ing any hope that may be in themselves) so if they would constantly or stedfastly believe, that God's mercy is the remedy appointed against despair and distrust, not only for them, but generally for all that be sorry and truly repentant, and will therewithal stick to God's mercy, they may be sure they shall obtain mercy, and enter into the port or haven of safeguard, into the which whosoever doth come, be they beforetime never so wicked, they shall be out of danger of everlasting damnation, as God by Ezekiel saith, What time soever a sinner doth return, and take earnest and true repentance, I will forget all his wickedness (Ezek. xxxiii. 14-16, 19).

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The other, as they be ready to believe God's promises, Against pre- so they should be as ready to believe the sumption. threatenings of God: as well as they should believe the law, as the gospel: as well that there is an hell and everlasting fire, as that there is an heaven and everlasting joy as well they should believe damnation to be threatened to the wicked and evil-doers, as salvation to be promised to the faithful in word and works; as well they should believe God to be true in the one, as in the other. And the sinners, that continue in their wicked living, ought to think that the promises of God's mercy, and the gospel, pertain not unto them being in that state, but only the law, and those Scriptures which contain the wrath and indignation of God, and his threatenings, which should certify them, that as they do over-boldly presume of God's mercy, and live dissolutely; so doth God still more and more withdraw his mercy from them, and he is so provoked thereby to wrath at length, that he destroyeth such presumers many times suddenly. For of such St. Paul said thus, When they shall say, It is peace, there is no danger, then shall sudden destruction come upon them (1 Thess. v. 3). Let us beware therefore of such naughty boldness to sin. For God, which hath promised his mercy to them that be truly repentant, (although it be at the latter end) hath not promised to the presumptuous sinner, either that he shall have long life, or that he shall have true repentance at the last end. But for that purpose hath he made every man's death uncertain, that he should not put his hope in the end, and in the mean season (to God's high displeasure) live ungodly. Wherefore, let us follow the counsel of the wise man, "let us make no tarry

ing to turn unto the Lord: let us not put off from day to day, for suddenly shall his wrath come, and in time of vengeance he will destroy the wicked." Let us therefore turn betimes, and when we turn let us pray to God, as Hosea teacheth, saying, Forgive all our sins, receive us graciously (Hosea xiv. 2). And if we turn to him with an humble and a very penitent heart, he will receive us to his favour and grace for his holy name's sake, for his promise sake, for his truth and mercies' sake, promised to all faithful believers in Jesus Christ, his only natural Son: to whom the only Saviour of the world, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, be all honour, glory, and power, world without end. Amen.

[Suitable Prayers after reading the foregoing Homily.

ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, whose righteousness is like the strong mountains, and thy judgements like the great deep; . . . teach us . . . so to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. And grant, that neither the splendor of any thing that is great, nor the conceit of any thing that is good in us, may withdraw our eyes from looking upon ourselves as sinful dust and ashes; but that, . . we may press forward to the prize of the high calling that is before us, in faith and patience, humility and meekness, mortification and self-denial, charity and constant perseverance unto the end: And all this for thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ his sake; to whom with thee and the Holy Ghost be all honour and glory, world without end. Amen.-Office for the 30th of Jan.

Or this,-For persons troubled in mind or in conscience. O BLESSED Lord, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comforts; We beseech thee, look down in pity and compassion upon us thy afflicted servants. Thou writest bitter things against us, and makest us to possess our former iniquities; thy wrath lieth hard upon us, and our souls are full of trouble: But, O merciful God, who hast written thy holy Word for our learning, that we, through patience and comfort of thy holy Scriptures, might have hope; give us a right understanding of ourselves, and of thy threats and promises; that we may neither cast away our confidence in thee, nor place it anywhere but in thee. Give us strength against all our temptations, and heal all our distempers. Break not the bruised reed, nor quench the smoking flax. Shut not up thy tender mercies in displeasure; but make us to hear of joy and gladness, that the

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bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Deliver us from fear of the enemy, and lift up the light of thy countenance upon us, and give us peace, through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.-The Visitation of the Sick.

THAT it may please thee to bring into the way of truth all such as have erred, and are deceived; . . . . to strengthen such as do stand; and to comfort and help the weak-hearted; and to raise up them that fall; We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.-Litany.

BRETHREN, take we heed betime, while the day of salvation lasteth; for the night cometh, when none can work. But let us, while we have the light, believe in the light, and walk as children of the light; that we be not cast into utter darkness, where is weeping and gnashing of teeth. Let us not abuse the goodness of God, who calleth us mercifully to amendment, and of his endless pity promiseth us forgiveness of that which is past, if with a perfect and true heart we return unto him.-Commination Service.

AFTER We have received the Holy Ghost, we may depart from grace given, and fall into sin, and by the grace of God we may arise again, and amend our lives. And therefore they are to be condemned, which say, they can no more sin as long as they live here, or deny the place of forgiveness to such as truly repent.—Art. xvi.

