thinking that either we may help other, or other may help us by their good and charitable prayers in time to come. For, as the Preacher faith, When the tree falleth, Ecclef. xi. whether it be toward the fouth, or toward the north, in what place foever the tree falleth, there it lieth: meaning thereby, that every mortal man dieth either in the state of falvation or damnation, according as the words of the Evangelift John do alfo plainly import, faying, He that John iii. believeth on the Son of God hath eternal life: but he that believeth not on the Son fhall never fee life, but the wrath of God abideth upon him. Where is then the third place, which they call purgatory? Or where fhall our prayers help and profit the dead? St. Auguftine doth only ac- Lib. v. Hyknowledge two places after this life, heaven and hell. pogno. As for the third place, he doth plainly deny that there is any fuch to be found in all Scripture. Chryfoftom like- Chryfoft. in wife is of this mind, that, unless we wash away our fins in Heb. ii. this present world, we thall find no comfort afterward. And St. Cyprian faith, that, after death, repentance and Cyprian. forrow of pain fhall be without fruit; weeping alfo fhall contra Debe in vain, and prayer fhall be to no purpofe. Therefore he counfelleth all men to make provifion for themselves while they may, becaufe, when they are once departed out of this life, there is no place for repentance, nor yet for fatisfaction.

Homil. iv.

metrianum.

Let thefe and fuch other places be fufficient to take away the grofs error of purgatory out of our heads; neither let us dream any more, that the fouls of the dead are any thing at all holpen by our prayers: but, as the Scripture teacheth us, let us think that the foul of man, paffing out of the body, goeth ftraightways either to heaven, or elfe to hell, whereof the one needeth no prayer, and the other is without redemption. The only purgatory, wherein we must trust to be faved, is the death and blood of Christ, which if we apprehend with a true and steadfast faith, it purgeth and cleanfeth us from all our fins, even as well as if he were now hanging upon the crofs. The blood of 1 John i. Chrift, faith St. John, hath cleanfed us from all fin. The blood of Chrift, faith St. Paul, hath purged our confciences Heb. ix. from dead works, to ferve the living God. Alfo in another place he faith, We be fanctified and made holy by the offer- Heb. x. ing up of the body of Jefus Chrift done once for all. Yea, he addeth more, faying, With the one oblation of his blessed Ibidem. body and precious blood, he hath made perfect for ever and ever, all them that are fanctified. This then is that purgatory, wherein all Chriftian men muft put their whole trust

and

and confidence, nothing doubting, but if they truly repent them of their fins, and die in perfect faith, that then they fhall forthwith pafs from death to life. If this kind of purgation will not ferve them, let them never hope to be released by other men's prayers, though they should continue therein unto the world's end. He that cannot be faved by faith in Chrift's blood, how fhall he look to be delivered by man's interceffions? Hath God more refpect to man on earth, than he hath to Chrift in heaven? 1 John ii. If any man fin, faith St. John, we have an advocate with the Father, even Jefus Chrift the righteous, and he is the propitiation for our fins. But we must take heed that we call upon this advocate while we have space given us in this life, left, when we are once dead, there be no hope of falvation left unto us. For as every man fleepeth with his own cause, so every man fhall rife again with his own cause. And look in what ftate he dieth, in the fame ftate he shall be alfo judged, whether it be to falvation or damnation. Let us not therefore dream either of purgatory, or of prayer for the fouls of them that be dead: but let us earnestly and diligently pray for them which are exprefsly commanded in holy Scripture, namely, for kings and rulers, for minifters of God's holy word and facraments, for the faints of this world, otherwife called the faithful; to be fhort, for all men living, be they never fo great enemies to God and his people, as Jews, Turks, Pagans, Infidels, Heretics, &c. Then fhall we truly fulfil the commandment of God in that behalf, and plainly declare ourselves to be the true children of our heavenly Father, who fuffereth the fun to fhine upon the good and the bad, and the rain to fall upon the juft and the unjuft. For which, and all other benefits moft abundantly bestowed upon mankind from the beginning, let us give him hearty thanks, as we are moft bound, and praise his name for ever and ever. Amen.

AN

AN

· HOMILY

OF THE

Place and Time of Prayer.

GOD, through his almighty power, wisdom, and goodnefs, created in the beginning heaven and earth, the fun, the moon, the stars, the fowls of the air, the beafts of the earth, the fifhes in the fea, and all other creatures, for the ufe and commodity of man, whom alfo he had created to his own image and likenefs, and given him the ufe and government over them all, to the end he fhould use them in fuch fort, as he had given him in charge and commandment, and alfo that he fhould declare himself thankful and kind for all thofe benefits, fo liberally and fo graciously beftowed upon him, utterly without any deferving on his behalf. And although we ought at all times, and in all places, to have in remembrance, and to be thankful to our gracious Lord, according as it is written, I will magnify the Lord at all times: Pfal. xxxiv. and again, Wherefoever the Lord beareth rule, O my foul, Pfal. ciii. praife the Lord: yet it appeareth to be God's good will and pleasure, that we fhould at special times, and in fpecial places, gather ourselves together, to the intent his name might be renowned, and his glory fet forth in the congregation and affembly of his faints. As concerning the time which Almighty God hath appointed his people to affemble together folemnly, it doth appear by the fourth commandment of God: Remember, faith God, that thou keep holy the Sabbath-day. Upon the which day, as is plain in the Acts of the Apoftles, the people accuftomably Acts xiii. reforted together, and heard diligently the Law and the Prophets read among them. And albeit this commandment of God doth not bind Chriftian people fo ftraitly to obferve and keep the utter ceremonies of the Sabbathday, as it was given unto the Jews, as touching the forbearing of work and labour in time of great neceffity,

