⧠A FRVITful Sermon preached at Occham in the County of Rutland the Second of Nouember 1583. By Thomas Gybson PROVERB 29.8 ¶ VVhere there is no Vision the people decay GOD IS MY DEFENDER GOD IS MY DEFENDER AT LONDON Printed by Robert Walde-graue dwelling without Temple-Barre 1584. ¶ TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE Lorde FRAVNCES Earle of BEDFORD and one of her Maiesties most honourable priuy Counsell Knight of the Noble order of the Garter VVith the Right Honourarable Syr VVALTER MILDEMAY Knight Chancelour of the Queenes Maiesties Court of Exchequer and one of her Highnes most honourable priuy Counsell Grace Mercy and peace be multiplied from God our Heauenly Father from our Lord Sauiour Iesus Christe THE blessed holy Euangelist Saint Luke Right Honorable penning and publishing the Heauenlye story and blessed Gospell of Iesus Christ doth also dedicate the same to one Theophilus a Noble and famous man of singular credit and authority The reason and cause that mooued him thereto is because in those times the purenesse of the Gospell was hindred and persecuted whereby many erroures began to be spreade and allowed and therefore in great Wisdom it pleased the holy Ghost not onely to write a faithfull sure and perfect story but also to offer and present the custodie and defence of the same to one of Religion and Povver The verye same cause partly hath mooued me at this time to bee so bolde as to offer and Dedicate this poore and simple testimony of my trauaile to your Honoures For although I doe confesse vvee liue vnder a Gracious Prince whome the Lorde long continue to his glory to the shame and confusion of his enemies and to the dayly profit of his Church although I say we liue in so peaceable happy and gracious a time vnder the flowrishing state of the Gospell yet truely the dearest Children of God and the sincerity of Religion is subiect to bitter Persecution These wordes at the first may seeme verye greeuous hard and haynous and yet they are most certaine and true The holy Apostle S. Paul writing to the Galatians 4.29 speaketh on this maner As he that was borne after the Flesh persecuted him that was borne after the Spirite euen so is it nowe hee speaketh of Ismael and Isaac and yet we do not reade in the scripture of any persecution betweene them neither did Ismael persecute his Brother Isaac with hande or sworde but that which is worse proudly arrogantly he raised him selfe against him mocking him and as it were treading vnder feete the promise of God And this dealing by the apostle is cálled a persecution in deede there is not any persecution more greeuous to the Children of God then this Nowe who doth not dayly see that the best Christians and the purenes of Religion are greatly persecuted by Papists Atheists and Hipocrites as Isaac was by his Brother Ismael And of all matters of religion I thinke there is scarse any in these dayes more generally hated of such kind of men then that which is most altogether almost only hand led in this simple Sermō For these such like men many of them can bee content with a common ordinarye profession to heare Mattins and Euensong and sometimes a Sermon by such men as they like of but that there should be any continuall course of the pure preaching of the worde of God they can in no case allowe or like of This I say is hated reiected and persecuted so farre as may be of the greater sorte and therefore not without cause haue I attēpted to dedicate this my labor to your honors as special Patrons defendors of the Lords cause tried Friends and Fauorers of God his trueth But yet this attempt may seem very raish and needles For who am I that I should take vppon mee to set foorth and to publish any thing The vnworthiest I confesse of many hundreths and the vnablest of manye thousands and yet seeing many things more simple lesse needefull and profitable are not only suffered but alowed to come abroad I am not altogether discouraged neither hath any mā iust cause to accuse mee in this my simple enterprise I know these be daies of knowledge learning there bee greate store of famous and learned diuines in our land whom I beseech the Lorde to blesse that they may assist their weake brethren in the defence of this and such good causes and yet the two mites of the pore widow cast into the treasury amongest the great giftes of the wealthy are not to be refused I know your Honours be daily hearers of famous and learned men both in your houses and abroad you are acquainted with the sermons of profound deepe diuines and such as are mighty in the scriptures notwithstanding hauing in my self sufficient trial experience of your honors most curteous humble fauorable dealing towards me and also of some liking of my simple my poore trauelles in preaching heretofore I am not ashamed or afrayd after such triall and proofe to offer this so small and simple a thing vnto your Honours The great necessity of the matter I deale withall the care of Gods glory the zeal of his house the benefit that his church may haue by it hath especially mooued me that it should be published come abroad Let not therefore hypocrites bee too rash in iudging the Lorde the searcher of the hearts and reynes knoweth my purpose and affection in preaching and publishing this matter The cause that hath moued me to present it to your Honors rather then to other is the lōg proof and acquayntance of your honourable courtesies and friendlye good will towards me which for my part I am neuer able to requite for the which I thinke my selfe as long as breath is in me moste bound and indebted to your Honours And here I offer this poore fruite of my trauaile as some Testimony of good will and thankfulnes And whereas wee are wont commonly to offer and present to our dearest Friendes some giftes as tokens of good will or else of special duety Amongst many great and precious presentes vvhich are no doubt giuen and presented to your honours I also offer this simple mite and yet I hope more pleasant and acceptable to the receiuers then thousands of gold or siluer or any earthly thing whatsoeuer And in deede can there be any matter more sweete and pleasaunt to the cheefe Patrons and Defenders of the Godly Preachers and the word of God then to heare of the necessity profite and excellency of preaching which things are set foorth plainly largely in this little Sermon For howsoeuer many mē hate and abhorre this matter and can in no case disgest it yet your honours zeale courage liking goodwill and countenaunce to this and other good causes is cōmonly known and spreade abroad A further reason why I publishe this Sermon is because there is some matter in it for the which I haue beene in the
