Four sermons preachedFoure sermons preached

Whilst the thief stealeth, the hemp groweth, and the hook is covered within the bait: we sit down to eat, and rise up to play, and from play to sleep, and a hundred years is counted little enough to sin in: but how many sins thou hast set on the score, so many kinds of punishments shall be provided for thee. Howe many years of pleasure thou hast taken, so many years of pain: how many drams of delight, so many pounds of dolour: when iniquity hath plaid her part, vengeance leaps upon the stage, the comedy is short, but the tragedy is longer: the black guard shall attend upon you, you shall eat at the table of sorrow, and the crown of death shall be upon your heads, many glistering faces looking on you, and this is the fear of sinners: when the devil hath enticed them to sin, he presumeth like the old Prophet in the book of Kings, who when he had enticed the young Prophet contrary to the commandment of God, to turn home with him and to eat and drink, he cursed him for his labour, because he disobeyed the commandment of the Lord, and so a Lyon devoured him by the way. The foolish virgins think that their oil will never be spent: so Dinah straggled abroad, whilst she was deflowered: what a thing is this to say rejoice, and then repent? What a blank to say, take thy pleasure, and then thou shalt come to judgement? It is as if he should say, steal & be hanged, steal & thou darest, strangle sin in the cradle, for all the wisdom in the world will not help thee else: but thou shalt be in admiration like dreamers which dream strange things, and know not how they come. He saith, Remember judgement: if thou remember always, then thou shalt have little list to sin: if thou remember this, then thou shalt have little list to fall down to the devil, though he would give thee all the world, and the glory thereof. Solomon saith, ⟨image 4⟩the weed groweth from a weed to a cockle, from a cockle to a bramble, from a bramble to a brier, from a brier to a thorn: Lying breeds perjury, perjury breeds haughtiness of hart: haughtiness of hart breeds contempt: contempt breeds obstinacy and brings forth much evil.

Whilest the theefe stealeth, the hempe groweth, and the hooke is couered within the baite: we sit downe to eate, and rise vp to playe, and from playe to sleepe, and a hundreth yeeres is counted little enough to sin in: but how many sinnes thou hast set on the score, so many kindes of punishments shall be prouided for thee. Howe manye yeares of pleasure thou hast taken, so many yeeres of payne: how many drams of delight, so many poundes of dolour: when iniquitie hath playd her parte, vengeance leapes vpon the stage, the comedie is shorte, but the tragedie is longer: the blacke guarde shall attend vpon you, you shall eate at the table ofsorrowe, and the crowne of death shall bee vpon your heads, manye glistring faces looking on you, and this is the feare of sinners: when the deuill hath entised them to sinne, hee presumeth like the olde Prophet in the booke of Kings, who when he had entised the yong Prophet contrary to the commaundement of God, to turne home with him and to eate and drinke, he cursed him for his labour, because hee disobeyed the commaundement of the Lord, and so a Lyon deuoured him by the way. The foolish virgins thinke that their oile wil neuer be spent: so Dina stragled abroad, whilest she was defloured: what a thing is this to saie reioyce, and then repent? What a blanke to say, take thy pleasure, and then thou shalt come to iudgement? It is as if he should say, steale & be hanged, steale & thou darest, strangle sin in the cradle, for all the wisedome in the world will not help thee else: but thou shalt bee in admiration like dreamers which dreame strange thinges, and knowe not how they come. He saith, Remember iudgement: if thou remember alwaies, then thou shalt haue little list to sinne: if thou remember this, then thou shalt haue little list to fall downe to the diuell, though hee woulde giue thee all the world, and the glorie thereof. Salomon saith,