Ten Sermons Upon Matthew 6:1-4, Sermon 5
THE V. SERMON.
PROV. 6.14.
Leud things are in his heart.
WE hauehave heard before, how vaine and lawlesse the man of Belial is,The cause of Belials distemperature. how froward and peeuish, how counterfeit & cunning in his outward behauiour: now we are come to the cause of all, and to the digging vp of that which is the fountaine of all his distemperature and disorder, and that doth the holy Ghost here shew vsus, when he saith: Leud things are in his heart: as if he should say, it is no maruell though his behauiour be so bad and barbarous, so vile and full of leud actions, when his heart, which is the fountaine of all his actions, is full of leude things. Then first, here let vsus consider what is meant by the hart. And next, what profitable doctrines may be gathered from this sentence: and the coherence thereof with the rest of the wicked mans description.What is meant in the Scripture by the hart. By hart in this place he meaneth not the fleshly and materiall heart, which is the good creature of God: but the corrupted, and depraued qualities of the heart. For the heart is put sometime for the whole inward man, as in 1. Pet. 3.4. Let the hid man of the heart be meeke and quiet: sometime for the thoughts and affections, for the will and vnderstanding: as in 1. King. 3.9. GiueGive me an vnderstanding heart: the prayer of Salomon. That is, giuegive vnderstanding vntounto my hart, mind, or soule: for hee had a hart before. So that in the heart is vnderstanding, but in the wicked it is leud vnderstanding, because he vnderstandeth leude and vile things best. And in Gen. 6.5. it is said, The imaginations of the thoughts of mans heart were euill continually: to shew, that thoughts and imaginations lodge in the heart: but in the man of Belial they are leude and wicked. In the 23. of the Prou. 26. the Lord saith: My sonne, giuegive me thy heart: that is, the affections of thy heart: as thy desire, thy louelove, thy ioy, thy feare, thy trust, thy zeale, thy delight, thy sorrow, as if he shold say, if thou desirest any thing desire me: if thou louest any thing louelove me: if thou ioyest in any thing ioy in me: if thou fearest any thing feare me: if thou trustest any trust me: if thou be zealous for any thing be zealous for me: if thou sorrowest for any thing be sorrowfull that thou canst not do thy dutie to me as thou oughtest: and these things I leaue not to thy choise, but see thou do them indeed. Now all these affections are in the wicked man of Belial, but they are leud, and not for the Lord. In the fourth of the Hebrewes 12. the word of God is called a deuider of the thoughts and intents of the heart: so that in the heart lye thoughts and intents: that is, purposes, conclusions, and determinations, but in the wicked they are all leud and naught. So that the meaning of these words (Leud things are in his heart) is, that the man of Belial vnderstandeth leud things, he thinketh and studieth leud things, he purposeth and intendeth leud things, he desireth and affecteth leud things: yea he deuiseth and contriueth nothing else but leud things. This anatomizing and discouering of Belials hart in this sort, with the rest of his behauiour, in other parts of his bodie, teacheth vsus many excellent pointes of doctrine for our instruction.
1. That the man of Belial is no better within then without.
2. That whatsoeuer a man is without, yet God doth iudge of him by that which is in his heart.
3. That the cause of all outward disorder is in the heart.
4. That a man cannot be a good man vntill the hart be reformed.
5. That the word of God is of that nature, that it discouereth the hidden things in the heart.
6. That the same word of God which sheweth vsus the corruptions of our hearts, doth also shew vsus to reforme the heart.
The first point.Of the first: That a wicked and prophane man, such as Salomon here speaketh of, is no better within then he is without, but rather worse: is euident both by this, and diuers other places of holy Scripture. Here he saith, that as he is froward in his speeches, and dissolute in his outward behauiour, so his heart is leud and wicked. So that if the hart be naught all is naught:If the hart be naught al is naught If there be any goodnes in his heart, it must be either in his vnderstanding, or his will, or his affections: but the subiect of all these is leudnes, therfore within there is no better then without, but rather worse. In the 6. of Gen. verse 5. it is said: That mans wickednesse is great, Psal. 41.1.and his heart is also euill continually. The Psalmist saith, The foole (meaning a wicked man) hath said in his heart there is no God: his waies are corrupt and become abhominable, there is not one that doth good: no, not one.
