as heare with faith to beléeue in Christ and his worde and with obedience to followe Christe and his worde then both idolatrous Papistes and carnall protestantes I will not once name Atheistes are quit clean excluded out of the number of true right Christian hearers That Papists hear not Christ his ministers in this sense of hearing that is that they do not conforme their religion according to the doctrine conteined in and deliuered vnto them out of the worde of God this is a matter so manifest as all the faithfull do lamentablie and with griefe of hearte beholde the same And to giue themselues if any be present some taste thereof I will here ioyne battell and incounter with them vsing that onely sentence vtterred by our sauiour in the sourth of Iohn for the weapon whereby I am sure I truste the greatest number present will confesse that their whole religion or rather superstition is wounded at the hearte and stricken quite dead For Christ in that place talking with the woman of Samaria telleth her the God is a spirit and they that worshippe him must worshippe him in spirit and truth If we either looke on the whole body of their religion in grosse or dismember and rippe the same into péeces and beholde euerie member euerie ioynt euerie sinewe euerie veine euerie arterie euerie muscle thereof we shall be enforced to confesse that among them there is no worshipping of God in spirite and trueth but that all their worshippe and religion is corporall externall and ceremoniall Whosoeuer shall with iudgement indifferētly view their Religion shall in déede perceiue it to be nothing else but an apishe and counterfeite imitation of the ceremoniall law Hence they fetch their alters candlestickes Sensours Perfumes garmentes Oblations festiuall dayes solemne feasts difference of times obseruation of meates purifications sacrifices and a number of the like nature But as in all these and the residue they haue no sauour of spirite and trueth agréeable either to gods nature discribed or to the doctrin of the Gospell deliuered by Christ so in their following of the lawe they doe shamfully halte To giue yee an instance they celebrate their masse at the Altar but Christ ministred his laste supper at a table I cannot denye but the lawe Ceremoniall doeth commaunde Altars howbeit such Altars as shall be neither of hewed stone nor haue any steppes ther vnto belonging But the Romish Altars are of hewen stowne and haue steppes as is apparant in their Sinagogues and as appereth by steppes yet remayning in many of our Temples whereby either longing for that heathenish superstition or at the least colde affection to aduance true religion is vndoubtedly signified But admitte their whole religion were fully in euery pointe correspondent and answerable to the law ceremoniall what else shoulde that bée but a full and flatte deniall of Christes death and passion and of all the merits of the same This is most substancially proued by our sauiour Christ and by his seruaunt Paule Christ in that former scripture before cited saith that God is a spirit and therefore they that worshippe him must worship him in spirit and trueth In that place Spirit truth are opposed and set against the ceremonies of the law and the words of Christ so vttered to the woman of Samaria importe thus much Before the incarnation of me the then promised and nowe perfourmed sauiour ye worshipped God in shadowes in figures in ceremonies in sacrifices but I béeing nowe come who am the body of those shaddowes the trueth of those figures the substāce of those sacrifices the matter of those ceremonies nowe that externall worship ceaseth and ye muste now worship God onely in spirite and trueth Here Paule saith in his Epistle to the Ephesians the second chapter He that is Christ is our peace which hath made of both one and hath broken the stop of the partition wall in abrogating through his flesh the hatred that is the law of cōmandementes which standeth in ordinaunces c. Again writing vnto the Collossians he hath the same in effect and meaning By both these places we are taught that Christ by his death and passion hath abrogated taken away the whole law of ceremonies that place also in the last to the Hebrues is verie notable to this end and purpose We haue an Altar wherof they haue no authoritie to eat which serue in the Tabernacle Whereby it is concluded that such as yet dwell in ceremonies of the law much more of mens deuising are strangers frō Iesus Christ who by his one sacrifice of his own body once offered for al hath cancelled the obligation and handwriting of the ceremoniall lawe which was against vs By these the like testimonies of holy scripture we sée that such as worship God either after the ceremoniall law of God or after the ceremoniall deuises of men do therby deny the force of Christs death yea they deny that Iesus Christ is come in the flesh Of such mē S. Ioh. speaketh in his first epistle Euery spirit that cōfesseth not Iesus Christ to be come in the flesh is not of god but this is the spirit of Antichrist c. I referre the néerer application of this sentence to their own consciences praying the lord to giue them grace effectually to sée cōfortably to fele faith fully to acknowledge the Lord Iesus togither with the mightie force of his most effectuall death passion Plinie in the eight booke of his