Lectures Upon Colossians, Lecture 17
THE SEVENTEENTH LECTVRE VPONUPON THE Epiſtle of PAVL to the Coloſsians.
COLOS. Chap. 2. verſ. 13. 14.
13 And ye which were dead in ſinnes, and in the vncircumciſion of your fleſh, hath he quickened together with him, forgiuing you all your treſpaſſes:
14 And putting out the handwriting of ordinances that was againſt vsus.
REmember (brethren) the laſt day we had in hand the circumciſion not made with the hands of man, but ſtanding in a putting off of the bodie of the ſinnes of the fleſh, he tooke it vp in one word, and termed it the circumciſion Summe of the laſt Lecture.of Chriſt, that is, an inward circumciſion made by him, and by his vertue. Now to make this more plaine, he inſiſteth in the next verſe on the circumciſion of Chriſt: and hee made it to ſtand in a conformitie betweene Chriſt and vsus, that as Chriſt after his death was buried; ſo wee ſhould be buried with him, that is, our old man and the corruption of nature ſhould be buried with him. Next, as after his death and buriall, he was raiſed vp to life; ſo we being dead and buried to ſinne, ſhould riſe vp to newnes of life in him. Now this is obtained not by the Sacrament of Baptiſme onelyonly, but by faith laying hold on God and his mightie power. After this, when he had ſpoken of the effect of this ſtrong power of God, he abides on it, deſcribing God himſelfe & his omnipotent power. The deſcription ariſeth of the effects that proceede from him. The effects of Gods power.You hauehave heard the firſt effect: it was in raiſing Chriſt from death; in which worke the power of God chiefly appeared: there was neuer a worke that God wrought from the creation to this houre, or will worke to the end of the world; in the which ſo mightily appeared the power of God, as it did in the raiſing of Chriſt; becauſe there was neuer a creature ſo humbled, and ſo bound with the bands and dolor of death as was Ieſus Chriſt.
Now in this that we hauehave read, preſently followeth the reſt of the deſcription of God in his power; and firſt wee hauehave his The ſecond effect of Gods powerdeſcription from the ſecond effect and worke of his power. It is the quickening of the Gentiles (that were dead with Ieſus who was firſt quickened) namely the Coloſſians, to whom he writeth. Then followeth the third effect, the quickening of the The third effect.Iewes that were as well dead as the Gentiles. But to ſpeake of the quickening of the Gentiles, and namely of the Coloſſians, and ſo to come to the words, he ſaith, And you, that is, you Coloſſians and all the reſt of the Gentiles, when you were dead in ſinnes, and in the vncircumciſion of the foreskin of your fleſh; then he quickened you, and raiſed you vp from the death, that ye lay in, with him, meaning Ieſus Chriſt, whom hee raiſed vp firſt, and that in this order. He hath freely forgiuen you all your ſinnes, theſe are the words. Now (brethren) this is to be conſidered; he ſetteth not downe the quickening of the Coloſſians, and of the reſt ſimply; but he ſetteth it downe in a compariſon with their former eſtate, wherin they were before their quickning, calling them to remembrance that before they were quickened, they were dead, life followeth death: the firſt gate to life with Ieſus, is to be dead with him; ſo it behooued, that before they were quickened they ſhould be found dead.
Now in the compariſon and example ſet downe here, mark firſt, it is the will of God, whatſoeuer grace hee giueth vsus, wee doe much eſteeme it; and if he giuegive thee life, he will hauehave thee highly account of it. The ſpirituall grace that is gotten in Ieſus Highly price the leaſt grain of the grace of Chriſt.Chriſt, it cannot be highly enough thought of in the heart of man. For when thou haſt put it in a ballance, with al earthly things, all is nothing: the leaſt graine of this ſpiritual grace gotten in Ieſus Chriſt, is worth them all. Therefore the Lord that giueth thee it, will hauehave thee to make much of it. Now the way, to weigh aright this heauenly life receiued in Chriſt, is this: to caſt thy eye back and looke ouer thy ſhoulder to that death wherein thou lateſt, before thou gotteſt it: looke what thou waſt before; looke whether thou waſt dead or quicke before thou gateſt this ſpirituall life. And therefore there is nothing more required then a ſanctified memorie in a Chriſtian. Remember wealth and woe, both good eſtate and ill what euer it hath bin. Now looke to the working of God; for rather then his own elect ſhall be forgetfull of their former eſtate, of their death they lay in before they got life; he wil make ye very ſtink of their ſinful nature, wherof they hauehave yet a remnant: he will make it I ſay, to ſtrike them in their noſe, and make them feele that ſtinking ſauour. For he keepeth ſtill the remnant ſtinking The remnant of ſin in the regenerate, what vſe is hath.in them, that they may remember what eſtate they were in, before they got this life in Ieſus Chriſt: that they might remember the life they hauehave gotten to be the ſweeter. Nay marke it, thou ſhalt neuer feele the ſweete odour of the life in Ieſus Chriſt, except thou feele the ſtinke of thy nature. And if thou take a delight to looke into thy owne nature, and thinke it delicate, thou neuer thoughteſt what grace meant; yea thou ſhalt neuer account of it: but once taſting of the life of Ieſus and the ſweetnes of it, then thou ſhalt abhorre that ſtinke of nature wherein thou before delightedſt. For whē once thou haſt taſted of that ſweetnes, for all this world thou wouldeſt not returne againe to that death of ſinne, wherein thou liuedſt before it was taken away by the quickening power of God.
