And shall we then live thus? shall we thus die? shall we thus end our lives? shall we thus appear at the latter day, and not be ashamed? Shall adulterers, fornicators, whoremongers, covetous persons, come and stand before the judgment-seat of God, before the throne of his majesty, and not be ashamed? Is this the marriage-garment that we should be clad with? Are we those that are called to the feast by the Bridegroom? Are we Christ's brethren, and heirs of the kingdom of God? No. The wicked shall not arise in judgment, saith the prophet David; the ungodly shall not be able to stand in the judgment, neither the sinners in the congregation of the righteous, Psal. i.

Wo be unto them that run from God with a desperate mind; wo be unto them that wilfully forsake and fly from him. Gregory saith, "One sin linketh another, as one link of a chain holdeth the other." It is a horrible thing to turn from God; it is a terrible thing to fly from him; for if we turn from God, whither shall we go? If we fly from him, whither shall we run? Our own conscience, though we hide ourselves ever so close, shall be as a thousand witnesses against us; our own conscience shall utter and bewray us. Augustine saith, "If we do not indeed repent, we feign that we do repent ;" we only feign, saith he, that wo do repent, and so we mock with God.

But God will not be mocked of us; he will not be deluded by us; but we shall be ashamed and confounded when we appear before God; when we appear, I say, before the judgment-seat of God. But then what profit shall we have of that whereof we are ashamed? what advantage shall we then have of that whereof we are now ashamed? Let us consider, that we are flesh of God's flesh, bones of his bones, and members of his members. And therefore let us give over our whole bodies, let us give over all our members; let us give over our eyes, our ears, our tongues, our hearts, unto the homage and service of God. So shall we have profit of Christ our Saviour; so shall we have profit of his death and passion, and so shall Christ say unto us, Come ye blessed of my Father, and inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world. Amen.

EXTRACTS FROM OTHER SERMONS.

CHRISTIAN UNION.

Good brethren, let us lay aside all contention, all strife and debate, and let us look up unto heaven; let us cast our eyes thither, where is no rancour, no discord, no strife, no debate; let us fix our eyes, our hearts, and our whole minds on Jesus Christ; on him, I say, who, hanging on the cross, prayed for his persecutors, and said, O Father, forgive them, they wot not what they do. Let us imagine that we now behold him, and that he now spreadeth out his arms unto us, and saith, O thou sinful man, that slumberest in thy sins, and sleepest in thine own wickedness, awake; now is it time for thee to awake out of thy slumber, and arise from thy heavy sleep: remember, thou art a Christian man, consider thou art a limb of my limbs, a member of my body, the child of God, and coheir of my Father's kingdom.

You children of men, how long will you dwell in your old wickedness? how long will ye live in hatred one with another? how long will ye continue in rancour and strife? Shall I so forgive you as you forgive your neighbours? and shall I so pardon you your sins, as you pardon your brethren their offences? Oh! I forgave thee thy great debt, and wilt not thou forgive thy brother that little wherein he hath offended thee? I have paid his debt, I have paid the ransom for his trespass; if my blood be a sufficient ransom for the same, for that blood's sake of mine forgive him; if nought else will move thee, if thou wilt not for his own sake, yet for my sake pardon him.

Good brethren, we have long enough served the devil, the prince of this world; let us now serve God our Maker, and Christ our Redeemer. We have long enough, yea, too long, continued in rancour and malice one with another; let us now therefore, if there be any society between God and us, if there be in us any love of Christ, if there be any fear of God's wreak and vengeance, let us one forgive another; let every man forgive his Christian brother; let us all cast aside all rancour, strife, and debate, and so let us dwell together in unity, in brotherly love and concord.

This day we have heard God's gospel preached unto us, this day we have learned out of the word of God, that if we be Christians, we should live like Christians; if we be the children of God, we should live as becometh the children of God, without envy, without hatred, without strife or malice. Let us therefore now leave off our old contention and strife, let us even here, in this place, one forgive another, and so be reconciled one unto another, and say, O Lord, forgive us our sins, as we forgive them that trespass against us. This is our profession, this is our religion; hereunto are we called of God, appointed by Christ, and commanded by his holy word. Let us consider our white and hoary hairs, let us behold our rivelled skin, let us have always before our eyes the grave, whereunto we are creeping; let us consider that death daily hangeth over our heads. And shall we then in this sort live out the rest of our years? shall we thus die, and come to our graves?

Let us show ourselves in our works to be the children of God, and the brethren of Christ; let us not show ourselves Christians in name, and not in deed; let us not love in word alone, but in deed and verity; let us not requite evil with evil, one mischief with another, but let us, according to St. Paul's rule, Rom. xii. overcome evil with good, hatred with love, and so fulfil the law of God.

