it. Prefumption and arrogancy are the mother of all error; and humility needeth to fear no error. For humility will only fearch to know the truth; it will search, and will bring together one place with another, and where it cannot find out the meaning, it will pray, it will afk of others that know, and will not prefumptuously and rafhly define any thing which it knoweth not. Therefore the humble man may fearch any truth boldly in the Scripture, without any danger of error. And if he be ignorant, he ought the more to read and to fearch holy Scripture, to bring him out of ignorance. I fay not nay, but a man may profit with only hearing; but he may much more profit with both hearing and reading. This have I faid as touching the fear to read, through ignoScripture in rance of the perfon. And concerning the harduels of fome places Scripture; he that is fo weak that he is not able to brook in fome ftrong meat, yet he may fuck the fweet and tender milk, places hard and defer the reft until he wax ftronger, and come to to be un- more knowledge. For God receiveth the learned aud un

is easy, and

derstood.

no man un

will to

know his word.

learned, and cafteth away none, but is indifferent unto all. And the Scripture is full, as well of low valleys, plain ways, and ealy for every man to use and to walk in ; as alfo of high hills and mountains, which few men can God leaveth climb unto. And whofoever giveth his mind to holy taught, that Scriptures with diligent study and burning defire, it canhath good not be, faith St. Chryfoftom, that he should be left without help. For either God Almighty will fend him fome godly doctor to teach him, as he did to inftruct the Eunuch, a nobleman of Ethiopia, and treasurer unto Queen Candace, who having affection to read the Scripture, (although he understood it not,) yet, for the defire that he had unto God's word, God fent his Apoftle Philip to declare unto him the true fenfe of the Scripture that he read; or elfe, if we lack a learned man to inftruct and teach us, yet God himself from above will give light unto our minds, and teach us those things which are neceffary How the for us, and wherein we be ignorant. And in another knowledge place St. Chryfoftom faith, that man's human and worldly ture may be wisdom or fcience is not needful to the understanding of attained Scripture, but the revelation of the Holy Ghoft, who infpireth the true meaning unto them, that with humility Matt. vii. and diligence do fearch therefore. He that afketh fhall A good rule bave, and be that feeketh fball find, and be that knocketb for the un- ball bave the door opened. If we read once, twice, or derstanding thrice, and underftand not, let us not ceafe fo, but ftill ture. continue reading, praying, afking of others, and fo by

of the Scrip

unto.

of Script

from the

fill knocking, at the laft, the door fhall be opened; as St. Auguftin faith, Although many things in the Scripture be spoken in obfcure myfteries, yet there is nothing spoken under dark myfteries in one place, but the felffame thing in other places is spoken more familiarly and plainly, to the capacity both of learned and unlearned. And those things in the Scripture that be plain to under- No man is ftand, and neceffary for falvation, every man's duty is to excepted learn them, to print them in memory, and effectually to knowledge exercise them. And as for the dark myfteries, to be con- of God's tented to be ignorant in them, until fuch time as it fhall word, please God to open those things unto him. In the mean season, if he lack either aptnefs or opportunity, God will not impute it to his folly but yet it behoveth not, that fuch as be apt fhould fet afide reading, because some other be unapt to read; nevertheless, for the hardness of fuch places, the reading of the whole ought not to be set apart. And briefly to conclude, as St. Auguftin faith, What perby the Scripture all men be amended, weak men be fons would ftrengthened, and ftrong men be comforted. So that furely none be enemies to the reading of God's word, continue. but fuch as either be fo ignorant, that they know not how wholesome a thing it is; or else be fo fick, that they hate the moft comfortable medicine that fhould heal them; or fo ungodly, that they would with the people ftill to continue in blindness and ignorance of God.

have igno

rance to

God's chief

ufe, and

Thus we have briefly touched fome part of the com- The holy modities of God's holy word, which is one of God's chief Scripture and principal benefits, given and declared to mankind is one of here on earth. Let us thank God heartily for this his benefits. great and special gift, beneficial favour, and fatherly providence; let us be glad to receive this precious gift of our heavenly Father; let us hear, read, and know these holy The right rules, injunctions, and ftatutes of our Chriftian religion, reading, and upon that we have made profeffion to God at our fruitful ftubaptifm; let us with fear and reverence lay up, in the dying in cheft of our hearts, thefe neceffary and fruitful leffons; holy Scriplet us night and day mufe, and have meditation and con- Palm 1. templation in them; let us ruminate, and, as it were, chew the cud, that we may have the fweet juice, fpiritual effect, marrow, honey, kernel, tafte, comfort, and confolation of them; let us ftay, quiet, and certify our confciences, with the most infallible certainty, truth, and perpetual affurance of them: let us pray to God (the only Author of these heavenly ftudies) that we may speak, think, believe, live, and depart hence, according to the whole