A description of a naturall man.The Apostle Paul searcheth eueryevery part of the naturall man within and without, and findeth all alike: Roman. 3. from verse 11. to 19. Let him be asked the question, and heare his answer. And first of his vnderstanding: What vnderstanding hath the vnregenerate or naturall man? None: There is none that vnderstandeth (saith he) meaning the things of God. How are their affections bent? What? do they not desire to know God? No: (saith the Apostle) There is none that seeketh God. What? is there none better then another? No: (saith the Apostle) They hauehave all gon out of the way: they are made altogether vnprofitable: there is none that doth good, no not one. But let vsus make a better search: it may be there is some goodnesse in some secret corner, or in some of their members. What say you of their throat? Their throat (saith the Apostle) is an open sepulcher: from whence proceedeth nothing but stinke and rottennesse to infect the aire. How are their toungs vsed? To deceipt (saith the Apostle.) What is vnderunder their lippes: The poison of Aspes. And what in their mouths? Abundance of cursing and bitternesse. They are swift in going, whereabout is it? It may be they plie it so fast to saue some bodie that is in daunger, or to visite the poore and needie. No, (saith the Apostle,) Their feete are swift to shed bloud. But yet it may be their trade and manner of liuing is good and profitable to the Commonwealth. No, (saith the Apostle) Destruction and calamitie are in their waies. But yet it may be their life is harmlesse and peaceable amongst their honest neighbors. No, (saith he) the way of peace they hauehave not knowne. But yet for all this, they may feare God in their hearts, may they not? No, (saith he) The feare of God is not before their eyes. Why then we perceiue that a meere naturall man wholly vnregenerate, such as Salomon calleth, The man of Belial, is all one mā both within and without: in his life lawlesse, and in his heart leude and wicked. The vse of this first point is to be made against those wicked mē that (being altogether sold vntounto sinne, and hating reformation) will reason in this sort: Whatsoeuer my sayings and my doings be, or howsoeuer my gestures, and outward behauiour be, or whatsoeuer my religion be, yea though I come not at Church to heare the Sermons, nor take any pleasure in the Scriptures, &c. yet I would you should know it, I louelove God, and I regard Gods word: yea I hauehave as good a hart to God as the best of you. But he is deceiued: for if a leud heart be a good heart, then so it is: but a good heart sendeth foorth good things, (being first renewed by the spirite and grace of God) but if thou be a wicked lawlesse Belial, and a vaine man, that walkest in froward customes, &c. then know for a certaine that thy heart is full of leude things, from whence proceed all thy outward disorders. And how can that hart be a good hart to Godward, that is stored with leud things? And so much for the first point.
The second conclusion that ariseth from this place,The second point. is this: that God iudgeth of a man according to that which is in his heart: (whatsoeuer he be in shewe) yea, though a false heart may be (and is commonly) shrowded vnderunder a ciuill behauiour, yet it is seene of God, and iudged by him too. God seeth not as man seeth, (saith Samuel) man looketh on the outward appearance, 1. Sam. 16.7.but God looketh vntounto the truth of the heart. The hart of man is deceiptfull aboue all things (saith Ieremie) yet I the Lord search the heart, Ier. 17.10.and trie the reines, to giuegive to eueryevery one according to his wayes: to shew, that the wayes of man are in his heart, and none can knowe them throughly, but the Lord, whose proper office is to search the heart: and that he will surely do.
A needfull point this is for two sorts of people (especially) to think well vponupon. The first, are Papistes of all sorts, Church Papistes and all. They are skilfull in their Popish eleuations,The skill of Papists. idolatrous crossings, down low duckings, demure countenances, holy habites, and obseruations of times, but they keepe their consciences to themselues, and the Lord looketh vponupon the leudnes and villanies that are lurking in their harts,The villanies of Papists. till a fit time serue for the bringing of them foorth: as murthering of Princes, vndermining of kingdomes and states, subuerting the Gospel, enriching the kingdome of Antichrist, vnderunder colour of wilfull pouertie: besides their whoredomes and other abhominations, which make them now so to storme and rage, because they are discouered vntounto the world. But let them looke vntounto it, God will iudge them for the leude things that are in their hearts. Many ceremonies they make like Balaam with his seuen altars,Their ceremonies. Prayers. &c. but both his and their hearts go one way, and God seeth it well inough. Many prayers and great deuotion they pretend, but after the Pharisees fashion, who when they seemed to pray most deuoutly, then they deuoured most greedily and cruelly poore widowes houses.Inquisitiōs. Their Inquisitions are full of such prancks, euen amongst their holy fathers: but I will not nowe stand raking in those puddles: Leude things are in their hearts, and God seeth them well inough, and will iudge them: not so much by that which soundeth in their mouths (although he will also iudge them for that) but especially by that which is in their hearts.