So shall God hold back his sword, though already drawn ; so shall he not smite us, though he hath bent his bow, prepared him the weapons of death, and ordained his arrows to destroy. But God shall continue our God, and remain with us for ever. Amen.

THE ZEAL TO BE SHOWN BY MINISTERS FOR THE SALVATION OF SOULS.

These things I speak now to them which have taken upon them the ministry of God's word, to them that have taken upon them to be guides unto the flock of Christ; to them I speak this, to put them in remembrance, that they never forget their message, that they forget not their duty, that they improve, rebuke, exhort, and control the people; that they be earnest and fervent, calling still upon them, both in time and out of time, in season and out of season; that they fulfil the office whereunto they are called; that their conscience may be found without spot; and, in conclusion, that they may plant, that they may water, and God may

give the increase; that they may both reform the ungodly, and encourage the godly.

And this have we in our commission, this is our duty, this will be required of us; and this if we do not, we shall be found faulty, for we are debtors unto all men, Rom. i. as well unto the page, as unto the prince; unto the poor, as unto the rich; unto the foolish, as unto the wise; unto the bad, as unto the good. And therefore, my brethren, even for this cause alone, all good and godly preachers, and such as were sent from God, have ever been so zealous, and have so much desired the salvation of God's people.

O my brethren, consider the zealous heart that Moses, the zealous affection that Paul, had unto the salvation of the people. What think you is it to be stricken out of the book of life? what think you is it to be a man accursed, and to have portion among reprobates? Moses was content to be

blotted out of the book of life, so that the people of Israel might be saved. St. Paul was content to be accursed, and cast from the face of God, so that God's people might not be cast to perdition.

Thus they, of an earnest heart and zealous love they bare to the congregation of God, wished their own destruction for the safeguard of others. Therefore also it behoves you, my brethren-you that are temporal men, it behoves you, on the other part, not to despise God's messengers, not to set light by them that preach you the gospel and glad tidings of your salvation.

Whensoever we hear the word of God preached, notwithstanding the preacher bear no pomp of eloquence or show of great learning, notwithstanding he be a simple and poor man; yet if he bring unto us the rule of Christ's gospel, if he teach us the will of God, and the glory of his word, let us not despise him; let us consider that he is God's messenger, and appointed by God to help us to salvation.

THE ACCEPTABLE TIME.

God saith, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee. These words are written in the prophecy of Isaiah, and they were pronounced by him, of the appearance of Christ our Saviour, and his coming into this world. And these words, thus spoken by the prophet, St. Paul here fitly applied to the preaching of Christ's gospel. For, like as our Saviour came

into the world at such time as Christ was born, so when the gospel is truly preached, and God's holy word sincerely taught us, then is Christ opened unto us; then is the acceptable time, and our salvation is wrought thereby.

Therefore St. Jerome, that holy father and old doctor of the church, saith, As often as we hear the gospel of Christ preached unto us, so oft the flesh and blood of Christ is poured into our ears. And these words of his do plainly and most evidently show us, how we should understand the eating of Christ's body and drinking of his most holy blood in the sacrament. These words, I say, may sufficiently teach us what is meant by the eating and drinking of Christ's body and blood. This is it that St. Paul here speaketh of, that they receive not the grace of God in vain. And whensoever the gospel of God is truly and sincerely preached, and is received accordingly, then is the acceptable time, then is the time of grace and salvation.

Oh, what a comfortable saying is this! Whensoever we hear the gospel taught us, whensoever we hear God's holy word preached unto us, then is the gate of salvation set open unto us, and then is the time of grace. And on the contrary part, when God's word is taken from us, and the light of his gospel hidden from our eyes, then is the gate of salvation shut upon us, and then is the time of perdition. But, alas! the time of grace, the acceptable time, the time of mercy and salvation, hath oftentimes but little continuance among us. Oftentimes it hath small time of abiding with us. For before Christ appeared, and was born into this world, for the space of four thousand years, the whole world, the Jews only excepted, was in ignorance and altogether blindness. And when Christ was born, when he once appeared, then was the acceptable time; then was the time of grace; then was the time of salvation.

Here some man will peradventure say, Why did God suffer the whole world so long to be in blindness? Why would he in that time have no respect to any other nation, but only to the nation of the Jews? This case is deep, and passeth our capacity to reason, it is above the reach of man's understanding, and therefore herein we have only to submit ourselves, to humble our hearts and our minds, and say with the apostle, O man, what art thou that findest fault with God? What art thou that reprovest the Almighty?

As God of his providence and good wisdom hath