wiâ— fould of christ christ your sheepherd to see 〈◊〉 cornes of christ the lose of life Ioh. 6. to see you calâ— to the knowlege of the truth to coÌ„sent to it â—ome thus to hear it that you may continue 〈◊〉 how it ioyeth our hartes But alas though 〈◊〉 bee our ioy happinesse to see you in this â—r happy estate nothing could more glad â—heÌ„ to see the branch abide in the vine yet saâ— hath had yet hath his are abroad wherwtâ—ot only hacks but hopes to hew down the â—ch of christ in diuerse places Nay as it was Galatia so hath it bin so it is now in Engâ—â—â—d God grant that it be not or if it be not ytâ—ay not be so among you For sataÌ„ hath spiâ— his your prosperous estate in Iesu Christ â— not spared almost in euery place euery â— to ouerthrow it For what the powers of world haue don in this cause I need not to â—ember you what his false Apostles haue â— of late yet do atteÌ„pt you are not ignoraÌ„t â—y you knowe what diuels haue come vnto â—â— shape of Angels What Esaus vnder the â—e of Iacob What cutthroats vnder the â—e of Catholicks What Iudases vnder the â—e of Iesus And that not onely to corrupt â— but also so far to disquiet you as to sucke â—ery blood of Prince people among you were possible By which means it is come to passe that the ship of Christ is not only daed with waues but in a maner ouerwhelmâ— and his sheepe not onely pursued but almâ— quite deuoured in many places as was tâ— therefore so is our Galatia troubled Nay 〈◊〉 Scribes and Pharisies to the disquieting of 〈◊〉 church Apostolicke wan Iudas from christ oâ— sauiour Ioh. 18.2.3 and of an Apostle made him an Aâ—stata Gal. 3.1 These false Apostles bewitched thâ— Galathians and made them fools where tâ— were in the way to runne out they went abâ— by their mixture of circumcision with the gâ—â—pell Gal. 3.4 to make the gospel of Christ fruitles vâ— them Oh would to God Scribes and Phariâ— were not in this our land ô would to God tâ— no familiars had plaid by their means the pâ— of Iudas with Christ our sauiour ô would to â— that many Galathians that runne wel had beene staied stopt from the good course tâ— had begun But alas we want not in this â— day the man that plaieth Iudas nay alas vnâ— the name of Iesus they haue beene and amongst vs that haue sought and doe seeke their false perswasion to make the true Câ—â—â—stian a Iudas nay alas they doe it in diuâ— places already and euen yet they spare no â—uel to make you al Apostataes They caâ— abide to see you come to these our congregâ— â—s they caÌ„not abide to see you gather to serue â—e liuing lord they caÌ„not abide the florishing the truth that we deliuer faithfully and you â—â—ceiue obediently from vs yea it grieueth theÌ„ the very heart to see so many eares in 〈◊〉 house of our god the word of god in known â—nner offered vnto you but aboue all things â—hich was the only thing that among and aâ—â—e all spited these false Apostles to the very â—rt that Christ should be preached as a full a free Iesus only vnto you and among you â—d therefore our aduersaries crie out against 〈◊〉 gospell of Christ that that faith which â—orketh by charitie should only bee saide to â—ify saue which is our proposition neither â—re nor lesse for which cause as these false Aâ—tles to the disquieting of this church of Gaâ—a mingled circumcision grace taught 〈◊〉 gospel to be vnauaileable vnlesse circumciâ— were vsed as necessary by which means â—y deceiued many so also our aduersaries do â—â—gle workes with faith and teach saluation â—ome not only by faith but also by workes which meanes many of the simple are cariâ—â—way from vs and lose the profite of our saâ—urs gospel But here because by the way â—y doe except by the way I am to aunswere â—y except the coÌ„parison not to be iust whereas yet as these Apostles ioined together câ—â—cumcision and Christ so do they couple the â—â—rites of their woorkes and Christ But heâ— they except that circumcision was a matter the Lawe ceremoniall which did not whâ— could not iustifie but as for good woorks thâ— are duties of the Law morall which both â— and doe iustifie but I answere that indeed for circumcision truth it is that it neither dâ— neither could execute that office no lesse dâ— say of the duties of the law moral For thou it be a principle in diuinity confessed also our aduersaries that Lex impleta doth iust care and iustificatos seruare that the Law fulâ—â—â—led doth iustifie and saue the iust yet touchiâ— the categoricall and positiue whereabout question is I find it not to be true that any doeth actually or can possibly fulfill the laâ— and therfore be iustified and saued by the laâ— But here again they except that then god hâ— coÌ„manded things impossible Wherunto I â—swere that as for the impossibility of the comandement it is no matter of absurdity â— it is a point of the catholicke verity taught scriptures to be confessed by all the