A Motive to Good Works, Section 1
The first Section.
Wherein is shewed the end of mans creation in this life, & how all creatures do serue and obey their creator better than man in their seuerall callings, with an exhortation to good workes.
IF God created the whole world, with all things contayned therein, of infinit variety, to this end, that he might be glorified by them, and in them (as without al controuersie he did) than much more created he man to the same end, whom he made after his owne similitude and likenesse, indued with almost vnspeakable graces, and whome also, hee constituted Lord and ruler ouer all his other creatures. And therefore, euen as an earthly prince (that shuld promote and aduance the meanest vassal, or basest peasant of his realm as it were, from the dunghill, to great honor and dignitie, making him not onelyonly ruler ouer all his iewels and treasure whatsoeuer, but also chiefe ruler and gouernor vnderunder him ouer all his people) might in reason looke for greater gratitude, louelove, obedience, and loialtie at such a ones handes, whome hee shuld so aduance, than at the hands of the rest of his subiects, whom he hath put in subiectiō: so the heauē ly king calling vsus (as it were) frō the dunghil, and aduancing vsus to great honor and glorie in this world, and making vsus Lords & rulers ouer all things vnderunder him, doth, and in all reason may, loke for greater thankfulnesse, louelove, and obedience at our handes for it, than hee doth or may looke for, at the hands of all or anie of his other creaturs, whome hee hath put in subiection vnderunder our feete. And yet notwithstanding whether they or we in our seuerall conditions and callings, do glorifie him the more, it will easily appeare in the further discourse of this booke, if we compare their doings and ours a little together. And first to beginne with the Angells. The Angels (which as Paul saith, are ministring spirites,Heb. 1.14 and most glorious substaunces, created for the execution of Gods will, & for the comfort, defence, & protection of such as be heires of saluation in Christ) are so ready and prest to execute & accomplish the will and purpose of God, that they faile not in the least point. And therefore when God sent them not onelyonly to denounce, but also to execute his iudgement and decree ouer Sodome and Gomorrha, Gen. 19.22they were so precise, and so exquisite in performing the least circumstaunce of their commission, that they tolde Lot they could doe nothing till hee were gone forth of the citie. Againe, God commanded them not only to comfort, but also to feed the good Prophet Eliiah, when hee fled from the face of cruel Iezabel, 1. Reg. 19.who presently obeied, as you may read in the sacred historie. They were sent to comfort Hagar, Gen. 21.who fled from the presence of her mistresse Sarah, Gen. 16.they performed their embassage, both feeding and also comforting of her.Gen. 21. They were sent to accompanie Iacob trauelling from Haran towards his natiue Countrie, they obeyed presently without all reluctation or resistance. An Angell was sent to deliuer the three children Shadrach, Dan. 3.Mishach, and Abednego, from the furie of the raging furnace, who without delay accomplished his charge so strictly, that the very hairs of their heads were not once touched, nor so much as anie smell of fire felt about them, although they walked vp & downe the firy flame. The Angels also were sent to pitch their tents about the good Prophet Elisha, 2. Reg. 5and to defend him from the violence of them that were sent to take him: they straight waie obeyed, compassing him round about with firie chariots, as it had beene mightie mountaines, not onelyonly defending him from harme, but also striking his enimies with palpable blindnesse.Tobit. 5 They were sent to conduct Tobias in his iourney to Rages in Media, they straight obeyed, guiding him not only thether, but also bringing him home againe to the no smal ioy of his olde parents. They were sent also to comfort, to feede,Dan. 6 and to deliuer Daniel out of the Lions den, they feede him by the Prophet Abacuc, comforted him by most sweete wordes of consolation, and finally stopping the mouthes of the greedie lions, deliuered him by the power of him who worketh whatsoeuer hee will in heauen and in earth. They were sent to conduct the Israelites thorough the wildernesse,Exo. 1… they obeyed, going before them in the day time, in a pillar of a cloude, and in the night