⧠A FRVITful sermon preached at Occham in the Countie of Rutland the second of Nouember 1583. By Thomas Gybson PROVERB 29. 8. ¶ VVhere there is no Vision the people decay GOD IS MY HELPER 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 Councell Knight of the Noble order of the Garter VVith the right honorable Sir VVALTER MILDMAY knight Chancellour of the Queenes Maiesties Court of Exchequer and one of her highnesse most honourable priuy Counsell Grace Mercy and peace be multiplied from God our heauenly father and from our Lorde and Sauiour Iesus Christe THE blessed holye 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 manye erroures began to be spreade and allowed and therefore in great Wisdom it pleased the holy Ghost not onely to wryte a faithfull sure and perfect storye but also to offer and present the custodye and defence of the same to one of Religion and povver The verye same cause partly hath mooued mee at this time to be so bolde as to offer and Dedicate this poore and simple testimonie of my trauaile to your Honours For although I doe confesse vve lyue vnder a Gracious Prince whome the Lorde long continue to his glorye 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 gratious a time vnder the florishing state of the Gospell yet truely the dearest Children of God and the sinceritie of religion is subiect to bitter persecution These wordes at the first maye seeme very greeuous hard and haynous and yet they are most certaine true The holy Apostle S. Paule writing to the Galatians 4 29. speaketh on this maner As he that was borne after the fleshe persecuted him that was borne after the spirite euen so is it now he speaketh of Ismaell and Isaac and yet we doe not reade in the scripture of any persecution betweene them neither did Ismael persecute his brother Isaac with hande or swoorde but that which is worse proudly arrogantly he raised himselfe againste him mocking him and as it were treading vnder feete the promise of God And this dealing by the Apostle is called a persecution in deede there is not any persecution more greeuous to the Children of God then this Now who doth not dayly see that the best Christians and the purenesse of religion are greatly persecuted by Papistes Atheistes and Hipocrites as Isaac was by his Brother Ismaell And of all matters of religion I thinke there is scarce anye in these dayes more generally hated of such kind of men then that which is most altogether almost only hand led in this simple SermoÌ„ For these such like men many of them can bee content vvith a common ordinarye profession to heare Mattins and Euensong and sometimes a Sermon by such men as they like off but that there should be any continuall course of the pure preaching of the worde of God they can in no wise allowe or like of This I say is hated reiected and persecuted so farre as may bee of the greater sorte and therefore not without cause haue I atteÌ„pted to dedicate this my labor to your honors as special patrons defendors of the Lords cause and tried Friends and fauorers of God and his truth But yet this attempt may seeme very rash and needles For who am I that I shoulde take vppon mee to set foorth and to publish any thing The vnworthiest I confesse of many hundreths and the vnablest of many 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 anye man iuste cause to accuse me in this my simple enterprise I know these be dayes of knowledge learning there be greate stoore 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 poore widow cast into the tresury amongest the great giftes of the wealthy are not to be refused I know your Honours be dayly 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 selfe sufficient trial experience of your honors most curteous humble fauorable dealing towards me and also of some liking of my simple and 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 necessitye 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 abroade Let not therefore hypocrites bee too rashe 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 loÌ„g proof and acquaintance of your honourable courtesies and friendly 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 most bounde and indebted to your Honours And here I offer this poore fruite of my trauaile as some testimony of goodwill and thankfulnesse And whereas we are wont commonly to offer and present to our dearest friendes some gyftes as tokens of good will or else of speciall duety Amongst many great and prescious presentes which 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 the worde of God then to heare of the necessitie profite and excellencye of preaching which things are set foorth plainely largely in this little sermon For howsoeuer manye men hate abhorre this matter and can in no case disgest it yet your honors zeale câ—â—rage liking good will and countenance to this and other good causes is comonly known and spread 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 dwel openly
