free love to us, what great thing shall we do for God; yea, what great thing shall we not do for God?

Let us fix here a little.

It is in these working busy times a great thing to sit still and be contented to be without work, to be laid by, and to be used no more. God hath his times for men: he uses one to-day and another to-morrow. If a man be used in one service once, he thinks he must be used in all things and always; and when God lays him by and takes another, then, like the elder brother in the parable, he murmurs, and envies at the younger brother that is called home to God's work. It is an hard thing for one that hath been used, to be contented to be used no more. Oh, that magistrates, ministers, men of service could but be willing to be used no more, and to be laid aside if God will have it so. A man is never more fit for service than when he is willing to be used no more in service.

Again, Simplicity and plainness in God's work is a great matter in these designing times: those come nearest to God that are the most simple, and without folds and doubles, for divine nature is simplicity itself.

A great thing it is now to do God's work quickly and with despatch; to shew mercy readily, and to do justice speedily, without delay. There may be and is as much of God's power seen in the lesser creatures, as in the pismire, worm and the like, as in the great bodies of the sun and moon; because, though the pismire be little, yet there is life in that, and none in the sun or moon. Now when justice is executed speedily, and mercy dispensed quickly, there is life in it. Let beer or wine stand awhile, or till the morning, and though it were never so good when it was drawn, yet after standing it grows flat and dead. So do justice, equity and mercy too. Let mercy, equity or justice be delayed, and stand awhile, and then, though never so good in themselves, yet they are flat and dead; quickly dispensed and executed hath life.

Wherefore, right honourable, if you would do any great thing for God, look over your laws and ordinances of justice, equity and mercy, and consider what there is that clogs the speedy execution thereof: take off the clogs. It may be some half ordinance against Sabbath-sportings, drunkenness and swearing may lie before you; oh, that there may be more

despatch, more despatch, this will put life into all your works, and make them great, though otherwise small in your own

eyes.

Again, It is a great matter for a man to know his time and tide of working. There is a time for all things under the sun; and because men know not their time and judgment, therefore their evil is great upon them, says Solomon.* But if men could take the tide of providence, how easily might they carry up a great burden; whereas losing their tide, and rowing against the streams of providence, things come off heavily and with much difficulty.

When a man is at sea in a vessel, he must not go where he will, but as the wind and tide carries him. Ye are now embarked in a great work and service; ye may not, ye cannot go where and when you will; sometimes ye must lie becalmed. But oh, that men did know the gale of providence, the time and tide of providence. But though we have often come up against tide, and come down with the tide, yet how few do know the time and tide of providence; how many heats of own our hearts have we lost! Would you, therefore, do any great thing for God? take your time and tide, and improve those heats of your hearts when providence warms them. This will be your wisdom, and thus shall you be great and do great things in the eyes of heaven and earth.

Again, It is no great matter now for a man to spread the gospel into all the parts of this kingdom, and dominion of Wales, if men had an heart for it; and oh that they had a heart to do it: but to spread the gospel into all the parts of the world is something. Thus the Jesuits, thus the papists do in regard of their gospel. Why should not we be as active for good as they are for evil? you have a better master and you shall have better wages. When shall the blessing of the poor Indian come upon our English parliament? This would be a great thing: let encouragement be given this way.

It is no great matter for a man to do that which is right * Tale ingenium erat laudatissimi principis Frederici Saxoniæ ducis Electoris. Is erat vir vere industrius, qui non dicebat, non faciebat omnia quæ poterat in præsens dicere et facere; sed expectabat tempus, personam, locum commodum, dissimulabat omnia, suo autem tempore et loco, uno verbo plus efficiebat quam multi alii sine hac industria potentia et viribus summis, &c., quare adhibenda est etiam oratio ut Deus ad sit.-Luther in Gen.

and good, yea, to do it exactly; but to walk exactly in a crowd and throng of business, this is somewhat.

It is no great matter for to be godly in a godly place; but to be godly in an ungodly place, in the midst of those that are most ungodly, this is somewhat.

It is no great matter for a man to be the same for God in the same condition; but to have a sameness of heart for God in variety of conditions, this is somewhat.

It is no great matter to be thankful, rejoice, and love God in prosperity; but to fear God in prosperity, and to love God in adversity; to bless God when he takes away from us, and to be "in all things thankful," as the apostle speaks, is something.

It is no great matter for a man to pray morning and evening, thinking no more of God all the day after; but to be heavenly in all our earthly employments throughout the day, and in all our dealings with man, still to deal with God, living to God and in God, this is somewhat.

It is no great matter to do well and hear well; but to do well and hear ill, for a man to do great things for God and think himself nothing, to believe in the dark, to see through natural impossibilities, and to trust in God for life in a business when the sentence of death is upon second causes; this is a great matter.*

Many other great things that I might lay before ye, but I should be too long. God hath done great things for us: a thankful heart says, What shall I return unto the Lord for all his benefits? and the answer is, Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised: great is the Lord, and greatly to be served: he hath done great things for us, we must do great things for him: small things now will not serve our turn.

