4 A. ) FourePrinciplesconcer On the Saturda after aingfecrecieinfinning. ÿ Sincannorbee concealed fro c °d' sinwhack is geroustothe gerous to the when it irdit. eouerea. I* 7. offecrecie,takesoffthiscloakewhich he cafteth ouer vs, and difclofeth thofe our fecret finnes,when hehath amind toopen our fharne. Dauid beeing a wife and difcrcet King, tookeextraotdinariecare for theconcealingofhis adtilterie; Farfrtantimbreconculcabunt me, tofeci abfcondite : bee carried thebufineffc fo clofcly, that he thought itfhould not bedifèouered'; but by thofe Letters that hewrote vnro the Generali of hisArmie, That hefhould pur Prtur inthe fore- front of thebattailc, andwhere the greateft danger ofdeathwas ; leab finely out Dauidsdrift, and (hewed theKings Letter toRimeof his Captaines ; who didblafpheme God, for that he hadfeta Kingouertheru, who for tofatisfic his Iuft,fet fò little by the life offo braueandvaliantaSouldier, and fo feruiceable as Prins was,and fowell defèruingofhis Maieftie. The fecond, That though a finnebe kept fecret from the eyes ofmen,yet is it not poffiblethat it fhould beehid from theall-feeing eye of God. TheSwine bath netfocleereaneyefightasGeeI hash ;The Sunnepierceth into the bowel's of theearth, it difcouereth thebortomeoftheDeepe : inthe one he hathcertaine Shops or Worke-houfes,wherein gold,filucr,and pretious ftones arewrought; in the other, Pearle,and diuersother rich commodities,as Coral!, Amber , and the like. But although the Sun reacheth to the vtmoft cornersof the earth, and the moft hidden fecret places of this Vniuerfe,by hisvertue andheat; yet ate theremanywhich he cannotcome neerevnto withhis light and fplendor : but from the eyes ofGod there is notthat veineor leaft crannie in the earth nor that fliell, thoughneuer fo finall in th"e-fe-a, that canhide it felfe 3 Sicut tenebre inns, ita& lumen eiue, As thedarkeneffe is hù,ja rr the 1ght alto. In that beginning when God createdthe World,he diuided the night from theday, and the light fromdarkeneffe : but this was done for humane eyes-, but to thofediuinei eyes there is no night at all , and innumerable are thole places ofScripture Which prooue the truthhereof vnto vs. The third, That Godmany times affoorelsvs agreater fauour inpublifhing a fecret finne, than in letting it lie hid and referued againft thedayof Wrath, for our eternalland publique confufion. TheSchoolemenmake aquellion,Wh"ich isthe more rieuous the publique plain that g' 1 P l l' cafe, thepublique carrieswith it more grieuouscircumftancesof fcandal,harme,and infection and therefore Dauid'tiles itaPlague orPeftilence : but the fecret fin isalways moredangerous, becaufe it is inCome fort incurable;thereis no neigh- bour toadmonifh theeof it, nowitnefle todenunciate againftthee,nornojudge to punifhthee forit, nor noPrelat to reprehend thee therefore; for finne once reprehended in perlons that haue any fhame inthem in the world , turnes to amendment. SaintAuguflinereports inhis Confeflrons, That his "motherhad two Maidfertiants,oneawell orownewench,the othera littlegirle; and that when they went for Wine to theTauerne, thebigger woulddrinkeagood hearrie draught,the leffer didbut lipa little ; but by lip after lip fhe grew bydegrees to beagoodproficient : and fallingout oneday before their miftreffe, the bigger complainedofthe leffer, That fhe did drinkevpthe Wine; whereof thee was foafhamed,that fluewould neuerafterfo much as offer to take it: Publique fins, all labour toamend : Whenahoufe is onfire, there isnotthat Tyler or Carpen- ter , orany neeredweller , but will haftin and helpeall theycanto quench it. Secret limes are like a fmokiefire, which lies fmothering & notflamingforth, wafts andconfumes inwardly : and thisis thecaufe that itis conferued and con- tinuedlike afecret Impoftume, whichoccafioneth ourdeathbecaufeit cannot be cured. Vponc.áchans finnetheydid cartlotsbyTribes,byhoufeholds, and by
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