A SERMON preached at Paules Crosse the 23. of Aprill being the Lords day called Sonday 1581. By Anthonie Andreson ¶ Printed at Londō by Ralph Nevvbery Anno. 1581. ¶ To the right worshipful Esquiers maister Edmund Andreson Sergeaunt at Lawe to the Queenes moste excellent Maiestie and to Maister Thomas Fanshawe hir Maiesties Remembrauncer in hir honourable Court of Th exchequer Anthony Andreson Minister of Gods holye Gospell sendeth most Christian salutations AS it pleased god of his prouident purpose in his mercie to call mee your poore kinsmā to that notable place and honourable Audience at Paules Crosse to sound forth the word of his Grace whiche in the simplicitie of my soule I carefullye there deliuered So his wisedome hath further vsed the godlye and of good iudgement and not a fewe to drawe from me my promisse to profite hys people further abroad by the same his holye worde in the office of this my willing pen whiche laboure of mine therein I haue by the Lordes goodnesse now so faithfully here set down as I suppose neither anye Methode is altered or matter omitted that by me then was there spoken Happily some other wordes in some places are vsed as otherwise it were not possible vnlesse I shoulde haue firste penned and then conned my Sermon by hearte whiche had bin a heauy laboure bothe lothsome needlesse I praise God of his mercies to whose glorie I speak it but the felf same substāce of doctrine matter maner and order which both your worships with the rest thē heard is here continued If therefore it nowe seeme to obtaine lesse consider the action is past yet here is the same matter but wanting the voice gesture and person of hym that spake it But no doubt Gods spirite shal open the harts of the Readers to receiue it his seede to their comfort if they with desire of gaine to their consciences turne ouer these little leaues And I praie God in and by our Christe that it maye fructifie as muche as my desire is and that is so much as possibly I can craue And were it of much more valor as it is for the handling but in midle sorte no other choice woulde I make than to bothe your Worshippes my good cousins as to them to whome I owe my selfe for your louing and continuall friendships towardes me This my poore gifte therefore accepte of your good natures as from the heart of him that wisheth you the whole treasures of God for euer to enrich you in body spirite and soule to eternall life Whose defence be euer yours and your for euer his in Christe our Lorde Amen Your kinsman and wel-willer to his power in Christe AN. ANDRESON At my Chamber in London Iune 6. 1581. Emanuell Let vs pray c. Luke 13.6 He spake also this Parable A certaine man had a Figge tree planted in his Vineyard And he came and sought fruite thereon and found none then said he to the dresser of his Vinyard Behold this three yeres haue I come sought fruit of this Figge tree and finde none cut it downe why keepeth it also the ground barren And he answered said vnto him Lord let it alone this yere also till I digge rounde aboute it and dung it And if it beare fruite wel if not then after thou shalt cutte it downe RIghte honourable learned dearely beloued in our sauioure Christe this sacred portion of Gods holy scripture thus read vnto you is spoken by oure Maister Christ as a parable most fit to expresse the wilful ignorance and obstinate rebelliō of that pernitious people of Iewry which now for their vnfruitefull hearing and contemptuous reiecting of the greate graces offered them by the word of God are in shorte time vtterly to bée caste vnder the cursse of Gods malediction The occasion of this Parable was the carping spéeches of the Samaritanishe Iewes in cause of Pilates crueltye against the Galileans whose bloude hée had mingled with their pretenced sacrifices which abused the sacrifices of right religion in the most curssed purpose to open rebellion whiche purpose being moste vngodly God vsed that ciuill power to méete with their attemptes before they had begonne their indeuoure althoughe in muche crueltie the President vsed right reuenge The reporte whereof was brought to Christ as therby either to drawe from Christe some sharpe censure of the President his cruell acte or else to terrifie his sacred person in cause he taught vnder so seuere a Ruler But the Lorde sawe their subtiltie and aunswered them with greate discretion affirming the execution of the sinners to be iust leauing the maner of doing to be decided before the Lorde and by their owne tidings tooke happy occasion to teach thē the doctrine of repentance saying Were these only sinners I tel you nay But except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish And God himselfe by that other kind of correction in Ierusalem dothe also forewarne you that not onely those .xviij. vpon whome the Turret of Siloah fell were sinners but also your selues yet left aliue are likewise righte guiltie of death And if you doe not by this his ordinarie and extraordinarie hande take occasion to amend