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
them it was exceeding maruelous to all meÌ„ that beheld the princes industrye Alphonsus that famous king of Aragonia being mislyked of one Matthaeus Siculus a man of great holines for that he laboured with his owne handes aunswered smilingly Nunquid Deus natura nequidquam Regibus manus dederunt Hath God and nature geuen handes to kinges for naught All creatures laboure the Angels labour they are sayd to be the messeÌ„gers of God and ministering spirites The sunne laboureth continually The starres are doing The moone neuer staieth The fier can not be without making some worke The ayre is neuer idle but is doing after his manner The earth is neuer at rest she bringeth fourth naturally her plantes other fruites The waters floudes fountaynes frauaile coÌ„tinually These litle creatures Spiders Bees Emets Conies doe painfully labour And shall man be idle Tyme in this matter must be obserued make hast in youth Aestas non semper fuerit componite â—â—dos While the sunne shineth make haye The tyde must be taken when it commeth Make hast in youth that in olde age you may reioyce In death haue good report and after burial liue for euer But many geue themselues to sensualitye and neuer leaue it till they be come to themselues a most miserable miserye to their frendes a shame and sorrow to their enimies a ioy to the common weale a burthen and to the common people a iesting stocke The tyme of youth especiallye here is to be obserued In youth Alexander banquished India Scipio Africanus the West and South Pompee surnamed the great Spayne Drusus Germany Achilles Troy. Idlenes is a mother of trifles a stepdame of vertu an image of death a nurse of al euill a pillow of SathaÌ„ the ground of all mischiefe a contagious pestilence a sinke of sinne and a foule puddle of all vices Clemens Alexandrinus sayth vita oliosa non vita appellanda An idle lyfe is not to be called a lyfe Seneca complayneth that we lose a great part of our tyme in doing nothing a greater part in doing euill and the greatest part of all doing thinges which nothing concerne vs Idlenes bringeth forgetfulnes idlenes corrupteth the minde and causeth infamie Quaeritur Aegisthus quare sit factus adulter In promptu causa est desidiosus erat If it be demaunded why Egisthus became an adulterer the matter is sone aunswered forsoth he was idle Idlenes bringeth beggary Prouerb 10. 20. 23. 28. From idlenes are many diseases EueÌ„ as moderate labour preserueth health as phisitians report so Idlenes weakeneth the body diminisheth strength and bringeth many infirmities by ill digestioÌ„ HeÌ„ce commeth losse of tyme the day lost the night commeth the night when no man can worke The day is but short our lyfe is soone gone Therefore while we haue tyme let vs doe good to all men espetially to them which are of the houshold of fayth Hence commeth all mischiefe While men slept the enemie came sowed tares among the wheate and went his way When men runne not forward in the race of their saluation when men seeke not to knowe Christ Iesus crucified when men haue vertue in detestatioÌ„ behold Sathan our auncient enemie bestyrreth himselfe and soweth the tares and darnell of heresies seditions vice and vilanye in the hart of man The Crabbe sayth S. Ambrose delighteth very much to eate Oysters But for that the Oysters are so strongly fenced with two hard shelles which he can not breake by strength he waiteth diligently to bring the Oysters out of the water into the sunne and by helpe of the ayre and winde the Crabbe presenly putteth a litle stone into the Oyster as he gapeth whereby he can not close or bring together agayne his shelles Than afterward the Crabbe without daunger putteth in his clawes and eateth the meate of the Oyster at his pleasuure Euen so sayth he when men are geuen to idlenes open their mindes vnto sensuall pleasures the deuill commeth casteth into their mindes and hartes euill cogitations in such sort that their shell which before did defend them can not be drawen close together agayne and than easely doth he vtterly deuour them Idlenes maketh of men womeÌ„ of womeÌ„ beastes and of beastes monsters We shall finde the causes of all mischiefe in euery commoÌ„ wealth to spring of idle persons they are the firebrandes of sedition and the causes of all ciuill dissention King Dauid wheÌ„ he gaue himselfe to idlenes and slacked to launch his net into the déepe committed two horrible sinnes adultery and murther As long as SampsoÌ„ fought with the Philistines he could not be taken of his enemies but after that he slept in the bosome of a woman and idlely continued with her by and by he was taken and made blinde by his enemies Kyng Salomon after he gaue him selfe to ease was seduced and beguiled of women but when he was exercised in building the temple he was in the state of grace Watch ye therefore good Christians For I know you are not holyer theÌ„ Dauid stronger then Samson nor wiser theÌ„ Salomon Idle persons haue bene plagued shal be plagued Terrible is that saying Take from him that péece and giue it to him that hath x. péeces Sodom was destroyed with brimstone fire for pride fulnes of meat aboundance of idlenes and vnmercyfulnes S. Paule writyng to thess. sayth we haue heard that there are some which walke among you inordinatly and worke not at all c. If there be any that wil not worke let him not eate Amâsis a noble kyng of Egypt made a law that yearely euery man should make a recknyng to the rulers of his Prouinces or countreis how and by what occupation he liued and he that either would not do this or shew by what lawfull meanes he got his liuyng should dye The same law had the Areopagites The same law Solon borowed from the Egyptians made for the Athenians I would the same law were made in EnglaÌ„d It was prouided by the law of Oraco that he that was found an idle person should lose his head The Gymnosophistes wise men of India had idlenes in so great detestation that when meat was set on their tables they vsed to demaund of their young men and maydeÌ„s what they had learned or done since sunne rising and if any were fouÌ„d to haue bene idle they lost their dyner These wise men hated extremely all slouthfull persons And all such for that they had done no good in this lyfe as though they had neuer liued they buried among beastes Notable was the custome among the old Indians for their maner was euery night before supper to examine euery man how hee had bestowed that day and if any could not proue that hee had bene about some good exercises their vse was to expell him out of their company Whiche they did by the exaÌ„ple of Bées which can abide no dranes but as soone as any begynneth to be
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