A Godlye and pithie Exhortation made to the Iudges and Iustices of Sussex and the whole Countie assembled togither at the generall Assises By William Ouerton Doctor of Diuinitie and one of the Queenes Maiesties Iustices appoynted for the peace vvithin the same Countie PROVERB 10. VVhere no Ruler is there fall the people to ruine and decay But vvhere much counsayle is there is health and safetie Printed by R. Newbery and H. Bynneman To the Reader HAuing occasion the laste Lente to be at Estgreenestedde it was my chance gentle Reader to heare a very learned and frutefull Sermon made the same present time before the whole assembly of the Sheere I tooke suche profit and pleasure of it my selfe by hearing it and heard it so generally commended of others that I could not but deuise how to make common to many that which was there vttered but to fewe that so the benefite of it might redound also to many I maye perhappes haue blame of the Authour to put it foorth in printe without his knowledge and consent but if he knewe howe muche good he did to those fewe that heard him I trust he will not be offended if by my meanes he doe more good to a greate number that hearde him not but shall reade him for the exhortation is so tempered and the conueyance of it in suche sorte that though ye can specially applye it but to some men yet ye maye vse it so generally that it wyll edifye any man If all therefore shall reade it it wyll profite all bycause it hathe matter that serueth for all But if those reade it that are Iudges of circuites and Iustices of the peace or Iurie men or suche other like that haue anye calling that way it will profyte suche men most bycause to suche it most apperteyneth And surely I wysh aboue all other that Iudges and Iustices and whosoeuer they be else that vse to giue charge to the people yea and those also that haue the charge gyuen them shoulde alwayes before they goe aboute such businesse reade ouer and peruse thys little peece of worke that thereby they myghte be stirred vp to deale more earnestly in Gods causes and in matters of Religion than commonlye they are wont to do I doubt not but like good effect would follow such reading of it as did then followe the hearing of it For thys I sawe and hearde my selfe the same tyme when the Iudges were come from the Churche to the Hall and were nowe sette downe and the Countrey before them they did not onely imparte to the multitude what great fruite and comforte they had receyued themselues by hearing that Sermon giuing it a singular commendation in the eares of all men euen from the benche where they sate but also then tooke occasion thereby to gyue a verye quicke and vehemente charge to the graunde Iurie yea and to the Iustices themselues and to all others that had anye office or authoritie in the Sheere to looke more narrowly to matters of Religion than heeretofore they had done and to endeauoure themselues by all meanes possible to conserue the peace and vnitie of Christes Church and to search out and see punished all that were offenders to the contrary And to tell you the truth it did my heart good to see so graue wise a mā Iudge GAVDIE by name to giue so carnest and godly a charge in God and the Gospels behalfe such good frute followed in that good Magistrate by hearing so good and godly a Preacher that day And I would all others that be of the same calling that he is of mighte haue as good lyking heereafter to reade him as he hadde then to heare hym that like fruite maye come of it when oportunitie shal serue for the fruite that followed was great Well I will not cōmend the Preacher vnto thee I shoulde but darken his due prayses by mine vnsufficient praysing of him but I wil cōmend thee to the reading of this his worke and when thou hast redde it commend him thy selfe as thou seest cause In the meane time I wil pray vnto God both for him and for thee and for vs al for him to encrease his talēt in preaching for thee to enslame thy zeale in hearing for vs all to amende oure negligence in following And so I bidde thee farewell Thy vvelbeloued brother in Christ M. M. Precor vos fratres vt speculemini eos c. I praye you Breethren haue a good eye to those menne or take heede of those menne vvhich do breede discord and dissention amongst you and giue occasion of offences cōtrary to the doctrine that you haue receyued and eschue them THere is nothing more acceptable to God there is nothing more profitable to man there is nothing more answerable to Christian Religion and Faith there is nothing more auaylable to vertue and good life there is nothing more requisite and necessarie for al states whether they be priuate or publike there is nothyng more amiable more delectable more comfortable or more commendable in all respectes at a worde there is nothing that passeth all thinges more than thys one thing iust peace grounded