and woulde not take it to him selfe although Nathan spake a verye plaine parable till it was particularly applyed to him Seeing then there is in our nature such corruption such blindnesse such slouthfulnesse and also forgetfulnes what can be more necessarye for the curing of these so great diseases then the continuall and dayly preaching of the word Besides all this it hath beene an vsuall order in the Church of God vnder the lawe by Christ and the Apostles not onely to reade but also to expound and apply the Scriptures and therefore the same order is to be obserued of vs. It is sayde of the Leuites that they red in the booke of the lawe of God distinctly and gaue the sence and caused them to vnderstand the reading Christ as we haue heard already continuallye preached and commaunded the same to his Apostles who as they obeyed in themselues their maisters cōmandement so they required it as a continuall and vsuall rule to bee obserued for euer of all the ministers of God in his Church And most specially the Apostle in those Epistles which he wrote vnto Timothy and Titus very largely and effectually vrgeth this matter I referre you also vnto the 14. chapter of his first Epistle to the Corinthians wherin so highly he commendeth the gift of Prophesiyng interpretation or preaching that he preferreth it before all other giftes and accounteth it so necessary that he would haue it continually obserued in the Church of God Againe Christ commaundeth vs and we dayly pray for the enlarging of his Kingdome whereas hee hath taught vs to say Thy kingdome come Now the singular excellent means to establishe the kingdome of Iesus Christ is by the pure and effectuall preaching of the word and therefore he saith in an other place Pray to the Lord of the Haruest to send foorth labourers into the haruest And how can they pray with any safe conscience for the enlarging establishing of the kingdome of Christ which by their ignoraunce and carelesnes do altogether hinder it Furthermore all and euery one of the names which are giuen by the holy Ghost to the ministers in y e word of God do necessarily require at their handes preaching They are called the light of the worlde the salt of the earth They are called Pastors and sheepheards they are called husbandmen Guides Stewards Messengers besides many other excellent titles giuen to them Now how can they be called lightes which haue no light in them which either are in ignoraunce and darknesse themselues or else hide their candle vnder a Bushel How can they be called the salt of the earth which cannot or wil not season the vnsauorie and sinfull people with the heauenly and wholsom doctrine of eternall life How can they be called Pastors and teachers which do not feed or haue no foode at al to giue to the flocke How can they be called the Lordes Husbandmen which haue no skill at all in tilling his ground and sowing his seed how can they be called Guides vnto other which either know not the way themselues or else will not vouchsafe to opē and declare it to other How can they be called stewardes which haue no care of the houshold which either can not or will not feede them And how can they be called the Lordes messengers which are not able to do their message or haue no care at all to doe it If the minister be a light to the people of necessitie he must needs goe and shine before them in knowledge and doctrine If he bee the Salt he must needes season If he be a Pastour or Sheepehearde he must needes feed If he be a husbandman he must needes haue a care of the lords husbandry If he be a guide he must needes shew the way If he be a Stewarde he must prouide for the houshold If he be a messenger he must be willing and able to doe his message nay I say more it standes for the Lordes glorye and credite to haue such Pastors and such husband men such Stewardes messengers as haue wisedome and knowledge The poore people of the countrie wil not hire him to be a Sheephearde to their sheepe whome they know to be ignorant and carelesse and shall the Lord choose such to gouern and guide his stocke The Gentleman and the Yeoman wil not hire any to be ouerseers of their husbandrie except they know them to haue sufficient discretion and experience and wil he think ye be content with simple foolish and rechlesse ouerseers of his so deare and precious a husbādry The noble man for his honors sake wil seeke to haue such a one to be the Stewarde of his house as is trustie wise of sufficiencie to guide and gouerne a whole houshold and shall the Lorde be lesse careful of his honour shal he be content with vnwise and vnfaithful stewardes The Prince wil haue a speciall care to sende such to be his messengers and Ambassadors as be most wise faithful are able discreetely and cunningly to doe their message and shall the Lordes messengers bee without knowledge What can bee more to the discredite and dishonor of his holye name This argument I amplifie the more because it is verie plaine and effectuall Marke I beseech you wel al these other names giuen to vs in the holy scripture doe require of euery minister of god that he preach the worde As we haue a care to answere to our names and a care of the glorye and credite of our God euen so let vs be carefull in doing this so necessary a duetie What shal I say more the end and purpose