A Century of Sermons, Sermon 5

A Century of Sermons · Sermon 5

p. 831A SERMON UPON

JOSHUAH xxii. 26.

And that man periſhed not alone in his iniquity.

AND that man was Achan the Son of Zera that did commit a Treſpaſs in ſtealing the accurſed Spoils of Jericho. I hope you make not dainty of the Story, it is famous in the ſeventh of Joſhuah. How eaſily we have found him out! All Iſrael on a time were quite to ſeek, and ſeriouſly enquired for ſuch a man, Joſhuah. rent his cloaths and lamented to know his name, and now if we read the firſt line of this verſe he is diſcovered. Though his iniquity was as cloſe as Hell, though he durſt truſt nothing but the dull earth with the ſecret of his ſin, yet Babes and Children learn it now in their Paedagogy, that (iſte) the man pointed at, no leſs unhappy in his puniſhment, than unjuſt in his crime, was Achan the Son of Zerah that periſhed, &c.

Let us enter into theſe words not without our demureſt thoughts, and holy reverence; for what place of the Church is more beautiful than the Altar? And what ſervice of the King is ſo honourable as an Embaſſie? And which attribute of God is more noble than his juſtice? Now an Altar, and an Embaſſage appertain to the occaſion of this Text, and the juſtice of God to the Expoſition.

There was an Altar ſet up by Gad, and Reuben, and half Manaſſeh, a great one to ſee to, in the tenth verſe, a pattern of the Lords own Altar in the 28. which was as ſtrange in thoſe days when all the light of the Church moved but in one Sphere, as to ſee a Parelius or a ſecond Sun in the Firmament. This new devotion of theirs kindled a jealouſie in the Ten Tribes that poſſeſſed the Land of Canaan beyond the River Jordan: and after ſome advice to reform the Church they ſtumble upon theſe two ways: Firſt, to pluck down the Altar; was the like done no where? Never in our Land? Firſt, pluck down the Churches, and then reform the Religion. Next that there might be hands enough to pluck it down, all Iſrael meet at Shiloh to fight it out. Another ſtrange courſe (I pray obſerve it) to try the truth, not in Moſes chair, but in the field, and He ſhould carry the day whoſe Sword was ſharpeſt; and brethren would ſacrifice brethren upon their own Altar for Idolatry. Yet this hath a fair ſhew, and ſeems to be like the renouned juſtice of Timoleon, that redeemed his Brother taken captive in his Country quarrel, whom he ſlew ſoon after with his own hands for uſurping tyranny.

But to be ſlow to wrath is to make haſte to heaven; and ſometimes a ſoft word breaks not down Altars, but the very bones, ſays Solomon. St. Peter cut off but one ſilly ſervants ear with (Ecce duo gladii) but when Jeſus ſpake, it overturned them to the ground every man and Miſcreant. So this holy Nation ſend Phinehas the Son of Eleazar, and Ten Princes more, the flower of the Nobility, to play the Orators before it come to bloudſhed, and make this the cloſe of the Meſſage to leave the moſt moving affection behind it; that the Idolatry of two Tribes and more would envenom all the children of Iſrael round about, ſince the treſpaſs of one man was the ruine of God knows how many. Did not Achan the Son of Zerah treſpaſs, and wrath fell on all the Congregation of Iſrael, and that man periſhed, &c.

Beloved, now we know the man that bears the burden of the Text: and that Altar which was blameleſs and innocent, one poor diſtinction broke up all the Army, it was an Altar of Witneſs, and not of Sacrifice. Ver. 28.And you have ſeen the p. 832Embaſſie preſenting and prevailing for Peace and true Religion. A word or two to ſhew what is meant by (non ſolus) he periſhed not alone. There are divers ſtories of Gods vengeance in that word built one above another, as may eaſily be diſcerned if I reſolve all the Text into Achans Funerals. Firſt, here is a grave digged, and that is iniquity. So ſpeaks the Kingly Prophet, effodit puteum, he digged a Pit, that is, ſays another Prophet, he plowed iniquity. Secondly, ſee the corps of Achan, firſt oppreſſed with ſtones, and then conſumed to aſhes (for he was both ſtoned and burnt) the one repreſenting a Sepulchre, and the other the diſmal fire of Hell, this is that man periſhing. But not alone; his Children were the ſad mourners that followed their Father, and died with him both root and branches. Nor theſe only, but thirty ſix Iſraelites ſlain and offered up to the vengeance of God, inferiae Achanis, as I may term them after the heathen phraſe. And give me leave to go on to make a miſerable pomp, his Cattel went along to be ſacrificed, & bellator equus, even all he had; as if his Oxen had jogged the Ark of God, they are conſumed in fire. Laſtly, you are here beloved, to look on, and judge of ſuch a ſpectacle, to decline the treſpaſs, that for your part (and God grant it be ſo) He may periſh alone in his iniquity. Lego hiſtoriam ne fiam hiſtoria.

Where could I alledge Scripture ſo wonderful to ſhew the myſtery of Gods juſtice, leaſt we ſpeak unadviſedly with our lips, why art thou ſo wrath with the ſheep of thy Paſture? Non noſtrum onus; our ſhoulders were not made to bear our Fathers ſins. As Lipſius embraced the reproof of Scaliger, ſaying, Te judice placebit paenè ipſum damnari; ſo we muſt not only kiſs the Son leſt he be angry, but even kiſs the very anger of the Son. He was figured to be the Serpent that ſtung the Iſraelites, but it was a brazen Serpent; Serpens ſine veneno, no poiſon, no rancor of malice in him. Judicia Dei occulta eſſe poſſunt, injuſta eſſe non poſſunt, ſays St. Auſtin.

Strike once upon this rock of juſtice, and I dare promiſe a fountain will iſſue out from thence of fear and reverence not to provoke the Lord by ſins and treſpaſſes; for if He threaten, ſhall He ſeem as one that mocks? Shall the Infant put his finger upon the hole of the Cockatrice? Wherefore to make this our uſe and fruit of hearing at this time: Firſt, to adore the flaming Sword of juſtice; Secondly, to ſhun the ſtroak, the wages of ungodlineſs. Firſt, that the Tombs of ſinners may be Altars of Gods righteouſneſs, and then that the zeal of God may be dreadful unto man; let theſe be the parts of this diſcourſe.

Firſt, We muſt put the cauſe formoſt, the cauſe of all the wrath that follows, and that both general, it is iniquity, and with an inſtance his iniquity. Then follows the ſubject, not only anſwering to each part of the cauſe, man and that man, but a ſubject it is ex abundanti, you would think as if miſchief had been kindled like piles of wild-fire, for it ſpreads about to ſtrangers and home-born, to the reaſonable and to the dumb, nay, to the quick and dead, that man, not alone is a troop of them which were conſumed. Thirdly, here is an affection brought in by the cauſe you wot of before into this plentiful ſubject, alas let us not call it an Affection, let us uſe no Art, it is periſhing.

The Cauſe, Iniquity; the Subject, Achan, but not alone; the Affection, that he periſhed; you ſee I have made a demonſtration of the Text. Now let not any man make it a fallacy to deceive his own ſoul; doth not the cauſe deſerve ſevere arraignment? Then blaſpheme not as the wicked do:Job 33 10.Job 33:10 He ſeeketh an occaſion to puniſh. Cruda eſt cicatrix criminum oletque ut antrum Tartari, ſays the Divine Prudentius in the ſubject; Did one hair of an innocent perſon fall to the ground? Then murmur not againſt God, turn thy wrath upon the ſinners and the heathen which have not known his name. But is it too much to periſh for all this? Was the chaſtiſement beyond meaſure? Then let us ſay we are vexed and ſore ſmitten, then indignation lieth hard upon us like Rehoboams Scorpions. Remember how the Heathen deſcribed juſtice in their Idol Jupiter, it was Aquila cum fulmine; an Eagles eye to diſcern a fault, a Thunderbolt to ſtrike a Malefactor, and the way thereof is as the way of an Eagle in the air, when at the higheſt pitch we cannot ſee him: Wherefore addreſs we attentions to hear the cauſe, how that man periſhed, &c.

I have ſeen malum ſub ſole, ſays Solomon, evil under the Sun. He might well tell it for a wonder that ſuch a difference ſhould light together. The Sun builds up nature like a Giant, Pſal. xix. and evil pulls it down as faſt like a Monſter. It was the viſion of Moſes at Mount Horeb, Exod. iii. a flame of fire in a bramble buſh; and he that will look like a Prophet, ſhall ſee there is nothing among us but Flamma ſplendoris divini, or ſpina peccati. I renounce the Manichees, I make not two main p. 833cauſes, good and evil: but I ſay, every thing ſhews the brightneſs of Gods glory ſhining in his works, or the thorns and briars of ſin in the defacing thereof; ſuch thorns were the ſinful Jebuſites. 1 Sam. 23.26.1 Sam 23:26I would the world were as free from it as the Song of Solomon, wherein the name is not once to be read leſt it ſhould breed a diſcord in the tunes of love.

There muſt be ſin, there muſt be hereſies, but ſin what art thou? Alas that every man can ſooner ſin than tell what it is. When we talk of it, then it grows upon us; when we forget it, it encreaſeth more; when we hate it, then we ſin becauſe we do not hate it as we ought; but call it in one word as St. John doth, foreign, the breach of Gods Law, and you have ſaid enough. Me thinks Moſes made the definition, when ſpying the treſpaſs, the Calf they worſhipped in Horeb, He caſt the Tables from him, as who ſhould ſay, the Law is broken.

