benefites The formall cause is the gladsome message of free remission of sinnes purchased by Christ Iesus The finall cause is that mankynd beyng deliuered out of the handes of his enemies Death Sinne Hell Sathan should serue God in holynesse and righteousnesse all the dayes of his lyfe He that is of God heareth Gods word he loueth it beleueth it doth it These thyngs are included in the word Heare The word of God hath sūdry hearers some receiue it some receiue it not Note the parable of the seede The séede of the word of God when it was sowed fell some by the wayes side some vpon stones some vpō thornes and some in good ground c. but more strictly and briefly the word of God hath two sortes of heares Elect and Reprobate The elect say with Peter Domine ad quem ibimus verba vitae aeternae habes Maister to whom shal we goe thou hast the wordes of eternall lyfe The reprobate say Durus est hic sermo This is a hard saying who can heare it Can this mortalitie put on immortalitie Cā this corruption put on incorruption Can Christ be God and mā Can God beget a sonne as of late the deuill of Norwiche deuilishlye sayde yea worse then a deuill was he For the deuils in the former Chapter acknowledged Christ crying and saying Thou art Christ the sonne of God but this deuill denyed Christ The word of God is preached in vayne to many the hony is lost that is put into vessels of gall the fishe is cast away that is cast into dry pooles and the séede perisheth that is sowed vpon the sand S. Cypriā sayth Certe labor irritus est nullius effectus offerre lumen coeco sermonem surdo sapientiam bruto Cum nec sentire brutus possit nec coecus lumē admittere nec surdus audire Truly it is lost labor and to no purpose to offer light to a blind mā speach to a deafe mā wisedome to a grosse head seyng that a grosse head cannot perceiue a blinde man can not see a deafe man can not heare The auncient father Origen sayth Quāto melius esset nonnullis omnino non audire verbum Dei quam audire cum malitia vel audire cum hypocrisi melius autem dicimus ad comparationem malorum How much better were it to some not to heare the word of God at all thā to heare it with malice or to heare it with hypocrisie we say better in respect of euils Excellent is this word therefore ought we to heare it It differreth from ours manifoldly in truth for God is true yea truth it selfe man is false yea falshode it selfe Omnis homo mandax Euery mā is a lyer It differeth from ours in profit Lord to whom shall we go sayth Peter thou hast the wordes of eternall lyfe our wordes haue no profit they are wordes of eternall death It differeth in certaintie for very truth and certainty it selfe sayth that the most firme Elements of heauen earth shall passe but his word shall in no wise passe The Prophet Esay sayth Verbum Domini manet in aeternum The word of the Lord endureth for euer Mary hath chosē the good part which shall not be taken away from her our wordes are vncertaine as vnconstāt as the Weather-cocke We say and vnsay and vnsay and say againe That which liketh vs to day misliketh vs to morow It differeth in power as soone as hee had sayd to the band of men and officers of the hyghe Priestes I am he they went backewarde and fell to the grounde Note here the power of the word of God They came armed they came to take Iesus and after they heard his mightfull word they fell to the groūd Mathew sayth Docebat eos tāquam authoritatem habens He taught them as one hauyng power and not as the Scribes Our wordes are sinnefull corrupt and vnperfect It differeth in spirit The wordes that I speake vnto you are spirit and lyfe But our wordes are prophane and transitorie Christ sayth Qui de terra est terrenus est de terra loquitur He that is of the earth is earthly and speaketh of the earth It differeth from our woordes in swéetnes The seruaunts of the Phariseis high Priestes which were sent to take Christ returned and said thus of the excellencie of his word Nunquam sic loquutus est homo Neuer mā spake as this mā doth Not Demosthenes out of whose mouth flowed fluddes of eloquence not Cicero the Father of eloquence not eloquent Pericles of whom it is written that he did thunder out his wordes But Christes Argumentes were so mighty and his woordes so swéete that a certaine woman hauyng great admiration therof lifted vp her voyce and sayd vnto him happy is the wombe that bare thée and the pappes which thou hast sucked To be brief this word differeth in perfection In his word all things endure Take away this perfect word what is man a brute beast Take the Sunne out of the world what remaineth Horrible darknes Lactantius sayth Lumen mētis humanae Deus est remoto Deo coelestique doctrina omnia erroribus plena sunt God is the light of mans soule If you set a side or put away from you God his heauenly word All thynges are ful of errours Take away this word what is a man a captiue of Sathan a pray of death a slaue of sinne a firebrand of hell Ignorantia Scripturarū Christi ignorantia est Ignoraūce of the Scriptures is ignoraunce of Christ As far as heauen is distant frō earth so farre ought heauenly thynges alwayes to be preferred before humane things yea incomparably ought they alwayes to be preferred It is cōpared to the Sunne whose office is by spreadyng of his radiant and bright beames to expell darknes and to dispose euery thyng to beare frute Right so the office of Gods word is with his bright shinyng beames of grace to expell the darknes of heresies errours to take away the cold frost of iniquitie and to dispose and frame euery man and womā to bring forth the frutes of pietie godlynes It is compared to fier for that it enflameth vs by loue The two Disciples whiche went to Emans sayd after that Christ had interpreted vnto them in all the Scriptures did not our hartes burne within vs while he talked with vs by the way and opened to vs the Scriptures and Christ sayth I am come to send fier on the earth and what is my desire but that it be already kindled It is likened to a glasse in this glasse euery man may sée whence he came what he is whether he goeth his sin his banishmēt his miserie S. Hierō geueth swéet coūsaile to a certain virgin Vtere lectione diuina vtere speculo vide speculū foeda corrigenda pulchra cōseruāda pulchra faciēda
