they favour commonly bear a good, a cheerful, and a loving countenance: so that by the face or countenance of a man, it doth commonly appear what will or mind he beareth towards other. So when God doth shew his dreadful counténance towards us, that is to say, doth send dreadful plagues of sword, famine, or pestilence upon us, it appeareth that he is greatly wrath with us. But when he withdraweth from us his word, the right doctrine of Christ, his gracious assistance and aid, (which is ever joined to his word,) and leaveth us to our own wit, our own will and strength; he declareth then, that he beginneth to forsake us. For whereas God hath shewed to all them that truly believe his gospel, his face of mercy in Jesus Christ, which doth so lighten their hearts, that they (if they behold it as they ought to do) be transformed to his image, be made partakers of the heavenly light, and of his holy Spirit, and be fashioned to him in all goodness requisite to the children of God: so, if they after do neglect the same, if they be unthankful unto him, if they order not their lives according to his example and doctrine, and to the setting forth of his glory, he will take away from them his kingdom, his holy word, whereby he should reign in them, because they bring not forth the fruit thereof that he looketh for. Nevertheless, he is so merciful, and of so long sufferance, that he doth not shew upon us that great wrath suddenly. But when we begin to shrink from his word, not believing it, or not expressing it in our livings; first he doth send his messengers, the true preachers of his word, to admonish and warn us of our duty: that as he for his part, for the great love he bear unto us, delivered his own son to suffer death, that we by his death might be delivered from death, and be restored to the life everlasting, evermore to dwell with him, and to be partakers and inheritors with him of his everlasting glory and kingdom of heaven; so again, that we for our parts should walk in a godly life, as becometh his children to do. And if this will not serve, but still we remain disobedient to his word and will, not knowing him, nor loving him, nor fearing him, not putting our whole trust and confidence in him; and on the other side, to our neighbours behaving ourselves uncharitably, by disdain, envy, malice, or by committing murder, robbery, adultery, gluttony, deceit, • and warn] omitted A.B. P everlasting] eternal A.B. A.B.C. nor fearing him] not fearing him A.B.C. ⚫ ourselves] us A.B. 1 lying, swearing, or other like detestable works, and ungodly behaviour, then he threateneth us by terrible comminations, swearing in great anger, that whosoever doth Heb. 3. [11.] these works shall never enter into his rest, which is the 1 Cor. 6. [9.] kingdom of heaven. Ps. [95. 11.] The Second Part of the Sermon of Falling" from IN the former parts of this sermon ye have learned how it brought forth wild grapes. And after it followeth, Now (Isa. 5. 5, 6. ] shall I shew you (saith God) what I will do with my vineyard: I will pluck down the hedges, that it may perish: I will break down the walls, that it may be trodden under foot: I will let it lie waste, it shall not be cut, it shall not be digged, but briers and thorns shall overgrow it; and I shall command the clouds, that they shall no more rain upon it. The second part] The homily is not divided in A. falling] declining B. In the former part-terrible threatenings] omitted Á. by neglecting] by the neglecting B.C. * of God's word] God's word B. threatening] commination A. communication B. midst] middes A.B.C. * a wine-press] a vine-press D. By these threatenings we are monished and warnedd, that if we, which are the chosen vineyard of God, bring not forth good grapes, that is to say, good works, that may be delectable and pleasant in his sight, when he looketh for them, when he sendeth his messengers to call upon us for them, but rather bring forth wild grapes, that is to say, sour works, unsweete, unsavoury, and unfruitful; then will he pluck away all defence, and suffer grievous plagues of famine, battle', dearth, and death, to light upon us. Finally, if these serve nots, he will let us lie waste, he will give us over, he will turn away from us, he will dig and delve no more about us, he will let us alone, and suffer us to bring forth even such fruit as we will, to bring forth brambles, briers, and thorns, all naughtiness, all vice, and that so abundantly, that they shall clean overgrow us, chokeh, strangle, and utterly destroy us. But they that in this world live not after God, but after their own carnal liberty, perceive not this great wrath of God towards them, that he will not dig nor delve any more about them, that he doth let them alone even to themselves. But they take this for a great benefit of God, to have all their owni liberty: and so they live, as if carnal liberty were the true liberty of the gospel. But God forbid, good people, that ever we should desire such liberty. For although God suffer sometimes the wicked to have their pleasure in this world, yet the end of ungodly living is at length endless' Num. 11. [31- destruction. The murmuring Israelites had that they longed for; for they had quails enough, yea, till they were weary of them. But what was the end thereof? Their sweet meat had sour sauce: even whiles the meat was in their mouths, the plague of God lighted upon them, and suddenly they died. So, if we live ungodly, and God suffereth us to follow our own wills, to have our own delights and pleasures, and correcteth us not with some plague, it is no doubt but he is almost utterly displeased with us. And although he be long ere" he strike, yet many times when