vppon the true knowledge and feare of god It is not in vayne therefore that the Apostle héere exhorteth the Romanes and by them vs also whiche bée nowe presente yea and all other Christians wheresoeuer that we shoulde beware and take héede of suche menne as doe bréede discorde and dissention amongst vs and gyue occasion of offences in the Churche of God and not only that we shoulde take héede of them and beware of them but also that we shoulde eschue them and auoyde them as authoures of that euill whyche of all other euilles is moste daungerous and dothe moste shake and weaken all states of menne or rather doth beate downe destroy and ouerthrowe all thyngs wheresoeuer it commeth in place menne houses townes kingdomes countries nations and peoples be they neuer so manye be they neuer so greate and mightie Suche a meruailous mischiefe is Discorde and Dissention whersoeuer it taketh roote and therefore good cause I saye that the Apostle shoulde earnestly admonishe vs al to shunne it and auoyde it and the authors also thereof which doe sowe it and bréede it I pray you brethren sayth hée take héede of those men whych bréede discorde and dissention amongest you and giue occasion of offences contrarie to the doctrine that you haue receiued and eschewe them But what discorde or what dissention is it that the Apostle here speaketh of for there be two kinds of discord there is one kinde that is spirituall there is another kinde that is temporall Spiritual discorde is when men are dinided amongst themselues and disagrée one from another in spirituall matters in Ecclesiasticall causes in matters or causes of religion and Faith. This is spirituall discorde Temporal discord is when men fall oute amongest themselues and doe wrastle or be at warre as it were one with another aboute temporall matters
aboute temporall causes and quarrels aboute inturies or wrongs done or offered to be done by one man to an other touching their goods landes or lyfe or some such other thing pertaining to theyr temporall state this is temporal Discorde Whiche of these two therefore doeth the Apostle here speake of If I shoulde tell you that hée speaketh of spirituall discord suche as riseth of spirituall matters of Churche matters or of matters concerning Religiō Faith you would answere me that my text is not for this place time nor pertinent to these kinde of businesses and affaires which are nowe in hand but doeth rather belong to Schoole men and Dimnes or some other suche Ecclesiastical persons as are to heare and determine in such cases If I should tel you that hée speaketh of temporall discorde such as riseth of temporall causes and quarrels or of temporall iniuries and wrongs and so forth you woulde aunswere me that it is superfluous at this time and more than néedes to speake of any such matter vnto you for why ye come for that purpose it is the only or chiefe cause of your repayre hyther at this present to heare and consider of such controuersies and quarrels amongst men and therefore I néede not waste my winde any further therein Honourable and worshipful which so euer of these two kindes of discorde it be that the Apostle here speaketh of as in déede hée maye séeme to speake of them bothe you shal perceyue that my text is not impertinent to the place and time nor anye whyt from the matter ye haue nowe in hande I knowe well ynoughe that your assembly here togither at this present Session now to be holden is onelye or chieffic for thys cause to ende discorde and strife to conserue Vnitie and peace and to reforme iniuries and wrongs whereof the wante of peace the supply of discord doth grow I know I say the this is your purpose and the chief or only cause of your cōming hither yet this I know too that my matter wil be no let vnto you but doth and may very wel agrée with the your purpose For first if I shal say any thing to the aleying of tēporal discord dissentiō or to the furtherāce of tēporal vnitie peace though it be true in déed that you be come for the same purpose do meane now to sit vpon such matters yet my frendly admonitiō cā by no means hurt or hinder your good purpose being toward the self same matter you come for nor wil be altogyther néedelesse or vnprofitable vnto you the shal heare it séeing the best wisest man that is hath néed sometimes of a friendlye and faithfull admonitor at hys elbow On the other side if I shal say any thing to the abandoning of spirituall discord strife or to the aduancement and furtheraunce of spiritual vnitie concord in this case am I also to be heard willinglye of you though in some respect I will not deny but the this kind of discourse doeth belōg rather to schole mē diuines thā to you the are tēporal lawiers tēporall iudges iustices yet this I muste tell you notwithstanding the you can not so cleane shifte off this kind of matter frō you as thoughe it wer a