religion the three and thirtye yeare of his age S. Paule began ill and yet he ended well Of a cruell persecutour he became a mighty defender of Christes religion Of a scatterer he became a gatherer Of a wolfe a lambe Of an Antichristian enemy a Christian souldiar Of a learnd lawier at Hierusalem a learner of the Gospell at Damascus and of a Saul a Paul. God of his mercy graunt that all they which haue traced the path of Antichrist may renouÌ„ce their foolishe dreames and fonde assertions and after the example of S. Paule professe Christ detest Antichrist goe forward in all godlynes euen vnto their liues end Dauid may fall and Saule may rise Wee ought to hope the best of all men to iudge the best and to thinke the best For charity thinketh no euill S. August sayth wel Bononorum desyderuÌ„ est vt qui mali sunt corrigantur ma 〈…〉 dium est vt qui boni sunt consumantur Good men would faine haue ill men amended and ill men would faine haue good men consumed There are too many such in this doting age of the world which hate all meÌ„ extremely that please not their fansies yet they make great shew of holynes But if their visardes were pulled of Good Lord what a masse of malice should a man see what enuy what falshode what spightfulnes rancour should a man behold Turkes and Iewes are better to be lyked than such hipocriticall Christians Charitye ouer commeth all thinges without charity nothing preuaileth and wheresoeuer charitye is shee draweth all thinges vnto her and shee is the bewtye of the soule I surcease humbly and hartely beseeching Christ the Prince of Pastours to perserue your honour by the vertue of his holy Spirite many yeares to the aduauncement of his glory to the repayring of the ruines of Sion To the vtter ruin of BabyloÌ„ and finally after your peregrination vpon earth to geue you the laborers peny of euerlasting blessednes At London the 2. day of September Your Lordships alwayes most humble at commaundemeÌ„t Iohn Dyos COntio Dios celebrata crebris Vocibus flexit populum potentem Atque plebeios animos rigauit Nectare suaui Pauit aeternis epulis Iehouae Indigas mentes sitibunda prata Rore diuino fluuioque sparsit Corda salubri Fregit vires Latij Tyranni Praescidit cristas triplicem coronam Contudit fido Salios salaces Arguit ore Inuidi Momi malesuada lingua Putreat corui lanient dolosos Zoilos Laruae valeant facessat Dira Megaera ק ב Papa loquitur NOs pedibus nostris dominos supponimus orbis Nos plantis premimus Caesareumque genus Si placeat Genios volumus detrudere coelo Nostra manus Manes ex Acheronte vocat Posse sacerdotes Paniscum condere Christum Dicimus Ergo Dei gloria danda mihi Namque creatorem mundi facit ille quis ipse Nonne Deus summus solus vtrunque creo â–ª Maior caelitibus sacrifex genijsque supremis Sacrificis praesto dicite quantus ego Sacrificus praestat Mariae semel illa gerebat Christum sed sacrifex saepius ore vorat Saepius ore vorat carnem cum saenguine crudo Ossa vorat pectus brachia crura pedes Est nostrum genus eximijs spectabile factis Gregorius Magnus carminae mirae canit Christo pulsanti patuit vix ianua Ditis Sed mihi pulsanti mox paetuere fores Namque ego Traeâ—â—â—um tetri de faucibâ—s Orci Extrâ—xi â—â—â—trem Dite fremente meam Semper bonos noâ—enque meum laudesque manebuÌ„t Quae Christus câ—ndis condere iure queo Christus respondet TV lupus et vulpes Tu summum de decus orbis Tu ruis in baerathrum te manet atra dies A Sermon Preached at Paules Crosse the xix day of Iuly An. 1579. By Iohn Dyos Luc. 5. IT came to passe that wheÌ„ the people preassed vpon him to heare the word of God he stode by the lake of Genezareth and sawe two shyppes stand by the lakes side but the fishermeÌ„ were gone out of them and were washing their nettes And he entred into one of the shippes whiche pertained to Simon and prayd him that hee would thrust out a litle from the land And hee sat down and taught the people out of the shippe When he had left speakyng hee sayd vnto Simon launche out into the deepe and let slippe your nettes to make a draught And Simon aunswered and sayd vnto hym Maister we haue laboured all night haue taken nothing Neuerthelesse at thy commaundement I will lose forth the nette And when they had so done they inclosed a great multitude of fishes But their net brake and they beckned to their felowes which were in the other shippe that they should come and helpe them And they came and filled both shippes that they sonke agayne When Simon Peter saw this he fell down at Iesus knees saying Lord go from me for I am a sinnefull man For he was astonyed and all that were with hym at the draught of the fishes which they had taken and so was also Iames and Iohn the sonnes of Zebede whiche were parteners with Simon And Iesus sayd vnto Symon Feare not from heÌ„ceforth thou shalt catch men And they brought the shippes to land and forsoke all and followed him IT is written in the 5. of Luke and read in the Churche this day It came to passe that when the people pressed vpon him to heare the worde of God he was standyng by the lake of Genezareth c. In the ende of the former chapter Christian audience Christ our Sauiour being ill intreated in Nazareth no Prophet is accepted in his owne countrey came downe to CaphernauÌ„ a Citie of Galilee there taught the people on the Sabboth dayes cast out deuils and cured SimoÌ„s wiues mother sicke of a great feuer and when the sunne was downe healed what soeuer sicke were brought to hym laying his handes on euery of them Deuils also came out of many crying and saying Thou art that Christ the sonne of god c. There they preassed and here they preasse The summe of all Séeke ye first the kyngdome of God and his righteousnes and all these thynges shal be ministred vnto you The text principally compriseth these thrée places an Example teaching to heare the Gospell feruently and the causes therof The ship wherein Christ was is an image of the Church of Christ militant the request of Christ and faithfull obedience of Peter The successe of all It came to passe when the people preassed vpoÌ„ him to heare the word of God. Sinfull men of euery condition preassed vppon him to heare his heauenly doctrine We neuer read of any such preassing of Scribes Phariseis to Christ I thanke thee O Father Lord of heauen earth because thou hast hid these thynges from the wise and prudent and hast shewed them vnto babes The people preassed vpon him to heare the word of God. Luc. sayth not people came to him
