The Happiness of the Church, Biblical commentary 14
THE FOOLE And His Sport.
PROV. 14. 9.
Fooles make a mocke at sinne.
THE Prouerbes of Salomon are so many select aphorismes, or diuinely morall Sayes, without any mutuall dependance one vponupon another. Therefore to studie a coherence, were to force a marriage betweene vnwilling parties. The words read spend themselues on a description of two things: the Foole, and his Sport. The Foole is the wicked man: his Sport, pastime, or babble is Sinne. Mocking is the medium or connexion, that brings together the Foole and Sinne: thus he makes himselfe merry; they meete in mocking. The foole makes a mocke at sinne.
Fooles.
The foole is the wicked: an ignorant heart is alwayes a sinfull heart: and a man without knowledge, is a man without grace. So Thamar to Ammon vnderunder his rauishing hands; a2. Sam. 13. 13Doe not this folly. If thou doest it, Thou shalt be as one of the Fooles in Israell. Ignorance cannot excusare a toto; wilfull not a tanto. b2. Thes. 1. 8.Christ shall come in flaming fire rendring vengeance to them that knowe not God. The state of these Fooles is fearefull. Like hooded Hawkes, they are easily carryed by the Infernall Falconer to hell. Their lights are out, how shall their house scape robbing? cIer. 4. 22.These Fooles hauehave a knowledge, but it is to doe euill. They hauehave also a knowledge of good, but not scientiam approbationis: they know, but they refuse it. So God iustly quites them: for though hee knowe them ad scientiam, he will not know them ad approbationem. But giues them a Discedite, nescio vos. dMath. 7. 27.I know you not: depart from me ye workers of iniquitie.
A man may be a Foole two wayes; by knowing too
Little
Much.
1. By knowing too little; when hee knoweth not those things, whereof he cannot be ignorant, and doe well. e1. Cor. 2. 2.I determined not to know any thing among you, saue Iesus Christ, and him crucified. But eueryevery man sayth hee knowes Christ. If men knew Christ his louelove in dying for them, they would louelove him aboue all thinges: how doe they know him, that louelove their money aboue him? Nemo verè nouit Christum, qui non verè amat Christum. No man knowes Christ truely, that loues him not syncerely. If men knew Christ, that he should be Iudge of quicke and dead, durst they liue so lewdly. Non nouit Christum, qui non odit peccatum. Hee neuer knew Christ, that doth not hate iniquitie. Some attribute too much to themselues, as if they would hauehave a share with Christ in their owne saluation. Nesciunt & Christum & seipsos: they are ignorant of both Christ and themselues. Others lay too much on Christ, all the burden of their sinnes, which they can with all possible voracitie swallow downe, and blasphemie vomite vp againe vponupon him. But they know not Christ, who thus seeke to diuide Aquam a sanguine, his bloud from his water; and they shall faile of iustification in heauen, that refuse sanctification vponupon earth.
2. By knowing too much; when a man presumes to know more then he ought. His knowledge is apt to be pursie and grosse, and must be kept low. fRom. 12. 16.Mind not high things, sayth the Apostle. Festus slandered Paul, that gAct. 26. 2…much learning had made him madde. Indeed it might hauehave done, if Paul had bin as proud of his learning, as Festus was of his honour. This is the h1. Cor. 8. 1.knowledge that puffeth vp. It troubles the braine, like vndigested meate in the stomach: or like the scumme that seeths into the broth. To auoyd this follie, Paul fortbids vsus to iRom. 12. 16.be wise in our owne conceites. Whereof I find wo readings; Be not wise in your selues; and Be not wise to your selues.
Not in your selues; coniure not your witte into the circle of your owne secret profit. Wee account the simple Fooles, God accounts the crafty Fooles. He that thinkes himselfe wise, is a Foole ipso facto. It was a modest speech that fell from the Philosopher. kSen. ep. 13.Si quando fatuo delectari volo, non est mihi longè quaerendus; me video. Therfore Christ pronounced his Woes to the Pharises; his doctrines to the people. The first entrie to wisedome, is Scire quod nescias: to know thy ignorance. Sobrietie is the measure for knowledge, as the Gomer was for Manna, Curiositie is the rennet, that turnes our milke into curds.
