Lecture 20 · 1 Thessalonians 5:4–7

THE XX. LECTVRE VPON THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE THESSALONIANS.

BRETHREN, ye heard, that it was a thing most sure and certaine, that the Lord Iesus will come againe to judge the quicke and the dead; ye heard againe in the beginning of this chapter the vncertaintie of the day and houre of his comming, vvhat age he shall come in, vvhat yeere he shall come, vvhat month, what day, vvhat houre, vvhether in the morning, noone-tyde, midnight, cockcrow, &c. No man knowes, neither is it reuealed neither is it a thing to be knowne, it is not for our well to knowe it, but for our wel to be ignorant of it; for, if we knew it, it would ingender a securitie in vs; the ignorance of it is, or, at the least, shold be, an occasion to vs of waking and preparation of vs, for it makes vs ready at what time soeuer he shall come to meete him. Alwaies when he shall come to the vngodly there shall be a destruction. Iudgement shall suddenly ouertake a great nomber of men and wemen that shall be found alyue at his comming, especiallie these who shall be glorying in the face of the world, saying, all is well, shall be suddenly striken, as the dolor commes on a woman with chylde, and they shall not escape,

Now to leaue all thinges taught before and to come to this present matter I haue read. The Thessalonians to whom the Apostle writes, hearing, that, at Christes comming there shall be a sudden destruction, might haue consaued a feare, (as no doubt some of them did) they might haue thought, that, that sudden destruction should haue ouertaken them at the comming of Christ. The Apostle meetes this feare, with a comfort, and he sayes, to them who were turned, who were translated from darknesse to light. Brethren (vsing an homely style) Ye are not in darknesse, the sudden destruction shall ouertake them onely, who at the comming of Christ shall be found in darknesse, lying in blindnesse, not knowing Christ: but, as for you, brethren, that day shal not come on you as a thief, that sudden destruction shall not light on you. Indeede, it is true, it shall come on you at vnawares, but it is as true, albeit it be vnawares, yet, it shall not destroy you: The reason is, because ye are not in darknesse, ye are translated out of that darknesse ye were before into, to light, to the light of Heauen, and so ye shall be found waking when the Lord shall come, and so ye ye shall escape that destruction that shall ouertake them who shall be found sleeping in grosse ignorance at that day. This is the meaning shortlie of the Apostle in this place. Now to marke something. Learne heere, first, when the judgementes of God are threatned, when mention is made of that latter judgement, and of that sudden destruction that shall be at Christes comming. Who are they that feares and trimbles? vvho are they that are striken vvith feare and terrour? It is not the wicked of the world that is lying in darknesse, in the ignorance of God and of Christ, that is feared for any threatning of a judgement. Threaten on a yeere, the wicked who is indured in heart will neuer be striken with feare; The vvicked mocks the iudgment of God. tell him of judgement, the judgement shall neuer moue him a whit. albeit it pertaine to him. Speake to him of the sudden destruction that shall be at Christs comming in the world, tell him, there shall be a day of count, and albeit he seeme in the mouth to acknowledge it; yet, he shall scorne it in his heart. Reade the second Epistle of Peter chap. 3. verse 4. There the mocker is brought in, saying, Where is the promise of his comming, for since the Fathers died, all thinges continue alyke from the beginning of of the creation. Christ indeede shall come to judge the quicke and the dead, there shall be a generall judgement, and a count and reckoning for all our actiones and vvorkes done in this world, good and euill, and a sudden destruction of the world: yet, tell the mocker of these thinges, he shall scorne them all, and he will thinke, all are but vaine fectlesse threatninges. Yea, not onely will the wicked contenine all the threatning of judgment, but also the verie judgement it selfe that is lighted on him, except it be all the heauier, he will contemne it. Read Fsay 9. 10. They say (sayes he) in the pryde of their heart, it is but bricke and clay houses that are casten dovvn to vs: (when the judgement commes on them) but vve shall build vp again houses of stone. Se the contēpt of the judgement of God. So except the judgement be the heauier, they shall contemne it, and scorne God in his face. Experience telles this. The Earle, the Lord, &c. wil say when his house is casten down in the just judgement of God, What matter that this house be casten down, I shall builde vp one farre better, but the Lord may make that new house fall about thy eares. So, the world will neuer know the judgements of God, vntil the judgement light on them to their destruction. Well then if the wicked fear not the judgments of God, then, who feares? the godly, they whom to the judgment of God pertains not: The godly feare gods iudgmēts. And I dar say, in Edinburgh the godliest is euer most feared for Gods judgments. The Lord is terrible when he commes in judgment. Paul speaking of that day of judgement. 2. Cor. 5. 11. he vtters the feare he had of it himselfe, Knovving, saies he, the terrors of the Lord, vve bring men to the Lord, that when he shall come in that terrible judgment we may finde mercy: Be not sensles at the threatning of God. If men had not bene seusles at the judgemēts of God, by famine these yeers bygone, this Pest had not comde: & if theribe not yet a greater fear of God, he shal strik on with his judgmēts.