Again, if the Lord hath made bare his holy arm for your deliverance, if he hath saved you with a great salvation, as it is this day you, and your fathers, and children from the hand of Rome, and of the papists; then why should you not all prejudice your hearts against that religion that was the mother of such a bloody design as the powder treason was? The papists said indeed. when their plot miscarried, that it was but the work of some few unfortunate gentlemen. Aye, * Magnum est, magna facere et teipsum putare nihil.-Eusebius Nieremb.

and blessed be the Lord they were so unfortunate. But had the plot fired, and taken, then the execution thereof would have been painted in the Pope's palace: as I have read the massacre of Paris was, in perpetuam rei memoriam. But if their religion itself do carry such principles in the bosom of it as do naturally breed and lead to such practises, then it cannot be said that this was only the design of a few unfortunate gentlemen. Now what are the principles of that religion? the papists themselves say, that what a Pope determines in a council, or general council, is de fide: ask therefore the Lateran council, and Concilium Lugdunense, ask Aquinas, Bellarmine, Suarez, Tollet, Sa, Mariana, Tannerus, and Becanus, they will tell you, that infidelical, heretical, apostatizing princes and governors are to be deposed

* Si vero dominus temporalis requisitus et monitus ab ecclesia, terram suam purgare neglexerit ab hac hæretica fæditate, per metropolitanum et cæteros episcopos excommunicationis vinculo innodetur; et si satisfacere contempserit intra annum, significetur hoc summo Pontifici ut ex tunc ipse vassallos ab ejus fidelitate absolutus denunciet et terram exponat Catholicis occipandam, qui eam exterminatis hæreticis sine ulla contradictione possideant. E decretis Concilii Generalis Lateranensis tempore Innocentii Papæ iii. de fide Cathol. cap. iii. Binius. Omnesque qui ei (Imperatori scil.) juramento fidelitatis aliquo modo tenentur astricti, vel obligati, a juramento hujusmodo perpetuo absolvimus et liberamus, auctoritate apostolica firmiter et stricte inhibendo ne quisquam de cætero ei tanquam imperatori vel regi pareat; decernendo quoslibet qui deinceps ei velut imperatori vel regi consilium, vel auxilium prestiterint, seu fautorem ipso facto excommunicationis vinculo subjacere. Concil. Lugdun. xiii. œcumenic. approbatum centum et quadraginta episcoporum, causa Frederici ii. imperat. deponendi celebratum, 1245. Bin. vide plura apud Mat. Paris: cum depositione, et submissione Joannes Regis Anglicani. Principibus apoatatantibus a fide non est obediendum, et ideo cum cito aliquis per sententiam denunciatur excommunicatus propter apostasiam a fide, ipso facto ejus subditi sunt absoluti a dominio ejus et juramento fidelitatis, Thom. Aquin. 22. quæst. 12. art. 2. et quest. 10. art. 10. Non licet christianis tolerare regem infidelem hæreticum si ille conetur pertrahere subditos ad suam hæresim vel infidelitatem, tenentur christiani non pati super se regem non christianum, si ille conetur avertere populum a fide. Bellarm. de Roman. pontif. lib. v. cap. vii. Possumus veritatem hanc authoritate et praxi ecclesiæ ostendere, et post varia exempla addit, at vero hæc omnia, et similia non temere nec in angulo, sed aliqua ex illis in conciliis frequentissimus, aliquando in General. Ergo incredibile est fuisse actus usurpatæ, et non veræ authoritatis. Suarez. lib. iii. de Rom. pontif. cap. xxiii., xxiv. quænam sunt apostatarum et hæreticorum pœnæ ? privatio politicæ potestatis juxta Canonem nos Sanctorum et can. juratos 15. q. 6. et extravagantem Martini v. ad evitanda; septima poena est poena corporis, viz. incarceratio exillium, mors. Tannerus de fide, disput. i. quæst. viii. dub. 6. Tom. 3. in Thom. Aquinat. Em. Sa in voce, Tyrannus. Mariana. lib. 6. de reg. c. vi. p. 59

and excommunicated by the Pope. 2. That being so sentenced, their subjects are absolved and freed from the oath of fidelity and allegiance. 3. That excommunicated persons, being heretics, cujuscunque ordinis, are to be deprived of their estates, jurisdictions, yea, their lives; heretici sunt comburendi. And though this powder treason were the design of some unfortunate gentleman, yet I dare challenge all the Jesuits in the world, to shew such a practice designed by any unfortunate gentlemen of the protestant party.

Or is this the only bloody practice of the papists and Jesuits; or is this the only evil of that religion? Truly as things lie in my apprehension, this religion, this Bellarminian religion destroys the whole law and gospel; the law, and the ten commandments.

It destroys the first commandment: for they worship a piece of bread for God, with the worship of God.

It destroys the second: witness their many images.

It destroys the third: taking God's name in vain, by praying and worshipping in an unknown tongue.

It destroys the fourth, by denying the morality of the sabbath.

It destroys the fifth; for if a man or woman get into a cloister, and say, Corban, it is a gift, they are no more bound to obey their parents.

It destroys the sixth commandment; for they murder princes and magistrates, witness this day and the principles of this action.

It destroys the seventh; for they say single fornication is no sin, or venial.

It destroys the eighth; for it hath stolen away the cup in the Lord's supper from the people, and the Scriptures from them too.

It destroys the ninth for they bear false witness of the fathers and ancient writers, making them say what they never did, to bear up their own cause; and of godly Luther, Calvin, Beza and others, affirming that they did and died, as they did not and died not.

It destroys the tenth commandment: for they say concupiscence is no sin, and that original sin is pcccatum minus