Not to your selues; lProu. 5. 16.Let thy fountaines be dispersed abroad, sayth the wisest king: communicate thy knowledge. Math. 5. Christians must be like lights, that wast Math. 5. 15.themselues for the good of those in Gods house. Scire tuum nihil est, nisi te scire hoc sciat alter. Hee that will be wise onelyonly to himselfe, takes the ready way to turne foole. Non licet habere priuatam, ne priuemur eâ. The closer we keepe our knowledge, the likelier wee are to loose it. Standing water soone puddles; the gifts of the mind, if they be not imployed, will be empaired. EueryEvery wicked man is a foole by comparing their properties.
1. It is a Fooles propertie Futuranon prospicere, to hauehave no foresight of future things. So hee may hauehave from hand to mouth, he sings care-away. So the grashopper sings in haruest when the Ant labours: and begges at Christmasse when the Ant sings. The wicked takes as litle care what shall become of his soule, as the naturall foole what shall become of his body. Modo Potiar, sayth the Epicure: Let me hauehave pleasure now; mEccl. 9. 4.It is better to a liuing dogge then to a dead Lyon. They doe not in faire weather repaire their house against stormes: nor in time of peace prouide spirituall armour against the day of warre. They watch not; therefore the day of the Lord shall come vponupon them as a theefe in the night, and spoyle them of all their pleasures. The maine busines of their soule is not thought of; nor dreame they of an Audite, till they be called by death away to their reckoning.
2. It is a Fooles propertie to affect things hurtfull to himselfe. Ludit cum spinis; he loues to be playing with thornes. Neither yet Quod nocuit, docu…t; hath that which hurt him, taught him caution, but hee more desperately desires his owne mischiefe. The wicked doe strongly appropriate to themselues this qualitie. Cum illis ludunt, quae illis laedunt: they louelove to dally with their owne vexation, who else would do at on the world; and houer like waspes about the galley-pot, till for one licke of the honey they be drownd in it! What is your ambition, O ye world-affecters; sayth August: but to be affected of the world? what doe you seeke, but nConfess. lib. 3.per multa pericula peruenire ad plura? per plurima ad pessima? but through many dangers to find more; through easier to find the worst of all? Like that doating Venetian, for one kisse of that painted harlot, to liue her perpetuall slaue? The world was therefore called the Fooles Paradise; there he thinkes to find heauen, and there he sells it to the deuill. Noxia quaerunt improbi; oProu. 7. 23.they hast as a bird to the snare: the deuill doth but hold vanitie as a sharpe weapon against them, and they run full brest vponupon it. They need no enemies; let them alone, and they will kill themselues. So the enuious pines away his owne marrow: the adulterer poysons his owne bloud: the prodigall lauisheth his owne estate: the drunkard drownds his owne vitall spirits. Wicked men make warre vponupon themselues with the engines of death.
3. It is a Fooles propertie to preferre trifles and toyes, before matters of worth and waight. The foole will not giuegive his bable for the kings Exchequour. The wicked preferres bodyes of dust and ashes to their soules of eternall substance: this sinne corrupted and time-spent world, to the perfect and permanent ioyes of heauen: short pleasures to euerlasting happines: a puffe of fame before a solid waight of glory. What follie can be more pitiable: then to forsake corne for acornes: a state of immortalitie for an apple, as Adam did: a birthright with all the priuiledges for a messe of pottage, belly-cheare, as Esau did: a kingdome on earth, yea in heauen too, for asses as Saul did: all portion in Christ for bacon, as the Gergesites Math. 22.did: a royaltie in heauen, for a poore Farme on earth as the bidden guest did. This is the worldlings follie. Villa, bones, vxor &c.
