first we must beleeue Christ to be that Iesus vers 11. that great Prophet who is the Messias and Sauiour of the world For the second wee must professe and confesse this faith hauing Hosanna in our mouthes and crying Blessed is he that commeth in the Name of the Lord Hosanna in the highest vers 9. For the third we must spread our garments in the way cut downe branches from the trees and straw them in the passage vers 8. that is forsake all and follow Christ profering and offering our selues whollie to his seruice or as the Epistle doth expound the Gospell seeing our saluation is neere the night past and the day come let vs cast away the works of darknes and put on the armour of light c. I am occasioned here iustly to direct their ignorance who do not vnderstand and correct their obstinacie who will not vnderstand the wisdome of the Church so fitly disposing of the Gospels and Epistles as that often the one may serue for a Commentary to the other As heere S. Matth. Behold thy King commeth And S. Paul Our saluation is nigh and the day is come S. Paul doth aduise not to make prouision for the flesh and S. Matthew reports how the people accompanying Christ spread their garments in the way S. Paul commands loue in all men S. Matthew commends loue in these men who gaue such entertainment vnto Christ. The whole Gospell is a liuely picture of the Church in which are foure sorts of persons especially 1. Christ who is King and head verse 5. and 12. 2. Prophets who loose men from their sinnes and bring them vnto Christ verse 2. and 7. 3. Auditors who beleeue that Christ is the Messias openly professing this faith Hosanna to the Sonne of Dauid vers 9. and manifesting this faith also by their works in obeying the Ministers of Christ verse 3. and performing the best seruice they can verse 8. 4. Aduersaries who much enuy Christs kingdome saying Who is this verse 10. Concerning Christs seueritie toward those who played the Merchants in the Temple See Gospell Dom. 10. post Trinit Epist. ROM 15.4 Whatsoeuer things are written aforetime they are written for our learning c. THis Scripture containes in it three things concerning the Scripture What it is written Shewing the Scriptures authority When aforetime Shewing the Scriptures antiquity Why for our learning Shewing the Scriptures vtility For the first things only told passing thorough many mouthes are easily mistold it is long ere we get them and we soone forget them Almighty God therefore commanded that his Law should be written in bookes and engrauen in stone that the syllables thereof might alway be in our eyes so well as the sound in our eares and that for two causes especially 1. That the godly man might exercise himselfe therein day and night 2. That the wicked might neither adde to it nor detract from it In like maner albeit the sound of the thundring Apostles went out thorough all the earth and their words vnto the ends of the world yet the Spirit of wisedome thought it meete that there should be a treatise written of all that Christ did and said and that from point to point entituled The Booke of the generation of Iesus Christ. The Scripture then is a Bible because written and the Bible 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in many respects excelling all other bookes especially for the maker and matter in so much that S. Paul saith If an Angell from heauen preach otherwise let him be accursed And Iustin Martyr goes yet further If Christ himselfe should preach another God or another Gospell I would not beleeue him Ipse non crederem Domino Iesu. This doctrine makes against vnwritten verities of Papists and fond reuelations of Anabaptists and factious interpretations of Schismatikes and impudent conceits of Libertines all which equall their owne phantasies with the Scriptures authority The Papists and Schismaticks are all for a speaking Scripture the Libertines and Anabaptists are all for an infused scripture the true Catholicks only for the written scripture to the Law and to the Testimony Thy word is a lanterne vnto my feet and a light vnto my paths The second point to be considered is that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 scriptures written aforetime being the first booke so well as the best booke for as Tertullian was wont to call Praxeas hesternum Praxean so we may terme the most ancient Poets and Philosophers in comparison of Moyses vpstart writers Omnia Graecorum sunt nâ—ua heri As Galaton painted Homer vomiting Reliquos verò poetas ea quae ipse euomuisset haurientes to signifie saith Aelian that he was the first Poet and all other as well Greeke as Latine but his apes In like maner Moyses is called by Theodoret Oceanus theologiae the sea of Diuinitie from whom all other writers as riuers are deriued The which point as it is excellentlie confirmed by Theodoret Clemens Iosephus and others so it is ingeniously confessed euen by the heathen Historiographers Eupolemus lib. de Iudaeaâ— regibus auoweth Moyses to be the first wise man Plato that a barbarous Egyptian was the first inuentor of Arts Appion Ptolomey Palaemon haue granted the same and vpon the point Strabo Plinie Cornelius Tacitus and others as â—icinus reports lib. de religione