refuse to heare it reade it followe it if the seede of God doe not fructifie in our hearts if the peace wee haue with God bring not foorth pietie if our ciuill peace bring foorth no better fruite than beastly securitie if plentie worke nothing in vs but pride if with Adam in our presumption wee disobey the Lorde if with Sodome when we are ful our care be onely to satisfie our lust if we neglect the poore and deride the iust if with Israel we lust after flesh and despise Angels foode if we hunger after poperie and thirst not after the water of life if wee fall away from God and fall downe to creatures if wee runne a whoring and defile the flesh and prophane the temple of God if we tempt God being wearie of our profession hauing wauering mindes and backesliding hearts if we despise gouernement and speake euil of them that be in authoritie if wee mutter and murmure against the principalitie of Moses and Aaron if wee loath the present state and seeke after alterations then shall all these godlie blessings of God turne into cursings the message of life shall be vnto vs a fauour of death the words of the sonne of God spoken vnto vs for our saluation shall beare witnesse against vs and condemne vs our vineyard shall be laide wast wee shall be made a byword and a woonder to the world and for a iust reward of this our wickednesse our former benefites shall but adde a greater waight vnto our woe But this be farre from vs and from our children for euermore Wherefore to returne and to conclude this part when we shall behold the great mercies of God so plentifully powred vpon vs howe hee hath regarded his vineyard blessed and inriched this his Church with so great gifts and so maruellous treasures you see how truely we may say Vinea nostra floruit Our vine hath flourished This is the goodnes of God towards vs. 13 Let vs nowe cast our eyes another way and see how men haue dealt with the Lords vineyard Great hath beene the fauor of God towards it and great also hath beene the malice of Satan and the ingratitude of man in labouring by all meanes to lay it wast These enemies of the vineyard are termed foxes vnder which name be comprised all heretikes all Schismatikes all hypocrites Atheists Epicures Conspirators Persecutors with all the rable of the wicked They are termed litle foxes either for that they are more rash more wilfull and more hurtfull to the vineyard than the olde foxes because they shunne no peril or else they are so called in contempt For although they seeme mightie strong and fierce yet when God shal arme himselfe against them then they wil appeare sillie weake cubbes not able to kicke against the pricke There is no wilinesse no force no power no counsell against our God If Christ say It is I all his enemies doe stagger and fall flat to the ground The litle cubbes perhaps are animated by reason of their wilinesse and because they know they are many in number It is true The children of this worlde are wise in their generation subtile they are as serpents But God confoundeth the counsels of all craftie Achitophels and taketh foxes in the snares they set for others The number is great and as the maner is of euil weedes it groweth apace they are tenne for one But one Dauid is worth not onely tenne but tenne thousand Philistines because he commeth in the name of the Lord. He that fighteth vnder Christs banner and is protected vnder the shadowe of the wings of the almightie he is safe be he in neuer so great perils Gedeon with three hundred crying The sworde of the Lorde and Gedeon slewe and put to flight an infinite number the huge armie of the Madianites It is all one with God to ouercome with fewe or many So the enemies then of God the enemies of the Church they are but sillie weake cubbes be they neuer so wilie neuer so many 14 But the enemies of Gods vineyard are therefore chiefly called foxes because they are of like condition vnto foxes whom they singularly resemble in foure peculiar properties The foxe is rauenous greedie on his pray And these cubbes enemies to the crosse of Christ haue vnder pretense of long praier deuoured widowes houses spared no estate or conditon of men beguiled Princes of their possessions gotten to themselues the riches and wealth of the whole worlde with false merchaundise selling that for bread which is no bread making their gaine of masses merites pardons and such like stuffe Vnsatiable dogges they are euer barking and neuer satisfied The olde gray foxe is become the Lord of the whole earth the king of kings his Cardinals Abbots and Bishops great Princes and Lordes of whole Countries the litle foxes as Monkes Fryers Massing priests what with singing and what with begging haue raked no small heapes together 15 Foxes doe feede on bloud in desire whereof they kil more than they can deuoure Christ calleth Herod Foxe partly for his sauage and cruel murthering of Infants What thousands of the children and lambes of God these Herodians these Romanists these rauening