your liues ye shall al likewise perishe But you are sharpe of sight into other mens actions and most blinde to sée your owne estate But beholde it is euen like to this Parable A certaine man hadde a Figge tree c. The Lorde hathe planted you Ierusalites in his fruiteful lande hée looketh for your holinesse of lyfe to hym hée laboureth to all that maye bee that you shoulde be fruitefull but often comming hée findeth you euer barren Therefore it is not long ere you shall be cut downe to your vtter confusion And thys was fulfilled by Vespasian and Titus aboute fortie yeares after the ascention of our Sauiour Christe And thus muche for the Iewish Figge tree The argument or summe of thys Parable is that manye are often suffered of GOD to remaine whilste some are weeded oute that yet deserue lyke castyng forthe wyth others from the Vineyarde And that this long suffering of oure good GOD is to drawe vs to repentance but if we abusing his grace do remaine rebellious our contumacie shall cause vs with vehement force to be throwen from the Church and common weale of Gods electe to the gaping gulfe of extreame hate and perfecte misery The partes of this Parable in my iudgement are two First here is sette downe right notably the singular grace and goodnesse of God to his people shadowed here by this Figge trée Secondly the constrained sētence of Gods Iustice to and vpon the same place and people where before he hath notwithstanding diffused his abundant grace The former parte is approued in these wordes A certaine man hadde a Figge tree planted in his Vineyard c. The second in these Cut it down why keepeth it the ground also barren c. The great and singular goodnesse of God shineth here most brightly as wel in
Christe in thys Parable Amos the Prophet to al Gods Ministers And feare you not good successe of youre prayer and youre godly trauel for thys Parable and other places of Gods Booke doe hearten you hereto namely the Lorde by the Prophet Ezechiell Ezec. 22.26 who accusing the Priestes to haue broken hys lawe to haue defiled the Sacrifices and prophaned the Sabbothes The Princes to be rauenous as wolues and to destroye soules for theyr couetous lucar The Prophets and Preachers to haue dawbed them that is flattered their vices with vntempered morter to saye thus sayth the Lord when the Lorde spake not so The people of the lande by violence and robery vexed the pore and nedy and oppressed the stranger agaynst righte all whyche prouoked Gods greate anger and their deadly destruction yet to the comforte of the ciuill and Ecclesiasticall Gouernors he there sayth Verse 30.31 And I soughte for a manne among them that shoulde make vppe the hedge and stand in the Gappe before mee for the lande that I shoulde not destroye it but I founde none Therefore haue I powred out mine indignation vppon them and consumed them with the fyre of my wrath Theyr owne wayes haue I rendered vppon theyr heades sayth the Lord. Note wel thys howe God in hys anger séeketh for hys Gods and Ministers in earth to haue theyr laboure to dygge and dung to hedge and stande in the breach against God if his vengeance be commyng and they shall preuaile If the loue of Moses be in the Magistrates as wée haue greate cause to confesse it and the bowelles of pitie in our fathers and Ministers of the church of England No doubte they will pray for vs they wyll endeuour to make vs fruitefull Of whose loue for breuities sake I send the Magistrates to Exodus 32.31 and the fatherly Pastor to Amos the Prophet 7.1 Then to discerne the time of standing in the gappe is right necessary for the godlye Magistrates in earth and when to be moste earnest to digge and dung the Figge trée And that is euen when else the Lorde woulde destroy it and saith Cutte it downe God vseth not nowe to speake to vs but by his holy Preachers whiche be ordinary and extraordinary His ordinary Preachers our dayly Pastors we knowe and by his great mercy féele the great blessings of God in thē His extraordinary Prophets are partely from heauen partelye from earth The Lorde by these dothe teache vs into his obedience and forewarneth vs of his plagues when they perceiue oure iniquitie to growe into ripenesse Amos. And surely the Lord doth stil open his secreates to his Prophets and doth giue them eyes to discerne hys iudgements comming by his former hande vppon like transgressions They are called our watchemen and surely we muste yéelde them credite Ezech. 