naturall historie reporteth the Swallowes vse to make the blind soare eyes of their yong ones to sée by rubbing the same w an herbe called Celandine so named some say of the swallowes first finders and such vsers therof some say quia confert caelestia dona bicause it hath heauenly vertues The papists eyes are very sore blind they cannot abide to looke vppon Iesus Christ the glorious sonne of God thus brightly shining amōgest vs The Lord in his mercie giue thē his heauenly Celandine I mean his holy spirit that therewith their blind eyes may bee opened their darke vnderstanding lightened their hard harts mollified softened If as in grosse we haue viewed the whole bodie of their religiō so nowe we looke vppon the same by piece meale shal we therein finde any spirite and truth shal we not finde it altogether deuoid of spirite and trueth and wholy corporall carnall and earthly Spirite and truth will haue the Lord God alone worshipped and serued they worship and serue Saintes creatures Reliques bootes buskins nailes c. Spirit trueth will haue God alone to be prayed vnto they pray to Saintes to creatures to Images to stockes and stones Spirite and trueth will haue our praiers procéede from an vnderstanding hart they teach charge the people to pray in a strange and vnknowen language Spirite and trueth will haue
of the Actes saith Well spake the holy ghost by Esaias the Prophet vnto our Fathers c. Againe the whole scripture is giuen by inspiratioÌ„ of god c. Peter also in his second epistle first cha vttereth these wordes Prophesie came not in olde time by the will of man but holy men of God spake as they were moued by the holy Ghost In like maner the words spoken at the giuing out of the lawe may truely be vnderstanded of the whole body of all the holy scripture to wit God spake all these wordes Thus it is apparent and manifest of what reuerend and holy account both this and all the sacred scripture ought to be and with what heartie obedience we are to yelde ourselues and stoup downe vnto it sith the holy ghost is authour of the same If we likwise respect the instruments whereby this scripture as by certein second causes and meanes hath bene deliuered to vs the excellencie thereof will also comfortably and plainely apeare For it is vttered by three excellente ministers and seruauntes of the Lord by Moses the gouernour of Israel by Stephan the martyr by the Apostle S. Peter Moses as we reade in the booke called Deuteronomie and as these two Stephan and Peter doe witnesse was the first speaker of this diuine sentice that by the inspiration and direction of the holy Ghost the occasion whereof is also put down in that place of Deuteronomie and consisteth in these two branches First Moses forbiddeth the Israelites to follow the impious maners of the heathen people in vsing witcheraft sorceries charming soothsaying in obseruing times and the fléeing of birdes in making recourse vnto and asking counsell of spirites and the deade pronouncing all these abhominable vnto the Lord the cause why the Lord hath rooted out those nations which were infected and defiled with these superstitious and damnable vanities In the other branch Moses chargeth the Israelites to demeane themselues with all duetifull and true harted obedience towards the Lord their God saying Thou shalt be vpright therefore with the lord thy God thereby signifying that if we wil haue the lord to be our God his mercies continued his vengeaunce deteyned we must then not play the lame â—réeples and hypocriticall halters by making a mingle mangle hodgepoge of true religion vile superstition but we must go vprightly become vnfeigned detestoures of al impietie superstition and hartie zealous worshippers of the Lord according to that religion worship which the Lord him selfe hath prescribed and coÌ„maunded in his word So that the drift of Moses by this scripture is to induce and persuade the children of Israell and all true Christians not to depende vpon the vile and vaine illusions either of sathan or of his wicked instruments but to yelde theÌ„selues to the word of God that with true haâ—â—ie through obodience If the Israelits had obiected to Moses that the word of God was intricat and harde Prophets to interprete the same were fewe and that Moses and all the prophetes should be taken from them by death and so the worde of God coulde bee no suche sure staffe for them to trust and leane vnto Moses in this my text doeth skilfully and to their and our great comfort answeare this obiection saying The lord your God shall rayse vp vnto you a Prophet c meaning that the Lorde will neuer suffer his Church to bée vtterly destitute of true Prophetes and faithful interpreters of his worde The seconde instrument whereby the holy Ghost hath vttered this scripture the seconde by mine order is Stephan the Martyr For Stephan in hys notable Sermon sealed with his bloud death labouring to winne the Iewes vnto Christ and to pul them from their superstitious obseruation of Moses lawe he maketh rehearsall of Moses whole historie as of his byrth of his casting out of his taking vp and nourishing by Pharao his daughter of his care ouer afflicted Israel his killing of the Egyptian his fléeing into the land of Madian of the Angels appearing vnto him in a flame of fire of the Lordes sending him into Egipt of the wonders done by