wolues and bloudie foxes haue deuoured looke into the histories of all times you shall woonder at it and abhorre them Doubtlesse the righteous bloud which they haue shed vpon the earth shall come vpon them the bloud of the Saintes whom they haue cruelly butchered crieth vnto the Lord against them for reuenge and the Lord wil heare it Whomsoeuer thou shalt see take delight in the bloud of persecution he is a Foxe 16 As they liuely resemble foxes in greedinesse and crueltie so in wilinesse also they are like vnto them craftie they are subtile as false as a foxe The foxe will not woorry neere his bele but raungeth farre abroade least he be espied So these subtile deceiuers goe farre off they compasse sea and land to make a proselite of their owne profession they shut themselues vp in their beles in the day time they dare not abide the light but seeke lurking holes and corners disguising themselues in strange apparell least their woonted attire should bewray them wilie foxes deepe dissemblers double hearted double tongued double faced speaking them full faire whom they hate full deadly promising and not performing shifting off and seeking time nowe humble as sheepe but when time serueth as fierce as Lyons By subtile slightes and breache of faith they brought Iohn Hus to the Councel at Constance and there cruelly murthered him they promised him a Safe-conduct to come and to goe but those holie Fathers agreed vpon a newe point of religion that Promise is not to be kept with heretikes and so cruelly and treacherously consumed with fire the Saint of God These faithbreakers be no more to be trusted than foxes 17 The last propertie that I note in the foxe is that hee casteth an euil sauour I will not
that harlot inseparablie henceforward which to doe they must take a solemne oath and in token thereof weare some marke of the beast as a Crosse an Agnus Dei a medall or some such badge of recognisance These popish proctors haue poisoned many and the obseruing of this most wicked oth hath made many sillie soules especially women breake their faith to Christ their loyaltie to their Prince and their promised obedience to their husbands A wicked promise is best vnmade but being made is better broken than performed It had beene a lesse offence for Herod to breake his oath than to behead an Innocent Wee may neither make nor keepe any promise oath or vowe against the Lorde As for reconciliation Be reconciled vnto God He it is which alone remitteth sinne and they onely which are reconciled to him shalbe saued 25 But these destroiers and subuerters of the Lords vineyard cease not thus Some credite they thinke to winne to their owne cause if they can worke the discredit of such as are maintainers of the contrarie To this end they raise vp slanderous reports against our magistrates ministers that the people first misliking them may afterwards be brought with more ease to mislike of that religion wherof they are This is an old practise of the anciēt enemie Daniel was charged to contemne the decree of Nabuchadnetzar Micheas to be a lier Ieremie to be an enemie to the common wealth Elias to be a disturber of the state Christ to be an enemie vnto Cesar Paul to be factious seditious the Christians in the daies of Traian the Emperor to haue their women cōmon in their night assemblies to worship an Asses head in stead of God with many such like shamelesse reports How these foxes haue falsely slaundered both magistrates and ministers of God in these our daies it shalbe needelesse here to recite Their bookes are extant as full of lies as lines Thus you see howe they labour by all meanes to hinder the passage of the Gospel and vtterly to subuert true religion We see also how the Lorde of hostes fighteth for vs how the almightie is our defence how he that keepeth vs slumbereth not how strangely and miraculously hee preserueth his annointed Dauid both from the bloudy hands of Saul abroad and Absolon at home in the midst of so many conspiracies treacheries snares and traps which these foxes haue deuised and laid We see how God preserueth his vineyard how hee maintaineth his church so many waies assaulted maugre all his and all our enemies It is his onely worke maruellous in our eyes it is the Lord let vs praise his name 26 But although God hitherto hath preserued his vineyard from the spoile of these foxes yet his wil and commaundement is that we should not liue in securitie but beware of them watch them and catch them if we can Take vs the litle foxes This last and most necessarie part for order sake may be thus diuided First we learne that foxes are to be taken secondly to whom thirdly by whom and lastly how they are to be taken 27 These foxes are to be taken For so the spouse of Christ or rather Christ himselfe commandeth And why Because they are hurtfull to his vineyard God commaundeth false prophets not onely to be taken but also to die the death Let the false Prophet die Paul wisheth that the disturbers of the