wands made and laid them of a party colour before the eies of the Ewes when they came to the watering trowes where they vsually were wont to engender that they might conceaue and bring foorth accordinglie Christ is our sauiour workes are but the dueties of Christian men saued by Christ and no sauiours of themselues euen so when men come to the wateringes of life when you repaire to our Lectures Readinges and Sermons THE CHIEFE CONCEAT we wold imprint in your mindes is Christ and Christ as your onely Sauiour and your Christian woorkes we teach not as Sauiours but as fruites and signes of a saued people So we preach and so we teach and so did Paul and all the Apostles and Scriptures before vs. The imitation of Paul in the matter of his teaching is necessary and pertinent to all but Paul putteth them also in minde that he wrought miracles amongest them which was proper to that time The motiue from miracles And therefore we maruel to heare our aduersaries to make anie motion and demaund for miracles specially in the waine of the woorld For wil you heare Miracles are not all true which you obtrude nor to a good end Many are but pipt nuts illusions either of false men or of lying spirits as that images should light their owne candles that the Roode of Naples shoulde giue the Schoole-men high thankes for deuising and distinguishing how they should bee proportionably and duely worshipped a very gewgaw in diuinitie and as true a miracle and to as good a purpose as are the rest of your Legendary woonders Againe Miracles are not for all men * Mat. 12. A frowarde and a peruerse Nation asketh for signes Signes and Miracles are for * 1 Cor. 14. infidels and not for beleeuers Ezechias in his sicknes Gedeon as it were in his nonage asked and had signes But these were either willed so to doe or extraordinarilie moued thereunto True wee must neither aske signes vnoffered at all nor refuse them if they bee offered of God But doe they forgette that they are Christians This motiue doeth argue them of incredulitie Paul commeth not now againe to the Galathians with new signes and miracles hee onely remembreth them what hee did at first Young plantes newly planted may bee watered But Christianitie is nowe of a good grouth The watering by Miracles and by extraordinarie meanes hath ceased ordinarily to bee long since The waies to know the truth true professors are no bipathes now I doe but reason he that can and list to reade a most famous place for this question let him resort to Chrysostom euery where but speciallie homil 49. In Matth. And likewise to Austen De vnitate Eccl. cap. 19. To whom also he seemeth a prodigious wonder that seeketh wonders to confirme his faith * Aug. de ciuit Dei lib. 22. c. 8. The truth of doctrine doth distinguish miracles but miracles must not carie vs from true doctrine yet At these daies And I pray you yee Miracle-mongers what will yee doe with your Miracles Suppose yee could work wonders For the time and questions sake be it graunted you What then You by your Miracles would admixt your viid sweat to our Sauiours sacred bloode your pilgrimages your wil-seruice your woorkes your deedes your pretensed desertes your wicked liues to his precious death Is this the Gospell Could Saint Pauls Miracles confirme the simplicitie of beleeuing stedfastly in Christ and shal your miracles think you force vs to a compound obiect and marke for our faith to looke on Whether God speak or howsoeuer he worke hee is neuer contrarie to himselfe and therefore your Miracles that thus crosse his woorde they are not of God wee cannot follow you by them we care neither for you nor for them in that respect Signes though true yet without the woord are litle but * Deut. 13. miracles thwarting his word are lies or monsters and wee abhor them And talke you at pleasure of beleeuing by your miracles If you beleeue not the Scriptures you will not beleeue if an Angell should come from heauen or a * Luk. 16.31 dead man from his graue Hee that refuseth ordinary foode in Canaan hee that will not bee instructed by the woorde taught by Preachers in Schooles and Vniuersities and in other places but first learned by long endeuour great labour and study if hee were extraordinarily fedde with manna immediatlie from heauen hee woulde grudge and murmur and repine no lesse there is no question To conclude al that I haue said is that 1. miracles are neither al good 2. nor for all persons 3. nor for al times 4. wee haue the olde miracles with the trueth and we neede no new 5. you falsely and profanely pretend newe to ouerthrow the olde And so much for the motiue of miracles making most and altogither against your selues 6 Euen as Abraham beleeued God and it was imputed to him for righteousnes 7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith the same are the children of Abraham 8 For the Scripture foreseeing that God would iustifie the Gentiles through faith preached before hand the Gospel to Abraham saying In thy seede shal all the Gentils be blessed 9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham The false Apostles Pharisaical enchanters opposed two maine helps as they dreamt greatly furthering their commixing of Christ with Moses To wit 1. the priuilege of the flesh 2. and the worthines of their works Paul refuseth both