time, in a pillar of fire, shielding them from their enimies on eueryevery side.2. Sam. 24 They were sent to strike the hoast of Dauid with the pestylence, they obeyed, slaying seuaentie thousande before they ceased, and beeing commanded to staie their hande, they stayed forthwith. They were commanded to slaie all the valiant men of San…rib king of Asbur, 2. Chr. 12.21who inuaded …dah with a mightie hoast in the daies of Hezechia, they presently slew all the princes, captains, and famous men of the armie, according to theyr commission inioyned them by the Lorde.Luke. 1.26 To conclude,27 they were sent to salute the virgine Marie, 28and to signifie vntounto her the mysterie of the incarnation of our sauiour Christ, they presently without all delaye obeyed, as you may reade more at large in the Gospel after S. Luke. I might heere inferre many moe the lyke examples, of the obedience of Angelles towardes GOD who made them, but these few (least I might seeme tedious) at this time shal suffice. Nowe who seeth not (except he bee wilfully blinde) the greate louelove, and holy reuerence, the great obedience & dutifull alleageaunce which these holy Angels do beare towardes their God? howe ready they are to execute his will? howe prest to performe whatsoeuer hee doth inioyne them? and how loyally and howe faithfully they behaue themselues in all things? And neuer was there one found disobedient or rebellious agaynst his blessed will, since that great defection & apostasie of the first Angels, who now being transnatured, and degenerate into deuills for theyr sinne of pride & disobedience, are condemned to euerlasting destruction, as holy Iude beareth record.Iude vers. 6 And vponupon the otherside, who seeth not our disobedience, our infidelitie, nay, our plaine perfidie our vnfaithfulnesse, our vndutifulnesse, our disloialtie and trechery? In a worde, who seeth not our contumacie, insolencie, pride, and rebellion against our God in all things? So that there is no more comparison betwixt the holy Angels & vsus, in our obediēce & seruice of God, than is betwixt light and darknes, fire and water, lyfe and death, sinne and vertue. Let vsus therefore throw downe our selues in all humilitie before his footstoole, confessing our sinnes, and craue merciemercy at his handes for Christ his sake. Let vsus cast away this filthie Philautia, this selfe louelove, this ouerweening of our selues, and account of our selues as we are in deede, sackes of ashes, bagges of wind, bubbles of water, wormes meate, and no men. Let vsus say with the Apostle, I knowe that in me, that is, in my flesh dwelleth no good thing: let vsus hold that for truth, which the holy Ghost vttered long since by the mouth of holy Dauid, there is not one good vpō the earth, no not one, they are all gone out of the way, they drink vp iniquitie as it were water, and swallow down wickednes as it wer bread. True therfore is that sentēce pronounced by the mouth of God himselfe in the 6. of Gen. The will of mā is wicked,Gen. 6. & set vpō wickednes euen frō his verie cradle, or rather from the verie wombe, as the Psalmist Dauid witnesseth, where he sayth, Behould I was begotten in wickednes,Psal. 51.5. and in sinne hath my mother conceyued me; So that our willes (except they be regenerate, and sanctifyed by the spirit of God) are nothing else but puddles of sinne, sinckes of iniquitie, and quagmires of all abhominacion, belching forth filthines, and breathing out vngodlynes, euen to the polluting (if it were possible) of the very heauens with our sinne. And therefore must we needes confesse with the Apostle, It is God which worketh in vsus both the wil, and the deed, euen of his owne grace, merciemercy, and louelove, which he beareth towards vsus in Christ. And yet notwithstanding there are some, that wil not stick to affirm that thought is free, and that it is lawful for vsus to thinke what we will good or euill. But I would fayne learne of these cunning sophisters, whether they thinke it lawfull (and no sin before God) to thinke an euil thought, although secretly in the hart? I think they will say no. For our Sauiour Christ condēneth an euil thought as a most hainous sin saying,Math. 5.28. he that but lusteth after a woman in his hart, hath committed adulterie already before God, and is as guiltie thereof in the iustice of God, as though he had cōmitted the fact: where you see he maketh an euill thought, or conceipt of the hart equiualēt with the deed before God.
