¶ A sermon preached at Pauls crosse on Trinity sunday 1571. By. E. B. Imprinted at London by Iohn Awdely 1576. I N ¶ A Sermon vpon a part of the .iij. Chapter of Paules second Epistle to Timotheus 2. TIMOTHEVS 3.16 ¶ All scripture is geuen by inspiration of God and is profitable to doctrine to reproue to correction to instruction which is in righteousnesse 17 That the man of God may be perfect instructed vnto all good workes AS al the holy scripture is profitable to teach trew sounde doctrine to confute false and erronious doctrine to instruct in good and godly life and to reproue vngodly and wicked life that the man of God may be profited prepared to euery good worke as the Apostle saith So righte honorable dearely beloued in our Sauiour Christ if I may make any comparisoÌ„ betwene those diuine heauenly bookes the booke of Psalmes is a most precious pearle a most worthy worke conteyning most sweete comfortable doctrine for the soule and conscience of man And therfore whosoeuer he was that did write the first preface before the commentaries of s Augustine vpoâ— the Psalmes doth not vnworthely cal this boke Registrus totius sacra scripture c 1. A register of all the holy scripture and a perfection of all diuinity And s. Augustine himselfe in his owne preface saith that this booke of the Psalmes is Communis quidam thesaurus bonae doctrine aptesingulis necessaria Subministrans that is a certayne commune treasure or scholehouse of good doctrine ministring fitly to euery one those thinges which be necessarie for them A certaine worthy writer of our age calleth this booke an Anatomie of the soule for that ther is no affection passion nor motion vnto the which the soule of man is subiect but he may see the same most liuely expressed in thys booke of the Psalmes For whether wee be persecuted by open enemies or molested by those that haue seemed to be our friendes who haue gone vp into the temple with vs haue taken sweete counsel together or whether we be greeued with sickenes or troubled with the feeling of our synnes or in what other soeuer perplexity or distresse we be we may sucke out of thys booke of the Psalmes most swéete and comfortable doctrine ether for the amendment of our lyues or the comfort of our consciences And therefore S. Augustine saith very wel that thys booke of the Psalmes is scutuma nocturuis terroribus diurnorum requâ—es laborum tutela pueris ornamentum adoiescentibus Solamen Senibus mulieribus aptissimus decor that is to say a shield against the terrors of the night a rest for the labors of the â—ay a defence for childreÌ„ an ornament for yong men I would to God the yong men would seeke to stay their fraile and slippery youth with the diligent reading of thys booke I would that old men would solace their wearysome old age with meditating on this booke I would women would trym and attyre themseâ—â—e not with gold brodered heare as the Apostle saith but with the precious pearles iewels that are conteined in thys booke Surely S. Iereme in epitaphio Paule hath these words Neque emim licebat cuique Sororum ignorare Psalmos non de scripturis sanctis quotidie aliquid discere That is to say it was not lawful for any of the sisters that were with Paula to be ignorant of the Psalmes or not to learne euery day somewhat of the scriptures A godly exercise for women The same s Ierome writing to a gentelwoman called Data instructing her how to bring vp her doughter writeth thus Turpia verba non intelligaâ— cantica mundi ignoret adhuc tenera lingda psalmis dulcibus imbuator That is Let her not heare filthie talk let her not learne wordly songes but whilest her tounge is as yet tender let it be exercised in the swete psalms A godly education for children Here by the way I must show you how contrary the iudgement of S. Ierome is to the opinion of the papistes S. Ierome woulde haue not onely men but also women not onely women but also children yong girles to be exercised trained vp in the scriptures The Papistes haue kâ—pt the light of gods word vnder the busshell of a straunge tounge haue taken away the key of knowledge and haue shut vp the kingdom of God before men and neither wyl enter in themselues nor suffer others that would But to returne againe to my purpose if this booke of the Psalms be so worthy a worke ought not we worthely vse it Yes verely And how shall we worthely vse it If we do reuerently vse it if we study and meditate vpon it if we breake the shell and get the kernall that is if we seeke the simple sence of the holy ghost and applie the same vnto our selues ether to amend our lyues or to comfort our consciences if we do thus vse it we shall worthely and frutefully vse it But I feare me we do for the most part abusâ— it we reade it but we little regard it we do but run ouer it we tosse it from one syde to another lyke tennis balles with small comfort to our selues and lesse