Christiana cap. 26. To demonstrate this more particularly The Troian war is the most ancient subiect of human history but Trâ—y was taken in the dayes of Dauid about the yeare of the world 2788. and Homer flourished anno 3000. whereas Moyses was borne anno 2373. Secondly this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 confutes the Marcionites and Manichees and all such as reiect the old Testament For the place to which the text hath reference is taken out of the 69. Psalme verse 9 that the scriptures of Moses and the Prophets are written for our instruction It is plain by Christs iniunctioÌ„ Search the Scriptures as also by that of our Apostle 1. Cor. 10. These things happened vnto them for ensamples and were written to admonish vs vpon whom the ends of the world are come If all little histories then much more the great mysteries are our scholemasters vnto Christ Let vs examine therefore the third obseruable point concerning the Scriptures vtilitie Whatsoeuer things are written afore time they are written for our learning The Scripture saith Paul is the peoples instruction the Scripture say the Papists in the vulgar tongue is the peoples destruction The Scripture saith Paul doth make the man of God absolute the Scripture say the Papists in a knowne language makes men hereticall and dissolute but the Bible makes men heretikes as the Sunne makes men blinde and therefore Wickliffe truly To condemne the word of God translated in any language for heresie is to make God
Apostles are all teachers are all workers of miracles haue all the gift of healing doe all speake with tongues doe all interpret It is God who worketh all in all communicating indifferently spirituall life to all his members insomuch as the least is a member of his bodie so well as the greatest In this respect all parts are peeres Albeit I say there be diuers gifts and diuers measures of gifts and so by consequence for fashion and function an imparity yet because they be donatiues grants and graces as it is said here the mighty may not scorne the meane nor the meane enuie the mighty no part must be pâ—rt For â—hat hast thou that thou hast not receiued He that appointed thee mouth or eye might haue made thee foote or hand Againe no member ought to mutter against head or fellow for the mysticall body of Christ is all faâ—re Tota pulchra es amica mea now beauty consists in variety of colours and in a concinne disposition of sundry different parts If all the whole body were an eye where were the hearing If the whole were hearing where were the smelling But God hath in a most sweete order disposed the members euery one of them in the body first Apostles secondly Prophets thirdly Teachers then workers of miracles after that the gifts of healing helpers gouernours diuersities of tongues Hee then that affects in the Church an hotchpotch paritie martyrs and marres Christs body which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. a body fitly knit together by euery ioynt Ephesians 4.16 Thirdly there is a sympathie betweene the members of the naturall bodie for if one suffer all suffer with it if one member be had in honour all the members reioyce with it So Paul in this scripture Be merie with them that be merie weepe with them that weepe Paine is often lessened by pitie passion is relieued in one by compassion of many Minus fit quod patitur vnum membrum si compatiantur alia membra nec ipsa mali releuatio fit per communionem cladis sed per solatium charitatis vt quamuis alij ferendo patiuntur alij cognoscendo compatiuntur Communis fit tamen tribulatio quibus probatio spes dilectio spiritusque communis est He that hath not this fellow feeling may suspect worthily that hee is not a liuely member of Christ for his bodie is coupled and knit together throughout euery ioynt wherewith one ministreth to another If then we doe not beare one anothers burthen and feele one another miserie wee are not knit together by the sinewes of loue and if not knit to the bodie no part of the bodie Fourthly there is no dead or idle member in the body but euery one helpes another and is seruiceable for the good of the whole the eye doth direct the head and the hand guard the eye the nose smels for all tongue speaks for all hand workes for all The eye cannot say to the hand I haue no need of thee nor the hand againe to the feet I haue no need of you but euery part seekes anothers and not his owne good In like sort the wise Counseller must see for all the tall Souldiers fight for all the iudicious Clerke write for all as Occam said vnto the Emperour Lewis If you will defend me with your sword I will defend you with my pen. Seeing wee haue diuers gifts according to the grace giuen vnto vs if a man haue the gift of prophecie let him haue it c. The duties here mentioned are partly Publike If a man haue the gift of prophecie c. Priuate If a man shew mercie let him do it with cheerfulnes The publike coÌ„cerne things Spiritual for Doctrine Theoricall as prophecying and teaching Practicall as exhortation Discipline let hâ—m that ruleth doe it with diligence Temporall if any man giue let him doe it with singlenes If any man haue the gift of prophecie let him haue it agreeing to