Only here is the difference, the Tables were crackt in few pieces perhaps, but the Law hath been ground like the Idol into powder, ſo that a remnant is not kept whole in man. St. Paul, Rom. iii. reduceth ſin into every part of us, both ſoul and body, as unto certain common places, or you may call it the Geography of wickedneſs, There is none that underſtandeth, thus our reaſon is ignorant; none that ſeeketh after God, our will is diſobedient. If the Leaven be ſo bad, what hope remains in the lump? Our tongues have uſed deceit, and the kiſſes of our lips envenom like the Aſp. Our feet are not lazy, but ſwift to ſhed bloud. Our eyes not dim, but wanting before them the vail of reverence, There is no fear of God before our eyes. Our throat not cramm'd up or ſtrangled, but wide as an open Sepulchre. Was Goliah more furniſht to do evil with that tomb of braſs upon his body? Was Eſau more rough and hairy from the crown of the head to the ſole of the foot? Or that Hermogenes, whom the Wits of Greece plaid upon, that the Raſor knew not where to begin foreign, for all his body was but one lock. As we bring bloudy bodies into the world, Tabe polluti, & occiſis magis quàm natis ſimiles, ſays Plutarch, ſo we bring a moſt wretched ſoul. That as Marius could ſhew no honourable Pedigree for a Conſulſhip to the Senate but thirty ſix wounds in his Breaſt, ſo we cannot ſhew the glory of our immortal and heavenly created ſoul, her Pedigree from God by reaſon of the wounds which ſtick faſt upon it. Ariſtotle ſaid our ſoul was like a fair skin of Parchment wherein nothing was written. O that it had been ſo; they are rather like Ezekiels book within and without, written with woes and lamentations; or as Plato ſpeaks of Dionyſius his ſoul, that it was ſcribled all over with evil Characters. What an enditement may be made of this cauſe then when iniquity is a blemiſh all over, as the whole bird was dipt in bloud, Lev. xiv. which was an Emblem of our pollution. No words can ſufficiently deſcribe it, but as one ſpeaks of the Spaniſh Tyranny over the Indies, the beſt Rhetorick was to beſmear a bloudy leaf to expreſs it.

Sin in its Eſſence is confederate with death and puniſhment. It is the obedience of dumb creatures to chaſtiſe it. The Earth waxed evil in bringing forth Plants and fruits, when the choiceſt mold of it did fail in Adam, it would not be ſo fruitful for a Sinner as for an Innocent. The Propheteſs Deborah knew ſo much Aſtrology that the Stars in their courſe fought againſt the Tyrant Sifera. Et navicula Petri in quâ erat Judas turbabatur (ſays St. Ambroſe;) the Sea ſtormed at Peters Ship when Judas was in it; but theſe are ſenſeleſs ſcourges, and God applies them. What need I ſpeak of Phinehas his righteous paſſion that killed the Princely Adulterer? If the Angels might have their will no Tares ſhould ſtand in the field, they would root up every thing that had not the blade of Wheat. But theſe are all heavenly Souldiers, and holineſs provokes them. Well, let the Devil be the judge and he delights both to accuſe and puniſh. Put it to evil men, and they think Naboth ſhould die for curſing God and the King. The vileſt perſons for the moſt part are the Satyrs of the time, and tax all the world like Anguſtus. Nay, put it to the ſinner himſelf, put it to Cain and Judas, they find no favour, no mitigation I dare ſay in the Court of their own conſcience, Prima eſt haec ultio quod ſe Judice nemo nocens abſolvitur.

Let me lead you on with this diſtinction betwixt in, and propter, to periſh in iniquity, and for iniquity. Sin is not always the propter, the moving cauſe of Gods chaſtiſements, but ſometimes the triall of an heroick faith, ſo it was in Job. Sometimes the confirmation of grace, ſo it was in St. Paul, the Meſſenger of Satan was ſent to buffet him, that Gods grace might be ſufficient for him. But (in iniquitate) is certain truth, the wrath of God lights not but where tranſgreſſions have gone p. 834before. Thus the Diſciples were at a loſs, Joh. ix. Did this man ſin that he was born blind? How was that poſſible in his Mothers Womb? But was the ſin of his Father, or the guilt of his Mother imputed to him? The imperfect fruit of the Womb could do no evil, the offence of his Parents muſt not be thought his evil. Rabbi quis peccavit? Nec ille nec parentes, ſays our Saviour; neither for his, nor his Parents ſins was he born blind, but that the works of God might be made manifeſt in him. That was the cauſe; and yet a mote had not troubled the eye of this blind man but that a beam of ſin had poſſeſſed it before, in his Mothers Womb, I mean by original corruption. Alas that we ſhould be grown big enough for puniſhment before we are born to nature? Sabores being but a breeding at the death of his Father Vaſarenes (as Agathias reports) the Soothſayers foretold that his Mother ſhould bring forth a Male child, and he was crowned in her Womb, his honour began the ſooneſt I ever read of any; and his guiltineſs of ſin, and obligement to Gods wrath began as ſoon as the ſoul did inform the body.

If ever there were a Paradox in the world, which Turks and Infidels hitherto have ſhamed to maintain, it is the contrary to this doctrine that ſome iniquity is not the cauſe of periſhing before the wrath of God. Peribit in iniquitate, it was ever good Divinity before Mariana, and ſome Jeſuits have perſwaded deſperate caſtaways to be ſaved by iniquity. Saved did they ſay? And for working abomination? O are not the tender mercies of the wicked cruel? St. Paul comforted our Mothers in their travel, that the woman ſhould be ſaved by bearing Children into the world, they teach Reprobates to purchaſe a Saintſhip, by murdering ſuch whom the world is not worthy of? Slaughter and bloudſhed ſays our Philoſopher, Rhet. 1. lib. are not fit to make a queſtion for diſcourſe, becauſe it was never diſputed by ſome either to be lawful or tolerable. Nay in the ſecond Eth. foreign, nothing can make Murder a good action, much leſs Treaſon. But this was the pity of a Philoſopher, and Alexanders Courtier, not the ſtomach of a Jeſuit, and a grand Inquiſitor. If all the Saints ſhould appear before God with the Inſtruments of their Piety, Moſes with the two Tables, Aaron with his Rod, David with his Pſaltery, Dorcas with the Garments of her Charity, would you look for a Prieſt among them girded with a bloudy knife? Or a Villain provided with fire and Gunpowder? Who would look for it? Except as when the Sons of God ſtood before the Lord, Job i and Satan alſo was among them. Nay, heaven and earth ſhall paſs away before Peribit in iniquitate become Apocryphal, before the Wormwood of ſin become the Palm of immortality.

Thus much for the cauſe in general, but what offence his iniquity did give, the ſin of Achan will ask a peculiar and a larger trial. You are deceived if you think it was but Larceny, or greedy pilfering, if a Thief ſteal he ſhall reſtore fourfold, ſays the Law, or ſeven fold, ſays Solomon, when ſtealing grew worſe and worſe; that was the moſt of it. But God ſaw more pernicious faults in Achan; for his juſtice is not fidelis in minimo, ſharpeſt againſt ſmall offences, like the Popes Decretals, which enjoyn a Prieſt forty days penance if he ſpill one drop of the Cup of the Lords Table, and but ſeven days penance for Fornication. But hainous was the fact of Achan, firſt in ſcandal, that an Iſraelite, preſerved ſo long in the Wilderneſs, one that fought the Lords Battels, and came always home with victory, that he ſhould be the firſt that treſpaſſed among the Canaanites, the heathen that would blaſpheme the living God.

Secondly, In diſobedience that Joſhuah his noble General made the head of all the Tribes by Gods appointment, and Moſes good liking, and Eleazars Unction could not command to be obeyed.

Thirdly, In faithleſs covetouſneſs. That ſince Manna did fall no more from heaven about their Tents, the Lord did heed his people no longer, every man muſt catch what come to his hands, ſo Achan took the accurſed, &c. Here is ſcandal to them that were without; within themſelves contempt of the Lord and his ſervant Joſhuah, in his own heart an inordinate deſire to grow rich and ſumptuous. I do not make Achans fault the greater, that Gods vengeance may be more plauſible, as St Auſtin ſpake of diſgracing Cacus to honour Hercules the more, Niſi nimis accuſaretur Cacus parum Hercules laudaretur; but remember my ſcope is all one with S. Pauls Interrogatories, With whom was he grieved? And to whom did he ſwear in his wrath that they ſhould not enter into his reſt?

If there be any delight in comparing ſins as the Prophets uſe to daſh the Idols of Jeruſalem with the Idols of Samaria, me thinks the firſt tranſgreſſion of the Garden p. 835of Eden, and the pleaſant Land of Canaan, almoſt another Eden, are very ſemblable. Eve walking in Paradiſe ſaw the fruits, and her eye enticed her to take that which was forbidden, and then ſhe hid her ſelf out of Gods ſight. So Achan treading upon the ſoil of Canaan ſaw a Babyloniſh Garment, and his eye enticed him, and he took it when it was forbidden and accurſed, and hid both the Garment and his ſin from the ſight of Joſhuah.

But thoſe are impudent crimes like the forehead of an Harlot that leave their memory to the evil world to be the firſt examples of tranſgreſſions, curſed be that ſin, for it feſters into ſcandal, and unhappy ſhall be their end that fly from the Lord till they be left as a Beacon on the top of a Mountain, and as an Enſign on a Hill, Iſa. 30.17.Isa 30:17ſays the Prophet Iſaiah. Many offences had never been committed, or elſe brought forth by a worſe Generation long after, unleſs an evil Author had made the way known and eaſie for our corrupt nature; therefore the firſt that gathered ſticks, and broke the Sabbath, the Shilonites Son the firſt that curſed, impious Gehazi, the firſt that took ſinful wages for the gift of God; Ananias and Saphira the firſt diſſemblers in the Primitive Church, Achan the firſt Malefactor in the Land of Canaan, theſe had their portion ſuddenly, and drunk the Cup of Gods fury unto the dregs thereof. I know not how fatal it is, but ſince the ſmall trenches of Rome were filled with too much bloud of Rhemus, anon after they were digg'd, maſſacres, and perſecutions have never departed from that unlucky building.