c. But the people preassed vppon him These wordes are very emphaticall and significāt notifieng the feruent study of those people to heare the word of god For this cause they followed him from Galilee from Decapolis from Hierusalē from Iudea from beyond Iordan They followed him ascendyng to the mountaine they folowed him descending from the mountaine they folowed him to the sea side they folowed on foote to the wildernesse Whether dyd they not follow him The paynefull clyming of the mountaines did nothyng discourage them the high craggye rockes did nothyng terrifie them the tēpestuous waues of the sea did nothyng dismay them Great multitudes came vnto hym lame blynd dombe c. Of multitudes folowyng read Mar. 3. 8. Luk. 6. Ioh. 6. Mat. 15. Certaine women folowed him with multitude of other folkes and they that caryed the mā sick of the Palsey because of the preasse went vp on the top of the house and let him downe through the roofe You also heare how to day they preassed vpon him They departed not from him sodeinly but continued sometyme iij. whole dayes with him and not a few sometyme iiij thousand some tyme v. thousand at a tyme beside women children You sée how the people in those dayes feruently pressed vpon Christ paynfully folowed him louingly cōtinued with him They folowed him to the wildernes to heare the sweetenes of his word wee Citizens hauyng the same within the walles of Cities loue it not but oftē ragingly contemne it They taryed with him whole dayes we thincke long to tary with him few houres and thinke not long to wayte vpon vanitie many houres Euery thyng encreaseth sauyng godlynesse Houses now are more large smoke lesse more eatyng more drinkyng more sléepyng more spendyng more cost for apparel more vanitie in talk mē more vitious but at Sermons in any case we cannot tary longer thē an houre It is tedious to many to tary so long They preassed vpō him we leisurely and slowly scarce come to him To the worlde as quicke as bées to the word as flow as snayles They heard him attētiuely we heare him negligently without courage as we were halfe asléepe and our mynd a pilgrimage coldly coldly Such is the behauiour of the multitude of this tyme such is the contēpt of the word such is the folly of men such is the loue of earthly thynges hate of heauenly things And therfore looke surely for plague and punishment They preassed vpon him Not vpō Hickscorner not vpon Iack Iuglar not vpō Tomtumbler not vpon corruptours destroyers as vayne men of our tyme but vpon him euē vpon Iesus Christ the Phisicion of the sinful the light of the world the expresse Image of the inuisible God the first borne of all creatures the wisedome power of God the way the truth and lyfe the Prince of Pastours the great shepheard of our soules the founder and finisher of our fayth the Euangelicall henne the true Vyne the bread of lyfe the rocke and fountaine of the liuyng waters the Emanuel the blessed séede the reconciler of God and man the cornerstone of the buildyng the foundation of the same the kyng of glory the prince of peace the high Priest the annoynted of God the lambe of God that taketh away the sinnes of the world the hope and redēption of Israell Iacobs ladder whereby we clyme to the omnipotent father the sonne of righteousnes the true light the starre of Iacob the mercyfull Samaritane the price of our redemption our sacrifice for sinne our satisfaction our righteousnes our guide our way to God the conquerour of Death Hell Sinne Sathan the giuer of lyfe the fountaine of grace veritie They preassed vpon him whose nobilitie riches wisedome bewtie strength puritie honour and goodnes can neuer be sufficiently commended without him our light is full of darkenesse Our strength full of weakenes our truth full of falsehode our perfection full of imperfection He is good we are euil yea our nature is euill Saint Austen saith Nemo erit bonus qui non erat malus None shal be good which hath not bene euill He onely is happy we are miserable wretches He is omnipotēt eternall we are weake yea weakenes it selfe dust and corruption By his righteousnes we be made righteous by his holynesse we be made holy by his glory we are glorified It is honest and comely that the wayfaryng man shoulde folow his guide The creature his creator the saued his Sauiour The subiectes their king the sheepe their shepheard the seruaūts their maister the schollers their teacher the members their head the children their parentes the souldiours their captaine the patiēts their Phisicion He is our guide we are the wayfaring men he is our creator we his creatures he our Sauiour we the saued he is our kyng we his subiectes he our shepheard we his shéepe he our master we his vnprofitable seruauntes he our heauenly scholemaister we his negligent scholers he our head we his members he our father we his children he our captaine we his souldiours hee the omnipotent Phisicion we the faint and féeble patientes Therfore it is good to folow him to preasse vpon him with the disseased woman to touch him Consider the cause why they preassed vpon him The finall cause why they preassed vpon him was to heare the word of God note their feruent desire to heare the word of god The worde of God not the traditions of men not vanities as vayne men of our dayes preasse to heare vanities yea euē on the Sabboth day which is intolerable The Sabboth day ought to be cō secrate to the seruice of god The true sanctifieng and halowyng of this day consisteth in the true worshippyng of god Many other folowed preassed on him for other causes The hypocriticall Phariseis folowed and preassed to deride him Some folowed preassed for noueltie Such were the mē of Athens which gaue them selues to nothyng els but either to tell or to heare some newes We haue multitudes of men of Athens now a dayes Some preassed to sée his miracles Vidimus mirabilia hodie we haue sene straunge thynges to day Some to get bodily health Some folow Christum Fortunatū wealthy rich Christ for their cōmomoditie that they maybe enriched as the mā that offered his seruice to Christ saying maister I wil folow thee whether soeuer thou goest And Iesus aūswered said to him Fores haue holes the byrdes of the ayre haue nests but the sōne of mā hath not where to rest his head The Foxe hath his hole in hipocrites the byrdes of the ayre the deuils haue their nestes in hypocrites no place for the sonne of mā in hipocrites Some folow and preasse for their belly sake as those which sayd Rabbi when camest thou hither c. Some to entāgle him in his talke The auncient
