Riches of mercy to men in misery, or, Certain excellent treatises concerning the dignity…

Perhaps thou hast not; but there is the spiritual plague ¹and judgement which the Lord hath put upon thee, as a revenge for thy unworthy receiving of the Sacrament. When John Baptist came to preach, the Scripture saith he brought the axe with him, not that men were to be cut off from their natural life; but the meaning is, when men abuse these holy Ordinances, and will not receive the offer of the Gospel, and will not profit by the Gospel. When we do but preach the Gospel only to your ears, and no more, the Lord commonly smites such souls with spiritual judgements; he gives up such souls to hardness of heart: therefore when you come hither, ask your selves this question, what grace have I in my heart? have I any life, any stomach, any taste to feed upon the Lord in the Sacrament? have I white raiment to cover my nakedness? if not, what do I here? You shall see in 1 Cor. 10. when men offer to come to this Sacrament without grace, what saith the Apostle? Do you provoke the Lord to anger? are ye stronger then he? that is, the Lord takes it as a provocation to his face, as if ye did despite the very spirit of grace: and so afterward saith he, •e cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of devils, ye cannot partake of the Table of the Lord and the Table of devils; and therefore for a man to come to this holy Sacrament, and not cleanse himself from all pollution and filthiness of flesh and spirit, but will be partaker of the Lords Table, and join with it filthiness which should be abhorred, in so doing he provokes the Lord to anger; and what follows that? The Lord will put his strength against him to destroy ⟨p. 192⟩him, Are ye stronger then he? Therefore if I might but obtain so much, let me entreat you to enter into consideration of this.

Perhaps thou hast not; but there is the spiritual plague ¹and judgement which the Lord hath put upon thee, as a revenge for thy unworthy receiving of the Sacrament. When Iohn Baptist came to preach, the Scripture saith he brought the ax with him, not that men were to be cut off from their natural life; but the meaning is, when men abuse these holy Ordinances, and will not receive the offer of the Gospel, and will not profit by the Gospel. When we do but preach the Gospel onely to your ears, and no more, the Lord commonly smites such souls with spiritual judgements; he gives up such souls to hardness of heart: therefore when you come hither, ask your selves this question, what grace have I in my heart? have I any life, any stomack, any taste to feed upon the Lord in the Sacrament? have I white raiment to cover my nakedness? if not, what do I here? You shall see in