2. Sort. Politicke ProtestantsThis is also to be thought vponupon of our politicke Protestants, who say they defie Poperie: but yet are not (many of them) very sound at the heart. They are too well read and practised in Machiauell, to be good Christians: they will not sticke to promise, to protest, to say and vnsay, to do any thing for profite and gaine. These ciuill honest men can outwardly behaue themselues in print, with kind kissings, and curteous embracings, with courting and saluting, but in their heart God seeth much crueltie, and couetousnesse, deceipt, prophanenesse, and trecherie: like a legion of Diuels in a common Inne for all that come from hell,Psal. 10. so they bring no godlinesse but gold with them. They creep and crouch (saith the Psalmist) to make the poore fall by heapes into their nets: their courtesie and kindnesse is framed rather by art then by heart: yet all this artificiall dissembling is seene to God, and in time to the world. Wo be vntounto them if they repent not, for, Leude things are in their hearts, as in the heart of Belial. Many are sicke of Amnons disease,Amnons disease. who seemed to long for cakes of his sister Thamars making: but he could not be well till he had his pleasure of his sister.Absaloms practise. And as Absolom inuited his brother Amnon to a great feast of purpose to murther him, which he most leudly effected: so can many as pollitikely inuite those to their feasts whom they meane to snare and catch at their tables: of al which it may be said as it is said here of Belial: Whatsoeuer is in their lippes, yet, Leud things are in their hearts, and accordingly will God iudge of them, and iudge them too for leud and wicked persons.
Many of our gilded Polititians, and varnished Protestants at large, are no whit behind their tutour Machiauel, nor his brother the Pope, in shrowding a leud heart vnderunder ciuill pollicie, and politicke ciuility, to no small endamaging of the Church of Christ: but perhappes they thinke that God doth not note it, and will not iudge them for it. A man may descant vponupon Machiauels name, as Abigail did vponupon Nabals: Nabal is his name (saith she) and folly is with him. So Macheuil is his name,Machiauels name opened, & he matcheth all in euill, and an euil match also hath he made, for he hath matched a Princesse and a pesant together, Christian religion and carnall pollicie together, (or diuellish pollicie rather) who agree like the bondwoman and the freewoman that were in Abrahams house, the one hating, scoffing and persecuting the other, so that there could be no peace in the house, vntill they were parted asunder: yea vntill the bondwoman and her sonne were cast out of the dores. And this rude companion Carnal pollicie, (who neuer had any other bringing vp, or schooling then in the flesh, which is altogether for it selfe) is fallen grieuously at debate with Pietie: and with his cruell long nailes hath almost scratched out Religions eyes: and yet saith▪ he loueth Religion wel, yea and protesteth that he maketh much of her too, and of all her friends. And verily I do beleeue him:How carnall pollicy doth make much of religion. but I beleeue withall, that it is as Iudas made much of Christ, who (being pursebeater) stole what he could frō his maister, and at the last sold him right out, for what he could get. So this same Heliogabalus, (carnall pollicie I mean) by purloyning and stealing from Religion, and her friends the Church, all that he can get, doth make much of Religion, and of the Church. And surely not without iust cause doth true religion complaine in many places of the land, that her seruants the Ministers are so shauē and curtalled in their maintenance by pollicie,Religions complaint. (as Dauids embassadours were by Hanun king of Ammon,) that they are almost ashamed to shew their heades: and so weak brought that they cannot follow her, with that courage and chearefulnesse which should be in them. And in most places generally the course is this: (to let passe those gulfes that swallow vp whole liuings of Colledges and Churches,Deuouring gulfes. and allow their shepheard, or some other smokie Sir Iohn like vntounto him, some twentie nobles a yeare, and a cast doubler to serue the Cure:) in most places I say (where liuings are laid to the Church) the course is this. If a preaching Minister be called to a place, (a pastorall charge I meane) where great ones dwell, who must pay their tithes as well as other men: and they perceiue that he be but a nouice in the world, then pollicie is called to counsell, who doth giuegive him entertainement, by art,Politicke practises against the Ministers of Christ. but not from the