Clavis mystica a key opening divers difficult and mysterious texts of Holy Scripture; handled in seventy sermons, preached at solemn and most celebrious assemblies, upon speciall occasions, in England and France. By Daniel Featley, D.D.

THE DANGER OF RELAPSE. THE LVI SERMON.

EZEK. 18.24.

But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousnesse, and commit∣teth iniquity, and doth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doth shall hee live? All his righteousnesse that hee hath done shall not bee mentioned: in his trespasse that hee hath trespassed, and in his sin that hee hath sinned, in them shall hee dye.

Right Honourable, &c.

SAint Jerome maketh a profitable use of thea 1.1 Angels ascen∣ding and descending upon the ladder which Jacob saw in a dreame, reaching from the earth to heaven. The lad∣der hee will have to bee the whole frame of a godly life, set upwards towards heaven, whereupon the children of God, who continually aspire to their inheritance that is above, arise from the ground of humility, and climbe by divine vertues, as it were so many rounds one above another, till Christ take them by the hand of their faith, and receive them into heaven. They are stiled Angels in regard of theirb 1.2 heavenly conversation: these Jacob saw continually as∣cending and descending upon that ladder, viz. ascending by the motions of the spirit, but descending through the weight of the flesh; rising by the strength of grace, but falling through the infirmity of nature: and hereby (saith that learned Father)c 1.3 wee are lessoned not to despaire of grace, because Jacob saw Angels ascending; as they fell so they rose: nor yet presume of their owne strength, for hee saw Angels descending also; as they rose so they fell. Presumption and desperation are two dangerous maladies, not more opposite one to the other, than to the health of the soule: presumption o∣verpriseth Gods mercy, and undervalueth our sinnes: and on the contra¦rie

desperation overpriseth our sinnes, and undervalueth Gods mercy: both are most injurious to God; the one derogateth from his mercy, the other from his justice, both band against hearty and speedy repentance; the one opposing it as needlesse, the other as bootlesse: presumption saith thou maist repent at leasure, gather the buds of sinfull pleasures before they wither, repentance is not yet seasonable: desperation saith, the root of faith is wi∣thered, it is now too late to repent. The learned dispute whether of these two be the more pernicious and dangerous; the answer is easie, presumpti∣on is the more epidemicall, desperation, the more mortall disease. Presumpti∣on, like the Adder, stingeth more; but desperation, like the Basiliske, stings more deadly: many meet with Adders, which are almost found in all parts of the world; but few with Basiliskes. Presumption is more dan∣gerous extensivè, for it carrieth more to hell: but desperation inten∣sivè, for those whom it seizeth upon it carrieth more forcibly and altoge∣ther irrecoverably thither: and finall desperation never bringeth men to presumption, but presumption bringeth men often to finall desperation. To meete with these most pernicious evils, God hath given us both the Law and the Gospel; the Law to keepe us under in feare, that wee rise not proudly and presumptuously against him; and the Gospel to raise us up in hope that the weight of our sinnes sinke us not in despaire: the threats of the one serve to draw and asswage the tumour of pride; the promises of the o∣ther, to heale the sores of wounded consciences: and the Scripture (as Saint Basil rightly calleth it) is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, a common Apothecaries shop, or physicke schoole, wherein are remedies for all the diseases of the soule. In these verses, as in two boxes there are soveraigne recipes against both the maladies above named: against the former, to wit, desperation, vers. 23. a∣gainst the later, viz. presumption, v. 24. And it is not unworthy your ob∣servation, that as in the beginning of the Spring when Serpents breed and peeped 1.4 out of their holes, the Ash puts forth, which is a present remedie against their stings and teeth: so the holy Ghost in Scripture for the most part delive∣reth an antidote in, or hard by those texts, from whence libertines and car∣nall men sucke the poyson of presumption. The texts are these: God hath rai∣sed up an horne of salvation for us, that we beeing delivered out of the hands of our enemies, might serve him without feare.f 1.5 Where sinne abounded grace did much more abound.g 1.6 There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus.* 1.7 We are called to liberty. Now see an antidote in the verses following. Lest any man should suck poyson from these words in the first text, Serve him without feare; it is added in the next words, in holinesse and righteous∣nesse before him all the dayes of our life. Lest any man should abuse the se∣cond, the Apostle within a verse putteth in a caveat, What shall we say then? shall we continue in sinne that grace may abound?e 1.8 God forbid: how shall wee that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? vers. 1, 2. Lest any should gather too farre upon that generall speech of the Apostle, There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus,h 1.9 there followes a restriction in the same verse, who walke not after the flesh, but after the spirit. Lest any should stumble at those words of the same Apostle, Ye are called to libertie, he reacheth them a hand, and giveth them a stay in the next clause; onely use not liberty for an occasion unto the flesh. Lest any presumptuous sinner should lay hold on the