Mundus, cura, caro caelum clausere vocalis. To esteeme grace and glory lesse then Farmes, oxen, wiues: manna then onions, mecrie then vanitie: God then Idols. They may be fitly paralelld with the Prodigall. Hee Luk. 15.forsooke 1. His Fathers house for a strange countrey: these the Church, Gods house, for the world; a place wherein they should be strangers: and wherein I am sure, they shall not be long dwellers. 2. His Fathers inheritance for a bag of money: so these will not tarrie for their heritagein heauen, but take the bags which Mammon thrusts into their hands on the present. Who but a Foole will refuse the assured reuersion of some great Lordship, though expectant on the expiration of three liues: for a ready summe of money not enough to buy the least sticke on the ground? This i… the worldlings folly, rather to take a piece of… p-coine in hand, then to trust God for the inualuable masse of glory. 3. He forsakes his louing friends for harlots, creatures of spoile and rapine: so these the company of Saints. For the Sonnes of Beliall: those that sing praises, for those that roare blasphemies. 4. Lastly the bread in his Fathers house, for huskes of beanes: so these leaue Christ the true bread of life, for the draffe which the swine of this world puddle in. Here is their Folly to fasten on transient delights, and to neglect the pleasures at the right hand of God for euermore.Psal. 16.
4. It is a Fooles propertie, to runne on his course with precipitation. Yet can he not out-runne the wicked: whose a2. King. 9. 20.driuing is like Iehu's the son of Nimshi: he driueth as if he were mad. As if he had receiued that commission, salute no man by the way. bProu. 27. 12.The wise man seeth the plague and hideth himselfe, but the foole runneth on and is punished. He goes, he runnes, he flies; as if God that rides vponupon the wings of the wind should not ouertake him. Hee may passe a pace, for he is benefited by the way: which is smooth, without rubbes: and downe a hill, for hell is a bottome. Facilis descensus Auerni. Hast might be good Prou. 15. 24.if the may were good, and good speed added to it. But this is Cursus celerrimus praeteruiam. He needs not run so fast: for numquamserò ad id venitur, a quo nunquam receditur: the foole may come soone enough, to that place, from whence he must neuer returne. Thus you see the respondencie of the spirituall to the naturall Foole, in their qualities. Truly the wicked man is a Foole: so Salomon expounds the one by the other. Eccl. 7. Be not ouermuch wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldst thou Eccl. 7. 17.die before thy time?
Fooles. Obserue, this is plurally and indefinitely spoken. The number is not small; Stult…rum plena sunt omnia. Christs flocke is little; but Satans kingdome is of large bounds. Plurima possima; vile thinges are euer most plentifull. Wisedome flies like the Raile, alone: but fooles, like Partridges, by whole coueys. There is but one Truth, but innumerable errors. Which should teach vsus
1. Not to follow a multitude in euill. In ciuill actions it is good to doe as the most; in religious, to doe as the best. It shall be but poore comfort in hell, Socios habuisse doloris. Thou pleadest to the Iudge; I hauehave done as others: the Iudge answeres; And thou shalt speed as others.
2. To blesse God, that we are none of the many: as much for our Grace, whereby we differ from the fooles of the world; as for our Reason, whereby wee differ from the fooles of nature.
Now as these fooles are many, so of many kindes. There is the Sad foole, and the Glad foole: the Haughtie foole, and the Naughtie foole.
1. The Sad or melancholy foole is the Enuious; that repines at his brothers good. An enemie to all Gods fauours, if they fall besides himselfe. A man of the worst diet; for he consumes himselfe; and delights in pining, in repining. Hee is readie to quarrell with God, because his neighbours flocke scape the rotte. He cannot endure to be happie, if with companie. Therefore enuie is called by Prosper; cLib. 3. de virtut. & vitijs.De bono alterius tabescentis animi cruciatus: the vexation of a languishing minde, arising from anothers well-fare. Tantos Inuidus habet iustae poenae tortores, quantos inuidiosus habuit laudatores. So many, as the enuied hath praisers, hath the enuious tormentors.