heart: for leud things are in his heart. Now sir, maister Pollicie will for a time be a diligent hearer of his Sermons, and with his presence and countenance draw on others to like of him, inuite him to his table, commend him for his giftes, in courteous and familiar maner to conferre with him: yet with some straunge countenances sometime among, lest perhaps he grow too bold with him in reprouing his faults, and demaunding of his owne due. Now all this while the world imagineth that here is such a friend, that he were better lose half his liuing then loose him. And the poore simple man thinketh that he, which pretendeth such friendship vntounto him, which so earnestly intreateth him, so highly commendeth him, so stoutly defendeth him, so louingly embraceth him, so zealously followeth him, and so diligently heareth him, will not deny him any part of his due, but will let him hauehave all, yea with the more rather then with the lesse. But he is deceiued: for the miserable worldling is all this while but practising by pollicie to get into his hands the spoiles of the Lords inheritance. And in his heart perhaps he thinketh thus with himselfe: Surely I shall so fill him with my morsels, and make him so beholding vntounto me for one thing or another, that except he will incurre the note of an ingratefull person, he shall not choose but let me hauehave his churchright as good cheape as Esau sold his birthright, for a messe of pottage, or halfe for nought: if not, then actum est de amicitia, farewell friendship▪ I will meete with him some other way, and make him wearie of his place. Verily whosoeuer practise thus, hauehave leud things in their harts. But it may be they thinke that God doth not note them; neither will he iudge them for it. But they are deceiued: for surely he that telleth vsus here that leude things are in Belials heart, doth also tell vsus, that euen therefore his destruction shall come speedily and suddenly vponupon him without recouerie. Politicke and cruell practises against the common wealth.And let them thinke well of this point also, who in the commonwealth vnderunder colour of dealing well with poore men, carrie a leude heart and a cruell hand against them. As Achab was sicke for Naboths vineyard which lay hard by his: so many rich men are sicke for poore mens liuings and commodities, because they lye somewhat commodiously for them: if a faire offer of some base exchange will serue, so it is: if not, then practise his ouerthrow: or by ouerburdening him with taxes, and paiments, or by some other deuice to wearie him, and so to make him giuegive ouer: but first speake him faire, and giuegive him a dinner. Herein they play the Lion that came to the sicke foxe,Of the fox and the lion. and offered to lick him whole with his tongue, when in his heart he purposed to teare him in peeces with his teeth: which the foxe perceiuing, he made him answer that his tongue indeed had a soueraigne vertue in it, but it had a companie of ill neighbours, meaning his teeth, and vntill they be remoued, (quoth he) I thinke your Lordship will hauehave but a few patients. And like to the Lions Phisick is the kindnesse of vsurers in lending their money,Vsurers kindnes in lending of money. but their deuises be indeed innumerable, and therefore I will not meddle with them at this time. In these and such like cases, it were good for poore men to remember, & to follow the counsell of the holy Ghost, in Prou. 23.6.7.Pro. 23.6.7. Eate not the bread of him that hath an euill eye (saith he) neither desire his daintie morsels. For as though he thought as he saith, he will say vntounto thee: eate, eate, when his heart is not with thee. Thou shalt vomite vp all thy morsels, and shalt loose all thy sweet words: that is, thou shalt be vpbraided by them, and thou shalt neuer digest them well: they shall do thee no more good then meat which thou art enforced to cast vp againe, which doth not nourish but pine and paine the bodie. And the like caueat he giueth vsus in Pro. 26.24.25. He that hateth will counterfeit with his lippes, Pro. 26.24.25.but in his heart he layeth vp deceipt, though he speake fauorably beleeue him not, for there are seuen (that is many) abhominations in his heart. Others there be, who (to spie out the libertie of their Christian brethren) come with Herod (that foxe) pretending a desire to worship with them,Mat. 2. when they mean nothing lesse: Leud things are in their hart, and God seeth them. Mat. 22.Others like the Herodians: Is it lawful to pay tribute to Caesar or no? So, what say you to bishops, what think you of the booke of Cōmonprayer? Others are like Saul, who encouraged Dauid to the wars