be will not leave thee unpunished. Because thy fins are forgiven thee, be not without fear to beap fin upon fin. Say not neither, The mercy of God is great, he will forgive my mani fold fins. For mercy and wrath come from bim, and bis indignation cometh upon unrepentant jinners. As if ye bould fay, Art thou frong and mighty? Art thou lufty and young? Haft thou the wealth and riches of the world? Or when thou haft finned, haft thou received no punishment for it? Let none of all these things make thee to be the flower to repent, and to return with fpeed unto the Lord: for in the day of punishment and of his fudden vengeance, they fhall not be able to help thee. And fpecially when thou art either by the preaching of God's word, or by fome inward motion of his holy Spirit, or elfe by fome other means called unto repentance, neglect not the good occafion that is miniftered unto thee, left, when thou wouldst repent, thou haft not the grace for to do it. For to repent is a good gift of God, which he will never grant unto them, who, living in carnal fecurity, do make a mock of his threatenings, or feek to rule his fpirit as they lift, as though his working and gifts were tied unto their will. Fifthly, the avoiding of the plagues of God, and the utter deftruction that by his righteous judgment doth hang over the heads of them all that will in no wife reJer. xxiv. turn unto the Lord: I will, faith the Lord, give them for a terrible plague to all the kingdoms of the earth, and for e reproach, and for a proverb, and for a curfe in all places where I ball caft them, and will fend the fword of famine, and the peftilence among them, till they be confumed out of the land. And wherefore is this? Because they hardened their hearts, and would in no wife return from their evil ways, nor yet forfake the wickednefs that was in their own hands, that the fiercenefs of the Lord's fury might depart from them. But yet this is nothing in comparifon of the intolerable and endiefs torments of hell-fire, which they fhall be fain to fuffer, who after their hardnefs of heart, that cannot repent, do heap unto themfelves wrath against the day of anger, and of the declaration of the juft judgment of God: whereas if we will repent, and be carnettly forry for our fin, and with a full purpofe and amendment of life flee unto the mercy of our God, and taking fure hold thereupon through faith in our Saviour Jefus Chrift, do bring forth fruits worthy of repentance, he will not only pour his manifold blettings upon us here in this world, but alfo at the laft, after the Rom. ii. painful painful travails of this life, reward us with the inheritance of his children, which is the kingdom of heaven, purchafed unto us with the death of his Son Jefus Chrift our Lord. To whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost be all praise, glory, and honour, world without end. Amen, AN HOMILY AGAINST Difobedience and wilful Rebellion. THE FIRST PART. S God the Creator and Lord of all things appointed his angels and heavenly creatures in all obedience to ferve and to honour his Majefty; fo was it his will that man, his chief creature upon the earth, should live under the obedience of his Creator and Lord: and for that caufe, God, as foon as he had created man, gave unto him a certain precept and law, which he (being yet in the state of innocency, and remaining in Paradife) fhould obferve as a pledge and token of his due and bounden obedience, with denunciation of death, if he did tranfgrefs and break the faid law and commandment. And as God would have man to be his obedient fubject, fo did he make all earthly creatures fubject unto man, who kept their due obedience unto man, fo long as man remained in his obedience unto God: in the which obedience if man had continued ftill, there had been no poverty, no difeafes, no ficknefs, no death, nor other miferies, wherewith mankind is now infinitely and moft miferably afflicted and oppreffed. So here appeareth the original kingdom of God over angels and man, and univerfally over all things, and of man over earthly creatures which God had made fubject unto him, and withal the felicity and bleffed ftate, which angels, man, and all creatures had remained in, had they continued in due obedience unto God their King. For as long as in this firft kingdom the fubjects continued in due obedience to God their King, 41. fo long did God embrace all his fubjects with his love, favour, and grace, which to enjoy is perfect felicity; whereby it is evident, that obedience is the principal virtue of all virtues, and indeed the very root of all virtues, and the cause of all felicity. But as all felicity and blef- Matt. iv. 9. fedness fhould have continued with the continuance of Matt. xxv. obedience; fo with the breach of obedience, and breaking John viii. in of rebellion, all vices and miferies did withal break in, 44. and overwhelm the world. The firft