33. when rightly they ring the Alarma or else we perish And that they myghte not be deceiued God hathe in hys worde tolde them when to praye and to stirre vppe the Magistrates to digge and giue compose But when bothe the tokens in the worde and the extraordinarie Preachers of Gods sworde doe crye to vs beware this sentence Cutte it downe then it behoueth to digge and dung that is to take awaye that and those things whiche hinder the fruite of the Figge trée and to adde and laye to it that which maye comforte supple and moysten the roote therof The time when to praye to digge and dung the Figgetrée is when the Bridegrome is departed from his spouse for a season in displesure thē must his church mourne and his Prophets pray as it is Math 9. Secondly when God by his extraordinary Prophets in earth and from Heauen dothe crye to vs the foresaide heauy sentence then it is highe time to digge and dung the Figge trée Esay 22. But the Bridegrome is absent from thys Church when in hir peace by hir owne wantonnesse and wilfull disobediēce she turneth to hir stubborne hart to loath his worde and fruitefull voice recallyng hir Fathers house to hir affections Psalm 4.5 and by the luste of carnall Aegipt doth quench in hir the purity of loue and dothe giue hir selfe to hir owne delyghtes so as hir husbande Christe can take no pleasure in hir company Thys is wel signified to vs by the Psalmiste in the 45. Psalme verse 10. Psal 45.10 by the opposite doctrine Hearken o daughter saith Christe to his espoused Churche and consyder and incline thine eare forgette also thy fathers house that Aegiptiacall and idolatrous house So shall the Kyng take pleasure in thy beautie For he is thy Lorde and reuerence thou hym But by that wée haue sufficiently sayde and the experience offered to eache man euery day we maye clearely sée that our Preachers haue at this very instant great cause to call to mourning For the loue to oure Bridegrome Christe is almost al spent we waxe weary of his worde we take vs to our owne direction and beginne to dislike to be ruled longer by it For the Papistes will not heare the Christian doth not consider his backesliding from his former loue neither inclineth with an obedient eare to the voice of the Bridegroome but our delights are wholy sette if not in the golden Calfe yet to eate and drinke and rise vppe to playe as erst we did euen as the Gentiles Exod. 32 6. 1. Cor. 10.7 which knewe not God and that wyth gréedinesse but brethren we haue not so learned Christe Ephe. 4.19 Gods Prophets séeing this and this to growe so greate as growing all abroade and for the ripenesse of it ready to the Haruest wyth one consent they crye to Englande Math. 3.2 Repent for the kingdome of God is at hande Verse 10. Nowe is the Are laide to the trée therefore euery trée which bringeth not forth good fruite is hewen downe and cast into the fire But they crye and lament with Esay Lorde Esa 53.1 Rom. 10.16 who is it that beleeueth our saying Wherefore it behoueth you my Lords Gods Magistrates to ioyne the sworde with the worde and more forcibly yet to digge aboute the Figge trée But let vs consider of Gods extraordinary Preachers from Heauen and with vs here in this land and marke wel whether there be not a consent of bothe in this matter to sommone vs to iudgement From Heauen God by fire hathe sommoned thys land to repentance Anno. 1581. primo Elizab. when in that tempest this most notable monument of Paules Churche by whyche we stand and is now in our eyes he to shewe his kindled wrath set fire vppon the spier of it whych was the beautie of the lande And Christianlye consider it brethren it beganne not at the Church least men might haue imagined it to haue come of trechery or negligence but from the goldē bowle downwardes that one and all might sée it to be the only worke of God Manye other Churches this noble citie hath like subiecte vnto GOD but hys
good pleasure was to make choice of thys the moste notable Beacon of the land as thereby to expresse his anger vnto al if we repent not Againe the fire fel not on our dwelling houses at home but only on the house of God Euen therby not only to conuince vs of sinne for the abuse of hys holy Temple but also to signifie to the beste of oure soules that wée whyche beare the name of GOD his religion in our profession haue not in sinceritie aunswered oure faith and therefore are vnder the censure of Gods anger And surely thys double abuse is greate this daye in Englande For there is no place so egregiously polluted as the Churche of Paules or his worde more contemned in any place What meaneth else that accustomed walking and prophane talking in time of the Sermon there Neither is there any Nation more blessed wyth puritie of godly doctrine in trueth or any so blessed lesse fruitefull vnto GOD. Although I confesse it with thankfulnesse to God that his Gospel hath won to hym infinite soules in this nation which doe the Lorde his holy word Sacraments and Sabaoth as well in thys Citie as in the realme abroade But at the comming of thys firie Preacher we then cryed namelye thys Citie hir Graces Courte and the whole lande Lord we haue sinned spare thy people O Lorde And so our mediatour Christ stayed the fire And then also the Lorde stirred vp the heartes of our honorable aucthoritie to giue from hir Maiestie Proclamation to take away the abuse thereof whiche was an approued digging but alas how long did we obey euen but a short space for as the lawe came but for that house of stone so our stony heartes cast off with spéede the verye memorie of