2. The Glad foole, I might say the Mad foole, is the dissolute; who rather then he will want sport, makes goodnesse it selfe his Minstrell. His mirth is to fullie eueryevery vertue with some slander; & with a …est to laugh it out of fashion. His vsuall discourse is filled vp with boasting Parentheses of his old sinnes: and though he cannot make himselfe merry with their act, hee will with their report; as if he roued at this marke, to make himselfe worse then he is. If repentance doe but proffer him her seruice, he kickes her out of dores: his minde is perpetually drunke; and his bodie lightly dies, like Anacreon, with a grape in his throat. He is stung of that serpent, whereof he dies laughing.
3. The Haughtie foole is the ambitious: who is euer climbing high Towers, and neuer forecasteth how to come downe. Vp he will, though he fall downe headlong. He is wearie of peace in the Countrey, and therefore comes to seeke trouble at Court: where hee haunts great men, as his great spirit haunts him. When he receiues many disappoyntments, he flatters himselfe still with successe. His owne fancie perswades him, as men doe fooles, to shoot away another arrow, thereby to find the first: so he looseth both. And lastly, because his pride will admit of no other punisher, he becomes his owne torment: and hauing at first lost his honestie, he will now also loose his wittes; so truely becomes a foole.
4. The Naughtie foole is the Couetous. This is the Follie that Salomon saw vnderunder the Sunne. You heard before of a merry foole; but the very foole of all is the auarous: for he will loose his friends, starue his bodie, damne his soule, and hauehave no pleasure for it. So sayth the Prophet. dIer. 17. 11.He shall leaue his riches in the midst of his dayes, and at his end shall be a Foole. He wasts himselfe, to keepe his goods from wast: he eats the worst meate, and keepes his stomach euer chiding. He longs like a foole, for eueryevery thing he sees; and at last may habere quod voluit, non quod vult: hauehave what he desired, neuer what he desires. He feares not the day of iudgment; except for preuēting the date of some great obl…gatio. You would thinke it were pettie treason to call a rich man foole; but he doth so that dares iustifie it. Luk. 12. Thou Luk. 12. 20.foole, this night shall they fetch away thy soule from thee: then whose shall those things be which thou hast prouided?
We hauehave anatomized the Foole, let vsus behold his Sport. He maketh a mocke at sinne.
The Fathers call this Infimum gradum, and Limen inferni; the lowest degree of sinne, and the very threshold of hell. It is Sedes pestilentiae, the Scorners chaire. Psal. 1. 1.Psal. 1. wherein the vngodly sittes, blaspheming God and all goodnesse. Nemo fit repente pessimus. No man becomes worst at first. This is no suddaine euill. Men are borne sinnefull, they make themselues prophane. Through many degrees they climbe to that height of impietie. This is an extreame progresse, and almost the iourneys end of wickednesse: Improbo laetari affectu. Thus Abner cals fighting a sport. e2. Sam. 2. 14.Let the young men arise, and play before vsus. fPhil. 3. 19.They glory in their shame, sayth the Apostle; as if a condemned malefactor should boast of his halter. Fooles make a mocke at sinne.
We shall the more clearly see, and more strongly detest this senseles iniquitie, if we consider the obiect of the Fooles Sport; Sinne.
1. Sinne, which is so contrary to goodnes: and though to mans corrupt nature pleasing, yet euen abhorred of those sparkes and cinders, which the rust of sin hath not quite eaten out of our nature, as the Creation left it. The lewdest man, that loues wickednesse as heartily, as the deuill loues him; yet hath some obiurgations of his owne heart: and because he will not condemne his sinne, his heart shall condemne him. The most reprobate wretch doth commit some contraconscient iniquities: and hath the contradiction of his owne soule, by the remanents of reason left in it. If a lewd man had the choice to be one of those two Emperors, Nero or Constantine; who would not rather bee a Constantine then a Nero? The most violent oppressor that is cruell to others, yet had rather that others should be kind to him then cruell. The bloudiest murderer desisires that others should vse him gently, rather then strike, kill, or butcher him. Nature it selfe prefers light to darkenesse: and the mouth of a Sorceresse is driuen to confesse, Video meliora, probóque. The most rigid vsurer, if he should come before a seuere Iudge, would be glad of merciemercy; though himselfe will shew none to his poore bond-men.