Apoâ— S. Peter in the 15. of the Acts doth witnâ— no lesse and our aduersaries themselues dâ— say no lesse but here again they except tha◠〈◊〉 the place of S. Peter it concerneth points the law ceremoniall which was but a Law â—mporall but as for good woorkes they are â—ties of the Law moral that bindes al men â—al ages so that if the duty therof and therein â— God of vs exacted were impossible God â—ere proued a cruel rigorous God Whereâ—â—to I aunswere first that touching the perâ—â—tualnes or temporalnes of the commaunâ—ment that is nothing whence the impossiâ—â—enesse is graunted for a truth 2 I answere â—at as for the duties of the law morall though â—ey binde perpetually and yet bee impossible be performed by the Godly yet is not God â—ereby proued a cruel rigorous god but 〈◊〉 â— cause he demaundeth nothing but his due â—e Yea what mans conscience calleth duty â—â—nfesseth to bee due now to aske nothing but â—e yea what man cannot but confesse to bee â—e that is no cruelty no rigor but iustice â—d therefore to answere more fully as for the â—ties of the lawe morall God asketh therein thing but what maÌ„ should performe Therâ—e nothing but duety yea nothing but what â—an could performe nothing therefore but â—ety yea nothing but possible dutie which â—â—ough now hee cannot performe and thereâ—re now findes the law impossible that is because wheÌ„ he could therfore had possibility 〈◊〉 performe it yet he would not so that that iâ—possibility argueth not Gods cruelty rigouâ— but iustice on his part on our behalfe our miserable infirmity and yet voluntary miserâ— Nay their owne Hugo de Victore in his annotations vpon this chapter saith that man â—â—
A SERMON PREACHED IN S. PETERS CHVRCH AT WEST-CHESTER THE XXV OF SEPTEMBER 1586. CONTAINING MATTER FIT FOR THE TIME By Edward Hutchins Maister of Arts and Fellowe of Brazennose College PSALME 74. O deliuer not the soule of thy turtle-doue vnto the multitude of enimies vers 20. Arise O God maintaine thine owne cause vers 23. AT OXFORD â—â—inted by IOSEPH BARNES and are to be sold in Pauls Church-yarde at the signe â—f the Tygers head â—O THE WOORSHIPFVLL MAIster ROGER PVLESTON Esquire grace and peace in Christ ALthough there be in Sion numbers of such as haue do cast off their riches into the Lordes â—â—easurie such as are euerie waie â—â—reful able to disburse their two â—ence committed to theÌ„ for the cuâ—â—ng of the wounded man in Ierico â—hose labours or rather almes are â—orious on earth written in heaâ—en though I knowe my selfe to be one of them not worth any riches at onelie a mite rather wishing to â—ue then hauing to bestow the two â—nce of God yet haue I bin as beâ—â—re so now again by entreaty won bestow this short sermon though it bee but a mite though nothing to that which others cast into the treasury Whereof therefore as of all desire fauorable acceptation so oâ— your worshippe I am to craue it to whoÌ„ I haue bin bold yet of dutâ— bound to offer the same as a true though a smal tokeÌ„ of my dutiful thankfull remeÌ„brance of your sundrie benefits towards me from timâ— to time which the lord god requitâ— where I cannot who double muâ—tiplie his blessings vpoÌ„ you keeâ— you in al your waies and vs from those enemies that studie nothinâ— but how to disquiet vs. AMEN Your Worships in Châ—â—â—â— to commaund E. H. It is written in the 5. Chapter of Saint Pauls Epistle to the Galathians 12. verse I would to God they were cut off that doe disquiet â—ou AS SAINT PAVL RIGHT Worshipful dearly beloued in our deare sauiour was chosen of God to be his lampe a light of his golden Candelsticke so did hee performe the â—utie of light he bent himselfe to lighten them â—hat were in darcknesse wheresoeuer he came Hee was a lamp to the Thessalonians a lamp â—o the Corinthians a lamp to the Romanes a â—amp to the Ephesians a lamp to the Colossiâ—ns to omit the rest hee was a lampe to these â—eople of Galatia as appeareth by this Epistle which he penned first as many take it and first â—ent vnto theÌ„ Wherein appeareth that he had laied the skilful builder laid them on christ â—e corner stone of the teÌ„ple called coÌ„uerted â—hem from foolishnesse to wisedome from igâ—orance to knowledge from error to the truth â—om superstition to christian religion Howâ—eit where by his painfull care careful traâ—el amoÌ„g them he had thus brought theÌ„ to an â—â—ppy estate in Iesus Christ it grieued Saâ—n to see it therefore hee busied himselfe to put out the cleare light of Paul the lampe of Christ our sauior to pull out of the wall the liuely stones that Saint Paul his elect builder had laid vpon him Nay alas he did not only grieue at this prosperous estate of these Galathians wherein they stood therefore sent out such as should seek to ouerthrow the good that Paul had wrought among them but as hee attempted so hee tempted and by his tempting preuailed