slaundered and euill spoken off and therefore to cleare my selfe from such false reports to satisfie my friends which are ready to answere in my cause to let the enemies knowe I haue spoken nothing wherof I am ashamed but dare put it to the witnessing and testimonie of the Christian reader and also to resolue morefully the weaker sort in such thinges as at the first seeme strange and absurde For these and such like causes I saye I am content and willing that this my trauell come to light although the whole or most part of this Sermon is vnsauorie vnpleasaunt to the greater sort and specially to the ignorant people to the hipocrite to the idol or dumb minister yet this is that which chiefly misliketh and greeueth them because both in the place where I preached this Sermon and also else where I sayd affirmed that the minister which preacheth not and hath not those giftes which the lord requireth in his Ministers that such a one is no Minister approoued of GOD neyther hathe any right and authoritie from the Lorde to minister his Sacramentes Which matter hovve straunge and absurde soeuer it seeme to ignoraunte 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 moste famous and pure Diuines and such as are generally receiued and allowed of all true Christians Master IOHN CALVIN aboute the latter ende of his Catechisme which is allowed by her Maiesties authority saythe in playne wordes that the ministration of the Sacramentes belongeth to them who haue the charge to preache openlye in the Church For the preaching of Gods word 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 maner Peccant qui coenaem absque verbi predicatione peragunt adeoque illam huic praeferunt quasi vel ad dei cultum uel ad salutem plus conferat quam verbum cum tamen huius maiorem quam sacramentorum rationem habuerunt Christus Apostoli They sinne against the institution of Christ which doe minister the Supper without preaching of the worde 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 moste worthye Godly and learned diuines both old and new of other nations but also from famous Martyrs and Byshoppes in this our land in their sermons and writinges published and priuiledged by authority I hope then there is no cause why this doctrin shold not receiue a fauorable intertainment allowaunce as of your honors so of all faithful christians hauing such warrant from so pure and learned men and from the testimony of the holy worde What soeuer I spake in deliuering and vttering this sermon I haue here set it down so neare as I could remember both in forme and matter To conclude I moste heartely desire in the Lord the christian reader especially your honors to accept this my poore trauel I am bold to ioyn you both in one not onely because the Lord hath ioyned you together in the bonde of friendship and 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 whole spirites soules 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 vnto me if I preach not the Gospel OUR Lorde and Sauiour Iesus Christ in the 17. Chapter of the blessed Euangelist Luke amongst many other excellent thinges vttereth and propoundeth this parable Who is it of you that hauing a seruaunt plowing or feeding Cattell woulde saye 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 applyeth it on this maner So likewise yee when ye haue done all those thinges which are commaunded you saye we are vnprofitable seruauntes 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 amongest 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 sayeth a necessitie is laid vpon him that duetie bindeth him to do it In the former verses from the beginning of this Chapiter S. Paule sheweth and that with diligence and large copie of wordes that beeing amongest the Corinthians 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 be should giue occasion of cauilling to the false Apostles as though hee vnder the presence of the calling of an Apostle should seeme to seeke his owne gaine and lurre 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 vaine glorious spirite And therefore it might bee sayde What now Paule What needes all this Thou art wont to glory in Christ alone doest thou now glory in thine owne doinges To such a question or obiection the Apostle aunsweareth qualifiyng his former speach as if he should saâ— although it be an excellent worke to preach the Gospel and that freely yet take not my wordes so as though I repose any merite of saluation in this work for I am called to it and bound to it by duty and commaundement from my maister Christ And if I doe it not I prouoke and procure the anger of God and the sentence of his cursse and condemnation on me Woe be 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 o these three pointes First I will gather some description of preaching that you may know what it is Secondly I meane to prooue the necessitie of
resurrection of eternall iudgement are able to saye nothing to any purpose but yet let it be so that some can doe this they can teach as they say in some measure they can Catechise lay the grounds of Religion yet this will not serue the turn there must be building after the foundation there must be a leading to perfection The Lorde in building the materiall Tabernacle did choose men of singuler wisedome and vnderstanding and will he be content with euery drudge and bungler in the building and erecting of his spirituall Tabernacle But herein cheefly haue some gathered offence and griefe because I haue saide in this place before and also other where that such Ministers haue no righte to administer the Sacraments This seemeth a straunge and hard doctrine yea some are not ashamed to count it erronious and hereticall If I would stand vppon the authority of men I could alleadge for the cōfirmation of the very wordes which I haue spoken the iudgment of those which by common consent of all true Christians are receiued and allowed as the best moste learned and moste pure diuines that euer were since the time of the Apostles but this I hope shall not neede For if of necessitie euerie minister ought to preache or if all the former arguments will serue to prooue this then also that other doctrine how strange and absurd soeuer some count it must I say needes necessarily and consequētly follow that none ought of right to deal with the Lords sacraments but his Ministers Christe requireth of him that baptiseth that he teach saying Goe teache and Baptise No Teacher no Baptiser that which God hath ioyned together let no man