Jer. vii.

Jer, vii.

commandments concerning their neighbours, which command them to exprefs hearty love towards every man, as Zach. vii. Zachary faid unto the people in God's behalf. Give true judgment, fhew mercy and compaffion every one to his brother, imagine no deceit towards widows, or children fatherless and motherless, towards ftrangers, or the poor; let no man forge evil in his heart against his brother. But these things they paffed not of; they turned their backs, and went their way; they stopped their ears, that they might not hear; they hardened their hearts as an adamant ftone, that they might not liften to the Law, and the words that the Lord had fent through his holy Spirit, by his ancient Prophets. Wherefore the Lord fhewed his great indignation upon them. It came to pass, faith the Prophet, even as I told them as they would not bear, fo when they cried, they were not heard, but were feattered into all kingdoms which they never knew, and their land was made defolate. And, to be fhort, all they that may not abide the word of God, but following the perfuafions and ftubbornnefs of their own hearts, go backward and not forward, as it is faid in Jeremy, They go and turn away from God. Infomuch that Origen faith, He that with mind, with study, with deeds, with thought and care, applieth and giveth himself to God's word, and thinketh upon his laws day and night, giveth himfelf wholly to God, and in his precepts and commandments is exercifed; this is he that is turned to God. And on the other part he faith, Whofoever is occupied with fables and tales, when the word of God is rehearfed, he is turned from God. Whofoever in time of reading God's word is careful in his mind of worldly bufinels, of money, or of lucre, he is turned from God. Whofoever is entangled with the cares of poffeffions, filled with covetoufnefs of riches, whofoever ftudieth for the glory and honour of this world, he is turned from God. So that after his mind, whofoever hath not a fpecial mind to that thing that is commanded or taught of God, he that doth not liften unto it, embrace, and imprint it in his heart, to the intent that he may duly fashion his life thereafter, he is plainly turned from God, although he do other things of his own devotion and mind, which to him feem better, and more to God's honour. Which thing to be true, we be taught and admonifhed in the holy Scripture, by the example of king Saul; who being com1 Kings xv.manded of God by Samuel, that he fhould kill all the

Amalekites, and deftroy them clearly, with their goods and cattle; yet he, being moved partly with pity, and partly

(as

(as he thought) with devotion unto God, faved Agag the king, and all the chief of their cattle, therewith to make facrifice unto God. Wherewithal God being difpleafed highly, faid unto the Prophet Samuel, I repent that ever I made Saul king; for he hath forfaken me, and not followed my words: and fo he commanded Samuel to fhew him. And when Samuel afked wherefore (contrary to God's word) he had faved the cattle, he excufed the matter partly by fear, faying, he durft do no other, for that the people would have it fo; partly, for that they were goodly beafts, he thought God would be content, feeing it was done of a good intent and devotion, to honour God with the facrifice of them.

But Samuel, reproving all fuch intents and devotions, (feem they never fo much to God's honour, if they ftand not with his word, whereby we may be affured of his pleasure,) faid on this wife, Would God bave facrifices and offerings, or rather that his word fhould be obeyed? To obey him is better than offerings, and to listen to bim is better iban to offer the fat of rams: yea, to repugn against his voice is as evil as the fin of footbfaying: and not to agree to it is like abominable idolatry. And now forafmuch as thou hast caft away the word of the Lord, be bath caft away thee, that thou jbouldeft not be king:

from man.

By all thefe examples of holy Scripture, we may know, The turnthat as we forfake God, so shall he ever forfake us. And ing of God what miferable state doth confequently and neceffarily follow thereupon, a man may eafily confider by the terrible threatenings of God. And although he confider not all the faid mifery to the uttermoft, being fo great_that it paffeth any man's capacity in this life fufficiently to confider the fame; yet he thall foon perceive fo much thereof, that if his heart be not more than ftony, or harder than the adamant, he fhall fear, tremble, and quake, to call the fame to his remembrance. First, the difpleafure of God towards us is commonly expreffed in the Scripture by these two things: by fhewing his fearful countenance upon us, and by turning his face, or hiding it from us. By fhewing his dreadful countenance is fignified his great wrath: but by turning his face, or hiding thereof, is many times more fignified, that is to fay, that he clearly forfaketh us, and giveth us over. The which fignifications be taken of the properties of men's For men towards them whom they favour commonly bear a good, a cheerful, and a loving countenance: fo that by the face or countenance of a man, it

manners.

