SERM. shakes, and be in trembling fear and perplexed agony, touchI. ing the estate of your soul; knowing there is nothing coming

[Mat. 6. 20.]

to you but the fruit of this world which is ruin, or the fruit of the flesh which is corruption. But if you shall have grace to make choice of God's plot, which He hath here levelled for you to raise upon, O quanto dignum pretio! that will be worth all the world in that day; the perfect certainty, sound knowledge, and precious assurance you shall then have, whereby you shall be assured to be received, because you are sure you are Christ's, because you are sure you have true faith, because you are sure you have framed it up into good works. And so shall they be a foundation to you-ward, by making evident the assurance of salvation; not naturâ to God-ward, in bringing forth the essence of your salvation.

Look you how excellent a groundwork here is! (not for a cottage) whereon you may raise your frame to so notable a height, as standing on it you may lay hand on, and lay hold of, eternal life. O that you would mind once these high things, that you would be in this sense highminded! St. Paul's meaning is to take nothing from you, but give you a better to requite it by far. He would have you part with part of your wealth to do good; he will lay you up for it "treasure in Heaven" for your own use. He would have you forsake the world's sand and uncertainty, wherein you cannot trust; but therefore he marks you out a plot out of the rock, whereto you may trust. He would not have you highminded in consideration or comparison of aught on this earth, but he would have your minds truly exalted to reach up to heavenly things higher than the earth. And last, instead of this world, the lusts and riches thereof, to match that if you will lay hold of it, he holdeth out eternal life and the glory thereof.

To take a short prospect into "eternal life." Life itself, first, you know, is such a thing as, were it to be sold, would be stapleware; if it stood where hold might be laid on it, some would thrust their shoulders out of joint but they would reach Job 2. 4. it. It was a great truth out of a great liar's mouth-"skin and all." And I mean not "eternal," but this "life," and therefore [1 Tim. 6. some readings have, "to lay hold of true life," as if in this 19.] were little truth. Indeed, St. Augustine saith, it is nothing

S. Aug.

but a disease. We say of dangerous sicknesses, he hath the [Vid. plague, he is in a consumption, sure he will die; and yet it Ser. 80. 2.] fails, divers die not; whereas, saith he, of life itself it may be said and never fails: He lives, therefore he will certainly die.

Well yet, this life such as it is, yet we love it, and loath we are to end it; and if it be in hazard by the law, what running, riding, posting, suing, bribing, and if all will not serve, breaking prison is there for it! Or if it be in danger of disease, what ado is there kept, what ill-savoured drugs taken! what scarifying, cutting, searing! and when all comes to all, it is but a few years more added; and when they are done, we are where we should have been before; and then, that which is now life, shall be then no life. And then, what is it the nearer? What, if Adam had lived till this morning, what were he now the nearer? Yet for all that, as short and frail as it is, we do what possibly man can do to eke it still; and think ourselves jolly wise men when we have done, though we die next year after for all that. If then with so great labour, diligence, earnestness, endeavour, care and cost, we busy ourselves sometimes to live for a while, how ought we to desire to live for ever? if for a time to put death away, how to take death away clean? You desire life I am sure, and "long life;" and therefore a long life, because it is long, Ps. 91. 16. that is, cometh somewhat nearer in some degree to eternal life. If you desire a long-lasting life, why do you not desire an everlasting life? If a life of many years, which yet in the end shall fail, why not that life whose years shall never fail? If we say it is lack of wit or grace when any man runs in danger of the law of man, whereby haply he abridges himself of half a dozen years of his life, what wit or grace is there wilfully to incur the loss of eternal life? For indeed, as in the beginning we set down, it is a matter touching the loss of eternal life we have in hand; and withal, touching the pain of eternal death. It is not a loss only, for we cannot lose life and become as a stone, free from either. If we leese' our [' i. e. hold of this life, eternal death taketh hold upon us; if we heap not up the treasure of immortality, we heap up the treasure of “wrath against the day of wrath." If your wealth Rom. 2. 5. be not with us to life, pecunia vestra vobiscum est in perditionem. Acts 8. 20.

Tose.]

SERM. We have not far to seek for this. For if now we turn our

1. deaf ear to this charge, you shall "fall into temptations:" 1 Tim.6.9. fear ye not that? Into many "foolish and noisome lusts:" nor fear ye that neither? Yet fear whither these lead; "which drown men in perdition and destruction" of body and soul. Fear ye not these? doth the Lord thunder thus, and are ye not moved? Quibus verbis te curabo? I know not how to do you good. But let eternal life prevail. Sure if life come not, death comes. There is as much said now, not as I have to say, but as the time would suffer; only let me in a few words deliver the charge concerning this, and so I will break up the court for this time.