As the heavens are ſpread above us, and ſeem to ſpeak like the Statue of the King of Egypt, In me quis intuens pius eſto: So the ground whereon we tread ſometimes quakes and ſeems to be too holy to be defiled. But if ever there were an foreign, or incongruity of place to ſay unto ſin, exiforas, this is no ground for ſinners, was it not the Land of Promiſe? A ſmall ſin in Canaan was greater than a fornication in Egypt, a treſpaſs in Jeruſalem is worſe than an Idol in Samaria. Had this deed been done in the Wilderneſs, or in the paths of the Red Sea, it had been more tolerable, as one ſpeaks of Pompeys obſcure death in Egypt, a thouſand Leagues from Rome, Procul hoc ut in orbe remoto abſcondat fortuna nefas, the offence had not been ſo notorious. But the Angels themſelves do wonder in a field of choice Wheat, Ʋnde zizania? Lord whence come Tares? Will you reſolve the Prophet Jeremy the ſame queſtion? He makes very ſtrange, fidelis civitas? How is the faithful City become an Harlot? To uſe the Lords own Sacrifice, with the Sons of Eli, for Riot and Extortion; his own Supper for drunkenneſs, with the bad Corinthians; to employ the ſoyl of his own bleſſing as the High Prieſts did Aceldema to bury the accurſed treaſure, this is ſcandalous to the weak conſciences which are without. What will the Heathen ſay? Are theſe the peculiar Nation whom the Lord hath choſen?

And woe unto the World becauſe of ſcandals. Mark how many Ages, how much ground our Saviour compaſſeth in (vaè mundo) one Age is but an hour-glaſs of time, theſe will lie in our memory for ever, like the pain in the Shunamites head, caput dolet, it may be our death. Vae mundo, the pale horſe wounded but the fourth part of the earth, Apoc. iv. but ſcandals may cover all the four Quarters like the flies of Egypt.

O you that live in Canaan upon holy ground, on Faery Land as we call it, whoſe vices the weakneſs of ſome would be proud to imitate; why will the Lord reckon not only with the Goats on his left hand, but with the Sheep of his right hand in one mighty day, ſince in particular the laſt minute of every mans life is the firſt minute of his trial? Why is there one day of judgment ſince there have been a thouſand long ago both for glory and condemnation? Becauſe though corruption have ſeized upon thee in the Grave, and ſo much of thy duſt remain not as may offend a tender eye; yet thy ſins may live, and he that looks upon them may conceive ſpots like the Flocks of Jacob. I do not excuſe thoſe tender ones that turn a ſore eye more carefully from the Sun which would make it ſmart, than from an ill example that will caſt a dark ſhadow upon the ſoul. The man in the Comedy that made Jupiter his leader to commit Fornication (ſays St. Auſtin, Ep. 202.) Nullo modo peccaſſet ſi Catonem imitari maluiſſet quàm Jovem. But yet it was a fault in you that removed not the ſtone as the Angel did, but caſt it in the way againſt which he ſtumbled.

It is a good Meditation that the ſoul of that man (let it conſult with it ſelf) will never attain to a perfect peace that made another ſin. I am reconciled unto God in Jeſus Chriſt. Could I wiſh any more? Yes, I ſhall ever be unreſolved whether he be reconciled unto God by repentance whom I entangled by my occaſion. David p. 836in his one ſin polluted Bathſheba with his bed, Ʋriah with drunkenneſs, Joab with cruelty. David asked forgiveneſs, I find it in his Penitential Pſalms, I never read that Ʋriah did ſo, or that Bathſheba did the like, I hope the beſt. I never find it where Joab did repent, I fear the worſt. And could David be at peace if Joab periſhed. The Tyrants of Thrace think themſelves never ſecure in their Thrones but by the deſtruction of their kindred and brethren: but unhappy are the Saints of God if they rob his Kingdom of any that ſhould reign for company. And how is that done? Never worſe than by that ſcandal which chriſtens ſin with a name, as the Sodomites, Simon Magus, the Nicolaitans, all Maſters of Hereſies; woe unto ſuch as are the Parents of tranſgreſſions. Like Achan, that periſhed not alone in his iniquity.

The ſecond part of his iniquity is diſobedience, the Canker-worm that eats into the heart of Soveraignty. Thine eyes ſhall not ſpare the City, all ſhall be accurſed, put not your hand unto the ſpoils leſt you trouble Iſrael; this was a Proclamation From Joſhuah their Prince, but Laws could not be heard in the noiſe of the Battel. Should I ask theſe unneceſſary burdens of a Commonwealth, whether the moſt riotous Malefactor expects not the protection of the Law to belong unto him? I know he would claim it; And why not the obedience of the Laws? The Earth and Water of our Country do no longer pertain unto us than our duty and allegeance doth deſerve them. And to ſay truth, obedience is no leſs neceſſary for the happineſs of the Subject, than for the proſperity of the Prince. It is true that Epaminondas ſaid when the Thebans praiſed his Government, and ſaid, they were happy that he ruled ſo well: Not ſo, ſays Epaminondas, the Commonwealth is happy becauſe you obey ſo well. And as fit to this purpoſe is that pretty Emblem of a Graft flouriſhing when it was bound about to the ſtock (Per vincula creſco) as if the bonds of Government made the Kingdom flouriſh. The World was never ſo unruly, and therefore never more unlucky than under the Emperour Maximilian, whom his Subjects called by a nick-name (Rex Regum) a King of Kings, becauſe the People lived Lawleſs, rather like Emperours than Subjects. Nazianzen ſays, that the two ſins of Julian (did you ever hear of worſe?1 Orat. foreign) were foreign and foreign, Apoſtacy of faith againſt God, and a mutiny of Rebellion againſt Conſtance the Emperour. I do not wonder at it if He, that fell out firſt with God, then tranſgreſſed againſt the King, the Lieutenant of God. foreign, God and the King are knit together by an inviſible copulation.

Plutarch called the Diſcipline of Sparta a moſt flouriſhing Commonwealth, foreign the Exercitation of obedience. And our Saviour, who was made obedient unto death, prefers (factus obediens) before (factus ad mortem;) his word was, Obedience is better than Sacrifice, that is, more honourable than death; Becauſe (ſays Aquinas) in Sacrifice we give up but the fleſh of beaſts, but in Obedience we offer up our own will. The love of the Centurion to his Servant was wonderful, to make ſuch means to Chriſt by all the Elders of the Jews for his recovery, but he deſerved it by that deſcription of his Souldiers, I ſay unto one go and he goeth, to another come and he cometh, and to my Servant do this and he doth it.

Yet you know not the rebellion of Achan until we examine it by the fifth Commandment of the Law. There God bleſſeth the true Spartan Diſcipline, which ſtands demurely before Government like the Sacrifice bound with cords to the horns of the Altar. Honour thy Father and Mother, &c. Indeed it is a bleſſing moſt emphatical, that thy days may be long in the Land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. Why, Canaan was that Land; and curſed Cham (the worſt thing that eſcaped the Floud) the Father of Canaan, this ungracious Son made himſelf ſport with his Fathers nakedneſs which he ſhould have covered. Would he not do the duty of a Son? He ſhall do the duty of a Servant, nay, of a Servants Servant, a Servant of Servants ſhall he be,Gen. 9.25.Gen 9:25 Noah did ſpeak it in Propheſie. And indeed Iſrael won him, and wearied him out of Canaan the fruitful habitation. And could Achan think to enter upon this Inheritance fulfilling the ſame ſin (ipſo facto) which diſpoſſeſſed the Canaanite? Shall God and Heaven change for the worſe? Shall the Lord caſt out the diſobedient, and plant in the rebellious? No, if Adam be turned away, an Angel muſt come into Paradiſe.

I will not ſay the Oratour ſaid wrong, Generoſus eſt animus hominis magiſque ducitur quam trahitur. Our mind is free and noble, and would rather go alone than be forced to duty, yet I have often wiſhed that Canonical Obedience lay more ſtrictly upon the Clergy above all other Profeſſions than it is exerciſed; it is the ſweet lenity of our Pilots, that gives us Sea-room to ſail at random. Miſtake me not, as if I favoured p. 837blind ſubjection; when every man in a Colledge of Jeſuits makes his own will a beaſt, then he makes his Prelate a God. Solvite Aſinum, unbind the Aſs for the Lord hath need of him. Theſe Fathers are hoodwinkt, that they may hear as old Tobit did of a ſtoln Calf, I, and worſe matters too, but their eyes are put out that they cannot ſee it. No, I commend to our profeſſion that foreign in Plato, rather to live by another mans will than our own. As Nicolaus the Monk of Creet did ſo obey Theodorus as if he had no will at all, foreign. Now Lord help us, ſays St. Auſtin, when our will is grown ſo corrupt in Adam, Nunc nihil nos aliud quam voluntates eſſe, that we ſhould now be nothing but will and wilfulneſs. Conſtantine the Great was ſo dutiful a Son to the Church that he was called Pupillus in ſcorn, as if he had been under age. I had rather be called any thing than Pope Gregory the Seventh, that ſpurned againſt his Lord Henry the Emperour, that all were aſhamed of it, (Et ipſam Cathedram crepuiſſe mediam) ſays Brenno their own and a Cardinal, the Chair flew in pieces wherein he broke his Allegeance to his Lord and Maſter. I conclude this part of Achans ſin with Samuels ſpeech, Rebellion is as foul as the ſin of Witchcraft.

I am now come to the laſt part of his ſin, the deſire of filthy lucre is the viſible miſchief, the groſs crime which may be felt like the darkneſs of Egypt; this is ſo notorious in him, as if he had no more faults, as if Aarons Serpent had devoured the other Serpents, and been left alone. Will you hear the whole Inventary of the accurſed goods which he ſtole? A goodly Babyloniſh Garment, two hundred ſhekels of ſilver wrapt up together. You would think he had his hands full, he could hold no more; (Et lingulam auream) as it is verbatim from the Original, a tongue of Gold. So that ſome allegorical Rabbines expound the tongue of Gold to be the eloquence which he learnt in Jericho. And ſo would I have thought too, if he had ſtudied the rich Eloquence of ſome Lawyers, that is a golden tongue, that can daſh Law againſt Law, and break all as eaſily as a Cupbord of Glaſſes. But indeed it was nothing elſe but a maſſie Wedge of Bullion: Unhappy was that man that ſtrived to grow rich by Gods Battels, leſt it proved he fought for his own ſhare, not for the Lord and for Gideon.

