne is worse then that which hath a iust excuse.

And so Saint Isidore sayth, Jsidorus de summo bono l 2. that tanto maius peccatum esse cog­noscitur, quanto maior qui peccat habetur, according to the quality of the offender, so is the qualitie of the offence: Criminostor culpa est, vbi honestior status. the greater the man is, which sinneth, the greater is the sinne, which he com­mitteth: for, as Plato sayth, that ignorantia potentum robustorum­que hominum, hostilis atque teterrima res est; the ignorance of great and mighty men, is a most vile, and hatefull thing; Why the sins of great men of eminent place are the greatest sins. because it may bee very hurtfull vnto many: so may we say, that the sinnes of great men, and of those that are in place and authori­tie, are exceedingly sinnefull; and doe deserue the greater con­demnation: not onely because their sinnes are exemplarie sinnes; as the old verse sayth: Regis ad exemplum totus compo­nitur orbis; and as the prouerbe is, like Priest like People: Matth. 6.23. but also because in them is required the more eminent vertue; wee should bee the light of the world; and the great men, should be the defenders of the distressed, and the [Page 38] helpers of the needy: and therefore, Si lumen quod in te est tene­brae sunt, ipsae tenebrae quatae erunt? If thou, which shouldest be at patterne of all vertue, committest sinne; how great is thy sin? and if they, which should be Patrons of the poore Preachers, become robbers of the Church; and they which should be Re­leeuers of the needy, become oppressors of their neighbours; how intollerable is that cruelty? Surely though these things should be but small sinnes in others; yet in vs they are horrible transgressions; Chrysost hom. 24 in c. 7. Matth. Quia impossibile omnino nobis est, ad ignorantiae praesidium aliquando confugere; Because it is vnpossible for vs to finde any excuse for our selues.

And therefore, though Gentlemen and Courtiers, Citizens and worldlings doe leade their liues in lewdnesse, and turne the graces of God into wantonnesse; and thinke it no great sinnes, but either the infirmities of their youth, or but the custome of their times; yet in vs that are the Preachers of Gods Word, or in those that are the Gouernours of the people; the least sinne, or mis-cariage of our selues, which perhaps, alijs ignoscitur, nobis imputatur; is but a veniall sinne in others, and shall be pardo­ned, will be found a haynous sinne in vs, for which we shall be surely punished; Bern. l. 2. de consid. ad Eugen. for so Saint Bernard saith, Inter seculares nugae, nugae sunt, in ore sacerdotis sunt blasphemiae: Triffles are but triffles among secular men, but in the mouth of the Priests, triffles proue to be blasphemies: and therfore the wise man saith, that the meane and the simple man shall obtaine mercy, Wis. 6.6. when the wise and the mighty, shall be mightily punished.

CHAP. VI. How euery sinne, and the least sinne of euery one; bringeth death.

YOu haue heard the diuersity of sinners, and the in­equality of sinnes: and therfore I might now pro­ceed vnto the second part, which is the reward of sinne: but that I may not forget to obserue that the Apostle saith, indefinitely, the reward of sinne is death, to teach vs these three speciall lessons:

• [Page 39]1. That euery One sinne brings death.
• 2. That the sinne of euery one brings death.
• 3. That the least sin of any one brings death.

for

First, He sayth the reward of sinne is death; not of sinnes. That any one sinne is suffici­ent to bring death vnto the Sinner. 1 Sam. 17. 2 Sam. 20 9. Sueton. in vit. Caesar. One is inough, if there were no more: For as one leake in a shippe, is sufficient to sinke it; and one vaynes bleeding, is inough to let out all the vitall spirits; and one wound may kill Golias, and Amasa: as well as 23 did Caesar: So one proud disdainefull thought, may cast Lucifer out of Heauen, one Apple may cast Adam out of Paradise, and one sinne may bring death, vpon any one of the sonnes of Adam.

And therefore, seeing the puritie of God can abide no sinne, and his iustice will so seuerely punish euery sinne, Gen. 3.24. we should not giue way to any sinne: for though we keepe the royall Law, James 2.10. yet if we fail but in any one point, we are guilty of all; (not that he which committeth any one sin, committeh all sinnes; but that he is as guilty of death, by that one sinne, as if hee had committed all sinnes:) and God can as easily spie out one sinne in man, though he had no more, as well as he could spie out one man amongst his guests, which had not on his wedding garment. Matth. 22.12.

Secondly, as One sinne, so the sinne of any one brings death: That the sin of any one man be he great or small brings death. Gal. 3.10. Jerem 22 24. for, cursed is euery one (whosoeuer he be) that continueth not in all things that are written in the Booke of the Law, for to doe them, saith the Lord: and, the soule which sinneth, that soule shall die, saith the Prophet, and Coniah if he offend, though he were as the Signet on Gods right hand, yet will God cut him off, saith the Lord.

But what? haue not Kings and Princes, Lords and Ladies, great men, Knights, and rich men; haue not they any priui­ledge to haue their pleasures, nor any prerogatiue to commit any sinne? must they haue no more liberty, then the poorest peasant? Yes, that they haue; for when the meane men can­not offend, but presently they shall be reprooued, and it may be punished: whereby many times they are brought to repen­tance, and are themselues cleansed and haue their sinnes pardo­ned: the great men, The dange­rous estate of Great men. because many of vs dare not reproue them for feare to offend them, and so to be offended by them; may goe on in their sinnes without controulement; they may [Page 40] doe it without feare, though with the more danger: for though it be true of a poore fearefull Preacher, dat veniam coruis, vexat censura columbas: that he dares not reprooue these mighty men, yet with God there is no respect of persons: but, ‘Veniam laeso numine nullus habet;’ If Moses the Prince of Gods people sinne, he shall not enter into the land of Canaan: If Aaron the Priest doth offend, Numb. 20.12. the wrath of God will be soon insensed: If the man of God, which was a Prophet doth offend, and transgresse the commandements of God; he shall bee slaine by the Lyon: 2 Sam. 24. and if Dauid that was both Prince and Prophet, Dan. 4.35. sinne; he shall not goe vnpunished: and if Nebuchad­nezzar which was the great Monarch, doth exalt himselfe in pride against God; he shall graze with the beasts of the field, vntill he confesse, that the most high God ruleth ouer all the King­domes of the Earth.

Be wise now therefore, O ye Kings, be learned all ye Nobles, and all yee Iudges of the Earth; and as you keepe vs in feare to offend you, so let vs keep you in feare to offend your God: or else you may heare that dreadfull sentence, I lictor liga manus, Goe executioner, binde those Kings in fetters, and those Nobles with links of yron, and then cast them into vtter darknesse, where shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Psal. 149.8.Thirdly, we must note that as any one sinne, and the sinne of any one; That the least sinne brings death. so the least sinne, as well as the greatest sinne of any one brings death: for, not onely those seauen sinnes, which the Romanists call the seauen deadly sinnes, and which they briefly comprehend in the word Saligia; according to that verse; ‘Vt mortem vites, semper Saligia vites,’

Where,

• S
• a
• l
• i
• g
• i
• Gen. 4.10. c. 19.13. Exod 22.23. Jam. 3.4.
  a

signifieth

• 1. Superbiam, Pride.
• 2. Auaritiam, Couetousnesse.
• 3. Luxuriam, Luxurie.
• 4. Inuidiam Enuie.
• 5. Gulam, Gluttony.
• 6. Iram, Wrath.
• 7. Acidiam, Sloth.

Nor yet those foure great sinnes, which the Scripture calleth crying sinnes: expressed in that distiche.

• 1. Murder.
• 2. Sodomie.
• 3. Oppression of Widdowes and Orphans.
• 4. Detayning of the Labourers wages.

Nor yet that great Master-sinne Idolatrie; which doth quite separate vs from God, and doth for euer vnite vs vnto the Diuell, without great and vnfained repentance; doth bring death vnto vs: but euery sinne, and any sinne whatsoeuer, brings death vnto the sinner: For the reward of sinne, be it little, or be it great, is death: for as the small egge of a Cockatrice, will proue in time to be a deuouring Serpent, and as the little theeues, if they once get in at the windowes, will soone, like Si­non, set open the doores, for the greater Theeues to enter in, and to despoile vs; so these little sinnes, that at the first we deem veniall, will grow by custome to be very great; and will in time make way for the greatest of all.

But Saint Hierome saith, Nescio an possumus, leue aliquod pecca­tum dicere, quod in dei contemptum admittitur. Hee knoweth no reason, why any sinne should be thought to be small, when as they are all, and euery one of them all, is committed against the eternall Maiestie of the incomprehensible God. And yet Satan at the first will perswade vs, that we need not make such great account of such small sinnes, such veniall sinnes, Richardus de differen: mor­talu & ven­peccati. quibus nunquam debetur poena eternae damnationis; to which eternall damnation can neuer be due, (as Richardus saith:) but when we haue vsually practised them, and throughout our whole course of life continued in them; How subtlely Sathan deales with men, to make them sinne, and then to bring them to despaire. then will he at last open our eyes, to let vs see our selues where we are; euen in the midst of Samaria, and in the hands of all our greatest enemies; and then (as Cyrus promised those that would warre with him against the Medes, to make euery Footman an Horseman: euery Souldiar, a Captaine; and euery Captaine, a Colonell:) so Satan will make euery veniall sinne mortall; and each mortall sinne irremissible: O quantum mutatus ab illo Hectore! Qui color albus erat, num est contrarius albo.

O how is he, and how are our sinnes now changed? he that was an Angell of light, to perswade vs vnto sin, is now become a Diuell of darkenesse, to bring vs to despaire for sinne; and those sinnes which seemed to be but Mole-hills, doe now shew [Page 42] themselues to be bigger then Mountaines. And no maruell: Nam sicut ebrius, quando multum vini ingurgitat, &c. For as hee that filleth himselfe with Wine, doth for the present feele no hurt; How sinne blindeth vs at the first, that we cannot perceiue its vglinesse. yea, though he sustained many losses: but within a while he shall cleerely perceiue how greatly hee was thereby indammaged; euen so, peccatum donec consummatur, obtenebrat mentem, &c. Sinne while it is in action, and before it be con­summate, doth so obtenebrate and darken the minde of man, and as a thicke cloude ouer-shaddow it, that it cannot per­ceaue the vglinesse of sinne; but when the sinne is once fi­nished and those mystie cloudes of stupidity, which Sathan sets before our eyes, be vanished, Tum conscientia insurgit; then doth the conscience awake and arise, and worse then any ac­cuser, lay to our charge the foulenesse of our sinne: and so vexe our soules, with the feare of the greatnesse of the punish­ment: Sophocl. Sueton in vit. corum. as we may see in the liues of Oedipus, that incestuous King of Thebes, and of Tiberius Nero, and others: whereof you may finde more in my Treatise of The delights of the Saints.

That we should carefully take heed, not to commit the least sinne.And therefore Saint Augustine doth most wisely aduise vs, Non despicere peccata nostra, quia parua: sed timere quia plura: Not to be fearelesse of our sinnes, because they are small, but rather, to be the more afraide of them, because they are many: and specially, seeing that the smallest beasts are as full of dead­ly poyson, and the least creatures are as able to destroy vs, as the greatest: Aug. de d [...]cem. chordis. for, nunquid minutissima sunt grana araneae: Are not the sands of Sea very small? and yet if you take too many of them into your Ship, Flumina magna vides paruis de fontibus orta, plurima colle­ctis multiplican­tur aquis. they are able to sinke her: Et quam minutae guttae pluviae; and how small are the drops of raine? and yet you see, flumina implent & domos deijciunt, what floods they make, and what mighty holds they haue ouerthrowne: They haue destroyed the whole world: Euen so, the least sinnes doe make vs as liable vnto death, as the greatest: for you see, A­dams eating of an Apple, doth as well cast him out of Paradise, as Lucifers vsurping the dignity of God, and denyall to submit himselfe to Christ, did cast him out of Heauen; and Vzza's touching of the Arke, brings death vpon him, as well as Iudas his betraying of Christ, causeth him to hang himselfe: And [Page 43] therefore, timenda est ruina multitudinis, etsi non magnitudinis: We should as well take heed to be destroyed by the smallest, Aug. de vera relig & in ep. 138. as by the greatest things: Nam quid interest, ad naufragium, &c. For what skils it, whether the Ship suffers wracke, from one huge billow that ouer-whelmes her, or by some small Leakes, which in time doth sincke her? So, what difference is it, Luc 16.21. with Diues to be sent to hell, for his daily denyall of his crummes of bread vnto poore Lazarus; 1 King 21.16. or with Achab for once taking away of Naboths Vineyard; or with our continuall swaggerers, for daily swearing, and loose-liuing, or with the blood-like Caine, that doe, though but seldome, commitimmane and fearefull murthers? surely none but this: that they doe walke diuers wayes, but do meete in the end at the same place: And there­fore the very heathen man could say, Cicerol. 1. offic. Qua parua videntur esse delicta, &c. Those sinnes which seeme to be so small, as that they scarcely be perceiued to be sinnes, by many; ought with all care & diligence be to auoyded: or otherwise we shal find our Sauiours words to be true; that, for euery moment of time that we haue spent in vaine, Matth. 12 39. and for euery idle word that we haue spoken, to no purpose, we shall render an account at the last day: For, the reward of Sinne (be it neuer so little) is Death.

And so much for the first part, the worke done, i. e. Sinne.

CHAP. I. Of the deceit of Sinne.

Of the great deceit of sinne; in promising much, and per­forming the cleane con­trary. YOu saw the Worke, you see the Wages; and thereby you may see the deceit of sinne.— Fronte polita ‘Astutum vapido seruat seruat sub pectore vultum.’

For, it will appeare at first with a Sy­rens face, most delightful, but it wil proue at last to haue a Serpents sting, and to be most wofull: and you may easily find almost infinite instances of this trueth: Gen. 3.6.7. for Eue saw the tree was good for meate, and pleasant to the eye, and a tree to be desired to make one wise: therefore she tooke and did eate, and gaue vnto her Husband: But then (saith Moses) their eyes were opened, and they knew they were naked: naked in body, naked in soule, naked of all grace, and naked of all goodnesse: and therefore you see, the Serpents promise to make them like Gods, made them like Diuells, and that the desire of delight and ostentation did worke their griefe and confusion: Cle. Al. l. 3. Strom Iustin Martyr apol. pro Christianis. Sulpit l. 1. de sac. hist. Gen 6.1.2. So the sonnes of God, that is, not the Angels as Clemens, Alexandrinus, Iustin Martyr, Sulpitius, Lactantius and others thought; but the godly sonnes of Seth, as Saint Augustine and others doe most truely collect, did see the daughters of men, that is of the posterity of Caine, that they were faire, and therfore they tooke them wiues of all that they liked; and what could they haue more then to haue their owne desires? but what saith the Text? when they thought themselues most happy, then did they feele the greatest misery: for suddenly the flood came and tooke them all away: Mat. 24.9. So Saul thought to make aduan­tage [Page 45] by sauing Agag, and the fattest of the Cattle, but thereby he lost his Kingdome from his Off-spring: 1 Sam. 15.9. So Iereboam thought to establish his Throne by his Idolatry, but it proued to roote out all his Posterity, 1 King. 12.28. and so (as the Scripture sheweth) we finde the same truth in all other particular sinnes, for though the Harlots words be sweet, her countenance faire, Prouerb. 7.27. &c. 9.18. and her bed perfumed, yet her house (saith Salomon) is the way to the graue, her chamber is the doore of death, and her guests are in the depth of Hell: and the very Heathen man could say: ‘Meritrix meum herum miserum, Plantus Truc. sua blanditia intulit in pau­periem, spoliauit bonis, luce, honore atque amicis:’

This Harlot with her cogging flattery hath impouerished and vndone my poore miserable Master, she hath spoyled and depriued him of all his goods, honour, friends, and all: So, though stolen waters be sweet, and the bread of deceit is pleasant vnto a man, yet afterwards his mouth shall be filled with grauell: Prou. 20.17. and though the Wine seeme Cos: to the drunkard; that is, to haue colorem, odorem & saporem; an excellent colour in the glasse, a pleasant smell in the nostrels, and a sweet taste in the mouth; yet in the end, it will bite like a Serpent, Prou. 23 32. it will hurt like a Cockatrice: It will Circe-like transforme Men to Swines, Ʋirgil. and make them with Vlysses fellowes, to become worse then the very beasts. When (as the Poet saith) Et pudor & probitas, & metus omnis abest: Wee shall finde in them, neither feare of God, nor shame of face, nor scarce any quality or propertie of man, besides humane shape: for, (as Propertius saith:)

By Wine the beauty failes, by Wine man waxeth olde; Ʋt Venus ener­vat vires sic copia Bacchi & tentat gressus debilitat (que) pe­des. Festus Anieno de ven: & vino. by Wine the wedded wife, with strangers will be bold. And to be briefe, though young men and Gallants, doe reioyce in their youth, and walke in the wayes of their hearts, and in the sight of their eyes, that is, inioy what pleasure soeuer they will, what their eye seeth, or what their heart desireth; yet in the end, God will bring them to iudgement for all those things, and then shall their bread in their bellies be turned into the gall of Serpents. Eccles 11.9.

And so euery sinne is like it selfe, like Duke Ioab, whose words were smoother then oyle when he saide vnto Amasa; [Page 46] Est ne pax mi frater, 2 Sam. 20.9.10. Is it peace brother? and yet while the tongue called him brother, his sword stab'd him to death, like an ene­mie: So sinne, as it were a cunning Apothecary, that writes on the out-side of his boxe, Pharmaca, medicines; when as within there is nothing but Venena, poysons: Proponit quod delectabile, supponit quod exitiale, vngit, pungit: It promiseth wealth, but it bringeth woes: Reuel 8.13. Woe, woe, woe, to the Inhabitants of the Earth; Vae propter culpam, vae propter tribulationem mundanam, & vae prop­ter paenam aeternam: Woe for our offences, woe for our mise­ries, woe for our eternal punishment: and it annointeth vs with oyle; but it stingeth vs to death: And so indeed it is like the Deuill, Cyprian l. 1. ep 8. a lyer, and the father of lies. Quia peccatum mentitur vt fallat, vitam pollicetur vt perimat; Because euery sinne lies, that it may deceiue vs, and proposeth pleasure, that it may bring vs into paine.

Venerab. Beda l. exhort. 4 &. 5.Venerable Bede, compareth sinne vnto a Witch, which transformeth euery man vnto a Monster; as Lust maketh a man like a Syren, or an Horse, to yeane after his neighbours wife; Sloth, makes him like an Asse, or Ostridge; Crueltie like a Wolfe, or Hyenna: Couetousnesse like the rauening Harpies: and so euery other sinne, makes the poore Sinner to become, ‘Monstrum horrendum ingens cui lumen ademptum:’

The most vgly Monster vpon the face of the earth. Why then should we not hate this sinne, which speaketh friendly vnto vs, and promiseth great felicity, but in the end brings vs to the extreamest misery? Bern. insentent. Quia via peccati ingredientes contaminat, progredientes obstinat, egredientes exterminat: Because (as Saint Bernard saith) sinne in the first entrance defileth, in the progresse hardneth, and in its going out, destroyeth euery Sinner: and (as Salomon saith of the Harlot,) her wayes leade vnto death, and her footsteps take hold of Hell: so the same is most true of sinne: and therefore if any man should be asked, what hee doth in sinne, hee might iustly answer, as an old Courtier did, when he w [...]s demanded, Euery sinne payeth the same wages, though it pro­miseth se­uerall plea­sures. what he did in Court, I doe nothing but vndoe my selfe: For, the reward of sinne is death.

And here likewise you may obserue, that although euery sinne doth not promise the same thing (for some sinnes pro­mise pleasure, some profit, some honour, and some one thing, [Page 47] and some another) yet euery sinne brings vs to the same end, and in the end payeth vs with the same reward: for the reward of sinne, of any sinne, is death.

