learned and religious auditorie of the parish of S. Martins in the fieldes Thus presuming as you see of your Graces acceptance and bolde dedicating this small and simple discourse vnto your Grace which I confesse to be much vnworthy your worthinesse I will not cease to pray vnto God to requite and recompence seuenfolde into your bosome both this and all other your vndeserued fauours towards me And thus beseeching the God of heauen and earth againe and againe to multiplie his richest blessings and mercies towards you by giuing you honour here and honour euer in his happie Kingdome of eternall comfort I rest Your Graces humbly deuoted Chaplin in all dutie to be commanded Iohn Seller TO MY CHRISTIAN AVDItors of S. Martins in the fields BEloued in the Lord this Sermon was lately preached in your parish it is now to be acted if I may say so vpon a Theater Theatrum mundus I am intreated as it were a prologue to say vnto you Come and see (a) Ioh. 1.46 I need not to doe it for you who are carefull to come and heare will I hope be as carefull to come see Come therefore I beseech you and behold another Iohn Baptist in the spirit of Elias preparing in your harts a way for the Lord (b) Luke 3.4 and saying vnto you as God saith to all This is the way walke in it (c) Isay 30.21 Are you desirous of a guide in this way here are two offering of themselues God Baal the one will conduct you to the land of Canaan (d) Ios 1.2 the other will lead you blindfold to Samaria (e) 2. King 6.19 If you follow the one you wil worship in mount Zion (f) Is 2.2.3 If the other you must goe vp to mount Gerizim (g) Ioh. 4.20 and there adore Ieroboams calues (h) 1. King 12.28 This latter is a way pleasing now a daies to many but the issues thereof are the waies of death (i) Prou. 14.12 And when the passing bell calleth there is so litle cōfort in that passage that many who haue gone it forsake it at the last I reade of a learned popish doctor in Germanie who at the howre of his death entring into a meditation of the insufficiencie of his merits cried out after this manner (k) Selnec Instit pag. 386. Alas what shall I now doe No workes doe me any good none comfort me none cheare me Since then I finde nothing in myselfe to stay vpon this will I doe Haue mercy vpon me O Lord for thy sonne Christs sake and receiue my soule It is the safest way as Bellarmine confesseth and the onely way as the scripture proueth Looke not then vpon Baal with his 450. false Prophets (l) 1. King 18.22 but looke vpon God with his seruant Eliah (m) 1. King 18.30 Baal as an Vlysses will transforme you as a Syren seduce you as an Helena corrupt you and as Naash the Ammonite make no couenant with you vnles he may plucke out your right eye of knowledge and so bring a shame vpon Israel (n) 1. Sam. 11.2 Our God is not like their God our aduersaries being iudges (o) Deut. 32.31 He is our sunne (p) Psal 84.11 without him it is night our starre (q) Reu. 2.28 without him it is darknes our life (r) Ioh. 11.25 without him it is death and our guide without him wee shall neuer make our pathes straight (ſ) Ps 25 8. It is better to limpe in the strait waies of God then to runne and rampe on in the broad pathes of Baal you know these things happie are ye if ye doe them (t) Ioh. 13.17 In a word learne by this godly treatise to detest that faith not of Iesus but of the Iesuites which teacheth that you must eate your God and may kill your King Qui cum Iesu itis non itis cum Iesuitis You that doe follow Iesus trace will neuer like the Iesuites pace The Lord make you as beautifull in the eyes of God as you haue made your Church to the eyes of man Aprill 16. 1611. Your ancient seruant in the Lord Robert Hill A SERMON AGAINST HALTING betweene two opinions 1. King Cap 18. Ver. 20. 21. So Ahab sent to all the children of Israell and gathered the Prophets together to Mount Carmel And Elias came to all the people and saide how long halt ye betweene two opinions If the Lord be God follow him If Baal be hee goe after him And the people answered him not one word AMong other blessings which God bestoweth vpon his Church a good Prince is one of the greatest being set ouer his people for the defence and maintenance of true religion and vertue And for this cause it is that the Apostle S. Paule willeth vs first and aboue all other things to pray for Kings and for all that are in authoritie 1. Tim 2.1.2 that vnder them we may leade a quiet and peaceable life in all godlines and honestie In the which words the Apostle setteth downe three speciall good things which wee enioy vnder the gouernment of a godlie and religious Prince namely godlines honestie and peace which being ioyned together are the onely supporters and vpholders of all Christian Common-wealths and Kingdomes but being seuered one from an other there falleth out a cleane contrarie sequele For what is godlines without honestie but plaine hypocrisie or what is honestie without godlines but meere heathnish gentilitie or what is peace without honestie and godlines but carnall securitie Now as for honestie and godlines without peace there can bee no great practise of either of them both It was a great hindrance to the people of Israel in their deuotions when by the crueltie of Pharao they might not be permitted to goe into the wildernes to serue God And afterwards in the captiuity of Babylon they were