Next I mark of this place. Who is it that is comforted against Gods judgementes? Consolations belong only to the godlie. To whom belongs consolations, promises, and speaches of comfort in the Scriptures? Speakes the Apostle to the Heathen that ly in ignorance and not conuerted to the faith of Christ? They feared not, where there is no feare nor down casting, it is foolishnesse to comfort. Whereto shold I comfort them who are lifted vp in pride? wherto shold I prease to lift vp him who is ouer high and conceatie alreadie. So, consolation, raising vp of the heart, promises of God, that serues to consolation pertaines nothing to the wicked, that hes no sense of miserie, and lyes in ignorance of God: nothing pertaines to them but threatning vpon threatning, judgement vpon judgement. And when they say, Peace, and all things sure; I may say, a sudden destruction shall ouertake them. And to the men in this land lying in a dead sleepe of this fleshly securitie, and crying Peace, when they are in the midst of harlotrie of murther, &c. I say a sudden destruction and vengence shall fall on them. This shall euer be my cry, vntill they feare and trimble, and haue a sense of their miserie. neuer another word to them, but judgement out of my mouth. Should I say to a man lying in darknesse, brother, ye are in the light, judgement shall not come on you? No, no: But I will say, the Lord shall come suddenly on thee with judgement to destroy thee. So, consolation pertaines to the godly onely: and who euer ye be that feares not Gods judgements, I bidde you in Gods name take no promise of comfort to you, no consolation, vntill ye be touched with a sense of miserie and feele your sins. Then to whom pertaines all the promises of consolation in the word of God? To the godly onely who hes their eyes opened to see God in the face of Christ, hes their heart opened to feele the grace of God through Christ, to them they appertaine: And therefore, ye shall finde in all the Prophetes when a judgement is threatned, immediately after the threatning, they subjoine a sweet consolation to the godly, least they should think the judgment to pertaine to them.

The third thing I note. Marke the cause heere, wherefore the Thessalonians shall escape that sudden destruction: Because ye are not in darknesse, Knovveledge of God in Christ the cause of escaping iudgement sayes he, therefore, that sudden destruction shall not ouertake you. Marke this cause. The ground of escaping this judgement, is, to be fred of darknesse, to be fred of this grosse ignorance, wherein we are inuolued by nature, and to be translated to the light of God, vvherein we may see the face of Christ and Heauen, and the glorie thereof. There is the ground. Whosoeuer shall be found lying in darknesse at Christes comming, albeit they be found lying waking and looking vp with bodilie eyes, 〈…〉 yet if they be in blindnesse in the soule, so that they can see nothing in Heauen, God nor Christ, judgement and destruction suddenlie shall ouertake them, and all their braines shall be beaten out ere they get leasure to cry God mercie. But againe, who euer they be that at Christes comming shall be found in the light, with the knowledge of God and Iesus Christ with some sight of Heauen, they shall escape and shall liue eternally. When the thiefe breakes in in an house, whom is it that he suddenly oppresses? Whom but these whom he findes sleeping with their eyes closed, he will cut their throats ere they be wakned. But when he breaks in on an house, and they who are in the house be waking on their guard, and ready for the danger, then the thief shal not preuaile. They will eschew the danger: so shal it be at Christs comming if he find thee sleeping sudden destruction shall ouertake thee; if he finde thee waking ready for the danger, thou shalt escape and liue. So ye see how needfull a thing it is to haue knowledge and light, that euery man may be saued. O what it is to knovve God, to knowe Christ to get a sight of Heauen and of the lyfe to come! Thy safetie consistes in it. Then againe see how dangerous a thing is ignorance, and specially the ignorance of God, to put off the day and the night in ignorance of God. Giue thee goode cheare, rest, play, honour in the world, thou wilt put off one day, two daies, three daies, thou wilt say, what care I more; but woe to thee when Christ commes. thou will be sleeping in sinne, sudden destruction shall ouertake thee: all this tendes to this end, ly not in drunkennesse, get knovveldge out of the vvorde, knovve God in tyme, knovve him in mercie: If thou knowe him not in mercy in this lyfe, thou shalt feele him in judgement at that great day of Iudgement. The Lord giue euerie one of vs grace to know him; that hauing the right knowledge of him which leads to saluation, we may at his comming be elected of him to raign in his euerlasting glory in the Heauens.