peace of the church were cut off He laide an heauie hand vpon Elymas the sorcerer when he stroke him starke blinde Moses at the commaundement of God made a speedie dispatch of Idolaters The Apostle would that dogges euil workemen sectmakers should be shunned that all heretikes not recalling themselues by admonition should be auoided The scabbed sheepe must be remooued out of the flock the leper should be seuered the adulterer cast out the leauen put away foxes taken and tyed short This is the wil of God the request of the spouse the commaundement of Christ. The Lawe of nature God and man crieth Take these foxes 28 But vnto whom Nobis Catche them vnto vs saith the spouse of Christ. Christ came into the world to saue sinners he willeth not the death of a sinner but rather that he should cōuert and liue He came to recall the lost sheepe of the house of Israel his wil is that stonie hearts be turned into fleshie that foxes be chaunged into sheepe that enemies bee reconciled and made friends that strangers be made citizens with his Saints that all come vnto him that all may find rest for their soules He created man for himselfe for himselfe he redeemed him his will is that foxes be taken and brought to him that he himselfe may be glorified in them 29 But who should take them The friendes of the spouse the seruaunts and officers of the bridegroome Christ. There be two especiall seruaunts whom the Lord hath appointed to hunt for these cubbes the magistrate and the minister These are to ioyne their force together to be as brethren Moses and Aaron knit in loue and liking to giue all diligence and mutual endeuour for the apprehension of these foxes For why the vineyard of the Lord is set ouer to their ouersight and gouernement Kings and Queenes should bee as Nurces to tender and cherishe the church of Christ to keepe euerie noysome and hurtfull thing from it Ministers are they whom God hath set to sweate and labour in the vineyard to gouerne and feede the flocke which he hath purchased with his owne bloud These are the Lords two hands to both these he speaketh when hee saith Take the foxes But all the craft is in the catching Wee must therefore learne how they are to be taken 30 The minister hath his nets to take withall the magistrate hath his traps The first is the net of Gods word to cast into the sea for fishes or to set vpon the land for foxes Preach the word be instant in season and out of season The Lawe of the Lord conuerteth soules With this net Iohn Baptist caught at one time a great number of foxes Scribes Pharisies Publicanes souldiers and sinners they came confessing their sinnes and asking What shall we doe Peter cast out this net and in one Sermon brought three thousand vnto Christ. With this net at Cesarea hee tooke Cornelius the captaine with a great multitude Paul by spreading this net gate huge numbers in Asia in Africa in Europe in all parts and quarters of the world Christ himselfe with this nette tooke so many that they saide Behold the whole worlde goeth after him Philip tooke the Eunuche in this net in the same net Lidya Dionysius Paulus Sergius was caught Ambrose set this net for Augustine tooke him in it Verily if this net were diligently set it would catche these cubbes apace For they erre because they knowe not the scriptures and they cannot knowe because they are not taught Woe therefore
to the idle and Idol pastor to the dumme dogge to the vnpreaching minister For the bloud of all these that perish for lacke of taking through his negligence shall be required at his hands 31 The second net is godlie conuersation good example of life This net holdeth hard Examples are a great deale stronger than words and the voice doeth not so fully instruct as the life Therefore Peter saith Be a platforme for the flocke to followe He that liueth otherwise than he speaketh teacheth God to punish him saith S. Chrysostome Paul termeth such teachers as are fertile in speeche and barren in life tinckling cimbals They send foorth a sound and inwardly are hollowe Christ did what hee taught His innocencie and patience chaunged the hearts of the verie souldiers that put him to death And as the godlie example of a good life draweth many to Christ so an euill life giueth great offence The bad demeanor of Helies sonnes caused men to loath the offering of the Lorde And you saith Iacob to his two sonnes Simeon and Leui haue made me to bee abhorred among the inhabitants of the Land Let vs therefore haue our conuersation honest among these men that as now they speake euil of vs as euil doers so hereafter they may by our good workes which they shall see glorifie God in the day of visitation 32 The third net to take these foxes in is discipline Where the former nets faile this will take hold it helde that incestuous Corinthian whom no other way could haue taken Hereby Ambrose brought the Emperor Theodosius himselfe to vnfained humilitie and heartie repentance Doeth it not appertaine vnto pastorall