author of which rebellion, the root of all vices, and mother of all mifApoc. xii. chiefs, was Lucifer, firft God's moft excellent creature, 7 and moft bounden fubject, who, by rebelling against the Gen. iii. 1, Majefty of God, of the brighteft and moft glorious angel, Wifd. ii. is become the blackeft and moft foul fiend and devil; 24. and from the height of heaven is fallen into the pit and bottom of hell. 2 Pet. ii. 4. Jude 6. &c. Gen. iii. 8, 9, &c. 17, 23, 24, Here you may fee the firft author and founder of rebellion, and the reward thereof; here you may fee the grand captain and father of rebels; who perfuading the following of his rebellion against God their Creator and Lord, unto our firft parents Adam and Eve, brought them in high difpleafure with God, wrought their exile and banishment out of Paradife, a place of pleafure and goodness, into this wretched earth and vale of mifery; procured unto them forrows of their minds, mifchiefs, ficknefs, difeafes, death of their bodies; and, which is far more horrible than all worldly and bodily mifchiefs, he had wrought thereby Rom. v. their eternal and everlafting death and damnation, had 12, 19, &c.! not God by the obedience of his Son Jefus Chrift repaired that, which man by difobedience and rebellion had deftroyed, and fo of his mercy had pardoned and forgiven him of which all and fingular the premises the holy Scriptures do bear record in fundry places. Thus do you fee, that neither Heaven nor Paradise could fuffer any rebellion in them, neither be places for any rebels to remain in. Thus became rebellion, as you fee, both the firft and the greatest, and the very root of all other fins, and the firft and principal caufe both of all worldly and bodily miferies, forrows, difeafes, fickneffes, and deaths, and, which is infinitely worfe than all these, as is faid, the very caufe of death and damnation eternal alfo. After this breach of obedience to God, and rebellion against his Majefty, all mifchiefs and miferies breaking in therewith, and overflowing the world, left all things fhould come unto confufion and utter ruin, God forth-Gen. iii. with, by laws given unto mankind, repaired again the 17. Hh3 rule 16. Job xxxiv. rule and order of obedience thus by rebellion overthrown; and, besides the obedience due unto his Majesty, he not only ordained, that, in families and households, the wife Gen. iii. fhould be obedient unto her husband, the children unto their parents, the fervants unto their maflers; but also, when mankind increased, and fpread itfelf more largely over the world, he by his holy Word did conftitute and ordain in cities and countries feveral and fpecial governors and 2. x. 16, rulers, unto whom the refidue of his people fhould be Pfal. xviii. obedient. 30. & xxxvi. 7. Eccl. viii. & 17, 20. 50, XX. 6. & xxi. I. Prov. viii. 1, &c. As in reading of the holy Scriptures we fhall find in very many and almoft infinite places, as well of the Old Teftament as of the New, that kings and princes, as well the evil as the good, do reign by God's ordinance, and that fubjects are bounden to obey them; that God doth give princes wifdom, great power, and authority; that God defendeth them against their enemies, and destroyeth their enemies horribly; that the anger and difpleature of the prince is as the roaring of a lion, and the very mesfenger of death; and the fubject, that provoketh him to difpleafure, finneth against his own foul: with many other things concerning both the authority of princes and the duty of fubjects. But here let us rehearse two fpecial places out of the New Teftament, which may ftand in ftead of all other. The firft out of St. Paul's Epiftle to the Romans, and the thirteenth chapter, where Rom. xiii. he writeth thus unto all fubjects: Let every foul be fubje& unto the higher powers, for there is no power but of God, and the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore refifleth the power refifteth the ordinance of God; and they that refift fhall receive to themselves damnation. For princes are not to be feared for good works, but for evil. Wilt thou then be without fear of the power? Do well, fo fhalt thou have praife of the fame; for he is the minifter of "God for thy wealth: but if thou do evil, fear: for be beareth not the ford for nought, for he is the minifler of God, to take vengeance upon him that doth evil. Wherefore ye must be fubject, not because of wrath only, but also for confcience fake: for this caufe ye pay also tribute, for they are God's miniflers, ferving for the fame purpofe. Give to every man therefore bis due; tribute to whom tribute belongeth; custom to whom custom is due; fear to whom fear belongeth; bonour to whom ye owe bonour. Thus far are St. Paul's words. The fecond place is in St. Peter's Epifile, and the fecond chapter, whofe words are thefe: Submit yourfelves unto all manner of ordinances of man for r Pet. ii. 13, &c. the |