F 2

doth

doth commonly appear what will or mind he beareth towards others. So when God doth fhew his dreadful countenance towards us, that is to fay, doth fend dreadful plagues of fword, famine, or peftilence upon us, it appeareth that he is greatly wroth with us. But when he withdraweth from us his word, the right doctrine of Chrift, his gracious affiftance and aid, (which is ever joined to his word) and leaveth us to our own wit, our own will and ftrength; he declareth then, that he beginneth to forfake us. For whereas God hath fhewed to all them that truly believe his Gofpel, his face of mercy in Jefus Chrift, which doth fo lighten their hearts, that they (if they behold it as they ought to do) be transformed to his image, be made partakers of the heavenly light, and of his holy Spirit, and be fafhioned to him in all goodnefs requifite to the children of God: fo, if they after do neglect the fame, if they be unthankful unto him, if they order not their lives according to his example and doctrine, and to the fetting forth of his glory, he will take away from them his kingdom, his holy word, whereby he should reign in them, because they bring not forth the fruit thereof that he looketh for. Nevertheless, he is fo merciful, and of fo long fufferance, that he doth not fhew upon us that great wrath fuddenly. But when we begin to fhrink from his word, not believing it, or not expreffing it in our livings; firft he doth fend his meffengers, the true preachers of his word, to admonish and warn us of our duty: that as he for his part, for the great love he bare unto us, delivered his own Son to fuffer death, that we by his death might be delivered from death, and be reftored to the life everlafting, evermore to dwell with him, and to be partakers and inheritors with him of his everlasting glory and kingdom of heaven; fo again, that we for our parts fhould walk in a godly life, as becometh his children to do. And if this will not ferve, but ftill we remain difobedient to his word and will, not knowing him, nor loving him, nor fearing him, nor putting our whole truft and confidence in him; and on the other fide, to our neighbours behaving ourfelves uncharitably, by difdain, envy, malice, or by committing murder, robbery, adultery, gluttony, Heb. iii. deceit, lying, fwearing, or other like deteftable works, and ungodly behaviour, then he threateneth us by terrible comminations, fwearing in great anger, that whosoever doth thefe works fhall never enter into his reft, which is the kingdom of heaven.

Pfal. xv.

¡ Cor. vi.

The

The Second Part of the Sermon of Falling from
God.

'N the former part of this Sermon ye have learned how many

idolatry, fome for lack of faith, fome by neglecting of their neighbours, fome by not hearing of God's word, fome by the pleasure they take in the vanities of worldly things. Ye have alfo learned in what mifery that man is, which is gone from God; and how that God yet of his infinite goodness, to call again man from that his mifery, ufeth frit gentle admonitions by his preachers, after he layeth on terrible threatenings. Now if this gentle monition and threatening together do not ferve, then God will fhew his terrible countenance upon us, he will pour intolerable plagues upon our heads, and after he will take away from us all his aid and affiftance, wherewith before he did defend us from all fuch manner of calamity. As the evangelical Prophet Isaiah, agreeing with Chrift's parable, doth teach Isaiah v. us, faying, That God had made a goodly vineyard for his beved children; be hedged it, he walled it round about, be planted it with chofen vines, and made a turret in the mid Matth. xxi. thereof, and therein also a vine-prefs. And when be looked that it should bring forth good grapes, it brought forth wild grapes. And after it followeth, Now fhall I fhew you (faith God) what I will do with my vineyard: I will pluck down the bedges, that it may perish: I will break down the walls, that it may be trodden under foot: I will let it lie wafte, it fball not be cut, it shall not be digged, but briers and thorns fball overgrow it; and I shall command the clouds, that they fball no more rain upon it.

if

By thefe threatenings we are monished and warned, that we, which are the chofen vineyard of God, bring not forth good grapes, that is to fay, good works, that may be delectable and pleasant in his fight, when he looketh for them, when he fendeth his meffengers to call upon us for them, but rather bring forth wild grapes, that is to fay, four works, unfavoury and unfruitful; then will he pluck away all defence, and fuffer grievous plagues of famine, battle, dearth, and death, to light upon us. Finally, if these ferve not, he will let us lie wafte, he will give us over, he ftill turn away from us, he will dig and delve no more about us, he will let us alone, and fuffer us to bring forth even fuch fruit as we will, to bring forth brambles,

briers, and thorns, all naughtiness, all vice, and that so abundantly, that they fhall clean overgrow us, choke, strangle, and utterly deftroy us. But they that in this world live not after God, but after their own carnal liberty, perceive not this great wrath of God towards them, that he will not dig nor delve any more about them, that he doth let them alone even to themselves. But they take this for a great benefit of God, to have all their own liberty and fo they live, as if carnal liberty were the true liberty of the Gospel. But God forbid, good people, that ever we fhould defire fuch liberty. For although God fuffer sometimes the wicked to have their pleasure in this world, yet the end of ungodly living is at length endlefs deftruction. Num. xi. The murmuring Ifraelites had that they longed for; they had quails enough, yea, till they were weary of them. But what was the end thereof? Their fweet meat had four fauce: even while the meat was in their mouths, the plague of God lighted upon them, and fuddenly they died. So, if we live ungodlily, and God fuffereth us to follow our own wills, to have our own delights and pleafures, and correcteth us not with fome plague, it is no doubt but he is almoft utterly difpleafed with us. And although it be long ere he ftrike, yet many times when he ftriketh fuch perfons, he ftriketh them at once for ever. So that when he doth not strike us, when he ceaseth to afflict us, to punish or beat us, and fuffereth us to run headlong into all ungodlinefs and pleasures of this world that we delight in, without punishment and adverfity, it is a dreadful token that he loveth us no longer, that he careth no longer for us, but hath given us over to our own felves. As long as a man doth prune his vines, doth dig at the roots, and doth lay fresh earth to them, he hath a mind to them, he perceiveth fome token of fruitfulness, that may be recovered in them: but when he will bestow no more fuch coft and labour about them, then it is a fign that he thinketh they will never be good. And the father, as long as he loveth his child, he looketh angerly, he correcteth him when he doth amifs: but when that ferveth not, and upon that he ceaseth from correction of him, and fuffereth him to do what he lift himfelf, it is a fign that he intendeth to difinherit him, and to caft him away for ever. So furely nothing fhould pierce our heart fo fore, and put us in fuch horrible fear, as when we know in our confcience, that we have grievously offended God, and do fo continue, and that yet he ftriketh not, but quietly fuffereth us in the naughtiness that we have de