hornes of the Altar, and claspe about that gracious promise,i 1.10 The grace of God that bringeth salvation unto all men hath appeared, he beateth off their fingers in the next verse: teaching us, that denying ungodlinesse, and worldly lusts, wee should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this pre∣sent world. In like manner, lest any should* 1.11 wrest the former verse of this Prophet, as they doe the other Scriptures, to the building forts of pre∣sumption, but to the apparent ruine of their owne soules, the Prophet for∣cibly withstandeth them in the words of my text, But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousnesse, &c. The life of a Christian is not unfit∣ly compared to a long and dangerous sea voyage; the sea is this present world, the barkes are our bodies, the sailers our soules, the pylot our faith, the card Gods Word, the rudder constancie, the anker hope, the maine mast the crosse of Christ, the strong cables our violent affections, the sailes our desires, and the holy Spirit the good winde which filleth the sailes and driveth the barke and marriners to the fairek 1.12 haven which is hea∣ven. Now in our way which lyeth through many temptations and tri∣bulations, there are two dangerous rockes, the one on the right hand, the other on the left; the rock on the right hand to be avoided is presumption, the rock on the left threatning shipwracke is despaire; betweene which we are to steere our ship by feare on the one side and hope on the other. To hold us in a solicitous feare that we touch not upon presumption, let us have alwayes in the eye of our minde,

• 1 The glorious and most omnipotent majesty of God.
• 2 His all-seeing providence.
• 3 His impartiall justice.
• 4 His severe threatnings against sinne.
• 5 The dreadfull punishments hee inflicteth upon sinners.
• 6 The heinousnesse of the sin of presumption, which turneth Gods grace into wantonnesse.
• 7 The difficulty of recovery after relapses.
• 8 The uncertainty of Gods offer of grace after the frequent refusall thereof.

To keepe us in hope, that wee dash not upon the rocke of despaire on the contrary side, let us set before our troubled and affrighted consciences these grounds of comfort:

• 1 The infinitenesse of Gods mercy.
• 2 The price and value of Christs blood.
• 3 The efficacy of his intercession,
• 4 The vertue of the Sacraments.
• 5 The universality and certainty of Gods promises to the penitent.
• 6 The joy of God and Angels for the conversion of a sinner.
• 7 The communion of Saints, who all pray for the comfort of affli∣cted consciences, and the ease of all that are heavie laden with their sinnes.
• 8 The examples of mercy shewed to most grievous sinners.

Upon these grounds the contrite penitent may build strong forts of com∣fort after this manner.

My sins though they be more in number than the heires of my head, yet they are finite, whereas Gods mercy is every way

