sithence the first foundation of the world but was in subiection and vnder obedience either of the the one or of the other And as God is the father of light the God of all good men so is the Deuill the father Prince of this world the Lord of darknesse the king of this age as saith S. Paul and ruler of the wicked And like as all good men fight vnder the banner of God their Lord so all vngodly fight vnder the standard of the Deuill their Prince And euen as the iust man hath his reward of God so hath the wicked man his stipend of the Deuill And thus be Infidels Turkes Iewes and all Heathen people vnder the power and dominion of the Deuill vnder the standard of Sathan and therefore are they not able to thinke any good to conceiue one good thought because they fight vnder his Banner because they haue giuen ouer all their members to be ordered of the Deuill without any féeling of good without any feare of God And thus as I said do the Turkes thus do the Infidels thus do all Heathen people at this day and so did the Iewes in the time of Paul In vmbra mortis ambulauerunt saith he They walked in the shadow of death But after that it pleased God the Father by the comming of his déere Sonne Iesus Christ to reueale himselfe vnto them to open and declare his Gospell among them then began the people to renounce the Deuill to forsake his Law and seruice and to betake themselues wholy to the gouernance of God And therefore S. Paul the further to incourage them thereunto willeth them in this Epistle of his That like as before time they gaue ouer their members to the seruice of vncleannesse from one wickednesse to another so should they now giue ouer the same their members to the seruice of righteousnesse For to this end was Christ borne into this world to this end liued he here among vs to this end preached he and taught the people Gods holie word that we by his example and the doctrine of his Gospell should liue an vpright and holie life And therfore Zacharie that holie prophet being filled with the holie Ghost prophesied and said before Christs birth that Christ should for this cause appeare in this world That we being by him deliuered from the feare of our enimies might serue him in purenesse and holinesse all the daies of our life And S. Paul likewise saith Ye were darkenesse but now ye are light walke therefore as becommeth the children of light Therefore are we deliuered from the power of darkenesse saith S. Paul that we should walke in the light and haue no fellowship with the vnfruitfull workes of darknesse And so in like Vocauit nos Deus non ad immunditiem sed ad sanctitatem God hath not called vs to vncleannesse but to holynesse and sanctitie of life Thus hath he called vs that we not only in Body but in Soule should be pure vnspotted And therefore S. Paul vnto the Romanes Know you not saith he that all we which are baptized into Iesus Christ are baptized into his death Therefore are we buried with him by Baptisme into death that like as Christ was raised vp from the dead euen so also should we walke in a new life And for this cause this same Paul likewise saith Exhibete vos tanquam viua membra Shew your selues as quicke and liuely members And in an other place Exhibete corpora vestra sacrificium sanctum acceptatum Deo Giue ouer your bodies for a sacrifice holie and acceptable before God And also Nescities corpora vestra esse templa Dei Know you not that ye are the temple of God and that the spirit of God dwelleth in you These and such other many lessons hath S. Paul giuen vs to call vs vnto purenesse and holynesse of life Let vs therefore good Bretheren liue holy consider that God hath not called you to vncleannesse but to puritie of life consider if yée be baptized with Christ into death you must also walke with him in a new life let your bodies be a sacrifice holie acceptable vnto God shew your selues liuely members of Christ and the Temple of the holie Ghost Vocauit nos Deus saith S. Paul Vt viueremus sobriè God hath called vs God hath appointed vs to liue in sobernesse to liue in purenesse to liue in holynesse and this not in one part of our Bodies not in one part of our Soules but in our whole bodies in our whole soules For Christ our Sauior suffred not his bodie to be crucified in one part Sed à planta pedis vsque ad summum capitis But euen from the sole of the foote to the crowne of his head was he beaten rent and torne and miserably tormented in his whole Bodie His Bodie was scourged with whips his head prickt with thornes his hands and féete nayled to the Crosse his side pierced with a sharp speare For Christ speaking of himselfe saith Foderunt manus meas pedes meos They haue digged my hands and my feete they haue made holes thorough them And thus sithence Christ suffred all his whole Body to be tormented for vs sithence he suffred all his members to be crucified for our sakes let vs applie our selues and all our member to serue and please him in holynesse and vpright lyuing all the dayes of our liues And therefore saith s Paul here Ye haue now betaken your selues vnto Christ therefore let