in hope there to hauehave made him away. Most men come to heare as Gods people vse to do, lending very attentiue eares, and sober countenances to the preaching of the word: but God seeth many leud things in their hart, and much bad stuffe and filthinesse which man cannot perceiue of a long time: all which they must giuegive account for. For it is a most vile thing to dissemble with his Maiestie by whom we liue, and moue, and hauehave our being: and a maruellous merciemercy of the most high that we are not consumed in our sinnes,A necessary admonitiō. And let vsus take heed, that euen now (while this matter doth sound in our eares) we harbour not leud things in our hearts, but pray God to giuegive repentance and grace to expulse them, and faith in the bloud of Iesus Christ to cleanse our harts. O let vsus take heede I say, for we are in his powerfull hands, who can either smite vsus as we sit before his holy presence, or else harden our hearts in his iust vengeance vntounto a greater iudgement. As Dagon fell downe at the presence of Gods Arke: so God giuegive grace that all leud thoughts, & imaginations, al wicked purposes and determinations, all leud vnderstanding and misconstruings (if there be any) may fall downe out of our harts at the presence and hearing of his word. And so much for the second point, which is this, that howsoeuer a man may carrie himselfe in outward shew, to the great admiration of the world, yet God doth looke further, and iudge him according to the leud things that are in his heart.
The third point.Now let vsus come to the third point, and therin consider that the cause of all that euill and disorder which appeareth in the outward parts of the bodie, is in the heart. For when the Lord hath ripped vp the outward parts of Belial: as his mouth, his eyes, his fingers, and his feete: then he saith presently, Leud things are in his heart, as if he should say: No maruell though his outward man be so ill occupied: for there is one within that setteth him a worke, and that is a leude heart, which is the cause of his froward mouth, &c. A leude heart, or a heart not regenerated, is like Achan among the tribes of Israel, Iosh. 7.who secretly played the theefe, and brought all out of quiet: for whose sake all were plagued. And as Achans leude act was the cause of Israels trouble, so his owne leud heart was the cause of his leud act, and of his owne trouble. When Israel was plagued in king Achabs daies, Achab blamed Eliah for it, little dreaming that himselfe was the cause thereof. Achabs humour liueth still in most men, though Achab be dead: for eueryevery one looketh one vponupon another, and saith, that such and such are the causes of the troubles, and stirres that are amongst them: when it may be, if they searched well, they should find the cause (most part of it, if not all) to be the leudnesse and coruption of their owne hearts. Some set vponupon the Preachers, as Achab set vponupon Eliah, and crie out that they are troublesome, and preaching hath marred all: but are they not deceiued as Achab was? For ask them: Is it not the truth that we teach? and that they are so much disquieted withall? they cannot, they will not deny it. Oh but (say some) they liue not according to their doctrine. Well, admit that to be true, (as it is in many) which yet is an accusation more generall then true, and is more maliciously, then truly or Christianly obiected: yet are not they found lyers, which say, that preaching of the Gospell is the cause of euill? For, first, they confesse that we preach well, and that our doctrine is of God, and is sound and good. Then of that which is good, properly can come nothing but good: For qualis causa talis effectus:Of good cometh no thing but good. such as the cause is, such is the effect, saith reason. If there follow any euill effect of a good cause, it is per accidens, through some euill accident that came betweene, or vponupon: as when wheat was sowed, tares came vp; the wheate was not the cause of the tares, but an ill accident happened vponupon the sowing of the wheate, and that was this: while the keepers slept the enuious man came and sowed tares. Indeed Christ is called a rocke of offence, as though he were the cause of offences: which yet is not so, for he is the doore of eternall life. And the doctrine of the Gospell is continually matched with many offences,Christ is called a rocke of offence, but is no cause of offence. & yet it is the way to saluation. For where Christ commeth and the Gospell is preached, we meete with many lets, which either lead vsus awry out of the right way, or else do stoppe vsus, lying in our way, or giuegive occasion of