In bene viuendo requiem natura fateri.
Cogitur. It is then first a contra-naturall thing to make a mocke at sinne.
2. Sinne, which sensibly brings on present iudgments gIoh. 5. 14.Thou art made whole: sinne no more, least a worse thing come vntounto thee. Sinne procured the former, and that was greeuous; 38. yeares bed-rid: Sinne is able to draw on a greater punishment; Least a worse thing come vntounto thee. If I should turne this holy booke from one end to the other; if I should search all Fathers, yea all writers whether diuine or humaine; I should euince this conclusion; that Sinne hales on Iudgement. Pedisequis sceleris supplicium. If there be no feare of impietie, there is no hope of impunitie. Our Machiauellian Politicians hauehave a position: that Summa scelera nicipiuntur cum periculo, peraguntur cum praemio: the greatest wickednes is begun with danger, gone through with reward. Let the Philosophers stop their mouths: Scelus aliquis tutum, nemo securum tulit. Some guiltie men hauehave beene safe, none euer secure.
This euerie eye must see. Let adulterie plead that nature is encourager and directer of it; and that she is vniust to giuegive him an affection, and to barre him the action: yet we see it plagued. To teach vsus that the sin is of a greater latitude, then some imagine it: vncleane, fedifragous, periured. Broad impudence, contemplatiue Bauderie, an eye full of whores are things but iested at: the committers at last find them no iest, when God powres vengance on the body, and wrath on the naked conscience.
Let drunkennes stagger in the robes of good fellowship; and shrowdit selfe vnderunder the wings of merriment; yet we see it hauehave the punishment, euen in this life. It corrupts the bloud, drownes the spirits, beggers the purse, and enricheth the carcase with surfets: a present iudgement waites vponupon it. He that is a theefe to others, is at last a theefe also to himselfe; and steales away his owne life. God doth not euer forbeare sin to the last day; nor shall the bloudy Ruffian still hPsal. 55. 23.escape but his owne bloud shall answere some in present, and his soule the rest eternally. Let the Seminary pretend a warrant from the Pope to betray and murder Princes; and build his damnation on their tetricall grounds; which hauehave Parum rationis, minus honestatis, Religionis nihil; Little Reason, lesse Honestie, no Religion. Yet we see, God reueales their malicious stratagems, and buries them in their owne pit. Piercies head now stands Centinell, where he was once a Pioner.
If a whole land flow with wickednes, it escapes not a deluge of vengeance. For England; hauehave not her bowells groaned vnderunder the heauy pestilence? If the plague be so common in our mouthes, how should it not be common in our streets? With that plague wherwith we curse others, the iust God curseth vsus. Wee shall find in that Emperiall state of Rome, that till Constantines time almost eueryevery Emperour dyed by treason or massacre: after the receiuing of the Gospell, none except that reuolter Iulian: Let not sinne then be made a sport or iest, which God will not forbeare to punish euen in this life.
