23. The danger of trusting to Worldly Greatness in time of distress. As a passenger in a storm that for shelter against the weather, steppeth out of the way, betaketh him to a fair spread oak, standeth under the boughs with his back close to the body of it, and findeth good relief thereby for the space of some time, till at length cometh a sudden gust of wind, that teareth down a main arm of it, which, falling upon the poor passenger, either maimeth or mischieveth him that resorted to it for succour. Thus falleth it out not with a few meeting in the world with many troubles, and with manifold vexations they step aside out of their own way, and too often out of God's, to get under the wing of some great one, and gain, it may be, some aid and shelter thereby for a season; but after a while that great one himself coming down headlong, and falling from his former height of favour, or honour, they are also called in question, and to fall together with him, that might otherwise have stood long enough on their own legs if they had not trusted to such an arm of flesh, such a broken staff that deceived them. Th. Gataker's Parley with Princes. Nulla fides pietasque viris, &c. 24. Riches cannot follow us out of this world. RICHES, though they have alas aqilinas, great eagles' wings, to fly away from us whilst we are here in this world, yet have ne passerinas quidem, not so much as little sparrows' wings to fly after us and follow us when we go hence. Nihil attulisti, nihil hinc attolles, We brought nothing into this world, neither shall we carry anything hence. Naked came we into this world, and stark naked must we return again. * Th. Gataker's True Contentment in God's way, a Sermon, 1619. *Job i. 21. 25. Not to be over hasty in the desire of Fustice, for wrongs sustained. As one that hath been either robbed himself, or that hath his friend murdered, if he have the party apprehended, and laid fast in prison, is not presently out of patience, because he seeth him not instantly executed, but is well content quietly to expect the time of the assizes, though it be half a year after, as long as he is sure that he shall then have justice against him. So ought we not presently to fly out, because evil doers prosper or grow impatient, if we see not justice done instantly, so soon as our hasty hearts shall require it, upon those we suppose have wronged us, but rest content to stay God's leisure,*and to expect that day of His great assize when we shall be sure to have justice done us, according to that which the equity of our cause shall require ; remembering withal that all wicked ones are in the meanwhile in this world, as in God's gaol, under the chains of a guilty conscience, out of which there is no possible means of escape without judgment. Fran. Garcia Concionat. Evang. *Ecclesiastes viii. II. Th. Gataker's Carcer ejus est cor ejus. Bernard. 26. God's Favour above the World's Contentments to a Godly Man. And So THE old Grecians, that had fed altogether on acorns before, after that bread came in amongst them, they made no reckoning of their mast any more, but kept it only for their swine. leathern and iron money began to grow out of request amongst the Lacedæmonians after that gold and silver came in use. when a man hath once found the favour of God in his heart, and the love of God in Christ hath once lighted on it and got assurance of it, he ceaseth then to be greedy of this world's trash, which is, in regard of it, but as dross or pebble stones to gold and diamonds, as mast to the best bread-corn; yea, rather of far less worth or value to that than either of these are to it. Eustath, in Homeri Iliad. Benefic. Th. Gataker's Gain of Godliness. Seneca de 27. A Good Heart is a Melting Heart. It is observed that gold is both the fairest and the most solid of all metals, yet is the soonest melted with the fire; others, as they are coarser, so more churlish and hard to be wrought on by a dissolution. Thus a sound and a good heart is easily melted into fear and sorrow for sin, by the sense of God's judgments, whereas the carnal mind is stubborn and remorseless. All metals are but earth, yet some are of a finer temper than others; all hearts are flesh, yet some are through the power of grace more capable of spiritual apprehensions than others are. B. Hall's Occasional Meditat. Vilius argentum est auro. Horat. 28. An Idle Man subject to the least Temptation. SET a narrow-mouthed glass near to a bee hive, and you shall soon perceive how busily the wasps resort to it, being drawn thither by the smell of that sweet liquor wherewith it is baited; and how eagerly they creep into the mouth of it, and fall down suddenly from that slippery steepness into that watery trap, from which they can never rise, but after some vain labour and weariness they drown and die. Now there are none of the bees that so much as look that way; they pass directly to their hive without any notice taken of such a pleasing bait. Thus idle and ill-disposed persons are easily drawn away with every temptation; they have both leisure and will to entertain every sweet allurement to sin, and wantonly prosecute their own wicked lusts till they fall into irrecoverable damnation, whereas the