â—â—ermon preached aâ— Paules Crosse the 19. of Iuli 1579 setting forth the excellencye of Gods heauenlye worde The exceeding mercye of Christ our Sauiour The state of this world A profe of the true Church A detection of the false Church or rather malignant rable A confutation of sundry haeresies and other thinges necessary to the vnskilfull to be knowen By Iohn Dyos Seene and allowed AT LONDON Printed by Iohn Daye dwelling ouer Aldersgate Anno. 1579. Cum Priuilegio Regiae Maiestatis To the right honourable and reuerend Father John by Gods gratious prouidence Byshop of London I. D. wisheth euerlasting felicitye ALBEIT right learned vertuous Prelate the wonderful workmaÌ„ship of the whole world the greatnes and beawtye of the celestiall bodyes the inuiolable order which they keepe in their coÌ„tinuall most swift mouing the inestimable benefites which they yeeld to the inferior partes by their seasonable interchaunges the straunge and sometyme terrible effectes that proceede of their secret influences and operations the continuall intercourses of the dayes and nightes the orderly succeeding of the tymes as winter Springtyme Sommer and Haruest the generation of Cloudes Frosts dewes windes thunder lightning and such other impressions and alterations of the ayre the situation of the huge earth in the middes of the world without any proppe or stay to hold it vp the highnes of the mouÌ„taynes the fertilitye of the valleyes the largenes of the chaÌ„pioÌ„ grouÌ„des the beawtye and vertue of plantes trees herbes and flowers wherewith the earth is so excellently adorned the vnmeasurable widenes of the maine seas some inuironing the compasse of the whole earth and some shooting forth into the maine land to the incomparable commoditye of all countryes the maruelous comming going of the tides the dreadfulnes of the waues rayzed by tempestuous windes the great plentye of all kinde of fishes and moÌ„sters in them the amiablenes of the freshe waters some flowing with restlesse streame into the great Ocean sea some sincking into the earth from whence they spring some staÌ„ding in vnmoueable Lakes and all of them fraught with fishes and other liuing creatures necessarye to the vse of man the propagation multiplication and preseruation of all liuing thinges in their seuerall kindes and finally the most wise and skilfull making of man the Lord of all earthly thinges who is rightly called μικÏόκοσμος that is to say a litle world whose head is euen as it were a litle globe of the world and conceiueth all worldly thinges doe plainly declare shew that there is a God a wise deuiser a mighty worker and fatherly preseruer maintayner of all thinges to whome we ought of right to be subiect in such sort as all our doinges may be agreable to his will yet notwithstanding sinne the mother of all calamityes hath by the fall of our first pareÌ„ts so venemously infected vs all their miserable posteritye and progenye and so blinded vs that what God is and what his will is concerning true religion righteousnes and eternall lyfe wee of our selues are vtterly ignorant Therefore hath he mercifully geuen vs his heauenly worde a rule whereby wee may learne to acknowledge celebrate inuocate and worship him according to the saying of the kingly Prophet Thy worde is a lanterne vnto my feete Of the vertue of this heaueÌ„ly word according to the abilitye which God hath gratiously geuen me I hauing not long sitheÌ„ce publiquely spoken being earnestly requested of certayne vertuously disposed to coÌ„municate my labours to them others haue thought it meete to satisfie their reasonable request which labour I consecrate to your good Lordship and offer the same to your learned iudgement as a scholler to his Maister as a souldiar to his captayne Wherein my endeuour is to seeke the glory of God to encourage the faythfull and to bring into the kinges high way of their saluation such as goe astray and daungerously wander in the marishes of idolatrye and superstition Yet I protest to your Lordship that considering the infelicitye and malignity of this present tyme and the vanitye of opinions I was almost discouraged to speake or to write And if I could doe it without offence to God I would enioyne mee selfe not with Pythagoras schollars to fiue yeares silence but to seuen yeares silence These be the vnhappy dayes that the Apostle sawe so long before wherein men can not abide souÌ„d doctrine The Prophet Esai sayth there were schollars in his time that would say to their teachers Loquimini nobis placentia Speake to vs such thinges as may lyke vs And truely there are now a dayes I feare me too many such scholars too many itching eares too many newfangled persons and to many wranglers But I am coÌ„forted whan I consider that the veritye ouercommeth falshod and that the thinges which are of God doe daunt whatsoeuer is obiected of men and of Sathan himselfe â–ª what hurteth the enemye yf God protect what preuaileth enuy yf the highest preserue They may mutter and murmure brawle and cauill but they cannot hurt Truth will get the vpper haÌ„d Christ will haue the field I would to God euery man would seeke the truth in the worde of god S. August sayth Vbi inueni veritatem ibi inueni Deum meum ipsam veritatem Where I fouÌ„d the truth there I found my God who is the truth it selfe I would to God men would embrace the truth and now at length stick no longer in their mire but cease to defend the denne of Antichrist the house of their spirituall whoredome shops of falshode fraughted with shadowes dreames pride vaineglory and all other abhominable abuses It is great pitie that learning should be so ill bestowed For how much might they be able to doe to the aduauncemeÌ„t of the truth which shew so great cunning and skill in defence of falshod Erasmus a man of excellent and exquisite learning writte much of the prayse of follie what could he haue written in the prayse of wit Cornelius Agrippa writte much of the vanitye of scieÌ„ces what could he haue written in the commendation of sciences how could he haue praysed helth that praysed the feuer quartane how could he haue praysed bewtifull heare that praysed deformed baldnes how many aduenture witte in desperate causes It is a desperate cause that can not be smoothed with words of eloqueÌ„ce No follie so vaine but by some shift it may be maintayned By meanes wherof the blinde drincketh many a flye and the simple eye is sone beguiled Yet notwithstaÌ„ding their Transubstantiation their Purgatorye their Merites their Inuocation of Saintes their Supremacy and such other Romish platyre can not be iustly defended by scripture or Doctours Therfore it were good for those kinde of teachers to cease to abuse the simplicitye of the people and to professe the trueth S. Ambrose sayth Nullus pudor est ad melior a transire It is no shame to remoue to the better Augustine was an infant in Christes