But because, Thriuerus Apoth. 19. as many doe make none account of most deadly diseases, by reason that they are ignorant of the dangerous effects of the same: Ita multi euidenter peccant, quia turpitudinem & consequentiam peccati, perspectam non habent: So many men feare not to sinne, but doe as smoothly drinke vp the same as pleasant Wine; because they doe not vnderstand the filthinesse and wretched effects of sinne: and because, as if a man might with his outward eyes, behold the beauty of vertue and good­nesse; mirabilem amorem excitaret sui; It would wonderfully inflame their hearts with the loue thereof: So if we did behold the loathsomnesse of sinne, and consider well the fearefull euents thereof, it would make vs, with Iob, Iob 42 6. to abhorre our selues in Dust and Ashes: Therefore I will search a little further into this Labyrinth of sinne, and take a little more paines to vnfold the miserable effects of the same: for, the reward of Sinne is Death.

When sinne is first committed, it wil presently gall and wound our consciences, and it will continually shew vnto vs, how good a Law is violated, how great a Maiestie is offended, and how grieuous a punishment we haue deserued: and (a the Po­et saith) Occultum, quatiante animo tortore, flagellum; Juven Satyr. 13. When the great Tormentor will shake his hidden whip in the soule of the offender; then is he troubled night and day, walking in the hands of his executioner, and sleeping like the Nightingall, which hath alwayes a pricke before her breast. Neither is this all; for, the reward of sinne is death.

Now by Death, By Death are vnderstood all the miseries contayned vnder the curse of God. we must vnderstand not onely the separati­on, of the body and soule of man; but all other things that are comprehended vnder the curse of God; for the curse of God and the Death of Man, are Voces aequipollentes, equiualent termes, and doe signifie the same thing; and therefore as Saint Paul saith here, The wages of sinne is Death; So he saith else-where, out of Moses; Gal. 3.10. Cursed is euery one that continueth not in all things, that are written in the Booke of the Law for to doe them.

And we find, that the curse of God for the sinne of man ex­tendeth it selfe.

• 1. To all those creatures that were created and made for the vse of man.
• 2. To all the properties, and faculties of each part of man.

Rom 8 20. and 22.First, The creature was made subiect vnto vanity, and groa­neth, and trauelleth in paine vntill now, not of it owne accord; but by reason of the transgression of man; the earth was accursed for his sake, and the very Heauens were subiected vnto vanity: and as then hee dealt with Adam; so euer since he dealeth in like manner with all the sonnes of Adam: Psal. 107.34. for he maketh a fruit­full land barren, for the iniquity of them that dwell therein: that is, either such as bringeth forth no fruits at all, or else such as where, ‘Infaelix lolium & steriles dominantur auenae:’

How the earth is accursed and her fruits, by reason of our sinnes.The good seed is ouergrowen with darnell, smothered with thornes, or spoyled with cockle: for though the earth was made, to yeeld vs fruits of increase; yet instantly vpon our sin­ning, the grounds denied to pay her tribute; vnlesse (as the Poet sayth) iuncto boue, aratra trahuntur; we doe rippe vp her bowells, to fetch it out of her bellie: And yet this is not all; for though we manure the ground, and plant the seede, neuer so fayre: yet, except the Lord giues the increase, all our labour is but in vaine.

And the Lord tells vs plainely, that if we cease to sinne and serue our God, Psal. 107.35. he will make the Wildernesse a standing water, and water springs of a drie ground; but if we continue in sinne, and sow iniquitie: Hosea 8.7. hee tells vs plainely, wee shall reape but vanitie; and if we sow the wind, wee shall reape, but whirlewind for our haruest.

And therefore if God stoppeth the windowes of Heauen, and withholdeth the raine from vs, 1 Reg. 17.1. as he did in the dayes of E­lias, and so causeth the Heauens to be as brasse, and the earth to be as iron vnder our feete; the one yeelding no dew, the other bearing no fruit: or if God openeth the Cataracts and floodgates of Heauen, Gen. 7.11. as hee did in the dayes of Noah, and so cause the Heauens to weepe, and the floods to cary away our fruits, before [Page 49] we can carry them into our barnes: then must we know, Saluian: Mas­sali [...] de guber. dei. that all this, and whatsoeuer of this kinde happeneth to vs, is in­flicted vpon vs, for our sinnes; quia ira diuinitatis est paena pec­cantis; because all the grieuous effects of Gods wrath, Gen. 3 17. are the iust deserts of mans sinne: for cursed is the Earth for thy sake.

CHAP. II. How euery sinne slayeth the soule.

AS sinne brings a curse vpon all creatures; How sinne brought on man a treble death. so it brings death vpon all men: for the reward of sinne is death: and we finde this death to bee three fold.

• 1. A spirituall death of the Soule, within the Body.
• 2. A corporall death of the Body: by continuall casti­gation of the same throughout all our life, and a finall se­peration from the soule, at the end of our life.
• 3. An eternall death, both of Body and Soule, in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone foreuermore.

The first, is set downe in the 8. of Matth. 22. Chrysost. hom. 11. in c. 6. ad rom. Where our Sauiour sayth: Let the dead bury their dead: i. e. Let those that are spiritually dead, in trespasses & sinnes, (as the Apostle sayth) burie those that are naturally dead: to shew that a sinners body, is but the breathing Sepulchre of his sinnefull soule: and ther­fore the Prophet Dauid sayth, Psal. 14.5. Rom. 3.13. that their throat is an open Sepul­chre; which yeelds a more loathsome sent vnto the nostrils of God, from the corrupted putrified soule; then any graue can yeeld vnto the nostrils of man, from all its rotten carkases.

The second, is set downe in the 11. of Iohn the 39. John 11.39. where Martha sayth, her brother Lazarus was dead and stinked: i. e. depriued of the fruition of the soule; and therefore loathsome to bee seene, and more loathsome to bee smell: for experience sheweth vs, that how sweete soeuer we be in our life, and how soft and tender soeuer our flesh bee; most amiably complexio­ned, with that fresh and liuely blood, which be deckes the same with the fairest colours, and glides vp and downe in siluer veynes; yet are the best of these sweetest Ladies, but most loath­some [Page 50] stinking carrions, within a short space after death: all flesh being subiect to corruption.

Luke 16.24.The third, is set downe in the 16. of Luke 24. where Diues being in torments, prayeth vnto Abraham, to shew that he had a soule, and desireth a drop of water to coole his tongue, to prooue that he had a body.

But to speake of these three more fully.

First, Wee must vnderstand that the spirituall death of the soule is two-fold.

• 1. Mori peccatis, to die to sinne.
• 2. Mori in Peccatis: to die in sinne.

Macrob. c. 1. in som. scip. 13.For the first, [...]; the whole studie, and life of the Philosopher, was nothing else but a com­mentary, Hieron ad He­liod. ex Platone in Phaedone. or preparation for death, saith Macrobius: Nam mori dicimur, cum anima adhuc in corpore constituta, corporeas illecebras contemnit; for he may bee truely sayd to die, whose soule still remayning within the body, doth notwithstanding contemne and abstaine from all fleshly delights. And this was aymed at by the Philosophers, but it was onely attained vnto by the true Christians; What it is to die to sinne. for they that are Christs, haue crucified the flesh and haue mortified the lusts of the same, sayth the Apostle: these haue eares and heare not the Sirenian notes of sinne, nor the flattering suggestions of Satan; they haue eyes, and see not the alluring vanities of this world, any wayes worthy to bee desired: for I haue made a couenant with mine eyes, Job 31. that they should not looke, that is, vnlawfully, or with any lasciuious desire, vpon a maide, sayth holy Iob; and I sayd, I would take heed vnto my wayes, (sayth the Prophet Dauid) that I offend not in my tongue: Psal. 39.1. and therefore (as the Apostle sayth) they vse the world, as though they vsed it not.

To die to sinne is a punish­ment for sinne.And although this death be good, the onely way to bring vs vnto a better life; for hee that will not die before he dieth, shall neuer liue when hee dieth; yet is this the reward of sinne: for had it not beene for sinne, we had not needed to take this care and payne, Cyprian de duplici Mar­tyrio. to fight against our selues; yea, to Martyr and mortifie our own flesh, by chastening our owne bodies, to bring them to subiection: least we should prooue to be cast-awayes, as the [Page 51] Apostle speaketh: and therefore the chastisements of the Saints, are the punishments of their sinnes.

For the second, to die in sinne, What it is to die in sinne. is when God forsaketh a sinnefull soule, and suffereth the same to lye and die in her transgressions: for as the soule is the life of the body; so is God the life of the soule, (sayth Saint Augustine: Aug. de ciuit. dei. l. 13. c. 21. Matth. 4.4.) And therefore all those that liue by bread onely, and not by euery word which procee­deth out of the mouth of God; i. e. which liue the life of nature, and not the life of grace; they are like those wanton wid­dowes, whereof the Apostle sayth, 1 Tim. 5.6. that they are dead while they liue: for though the soule be truely immortall, yet it hath a kind of death (sayth Saint Augustine;) and that is, when God forsaketh the same for sinne; and what a heauy case is this? Plangis cor­pus quod deserit anima, & non plangis animam quam deserit Deus: We bewaile the body when the soule is parted, and shall wee not bewayle the soule which God hath forsaken? sayth Saint Chrisostome.

Saint Augustine, being as then a Manichee, and reading the Hystorie of Aeneas and Queene Dido, A most excel­lent considera­tion of Saint Augustine. did weepe (as himselfe confesseth,) when hee came to the death of Dido: and there­fore after that he was conuerted, hee most diuinely sayth; ô me miserum, &c. O wretched man that I was, that would bewaile the death of Dido, forsaken of Aeneas, and did not bewaile the death of mine owne soule forsaken of God: so we many times doe weepe for the death of our friends, but doe neuer weepe for the death of our owne soules.

They may say vnto vs as Christ sayd to the daughters of Ie­rusalem, weepe not for vs, but weepe for your selues, Luke 23.28. and for your owne soules, that are dead in sinnes: for euery one of vs may say with the poet;

Our life is a great deale more worthy to bee bewailed, then our de [...]th; in as much as the death of the soule, is a great deale more lamentable then the death of the body.

But as wee haue no other remedie for the death of our friends, but onely teares, ‘— Est quadam flere voluptas: Expletur lachry­mis egeritur (que) dolor.’ for this is a great ease vnto the afflicted heart, and a kinde of [Page 52] comfort vnto the sorrowfull soule; so we haue none other helpe for the death of our soules, but onely teares: ‘Saepe per has flecti, principis ira solet;’

For though Gods anger did burne like fire, yet the teares of repentance is able to quench his wrath: and therefore Saint Peter when hee sinned, Matth. 26.75. in denying the innocent blood, hee went out and wept bitterly; Ambros. in Luc. vt lachryme lauaraent delictum, that his bitter teares might wash away his grieuous sin, and his true repentance giue life vnto his dying soule. Ʋade & fac tu similiter: goe thou, and doe the like: reuiue thy languishing soule with weeping teares: and I can say no more, quia non in­uenio quid dixerit, sed quod fleuit, for I finde no more but that he wept; his teares perhaps drowned his word [...]: but they re­stored life vnto his dying soule; they layd hold on God with Israel, and would not suffer him to depart vntill hee had forgi­uen him; Hierom. in Esayam. Nam oratio Deum lenit, sed lachrymae cogunt, for when words doe but desire him, but incline him; our teares will com­pell him to be mercifull vnto vs.

How sinne pol­luteth the soule of man.You see then, hee that delighteth in sinne slayeth the soule, yea it defileth and polluteth the whole soule; and it makes it so odious, and so detestable, that God cannot endure it; for hee dwelleth not in a body that is subiect vnto sinne: and therefore Saint Chrysostome sayth, Wised. 1.4. that melius est luto pollui quam peccatis, it is farre better to tumble our bodies in the filthiest mire, then to touch our soules with the least sinne, No dirt so foule as sinne. for he which falleth into the mire, may in a short time be washed, and become as cleane as they that neuer were bemired: but hee that once falleth in­to the puddle of sinne, receiueth such pollution, as that all the waters in the ocean Sea, can neuer wash him cleane; nor any thing else in the world, saue onely the blood of Iesus Christ, which cleanseth vs from all sinnes: and this also must be layd hold vp­on to effect it, Chrysost hom. 12. ad Heb. & poenitentia diligenti & lachrymis: euen with the bitter teares of true repentance.

CHAP. III. How sinne slayeth euery facultie of the Soule.

ANd further wee must vnderstand, that as sinne defileth the whole soule in generall, so it pol­luteth euery facultie of the same in particu­lar. Plato saith, That there are three spe­ciall faculties in the soule of man. (and Aristotle from him) that in the soule of man there are three espe­ciall faculties:

The first, hee calleth [...]. i. e. the vegetatiue facultie, which of others is called, virtus naturalis, the naturall vertue of increasing: and the seat of this in man, he sayth to be the liuer; the properties whereof are, to nourish, and to beget, &c.

The second, he calleth [...]. The sensitiue facultie, whose seate (he saith) is in the heart; and to which hee ascribeth the vitall vertue, and the motions of the sensitiue appetite.

The third, hee calleth [...]. The reasonable facultie, whose seate (sayth Galenus) is the head: and whose operations are, to imagine, to remember, to vnderstand, to iudge, and to guide all voluntary motions.

And there is none of these but sinne defileth▪ How sinne de­fileth euery fa­cultie of the reasonable soule. and especially aboue all the rest, the reasonable soule: for in it, we find three especiall faculties,

• 1. The will.
• 2. The vnderstanding.
• 3. The memorie:

And we find all these excee­dingly corrupted, and defiled by sinne. For,

First, The Philosopher sayth, that there is no doubt of this; Arist. aeth: l. 10 c. 8. The chiefest perfection of man consisteth in the will of man. quin in affectu & voluntate perfectio summa consistit: But that all, or the chiefest perfection of man, consisteth in the will and af­fection of man: for the will is not onely the immediate agent of all those actions, quae vocantur elicitae, which are called free acti­ons; as to will, to nill, to choose, to refuse, to loue, to hate, to desire, and such like; but it is also the effecter of the other acti­ons, quae vocantur imperatae, which are called compelled actions; because the will commandeth all; as the mind to thinke, and to consider, the vnderstanding to discusse, the iudgement to approue, and all the other faculties of the soule, to execute his command: [Page 54] so that there is neither sinne, nor vertue, but the same is first in this commanding will, before it comes to any part either of soule or body.

All actions are adiudged ac­cording to the disposition of the will. Propertius: lib. 2. 10.And therefore are all actions, good or badde, adiudged and deemed, according to the disposition of the will.

First, Good actions haue all their goodnesse from the will, for not onely the Poet sayth,

That the will is sufficient, where the power is wanting; but also Saint Augustine sayth, Aug. sup. Psal. 57. that whatsoeuer good thou woul­dest doe, and canst not doe it, God accepteth the same as done: and Saint Paul himselfe saith, that in such cases, God accepteth the will for the deede: Gregor. moral. lib. 10. for God looketh not so much, quantum quilibet valet, sed quantum velit, into what a man is able to doe, as into what a man is willing to doe: and therefore our Sauiour commendeth the poore widdow, and preferreth her before all the rest of the rich men; Mar. 12.43. because, though her gift was lesser, yet was her will better then all the rest: for that they of their abundance, bestowed what they could well spare; but she of her penurie had cast in all that she had: and Dauid willing, and saying that he would build God an house, Ver. 44. 2 Sam. 7. was accepted as if he had built it: for, seeing God looketh not so much into the outward worke, as into the inward intention of the heart; Jdem ibid. l. 1 [...]. whatsoeuer is inten­ded by the will, in the very heart of man, the same is reputed and deemed as done, in the eyes of God: sayth Saint Gregorie.

Secondly, Euill actions haue the same estimation; for, si sit voluntas & desit potestas, &c. If thou hast a will to doe euill, and hast no power to doe it; thou art no lesse guiltie of the deed, in the sight of God, then if thou hadst done it: and there­fore he that looketh on a Woman, that is, with a will to lust after her, hath committed adulterie with her in his heart alreadie, saith our Sauiour: and the very heathen Poet, subscribeth vnto the same truth, saying;

Whosoeuer thinketh euill inwardly within his breast, must [Page 55] needs bee guiltie of the outward fact; The will or de­sire of sinne deserueth the punishments of sinne. Lanch. de ope­ribus dei. p. 1. l. 4. c. 11. and so liable to the iust punishment that is due for such a sinne. And therefore (in the iudgement of the very heathen) the will of sinning, doth most iustly deserue the punishment of the sinne. For,

It is obserued by Diuines, that although Satans power be ve­rie great, to corrupt all other faculties of the soule of man, as to darken the vnderstanding, to dazle the fancie, to delude the sen­ces, and to prouoke the appetite, That Satan hath no power to compell the will. yet that hee hath no power to re­moue, or to turne the will; he may tempt, and perswade; but he cannot compell the same: for seeing this is the primum mobile, the highest wheele in the frame of our soule, that moueth and gui­deth all our actions, and according to which they shall be dis­cerned, and iudged: therefore in the middest of mans greatest assaults, God would not suffer Satan to preuaile and to com­mand the will; but hee hath left the same in our owne libertie; so that Satan cannot destroy vs, vnlesse wee bee willing to de­stroy our selues: and therefore Saint Ambrose sayth, Ambros: de vita beata. & habe­tur. 15. q. 1. can: Non est. Non est quod cuiquam nostram ad scribamus ar [...]mnam, nisi nostra voluntati, qui nemo tenetur ad culpam, nisi voluntate propria deflexerit; There is no reason, why any man should ascribe the cause of his miseries, to any thing in the world, saue onely to his owne will: for we perish, because we will perish; perditio tua ex te, Our owne will is the cause of all our woe. our destruction is from our selues, and from no where else: for no man is drawne to sinne, neither can it be a sinne, vnlesse the agent doth some way yeeld some consent of will: for if Sa­tan had power to force the will, aliquis iustorum non remaneret, then not a righteous man should remaine vpon the face of the earth: and therefore are all his temptations, called perswasions, or suggestions, and not compulsions; because they are all vsed to make vs voluntary agents, to make vs yeeld consent of will; for that (as I sayd before) Non est peccatum nisi sit voluntarium, No act can be a sinne any way, vnlesse it bee voluntarie some way.

And therefore, as Apollodorus the tyrant, dreamed that hee was flea [...]d by the Scythians, and boyled in a seething Caldron; and that his owne heart should say vnto him, I am the cause, of this thy fearefull torments; so it is most certaine that there is no damned soule in hell, but he may iustly say, his owne heart and [Page 56] his owne will sent him thither: for let Sathan doe what hee will, and let him striue what he can, yet if man were true to himselfe, The gates of Hell should neuer preuaile against him: because no created power is able to compell the will of man.