the faith A Prophet in old time foretold things to come but vnder the Gospell a Prophet is hee that interprets the Prophets he that shewes Christ is come spoken of by y e mouth of al his holy Prophets euer since the world began A Preacher is a Prophet as the word is vsed 1. Cor. 14.1 and 1. Cor. 13. we know in part we prophecie in part A Preacher then must teach agreeing to the faith that is according to the Scripture which is a rule of faith or according to the Creede which is an abridgement of that rule for other foundation can no man lay then that which is laide Christ Iesus He that will edifie Gods house must build vpon Christ and square al his doctrines according to the rule of truth If any man speake let him talke as the words of God It is not said here that a Prophet ought to vse no booke but the Bible no Commentarie but the Creede for that is too spirituall as Mâ—rlorate notes He that will preach agreeing to the Scripture must reade the best expositors of the Scripture for as Bernard said all bookes are written for the bettering of the conscience which is the booke of the soule so wee must examine all bookes especially treatises of Diuinitie for the better vnderstanding of this one booke which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Booke Neither is it said here that the Prophet in the pulpit must speake nothing beside plaine text but only that hee must exercise his gift according to faiths analogie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 teaching the wholesome words of Christ and consenting to the doctrine which is agreeable to godlinesse for whatsoeuer is deduced out of Gods booke by necessarie consequence must be receiued as his word let him that hath the gift of prophecie haue it agreeing to the faith Or as other interpret to beget and confirme faith in vs euermore For if a Prophet rise among you saying Let vs goe after other gods and serue them c. thou shalt not hearken vnto the words of the Prophet Deut. 13.1 The true Prophet is he Cuius in ore vâ—rbum vitae cuiâ—s in more vita verbi Or as Melanct. and most of the most ancient fathers according to the proportion of faith and grace giuen As if hee should say Whosoeuer is called by the Church lawfully to preach the Word let him abide therein according to the measure of his gift for God hath giuen to some more to some lesse and often blesseth him that hath lesse more then him that hath more Let euery man therfore exercise his talent with faith and diligence to the best edification of Gods people comitted to his charge so likewise let him that hath an office â—aite on his office let him that teacheth take heed to his doctrine let him that exhorteth giue attendance to his exhortation according to the proportion of grace Let not any suffer his talents to rust but
magnifie the Lord and our spirit must reioyce in God our Sauiour It is not enough that we come neere to God with our lips in chanting hymnes and psalmes except we make melodie to the Lord with the best member that wee haue Plus valet consonantia voluntatum quà m vocum How wee neglect this precept in singing when our hearts are on our haruest and our mindes on our meate I neede not say your domesticall Chaplane doth daily tell you To the Lord That as of him and through him and for him are all things so vnto him may be glorie for euermore Whatsoeuer yee doe in word or deede A generall rule extended to all men and all actions in all places at al times vno cumulo cuncta complectitur as Luther vpon the place Doe all Not say yee but doe Celsus and Antiphon writing against the truth intituled their treatise the book of truth and the Papists vnder the name of the Church ouerthrow the Church Ecclesiae nomiâ—ee armamini contra ecclesiam dimicatis Anabaptists are most carnall and yet they boast of the spirit Vnconscionable men in our time seeme to be all for conscience Iustice and Conscience are the greatest martyrs in the world For a great man in doing mischiefe pretends iustice and a meane man alway conscience so that as it is in the Prouerb In nomine domini incipit omne malum So soone as the malicious man had sowen his tares he went his way See the Gospell for this day In the name of the Lord Iesu Not in our owne name for there is no good in vs of our selues we cannot think so much as a good thought much lesse speake a good word or doe a good deede nor in Angels name nor in any Saints name for that is to mingle the blood of Thomas with Christs blood as Pilate did the blood of the Galileans with their owne sacrifice Christ is our only Sauiour and redeemer our only mediatour and aduocate This saith the Wiseman is the summe of all that he is all yea all in all and therefore good reason all should bee said all should bee done in his name that is as our Church in the Collect begun continued and ended in him he is Alpha therefore we must begin euery worke by calling vpon his name and squaring it according to his word he is Omega therefore all must be referred vnto him and end in him 1. Cor. 10.31 To God the Father Because God and because a father God for his greatnesse Father for his goodnesse By him Otherwise our spirituall sacrifices are not acceptable to God 1. Pet. 2.5 The Gospel