A Sermon PreaCHED AT PAVLS Crosse by Iohn Walsal one of the Preachers of Christ his Church in Canterâ—urie 5. October 1578. And published at the earnest request of certeine godlie Londoners and others Neither is he that planteth any thing neither he that watereth but God that giueth increase 1. Cor. 3. 7. AT LONDON Printed for G. Byshop TO THE RIGHT worshipfull vertuous and his verie good Ladie the Ladie ANNE BACON Iohn Walsall hartily wisheth mercy and peace from God our father and from our Lord Iesus Christ THIS my present attempt and enterprise will perhaps minister vnto the reader double cause of admiration the one by reason of the publishing the other in the respect of the dedication of this simple and plaine discourse Touching the first albeit I may iustly depose and call God to witnesse that this sermon is thus imprinted and made common not by any vaine desire of mine or terrene purpose in me but at the importune suite of diuers godly men both of the Citie where it was preached and of the Countrie where I inhabite yet I am enforced openly to acknowledge that it is my bounden dutie of my selfe without request euery way to seeke the glorie of my God by exhorting priuately by preaching publikely by writing generally to the verie vttermoste of my power and abilitie Howbeit I am here constrayned humbly to bewraye myne owne infirmities with heartie prayer for greater strength For mine own simplicitie and want of profounde knowledge the aboundaunce of most learned volumes dayly set out together with coÌ„sideration of many curious heades and carping tongues these so preuailed with my flesh as neither I could of my selfe be moued nor by the importunitie of others for a good space induced to publishe this treatise But at length my weakenesse was somewhat strengthened and I persuaded not onely by the reasons of men whome I haue good cause greatly to reuerence but also by the holy spirite of GOD to collect this Sermon out of my notes send it abroad to the end that as by vttering thereof it pleased the LORD GOD mercifully to touch the heartes of some so by writing and imprinting thereof it may like the same Lord as graciously to touch the heartes of many So that my onely drift and purpose herein is to seeke the glorie of our good God by attempting as he hath inhabled mee to reclaime the wicked to confirme the godlie to conuerte the deceiued to encourage the conuerted that as God hath created all offered saluation to al and nourished vs all so through his sonne our Sauiour CHRIST he may be glorified by vs al. This glorie of our God ought to bee of so precious and deare accounte with vs that we shoulde directe whatsoeuer good thing wee haue to the aduauncement of his glorie This is not the doctrine of carnall man but of that moste excellent doctour IESVS CHRIST and of his holy Apostle S. Paule Christe the maister saith First seeke the kingdome of God and his righteousnesse c And Paule the seruant speaking of the Lord God telleth vs that Of him throughe him and for him are all thinges and therefore addeth to him be glorie for euer Amen These and many the like scriptures teach vs that we are created redeemed sanctified and preserued yea that all the Lordes blessinges so without measure dayly powred vpon vs tend to this end that his most glorious name maye bee continually extolled by vs Both Moses and Paul were so zealous for this glory as they preferred the same to their own saluation But alas such is the miserable condition of the world that few are founde willing to take anye little paine or to susteine the short displeasure euen of the vilest men thereby to shewe their longing desire of God his glorie Men of all sortes are made so drunken with their own vaine glorie and in such manner bende them selues to maintaine that ignominious and shamefull glorie as in the meane time the glorie of God is cared for accounted of and longed for but of verie fewe and as it were of an handfull in respecte of the huge multitude of so innumerable people From this most impure and deadly impoysoned fountaine of vaine glorie issueth the Papistes glorious opinion of their meritorious workes their proude conceipt of mans righteousnesse their bloudie argumentes against iustification by faith their obstinate defences of most grosse impieties their daily coyning of newe counterfeit miracles for the vnderpropping of their nowe falling kingdome From this filthie puddle of vaine glorie springeth the contemptuous disdayning of ouermanie to submitte their stiffe necks to the sweet and easie yoke of Christe Hence it is that the verie Angelles of GOD his Church and true ministers of his worde are sternly frowned vppon iniuriously thrust to the walles and handled vnreuerently vnles with Popishe dirige they will sing Placebo and as the Iewes willed Esay speak Placentia and with the Terentian Gnato ait aio negat nego that is to say vnlesse they will with Iudas betray their maister Christe and frame them selues to feede the sinfull humours of carnall men by wilfull neglecting the seuere