But to inſiſt vponupon the words. When ye were dead, as if hee ſhould ſay: ye Coloſſians did imagine that you were quicke; but I ſay ye were dead, not onelyonly ye, but all the Gentiles were dead. Then (brethren) ye may ſee, a man if hee were neuer ſo quicke, being out of Chriſt, he is but dead, as Paul ſpeaketh of the wanton widow, 1. Tim. 5. 6. and the quicker thou thinkeſt thy ſelfe, if thou be out of Chriſt, thou art the deader. But here is our miſerie, wee feele not that we are dead: alas theſe miſerable creatures that wallow in ſinne, they hauehave dead bodies, but they feele it not; and certainly there is no man that getteth the ſenſe of the bitternes of that death, or that loathes and is ſqueamiſh at the filthines of his nakednes, vntill he be in Chriſt, and vntill he feele the ſweetnes of the life of Chriſt, hee The ſweetnes which the faithfull feele by Chriſt, in their regeneration.neuer knoweth himſelf to hauehave hauehave been dead, or vnderunder the power of death. And therefore whatſoeuer ye be, which he dead without Ieſus, ſtriue to get a feeling of the ſweetnes of that life which is in him. I doe promiſe thee if thou doe it, thou ſhalt hauehave the bitternes of thy nature taken away, otherwiſe thou ſhalt neuer poſſeſſe a contented heart.
What a death this was he expreſſeth when he ſaith; which were dead in ſinnes: there is the firſt cauſe of this death, ſinnes and treſpaſſes, that is, all the actuall ſinnes of their life, all the foule thoughts of their heart, all the prophane words of their mouth, all vnruly actions of their hands, all theſe be vnderſtood vnderunder this word ſinnes, in the plurall number. Then (brethren) this word importeth firſt, the kinde of this death Death in ſinne.that man lieth in before he be in Chriſt; it is not the death of the bodie. In the bodie thou wilt ſeeme to be quicke enough, when as thou art but dead; but this death it is the death of the ſpirit; it is the death of the ſoule: for when thou goeſt on in ſinne, thou doeſt nothing elſe but ſtick and goare thy ſoule: and beſides in the end, thou wilt ſlay the bodie alſo: ſo as if thou continue in it, it ſhall neuer leaue thee till it ſlay both ſoule and bodie for euermore. Thou maiſt be a wanton harlot, and a cruell murtherer; but yet take thy delights howſoeuer thou wilt, promiſe thy ſelfe as great aſſurance of life, comfort and ioyes, as thou canſt imagine; yet thy perſeuerance in ſinne ſhall ſlay thee with death in this world, and in that to come: For the wages of ſinne is death, Rom. 6. 28. Then this cauſe of death importeth not onelyonly that this death is ſpirituall, but alſo it importeth that it is a death exceeding fore, and withall the diſſoluing of this very bodie into powder and aſhes. Death in generall is nothing els but the depriuing of life. A mā is ſaid to be dead, when he wanteth life. Now theſe ſinnes which he ſpeaketh of here, doe depriue thee of the quickeſt and ſweeteſt life that euer was: and what a life is it that ſinne depriueth thee of? euen the life of God, the beſt life that is, or can be. Woe is thee that euer thou gotteſt life in the bodie, if thou want this life of God, that thou maiſt liue with Ieſus Chriſt for euer. Yea woe is thee for euermore, that thou ſaweſt either Sunne or Moone, if thou want the life of God in Ieſus Chriſt: and there is nothing but ſinne that can depriue thee of it. And further, it not onelyonly bereaueth thee of life, but it maketh thee guiltie of eternall death both in ſoule and bodie. Thou haſt theſe two Tvvo aduantages ſinners hauehave by ſinne.aduantages, delight in ſinne as thou wilt; ſinne ruling in any man, ſo long as hee liueth without Ieſus Chriſt, remiſſion of ſinnes, and ſanctification, it excludeth the life of God from him; and more then this, it holdeth him poore miſerable