And yet, such is the power of sinne, that although reason should shew vs what is good; Video meliora, proboque dete­riora sequor. yet it maketh vs to will onely that which is euill; to leaue the incommutable and infallible good, and to follow after base and vile affections: and then God, seeing vs nilling the good, and willing the euill, he giues vs ouer to a reprobate minde, Aug. de l. arbit: Vt cum vult homo recte agere non potest, quia quando potuit, noluit; & ideo per malum velle perdidit bo­num pesse: That if we would will well, wee cannot; because when we could will well, we would not: and therefore, as our first Father Adam, so all we that are the sonnes of Adam, by willing euill, haue, and doe loose the power of willing good. For,

Rom. 1.21.24. That our sinne hath depriued vs of all will to doe good.As because the Gentiles, when they knew God, glorified him not as God, neither were thankfull; therefore God gaue them ouer to vile affections, to doe those things that were not conuenient; So because, when we had our will free, and none could com­mand it, wee willed euill, and not good; therefore God in Iustice giues vs ouer, to such wilfull greedinesse of sinning, that now of our selues we haue not the least will, to doe good, for if any man willeth good it is from infused grace, and not from our inbred will; Philip. 1.13. for God worketh in vs both the will and the deed, sayth the Apostle: but our naturall will is dead from good; for sinne hath so defiled the same, that it willeth and affecteth no­thing but vile and vaine things; and so it compelleth euery part and facultie of the soule, to long and lust after euill: for the vis irascibilis, the irascible, distasting, and angry faculty which should be as a dogge, to keepe away sinne, doth now waxe angry at euery vertue: and that which should detest euill in his brother, doth rage and swell at the reproofe of his Father; and the vis concupiscibilis, the concupiscible faculty, or desiring ap­petite, which should desire nothing but goodnesse, and what were iust and honest, doth now affect nothing but lewdnesse, and what is most vile and abhominable; and it cannot doe a­ny otherwise: Max. l 1. de charitate. Nomquemadmodum passerculus pede alligatus, &c. [Page 57] For as a little bird tyed by the leg, when he beginneth to flie, is presently drawne downe againe by the string; So the mind of man, tyed by base affections, if it seeke to mount vp to hea­uenly thoughts, it is presently plucked downe againe by sinne: saith Maximus. And so you see, that

This will of man, which neither mortall enemies, nor yet infernall spirits, nor any other created thing, could subdue; is now defiled, polluted, and wholly corrupted by sinne. That no out­ward enemy can compell our will. And therefore I can freely yeeld vnto our aduersaries, that wee haue free-will, in regard of any outward compulsion: for that Satan himselfe cannot compell it; for if he could, we could not iustly be condemned, for doing that vnwillingly, which we are whol­ly and forcibly compelled to doe; Our inward naturall cor­ruption is that which draw­eth our will to sinne. but we haue not the least free-will, in regard of our naturall corruption: for, as a stone tumbling downe the hill needes no man to driue it; so the will of it selfe is so inclined to euill, that of it selfe, it can no more affect goodnesse, then a stone of it selfe to runne vpwards: and therefore Saint Iohn saith, of the regenerate; Iohn 2.13. that they are not borne of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Secondly, as no action can be good, vnlesse the will be right, and the will can neuer be right, vnlesse the vnderstanding be right, as Seneca saith; for though the will be the Mistresse, and the Commander of all the faculties of the soule, Our will is guided by our iudgement. saue onely the vegetatiue, as Nyssenus saith; yet of it selfe it hath no light, but is inlightned by the reason & iudgement of the vnderstanding: Ʋiues l. de anima. And therefore actus voluntatis à voluntate producitur, sed à ratio­ne suadetur; The Act of the will is produced by the will, but it is induced and moued by the reason, saith Viues: And there­fore if the vnderstanding be darkened, Matth 15.14. it is no maruell that the will should be corrupted; for, if the lame will, carry and com­mand the blinde vnderstanding, and the blinde reason, doe leade and guide the lame will, then are both like to fall into the Ditch. Of the perfe­ction of Adams vnderstan­ding.

But, though the vnderstanding of Adam, in Paradice, was so perfect, that he knew his God, which made him; his wife to [Page 58] be bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh, though hee neuer saw her before, and all the other creatures so well, that at the first sight, he was able to giue them names agreeable to their natures; Gen. 2.20.23. yet now the vnderstanding of all men i [...] so blinded, that it cannot see the light of any Diuine truth: How our vn­derstanding is now darke­ned through sinne. Peccatum enim tenebrae, for sinne is as the blacknesse of darknesse, and as a deepe dungeon, wherein there is no light; and all sinnes are called the workes of darkenesse; not onely because they are done in darkenesse: or at least desired to be kept secret, but also because they are the workes of them, whose vnderstandings are so darkned, that they cannot perceiue the excellency of the Grace of God, Rom 13.12.13. but doe thinke all the mysteries of our faith to be, not onely mirabilia, strange and wonderfull; but also incredibilia, impossible and incredible: and therefore whatsoeuer we doe say of grace, and of spirituall things, Ephes. 5.8. they are but foolishnesse vnto them; for, as in the night time, when there is no light, a bush seemes a man, and a man a beast, and we iudge Lead to be siluer, Brasse Gold, and Gold no better then Copper; So those men, qui sordide viuunt, Chrysost. hom. 4. in Iohn. which do loue, & liue in iniquity, can no wayes vnderstand the excellency of piety, saith Saint Chrysostome.

And therefore sinne brought this infirmitie vpon vs, to bee [...], Darkned in our vnderstandings; and our fathers affected-knowledge of good and euill, brought inflicted ignorance of all good, vpon all his children: for as we reade of a certaine Widdow, Ephes. 4.1 [...]. that desiring to see better then she did, had her eyes so cunningly closed, by a subtle and a false Physition, that while she hoped for a greater measure of sight, How Adam by affecting knowledge brought ignorance vp-all his poste­rity. he stole away all the treasure that she had, and then hauing her eyes opened, and seeing how shee was cozened, shee worthily complained that she saw worse then euer she did before. So Adam, desiring to know much, and to see better then he did before, became in­deed to know iust nothing, and to see himselfe in a farre worser state, then euer he was before: for, God is light, and in him there is no darknesse at all: and therefore falling away from God, wee are depriued of all light, 1 John 1.5. and are plunged into the place of vtter darkenesse: Iohn 12.35. and therefore as he that walketh in darknesse, know­eth not where he goeth; so, we being separated from God, wee know not what is truth, we know not what is good.

And the Philosophers themselues, the seekers and searcher [...] after Knowledge, did finde, to their endlesse griefe, The Philoso­phers saw and professed the blindnesse of all men. that when they had turned their strength into weaknesse, their marrow into drynesse, and their colour into palenesse, by their continu­all watchings, and indefessed vnwearied studies, and mu­sing to get knowledge; they attained at length, to no more, but hoc vnum scire, se nihil scire to know this one thing, that they knew iust nothing.

And (as our Sauiour said to Nicodemus, in the like case) if they could not attaine to the knowledge of earthly things, Iohn 3.12. how should they vnderstand heauenly things? For although the vnder­standing, which Nazianzene calleth, [...], the eye and lampe of reas [...]n, should be exceeding sharpe, to discerne the alterations of the skyes, to enter into the secrets of nature, How sharpe our vnder­standing is in natural things. & to reach vnto the height of heauen, and the deepnesse of Hell it selfe; yet in things concerning God, he could reach no fur­ther, then [...], such points as might be manifested by de­monstration: as Saint Clement speaketh.

For if we talke of Christs conception, by the holy Ghost, How blockish euery man is naturally in the mysteries of our Faith. without the helpe of man; of his birth of a pure Virgin, with­out breach or impeachment of her Virginitie, of his Death, as the Sonne of God personally vnderstood, (for otherwise the Diuine Nature is impassible;) and so of his resurrection, as hee is the Sonne of Man, and of the resurrection of all flesh at the last day; and such li [...] Mysteries of our Faith; then both the wise Grecians, euen all the Schoole of Athens, and the foolish Iewes, euen all the whole ranke of Rabbies, will count each point [...], a fained thing; & cry out with the Athenians, Act. 17.18. What will these bablers say? for, as the eye of man (saith S. Augustine) being either blinde or pur-blinde, cannot presently discerne the clee­rest obiect: euen so (saith he) Animus pollutus, aut mens tur­bata, deum presentem videre non potest: the minde that is distra­cted with worldly cares, or the soule that is polluted with filthy sinne, can neither vnderstand God nor godlinesse.

And therefore Moses saith, that all the imaginations of the thoughts of mans heart, were onely euill continually; Gen. 6.5. Tit. 1 15. Rom. 8.6. and Saint Paul saith, that our very mindes are defiled, and our wisedomes death: but, if the light that is in thee, be darkenesse, how great is that [Page 60] darkenesse? if our mindes and vnderstandings be thus blinded, and defiled through sinne, in what case shall the other faculties of the soule be?

What an ex­cellent facul­tie the memo­ry is. Sabel. l. 10. c. 9. Exemp. de me­mor.Thirdly, for the memory, It is a faculty, qua repetit animus quae fuerunt; Whereby the soule retaineth, as it were in her sight and knowledge, all the things that are past; Et hoc nil sanctius, nil v­tilius homini dedit Deus; and it is the best and most excellent gift that God bestowed on man, saith Sabellicus: for, this is the Treasurer of all Learning, and the Keeper of all those Arts, and Knowledge, which by great study and labour, we haue attained vnto: and therefore in vaine were our vnderstanding; in vaine were all our seeking and searching after Knowledge, if the me­morie did not faithfully retaine what wee haue industriously found.

Plato in Crat. & in tymaeo. That forget­fulnesse is an infernall fiend.And therefore it is a common saying, that tantum scimus quantum memoria tenemus; We know no more, but what wee remember. And for this cause, Plato saith, that memory is the mother of the Muses; and Aristotle compareth it vnto a Scribe, intus manens & omnia scribens, that sitteth alwayes within, and recordeth all things that are done, either within or without; and the Poets placed Lethe, that is, obliuion and forgetfulnesse, which is alwayes the enemie contrary to the memory, in Hell, a­mong the infernall spirits.

Wherein the memory ex­celleth the o­ther faculties of the soule.And in this we find the memory to be preferred, and inriched with more excellent prerogatiues then any other faculty of the soule; that the vnderstanding hath much a doe to discusse of things, and by reason to finde out the truth; and the will many times is thwarted, and contradicted by reason; when wise­dome sheweth, the will should not affect many things so in­directly as it doth: but the memory is neuer distracted by any forraine foe, but retaineth peaceably at home (like a good Huswife) both what the will affecteth, and what the vnder­standing findeth.

How God re­commendeth his benefits vnto our me­mories. Exod. 20.2.And therefore God in the deliuering of the Law, doth chiefly worke vpon this faculty of the memory, by presenting vnto the Israelites what he had done for them, saying: I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the Land of Egypt, out out of the house of bondage; And so Christ in the sealing of the [Page 61] Gospell by the participation of his blessed body and blood, re­commends that excellent benefit vnto our memories saying: Doe this in remembrance of mee: Luc 22.19. 1 Cor. 11.24. for in vaine should God doe his wonderfull workes, vnlesse they were had in remembrance: if so soone as he had done them, we should with the Israelites presently forget them: for as the meat is receiued in vaine into the stomacke, vnlesse it be retained vntill it be digested; so are all the workes of God, done in vaine for vs, vnlesse the Memory, like a good stomacke, (as Saint Bernard cals it) doth retaine them vntill they haue wrought their appointed ends, vpon our soules.

And yet now, this excellent faculty of the soule is so defiled, How the Me­morie is defi­led by sinne. and corrupted by sinne, that like a raw bad stomacke, it receiueth not, it retaineth not, it degesteth not, that good meate that is offered vnto it; but is onely delighted with those corrupter things that do turne to bad humors, & crudities, for to increase the diseases, and to hasten the death of the soule: For,

First, touching vaine things, and vnprofitable matters, Autore Plinio. How faithfull is our memory in vaine or euill things? we see the fidelity of this facultie, that admirable things are recorded of the same. Cyrus could remember the name of euery Soul­dier that was in his huge armie; and Mythridates King of Pon­tus, learned to speake two & twenty seuerall languages: & Por­tius Latronus, could rehearse any speech, verbatim, that hee had once written, without missing of any word thereof: and the like memory had Themistocles, Lucullus, Hortentius, Seneca, and diuers others.

So now in all men, tenacissima est iniuriae memoria; Scribit in mar­more laefas. Cicero. l. 2. Ora­tore. Wee can neuer forget ill turnes done vnto vs; we write these things in marble; yea though we say that we doe forgiue them, yet, we do professe that we shall neuer forget them; (a fine distinction to destroy our soules, & a witty way to goe to hell:) and so of many other things, that do oftentimes teare our hearts & vexe our mindes, with vnspeakeable griefes; we cannot (though wee would neuer so faine) forget them: and therefore Themistocles, when it was told him, that Simonides had found out the art of memory, said that he would like better of him, that could teach him the art of forgetfulnesse, that hee might forget those things which he should not, and would not, remember. But,

How soone we forget good things.Secondly, touching good things, that should be had in euer­lasting remembrance, we see quam facilis est obliuio boni: How easily they are forgotten, as Saint Hierome saith: there be but ten commandements, ten words saith Moses, but two saith our Sauiour, Mar. 12.30.31. Rom. 13.8. but one saith, the Apostle; and that is but a short one too, Loue, and that is all: and yet how hardly doe we learne it, and how soone doe we forget it? how many thousand, haue we in England, that can tell you a thousand tales, but cannot say their Prayers, their Creed, and their ten Commandements? there is but one God: and as the Poet saith, ‘—Est deus in nobis, agitate calescimus illo.’

This God is not onely present with vs, about our bed [...], and a­bout our pathes, as the Prophet speaketh; but he is also within vs; for in him we liue, Psal. 139.2. Act. 17.28. we moue, and haue our being, as the Apostle saith; and yet we doe quite forget him, we thinke not of him: yea, we forget our selues, and whatsoeuer is good for our owne soules: Luk 10.12. for though there be but vnum necessarium, one thing that is needfull for vs, (as our Sauiour testifieth) yet alas you see, how few of vs doe remember that one thing: and therefore forgetting this one thing, we forget all things; and wee can re­member nothing that is good for our owne selues.

Thou shalt remember (saith Moses vnto the Israelites,) that thou wast a bond-man in Egypt, and the Lord thy God redee­deemed thee thence; Deut. 14.18. but they soone forgate, saith Dauid what God had done, Psal 78.12. What wee should alwaies remember. and the wonderfull things that he had shewed for them. So we should remember Gods blessings, that wee might be thankefull to him, and we should remember our owne sinnes, that we might be sorrowfull for them: wee should remember Gods Iustice, that we might feare to sinne, and wee should re­member his mercy, that we might not fall to despaire.

But alas, alas: such is our nature, such grieuous sores doe possesse our soules, and this excellent facultie of our memory is so wounded by sinne, Francisc. Pe­trarch. dialog. 8. de memoria. that as we reade of Messala Coruinus, who became so sottish, as to forget his owne name; so wee are become to that passe, Vt discenda discimus, & discenda dedisci­mus; We alwayes remember, what we should forget; and we euer forget, what we should euer remember.

And so I hope you see, (as to our griefe we feele it) how fil­thy [Page 63] sinne slayeth the soule; corrupting and defiling each part and facultie of the same; the will, with lewde affections; the vnderstanding, with grosse ignorance; and the memory, with sottish forgetfulnesse: so that now wee will indirectly, wee iudge darkely, and wee remember nothing that is heauenly.

Hence it comes to passe, How our soules are fuller of diseases then our bodies. that our bodies are not so subiect to diseases, as our soules be to sinnes: for pride, is the soules tympa­ny: when it doth— turgescerefastu, waxe big, and swell through the distaine of others; enuie, is the worme that gnaweth at the heart: then which, it is most certaine that

The Sicilian Tyrants did neuer feele a more fearefull tor­ment: and wrath, is a plurisie, that will not be appeased without blood: for of the raging man it is most truely said,

And therefore of all the men in the world, we are aduised to keepe no company with an angry furious man; but as the Poet saith,

And Lust, is the soules feauer: the flames thereof, are the flames of fire: and the waters thereof are aqua [...] the wa­ters of folly and madnesse.

And in this, How the sicke­nesse of the soule is worse then the sicke­nesse of the body. the sicknesse of the soule doth exceed all the sicknesse of the body: for the body hath some respite, from its sickenesse; but the soule hath none from sinne: and euery sicknesse of the body kils it not, but euery sinne slayeth the soule: for the reward of sinne, that is, of euery sinne, is death, saith the Apostle.

And hence likewise, in my iudgement, that branch of Pella­gianisme, taught also by Lactantius, that the light of Nature, if it were well vsed, might make way for Diuine instruction; may bee sufficiently confuted: for, though they teach that man by sinne hath not quite killed his soule; but wounded the same, like the [Page 64] man that fell among theeues, and was left halfe aliue: and there­fore might, Lactan diuin. iustit. c. 5. That Nature though neuer so well vsed cannot pro­cure the gifts of grace. Ephes. 2.1.5. Coloss. 2.13. (saith Lactantius) come to the same doctrine, that we doe follow, Si quae, natura ducente sanserunt, defendissent: If they had constantly maintained those things which Nature taught them: yet the Apostle saith here, that sinne brings death vnto the Sinner: and if death, then sure there was no life; i. e. no life of Grace in him. And so in many other places, the Apo­stle sheweth as much; for he saith, that we were dead in trespasses and sinnes; and that God hath quickned vs by Iesus Christ.

And therefore it is apparently plaine, that at the beginning of our conuersion, we are altogether passiue, and haue no power in the world, to releeue our selues, vntill grace hath quickened our soules.

Ob.But against this, it may be obiected, that the Apostle saith, the Gentiles knew God; Rom. 1.21. [...]; so much as might be knowne concerning God; that is, his eternall power and God-head, when they considered him in his workes; and therefore the light of Nature, was not quite extinguished in them.

Sol. That sinne ex­tinguished all knowledge of God, but what God reuealeth to man.I answere, that this knowledge of God, was not from the light of Nature in them; but it was reuealed by God vnto these na­turall men, to make them without excuse, as Zanchius well ob­serueth: for so the Apostle sheweth in the 19 verse of the same Chapter; where he saith, Deus enim illis manifestauit, for God reuealed the same vnto them: and therefore I say that the sinne of Adam, did quite kill the soule of euery man: for, the reward of sinne is death: and therefore we may all of vs cry out with the Apostle, Rom. 7.24. O wretched men that we are, who shall deliuer vs from this body of death?

And here-hence we may also see, the iudgement of God threatned in Paradise, Gen. 1.17. In what day thou eatest of the tree of Know­ledge of good and euill, thou shalt die the death; to be truely and presently inflicted vpon Adam: for, though his body seemed to liue, yet was his soule separated from God, and therefore must needs be presently dead.

Aug. de ser dom. in monte, & habetur de poenitent. di­stinct. 2.But as sinne is three manner of wayes committed, (as I shew­ed before) so is the death of the soule three wayes inflicted: and they are prefigured by those three sorts of dead men, which our Sauiour raised in the Gospell, as S. Augustine sheweth.

The first, was Iayrus his daughter: she was a Virgin, [...]nd was as yet within the doores; and therefore our Sauiour went into the house, and put out all the people, and vouchsafed to take her by the hand, and to say Talitha cumi, Damosell, Mar. 5.41. Of a three-fold death of the soule. I say vnto thee arise. This signifieth that soule, which sinned onely by consent, but hath not yet brought forth the sinne into fact: and therefore God will be mercifull vnto such, and will not require to shame them before the world; but hee will goe in himselfe, and accept of their inward repentance for such in­ward sinnes.

The second, was the Widdowes sonne of Naime, and hee was caried out to be buried; and therefore our Sauiour in the presence of them all, Did touch the Beere, and said, Luk 7.14. Yong man I say vnto thee, arise; and he sate vp, and began to speake. And this signifieth the soule that sinneth in fact: and therefore as she publikely sinned, so she must be publikely restored; and as by her sinne she offended many; so by her sitting vp, They that pub­likely sinne, must publikely testifie their repentance. i. e. by her standing, and constancy in grace, and by her talking, i. e. by her confession of her sinnes, she must giue satisfaction vnto many: Nam qui publice peccat, publice corrigendus, pub­lice restaurandus est: For he that publikely offendeth, is pub­likely to be reprooued, publikely to be restored: saith the Law.

The third was Lazaus, John 11. and hee was dead and laid in his graue; and therefore Iesus was faine to goe a great iourney to raise him: and when he came to him, he groned in his spirit, and was troubled; he wept and he groaned againe; Ver. 35. he lifted vp his eyes, he prayed, and he cryed with a loude voyce, saying, Ver. 43. Laza­rus come forth: and then he came forth, but how? bound, hand and foot (saith the Euangelist;) with graue clothes, and his face bound with a Napkin: so that his friends and standers by, were faine to loose him, and to let him goe. Ver 44. And this signifieth the soule that is accustomed to sinne, that is dead and buried in sin: and therefore many groanes and sighes, How hard it is to recouer a sinner accu­stomed to sinne. many teares and prayers, and loud cryes, must be vsed, before such a soule can be raised from her sinnes: and because the accustomed sinners are bound with sinnes, as with a chaine, and haue their faces bound vp with shamelesse impudency, and couered with the same, as with the Napkin: therefore the Ministers of the word, [Page 66] their friends, their neigh [...]ours, by reproofes, by counsell, and by all other meanes must doe their best, to loose them, and to let them goe: that is, to withdraw them from their euill wayes, and to cause them to walke in the pathes of Righte­ousnesse.