country where I dwell o-openly slaundered and euill spoken off and therefore to cleare my selfe from such false reports to satisfie my friends which are readie to answer in my cause to let the enemies knowe I haue spoken nothing whereof I am ashamed but dare put it to the witnessing and testimonie of the Christian reader and also to resolue more fully the weaker sort in such things as at the first seeme strange and absurd for these and such like causes I say I am content and willing that this my trauell come to light although the whole or most part of this Sermon is vnsauory vnpleasaunt to the greater sort and specially to the ignorant people to the hypocrit to the idol or dumb minister yet this is that which chiefly misliketh and grieueth them because both in the place where I preched this Sermon and also elsewhere I sayd and affirmed that the minister which preacheth not and hath not those gyftes which the Lorde requireth in his Ministers that such a one is no Minister approoued of GOD neyther hath anye right and authoritie from the Lorde to mynister his Sacramentes which matter howe straunge and absurde soeuer it seeme to ignoraunt 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 most famous and pure Diuines and such as are gennerally receyued and allowed of all true Christians Master IOHN CALVIN about the latter ende of his Catechisme which is allowed by her Maiesties authoritie sayth in playne wordes that the ministration of the Sacraments belongeth to them who haue the charge to preache openly in the Church For the preaching of Gods worde 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 manner Peccant qui coenam absque verbi predicatione peragunt adeóque illam huic praeferunt quasi vel ad dei cultum vel ad salutem plus conferat quam verbum cum tamen huius maiorem quam sacramentorum rationem habuerunt Christus Apostoli They sinne against the institution of Christe which doe minister the supper without preaching of the word 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 most worthy Godly and learned diuines both old and new of other Nations But also from famous Martyrs and Byshops in this oure Lande in their sermons and writings published and priuileged by authority I hope then ther is no cause why this doctrin shold not receiue a fauorable intertainment allowance as of your honors so of al faithful Christians hauing such warrant from so pure and learned men and from the testimony of the holy word VVhat soeuer I spake in deliuering and vttering this sermon I haue here set it down so nere as I could remember both in forme and matter To conclude I moste heartily desire in the Lord the ChristiaÌ„ reader especially your honors to accept this my pore trauell I am bold to ioyn you both in one not only because the Lord hath ioined you together in the bonde of friendship 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 whol spirits and souls 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 to me if I preach not the Gospell OVR Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ in the 17. chapter of the blessed Euangelist Luke amongst manye other excellent things vttereth and propoundeth this parable Who is it of you that hauing a seruaunt plowing or feeding cattell would say 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 applieth it on this maner So like wise ye when ye haue done all those thinges which are commaunded you say we are vnprofitable seruauants 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 amongst 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 sayth a necessitie is layd vpon him that duety bindeth him to do it In the former verses from the beginning of this Chapter S. Paule sheweth and that with diligence and large copie of wordes that beeing amongst the Corrinthians 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 he should giue occasion of cauilling to the false Apostles as though he vnder the pretence of the calling of an Apostle should seeme to seeke his owne gaine and lucre 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 vaineglorious spirite And therefore it might be sayde What now Paule What needes all this Thou art wont to glory in Christ alone and dost thou now glory in thine owne doinges To such a question or obiection the Apostle aunsweareth qualifiyng his former speach as if he should say Although it be an excellent worke to preach the Gospel and that freely yet take not my wordes â—o as though I repose any merite of saluation in this worke for I am called to it and bound to it by duety and commaundement from my master Christ And if I doe it not I prouoke and procure the anger of God and the sentence of his curse and condemnation on me Woe bee 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 of these three pointes First I will gather some description of preaching that you may know what it is Secondly I meane to