wretch vnderunder the guiltines of euerlaſting death for euer. You will aske, how can a man be dead in ſinnes? Is he not liuely in actions? is hee not counted the gallanteſt fellow in all the Realme, and the liuelieſt, that is the greateſt ſwaggerer, that can commit moſt euill? Is hee not counted the liuelieſt, that is the greateſt murtherer? I anſwere thee, the quicker hee is in murthering, in adulterie, and ſuch like, the more is hee dead: becauſe firſt he wants the life of God. And further, all theſe are but dead actions, dead workes comming from a dead man, and they are as it were a ſtinking ſauour from a filthie carrion: ſo theſe men, trimme them vp as you wil, they are but ſtinking carrions. O thou murtherer, thou defileſt the heauens, the earth and the ayre! O thou harlot, thou defileſt all the houſe and the bed thou lieſt in! Thou oppreſſour, thou defileſt all the world, though thou werſt an Earle, a Duke or a King, thou art a dead ſtinking carrion worſe then a dead dogge.
To come to the next words, he aſcendeth to a higher ground of this death, and he ſaith; they were dead not onelyonly in actuall ſinnes, but they were dead in a ſort of ſinne that did cleaue faſter and neerer to their ribbes. You were dead (ſaith he) in the vncircumciſion of your fleſh, that is, in your originall ſinne. Hee ſetteth downe this, by an alluſion of the foreskinne; the Gentiles vncircumciſion was a ſigne of their originall ſinne, which Originall ſinne.was inherent in them; as circumciſion was a ſigne of the taking away of the ſame. Then the cauſe of thy death in bodie and ſoule, is not onelyonly theſe actions that paſſe away (as when thou haſt murthered, the action goeth away, although the guilt remaine: for the action that paſſeth, it leaueth vponupon thy backe a guilt which ſhall bring downe damnation vponupon thee.) The cauſe I ſay of thy death in bodie and ſoule, is not only in theſe fleeting actions, but the grounded cauſe of it is original ſinne, the ſinne conceiued in thy mothers wombe. Thou art borne in ſinne, and it ſticketh faſt to thee: and therefore it muſt follow, that ſeeing the cauſe is a ſticking and biding cauſe, the death muſt alſo be abiding death. I called it before a ſore death: now I call it an abiding death, & that greatly encreaſeth the miſerie. You know that a diſeaſe naturall that commeth of any vitioſitie of nature, as of the birth, ſo many as hauehave that diſeaſe it doth ſtill accompanie their bodie: It may wel be that they get it mitigated, but they cannot fully clenſe it: They may procure a relenting of it, but neuer be able to take it away. And therefore this death hauing the ground in that foule feede that thou art conceiued in, by the generation of all thy forebeers, it will paſſe the power of the world to get it away. No, the Angels of heauen will not bee able to relieue thee of it: nothing will free thee of it, but grace, which is contrarie to that corruption of nature. You know the prouerbe, That which is bred in the bone wil hardly be driuen out of the fleſh. It therefore thou wouldeſt be cured of this rooted euill, thou muſt crie for grace, and ſay; Lord ſend thy ſpirit of grace into my heart, to rid me of this corruption of nature. It thou crie not for this night and day, yea and finde it in ſome meaſure working in thee, thou ſhalt neuer be relieued. Crie therefore and ſay, Lord, I was conceiued dead, I was borne dead, I A good prayer.am eueryevery way dead: ſend thy ſpirit of free grace, and free me of this death that ſo ſore ſetleth vponupon me, that I may once enioy that life of Ieſus. Crie this way night and day, and all thy time; and then I aſſure thee thou ſhalt finde deliuerance, and ſhalt taſte how ſweet the life of Ieſus is. And this for their former eſtate which is miſerable, being out of Chriſt Ieſus.