Well then, seeing [...], the life of sinne is the death of the soule; yea, seeing euery sinne slayeth the soule, and that it is so hard a thing to reuiue the soule from accustomed sinnes; Oh why should we accustome our selues to sinne? for it is more dangerous to sleepe with one sinne, then with an hundred Scorpions: For they can but kill the body, but sinne killeth both, the body and soule.

That the loue of goodnesse should moue vs to hate sinne. Siscirem deos ignoscitur [...]s & homines ignor [...]turos: Tamen propter peccati turpi­tudinem pecca­re dedignarer. Seneca.We know that good men will not sinne, for the very loue they beare to vertue, and for the detestation they beare to vice; for so we reade that Seneca, though a Heathen, hated sinne; least it should defile his soule; and Anselmus, that good Christian saith that if hee should see all punishments, without sinne, on the one hand; and finde sinne with all the pleasures of sinne, on the other hand; and were compelled to make choice of one of them as Origen was, either to commit Sodo­mie with a Blackamoore, or to cast Thu [...]ibilum his censer into the fire, for to sacrifice vnto the Idols; hee would surely imbrace the punishments, and forsake the sinne; because all the Saints of God, doe euer esteeme it better, to suffer affliction with the people of GOD, Heb. 11.25. then to inioy the pleasures of sinne for a season.

But if we will not imitate these good men, to forsake sinne, for the filthinesse of sinne: yet, as many wicked men are saide to haue done it, That wicked men should forsake sinne for feare of punishment. so let vs doe it — formi ine poenae; for feare of the reward of sinne: for the wages of sinne is death, and that not onely of the soule in sinne, but also of the body for sinne. And so I come to the second kinde of death.

CHAP. IIII. How sinne slayeth the body, by inflicting on it, all the miseries of this life: and of the large extent of death, ouer all men.

SEcondly, Touching the death of the Body: that wee may the more fully take a view thereof, and the more orderly proceed in this point, I must desire you to consider these three things.

• 1. How it is defined.
• 2. How farre it extendeth.
  Three things to bee consi­dered concer­ning naturall death.
• 3. How variably it worketh.

For the first, [...]: death is said to bee the dissolution of the body and soule; that is, the separation of the one from the other, and not the destruction of either: And wee must note, that whatsoeuer worketh or cau­seth the diuorse and dissolution of these two, must needs be a branch of this tree: and therefore by death, is vnderstood, By death is vnderstood all that is contai­ned in the curse of God. not onely the last finall stroke, and fatall seperation of the body and soule, but also all other fore-runners, and fore-causers of this dissolution; as sicknesse, griefe, sorrow, and all the other miseries that doe happen throughout the whole course of mans life: for (as I told you before) the death of man, pro­nounced here, and the curse of God denounced elsewhere, are aequiualent, the like reward of sinne: and therefore whatso­euer is the curse of God, the same must needs be contained vn­der the name of death: but we know, that all the miseries of man, doe proceed from the curse of God for sinne: and there­fore all the miseries, and troubles, and sorrowes of this life, must needs bee vnderstood vnder the name of death: for as the last stroke of a tree, is not the onely cause that doth throw downe the tree, but that, with all the rest, are properly sayd to h [...]ue cut it downe: so the last stroke of death, cannot be sayd to be the sole killer of any man; but that, with all the rest of his prece­dent miseries. So death daily strikes, to beate vs downe, and [Page 68] the more sorrowes are suffered, or the more dayes are passed, the more chippes are chopped off, from this tree of life.

Now the whole life of man, is nothing else but a mappe of miseries; and my life would bee too short to relate it: yet see­ing all, is the wages of sinne; for man suffereth all that he suffe­reth for his sinnes: (as the Prophet sheweth,) my text calls mee to speake a little of all, and the time bids me to speake but a lit­tle of the same: and therefore I desire you to consider,

• The manifold miseries of all ages.
  1. How all ages.
• 2. How all estates.
• 3. How all creatures.

Doe accumulate, & heape vpon man heapes of mi­series.

For the first, In our infancie, wee come crawling into the world, without any strength.

Ouid. Met. l. 15. Editus in lucem iacuit, sine viribus infans, and as Lucretius sayth — Nudus humi iacet. Lucret. l. 5. Iob. 1. We come naked out of our mo­thers wombes, and haue not any, the least, couering to hide vs, saue onely the blood of filthinesse: and if we had vnderstanding to see it, we might perceiue our mothers halfe-dead by giuing vs a little life, and that if wee were not helped by others, the houre of our birth, would be the end of our life: and therefore as the Poet saith:

The poore infant, now begins with dolefull cries, (and teares within a while) as his best orators, to expresse his owne miseries: Iustin. hist l. 1. and you neuer saw, neither haue we euer read of any one, saue onely of Zoroastres king of the Bactrians; that either laughed or smiled at his birth: nor yet in forty dayes after (sayth Arist.) except it be sometimes as they sleepe & are at rest. Arist. histor. animal. l. 7. c. 10

After wee are thus cast into the world, weake, wailing and miserable; Galenus de diffi. medicis. our whole life is deuided by Galenus into foure parts, whereof he maketh the,

• 1. [...]. iuuenum, of children, till 15.
• The age of man is diuided into 4. parts.
  2. [...]. vigentium, of youths, till 30.
• 3. [...]. mediorum, of men, till 50.
• 4. [...]. senum, of old age, till death, as Ʋarro distributeth the same.

Yeares of their age.

First, In our childehood we are all alike, the heyre differing no­thing [Page 69] from a seruant, though hee bee Lord of all, all Lords or what you will; but they must be vnder Tutors and Gouernors sayth the Apostle, and because — exultat leuitaete puer — children are childish, and apish, rather delighting in toyes, then imbracing instructions; therefore they are kept vnder correcti­on, and brought vnto vertue, by good discipline while they may be taught: for as it is prouerbially sayd, ‘Flexilis est iuncus, salices flectuntur amarae,’

Robora dura minus. — the tender branch may bee easily bowed; but the well-growne Oke, Prouer. 29.18. and c. 4.3.4. will bee sooner broken then straitened: so wee may teach a childe, a trade in his youth; but we shall hardly teach an old Horse to amble: and therefore, the wisest among the sonnes of men, aduiseth all men to correct their children, though they be neuer so deere in their sight: because this is as necessarie vnto the children, as their foode, and as comfortable vnto the parents as the childe himselfe; in as much, as to haue a good childe, is better then to haue a childe.

And yet this instruction, and especially the correction, is such an intollerable burthen, so heauie for them to beare, What a bur­then correcti­on is vnto children. as that they thinke no creatures more miserable then themselues, when they see all others free, and themselues onely (as they thinke,) bound vnder the rod; and therefore would they giue all they haue, to be once rid out of this seruile bondage.

Secondly, In our youth, we are like vntamed colts, wilde and wanton, vnable to rule our selues, and vnwilling to be ruled by others: and therefore wee doe loosen our bridles to all licenti­ousnesse; and euery young man is for the most part, as the Poet describeth him briefly.

We burne with lust while we be youths, How dissolute we are in our youth. Ouidius l. 13. Metam: Dum mihi lae [...] genas conuestit flore inuentus, militiae ingredior castra cupido tu [...]: and are still infla­med with that vntameable fire of wanton loue:

Pleasure and youth, doe smile on vs, to woe vs

To taste vaine lusts, tasted they vndoe vs. Therefore S. Iere. sayth, That it is almost impossible to find a young man, that is not sometimes tempted with fleshly lusts: and Saint Ambrose sayth, Inter omnia certamina christianorum, durissima [Page 70] sunt praelia caftitatis; Prodigus, & cu­rae vacuus, teme­rarius, audax, Omne genus vitae liberioris amo. Among all the combats of Christians, it is the hardest thing for vs to ouercome, and subdue our owne lusts: and to keepe our owne flesh a chast and a modest virgin: And as we are inflamed with lust, so we are drowned in drunken­nesse; we swell with pride, and we fill our selues with all filthy­nesse; and thereby we doe many times, (as wee daily see in many desperate youthes) by drinking, whooring, swearing, quarrelling, and such like effects of deboysnesse, suddenly cut off our selues, in our owne wickednesse: and what greater mise­ries can there be, then these? and yet behold I will shew thee greater abhominations. For,

The miseries incident to vs in our Man­hood. Nunc me ludus habet, nunc me formosa puella, nunc fera pro pacta praelia nocte g [...]ro; Sedvelut her­ba perit, sic flos cadit ipse inuentae, faelix qui potuit dicere talis eram.Thirdly, In our manhood we are come to the midst of mise­ries; so that quocun (que) afpiciam quocun (que) lumina vertam: Where­soeuer we looke and turne our eyes, we shall see nothing, but our selues swimming in a Sea of sorrowes, and there tumbled and tossed with many waues of woes: micat ignibus aether, Cloudes of darkenesse, are in stead of comforts; and about our heads we shall finde haile-stones and coales of fire: for now we finde the affaires of the world, the feares of enemies, the cares for families, the discontents at home, many times of thy Wife, that lyeth in thy bosome; many times of thy Children, the fruits of thine owne bowels; the wrongs of Neighbours abroad, the suites of Law, and a thousand such bitter fruits of sinne, doe so vexe and affright the heart of man; that they make him of­ten sleepe like the Nightingale, that is said to haue alwayes a pricke before her breast; and then to rise vp early, and late to goe to bed, Psal. 127.3. and to eate the bread of carefulnesse, and all to no purpose; for after we haue wearied, and worne out our selues in the pur­suite of this world, all our workes and labours are but as the Spiders webbe; it will make no garment for vs: and when wee haue brought our yeares to an end, as it were a tale that is tolde; then, notwithstanding all our former pompe and power, wee shall be as poore as when we were borne, euen as poore as Iob: for, The miseries incident to vs in old age. Iob. 1.21. as we came naked into the world, so naked wee shall returne a­gaine: and so this is not onely the misery, but also the folly and madnesse of men. And yet behold a little more. For,

Fourthly, In old age. Vs (que) adeo grauis vxori, gnatis (que), sibi (que), vt captatori moueat fastidia Cosso. Wee are troublesome to our selues and others.

An old man is troublesome vnto youths, saith Menander: yea, our owne Wiues, though they cannot leaue vs, yet doe they loathe vs: and indeed our selues, doe now begin to hate our selues: ‘Laudat praeteritos, presentes despicit annos,’

For these be the dayes wherein there is no pleasure.

[...]. Because olde age is like an heauy burthen vnto men, that makes them stoope downe to the earth,

and neuer suffers them to rise, or scarce to looke vp towards Heauen, vntill they returne to the earth, Gen. 3.19. from whence they were taken. Alas then, what a misery is this, to consider the miseries of olde age? our bodies are weakned, our beauty vanished, our senses blunted: the eyes cannot see, the eares cannot heare, the hands cannot worke, and the feete cannot walke: and then besides,

We are seized vpon by all kinde of diseases; our heads ake, our hearts faint, and all our bodies tremble; Coughes, Rheumes and Feauers, doe now seeme to be our vitall spirits: and so the Heathens saw, and so they said, that no age was free from mise­ries, yet, not one so bad as this: for notwithstanding all this, and that they see they cannot liue, and Nature tels them they must needs die; yea, all these fore-runners of death, Auri sacra fa­mes, & amor sceleratus ha­bendi, assolet imprimis excru­ciare fenes. doe daily tell them, that they are euen drawing their last breath; yet the neerer they be vnto their death, the more couetous they are, the more worldly minded, the more desirous to liue, and the more loath to leaue this wretched life.

Secondly, as all the Ages of mans life, The miseries of all estates. so all the estates of life, are full of the punishments of sinne: For,

First, if thou beest poore: —Nihil habet infaelix paupertas, Thou shalt be sure of nothing, but contempt, which is pouer­ties necessary attendant; for, the poore man shall be despighted of his own brethren: and it is strange to see, what pains and drudge­ry, [Page 72] those poore snakes (as we call them) doe take, The miseries of the poore. Gen. 3.19. and indure both at home and abroad, to get a little maintenance; in the sweat of their face, it may be in the coldest Winter, they doe eate their bread, and perhaps scarce sufficient to satisfie meere nece­sity; as if they onely were allotted to sustaine that heauy sen­tence that was first denounced against man for sinne: and there­fore Menander saith,— [...]: No burthen is more burthensome then pouerty: and Plautus saith: Om­nibus modis, Plaut. rud. qui pauperes sunt, misere viuunt: The poore are mi­serable euery way: and it was the common receaued opinion of the Gentiles, miseros esse deis inuisos; that they were hated of the gods which were thus plagued by the gods; and the Iewes thought little lesse; Deut. 28.22.23. because this is numbred among the curses of the Law: and therefore Hecuba, being brought to such ex­treame pouerty, as that she had neither clothes to couer her nakednesse, nor yet foode to satisfie nature, cals her mis-for­tunes and miseries [...]; Such as surpas­sed the sufferance of any creature; and Plutarch reports, that many men, to auoid the same, did preuent this misery of life, by a sudden and vnnaturall death; choosing to die, rather then to liue in extreame pouerty: and so with the vnpatient Fishes, they did but leape out of the Frying-pan, into the fire; and run away from that misery which for a while they would not in­dure, into that intollerable torments, which now they must eternally suffer.

The misery of the rich.Secondly, If thou beest rich, then art thou enuied of others, and shalt be very like to be consened of thy goods; for theeues will seeke to robbe thee, thy friends to betray thee, and thy neighbours to deceiue thee; which makes the rich men to take more care to keepe their wealth, then they tooke paines to get it; and thereby they are vexed and crucified of them­selues: ‘ Inuenal. Satyr. 10.Nam plures, nimia congesta pecunia cura strangulat.—’ For gold and siluer haue destroyed many a man; saith the Sonne of Syrach: Eccle. 8. for riches are like thornes, saith our Sauiour Christ; because they haue the same power to teare our hearts, Mar. 4.18. as the others haue to rend our garments. Neither is this all the euill, [Page 73] that riches bring vnto vs; but they puffe vs vp with pride, they make vs to disdaine our Inferiors, wrong our neighbours, forget our God, and to thinke our selues, poore wormes, to be no lesse then gods on earth: and therefore the Lord saith, that he is greatly angry against rich Nations; Because, Zephan 1. they that will be rich, doe fall into temptation, and a snare, 1 Tim. 6.9. and into many foolish and hurtfull lusts, which drowne men in perdition and destruction: and our Sauiour saith, Matth. 19.23. it is a very hard thing for a rich man to en­ter into the Kingdome of Heauen.

And therefore, though pouerty be an extreame misery, Whether to be poore, or to be rich, is the more misera­ble. yet doe not I know well, whether to be wealthy or to be in want, is the worser: for though to, be poore, is a miserable thing in this life, yet to be rich, is a great hinderance for vs to eternall life: and therefore I finde that the sonne of Iakeh, prayed to God, that he would giue him neither pouerty nor riches: Prou. 30.3. but feed him with foode conuenient: Because the meane state is the best state. And yet,

Thirdly, If thou beest meane, then art thou accounted base, The miseries of the meane estate. and deemed vnfit for the Society, nay, for the seruice, of many men: for now Gentlemen, and not good men, are the men that are most generally required for the seruice of great men.

Fourthly, If thou beest Noble, The miseries of Nobility. then art thou euer in feare of disgrace, and must, perhaps in forraine warres, with the imbru­ing of thy hands in others blood, mainetaine the reputation of thine owne blood at home.

Fiftly, If thou beest one of the vulgar people, The miseries of the com­mon people. then art thou at others command, and euer in feare of thy Iudges anger.

Sixtly, If thou beest a Magistrate, then must thou labour and toyle for the good of others; and many times, The miseries of Magistrates. disturbe thine owne rest, and peace; yea, disburse thine owne state, and suffer many other hazards, to vndergoe, to procure rest and peace vnto thy neighbours: and when in any difference, be­twixt men, thou hast done thy best, and dealt as iustly as Iustice it selfe could doe; yet, for his saying, that is righted, and per­haps but coldly too, that thou hast done well, thou art like to bee sure, of him that would haue done the wrong, to be more wronged thy selfe, by his railing and proclayming thee to be a corrupt and vnrighteous Iudge.

The miseries of the Mini­sters.Seauenthly, If thou beest a Minister, and a teacher of Gods people, then shalt thou see, that this highest calling in Gods Church, is subiect to the greatest miseries in the world: for, they are sent as sheepe into the midst of Wolues, Matth. 10.16. and they are incident to be punished by God many times for the sinnes of others, when they make them their owne, Ezek. 18. because they reprooue them not: and to be scorned and contemned of men when they do their best: and we see many of them, euen of the best, to be left vnre­garded, vnrewarded. And what should I speake of more, Fathers, Children, Husbands, Wiues, Masters, Seruants, and whatsoeuer else, no estate is free from sinne: how can they then be free from miseries?

How all crea­tures do heap vp miseries vpon man.Thirdly, we know that when God made man, he made Lord of all his creatures; the trembling trees bowing, yeelded their fruites, the siluer streames running offered their seruice, the Ly­ons roaring after their prey, and all other creatures, standing in their order, subiected themselues willingly vnto man; but hee, not contented to be a man aboue these; but desiring to be a god aboue all, was made a worme and no man, inferior vnto all; and then all, like Acteons dogges, seeing vs metamorphosed from men to worse then beasts, began to rebell against vs, and most furiously to pursue vs: Gen 19.24. the fire to consume vs, as it did Sodome and Gomorrah; 2 Sam. 24. the ayre to infect vs, as it did the Israelites, in the time of Dauid; the water to drowne vs, as it did the whole world in the dayes of Noah; Gen. 7.23. the earth to swallow vs, as it did Corah, Num. 16.32. Dathan, and Abiram; and all other creatures to deuour vs, as the beares did those children that mocked Elizeus: the Starres in their order, Judg. 5.20. did fight against Sisera: and since we haue sinned and rebelled against the Lord, there is no creature but hath cast away the created yoke of obedience, and haue rebelled against vs: so that now hic labor hoc opus est: It is a taske too great for Hercules to bring them againe to the obedience of man.

And thus you see, that from our first entrance into this wret­ched life, sinne laboureth still to kill vs; and doth at all times, and by all meanes, vexe vs, grieue vs, weaken vs; by passions, sorrowes, sicknesses, and such like, and will neuer leaue vs vntill it layeth vs downe in the dust: and therefore, that all these are the prodromi, the fore-runners, and beginnings of death, or [Page 75] rather like so many little deaths, that doe bring vs, vnto our last and fatall death: For all these are the reward of sinne, and there­fore branches of this death. And so you see what is meant by Death.

For the second point, hauing seene what is meant by death, Of the large extent of death. that is, all the miseries that doe consume and waste our liues: we are now to consider how farre this death extendeth. And this the Apostle sheweth briefly, when he saith, Statutum est om­nibus semel mori; It is appointed for all men once to die; Heb. 9.27. and the very Heathens say as much; Seneca. Lex vniuersa iubet nasci & mori: It is an vniuersall Law, and a debt that we owe, and must pay to Nature, that euery one which is borne to life, should passe away by death: Laertius lib. 2. c. 3. And therefore when it was told Anaxa­goras, that all his sonnes were dead, he answered, Sciebam me genuisse mortales; I knew that I had begotten mortall creatures: for as, nullis amorest medicabilis herbis, so, nihil est moderabile morte; There is nothing in the world that can moderate the rage, or preserue vs from the fatall stroke of death. Non Torquate genus, Horatius lib. 4. non te facundia, non te restituet pietas, saith Horace vnto his friend, Torquatus. And we see the faith of Abraham, the strength of Sampson, the wisedome of Salomon, the riches of Craesus, and the Kingdomes of Alexander could not preserue them from Death.