father Origen calleth all them brethren of the Phariseis which séeke to entrap men And Aretius a learned man sayth Diabolicum est quaerere quod carpas quod damnes It is deuilishe to séeke to taunt to carpe to condemne Some folowed him to sée as vaine curious persōs do now a dayes which come to Sermons to see and not to learne Domine volumus a te signū videre Maister we would sée a signe of thee but he aunswered and sayd vnto them this euill and adulterous generation séeketh a signe but there shall no signe be geuen to it saue the signe of the Prophet Ionas Some preasse to heare inuectiues Some to be more ready to contēd and a few alas to few for the loue of Gods holy worde as this company And yet not vnlike but that some of them afterward cried Tolle eū crucifige eū away with him crucifie him Such is the inconstācie of the vnconstant multitude To this tendeth the parable of the séede some fell by the hygh wayes side some vpō stony places some among thornes some fell into good groūd brought forth frute some an hūdred fold some sixtie and some thyrtie folde Thus much for that point By the word of God I vnderstād here the word of the Gospell that is that Iesus is the true Messias the sonne of the woman of whom it is sayd Conteret caput Serpentis he shall breake the Serpentes head and valiantly vanquish the power and puissance of Sathan That sonne of Abraham in whom all the nations of the earth shal be blessed The sonne of Dauid which in the house of Iacob shall raigne for euer That sonne to whom it is sayd aske of me I will giue thée the Heathen for thine inheritaunce sit thou on my right hand till I make thine enemyes thy foote stole To be short that ladder of Iacob which reacheth to heauen Christ taught sometyme the law sometyme the Gospell Albeit the Sermon of Christ in the v. vj. vij Math. is a true interpretation of the law yet notwithstāding the law is not the thyng for preachyng whereof Christ was sent in to this world For as we read in Esay 61. 1. vers The spirit of the Lord is vpon me for the Lord hath annoynted me and sent me to preach good tidynges vnto the poore Christ came not as a law maker or a law teacher as Moyses came before Hereunto is added that the word of the law doth slea or kill as S. Paule teacheth but the word of Christ giueth life as he testifieth him selfe veryly veryly I say vnto you if a man kéepe my saying hee shall neuer sée death The law is a knowledge knowen by nature as the Apostle witnesseth The Gospel is not knowē by nature but published frō the secret determination of the Godhead by our Lord Sauiour Iesus Christ Lex per Mosen data est gratia veritas per Iesum Christū facta est The law was geuen by Moyses but grace and truth came by Iesus Christ And our Sauiour saith to his disciples To you it is geuen to know the secretes of the kingdome of god c. And also to Peter he sayth flesh bloud hath not opened that vnto thée but my father which is in heauē Read. 1. Cor. 2. 1. Cor. 4. 2 Cor. 5. Collos 4. 1. Tim. 3. Rom. 16. The law sheweth sinne The Gospell sheweth Christ the Sauiour of the world teachyng that sinnes are forgeuē to all that beleue in him that they are reconciled to god These thynges do the wisemen Prophetes Scribes specially teach which are sent from the sonne of God. The law requireth onely obedience and condēneth the guilty The Gospell giueth remission of sinnes freely in the name of Christ to the penitent relieueth and comforteth the troubled consciences with his sweete promises The promises of the law are conditionall ye shal kéepe my ordinaunces and my iudgementes which if a man do he shall liue in them the promises of the Gospell are certaine and free Come to the waters all ye that be thirsty and ye that haue no money come buy wyne and milke without any money or moneys worthe All haue sinned and haue néede of the glory of God but are iustified fréely by his grace through the redēption that is in Christ Iesus Therfore by fayth is the inheritaūce geuē that it might be by grace The law proposeth preceptes the Gospell hath promises The law is a rule of good workes the Gospell is a doctrine of the person and benefites of the Messias The law denounceth the wrath of God eternall malediction death and damnation to all men for sinne Maledictus omnis qui nō permāserit in omnibus his c Cursed be he that continueth not in all the woordes of this law to do them all the people shall say Amen The Gospell offereth remission of sinnes to all men To giue knowledge of saluation to his people for the remission of their sinnes The law iustifieth none saueth none deliuereth none from sinne but accuseth bewrayeth sinne condemneth all the Gospell of Christ is the power of God to saluation to all that beleue offeryng to all remission of sinnes rightuousnes eternall life To be short the law is to be terribly thundered to the wicked negligent and impenitent the Gospell is sweetely to be sounded to those that acknowledge their sinnes and hartily repent for the same The swéete proclamatiō of Christ teacheth the same Come vnto me all ye that labour sore and are laden and I will ease you c. Of this we haue example in the Prophet Nathan who by a similitude thundered the law agaynst kyng Dauid Dauid repenteth saying I haue sinned against the Lord Nathan pronounceth the Gospell The Lorde hath put away thy sinne thou shalt not dye The worde of God or doctrine of Christ is called the worde of God that is the doctrine which Christ him selfe reuealed to men Whereof the principall point is frée remission and forgiuenesse of sinnes by fayth in Christ Iesus The efficient cause of this Gospell is the whole Godhead the eternall Father eternall Sonne and eternall holy Ghost The mouyng cause is the excéedyng mercy of God and his passyng loue toward mākynd So God loued the world that he gaue his onely begottē sonne that whosoeuer beleueth in him should not perish but haue euerlastyng lyfe The first instrumētall cause is the sonne of God our Lord Iesus Christ An other instrumentall cause are the Prophetes Apostles Euangelistes other teachers of the doctrine of the Gospell Therfore the Apostle sayth Let men estéeme vs as the Ministers of Christ and disposers of the secrets of god We together are Gods labourers c. we are messengers for Christ euen as though God did beséech you through vs. The materiall cause is Christ with all his