iugements and condemnation of the wicked I finde then that the impenitent and suche as continue in their sinnes could not bee saued God could not forgiue them here vpon some haue sayd and doe say still of mee that I preached that God could not forgiue sinnes I sayde and I say agayne the Lorde is as true in his iustice as in his mercie Christ saieth except ye amend ye shall all perish and againe he that beleeueth not is damned Saint Paul sayth no whoremonger nor adulterer no vnrighteous or vncleane persone shall inherite the kingdome of Heauen This is asmuche as I saied and in effect all that I saide woe bee to me if I preache not the Gospell Now Repentaunce is a parte of the Gospell and that wee maie repent it is needfull to knowe our sinnes and as the sinnes of all men must bee reproued and the iudgementes of GOD threatened against them so especially the sinnes of publique persones as Magistrates and Ministers And if this in no case will bee borne but he that doth it is straight way blamed alas what shall wee doe If wee speake against the people they are greeued they saie we deale hardly with them but looke not to our selues or to the higher powers If wee deale against Gentlemen and greate men wee are hated euill spoken of and abused If wee speake against the ignoraunt and carelesse Ministers they are also offended and saye wee lacke discretion charitie and modestie Thus daungerous a thing it is to preache the Gospell yea euen amongst them that glorie in the Gospell so that as our state standeth it mate bee saied cleane contrarie to the saying of the Apostle in this place Woe to them that preache the Gospell and happie are they which preache not the Gospell and they are coumpted wisest whiche either holde their peace or els meddle not with this parte of the Gospell But the faithfull Minister how soeuer he seeme to be discouraged by suche wicked and vnthankfull dealinges of the worlde yet he is to comforte himself in the Lorde and to feare GOD more then men It is farre better to discharge our dueties faithfully with a good conscience although wee procure displeasure of men then by leauing our duetie vndone or by doyng the Lordes worke negligently and vnfaithfully to procure the displeasure and heauie curse of God The holie Apostle hath spoken it woe bee to me it I preache not the Gospell And to aunswere them somewhat which blame vs for dealing so hardly and openly against the sinnes of the Ministers Is it not a parte of discretion to reproue their sinnes whiche doe most hurte and are the causes of many other sinnes this is that discretion whiche was vsed by the holy Prophetes euery where They crie out against the negligence of the Priestes against their ignoraunce carelesnesse and leude conuersation Amongst many and infinite places I referre you that one place in the Prophet Malachie who dealeth so hardly and particularly with the Priests as though all sinne had been in them No doubt there were many sinnes amongst the people and yet in all his Prophesie he seemeth to deale specially almost onely against the Priestes being in deede the causes and the authors of the sinnes of the people yea and these were suche Priestes as were ordeined of GOD as were the successors of Aaron and the tipes of Iesus Christe and yet are so sharply and publiquely reproued by the Prophet This discretion was vsed by Christ himself How often times together doeth he pronounce woe against the Scribes and Pharises calling them Hypocrites fooles blind guides Serpentes and generation of Uypers yea how often times doeth he most sharply and openly rebuke his owne Apostles Perceiue ye not yet saieth he neither vnderstand haue you your hartes yet hardened haue you eyes and see not haue ye eares and heare not and doe ye not remember Are not these my bretheren very hard wordes and suche wordes as are vsed in the Scriptures against the very reprobate and yet the Lorde Iesus vseth them against his owne Apostles In an other place he reproueth them for their vnbeleefe and hardnesse of harte How sharply doeth the Apostle deale in all his Epistles against false Apostles Naye did he not repoue openly to his face Peter the Apostle and his fellowe minister because he went not the right waie to the truthe of the Gospell So that it is not onely lawfull but also necessarie that the sinnes of all states and specially of the greatest and of the Ministers bee sharply and openly reprooued The holy Apostle saieth Them that sinne openly rebuke openly that the rest also maie feare But are not the sinnes of our Ministers open Is not their ignoraunce apparant Is not their idlenesse and carelesnesse knowne Doeth not the common sorte of people see it And are not some of them faine to seeke for instruction in other places Dooe not many complaine of the liues of the Ministers Dooe they not saye commonly of them they speake well and dooe euill They bee as couetous as others they haue neuer enough doe not the people see this and a greate deale more Are not these open offenders Doeth not duetie discretion and charitie binde the Preacher if he will faithfully preache the Gospell to reproue them seuerally whiche giue cause of suche offences The Apostle vseth this modestie against himself Woe be to me if I preach not the Gospell which woe signifieth no light small or easie matter but greeuous curse of GOD in this life and that fearefull condemnation in the life to come Can they bee too sharpely reprooued or can any speeches bee too harde for them whiche are ignoraunt and carelesse in so greate a light of the Gospell after so long profession whiche shoulde bee guides to others whiche haue so many excellent meanes so greate helpes of knowledge offered to them by the Lorde in these dayes whiche we liue in Can they bee too muche or to often spoken against which are ignoraunt and will bee ignoraunt whiche mistike those that reprooue them whiche hate all that are not like themselues whiche seeke to deface the painefull Minister yea stande in defence of their owne wickednesse Is not this to binde sinne together with Cart-ropes Sinne not twise saieth the wise man for one sinne shall not be vnpunished therefore take heede in tyme and amende or els you perish Say what you will thinke what you will the Lorde is my witnesse I speake the truthe I knowe I might bee better thought of to passe euer suche matters but woe bee to mee if I preache not the Gospell But it may bee yet that some will saye although this bee true that you haue spoken yet all truthe is not to bee spoken at all times in all places and to all persones The Minister must cut the word of GOD aright like a wise Steward he must giue meate in due season To these men I aunswer that no necessarie truthe is to bee hidden