Novv that vvhich he had said before of darknesse, in the next verse he makes it more plaine, and sayes, for ye are the children of light, and of the day. That is to say, the fairest light that can be possible. For vvhat in this vvorlde is fairer nor the light of the Sunne and day light. As he vvoulde say, ye are not in the common light, but in the light of the Sunne that shynes most cleare; ye are not children of the night, but of the day. These tvvo vvill neuer stande together, to be the chylde of the night and of darknesse; and to be the chylde of the light and of the day. If thou be the chylde of light and day, it is impossible to thee for to be the chylde of the night and darkenesse. And if thou be the chylde of the night and darknesse, it is impossible thou can bee the chylde of the day and light. These tvvo can neuer agree both together. Tvvo Kingdomes cannot stand in thee. If God raigne not in thee, the Deuill must raigne in thee: and if God raigne in thee, the Deuill cannot raigne in thee. Indeed so long as vve are heere, light and darknesse may be both in vs, for vvee are neuer free of this darkenesse, neyther is this light of God persite in vs, but both cannot raigne together in vs: but hovvbeit darknesse be in thee, yet it hes no dominion ouer thee. For vvhere any sparke of the light of God is, the light raignes, and God raignes in thee, albeit thou haue great darknesse in thee: For vvhereuer God is in any measure, he euer raignes. He sayes, Ye are all the children of the light, and the children of the day. Marke the vvordes. For they import a pithie meaning. They meane, that not onely they are in a light, but that in substance in a maner they are light. As I am light, and thou art light; if thou be the chylde of light, in substance thou art light, euen so as in substance thou art a bodie, in substance likevvise a soule; So in a maner in substance thou art light. For ye must vnderstand this, the chylde is euer by nature of the substance of the Father and Mother. Then if ye be the children of light, of necessitie ye must be in some maner of the substance of light. Paul Ephes. chap. 5. verse 8. sayes to the Ephesians, that some tymeye vvere Gentiles, sometyme ye vvere darknesse, but novv ye are light in the Lord, vvalke as children of light. He sayes not ye vvere in darknesse, but he sayes in verie deed ye vvere in a maner a verie lumpe of darknesse. Then againe he sayes not ye are in the light, but ye are light, your substance and nature is changed in the contrarie, vvhere ye vvere in substance darknesse, novv ye are in substance light, turned from the substance of daknesse, to the substance of light. Now the words this way exponed, take vp an higher ground and of the escaping of judgement at the comming of Christ; It is not enough to be found in the light onely, but thou must be found to be light it selfe, and the child of light. I shall make this plaine. There are two sorts of thinges and bodies in this world that hes light. There are some bodies that in themselues hes no light in the worlde, they are darke in themselues. yet they will be in the light: As for example, Ye see the black floore ye sit on, it hes no light, of it selfe it is black; but when the Sun shynes on it, it hes light and shynes. There are other bodies that are not onely in the light, but in the owne nature are light, as the Sun, it is not onely in the light, but it is light the selfe, and there is no other light to giue it light except the selfe. Now to apply this. There are two sortes of men and wemen in the Church of God. I leaue Pagans, Turkes and Iewes, and I speak of these who are in the Church, and professes themselues to be Christians: There are some of them in the light, in the midst of the Saintes of God, and professing the worde as the Saintes does, that hes no light of themselues, the light they haue is the light of others; as for themselues they are but black bodies and black soules; Hypocrites that hes nothing in themselues but blacknesse (an hypocrite hes nothing but blacknesse, and yet he will be in the Church, and as farre in as any man,) but shynes in the light of the word, and of the Saintes of God. Againe there are some who are not onely in the light, shynes not onely in the light of others, but in themselues are light, and shynes in their own light, and there are beames that commes from them, and lightens both themselues and others that sittes with them; as the Sun both shynes the selfe, and makes other inferiour creatures to shyne. Of the which sort were the Philippians, Paul writes to them, Philip 2. 