diligence saith S. Augustine with feare yea if they resist with feeling of stripes to recall to the fold of the Lord those sheepe when wee finde them which haue not beene violently caried away but by faire and soft vsage being seduced haue gone astray and began to be held in possession of straungers Those wilfull cubbes which neither by teaching nor by example will be reformed must feele the smart of the rod. We haue saith Paul in a readinesse punishment against all disobedience Such as will not come to feede with Christ willingly must bee compelled against their wils Constraine them to come in Thus the minister should take these litle foxes and winne them vnto the Lord with the net of Gods word of good example and of discipline Now if they cannot be so recalled that themselues perish not they are to be cut off or tyed vp that they destroie not others 33 The magistrate therefore must also set traps to catch these foxes withall The chiefe trap the magistrate hath is the Lawe Artaxerxes writeth his letter vnto Esdras whom hee sent to Ierusalem to see the people gouerned and requireth him hoth to place Magistrates and Iudges ouer the people and to see that they might liue according to the Lawes of God and the king adding thereunto a sharpe commination against transgressors Whosoeuer will not doe the Lawe of thy God and the kings Lawe let him haue iudgement without delay whether it be vnto death or to banishment or to confiscation of goods or to imprisonment The kindes of punishment here set downe are foure Death Exile Confiscation Incarceration These lawfull meanes are wisely to be vsed of Christian Magistrates as traps to take these litle foxes 34 The first is death It is the Lords commaundement Let the false Prophet die Let the adulterer and the adulteresse be put to death Let the blasphemer be stoned Moses obserued this in destroying Idolaters and hanging vp them that committed whoredome The Magistrate beareth not the sword in vaine Asa the good king of Iuda gaue commaundement that if any would not seeke the Lord God of Israel he should die from the least to the greatest from the man to the woman Thus zealous Magistrates haue indeuoured to take rebellious foxes 35 Exile is also a punishment fit for foxes Zerubabel and Ieshua together with the rest of the fathers of Israel agreed not to suffer the enemies of their religion those wilie foxes to ioyne with them but banished them out of their companie It is not for vs and you to builde a house to our God The Emperor Theodosius likewise being mooued thereunto by that zealous Bishop Amphilochius draue all the Arrians out of his dominion These foxes must be remooued the further the better And it were wel with Christs Church if they were all as farre as Rome hence from whence many of them came who now wander and raunge amongst vs. God spared not to expel Angels out of heauen men out of paradise And when Absolon had put off the duetifull minde of a naturall sonne then Dauid laying aside the tender affection of a louing father banished him his countrie 36 The third trappe to take withall is confiscation of goods which way is the easiest and not the woorst For the most men loue Mammon better than God their riches more than their religion When the riche man heard that hee and his wealth must part he went away very sorowfull If he from Christ it is to bee hoped these wil from Antichrist There can bee no sharper punishment to a worldlie minded man than to be taken in this trap God therefore commaunded the Egyptians to be spoiled than which there could be no plague more grieuous vnto them being so greedily set vpon their gaine When the Philistims would keepe the Iewes in good order and disable them to rebell they tooke their weapons and instruments of warre from them It is no euill or vnlawfull policie to weaken these enemies which are readie to vse the strength of their wealth to the ouerthrow of the Church if occasion did serue Touche them by the purse It is the most easie and readie way whereby to take and tame these foxes 37 The last way set downe by wise Artaxerxes is Incarceration When Ioseph had cast his brethren in prison then they remembred their fault and repented then they thought Wee suffer these things deseruedly for the hardnesse of our heartes against our brother Manasses was neuer reclaimed vntil he was inclosed in prison He was miserable in his kingdome and blessed in his captiuitie Thus it is the duetie aswel of the Magistrate as the Minister to obey the commaundement of the almightie and by all meanes to preuent wicked enterprises to roote out euill and to seeke the safetie of Gods vineyard his beloued Church Which God graunt them once effectually to doe for their owne discharge and benefite of the people so deerely redeemed by the bloud of Christ. To whom c. A Sermon preached in the same place and vpon the same occasion with the former 1. TIM 2. 1 I exhort therefore before all things that requests supplications intercessions and giuings of thankes be made for all men 2 For Kings and for all that
