The Governance of Virtue, Part 2 · Section 25
Against the temptation which the faithful hauehave, when they compare their miseries and wretchednes with the welth, prosperitie▪ and pleasures of the swinish Epicures and wicked worldlinges. Where thou also shalt see the misera ble end of the vn godly.
IF Sathan our olde aduersary with his handemaide, the fleshe shall at any time moue thee to forsake God and his holy worde▪ by considering the florishing and triumphant estate of the wicked worldlinges, and the to muche miserable and base trade of the Lordes seruauntes and professoures of gods truth, which liue in all kinde of misery. wretchednes and pouertie, and ar piteously oppressed of the tirants of this worlde, when on the contrarye part the vngodlye hauehave all thinges at their owne pleasure, and liue at their hartes ease without disturbance for lacke of temporall thinges: consent no… to his subtil assaultes▪ but manfully resist them, cō sidering with thy selfe, that thoughe the vngodlye raigne in tis world, and hauehave the vppermost hand yet shall their end be miserable when the poore afflicted for Gods cause shall altar their manifolde temptations be rewarded with perpetuall ioy, and euerlastinge glorye. and that thou mayest be the more assuredly perswaded in these thinges▪ call to remembrance these holy scriptures folowing.
Sentences out of the olde Testament.
KNowest thou not this, that from theIob. 15. beginning euer since the creation of man vponupon earth, the praise of the vngodly hath bene short, and that the ioy of the hipocrites hath continued, but the twinck ling of an ey? Though he be magnified vp to the heauen, so that his hed reacheth vntounto the cloudes, yet he perisheth at the laste like dong: in somuch that they which hauehave seene him shall say, where is he? He vanissheth as a dreame, so that he can no more be founde, and passeth away in a vision in the night, so that the eye whiche saw him before, getteth now no sighte of him & his place knoweth him no more.
Wherefore do the wicked men liue inIob. …1. healthe and prosperitie, come to their olde age, and encrease in riches.
Their Childers children liue in their sighte, and their generation before their eyes. Their houses are safe from all feare for the rod of god doothe not smite them. Their bullock gendreth, and that not out of time, their cowe calueth, and is not vnfruteful. They send their children forth bi flockes, and their sonnes lead the daunce. They bear with them tabrets and harpes and hauehave instrumentes of musick at their pleasure. They spende their dayes in welthynesse but sodenlye they go downe to Hell.
O Lord thou art more righteous thenIere. 1… that I should dispute with thee. Neuertheles let me talke with thee in thinges resonable. How happeneth it, that the way of the vngodlye is so prosperous, and that it goeth so wel with them whiche without any shame offende and liue in wickednesse. Thou plantest them, they take roote, they growe and bring forth fruite. They boste muche of thee, yet art thou far from their raines. But thou Lorde to whō I am wel knowen thou that hast sene and proued my hearte, take them awaye like as a flocke is caried to the slaughter house, and appoint them for the day of slaughter.
O Lord, how long shal I crye and thou wilt not heare? how long shall I cōplainePsalm. 73. vntounto thee, suffering wrong and thou wilt not helpe: why lettest thou me se werinesse and labour: Tiranny and violence are before me, power ouer goeth right, for the law is torne in pyeces, and there can no right iudgement go forth. And why, the vngodly is more set by then the righteous This is the cause that wrong iudgement procedeth. Thine eies O Lord, are clean: thou mayest not see euil, thou canst not be hold the thing that is wicked. Wherfore then dost thou looke vponupon the vngodly, & holdest thy tong when the wicked deuoureth the man that is better then himselfe. Thou makest men as the fysh of the sea, & like as the creepyng beastes that hauehave no guide, they take vp al with their angle, they catch it in their net, & do sacrifice vn to their yarne, because that thorow it their porcion is become so fat, and their meat so plenteous. Wherfore, they cast out their net againe and neuer cease to slay the people.
Like as the wyne deceiueth the dronkard,Abac. 1. euen so the proud shal fal and not endure.
Ful miserable, is the death of vngodly,Psal. 34. for they that hate the vnrighteous shall be plucked vp by the roote.
Freate not thy selfe at the vngodly, be notPsal. 37. thou enuious against the euil doers. For they shal sone be cute down like the grasse and be withered euen as the grene herbe. Greue not thi self at one y• is in prosperity and liueth in abhominacion. Leaue of frō wrath, let god displeasure, let not thy gelousy moue thee also to do euil, For wicked doers shall bee rooted out, but they that paciently abyde the lord shal enherite the land. Suffer yet a litle while, and the vngodly shalbe cleane gone, thou shalt loke after his place and he shall be away.
Reade forth the Psalm… and marke it well.
Wherfore thus arrogantly magnifiest thou thy selfe at all tyme. O mischeuous gyaunt, wherfore enforceth thy tonge mis chief, fordgyng disceat lyke a new set Rasour. Wherfore louest thou malice rather then honesty, rather to lye then to saye truth. For thou delightest in all maner of pernicious speach, oh thou desceitful tong. Wherfore, god shall vtterly rende thee vp by the rootes and destroy thee, and he shal throwe thee downe out of thy tabernacle, and pluck thy rootes out of the land of the liuing.
Rede diligently and marke well the. 73. Psalme whiche altogether belongeth vntounto this matter.