Polydor Virgil writeth, that King Canutus, seeing the Sea be­ginning to flow, said, I command thee not to touch my feete; but his command was bootlesse, for he had scarce ended his Edict, but the surging waue dashed at his teeth: So we may out-braue death in words, but we may be sure, that as the Sea, so Death, How vnresista­ble is death. antiquum obtinebit, will keepe his old wont: Yea, though wee could hinder the course of the Sea, for meanes haue been found to tame the fiercest beasts, to breake the hardest marble, to mol­lifie the impenetrable Adamant, and to deale with the Seas as Xerxes did with the waters of Hellespont, or Caesar with all the Riuers of Germany; yet is there no meanes in the world to escape the hands of death: and therefore Saint Augustine saith, August. Psal. 121. Resistitur ignibus, vndis, ferro, resistitur regibus, imperijs, venit vna mors, & quis ei resistit? Fire, Waters, Swords, Kings, King­domes were resisted, but who hath euer withstood the stroake [Page 76] of death: Quia nec miseretur inopum, nec reueretur diuites; Be­cause (as Saint Bernard saith) it neither pittieth the poore, Ber. de conu. cler. nor regardeth the rich; but Nereus the faire, Thirsites the soule, Craesus the rich; Irus the poore; Solym the cruell; Solyman the magnificent, Diomedes the Prince; and Damaetas the Pea­s [...]nt, must all fall downe at Deaths feet: Because that no teares, no prayers, no threatnings, no intre [...]tings, will serue the turne, to turne away the face of death. So stiffe, so deaffe, so inexo­rable is death.

How the Egyp­tians expressed death to be the sole ene­mie of all men.And therefore the Egyptians in their Hierogliphickes painted Death like a Goddesse, holding a sickle in her hand, with this inscription, Nemini parco; I spare no man. And because they found her so hard-hearted, so implacable, and so inexorable, that nothing could appease her wrath, when she did meane to cut vs downe, but that she tooke the Husband from the bosome of his louing wife, and the Parents from the poore helpelesse In­fants; and so fulfilling her owne will, and carefull for none else: therefore they built her no temples, they offered no sacri­fice, they celebrated no rites vnto her: but seeing she vsed all alike, Constantinus imperator, & famulus meus; making no diffe­rence betwixt Agamemnon and Thirsites: therefore all vsed her alike, and stood all vpon their guards to defend themselues, so well, and so long as they might, against all her darts; though they knew that in the end, she would ouercome them all: be­cause they had all sinned; and the reward of sinne is death.

Psal. 50.22.O consider this, all ye that forget God; all ye that neglect God, all whosoeuer, Kings, Lords, and great men; old and yong, rich and poore, one with another: for though you liue like gods; and none dare say, why doe you so? yet you shall die like men, and if you fearelesly commit the sinne; I dare boldly say, that you shal be sure, Aequo pode pul­sat pauperum tabernas, re­gumque turres. Horatius. most fearefully to indure the punishments: for, as you see Death spareth none, but cutteth downe, as well the Cedars of Lebanon, and the Oakes of Bashan, as the Shrubs of Cades; So, much lesse will God spare any man that sinneth.

CHAP. V. How Death worketh variably in diuers respects, and the diuers causes thereof.

FOr the third point, we must consider, that although Death passeth ouer all, yet that it worketh not vpon all alike: but worketh variably, and that, (as we find it) in foure speciall respects.

• 1. Of the manner.
• 2. Of the time.
• 3. Of the place.
• 4. Of the effects: or, consequents of Death.

For the first, we finde that there be more wayes of death, then there be meanes to preserue our life: for as the Poet saith, ‘Mille mod [...]s laethi, miseros mors vna fatigat.’

Though there is but one way for all men to come into the world, yet there is 1000. wayes, How death hath diuers wayes to shor­ten life. Prou 17.22. Act. 5.10. for euery man to goe out of the world. And so we finde, some haue perished with sudden death, as Ananias and Saphira; some with Gluttony, as Domi­tius Afer; others with drunkennesse, as Attila King of Hunnes; some by fire from Heauen, as the Sodomites, Gen. [...]9. the two fifties that were sent to fetch Elias, and Anastatius the Emperour, an Eu­tychian Hereticke: others by waters, as Marcus Marcellus, Exod. 24.28. King Pharaoh, and all his hoast, and all the old wicked world, excepting those eight persons that were saued in Noahs Arke. Gen. 7 21. 1 Pet 2.5. Numb. 16.32. Some with hunger, as Cleanthes; others with thirst, as Thales Milesius; some were swallowed vp quicke to Hell, as Corah, Dathan, and Abiram; and others by earthquakes were stric­ken dead, as Ephrasius Bishop of Antioch. Some were stifled with smoake, as Catulus; others dyed with a fall, as Nestorius; some were taken in their lasciuious dalliances, as Cornelius Gal­lus; others with ouerwatching [...], as M. Attillius; some with poyson, as Phocion; others choked with flies, as Pope Adrian; some at the disburdening of Nature, as that wicked Arrius; o­thers torne in pieces by wilde beasts; as Heraclius, Lucian, 2 King. 2 24. and Acteon by dogges, Hypolitus by wilde Horses; Licus the Em­perour, and the disobedient Prophet, by Lions; Ancaeus King of Samos by Bores; and Hatto Bishop of Mentz by Rats; [Page 78] and so some die with ioy, as Chylo the Lacedemonian, and Diago­ras the Rhodian: who seeing his three sonnes crowned Cham­pions in one day, he reioyced so much, that he dyed for ioy in the very place: More die with griefe, Quia spir [...]tus tristis exic­cat ossa; Because a broken spirit dryeth the bones; and a heauy heart doth hasten to death: and therefore the Prophet Dauid, when he found h [...]mselfe so melancholicke and discontented, did rouze vp his heart and spirits, saying, Why art thou so heauy, O my soule? and why art thou so disquieted within me? yet put thy trust in the Lord, for he is thy helper and defender: and so should wee doe, Bosquier. de fini­bus bonorum & mal. pag. 31. & 32. when either cares, or crosses, doe dismay vs. But most men die with sicknesses and diseases, Feauers, Fluxes, Gouts, Plagues, and 1000. more; they being so many, that neither Galenus nor Hypocrates, nor all the best Physitians can number them, saith Bosquierus, the generations of men here on earth, being as Homer saith, ‘ [...].’

Tale, quale est foliorum: Like vnto the leaues of a tree, where­of some doe perish, and others spring in their places. They spring, they flourish; they waxe old, and soone wither away; Et tum quoque cum crescimus, Senecal 3. ep. 24. vita decrescit, and our life then de­creaseth, as our yeares increaseth.

We bring our yeares to an end, as it were a tale that is told.

For the second, that is, the Time when death doth attach vs; We see some are taken yong, and some are left vntil they be very old; Death taketh men of all. ages. some taste of death before they doe see the light; when their mothers wombes, are as the tombes for their buriall: some die in their Cradles, as the babes of Bethelem; and some liue so long, that they are weary of life. And sometimes the good are soonest taken, as Enoch; sometimes the bad, as Onan: Et vo­cantur ante tempus boni; Gen. 5.24. Gen. 33. ne diutius vexarentur à noxijs: And the good are often taken away, that they should be neither vexed, nor corrupted, by the wicked; and the wicked are some­times taken away, that they should not persecute the godly any longer; and that they might be an example of Gods vengeance, vpon all such as feare not God.

And sometimes death fore-warneth vs, as it did Ezechias; by sending his messengers, to bid vs to set our houses in order, that we may be prepared for death; as age, sickenesses, and such like: and sometimes it preuenteth vs, and takes vs afore we are aware of it: as it did yong Onan, and old Ely, who were both suddenly met by death; when death was looked for by nei­ther of them.

For the third, that is, the Place where death will meete vs, Death smiteth in euery place. we know death is not very scrupulous; be it faire or soule; wide, or narrrow; priuate or publike; in the field, or in the Church; or wheresoeuer; where hee meetes vs, there hee will arrest vs: Poet Eu [...]ulus and his wife, both a bed: Ʋrias in the field, and Ioab at the hornes of the altar.

And all this taking of vs, in any Manner, at any Time, That we sh [...]ld be alwayes ready for death. and in any Place; is to teach vs, to be alwayes ready, and to looke for death, at all times, and in all places.

Omnem crede diem tibi diluxisse supremum: For seeing thou knowest neither the time nor the place, where death meanes to arrest thee; it is thy chiefest wisedome to be ready for death at all times; and to waite for the same in euery place.

For the fourth, that is, the effects of death; we must note, Death is a comfortable thing to the godly. that they are very different, both about the time of the dissolution, and after the time of the separation of the body and soule: for first, at the time of their dissolution, bona mors iusti, right deare in the sight of the Lord, is the death of his Saints: And this is the thing they longed for, to be losed from the bonds of sinne, and to be with their Sauiour Christ in happinesse; to be with him, which was dead, and is aliue, and liueth for euermore. Reuel. 2.8. And therefore to these men

Death is the ending of their paine, and the beginning of their pleasure: nay, more as Prudentius saith, ‘Tormenta, carcer, vngulae stridensque flammis lamina, at (que) ipsa poenarum vltima mors, Christianis ludus est,’ All the bitternesse of the bitterest death, Prudent. in hymno de Vin­cent. is ioy and sweetnesse vnto them: for that in death they see their life, they behold the An­gels pitching their tents round about them, and ready to receiue [Page 80] their soules to glory, before their bodies can be laid in their graues: and therefore well might Salomon say that the godly man hath hope in his death: Prou. 14.32. for he knoweth not, what to feare; be­cause he knoweth, in whom he beleeued.

The death of the wicked is most terri­ble vnto them.But, mors peccatorum, pessima, the death of the wicked is most fearefull; and therefore the very remembrance of it is most bitter vnto them; for now, before it shuts the eyes of their bodies, it will open the eyes of their consciences; and they shall see that they must part from all the things that they haue gathered; but that not one of those sinnes will part from them, which they haue committed; and least they should forget them; Satan will now open his booke, and set all their sinnes before their eyes: and then he will bestirre himselfe, because he knoweth his haruest is great, and his time is but short: and therefore he will tell them, Matth. 19.17. that if they would haue entred into life they should haue kept the commandements; as our Sauiour Christ himselfe doth testifie; Rom. 2.13. he will alleage against them, that not the hearers, but the doers of the Law, shall be iustified; and he will inferre, that if the iust shall scarce be saued, it is intollerable for them being wicked men to appeare; How Satan discourageth the wicked at their death. and what the Preachers of God now cannot beat into the thoughts of these carelesse men, this wicked, dam­ned spirit will then irremoueably settle, in their deepest conside­rations; 1 Cor. 6.9.10. viz. that neither adulterers, nor fornicators, nor drunkards, nor swearers, nor vsurers, nor extortioners, nor lyers, nor enuious men, nor haters of men, nor any such like, shall inherit the Kingdome of God, and of Christ.

O then, what agonies and perplexities, will inuade, and teare the wofull hearts of wicked men? In that day, saith the Lord, I will cause the Sunne to goe downe at noone, Amos 8.9.10. and I will darken the earth, in the cleare day; I will turne their feasts, into mournings, and their songs into lamentations: that is, they shall be sure then to haue the greatest griefe and vexation, when they haue the greatest need of comfort and consolation: for I will make all those things, that were wont, most sweetly to delight them, now most of all to torment them; the pleasure of sinne, shall now turne to be as bitter as Gall: and now they shall see that they must die, and liue they can no longer: and that Satan, whom they would not forsake all their life-time: will not forsake them [Page 81] now at their death-time: but wil be still sounding in their eares Me you haue serued, and from me you must expect your wages.

We read the Deuil assayled the best-Saints, Saint Martin, Saint Bernard, Eusebius, Ignatius and others; Luke 23.31. and if these things be done in a greene tree, what shall be done in a withered, saith our Sauiour? If he be so busie about the Saints, Pet. 4.17: which haue the Angels of God round about them to preserue them; Psal. 91.11. What shall he doe to sinners, who haue nothing but deuils round about them to confound them? This is the state of wicked men at their dying day: and therefore, mors peccatorum pessima, of all terri­ble things, the death of sinnefull men is the most terrible.

Secondly, After the seperation of the body and soule, How death aequalizeth the bodies of all men. then death indeede makes different effects: for though it makes the bodies of all alike; their dust is so mingled, and their bones are so like one another; that we know not Irus from Craesus: as Diogenes, being demaunded by Alexander, what he sought for among the tombes, sayd; he sought for his father Phillips bones, but among so many dead mens soules, hee knew not which they were; yet in respect of the soules, How death sendeth the soules of the good to Hea­uen, and of the wicked to hell. it worketh very different consequents, for it sends the good soules into Abra­hams bosome, and the wicked soules to hell, to be tormented in fire, for euermore.

Now, that the efficiente cause of death, which is sinne, should be the same in all men; and that the fruites and effects, or sub­sequents of death, should be so different in the godly, from all o­ther men, we find a treble reason. A three-fold reason of the subsequent different ef­fects of death.

The

• 1. Is, the practise of a godly life.
• 2. Is, the meditation of our owne death.
• 3. Is, the application of the death of Christ.

These things (as Sampson sayd in his riddle) out of the eater, bring meate, and out of the strong sucke sweetenesse: these things doe translate the sting and curse of death, into a sweete and a blessed life.

Of the first Saint Augustine sayth, Mala mors putanda non est, Aug. de ciuit. dei. l. 1. c. 21. That to liue well, is a spe­ciall meanes to make vs die well. quam bona vita praecessit: It is impossible that his death should be ill, whose whole life hath beene alwayes good: quia nun­quam Deus deserit hominem quovs (que) homo deserat deum; because God will neuer forsake that man at his death, which hath true­ly [Page 82] serued God, throughout all his life: and therefore Seneca sayth, Seneca in quad. epist. Ante senectutem curaui vt bene viu [...]rem, vt in senectute bene morerer; While I was young all my care was, to liue well, that when I were old, I might die well, and so let vs doe: if wee would die well, let vs liue well: let vs learne, artem vi [...]endi, the art to liue the life of the righteous; and wee shall bee sure to die the death of the righteous: for seeing the wages of sinne is death, it must needs be, that the lesser and the fewer our sinnes be, the better our death will be: But if we liue like Baalam, which lo­ued the gaine and wages of vnrighteousnesse, it is vnpossible that we should die the death of Israel: for God beheld there was no iniquitie in Iacob, Numb 23 21. nor any peruersenesse in Israel: and therefore the Lord his God was with him.

Godly sorrow for sinne and the meditati­on of our death, is the death of sinne.Of the second, Bosquierus sayth, that, à culpa natae sunt duae filiae, Tristitia & Mors, & hae duae filiae hanc pessimani matrem de­struunt; Sinne brought forth two goodly damosells, Sorrow and Death: and these two daughters, like the brood of vipers, doe eate through the bowells, and destroy that wicked mother, For,

First, Paenitudine commissa delentur, by repentance wee wash a­way the sinnes that are past: and therefore Iohn Baptist sayth, O generation of Vipers, if you would kill your cruell wicked mo­ther, Matth. 3.7, 8. that is, Sinne, bring foorth fruits meete for repentance; for that is the onely way for you to escape death, and to flee from the wrath to come. And,

Secondly, Meditatione mortis futura cauentur, by the frequent meditation of death, we come more and more to detest and to beware of sinne, Aug l. 1. contra Man: for so Saint Augustine sayth, that, nihil sic reuo­cat hominem à peccato, quam frequens meditatio mortis; Nothing is so powerfull to make a man hate sinne, as continually to consider of this bitter fruit, and reward of sinne, which is death: and Seneca before him, sayth the same thing: and therefore he aduiseth euery man, Seneca epist. 25. efficere mortem sibi familiarem, to make death his companion, and as his wife that should euer lye in his bosome; that by the continuall sight of death; he might be euer kept to abstaine from sinne: for the couetous man, might be the easier drawne to contemne the trash and trumperies of this vaine and transitorie world, if hee did beleeue that hee [Page 83] should presently dye: for so prophane Esau sayth, Loe, I die, Facile contem. nit omnia, qui credit se cito mo­rit [...]rum. Hieron. in ep: ad Pau­lin: Eccles. 10. Incert. aut [...]r. and what good will my Birth-right doe vnto me? So the proud man would let fall his Peacocks feathers, if he could thinke that hee is but dust and ashes, and that when he dieth, hee shall inherite wormes: as the wise man sayth,

And that if he triumphed in his life, like Caesar, to bee the sole Monarch of the world; yet would his glory soone fayle when death should locke him vp in his coffin: and so of all other sinnes, the frequent meditation of death, is the onely preserua­tiue against them: For, as one truely sayth of himselfe,

When I thinke I am but dust, And how soon to earth I must, Bernard in carm. Then incessantly I shake, And as dust it doth me make.

So, questionlesse if wee did continually thinke of death, and fixe that fearefull day of Gods iust iudgement before our eyes; it would bee a maruelous great meanes, to deterre vs from all sinnes.

And as the meditation of death doth preuent sinne; Bosq. p. 12. de finibus honorum. so it sweetneth death, and makes it farre the lesse terrible vnto vs: for if our eyes be dead, and weaned from beholding vanities; The frequent meditation of death is a great meanes, to preserue vs from the feare of death. our eares, from hearing the Syrens songs of sinnefull pleasure: and our hearts especially, from the loue of vaine and worldly things; then certainely they will not, (being thus mortified, and ac­customed with this death to sinne,) bee any whit afrayd of the death of the body; which is the reward of sinne: but as a horse that is to runne a race, hauing often walked his way before, is the more fearelesse to goe on, when hee comes at the day of triall; so the man that is acquainted with the wayes of death, through the daily meditation of death, is not afrayd to die when he seeth the day of his dissolution Palladius reports it, that an Eremite, being at the point to die, his schollers and friends asked him, if death did not seeme terrible vnto him; hee smilingly answered, that death was no stranger, but a most fami­liar acquaintance to him: it was his manuall, and his vade mecum, his table-booke, which he alwayes carried about him: [Page 84] and therefore dying, he did but now repeate that his old lesson, which hee had beene long in learning, O that it were so with euery one of vs; that throughout all our life, wee would learne to die; The applicati­on of Christs death, is the onely cause that maketh vs happie after death. Osee 13.14. that hauing made death present with vs before it comes, it may neuer proue terrible vnto vs when it comes!

Of the third, the Diuine veritie sayth, that the chiefest cause, the onely cause indeed of this different effect of death, is the application of the death of Christ; for it is he that saith, O death I will be thy death, O graue I will bee thy destruction: and therefore, as when Alexander ouerthrew the walles of Thebes, Phryne, a harlot, promised to build them vp againe if shee might in­graue vpon them, this inscription: [...]: Alexander battered downe this Wall, but Phryne built it vp againe: so we may truely say, that Eue threw downe, these muddie walles of ours, but Christ doth rayse them vp: for though the wages of sinne are death, Rom. 6.23. yet the grace of God brings eternall life, through Iesus Christ our Lord.

And the manner how he doth deliuer vs, and metamorphose death, to become life vnto vs; he himselfe doth shew, when hee sayth, if I be lift vp, I will draw vp all vnto my selfe: i. e. if I die, I will destroy the power of death: for so the Apostle sayth, That forasmuch as the children were partakers of flesh and blood, John. 8.28. and C. 12.32. Heb. 2.14, 15. he himselfe likewise tooke part of the same; that through death, hee might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the Deuill, and deliuer them that through the feare of death, were all their life time subiect vnto bondage: 1 Machah 6.46 Iudges 16.30. and therefore, as Eleazer by his owne death, did put the great Elephat to death, and Sampson by pul­ling downe the house vpon his owne head, did put to death all the Philistines; so Christ by his owne death, did put the de­uills, Origen hom: 8. in Iohan: and all the powers of darkenesse, vnto death: and there­fore Origen sayth, that vpon the crosse of Christ, two were cruci­fied; that is, Christ and the deuill, but after a diuers manner, for Christ was crucified, visibly, and most willingly; for hee layd downe his life himselfe, but the deuill was crucified inuisibly, and most vnwillingly; Matth. 12.29. for this strong man armed, was faine to bee bound, be­fore Christ could spoyle his house.