And to make the matter more manifest and plaine 1. first of al hee depainteth out the cause liuely before their eies by the fairest and most famous example of auncient memory namely of Abraham Abraham beleeued and it was imputed vnto him for righteousnes Abraham did as many good woorks as the best But he beleeued not in his works but in God the woorker of his saluation Abrahams faith manifoldly proued to the vtmost This beleefe brought him from Caldea from his fathers house from his natiue countrie and dear kindred In this beleefe he came into Canaan not rested there but walked through it and beeing constrained by famine went into Egypt and thorough beleefe by occasion of grombling and churlish seruants hee sustained the departure of Loth euen the losse and cutting off as it were his right arme as likewise he tolerated as hee might the strife and brables of Sara and Agar in his owne bozom And for a great time the barrennes of Sara whom he most loued was no doubt a worme and a griefe of al griefes at his hart but by faith he ouercame such naturall passions and when God willed him to number the starres if he could and said Euen so shal thy feede be Abraham beleeued and it was imputed vnto him for righteousnesse in that hee trusted in the promise and beleeued vnder hope against hope in mans eye but he beleeued strongly and constantly he staggered not at the matter
cause Pauls doing is a better president But such wisedome courage constancy are not euery where found and not alwaies there perfourmed where they are much expected and greatly required Of all things a busie waspe and a quarelling or stubborne curst nature is woorst But if the cause be Gods if thy calling and giftes be according there is no * Eccl. 4.28 relenting at al no starting backe no shutting neck out of the coller in such cases in cases whereunto a man is expresly duly enabled warranted commanded Zeale without discretion is naught discretiō without zeal is nothing worth Wherefore 1. zeal without wisedome is neuer good 2. And yet what is wisedome without zeal 3. But zeal and discretion seemely vnited in one as it was in our Apostle is as the throne of wise Solomon and as the strong * 1 King 10.20 Lions at the staies and ascending vp vnto his throne 6 By them which seemed to be somwhat I was not taught whatsoeuer they were in time past it maketh no matter to mee God accepteth no mans person the chiefe added nothing to me 7 But contrariwise when they sawe that the Gospel ouer the vncircumcision was committed vnto me as the Gospell ouer the Circumcision was vnto Peter 8 For he that was mightie by Peter in the Apostleship ouer the circumcision was also mightie by me toward the Gentiles 9 And when Iames and Cephas Iohn knewe of the grace that was giuen vnto mee which are counted to bee pillars they gaue to mee and to Barnabas the right handes of fellowship that we should preach vnto the Gentiles and they vnto circumcision 10 Warning only that we should remember the poore which also I was diligent to do Paul in his conference gaue no place to the chiefe and the chiefe brethren gaue nothing to Paul by waie of authorizing his person or adding to his doctrine 1. and hee sheweth why it should be so 2. and withall declareth the chiefe Apostles due consenting vnto him 3. and onely requesting him to haue a careful eye to the poore which Paul respected and did ful diligently The motiue of Antiquity Among the argumentes the false Apostles vsed against Paul a maine matter was made and drawen from Antiquity that the other Apostles were ancienter than Paul and therefore questionles to be preferred Truly personal preferment was not the mark Paul shot at For he could be euer and was often wel content in all things to giue and yeeld so far foorth as might stand with the glory of Christ But in this ceremonious quarel opposed against the trueth of Christ and Christian libertie as before hee defied an Angell if to that end he should come from heauen so now he declareth that the name of Antiquitie in the Apostles might not cary him away nor driue him aside They were his auncients What mattereth that to me saith he And indeede it skilleth litle There is no prescription against the Prince and why should there be any against the trueth be it later or sooner in whomesoeuer This or that time past or present or future and to come is not in the nature of trueth neither are matters of faith measured by yeares nor is any point of religion liable to be decided by continuance pretended Iob. 32. Elihu said well There is a spirit in man but the inspiration of the Almightie giueth vnderstanding As if he had said man is made not onlie of a body but of a bodie and a soule and that soule is a reasonable spirit and that spirite in processe of yeares and tract of time gathereth politique experience as it were a stone that hath been long pitcht in one place gathereth much mosse But all that experience is but mossy terrene and earthly true wisdome is from aboue from the Father of lights and God of knowledge reueiled in his Son which illuminateth euery man not onely comming into the worlde but either entering into or els continuing priuatly or publiquely in the house of his church And therfore Elihu reformeth his thoughts voucheth that he was mis-conceited when he thought that