Lord while he may be founde call vpon him while he is neere 7 Let the wicked forsake his waies and the vnrighteous his owne imaginations and returne vnto the Lord and he wil haue mercie vpon him and to our God for he is verie readie to forgiue HERE we learne by the Prophet that saluation is not sold but freely giuen of God to as many as hunger and thirst after it that they which seeke the Lorde shall finde him so that they seeke him in due and seasonable time and that the time of seeking the Lord is nowe Seeke the Lord c. In this exhortation of the Prophet let vs first consider why secondly how God is to be sought and thirdly what gaine doth growe to the seeker If I should particularly prosecute this distribution and followe it at large as euerie part shall minister occasion of speeche I should bee too long for this place But I minde breuitie because I knowe before whom I speake Fewe woords will be sufficient for the wise and to a minde well instructed alreadie a short putting in minde will serue If I chaunce to say what other men haue saide before me for what can bee saide which hath not beene saide before I must beseeche you to remember the words of the blessed Apostle S. Paul which was not ashamed to tell euen his owne tale twise To write vnto you the same things to me it is not tedious and to you it is necessarie 2 God preferreth obedience before sacrifice He accounteth it better to obey than to offer For as all vice is contaiued in the name of disobedience because that onely is naught which God misliketh and that which he misliketh hee hath forbidden So I may be bold to say with S. Augustine that There is no vertue but obedience onely If therefore the Centurions souldiers obediently went came and did what he commaunded if the Israelites were so duetiful vnto Iosua that they saide All things which thou hast commaunded vs we will doe he that shall not obey let him die the death if mortall men for conscience sake must be obeyed shall we despise the voice of him that saith from heauen Seeke ye the Lord When God doth bid vs goe we may not stand still And that which his Prophets in his name commaund vs hee commaundeth himselfe 3 But least that the maiestie of him which commaundeth should rather astonish men than set them forwarde to seeke the Lord with rough commandements he ioineth oftentimes sweete allurements Come vnto me Come and ye shall finde rest for your soules Not entising men with faire and sweete words only but powring his benefites also plentifully vpon them So he dealt with his old and auncient people whom by his Prophet Micheas hee putteth in remembraunce of three especiall blessings whereby they were prouoked to serue the Lord Surely I haue brought thee vp out of the Land of Egypt and redeemed thee out of the house of bondage and I haue sent before thee Moses Aaron and Myriam O my people remember nowe what Balak king of Moab had deuised and what Balam the sonne of Peor aunswered him from Shittim vnto Gilgal that ye may knowe the righteousnesse of the Lord. 4 The chiefest benefite which the Lorde powred vpon his people and the first whereby hee allured them to seeke him was this With an outstretched arme hee brought them foorth from the Land of Egypt the house of bondage where their dwelling place was a prison and a long life long miserie No doubt a mightie and a mercifull worke of God to deliuer his people out of such thraldome and to set them at such libertie as they afterwards enioyed Bondage is an heauie yoke an exceeding plague freedome and libertie a great benefite a sweete blessing The like benefite in as great a measure of loue fauour and power we haue receiued at the hands of our mercifull God Hee hath doone that for vs a reiected nation which hee did for his owne inheritaunce Hee hath deliuered vs from the tyrannie and thraldome of that great Pharao from Satan sinne hell death and condemnation by the mightie hand of our Moses our graund captaine Christ Iesus who on the crosse gate the victorie spoiled our enemie cancelled the writing of our bondage and seruitude brought vs through the red sea and by his bloudshed wrought our perfect and full deliuerance Againe when we groaned vnder the heauy burthens of a second the childe of the former Pharao when the tyrannie of Antichrist lay grieuous vpon our soules constraining vs by force vnto those things in comparison whereof the gathering of stubble or making of bricke the sustaining of burthens farre heauier than the Egyptian laid any vpon Israel would haue seemed tollerable light and easie in the midst of these insufferable griefes euen then when these Egyptians were most fiercely and eagerly bent when they thought their kingdome most strongly established and vs past looking for any deliuerance and what else could the reason of man suppose euen then our mightie and mercifull God to whose workes mans thoughts aspire not by the hand of his milde and faithfull