Agayne, our sauior Christ reckning vp a great catalogue of sinnes which defile a man, amongst the rest bringeth in euill thoughts,Math. 15.18 19.20. not onelyonly for one, but as chiefe and principall. So that I conclude, that eueryevery euill thought, secret motion, priuate affection, or conceit of the heart whatsoeuer, is not free (as some Lybertines woulde hauehave it) but rather damnable: for, is it lawfull for a man to think, to conceiue, to meditate, and reuolue mischiefe and wickednesse in his heart, and can the same bee free and without sinne before God? Is not hee the searcher of the heart and raines, & knoweth not he our thoughts long before they bee conceiued in our mindes? Respecteth not hee the heart alone, and shall wee saie that an euill thought is free? God forbid. In deede eueryevery good thought is free, and proceedeth from the spirit of grace, suggesting the same vntounto vsus: but euerie euill thought is damnable, and proceedeth from the spirit of the deuill, and the stinking pumpe of mans corrupt and canckred nature. Let vsus therefore praie vntounto GOD to sanctifie our thoughts, and to rectifie our secrete cogitations, that we may meditate and thinke of those thinges which may please him, and by his holy grace may manfully put the same in practise, to the glorie of his holy name and our eternall saluation. But let vsus come to other of his creatures. You would think it strange, if I could proue that euen the verie deuils themselues do feare the maiestie of GOD more than man, at lest more than some men, yea, and bee more obedient, duetifull, and prest to doo his will, and yet it is most true they are so. For we reade in the sacred history, that the deuils doe tremble and quake at the verie name of God, and that they are and euer hauehave ben ready at hand to execute the wil and good pleasure of God. Yet I must needes graunt in deede, that this theyr feare, is a seruile and slauish feare, and this their obedience, is a forced and coacted obedience, and not voluntary, nor proceeding of louelove nor good will, but rather of feare and constraint: but how euer it be, it is yet farre better than the feare and obedience of some miscreants towards God, who will neuer bee drawen, neither by louelove, feare, nor scarce constraint (if they could otherwise choose) to the obedience of God and executing of his will. Naie, there are some so indurate, and so frozen in the dregs of their sinne, that neither feare of hell, nor louelove of heauen can once moue them to leaue their sinne, beeing of this resolution in deede, that there is neither God, nor deuill, heauen, nor hel, no immortalitie of the soul, nor any life after this. If these were not their persuasions, they wold neuer liue as they do, worser than the deuils thēselues, who feare & tremble at the maiestie of God. But they are so far off from trēbling at him, that they beleeue there is no God to reward vertue, nor Deuill to punish sin after this life. And therfore may I conclude, that such Atheists are worser than the deuils, for they belieue both. But let vsus leaue them to thēselues, & proceed in our intēded discourse. The Sunne, the Moone, the Starres, the Signes, & Planets, with all the rest of the celestiall bodies whatsoeuer, we see what a notable concord, what a pleasant consent & sweet harmonie they keep, & obserue in their seueral progressions, places, & reuolutiōs, euen frō the beginning of the world to this present day, not one of them rebelling or disobeying the law of their maker, nor so much as once steppīg aside from perfourming that office and dutie, wherin God hath placed them. The Sun was created to giuegive light, to diuide the daie from the night,Gen. 1 …. to distinguish betwixt times and seasons, and to fertillize and make fruitfull the earth by his heauenly influence, which otherwise of it selfe is barren and vnfruitfull. The Moone in like sorte was made to giuegive shine in the night, to fructifie the ground, and (as it were) to dominiere and to beare rule ouer the huge and mightie seas,Gen. 1 …. by her celestiall power and heauenly influence also. The starres were likewise created, not only as ornaments to decore & beautifie the heauens, but also as helps and adiuments, to the fructifying and increasing of al things vponupon the earth, and to conduct and guide marriners and seafaring men amidst the surging seas. Now who is so blinde, that seeth not, & that by eueryevery days successe, the truth of these things? who seeth not I say, how strictly, & how precisely euerie one of them doo performe their duties & offices in their seuerall places and degrees, according to the first ordinance of God theyr creator, without all reluctation, repugnance, or disobedience whatsoeuer. And therefore I will not doubt to conclude, that these celestiall bodies do reuerence, honor, and obey the ordinance and decree of theyr maker, farre better than man, and yet were they created for the benefite, vse and seruice of man. The fire also a pure element, was created by God, to giuegive light, to warme and heate, to drie, to purge, to cleanse, and purifie, all which seuerall properties we see it yeeldeth and euerie daie performeth. The water he created to humect and moisten, to feede, nourish, and sustaine, to runne, to wash awaie, to scoure, and make