infinite: if my debt bee as a thousand, my Saviours merits are as infinite millions. And not onely Gods mercy, but his justice also pleads for my pardon: for it is against justice that the same debt should be twice paid, to require a full ransome from my Redeemer, and expect it from my selfe. Il 1.13 confesse my sinnes, and therefore I know he is faithfull and just to forgive mee my sinnes, and cleanse mee from all my unrighteousnesse. One drop of the blood of the Sonne of God was a sufficient price for the ransome of many worlds, and shall not such store of it spinning from his temples, dropping from his hands, gushing out of his side, and trickling from all parts of his body, both in the garden, and in the High Priests Hall, satis∣fie for one poore soule that preferreth his love even before heaven it selfe? All my sinnes are either originall or actuall: the guilt of originall is taken away in baptisme, and as often as I have received the blessed Sa∣crament a generall pardon was tendred unto mee for all my other sinnes, and the seale delivered into my hands. What though God will not heare the prayers of such a sinner as I am? yet he will heare the prayers of Je∣sus Christ the righteous, who is the propitiation for my sinnes. I acknowledge (to my hearts griefe and sorrow) that neither faith nor hope, nor any other divine vertue beareth any sensible fruit in mee for the present; yet the seed of my regeneration remaineth in mee. And as the blind man knew that his sight began to be restored to him, even by the defect he found in it when he thought hem 1.14 saw men walke like trees: so even by this I know that I am not utterly destitute of grace, because I feele and unfainedly be∣waile the want of it. If there were no heavenly treasure in mee, Satan would not so often and so furiously assault mee: for theeves besiege not, much lesse breake open those houses where they are perswaded nothing is to be found. The greater my sorrow is for my sinne, and my spirituall desertion, the greater is my hope: for the spirit maketh intercession for the sonnes of Godn 1.15 with groaning which cannot be expressed. None were cured by the brazen Serpent, which before had not beene stung by the fiery: neither doth Christ promise ease unto any but to those that feele themselves heavie burdened.

But to confine my meditations to the letter of my text. Before ye heard, Repent you of your sinnes and you shall surely live. God pawneth his life for it, therefore despaire not how grievous soever your sinnes be. But now I am to tell you plainly, if you repent you of your repentance, and turne from righteousnesse to sinne, and end your dayes in that state, you shall sure∣ly die eternally: therefore presume not, how compleate soever your former righteousnesse seeme to have beene. In these two verses are implyed a double conversion:

• 1 From evill to good.
• 2 From good to evill.

To turne from evill, is good; from good, is evill: the former is repen∣tance, upon which I spent my last discourse: the later is relapse or aposta∣cie, against which I am now to bend all my forces.

But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousnesse, and commit∣teth iniquity, &c. in the transgression which he hath transgressed, and in the sinne which he hath sinned, in them hee shall surely die. The contents of this

verse are like the Prophet Jeremies figges, of which wee read that the bad were exceeding bad; for in the antecedent or fore-part we have apostacie, & that totall: and in the hinder part or consequent, death, and that finall. The words divide themselves into (first) a supposition, When, or, if the righteous forsake: secondly, an inference, his former righteousnesse shall not be remem∣bred, &c. The supposition is dangerous, the inference is pernicious.

To establish you in the truth of this supposition, or rather hypotheticall commination, it will be needfull to lay downe certaine grounds.

1. That the certainty of the end no whit impeacheth the necessary use of all meanes for the attaining it. For the end and meanes are coor∣dinata, and both involved in the same decree. As the meanes are ap∣pointed for the end, so the end is decreed to bee attained by such meanes; for example, the propagation of mankinde by marriage, the main∣taining our temporall life by food and sustenance, the recovery of health by physicke, the reaping the fruits of the earth by manuring and tillage, the governement of the world by lawes, the calling of men to the knowledge of the truth by the Word and Sacraments, the keeping the children of God from presumptuous sinnes by admonitions and comminations. The hea∣then themselves saw a glimmering of this truth: for the Stoicke Philoso∣phers, who taught the foreknowledge of God, and thence inferred inevita∣ble necessity of all events according to that foreknowledge, yet most strict∣ly urged the performance of all morall duties and vertuous actions; and generally, the use of all meanes for the attaining that end any man propo∣seth to himselfe. Bee it thy destiny (say they) to have many children by thy wife, yet thou must not neglect conjugall duties; be it thy desti∣ny to recover of thy disease, yet thou must not neglect the prescrip∣tions of the Physician; bee it thy destiny to conquer thine enemy, yet thou must not forget to bring thy weapon with thee into the field; bee it thy destiny to bee a great Professour in Philosophy, yet thou must not neglect thy study; bee it thy destiny to dye a rich man, yet thou must not be carelesse of thy estate.