and

and as touching the precife keeping of the feventh day, after the manner of the Jews; for we keep now the first day, which is our Sunday, and make that our Sabbath, that is, our day of reft, in the honour of our Saviour Chrift; who as upon that day rose from death, conquering the fame most triumphantly: yet notwithstanding, whatfoever is found in the commandment appertaining to the law of nature, as a thing moft godly, moft juft, and needful for the fetting forth of God's glory, it ought to be retained and kept of all good Chriftian people. And therefore, by this commandment, we ought to have a time, as one day in a week, wherein we ought to reft, yea, from our lawful and needful works. For like as it appeareth by this commandment, that no man in the fix days ought to be flothful or idle, but diligently to labour in that state wherein God hath fet him: even fo, God hath given exprefs charge to all men, that upon the Sabbath-day, which is now our Sunday, they fhould cease from all weekly and work-day labour, to the intent that like as God himself wrought fix days, and refted the feventh, and bleffed and fanctified it, and confecrated it to quietnefs and reft from labour; even fo God's obedient people fhould use the Sunday holily, and reft from their common and daily bufinefs, and also give themselves wholly to heavenly exercises of God's true religion and fervice. So that God doth not only command the obfervation of this holy day, but alfo by his own example doth ftir and provoke us to the diligent keeping of the fame. Good natural children will not only become obedient to the commandment of their parents, but also have a diligent eye to their doings, and gladly follow the fame. So if we will be the children of our heavenly Father, we must be careful to keep the Christian Sabbathday, which is the Sunday, not only for that it is God's exprefs commandment, but also to declare ourselves to be loving children, in following the example of our gracious Lord and Father.

Thus it may plainly appear, that God's will and commandment was to have a folemn time and standing day in the week, wherein the people fhould come together and have in remembrance his wonderful benefits, and to render him thanks for them, as appertaineth to loving, kind, and obedient people. This example and commandment of God, the godly Chriftian people began to follow immediately after the afcenfion of our Lord Chrift, and began to choose them a standing day of the week to

come

come together in: yet not the feventh day, which the Jews kept; but the Lord's day, the day of the Lord's refurrection, the day after the feventh day, which is the first day of the week. Of the which day mention is made by St. Paul on this wife: In the first day of the Sab-1 Cor. xvi. bath, let every man lay up what he thinketh good; meaning for the poor. By the firft day of the Sabbath is meant our Sunday, which is the firft day after the Jews' seventh day. And in the Apocalypfe it is more plain, whereas St. John faith, I was in the Spirit upon the Lord's day. Apoc. i. Sithence which time God's people hath always, in all ages, without any gainfaying, ufed to come together upon the Sunday, to celebrate and honour the Lord's Numb. xv. bleffed name, and carefully to keep that day in holy reft and quietnefs, both man, woman, child, fervant, and ftranger. For the tranfgreffion and breach of which day, God hath declared himself much to be grieved, as it may appear by him, who, for gathering of flicks on the Sab- Numb. xv. bath-day, was ftoned to death. But, alas! all these notwithstanding, it is lamentable to fee the wicked boldness of thofe that will be counted God's people, who pass nothing at all of keeping and hallowing the Sunday. And thefe people are of two forts. The one fort, if they have any bufinefs to do, though there be no extreme need, they must not fpare for the Sunday, they must ride and journey on the Sunday, they must drive and carry on the Sunday, they muft row and ferry on the Sunday, they muft buy and fell on the Sunday, they must keep markets and fairs on the Sunday: finally, they use all days alike, work-days and holy-days are all one. The other fort is warfe. For although they will not travel nor labour on the Sunday, as they do on the week-day; yet they will not rest in holiness, as God commandeth; but they rest in ungodlinefs and filthinefs, prancing in their pride, pranking and pricking, pointing and painting themselves, to be gorgeous and gay: they reft in excefs and fuperfluity, in gluttony and drunkenness, like rats and swine : they reft in brawling and railing, in quarrelling and fighting they reft in wantonnefs, in toyish talking, in filthy flefhlinefs; fo that it doth too evidently appear that God is more difhonoured, and the Devil better ferved on the Sunday, than upon all the days in the week befide. And I affure you, the beafts, which are commanded to rest on the Sunday, honour God better than this kind of people for they offend not God, they break not their holy-day. Wherefore, O ye people of God, lay your

hands