he striketh such persons, he striketh them at once for ever. So that when he doth not strike us, when he ceaseth to afflict us, to punish or beat us, and suffereth us to run headlong into all ungodliness and pleasures of this world 33.] d and warned] omitted A.B. B.C. battle] and battle A.B.C. serve not] do not yet serve A. h choke] suffocate A.B. kas if] as A.B.C. endless] eternal A.B. m for they had] they had A.B.C. " he be long ere] it be long or A. B.C. • headlong] headlings A.B. headlongs C. that we delight in, without punishment and adversity, it is a dreadful token that he loveth us no longer, that he careth no longer for us, but hath given us over to our own selves. As long as a man doth prune his vines, doth dig at the roots, and doth lay fresh earth to them, he hath a mind to them, he perceiveth some token of fruitfulness, that may be recovered in them: but when he will bestow no more such cost and labour about them, then it is a sign that he thinketh they will never be good. And the father, as long as he loveth his child, he looketh angerly, he correcteth him when he doth amiss: but when that serveth not, and upon that he ceaseth from correction of him, and suffereth him to do what he list himself, it is a sign that he intendeth to disinherit him, and to cast him away for ever. So surely nothing should pierce our heart so sore, and put us in such horrible fear, as when we know in our conscience, that we have grievously offended God, and do so continue, and that yet he striketh not, but quietly suffereth us in the naughtiness that we have delight in. Then specially it is time to cry, and to cry again, as David did, Cast me not Pa. 51. [11.] away from thy face, and take not away thy holy Spirit from me. Lord, turn not away thy face from me, cast not [Ps. 27. 9.] thy servant away in displeasure. Hide not thy face from [Ps. 143. 7.] me, lest I be like unto them that go down to hell. The which lamentable prayers of him, as they do certify us what horrible danger they be in, from whom God turneth his face: for the time, and as long as he so doth: so should they move and stir us to cry upon God with all our heart, that we may not be brought into that state, which doubtless is so sorrowful, so miserable, and so dreadful, as no tongue can sufficiently express, nor any heart" can think. For what deadly grief may a man suppose it is to be under the wrath of God, to be forsaken of him, to have his holy Spirit, the author of all goodness, to be taken from him, to be brought to so vile a condition, that he shall be left meet for no better purpose, than to be for ever condemned in hell? For not only such places of David do shew, that upon the turning of God's face from any persons, they shall be left bare from all goodness, and far from hope of remedy; but also the place rehearsed last before, of Esay, doth mean the same, which sheweth that God at length angerly) angrely A.B. unto them] to them A. to hell into hell A. for the time] for that time A.B. and stir] omitted A.B. nor any heart] or any heart A. in hell] to hell A.B.C. & 16. 14.] [John 13. 27.] doth so forsake his unfruitful vineyard, that he will not only suffer it to bring forth weeds, briers, and thorns, but also further to punish the unfruitfulness of it, he saith he will not cut it, he will not delve it, and he will command the clouds, that they shall not rain upon it: whereby is signified the teaching of his holy word, which St. Paul, after a like manner, expressed by planting and watering; meaning that he will take that away from them, so that they shall be no longer of his kingdom, they shall be no longer governed by his holy Spirit, they shall be put from the grace and benefits that they had, and ever might have enjoyed through Christ; they shall be deprived of the heavenly light and life, which they had in Christ, whiles they abode in him; they shall be (as they were once) as men without God in this world, or rather in worse taking. And, to be short, they shall be given into the power of the devil, which beareth the rule in all them that be cast away from [1 Sam. 15. 23. God, as he did in Saul and Judas, and generally in all such, as work after their own wills, the children of mistrust and unbelief. Let us beware therefore, good Christian people, lest that we, rejecting or casting away God's word, by the which we obtain and retain true faith in God, be not at length cast off so far, that we become as the children of unbelief, which be of two sorts, far diverse, yea almost clean contrary, and yet both be very far from returning to God. The one sort, only weighing their sinful and detestable living, with the right judgment and straitness of God's righteousness, be so without counsel', and be so comfortless, (as they alls must needs be, from whom the spirit of counsel and comfort is gone,) that they will not be persuaded in their hearts, but that either God cannot, or else that he will not, take them again to his favour and mercy. The other, hearing the loving and large promises of God's mercy, and so not conceiving a right faith thereof, make those promises larger than ever God did, trusting, that although they continue in their sinful and detestable living never so long, yet that God, at the end of their life, will shew his mercy upon them, and that then they will return. And both these two sorts of men be in a damnable Ezech. 18. [32. state, and yet neverthless, God, (who willeth not the death of the wicked) hath shewed means, whereby both the same & 33. 11.] expressed] expresseth A.B. and infidelity A.B. d or casting away] omitted A.B. unbelief] infidelity A.B. f without counsel] destitute of counsel A.B. as they all] as all they A.B.C. |