cleane, and these things wee see by daily experience it performeth without resistance. The trees likewise were created to burgen and bring forth fruite and fragrant smels, as well for the pleasure & delight of men, as also for his singular profite and commoditie. In a word (for that I will not be tedious to the reader, especially in a matter cleerer than the light) the earth the mother and procreatrix of all things, was created, and commanded by God to bring forth fruit, as hearbs, flowers, corne, grasse, and other species and simples of infinite varietie, seruing not only for the sustentation of man and beast, but also for their pleasure and health, in lyke maner. Now the earth, like an obedient child, yeeldeth her self to the lawes of her creator, performing what so euer God hath enioyned her, and that without all degeneracion, resistance, or rebellion. What should I speake of bruite beasts, which are singular in this kinde? Of creeping things vponupon the earth, of flying fowles in the ayre, of fishes in the Sea, and other creatures without number (of all which if I shoulde speake seuerally, rather tyme than matter would be wanting) which all feare, honor and obey the ordenance, and lawe of theyr creator, and in their nature, and kinde, do glorifye him more than man. Yea, such is the rebellion, the ingratitude, the vnthankefulnes, and blockishnes of man towards his creator, that God himselfe is forced to complayne of it by his Prophet, and to preferre the obedience & knowledge of bruite beastes before hys. The Oxe (sayth he) knoweth his maysters stall, and the asse his cribbe, but my people will not know, nor obey me. And as bruite beasts doe excell man in the obseruing & keeping the lawes of nature, so doe they excell most men in temperancie, sobrietie, abstinence, gratitude, kindnes, and many other vertues besides. For take me the insaciablest, or rauenoust beast in the world, let him be neuer so hungry, and yet when he commeth to his meate, he will eate no more than his nature is able to beare, and his stomacke well to digest. Againe, let a beast be neuer so thirstie, and let him hauehave the best drinke in the world, yet will hee drinke no more, than will suffice him. And which is more, there is not any beast that will eate oftner than hee hath neede, but when hee hath eaten his belly full, then will he take his rest, and absteyne from eating, till he feele himselfe eyther hungrie, or at least, till his former meate be perfectly digested. But you shall hauehave some men, that will neuer stint cramming, and ingorging theyr filthie paunches with delicate meates, and theyr heads with strong drinkes, till (nature beeing surcharged) they vomite them vp agayne lyke fylthie dogs. And whereas bruite beastes (as I noted before) wyll not eate till they hauehave neede, these epicures, and filthy belly gods (for so the Apostle Paule calleth them) wyll doe nothing else (almost) but eate and drinke eueryevery howre, and that not onelyonly of the day, but also of the night, neyther keeping order, dyet, meane, nor measure, but as though they were borne to eate and drinke, and (cleane contrarie to the rules of the wise Philosophers, who taught, that wee should eate to liue, and not liue to eate) to consume and deuoure the good creatures of God, they spend theyr whole lyues, or the most parte of them in filthie gourmandize, gluttonie, drunkennesse, ryot, and excesse, lyke Sardanapalus that filthy, and swynish Epicure, whose damnable opinion was, Ede, bibe, lude, post mortem nulla voluptas. Eate, drinke, and be merry whilest we be heare, for when wee be gone, there is no pleasure to be found. And truly the Epicure sayth well (in some sence) for, there is no ioye, no felicitie, no comfort, nor pleasure after this life for him, nor such as hee was: but for the children of God, their ioy, their felicitie, their comfort, and pleasure indeede, beginneth not till after this life in the kingdome of heauen.
Now for gratitude & kindnes of bruite beasts not only one towards an other, but also towards mā their enemy, we reade of many, and almost incredible examples, recorded by ancient, and approued Historians. But of many I will recite one or two. The Romanes had a law or custome amongst thē, that what seruant soeuer should runne away, or make escape from his maister, without his leaue, or licēce, should be cast into a denne of Lyons to be deuoured. It fell out so that a certaine seruant ranne away from his maister, & fearing to be apprehended, fled into a great forrest, or wood, where finding a caue or den in the groūd, he entred in, minding there to ende his languishing & pining life, hauing beene in the caue but a small space, there came in a monstrous great Lyon, who in pursuing of his pray, had pricked hys foote with a thorne or stumpe. The poore wretch, seeyng the Lyon come in, looked for nothing else but present death. The Lyon espying the man, came sawning vppon hym, and offered hym his foote: the seely fellowe gathering a little courage, by reason of the fawning of the Lyon, looked vppon hys foote, and espyed a great thorne, or stumpe in it, and so plucked it out. The Lyon in luye thereof, not onelyonly fead hym from day to day, with such homely meate as hee could get, but also defended him from the violence of all other beasts. At