of our calling ministery requyreth at our handes preaching The Lord hath ordained Pastors teachers for the gathering together of his saints and to the edification of the bodye of christ séeing thē we are called to this ende séeing we are ordayned to this purpose there is no remedie we that are the ministers of God must needs of necessity preach his worde For a further proof conclusion of this matter I cal you to recorde I appeale to your own cōsciences which are now won to y e lord which haue some measure of knowledge which are called out of darkenesse to light from ignorance to knowledge yee y t sometime haue béen content with reading ministers quarter sermons but now hunger and thirst for the word preached I cal you I say as witnesses in this cause what cōfort you feel what profite what power in the effectuall preaching of the word how carelesse how prophane how ignoraunt how leud you were before notwithstāding the dayly and the ordinary readings which diligently you had what hath wrought in you y ◠measure of faith y ◠heauenly knowledge which you now haue What is it that hath wrought in you such a sorrowe of your former life such a griefe hatred of sin and superstition both in your selues and others suche an earnest zeale of the
slaundered and euill spoken off and therefore to cleare my selfe from such false reports to satisfie my friends which are ready to answere in my cause to let the enemies knowe I haue spoken nothing wherof I am ashamed but dare put it to the witnessing and testimonie of the Christian reader and also to resolue morefully the weaker sort in such thinges as at the first seeme strange and absurde For these and such like causes I saye I am content and willing that this my trauell come to light although the whole or most part of this Sermon is vnsauorie vnpleasaunt to the greater sort and specially to the ignorant people to the hipocrite to the idol or dumb minister yet this is that which chiefly misliketh and greeueth them because both in the place where I preached this Sermon and also else where I sayd affirmed that the minister which preacheth not and hath not those giftes which the lord requireth in his Ministers that such a one is no Minister approoued of GOD neyther hathe any right and authoritie from the Lorde to minister his Sacramentes Which matter hovve straunge and absurde soeuer it seeme to ignoraunte and carnall men yet I hope it is heere sufficiently confirmed by authoritye and examples of the holy Scripture I coulde alleadge further the allowaunce and iudgement of moste famous and pure Diuines and such as are generally receiued and allowed of all true Christians Master IOHN CALVIN aboute the latter ende of his Catechisme which is allowed by her Maiesties authority saythe in playne wordes that the ministration of the Sacramentes belongeth to them who haue the charge to preache openlye in the Church For the preaching of Gods word and the ministration of the Sacraments be things ioyntly belonging to one kind of office these be his very words which are as plaine as may be M. Rodolphus Gualter in his 118. Homely vpon Mark speaking of the institution of the Lordes supper and of the right order in ministring that sacrament amongst other things sayth on this maner Peccant qui coenaem absque verbi predicatione peragunt adeoque illam huic praeferunt quasi vel ad dei cultum uel ad salutem plus conferat quam verbum cum tamen huius maiorem quam sacramentorum rationem habuerunt Christus Apostoli They sinne against the institution of Christ which doe minister the Supper without preaching of the worde and so preferre the Sacrament before preaching as though that auayled more to saluation and seruice of God then the worde preached whereas notwithstanding both Christe and the Apostles esteemed more the preaching of the Worde then the Sacrament These are his wordes I might alleadge many other testimonies for this cause not onely from the moste worthye Godly and learned diuines both old and new of other nations but also from famous Martyrs and Byshoppes in this our land in their sermons and writinges published and priuiledged by authority I hope then there is no cause why this doctrin shold not receiue a fauorable intertainment allowaunce as of your honors so of all faithful christians hauing such warrant from so pure and learned men and from the testimony of the holy worde What soeuer I spake in deliuering and vttering this sermon I haue here set it down so neare as I could remember both in forme and matter To conclude I moste heartely desire in the Lord the christian reader especially your honors to accept this my poore trauel I am bold to ioyn you both in one not onely because the Lord hath ioyned you together in the bonde of friendship and in a care of my good estate but also that which is greatest of all in a zeale of Gods glory furtherance of his religion Now the very God of peace sanctify you through out and I pray God that your whole spirites soules and bodyes may be kept blamelesse vnto the comming of our Lord Iesus Christ Amen Your Honours in the Lord THOMAS GYBSON Hearken with feare and reuerence to the worde of the Lorde written by the holy Apostle Saint Paule in his first Epistle to the Corinthians Chap. 9. verse 16. Woe be vnto me if I preach not the Gospel OUR Lorde and Sauiour Iesus