his hand in the lande of Egipt Lest the Iewes should be too superstitiously wedded to Moses and therby hindered from imbracing Christ Stephan procéedeth and substancially proueth that euen this their Moses whom they so loue obey maintaine and cleaue to euen that he in the lawe and by his office endeuoured to conduct and guyde them vnto Christ This saith StephaÌ„ is that Moses which said vnto the children of Israel A prophet shall the Lord your God raise vp vnto you c. By which words it is euident that Moses would not haue the Iews obstinatly tied to him for euer but did prophesie and foretell of Iesus Christ the Prince and head of all the prophets the very mark wherevnto Moses the lawe and all the Prophetes were directed by whom a newe ministerie to wit the Preaching of the Gospell shoulde bee published for the frée remission of sinnes Last of al this scripture is vsed by the Apostle S. Peter in this thirde of the Acts Peter Iohn hauing in the name of Christ that is say by the vertue and power of Christe restoared him that was borne lame vnto his lims the people in woondering wise ran vnto Peter and Iohn accouÌ„ting them the workers of this miraculous eure Herevppon Peter toke direct occasion to make an excellent sermon wherein he openly and with all humilitie acknowledgeth that this lame créeple was healed not by their cunning power and holinesse but by the vertue of Iesus Christ he also vpbraideth them with the villanies done to Christ setting before their eyes their betraying him their denying of him the holy one and the Iust and desire of a murtherer to bee giuen vnto them their killinge of the Lorde of life After hee had thus pearced their heartes with recitall of this barbarons crueltie the rather to reclame bringe them to some déepe swéet féeling both of their owne sinnes and of God his mercies in Christ he sheweth that hee is not persuaded they did these thinges wittingly willingly and of a set malicious purpose but telleth them that after this manner the Lord God perfourmed that whiche was long before spoken by the Prophetes And therefore Peter exhorteth them vnto repentance and to turne vnto the Lord which cannot be done vnlesse they apprehend and catch holde vpon Iesus Christe the promised and perfourmed sauiour that with the stronge hand of a liuely faith This doctrine was straunge and odious to the Iewes who thought Moses and Christ so repugnant and the lawe and the Gospell so contrarie as if they had embraced Christ and his Gospell they would by and by haue reputed and taken themselues for horrible schismatiques and backsliders from Moses and the lawe Peter wisely preuenteth this
scriptures of three sortes and kindes of Prophetes The first are such as were extraordinarilie stirred vp by the LORDE and vsed to aske counsell of the Lorde for the comfort of the Churche in her great extremities These Prophets were called Séers of whom it is spoken in the firste booke of the Cronicles as of God Dauids Séer and of Samuell the Seer The seconde sorte were also extraordinarily sente by the Lorde too interprete the lawe of God when the priestes ceased such were Isay Ieremie c. The thirde kinde of Prophetes are such as the Lorde hath blessed with abilitie and giftes to enterprete and applie the holie scriptures so that to prophecie or to bee a Prophete in this last sence is to open the worde of GOD by a sounde diligent playne and faithfull interpretation and to applie the same both for the ingendring encrease and confirmation of faith and also for the reformation and amendement of life such as some thinke were the Prophetes at Antiochia spoken of in the thirtéenth of the Actes In this sence all true preachers are prophets Thus likwise I take Salomons saying Where Prophesie fayleth the people perishe that is where there is not a faithfull ministery a true diligent interpretation a through application of the word there the people by heapes runne headlong into vtter destruction To this ende and in this meaninge doeth Moses vtter these wordes The Lord your God shall rayse vp vnto you a Prophete signifying a continuall ministerie of the worde for inlarginge the kingdome building vp the church of Christ Howbeit both Stephan in the seauenth and Peter in the thirde of the Actes doe so vse the testimonie of Moses that they doe more particularly restreigne the same vnto our Sauiour Christe For their purpose is to persuade the Iewes that to hearken vnto and beleeue in Christ is not repugnante and contrarie to the Lawe of Moses because Moses him selfe speaking of Christ sayth A Prophete shall the Lorde c. There is no contrarietie betwéene my first interpretation of this prophet for all the ministerie and my thus vnderstandinge of Christe by this Prophete For as this Prophete doeth generally importe the whole number of true ministers prophetes and preachers so it hath also an especiall relation vnto Iesus Christ the head and prince the butte marke the scope end of all the true ministery which euer was is presently or shall be hereafter vpon the whole face of the earth Beholde here then the comfortable signification and importaunte nature of this prophete euen that Iesus Christ by his might and mercie shall euer bee with his Church and that from time to time the Lorde will rayse vp and sende out true ministers for his Church This alone consideration and