MATTH 13.24 The kingdome of heauen is like vnto a man which sowed good seed in his field c. THis parable being explained by Christ vers 37. needs not any further exposition but our good disposition only to practice that hee taught it requires application rather then explication For application then vnderstand that it makes against 4. principal enemies of y e Church Carnall Gospellers Brownists Papists Atheists Against carnall Gospellers in that they neither watch ouer the Church nor pray for the Church as they should Satan is here called our enemie both ab affectu and effectu for his malice going about daily like a roring lion seeking whom he may deuoure For his successe ouercomming many for this cause called a man in 28. verse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Scipio was called Africane for that hee conquered Africa or as other obserue there is such affinitie betweene Satan and the wicked as that mutually they be called one by anothers name The wicked man is called a diuell Haue not I chosen you twelue and one of you is a diuell and the diuell is here termed a wicked man This enuious aduersarie soweth alway tares among the wheate where God hath his Church he hath his chapell The diuell hath not any ground of his owne but he soweth in Gods field vpon Gods seede and so the corruption of the good is the generation of the bad heresie being nothing els but an ouersowing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an after teaching or another teaching Almightie God hath foure principall fields Heauen Paradise The Church Mans heart In heauen Lucifer ouersowed pride by which himself and his angels fell in Paradise Satan ouersowed disobedience by which he deceiued Adam and Eue God said in the day that thou eatest of the tree of knowledge thou shalt die the death Eua being corrupted by the Serpent said lest ye die Satan himselfe ye shall not die so Gods good seede moriemini was turned first to ne moriamini then vnto non moriemini Deus affirmat mulier dubitat diabolus negat In the Church as it is here shewed he doth ouersow schismes and heresies in such sort that tares ouertop the wheate at least they be so mingled together as that the one cannot bee rooted vp without hurt to the other In mans heart which is Gods especiall enclosure when the good seede is sowen Satan enters and endeuours to catch it away planting in stead thereof vnlawfull lust pride of life couetous desires He doth labour to blast our good workes either in the act or els in the end and all this is done saith the text while men sleepe The which I finde construed of Priests especially called in holy Bible the Watchmen of Israel but not onely for the Prince being a pastor of his people must watch also the flocke yea the shepheards ouerseeing the Seers and watching the watchmen that they doe not sleepe This also concernes the people for euery master hath charge of his house euery man of his soule The master doth sleepe when he doth not gouerne well his familie euery man doth sleepe when hee neglects Gods seede sowen in his heart That therefore which our Sauiour said vnto his Disciples he said vnto all Watch and so the Church expounds it of all idle persons insinuating that it is the best time for the diuell to worke his feate when men are negligent in their calling It is not Gods fault then that tares are mingled among wheate for he sowed none but good seede All that he made was good yea very good Neither can we iustly condemne the diuell for he doth but his part being a murderer from the beginning all the blame belongs vnto our selues in that we sleepe when we should watch Here the Gospell and Epistle parallel If the word of God dwell in vs plenteously with all wisedome then Sataâ— cannot sow tares in our soule If Ministers Magistrates and Mâ—sters as Gods elect put on tender mercie kindnes humblenes of minde loue toward their charge their compassionate bowels assuredly will pitie the dangerouâ— â—state of such as are tares vnder their gouernment endeuouring to make them wheate against the great haruest For the seruants here teach vs
they fall not backward as Eli and the Iewes who tooke Christ but forward as Abraham in the valley of Mambre and Ezechiel by the riuer Chebar Lastly wee must end well Death is our last enemie which must be destroyed and therefore we must run well vnto the end and in the end As good not to runne at all as to runne neere the end and then to lose the prize to suffer Satan at the last houre to snatch our reward from vs. A runner will bee sure to stretch out his hand at the races end to take the marke so when death approcheth a Christian must stretch out the hand of faith apprehending Christ and his righteousnesse Obserue yet a great difference betweene the Christian and other races In the games of other runners as it is here said one onely doth winne the gole but in the Christian course many receiue the prize so many as continue stedfast vnto the end though they doe not runne so fast though they doe not runne from so farre as other So Christ shewes in the parable of the vineyard allotted for the Gospell on this day Such as came to worke at the eleuenth houre had a peny so well as they that came into the vineyard