And the Lord speaking of his enemies, and saying, that hee would be vnto them as a Lion, Ose 13.7. & would obserue them as a Libbard, [Page 85] in the way of Ashur; doth foreshew vnto vs, both the destru­ction, and the manner of the destruction of these our spirituall e­nemies; for in being like a Lion, he sheweth their destruction: and in being like a Libbard; he sheweth the manner, The manner how Christ by death ouer­came death. how hee would destroy them: for it is obserued of the Libbard, that he vseth this pollicie to kill those Apes that doe molest him: first, he lyeth downe as dead, and suffereth the apes to mocke him, and trample him, and to insult ouer him, as much as they will; but when he perceiueth them to be wearied, with leaping, and skipping vpon him; he reuines himselfe on a sudden, and with his clawes and teeth he teareth them all to pieces: euen so, our Sauiour Christ suffered the deuill, and death, and all the wicked Iewes, like apes to mocke him, to tread him, and trample him vnder feete; to crucifie him, to burie him, to seale vp his graue, and to haue armed Souldiers to watch him, that hee should not rise any more; and it may be, to knocke him on the head againe, if he sought to reuiue: but when hee saw they had done their worst, and that they could doe no more, Psal. 78.66.67. Hee waked as a giant out of sleepe, and smote all his enemies vpon the cheeke bone, and brought them vnto perpetuall shame; and as the Apostle sayth, Collos. 2.15. hee spoyled principalities and powers, and led away captiuitie captiue, Ephes. 4.8. and receiued gifts for men.

And therefore, as many as lay hold vpon this death of Christ, they need not feare their owne death: for they may say with the Phenix; ‘Moritur, me moriente, senectus.’

Sinne and misery dieth in vs, but wee doe still liue with Christ. And therefore Saint Cyprian sayth, that, Cyprian de mortalitate. eius est timere mortem qui ad Christum nolit ire; it is enough for them to feare death, which will not beleeue in Christ his death: John 11.26. for hee that beleeueth in him shall neuer die: but they that will not beleeue in him, may well feare and tremble at the remembrance of this death: because after death comes iudgement; and then shall they feele another death, which is eternall death: for the reward of sinne is death, that is indeed, eternall death in hell, Marke 9.44. where their worme dieth not, and their fire is not quenched.

CHAP. VI. How sinne brings eternall death both of Body and Soule.

THirdly, Touching eternall death, wee must vn­derstand, What eternall death is. that this is a separation of man from God, which is paena damni, the losse of eternall happinesse; a losse farre exceeding the losse of all the world; and an allegation of a dam­ned soule, in a tormented body: non viuend [...] sed dolendi causa; not to giue any comfort of life or ioy, but to giue the true sence and feeling of eternall death and sorrow; which is paena sensus, the payne of feeling, and suffering the grea­test paynes that can be conceiued: for when the wicked are called by God, to be adiudged for sinne, they shall bee condemned by Christ, Of the intol­lerable paynes of hell. and then caried by the deuils, into euerlasting tor­ments; into the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone for euer­more: and there their musicke shall be horrors, and howlings; their meate shall be balls of fire, and their drinke shall be foun­taines of teares; alwayes distilling downe from their eyes; and yet neuer procuring them any ease: there, their torments shall be intollerable, their times endlesse, and their companions deuils: for so Saint Augustine sayth, August. ser. 55. de tempore. that, in inferno nec tortores deficiant, nec miseri torti moriantur, sed per milia milia annorum cruciandi, nec tamen in secula liberandi: in hell neither the cruell tormenters shall be wanting, nor the miserably tormented shall bee eased; but for thousand thousands of yeares bee plagued, and neuer thence to bee deliuered: Isidorus de summo bono. and as Isidorus sayth, Ibi erit semper velle, quod nunquam erit, & semper nolle, quod nunquam non erit, there shall bee a will neuer satisfied, and a nille neuer gratified; neuer inioying the ease they would; and euer suffering the paynes they would not. And if we diue into the depth of that dolefull tragedie, of miserable Diues; wee shall see this trueth fully confirmed: for, as the Scripture sheweth, that here, iudge­ment shall be without mercy, and that euery one shall receiue his punishment, in waite and measure, according to the measure of their sinnes; so wee find it true it him, who as hee denied the crumbes of bread to poore Lazarus; so is he now denied, the [Page 87] least drop of water, to coole his burning tongue; How the least comfort shall be denied vn­to the damned. and the least dramme of mercy to refresh his poore distressed soule: quis ta­lia fando sustinet a lachrymis? Who can indure to dwell in de­uouring flames? and yet behold, this is the reward of sinne: for the wages of sinne is death.

Oh then, A most earnest perswasion to forsake sinne. (beloued brethren) seeing euery sinne slayeth the soule, within the body, corrupteth the body in the graue, and e­ternally tormenteth both the body and soule in hell; let vs hate and detest all sinnes: for though wee reade of many tyrants, Nero, Phalaris, Caligula, Heliagabalus, and such like; that were carniuorants, and blood-thirsty men, sauage beasts in the shapes of men, delighting themselues onely in blood, & cruelties; yet we neuer reade of such a tyrant as Sinne: for the blood of death would quench these mens rage; but no payne, no death, but eternall death, a death that neuer dieth, and a paine that neuer endeth will satisfie this tyrant Sinne. This is the deceit of sinne; as the Poet sayd of Ʋenus: ‘Laeta venire Venus, tristis abire solet.’

To present pleasure, or profit, vnto our eyes, but assoone as o­uer the sinne is done, to deale with vs, 2 Sam. 13.18. as Ammon did by Tha­mar, thrust her out and hate her: wound our conscience, and destroy our soules.

And therefore (once againe I beseech you) let vs forsake our sinnes, let vs leaue our drinking, our swaggering, and our swea­ring; and instead of, by God, by God, and more fearefull oathes (which I am afraid to name) at euery word, which is the most odious, yet most carelesse custome, both of Court and Coun­trey, let vs say, in truth, in truth: the words are as easie, and they will bring more ease vnto our soules: for swearing graceth not your speech; but disgraceth you, and dishonoureth God: and therefore one day you must greatly repent you of it, or you shall fearefully die for it: and I beseech you pardon mee for speaking it; for it is my dutie that I owe you, and it would bee my destruction if I did conceale it from you, Clemens. l. 1. recog. as S. Clemens sayth in the like case; and I desire not so much, with Aristotle, my God of Heauen is my witnesse that I lie not, to bee deemed a great Scholler, as with Gregorie Nazianzen, to bee indeed an honest man, to liue as I teach, and to discharge my duety in re­prouing [Page 88] sinne, rather then to shew my knowledge in any Sci­ence; and therefore, I humbly intreate you all, to giue me leaue, to beseech you, to leaue your sinnes; and because wee cannot quite forsake them, to confesse them, and to bee ashamed of them; John 1.19. for if we confesse our sinnes, God is mercifull and iust, to for­giue vs all our sinnes, and to cleanse vs from all vnrighteousnesse.

But the deuill cannot indure that we should confesse them, least God should thereby forgiue them; and therefore as he perswa­deth vs, euer to commit them; so he perswadeth vs, euer to con­ceale them, and neuer to confesse them: For I read that on a time, a sinner being at confession, That the de­uill cannot in­dure wee should confesse our sinnes. the deuill intruded himselfe and came to him; and being demaunded by the Priest, wherefore he came in, he answered, to make restitution; and being asked what he would restore, hee sayd shame; for this sayth hee I haue stollen from this sinner, to make him shamelesse in sinning, and now I come to restore it, to make him ashamed to confesse his sinnes: And surely thus hee deales with vs all; hee makes vs shamelesse to commit all sinnes, euen with Absolon, in the sight of all Israel, 2 Sam. 16.22. and in the sight of the Sunne; but he makes vs ashamed to confesse any sinne.

But if wee feare this punishment of sinne; all miseries in this life, death shortning life, and eternall torments after death, and would bee deliuered from it, then let vs not make the Ministers afrayde to reproue our sinnes, nor be our selues asha­med to confesse our sinnes; for as the first degree of righteous­nesse is, not to sinne; so the second is, to acknowledge and forsake our sinnes. If we had not sinned, we had not died; and if we doe acknowledge, and forsake them, we shall receiue no dammage by death: but if we continue in sinne, we shall die; and we shall iustly die, for, the reward of sinne is death.

And so I come to the third part, which is the equitie of this reward: because, death is the wages of sinne.

CHAP. I. How iust a thing it is to punish Sinne. The reward of Sinne is Death.

YOu haue heard of a world of miseries, that are inflicted on man for sinne, here in this life; you haue heard of eternall death, and intollerable torments for euer and euer, that shall be inflicted on sinfull soules in the future life; and now it re­steth, that I should shew the equity of this punishment; how iust it is with God, to render all this on man for sinne: and therefore, that I may the more fully cleere this point, Three points to be conside­red, to shew the equity of the punish­ment of sinne. I must desire you to consi­der these three especiall things.

• 1. That it is iust to punish sinne.
• 2. That God is the iustest Iudge that can be found, to punish it.
• 3. That this punishment which God imposeth and inflicteth for sinne, is most right and iust.

First, there is nothing in the world, Cicero de nat. deorum l. 1. (saith Cicero) more agreeable to reason, then that true and honest labour should bee commended and rewarded, and the vices of men should be seuerely punished, according to their iust desert: for, it is vnpos­sible (saith he) that either house or Common-wealth should stand, Si in ea nec rectè factis proemia extant vlla, Idem l. 3 de nat. deor. nec supplicia peccatis: if there be not in the same both rewards for good deeds, and punishments for sinnes: and therefore Solon being deman­ded, what was most profitable for the well-fare of a Common-wealth, said; Si boni proemijs innitantur, & mali paenis coercentur, Stobaeus ser. 41. [Page 90] to defend and reward the good, and to restraine and punish the bad: and M. Cato saith, that there is nothing more perni­cious vnto any state, Plutarch in Apoth. Quam si improborum mores paena non coerce­antur, then to suffer wicked men to goe away vnpunished: and therefore he would haue those Magistrates that did not pu­nish the impieties of the wicked and dissolute fellowes, Non tan­tum non ferendos, The Law of Nature tea­cheth, that sinne should be punished. sed lapidihus obruendos, not onely not to be suf­fered, but to be stoned with stones to death: and so the Lawes of all Nations doe prouide, that good and vertuous deeds should be rewarded, and euill deeds should be punished: for wee finde it very true by experience that, impunitas delicti inuitat ho­mines ad malignandum: To forbeare the punish­ment of sinne doth increase the number of sinners. Prou. 17 15. because punishment is deferred, the hearts of the children of men, are euen set to doe euill: and there­fore God himselfe doth say, that whosoeuer iustifieth the wicked, is a like culpable before him, as if he had condemned the inno­cent; and Saint Ambrose tels vs plainely, that it is sometimes miserecordia punire, & crudelitas parcere, a pious work to punish, and a cruelty for to spare; for this doth not onely incourage sinners, to goe on from one wickednesse to another; but it is an ill patterne, and a great prouokement to draw others to doe the like: and therefore wee may well conclude this first point, that it is a most iust thing to punish sinnes and offences.

CHAP. II. How God is the iustest Iudge to punish Sinne.

SEcondly, that God is the iustest Iudge that can be found to punish sin, it appereth by these 3. reasons.

God loueth righteousnesse. Psal. 45.7.8. Heb. [...].9.First, because he loueth righteousnesse; For it is the propertie of a iust Iudge, not onely to iudge righte­ously, to iustifie the innocent, and to punish the offenders, but also to loue righteousnesse, and to hate iniquitie; but of God, the Prophet saith: Psal. 5.5. Thy throne O God, is for euer and euer, thou hast loued righteousnesse and hated iniquitie: wherfore God, euen thy God, hath annoynted thee with the oyle of gladnesse aboue thy fellowes: And againe, thou hatest all those that worke vanitie.

Secondly, because he iudgeth without any respect of persons: God is no re­specter of per­sons. for this is one of the chiefest properties of a righteous Iudge; to iudge according to the equitie of the cause, and according to the quality of the person: and therefore Iethro, Iehosophat, Exod. 18.21. and others, doe make this not respecting of persons, 2 Chron 19 7. to be one of the essentiall properties of a righteous Iudge: Prou 24.23. 1 Sam. 6.7. Act. 10 33. Gal. 1.6. Psal. 50.10. Psal. 149 8. Deut. 26.7. but with God there is no respect of persons: for he will not be corrupted with the reward of the rich; for all the beasts of the Forrest are his, and so are all the cattell vpon a thousand hills; he will not be terrified for feare of the mighty; for he will binde Kings in fetters, and Nobles in linkes of iron; neither is he angred or molested with the incessant com­playnings of the poore; but he will heare their cry, Psal. 145.19. and will helpe them, Psal. 145.19.

Indeed with men, it is a common practise, With men we finde Iustice often peruer­ted. to haue our lawes like a spiders webbe; wherein the little flies are catcht, and the great buzzing bumble bees, doe easily passe through: and therefore it is truely said of mans Law, That

Dat veniam coruis vexat censura columbas. It spares the rich, but spoiles the poore.

But Gods law is rete Vulcanium, like Vulcans iron net, That God is most iust which apprehends and condemnes all alike: for if the greatest men hurt the poorest, and those poore men cry vnto me, saith the Lord, I will heare them; that is, to helpe the oppressed, and to punish the wrong doer: and therefore Moses saith of him, Deut. 10.17. that he is a great God, mighty and terrible, which accepteth no person, nor taketh reward; but doth iustice and right, vnto the Orphanes, and the Widdow: and Dauid saith, Deus iudex iustus est, Psa [...]. 7.12. God is a righte­ous Iudge, and that the Heauens shall declare his righteousnesse, i. e. approue and iustifie him in his iudgements. And Saint Paul saith, that he shall haue the crowne of righteousnesse, 2 Tim. 4.8. which the Lord, the righteous Iudge, shall giue him in that day: and the ve­ry Heathens say as much: for not onely Euripides saith. [...], that Iustice is not in the eyes of mortall men; but Hesiod goeth further, saying; [...], Ipsa autem Iustitia est virgo, ex Ioue nata; That Iustice is a pure Virgin, and an immaculate daughter of the chie­fest God; that is indeed, a true and essentiall propertie of the true and euerliuing God: and therefore it must needes follow, that [Page 92] of all Iudges, God is the iustest Iudge, that can be found, to punish sinne.

That God iud­geth euery man according to his desert. Valer. l. 1.Thirdly, because he rendereth to euery man, according to his workes, and punisheth great sins, with the greater punishment: and the longer he stayes to expect our amendment, the sorer will be our punishment, if we doe not repent.

Lucius Apuleius do asino aureo.I haue read of an Asse, that hauing an huge burthen vpon his backe, by chance stumbled at a stone and fell; her master presently began to chide, and to beate her; whereat the poore Asse repined and bemoaned her selfe, saying, in what a miserable state doe I liue, and what a cruell master doe I serue? for I haue done him many good and faithfull seruices, and yet see, how for one fault by chance committed, I am thus most grieuously handled. The fable shewes vs, Men reward not men ac­cording to iust deserts. that men many times doe neither reward, nor punish according vnto iust deserts; but doe oftentimes suffer good deeds, to goe vnrewarded, and punish small offences, with se­uerer punishments then in the rigor of Iustice they haue de­serued; and it may be, often suffer the greater sinners, to escape all punishment.

But it is not so with God: for if we doe well, and haue our hearts vpright, to doe him seruice, he will not alwayes be chiding, though we should commit many faults: but if we doe ill, Sinne lyeth at the doore, Gen. 4.7. ready to accuse vs, and God the righteous Iudge will deale with vs according to our sinnes, whether they be great or small. Gregor. in mor. Nam iniustus quisquis eo attrocius in tormentis ob­ruitur, quo altius inpeccatis eleuatur; For euery sinfull wretch, the more haynous hath beene his sinnes, the more grieuous shall be his punishments, Hieron. super Ezech. saith Saint Gregory, So Saint Hierome saith, Cui dubium, quin inter tres peccatores; Gentilem, Haereticum, & Ecclesi­asticum, multo maioribus paenis dignus sit, qui maioris fuerit dignita­tis? That God pu­nisheth the greater sinners with the grea­ter punish­ment. Who maketh any doubt of this, but of three sinners, that is, the Gentile, which is without the Church; and the Hereticke which is against the Church; & the Hypocrite that is within the bosome of the Church, he (that is, the Hypocrite) shall be the most seuerely punished, which had the chiefest place, and was most dignified with that honourable title of a Christian? And so Saint Augustine saith, Aug. l. 3. de lib. arb. Mitissima omnium paenarum erit eorum, qui preter peccatum quod originale contraxerunt, nullum insuper [Page 93] addiderunt: Of all punishments theirs shall be the least, which besides their original sinne, haue committed none other sinne. And the diuine Scripture is as plain in this point as need to be: for the Lord, speaking of Iezabell, saith, Quantum in dilicijs fuit, tantum date illi tormenti; That as much as she hath beene in pleasure, i. e. of sinne and iniquitie, so much torments shall bee laide vpon her: and our Sauiour saith, Matth. 11.12.24. It shall be easier for So­dome and Gomorra, and more tollerable for Tyre and Sydon in the day of iudgement: then for Corazin and Bethsaida, and o­ther like sinfull Cities which heard our Sauiour Preach, and did see his mighty workes, and yet would not repent.

But against this it may bee obiected: Ob. How can it bee that they should be all in the same place, tyed in the same lake, and burning in the same fire, and yet that they should not feele the same punishment?

To this we answere, Sol. that they shall feele the same punish­ment, but not in the same measure; the same for length of time, but not the same for quantitie of paine. Nam sicut vno sole om­nes tanguntur, &c. For, as men (saith S. Gregory) sitting in the heat of the same Sun, That the tor­ments of Hell are not equall vnto all Greg. in Moral. are not heated & warmed in the same man­ner; because the weight of the heat is felt according to the quality and disposition of the body; Sic damnatis vna est gehenna, quae affligit, & tamen non omnes vno calore comburit; quia quod hic agit dispar valetudo corporum, hoc illic exhibet dispar causa meritorum: Euen so, though there be but one hell which tormenteth all; yet doth it not torment all alike: for as here the different dis­position of their bodies, doth cause men differently to perceiue the heate: So there, the inaequality of their merits, will be the cause of disparity in their torments. And therefore seeing God loueth righteousnesse, iudgeth all without respect of persons, and in his iudgements, rendreth vnto euery man according to his deeds; it is most apparant that God is the iustest Iudge that can be found to punish sinne.

CHAP. III. That God doth not inflict eternall punishment vpon the foresight of any act of the will, that we would eternally sinne.

How a tempo­rall sinne can deserue an e­ternall punish­ment. THirdly, that this punishment, which God inflicteth on man for sinne, is most right and iust; it is concluded by all Diuines: but how this can be, that a sinne tempo­rally committed, should be eternally puni­shed, it seemes a doubt not easie to be decided: for, some say, it is because the sinners will is eternally to liue, that hee might eternally sinne: So Saint Gregory saith; Iniqui ideo cum fine deliquerunt, quia cum fine vixerunt; nam voluissent vti (que) sine fine viuere vt potuissent sine fine peccare: The wicked doe there­fore make an end of sinning, because there is an end of their be­ing; for they would desire to liue without end, that they might sinne without end; for this sheweth, that they doe alwayes de­sire to liue in sinne; because while they liue, they neuer cease to sinne. Et nullus detur iniquo terminus vltionis, quia quamdiu vixit, habere noluit terminum cri­minis. Ad magnam igitur iudicantis iustitiam pertinet, vt nun­quam careat supplicio, cuius meus in hac vitae nunquam voluit earere peccato; And therefore (saith he) it sheweth the great sincerity of the Iudge, and it behoueth his iustice to deale so with them, that they should neuer want punishment, whose wi [...]s and mindes in this life, would neuer want sinne; and that there should be no end set to the torments of the wicked, because while they are able, they set no end to their wickednesse.