it was the length of daies should speake and that the multitude of yeares should teach wisedome But yet of old and stil many men embrace rather Elihu his first opinion concerning age and antiquity than his later iudgement afterwarde wel rectified and truly reformed So an old prophet soone deceaued the young Prophet whom neither the threats nor entreaty of * 1. King 12. a king could moue at al. So * Iosh 9. old shewes olde battles findes bread torne sackes tottered rags like rotten relickes with profered seruice seruus seruorum and pretence of comming from far deceaued Iosue because hee rather respected such trinkets and consulted not with the Lord. Our aduersaries knowe how humane affections leane this way and therefore they beare the poore people in hand that theirs is the old religion and ours is an yesterdaies bird but with the like trueth and with the same spirite the Iewes said our sauiours doctrine was new the Apostles preaching new wine and the false Apostles here obiect that Saint Paul was an vpstart and deuoid of Apostolick warrant Sooner or later called it skilleth not old or new if true it forceth little If the name of new were alwaies naught why would Christ cal his louely commandement * Iohan. 13.34 a new commanded If the name of old were alwaies good why did S. Paul cōmand aduise the Corinthians that the * 1 Cor. 5.7 old leuen the incestuous person be purged out If you wil recourse to the first heade of all in this question it were another matter For God is for euer and before Sathan and Sathans fal the Lawe was first giuen and then ensued the transgression first the husbandman sowed his ground and afterward the enimie came sowed tares And which is to be obserued there was no long time betweene For Sathan took the next oportunitie of ignorance and securitie euen the next night as it were when the ground was yet new turned and trimmed for seede the enemie sparst some of his tares in the fielde and Church of God And then while truth and error were yet but greene in the blade the difference was not so easily discerned * Mat. 13.25 til the growth was greater And as it is this in the cause of truth compared with error so is it in the professors and Doctors of trueth compared among themselues the first teacher is not alwaies best for then the vsher must needes bee better than the schoolemaister and the country schoolemaister than the vniuersitie Reader Peter and Andrewe Iames and Iohn and others were called before Paul Hee asketh what was that to him There was no difference or prestancy therin He had antiquity enough that had Christ for his author So that in all materiall respects if they were Apostles so was Paul Nay * 1 Cor. 15.10 2 Cor. 11.23 hee laboured more
than al they And a great deale of labour in a shorter time is more worth than lesse labour in a longer space And as it is this in teachers so generally may it bee and sometime is my brethren among the rest of beleauers one beleeueth sooner another later God can teach him in one daie as much as thou hast learned in tenne before An olde and an humble graie whiteheadead Latimer or Whitehead to mention these two onely in steede of manie is a venerable spectacle and a reuerend sight but a conuerted soule saued out of the fier and thus to become a preacher of the Gospel is a most admirable mirror in mine eyes And yet thus can the spirite of Christ blow and purifie and woorke euen thus mightily where and vpon whom it wil and therefore it was not preiudicial at al to Paul that hee was no sooner called that was so effectually called in the end Iames and Iohn Andrew and Peter because of their calling before Paul were growen in good credit True And therefore Paul telleth them that notwithstanding that God doth not accept mens persons and external credit God can and doth raise vp instrumentes of his glory in latter daies some passing and exceeding many of former tymes Wherefore Paul with great right and reason setteth it down that he borowed not his light of others who were before him but ascribeth al to God almightie whom he sheweth to be no respecter of persons How God accepteth and accepteth not of persons Yet herein may arise some question For doth not God accept persons Who then shal be accepted if he accept none That that wee are we are by grace by fauor and by acceptation Then certainly he accepteth some He accepted Iacob when hee reiected the elder Brother Esau Yea whom hee accepteth not he doth reiect Therefore in this sense it is true he accepteth persons to wit according to his good will purpose choise and pleasure But for any thing acruing to man or rising in him externally by meane of ordinary circumstances God is not respectiuely partial to prefer one person before another the rich before the poore Peter before Paul for that cause and therefore because Peter was first called because many had a better opinion of the one than of the other And this is Saint Pauls meaning in these words God is no accepter of persons 2 In the second point I obserued a declaration of the Apostles friendly and full consenting to Paul As there was great reason why hee should stand vpon the authoritie he had receaued of God so when the Apostles saw 1. His commission in the Gospel and 2. the grace of God in him among the Gentiles they strait ioyned mutually