1603. Mr. Layfeild; his text. "Not preaching ourselves." Noo heretike ever preached himselfe directly, for they never can be heretikes except they professt Christ, and such as preach themselves for saviours deny Christ; but preaching them selves undirectly is when by preaching men stake their owne glory or advauncement, as the cheifest end of their preaching. "Labour not for meat;" that is, make not meate the chiefest end of labour, but the service of God in that vocation, and the benefit of the State; soe labour in all your trades as yf you laboured for God, making not the hyer the maine end, though it be an end alsoe.
Every man spends more then he can gett; untill thirty yeare commonly men doe nothing but spend, and then when they begynn to gaine, yet expenses runne on with their tyme.
Every manuary trade is called a mystery, because it hath some slight or subtlety of gayning that others cannot looke into. Every man cannot be a carpentour of his owne fortune. The faults of preachers in preaching themselves and false doctrine, like a physicion that poisoneth his medicines, or a mintmaister that adulterates the coine; he kils under pretence of safety, and this robbes all under pretext of honest gaine.
Mr. Hill told me that Mr. Layfeild married a rich wife, worth above 1,000l. He speakes against covetousnes, but will exact the most of his dutyes in his parishe.
fo. 126b.
10 Aprill 1603.At Whitehall in the Afternoone in the Chappell.
Dr. Eaton,[183] Bishop of Ely. His text, "Come unto mee all yee that labour, and are heavy laden, and I will refreshe you;" Ego reficiam. "Come unto me;" God thy father hath given all power in heaven and earth unto Christ; therefore in our prayers to obtaine any thing wee must goe unto him, and in him wee may be sure to obteine: for this is hee in whom the father is well pleased. He consider[ed] the subject, "All yee," &c. the invitacion "Come unto me," and the promise, "I will ease you." "All yee" is heere specially limited to those that labour and are laden, which are [have?] greate synnes and feele the waight of them. Noe synn soe dangerous to men, soe odious in the sight of God, as contempt of synn. Amongst manie synns which he mentioned as greivous and haynous offences not one word of sacriledge.
Synne makes a man turne from God like a runagate that having committed some offence for which he feares punishment runnes away from his maister, but there is noe place, noe tyme, can hide him from the presence of God, but onely the wing of Jesus Christ his mercy. Adam was soe foolishe to thinke he might have hidden himselfe, but David sayth "Yf I goe into the wildernes, etc." Qui recedit a facie irati for synn, accedat ad faciem placati in the merit of Christ, in whom onely he is well pleased.
"Which labour, and are laden." All labour under synne, and all are laden with it, but such as have greivous synnes, and are greived for fo. 127.them, and almost pressed downe to despayre, lett them come. Reficiam; he will ease them; not take away the roote but reatum, for the old man will be in us as long as we live, and as fast as we rise by grace the fleshe is ready still to pull us downe againe to synn.
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