One queſtion I will move here, and ſo proceed. Why might not the precious things of Jericho be taken for their own uſe, as well as the Gold, Earings and Ornaments of Egypt? Nay,Exod. 12.Exod 12 had they not more right to that they won with the ſword than that they borrowed? Or would Jericho and her riches defile their hands more than Egypt and her riches? Beloved, there was a providence beyond the reach of the Iſraelites (as St. Baſil made it manifeſt) in that grace and favour which God gave them to rob the Egyptians, for without thoſe Ornaments how could they embelliſh and beautifie his Tabernacle? In the Wilderneſs there were no ſtones to ſet in the Breſtplate and Ephod but ſuch as were cut out of the Rock at Maſſah, no Silk or Scarlet ſpun in the Deſart. But Pharaoh and Egypt never dreaming of ſuch a thing, did lend the precious things of their wealth to build up the Ark of God. The material Temple indeed was made up very ſumptuous by the ſpoils of ſinners, but God foreſaw that his ſpiritual Temples would fall to ruine by the wealth of Canaan; and hence it came to paſs that Egypt was for a prey, and Jericho for an utter deſtruction.

So then there is no excuſe for Achan to ſteal the Gold and Silver of Jericho and conceal it, and yet he was not ſo cunning as we are now adays to put out his wealth to intereſt. The richeſt of the Land can anſwer now adays as St. Peter did, if a poor man beg their Alms, Silver and Gold have I none, I have beſtowed it abroad to thrive and multiply. Achan was not ſo frugal, but when others ſowed ſalt in the fields of Jericho, he plowed up the earth to hide a Treaſure. A ſtrange Tillage where Salt was good ſeed, ſuch as God would have, but Gold and Silver were as bad as the Devils Darnel. And it may move a queſtion which of the two was the better husbandry, with Joſhuah, to ſow Salt in the ground, or, with Achan, to bury Money? St. Baſil is chiefly againſt the latter, foreign ▪ &c. That is an outragious madneſs, while the Oar of the rich Metals was in the earth, to croſs the Seas to dig it out, and when you have it, to lay it up again to the ſame unprofitable mold which firſt afforded it; as unnatural as for Zarah to draw his hand back again into his Mothers Womb. The Earth, I confeſs, was the fitteſt Altar to offer up ſuch a Sacrifice to the Prince of darkneſs, but I would not, ſays St. Paul, that you ſhould have fellowſhip with Devils.

See what it is to be covetous, what it is to be an Idolater, as St. Paul ſays. Or if you think St. Paul was a poor Apoſtle and ſpoke too much, the Devil is wealthy, and p. 838you may truſt him, Mat. iv. All theſe things will I give thee if thou wilt fall down and worſhip me, the Tentation is to begin in covetouſneſs, and end in Idolatry. But tremble at the fall of Achan. What might not he ſay for himſelf that any Parchment Uſurer can ſay for himſelf. I hear what you can think. Achan ſtole his goods, and I think he won them as fairly as ten in the hundred. Quicquid malè partum eſt; whoſoever gets his Riches ſinfully. Do you know any ſuch? Quicquid inopi detinetur rapina eſt, & furtum eſt. Who ſteals now? But you have Children to provide for; it is the faireſt excuſe of Mammon, and ſo had he. And if he laid up all this booty for their inheritance, (as by the event of the judgment it is likely he did) their Legacy was their death. Hectors Sword, and Ajax Girdle, as the Proverb goes, they periſhed in his iniquity. But was not the Goſpel (ſays St. Baſil) written for the Married as well as for Virgins? Give on, give all unto the poor, and thou ſhalt have treaſure in heaven. Or did you ask Children of God to neglect his Commandments? I put you too much into your Element to think of Riches, and know you love to hear the noiſe of it, and, which is more, to hear them taxt. And here is the difference between the Uſurer and the Preacher: Every Uſurer would have no more ſuch ſinners as himſelf, and the Preacher would have none at all. But if Riches be your bleſſing, O turn not your bleſſing to a curſe.

And what greater curſe than to build a houſe and not poſſeſs it? to plant a Vineyard and not eat of the fruit of it? To provide Cloathing for the body and never wear it? Thus Haman caſt about to put the Kings Robes on his ſhoulders, but the Gallows prevented him. Gehazi was furniſhed with two change of Raiments, but his body was made unfit to wear one by Leproſie. And Achan had provided a Babyloniſh Garment, but it proved as fatal as his winding ſheet. Faithleſs ſinner, could not God provide for him except he ſtole a Rayment? Why, the Gibeonites came to him in pieced cloaths rent and thread-bare from the next Villages, and his Apparel decayed not; but he came to the Gibeonites in new furniture from beyond the Red Sea, and the vaſte Wilderneſs. Why ſhould he covet more change of Raiment if one Attire were ſo conſtant that no uſe could conſume it, no Moth could fret it? What glory were it to be like a Peacock, ſays Tertullian, (Toties mutando, quoties movendo, De Pallio.) as often as ſhe moves her ſelf her feathers caſt a new beauty and apparition? The Fowls of the Air renew but certain feathers, the Trees do not caſt their bark, only the accurſed Serpent changeth his skin at appointed revolutions. Jam poſitis novus exuviis nitidâque juventâ, &c. And this holy people the Children of Iſrael wore their Garments forty years like their skin and bone, and Achan loathed it for continuance, which ſome devotion would have kept as a Relique for the ſtrangeneſs.

Is there any of the Iſrael of God among us that hath enticed ſtrange faſhions and Babyloniſh Garments to be brought into our Land? What a queſtion is that? They do not hide it in their Tent like Achan, they dare profeſs their names, it is their boaſting to have brought comlineſs into the Kingdom; the Court admires it, and yet I could adjudge, with King Artaxerxes, his Gardener to be the better Commonwealths man, that had the Art to make Pomgranates fairer. What Suetonius ſpake of Caligula in high diſdain is become a decency in our Land, Neque civili habitu, neque patrio, neque virili, neque humano veſtitus eſt. Firſt, not modeſt apparel, that is worn out of uſe, nor according to his own Country faſhion. Who knows what that is in England? Nor in the Attire of his own Sex, we are come to that, one Sex changes into the faſhion of another. Nay, he went not like a reaſonable man, but like a beaſt. This only remains from Gods judgment that, like King Nebuchadonoſor, at laſt we ſhould be cloathed like beaſts and Eagles. Anacharſes a Scythian reproved for his blunt language, deſpiſed the Elegancies of Athens with that Elogy, Anacharſes ſpeaks Solaeciſms in Athens, and the Athenians ſpeak Solaeciſms in Scythia. Such a Critick as he was in the Tongues, ſuch an eſteem ought we to have of Rayment. Every Faſhion is an ornament in its own ſoil, Achans Babyloniſh Garment had been unſeemly and exotick in the Land of Jury. And ſince cloathing is but the covering of our ſhame, to be ſo curious and divers to hide our ſhame is ſilken hypocriſie. Our Saviour put forth a Parable, that Solomon in all his Royalty was not cloathed like a Lilly of the field. The compariſon will not enter into the eye of man, that the wild Flower, to day ſprouting, and to morrow in the Furnace, was of ſuch Orient colours as the Kings Robes. But do you mark it? Modeſt Nature had arrayed the one, and Luxury the other; it is Solomon, not on worky days, but in all his Royalty; not Elias, or John Baptiſt in their rough skins; no, our very bodies are comlier than the ſouls of beaſts, but the King of Iſrael ſumptuous Cap-a-pe, that was not cloathed like a Lilly of the field.

p. 839Give me leave to ſtep aſide into one queſtion and I will return again. Though Achan ſhould have burnt his golden fleece in the flames of Jericho, may nothing be preſerved for the uſe of God out of the dens of pollution? May not a comly Garment be put on at our Liturgy, yea though it were worn in Babylon? Quomodo ſcriptum eſt? Shall we put it to that, and ſo make a Canon? Saul diſgraced himſelf as baſely as if he had ſought Aſſes again becauſe he preſerved Agag and the fatteſt of the ſheep of Amalech for a ſacrifice; and Achan was a common miſchief that gathered up the goods of Canaan; all this is true, but it was done by an eſpecial word, of God, and that will make no rule as the School confeſſeth. Again, Moſes employed the Cenſors of Core and Dathan to make golden Plates for the Ark, the Inſtruments of the rebellious for the uſe of Sanctity. This alſo is too ſlender to make a rule, for it was done by the appointment of the Lord. But when no particular revelation, dream, or viſion is ſent from God, muſt we needs do as the Roman Army did when it won Tarentum, Infaelices Divos populo Tarentino relinquamus, touch none of the Gods that kept their Enemies City? Or may not the Church be judge? May it not ſpare or deſtroy? Yes, I will prove it by the Book. In the firſt of Ezra Cyrus brought forth the Veſſels of the Lord which Nebuchadonoſor had put in the houſe of his Gods, even thoſe did he reſtore to Shezbazzar, and Shezbazzar brought them for the ſervice of the Lord to Jeruſalem. The wearing of our Surpleſs, and other holy Robes, is the thing I aim at, for the comlineſs I call heaven to witneſs. Such white Robes the Saints wear, Apoc. xv. Such our Saviour ſeemed to wear at his Transfiguration, Mat. xvii. And ſuch alone (and not the Bells and Ephod) the High Prieſt put on to go into the Sanctum Sanctorum, Lev. xvi. 4. And all this the Fathers approved in the Primitive Church, ſome of whom came ſo near our Saviour, that almoſt they touched the hem of his Garment. None of this is gainſaid by the Learned, but the blame is that they have been polluted in a ſtrange Land, like ſweet roots ſteep'd in Wormwood, pleaſant enough of themſelves, but they have loſt their relliſh. Well, I told you the Church of God entertain'd their holy Veſſels again when the Heathen had quaffed in them to their Idols, and ſuch a Church it was that depended nicely upon Ceremonies and bodily defilings. The Devil uſed the Scripture, is the Scripture the worſe for that? Parrats and chattering birds are taught ſometime to ſpeak our Language; ſhall I like ſpeaking the worſe, and turn ſilenced Miniſter? What ſhall become of all the rich endowments which the Church received in Popery? Shall Superſtition be bountiful, and Reformation Sacrilegious? It is unadviſed Martiniſm, and nothing elſe, that frowns againſt the ſumptuouſneſs of the Church, Build up an Ark a Gods name out of the ſpoils of Egypt; we are not warned to deſtroy with Achan: O let him periſh alone in his iniquity.

