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HOM. VIII.

not thy face from go down to hell. him, as they do they be in, from

On Falling from God.

me, lest I be like unto them that The which lamentable prayers of certify us what horrible danger 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 Isaiah, doth mean the same, which sheweth that God, at length, 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 the 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, whilst they abode in him: they shall be, as they were

HOM. VIII.

On Falling from God.

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 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 all 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 state, and yet nevertheless, God, who willeth not the death of the wicked, hath shewed means, whereby both the same, if they take heed in season, may escape. The first, as they do dread God's rightful justice in punishing sinners, whereby they should be dismayed and should despair indeed, as touching any hope that may be

1 Kings xv. Ezek. xviii. and xxxiii.

HOM. VIII.

On Falling from God.

in themselves, so if they would constantly or stedfastly believe that God's mercy is the remedy appointed against such despair and distrust, not only for them, but generally for all that be sorry and truly repentant, and will therewithal stick to God's mercy, they may be sure they shall obtain mercy, and enter into the port or haven of safeguard, into the which, whosoever doth come, be they before time never so wicked, they shall be out of danger of everlasting damnation, as God by Ezekial saith, What time soever a sinner doth return, and take earnest and true repentance, I will forget all his wickedness. The other as they be ready to believe God's promises, so they should be as ready to believe the threatenings of God: as well they should believe the law as the gospel: as well that there is an hell and everlasting fire, as that there is an heaven and everlasting joy: as well they should believe damnation to be threatened to the wicked and evil doers, as salvation to be promised to the faithful in word and works: as well they should believe God to be true in the one as in the other: and the sinners that continue in their wicked living, ought to think that the promises of God's mercy and the gospel, pertain not unto them being in that state, but only the law, and those Scriptures which contain the wrath and indignation of God, and his threatenings, which should certify them, that as they do over-boldly presume of God's mercy, and live dissolutely: so doth God still more and more withdraw his mercy from them, and he is so provoked thereby to wrath at length, that he destroyeth such presumers many times, suddenly. For of such St. Paul saith thus, When they shall say, It is peace, there is no danger, then shall sudden destruction come upon them. Let us beware, therefore, of such naughty

Ezek. iii. 1 Thess. v. Hosea xiv.

HOM. IX.

Against the Fear of Death.

boldness to sin. For God which hath promised his mercy to them that be truly repentant, although it be at the latter end, hath not promised to the presumptuous sinner, either that he shall have long life, or that he shall have true repentance at the last end. But for that purpose hath he made every man's death uncertain, that he should not put his hope in the end, and in the mean season, to God's high displeasure, live ungodlily. Wherefore, let us follow the counsel of the wise man, let us make no tarrying to turn unto the Lord: let us not put off, from day to day, for suddenly shall his wrath come, and in time of vengeance he will destroy the wicked. Lét us, therefore, turn betimes: and when we turn let us pray to God, as Hosea teacheth, saying, Forgive all our sins: receive us graciously. And if we turn to him with an humble and a very penitent heart, he will receive us into his favour and grace, for his holy name's sake, for his promise sake, for his truth and mercy's sake, promised to all faithful believers in Jesus Christ his only Son: to whom, the only Saviour of the world, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, be all honour, glory and power, world without end. Amen.

The unconditional perseverance of the Saints is here combatted with great strength of argument and scriptural proofs: so that, if "the chosen vineyard of God bring not forth good grapes," "he will pluck away all defence" and dig no more about it; but will suffer all naughtiness of vice to overgrow it, "and utterly destroy it;" and like as a father, who disinherits his child for becoming disobedient, he will cast us off for ever,

HOMÍLY IX.

An Exhortation against the Fear of Death. IT is not to be marvelled that worldly men do fear to die. For death depriveth them of all worldly

HOM. IX.

Against the Fear of Death.

honours, riches and possesions, in the fruition whereof the worldly man counteth himself happy, so long as he may enjoy them at his own pleasure, and otherwise if he be dispossessed of the same without hope of recovery, then he can no otherwise think of himself but that he is unhappy, because he hath lost his worldly joy and pleasure. Alas, thinketh this carnal man, shall I now depart for ever from all my honours, all my treasure, from my country, friends, riches, possessions, and worldly pleasures, which are my joy and heart's delight? Alas, that ever that day should come, when all these I must bid farewel at once, and never enjoy any of them after. Wherefore it is not without great cause spoken by the wise man, O death, how bitter and sour is the remembrance of thee to a man that liveth in peace and prosperity in his substance, to a man living at ease, leading his life after his own mind without trouble, and is therewithal well pampered and fed? There be other men, whom this world doth not so greatly laugh upon, but rather vex and oppress with poverty, sickness or some other adversity, yet they do fear death, partly because the flesh abhorreth naturally its own sorrowful dissolution, which death doth threaten to them, and partly by reason of sicknesses and painful diseases, which be most strong pangs and agonies in the flesh, and use commonly to come to sick men before death, or, at the least, accompany death, whensoever it cometh.

Although these two causes seem great and weighty to a worldly man, whereupon he is moved to fear death, yet there is another cause much greater than any of these afore rehearsed, for which indeed he bath just cause to fear death, and that is the state and conditon whereunto, at the last end, death bring

Ecclus. xli.

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