2. That this and the like comminations in holy Scripture are spoken generally to all, Elect as well as Reprobate: and they are of speciall use to both; to terrifie the Reprobate, and keepe them within some bounds, or at least to convince their consciences, and debarre them from all excuse at the day of judgement; and to stirre up the Elect to watch∣fulnesse over all their wayes, and diligence and constancy in the use of all such meanes as by Gods grace may keepe them from backe-sliding and dangerous relapses, to hold them in continuall awe, and excite them to make their calling and election sure, and work out their salvation with feare and trembling, as Saint Austine declareth at large through his whole booke de correptione & gratiá.

3. That all Israelites are not true Nathaniels, all converts are not absolutely so, nor all penitents throughly cleansed from their sinnes; many are regenerated but in part, they repent of their sinnes, but not of all, they keepe a sweet bit under their tongue, they have a Dali∣lah in their bosome, or an Herodias at their table, or a Bathsheba in their bed; though they bee healed of all other diseases, yet not of the

plague of the heart, some secret sinne hath a kinde of predominancy in them. Now as the Peacockes fl••sh, if it hath but an ordinary seething, growes raw againe, cocta recrudescit; and wounds that are not perfectly healed, though they may be skinned over, breake out againe, and bleed afresh; so a man that is not perfectly regenerated in all parts, though hee hath a tast of the heavenly gift, and may beleeve with Simon Magus, and tremble at Gods judgements with Felix, and heare the Word gladly with Herod, and doe many things; yet because the seed of the word hath not taken deepe root in him, it is possible for him with Demas to forsake the Gospel, and em∣brace this present world; with Himeneus and Philetus, to make shipwracke of faith and a good conscience; with Julian to become an Apostata, and a per∣secuter of the truth.

4. The Prophet Ezekiel in this place speaketh not of Evangelicall righ∣teousnesse, but of legall: for he saith not simply when a man turneth from righteousnesse, but from his righteousnesse. And vers. 5. hee defineth a just man to be he That doth that which is lawfull and right, and hath not eaten upon the mountaines, nor defiled his neighbours wife, &c. Now whatsoever may be alledged for the stability of evangelicall righteousnesse, and their permanency who are engraffed into the true Vine, Christ Jesus; daily ex∣perience sheweth that the most righteous on earth may and somtimes do re∣mit of their strict observance of their duty; & that it is not only possible, but very facile for them to let loose the reines to sensuall desires, and to follow the gainefull, or ambitious, or voluptuous courses of the world, at least for a time. For the way to heaven is up-hill, but the way to hell is down-hill, and thither the weight of our sinfull flesh forcibly tendeth.

—Facilis discensus averni.

A man may without any paine slip downe to the place of everlasting paines and torments: Yea (saith Seneca) as 1.16 gouty man may get thither in a trice:

Sed revocare gradum, superasque evadere ad auras, Hoc opus, hic labor est.

But saith the Poet, all the labour is to come backe from hell, and get up out of the deep pit: so hee. But the truth is, no labour can worke it, no skill com∣passe it: for from hell there is no redemption. Wee know there is great strength required to bend a bow of steele, which will unbend it selfe, if the string breake or but slip. Our motions to God-ward, and proceedings in a sanctified course of life, are like the rowing of a small boat against a strong wind and tide (the blasts of the evill spirit, and the propension of our cor∣rupt nature) much labour and sweat is required, and very little is done with much adoe; and if wee sl••cke our hands, and misse but one stroake, we are carried downe with the streame, and cast further backe than wee can fetch againe with many stroakes. Did not Solomon turne away from his righte∣ousnesse, and commit iniquity, and doe according to all the abominations of the wicked, when he defiled his body and soule with spirituall and cor∣porall fornication? Did not David likewise, when he spilt the bloud of U∣riah, that hee might more freely stay in the bed of Bathsheba? I spare the

rest (because I would be loth with my breath to stain the golden and sil∣ver vessels of the Sanctuary) and come à Thesi ad Hypothesin, from the indefinite to the singular, from the hearers at large to this present audi∣tory.