forced to sing the Lords song in a strange land Peace and tranquilitie are euer an occasion of great increase and edification In the Acts when the Churches had rest thoroughout all Iudea and Galilie and Samaria they were edified Acts 9.31 and walked in the feare of the Lorde and were multiplied by the comfort of the holie Ghost Where wee may see how in a quiet and peaceable Church daily teaching and preaching is of verie great force to plant godlines and the feare of God in mens hearts and withall discipline of manners whereas in a Church which is vnder the crosse it falleth out still for the most part that ecclesiasticall assemblies are hindered and forbidden to be practised Ministers and Preachers are either imprisoned driuen away or put to death Parents and fathers of Families driuen away out of their houses whereby such houses being dissolued children are bereaued of good education godlie men are seuered one from another in which dissipation sound doctrine is not to be had Faith languisheth all godly exercises in training vp of youth
A SERMON AGAINST HALTING BETWEENE TWO OPINIons preached at S. Martins in the fields BY IOHN SELLER BACHELER IN DIVINITIE LONDON Printed by Thomas Creede for William Welbie 1611. TO THE MOST REVEREND FATHER IN GOD AND MY VERY HONORABLE GOOD LORDE George Lord Archbishop of Canterburie his Grace Primate and Metropolitane of all England IT may seeme strange most reuerend and mine honourable good Lorde that in this learned age of the world wherin the truth of Iesus Christ hath giueÌ„ so cleare a light and that God of his mercie hath restored the Gospell vnto vs caused the beames thereof to shine ouer all Countreys in such sort as now the simple the vnlearned the rich the learned the worshipful the Honorable the States and Princes of the world are become the Professors D. Bishop in his Epistle Dedicatorie to the King and maintainers of it there should notwithstanding eueÌ„ in this kingdome remaine such a number of recusant Papists as the Papists theÌ„selues haue made their crakes and vaunt stiling them all with the name of Dutifull and well deseruing Subiects How Dutifull subiects they haue bene quid audiam verbâ—â—ùm videaÌ„ facta Let the sundrie intended inuasions against this Kingdome and forraine practises abroad procured onely by their meanes let their traiterous and rebellious enterprises their piuate plottes machinations poisonings murthers let the pouder treason the eternall shame of that murtherous and bloodie generation the memorie of which most detestable and damnable fact all the indices expurgatorij in the world shal neuer be able to blot out make manifest to all the Christian world how vniustly and vntrulie they challenge to themselues the name of dutifull and faithfull subiects whose deadly hatred and vnnaturall practises against our Church and Common-weale haue proued by many degrees far more dangerous then euer were the practises and plottes rebellions of that cursed seede of the Cananites Ammonites and Iebusites against the state and gouernment of the Israelites the chosen people of God Touching the number of recusant papists in other shires I haue no great skill it may be it is greater in tale then it is in strength But howsoeuer it be the greater the nuÌ„ber of theÌ„ is the greater danger accrueth both to the Prince state of this Land Onely thus much I may truly affirme that if all the Prouince of Canterbury were as free from that leprosie and contagious infection of Poperie as is the Diocese of Canterbury the Papists should haue small cause to make their boast crakes of so many so manie For whereas there are in the Diocese of Canterburie Rochester some 398. parishes betweene 90. an huÌ„dred thousand coÌ„municants there were not as I am very crediblie enformed found of record the last assise aboue the number of ten recusant papists So that thus much I may truly report for the honour of the Countie of Kent that as in the time of Iulius Caesar they alone were in his iudgement of all the Britaines accompted to be omniuÌ„ humanissimi and in the time of Edward the first reputed to be omnium bellicosissimi therefore as Geruasius affirmeth by a prehemineÌ„ce in right of their manhode challenged to themselues the foreward of all battells as of right belonging vnto them because they were the onely people of the land that were neuer vanquished by the Conquerour but yeelded themselues by composition euen so at this day considering the small number of recusants withall the great number of reuerend Preachers and Pastors dispersed ouer all the Countrey men furnished and qualified with very rare and excelleÌ„t gifts for the worke of the ministery they may deseruedly be reputed omniuÌ„ fidelissimi the most loyall and faithfull subiects of this kingdome A large proofe of whose fidelitie the late Queene of most blessed and happy memorie found in her greatest need when vpoÌ„ the suddain arriuall of the Spanish ships vpon our Seas by the pollicie and vigilancie of S. Thomas Scot being then one of the Deputy LieutenaÌ„ts for those parts a knight of whome I can neither speake nor write without much honour there were gathered together within the space of 24. houres the nuÌ„ber of eight thousand valiant fighting men ready to encounter the enemie At which time there were sundry preachers of vs in that Camp some preaching on our horse-backes