falling: and yet of all these, nothing can be imputed to Christ or to the Gospell. Not to Christ: for first, it is his office to leade vsus by the hand the right way to heauen. Secondly, he is the light of the world,Ioh. 1. by which we are guided thither. Thirdly, he is the path by which we come thither. Fourthly, he is the doore by which we enter in thither: and therefore none of these lets or stumbling blockes can be imputed to Christ, nor to the Gospell: for it is the nature of the Gospell, by taking away all lets, to set vsus open an easie accesse vntounto the kingdome of heauen: and therefore it is called glad tidings. Nothing therefore is more disagreable to the nature of Christ and his Gospell, then offence and disorder. But this offence happeneth through the leudnes of mens hearts:How Christ is an occasion of falling. for as soone as Christ appeareth, by and by men are wrapped in with offences, or rather of themselues runne headlong into them. Thus is he the stone to stumble at, not because he giueth occasion of stumbling, but because occasion is wilfully taken. And so the Gospell which is the doctrine of vnitie and peace,Cal. de. scandalis. (as Maister Caluin both learnedly and largely doth shew in his Treatise of offences) is the occasion of great troubles and garboiles in the world: because the wicked take occasion thereby to set all things in a broile. Therefore if any euill follow the doctrine of the Gospell, it ariseth from some other cause, which is this: Leud things are in his hart, who receiueth euill by the truth. And such men turne euen the best things to a bad end, so soone as they touch his leud heart:Some are like the Spider. like the spider, who being full of poison turneth eueryevery thing into poison that she sucketh. If therfore men wold leaue raking abroad in the doctrine of the Gospell, and the liues of Preachers and other professours, and search at home in themselues, they shall find the cause of most of that hatred and contention, and wilfull mistaking, and rash iudging, and bitter censuring, and wicked liuing that is in our Christian Churches, to be in some an ignorant and prophane heart: in some an idolatrous and superstitious hart: in some a proud and ambitious heart: in some a couetous and worldly heart: in some a drunken and a voluptuous heart: in some a dissembling and Machiuilean heart: in some a scoffing and scorning heart: in some a cruell and Herodian heart: in some a trecherous and Iudas-like heart. Now when all these chaunce to ioyne together against the truth, as Herod and Pontius Pilate did against Christ, then know that the Deuill whose name is Legion, is vp in armes against God, but to his owne destruction.
Now thē, when we hauehave by the grace of God found out the cause of our euill to be an euill heart in our selues: we may truly say of our harts as Dauid did of Doeg, Psal. 55.12.and prophetically of Iudas: Psalm. 55.12. Surely mine enemy did not defame me, but it was thou my familiar friend, which was bred and borne with me, euen thou my heart with whom I hauehave bene so familiar, that hast wrought me the greatest part of my woe. Of the same iudgement is the Apostle Iames: Iam. 1.13.14.Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God, for God cannot be tempted with euill, neither tempteth he any man. 15.But eueryevery man is tempted, when he is drawne away by his owne concupiscence, and is enticed. Then when lust hath conceiued it bringeth forth sinne, and sinne when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Erre not my deare brethren. Where the Apostle plainely sheweth vsus two things: first, that such is our impudencie, shamelesse ignorance, and presumptuous blind boldnesse by nature, that rather then we will acknowledge our selues to be in fault,2. points to be obscrued in the words of Iames. and to be the cause of our owne euill, we will not sticke to lay the fault vponupon God, and make him the cause of euill. As our first parents did: the woman blamed the serpent and the man blamed not simply the woman, nor himselfe at all: but the woman forsooth which God had giuen him. Secondly, that whosoeuer thinketh that God is the cause of his euill, and not that his owne corrupt hart is wholly the cause thereof (the force whereof is so great both to entice, and draw vntounto euill, to conceiue and to bring foorth euill) doth erre and is deceiued.Into a leud heart the word cannot enter. Hereof it commeth also that the word of God cannot enter into many: it cannot fasten vponupon their hearts, because their hearts are full of leud things. Like the Inne where Christ was borne: there was no roome for him in the Inne, and therefore he