Wo be to the proud wealthy in Sion,Amo…. … ▪ euen to suche as thincke them selues so s…re vppon the mounte of Samarya which holde them selues for the best of the world, and rule the house of Israel at their owne pleasure. Ye are taken out for the euil day, euen ye that sit in the stoole of wilfulnes: ye that lie vponupon beds of Iuory and vse your wantonnes vponupon youre couches, ye that eat the best Lambes of the flocke, & the fattest calues of the drouy, ye that sing to the lute, and in playing of instruments compare your selues vntounto Dauid, ye that drinke wine out of goblets, and annoynte your selues with the best oyle, but no man is sorye for Ioseph hurte, therfore shall ye now be the firste of them that shalbe led awaye captiue, and the lustye …heare of the wilful shall come to an end.
Sentences out of the olde Testament.
CAine the figure of all wicked and blouGene. 4. dy Tirantes, slew his brother Abel, & while he liued he was a runnagate, and a vagabound hauing an vnquiet conscience and now being dead he is a dampned soul in Hel.
The Tirauntes and mighty GiauntsGen. 6. 7. with all the world besides 8. persons were drowned, after they had liued long in plea sure and in all the filthy desires of the wic ked flesh without repentaunce.
The filthy Sodomites liued in all kindGen. 19. of voluptuous abhominacion, the conclusion was that they were consumed with fire and brimstone from heauen.
Pharao handled the people of God veryExod. 14. cruelly entending vtterly to destroy thē all, but the ende was, that bothe he and all his army were drowned in the sea, and the people of Israel harmeles preserued.
Sisar and Abimelech beinge greuousIud. 4. enemies of gods people, were slayne of wo men.
Holophernes for all his proud lokes en tending to destroy the Israelits, was slain him self of a woman.
Saule persecuted Dauid the seruant of1. Reg. 3… God, entending to slea him, but Dauid escaped, & Saule was slaine with the sword
Achitophel remembringe what wicked2. Reg. 17 councel he had genen Absalon against his Father Dauid, & perceiuing that it wold not come to passe so mighty is God to destroye the wicked councels of the vngodly he went home and hanged him self.
…bsolon pursuing and sekinge his Fathers2. Reg. 18▪ death, in the midst of his furye was hanged, by the heare of his head on a tree, and so dyed.3. Reg. 2.
Ioab was slaine, because he killed two good men, euen Abner and Amasa.
The house of Hieroboam because hee3. Reg. 15. made Israell to sin, was destroyed by the sword of Baasa king of Israel.
Quene Iesabel that great enemy to the4. Reg. 9. seruantes and Prophets of the Lorde, was throwne downe hedlonge out of an highe windewe, and troden downe with horses feet, and at the last deuoured and eaten vp of dogs. Iehu slew the house of Achab for the Prophets that were slaine.…. Par. 24
King Ioas was slaine of his owne seruauntes, because he slewe Zachary the sō of the hyghe Priest Ioiada, wythoute a cause.4. Reg. 25
The wicked king Sedechias, whiche so cruelly handled the Prophet Ieremy: had both his eyes put out, and being fettered with chaines of Iron, he was caryed priso ner into Babilon, where hee miserablye died.
Amon that most proud accuser and inuentourHester. 7. of mischiefes against the Iewes, preparing a paire of galows for good Mar docheous that faithful Israelite, was han ged vponupon them him self.
They that accused Daniell to y• kingeDan. 6. and sought his death, were caste into the dongeon, and deuoured of the Lions.
The vngracious and wicked Iudges,Dan 13 which sought the deathe of that godly woman Susan, were slayne them selues.
Andronicus, which s…ew that good man1. Mach. Onias, was slayne him selfe.
Sentences out of the new Testament.
WO be to you that are rich, that hauehaveLuk. 6▪ therin your consolation. Wo bee to you that are full, for ye shall honger. Wo be to you that now laugh, for ye shal wail and wepe. Wo bee to you when all men shall prayse you, for so dyd their fathers to the false Prophetes.
Many walk of whome I hauehave told youPhil. 3. often, and now I tel you wepyng, that they are the enemies of the crosse of Christ who se ende is damnation, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is their shame whiche are worldly mynded.
Go to now ye rich men, wepe and houle one your wretchednesse that shall come vpIacob. … ▪ on you. Your riches is corrupte, your garmentes are motheaten, your golde and siluer is cankered, and the ruste of the… shalbe a witnesse vntounto you and shall eate your flesh as it were fyre. &c.
I heard a voyce from heauen sayinge… Apoc. 17O my people come awaye from Babilon that greate whore and mighty, strompet the mother of the abhominacions of the whole earth. Come away I say from her, that ye be not pertakers of her sinnes, that ye receaue not of her plages, for her sinnes are gone vp to heauen, and god hath remē bred her wickednes▪ Reward her as she re warded you, and geue her double, accor… dinge to her woorke. And pooer in double to her in the same cuppe whiche she filled vntounto you. And asmuch as she glorifyed her selfe and liued wantonly, so muche poure ye in for her of punishmente and sorowe. For she sayd in her selfe, I sitte beinge a Queene and am no widow and shal see no sorow. Therfore shal her plagues come at one day, death and sorow and hunger, and shalbe brent wyth fyre. For stronge is the Lord god which iudgeth her.
Examples out of the new Testament
The riche and proud glutton which was…uke. 1… gorgeously apparelled, and fared daintely eueryevery day, and yet woulde hauehave no pity on the poore Lazare, dyed and was caryed in to hell.
Iudas that betrayed Christ, hanged himAcc. 1▪ selfe.
Herode which greatly vexed the congregationAct. 1… ▪ of Christ, and slew Iames the brother of Iohn: euen in the middes of his pomp and glory, was smitten down of the Lords angel and was eatē with wormes, and so miserably perished.
Elimas the sorcerer and false PropheteAct. 13▪ resisted Paules preaching, but he therfore was stretght wayes striken blynd thorow the mightye power of God.