togither in one societie Wherein you marke plainly 1. the euidence of Pauls authoritie 2. the limits of his charge 3. and their equality and association among themselues Triall and prouing goeth before consenting 1. They first saw and knew so much before they yeelded The eye commonly is a true informer of true knowlege when they saw they knew But seeing knowing here may be alone the outward sense for the inward vnderstanding but til they knewe they did not ioyne Ios 9.14 The Gibionits deceaued Iosue because Iosue was ouer-credulous but they vpon thorough triall found Pauls euidence good and found 1 Tim. 2.7 2. the limits and bounds of his calling reached vnto the vtmost partes and as it were to the hems and skirts of al the woorld and namely and chiefly to the Gentiles Chiefly to them not folely among them for he had a harty consideration and desire for * Rom. 10.1 Israel also But the Iewes were rather Peters charge and the Gentiles were chiefly committed to Paul and the Iewes more chiefly to Peter Wherefore the papacy that claimeth from Peter may better seeke a chiefly among the Iewes than among vs the Gentiles 3. And this was concluded among them that neither should more than was conuenient put sickle in the others haruest and that all should in their lot labour and he rein they agreed and they which were reputed pillars gaue to Paul and Barnabas their right hands vpon it How Ministers are wel resembled to the pillars in a building It were not amuse ouer and aboue to note how the Apostles and after them the ministers of Gods Church may be called and should be reputed and he indeed the pillars of their congregations The staie of an house are the pillars thereof euen as the strength of mans body are his hones And such should men of our vocation be the wals and watchmen of a cuy the beautie the strength the defence 2 King 2.12 the horse and chariot of Israel as was Elias Of old such were the olde Patriarches and Prophets afterwarde such were the Apostles and Euangelists and such are now good Bishops and vigilant Pastors and Teachers till the comming of Christ whom in the meane while he * Ephes 4.11 gaue to his Church for the gathering togither of his Saintes for the worke of the ministery for the building vp of his bodie Iudg. 16.29 It is storied of Sampson that hee tooke the midle pillars of the Philistines temple and pulled them both downe at once These pillars are stronger than so They shal not faile they cannot fal God that hewed them out wil hold them vp and who shal pul them downe Iob. 1.19 The wind out of the wildernes ouer-turned Iobs house It is not so with Gods house it is founded on a rocke and fixed on sure pillars and these pillars are fixed Sampsons strength wil not and Sathans cannot pul them downe Fugitiues and lookers-back from the plough they once laid their hands vnto For if al these pillars yeelde the whole edifice followeth after When but a minister shrinketh the faith of many is much weakned But dearly beloued be not deceaued Al should be pillars firme and strong that seeme to bee some seeme and bee as they seeme some onely seeme to bee and bee not indeede And what if some such haue defected What if some certaine haue gone out of the dore that came in at the window What if certaine that were among vs but neuer of vs Acts. 1.25 haue gone into their own place and shewed themselues as Iudas among the Apostles What if certaine haue with-drawen their shoulders from Gods labour and being but greene timber and that not of the Lordes hewing haue shrunck away misliking this great duety yet good seruice of ours in humility to support and stand vnder others to doe them good Nay what if some in steede of holding vp hale and pul downe Certainly the iudgementes of God are iust and will be hard and heauy toward al these in that daie And yet for al this the Lords house shal stil stand vpon hir pillars vpon such pillars as are of imputrible wood of wood that wil not rotte well seasoned by the Lord and therefore cannot
who can so doe can do as much for the auoiding of this sinne as I can say if I should pen all that was exemplified and debated more largely by the fall of Adam the confusion of Babel Hamans gallowes and Absolons tree and the rest of such like ambitious heads hung vp in sight and view of al to deterre men from this aspiring sin whereby many get vp hardly and come down headlong and leaue behind them a shamefull remembrance in their ruines Contention 2 The second principall bile in the body of the Church or common weal is Contention For though ambitiō be euer contending yet euery contention is not ambition For a contentious nature wil striue for a straw and except he striue hee cannot liue Ismaels hand must needes bee against euery man though euery mans hande be against him againe euen for that cause because he is contentious I neuer speak to rebate true zeal and to make men as we term them rebated protestants or to blunt the edge of good contending For it is a good thing to striue for good things If the cause be gods if it be a cleare case ruled by the Scripture if it be a matter of faith truth that is oppugned contend but yet wisely according to the place of thy calling and the ability of thy person in al orderly proceeding If it be an o th matter a statute of your towne