was faine to lye in the stable. And in many, though it enter, yet it tarieth not,In an euill heart the word cannot abide. but departeth away presently: saying as Christ said, when the Iewes sought after his life: Arise, let vsus go hence, as being vnwilling to lodge in so filthie a place, and amongst his enemies. And hence it is likewise, that the Preachers words come out from many when they repeat a Sermon, as Thamar did from Amnon when he had defiled her, with her garments all rent and torne.Simili…. If pure wine be put into a filthy and vncleane vessell, in powring it foorth againe, it will appeare what stuffe was in the vessell, for they come out together: so, if wholesome doctrine be deliuered to a leud heart, in the rehearsing thereof it will appeare with what manner of vnderstanding and affection he heard it. Such caskes do many bring with them to put our Sermons in,A leud hart maketh a leud report of a Sermon. that either runne out like Siues, or else are defiled with ignorance, or malice, or preiudicate conceipts, that it wold loth a man to heare it come from them. For though it came to them in a princely robe, yet it commeth from them like a beggers cloke: yea though it came to them with a louely countenance, yet it commeth from them like a filthie carrion, dragged and haled in the miry streetes amongst dogges: that a man would thinke the Preacher had bene out of his wits, to deliuer such matter, or in such manner as they vtter it: or else (which is the right) that they wanted both wit, and vnderstanding, or grace, or conscience, or honestie, or all, that heard the Sermon to report it in such a leud manner.
But the best is, the shame turneth to themselues, and no bodie is so much defiled with such hearts as the owners thereof: So saith our Sauiour Christ: Those things which proceede out of the mouth come from the heart, Mat 15.18.19.and they defile the man: for out of the heart come euill thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, false testimonies, slanders: these are the things which defile the man, meaning him that is troubled with them: as if he did but vomite vponupon his owne clothes,A man of a leud hart doth most shame and annoy himselfe. that speaketh from a filthie heart. And verily they are but fooles that do so: for what wise man will carrie one with him still, that shameth him wheresoeuer he goeth. A leud & vnreformed hart, is such an vnmanerly companion, that doth nothing else but discredite our persons, deface our religion, grieue our friends, harden our foes, aduance the Diuell, prouoke the Lord, marre all the good things that come neare it, and alwaies annoy, shame and vexe the owner. Lot had much ado with the Sodomites, but none did more dishonour him then his owne daughters. Noah was vexed with the old world, but none did him so much shame as his owne sonne. Dauid had many enemies, but none put him in such feare and danger, as his owne Absalom. Sampson had much ado with the Philistines, but his owne heifter his wife ploughed vp his riddle to the aduantage of his enemies. Our Sauiour Christ had many enemies, yet none like Iudas, who was alwaies in his companie. So eueryevery man, yea eueryevery true Christian shall hauehave many enemies, crosses, troubles, and dangers, but his owne heart is his greatest enemie, which doth flatter him most, and deceiue him soonest: which for want of godlinesse cannot be content with that it hath: which for want of contentation cannot be in quiet: for want of quietnesse cannot hauehave any ioy of any thing that it enioyeth: which for want of heauenly wisedome cannot deuide his times aright, nor tell how to deale with all sorts of people: which for want of patience cannot beare an iniurie, or put vp a wrong: for want of mercifull affections cannot tell how to forgiue offences: for want of charitie cannot tel how to construe things well: for want of the feare of God cannot hauehave a good vnderstanding: for want of a good vnderstanding peruerteth the straight waies of the Lord: which for want of humilitie cannot see the meaning of Gods wayes: which for want of a lowly affection cannot tell how to seeke peace: for want of Gods grace cannot acknowledge his fault: and for want of remorse of conscience cannot repent him of his leudnesse. Such a heart is the heart of the wicked Belial, which being fraught with leud things, disordereth, distempereth, and shameth all the life of that man that hath it and is ruled by it. And so much for the third point: in handling whereof, we hauehave seene that all the cause of outward disorder and trouble is within a mans owne hart: of the other three points in the next Sermon.
Now let vsus pray.