put asunder Sainte Paule speaking of the Lords Supper As often saith hee as you shall eate this bread and drinke this Cup ye shewe the Lordes death till he come If the people at the receiuing of the Sacramente ought to haue an effectual and thankfull remembraunce of the death of Christe it must needes followe that the Minister is bounde sufficiently to instruct them in the same If any wil say that this is donne by the dumbe minister in reading the words of the institution he preacheth he sheweth and publisheth Iesus Christ crucified so may I say that he or any other doth the same and that more effectually if they do but say their beliefe openly before the congregation but we speake of a singular of an effectual of an excellent and liuely shewing of his death which is by preaching The Apostle speaking to the Galatians saith I hat Iesus Christ was described in their sight and among them crucified His meaning is that Christ was so liuely preched to them as his liuely Image was set before their eyes or els had bin crucified amongst them This is the power of preching this is the duetye of the minister plainely and effectuallye to discribe and set soorth the merite of Christ his passion so that it may be seene as it were before the eyes The first Minister of Baptisme Iohn the Baptist was a preacher he ioyned Preaching and Baptisme together and in him no doubt the Lord would leaue to his Church an exāple and pattern and a forme of the right ministration of the Sacramentes Christe although there were sundry causes why he woulde not Baptise yet hee ministred the Supper to his Apostles but Christ was a preacher yea he preached then of his death before the first ministration and institution of that sacrament leauing vs an example to doe the like The Apostles ministred the Sacraments but they all preached yea the Euangelist Luke in the storye of the Acts setteth Preaching alwaies before the ministration of the Sacramentes Iohn the Baptist Christ the Apostles and Primatiue Church are the best examples that I knowe and best worthy to be followed Consider further I beseech you the great inconueniences which followe in these places where the word is not preached the people are still in ignoraunce and blindenesse and kept stil in their olde and Popish errours receiued from their forefathers they know not the vse of the sacraments or to what ende they serue they holde still their Papisticall transubstantiation some say they receiue their maker other saye they neuer hearde what a Sacrament meant some say they doe it in a good intent and yet they knowe not their owne intent other say they hope that they receiue it as others doe fewe make anye conscience with knowledge feare and reuerence to prepare them selues The greatest cause of this is lack of preaching and in deed how can their great ignoraunce be taken away how can their olde superstitious errours be effectually confuted but by the continuall and pure preaching of the word And is it not then most fit and conuenient when the sacrament is to bee ministred but we are so farre from hauing any vsuall preaching before the Sacrament that ther be many thousands which neuer heard any preaching at all of the Sacramentes in all their life they haue liued these 25. yeares in a Christian lande vnder the Gospell yet they haue profited no further and if they shoulde liue still double and triple the same yeares they shold be neuer a whitte the better except they had better ministers Woe be to me if I preach not the Gospell Learne one thing further before I goe to the next part of my Text if there depend a woe ouer the minister if he preach not the same woe is also against the people if they heare not and obey not the word preached Woe Chorazin woe Bethsaida woe Capernaum woe to these Countries Cities Townes and people which neglect and contemne the worde preached it shall be easier for the land of Sodome and Gomorrha in the day of iudgement then for such a people The same God the same worde which requyreth preaching of the minister requyreth also hearing and obedience of the people He that is of God heareth Gods worde and therefore doe yee not heare it because yee are not of God My sheepe sayth Christ heare my voyce And to the true minister it is sayd He that heareth you heareth me he that despiseth you despiseth me and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me And againe Verily verily I say vnto you if I send any he that receiueth him receiueth mee Wherefore we ought diligently to giue heed to the things which we haue heard least at any time we should let them slip For if the word spoken by Aungels was stedfast and euery transgression disobedience receiued a iust recompence of rewarde how shall we escape if we neglect so great satuation which at the first began to be preached by the Lord and afterward was confirmed vnto vs by them that heard him God bearing witnesse therto both with signes and wonders and with diuers miracles gifts of the holy ghost according to his own will Wo then vnto all Papistes Infidels Atheistes Hipocrites
