who is the first of all the reprobates, which, notwithstanding God laboureth to bring to repentance. Again, here we ice the bleffedneffe of mans ftate; for albeit the Angels be of all creatures moft excellent, yet in these two respects mans eftate is more bleffed than the Angells. For the finne of Angells is incurable, as Fude theweth, Fude the fixth, The Angels that kept not their first estate, but lost their own habitation, are referved by God in everlasting chains to judgment: Whereas the fin of man may be cured. Secondly, in that God when he was to redeem the world, would not affume the nature of Angels, but tooke the nature of man, in the fecond chapter to the Hebrews, and the fixteenth verse. For there is cure and phyfick for mans finne as the prophet fpeaketh, Let there be an healing of thine error, in the fourth of Daniel, and the twenty fourth verfe. Therefore the people acknowledged, that albeit they have trefpaffed against God, in taking ftrange wayes: yet there is hope in Ifrael concerning this, in the tenth chapter of the first book of Efdras. And if yee repent, iniquitas veftra non erit in fcandalum, Ezekiel the eighteenth chapter, and the twenty fecond verfe: Meanes to cure There is means to cure the fin of man. Thirdly, therefore fecing the fin of man. fin is not incurable, we may not neglect finners, but moft labour to restore them, as God dealeth here with Cain. And this is the du ty whereunto both the Prophets and Apostles doe stirre us up: We defire you to admonish them that are unruly, in the first to the Theffalonians the fift chapter and the fourteenth verfe: And be that converteth a finner from his way, shall fave a foul, Fames the fift chapter and the twentieth verfe. Further we learn, that this cure is wrought of Gods word, God by means of his word,for that is the phyfick of the foul,and the balm Phyfick for the of Gillead, Feremie the eighth chapter and the twenty fecond verse: And not only by the rod, but also by difcipline, as appeareth verse the eleventh. Fiftly, As the difcafes of the foul are double, so is the Ipirituall medicine of Gods word double. When Adam and Eve were caft down with forrow for their finne; then God cured them 1. of comfort, with the word of comfort, telling them of the bleffed feed, in the third chapter of Genefis, amd the fifteenth verfe: But here he meeteth with one of another disease, and miniftreth to him the word of 2. of reproofe. reproofe,rebuke and threatnings. In refpect of the one the ward it felf is compared to boney, Pfalm the nineteenth and the tenth werfe; and in refpect of the other, the Minifters of the word are called the falt of the earth, in the fift chapter of Matthew, and the thirteenth verle: The one is the word of mercy, the other the word of judgment: The one is fet out by the oyle poured in the wounds of the fick man, whofe nature is to fupple, the other is fignified by wine, which hath a peircing power, Luke the tenth chapter. Therefore out of Chrift's fide came out only blood, but water also, John the nineteenth chapter, and the thirty fourth verfe. There is a cure both by compunction of heart through forrow, in the eleventh chapter to the Romans; and by unction, that is, by the Holy Ghost which anoynteth us with the oyle of gladneße. Therefore we must marke what disease the foul. the soul hath, for it is as unkindly to heal wounds with sweet words, as it is in the fixth chapter of Feremiah, as to apply oyle to thole parts that require vinegar. The parts of the fermon are four: And by ancient Writers are reduced to these four ufes of holy Scripture, which the Apostle noteth in the fecond to Timothie, the third chapter and the fix eonth verfe To reproofe belongeth, why art thou angry? and why is thy countenance cast down? To doctrine, if thou doe well foalt not thou be accepted? To correction, If thou doe not well, doth not finne ly at the dore? Laftly, for inftruction, he telleth Cain, that albeit the defire of finne doe affault us, yet it shall not have dominion over us. Or, as other interpret this place, it containeth four motives and arguments, why sin should be hatefull to us. First, because fin is a bruit fh thing, and such as no reason can be given for. Secondly, it will deprive us of our reward. Thirdly, not only fo, but we shall be caft down into hell, to be partakers of the wrath of God for ever. Fourthly, albeit the Devill doe labour to make us commit finne, yet the feed of the Woman shall give us grace and ftrength to refift finne and the de fire thereof. countenance. In the first part are two questions: One of the minde, Why art Qneftion of thou angry? The other of the countenance, Why is thy countenance caft the minde. down? Concerning both which (in that God knoweth no cause of Queft of the Cain's forrow,) it is plaine, that it was an evill forrow, for God alloweth not that forrow, for which we cannot give a reason: And as Note. God will come one day to ask an account of our works; fo we must A reason to be every one give a reafon of our actions, in the fourteenth chapter to given of our the Romans and the twelfth verfe, and in the first epiftle of Peter, the actions. fifth chapter. But if we be not able to give a reafon of those things which we doe,then are we as bruitish as unreasonable beasts: God teacheth man more