Now followeth the eſtate in Chriſt: He hath quickened you, that is, the father hath put life in you. It is a quickening when death is expelled, and life commeth in his place: but what a life is it that wee receiue in Chriſt? Would to God wee could meditate vponupon this life that is in Chriſt, you ſhall know it beſt by this; what a death waſt thou in? It was a ſpirituall death, both of the ſoule and bodie, ſtanding in the want of the life of God. Then this life muſt be ſpiritual alſo, euen the life of God, that thruſts out that death, that is, that corruption, and fruites of the ſame. If thou hauehave this life, though thou werſt dying bodily, thou wilt be liuing in thy ſoule; and when thou art dead, thou ſhalt be liuing: this is the aduantage of this life of God. But if thou want this life dying, thou ſhalt be onelyonly dead and nought els: and woe is that man or woman that is onelyonly dead. 2. Cor. 4. 10. Paul ſpeaking of himſelfe ſaith, EueryEvery where we beare about in our bodie the dying of the Lord Ieſus, meaning this dying in the bodie, but yet (ſaith he) the life of Ieſus is manifested in my bodie: that is, in dying bodily, I liue ſpiritually. And verſ. 16. The more that the bodie died, the more he was renued daily. Paul felt this in himſelfe; doeſt thou not feele this naturall life wearing away, the ſtrength of it decaying daily? Striue thē with Paul, that with the decay of the one, thou maiſt feele the growth of the other in thee; and woe is thee, loſing the bodily life, if thou get not the growing of the ſpiritual life. But if thou doeſt feele it, keepe it well; otherwiſe thou ſhalt die euerlaſtingly. He ſaith not ſimply he had quickened them, but he ſaith, he hath quickened them with him, that is, with Ieſus Chriſt, in this order: Firſt he raiſed Chriſt from the dead: then with him he beginneth their riſing here in this life, which ſhall be accompliſhed in the ſecond reſurrection that is to come. If ye wil conſider theſe words, they import three things: Firſt, there is none quickened alone; ſo as if thou be alone Three things in our …iuification to be conſidered.and ſeparate from Chriſt, thinke not to liue, conceiue not to get the life of God; and therefore he ſaith, hee hath quickened you with him. The ſecond thing is, there is no man that is firſt quickened in order, but Chriſt is firſt quickened, and thou commeſt in the ſecond roome: thou canſt not get life before him. The third thing to be conſidered in this place, is, no man getteth life from God immediatly; for firſt hee giueth life to Chriſt; and thou being in Chriſt, thou draweſt a portion out of him. He hath the fulnes: if thou be ioyned with him, thou draweſt out a ſhare of life, where by thou doeſt liue. And therefore take this admonition; Wouldeſt thou hauehave life? ſtand not alone, but ioyne with thy head Chriſt, and then with the bodie: for if thou be not a member of this bodie (though it ſeeme ignominious to thee) thou ſhalt hauehave no life in thee. Creepe then vntounto Chriſt, be neuer alone, be euer in the ſociety of the Saints. And if Chriſt be the head, then claime not to be the firſt to hauehave life, but let Ieſus thy head be firſt; and then come thou creeping in to him; ſtriue to be next him as much as thou canſt: and ſtriue not to be firſt; for hee will be firſt in deſpite of thee. The laſt is, ſeeke not to get grace and life immediatly of God without Chriſt, as if there were any life of thy own without him: thou wouldeſt be deceiued, & in ſteed of life the curſe of God will fall vponupon thee. Thinkeſt thou that the Iewes which looke vp to heauen, and ſeeke life without Chriſt; thinkeſt thou that they will get it? Nay, they get death in ſteed of life: but thou that getteſt a drop of his grace (which is better then all the kingdomes of the earth) to refreſh thy ſoule, that is parched, as it were, with the heate of ſinne, thou (I ſay) wilt get life in him; for all grace is in him: therefore ſeeke for it in him.