13.

2 Thess. 1. 7, 8.]

And now, Right honourable, beloved, &c., albeit that according to the power that the Lord hath given us, I might [1 Tim. 6. testify and charge you "in the presence of God" the Father, "Who quickeneth all things;" and of the Lord Jesus, Who shall shew Himself" from Heaven with His mighty Angels in flaming fire, rendering vengeance to them" not only "that know not God," but to them also "that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ," that ye think upon these things which [Rom. 6. you have heard, to do them; yet humanum dico, "for your in19.] firmity I will speak after the manner of men," the nature of a man best loveth to be dealt withal, and even beseech you by the mercies of God, even of God the Father, Who hath loved you, and given you an everlasting consolation, and a good hope through grace, and by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our assembly unto Him, that you receive not this charge in vain; that ye account it His charge, and not mine; received of Him, to deliver to you. Look not to me, I beseech you; in whom whatsoever you regard, countenance or learning, years or authority, I do most willingly acknowledge myself far unmeet to deliver any; more meet a great deal to receive one myself, save that I have obtained fellowship in this business in dispensing the mysteries and delivering the charges of the Lord. Look not on me, look on your own souls and have pity on them; look upon Heaven, and the Lord of Heaven and earth from Whom it cometh, and of Whom it will be one day called for again. Surely there is a Heaven, surely there is a hell; surely there will be a day when enquiry shall be made how we have discharged that we

have received of the Lord; and how you have discharged that you have received of us in the Lord's name. Against which day your consciences stand charged with many things at many times heard. "O seek not death in the error of your Wisd. 1. 12. life," deceive not yourselves; think not that when my words shall be at an end, both they shall vanish in the air and you never hear of them again. Surely you shall, the day is coming when it shall be required again at your hands. A fearful day for all those that for a little riches think basely of others; upon all those that repose in these vain riches-as they shall see then, a vain confidence; upon all those that enjoy only with the belly and the back, and do either no good, or miserable sparing good, with their riches; whose riches shall be with them to their destruction. Beloved, when your life shall have an end, as an end it shall have, when the terror of death shall be upon you; when your soul shall be cited to appear before God, in novissimo; I know and am perfectly assured all these things will come to mind again, you will perceive and feel that which possibly now you do not. The devil's charge cometh then, who will press these points in another manner than we can; then it will be toc late. Prevent his charge, I beseech you, by regarding and remembering this now. Now is the time while you may, and have time wherein, and ability wherewith; think upon it and provide for eternal life; you shall never in your life stand in so great need of your riches as in that day; provide for that day, and provide for eternal life. It will not come yet it is true, it will be long in coming; but when it comes, it will never have an end.

This end is so good that I will end with "eternal life," which you see is St. Paul's end. It is his and the same shall be my end, and I beseech God it may be all our ends. To God immortal, invisible, and only wise, God Who hath prepared this eternal life for us, Who hath taught us this day how to come unto it, Whose grace be ever with us, and leave us not till it have thereto brought us, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, be all glory, power, praise, and thanksgiving, now and for ever. Amen.

ONE OF THE SERMONS

UPON THE

SECOND COMMANDMENT,

PREACHED IN THE

PARISH CHURCH OF ST. GILES, CRIPPLEGATE,

ON THE NINTH OF JANUARY, A.D. MDXCII.

SERM.

11.

I.

ACTS ii. 42.

And they continued in the Apostles' doctrine, and fellowship, and breaking of bread and prayers.

[Erant autem perseverantes in doctrina Apostolorum, et communicatione fractionis panis, et orationibus. Lat. Vulg.]

[And they continued steadfastly in the Apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. Eng. Trans.]

There had been, two sundry days before, Sermons concerning the positive outward worship of God, out of this Text, consisting of these four parts:

1. The Apostles' doctrine; 2. their society or fellowship; 3. breaking of bread; 4. prayers.

The effect of this last was to acquaint the auditory with sundry imaginations by divers erected, which many unstable persons do run after and worship instead of those four, the Apostles' doctrine, &c. The order was to begin with the doctrine first, and so after through the rest as they stand.

THAT such imaginations there are, Solomon complaineth Eccl. 7. 29. of ratiocinia plurima, whereby men were withdrawn from the simplicity of their creation. And under the Gospel, St. Paul likewise of venti doctrinarum, whereby Christian people