Bern. Ep. 252.And Saint Bernard is of the same minde: for he saith, that for this cause is the sinne of an inflexible and obstinate minde, eternally punished, Whether God punisheth a sin­ner eternally, because hee willeth to liue eternally, that he might sinne eternally. though it be temporally committed; Quia quod breue fuit tempore vel opere, longum esse constat in pertinaci vo­luntate, ita vt si nunquam moreretur, nunquam velle peccare define­ret; imo semper viuere vellet, vt semper peccare posset; Because that which was but short in time or action, doth appeare to be long in an obstinate will and affection; so that if he neuer died, he would neuer leaue to sinne; nay, hee would desire euer to liue, that he might euer sinne. And I finde most of our owne [Page 95] moderne Diuines, to ioyne with these Fathers in the same iudgement.

But for mine owne part, I cannot fully yeeld vnto this opi­nion: for if this be true, then God damneth them for sinnes that they would haue done, and not for the sinnes that they haue already done. Indeede it was the opinion of Pellagius, Propter praeuisa bona quae factu­ri essent si vixis­sent. that GOD receiued many into glory for those good workes they would haue done, if they might haue liued; and damned others propter praeuisa mala, for the euill workes that they would haue done, if they could haue liued to doe them; for hee that would doe any thing whether good or euill, it is as done in the sight of God: because hee seeth as well the inward intention of the heart, as the outward execution of the worke, Matth. 5.28: as our Sauiour sheweth in the example of him, that looketh vpon a woman to lust after her; and is said thereby to be, That God pu­nisheth no man for the sinnes he neuer did. Aug de praed [...]st. c. 12. & l. de per­seueran. c. 9. an adulterer in his heart al­ready; but,

To this Saint Augustine answereth, that it cannot be, that any man should receiue, either glory or punishment, for the workes that he neuer did; but would haue done, if hee might haue liued to doe them: for,

First, the Apostle saith; 1 Reason. We must all appeare before the iudge­ment seate of Christ, 2 Cor 5.10. that euery one may receiue the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, i. e. while he liued, whether it be good or bad. Where wee must obserue, that he doth not say, according to that he would haue done; but according to that which he hath done. So our Sauiour saith, Iohn 5.29. that they which haue done good, shall come forth to the resurrection of life, and they that haue done euill, to the resurrection of damnation. Where againe, we must note, that he doth not say, they that would haue done euill; but they that haue done it: so, when he saith, Matth. 25.35. &c. Come ye bles­sed into euerlasting life, and sheweth the reason; for I was hungry, and ye gaue me to eate; and to the wicked, Goe ye cursed; for I was hungry, and you gaue me no meate; it is to be obserued, that he saith not, you would haue giuen me, or you would not haue giuen me; but you haue giuen me, and you haue not giuen me: and therefore God saueth none, for any good workes foreseene, that they would haue done; nor condemneth any, for any sinnes foreseene, that they would haue committed.

2. Reason.Secondly, if this were true, that God iudgeth according to what men would haue beene, if they could haue continued; then the Tyrians, and the Sidonians, and many other wicked men, should be saued, or could not well be iustly condemned: for, Matth. 11.21. If the great workes and wonders, which our Sauiour did among the Iewes, had beene done amongst them, they would haue re­pented them of their sinnes, in dust and ashes: And so many of the godly, must of necessity haue beene condemned; for they are speedily taken away, least that wickednesse should alter their vnder­standing, Sap. 4.10. or deceit beguile their soule; for the bewitching of naughti­nesse doth obscure things that are honest.

3. Reason.Thirdly, if this were true, it must needes follow, that God should foresee those things, as future things, which were neuer to be; which doth imply a contradiction; for though God know­eth, what may be done, though it be neuer done; yet can he not be said to foresee any thing to be, Zanchius de na­tura Dei. l. 5. c. 2. p. 530. which indeede shall not be; for things that are existent, and haue a being, are seene; things that are possible to be, are knowen; and all future things, that shall be, and are to be, are as present with God as if they were; but those things, that were neuer to be, nor shall euer be, cannot be said to be present with him: and therefore, to say that God will pu­nish them eternally, because they would haue sinned eternally, if they had eternally liued, is neither agreeable to the iustice of God, to punish them for the things that they haue neuer done; nor to the truth of God, which saith, they shall receiue their reward, according to what they haue done, 2 Cor. 5.10. and not according to what they would haue done; nor yet to the reason of man, that sinnes neuer committed should be so seuerely punished.

That the desire of the heart is an act done.To the reason alledged, that the will of sinning, is the same with God, as if they had actually sinned; I answere first, that sinne is two wayes to be considered; first, as it is in the heart, and intention; and secondly, as it is in the acte, and execution; Now our Sauiour doth not say, that he which looketh on a wo­man, to lust after her, hath committed the fact, in the sight of God, but is guilty of the sinne, in respect of the desire and in­tention, which is an act alreadie done, and not in respect of the outward act, which is not done at all: and therefore he sayth, that such a one hath committed adultery with her in his heart, i. e. [Page 97] inwardly but not outwardly: and therefore is he onely so farre guilty, i. e. so farre forth as the act is done, but no further: Se­condly, I say that if their will were, to desire to liue euer, that they might sinne euer; That to will to sinne euer is a tempora­rie act. yet this is but a temporarie act of the will, and doth not include an euerlasting willing of the same; be­cause we see there is no necessitie to continuate the same act of the will, but that it nilleth now, what it willed a little before: and because no act can exceed the bounds and limits of the agent; but the agent sailing, the act is ended: and therefore man being temporarie, being but a while to liue here; his will being tem­porarie, being no longer properly the will of man then it re­steth in man: therefore all acts of the will, while it is in this life, must needs be temporarie, and so all sinnes done, or of the will to doe them, must be likewise temporarie.

And therefore I say, that God doth not punish them, God punisheth onely sinnes done. for any fore-seene facts, that they would haue done, nor for any fore­seene continuance of the will, in the same desire to liue euer in sinne; nor for any other foreseene future thing whatsoeuer; but onely for those things that are done in this life; either those workes that are outwardly acted; or those desires of the heart, and acts of the will, which it produceth, while it is in this life, and no otherwise: so that God punisheth onely sinnes done, and not sinnes that would be done.

And if wee search a little further, Two things make a tempo­rarie sinne to deserue eter­nall punish­ment. into the nature of the sinne done: wee shall see the haynousnesse of the offence, and the equitie of this inflicted punishment in two respects.

• 1. A leuitate praecepti iniuncti, from the easinesse of the things commaunded.
• 2. A grauitate peccati perpetrati, from the haynousnesse of the sinne committed.

CHAP. IIII. How easie and light are all the Commandements that God doth giue, and how hard are the wayes of sinne.

John 5.3. FOr the first, Saint Iohn sayth, His commandements are not grieuous; and our Sauiour sayth, His yoke is easie, Matth. 11.30. and his burthen light; so easie, that the Prophet Dauid sayth, Psal. 119. he did runne the way of Gods commandements, when God had set his heart at libertie, i. e. had vntied him from those bonds of sinne wherewith he was so tied by his naturall corruption, that he could not stirre, nor walke one iot in this easie path, How the way to Heauen is said to be hard. and therefore, if the way be cragged & at the gate narrow and straight, that leadeth into life; it is in respect of our vnablenesse now, to performe any thing that is good, and not in respect of any difficultie, or hardnesse, in themselues simply considered.

Looke into the commandement, that God gaue vnto Adam, What a small matter it was that God com­manded Adam. and you shall easily finde this trueth: for at that time, there was no Man to be enuied; no Man to be opprest; no Wo­man to be defiled, no Churches to be robbed: and therefore hee cumbred them not with many precepts, all was but one; to for­beare the fruites, Gene. 2.17. but of one Tree, they might eate of all besides that one: and as his precepts were not many, but one; so this one was not great; not to create Worlds, not to remoue Moun­taines, but to forbeare the fruites of that one Tree. Alas, was this so great, was this so grieuous? what if hee had forbidden all, but one? had it not beene right that wee should obay? and if we had asked him, what hee would haue done with all the rest; might not hee haue iustly sayd, Matth. 20.15. May not I doe what I will with mine owne? and what is that to thee? Doe thou as I command thee; John 21.22: but he was contented to make himselfe, as it were, poore, to giue them store; for he gaue them leaue to eate of all the rest, and reserued but one for himselfe; yet would they needs eate of that one; & as if they longed to breake this one Comman­dement of God; they would presently eate of the Tree, and it [Page 99] may be, before they tasted of any other Tree, sure, before they saw any other day: Quia non pernoctauit in honore, For hee re­mained not one night in his dignitie, sayth the vulgar-latine.

So looke into the Commandements he giueth vnto vs, What a small matter it is that God re­quireth at our hands. and wee shall soone see the same trueth: they are Pauca, breuia, le­uia, & vtilia: Few, short, easie, and profitable: for he giues not many, but tenne, but two, but one: and that one not long, one word, one sillable, Loue; it is vnpossible therefore to forget it: and it is easie enough, it is naturall enough, to performe it, to Loue: the poorest, the youngest, the eldest, the richest, at home, and abroad, may doe this: who can say hee cannot doe it? there needs no wealth, there needs no wisedome to Loue: and there­fore all may doe it, if they would doe it, and it is for our profit to doe it; for to that end doth the Lord require it; Deut 5.33. and C. 29.9. that It may goe well with Vs and our Children.

But on the other side, What a slauery and bondage it is to serue sinne. the wayes of Wickednesse are verie hard, and full of labour; for all the world may see, that the en­uious man doth more vexe his wretched soule, at the prosperitie of the Righteous; then the Godly man doth his righteous soule, either at the sinnes or prosperitie of the Wicked; that the wrathfull man takes more paynes, and frets and chafes more, to execute his furie, then the patient man doth, in suffering all his iniuries; that the tyrants were, and are more tormented, in tor­menting the poore Christians; then the Christians are, in suffe­ring all their exquisite strange inuented torments: that the worldlings doe weare and wearie themselues, a great deale more, in pursuing after the vanities of this life, and purchasing vnto themselues eternall miseries; then the Righteous doe, in seeking for the grace of God, to attaine vnto euerlasting Happinesse: and that the Deuill requires more time, and greater paynes, to serue him, then God doth to keepe his Commandements; for God giues vs sixe dayes to prouide for our selues, and requires but one day to be serued of vs, himselfe; but the Deuill will haue the sixe, the seauenth, and all, to serue him; and all is to little two: for we must serue him day & night, and God requires but one houre, or two, of that one day, that he reserueth for himselfe, to heare his Word, and to call vpon his Name, and that for our owne good: (as I shewed vnto you before:) but the [Page 100] Deuill requires not onely many houres, That sinners take more payne to goe to Hell then the godly doe to attaine vn­to eternall happinesse. and them not onely, to be spent in vayne pleasures, and vanities, but also in horrible sinnes, and iniquities; but he would haue vs also, to forget that one day of Gods seruice, and to spend the greatest part of those few houres, wherein we should chiefely serue our God; Aut malè agendo, aut nihil agendo; either in doing nothing, or in do­ing worse then if we had done nothing at all.

And so in all other things, the workes of darkenesse are a great deale more hard and difficult then the workes of light; so painefull are the wayes of wickednesse, as that it is most true of the sinner, Gene. 3.16. which God pronounced of the woman; that in sor­row she should bring forth: and so themselues, when it is too late, doe most lamentably confesse; Wisd. 5.7. Wee haue wearied our selues in the wayes of wickednesse, yea, we haue gone through deserts, where there was no way, but rockes, and cragges, and dangerous pathes: and no maruell; for as it is a great deale harder, to worke, or to walke in the darke, then in the light; so it is a great deale more difficult, to doe the workes of darkenesse, then to doe the workes of righteousnesse. And so wee see; A proud man takes more paynes, to make himselfe ready in the morning, then the hum­ble man doth: and the malicious man laboureth more to re­uenge, then the peaceable man doth to forgiue; and so of all other sinners, though wee bee naturally inclined to all sinnes, yet wee take a great deale of paynes to goe to hell; as a stone tumbling downe a rockie hill, shall haue many a knocke be­fore it comes to the bottome. And therefore, as one sayd vnto his friend, that would faine see the games of Olympus, but was discouraged, with the tediousnesse of the iourney; that if he would goe euery day, but so much as he vsed to walke for his recreation, he should at last ariue vnto his iournyes end; so may I say vnto euery man; that if he would take as much paynes, to attayne vnto the ioyes of Heauen, as wee doe to gaine the vani­ties of this world, we should both soone, and easily, ariue to happines.

And yet for all this, (though the way of Ʋertue be neuer so easie, and the way of Sinne neuer so hard,) such is our wilfull frowardnesse, Psal. 127.3. that wee had rather, to rise vp early, to goe late to bed, to eate the bread of carefulnesse, to spend all our time, and to [Page 101] weare out our whole life, in these inextricable workes of darke­nesse, then to follow this pleasant pathe, and to doe these sweet and easie workes of grace, which doe leade vs vnto salua­tion.

And therefore seeing the labour is so small, The smalnesse of the dutie required, de­serues the greatnesse of the punish­ment inflicted. the commande­ment so easie, and the burthen so light, what maruell is it that the punishment should be so great, if we neglect to doe so small a seruice? If a King should say vnto his Subiect, hee that will not say, Good morrow King, shall haue his goods confiscate, his house subuerted, and himselfe condemned to perpetuall impri­sonment; would ye not thinke that he iustly deserued it, which would refuse to obey so light a precept, and neglect to performe so small a dutie? And yet God in a manner requires as little at our hands; to aske of him what we want, to giue him thankes for what we haue: for, who so offereth him thankes and praise, he honoureth him: And therefore iustly doe wee deserue so great a punishment, because we refuse so small a seruice: for lesser at our hands he could not require; and therefore lesser at his hands we cannot deserue.

CHAP. V. Of the haynousnesse of every sinne, in three respects.

FOr the second, We must consider that as the le­uitie and smalnesse of the seruice required; so the grauity and greatnesse of the sinne committed, doth most iustly require the height of all punish­ment. Now the greatnesse of the sinne, is seene in a three-fold respect.

• 1. Of him that is offended.
  The haynous­nesse of sinne is seene in a three-fold re­spect.
• 2. Of him that doth offend.
• 3. Of the offence that is done.

First, Touching the Person that is offended, we must consider his,

• 1. Greatnesse.
• 2. Goodnesse.

The person of­fended, is a great God, mighty, and terrible.First, If thou strikest thy fellow, the offence is not so haynous; but if thou strikest a King, a Prince, or a Priest, thine offence de­serues the greater punishment; for the quality of the offended, doth aggrauate and adde vnto the quantity of the offence: but we by our sinnes, do offend not any one of the earthly Kings, and Potentates of this world, whereof the best and the greatest is but Man, as we are, and his breath is in his nostrels: but wee offend the great God of Heauen and earth, the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, Cuius magnitudinis non est finis; Of whos [...] greatnesse there is no end: and therfore offending an infinite God, his anger is infinite, and our punishment must needs be infinite.

Secondly, if thou shouldest kill a Tyrant, whose delight is in the ruine of his subiects, and whose intention euery way, is to worke thy destruction; thy fault were the more tollerable though not iustifiable, but it thou shouldest offer violence, vnto such a Prince, as not onely is the life and happinesse of his subiects; by doing good to all; ill to none, like Titus Vespasian, that was Dili [...]iae generis humani, The very ioy and delight of all man­kinde, but also hath raised thee from the dust, inriched, inno­bled and indowed thee with all the indowments that possibly could be heaped upon thee: Oh what a miserable Caitife, and how worthy of all punishment, would all men iudge thee most iustly to deserue? surely they would thinke no punishment, to be sufficient enough for such a wretch.

Of the incom­prehensible goodnesse of God to man, and what a good God we doe offend.But our God whom we offend, is good and gratious vnto all, ill to none, he hateth nothing that he hath made. When Adam was created, he raised him out of the dust,

— Diuino semine fecit; He made him in his owne image and likenesse, and he made him sole Monarch of this whole world: and as if euery soile were not fit for such a crea­ture, he placed him in Paradise, the choisest place of al pleasure: he put all things in subiection vnder his feete, Psal. 8.6.7. and looking if there was any thing wanting for his happinesse, hee saw that it was not good for him to be alone; and therefore he made him an helpe meete for him; such a helpe, as that Adam as soone as euer hee saw her, Gen. 2.23. said; This is now bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh: as if he had saide, among all the other creatures, which thou Lord hast brought vnto me, I could not satisfie my minde with any [Page 103] mate; but now I am fully pleased, and cannot dislike this mate, while I like my selfe, because she is of my selfe. Thus did God looke that man might want nothing that might make him happy.

Say thou wert none of Adams race, but wert an indifferent Iudge to censure such a creature, that should offend so good a God, Et reddere malum pro bono, And render vnto him euill for good, and hatred for his good will; what punishment I pray thee, wouldst thou thinke too great, for such great ingratitude? for as the Prophet Dauid, at the consideration of Gods goodnesse vnto man, saith; Oh God, Psal. 8.4. what is man that thou art so mindfull of him, or the Sonne of man that thou so regardest him? So at the con­sideration of mans sinne against God; we may all cry, and cry againe; Oh man what is God, that thou art so vnmindfull of him, or, the Sonne of God that thou so little regardest him?

And as God was then good and gracious vnto man, so now, and euer since the fall of man, we may say with the Pro­phet: Oh how good a God is the God of Israel? How many are raised from the dust, like Saul, that seeking his fathers Asses, 1 Sam. 9. Psal. 78.71. found a Kingdome; or Dauid, that from the Sheepfold, was raised vnto the Scepter; and how doth God continually bestow his bles­sings vnto men, and make his Sunne to shine vpon the good, Matth. 5.45. and vpon the bad, and send his raine, yea, and that a gracious raine vpon the iust, and vpon the vniust, and cause our wiues to be like the Ʋine that is by the house-side, and our children to be like the Oliue branches round about our Tables, our Oxen strong to la­bour, and our sheepe to bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our streets? And therefore as he saith vnto the Israelites, Esay 5.4. What could I doe more for my Ʋineyard? So may he say to euery man, what should I doe more for thee, then I haue done? If thou thinkest others in better state then thy selfe, thou must know that thou doest not know thine owne estate, nor vnderstandest what is best for thy selfe; Sed quid profit vel obsit, nouit medicus non aegrotus: But God knoweth what is best for euery man, and he euer worketh all things together for the best, Rom. 8.28. for them that loue him.

And therefore for silly man, to offend such a good God, that doth so much good for man; I know not how this sin should [Page 104] be sufficiently punished; to eate his bread, to enioy his Sunne, to re­ceiue his blessings, and to spurne him with our heeles, to teare him with our teeth, and to abuse him in all our actions; It is such a trans­cendent sinne as it passeth all vnderstanding to imagine punish­ment enough for the same.

The basenesse of the offender doth euer ag­grauate the offence.Secondly, we must consider the quality of the Offender: for if a King should iniure his subiect, or a Master his seruant, the of­fence is not so great, as if a Subiect should rebell against his Soueraigne, or a seruant lay violent hands vpon his master: and therefore humane lawes decreed, that the basenesse of the of­fender should be censured with the seuerer punishment; as if a Master should kill his Seruant, hee should but hang for his la­bour; but if a Seruant should kill his Master, he must be burnt all to ashes; as for a sinne against Heauen and against Nature.

What a poore miserable thing is Man that doth of­fend so great and so good a God.But what are we that doe offend so great and so good a God, which the very Heathens tearmed, Optimus Maximus; best and greatest? Wee are but men, and no Angels; but wormes and no men; dust and ashes, things of nothing, and worth nothing; base and beggerly; not able in need to releeue our selues with one drop of cold water to coole our tongues.