knowledge is fully fraught with singular comforte If we call to our remembrāce that an houshold with out a stewarde waxeth disordered that schollers wanting an instructour cannot be learned that a shippe destitute of a guide is vnlikely to be preserued we shall then easily perceiue and clearely sée the moste lamentable estate of the Church when it is depriued of true ministers which are the Lords stewards to dispose his secretes the Lords scholmasters to teach his people the Lords vnderguides to direct his flock of Shéep in to the sheepefold of Iesus Christe The faithfull among all other griefes reckon this for one of the greatest we see not our sagnes there is not one Prophet more But although for our sinnes ingratitude contempt and disobedience the Lorde in his displeasure doth often take away his worde and ministers in such sort as the worlde many times iudgeth the worde vtterly abandoned and the ministers thereof altogether destroyed yet euen in those times of hott afflictions the Lord hath continually raised vp true prophetes and preachers to his true hearted Israelites whereof this Citie hath often had most comfortable triall experience Therefore let vs faithfully holde in our harts as a sure ground and infallible principle for euer that if wee wil be diligent hearers faithfull beleeuers and obedient practizers of his worde The Lorde our God shall raise vp a Prophet vnto vs that is will still mercifully blesse vs with the presence of Iesus Christe and with sincere learned painfull discréete and godly interpreters ministers of his worde Moses procéedeth in the description of this Prophet and sayth of your brethren like to me Ye haue alreadie heard that Moses speaketh these words in generall manner respecting both Christe and his ministers but that Peter doth more particularly applie them vnto Christe and therfore it behoueth me to speake of the same wordes First as they generally concerne the whole ministerie Thē as they especially touch Christ To preserue and keepe the Israelites in them all Christians from béeing defiled with the impious maners of the gentiles to make them for euer wholy cleaue to the word of God Moses hath promised a cōtinual opening of the word wil of god therin comprised The people might haue said to Moses peraduenture thy meaning is that the Lord himself will teach vs in his owne person But this wee canne in no wise brooke For we founde his maiestie so glorious his voice so terrible his words so pearcing at the giuing out of the lawe vppon moūt Sinai that we looked for present death and therefore prayed that wee might no more heare the Lorde speake vnto vs in his owne person Moses to take away this feare telleth them that this prophet shall be of their owne brethren that is of their owne stocke bloude and kinred and like to him that is a man as he is in companie with thē as he is teaching them as familiarly as plainely as mildely as louingly as he doth Hence we are taught that as it is a great benifit to be rightly instructed in the will and way of the Lorde so the Lorde hath dealt gratiously with vs in that he teachech vs not in his glorious maiestie to confounde vs but in his great mercie to saue vs not fearefully by thundring lightening tempests to afraie vs but by men of our own countrie of our own nature of our own acquaintaunce to encourage aad allure vs. Now to vnderstād this speach of Christ as Stephan and Peter doe it must be thus construed that Christ touching his humane nature shoulde descende from the stocke of Abraham and bee borne among the Iewes And therefore ther was no cause at al why the Iewes shoulde either feare or dispise Christe sith by byrth he shoulde bee their owne countrieman and in familiar and louing instruction like to Moses But this Christes likenesse to Moses must not be so taken as if in Christe there coulde bee founde nothing more excellent then was in Moses For Moses was but a man Christ God and man Moses was a man
the day then to daunce vpon the Saboth daye If we had grace that one exāple of the murdering of innocent Iohn Baptist by occasion of wanton dauncing might set before our eyes how daungerous a matter it is to frequent the cōmon dancing places And how streightly the holy ghost doth commaund mortification subduing of our wanton affections holinesse in thought wordes workes eyes tongues generally and particularly this ye haue learned by the often hearinge and readinge of the scriptures and therefore ye cannot be ignorant but must néedes knowe and confesse howe vnséemely how vnchristianlike how displeasant to God and offensiue to good men the accustomed dauncing of men women vppon the dayes before named is yea and that their maner of dancing may verie well truely be called as Augustin calleth it a flattering Diuell a sweete poyson a sinfull pleasure or a pleasaunt sinne And so far are thoy from hope to reformo this deformed dancing as we lamentably see many placed in authoritie to like well thereof and rather maintaine irreligious dancers then estéeme and hearken vnto the iust complaint of godlie preachers which openly in sermons priuatly by supplications euery waye haue laboured for the suppressing of this notable cause of many mischeuous inconueniences It is déepely layed to our charge that we speake against al manner of recreations And yet it is well knowen that we like and vse