some vpon the tops of trees others in pulpits made of turfe where we might behold and see that huge Armado of Spaine whome the Pope had blessed christned by the name of the inuincible Nauie which in very few daies after how it fell from an vnmeasurable high ioy to an vnmeasurable deep dispaire their great castles of comfort being ouerthrowne and brought to the ground I neede not further relate the storie thereof being yet fresh in the memories of many thousands liuing this day This which I haue here set downe for the honour of our Kentish people I haue written it partly to note one speciall sweet fruit of the Gospel wheresoeuer it hath free passage that is that it seasoneth the hearts of all that sincerely professe it with fidelity loyaltie and all manner Christian subiection to the higher powers Partly againe that it may adde some incouragement to your Gra the more willingly as leisure oportunity shall fit to come among vs specially wheÌ„ your Grace shal come to a people so ciuil and so ingenuous so kind so religious and so louing and respectiue of their Diocesan as no one countrey of this Kingdome can afford vs the like president Which to be true the late most worthy B mine old Maister B Whitgift of most learned godly memorie found by good proofe at his first coÌ„ming downe into Kent whom the whole Gentrie of that Diocese entertained no otherwise then the Galathians did the Apostle S. Paule that is like an Angell of God with such obsequiousnes esteeme and reuerence as was fitting for the condition and state of so graue a Bishop and so worthy a Prelate As for vs both of the Laitie and Clergie of your Graces Diocese as wee haue great cause of reioycing offered vnto vs all to stirre vs vp to a thankefull congratulation of your Lor late deserued preferment withall to magnifie the great goodnesse of God towardes vs in that hee hath aduanced your Grace to that height of honour to make your Grace a glorious instrument of much good to this Church of England the charge and gouernement whereof next vnder our gracious Soueraigne is principallie committed So for mine owne particular considering the continuall flowe of those manifolde fauours your Grace hath bene pleased to shewe vnto mee which with all due thankefulnes I most willingly acknowledge hauing no other meanes out of my small fortunes to doe you honour I haue presumed in a Christian boldnesse by way of Dedication to offer this paper present vnto your Grace a Sermon which this last moneth I preached before a very honourable worshipfull and a most
lieth still and all other godlie and Christian meetings quite geuen ouer Farre otherwise then it was vnder the raignes of Dauid Ezechias Iosias and Iehoshaphat in whose dayes the people enioyed those three blessings before remembred namely godlines honestie and peace All those godly and religious Kings not onely by words encouraging the people to serue God but by their examples drawing great multitudes to imitate the same zeale and feruencie which they saw to be in such Princes vnder whom they liued But on the other side when God in his anger and iust indignation sendeth wicked Princes to sit in place of iudgement and authoritie religion and vertue goeth to decay Gods honour is defaced the people drawne to idolatrie the worship and seruice of God prophanely abused the truth whereof as it appeareth by diuerse and sundry examples of wicked Kings in the holie scriptures so in none more plainly then in King Ahab of whome I shall haue occasion heereafter to speake of whom the Scripture thus recordeth that he solde himselfe to doe wickedly in the sight of the Lord that hee did exceeding abhominably in following idolles 2. King 10.30.31 according to allthat the Ammonites did being prouoked thervnto by Iezabel his wife For it was a light thing for him to walk in the sinnes of Ieroboam except he tooke Iezabel also the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sydonians to wife and serued Baal and worshipped him In whose dayes what an hauocke there was made of the Saintes and seruants of God what an increase there was made of most grosse idolatrie by ioyning Gods worship and Baals together what slaughter of the Prophets of God liuing in those times which went vp and downe wandering in sheepes-skinnes and goates skinnes beeing destitute tormented and afflicted and for the safegard of their liues being glad to wander in the wildernesse and mountaines and dennes and caues of the earth Heb 11.37 is plainely to be seene by the complaint and request of the Prophet 2. King 19.14 which hee made vnto God against Israel saying O Lorde the children of Israel haue forsaken thy couenant cast downe thine Altars and slaine thy Prophet with the sworde and I onely am left and they seeke my life to take it away Albeit the answer of God said vnto him I haue reserued to my selfe seuen thousand men Rom 11.3.4 which haue not bowed the knee to Baal In this great and miserable desolation and confusion of his Church the Lord remembring his people of Israel when they little looked for it and lesse deserued it sent Elias the Prophet vnto them who the more forciblie to drawe both the King and his Subjects to a serious consideration of their sinnes and to shew how greatly the Lord was displeased for their idolatrous worshipping of Baal 1. King 17.1 tolde king Ahab to his face As the Lorde liueth