this iuste threatning Preacher And nowe who maketh accompts of it wel wel nay woe woe to vs if we so loosely looke about vs. O Lord what harts haue wée Shall a sodaine falling of a rotten and olde Turret of Syloah be by our Maister Christe instituted a doctour of repentance to the Iewes for the fall whereof reason coulde afforde vs some cause and shall wée or dare we so despise this speciall messenger from God this burned stéeple whych calleth vs al to daily repētance Come hither to me ye commers to the Citie saith Paules stéeple and beholde the anger of oure God For as ye sée me so I remayne corrected by his reuenging hande to cal you to repentance But O Lorde thou God of Heauen this Citie this land this place yea this day hath forgotten this Make vs mindefull O Lorde of thée and penitently sorrowfull for oure sinnes against thée we humbly beséeche thée for Christes sake And as Gods extraordinary preachers came not alone but had some one or other ioyned vnto them as Esay had Micah Ieremy had Ezechiel and Hoseas had Amos So this fire from Heauen hathe to associate his message in earth Gods swift arrowe and burning sword of pestilence chieflye in this Citie Psal 91.5.6 from whence it hathe bin sundry times in sundrye places dispersed and in suche sorte as oure gracious Quéene godly Magistrates haue gyuen forth holy lawes for prayer and fasting to moue the people to repētaunce thereby acknowledging this sword to be far other and beyond naturall cause of infection From heauen we haue hadde also a thirde extraordinary Preacher of Gods anger and warning to repentaunce whych hath bin termed The gentle warning the Lorde make vs méeke spirited in humble sorte to bée rightly warned by it But howsoeuer it fare with vs yet these termes and godly actes doe approue these for Messengers sent of GOD and that by our consent in worde and déede to our forewarning The blazing Starres I speake not of as hauing foresighte to sée thys cauill and why they to Englande more than to other countries wherefore I care to giue vs our own messengers From earth also the Lorde hathe moste notably cited vs to iudgement signified his sentence ready to be executed but for the mediation of our Christ and that alone What meaneth else that monstrous mouing of that twentye acres of grounde Anno. 1570. as oure allowed Chronicles do reporte or such sundry inundation of waters in euerye coast of our Country Such monstrous byrthes strange sicknesses and sodaine deaths But laste of all An. 1580. Aprilis 6 that vniuersall Earthquake and like watershake whiche draue vs into present feare and forced the whole state to Christian prayer and care to repent If nowe the Preachers of our time haue not cause to say Our God is angrie and prepared vnto battel wherfore also I would not haue you to forgett our present Irishe wars which although they be farre from the hearte yet God graunte vs to remember that his power is greate our sins are ripe and the enimies purpose that traiterous Doctor Saunders and his adherents right daungerous But if wée truely turne to the Lorde he will turne to vs and them with theyr aides to vtter confusion as his grace hath shewed himself a louing God to vs in their late ouerthrowe in those parts his name for euer be praised Nowe beloued Magistrates of bothe estates your office is at this instant required to digge and giue compose and aboue all you must take care that standing in the gappe to stoppe the breache for the people you be not like wicked as the people for their shall you perishe before them and great shall be our confusion The Lorde Mayor muste not be a Protestaunt during his office and a Papist after and so for his office sake shewe himselfe occupied about the Fig trée of his City but he with his brethren ought to be touched and sealed in hearte to the Lorde that at all times as they are preferred to their people so they bée godly religious vpright holye aboue the people that their prayer and Christian practize maye ben defence for the Citie not onely against the pernitious purpose of the euill disposed but also against the iust reuenging hand of God whē he warneth vs of iminent danger So likewise muste the Bishoppes those reuerende Fathers and the other councellours and gouernors abroade be and haue the same condition engrauen in their spirite with the pensil of God that they may repaire the broken hedge remoue the hindering matter from the roote of the Fig trée and lay compose to moisten supple and comforte the life therof Which grace God grant you for your selues and vs for Christes sake But our texte doth directe your holy labours vnto two things First that you take from the trée that whiche doth hinder the growth to the fruit therof Then that you lay to the roote of the same that dung or compose whiche may administer helpe to the life of it But I praye you lette pore Haggai Haggai 1.1 delyuer vnto Zorobabel and Iehosuah the thing whiche mightily doth hinder the growth of the Figge trée whych may séeme to youre discretions so