This ſhall ſerve to be ſpoken for the firſt part of my Text, the iniquity which betrayed Achan unto the vengeance of God; which iniquity conſiſted of ſcandal againſt all the Hoſt of Iſrael, diſobedience againſt Joſhuah, covetouſneſs againſt his own foul, the ſubject of the puniſhment follows. And firſt, if we dare look upon our own death, and are not afraid to ſee our own bloud ſpilt, homo periit, I muſt tell you, man periſhed in iniquity. Do you call to mind what Mordecai ſaid to Eſther? Think not that thou ſhalt eſcape in the Kings houſe, there is no ſanctuary in earth, but that all muſt die, or all men muſt be changed, ſays St. Paul. For as it was written upon Hectors Tomb, Non Hector illic, Troja ſed tumulo jacet; ſo we may endite upon the Grave of Adam, homo periit, here lies Man and his Poſterity. Surely, if the Jews, returning from Captivity, could not chuſe but ſhed tears to ſee the building of the Second Temple, having remembred the glory of the Firſt: So, who can look upon mankind in the ſtate of miſery without pity and compaſſion that can remember him in the days of peace and innocency?

Should we conſider what variety and new delights Adam and Eve had before them to meditate upon, the beauty of their own original righteouſneſs, the Tree of the Garden wherein all the beaſts of the Forreſt do move, Heaven and Earth ſpick and ſpan new to look upon, and we may ſay as Epaminondas did concerning a worthy Captain that died in the Camp at Leuctra, Quomodo vacavit huic in tantis negotiis mori? How could this man ſpare any leiſure to ſin and die? A ſtrange misfortune▪ Adam was ſet to dreſs the Garden of Eden, and proved the firſt weed thereof in his own perſon; wherefore Joſeph of Arimathea built his Tomb like a birds neſt in his Garden, in remembrance that a treſpaſs committed in a Garden was the firſt occaſion of Tombs and Epitaphs; and is it not uſual to this day to caſt up our Graves after the ſimilitude of beds in Gardens? In the ſtate of innocency our meditation p. 840ſhould have been only concerning the immortality of the Soul and Body, but now we are conſtrained to ſtudy this Leſſon as much as any for our healths ſake, homo periit, how Man comes to die, and read learned Lectures upon our own Carkaſes and Anatomies. And it is not in vain that we place the heavy remembrance of an Anatomy before our Almanacks, as if we were to prefix that Memorandum for a Diary, before every day of the year, homo periit, that our fleſh is come unto corruption, and that our days are conſumed in vanity.

Yet the fear of common calamity is moſt often forgot in every mans private ſecurity. To tell you that man is come to deſtruction, it is but a name, and a ſound, and a ſecond notion, and ſeems to be nothing to us in particular. We ſit in our glory among Gods threatnings like King Solomon in his Throne among dead Lions which could not bite us. But point out at Achan, or Saul, or any ſinner ſet apart for the view of the World, and it will work upon us. Mark it if it be not true: for who ever put on ſackcloth, or caſt aſhes upon his head for St. Peters Prophecy, that all the World and the works thereof ſhould be burnt with fire, and the Elements melt away with heat? But if Jonas denounce fire againſt one City, and ſay Nineveh ſhall be deſtroyed, then Nineveh will prevent thoſe aſhes which her Enemies would bring upon her, and fulfil Jonah's Propheſy in the aſhes of repentance. O come not to view Gods Judgments as vain people do to the execution of ſome Malefactor, that know who it is muſt ſuffer, and that they ſhall ſtand by, and fare no worſe but to behold it: but look upon Gods threatnings as upon ſome curious Picture which in thy fancy ſeems to look upon thee only, and have ſuch a touch of conſcience at iſte periit, that man periſhed, as King Belſhazzar had in his Feaſt of wine: when Gods hand wrote upon the Wall, he perſwaded himſelf that index digitus, the finger pointed at no other, but himſelf alone.

Now let us go one ſtep lower, to Pilates Ecce homo, behold the man. Behold Achan the Son of Zerah, that man periſhed not alone in his iniquity. Achan that had out-lived the corruption of his young years, and was grown in age able to go to warfare, to have many Children, to know how to ſteal from God, and diſſemble with Joſhua, doth his hoary head go down with peace into the Grave? King David reprieved Shemei his bitter Enemy unto the Reign of King Solomon, Solomon reprieved him till his fault was almoſt out of mind. Quem ſaepe caſus tranſit aliquando invenit, did his head go down with peace into the Grave? Like the Web of Penelope all that hath been wrought in the year may be ravelled out in a night. Creſcant ſays God to the Tares, Matt. xiii. nay let them grow and ſprout up, and then cut them down, and caſt them dry into the fire.

Secondly, He that was ſpared among all the dangers of the Wilderneſs is conſumed in the City: He that could eſcape the Pilgrimage of fourty years is doom'd to die in Canaan: He that was not devoured in the fire of Taberah is burnt in the Valley of Achor. As Ariſtotle ſpeaks of Homers Poetry, when he ſet up Walls for Troy in one Book, and pluckt them down in another, foreign, murum Peoeta quem finxit delevit. So God can deal with us, ſet us up, or pluck us down; but we are leſs than Walls. They that walk in the night preſerve the flame of their Torch or Candle from winds and Caſualties abroad, which notwithſtanding they put out when they return to their home. So Achan that walked over the Sea, when the Bridg was under water, and liv'd among Scorpions, and was not conſumed in the Sedition of Dathan, nor ſlain in the Battels of Moab, yet in portu naufragium the Veſſel is not caſt away in the Ocean Sea, but in the Haven, and his light is put out at home in the long expected Canaan. Thus Judgment follows Judgment, as Antigonus ſaid when he ſpoiled Aſia, foreign. Alexander cut down the rich ears of Corn, and he pluckt up the Stubble after him, ſo the Armies of rebellious Sinners had been mown down in the Wilderneſs, Achan and ſome few more were pluckt up like Stubble, when Judgment ſeemed to paſs them over.

Note this thirdly in Achans perſon, miſchief did light upon him, not in the hunger and thirſt of the Wilderneſs, not in his poverty, but having compiled much riches together, enough to purchaſe a good Fee-ſimple in Canaan if the Lord had not given him his Portion. Men think themſelves now adays paſt the Law and penalties of death, when they have ſinned ſo much that they are grown wealthy in iniquity; becauſe, if need be, they can buy the favour of the Judg, and he that has Achan's wealth, a Wedg of gold, and two hundred Shekels of ſilver, legit ut Clericus, I warrant him, he is a learned Clerk, and deſerves his pardon. But this p. 841man, when he began to ſay deliciare anima, when he was furniſhed to live ſumptuouſly, then he is cut off, that as Solomon ſays, the remembrance of death may be bitter to that man, who thought it pleaſant to live. This was St. Auſtins rule when he was old, and had learnt the World. Mundus ille periculoſior eſt cum ſe illicit diligi, Epiſt. 144.quàm cum ſe cogit contemni. I fear no hurt from the World, when it goes againſt me, and caſts a froward look upon my fortunes, but my danger is near at hand, when it ſmiles and flatters me, as if all were happy. When St. Baſil obſerved how carefully Kings and Princes gathered up Pearls into their Treaſury foreign, which the wiſe God to ſhew the contempt of them had put into Oiſterſhells, and ſcattered about the Sea-ſhore as vile and unprofitable. You do not well, ſays he, to make a Treaſury of that which is ſo mutable in the Generation, and will ebb and flow from you like the Sea which begot them. Fortune never ſtood long upon a Pinacle, ſummo ſtare loeo neſcia. The Sponges that ſwell with liquors are moſt likely to be preſſed and emptied. You do all remember how Ceſar gloried in his Victory among the cowardly Aſiatiques, veni, vidi, vici, he did but ſet his feet upon their Soil, and looked them in the face, and ſo diſmaied and vanquiſhed them. 'Tis no more than King David tells of himſelf, Pſal. xxxvii. Vidi, veni, non inveni; vidi, I ſaw the ungodly flouriſh like a green Bay-tree; veni, I paſſed by and ſought him; non inveni, he was quite gone in the twinkling of an eye, I could not find him.

Now recollect theſe three qualities of Achan, who was more likely to proſper than a Souldier in the flower of his age, a joyful man at his journies end in the Land of his peace; a wealthy man, in the plenty of his riches? Take it to thought all you that have the World tied unto you with a threefold Cord of health and peace and proſperity, which men dream as if it could not be broken; for it broke like Tow among the ſparks, and iſte periit, &c. But as Demades ſaid when news was brought that King Philip was dead, and there was no other talk among the people; Peace ſays Demades, if he be dead to day, he will be dead to morrow, and the next day following; ſo I will end my diſcourſe how Achan periſhed, it is the way of all ſinners, and not much to be lamented: But for an innocent to be caſt away it deſerves pity: wherefore St. Hierom reads my Text thus, utinam ſolus periiſſet, it makes not much for Achans death, but I would he had periſhed alone in his iniquity.

There is no word of wonder beſide this in the Text: and here we muſt ſtay a while, as all the Hoſte of Iſrael did when they found the dead Corps of Amaſa bleeding, what the Spirit of God means by this vengeance, non ſolus, that he periſhed not alone in his iniquity. It is St. Auſtins rule; Relevatio mali non fit per communionem cladis, ſed ſolatium charitatis. To periſh together with more than our ſelves is no comfort at all, but more anxiety. So it made the Scene of Achan's Tragedy full, and very bitter, to ſee 36 Iſraelites that drew ſwords for the ſame Victory to be ſlain about him. On the right hand there is more miſery, nati cruentâ caede confecti jacent, the Sons ask for bread, and their Father gives them ſtones to ſtone them. Two things ſtand before us to be obſerved, as the Angel did in Balaams way, firſt what Companions Achan had in his puniſhment, and ſecondly how it will ſtand with Gods juſtice, that every man ſhould not periſh ſingle by himſelf for his own iniquity.