All our strength is but like a rush, that may be soone knapt a sunder; Psal. 1.5. and all we haue is but like the dust, which the winde can easily scatter away from off the face of the earth. The very Hea­thens tell vs, that omnis homo bulla est, Euery man is but like a bubble of water, soone blowne vp, and sooner off.

Sic in non hominem vertitur omnis homo. So meane, and so base a thing is man: Psal. 144.4. He is like a thing of naught, and his time pas­seth away like a shadow.

And yet these silly wormes, like as the poore Psilii would warre against the winde, vntill they were all ouerwhelmed with the sands; so will they [...], with the Gyants, rebell and warre against their God, (Impar congressus Achilli) vntill (as the Pigmies were by Hercules) they shall see themselues to be far ouer-matched with this God of Gods, that holdeth the Winds in his fist, and rideth vpon the Heauens as vpon a Horse: And there­fore [Page 105] what maruell that their punishment should be intermina­ble, whose rebellion is so intollerable?

Thirdly, we must consider the quality of the Offence: How we offend God, and as it were sell God for trifles, for nothing. For if once for some great matter we did offend; it might be thought the more tollerable; Nam si violanda fides, regnandi causa violan­da est: For small matters should neuer make vs to breake our word, saith the Heathen man: And therefore the Romanes were so vpright, and so faithfull vnto their confederates, that they would neuer offer to breake faith and promise, but in case of dominion, of very great aduantage; for they deemed him a ve­ry foole, that would vndoe himselfe for nothing; and so our owne Citizens here haue learnt this rule of the Romans; for, when they breake, they will neuer doe it for nothing but for hundreds, and thousands, Luke 16.6.7 8. that they may with the vniust Steward, gaine something to themselues, for the losse of their honestie.

But how doe we offend our God? euen for nothing; for as Saint Paul saith, An idoll is nothing in the world; 1 Cor. 8.4. so may I say of Sinne; it is nothing in the world; it is no substance, it is no being in the world; but it is the corruption of being, and it brings vs no­thing in the world, but the least and vaynest momentary plea­sure that euer can be imagined: and so themselues in Hell confesse, saying, What hath pride profited vs, Wisd. 5.8. or what good hath our riches, with our vaunting, brought vs? What are they the better for their daily swearing, swaggering, drinking, and such like vile and horrible sinnes, which I doe abhorre to name, but that I must in such grosse tearmes, because I loue not to guilde sinnes, and to giue them better names then they deserue; they are all p [...]st away like a shadow: Transit quod extollitur, Gregor. in Mo­ral. perma­net quod punitur: The pleasure is past as soone as euer the fact is done; but the punishment remaineth neuer to bee abo­lished.

And yet, for such a trifle, for such a momentary pleasure, we will aduenture to offend our God: Gen. 3. Adam for an Apple will forsake his Creator: Iudas for thirty pence, will sell his Redee­mer: and we, for a cuppe of drinke to make vs drunken, for a little trash, it may be one peny to make vs richer, for an oath of our mouth, to shew our selues Gallants, and for such like o­ther [Page 106] things of nothing, will not be afraid to offend our God, to lose his fauour, and to cast him off for euer.

I remember that when God sheweth how little hee respe­cteth wicked sinners, Psal. 44 13. the Prophet saith; Thou sellest thy people for naught and takest no money for them; as if they were worth nothing in the world: euen so doe these men deale with God, they sell him for naught, and esteeme him worth nothing in the world; for putting God on the one hand, and the least pleasure or profit of sinne on the other hand; they will imbrace that sinne, and forsake their God: and this they will not onely doe once or twice, and then leaue; but they will doe it daily and hourely, and euery moment; neuer leauing to sinne vntill we be compelled to leaue the world; for euery one of vs may say with Manasses, Vt februm re­cidiuarum ma­iora pericula, & vt vulnerum post cicatrices, &c. Bosquierus de passione Dom: conc. 3. p. 692. Peccaui super numerum arenae maris, My sinnes are more in number then the sands of the Sea: And therefore as often wounding the same scarres, doth increase the danger, (saith Bosquierus;) So the continuall committing of the same sinnes, doth euery way much increase and aggrauate the offen­ces; for if we did it but once, it might be thought we did it precipitately of inconsideration; but when we doe it continually, it is apparant that we doe it wilfully, with delight and delibera­tion, and therefore must be left euery way without excuse.

Ansel. in l. de casu diaboli. Anselmus comparing the sinne of Satan with his owne sin, saith, Diabolus nulla praecedentis vindicta superbiens, peccauit; ego visa eius paena non continens, ad peccatum properaui: ille in innocen­tia constitutus, ego vero restitutus: ille perstitit in malitia, deo repro­bante; ego vero deo reuocante: ille obduratur ad punientem; ego ve­ra ad blandientem; & sic vter (que) contra deum; ille contra non requi­rentem se; ego vero contra morientem pro me; ecce cuius imaginem horrebam, in multis aspicio me horribiliorem. The Diuell not see­ing any vengeance vpon any former sinner, by waxing proud did sinne; but I though I saw his punishment for sinne, did notwithstanding hasten vnto sinne: He sinned in his innocency, wherein he was first created; I after I was againe restored; hee persisted in his malice, God forsaking him; I persist in my sinne, God still seeking to reclaime me from sinne; he was hardned against God, punishing him: I against my God, that gently and mildly intreated me: and so both of vs did sinne against God; [Page 107] he against him, that after he sinned, sought him not; but I against him, that after I had sinned, sought me, and dyed for mee: and therefore behold I find my selfe in many things, more vile and horrible then him, whom for his obstinacy against God, I doe so much hate and detest. So infinitely great, Man is not able to com­prehend the infinite defor­mitie of sinne. and so transcendent­ly horrible is the sinne of man: insomuch that Diuines con­clude, that as God is infinite, Propter summam formositatem, In regard of his excellent beauty; so is sinne infinite in respect of vs, Propter summam deformitatem, By reason of its vnspeakea­ble deformitie: and therefore that it can deserue no lesse then infinite punishment.

Well then, beloued Brethren, seeing the person offended, All punish­ment ought to be answerable to the offence. is so great and so excellent; the offenders so base and so beggerly: and the offence so haynous and so intollerable: and that the punishment of a sinne, Vt nec maior crimine, ita nec minor esse debet, As it ought not to be more, so it should not be lesse then the offence deserueth; what man can imagine a punishment great enough for such, and so great offences as wee daily com­mit against our God?

Hence it is that Saint Paul, willing to shew the equity of this inflicted punishment, calleth it [...] stipendia: The stipend, or the wages of sinne. Now, stipendium Dr: a stipe: A stipend is an hirelings reward, and was wont to be called the wages that was appointed to be paide the Souldiers, to make prouision for their daily meate and drinke, to sustaine themselues vntill they receiued their full pay: this was called [...], their stipend; and none can say, but the poore Souldier which aduentureth his life and his limbes euery moment, for the defence of his Prince, Peeres, and Countrey, is iustly worthy of this small mea­sure of meate. Now Death, saith the Apostle, is the stipend of the Sinner: and therefore Death is as due to him, Aretius in Rom. c. 6. 25. Vti militi sti­pendium suum: as is the stipend vnto the Souldier, saith Aretius. And so you see, the Worke, Sinne; the Wages, Death; and the Equity of it, as iustly due to him, as the stipend is to the Souldier: For, the wages of Sinne is Death.

CHAP. VI. Of the especiall application of each one of these three parts of the whole Text.

ANd now to presse each one of these, to make im­pression in our hearts, let vs euer learne and re­member; that,

First, seeing sinne is so various, so ambigu­ous, so horrible, and so odious, in its meandrian windings; we should be very carefull to looke into the secret corners, and tortuous labyrinths of the same; for it comes (as I shewed you) creeping by degrees, and it comes vayled with shadowes.

As the Serpent crept into Pa­radice, so the Diuel creepeth into our harts, and draweth vs into the height of sinne by lit­tle and little.Looke into all the Ecclesiasticall Stories, and you shall see that neither Idolatry nor Superstition stept into its height at first, but rather crept on by little and little. Saint Peters Succes­sor was long before he could come to weare a triple Crowne: so Satan seekes to bring in sinne; and therefore, seeing that

It is hard to cure an old festered disease; we should, obstare principijs, with­stand the very first beginnings of sinne, and hate the very gar­ment, Jude, verse 23. that is any wayes spotted or stained with iniquity: That is, the very least thing that may occasionate euill.

How we may withstand and hinder the groweth of sinne.But you will say, how shall this be done? you tell vs what we should doe, but you shew vs not the way to doe it? I an­swere, that I finde two especiall meanes, whereby Satan sought to inlarge the Kingdome of Sinne; and by which, he had al­most ouerthrowne the Kingdome of Israel. The one was, the aduice of Baalam, Numb. 24 14. the sonne of Beor, a great Prophet, that taught Balak King of Moab, 1 Cor. 10.8. to intangle Israel, by making mutuall matches, and mariages betwixt their Children; whereby the an­ger of the Lord was so kindled, that hee slew of them three and twenty thousand in one day.

1 Kings 12.31.The other was, the practice of Ieroboam, the sonne of Nebat, a great King, that to establish his Kingdome, did make Officers, [Page 109] and Priests, of the basest of the people; 1 Kings 12.31. and thereby hee made all Israel for to sinne.

And therefore, if you would suppresse, or hinder the increase of sinne; you must take heede, among other things, of these two especiall points.

First, Marry not your Children vnto sinners; That we should not marry our Children but to the best men. but looke ra­ther into the sincerity of their Religion, the purity of their pro­fession, and the vprightnesse of their conuersation, then the great­nesse of their reputation here amongst men: and if you finde them Drunkards, Swearers, Players, Idolaters, superstitious, or leud liuers, or any wayes inclined to these, or the like sinnes; decline you from them, and meddle not with them; least their sinnes doe bring a plague and punishment, to consume both you and yours: for though it be a good thing to bestow thy Daughter in marriage; yet is it not good, vnlesse it be to a man of vnderstanding, saith the Wiseman: but they are a people void of reason, and a Nation destitute of vnderstanding, that turne the Diuine Verity, into Idolatry; or that doe any wayes erre from Gods Commandements.

Secondly, make not any Officers, especially Priests, That we should not make any Officers, espe­cially Priests, but those that are truly reli­gious and ho­nest. of the basest of the people; but looke into their liues, and consider well their profession; yea, marke their inclination: and whom you see corrupted with sinne, or any wayes infected with the poyson of iniquity, drunkennesse, prophanenesse, cruelty, idolatry, or superstition, promote them not vnto your seates of Gouernment; or if they be promoted, and preferred by o­thers, yet haue you nothing to doe with this stoole of wickednesse; receiue them not into your Houses, entertaine them not at your Tables, haue no commerce or conuersation with them, meddle not with them, fauour them not; for you may be sure that they will fauour sinne; and you should feare, least by medling with them, you should be defiled, and tainted with sinne: for the bewitching of naughtinesse, Wisdome 4.10. doth soone obscure things that are honest.

But make much of them that feare the Lord, and whom you see zealously affected, to follow the true Religion, and earnestly labouring to leade an vpright conuersation; O let them be hel­ped, and furthered, to be promoted both in Church and Com­mon-wealth; [Page 110] for you may be sure, That we should make much of those that are good and godly men, and doe our best to pro­mote such into dignity. that they will faithfully doe what lyeth in them, to suppresse Idolatrie and all iniquitie: Who so is wise, will ponder these things; and he shall vnder­stand, and perceiue, and feele, the louing kindnesse of the Lord. And as sinne seekes to creepe by degrees, so if you looke into the liues of men, you shall see how it comes fairely clad; and vayled, with the shaddowes of vaine excuses.

Sometimes of infirmity, either of Age, or of Nature: young men thinke it too soone for them to be precise; old men are weake, and are not able to endure any longer seruice; the wrath­full man, Gen 4.23. with Lamech, layeth all the fault on his fury; if he slayes a man in his wound, and a young man in his hurt: the Drunkard saith, it was his drinke, and not he, that acteth all the mischiefe; and the lasciuious man excuseth himselfe, with the heate of his bloud, and the lust of his flesh.

Of the mani­fold excuses that sinners haue to lessen and to excuse their sinnes. Gen. 3.7.Sometimes of conformity, the proud, the drunken, the am­bitious, the couetous, and the like sinnefull men, they doe but as most men doe; and why should they be singular?

Sometimes of simplicity, there meaning is good, what euill soeuer they doe. And thus sinne couers it selfe, like Adam, with the fruitlesse figge-leaues of hypocrisie.

But alas beloued, we must know, that for Gods Husbandry, no season proues vnseasonable; but young men and maidens, old men and children, Psal 148.12. must praise and serue the Lord: and Nature must be subdued by Grace, if euer we will be the Children of Glory; and all your excuses of sinne, will not free your soules from eternall death; but as the Prouerbe is, Kill a man when thou art drunke, and thou shalt be hanged when thou art sober: So sweare, and raile, and rage, and offend thy God, and abuse man, when thou art in thy drinke, in thy fury; and God will lay the punish­ment on thee, and not on thy drinke, when thou shalt not haue a drop of drinke to quench thy thirst, nor a droppe of water to coole thy tongue: Luc. 16.24. That we ought to keepe our selues spotlesse in the midst of the wicked. And we haue learnt in Gods Schoole, that Iuda must not sinne, no, though all Israel should play the Harlot; but as the Riuer Alphaeus conuayes it selfe through the Seas, into his beloued Arethusa, and yet participates not at all with the Sea-saltish humour; so must Lot preserue himselfe chaste in the middest of Sodome, and the Saints in the middest of the [Page 111] World; as I haue shewed at large in my Treatise, The Delights of the Saints. Page 47. of the Delights of the Saints: And the Schoole of Diuinity teacheth vs, that Bonum est de integra causa, The beginning, meanes, and ending of euery action, must needes be right, or the whole action will proue wrong: and therefore wee must take away these vailes from sinne, if we would perceiue the vglinesse of sinne; and so escape the wages of Sinne, which is Death.

Secondly, seeing Sinne is the reall, and radicall cause, Et mali, & morbi, & mortis, Of weakenesse, sickenesse, miseries, death, and destruction, (a pernicious parent of most dreadfull and deadly off-spring;) for foolish men are plagued, Psal. 107.17. because of their offences: and I will smite thee (saith God himselfe vnto Iacob) be­cause of thy sinnes, and it is an axiome infallible, Mich. 6.13. that sinne and punishment, are inseparable companions; so inseperable, that the Hebruists doe often call them both, by one name; as where the text sayth, Sinne lyeth at the doore, Gene. 4.7. and ver. 13. and My sinne is greater then I can beare; and againe, your Sinne shall find you out; there Arias Montanus, and Tremellius translate it, punishment: Numb. 32.23. That wee should ac­knowledge our owne sinnes to be the true cause of all our miseries. Jere. 44.17. there­fore, if we feele any plagues or miseries, either Dearth of Corne, or decaying of Trade, increase of Superstition, or decrease of Re­ligion, or any such like plagues and miseries; let vs not blame the times, nor trueth of God; but let vs lay the fault where it is, vpon our selues, and vpon our owne Sinnes: for though the many multitude say, it was a good world with them, When they sacrificed vnto the Queene of Heaven; yet the King of Heauen knowes, what a wofull time it was for Man, when the Crucifixe was kissed with the kisses of their Mouthes, and Iesus Christ was crucified againe with the workes of their hands; and when they changed, The trueth of God into a lye, and Worshipped and serued the creature, made a god with their owne hands; Rom. 1.15. More then the Creator who is blessed for euer. Amen. And if we would be free from plagues, free from punishments; let vs free our selues from sinne.

I know that feare of Poperies comming againe, with super­stitions hath spread it selfe ouer the face of this whole Iland; but alas, Wee feare where no feare is: for I dare confidently affirme, that it neuer was his Maiesties minde, nor the purpose of the State, to bring in Idolatry and superstition into this land [Page 112] againe, Cantic: 5.3. for We haue washed our feete, and shall we foule them againe? But the secrets of State, is more then either I can perceiue, or most of you well vnderstand. Or if they did, yet were it vayne, Quia non est concilium contra Dominum: because no deuice of man, can subuert the truth of God; vnlesse our sinnes doe pro­uoke our God, Reuel. 2.5. Nulla nocebit aduersitas si nulla domine­tur iniquitas. Gregor. Cyprian. to remoue our Candlesticke, and to take away our light: and therefore though all the Iesuites of the world, and all the Cardinals of Rome, nay, though all the Deuils of Hell, should doe their worst against vs; yet if we feare our God, and forsake all Sinne; the diuels may haue all their seruants, before they all shall be able to hurt any one seruant of the Lord: quia non plus valet ad deijciendum terrena paena, quam ad erigendum di­uina tutela; 1 John 4.4. because, He that is in vs, is greater then he that is in the World; and is more able to preserue vs, then the Prince of darkenesse is to destroy vs.

That wee should turne to the Lord our God.And therefore, if you thinke Poperie to be euill, and would be free from superstition, neuer feare the State; nor lay the blame on others; but leaue your sinnes, and Turne to the Lord your God, with all your hearts, and with all your soules, and you shall see the Saluation of the Lord, which hee will shew vnto vs this day, Exod. 14.13. for the Egyptians, whom you haue seene, and feare; you shall see them againe no more for euer; the Lord shall fight for you, and you may be sure no euill shall happen vnto you; it shall not come nigh your dwelling: for the onely way to escape all punishments is to forsake all sinnes.

Neither doe I say this, as if we could be cleane from sinnes: for I know it was Nouatus his error, and we must all know it for an error, Hieron: adversus. Pelag. that a Christian after Baptisme doth not sinne, and it was but a Pellagian conceite, before him inuented by Pythago­ras, that the exercise of Vertue, rooteth out all the seede of Vi­ces; Matth. 7.18. for a Bad tree cannot bring foorth good fruit, and in some things, sayth the Apostle, I feare I may say (as it is in our last English translation) in many things wee Sinne all: Iames 3.2. 1 Iohn 1.8. And if wee say wee haue no sinne, wee deceiue our selues, and there is no trueth in vs.

But I say this, that we should haue a feruent desire, not to sinne, and to say with the Prophet, O that my wayes were made so direct, that I might keepe thy Commandements; and that wee [Page 113] would endeuor, pro virili; to the vttermost of our abilities, not to sinne; and labour alwayes with the Apostle, Acts 24.16. to keep a cleere conscience in all things, both before God and Man,

Thirdly, Seeing all miseries, death, and damnation, are as iustly inflicted vpon the sinner, as the poore Souldier may iustly claime his little stipend; we should not complaine against God, Sueton. in vita Ʋesp. C. 10. with Ʋespasian, Immerenti sibi vitam aripi, that he tooke away his life without any fault of his; or without any fayling on his part; but we should with the Leuites in Nehemiah, with Daniel, with Ieremie, and with all the rest of the men of God; commend the Lord, and condemne our selues; saying, surely thou art iust in all that is come vpon vs, thou hast dealt truely, Nehem. 9.33. but wee haue done wickedly.

And thus I haue shewed thee, O man, quid sit malum, what is euill; and you haue heard, a large discourse of Sinne, and the most lamentable effect, and wages, of Sinne: And now it is a thousand to one, that the first thing, many one of vs will doe, is to goe home, or perhaps afore wee goe home, to sinne: some to sweare, some to their whores, some to be drunke, some to deceiue, and most of vs to some sinne or other:

But if euer any of you doe, for those sinnes, receiue this pay; remember I haue told you, what you should haue, Death; for the wages of Sinne is Death: and I can doe no more, but pray to God, that he would giue vs grace to forsake Sinne, that we may escape Death, through Iesus Christ our Lord: To whom with the Father, and the Holy Ghost, three distinct Persons, of that one eternall in diuided Essence, be giuen, as is most due, all prayse, and glory, for euer and euer. Amen.