iudgements condemnation of the wicked I finde then that the impenitent and such as continue in their sinnes could not be saued God could not forgiue them Herevpon some haue sayde and do say still of mee that I preached that God could not forgiue sinnes I sayde and I say againe the Lord is as true in his iustice as in his mercie Christ saieth Except yee amend yee shall all perish And agayne He that beleeueth not is damned Saint Paul sayth No whoremonger nor adulterer no vnrighteous or vncleane person shall inherite the kingdome of heauen This is as much as I sayde and in effect all that I sayde Wo be to me if I preach not the Gospell Nowe Repentance is a part of the Gospell and that wee may repent it is needeful to knowe our sinnes and as the sinns of al men must be reproued and the iudgementes of GOD threatened against them so especially the sinnes of publique personnes as Magistrates and Ministers And if this in no case will be borne but hee that doth it is straight way blamed alasse what shall we doe If we speak against the people they are greeued they say we deale hardly with them but looke not to our selues or to the higher powers If wee deale against Gentlemen and great men wee are hated euill spoken of and abused If wee speake againste the ignoraunt and carelesse Ministers they are also offended and say wee lacke discretion charity and modestye 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 may bee said cleane contrarie to the saying of the Apostle in this place Woe to them that preache the Gospell and happy are they which preache not the Gospell and they are counted wisest which either holde their peace or else meddle not with this parte of the Gospell But the faithful Minister howe soeuer hee seeme to be discouraged by suche wicked and vnthankfull dealinges of the worlde yet hee is to comfort him selfe in the Lorde and to feare God more then men It is farre better to discharge our duties faithfullye with a good Conscience although we procure displeasure of men then by leauing our duetie vndone or by doing the Lords worke negligently and vnfaithfullie to procure the displeasure and heauie cursse of God The holie Apostle hath spoken it Wee be to me if 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 part of discretion to reprooue their sins which doe mest hurt and are the causes of many other sinnes this is that discretion which was vsed by the holy prophets euery wher They cry out aganst the negligence of the Priestes against their ignoraunce carelesnesse and leud conuersation Amongst many and infinite places I referre you to that one place in the Prophet Malachie who dealeth so hardly and particularly with the priestes as thogh al sinne had béene in them No doubt there were many sinnes amongst the people and yet in al his prophesie he seemeth to deale specially almost onlye against the Priestes beeing in deede the causes and the authours of the sins of the people yea and these were such Priests as were ordained of God as were the successors of Aaron and the tipes of Iesus Christe and yet are so sharpely publiquely reproued by the Prophet This discretion was vsed by Christ himselfe Howe often times togeather doeth he pronounce woe against y e Scribes and Pharises calling them Hipocrites fooles blinde guides Serpentes and generation of Vipers yea howe oftentimes doeth he most sharplye and openly rebuke his owne Apostles Perceiue ye not yet sayth he neither vnderstand haue you your harts yet hardened haue you eyes and see not haue ye eares and heare not and doe yee not remember Are not these my brethren very hard words such wordes as are vsed in the Scriptures against the very reprobate yet the Lord Iesus vseth thē against his own apostles In an other place he reprooueth them for their vnbeliefe and hardnesse of heart How sharply doth the Apostle deale in al his Epistles against false Apostles nay did he not reprooue openly to his face Peter the Apostle and his fellowe minister because he went not the right way to y e truth of the Gospel So that it is not onely lawful but also necessary that the sinnes of all estates and specially of the greatest and of the ministers be sharply and openly reprooued The holy apostle saith Them that sin openly rebuke openly that the rest also may feare But are not the sins of our ministers open Is not their ignoraunce apparant Is not their idlenes and carelesnesse knowne Doth not the common sort of people see it And are not some of them faine to seek for instruction in other places Doe not many complaine of the liues of the ministers Doe they not say commonly of them they speake well and doe enil they bee as conetous as other they haue neuer ynough doe not the people see this and a great deale more Are not these open offenders Doth not duetie discretion and charitie bind the Preacher if he wil faithfully preach the gospel to reprooue them seuerally which giue cause of such offences The Apostie vseth this modestie against himselfe Woe be to me if I preach not the Gospell which woe signifieth no light small or easie matter but y e grieuous curse of god in this life and that feareful condemnation in the life to come Can they be too sharpely reprooued or can any speeches be too hard for them which are ignoraunt and carelesse in so great a light of the Gospel after so long profession which shoulde be guides to others which haue so many excellent meanes so great helps of knowledge offered to them by the Lorde in these dayes which we liue in Can they be too much or too often spoken against which are ignoraunt and will be ignorant which mislike those that reprooue them which hate all that are not like them selues which seeke to deface the painfull minister yea and stande in defence of their owne wickednesse Is not this to bind sinne together with Cart-ropes Sinne not twise saith the wise man for one sin shall not be vnpunished and therfore take heed in time and amend or else you perish say what you wil thinke what you will the Lord is my witnesse I speake the truth I know I might be better thought of to passe ouer such matters but Woe be to me if I preach not the Gospell But it may be yet that some will saye although this be true that you haue spoken yet all truth is not to bee spoken at all times in all places and to all persons The minister must cut the worde of God aright Like a wise Stewarde he must giue meat in due season To these men I aunswere that no necessarie truth is to