your conuersation be according liue as becommeth the seruants of Christ For euen as before this time ye gaue ouer your members to vncleannesse from one wickednesse to an other so now giue ouer your members to the seruice of righteousnesse And such good Bretheren was the life of all Christian men in the beginning of Gods Church such was I say their life lyuing They subdued their flesh they mortified their members and gaue them ouer wholy vnto Christ and so made them members vnto righteousnesse When Christ walked here on this earth was conuersant in our flesh and this nature of ours at what time he entered into the house of Zacheus which was a Ruler of the Publicans desired to sée Iesus by and by Zacheus was turned into a new man and by and by he stoode forth and said vnto the Lord Behold Lord the halfe of my goods I giue vnto the poore and if I haue defrauded any man I restore him foure fold Thus was he only by the presence of Christ turned into a new man thus he of an vncircumcised Publican was made the child of Abraham and of a sinfull and wretched creature he became forthwith a Christian And so in like when Christ had but once called vnto Mathew and bad him follow him immediatly he left the Toll-gathering he left the receipt of the custome he left his owne proper game and profit and ran after Christ
Of such force was the presence of Christ vnto Zacheus of such power was the commaundement of Christ with Mathew the Toll-gatherer Saint Augustine a little before he returned vnto Christ embraced his trueth he feared he trembled and alwaies stood in doubt but so soone as Christ had once inspired him with his holie spirit and reuealed his trueth vnto him forthwith without any further doubt or delay he renounced his errors and became a perfect Christian There was once a Christian man whose name was Eusebius and being demaunded what he was answered a Christian being asked what countrey man said a Christian who was his father a Christian where he dwelt a Christian and so to ech other demaund he answered a Christian as who would say what so euer I be I am nothing else but a Christian In the beginning of Gods Church all good men were called Christian men and yet was it not one thing to be a Christian and a good man The Christian men for that they considered they were called to saluation to redemption by the death of Christ to the inheritance of Heauen they had their delight and only felicitie in heauenly things they estéemed not the vaine pleasures of this world and because they thus carried Christ in their Bodies because they had their members crucified vnto Christ therfore were they called Christians And so should we doe good Bretheren so should we consider our redemption so should we mortifie our members and renouncing the vaine delights of this world we should fixe our eyes our minds and all our doings on Heauenly things alone Saint Cyprian saith The people come to learne the Gospell to heare the word of God and wherefore that they might worke according vnto the Gospell that they might bring forth fruits worthie the word of God that they may thus doo therfore they heare Gods word saith S. Cyprian And thus if wée do not what euer we brag of our Redemption what euer we brag of our profession what euer we boast of the knowledge of Gods Gospell it is to no end it is not to effect or purpose And therefore if we haue heretofore time giuen ouer our members vnto vncleannesse from one wickednesse vnto an other now let vs giue ouer the same our members vnto the seruice of righteousnesse For saith S. Paul What profit what fruit had ye at that time in those things whereof you are now ashamed for the end of such things is death It is the part of a wise man and the office of a discréet man in such good order to dispose all his businesse and to bring all his doings to so good end that he take no foile nor haue any shame therefore Ye haue committed sin saith saint Paul yée haue giuen ouer your members from one wickednesse to another and now ye be ashamed now are ye sorie for those your misdoings But what profit then had yee of those things whereof you are now ashamed This is an horrour and the greatest horrour that may be that no man can commit sin without a great burden of conscience without great torment disquietnesse of minde Iudas when he had betraied his master Christ by and by his conscience accused himselfe and was so great a burden vnto him that to deliuered and eased thereof he went imediatly and hanged himselfe When Caine had slaine his owne brother and committed that execrable murther God said vnto him Why dost thou lowre Such a thing is sin that whosoeuer committeth it it will forthwith appeare in his face it will appeare and shew in his countenance But happie is that man that soonest commeth to repentance happie is he that is soonest sorie for his sins and misdoings Adam so soone as hee had eaten of the forbidden fruite so transgressed the commaundement of God God called vnto him and said Adam vbies Where art thou He answered I am fled away Lord I hide my selfe And why fled he away why hid he himselfe from