méere alien to your other businesse but you must also haue to do with it aswel as wyth other matters may not estrāge it frō your present affaires For whō come you to serue come you not to serue Christ I think you wil not say nay For God him self so sayth vnto you by his Prophet Erudimini qui iudicatis terrā seruite domino in timore Be learned ye that are iudges of the earth serue the Lord in fear What Lord is it the you must serue the K the Q the prince of the coūtry wher you dwel and vnder whō you are subiects surely this lord also must you serue I deny it not But what Lorde doth God here wil you to serue when hée saith vnto you serue the lord in fear Doubtlesse he willeth you to serue Christ the other lords L. that other maisters Maister your Ladies Lorde and your mistresse maister euen the Quéenes Lorde and maister yea the Lord and maister of all Lordes and of all kings and of all Quéenes and of all Princes and of all the Monarches of the earth or rather Lorde and Maister of all the whole earth it selfe For so sayth God also a little before in the same Prophete Postula à me dabo tibi gentes in hereditatem c. aske of me sayeth God the father vnto his sonne Christ and I wil giue thee the heathen for thine inheritaunce and the vttermost partes of the earth for thy possession Lo here is Christe made Lorde of all Lordes and Lorde and owner of the whole earthe The earthe the nations of the earth and the Kings of the nations they are all his they are giuen him for his inheritaunce they are giuen him to be his possession and he is Lorde of them all Wherfore whatsoeuer other Lordes you haue whatsoeuer other maisters you haue you must serue Christ as the chiefe Lorde and as the graunde Lorde and masters ouer al other Lords maisters You must serue him his Church not onelye your prince country not only the Quéen common wealth to say the truth I do not sée how you can well serue the cōmon wealth except you first serue the Church nor how you can wel serue the Prince except you first serue Christ For Christ is a patterne vnto the prince the Church is a patterne vnto the common wealthe to follow Neyther is that common wealth a good common wealth or commendable before God whiche doth not frame and conforme it self after the Church nor that Prince a good or commendable Prince which doth not frame and conforme himselfe after Christ So then yée must haue a chiefe care and a chief regard of Christ and of the Church of Christ and so consequentlye of all those matters and causes which be insident to Christ his Church And therefore as you are readie when you sée your Countrey or common wealth the ciuill and politique bodie of the realme to be rente and torne in péeces one member from another by ciuil discorde and dissention by warres by strife and variance by fraude by force by lying in wait one for anothers goods or landes or life and so forth as you are readie in this case to loke vpon and lament the afflicted state of your countrey and to bynde vppe the woundes of the common wealth which it hath receyued and to heale and make vp the hoales and breaches that rents and tearings which you finde in the bodie politique as you are readye to repayre and redresse wyth all spéede the wrackes and decayes that are in the temporal state I saye as you are readie to loke vpon these temporall matters and to consider throughlye of them and are nowe
come hither for that purpose Euē so much more and much rather loke you vpon the lamentable sace and countenaunce of Christes decayed Church looke vppon the déepe and wide woundes of his mysticall bodie so soare stricken with spirituall discorde and dissention sée howe Christe is wounded in his bodie sée howe the bodye is maymed in his members sée howe the members are rent and torne one from another sée howe they are diuided amongest themselues nay alas how they are diuided againste themselues sée what hoales and breaches are made in the poore Church of Christe sée what ruine and decaye is come vpon the poore flocke of Christe sée what numbers of poore soules are caried away by rauening wolses to be deuoured of them and are euen yet hanging in their chappes and in their féeth and being in the middest of their téeth doe not féele theyr owne misery nor sée their owne daunger sée howe euerye thing almoste is or if you looke not the sooner to it shortlye will bée tourned vpside down topsie turuie black will be white and white will be blacke truth wil be error errour wil be truth good will be euill and euill will be good right will be wrong and wrong wyll bée right and euery thing wil be as euery mā wil haue it For we can not abide to draw all one way be it neuer so godly and iust but euery man drawes his owne waye euery man followes his owne fancie euery man likes best his own wil wit no mā likes another so we rent the Churche teare the Temple of God in sunder wyth our