before whome I stand there shall be neither deaw nor raine these yeares but according to my word which indeed according to the saying of the Prophet came to passe For as Elias moued by the instinct of Gods holy spirit prayed vnto God earnestly that it might not raine Iam 5.17 so according to his prayer it rained on the earth for three yeares and sixe moneths By meanes wherof the famine was so great in Israel for lacke of raine that man and beast were readie to perish and raine they could haue none but at Elias word as Elias had told the king before the drought beganne At the ende of the three yeares and sixe moneths of drought 1. King 18.1 the Prophet Elias was commaunded to shewe himselfe to king Ahab and albeit hee was greatly disswaded so to doe by Obadiah whom hee met in the way yet the Prophet was resolute solemnly protesting to Obadiah As the Lord of Hostes liueth in whose presence I stand I will surely shew my selfe vnto Ahab this day 1. King 18 15. Meeting therfore with Ahab and beeing challenged by him as the author of that famine and troubler of Israel he discharged himselfe and protested before the King that God plagued the whole Land because hee and his Fathers house had forsaken the commaundements of the Lord and followed other Gods And to iustifie his speech he offered to prooue before all Israel on the danger of his owne head that the king and the Land were but seduced and abused by the Prophets of Baal and that hee would prooue by no worse meanes then by miraculous fire from heauen which should shew them whose sacrifice was accepted assuring them of raine aboundantly after their conuersion to the true GOD for which cause at this time hee was sent vnto them To this the King gaue his consent and by the perswasion and motion of Elias sent by his Princely authoritie for all Israel that they should gather themselues together in mount Carmel together with the Prophets of Baal 450. which were dispersed throghout all the tribes of Israel the prophets of the groues 400. which did eat at Iezabels table The King the chiefe heads of the people of Israel and the prophets of Baal being thus assembled together in mount Carmel Elias commeth to the people and saith thus vnto them How long will yee halt betweene two Opinions c In the which words of the Prophet I obserue foure speciall things worthy of consideration Diuisio First he reproueth the Israelites for their halting consciences betweene two religions Secondly hee declareth vnto them that they cannot serue both Baal and God together and that religion is not a thing indifferent Thirdlie hee exhorteth them to constancie in religion and in following of God Fourthlie the successe which followed this reproofe of the Prophet In the reproofe of the Prophet I obserue these foure points First who it is that reproueth Elias Secondlie the persons whom he doth reproue The people of Israel Thirdlie the person before whom King Ahab Fourthlie the thing he reproueth in the people their wauering and vnconstancie in matter of religion In the person of Elias The person of Elias wee haue to obserue the great zeale constancie and boldnesse which should bee in the ministers and preachers of the Gospel For vnto them it belongeth to preach the preachings the Lorde hath bidden them and to proclaime his vengeance against sinners yea euen to stand at the gates of paradise with a flaming sword in their mouth against obstinate and vnrepentant sinners That which the prophet Micheas saith of himselfe Mich. 3.8 that he was full of power by the spirit of the Lord and of iudgement and of strength to declare vnto Iacob his transgression and to Iacob his sinne was as truly verified in his owne person whom neither the Courtlike perswasions of the Eunuch that went for him nor the consent of 400. Prophets nor the fauour of two Kings nor the danger of his owne head could driue him from the word of God And when the Eunuch had said vnto him behold now the
Priest takes bread and coniureth it away by breathing vpon it Lastly Christ ordained his last Supper and instituted this Sacrament of his bodie and bloud to this ende that we should continually remember his death vntill his second comming and for that cause it is called Eucharistia And whereas Eusebius saith that Christ commaunded vs to offer vp a remembrance of his death in steed of a Sacrifice the popish church not contēting themselues with this sacrifice of praise and thanksgiuing wherein we celebrate the remembrance and as Nazianzene calleth it A figure of that great mysterie of the death of Christ they hold that their Masse which they call The daily Sacrifice of the Church is not a commemoratiue but a reall sacrifice not a figure and remembrance of that which is past but the thing it selfe that the sacrifice Christ offered vpon the Crosse and theirs in the Masse is all one that the same bodie of Christ which was borne of the Virgin Marie and which was offered vp vpon the Crosse for our Redemption is the very same euen idem numero with that which is offered vp by the Priest to God the Father in the Masse for the remission of sinnes By these materiall differences which here I haue set downe it is plainely manifest that the popish Masse doth in manie things varie swarue from the institution of Christ as most plainly is to be seene in the 11. cha of 1. Corint vers 23. where the Apostle at