the sight of God because he was ashamed The prodigall Son spoken of in the Gospell after he had riotously consumed his whole substance and so brought to extreame pouertie hee returned againe came home to his father fell downe before his féete and said O father I haue sinned against Heauen and against thee And why said he thus because he was ashamed The people in the time of Daniel the Prophet when they sawe their owne wickednesse and repented them thereof cryed out and said Shame is come vpon vs shame and confusion is this day fallen vpon vs. Dauid the Prophet when hee had by tyranie caused his faithfull and trustie seruant Vrie to be slaine thereby to haue his pleasure of Bersabee his wife and after had séene his owne foly cryed out vnto God saying Miserere mei quoniam iniquitatem meam ego cognosco Haue mercie vpon me O Lord because I know mine iniquities And why said he thus because he was ashamed Ieremie Postquam ostendisti mihi peccata mea erubui After thou hadst O Lord shewed me mine offences I was ashamed said he Thus good brethren a wicked conscience euermore beareth shame about with it euermore carieth a most heauie burden euermore is prickt and tormented and neuer at quiet And though some men there bee so giuen ouer vnto sinne that they féele no shame in this life that are not moued in their conscience in this world yet may they assure themselues they shall féele bitter torments in the world to come and eternall shame that neuer shall haue end And if there bee any that will now say as the people in the time of Daniel did whatsoeuer we doe God will not looke vnto vs hee regardeth not our doings whether wee doe good or euill God hath no respect vnto it and so bee nothing moued in their conscience for their sinful liuing when they shal be cast into vtter darknesse where shall be wéeping and gnashing of téeth then shall their conscience be moued with repentance then shall they bee ashamed but then al too late Remember the glutton the rich glutton that in his life time had nothing but pleasure neuer felt aduersitie nor neuer was prickt in conscience for his mislyuing after hee fell into Hell fire was there tormented and the worme of his conscience began to gnaw him then he cryed out vnto Abraham then hee was ashamed but then was it too late And thus shall the wicked people doe at the last day the wicked people I say that shall then be liuing and sée the great terrour of that day They shal say vnto the Hils fall vpon vs vnto the mountains comecouer vs then shal their owne wicked conscience accuse them then shall they be ashamed but then too late Now good brethren what profit had all these of their owne sinfulnesse what profit and commoditie had they of all their wickednesse What profit had Adam by transgressing the commaundement of God What profit had Cain for
But some men there bee peraduenture that wil not be ashamed of these abuses but alwaies vphold maintain the same such if there be any they are like them whom Ieremie prophesied of saying Thou hast taken an harlots countenance thou hast gotten thee a whores forehead and canst not be ashamed they are like them also whom Esay the Prophet speaketh of saith Malice hath made you blind you barke against the truth This is the sin that neuer will bée forgiuen this is so great an offence that it wil neuer be pardoned Therefore let vs to whom God hath giuen eyes to sée eares to heare harts of vnderstanding let vs I say consider that it is no shame to confesse our errors to acknowledge our blindnesse but shame it is to continue in error too much shame it is to remaine stil in blindnesse And such as will not be ashamed of their euill but laugh at and scorne others that are sory and ashamed may well bée likened vnto them whom saint Paul writing to the Ephesians speaketh of They being past repentance haue giuen themselues ouer vnto wantonnesse to worke al maner of vncleannesse euen with greedines And such are giuen ouer in reprobum sensum into a lewd mind Such Dauid the Prophet speaketh of saying They cast their eies downe to the ground For such as wilfully offend and wittingly cast away themselues there is no saluation Paul saith Finis illorum mors est their end is death their end is onely destruction This is the same that Saint Iohn speaketh of which neither shall be forgiuen in this world nor in the world to come Wherefore were they cast into hel that now lye therein for what cause continue they in those endlesse tormentes because they would not acknowledge their errors because they would not be ashamed of their owne folly Wherefore is there in hell fire vnquenchable torments such as cannot be thought vtter darkenesse and eternall death but onely to punish such as wilfully liue in wickednes to plague them that wil not be ashamed of their sins offences They shall be cast into vtter darkenesse where shal be weeping gnashing of teeth into fire that neuer shall be quenched where the worme of the conscience neuer dieth If we delight in couetousnesse in adultery in fornication and filthy liuing the end let vs say is death the end thereof is none other