Sermon 3· andFAsT 1 No. compldne: itfJlleth not into His nature to doe it. But, ifHe could; if it were pof– fibleby any m~anes in the world, Hemt~ht; fuch are ourconrempts, fo many, and fo mighty, that we would force Hmno tt. . , . . · . z, Bur, s. Allgttjlinc's reafon IS more pratfed: Exprzmzt m Se, 111 exprzmat de te, Iri Himfelfe Heexprcflech them, rhat from u~ Hemay bnng them~ Shewerh Himfelfe inpajion,thatHemay move us ; and even mthat pafzonwhereto He would move us; As here now: As ingriife,H~ complameth ofus,that we mtght beg~tevec.l and ~omlain ofourfelvcs,tbat ever we g~veHtrn fuch cau[e: And fo confeguently, that we 195 P · ht berhink our [elves rogive redreffc ro tt; th:tt fo,Hts compbtnlll£ n11ght ceaf<'•J I mtg And-from the cornplaint,itis no hndmarrer to extract the redrelkr. To yeeld TheDivlJ;on; to but even as much, for Him (for,Him~ Nay; for our felvcs) as; every where dfe,. · , eufetodoe. z. Tofpeake that, whtch Go o fogladly. would heare. 3· To ~~~me that, which t~e poore :f~w les know,the feafon ofour ret11rne; and to take it,a~ they doe: Three wayes to gtve redreffe to the three former gnevances: ( Thefe three:) and the fame the three parts of this Text, orderly to be treated of. TO make Hismotionthe more reafonable,andHis complaint t11e morejufr,He makes them chancellors in their owne caufe: And, from their owne'Practice otherwhere, Go o frameth and putteth a Ca{e ; and putted1 it in qucfrion– w.ife: and therefore quefrion-wife, that they may anfwer i!, and an[wering it con– demne rhemfelves by a verdict fi·om their owne mourh.Wi/1they (this people)them– felves fall, &c. Is there any, that ifhe_t~~rne, &c.~ In effeet,as ifHe fhould fay: Goe whither you will, f.1rre or neere, was it ever heard or feene, that any man, ifhis foot 1Jipped and hee rooke af~ll; that hce would lye frtll hke a beafi and not up againe. tl:raight ~ Or ifheeloll hts way, that hee would wmmglygoe on, and not with all fpeed getinto it againe . . " . . . . ·. . I proceed then. Menrife,tfthey fall: andfin tsafall. We have taken up the term~ ourfelves, callingAdam's fin, Adam'sfall. A fall, indeed; for itfoztles as a fall ;Jor ithrulfes:isafall; foritbringerhdown'easafall; downe, fromthdfate of Paradife; downe tO the dufi o£death; downeto thebaneofjtidgement,downe to the pit ofhe//, Againe : Mentz~rne,when they erre; And, finne is an errour. No!'ne errant omnes, l'rov.•+·•>: &c. (faith Salomon) make you any doubt of it~ I doe not : No fure; an errour it is. What can be greater, than to goe in thewayes (of rvickcdne!Je) they fl1ould not, arid come totheend(ofmifery) they would nor. It is then afi</1andanerrour. Vpon which hejoyl)ethiffue,andinferreth thefifth verfe,.f2.!!_are ergo? and why then~ Ifthere be no people fo fottifll,thatwhen they. fall will lye fiill,or when rhey trre,goe on frill,why doethis people that,wh,_:l no peoplee!Ce will doe~ Nay, fee- :ingthey themfelves, ifthey be doJVne, get "P; :lnd,.ifaffray, turnebacke; how corn. rneth it to paffe, it holds not here too ~ That (here) theyfall, and rifenot~ flray, and returnenot ~FallandJlray(peccando)and nor rifeandret11me(pamitcndo?) Will evely people,and not they~ Nay, will they,every where clfe,and not here~ Every when! dfe, will they rift, ifthey fall; and turne againe, if they rurne away; and here, only. here,wtll theyfall, and not rife, turne away and not tttrneagaine ~ In every fall, in -every errourofthe feet,to doe it,and to doe it ofour felves; and in that 611, and that errour,_which toucheth Go o and ourfoules,byno meanes,by no cmreatieto begoe L doe lt ~ What dealing call you th!s ~ Yetthis is their firange dealing (f.1ith the 0 ~ n.) Both~hms and ours: Vl{h~ch Goo wonders at and comrlaineth of; and Whocancomplameof Hts wondenng, orwonderatHiscomp1aining ~ · . ( 1 But whatfpeakewe ofafall, or an erro11r? 'J:here is a word;in the _fi'frh verfe, · tle~ord of rebellion) makerh it more grievous. For it is (asifhdhouldfay)l wou d 1t\~erenorhing but afall, or turning away: I would it were not afall, D_rtHr– mngmvay tntoarebellion. Nay, !.would it were b11t that ·. but rekelfion; and not:\ per.pett~all rebellion: Bur,iris both: and that is it which I ca'mplai'ne:of• · ' . ' · S ~ Ther~ 'r) 3
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