15. and sayes, Ye are compast with Pagans and Heathen, and ye shyne in the midst of them. So who euer gets this grace to haue this light and to carie it out to the world, they are the children of light. Now in the day of judgement, it will not be enough to be in the Church, to be among the faithfull and renewed creatures, and among them who are light, to be at preaching of the word, except thou be light of thy selfe: what care I, if the light wherein I shyne be not my owne, but the light that shynes from another. If thou haue no more, thou shalt be suddenlie destroyed. Therefore if thou wouldest be fred from this sudden destruction, seeke light, regeneration, illumination, and neuer rest nor be glad vntill thou find in some measure, the regeneration of thy nature, and thy selfe to be light in Christ.

Againe marke heere the vniuersall partickle (ye all) He sayes not some, but he cals all the Thessalonians the children of light, and of the day he maks no exception, he is not so precise as men are now. This learnes vs both Pastor and people, a good lesson to be obserued, to thinke and to judge the best of euerie man and woman, that hes once receiued the seale of Baptisme, and hes giuen their names in baptisme to Christ, and professes christ outwardlie For, albeit many of them will be hypocrites yet it is our part after the exemple of Paul to call them the children of light. Thou art ouer seueare a censurer to call them who hes taine the name of Christ vpon them, the children of darknesse. Seuere not thou the popple from the wheet, the caffe from the corne, the goates from the sheepe, vntill the Lord come and he shall seuere them. Put not men in Heauen vvhen thou vvilt, and men in Hell vvhen thou vvilt, but be ware vvith this rashe judgement.

Now to come to the next verse. Vpon the groundes he hes laid, that all are in light and not in darknesse, and that which is more, that they are the children of light and not of darknesse, he gathers his exhortation. Then, sayes he, if it be so that we are the children of light, let vs not sleepe, but let vs vvatch and be sober. This is the effect of the wordes. There are two thinges that heere are forbidden, and two things that are commaunded. The two things that are forbidden, are sleeping and drunkennesse: for vnder sleeping, as the text that followes makes plaine, is comprehended drunkennesse. These two thinges goe commonlie together; a drunken bodie is ay doting and sleeping, for the senses of him are so burdened with surfet he can doe nothing but ly downe and sleepe. Now there are two thinges recommended, watching and sobernesse, these two agree also together; for a temperate man who hes moderation in drinking, that man is able to watch when others sleepe, and to do a good turne in the night But to goe through euerie one of them, and to begin at sleeping, for he beginnes at it heere. There are two sortes thereof. First, a bodilie sleeping, vvhen the senses of this bodie are chosed, Sleeping. the eyes closed, the eare closed, and all the senses closed, so that they leaue their function, that is called a bodilie sleepe. There is another called a spirituall sleepe, and it is the sleeping of the soule and spirite, vvhen the eye of the soule is bound vp, so, that, it hes no sight of God, the eare of the soule bound vp, so, that, it cannot heare the vvorde of God. In one vvorde. When all the senses that should grippe God are bound vp, and the soule is lying in a deadlie securitie; That is shortlie the second sorte of sleeping. Novv in this place I vnderstand not chieflie this bodilie sleepe, but the spirituall sleepe also. For this bodilie sleepe is naturall, and is lavvfull: the Lord hes ordained that these bodies of ours should be refreshed vvith sleepe; and if thou be sanctified thy selfe, thy sleepe is sanctified also, and all thy actiones, eating, drinking, sleeping, and the rest are sanctified (if thou be not sanctified, all thy actiones, eating, drinking, sleeping, are vnhappie to thee.) Next I doubt not but at the comming of our Lord Iesus Christ, there shall be found some sleeping in the bodies, who shall be waking in their soules. Christ sayes in the 17. of Luke. 34. verse Tvvo shall be in a bad sleeping, one chosen, and another forsaken. And last, albeit the bodie be a sleepe, and all the outward senses closed, yet the spirite of man will be waking, the eye of the soule will be opened, the eare opened; and in the bodilie sleepe, if it were at mid-night, a man will be waking in Christ, and apprehending