seruaunt deliuered his people out of that thraldome of bond made vs free discharged vs from the intollerable tyrannie of Antichrist deliuered vs from the vsurped power of poperie from the Romish yoke of seruile superstition that we might serue no longer that man of sinne but our God not with a slauish minde but in perfect freedome of conscience according to his most holie woorde and not mans blasphemous doctrine If wee did not passe ouer this blessing of God with blinde or closed eyes surely the consideration thereof would mooue vs it would force vs to breake into woordes of wonderment and to crie out with the Prophet How great is thy goodnesse It would stirre vp in vs an earnest desire to seeke our gratious Lord and when hee is found for euer to cleaue fast vnto him 5 God further prouoking his people Israel to seeke him putteth them in mind of a second benefite of sending Moses Aaron and Marie before them Moses to be their Magistrate and Aaron to be their Priest the one to iudge and the other to teache the one to punish sinners the other to praie and to offer for them These two were brethren that the bond of nature might vnite their mindes in gouernement and that their vnitie might more aduaunce Gods glorie and procure the tranquillitie and safetie of their countrie So Ioas the king and Iehoiada the Bishop ioining hands and drawing in one line mans policie giuing place to the word of God the onely fountaine of true honourable policie Israel had a prosperous and happie state 6 Moses was a woorthie magistrate And his greatest commendation is that he was no lesse sharp and seuere in Gods cause than milde and gentle in his owne His mildenesse caused him many times to put vp other priuate iniuries it neuer caused him
persecuters of true religion who by euill meanes had attained vnto that authoritie and behaued themselues as ill in it Paul in this treatie of a magistrate meeteth with both these errors He laieth downe this foundation for an absolute and a generall rule Let euerie soule be subiect to the higher powers This obedience he requireth both of Iewe and Gentile of Prophet Priest in summe of euerie Christian and this position he prooueth by sundrie forcible reasons 2 First there is no power but of God The powers that are bee ordeined of him Be the magistrate Iewe or Gentile Christian or Heathen good or bad hee hath his authoritie from God the magistrate of all magistrates God hath placed him and ordeined him to bee thy gouernour in respect whereof thou art bound for thy conscience sake towardes God for to obey him Another reason why euerie soule should liue in subiection to the higher power is because whosoeuer resisteth the ordinaunce of God prouoketh the iudgement of God against himselfe If God for thy sinne set a wanton an hypocrite yea or an Infidell ouer thee thou must obey that wanton that hypocrite and that Infidell and not rebell against him GOD hath ordeined him to resist that power is to resist the ordinaunce of GOD to conspire against him is to conspire against GOD to reiect him is to reiect God Christ submitted himselfe to the authoritie of Caesar and to Pilates iudgement Resisters and rebels receiue to themselues condemnation they neuer haue neither euer shall escape the heauie hand of Gods wrath they feele it often in this life but in the life to come if they escape it heere they are sure to feele it A third reason why we should liue obediently is because there is no reason why wee should doe otherwise For why should any man desire not to be subiect Because he is afraide of the power of kings and rulers Princes are a terror not to them that doe well but to euill doers Wilt thou then be without feare of the power Withdrawe not thy selfe from obedience but doe well so shalt thou haue praise and be without feare For this ende magistrates are appointed of God to maintaine the good and represse the euill And the magistrate is so necessarie in respect hereof that no common wealth can be safe or long stand without him For if the bad were not bridled more by the authoritie of the magistrate than by any moderation in themselues they would eate vp the good and a woonderful confusion would soone followe A fourth reason may be this God hath put a sword in the magistrates hands to shewe that he hath appointed him as his vicegerent to take vengeaunce on them which doe euill So that the very sight of the sword ought to put vs in minde of his power and our obedience For God hath not deliuered him a swoord for nothing hee is the minister of Gods wrath he hath not receiued the swoord in vaine it is giuen him to smite the wicked withall 3 Wherefore ye must be subiect not because of wrath onely but also for conscience sake The Apostle concludeth vpon the former reasons that wee must submit our selues obediently vnto the magistrate and attempt nothing against him not onely for feare of punishment he being the minister of Gods displeasure but also for conscience sake in that God requireth