The Godly Mans Journey to Heaven, Treatise 1 · Meditation 8 – Meditation 9
8. Behold, the bitter, temporall, and eternall fruit of sinne, with the sweetest temporall and eternall fruit of righteousnesse.
COuld that death which is the wages of sinne, could that shame which is the reward of sinne, clearely discouered in Scripture, which cannot lie nor deceiue, be possibly foreseene by men (sinning, alas, being fearefully abused by that deceiuing lyer Satan against God) before they ioyne heart or hand with it; sure I am, that a man being weake, would rather with the lambe enter within a denne where lyons are, and being ouerloaden with honour, wealth & pleasures worldly, as Moses sometimes was, would rather depriue himselfe of them all, and become some wounded begging Lazarus, then enter in couenant with sin, and so condescend to commit it. Canst thou think, ô my soule, that if Cain, being reproued of God when his countenance was cast downe vponupon his brother Abel, could hauehave hearkened▪ vntounto that weightie watch-word brought to his eares by our God: If thou do well, thou shalt be accepted, if thou do not well, sinne lyeth before thy doore: that he afterwards durst hauehave slaine his brother, defying all that could be spoken or done to him for slaying of him? Could those young men who should hauehave married Lots daughters, beleeued Lots speeches vntounto them, touching the ouerthrow of Sodome? would they hauehave mocked him, when he hauing Gods word for his warrand was speaking to them? Could Achan acquainted with that decree pronounced by God touching Iericho, hauehave foreseene that wrath which afterward ouertooke him and his, would he hauehave attempted to hauehave transgressed it? Yea, what shall I say? could euen Dauid (blinded, alas, for a while, by the thicke clould of his owne lusts) hauehave foreseene that fearefull desolation which fell on his house before men: Ammon his owne sonne defiling Tamar his owne daughter: Absolom one of his sonnes slaying Ammon another of his sonnes: yea Absolom his sonne, putting him his aged father, bare footed and bare headed out of ye gates of Ierusalem, taking his crowne vponupon his head, and afterwards defyling his concubines before the Sun, vponupon the roofe of his house: would he hauehave first committed adulterie, and thereafter defiled himselfe with bloud? Againe, could men, ô my soule, (hearkening vntounto the voice of the good word of God, and beleeuing it) consider the vnspeakable aduantage, comfort, and ioy, begunne in time, but neuer ending, vntounto the which they hauehave the vndoubted right, and shall assuredly find and feele in some measure in time, and beyond all measure enioy and possesse in eternitie, who get grace from God to walke here in his wayes, and to keepe themselues vnspotted of the world; ô with what earnest care, ô with what heartie pleasure would they seeke and serue the Lord, would they flie and eschue sinne, mocking all rewards could be offered vntounto them for alluring them to the contrarie, defying all extremitie could be threatened, or executed against them, for affraying them from that holy course. Enoch getteth grace from God, to walke with God, and did not Enoch find a day in the which he had great cause to blesse his God, tha… euer he walked with him? For, ô how gloriously is he glorified, euen before men, when he was taken vp vntounto heauen, and not suffered to see death! While the whole world wearieth, alas, of God and of his seruice, and reioyceth to fight against him vnderunder Satans colours, Noah getteth grace from God to walke vprightly before him, and did he not find a day that made him to reioyce that his God was so mercifull to him? For ô how farre is Noah honoured by God, euen before men, when he is not onelyonly sent forth to preach repentance to that wicked age, but to build an Arke, in the which, with himselfe all his houshold should be saued, while the whole remnant of the world were to be drowned? One Lot amongst many, yea amongst many auowed vnnaturall vile sinners, graced and guarded by God, can keepe himselfe alwayes in God his presence, hauing his righteous soule grieued and vexed with that which he heard and saw.2 Pet. 2. 8. But thinkest thou not, ô my soule, that Lot behooued greatly to reioyce in this his God, when the very Angell of God must not onelyonly come to him, charging him to go out of Sodome, but must say:Gen. 19. 22. Haste thee, saue thee there, for I can do nothing vntill thou come thither. There were a number at Ierusalem, who being happily kept of God did mourne for the abominations of the Citie, which they were not able to amend. Alwayes is not their bitter mourning turned into melodious mitth, when the Lord being to destroy the Citie, will hauehave them first to be marked in their foreheads,Ezec. 9. 3. 4. that so they might be spared, and thereafter the rest to be destroyed? Yea, heare I not Dauid crying out with a loud voyce, desiring to be heard of all:Psal. 31. 