Christ in the 17. Chapter of the blessed Euangelist Luke amongst many other excellent thinges vttereth and propoundeth this parable Who is it of you that hauing a seruaunt plowing or feeding Cattell woulde saye vnto him by and by when he were come from the field Goe and sit downe at table c. And afterwardes in the tenth verse applyeth it on this maner So likewise yee when ye haue done all those thinges which are commaunded you saye we are vnprofitable seruauntes we haue done that which was our duetie to doe The holy Apostle and seruant of Christ in this place auoucheth and confesseth in him selfe the saying of his Master to be moste true For although amongest many good workes there is not a more excellent or better work then the preaching of the word of God which was done most purely effectually and diligently by the Apostle yet he is so farre from accounting it meritorious that he sayeth a necessitie is laid vpon him that duetie bindeth him to do it In the former verses from the beginning of this Chapiter S. Paule sheweth and that with diligence and large copie of wordes that beeing amongest the Corinthians he was content to giue place to his owne right to forbeare that which he might lawfully doe to take no maintenaunce at all from them least be should giue occasion of cauilling to the false Apostles as though hee vnder the presence of the calling of an Apostle should seeme to seeke his owne gaine and lurre Amongst other thinges he hath sayde and that in the former verse It were better for me to dye then that any man should make my reioycing in vaine The which wordes may seeme to proceed and flow from an ambitious and vaine glorious spirite And therefore it might bee sayde What now Paule What needes all this Thou art wont to glory in Christ alone doest thou now glory in thine owne doinges To such a question or obiection the Apostle aunsweareth qualifiyng his former speach as if he should saâ— although it be an excellent worke to preach the Gospel and that freely yet take not my wordes so as though I repose any merite of saluation in this work for I am called to it and bound to it by duty and commaundement from my maister Christ And if I doe it not I prouoke and procure the anger of God and the sentence of his cursse and condemnation on me Woe be to me if I preach not the Gospell Of these words being but a part of the verse I haue taken vpon me to speake at this time From whence I meane by Gods grace to speake o these three pointes First I will gather some description of preaching that you may know what it is Secondly I meane to prooue the necessitie of
Christ and to the people as it appeareth Iohn 21. 15. where Iesus Christ sayth to Peter after his resurrection Simon sonne of Iona louest thou me more then these He sayde vnto him yea Lorde thou knowest that I loue thee he sayde to him feed my Lambes He said vnto him the second time Simon the sonne of Iona louest thou me He sayde vnto him yea Lorde thou knowest that I loue thee he sayd vnto him feed my sheepe Christ said to him the third time Simon the sonne of Iona louest thou me Peter was sory because he sayde to him the third time louest thou me said vnto him Lord thou knowest all thinges thou knowest that I loue thee Iesus sayd vnto him feed my sheepe Whereby it is euident that those which feed not loue not Christ Seeing then that feeding or preaching is so plaine a token of the loue that the minister oweth to Christe it is most necessarily required if any do preach and yet not vpon this loue they haue their condemnation 3 The church of God is begunne and grounded by the preaching of the worde and therefore necessarie Paule sayth Faith commeth by the word preached Againe he counteth his preaching amongst the Corinthians a planting of them in faith and religion S. Peter sayth We are borne a new not of mortall seed but of immortall by the worde of God who liueth and endureth for euer And presently addeth This is the worde which is preached among you 4 By preaching y e Church of God is not onelye begunne but also amplified builded and enlarged It will not onely make vs Babes in Christ but strong and spirituall men It hath not onely milke for the weake but strong meate for them that are at age By it we are brought not onelye to the beginning of Christe and firste rudimentes of Christian religion but also we are ledde forwarde vnto perfection The holye Apostle affyrmeth this when as he sayeth that Iesus gaue some to be Apostles and Prophetes and some Euangelistes and some Pastours and Teachers for the gathering of Saintes for the worke of the Ministerie and for the edification of the bodie of Christ vnto a persect man and vnto the measure of the age of the fulnesse of Christ 5 The Church of God begun and brought to that perfection which can be in earth is also stayed strengthened vpholden and preserued by the preaching of the word against sinne and errour And therefore for these causes also the preaching of the word is most necessary yea and that dayly and continually because some are weake and haue neede of dayly strengthning some fall into errours and some into greeuous sinnes from the which they are to bee drawne out by the effectuall preaching of the worde This doth the holy Apostle confirme whereas he saith that The whole Scripture is profitable to teach to improoue