profit to others Thus to vse gods holy word is not rightly to vse it but rather to abuse it For whosoeuer doth vse the word of God to any other ende then to that to the which the spirit of God did indite if and the holy prophets and Apostles did write it do abuse it and then shall render an accompt to God for it I pray God for his mercy that our hastye handling of his holy word do not hasten his iust iudgement to depriue vs of it But some man peraduenture may heare say What meane you to speake thus much vpon the Psalmes Because dearely beloued I purpose by the assistance of gods grace holy spirit to intreate on a psalme for considering that that part of scripture which is apointed this dâ—yte be â—â—ad for the Gospel hath bene of late very largely handeled in very puplike solemne place by others and that the other part of scripture is taken out of the reuelation more meete to be handeled by a méeter man and by one that hath more learning and leasure theÌ„ I haue for these considerations I say I haue omitted them and at this time present haue taken my selfe to a Psalme Psalme LXXV ¶ VVe wyll praise thee O God we wyll praise thee For thy name is nereâ— therefore they wyll declare thy wondrous workes THis Psalme may be deuided into foure partes whereof the first conteyneth a vow and promise of the godly to praise the name of God and to declare his wonderfull workes for that his name is euer neare both to be are also to saue deliuer them 2. The second part conteyneth an answer in the person of almighty God wherein is declared that God when he shal see a conuenient tyme wyll iudge
bloud of a man I wyll not say what maner of man I reade in an epistle lately written to the senate of Venice that in that solemne Church of S. Marke in Venice ther be cunningly and costly graued the foure pictures of the foure Euangelistes and vnder euery one his peculiar verse Vnder S. Mathew this ablue concta reae mentis mala sancte Mathee that is O S. Mathew wash away all the euils of a gilty minde and vnder S. Iohn thys Quo sine sine manes perduc nos virgo Iohannes that is O Virgine Iohn bring vs thither wher thou doest abide for euer If thys be not blasphemous against God the father our sauiour Iesus christ I know not what I shuld couÌ„t or cal blasphemous Christ was annointed to be our only mediator betwixt God and man as the Apostel saith But they haue made many mediators wherof we may wel doubt whether some be in heaueÌ„ or not And thus we may sufficiently sée that the Papistes although they professe Christ in worde yet they deny hym in déede Wherefore vnlesse we hate and abhorre this diuelish damâ—able doctrine which is repugnant to Gods â—ord and iniurous to Christs death we can â—e ther truely please nor prayse God. Now let vs consider how we must praise God It is here sayd VVe wyl praise thee O God we wil praise thee this repitition is â—n effectual kind of speach teaching vs that we must praise God earnestly and not negâ—ygently zealously and not caresly feruentâ—y not coldly And herein we must tread in â—he steppes and follow the example of our sauiour Christ who in the dayes of his flesh as the Apostel saith did offer vp prayers supplications cum clamore valido et lachriâ—mis with strong crying and teares to him that was able to saue him And howe we may thus effectualy pray the Apostle teacheth vs saying Spiritus interpellat pro nobis â—gemitibus menarrabilibus 1. The spirite of God maketh intercession for vs with gronings that cannot be expressed the meaning whereof is as S. Augustine doth truely expound it that the spirite of God doth moue and stir vp our harts to pray vnto God with sighes gronings which cannot be expressed They therefore which are sealed wyth Gods holy spirit and whom the sayd spirite doth moue to cry Abba father they I say do pray vnto god with déepe sighes gronings The Apostle in the 12 to the Romaines teacheth vs who be the true worshippers of God Spiritu feruentes domino seruientes being feruent in spirit and fearing the lord Those be the true seruers and seruantes of God which be feruent in the spirit But the world is nowe come to that pointe almost that it is couÌ„ted in a maner worthy reprosse to be zealous and feruent in the spirit For if a man calmely and temperately handle gods cause then he is counted a wiseman a sober man and a discreate man But if the zeale of Gods house haue eaten him vp touch the quick he hunger thirst the reformation of things that be amisse then he is called rashe foolish vndiscreate and I wot not what But I besech God that all men especially the ministers preachers of Gods holy worde may be endewed wyth the two properties which are commended in Apollo to be feruent in the spirite and mighty in the scriptures Both these must be coupled together and not seuered a sunder in a minister for nether knowledge is sufficient without zeale nether zeale