Ye heare out of the Text how incommodious and dangerous a thing it is for a righteous man to degenerate, and turne away from his righteous∣nesse; it depriveth him of all the benefit of his former travells in the way to heaven: it blasteth all the fruits of his labours, & without a second return to God, dasheth all his hope of reward, & leaveth him in a fearfull expectati∣on of eternall death. I doubt not but that some of you were pricked in heart with this sharp reproofe of sinne, which ye heard in the handling of the for∣mer Verses, and ye resolved forthwith to turne from your evill wayes, and walke in the pathes of Gods commandments: what remaines but that yee hold on your holy course, to the end that ye may winne a garland of the flowers of Paradise? Beware of turning out of the way, to take up the gol∣den apples which the Divell casteth before you; if ye turne never so little aside, ye endanger your crowne of glory, and hazzard your lives.

All your former righteousnesse which ye have done shall not be mentioned, and in the trespasse that yee have trespassed, and in the sinne that ye have sin∣ned, in them yee shall dye. What a soule and shamefull thing is it with the dogge to returne to your vomit of luxury, and with the swine to your wallow∣ing in the mire of sensuall pleasures? As in the diseases of the body, so also much more of the soule, all relapses are dangerous, and in some diseases al∣together incurable: the reason whereof alledged by some learned Physici∣ans is this, that when wee first take our bed the malignity of the disease worketh upon corrupt humours in the body, which when they are purged, and we restored to health, if after by any distemper we fall into the same malady, the malignity of the disease worketh upon our vitall spirits: in like manner the malignity of sinne before our conversion worketh but upon our corrupt nature, but after upon the graces of Gods Spirit. Remember the possessed man in the Gospel, who when thet 1.17 uncleane spirit went out of him returned to his owne home, and finding it swept and garnished, took seven worse spirits than that which before haunted him, and so his last state was worse than his first.u 1.18 Sinne no more, saith our Saviour to the impotent man, lest a worse thing befall thee.* 1.19 Lysimachus was wont to say, that it was impardonable carelesnesse to stumble twice at the same stone. The first time we offend we may plead ignorance and over-sight: but hee that twice runneth upon the same rocke, if hee bee cast away, cannot blame his hard chance, but his retchlesse folly.x 1.20 Tertullian acutely observeth, that he who after his con∣version to God, and giving his name to Christ, falls againe to serve Sathan in any vicious course of life, seemeth to have put God and the Divell in the same ballance, and having weighed both their services deliberately, and upon a settled judgement, to have preferred the service of the Divell, and pronounced him the better Master of the two, whom he the second time chuseth to serve after hee hath made tryall of both. To be overtaken with some kind of temptation or other is the lot of all the sonnes of Adam; but when God hath delivered us out of the snare of the Divell, and we have