whereunto you are sworne a peece of your charter a common vtility touching your hospital and the benefite of many contend and spare not yet lawfully and warily for contention euē in a good cause is an edged toole and must be warily dealt withall And the meeke answere refracteth anger remedieth all many times as the soft woolpack or featherbed deadeth the gunshotte and breaketh the sword But the froward nature enioyeth nothing but vnquietnes And happy are they that blesse him who curseth them Againe if thou see a theefe stealing and thy neighbor spoiled if thou bee ouer mannerly in making out the fresh pursuit and so conceall the trespasse thou art an abetter of euil and a maintainer of theft and guilty before God who euer thou bee and in this respect it is better to be reputed a busie iustice than a quiet gentleman Againe if thou knowe the haunt of practising Recusantes of perilous Iesuits and traiterous Priestes and sayest in thine heart let him that is a cold blow the cole I wil be no buzy-body nor contentious accuser I am no officer I am no keeper of my brother euen so said Cain But in attaching a traitour euery man is an officer and euery man is bound to giue in euidence And art thou a keeper of thine owne life and soul Then care for thy neighbour care for the weale-publick care for the mother of our Country care for the Church of Christ as carefully as for thy selfe and seeke to tread vpō those spiders that would poison a whole Realme If it were thy priuate case thou wouldest bestir thee and yet thy priuate case is infolded in the common therefore striue and contend to the vtmost For the end of this strife is perfect peace Enuie 3 The third caterpiller was Enuy. As charity is not suspicious to mistrust the worst so enuy misconstereth al controuleth euery thing If there be any good thing in a man it is an eye-sore to the enuious man If there by any fault it is meate and drink to him he hath somewhat to alleage why he should generally mislike Where this vice rooteth it is the mother of murther the cōfusiō of nature the enemy of frindship the banishment of vertue the very ruine and bestruction both of the enuied and the enuious and Sathan who thrue Adam out of Paradize thrue himselfe first by enuying out of heauen And yet such is the cecity and blindnesse of Adams children that some who woulde seeme most perfect thinke that perfection consisteth in this that they cā speak most bitterly against their betters and if his or his nose driuell they see it but their owne ishues of blood passe from them without any sense There were in Austines time that were pale with fasting but blew with enuy abstained from wine but were drunken with poison Enuy is compared to smoke which goeth vpward and yet not verie high but skimming vppe and downe and so doth enuy For no meane man enuieth the Prince or Pieres of the Realme And as the smoke vanisheth away when it riseth to any height so if a man be past reach enuy manie times turneth into flattery and when a man is dead enuy entreth not into the graue While men haue the presence of an austere sincere and godly wise men O wee say he is too precise he reproueth our waies When he is departed then we can say we shal neuer haue the like So that euidently Enuy is a thing which is conceaued by the eye or the care as when Caine saw the Abels sacrifice was accepted he enuied his brother and proceeded to the slaughter of Abel And euen such was the rage of this fury that neither brotherly affection nor the immanity of the fact nor the feare of God nor the greeuousnes of the punishment could withhold him from committing the trespasse In the first of Samuel we read how the soul of Ionathan was knit to Dauid how Micol loued Dauid as her beloued husband how the people had Dauid in deserued admiration for his noble Acts how the daughters of Israel receaued Dauid comming from the conquest with Musick and instruments singing Saul hath slain his thousand and Dauid his ten thousand Dauid indeed behaued himselfe valiantly and wisely the people and the weomen gaue him his due But what followeth vpon this Saul looketh awry vpon Dauid and waxeth exceeding wrath at the faburden of the song in somuch that the morrow after the euil spirit came vpon Saul But Dauid endeuouring to doe good for euill plaieth vppon his harpe wherein he was skilled and seeketh by al meanes to asswage his Masters maladies But what doth Saul He riseth vp and throweth his Iaueling with full purpose to naile his faithful seruant fast enough vnto the wal In which story at large we see enuy no doubt bred vpon an inwarde corruption but stirred vp greatly by the sight and commendation of the good things in Dauid and therin wee see how hee chafed in mind and hee changed his countenance and it cast him into a raue And albeit wee reade that Dauids playing did somtimes qualifie his troubled spirits yet al that Dauid could doe as the conquering of Goliah his cunning on the instrument his valiantnes against Gods enimies his familiarity with Ionathan his mariage with Micol his fauour with the people his sparing Sauls owne person in the den all these things could neuer scoure out the rust doe awaie this rancor and make cleane the glasse of his conceat whereby he might haue discerned a true subiect a faithful seruant an excellent and