at the third houre Secondly in other races one hinders another but in our iourney to heauen one helpes another The moe the merier the greater companie the better encouragement euery good man being a spurre to his neighbour As when Peter and Iohn ranne to Christs sepulchre Iohn ouerrunne Peter vnto the graue Peter outwent Iohn into the graue Thirdly runners and wrastlers contend for a crowne that shall perish but we runne to obtaine an euerlasting crowne They run for a little prize for a little praise but wee striue for no lesse then a kingdome that is at stake that is the marke which being infinitly aboue the value of all mens works it cannot be deserued by merit but onely giuen by grace To propound a garland for the runner and a crowne for the wrestler proceeds altogether from Gods owne meere mercy to run and not to fall to fall and not finally to be cast downe comes also from his especiall grace So that it is neither in him that willeth nor in him that runneth but in God that shewes mercy Yet we must so runne that we may obtaine Wee must worke well in respect of the reward as also for feare of punishment due to such as worke not well albeit not onely nor chiefly for these considerations as slaues for feare or hirelings for reward but principally out of louing obedience to God as becomes children vnto so good a father Holy conuersation is a signe and seale of our iustification by which our election is made sure Feramus ergo sidei fructum ab ipsâ pueritiâ augeamus in adolescentiâ coloremus in iuuentute compleamus in seâ—ectute I therefore so run One said of Erasmus his Enchiridion that there was more deuotion in the booke then in the writer But here Saint Pauls life doth preach so much as his letter I so run so fight I Preachers as it is well obserued vpon the Gospell for this day must be not onely verbarij but operarij fo that as Christ said to the Lawyer I say to thee Goe and doe thou likewise Not as one that beateth the aire Such as contend in the Church about things vncertaine and vnnecessary beat the aire I tame my body The Monkes of S. Swithin in Winchester complained to Henry the second that their Bishop had taken away three of their dishes and left them but ten to whom the King answered that the Bishop should doe well to take away ten and to leaue them but three for they were so many as he had in his Court. In England Monkes so tamed their body that among vs as yet Frier and fat are voces conuertibiles and the new bastard Monke though his habit resemble loue couering a multitude of sinnes yet himselfe is the piâ—â—re of enuie No treason in old time without a Priest no treason in our time without a Iesuit so that I may say with the Poet In vestimentis non est contritiomentis Ni mens sit pura nil confert regula dura Bodily exercise profiteth little but godlinesse is profitable to all things As to shew the behauiour of a Prophet in the robes of a cauiliere is louely so contrariwise doe the works of a ruffin in the weeds of a Priest is no better then hypoâ—risie Lest by any meanes Our Apostle was assured of his saluation as it is euident Rom. 8. This then is to be construed of reproofe before men not of reprobation before God Or if it be referred to damnation eternall his â—â—aning is that we may not presume of the end without the meanes and waies by which Almighty God brings vs vnto it And so we lambes may tremble seeing the belwether of the flocke must so labour and subiect his flesh lest perhaps he misse the marke Christ doth assure that a little faith euen little as a grain of mustard seed is strong enough to cast all mountaines into the sea that shall rise vp to diuide betweene God and vs. It is true that the shield of faith is able to repell all the fierie darts of the wicked but this our faith is made fat by good works And if we will make our calling and election sure we must with all diligence ioine vertue with faith and with vertue knowledge and with knowledge temperance and with temperance patience and with patience godlinesse and with godlinesse brotherlie kindnesse and with brotherly kindnesse loue c. The Gospel MAT. 20.1 The kingdome of heauen is like vnto a man that is an housholder c. OVr Sauiour was delighted exceedingly with certaine proueâ—biall speeches as Euery man that exalâ—eth himselfe shall be brought loâ— and hee that humbleth himselfe shall be exalted Vnto euery man that hath it shall be giuen but from him that hath not euen that which he hath shall be taken away Many that are first shall be last and the last shall be first The which saying is hard and as Bishop Latymer speakes it is no meat for mowers and ignorant people Christ therefore propounds here this parable for explanation thereof as it is apparent by the 16. verse of this present Chapter as also by the last words of the former Many that are first shall be last and the last shall be first for the kingdomâ— of heauen c. In which a lecture of meeknesse is read by the great Doctor of humility teaching all such as are forward in religion not to be proud because the first may be last and all such as are called late not to despaire because the last may be first In the whole parable three points are to be noted our calling worke