3. But if it bring not present Iudgement, it is the more fearefull. The lesse punishment wickednes receiues here, the more is behind. God strikes those here, whom he meanes to spare hereafter; and corrects that sonne which he purposeth to saue. But hee scarce meddles with them at all, whom hee intends to beate once for all. The Almond tree is forborne them, who are bequeathed to the boiling Potte. There is no rod to scourge such in present; so they goe with whole sides to hell. The purse and the flesh scapes, but the soule payes for it. This is Misericordia puniens, a greeuous merciemercy: when men are spared for a while, that they may be spilled for euer. This made that good Saint cry; Lord here afflict, cut, burnt, torture me; Vt in aeternum parcas; Aug.that for euer thou wilt saue me. No sorrow troubles the wicked, no disturbance embitters their pleasures: But remember sayth Abraham to the merry-liu'ed rich man, iLuk. 16. 25.Thou wert delighted, but thou art tormented. Tarditas supplicij grauitate pensatur: and hee will strike with iron hands, that came to strike with leaden feete. Tuli, nunquid semper feram? no; their hell-fire shall be so much the hoter, as God hath beene coole and tardy in the execution of his vengeance. This is a Iudgement for Sinne that comes inuisible to the world, insensible to him on whom it lights. To be kRom. 1. 28. 2. 5.giuen ouer to a reprobate mind; to a hard and impenitent heart. If any thing be vengance, this is it. I hauehave read of plagues, famine, death come temperd with louelove and merciemercy: this neuer but in anger. Many taken with this spirituall lethargie sing in Tauernes, that should howle with dragons: and sleepe out Sabboths and Sermons, whose awaked soules would rend their hearts with anguish. Fooles then onelyonly make a mocke at sinne.
4. Sinne that shall at last be laid heauy on the conscience: the lighter the burthen was at first; it shall be at last the more ponderous. The wicked conscience may for a while lie a sleepe: but lIerom.Tranquilitas ista tempestas est: this calme is the greatest storme. The mortallest enemies are not euermore in pitched fields, one against the other: the guiltie may hauehave a seeming truce, true peace they cannot hauehave. A mans debt is not payd by … bring: euen while thou sleepest, thy arrerages run on. If thy conscience be quiet without good cause, remember that Cedat iniustissima pax iustissimo bello: a iust warre is better then vniust peace. The conscience is like a fire vnderunder a pile of greene wood, long ere it burne; but once kindled it flames beyond quenching. It is not pacifiable whiles sinne is within to vexe it: the hand will not cease throbbing so long as the thorne is within the flesh. In vaine he striueth to feast away cares, sleepe out thoughtes, drinke downe sorrowes; that hath his tormentor within him. When one violently offers to stoppe a sourse of bloud at the nostril, it finds a way downe the throate not without hazzard of suff…cation. The stroken deare runs into the thicket, and there breakes off the arrow: but the head stickes still within him, and rankles to death. Flitting and shifting ground giues way to further anguish. The vnappeased conscience will not leaue him, till it hath shewed him hell; nor then neither. Let then this Foole know, that his now feared conscience shall be quickned: his death-bed shall smart for this. And his amazed heart shall rue his old wilfull adiournings of repentance. How many hauehave there raued on the thought of their old sinnes; which in the dayes of their hote lust they would not thinke sinnes. Let not then the Foole make a mocke at sinne.
5. Sinne, which hath another direfull effect, of greater latitude; and comprehensiue of all the rest. Diuinam incitat iram. It prouokes God to anger. The wrath of a king is as messengers of death; what is the wrath of the king of kings. mHebr. 12. 29.For our God is a consuming fire. If the fire of his anger be once throughly incensed, all the riuers in the South are not able to quench it: What piller of the earth, or foundation of heauen can stand, when he will wake them? Hee that in his wrath can open the iawes of earth to swallow thee, sluce out flouds from the sea to drowne thee, raine downe fire from heauen to consume thee; Sodome, the old world, Corah, drunke of these wrathfull vialls. Or to goe no further, he can set at iarre the elements within thee, by whose peace thy spirits are held together: drowne thee with a dropsie bred in thy owne flesh: burne thee with a pestilence begotten in thy owne bloud: or bury thee in the earthly graue of thy owne melancholy. Oh it is a fearefull thing, to fall into the hands of the liuing God. It is then wretchedly done, thou Foole, to iest at sinne that angers God, who is able to anger all the vaines of thy heart for it.
6. Sinne, which was punished euen in heauen. Angeli detruduntur propter peecatum. 2. Pet. 2. God spared not the Angels that sinned, but cast them downe to hell. It 2. Pet. 2. 4.could bring downe Angels from heauen to hell; how much more men from earth to hell! If it could corrupt such glorious natures, what power hath it against dust and ashes! Art thou better or dearer then the Angelles were? Dost thou flowt at that which condemned them? Goe thy wayes, make thy selfe merry with thy sinnes; mocke at that which threw downe Angels. Vnles God giuegive thee repentance, and another minde, thou shalt speed as the lost Angels did. For God may as easilie cast thee from earth as he did them from heauen.