so far that the Galathians fell from light to darcknes from true wisedome to their former folly from truth to error from the syncerity of religion to superstition from christ to Moses by which meanes it came to passe that S. Paul their Apostle was in a maner forgotten and his truth almost forsaken of them and among them Which their miserable estate â— piteous the Apostle considering hee tooke thiâ— course to write this epistle to them thereby to warne them of their estate by him in the gospell of their folly in reuolting of his care to conuert them again from concision to the true circumcision from the ceremonies of the Laâ—â— to the truth of the gospel that so Iesus Chriâ—â— might profit them and hee bee a ioyful Apostlâ— ouer in them Many waies doth he moue thâ— I neede not to expresse the specials In thâ— verse he layeth before him the mischief greaâ— euill that the false Apostles wrought in the church how they were enimies to the estate of these Galathians how they brought them froÌ„ the breade of life to feede on leauen from the greene tree to the dry sticke from the body to the shadow from the kernell to the shell from Christ to the Law ceremoniall whereby they made theÌ„ sore where they were healed slaues where they were freed lost where they were before quitte by the gospell of grace and made Christ vnprofitable vnto them where they fought well before yet now to flee where they â—anne wel before yet now to stand where they were in the spirit yet nowe to end in the fleshe where they had yet nowe to loose the faith of Christ our sauiour Which their miserable coÌ„â—ition the Apostle pondering with himselfe how â—ttended to their destruction to the disglory of God whose gospell was despised that way for vntrueth and the blood of Christ was like â—o bee of no profite vnto them it did so grieue â—im on the one side to see their pâ—teous estate â—eale on the other side did so eate him vp to see â—he glorious gospel of peace so trod in the dust â—hat he burst out in these words which I haue â—ead vnto you Would to god they were cut off â—hat so disquiet you as if he shuld haue said O Galathians I begot you in the faith should be your father I brought you to the light anâ— should bee your starre I haue taught you the truth and should be your master and whereas the Church is an espoused virgin to one husband â— Cor. 11.2 that one husband is Iesus Christ the King of Kings the God of all glory I am the Bridegromes friend and so you ought to repute mee that haue brought you to the spouse your mother the Church in the Kings priuie chaÌ„ber Cant. 1.3 I haue brought you as SalomoÌ„ speaketh Cant. 1.11 to see the King at his repast your spikenard hath giuen the smell thereof O Galathians what shal I say I had an office I prepared my selfe to performe it yea I laide before you a vessell ful of the pretious blood of Christ to the purging of you froÌ„ your sins nay I haue taken the pains to wash you therein as whitâ— as euer was the snow in Salmon in a word I haue described Christ before you and preached him only a free and full Iesus vnto you yet and it was my ioie to see the happie fruites of these my labors among you that you were become the Lambes of Christ â—oh 10. Cant. 2.1 â—phe 5.23 and Christ your sheepheard the leaues of Christ and christ
as thorns â—here they were once lillies strangers where â—ey were once near idle where they once ran well Gal. 5 7. Gal. 3.1 Gal. 3.3 fools where they were once wise fleshâ—â— where they were once spiritual and gaue eaâ—â— vnto the spirit that not onely said it but criâ—â— and proclaimed it in their heartes that God Christ was onely and wholy fully and freelâ— Abba father vnto them whereby his darlinâ— was like to be deuoured his lilly in Galatia be torne Gal. 4.11 his owne crowne glory to be take from him and Gods glorie to lie in the dustâ— so greeued him that hee burst out and saide â— would to God they were cut off that so disquâ—â—et you Wherein he hath principally respect Gods glorie secondarily to the happy and saâ— estate of these Galathians and thirdly to tâ—â— prosperous recouery of his labors among thâ— which because they were greatly hindered â— the meanes of these false Apostles therefore burst out euen of zeal and said thus O would to God c. In which woordes to come to tâ—â— point the Apostle yet breaketh not the bond charity but keepeth it in that he thus wisheâ— not of priuate affection but in respect of God glorie his church and congregation which had in Galatia planted happily yet the falâ—â— Apostles sought to destroy most craftily Gal. 4.15 Noâ— wher euil is wished to the drosse that the goâ— may be pure euil to the chaffe that the wheaâ—â— may be fanned euil to the leaueÌ„ that the douâ—â— â—y be sweet euil to the pitch that the cleane â—y be clean euile to the tare that the corn may safe euil to the wolfe that the sheep may be â— â—n