continuall faction and discorde O miserable state the vnitie of Faith is diuided into varietie of opinions the profession of the Gospel is drawn into proprietie of sects the firme stable worde of God is made a flexible nose of waxe euery man thinkes to writh it which way he wil himself And al this oh ye iudges iustices all thys is come to passe by the sléepinesse of Gods seruants by the watchfulnesse of Sathā his ministers the olde and newe sectaries and Scismatickes whiche are bolde to attempt any thing which blushe not to say and affirme whatsoeuer they list be it neuer so false which contend stil for victorie though they be ouerthrowen yea are readie with blowes to maintain their euil quarrel if they durst whose hāds you must holde whose féete you muste staye whose mouthes you must stop whose rash malapert enterprises you muste in anye wise restraine represse that they fight not the they go not the they speake not any more against God his trueth with such libertye as they haue don This is your office this is your charge oh ye Iudges Iustices this is your chiefe charge therefore this ought to be your chiefe care this ought to be your chief trauel to heale vp the wounds of Christs mistical bodi to stop vp the holes gappes of his broken decaied Church to repayre renew the peace vnitie of hys house to beat down destroy al Schismes sects with the aucthors fautors therof to vphold maintain further with al youre diligence with al your wit pollicie with al your might power the true ancient catholike religion of Christ This I saye is your chief charge this therfore ought to be your chief care trauel Wherefore bend your wits ernestly about it put your hāds diligētly vnto it vse your cunning wisely exercise your aucthoritye spéedilye let nothing passe you that may touche you let nothing be vndone by you that maye lye vpon you in that behalfe For you are not come hither to serue mā only you are not come hither to serue your Prince youre countrey common wealth only but are come hither to serue God you are come hither to serue Christ you are come hither to serue the Lord in fear This seruice god himselfe biddeth you to doe and therefore you muste doe it and this seruice no man nor Prince forbiddeth you to do therfore you may do it and néede not doubt to do it Nay rather if I misse not my markes or if my memorie fayle me not it is the very first point or part of your commission giuē you from the prince that you should do it or at least wise it is the first thing the your selues giue in charge vnto others to do it therfore I shall not néede to stande anye longer vpon this point nor to follow it any further Only this I will say at the shutting vp of this point that al controuersies quarrels are to be anoyded that al strife variaunce is to be cut off that all discord dissention is to be rooted vp euery where in all maner of matters but yet specially in spiritual matters specially in Church matters for that discorde is a sore discord in déede that is a worme that perceth déeper that is a cancker that créepeth further into a man euen into the innermost parts bowels of a man to the distruction both of boldie and soule as for the other it annoyeth our temporall state only but pearceth not our soules it hurteth vs not the wayes but rather doth vs good if a wise man haue the matter in handling For by outward afflictiō we are inwardly mended ar made better to God ward by worldly troubles if we cā vse thē wisely beare thē patiētly But nowe bicause we are to beate down-al discord dissention to build vp repaire godly vnitie peace the we maye the better aymie at this marke whereat we must shoote let vs sée whence this discorde and dissention commeth and who be the chief principal aucthours of it You heard before that there are two kinds of discord tēporal discord which riseth of tēporal matters spirituall discorde which cōmeth of spiritual causes Touching the former kind youre selues which are best exercised in ciuil affaires cā best iudge or gesse what be the causes of al sturs troubles in the ciuill state who are most likely to be authors and bréeders of the same For mine owne part as I am now knit in one care wyth you of the cōmon wealth haue the lyke charge that you haue therfore would be glad also to furder any thing the might profit aduantage the same so yet being called another way as you know I am and this kind of businesse being the lesse parte of my calling I professe my self to haue lesse skil in it therfore leaue the great waighty consideration of those matters to your ryper wisdome experiēce Only I wil giue you a short view of some of the chiefe causes or causers of tēporal discord dissention so will passe from that to the other pointe which toucheth my calling more properly Wil you heare therfore in a summe what are the causes of discord dissention in the ciuil state I wil tel you The