to correct and to instruct in righteousnesse that the man of God may be absolute beeing made perfect vnto all good workes 6 Againe to the pure preaching of the worde the Lorde hath promised a blessing the minister shal be blessed the people also blessed thorough it They that bee wise sayth Daniell shall shine as the brightnesse of the firmament And they that tourne many vnto righteousnesse shall shine as the starres for euer and euer The wise and faithfull Steward that giueth meate to the housholde in due season when his master commeth he shall be blessed and made partaker of exceeding ioy glory Take heed saith y e Apostle to thy selfe and to learning continue therein for in dooing this thou shalt both saue thy selfe and them that heare thee God so blessed the preaching of his Seruaunt Ionas that through it the Niniuites beleeued God humbled them selues and forsooke their former wicked wayes At one preaching of Peter there were wonne to the Lord about thrée thousande soules Thus doth the Lorde blesse his owne order the minister by pure and faithfull preaching dischargeth his owne soule obtayneth peace in conscience and so is blessed in this life but shall bee farre more blessed in the life to come when hee hath finished his course he shall receiue an incorruptible crown of glory The people also by this means are many waies blessed they receiue knowledge fayth saluation their eyes are opened they are tourned from darknesse to light and from the power of Sathan vnto God Al these great and notable blessinges do ensue the preaching of the word and therfore required most necessarily in euery minister 7 On the other side without this both the minister and the people are accursed the bloud of the people shall be required at his handes because he hath not as a faithfull watch-man forewarned them of daunger and yet they shall dye in their owne sinnes The Lorde complayneth by his Prophet Hosea saying My people are destroyed for lacke of knowledge because thou hast refused knowledge I will also refuse thee that thou shalt be no priest to mee To this agreeth our Sauiour Christ If the salt haue lost his saltnesse it is good for nothing but to be cast out and to be troden vnder foote of men And if these ministers which sometimes haue had salt in them zeale and knowledge to season the people and by negligence and carelesnesse decaye and loose it If these I say be worthie to be cast out how miserable and curssed are they which neuer had nor yet haue any Salt in them It must needes be fulfilled of them which our Sauiour speaketh in an other place They be blinde leaders of the blinde and if the blinde lead the blind both shall fall into the ditch that is both the ignoraunt Minister and the ignoraunt people shall perishe And in an other place it is sayde Caste that vnprofitable Seruaunt into vtter darknesse there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth And here it is sayde Woe be to me if I preach not the Gospell Seeing then that euery way there hangeth so many greeuous cursses both vppon the minister and people where the worde is not preached it is most requisite and necessarie that euery minister looke to this euen as hee will escape the fearefull and heauie cursse of God 8 Moreouer the chiefe ende and vse why the Scriptures were written doth require preaching They are left for our comfort instruction and edifiyng But we are most comforted instructed and edified if they be opened and applyed vnto vs and therefore moste necessarie that they be so vsed 9 Also the corruption and dulnesse of our nature requyreth the same We are dull ignoraunt and carelesse wee please our selues in our owne sinnes the Deuill goeth about continually to deuour vs and therefore we haue neede to haue continuall preaching of the worde The naturall man perceiueth not the thinges that are of Gods spirit Dauid after he had sinned continued in his sinne vntill the Prophet reprooued him for it yea
resurrection of eternall iudgement are able to saye nothing to any purpose but yet let it be so that some can doe this they can teach as they say in some measure they can Catechise lay the grounds of Religion yet this will not serue the turn there must be building after the foundation there must be a leading to perfection The Lorde in building the materiall Tabernacle did choose men of singuler wisedome and vnderstanding and will he be content with euery drudge and bungler in the building and erecting of his spirituall Tabernacle But herein cheefly haue some gathered offence and griefe because I haue saide in this place before and also other where that such Ministers haue no righte to administer the Sacraments This seemeth a straunge and hard doctrine yea some are not ashamed to count it erronious and hereticall If I would stand vppon the authority of men I could alleadge for the cōfirmation of the very wordes which I haue spoken the iudgment of those which by common consent of all true Christians are receiued and allowed as the best moste learned and moste pure diuines that euer were since the time of the Apostles but this I hope shall not neede For if of necessitie euerie minister ought to preache or if all the former arguments will serue to prooue this then also that other doctrine how strange and absurd soeuer some count it must I say needes necessarily