than eternall death Quis habitabit in tabernaculo tuo said Dauid the Prophet O Lord who shall dwel in thy Tabernacle saith he or who shall rest vpon thy holy hil Euen he that leadeth an vncorrupt life that doth the thing which is right and speaketh the truth from his heart Hee that hath not sworne and deceiued his neighbor But O mercifull God who walketh now innocently who leadeth an vncorrupt life who doth the thing that is right who speaketh truth from his heart what man is there that hath not sworne and deceiued his neighbour Ieremie speaking of the people in his time saith Confusi sunt imo non sunt confusi They are ashamed nay they are not ashamed saith Ieremie And euen so may we of our daies well say the people are not ashamed they are nothing sory nor ashamed of their euill liuing These S. Paul speaketh of writing vnto the Philippians I speake with teares saith hée they are the enemies of Christs crosse their end is damnation their glorie shall be turned into shame And shall we then liue thus shal we thus dye shall we thus end our liues shall we thus appeare at the later day and not be ashamed shall adulterers fornicators whooremongers couetous persons come stand before the iudgement seat of God before the throne of his maiestie and not bée ashamed Is this the marriage garment that wée should be clad with are we those that are called to the feast by the Bridegroome are we Christs brethren and heires of the kingdome of God No. Non resurgent impij in indicio the wicked shall not arise in iudgement saith the Prophet Dauid the vngodly shal not be able to stand in the iudgement neither the sinners in the congregation of the righteous Wo bee vnto them that run from God with a desperat mind wo bee vnto them that wilfully forsake and fly from him S. Gregorie saith One sinne linketh in another as one linke of a chaine holdeth the other It is an horrible thing to turne from God it is a terrible thing to flye from him for if we turne from God whither shall wée goe if wée flye from him whither shall we run Conscientia mille testes our owne conscience though wee hide our selues neuer so close shall be as a thousand witnesses against vs our owne conscience shall vtter and bewray vs. Saint Augustine saith If we do not indeed repent we faine that wee doe repent wee onely faine saith he that we do repent and so we mocke with God But God will not be mocked of vs he will not bée deluded by vs. But we shal be ashamed and confounded when we appeare before God when wee appeare I say before the iudgement seat of God But then what profit shall we haue of that we are ashamed what commoditie shall wée then haue of that whereof wee are ashamed Let vs consider that we are flesh of Gods flesh bones of his bones and members of his members And therefore let vs giue ouer our whole bodies let vs giue ouer all our members let vs giue ouer our eyes our eares our tongues our hearts vnto the homage and seruice of God So shall wee haue profit of Christ our Sauiour so shall we haue profit of his death and passion and so shall Christ say vnto vs Come yee blessed of my Father and inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world Amen THE FOVRTH Sermon Psalme 7. vers 11. 12. 13. 11. God is a righteous Iudge and God is euer threatning 12. If men will not trune he hath whet his sword he hath bent his bow and made it ready 13. He hath prepared him the weapons of death and ordained his arrows to destroy ALmightie God our heauenly Father like as hée is both good also mercifull like as he is patient and of long sufferance So he vseth two maner of wayes to allure and call vs vnto him when we of our owne heads follow our owne deuises and lewdly run whither our lusts leadeth vs Sometimes of his great mercie hee vseth promises sometimes of his iustice he vseth threatning He promiseth to vs for our well doing his fauour and grace for kéeping his commandements eternall blisse He threatneth vs for euill liuing with plagues and punishments and for breaking of his Law eternall death Thus hee of his mercie somtimes vseth promises and threatneth againe of his rigor and iustice He promiseth to comfort aid and succour vs if we come vnto him and hée threatneth to strike the terrour of death into
your spider cobbes in your drosse in your chaffe what commoditie had yee of all these things Alas ye are now ashamed of them therefore yee had no profit of them yée had no pleasure by them they brought you no commoditie they brought you only shame and confusion Thus good brethren let vs weigh and consider what profit wée had in times past of those things of which wée are now ashamed And let vs consider how much we are beholden to god that now may sée and know our owne folly and ignorance and so bée ashamed But herein good brethren there néeds not many words for there is no man so blind but may well sée no man so deafe but may well heare no man so dull but may wel perceiue and vnderstand the great errour the great blindnesse the great darknesse that we haue béene in And therefore let vs all now giue God thankes that hee hath restored his light vnto vs