the length, the poore slaue beeing weary of hys sauage life, lefte the Lyon, who conducted hym safely foorth of the wood: hee had not beene long abroade, but he was espied and taken, and in fine, condemned to be cast into the denne of lions. Now it fell out so, that the same lion, out of whose foote hee had plucked the thorne, was taken and kept amongst the other lions. Well, the poore wretch was cast into the den amongst the lions. This lion looking vponupon him, knewe him, and in regarde of that good turn which he had done him in plucking out his thorne, not only not hurt him himselfe, but also defended him from the rest of the lions, who woulde no doubt hauehave presently deuoured him. The people beholding this straunge euent, wondered, and demaunded of the man the cause thereof: to whome he told all the whole matter in maner as is aforesayd. Then presently the man was taken out, and not only pardoned and set free, but also had the lion giuen him, who became so gentle, louing, and kind to to him, that he lead him vp & down the streetes, as it had beene a tame lamb, with this inscription written in great charectors, and fixed vponupon his backe, Beholde a man that helped a lion, behold a lion that saued a man. Againe, there was a certain man that had a spaniel or dog, and trauelling by the way was assailed by theeues, with whome he fought verie sore. The dog also for his parte, was not behinde, for although hee was but little, yet he bit them by the legs, & was in the end sore wounded and hurt. At last his master was slaine, and being by the theeues drawen aside, and cast into a brake of ferne, the poore dogge came to him, and licked his wounds: and seeing him eate no meat, ran to houses about, and getting meate, brought it to his master, and put it into his mouth. Within a little after, a Iustice of peace riding that waie, the dog ran to him, and weeping, and houling, guided him to the place where his master laie slaine. The Iustice following the dog, found the man killed, and his mouth ful of meat. And causing his man to male him behind him vppon his horse, carryed him to the next towne, and buried him. The dogge following apace, marked the place where they laide his master, and they beeing departed, he came to the graue, and scraped a hole vppon it, where hee laie night and day, mourning and houling pitifully. At the last the Iustice caused him to bee caught and brought home to his owne house. where hee kepte him. In the meane time, greate inquirie was made euerie where for the murtherers, diuerse were apprehended and taken vppon suspition, and araigned. The iustice sitting vponupon the bench, and his dogge betwixt his legges, so sonne as euer hee came to the barre that murthered his master in deede, the dogge leapes from betwixt the Iustices legges, and running through the prease of people, caught him fast by the leg that slew his master, and would not be taken of, without much a doe. This fellowe beeing straightly examined, confessed, that hee was the verie man in deede, who with his owne handes committed the murther. There was also another dog, who when his master was condemned to be cast into Tiber, and there to be drowned, leapt in after him, and held vp his head so long, as til they were both drowned together, rather choosing to die with his master thā to liue without him. These be wonderfull and rare examples of singular gratitude, louelove, and affection euen in bruite beastes, and such as may make vsus ashamed of our ingratitude, disloialtie, & want of louelove, not onelyonly towardes God, but euen one towardes another also. I might heere alleadge almost infinite other examples of the like kinde, but these shall suffice at this present. By these few we see, how farre bruit beasts doe excell vsus, and how farre we are inferiour to them in many things. And may not this make vsus to blush, that bruite beasts shall set vsus to schoole, to learne of them gratitude, louelove, affection, and kindnes one towards another? And which is yet more to our shame, do not all creatures of God continue & persist still in the same state and condition, wherein they were created, without either degenerating, corrupting, or deprauing of their first nature, or being, man onelyonly, and the infernall spirites excepted? They rebell not, they repine not, they murmure not, they grutch not, they go not out of kind but doe those things whereto God and nature hath ordained them. Besides all this, they sin not against the maiestie of God by anie kinde of actuall stnne. But how farre wee are degenerate from that excellent state and condition wherein wee were created, how farre we are off, from performing the works of our creation (nay rather what sins doo we not daily committe) I appeale to euerie mans conscience that is not wedded to a preiudicate opinion, nor chained in the fetters of fōd conceit. For albeit we were created at our first creation, holy, pure, innocent, and without sinne, indued with almost vnspeakable graces, aboue all other creatures (the holy Angels excepted) as namely, faith, hope, louelove, charity, wisdom, knowledge, yea, & a certaine facultie, or power, which wee call free will, by force wherof we might hauehave stood in innocency stil, if we had would, all this I saie notwithstanding, wee are yet so farre off