commaundementes of Almightie god Hence it is that if contempte of true religion lothing of Christs holy Gospel countenauncing of the wicked cormeranting of earthly thinges carnall talke vaine delectations horrible blasphemie pride in apparell epicurisme in diet deceite in bargaining vnchristian conuersation if these and the like enormities be reproued and the terrible iudgementes of God denounced againste them vaine glorie will then be inflamed and set on fire with reuenging anger and at daggers drawing with such preachers Thus I might proceede to prooue that vaine glorie doth euery way so abound as the aduauncement of God his glory is lamentably neglected Oh that man had regenerate eyes to looke throughly vpon and deepely into himself he should then wel perceiue that no glorie but all shame is due to him he shoulde then be compelled to confesse that whatsoeuer good thing he hath of the bodie or minde the Lorde God hath there with adorned him that he the authour therof might be glorified with and for the same Saint Paul to extinguish and quench out mans greedie thirst of vain glory demaundeth of man this question What hast thou that thou hast not receiued To the same ende that vniuersall speach of Saint Iames may be fitly applied Euery good giuing and euery perfect gift is from aboue c. Wherein the holy ghost teacheth that all the good things we enioy either temporall or spirituall they haue streamed from the euerlasting founteine of God his vnspeakable liberalitie that for and with the same we shoulde magnifie and praise his most glorious name The Lord therefore in mercie graunt that euery man in his seuerall vocation may so hartely bend all his affections giftes welth wisedome worship honour or what soeuer the Lorde hath blessed him withal to the magnifying of him our most gratious and louing
of the Actes saith Well spake the holy ghost by Esaias the Prophet vnto our Fathers c. Againe the whole scripture is giuen by inspiratioÌ„ of god c. Peter also in his second epistle first cha vttereth these wordes Prophesie came not in olde time by the will of man but holy men of God spake as they were moued by the holy Ghost In like maner the words spoken at the giuing out of the lawe may truely be vnderstanded of the whole body of all the holy scripture to wit God spake all these wordes Thus it is apparent and manifest of what reuerend and holy account both this and all the sacred scripture ought to be and with what heartie obedience we are to yelde ourselues and stoup downe vnto it sith the holy ghost is authour of the same If we likwise respect the instruments whereby this scripture as by certein second causes and meanes hath bene deliuered to vs the excellencie thereof will also comfortably and plainely apeare For it is vttered by three excellente ministers and seruauntes of the Lord by Moses the gouernour of Israel by Stephan the martyr by the Apostle S. Peter Moses as we reade in the booke called Deuteronomie and as these two Stephan and Peter doe witnesse was the first speaker of this diuine sentice that by the inspiration and direction of the holy Ghost the occasion whereof is also put down in that place of Deuteronomie and consisteth in these two branches First Moses forbiddeth the Israelites to follow the impious maners of the heathen people in vsing witcheraft sorceries charming soothsaying in obseruing times and the fléeing of birdes in making recourse vnto and asking counsell of spirites and the deade pronouncing all these abhominable vnto the Lord the cause why the Lord hath rooted out those nations which were infected and defiled with these superstitious and damnable vanities In the other branch Moses chargeth the Israelites to demeane themselues with all duetifull and true harted obedience towards the Lord their God saying Thou shalt be vpright therefore with the lord thy God thereby signifying that if we wil haue the lord to be our God his mercies continued his vengeaunce deteyned we must then not play the lame â—réeples and hypocriticall halters by making a mingle mangle hodgepoge of true religion vile superstition but we must go vprightly become vnfeigned detestoures of al impietie superstition and hartie zealous worshippers of the Lord according to that religion worship which the Lord him selfe hath prescribed and coÌ„maunded in his word So that the drift of Moses by this scripture is to induce and persuade the children of Israell and all true Christians not to depende vpon the vile and vaine illusions either of sathan or of his wicked instruments but to yelde theÌ„selues to the word of God that with true haâ—â—ie through obodience If the Israelits had obiected to Moses that the word of God was intricat and harde Prophets to interprete the same were fewe and that Moses and all the prophetes should be taken from them by death and so the worde of God coulde bee no suche sure staffe for them to trust and leane vnto Moses in this my text doeth skilfully and to their and our great comfort answeare this obiection saying The lord your God shall rayse vp