7. Sinne, which God so loathed, that hee could not saue his owne elect because of it, but by killing his owne Sonne. It is such a disease, that nothing but the bloud of the Sonne of God could cure it. He cured vsus by taking the receits himselfe which we should hauehave taken. He is first cast into a Sweat; such a sweat as neuer man but he felt; when the bubbles were droppes of bloud. Would not sweating serue? he comes to incision, they pierce his hands, his feete, his sides; and set life it selfe abroach. Hee must take a potion too, as bitter as their malice could make it; compounded of vineger & gall. And lastly he must take a stranger and stronger medicine then all the rest; he must die for our sinnes. Behold his harmles hands pierced for the sinnes, our harmefull hands had committed. His vndefiled feete, that neuer stood in the wayes of euill, nailed for the errors of our pathes. Hee is spitted on, to purge away our vncleannesse: clad in scornefull Robes to couer our wickednesse: whipped, that we might escape euerlasting scourges. He would thirst, that our soules might be satisfied: the Eternall would die, that we might not die eternally. He is content to beare all his Fathers wrath; that no pang of that burden might be imposed vppon vsus: and seeme as forsaken a while, that we by him might be receiued for euer. Behold his side become bloudie, his heart dry, his face pale, his armes stiffe; after that the streame of bloud had ran downe to his wounded feet. O thinke if euer man felt sorrow like him; or if he felt any sorrow but for Sinne.
Now is that Sinne to be laughed at, that cost so much torment? Did the pressure of it lie so heauie on the Sonne of God, and doth a son of man make light of it? Did it wring from him sweat, and bloud, and teares, and vnconceiueable groanes of an afflicted spirit; and dost thou O foole, iest at it? Alas that which put our infinite Redeemer God and man, so hard to it; must needs swallow vp and confound thee, poore sinfull wretch. It pressed him so farre that he cryed out to the amasement of earth and heauen; My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me? Shall he cry for them, and shal we laugh at them? Thou mockest at thy oppressions, oathes, sacriledges, lusts, frauds; for these hee groaned. Thou scornest his Gospell preached, he wept for thy scorne. Thou knowest not, O foole, the price of a Sinne: thou must doe, if thy Sauiour did not for thee. If he suffred not this for thee, thou must suffer it for thy selfe, Passio aeterna erit in te, si passio Aeterni non erat pro te. An eternall passion shall be vponupon thee, if the Eternals passion were not for thee. Looke on thy Sauiour, and make not a mocke at Sinne.
8 Lastly Sinne shall be punished with nRom. 6. 23.Death: you know what death is the wages of it: not onelyonly the first, but the oReu. 20. 6second death. Inexpressible are those torments: when a reprobate would giuegive all the pleasures that e…er he enioyed, for one drop of water to coole his tongue. Where there shall be vnquencheable fire to burne, not to giuegive light; saue a glimmering; pIsid. Lib. 1. de Sum. Bon.ad ag grauationem, vt videant vnde doleant: non ad consul…ionem, ne videant vnde gandeant: to shew them the torments of others, and others the torments of themselues.
But I cease vrging this terrour; and had rather win you by the louelove of God, then by his wrath and Iustice. Neither neede I a stronger argument to disswade you from sinne, then by his passion that dyed for vsus being enemies. For if the agonie, anguish, and heart-bloud of Iesus Christ shed for our sinnes, will not moue vsus to repentance, we are in a desperate case. Now therefore I fitly leaue Pauls adiuration, so sweetely tempered in your bosomes: commending that to your consciences, and your consciences to God. qRom. 12. 1.I beseech y… brethren, by the mercies of God that ye present your bodies a liuing sacrifice, holy and acceptable vntounto GOD.