him. So I vnderstand that spirituall sleeping, for he forbiddes not this bodilie sleeping onely, but this spirituall sleeping, when the soule is sleeping without sense eyther of Heauen or Hell, and whosoeuer shal be found so sleeping with his a soule altogether senslesse of Heauen and of the lyfe to come, that soule shall perishe without exception. Sleepe on, if the Lord come when thou art sleeping, die shalt thou, thou shalt not escape. There is no escaping for thee. But to speake of the bodilie sleeping something. Men should be ware to yeelde ouer much sleepe to the bodie: for certainelie where the bodie is ouer much giuen to sleeping, it is a token of a sleeping soule, and who delytes in sleeping in the bodie, the soule appearantlie is sleeping, and all moderation should be vsed. The sluggisher the bodie be, the sluggisher the soule is. The vvalkrifer the bodie be, thee vvalkrifer the soule is. Now the next thing that is forbidden heere is drunkennesse. Drunkennesse. There are tvvo sortes of drunkennesse, the one bodilie when a man takes on ouer much drinke oppressing the senses. This is ouer well knowne in Scotland, and we finde ouer great experience heereof. Then there is secondlie a spirituall drunkennesse, vvhen the soule is opprest vvith surfetting and immoderate care of the vvorld, vvhen it drinkes in out of measure the pleasures of this vvorld, through desire, all the riches of this world, through ambition, all the honour, through a foule appetyte, all the lustes, So the soule becommes drunken and stopped, an auaritious bodie a dotting bodie, a man set on pleasures a dotting bodie. Trow ye when the soule is so opprest vvith this world that it will get the eye opened vp to see Christ? No, it is impossible. Christ speakes of both these sortes of drunkennesse Luke chap. 21. verse 34. Novv brethren, in this place, ye shall vnderstand not so much the outvvarde bodilie drunkennesse, as the invvarde spirituall drunkennesse of the soule. Woe to that soule that shall bee founde drunken vvith the pleasures and lustes of this vvorlde, and so consequentlie sleeping vvhen Christ commes. Yea farther, brethren, the verie outvvarde bodilie drunkennesse is much to be eschevved. For it is not onelie vvith drunkennesse as it is vvith sleeping; for vve get licence to sleepe, if vve vse it moderatlie. But God gaue thee neuer leaue to vse drunkennesse. So it is a dangerous matter to be found drunken. It is a thing vnlavvfull and forbidden, ye shall finde that a drunken bodie commonlie shall haue a drunken soule, and vvoe to that soule, vvoe to that bodie, vvhere both are giuen to drunkennesse. The Lord saue vs from this sort drunkennesse.

Novv before I come to the other tvvo thinges that are recommended vnto vs in this place, the argument vvhereby he dissvvades them it vvoulde be marked, Let vs not, sayes he, sleepe as others doe. As if he vvould say, Fy on you that ye should be haue your selues as infidels. It is the Gentiles that are sleeping. Let them sleep on, but sleepe not thou. The exemple of their sleeping should be an argument to you to watch. The exemple of their drunkennesse should he an argument to you to be sober. Now, how reasons the world? Is not this the fashion of all men, therefore why should not I doe so? all men sleepes, why should not I sleepe? He drinkes vntill he be drunken, why should not I drinke vntill I be drunken. Companionry is wondrous good, I should do as others do. But Paul reasons otherwaies. It is the infidels that are sleeping and drunken, therefore watch thou ô Christian and be sober: Paul to the Romans chap. 12. verse 2 sayes, Fashion not your selues after the maner of the vvorld, but be ye changed throgh the renevving of the spirite. Follow not this ould sleeping drunken world, but be changed by the renewing Sprit, and be waking & sober. And indeed let euery one looke to their owne experience, they who are once translated and translated out of this world (for transplanted must thou be in some measure if euer thou see Heauen) the more they see men running on the course of the worlde, the more they detest the world; the more sinne they see, the more they detest sinne; the more drunkennesse and sleeping they see in men, the more they abhorre it. So the following of the multitude and the course of the world testifies that men were neuer transplanted out of this world, out of darknesse vnto the kingdom of light, nor renewed in spirite, and if they continue on, they shall perishe, for this world will perishe, and they who followes the world will perishe.