this obedience at our handes All this notwithstanding if magistrates should commaund that which is impious and which God forbiddeth in such cases we haue our answere well warranted Melius est obedire Deo quà m hominibus It is better to obey God than men 4 In token of this obedience wee pay them tribute as acknowledging them to be Gods ministers It is not a strange or a newe custome to pay custome to princes All nations all people haue euer vsed it and yeelded it and magistrates well deserue it For their office is both painefull and chargeable they euer caring for the benefite of the common wealth to represse the euill to strengthen the good to set vp vertue to cast downe vice to defend their people and countrie and in well gouerning as the good ministers of God to spend both their goods liues These magistrates must bee supported and may lawfully receiue the reward of their labours nay they must receiue it Wherefore vnlesse ye wil be iniurious and withhold back from them that which is theirs euen by debt and not by courtesie giue to all men their duetie tribute to whom tribute custome to whom custome feare to whom feare and honour to whom honour is due Wee must haue magistrates in great estimation and reuerence wee must feare them as the ministers of Gods wrath we must honour them for that they occupie Gods place for our benefite wee must readily and willingly pay vnto them tribute and custome for God hath so appointed and they haue so deserued And therfore the Apostle saith Reddite Paie it Whereupon S. Chrysostome fitly noteth We doe not giue it vnto magistrates but we paie it vnto them It is as due as debt 5 Vpon this particular touching our duetie towardes magistrates our Apostle inferreth a generall exhortation Owe nothing to any man but this to loue one another c. This exhortation compriseth two things our duetie to our neighbour our duetie to God Our duetie to our neighbour consisteth in paying him what we owe him and in louing him as wee loue our selues 6 Owe nothing to any man pay thy debt pay vnto the magistrate obedience feare honour tribute custome all this is due vnto him all this is thy debt The people of Israel bound themselues with solemne promise to pay this debt to their magistrate Iosua whom the Lorde had giuen to bee their gouernour All things which thou hast commaunded vs we will doe and whither so euer thou wilt send vs we will goe as we obeyed Moses so will we also obey thee Onely let thy Lord thy God be with thee as hee was with Moses Whosoeuer shall rebell against thy commaundement and will not obey thy words in al that thou commaundest him let him be put to death This is the debt we owe to magistrates Myriam would not pay this debt to her brother Moses and God plagued her with a fowle leprosie so that shee which had separated her selfe from common obedience was separated from all companie Dathan and Abiram with their complices rebelliously murmured against their magistrate and God made the earth open and swallowe them vp and a number of that conspiracie he consumed with fire Absolon rebelled and would not pay this debt of obedience to his father But God quickely paide him that which was due to his rebellious and disloyall attempts God is stil the same God he hateth iniquitie and wil not suffer conspiracie rebellion or treason against lawfull magistrates either vnreuealed or vnreuenged And therefore let all subiects as wel to auoide the wrath of God as also for
instrument to receiue it withall is faith He that beleeueth is made partaker of it and not of it onely but of eternall life also For he that beleeueth in me hath life eternall saith our Sauiour Christ. But this faith this iustifying faith doth worke through loue and sheweth it selfe by workes The good tree will be fruitfull The beleeuing iustified childe of God will feare God and worke righteousnesse 46 This doctrine of iustification by faith in the death and resurrection of Christ Iesu is witnessed by all the Prophets It is no newe doctrine but olde not onely proceeding from the Apostles but also from the Prophets For Moses and all the Prophets beare witnesse of him And as they so the Apostles after them Whose steppes we must followe and acknowledge that no doctrine is to be established but that which is testified by the Apostles and Prophets The true Church of Christ doth builde her faith on their foundation God will be worshipped and serued according to his prescript woord and not according to the braine of man The Prophets and Apostles with all such as be ministers of the woord are heere and elsewhere called witnesses Yea Christ himselfe termeth himselfe a witnesse of the truth For this cause am I borne and for this cause came into the worlde that I should beare witnesse to the truth And Christ saith to his Apostles Ye shall be witnesses vnto me both in Ierusalem and in Samaria euen to the vttermost endes of the earth 47 The truth is to bee testified by publike preaching Paul commendeth the Thessalonians