a word to wish euil to the diuel to his â—rites false Apostles that the glory of God â—y be glorious the church of god redeemed danger of them zeal it is euil zeal it cannot â—ut very christiaÌ„ the loue of god coÌ„straineth â—â— the loue that is due to the church of Christ â—â—h beg craue it Neither indeed do I take â—â—se woordes of the Apostle to bee so much â—ordes of euill wish to his aduersaries as â—â—rds of good wil to the people of Galatia Gal. 5.10 for much as he doth not wish them euill simply 〈◊〉 in respect because they did trouble the â—urch hinder hurt her in her race because â—y did disquiet her So that in respect of the â—â—lathians whose safety was dear vnto him whose saluation Gods glory had bin gloriâ— in whose reuolt from the truth continue therein the false Apostles had stopt the â—â—rse of the glory of God and brought their â—s to piteous case considering that it was â—â—er that many dogs should die the death then one dareling of Iesus Christ much more â—â— so many as were in Galatia hee might â—ly did godly break out into these wordes and say ô would to God they were cut off tâ— do disquiet you 3 Wherein wee may see both what he â—sheth to the false Apostles therin their estaâ— as also the cause of his wish He wisheth tâ— were cut off cut off from the people of Galaâ— cut off from the company of them cut off frâ— the number of Christians nay cut off vtterlâ— cursed euerlastingly before they should breâ— such goodly plants as he had planted Apolâ— had watered and God himselfe had blessed Galatia O terrible wish to proceede from Apostle to wish their death and damnation yet ô wish no lesse iust theÌ„ terrible iust to vâ— the barren fig tree a curse Mat. 21.16 Luc. 16.2 Ps 1.4 iust to wish the fâ— steward a reckoning iust to wish fire for stâ—ble iust to wish wind to scatter the chaffe â— that not simply but in respect least the grâ— trees of the lord least the children of his taâ— least his corne that grewe in Galatia shoâ— take any hurt For that was the cause 〈◊〉 the Apostle did so wish vnto them because tâ— disquieted them Which is the third nâ— wherein if you aske me wherein they did â— quiet them the whole Epistle beareth witâ— They did disquiet them Gal. 2. because they brouâ— them in doubt of his Apostleshippe disqâ— them Gal. 3.1 because they taught a contrary doctrâ— to him disquiet them Gal. 5.7 beecause they did â—t suffer them to inioy the trueth that hee had â—uen them disquiet theÌ„ because they by such â—eans had brought them from faith to works Gal. 4.21 Gal. 5.3 13. Luc. 2.14 Ephe. 2.17 â—m grace to the law from Christ to ceremoâ—es from liberty to bondage from the peace conscience in Iesu Christ the true and only â—ace of God to seeke it in circumcision if not â—ly yet with the gospel iointly whereby they â—de Christ Iesus who is and will bee in the â—tter of saluation either al in al or nothing all no way profitable vnto them in a word â—y did disquiet them because they by such â—ans tooke the peace of conscience from theÌ„ But to come to an application of al dearely â—oued in our sauior christ Iesu as these peoâ—â—â— of Galatia had their Paul by whose laboriâ—s preaching they did attain to the knowlege God the father in Christ his dearly beloued â—ne so haue you and with you the people of 〈◊〉 our land not wanted but inioyed the same â—efite these many yeares nay where you â—re withered branches yet Paul hath planâ— where you were ready to wither againe 〈◊〉 againe yet Apollo hath watered and god 〈◊〉 blessed you with heauenly knowlege and â— know it and I hope you al thanke god for that we haue beene cloudes and haue giuen forth the dew candles haue giuen forth â— light the brestes of the spouse and haue offerâ— milcke her teeth and haue diuided the Manâ— the meat Cant. 4.11 her tongs and haue spoken as Salmon speakes no lesse than the very hunny heauen vnto you and the Lord our God is â— witnesse how we haue traueled in euery plâ— to be fruitfull wombes vnto him among yoâ— you your selues easily can and I hope for yoâ— parts wil thankefully witnesse how wee hâ— beene voices and what we haue cried how 〈◊〉 haue beene hands and what we haue laborâ— how we haue bin feete of and for the Lord â—â—sus and how wee haue stoode in this and otâ— like places to deliuer out the gladsom tidiâ— of heauenly peace vnto you nay more thaÌ„ tâ— we haue beene writing these many years 〈◊〉 as S. Paul doth sweetely figure out the â—â—ter we thanke the liuing 1. Cor. 3.2 and our most louâ— God that wee haue written a faire and gâ— Epistle among you so that all the world â— runne and reade not the name of superstitâ—â— and superstitious deuotion but of trueth â— Christian knowledge religion in your â— heads You are the seales of our labours are our crowne and glory and therein we glory Luc. 13.34 to heare Christ our henne clocking you as christians following to see you