Now to come to the two thinges commaunded. The first is waking, Waking. the other is sobrietie. There are two sortes of watching, the bodilie watching, when all the senses are waking and opened to doe their owne functions naturall. The second, when the soule of man is opened, the eye of the soule opened to see Christ and the lyfe to come, and to see these thinges that the eye of the bodie cannot see. It is a wonderfull light the soule hes, for it sees thinges inuisible, and sees in as it were to the verie heart of God to a bottomlesse deepe, for God is infinite. Yet for all this, the heart that is once illuminate by the Spirite, will see him. So the spiritual watching is, when all the senses of the soule are opened and hes the fruition of God in Iesus, and all exercised about the graces of God through Christ, that is the spirituall waking, which is heere speciallie meant of, not the watching of the bodie, but of the Spirite. For the bodie may be watching, the eye looking vppe, and all the senses exercised in their functiones. And yet the soule of the bodie may be sounde sleeping: When the murtherer is busiest at his murther, albeit he be ryding and running, the quickell man in bodie that euer was, the soule in the meane-tyme is lying in a deadlie sleepe. So I doubt not but if the Lord Iesus would come in this houre, alas the vengence that would ouertake many of them. So they who are in harlotrie, and their senses exercised most in harlotrie, then they are most sleeping in soule. Trow ye if the eye of the soule saw God, that for all the world they would be exercised in such a filthie exercise. So he meanes chieflie of the watching of the soule. Indeede it is true (as I haue said before) it is good to be walkrife in bodie, for if thou be sanctified, thy bodie waking shall be exercised in some good exercise. And therefore Christ in the garden immediatlie before his passion, Matthevv chap. 26. verse 4. woulde haue his Apostles waking in bodie, aswell as in soule, least they should enter into tentation; for they sleeped vntill his enemies came, Sobrietie. and so for feare they left him. Then the second thing commaunded is sobernesse. There are two sortes of it: The one of the body, the other of the soule. The bodie when it is not surfetted with any excesse: The soule when it is not drunken with the world and pleasurs therof, is sober: for, as the bodie hes her sobrietie, so the soule hes the owne sobrietie, and heere, I specially vnderstand the sobriety of the soule, but indeed the sobriety of the body is to be joined to it. For the sobriety of the body helps much to the sobriety of the soule. As I said before, when the body passes measure in drunkennes, the soule is commonly drunken to: so when the body is in sobriety, the soule is in sobriety and applied to godlinesse. So both the drunkennes of soule and body is forbidden. In the 21. of Luke 34. He saies, Be vvare least your harts be prest dovvn vvith surfetting and drunkennesse, that is of the body, and vvith the carefulnes of the vvorld, that is of the soule. Therfore keep sobriety in body and soule. Then, brethren, there are two thinges forbidden and two thinges commaunded viz. sleeping excessiue, and drunkennesse in soule and body forbidden: watching and sobrietie in soule and bodie commanded.