plenty sufficient both for the strong to eate and for the litle one to sucke So Irenaeus Scripturae in aperto sunt sine ambiguitate similiter ab omnibus audiri possunt The Scriptures are playne and without doubtfulnes and may be heard indifferētly of all men So sayth Chrisost Omnia clara plana sunt in Scripturis diuinis quaecūque necessaria sunt manifesta sunt All thynges are cleare and plane in the holy Scriptures whatsoeuer thyng is necessary for vs is also manifest So sayth Epiphanius Lib. 2. So sayth Saint Hierom. in Psal. 86. So to conclude Gregory sayth it is a streame wherin the litle lambe may wade and the great Elephantes may swymme But touchyng the discourse of naturall reason S. Ambrose sayth that No creature in earth or in heauen is able to reache to the depth of these thyngs These are his wordes Mens deficit vox silet non mea tantum sed angelorum supra potestates supra angelos supra Cherubim supra Seraphim supra omnē sensum est The mynde is astonyed the voyce fayleth not onely of me but also of the angels it is aboue the powers aboue the angels aboue the Cherubins aboue the Seraphins aboue all maner of vnderstandyng Notwithstandyng all these excellēt properties of Gods word and mo then a thousand thousand tounges cā declare We become Citizens of Corazin Bethsaida and Capharnaum Tyrus Sidō Sodom the Quéene of the South the men of Niniue and that barbarous Eunuche shall rise agaynst vs in the day of iudgement If such preachyng had bene in Tyrus Sidon as hath bene in England especially these xx yeares they would haue repēted in sackcloth and ashes Therfore it shal be easier for Tyrus Sidon at the day of iudgemēt thē for England If the mighty workes which haue bene done in England had bene done among them of Sodom They had remained without plague of fire and brimstone The Quéene of the South shall rise against vs at the day of iudgement A woman a Quéene a frayle sexe the weaker vessell yet of Princely power men the stronger vessell and yet most of them not of Princely power She was a straunger we are now Domestici of the houshold She wanted the promises of Messias we haue the promises of Messias She came to Salomō a wise man certainly yet a mortall and sinfull man whiche could not helpe her but in externall thynges and therein peraduenture barely and slenderly we refuse to come to Christ God and man who can helpe vs in all thyngs who is all in all and all to all She came to heare the wisedome of Salomon Wōderfull was his wisedome his wisedome exceeded the wisedome of all thē of the East all the wisedome of the Egyptiās he excéeded all mē in wisedome he wrote iij. thousād Prouerbes His songes were a thousād fiue He disputed of trees euen from the Ceder trée that groweth in Libanō vnto the Isop that springeth out of the wall And he disputed of beastes foules wormes and fishes There came of all nations to heare the wisedome of Salomon from all kynges of the earth whiche had heard of his wisedome But behold he that preacheth this day out of the ship is greater then Salamon and preacheth farre greater and better matters Notwithstāding fooles refuse to heare his preachyng This famous Quéene came to Salomon from far out of a swéete and frutefull countrey the frutefull Arabia called also Saba so frutefull that it bringeth corne and fruite twise in the yeare where groweth all kind of spices and swéet gummes and the Townes are vnwalled because the people do liue alwayes in peace But we neglect to walke a litle way within the walles of our Cities to leaue ill ayre ill soyle ill company ill exercises ill maners to come to Christ She came with great perill we may come without perill yet we come not She left her happy kyngdome with long and painful trauaile came to Salomon we haue Christ in the kyngdome of England without leauing of kyngdome and with litle trauaile may wee heare him yet wee heare him not She came with giftes She came to Hierusalem with a very great trayne with Camels that bare swéet odours gold excéedyng much and precious stones But wee may haue accesse to Iesus Christ cōmyng without trayne without gifts Come to the waters all ye that be thirsty ye that haue no money come buy c. We refuse grace offered fréely This noble Queene knew Salomō by onely fame we know Christ by his manifold miracles yet we come not yet we beleue not yet we bring forth no good fruites Therfore iustly shall we be condemned It is shamefull to be vanquished of a woman more shamefull of an heathē woman most shamefull in such a cause The men of Niniue shall rise agaynst vs and condemne vs and reproue vs of vnbeliefe not by authoritye but by comparison of the better act They heard Ionas a very man we reiect Christ God man They heard Ionas a straunger we neglect to heare Christ a Sauiour a father a maister a freind cōnuersant with vs many yeares They repented at the preaching of Ionas we repent not at the preaching of Christ Ionas preached but only thrée dayes Christ hath preached most gratiously and mercifully these Twenty yeares in England and for all his so gratious and mercifull preaching we repent not Ionas wrought no miracle Christ hath wrought many maruelous miracles He hath mightely deliuered vs from Pharao of Egipt from Nabuchadnazer of Babilon from Holofernes of Syria and hath miraculously preserued Iudith of England her people For all these graces and giftes wée are nothing thankfull we are become carnall gospellers wée waxe colde in religion the Papistes waxe whot we waxe colde I knowe it We amend Mandrabuli more as sower ale in sommer we become euery day worse worse That barbarous Eunuche of the Queene of the Ethiopians shall at the day of iudgement rise agaynst vs and condemne vs He was an Eunuche florishing in authoritye estimation riches and yet for all that in his iorney sitting in his chariot he read Esaias the prophet Moreouer he vnderstode not what was contayned in the prophet He aunswered Philip not onely gentlely and courteously albeit he asked him saying vnderstandest thou what thou readest but also desired him notwithstanding he was clothed in poore attire that he would come vp and sit with him in the chariot You sée the promptnes of his minde you see the godly feruēcie of a barbarous Eunuche Chrisost largely and swéetely discoursing of this matter in fine concludeth thus Idoneus est barbarus iste qui nobis omnibus doctor fiat This barbarous Eunuch is méete to be a doctour and teacher to vs all Sithence the case thus standeth that we are wearye of spiritual Manna the best meate and demeane our selues with the vnthankfull Israelites vngratiously in