To goe forward, he laieth downe whereupon this proceedeth: It muſt be builded vponupon a ground, which is a remiſſion of thy ſinnes; which is in effect, the iuſtifying of thee in Ieſus, accompting thee to be a iuſt man, notwithſtanding thy ſinnes: ſaying, I pronounce thee a iust man. Then briefly mark this, and looke by what order thou attaineſt to life. This is the order to come by the life of God: firſt before euer thou get that quickning How to attaine life.ſpirit (for it is the ſpirit that quickens) thou muſt hauehave the bloud of Ieſus. For there are two things that come from Ieſus, his bloud and his ſpirit; thinke not to get the ſpirit before the bloud; but ſeeke the bloud, bathe and waſh that foule ſoule of thine. Waſh and clenſe thee againe and againe in that bloud ſhed on the croſſe, to the end that the guiltines of thy ſinnes being waſhed away from thy ſoule (for this is the vertue of that bloud to all that beleeue) thou maiſt get the ſpirit of Ieſus. For being once waſhed in his bloud, then thou getteſt that that is called the remiſſion of ſinnes, which are waſhed away Heb 9. 14.through faith in the bloud of Chriſt: and hauing got this free remiſſion, the ſpirit will come and will pull out that roote of bitternes, and digge it vp by the rootes: all the power in the The power of Christs ſpirit.world cannot pull it vp, but the ſpirit of Ieſus will doe it; it will (I ſay) pluck vp that roote, and all the branches and members of it: howbeit he will not doe it at once; yet hee will doe it by degrees. Then if thou wouldeſt hauehave life, goe on in this order, and ſay to God; Lord forgiue me my ſinnes in the bloud of Two petitions.Ieſus; ſay not Lord quicken me, but ſay, Lord forgiue me my ſinnes, and take away the guiltines of them in the bloud of Ieſus. It is moſt certaine that if thou hauehave faith in the bloud of Ieſus, thou muſt be forgiuen. Then ſay in the ſecond roome: Lord quicken me, giuegive me that ſpirit that may pull out this naturall corruption, and put life in me. Come on in this manner, and if thou haſt a faithfull heart, it is not poſsible but thou maiſt obtaine remiſsion of thy ſins, and be quickened. Crie then continually, Lord forgiue me, Lord relieue me of the death which I lie in; relieue me of this corruption, & put life in me, and all this through thy beloued ſonne Chriſt Ieſus. For it will not be the life of thy parents that will make thee to liue; crie to root out that poiſon which thou haſt from thy parents. Our gentlemen thinke it enough for them, if they be deſcended of ſuch a deſcent of people. Ha, ha, thou wilt die like a dog, if thou hauehave no more: be neuer contented til thou haſt gotten a new birth. For all they that will raigne with him muſt hauehave a new birth. It is impoſſible for thee to be one of Gods children and of Chriſts, and to hauehave place in heauen, if thou be not borne anew againe, by the ſpirit and water, as ſaith Ioh. 1. Epiſt. 5. 6. And ſo much for the ſecond effect of the ſtrong power of God.
Now followeth the third effect in quickening of the Iewes: The third effect of Gods powerthere muſt be ſomething ſupplied in the text: And vsus, that is, the Iewes: ſo I ſhall ſtand vponupon theſe words where he ſaith, he hath put out the hand writing. Note.The order whereby the Gentiles were quickened, was the remiſſion of their ſinnes: but the order whereby the Iewes are quickened, is otherwiſe, before euer they gate life, there muſt be an hand writing blotted out: and if we looke to it, the Iewes were more bound to death, then the Gentiles, becauſe they had ſubſcribed to their death, and that publikely in the face of the world. But to come to the words. We hauehave to marke theſe things: firſt, who is this that blotteth out, and ſcrapeth away this hand writing. Secondly, what is meant by the blotting out. Thirdly, what is the thing that is blotted out. Fourthly, wherefore ſerued this hand writing; he telleth it was againſt them, it ſerued to their condemnation. I ſhall goe through theſe foure as time ſhall ſerue. As for him that is the blotter out, his name is not expreſſed, it is Ieſus Chriſt the ſonne of God: for I ſee here, that which I noted Foure points in the 14. verſe.in the firſt chapter, the perſon is changed, he ſaid it is God the Father that quickened the Gentiles: now he changeth the perſon. There is no fault in this: for that, that the Father doth, the Sonne doth: To let you ſee that all is common to the Father and to the Sonne, The Father worketh and I worke, ſaith Chriſt, Ioh. 5. 