for beleeuing his testimonie His testimonie was the Gospel which he did preache and testifie vnto them According to the voice that did speake vnto him when he was cast off his horse I haue appeared to thee for this purpose to appoint thee a minister and witnesse both of things which thou hast seene and of the things in which I will appeare vnto thee The truth is also testified by writing By the writings of the Prophets Apostles and Euangelists the truth of God Iesus Christ was most plainely testified As Iohn to name one of them among many This is that Disciple which testifieth of these things The truth is also witnessed when as it is testified in bloud for a martyr is a witnes Christ told Peter that when he was young hee girded himselfe and walked whither he lusted but when he waxed old other should gird him and carie him whither hee would not Nowe this saith Iohn he spake signifying by what death he should glorifie God Many Martyrs haue thus testified the truth with suffering for it But they ouercame by the bloud of the Lambe and by the woord of their testimonie not louing their life no not to the death That minister which will neither testifie it by publike preaching nor by writing will hardly testifie it by suffering but will rather say with Peter I knowe not the man But I must here make an end for the time hath ouertaken me and without repetition as you knowe the maner is To God the father God the son God the holie Ghost three persons one almightie almerciful God be rendred all thanks all glorie giuen for euer and for euer Amen The fifteenth Sermon A Sermon preached at Strausborough in the time of Q. Maries reigne 2. COR. 6. 2 Wee therefore as helpers beseeche you that ye receiue not the grace of God in vaine 3 For he saith I haue heard thee in a time accepted in the day of saluation haue I succoured thee behold now the accepted time beholde now the day of saluation THE Prophet to abate the hawtie conceit which naturally wee haue of our selues in such sort as euery man were his owne God and had no other whom to praise for the graces and gifts wherewith he is beautified and set forth as a mirror for al other creatures to beholde and woonder at indeuoureth to turn away our eyes frō too much gazing vpon our owne excellencie by pointing as it were his finger at him who is author of euerie good perfect gift saying Hee made vs and not we our selues For what end and purpose Zacharie teacheth namely that we might serue him in holinesse and righteonsnesse before him all the daies of our life For we are his workemanship created in Christ Iesus vnto good works which God hath ordeined that we should walke in them Ye are not saith S. Paul to the Corinthians your owne Why so For you are bought with a price Glorifie therefore God in your bodie and in your spirite for they are Gods Forsomuch then as we are all of the houshold of God all one in Christ all members of one and the same spirituall bodie woorshipping one Lord receiuing one baptisme professing one faith expecting one glorie to be reuealed vpon vs in that great day it is our duetie in token of our neere coniunction in the spirite with one heart one minde and as it were with one mouth to present our selues before his mercie seate to praise him to heare his word to receiue the seales of his merciful couenaunt in the Gospel and to offer him our needeful supplications together that in all things it may appeare that we are one as hee and the father are one euen one God to be blessed for euer 2 With what zeale desire Gods people of old were woont to do this we may gesse by that which we reade of y ◠Prophet Dauid who being persecuted of his wicked vnnatural son driuen from y e presence of that glorious tabernacle which with great triumph ioye himselfe had placed in the Citie of Dauid where he was woont with the rest of the people to call vpon the name of the Lord to heare the Lawe and to offer sacrifice vpon those beautiful altars conceiued such a deepe impression of griefe by the sorowfull meditation of those sweete and heauenly comforts whereof his soule had tasted in former times that forgetting quite the losse of all other royalties whatsoeuer he maketh mone for nothing but onely this that he might not nowe be partaker of those inestimable benefites and the comforts of minde and conscience which he was woont to receiue at the hand of God at such time as with the rest of the Israelites he resorted to the tabernacle where God promised to be present and fauourably to heare the petitions there made vnto him Of this his great miferie he complaineth him lamentably in diuerse of his Psalmes but especially in the 84 where he breaketh out into these woords of great zeale O Lord of hosts howe amiable are thy Tabernacles My soule longeth yea and fainteth for the courts of the Lorde mine heart and my flesh reioice in the liuing God He goeth on and magnifieth the blessed estates of those sillie birds which might haue their nests and lay their young euen