Firſt his fellow Souldiers turn their backs, and are cut down at the Siege of Ai; a ſort of men that I preſume are prepared alwayes to die, but ſeldom provided to die well; men that engender great love together, as I think David and Jonathan did at firſt, by entring their bodies into the ſame dangers. Wherefore St. Paul did expreſs his love to Epaphroditus in that name foreign, my fellow Souldier, and ſo to Archippus, my fellow Souldier. In the Roman Diſcipline it was held ſo honourable to ſave another of the ſame company that he carried for his reward civicam coronam, a Crown upon his head made of the graſs of that earth, whereupon he ſaved anothers life. The infamy of Achan was as notorious on the other ſide, that cauſed ſix and thirty to be ſlain of the Camp of Iſrael. To ſee that bad things are ſure to do us hurt, and the beſt things are not ſure to help us. The Ark of God was ſent into the Camp at Shilob, Arca fortitudinis Domini, the Ark of Gods ſtrength, Pſal. 132. and yet the Philiſtins prevailed and the Ark was taken; but if one Achan come down into the Battail there is plain treachery in that mans conſcience, and his Wedg of gold ſhall fight more againſt Iſrael, than all the ſwords of the men of Ai. Good qualities ſtick cloſe to them which have them, as Virtue and Learning, and we cannot part or bequeath them to any man: Gifts of fortune, as Honours and Riches, may p. 842be removed to others as you like it. But, it is a hard caſe, our vices are ſure to fall down upon the head of ſuch only as are deareſt to us.

Beloved, is it ſo? Was the hand of the Lord in the battel of Iſrael, and doth God direct the Sword of Simeon as well as the books of Levi? Thoſe that ſpend their bodies ſo courageouſly for our peace deſerve to have their ſouls well inſtructed. Nulla fides pietaſque viris qui caſtra frequentant? I truſt it is but a ſlander that Souldiers have ſmall Religion, where the Angel of God did draw his Sword at the threſhing flore of Araunah the Jebuſite David built an Altar. So in every juſt quarrel it is the Lord himſelf and his anointed King that draws the Sword. Wherefore do not defile the Camp with oaths, and luſt, and drunkenneſs, for the ground is fit for Davids Altar, and the place is holy.

I have told you what it was to Achan to loſe his fellow Souldiers, yet the loſs was not Achans ſo much as Joſhuahs, and he like a loving Prince did fall upon the ground, and ſhewed much bitterneſs for the death of his people. You ſhall rather find Achan diſtracted in ſorrow, between the heavineſs of his ſins, and the death of his children. It was much that a Mother in the Maccabees could exhort ſeven Sons one after another to deſpiſe King Antiochus, and to ſuffer death for the name of the Lord. It is much that Prudentius reports of a woman that carried her infant in her own arms to Martyrdom, Nec tantum oſculum impreſſit unum, vale inquit, ô dulciſſime. Nature can hardly ſtoop to part with thoſe children unto God in a good cauſe: but to loſe a Son in the anger of God, in the guiltineſs of a treſpaſs, O my ſon Abſolon, &c. then we are afraid leaſt they be loſt for ever. Give me Children, ſays Rachel, or elſe I die, and alas ſhe was but a dead woman in the birth of Benjamin. Eliſha ſtrived to be thankful to his good Hoſteſs the Shunamite, he would do any courteſie for her. O, ſays Gehazi, give her children before any thing, and then you pleaſe her. The greateſt cruelty (that moved St. Ambroſe againſt the Emperour Theodoſius) for the Maſſacre committed at Theſſalonica was on this wiſe: A Father came to redeem two Sons taken captive, and appointed to be ſlain. He was allowed but the life of one for his money, take which he would. His kind heart equally earning after both, could not ſay, this rather than him, the elder before the younger, and for want of ſpeedy reſolution both were made away before his face. This, ſays Sozomen, coſt the poor Father his wits for ever, to think he might have ſaved one Son and did not. No colours could paint the face of Agamemnon where his Daughter was to be offered for a Sacrifice, Par nulla figura dolori. As it was ſaid to Tully when Antony perſwaded him to burn his invective Orations, Commentus eſt Antonius eripere quemadmodum vixeras. Fie, ſaid his friends unto him, die rather, for Antony would ſtrip you of that glory which will give you life for ever. So all the Pedigree of Achan being eraſed out; Eripuit Dominus quemadmodum viveret, God took that from him wherein he might hope to ſurvive; this was not only to put out the right eye of the men of Jabeſh Gilead, but for a Jew to die without ſucceſſion, Chriſt being theirs after the fleſh, is to go down with ſorrow to the grave where all things are forgotten.

Whatſoever elſe is tumbled into the fire before Achans face, it was but foreign, it moved not his eyes to pity, nor his ears to the cries of lamentation. As his body was burnt wherein a ſoul ſo covetous did inhabit, ſo his Tent was conſumed with fire the habitation of ſo vile a body, that Tent under which he was wont to ſleep, is caſt over him the laſt time at his death, where he muſt ſleep for ever. And as if every man were afraid to inherit, Aurum Toloſanum, his unlucky Gold, it is made away for company, Et pallium quod debuit cremari crematum eſt; the Babyloniſh Garment which was appointed to be burnt in Jericho is now fired about his ears in the Valley of Achor.

Laſtly, The Cattel that ſhould have laid down their lives honourably before the Altar, under the Prieſts hand for a treſpaſs offering, even thoſe innocent beaſts are not ſuffered to live; how many yellings were about his ears, to reſemble the very horrors of hell where there is weeping and gnaſhing of teeth? A good man, ſays Solomon, is merciful to his beaſt, as if the beaſts fared the better for a good mans ſake. And jure Dominii, the Lordſhip of man doth extend ſo far upon the Creatures, that they are conſortes paenae, partakers of the puniſhment of evil men. The Cattle of Egypt were ſlain with hail ſtones for the Egyptians Idolatry; the beaſts of Nineveh faſted for the Ninevites Luxury; nay, ſays the Prophet Jeremy, the Herbs of the field wither, and the Birds of the Air are conſumed for the wickedneſs of them that dwell in the Land. Dearly beloved, the beaſts are but Figures p. 843of God, fierce indignation, they are our brutiſh ſins, our cruelties more unnatural than the rage of beaſts which God aims at; it was not worth the praiſe to Achan that the beaſts periſhed in his iniquity, they will and muſt die with us. Quicquid antea debebam nolle nunc non poſſum. The only Sacrifice which God requires is to have them die before us. And ſo I have done with every thing that partaked in the puniſhment of Achan, I muſt now commit my ſelf to a Problem of great perplexity, how it ſtands with the righteouſneſs of God, that every man ſhould not periſh alone, in proprio peccato, in his own iniquity.

I am no Advocate againſt Gods Juſtice, but againſt the ignorance of man. Phaedon ſpeaks thus to Socrates in Plato. I pray you are you not diſpleaſed with theſe, unrighteous Judges that have condemned you? O not I, ſays Socrates, and if I were, I would refer the caſe until I were dead, and then meet Ajax and Palamedes, foreign, and would ask them how they could endure a wrongful judgment, and ſo put up my injury. A reverend opinion of a Heathen concerning the judgment of ſinners, how contented would this man have ſtood before any ſentence of Gods Tribunal? But to the purpoſe, this ſhall be my method to follow the cauſe in hand. Firſt, That it is ſelf love to our own perſon which perſwades us other men ſin and we pay the ranſom. Secondly, Heathen men and not Chriſtians did firſt fill the world with that opinion. Thirdly, That the melancholy diſtinctions of ſome School Divines have abuſed the truth. But laſtly, our Concluſion ſhall be, that the hair of an innocent never fell to the earth, but that every man dies propter peccatum ſuum, for his own iniquity.

For the firſt: Nature as it is good and perfect taught us to love our ſelves, fond and corrupt nature taught us to love our ſelves too much. Out of this vanity thoſe excuſes ſpring up which make us abſolve our ſelves, and bind others. Let us tell our own tale, and we will ſay our Fathers eat the ſowre grape, when we may be diſcovered with the bunches in our own hands. Rather than confeſs our own complection we will bely the Heavens, and ſay the Sun hath ſcorched us. Delicta majorum immeritus lues Romane. To pluck in immeritus, no deſert of ours, we will lay the Child at their door that never begot it. The very Phariſees thought themſelves ſo holy, and our Saviour ſo bad, that for no fault of theirs, but for his blaſphemies, the Romans would come and carry away their Nation. Wherefore ſays Socrates, it were well with ſome men, inſtead of travelling, Si a ſeipſis aberrarent, if they could wander from themſelves. No man, ſays Plutarch, doth know his own blemiſhes, becauſe he doth always carry himſelf about. A Painter brings his work to good perfection when he leaves it for a time, and comes a freſh to view and mend with a ſecond, or third fancy, what the firſt did miſtake. So if we could lay aſide our ſelves, and then reſume our ſubſtance again, we might ſpy out faults which now we diſcern not, nor acknowledge. As who ſhould ſay, lay down your body in the duſt, take it up again in the Reſurrection like a Picture caſt aſide, then I know we ſhall learn where the fault lies. But ſelf love muſt not be the judge whether God doth puniſh one man for anothers iniquity.

Secondly, The ſuperſtition of the Heathen encreaſed this error. There was a bloudy opinion among them, called Succidaneum ſacrificium, if you have heard of it, wherein one may lay down his life unto the Gods to redeem the danger of another. Antinous, the great Minion to Hadrian the Emperour, cut off the remaining days of his own youth to recover Adrian from a deſperate feaver. And Philumena, paſſing the love of women, ſpent her heart bloud as a Cordial Julap to recover her husband Ariſtides. Now upon what preſumption did they ſtand? A Principle they had for it, but manifeſtly againſt God and the Goſpel, that every man was Lord of his own life to employ where he would, for himſelf, or for another.Sen. Ep. 70. Vitam approbare aliis quiſque debet, ſed mortem ſibi; Let us live to have the good liking of other men, but let us die as we like it our ſelves. And this made them eſteem what a conſcionable thing God had given man when he gave him life. Hoc eſt unum quare de vitâ queri non poſſum, neminem tenet; No man need keep it longer than he would, quite contrary not only to Gods Law, but the good Philoſophy of Plato. It is better to die than to live, ſays he, but love not thy ſell ſo well to do thy ſelf that benefit; foreign, ſtay till ſome other do ſo good a turn for you. But O fools and ſlow of heart to believe all that the Prophets have ſpoken, ought not Chriſt alone to ſuffer for the ſins of others? The juſt for the unjuſt? The plowers plowed upon my back, and made long furrows. Here is plowing, and making furrows, as if there were ſeeds ſown in the wounds of Chriſt, of which we may p. 844reap thirty, ſixty, and an hundred fold, according to the meaſure of our faith. So then the Doctrine of the heathen is both againſt Nature, and againſt the Sacrifice of Chriſt. Wherefore theſe muſt not be our judges, whether God doth puniſh one mans perſon for anothers iniquity.