17. Then what is meant by this blotting out? The word in the originall ſignifieth a perfect ſcraping out, as it were of an obligation; ſo that there remaineth not behinde any memorie of that that is ſcraped out; there reſts not one letter or tittle vnſcraped out. Then Chriſt Ieſus is made a Chauncellor of the Father to cancell, to blot out at his pleaſure, and as hee pleaſeth. Hee hath rent the obligation and drawne lines through it: ſo thou that wouldeſt hauehave thy obligation cancelled, get thee to him, for wee hauehave bound our ſelues to him. Thirdly, what is that that is blotted out? The handwriting ſtanding in ordinances, that is, in rites and ceremonies. Then it is the ceremonies or rites that be blotted out, which was an obligation of the Iewes, ſubſcribed with their owne hands. Now wherfore ſerueth it? He ſaith it was againſt vsus, not for vsus; it did vsus no good, but euill. It bound and tyed vsus to death, and ſealed vp to vsus the guiltines of death and damnation. He exempteth not himſelfe from this death: hee ſubſcribeth it with his owne deede. To make this plaine, the Iew in vſing of circumciſion, he proteſted hee had originall ſinne, and ſo was guiltie of damnation: in vſing of theſe waſhings, he proteſted and proclaimed, hee was all filthie, and ſo guiltie of the curſe of the law, and ſo ſubſcribed to his owne death. How the Iewes in the vſe of the ceremoniall law proclaimed their owne guiltines and death.And laſt of all in ſacrificing, hee proteſted hee was ſinfull, and that he had deſerued that death, which the innocent beaſt ſuſtained for his cauſe: and therefore guiltie of iudgement and damnation, and ſo ſubſcribed to his owne death. Brethren, this was marueilous, the rites and ceremonies were figures of Chriſt, and ſerued to leade them to Ieſus Chriſt, to ſee that bloud of Ieſus in a figure, which waſheth away the ſinnes of the world. How is it then a handwriting againſt them? I anſwer, it is true if their ceremonies be taken as figures of Chriſt, they were no handwriting againſt them, if they had an eye to the bodie that is Chriſt, and ſought not life in the ceremonies, but in the thing figured. But brethren, take them from Chriſt, take waſhings, and ſacrifices, as a kinde of religion without Hovv the ceremonies vvere an handwriting againſt the Ievves.Chriſt, all was but a handwriting againſt them. And whatſoeuer Iew he was that looked not to Chriſt in his Circumciſion, in his waſhing and rubbings, and in ſacrificing, that Iew periſhed; and all his doings was but the ſubſcribing to his owne death.
Now to come to the Apoſtle; hee taketh the ceremonies as ſeparate from Chriſt, and ſo they were a handwriting againſt them. He was a rare Iew that vſed them with reſpect to Chriſt, but the multitude tooke them as a religion without Chriſt; and therefore the greater multitude periſhed. And ſo I ſay that outward ceremonies cannot ſaue vsus. In comming to the Church thinke not to get life, except thy heart pearce into Chriſt Ieſus, all thy outward worſhipping ſhall not helpe thee, but ſhall be an obligation to thy owne condemnation, as the outward Ceremonies of the Iewes were to them a handwriting againſt them to their owne deſtruction. And if thou abuſe theſe Ceremonies which we hauehave in religion, in preaching, Spirituall vvorſhip.praying, and outward meeting, I aſſure thee thou ſhalt not eſcape the iudgement of God. And therefore beware, and neuer content thy ſelfe with the outward worſhipping; fie on it all, if thou hauehave not an inward worſhipping in thy heart. Againe, I ſee no man that goeth to hell, but before hee goe, hee ſubſcribeth to his owne death. I ſubſcribe with my owne hand that I am worthie of death. The obligation paſſeth againſt thee either ſecretly or openly in thy owne conſcience; and then thy mouth ſhall be cloſed, and the Lord ſhall caſt thy handwriting before thee, and ſhall ſay, Seeſt thou not thy owne handting? knoweſt thou not that thou ſubſcribedſt this? And if thou werſt an Emperour, thou ſhalt keepe thy mouth cloſe then, and goe from him with howling and ſcritching. And therefore neuer reſt as thou wouldeſt hauehave life, till thou get that handwriting taken away. Thou wouldeſt be buſie to get that handwriting taken away, which thou ſeeſt and knoweſt will doe thee euill here, and that may trouble thee in thy perſon, goods, or lands; fie on thee that ſhouldeſt be ſo buſied about trifles and vanities, and forgetteſt to take away this fearfull handwriting: which if it ſtand vntaken away, may doe, and ſhall doe thee more harme then the loſſe of this whole world can doe. Seeke therefore continually night and day to hauehave this handwriting of thy ſinne and guiltines taken away, as thou wouldeſt ſtand with ioy in the preſence of thy maker, at that day. To whom with the Sonne and holy Spirit be all honor for euer,
Amen.