19. How great is thy goodnesse, that thou hast layd vp for them that serue thee, and done to them that trust in thee, euen before the sonnes of men? Sure I am, ô my soule, were the rich glutton sent backe from hell, he would neuer trade those vile wayes againe in the which he sometimes liued and died, though some Nabuchadnezzer should threaten to cast him into a a hote fierie fornace if he refused, or some Balthaesar, offer vntounto him neuer so many rich rewards, to do so. Sure I am, were Lazarus sent backe from Abraham his bosome, to soiourne but some moneths here, that he would proue more carefull by a thousand degrees, in seeking and seruing of his God, then euer he was before, hauing now happily tasted euen in God his presence, those sweetest pleasures, which belong to such who find grace to seeke and serue God here. In Scripture I meet with one man, whose soule being glorified in heauen, was brought backe to his bodie, for glorifying of our blessed Sauious Iesus, euen Lazarus the brother of Marie and Martha: for he being foure dayes dead, and his bodie stinking in the graue, (as his sisters spake, is raised againe, and afterwards doth he not so carrie himselfe, that in the Gospel we do not find him and Iesus who raised him, asunder. Yea find we not, that the Iewes are so stirred vp against him, because for him many beleeued in Iesus, that they hated him as they hated Iesus, and did conclude to put him to death, as they resolued to put Iesus to death? Sure I am,Luke 23. were that thiefe who died on the left hand of our maister, brought backe from his torment, that he would repent that very language spoken by him to blessed Iesus, and making humble confession of his sinne, with strong cries and bitter teares, would crie for merciemercy. Sure I am, were that thiefe, who died on our Maisters right hand, sent downe from that Paradise of God which now keepeth him, he would, mocking all worldly honour, profit, and pleasures; and defying all humane crueltie and corporall torments, reproue all those who do reuile Iesus, and exhort all liuing to kisse that Sonne of God; considering the miserie belongeth to those against whom his wrath is kindled, and that blessednesse is due to such who trust in him. While it is called to day then, ô my soule, let me not harden my heart, for I must tell thee from the mouth of God, that that man liues not now, who within a few yeares, shall not either with the rich glutton be adiudged vntounto hels torments, for deboshing himselfe in sinnes; or aduanced with Lazarm into Abrahams bosome, being through faith in Christ iustified, and by the spirit of grace so sanctified, that he abhorreth the wayes of wickednesse, and delighteth in the wayes of God. Lift vp thine eyes therefore, ô my soule, and hearken vntounto Paul deterring from euill, and euen with an holy violence driuing thee towards that which is good. We must all appeare before the iudgement seate of Christ, 2. Cor. 5. 10that eueryevery man may receiue the things that are done in his bodie, according to that which he hath done whether it be good or euill.
9 Thinke not shame to shame thy selfe (as men speake) for thy sinnes, ô man, in time, by confessing and forsaking them, if thou wouldest eschue that endlesse shame that shall lye on thee for sinne in eternitie.
VVOuldst thou be freed, ô my soule, from that death which is the wages of sinne, and deliuered from that shame which is the reward of iniquitie? I beseech thee shake off that shame, which alas, too manie (misled by Satan) in this our age are clogged with, albeit it procure daily matter of new death, and greater shame vntounto them; and with a good heart and smyling countenance put thou on that shame wherewith too few, alas, in this our age are couered: albeit it be able (God being mercifull vntounto vsus) not onelyonly to slay death, and shake off confounding shame; but also to procure quickening grace and sauing glorie. Alas, ô my soule, how many with Vincentius the hereticke, beside Augustine in his 48 Epistle, while they thinke shame to amend their faults, thinke no shame to continue in their faults. Corah with his companions lift vp themselues against Moses and Aaron, and a certaine space was granted to them to aduise themselues about this their sinne; but dare they not face the matter boldly, being as readie vponupon the morrow to present themselues before the Lord as Moses and Aaron was?Numb. 16. what wonder then, that our God, iust in all his wayes, couer them with death and with destruction, who would not confesse their sinne, and willingly acknowledge that death and shame did belong vntounto them, because of it, to their conuersion? Few sinners, alas, ô my soule, in these our dayes, with Moses, with Dauid, with Daniel, with that great Apostle Paul, can acknowledge and confesse their sinnes, crying, yea crying aloud, that shame, yea open shame, belongeth vntounto them, and that glorie and righteousnesse belongeth to their God. And therefore what wonder that amongst our sinners, there be few that hauehave our blessed God to locke their eyes with Moses, Deut. 34. 6.to put away their sinnes with Dauid, Psal. 2. 12.to heare them with Daniel, Dan. 9.and to receiue them to merciemercy with Paul. 1. Tim. 1.Pronounce thy selfe therefore, ô my soule, worthie of death, because of thy sinnes, that God through his Christ, may receiue thee to life. Take the coate of shame to thee for thy sinne, ô my soule, to the end that thy God for thy Sauiours sake, who for a while was couered with shame for thee, may clothe thee with grace here, and glorie hereafter for euer.