recreations In déed we say this that both wée and all that feare the Lorde muste not alone in earnest and weightie affaires but also in our verie sportes and mirth and pastimes séeke the glorie of god by endeuouring to put of the olde man of sinne and to shewe foorth liuely fruites of true regeneration that whatsoeuer we say or doe it may thereby appeare we haue béene baptised as with water so likwise with the holy ghost and fire that is inwardly and effectually wherof they can neuer truely and comfortably assure themselues which let loose the bridle of their affections and as it were sell their bodies and soules to riotous vnchaste and vngodly dauncing and such other carnall delightes so horribly frequented by the common sort of people in many places of this Realme to the frustrating of oure labours the hinderance of the gospell the increase of wickednesse therfore to the greate ioy of Sathan and all his adherents The Lord in mercie giue suche strength and courage to all magistrats that setting a side frendship respect of gaine care to be popular and all earthly considerations they may throughly friendly ioyne their temporall sworde with the woorde of God whiche is the sworde of the spirite for the cutting downe of what soeuer thinges shall be founde any manner of impediment and let to the inlarging of Christes kingdome And the same Lord turne the froward harts of many people that wheras now they bende themselues to nothing so much as to erect and set vp vanities and to vexe molest and grieue the heartes and discredite slaunder and stain the names euen of their learned godly teachers they may spéedily shew harty repentāce become obediēt hearers followers of God his word And as in the countrie minstrels thus seduce bewitch the people so it hath bene sayd I trust it be reformed that vaine plaiers haue had about this citie of London farre greater audience then true preachers This vniuersal lothing of Christes holy gospell doth prognosticate a famine not of bread and water that is not of corporall foode but as the Prophet sayth a famine of hearing the worde of the Lorde It woulde pearce through our heartes with intollerable griefe to féele our selues and sée our children perish with wāt of bodily sustenance This was the miserable condition and estate of the wicked Iewes at the finall destruction of that moste famous Ierusalem Then the Parentes sawe the pitifull famine and staruing of their children the children of their Parentes one of an other Almost all things they layd hands vppon though most vnnatural thei vsed as meat The tender hearted mother spared not with her own hands to slea her own innocent and natural child and with his vnpleasāt flesh to nourish her famishing body to stay her vnreasonable hungrie appetite Verilie this is a sorrowful narratiō But another maner of griefe shal the famine of God his word bring with it when as by means therof manie fathers and mothers with their children manie maisters with their seruaunts many gouernours with their people shall pine away and perish euerlastingly with the eternal death of body soul This will be a dolefull daunce and to this ende without heartie and present amendement the vsuall contemptuous dauncing the despising of the Gospell the sinnefull delightes the disordred life of the vngodly the profanatiō of holy dayes the loue of playing the lothing and hatred of preaching will bring our happie and golden dayes if God bee not verie mercifull to vs Thus haue ye heard that in these first sort of carnall Protestantes there can be found no obedience and therfore no liuely faith and so consequently they are no fruitfull hearers of the worde Another sort of lippe prefessours are zealous in religion feruentlie bente against poperie great talkers of the scripture pretenders of much honestie but yet among them ye shall finde vnmercifull vsurers couetous oppressours extreame dealers in worldly thinges insatiable cormorantes filthie Epicures these men wil vse faire words but haue foule hearts they will sweare and yet lie they make a shew of simplicitie and for all that are full of deceipt they can talke of mortification yet vse meanes as it were with bellowes to blowe vp and kindle the fire of carnall conuersation The case of these men are most miserable Better they had neuer knowen the worde of god Better they had neuer bene borne Better a milstone had ben hāged about thier neckes then so to haue offended Christs litle ones Their owne knowledge of the word and yet disobedience to the worde pronounceth sentence of iust condemnation against them These are such as Christ speaketh of Not euerie one that saieth vnto mee Lord Lorde shall enter into the kingdome c. These are foolish lookers into the glasse of God his worde hearers only deceiuing their owne selues These are cloudes without water carried about of windes corrupt trées and without fruite These are chaffe whiche the winde driueth away Yea that chaffe which Christ will burne with vnquenchable fire These are figge trées which beare leaues only no fruite and therfore vnable to endure the presēce of christ In the seconde booke of Samuell it is written that King Dauid sent some of his seruants to comfort Hanun king of the Ammonites lamenting for his fathers deth But Hanun perswaded by his noble men that Dauids seruantes came rather as espialles then as