idle they fall vpon him and kill him But we suffer dranes in euery vocatiō most of all in the holy ministery Then euery man must labour Euery man must laūch Whether into the déepe what to do to make a draught not to deceiue mē not to séeke temporall profite but to edifie to séeke the profit of the church and glory of God. It foloweth in the text and Simō aunswered and sayd vnto him Maister we haue laboured all night and haue taken nothyng neuerthelesse at thy commaundement I will cast forth the net We haue laboured all night and haue not taken so much as one fishe Note here the complaint of Peter which is the complaint of many men and there with all note these wordes at thy commaundement I will cast forth the net and last of all the successe that when they had this done they enclosed a great multitude of fishes c. we haue fished all night and haue taken nothyng Many fish in the night such fish without the commaūdement of God without the presence of God without prayer estéeme more their fishyng then the word of God therfore their fishyng is vnlucky many by inspiratiōs of Sathan are moued and stirred to euill artes to theft murther vsurie and other horrible vices these labour in the night Many preach no man amendeth no man cōmeth out of the denne of sinne into the light of faith What is the cause men labour in the night Peter and his partners laboured all night and tooke nothyng Many with their partners labour all night and take nothyng What is the cause they labour in the night They haue not yet receiued Christ into their shyp they haue not the word of Christ to cast forth the net Doctour Luther no tabely sayth Quod passim premantur tanta miseria homines sola incredulitas in causa est Onely infidelitie or vnbelief is the cause that men are afflicted with so great miserie At thy cōmaundement I will cast forth the net We learne here an example of faithfull obediēce in Peter who was prompt ready to obey the commaūdement of Christ whom he knew not yet to be the sonne of god We know him to be the sonne of God yet we shew no such faythfull obedience how then shal we excuse our selues Simon declareth him selfe accordyng to his name For Simon by interpretation is hearing or obeyng Obedience is an excellent vertue Obedience is better then sacrifice Noah obeyed the word of the Lord and he was preserued from the floud Abraham obeyed the word of the Lord and it was sayd vnto him in thy séede shal all the nations of the earth be blessed Nahaman obeyed Elisaeus and was healed of his leprosie Incomparable was the obedience of Christ Christians obey God subiectes obey your Prince Children obey your parents seruaūtes obey your maisters wiues obey your husbandes Simon did cast forth the net but how at the cōmaūdemēt of Christ This is a profitable doctrine Whatsoeuer ye doe in word or déede doe all in the name of the Lord Iesus giuyng thankes to the Father by him Euery man ought to launch out his net in the name of Iesus Christ The Prince the Preacher the Magistrat the Housholder the Artificer the Plowmā c. For Christ saith with out me ye can doe nothyng Except the Lord build the house their labour is but lost that build it Except the Lord kéepe the Citie the watchman waketh but in vaine Read the whole Psalme By the onely frée goodnesse gift of God is the house and houshold mainteined the Citie defended meat ministred children obtained Without the word of Christ in runnyng it helpeth not to be swift in battaile it helpeth not to be strōg in féedyng the flocke it helpeth not to be wise to Riches it helpeth not to be a mā of much vnderstandyng to be had in fauour it helpeth not to be cunnyng Without the word of Christ my fishyng my plantyng my wateryng and all my labour is nothyng worth Gregory sayth well Nisi intus sit qui doceat incassum lingua docentis laborat Except he be within that teacheth the toung of the teacher laboureth in vaine Xerxes that great kyng of Persia which inuaded Grece with seuen hundreth thousand of his owne people and iij. hūdred thousand straūge souldiours was vanquished by a fewe Greekes Why he launched not he inuaded not in the name of Christ The Isralites in the name of God passed safely through the red sea At the commaundement of God they compassed Iericho seuen tymes and all thynges fell out vnto thē most prosperously Samson in the name of God made heapes of his deadly enemies with the iawe of an Asse with the iawe of an Asse he slew a thousand men Dauid sayd to proude Goliath who defied the host of Israell Thou commest to me with a sword a speare and a shield but I come to thée in the name of the Lord of hostes the God of the host of Israell whō thou hast railed on By this name and omnipotēt word as Chrisostome noteth the stone was directed to the forehead of Goliath into the which it did sinke and he fell grouelyng to the earth And so the armed was slayne by the vnarmed the Giant by a Dwarf and the skilfull in martial affaires by one that could no skil but of kéepyng shéepe The cause was for that he had his helpe from aboue through the trust whereof he strake the blasphemer ▪ into the forehead In the same name oftentymes a poore mā groweth to great wealth and in fauour with God and man. Whosoeuer therefore purposeth to haue good successe in his affaires must of necessitie launche out with Simon into the déepe and that in the name of Christ he must become Simon a hearer and a Disciple Of necessitie he must heare read learne meditate the word of God according to the commaundemēt first séeke the kyngdome of God and his righteousnes c. He must receiue Christ into his shyp that is most faythfully and humblely pray him to blesse his labours That is the way to thriue in this world and in the world to come There are many launchers especially now a dayes which launch out into the déepe not in the name of Christ but in the name of Sathā they make draughtes deuilish draughtes by vsurie by periuries by cosenyng by lying theft murther flattering couetousnes and such like vilanie Is this the way to thriue Many obiect why the indeuours of godly men often tymes haue ill successe and the indeuours of the wicked haue good successe God hath appointed this ordinaunce that all thynges to the godly should prosper and come to good effect and to the euill should decay come to euill effect But Sathan troubleth this ordinaunce as it is sayd The Serpent shall byte his héele that is Sathan shall afflict Christ his mēbers with all maner of miseries incident to man notwithstādyng