escaped the danger, and undertaken a new course of life, and held it for some time; then to turne backe to the wiles of sinne, and walke of Sathan, what is it else than to breake all our former promises and vowes made to God? to resist the motions of the Spirit? to strive against grace? to cast his feare and commandements behind us? and, presuming upon his gen∣tlenesse and patience, to runne desperately upon the point of his glitte∣ring sword, which hee hath whet, and threatned to make it drunke with the bloud of all retchlesse and presumptuous sinners? Notwithstanding all these great and fearfull dangers which we incurre by relapses, how ma∣ny turnings doe we make in our way to Heaven? how often doe wee slacke our pace? how often doe wee unbend our desires? nay rather flye backe like a broken bow? After wee have made an open confession of our sinnes, and a solemne profession of amendment; after wee have protested against our former courses, and vowed to walke in newnesse of life, and taken the holy Sacrament of our Lords blessed body and bloud upon it, yet how soone doe we looke backe to Sodome with Lots wife? how soone doe we forget that in private, which we promised in publike? how soone doe we leave the strait pathes of Gods commandements, and follow the sent of our former sinfull pleasures? After we have eaten the food of Angels, we devoure Sathans morsels: after we have drunke the bloud of our Redeemer, we greedily swill in iniquity like water. Wee find in Scripture many de∣sperately sicke, yet cured the first time by our Saviour: but where doe we reade in all the Gospel of any blind mans eyes twice enlightened? of any deafe eares twice opened? of any tyed tongue twice loosened? of any possessed with Divels twice dispossessed? of any dead twice raised? No doubt Christ could have done it, but we reade not that ever he did it, that we should be most carefull to avoid relapses into our former sins, the recovery whereof is alwayes most difficult, and in some case (as the Apostle teach∣eth us) impossible. I tremble almost to rehearse his words:y 1.21 It is impossi∣ble for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the holy Ghost, and have tasted the good Word of God, and the powers of the world to come; if they shall fall away, to renew them againe unto repentance: seeing they crucifie to themselves the Sonne of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. For the earth which drinketh in the raine that commeth oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbes meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: But that which bringeth thornes and bryars is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing, whose end is to be bur∣ned. Thez 1.22 Scolopendra having devoured the bait, when shee feeleth the hooke to pricke her, casteth up all that is in her belly till shee have got up the hooke; but as soone as ever that is out of her bowells, she suppeth up all that which before she had cast from her. How excellently hath nature in the property of this fish set before our eyes the condition and manner of a sinner? who after he hath devoured Sathans morsells, feeling the hook in his conscience, and being pricked with some remorse, rids the stomacke of his soule by confession, and never leaveth fasting, and praying, and sighing, and sobbing till the hooke be out, and the wound of his conscience healed with the balme of Gilead; but that being done, resorbet interiora omnia, he returneth to his former vomit, and greedily gurmandizeth the bait which

before he had vomited up. Beloved, is God bound to help us up as often as we fall carelesly and wilfully? What if hee let us lye as a prey for the Di∣vell, who runneth about like a Lion seeking whom hee may devoure? Can we promise our selves a continuall supply of grace, if wee still turne it in∣to wantonnesse? Will he beleeve our sighes and teares, which have so oft proved false embassadours of our hearts? Wee see by the fearfull judge∣ments of Ananias and Sapphira how dangerous a thing it is to lye to the Spirit of God: what doe we else when we daily professe in our prayers, that we are heartily sorry for our sinnes, that we loath and detest our vicious courses, that the remembrance of all our former transgressions is grievous unto us, and the burthen of them is intolerable; whereas our deeds testifie to the world, that we are so farre from loathing our former filthinesse, that we hunger and thirst after it: so farre from hearty repentance, that our heart is set, and our affections wholly bent to follow wickednesse with gree∣dinesse? Let us not deceive our owne soules, Beloved, God we cannot: so many sinnes as we willingly commit after our humble confession and seem∣ing contrition, so many evidences we give against our selves that we are dissembling hypocrites, and not sincere penitents: for this is the touch∣stone of true repentance, it a plangere commissa, ut non committas plangen∣da, so to bewaile that we have committed, that we commit not that we have bewailed. I before compared this life to a sea, and now I may not unfitly most of the fish in it either to the Scolopendra, of which before, or to the Crab, which either standeth still or swimmeth backward. Doe we dreame (as Nebuchadnezzar did) of an image with an head of gold, and armes of silver, and thighes of brasse, and legges of earth and clay? Doe we not see many that are gold and silver in their childhood and youth preci∣ous vessels of grace, brasse and iron in their riper yeeres, and no better than earth and clay in their old age? The* 1.23 Lionesse in the naturall story, which at the first bringeth forth five young ones, and after fewer by one, in a short time becommeth quite barren.