B 4

ture.

wholesome doctrine and verities of them. And, by that means, in this world we fhall have God's defence, favour, and grace, with the unfpeakable folace of peace, and quietnefs of confcience; and after this miferable life we fhall enjoy the endlefs blifs and glory of heaven: which he grant us all, that died for us all, Jefus Chrift, to whom, with the Father and the Holy Ghoft, be all honour and glory, both now and everlastingly.

A SER

A

SERMON

OF THE

Mifery of Mankind, and of his Condemnation to Death everlafting, by his own Sin.

THE

HE Holy Ghost, in writing the holy Scripture, is in nothing more diligent than to pull down man's vain-glory and pride, which of all vices is most univerfally grafted in all mankind, even from the first infection of our firft father Adam. And therefore we read in many places of Scripture many notable leffons against this old rooted vice, to teach us the most commendable virtue of humility, how to know ourselves, and to remember what we be of ourselves. In the book of Genefis, Almighty Gen. iij. God giveth us all a title and name in our great grandfather Adam, which ought to warn us all to confider what we be, whereof we be, from whence we came, and whither we fhall, faying thus, In the fweat of thy face falt tbou eat thy bread, till thou be turned again into the ground: for out of it waft thou taken; in as much as thou art duft, into duft fbalt thou be turned again. Here (as it were in a glafs) we may learn to know ourselves to be but ground, earth, and afhes, and that to earth and ashes we shall re

turn.

Alfo, the holy patriarch Abraham did well remember this name and title, duft, earth, and afhes, appointed and affigned by God to all mankind: and therefore he calleth himself by that name, when he maketh his earnest prayer for Sodom and Gomorrah. And we read that Judith, Efther, Job, Jeremy, with other holy men and women in Jud. iv. g. the Old Testament, did use fackcloth, and to cast duft and Job xiii. afhes upon their heads, when they bewailed their finful Jer. vi. 26.

living.

Job xiv.

living. They called and cried to God for help and mercy, with fuch a ceremony of fackcloth, duft, and afhes, that thereby they might declare to the whole world, what an humble and lowly eftimation they had of themselves, and how well they remembered their name and title aforefaid, their vile, corrupt, frail nature, duft, Wild. vii. earth, and afhes. The Book of Wifdom alfo, willing to pull down our proud ftomachs, moveth us diligently to remember our mortal and earthly generation, which we have all of him that was first made: and that all men, as well kings as fubjects, come into this world, and go out of the fame, in like fort: that is, as of ourfelves, full miferable, as we may daily fee. And Almighty God commanded his prophet Ifaiah to make a proclamation, and Ifaiah xl. cry to the whole world: and Ifaiah asking, What shall I cry? the Lord anfwered, Cry, that all flesh is grafs, and that all the glory thereof is but as the flower of the field : when the grass is withered, the flower failetb away, when the wind of the Lord bloweth upon it. The people jurety is grafs, the which drieth up, and the flower fadeth away. And the holy man Job, having in himself great experience of the miferable and finful estate of man, doth open the fame to the world in these words: Man, faith he, that is born of a woman, living but a short time, is full of manifold miferies: he springeth up like a flower, and fadeth again; vanifbeth away as it were a fhadow, and never continuetb in one flate. And doft thou judge it meet, O Lord, to open thine eyes upon fuch a one, and to bring bim to judgment with thee? Who can make him clean, that is conceived of an unclean feed? and all men of their evilnefs, and natural pronenefs, be fo univerfally given to fin, that, as the Scripture faith, God repented that ever be made man. And by fin his indignation was fo much provoked against the world, that he drowned all the world with Noah's flood, (except Noah himself, and his little houfhold.) It is not without great cause that the Scripture of God doth fo many times call all men here in this world by this word, earth: 0 thou earth, earth, Jer. xxii. earth, faith Jeremiah, bear the word of the Lord. This our right name, calling, and title, earth, earth, earth, pronounced by the prophet, fheweth what we be indeed, by whatsoever other ftyle, title, or dignity, men do call us. Thus he plainly named us, who knoweth beft, both what we be, and what we ought of right to be called. And thus he fetteth us forth, fpeaking by his faithful Apoftle St. Paul: All men, Jews and Gentiles, are under

Gen. vii.