it was accompted to him for righteousnesse Abraham was iustified by fayth 430. yeares before Moyses gaue the law Therefore fayth iustifieth not the law That thyng onely iustifieth by which the holy Ghost is geuen The holy Ghost is geuen by fayth and not by the law Therfore fayth iustifieth and not the law The first reason is proued by experience The Galatiās receiued the holy Ghost by preaching of the Gospell and so consequently by fayth The examples in the Actes of the Apostles of Cornelius and many others and also the example of the Centurion proue the same Fayth onely iustifieth Read. Rom. 1. 3. 4. and 9. chap. Sola fides Onely fayth was very well knowen and vsed of auncient Fathers long a goe and the vse of the same hath bene in the Church since the tyme of the Apostles By onely fayth fréely without workes without the law The tyme fléeth away therefore I will onely cote the authours and the places Origen in his exposition vpon the Romanes chap. 3. hath Sola fides fayth onely S. Basill a mā of incomparable vertue and learnyng hath Sola fides in his booke de Humilitate Athanasius vpō the iij. chap. to the Romanes hath Sola fides The eloquēt famous Doctour Chrisost vpon the Ephesians the second chapter Serm. 5. Sola fides And in his Sermon of fayth and the law Sola fides S. Ambrose vpon the iij. iiij x. xi chap. to the Romanes Sola fides S. Hierome vpon the foure and v. to the Romanes Sola fides Eusebius Lib. 3. cap. 27. Sola fides To conclude S. August albeit not in expresse termes as the other yet in effect hath it asmuch After discourse of the merites of Christ of fayth in Christ and of the miserable nakednesse of man excellently he thus concludeth His igitur consyderatis pertractatisque pro viribus quas Dominus donare dignatur colligimus non iustificari hominem praeceptis bonae vitae sed fide in Iesu Christo hoc est non lege operum sed lege fidei non litera sed spiritu non factorum meritis sed gratuita gratia These thinges considered debated accordyng to the abilitie whiche God hath graciously geuen me I conclude that man is not iustified by the preceptes rules of good life but by faith in Christ Iesus That is not by the law of workes but by the law of fayth not by the letter but by the spirite not by merites and déedes but by free and meere grace The aduersarie obiecteth thus It is impietie or wickednesse to add any thyng to the holy Scripture for that it is written Non addes aliquid neque minues Thou shalt not add any thing nor diminish S. Paul sayth if an angell frō heauen preach any otherwise let him be accursed And Irenaeus geneth good counsaile De Deo est vtendum verbis Dei When we speake of God we ought to vse the wordes of god Sola fide By fayth onely is not to be read in holy scripture any where not in Paul him self out of whose 3. chap. of his Epistle to the Romanes it is alledged Therfore to vse exclusiuely Iustificamur sola fide We are iustified by fayth onely is impietie and Luther hath depraued and corrupted S. Paule I aunswere it is a false kind of argumēt settyng downe that thyng for the cause whiche is not the cause in déede Albeit the word Sola written with iiij letters be not extant in S. Paule yet notwithstandyng wordes equiualent are there extāt declaryng the same thyng much more effectually plainly As for example Iustificamur gratis we are iustified fréely Ipsius gratia by his grace Absque operibus without workes Dei donū est It is the gift of God per fidem By fayth When S. Paule excludeth all maner workes what els leaueth he but fayth alone They teach maintaine Purgatory Therfore they breake the net This word Purgatory is not in the Bible but the purgation and remissiō of our sinnes is made by the aboūdant mercy of god Luc. 1. Mar. 2. Onely by Christ So sayth S. Iohn The bloud of Iesus Christ the sonne of God purgeth vs and maketh vs cleane frō all our sinnes So sayth S. Mat. 1. 26. Marc. 14. Luc. 22. Act. 13. Ephes 1. Hebr. 1. 9. 10. Apoc. 1. c. Swéete is that saying of S. Cyp. Sanguis tuus Domine non quaerit vltionem sanguis tuus lauat crimina peccata condonat Thy bloud O Lorde séeketh no reuēge thy bloud washeth our sinnes pardonneth our trespasses The East Church of God whiche sometyme was as great famous as the Church of the Weast notwithstāding they beleued in God his Christ knew there was both Hell Heauē yet of Purgatory they had no skil In the late Councell begun at Ferrar by Pope Eugenius and cōtinued and ended at Florence An. 1439. Purgatorye was concluded and not before in any auncient Coūcell Notwithstāding the enemies of the crosse of Christ pretēd that the same is of very great antiquity Not much vnlyke are they to the olde Arcades whoe sayd in cōmendation of their Antiquitye that they were a day or two elder then the Moone It came from Virgill and Plato and other Heathen writers If a man aske them where it is Some of them say in Ireland The Purgatory of Patrick into the which they say they had once a key and a valiant champion named noble Nicholas boldly and valiantly aduētured in and there did sée wonders Some of them say it is in Scicilie in the burning hill Aetna And some of thē say it is in the Ilād Thile which is also called Iseland Syr Thomas Moore sayd held for certaintie that in all Purgatory there is no water no not one drop and that he would proue out of Zachar. 9. Doctour Fisher sometyme Byshop of Rochester sayd There is in Purgatory great store of water that he would proue by the Prophet Dauid Psal. 65. Albertus sayd The Executioners and Ministers of Purgatory be holy Angels Syr Thomas Moore said out of doubt they be no Angels but very deuils So hādsomely these dreames agree together It serueth wel for their purse purpose and is the most profitable monster that euer was whelped of the Babylonicall strumpet They maintaine frée will Therfore they breake the net This word frée will is not in all the holy Scripture but is inuented by proude men which would set vp their owne righteousnesse and put downe the righteousnesse of Christ The frée will of man is in fallyng and not in rising Christ onely is free we are Liberati gratia but not Liberi natura fréed by grace but not frée by nature and so likewise Iustificati gratia iustified by grace not iust by nature S Paule sayth the flesh lusteth contrary to the spirite and the spirite contrary to the flesh these are contrary one to the other so that ye can not doe what ye would Where