Now in the next wordes, he giues the reason wherefore they should not sleepe and be drunken, but watch and be sober. They that sleepe, sleepe in the night, and they vvho are drunken are drunken in the night. Now he would subsume, ye are not of the night, therefore be ye not drunken, but be sober. So this argument is taine from the inconnenientnesse of the tyme, it is no tyme to you to be drunken now, ye are not in the night. Men vses to sleepe and be drunken in the night, men who does euill seekes darknesse. Ye are not in the night, but ye are the children of the day. Therefore it settes not you to be sleeping or drunken, but ye should watch and be sober. I take vp the lesson shortly. In all our actions and doings we should haue a speciall respect to the tyme: for there is great moment and weight in the tyme, when we should doe this thing, or that thing, and speciallie in the two tymes, the day and the night. All actions must be done in these two tymes. The day hes the actions of the day. The night hes the actions of the night. The actions of the day shold not be done in the night: The actions of the night should not be done in the day. This should be commonly keeped, albeit necessitie sometyme compels otherwaies. There are some actions that are seemelie to be done in the day that is not seemelie to be done in the night. As for exemple: It settes a man to be wakng in the day, it is not seemely to wake in the night, except necessitie compell. Againe there are some actions that are setting to be done in the night and not in the day, as to sleep in the night, and it settes a man better to drunken in the night, (if he would be drunken) nor in the day. It is a shame to be drunken before the Sun and day light. Paul in the Rom. chap. 12. verse 11. 12. 13. sayes, Men and wemen should vvalke in comelinesse all maner of way. So soone as thou goest out to the sight of the Sun; albeit none saw thee but the Sun. it becomes thee to be comely. So thou who would be drunken, drinke in the night. Fy on it, that a drunken bodie should come to the Sun, if there were no more but the light of the Sun, it cryes to God for vengence on drunkennesse, albeit no man saw it. Now brethren, there are some vnnaturall men and wemen who will turne the action of the day to the night, and the night to the day. Fy on thee that preuents nature. When this faire Sunne ryses in the morning to comfort them, to let them see the face of it, and to doe their duetie in that function the Lord hes called them to, What will they then doe? off their cloathes and goe to their beddes. Nothing the most part of the day tyme, but dead sleeping, except they be constraint otherwaies. Then when the Sun goes down, they are glad, and ryses to their villany. And so they testifie that they detest the glorious light of the Sun, which should rejoyse vs. Alwaies when others goe to their beds, then they begin to rise, to eat and drinke, &c. and to take their pleasure, this is not comely, and I tell thee, the vengence of God will light on thee, if it were onely for the preuenting of the order of nature. Let the day be day, and the night be night. No question, this peruerting of nature procures the heauy vengence of God to fall on them and their houses. Trow ye that God of Heauen, who ordained nature, can suffer nature to be so abused without auengement? No, I dare say, thou that doest slaye before the Sunne, the Sun shall beare witnesse against thee, and say, Lord this villan so abhominably committed murther in my eye, thou sette me in the Heauen that none should worke villany in my eye, but he set me to litle auaile. The Sun no doubt is wearied and groanes, to see the wickednesse of men and wemen, and the creatures groanes to see their vyle sins and faine would be releued thereof. This earth they goe on, groanes vnder the burdene and would as faine be releued of them as a woman with childe would be releued of her birth. Well then, if the Lord will reuenge so a sinne that is done before the light of this Sun that shynes, and if the light of this same verie Sunne aggreadges their sinne before the Lord and maks their judgement the greater. O what greatnesse must be in sin, and how fearefull must the judgement be, when sin is committed with an vplifted hand in the face of Christ, that Sun of righteousnesse shyning to vs in his Gospell! The villane cares not to commit filthinesse in Gods presence, he looking to vs viuely in the Gospell. Well were it to thee, thou hadst neuer heard of Christ and the Gospell. Then more tolerable might thou haue sinned. But when in the face of God and christ, and in the face of the Gospell thou committes such sin, how can it be, but thy sinne is a thousand tymes greater nor the sin of the Gentiles, and thy damnation ten thousand tymes heauier? And in Hell they that so sinnes shall curse the tyme that euer they heard the Gospell, saying. Woe to me, I haue sinned in the face of Christ and the Gospell Be ware of this, the greater grace, the greater contempt thereof, the greater judgement and damnation for it. No not so much shalt thou be punished for being a thief, a murtherer, &c. as for that (will the Lord say) thou spat in my face. And therefore we ought instantly to seeke God to giue vs grace to reforme vs from this wilfull contempt in the cleare light of the Gospell. To this God be glorie for euer.

Amen.