from honouring and glorifieng of our God for these his inestimable blessings bestowed vponupon vsus aboue al creatures, as we dishonour, displease, & offend him more than all or anie of his other creatures whatsoeuer. So that if euer, euē now is verified, that diuine oracle pronoūced by God himself, All flesh hath corrupted his waie before God,Gen. 6. there is none that seeketh the Lord aright, no not one, from the swaine to the priest, all are gone out of the way, walking craggie paths and by wayes, to theyr owne confusion. From the top of the head to the sole of the foote, there is not one whole place, (as the Prophet Esaie Esa. 1speaketh) but all full of botches, blaines, vlcers, and sores, God bee mercifull vntounto vsus, and hasten his kingdome for his elects sake. Yea, we are so far growen into sinne, that sin is growen into habit, or rather iuto nature with vsus. And yet are there not a few, that thinke all things they doo are well, & iustifiable before God, according to the olde prouerbe, Suus cuiusque crepitus fibi benè olet, that is, euerie man so flattereth him selfe in his owne conceit, that hee dareth to stand vponupon his gard, and affirme, that sinne is no sinne, but vertue, and vertue no vertue but sinne, censuring all things in the vaine ballance of his owne deceitfull phantasie, after the corrupt imagination of his owne heart. Wherefore (euen in the bowels of Iesus Christ) I beseech al that hauehave anie sparke of Gods grace within them, anie feare of God, anie louelove, anie remorse of conscience, any regard of the saluation of theyr bodies, and soules, in the life to come, nowe at the last to rouse vp themselues out of the cradle of securitie, and drousie lethargie of sin, wherin they hauehave long slept, and by the examples of bruit beasts, to do the workes and offices of their vocation and calling. Let vsus cast off the workes of darknesse (as the Apostle exhorteth vsus) that is, the workes of sinne, and put vponupon vsus the armor of light, that is, the workes of righteousnesse, holynes, and truth, redeeming the time, because the dayes are euill, as the same Apostle in an other place willeth vsus. Let vsus consisider & weigh, that we are they vpō whom the endes of the worlde are come, and that the bridegroome Christe Iesus standeth before the doores. Let vsus think that the iudge is at hand to sūmon vsus to the dome, who though he defer his cōming, yet be sure he will come at the last, and reward eueryevery one according to his doings in this life whether they be good or bad. Let vsus thinke that he who hath committed his talents to vsus, wil one day demaund accompts of them. Remember these things whilest thou hast time (deare Christian) & do the workes of mercy. Follow the councell of the holy Ghost by the mouth of Dauid, Eschew euill and do good, Seeke after peace, and ensue it. Oh let not bruite beasts, and vnreasonable creatures goe before thee in the doing of their duties. Think thus, that hee to whome much is committed, shall be accomptable for much, & then reason thus with thy selfe. As the Lord hath bestowed many great blessings and graces vponupon me, far aboue many other of his creatures, so will he require of me, that I should louelove, honor, obey, magnify, prayse, and in all my actions glorify him more than any other creatures. And knowe this whatsoeuer thou art, high or lowe, ritch, or poore, yong, or olde, that thy yeares, nay that thy very dayes, houres, and minuts of hours which thou hast to liue, are numbred with God, and, that thou canst not by any means possible passe the same, no not the twinckling of an eye, or the least period of time that may be; & therfore good Dauid prayed the Lord to teach him to number his dayes, that he might know how long he had to liue. But admit that thou liuest to 60.80. or 100. yeres, alas, yet are thy dayes full of miserie, affliction, calamitie, vexacion, & trouble,Gen. 47.9… as good Iacob sayd vntounto Pharao, being demanded how old he was, few and euill are the dayes of thy seruant. But say that thou shouldst liue to hundreths of yeres, as many of our forefathers did, yet must thou needs die at the last: Adā liued nine hundred yeres & od, & he died, saith the text, Abraham so many yeres, & he died, Isaac so many yeres, and he died, Iacob so many yeres, and he died, Dauid so many, & he died, Salomon so many, & hee died, Methusalē so many yeres, yea, the most of any that euer liued vpō the earth, and yet, saith the text, he died, so that the foot of the song is still, and he died. Irreuocable therfore is the sentence of God against al flesh, Dust thou art, and into dust thou shalt returne again. The same thing witnesseth the Apostle Paul, Gen. 3.where he saith, Destinatum est omni homini semel mori, It is appointed to eueryevery man to die once, and then to come to iudgement.Reuel. 22 Then seeing the case standeth thus, that we must all die, & that we shal cary nothing with vsus but our good works, & our bad (as Iohn witnesseth in the 22. of the Reuelation, saying: Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord, for they rest from their labour, & theyr workes follow them) let vsus, I saie, in the name of God, resolue our selues to glorify our God by good works in this life, that we may be glorified of him for euer in the life to come.