But Ventum eſt ad Triarios, the third rank of Adverſaries are the School Divines, left-handed Benjamites, able to caſt a diſtinction at an hairs breadth. Whoſe Doctrine, when it is good, is like the Moon at the Full, light and entire, but perchance ſpotted: But when their Doctrine is falſe, it is like the Moon in the Wain, full of horns and diſtinctions. Give me leave to make proof of it in this cauſe which I have in hand.

Firſt, Say they, iniquity is viſited upon thoſe Generations which did not commit the fault. Si communitas favet unius delicto, minimè verò ſi ignorat; If many concur to favour the ſin of one man, that man ſhall not periſh alone in his iniquity. It is true, and God hath ſpoken, Lev. xx. If the people do not puniſh the man that giveth his ſeed to Molech, &c. But what was this to Achan? Did he reveal h…s fault to thirty ſix Souldiers, or to his Children? Very unlikely that a cloſe ſin ſhould be known to ſo many. Very likely that among his Children ſome were Infants that knew not what it was to ſin, and yet he periſhed not alone, &c.

Durandus divides the caſe thus: One is liable to judgment for the treſpaſs of another in divino judicio non in humano. Man muſt not adjudge man to condemnation for the treſpaſs of another, but foreign according to Gods good will it may be done. Doth Durandus ſay ſo? But ſo doth not Ezekiel. The ſoul of the Son is mine as the ſoul of the Father, that ſoul which ſinneth ſhall die, Ezek. xviii. 4. Mark what the Prophet ſays, Before his judgment every ſoul ſhall eſcape that is innocent, before his judgment that made the ſoul, meaning God, and not the Magiſtrate. In Verſe 25. Are not my ways equal? Nay, are not your ways unequal? My ways, you hear the Text. God is defended from this injuſtice and not the Magiſtrate.

Thirdly, Some deliver their opinion in this diſtinction, In temporali paenâ non in aeternâ. A modern affliction, which laſts but for a time, may chaſtiſe the Son for the Fathers iniquity, but not an eternal condemnation. For although our bodies may anſwer for our Parents, being the fruit of their Loyns, yet my ſoul is not engaged to any but to God alone. Beſides, the wounds of the body in this life are like the cutting of the bark of the tree to inoculate a Bud which may bring forth fruit: But In inferno nemo te Laudat Domine, there is no repentance, no remorſe in Hell. So that the Chriſtian uſe of Gods chaſtiſements is loſt in eternal torments, but not in temporal. O take heed of this opinion, to put a draught of gall and vinegar to our Saviours mouth when his lips upon the Croſs were full of mercy: My meaning is, do not impeach foreign the gentleneſs of Chriſt, to ſay he doth exact a momentary puniſhment upon a guiltleſs perſon: For this were to ſay, that Adam was not only the Root and publick perſon of all mankind, but that all other Parents have the ſame ſtate of prerogative. That which Pelagius did impudently deny in original ſin is true in actual ſins. Qui remiſit Tibi peccata tua non imputabit aliena. Fear not to bear the burden of thy Fathers ſin, when if thou come unto Chriſt, he will refreſh thee of thine own.

A fourth refuge is on this wiſe: Affliction doth befall a man ſometimes Ex antecedenti pro alieno peccato, formaliter pro ſuo. Take an inſtance to underſtand it by, a Miniſter neglects his Flock, a Father the education of his Children. Now the miſchief of this neglect may redound to the hurt of God knows whom. So that though the Miniſters fault went before their deſtruction, yet ignorance and blindneſs in their own neart is the proper cauſe of the curſe which lies upon them, which is all that I labour for in this preſent controverſie.

The laſt aſſault made by the Schoolmen deſerves your obſervation for the Authors ſake,1.2. q. 87. ar. 8. it is Aquinas. And his opinion is like fluctus decumanus the tenth wave, and more troubleſome than all the reſt. Ʋnus punitur pro altero, modo medicinali non paenali. As who ſhould ſay, the Arrows of God are ſhot from heaven as out of a well-drawn bow againſt the capital ſinner. Some that ſtand in the way are wounded with the Arrows head, yet not out of purpoſe to wound them, but to heal them. I have learnt a diſtinction in another place from the ſame man ſufficient to refute him. It is this: Every affliction that gainſays the pleaſure and content of nature is firſt a puniſhment, then it is a medicine or ſalve to cure you as you uſe it. Do you not ſee the error that Aquinas draws upon himſelf? If to puniſh one man for anothers p. 845treſpaſs is unjuſt and wrongful, except it be like the Acrimony of ſome preventing Phyſick then God doth evil that good may be gained from it. O ſays Abraham, God forbid that the Judge of all the world ſhould do unjuſtly.

Now do you underſtand how theſe cunning Benjamites the Schoolmen have caſt their diſtinctions at the truth; juſt like Mneſtheus in Virgil, who ſhot at the Dove and miſt it, but cut the ſtring in twain by which it was tied faſt before,

Aſt ipſam miſerandus avem contingere ferro

Non valuit, nodos & vincula linea rupit.

Now the harveſt is ripe, and it is time to give in the right Verdict upon the Controverſie. And as the Alabaſter Box of Oyntment which was broken in the Goſpel, was burſt for the honour of our Saviour, but the ſweet ſmell did refreſh all the Diſciples which were about it: So my concluſion ſhall be dedicated to Gods honour, and to your inſtruction. I have many Theorems to propound unto you, but all ſhall end in this Doctrine, That excepting the firſt Adam, the root of our corrupt nature; and excepting the ſecond Adam, who being without ſpot or ſin gave himſelf to the death of the Croſs for the ſins of all the world, theſe two excepted, every man dies propter peccatum ſuum, for his own iniquity.

Firſt, I do preſume that you will conſent unto me that the heart of man is only evil continually. And that we may call it as Theodorus did revile Tiberius, Lutum ſaenguine maceratum, mud tempered with pollution. As one ſaid of the High Court of Judges in Athens, foreign, you could not miſs of a righteous man among them though you pickt in the dark. But I ſay we cannot find out a good man though we ſought him carefully at noon-day. For the Lord himſelf hath looked down from heaven, and we are all become abominable uſque ad unum, and that one is Jeſus Chriſt.

Then it is confeſſed, that the wages of ſin is death. Seriùs ocyùs, ſometimes before we were born, but as ſuddenly as God ſhall call upon us to pay the common debt of nature. Nemo niſi ſuo die moritur, ſays Seneca; My day to die was every day ſince I had an hour to live. Silly ſoul, do you think it an injury to die a babe? To die an Ignorant of miſery? Did you ever hear an Infant complain of ſhort life? Nay, rather did not Moſes weep becauſe he was preſerved in the Ark of Bulruſhes, and had his miſery prolonged? We have heard many old men that would cry rather than ſing at Nunc Dimittis, when they put from ſhore for ever. But come death quickly, come heaven the ſooner, let all the world change in the twinkling of an eye, and then come Reſurrection, come Lord Jeſus. Are the ſhorteſt Livers unkindly dealt with? Non magis queri debes de repentinâ morte quam qui citò navigavit. Do, complain that wind and tide have brought you too quickly to your haven. Give me your credit but to one thing more. You are bound to anſwer to as painful and ſevere death as Gods vengeance ſhall inflict upon you. I think I might have ſeen in the days of Herod, when Rachel mourned for her Children, one little Saints ſoul pincht out of the body as a cherry ſtone ſpirted between the fingers, a moſt calm deliverance; and another babe Lacerum crudeliter ora, ora manuſque ambas, cut in pieces with a wound bigger than the body. How comes this to paſs, for both were Infants? Not becauſe the one ſmarted for his Fathers Uſury and Sacriledge more than the other, but becauſe God ſaid no more, Gen. iii. then man ſhall die. But whether by fire or water, peaceable or tyrannous, it is free in the Lords appointment from the ſixth day of the Creation to the worlds end.

Now let us ſee if we can find any thing in that which we have caught to pay Tribute unto God. You cannot deny but Death, and Diſeaſes, and Poverty, Laethumque laboſque are due to every ſinner; and all theſe in ſuch a time as God likes beſt, whether it be at Noontide, or at Evening, or in the Dawning of the day and with ſuch meaſure and quantity as God hath prepared the Viols of his wrath. Then why art thou diſquieted O my ſoul, and why ſhould I fear to pay the price of thoſe ſins which are not mine? The poor Subjects have loſt their lives in the Kings iniquity, witneſs David and Iſrael. The Children for the Fathers, witneſs Sodom and Gomorrah. The Family with the Maſter, as it was with Core and his accomplices. Laſtly, ſome of all ſorts did drink the ſame cup with Achan in his iniquity; ay dearly beloved at this time God called upon them all to die, who were bound to die for their own ſins at any time.

p. 846Now let me raiſe you up from the long conſideration of this Point, as the Angel did Elias under the Juniper tree, and you ſhall find a Cake upon the coals, ſome few Meditations from hence, that God makes the ſin of one man an occaſion to deſtroy a multitude. Firſt, If the diſobedience of one ſinner is enough to conſume many perſons, Lord whither will a multitude of iniquity ſend one man headlong? Sufficient are our evil days wherein we have walked too much before after the vanity of our mind. Secondly, As the greateſt unity of the Triumphant Church above doth conſiſt in the glory which they enjoy together in the ſight of God: So our unity of the militant Church below is foreign to ſuffer and die together. Poterant nec morte r…velli. It is that which muſt combine the ſouls of Chriſtians. Thirdly, Shall not this make me as careful to prevent every mans ſins as mine own? Shall I not offer my ſelf to be my brothers keeper? Like watchmen that compaſs the C…ty in the night, not only for the ſafety of their own houſe, but leſt any Manſion take fire about them. But eſpecially who is a Father of Children that will not conſider his ſins may be as ready to deſtroy as his Loyns have been fruitful to bring Sons into the world? Can you revile the King of Moab that ſacrificed his Son? Do you deteſt their abominations that made their Children paſs through the fire to Molech? Is it good in you to declaim againſt the ſeverity of Brutus, and Torquatus, and ſuch cruel Fathers? But ſpare them O child of pollution, or accuſe thy ſelf. Are not your ſins murderers as well as theirs? You gave life by nature, and you deſtroy it by iniquity. When God gave you Sons and Daughters, you give Obſides Domino, Hoſtages unto God, and if you rebel, as Nathan ſaid to David, becauſe thou haſt made the enemies of the Lord to blaſpheme, the Child that is born unto thee ſhall ſurely die. The Fathers ſins are viſited unto the third and fourth Generation, while the Grandſire full of fourſcore years of ſin, ſtays awhile behind like the rotten root of evil, and ſees the tender branches cut away becauſe the root was bad and corrupted.