without knowledge For S. Paule doth testifye of hys cuntrymen the Iewes that they had zeale towards God but not accordinge to â—nowledge And yet in my opinioÌ„ good zeale â—ith small learning is better then great â—arning with small zeale Now let vs consider why we shuld praise God and declare his meruelous workes it heare declared in these wordes For thy â—ame is neare The name of God that is to God himself his power and maiesty is said â—s be neare First because he is readye to â—ere our prayers and peticions Secondly â—ecause his mighty power is euer present â—o saue and deliuer vs Of the first Dauid â—aith the Lord is neare do al that call vpon â—im in truth And god promiseth by the prophet Esaias to here his people euen before they cal vpon him I haue good cause to confute the papists who imagine God to stand a soufe and far of and that therfore we must come vnto hym as vnto a worldly king by the meanes of Sainctes who in their opinion are nerer vnto vs then god But deaâ—ly beloued be not deceiued there is no saint in heauen nor earth so nere vnto thee as is almighty God For as touching the saintes which be are departed thys lyfe whether they do heare our praiers or knowe our estate it is to be doubted surely S. Augustin in his booke de cura pro mortuis ad Paulinum seemeth to conclude that as we here liuing do not know what is don in heauen so that saintes in heauen know not what is done on the earth And to thys purpose he alledgeth certayne places out of the holye scriptures First out of the .63 chapter of Esaias the Prophet Abraham nefciuitnos Israel ignorauit nos AbrahaÌ„ hath not knowen vs Israell hath not knowen vs thou O Lord art our Father and our redeemer thy name is for euer Here the Prophet doth not direct his prayer to Abraham nor to Iacob but only to God yea and he plainly professeth that Abraham Iacob did not know their estate and therefore he seeketh only to god Another place Augustine aledgeth out of the Psalme Pater et mater dereliquerunt me dominus autem susepit me My Father and my mother haue forsaken me but the Lorde hath taken me vp A thirde place he writeth out of the booke of Kinges where Hulda the prophetisse did shew king Iosia that he shuld be gathered to his Fathers and buried in peace that hys eyes myght not see the euil which God would bring vp on the people By these places S. Augustine doth proue that the saincts departed do neuer heare our prayers nor vnderstand our estate But if I should graunt that they do heare our praiers which yet cannot be proued by the scriptures yet doth it not follow that they be nearer vnto vs then god Salomon saith Tu solus nouisti corda filiorum Israel Thou only O lord knowest the harts of the sonnes of Israel He onely search the â—arts reines and therefore he is nearer vnto vs then all sainctes creatures But as touching thys matter of Inuocation I will say no more only this I conclude we haue in the scriptures the expresse coÌ„maundement of God to call vpon him Call vpon me saith God in the day of thy trouble and I wil deliuer thee and thou shalt glorify me We haue many promises that our prayers shal be accepted graunted being offered to god in the name of our sauiour Christ as may
and eased of their synnes These beleue that almighty God for Christ Iesus sake wil be merciful to their synnes and forgiue them their iniquities And thus by faith Christs obedience is made their obedience Christs fulfilling of the law is become their fulfilling of the lawe Christes righteousnes is their righteousnes and couereth all their vnrighteousnes So that although they be vnrighteous synners in themselues yet before God they be righteous for Christ Iesus sake I pray God we all may be in the number of this sort of synners These synners God loueth and heareth The eies of the Lorde are ouer the righteous and hys eares be open vnto their prayers But there is another sort of synners which commit syn without griefe of mind â—r compunctioÌ„ of hart which delight in syn â—nd run forward in synne like the stoned â—orse in the battel wallow in wickednes â—yke the sow in the myre They haue not â—hys lyuely faith which is an assurance of Gods loue towardes vs in Christ Iesus 〈◊〉 lyuely apprehension of Gods mercyes in Christ These cannot prayse God nay the â—nger of almighty God hangeth ouer them â—o route then out Let vs beware and take â—éede that we be not in number of these synâ—ers These god heareth not but hath as it â—s in the Psalm Odisti omnes qui operatur â—niquitâ—tem 1. Thou hatest al those the work wickednes But rather let vs rent our harts not our garments and turne to the Lord our God who is gracious and mercifull flow to anger and of great gooones Here also I wyl show you that the papists â—annot praise god and yet they boast much of prayer and say that praier is despised neglected of vs But I trust any man may easily perceyue partly by the