But because I have spoken at large of the dangerous antecedent, heare (I beseech you) a word of the dreadfull consequent: All his righteousnesse that he hath done shall not bee mentioned. Would it not vexe a Scrivener af∣ter he had spent many dayes and much paines upon a large Patent or Lease, to make such a blot at the last word, that he should be forced to write it all againe? yet so it is, that as one foule blot or dash with a pen defaceth a whole writing, so one soule and enormous crime dasheth and obliterateth the fairest copy of a vertuous life, it razeth out all the golden characters of divine graces imprinted in our soules. All our fastings and prayers, all our sighing and mourning for our sinnes, all our exercises of piety, all our deeds of charity, all our sufferings for righteousnesse, all the good thoughts we have ever conceived, all the good words we have ever utte∣red, all the good workes we have ever performed: in a word, all our righ∣teousnesse is lost at the very instant, when we resolve to turne from it. As one drop of inke coloureth a whole glasse of cleere water; so one sinfull and shamefull action staineth all our former life: yet this is not the worst; for it followeth:

In his transgression that he hath committed, and in the sinne that he hath

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sinned, in them hee shall dye. Doth God threaten this judgement onely? doth hee not execute it upon presumptuous transgressours? When Bal∣thazar tooke a peece of the plate of the Sanctuary to quaffe in it, be∣hold presently aa 1.24 hand writing his doome upon the wall; and in the trans∣gression that hee had committed, and in the sinne that hee had sinned, in it hee dyed. Korah, Dathan, and Abiram had no sooner opened their mouth against Moses, than theb 1.25 earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up quicke, and in the trespasse which they had trespassed, and in the sinne which they had sinned, in it they dyed. Ananias and Sapphira had no sooner told a lye to Saint Peter, and stood to it, but they werec 1.26 strucke downe to the ground, and in the trespasse that they trespassed, and in the sinne that they sinned, in it they dyed. Herod had scarce made an end of his oration to the people, and received their applause, crying, The voice of God, and not of man, when the Angel maded 1.27 an end of him, and in the trespasse which hee trespassed, and in the sinne that he sinned, in it bee dyed. Oh that our blas∣phemous swearers, and bloudy murderers, and uncleane adulterers, and sacrilegious Church-robbers, when the Divell edges them on to any im∣piety or villany, would cast but this rub in their way: What if God should take mee in the manner, and strike mee in the very act I am about, and cast mee into the deep dungeon of Hell, there to be tormented with the Divell and his angels for evermore? Doe I not provoke him to it? Doe I not dare him? Hath hee not threatened as much? Hath hee not done as much? Nonne cuivis contingere potest quod cuiquam potest? that which is ones case, may it not be any ones case? Yea, but they will say, God is mercifull. Hee is so (else the most righteous upon earth would despaire a thousand times) but not to those that continually abuse his long-suffe∣ring, and presume upon his mercy. If there bee 1.28 among you (saith God by Moses) a root that beareth gall and wormwood, and it come to passe that when hee heareth the words of this curse, that he blesse himselfe in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walke in the imagination of mine heart to adde drunkennesse to thirst: the Lord will not spare him, but then the anger of the Lord and his jealousie shall smoake against that man, and all the curses that are written in this booke shall lye upon him, and the Lord shall blot out his name from under heaven.

Yea, but God promiseth pardon at all times to the penitent. But where doth he promise at all times grace to repent? Be it that God would tender us his grace at what houre wee please, which is presumption in us to hope for, yet the longer we deferre the applying of the remedy, the more pain∣full and dangerous the cure will be. In the conversive proposition concer∣ning our conversion to God, I admit of the convertens, viz. True repen∣tance is never too late; so they will take along with them the conversa, viz. that late repentance is seldome true. Howsoever, what piety is it? nay what equity? nay rather what abominable iniquity and impiety is it florem Dia∣bolo consecrare, faeces Deo reservare? To consecrate the flower of their youth to the Divell, the world, and the flesh, and reserve the lees or dregges of their old age for God? To dedicate to him our weake and feeble dotage if we live to it, what is it better than to offer thef 1.29 blind and the lame for sacrifice, which God abhorreth? Repent therefore repentè, repent at the first offer