than the beasts of the earth, & giveth him more wifdome than the fowles of heaven, Fob the thirty fitch chapter, verfe the ele venth: Therefore man ought to doc God more fervice than they. Therfore the Prophet faith,in the thirty fecond Pfalm Be not like horfe and mule that have no understanding. We are, as the Apostle fpeaks, men of understanding, in the first to the Corinthians, and the tenth chapter; fuch as ought to doe nothing, but what they cangive a reason for: Therefore the word is called, e, in the firft epiftle of Peter,the fecond chapter, and the second verfe; and the service that God requireth of us, is λ in the twelfth chapter to the Romans and the second verse; and they that doc other wife are not only evil! but abfurd and unreasonable men, in the fecond to the Thesalonians, the All kind of fin third chapter and the fecond verfe. As God fets this brand upon is unrealonaall kinde of finne that is unreasonable; fo chiefly the finne of Cain for his hatred towards Abel, was not for evill, but for good. In na urall reason we are to love good things and hate evill, but where he bated his brother, because his works were good and his own evill, the first epiftle of John, the third chap er and the twelfth verfe, it appeares that his fine was bruitish and unreasonable, which unreasonable kinde of dealing the holy Ghoft expreffeth, Is thine ege evill because Dad z his ble. Cheifly hatred. > We must make Rtures of our bodies. his is good, Matthew the twentieth chapter and the fifteenth verse. Secondly, for his countenance; God will have an account of the account for ge- geftures of our bodies; for as they were both created and redeemed by God, fo we must glorifie God both in body and spirit, the first to the Corinthians, the fixth chapter and the twentieth verfe, God alloweth no affection that is cauflefs, and therefore condemneth unadvised anger as a finne, Matthew the fifth chapter, which was Cains finne. The fecond motive is, If thou dee well, shalt not thou be rewarded and accepted wherein he wins us to look, not only to the ground and caufe of our actions, but to the end of them; as if God should say, if reason cannot move you to hate finne, yet let affection Affections, Hope, move. Now there are two chief affictions which move the life both of man and beast, that is hope, and feare; first God moves with the hope of reward, If thou doe well falt thou not bee accepted? then with the fear of punishment, but If thou doe evill finne lyeib at the dore. By the first question, Gods meaning is, Am Iuch a one as doe not regard well doings: All Scripture affirmeth that God tendreth goodneffe, dicite jufto quia bene & erit merces, so faith Fehofaphat to the Judges in the third chapter Ifa. Be of good courage and doe it, for the Lord will bee with the good, the second booke of the Chronicles and the ninteenth chapter, with whom the Apoftle agreeth, Be stedfaft and unmoveable, quia labor veftra non erit inanis in Domino, as it is in the first of the Corinthians and the fifteenth chapter, and the conclufion of the whole Scripture is, Behold I come shortly and my reward is with mee, the two and twentith chapter of the Revelations and the sccond verfe. If our love were perfe&t it would caft out feare, and wee should not neede to bee drawne to doe well with hope of reward, but because there is great imperfection on both parts during this life, therefore wee have neede to bee ftirred up to doe well, with the one, and terrified from doing evill with the other. The reason why David hear kned to Gods ftatutes was, propter retributionem, Pfalme the hundred and ninteen h; Mofes was contented to fuffer adverfity with Gods people, for that bee looked to the recompence of reward, Hebrewers the eleventh chapter, fo that it is Gods will we Thould take notice of this word of comfort, that if wee doe well wee fhall bee accepted. The word Neshah ufed in the originall hath two fignifications, both to reward, and to forgive, as it is in the thirty fecond Pfalme, Bleffed are they whofe iniquities are forgiven, the first fenfe hath reference to the fourth verfe, where it is faid, God had respect to Abel and his facrifice; And for the other fenfe (thou fbals be forgiven.) It is agreeable to the Scripture, which teacheth, us that to ridd our felves of finne wee muft breake off iniquity with right dealing, Daniel the fourth chapter; and mercy, Foel the fecond charter and the thirteenth verse; fanctifie a fast, call an Affembly, then fhall the Lord bee mercifull, and Peter to Simon Magus, Prayto God if fo bee the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee, Acts the eighth chapter and the twenty fecond verse. But But Abel did well, and that was not rewarded in this life, for his brother killed him, he was not rewarded here, there ore it followeth be was rewarded in the life to come, For God is not unrighteous, to forget the labour of our love, Hebrews the fixth chapter and the tenth verfe though God forger us on earth, yet we shall be remembred in heaven. It is a righteous thing with God to recompence them (which are troubled, with reft; when the Lord Fefus fhall fhew himself from heaven, the second to the Theffalonians, the first chapter and the fixt and leventh verfes. So that the fecond motive to drive us from finne is, that