diligent and laborious Christian that follows hard and conscionably the works of an honest calling, is free from the danger of those deadly enticements, and lays up honey of comfort against the winter of evil. B. Hall, ut antea. In promptu causa est, &c. Ovid. dant otia mentem. Lucan. Variam semper 29. A cheap Religion, the beloved Religion with most men. SAINT BASIL Complained of the covetous rich in his age, because they preferred only that kind of devotion which is without costas to pray for fashion, and fast out of miserableness; but they would not offer one halfpenny to the poor. Such are to be found in our days, who are content to hear God's Word read and preached, with their hats on their heads, and leaning on their elbows, and (if need be) they will make bitter invectives against Atheism and Popery; yet they are willing to serve God with that which cost them nought. Let but the parish impose an ordinary charge towards the necessary repairs of the church, or the pastor desire but some oil for his lamp-accustomed offerings for his better subsistence-you shall have them as a bulrush in a wet place, so dry, that a penny is as easily screwed from them as a new coat from a child, or a sword from a soldier enraged. Sermon in divites avaros. J. Boys' Sermons. Φασηλιτῶν θῦμα. Zenodotus. 30. Charity to the Poor to be real, not verbal, WE read in our chronicles of King Oswald, that as he sat at table, when a fair silver dish, full of regal delicacies, was set before him, and he ready to fall to, hearing from his almoner that there were great store of poor at his gates piteously crying out for some relief, did not fill them with words, as, God help them, God relieve them, God comfort them, &c.,*but commanded his steward presently to take the dish off the table and distribute the meat, then beat the dish all in pieces and cast it among them. This was true charity. Words, be they never so adorned, clothe not the naked: be they never so delicate, feed not the hungry; be they never so zealous, warm not him that is starved with cold; be they never so oily, cure not the wounded; be they never so free, set not them free that are bound, visit not the sick or imprisoned. Beda Hist. lib. iii. cap. 6. *Fames ii. 16. R. Holdsworth's Sermon at St. Verbis non solvendum est quidquam. Terence. 31. Distractions will prove Destructions. BEFORE the destruction of the holy city and the temple, Josephus writeth of a man troubled in mind that ran about the city, crying, Woe to the city, woe to the temple, woe to the priests, woe to the people; and last of all, woe to myself: at which words he was slain on the walls by a stone out of a sling. Let us take away but two letters, turning woe into O, and his prophecy may prove our admonition. O that the world, O that this nation in the world, O that this great city of the nation, O that both city and country would yet be wise, and lay it to their hearts that our distractions will prove our destructions; that a kingdom divided within itself cannot long stand. In lib. de Bello Jud. * D. Featly, Clavis Mystica. Divide et impera. 32. Love for the most part is but comple mental. THE naturalists observe that the females of birds oftentimes lay eggs without cocks, but they are ova subventanea, eggs filled with wind, unfit to be hatched. Such is the issue of most men's love now a-days; it bringeth forth partus subventaneos, windy brats, good words, large promises, and happy wishes, but no deeds, little or no performance at all. Plinius, Ulysses Adrovand. Ornitholog. Aureos Montes. 33. A Great Folly not to provide for Heaven. It is a thing that the Emperor Caligula is laughed at in all stories. There was a mighty navy provided, well manned and victualled, and every one expected that the whole country of Greece should have been invaded, and so it might have been, but the emperor had another design in hand, and employed his soldiers to gather a company of cockle-shells and pebble stones, and so returned home again. Just such another voyage doth almost every man make here in this world, were the particulars but truly cast up. God hath given us so much time, it may be twenty, thirty, or forty years; it may be but a day or two more. In this time He hath furnished us with that which may be a means to conquer heaven itself. Now if we lay out this little only about wife or children, or to purchase a little wealth, is not this to spend money for that which is not bread? to labour for that which satisfieth not? Is not this the greatest folly that may be ? Sueton Hist. Xyphilinus, House of Mourning. Discite in hoc mundo supra mundum esse, &c. Ambros. lib. de Virgil. 34. No Personal Security to be had in time of Public Danger. And CICERO in his time laughed at the folly of those men, qui amissa republica piscinas suas fore salvas sperare videntur, who seemed to conceive such a windy hope that their fish-ponds and places of pleasure should be safe when the commonwealth was lost. we may well mourn over the security of most men in our times, such as look for personal safety in the midst of public danger; that take more care for their trifling fardels than the preservation of the ship they go in; but let such know for certain that, if the |