vnto you a Prophet c meaning that the Lorde will neuer suffer his Church to bée vtterly destitute of true Prophetes and faithful interpreters of his worde The seconde instrument whereby the holy Ghost hath vttered this scripture the seconde by mine order is Stephan the Martyr For Stephan in hys notable Sermon sealed with his bloud death labouring to winne the Iewes vnto Christ and to pul them from their superstitious obseruation of Moses lawe he maketh rehearsall of Moses whole historie as of his byrth of his casting out of his taking vp and nourishing by Pharao his daughter of his care ouer afflicted Israel his killing of the Egyptian his fléeing into the land of Madian of the Angels appearing vnto him in a flame of fire of the Lordes sending him into Egipt of the wonders done by his hand in the lande of Egipt Lest the Iewes should be too superstitiously wedded to Moses and therby hindered from imbracing Christ Stephan procéedeth and substancially proueth that euen this their Moses whom they so loue obey maintaine and cleaue to euen that he in the lawe and by his office endeuoured to conduct and guyde them vnto Christ This saith StephaÌ„ is that Moses which said vnto the children of Israel A prophet shall the Lord your God raise vp vnto you c. By which words it is euident that Moses would not haue the Iews obstinatly tied to him for euer but did prophesie and foretell of Iesus Christ the Prince and head of all the prophets the very mark wherevnto Moses the lawe and all the Prophetes were directed by whom a newe ministerie to wit the Preaching of the Gospell shoulde bee published for the frée remission of sinnes Last of al this scripture is vsed by the Apostle S. Peter in this thirde of the Acts Peter Iohn hauing in the name of Christ that is say by the vertue and power of Christe restoared him that was borne lame vnto his lims the people in woondering wise ran vnto Peter and Iohn accouÌ„ting them the workers of this miraculous eure Herevppon Peter toke direct occasion to make an excellent sermon wherein he openly and with all humilitie acknowledgeth that this lame créeple was healed not by their cunning power and holinesse but by the vertue of Iesus Christ he also vpbraideth them with the villanies done to Christ setting before their eyes their betraying him their denying of him the holy one and the Iust and desire of a murtherer to bee giuen vnto them their killinge of the Lorde of life After hee had thus pearced their heartes with recitall of this barbarons crueltie the rather to reclame bringe them to some déepe swéet féeling both of their owne sinnes and of God his mercies in Christ he sheweth that hee is not persuaded they did these thinges wittingly willingly and of a set malicious purpose but telleth them that after this manner the Lord God perfourmed that whiche was long before spoken by the Prophetes And therefore Peter exhorteth them vnto repentance and to turne vnto the Lord which cannot be done vnlesse they apprehend and catch holde vpon Iesus Christe the promised and perfourmed sauiour that with the stronge hand of a liuely faith This doctrine was straunge and odious to the Iewes who thought Moses and Christ so repugnant and the lawe and the Gospell so contrarie as if they had embraced Christ and his Gospell they would by and by haue reputed and taken themselues for horrible schismatiques and backsliders from Moses and the lawe Peter wisely preuenteth this
father that euery one of vs may with a good conscience and truly say with holy Dauid Not vnto vs ô Lorde not vnto vs but vnto thy name giue the glorie c. And with Saint Paul God forbid that I should glory or reioice but in the crosse of our Lord Iesus Christ whereby the world is crucified vnto me and I vnto the worlde Thinke not right Christian Ladie that these words are vttered so much to instruct you as to enforme the reader of this letter vnto you For by good experience I haue comfortably found both in the right honorable my very good Lord your wise and louing hous bande and in your good Ladiship his Godly and obedient espouse such care of Gods glorie in aduauncing true religion in demeaning your selues in the educatioÌ„ of your children in gouerning your family in countenauncing of vertue and learning in cherishing the poore and needie as I might deseruedly be deemed vnwise if I had not obserued it carelesse if I did not remember it vnthankefull if vpon offred occasion I would not testifie it But thanked be the king of eternal glorie this your care of GOD his glory is so vniuersally knowne to the whole realme so ioyfully acknowledge of the Godly therein that I neede not produce my self for an experienced witnes of the same Wherfore to conclude this branch I will heartily offer vppe mine incessant prayers to the Lorde God in the name of his sonne our sauiour CHRISTE that both you and all Christians may daily and continually growe not onely into such contempt of vaine glory and al vaine thinges but also into such loue and longing of his true glorie and all heauenly things as in these