it deprives us of the reward, and fets us out of the hope of Gods favour: In which case we must practise the counsell of the holy Ghost Apocal. the second memor efto unde cecideris & refipifce. The third motive is, that if thou doe not well, finne lyeth at the dore, which is the corrective part, as if God should fay though nei-. ther reason can move nor hope of good; yet let this move us, that fin doth not only deprive us of God, but brings eternal destruction: fi bonus non infructuosè,fi malus non impunè? for God takes order that neither good hail be unrewarded, nor evill unpunished; finne shall not only deprive us of our hope and shut us out of heaven, but lock us faft in hell, to endure torments for ever. This is a thing worthy our confideration, That if we do not well we fhall be punished, for finne lyeth at the door, and if we finne against the Lord, be sure your finne will finde you out, Numbers the thirty fecond chapter and the twenty third verfe; for finne doth intangle men as it were with cords and Note. fnares, Proverbs the fifth chapter. Sinne lyeth at the dore, first in diem judicii affervatur, wherein are two points: First, concerning the ly ing of finne: Secondly, the place where it lyeth. By lying is understood the act of finne, and as that which lyeth is faid to rife again, fo finne is not fo low nor fo afleep, but after it hath lyen while it will rife again, that is, after the a& performed there enfueth a remorse of confcience for the finne committed; for the act of finne, howsoever the lips of a strange woman drop as hony, yet of the remorse, he faith the end is more bitter than wormwood, Proverbs the fifth chapter and the third verfe; for finne is never fo fweet in committing as it is bitter in remembring: The bread of deceit is sweet to a man in the act of finne, but after when he is touched with remorse, is filleth his mouth with gravell, Proverbs the twentieth chapter and the feventeenth verse. Whosoever devoures holy things, they prove a snare to them, Proverbs the twentieth chapter, and the twenty fifth verfe: How goodly a colour foever the wine have in the cup, and how pleasantly soever it goe down; yet in the end it will bite like Serpent, Proverbs the twenty third chapter and the thirty first and thirty fecond verses. They that are defirous to fall asleep, hide themselves in fome private corner, that they may not be difquiered: fo there is a fecrecy of finne, and men would fain hide finnes, but there is a day of the Lord, which when it commeth, it shall illuminare occulta tenebrarum, the first to the Corinthians the fourth chapter and the fifth verse, then the most secret finnes fhall be laied open, for there is nothing, Ddd 3 covered 1 covered that shall not be known, nor hidden that shall not be revealed, Luke the twelfth chapter and the fecond verle. Touching the place where finne lyeth, it is at the dore or gate; and this it maketh finne to awake: For it cannot fleep by a dore, where there is continuall knocking. But there is a double interpretation of the word dore. First, it is referred to the dore of a mans confcience, of which it is faid, Behold, Iftand at the dore and knock, in the third chapter of the Revelations, and the twentieth verfe. And according to this sense, Gods meaning is, that when fin is once committed, a mans confcience will cafily be difquieted with the least knocking, for the fleep of finne is like the fleep of him that fleepeth upon the top of a mast, in the twenty third of the Proverbs and the thirty fourth verse, which being toffed to and fro of the winde, fuffereth him not to take any quiet rest. And that fiane is wakned by the dore of the confcience, we have a plain example in the Children of Facob, for when affliknocketh at the Яion did knock at the dore of their confciences, they remembred their finne and confessed; that all that mifery was befallen them for their ken it being a- cruelty towards Fofeph, in the fourty fecond of Genefis and the twenty second verfe and after Facob was dead, the remorse of conscience did fo waken them, that they would not be quiet till they had asked Fofeph forgivness for their cruelty towards him. Affliction dore of confci ence, to awa Ясер. Secondly, because there are some that can fear up their confciences, so as they will not be touched with any remorse: Therefore there is another dore whereat finne is faid to lye, that is the dore or gate of death, Pfalm the ninth, Ifaiah the thirty eighth and the tenth verfe, I am going to the gate of death. This gate or dore cannot be fhut up; we cannot escape death, & Fudex ftat pra foribus, Feremiah the fifth chapter; as foon as we are out of the dore of death, we fhall fee the Judge ready to give fentence upon us, and to condemn Sinne barketh us for our finnes : then finne fhall not bark like a Dog, but howle like a dogge. and roar as a Lyon, not fuffering us to take any reft, but keep us in continuall torment: The confideration of fo great miferie as is procured by finne, should terrific us from finne, unless we be worfe than beafts, who by no means will be brought to run into the fire or any other apparent danger, use what extremity towards them you will. Gen. 4.7. July 21, 1599. At erga te eft appetitus illius, & tu præes illi. Hich words, as heretofore I have told against |