large doth describe the whole order and institution of the Lords Supper And thus it is euidently to be perceiued that the Masse as now it is vsed is nothing else but an heape of sinfull deuises and abuses inuented by Sathan and broached by Antichrist to deface frustrate the Lords supper where besides their fruitelesse praiers and superstitious ceremonies their priuate and halfe communion subuerteth the Lordes institution their sacrifice derogateth from his death and bloud-sheading their adoration of bread and wine conuinceth them of hainous Idolatrie But to proue that Protestancy and poperie cannot be reconciled First the Papists themselues bold the differences betweene vs to bee such that it is impossible for any Protestant to be saued Againe all the grounded diuines of the Protestants religion insist vpon the same differēce That sundry points of poperie doe quite raze the verie foundation of Christian religion Marke saith Bishop Iewell to D. Harding What yee were lately and what yee would now seeme to bee what way yee trode then and what way yee treade now the difference is no lesse then betweene light and darkenesse life and death heauen and hell so great a change saith hee would require some good time of deliberation Which asseueration of that worthy Bishop how agreeable it is to the truth and consonant to the practise of the ancient Catholike church and Doctors thereof who would neuer yeeld I will not say in an opinion but not so much as in a forme of speech or in the chāge of a letter sounding against the orthodoxall faith and whether there bee not in sundry fundamentall points of faith great and many differences betweene Rome and vs let it be duely considered by these instances following The first maine point of Catholike doctrine which the Papists goe directly against is the doctrine of free iustification by faith alone which doctrine D. Bishop in his Epistle dedicatory to the K. Maiestie setteth down as a maine heresie that Luther layed for the ground of his religion namely that a man is iustified by faith alone But I demaund of any sober Papist not too much wedded to the preiudice of his own opinion what other or what better foundation could any man lay then that which is already laid which is Iesus Christ which doctrine is the very life and soule of the Church For this was the Catholike faith of the church of Rome when S. Paule wrote his Epistle vnto them that a man is iustified gratis Rom. 3.24 for God a mercie for nothing and that by the grace of God without the workes of the law Quite contrarie to which doctrine of the Apostle the Papists hold iustification by workes of grace auouching that we are not iustified before God onely by the merites of Christ but also by our owne doings affirming that good workes are truely and properly meritorious and the causes of our saluation and that heauen is as truely the reward of good workes as hell is the stipend of euill workes that good workes doe fully satisfie the law of God and worthily deserue eternall life and that good workes wrought and done in the state of grace are so farre meritorious as that God should be vniust if he rendred not heauen for the same charging the iustice of God not in respect of his promise as the Apostle doth but in respect of merite and desert of workes Where we clearely perceiue and see that there is a great difference betweene the Church of Rome and vs euen in the principall Article of our faith touching the Saluation of our soules we beleeuing stedfastly that it is to be ascribed to the merites of Christ they expecting it for the merit of their workes Another substantiall point of the Catholike faith the Papists directly impugne in maintaining a daily reall sacrifice of the body of Christ in their Masse for the sins of the quicke and dead which they hold to be a very soueraigne true and propitiatorie sacrifice in all respects of power and vertue as auailable and as effectuall as was the sacrifice on the crosse for the remission of sinnes For the disproofe of which most wicked and blasphemous assertion there be sundrie arguments and proofes to be produced out of the word of God First if Christ could haue bene offered more then once then must he likewise after haue suffered Heb. 9.25.26 But now in the end of the world he hath appeared once to put away sinne by the sacrifice of himselfe Heb. 9.26 Therefore he cannot now any more be offered in the Masse Againe that thing is in vaine and to none effect where there is no necessitie it should be done but to offer vp any more sacrifice propitiatorie for the quicke and the dead there is no necessitie the reason whereof the Apostle giueth to be this because Christ hath offered one sacrifice and with that one sacrifice and offering vp of himselfe hath consecrated for euer them that are sanctified Heb. 10 12.14 This must then be the conclusion that there is no necessitie why we should offer vp Christ any more for remission of sinnes Thirdly the reason why the Priests of the old law did yearely repeate their sacrifices was this because those sacrifices yearely offered could neuer take away sinnes Heb. 10.11 But the sacrifice of Christ once offered hath sanctified the commers thereunto for wee are sanctified euen by the offering of the bodie of Iesus Christ once made Heb. 10.10 Therefore seeing that Christ by that one oblation of himselfe hath