euill dayes ye may haue the sure testimony of your owne consciences that you haue zealously sought GOD his glory and in the end through Christ be made partakers of his eternall glorie As this care of Gods glorie hath drawen others to desire and me to publish this sermon which I trust will preuent the vncharitable suspicioÌ„s of some and stay the rash tongues of others so me thinketh I am to be blamed neither by you nor of any other for dedicating the same to your Ladishippe For notwithstanding nothing be therin taught which you haue not long ago learned and nothing in such manner deliuered by me but hath ben and may be much bettered by others yet your Ladiship by perusing thinges alreadie learned shall not be altogether vnprofitably occupied and at the least this my fact shall make some outwarde shewe of mine inwarde heartie thanksgiuing for the benefits bestowed vpon and the trust reposed in me your humble and faithfull seruaunt And when I considered that by my Lorde and your La. I was first called from the vniuersitie to teach your two sonnes and those such children as for the true feare of God zealous affection to his word obedience to their parents reuerence to their superiours humility to their inferiours loue to their instructour I neuer knewe any excell them also that by the same meanes I was likewise first called from teaching of children to enstruct men verely I coulde not but dedicate the first fruites of these my so generall labours to some of that house whence I was first sent out to be a poore labourer in the Lords great haruest You shall here find no profounde learning no exquisite art no curious eloqueÌ„ce to delight your learned eares but finde you shal the simple truth now imprinted as it was then vttered to comfort your Christian hearte And I am throughly perswaded that as I haue the sure warrant of Gods expresse worde for confirmation of the trueth herein conteined so the holy spirite of God will in such wise affect you with a like and loue thereof that he will compel your heart to think and your toung to say Amen Yea and to confesse that albeit a sinnefull man was the homely vtterer yet the holy Ghost is the vndoubted authour of the same Nowe least the portall shoulde be as great as the house and the preface as long as the treatise I will conclude and cease from further troubling you But I trust not to surcease from hearty praying the Lord God so to deuor the harts of your good La. of your children and whole family with the holy fire of his heauenly spirite that ye may dwell in his court and be satisfied with the pleasure of his house euen of his holy temple that the zeale of the Lordes house may eate ye vp that with good consciences and ioyfull spirites ye may truely say ô Lord I haue loued the habitacion of thy house and the place wher thine honour dwelleth Finally that ye may be of that bright heauenly wheate whiche shall bee gathered into the celestiall garner by the Lorde Iesus who for euer mightily protect and mercifully preserue you At Easeling by Feuersham in the Countie of Kent Your Lad. heartie Orator and humble seruant Iohn walsall ⧠A SERMON preached at Pauls Crosse by John Walsall one of the preachers of Christs Church in CANTERBVRIE the fifte of October 1578. Actes 3. 22 For Moses sayde vnto the Fathers the Lorde your God shall rayse vp vnto you a Prophet of your brethren like vnto me yee shall heare him in all things whatsoeuer he shall say vnto you 23 For it shall be that euery person which shall not heare that Prophet shall be destroyed out of the people IF right honourable worshipful and welbeloued in our sauiour Iesus Christ either the principall cause author of this scripture or the instrumentes and seconde causes vttering the same or the matters therein comprehended if all or any of these be duely considered of vs we shall finde this present texte to bee of verie great authoritie and fully replenished with heauenly profite and comfort Our custome and manner is carefully to respect the authour both of wordes spoken and déedes done and as he is learned or ignoraunt wise or foolishe well affected or euill disposed so wée commonly receiue or reiect what soeuer procéedeth from him for the most part still measuring in temporall thinges the matter by the man I say in teÌ„poral things bicause in matters spirituall not so much the men that speake as the matters spoken are to be regarded according to that of our Sauiour The Scribes and Pharises sit in Moses châ—â—â— Al therefore whatsoeuer they bid you obserue that obserue and doe but after their workes doe not for they say and do not But the authour of this scripture is of such learning wisedome holines as we may safely and are commaunded streightly not alone to credite and beleeue his wordes but also to conforme and fashion our selues after his workes For as of all the sacred Canonicall Scriptures so of this nowe in hand the holy Ghost that spirite of truth that comforter of the elect that director of the faithfull iâ— the cause and authour To this â—nd Paul in the laste