Thus is the brief ſum of the ſecond part of my Text, man periſhed in iniquity. Corporeorum & incorporeorum horiſon, ſays Syneſius, the noble Image of God. Secondly, That man, Achan, a branch of the Olive tree, even Iſrael which God had planted. But an evil branch is evil though the ſtock were a Cedar of Libanus. Non debent gloriari ſarmenta quia non ſunt ſpinarum ligna ſed vitis, Ep. 223.ſays St. Auſtin. Is it any glory for the dead branches to boaſt they were Vine branches, and not Heythorn, ſince they are cut off, and caſt away? Laſtly, Non ſolus periit, he fell down like the Tower of Siloam, and brain'd all that were about him. I have but one ſhort part to diſpatch, Periit, his execution, how that man Periſhed, &c.

To ſearch much into Achans puniſhment were not the way to be more learned, but more tormented. And he that is Ingenioſus in ſuppliciis, exquiſite in deſcribing the ruine of any man, his invention ſmells of tyranny. Briefly thus, Every man in the rank of a Subject lives under the authority of three Commanders: 1. Under the Conſcience of his own heart. 2. Under the Laws of his King. 3. Under the Commandments of God. Triplici nodo triplex cuneus, every knot hath a wedge to drive into it. And if we diſpleaſe either God, or the King, or our own Conſcience, vengeance meets us on every ſide. Conſcientia parit vermem, Magiſtratus mortem, Deus Gehennam; Conſcience hath a worm in ſtore, nay, a Cockatrice to ſting us, the Magiſtrate bears a Sword to divide us, but eſpecially it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. In an evil conſcience we die unto all joy and comfort: In our treſpaſs againſt the Laws of man we die unto men: In breaking the Statutes of God we die unto heaven, ſurely he deſerved not to die but one death that offended three.

All ſin is mortal, yet among ſins ſome are ſtill-born, and make no noiſe in the world. Some are crying ſins that have a voice; and a voice like the Edomites that cryed againſt Jeruſalem, Down with it, down with it unto the ground; Like the Jews that cried, Crucifie him, crucifie him, and doubled the files of their iniquities. Like the men of Epheſus, that for two hours ſpace made a noiſe, Great is Diana of the Epheſians. When ſinners do double thus, God finds out more deaths than one to puniſh them, as if judgment had ranſack'd the body to find two or three ſouls, and would not leave to deſtroy all the brood of the Viper. Abimelech a cruel murtherer of ſeventy brethren was cruſh'd under a Mill-ſtone, and ſlain with his own Servants Sword, it is pity he died not ſeventy times. It was Sauls deſtiny firſt to die by the Arrows of the Bow, and then to fall upon his own Sword. It was Abſolons deſtiny to be hang'd by the head in the Oak tree, and be thruſt through the heart p. 847with the Darts of Joab. It was Judas his deſtiny to caſt himſelf from the Gallows, and to be broken in pieces upon the ground. And laſtly, it was Achans deſtiny to be ſtoned with ſtones, and then burnt with fire. Thus that man periſhed, &c.

It is very likely, if this notorious rich ſinner had lived his Tomb ſhould have been as coſtly to lie over his dead corps as his Babyloniſh Garment was ſumptuous to cover his living body. But now there is not ſo much honour left him for his burial as earth to earth, all is turned to aſhes that the winds may blow him back again out of Canaan into Egypt from whence he brougt his iniquity.

A fair Tomb, I confeſs, cannot prove that I died a good man, but that I died a wealthy. Yet ſome honour is to be ſhewed to our dead corps, becauſe a dead body is nearer to the Reſurrection than a living. The Egyptians embalming the dead, and the Odours and Spices which the Jews were wont to beſtow do condemn thoſe uncivil Funerals which ſome report of Geneva and Amſterdam that bury their dead in ditches and dunghils. It makes Jeſuits ſcoff at our Religion. Scis ut haeretici colant parentes, ſulcant coemiteria ſic colunt parentes. Michael the Archangel fought about the body of Moſes; and Prudentius played the Poet very well touching Eulalia, a Virgin Martyrs body caſt abroad in a froſty night, to the injury of the air, and before morning it was overſpread with icycles like a cryſtal Tomb. Pallioli vice linteoli, ipſa elementa jubente Deo, exequias Tibi virgo ferunt. And certainly there was ſome ſuch thing, or St. Auſtin would not report it, that divers Miracles, as healing the ſick, and converting unbelievers have been wrought by Gods providence at the Tombs of the Martyrs to honour their death and memory. But Achan was denied this happineſs, and though he had two deaths, yet he had not one Tomb to be buried in. Only an heap of ſtones were caſt upon him for an infamy, that as Varro ſaid, Monumentum quaſi monimentum, a Monument for admonition that we fear God, and rebel not like Achan that periſhed fearfully, &c.

The Papiſts will not leave Achan thus, and remove him from Joſhuahs hands, and the Valley of Achor, where he ſuffered into Purgatory. But by what proof, or warrant, or Enditement? Expect an Expoſition fit for the nimble brains of the Colledge of Jeſuits. Achan was ſtoned with ſtones, and then he died. Afterward he and all he had were burnt with fire, viz. Opera ejus accenſa ſunt in Purgatorio; he and his works were burnt in Purgatory. A likely matter ſince Joſhuah was commanded to burn him and not the Devil. Do you think Columbus that found out the fourth part of the world could have found out this third place to receive ſouls in, which is neither Heaven nor Hell? The Devil is much beholding to his Advocates, that have made him not only Prince of darkneſs, but that which God never made him, Prince of Purgatory.

Some perchance will go a thought further, and pronounce a fearful ſentence that this man was wiped for ever out of the book of the living. That is periit at the height, the Lord bleſs us from it. But St. Chryſoſtom was more mild and charitable: As the digging of the earth, ſays the Father, and the plowing of it may ſeem but churliſh uſage, yet that is the way to make it fruitful, Ita magis erat Achani ſalutare ſupplicium quam aliis impunitas; So Achan might go ſooner to heaven out of the fire than ſome out of their feather-bed. The ſoul is in the body, as the Lamps were in Gideons Pitchers, break the Pitchers, and the Lamps will ſhine, and then begins the Victory. What Seneca ſaid of the ſtate of Rome under Caeſar the Dictator. Reſpub. ſub eo ſtare non potuit, ſed cecidit in ſinum boni principis; the ſame is competent to the ſtate of man. We cannot hold out long, we ſhall ſink under the burden of ſin, Sed cecidit homo in ſinum boni principis; repent and we may fall into Abrahams boſom. When Scipio led his Army againſt Carthage, and his Scabberd fell off from his Sword, his Souldiers were diſmayed at it, as a ſign of ill fortune; This is nothing, ſays Scipio, for I have my Sword ſtill in my hand, and that I muſt fight with: So let the body fall into the duſt or aſhes, keep the Soul clean, make it white in the bloud of the Lamb by Faith, and then all is ſafe. It is the ſoul that firſt muſt taſte of glory. St. Auſtin asks why the Devil made ſo much of his darling Sylla, that in all his life he was ſcarce perplexed with any misfortune. The Father replies, Timuit magis Diabolus nè corrigeretur Sylla quàm nè vinceretur. The Devil cared not if he had burſt his neck, but he was afraid his vertue would be greater if his felicity were leſs. Wherefore if Achan did give God the glory as Joſhuah did inſtruct him, all might go well with his ſoul though iſte periit, his body were conſumed. The Romans were wont to Deifie their Emperours on this ſort: Their bodies were placed in a pile of wood, and at the top of the Hearſe an Eagle was kept cloſe untill the flame had taken hold p. 848of the body, and then the Eagle was ſuffered to fly away to heaven: So leave we the body of Achan in the Pile of wood, yet in the mercies of Jeſus Chriſt his Soul might take the wings of the Morning, as David ſays, and after all his tedious Pilgrimage live in reſt for ever.

Nothing ſhould make me miſtruſtful and doubt of his ſalvation but his too late repentance. Is this a time to leave off ſin when we muſt leave off life and can ſin no more? Poenitentiam dare poſſumus, ſecuritatem non poſſumus. Do you then come to play the Huxters for mercy, as if the Market were cheapeſt at the latter end of the day? The Son of man will come to judgment ſuddenly as ſwift as the lightning. The Reſurrection ſhall be ſuddenly at one blaſt of the Archangels Trumpet. Corruptio fit in momento, the ſoul will not creep, but fly out of the body ſuddenly. Shall all things be ſudden but mans repentance? If you love your Country, and wiſh it victory againſt all her enemies: if you tender your Children and Allies, and deſire their ſafety: nay, if you love your Gold and Silver, and caſt about to leave a good inheritance, beware to draw the anger of God, Ʋnius ob noxam & furias, upon ſo many innocent ſouls, have peace in Jeſus Chriſt, and let Achan periſh alone in his aniquity. AMEN.