and consequētly follow that none ought of right to deal with the Lords sacraments but his Ministers Christe requireth of him that baptiseth that he teach saying Goe teache and Baptise No Teacher no Baptiser that which God hath ioyned together let no man put asunder Sainte Paule speaking of the Lords Supper As often saith hee as you shall eate this bread and drinke this Cup ye shewe the Lordes death till he come If the people at the receiuing of the Sacramente ought to haue an effectual and thankfull remembraunce of the death of Christe it must needes followe that the Minister is bounde sufficiently to instruct them in the same If any wil say that this is donne by the dumbe minister in reading the words of the institution he preacheth he sheweth and publisheth Iesus Christ crucified so may I say that he or any other doth the same and that more effectually if they do but say their beliefe openly before the congregation but we speake of a singular of an effectual of an excellent and liuely shewing of his death which is by preaching The Apostle speaking to the Galatians saith I hat Iesus Christ was described in their sight and among them crucified His meaning is that Christ was so liuely preched to them as his liuely Image was set before their eyes or els had bin crucified amongst them This is the power of preching this is the duetye of the minister plainely and effectuallye to discribe and set soorth the merite of Christ his passion so that it may be seene as it were before the eyes The first Minister of Baptisme Iohn the Baptist was a preacher he ioyned Preaching and Baptisme together and in him no doubt the Lord would leaue to his Church an exāple and pattern and a forme of the right ministration of the Sacramentes Christe although there were sundry causes why he woulde not Baptise yet hee ministred the Supper to his Apostles but Christ was a preacher yea he preached then of his death before the first ministration and institution of that sacrament leauing vs an example to doe the like The Apostles ministred the Sacraments but they all preached yea the Euangelist Luke in the storye of the Acts setteth Preaching alwaies before the ministration of the Sacramentes Iohn the Baptist Christ the Apostles and Primatiue Church are the best examples that I knowe and best worthy to be followed Consider further I beseech you the great inconueniences which followe in these places where the word is not preached the people are still in ignoraunce and blindenesse and kept stil in their olde and Popish errours receiued from their forefathers they know not the vse of the sacraments or to what ende they serue they holde still their Papisticall transubstantiation some say they receiue their maker other saye they neuer hearde what a Sacrament meant some say they doe it in a good intent and yet they knowe not their owne intent other say they hope that they receiue it as others doe fewe make anye conscience with knowledge feare and reuerence to prepare them selues The greatest cause of this is lack of preaching and in deed how can their great ignoraunce be taken away how can their olde superstitious errours be effectually confuted but by the continuall and pure preaching of the word And is it not then most fit and conuenient when the sacrament is to bee ministred but we are so farre from hauing any vsuall preaching before the Sacrament that ther be many thousands which neuer heard any preaching at all of the Sacramentes in all their life they haue liued these 25. yeares in a Christian lande vnder the Gospell yet they haue profited no further and if they shoulde liue still double and triple the same yeares they shold be neuer a whitte the better except they had better ministers Woe be to me if I preach not the Gospell Learne one thing further before I goe to the next part of my Text if there depend a woe ouer the minister if he preach not the same woe is also against the people if they heare not and obey not the word preached Woe Chorazin woe Bethsaida woe Capernaum woe to these Countries Cities Townes and people which neglect and contemne the worde preached it shall be easier for the land of Sodome and Gomorrha in the day of iudgement then for such a people The same God the same worde which requyreth preaching of the minister requyreth also hearing and obedience of the people He that is of God heareth Gods worde and therefore doe yee not heare it because yee are not of God My sheepe sayth Christ heare my voyce And to the true minister it is sayd He that heareth you heareth me he that despiseth you despiseth me and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me And againe Verily verily I say vnto you if I send any he that receiueth him receiueth mee Wherefore we ought diligently to giue heed to the things which we haue heard least at any time we should let them slip For if the word spoken by Aungels was stedfast and euery transgression disobedience receiued a iust recompence of rewarde how shall we escape if we neglect so great satuation which at the first began to be preached by the Lord and afterward was confirmed vnto vs by them that heard him God bearing witnesse therto both with signes and wonders and with diuers miracles gifts of the holy ghost according to his own will Wo then vnto all Papistes Infidels Atheistes Hipocrites