FOR curious and carnal persons, lacking the Spirit of Christ, to have continually before their eyes the sentence of God's Predestination, is a most dangerous downfall, whereby the Devil doth thrust them either into desperation, or into recklessness of most unclean living, no less perilous than desperation.

Furthermore, we must receive God's promises in such wise, as they be generally set forth to us in Holy Scripture: and, in our doings, that Will of God is to be followed, which we have expressly declared unto us in the Word of God.-Article xvii.

Every man ought, in remembering the sins of his life past, wholly to mislike himself, to be angry with himself, and to be a severe judge of his own faults, and to give sentence and pronounce judgment of himself, to the intent he abide not the grievous judgment of God in his wrath.-Nowell's Catechism, p. 77.

We thrust not ourselves in, proudly and arrogantly, as if we were worthy, but we come to him in the name, and upon the trust of Christ our Mediator, by whom the door being opened to us, though we be most base, silly wretches, made of clay and slime, oppressed with conscience of our own sins, we shall not be forbidden to enter, nor shall have hard access to the majesty of God, and to the obtaining of his favour.-Ibid. p. 87.]

OF DEATH.

It is not to be marvelled that worldly men do fear to die. For death depriveth them of all worldly honours, riches, and possessions, in the fruition whereof the worldly man counteth himself happy, so long as he may enjoy them at his own pleasure: and otherwise, if he be dispossessed of the same, without hope of recovery, then he can none otherwise think of himself, but that he is unhappy, because he hath lost his worldly joy and pleasure. Alas, thinketh this carnal man, shall I now depart for ever from all my honours, all my treasure, from my country, friends, riches, possessions, and worldly pleasures, which are my joy and heart's delight? Alas that ever that day shall come, when all these I must bid farewell at once, and never enjoy any of them after. Wherefore it is not without great cause spoken of the wise man, "O death, how bitter and sour is the remembrance of thee to a man that liveth in peace and prosperity in his substance, to a man living at ease, leading his life after his own mind without trouble, and is therewithal well pampered and fed!" (Ecclus. xli.) There be other men, whom this world doth not so greatly laugh upon, but rather vex and oppress with poverty, sickness, or some other adversity; yet they do fear death, partly because the flesh abhorreth naturally his own sorrowful dissolution, which death doth threaten unto them, and partly by reason of sicknesses and painful diseases, which be most strong pangs and agonies in the flesh, and use commonly to come to sick men before death, or at the least accompany death, whensoever, it cometh.

Although these two causes seem great and weighty to a worldly man, whereupon he is moved to fear death, yet there is another cause much greater than any of these afore rehearsed, for which indeed he hath just cause to fear death; and that is the state and condition whereunto at the last end death bringeth all them that have their hearts fixed upon this world, without repentance and amendment. This state and condition is called the second death, which unto all such shall ensue after this bodily death [Rev. xx. 6, 14; xxi. 8]. And this is that death,

which indeed ought to be dread and feared: for it is an everlasting loss without remedy of the grace and favour of God, and of everlasting joy, pleasure, and felicity. And it is not only the loss for ever of all these eternal pleasures, but also it is the condemnation both of body and soul (without either appellation, or hope of redemption,) unto everlasting pains in hell. Unto this state death sent the unmerciful and ungodly rich man, that Luke speaketh of in his Gospel; who living in all wealth and pleasure in this world, and cherishing himself daily with dainty fare, and gorgeous apparel, despised poor Lazarus, that lay pitifully at his gate, miserably plagued and full of sores, and also grievously pined with hunger. Both these two were arrested of death, which sent Lazarus, the poor miserable man, by angels anon unto Abraham's bosom; a place of rest, pleasure, and consolation: but the unmerciful rich man descended down into hell, and being in torments, he cried for comfort, complaining of the intolerable pain that he suffered in that flame of fire, but it was too late (Luke xvi, 19-26). So unto this place bodily death sendeth all them that in this world. have their joy and felicity, all them that in this world be unfaithful unto God, and uncharitable unto their neighbours, so dying without repentance and hope of God's mercy. Wherefore it is no marvel, that the worldly man feareth death; for he hath much more cause so to do, than he himself doth consider. Thus we see three causes why worldly men fear death. One, because they shall The first. lose thereby their worldly honours, riches, possessions, and all their heart's desires: another, because Second. of the painful diseases, and bitter pangs, which commonly men suffer, either before or at the time of death but the chief cause above all other, is the dread of the miserable state of eternal damnation both of body and soul, which they fear shall follow, after their departing from the worldly pleasures of this present life.

Third.

For these causes be all mortal men (which be given to the love of this world) both in fear, and state of death, through sin (as the holy apostle saith) so long as they live here in this world (Heb. ii. 15). But (everlasting thanks be to Almighty God for ever) there is never a one of all these causes, no nor yet they all together, that can make a true Christian man afraid to die, (who is the very member of Christ, the temple of the Holy Ghost (1 Cor. iii. 16; [vi. 19]),