earnest zeale of Godly men in praier partly by the earnest exhortacions of good men to prayse lastly by the Godly bookes that we haue written or prayer that thys is no true reporte by them to deface gods touth and to bring vs into hatred with the people In deede as our Sauiour Christ dispised the hipocritical praiers of the papistes We condemne their vnfruitefull numbling in a straunge tounge and their vngodly calling vpon creatures which is not warranted but coÌ„demned by the word of god But as for true prayer which is a lifting vp of our soules and a pouring forth of our harts before God an earnest inuocation of his holy name in the only name of hys deare sonne Christ Iesus our sauiour we greatly coÌ„mend earnestly exhort al men vnto it But howsoeuer the papists glory in their prayer I wil proue vnto you by gods grace that they cannot frutefully praise God for howe can they fruitefully prayse God who dishonor God and spoyle Christ Iesus of hys glory Christ Iesus was appointed annointed of his father to be our king who onely should conquer and ouercome Sathan sinne death and damnation who only shoulde rule hys vniuersall church with hys spirite and word who onely should be the head of hys church and gyue lyfe vnto the same being his body But the papistes â—aue robbed him hereof for they haue deuiâ—ed many other meanes â—o ouercome sinne 〈◊〉 Satan besides Christ You heard of late â—n this place how that the papistes affirme â—hat Christ died only for originall synne â—nd that for other synnes wee our selues must makâ— satisfaction you heard also how â—hat Pigghius the papiste doth confidently â—uouch that originall synne is not synne â—ut onely so called because it floweth and â—ommeth from syn So that of this doctrine 〈◊〉 must needes folow that Christ died for â—hat which is not in deede synne but hath â—nly the name and title of synne They â—aue commit the regiment of Christs vniâ—ersall church to one man who hath bene â—uer so vnable to â—usteine so great a charge â—hat hetherto he was neuer wel able right â—y to rule that one city of Rome nor his colâ—edge of Cardnals Him they haue made â—ead of the Church in whom as they say â—he vnity of the Church consiâ—teth vpon â—hom the safety of the Church dependeth â—o that he which is not in thys Church whereof the Pope is head is out of Noes â—rke out of peters ship cannot be â—aued â—ut must néedes be drowned Thys is thâ—â—â— doctrine by the which they depriue Christ Iesus as much as in them lieth of that function vnto the which his heuenly father tâ—o appoint him Christ was annointed and appointed to be our onely prophet and scholemaister whom onely we shuld haue as his heauenly father did testify of hym saying Hic est silius meus dilectus in quo mihi benae complacitum est ipse andite 1. This is my welbeloued sonne in whom I am wel pleased heare him He hath deliuered vnto vs his holy word and gospell which is able to saue our soules and also to make the man of god perfect prepared to euery good work this he hath sealed and confirmed with his bloud Yet notwithstanding the papistes do affirme that all things needeful and necessary to our saluation aâ— not conteined in the scriptures but that we must receyue many traditioâ—s which yet are but triffles and beleue many vnwritten verities And thus in effect they take from hym the office of being our prophet to instruct vs Christ Iesus was annoynted of God to be our hiâ— priest where with the sacrifice of his body and bloud once offered hath payd the price and raunsome of our sinnes who entred once into the holy place and found eternal redemption who with one sacryfyce once â—ffered hath made perfyt al those that shal be saued who died once the righteous for the vnrighteous and bare our sinnes vpon the wood But the Papistes haue brought in a fained forged sacrifice of their owne deuise auailable as they saye not onely for the synnes of thosâ— that are alyue but also for them that are dead Thys feyned sacrifice as it hath no warrant at al in the word of God so is it a great derogation to the death and passion of Christ coniured by the Pope Peccatum â—rangit vt Christi Sanquis et augit It breaketh and greueth synne as wel as the bloud of Christ For thus ful rudely or rather blasphemously dyd Pope Vrbane runne to Freâ—erick the Emperor They say that holy water is aueileable ad salutem animae et corporis to the saluation of the soule and body They haue taught vs to say and pray Iesu bonae per Thoma merita nostra nobis demitte debita i. Good Iesus for the merits of Thomas forgiue vs our debtes that is to say our synnes And againe Tu per Thoma sanguinem c which in a rude rime they thus translated make vs Christ to clime whether Thomas did ascend Thus we may plainely perceiue that the papistes ascribe that which is only proper to the merites and bloud of Christ Iesus the sonne of God to the merites and