of grace. Ye shall scarce find any precept of repentance in Scripture, which requireth not as well that it be out of hand, as that it be from the heart: Remember thyg 1.30 Creatour in the dayes of thy youth. Toh 1.31 day if yee will heare his voice harden not your heart. Seeki 1.32 the Lord while he may be found. Now he may be found, now he seeketh us, now he calleth to us: let us therefore breake off all delayes, and pricke on forward our dull and slow affections with that sharp and poynant increpation of Saintk 1.33 Austine, Why doe I still procrastinate my comming unto thee, O Lord? Why not now? why not this day? why not this houre an end of my sinfull course of life? Deo Patri, Filio, & Spiritui sancto sit laus, &c.

Notes

• a 1.1

  Gen. 28.12. And hee drea∣med, & behold a ladder set upon the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the An∣gels of God as∣cending and de∣scending on it.
• b 1.2

  Phil. 3.20.
• c 1.3

  Hieron. ep. 11. Videbat sca∣lam per quam ascendebant Angeli, & de∣scendebant, ut nec peccator desperet salu∣tem, nec justus de suâ virtute securus sit.
• d 1.4

  Adrianus Chamierus in ep. dedicat. Ec∣cles. Gal. Pastor. Sicut ineunte vere cùm pri∣mùm è terrae cuniculis pro∣deunt serpentes ad nocendum parati, fraxi∣num adversus venenatos eo∣rum morsus praesens reme∣dium laturam educit.
• f 1.5

  Rom. 5.20.
• g 1.6

  Rom. 8.1.
• * 1.7

  Gal. 5.13.
• e 1.8

  Luk. 1.69, 72, 74.
• h 1.9

  Luk. 1.75.
• i 1.10

  Tit. 2.11.
• * 1.11

  2 Pet. 3.16.
• k 1.12

  Act. 27.8.
• l 1.13

  •• Joh. 1.9.
• m 1.14

  Mark. 8.24.
• n 1.15

  Rom. 8.26.
• s 1.16

  De mort. Clau. Caes. Om∣nia proclivia sunt, facilè d••∣scenditur, it••{que} qu••mvis poda gricus momen∣to temporis pervenit ad ja∣nuam ditis.
• t 1.17

  Luke 11.26.
• u 1.18

  John 8.11.
• * 1.19

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. Improbè Neptunum ac∣cusat, qui bis naufragium fecit. Eras. A∣dag.
• x 1.20

  Tertul. de poenitent. Comparatio∣nem videtur egisse, qui utrumque cog∣noverit, & judicato pro∣nunciasse eum meliorem cujus se rursus esse maluerit.
• y 1.21

  Heb. 6.4, 5, 6, 7, 8.
• z 1.22

  Plin. nat. hist. l. 9. c. 43. Scolopendra hamo devorato omnia interio∣ra evomit, do∣nec hamum e∣gerat, deinde resorbet.
• * 1.23

  Plin. lib. 8. c. 16. Aristo∣teles tradit Leaenam pri∣mo soetu 5. ca∣tulos, ac per annos singulos uno minus, ab uno sterile∣scere.
• a 1.24

  Dan. 5.5.
• b 1.25

  Num. 16.32.
• c 1.26

  Act. 5.5, 10.
• d 1.27

  Act. 12.22, 23.
• e 1.28

  Deut. 29.19, 20.
• f 1.29

  Deut. 15.21.
• g 1.30

  Eccles. 12.1.
• h 1.31

  Psal. 95.7, 8.
• i 1.32

  Psal. 32.6.
• k 1.33

  Confes. l. 8. c. 5. Modò & modò non ha∣bent modum, quamdiu cras & cras? cur non hoc dic? cur non hac horâ finis tur∣pitudinis meae? Ib. Verba lenta & somnolenta, modò, ecce modò, sine paululum, sed sine paululum, ibat in longum, &c.