and taken that great error and darknesse from vs. Loth I am here to speake of those things whereof we may be ashamed loth and sory I am to repeat that vnto you wherof we are now ashamed but this place now requireth the same this time and place willeth me somewhat to speake thereof The time hath béene that we haue put our trust in pardons in Buls of the Popes in vaine scrolles and writings of his yea and in them wée haue had greater hope and affiance than in the death of Christ and merits of his passion We haue fallen downe before images before stocks and stones such as had eyes and saw not eares and heard not before them we prayed before them we knéeled and stacke vp candles But now we are ashamed of them we all are I thinke now sory and ashamed of this our folly but what profit had we then of all these things Sometime wee prayed in a strange tongue in a tongue that we vnderstood not we prayed contrarie to the vse that was in the Patriarchs times in the Prophets times in the Apostles times but then what profit had wee of those prayers whereof we are now ashamed We haue séene lawfull marriage forbidden and mens lawfull wiues taken from them and yet the vse of a concubine graunted as though God were displeased with marriage pleased with whooredome but what profit had yée then of that thing of which yée are now ashamed We had Baptisme but we vnderstood not the principles of our faith euen as the Prophet spake of his time Qualis populus talis Sacerdos the Priest is become like the people so might wee well haue said of our owne time blind were they both and therefore both fell into the dike This we are now ashamed of but what profit had we then therby The Prophets said Ieremy teach falsly and the Priests follow them my people hath pleasure therein And lo euen this same which the Prophet Ieremie said the Priests and Prophets did in his time we our selues haue séene done in our dayes and now we are ashamed thereof but what profit had we then by it We had the Sacrament of Christs bodie but we knew not why Christ instituted the same wée knew not why Christ left vs that Sacrament wée did all things contrary to Christs institution Christ ordained a Communion but wée had a priuat Masse Christ ordained that the whole people should receiue in both kinds but wée ministred it vnder one kind alone Christ when hée instituted this Sacrament spake in the common tongue that all might vnderstand him but wée contrarie to Christ contrarie to the Apostles contrarie to the primitiue Church consecrated the same in an vnknowne tongue that no man might vnderstand vs. And hereof are we now ashamed but what profit had we then thereby We haue knowne this to bée taught that the bread in the Sacrament was turned into the verie bodie and blood of Christ our Sauiour this we al know and do yet remember But Christ when hee said the Sacrament should bee turned meant not that the bread should bée turned into his bodie but that we which receiue the same shold be turned that we I say should be turned made one body with him This was the meaning this I say was the meaning of our Sauiour Christ And therfore S. Paul Panis quem frangimus participatio corporis sanguinis Christi est the bread which we breake is the participation of the body and blood of Christ For we many are one bread one body in as much as we all are partakers of one bread Christ himselfe said I wil drinke no more of the liquor of the vine Christ I say after the consecration said hée would not drinke any more of the liquor of the Vine The bloud of Christ is not Wine it is not the liquor of the vine Saint Augustine in Sermone ad Infantes saith plainly Quod videtis in mensa panis est that which you see on the table is bread Theodoretus also Non mutatur substantia panis the substance nature of the bread is not changed sayth he Gelasius likewise whom peraduenture yée will the more credit because hée was sometime bishop of Rome saith Non desinit esse substantia panis there leaueth not to bee the substance of bread Natura panis in Sacramento remanet the nature of the bread remaineth in the Sacrament Chrysostome also Non mutatur substantia panis the substance of the bread is not altered I could say more but this is for this time ynough this onely I trust amongst a number of other shall be now sufficient to perswade you the truth herein Yée sée here that S. Augustine Theodoretus Gelasius and Saint Chrysostome do all affirme and herein agrée that the substance or nature of the bread after the consecration is not changed Let vs therefore good brethren notwithstanding we haue béene otherwise taught let vs I say beléeue these holy Doctors let vs credit them they wil not mocke vs they will not deceiue nor beguile vs. But this other doctrine this doctrine of transubstantiation was of late deuised not past thrée hundred yeres agoe in the councell of Laterane And there vpon this new deuise of theirs they made a great solemne and festiuall day and called it Corpus Christi day And now we are ashamed of this but then what commoditie what profit had we thereof We found out of our selues a new sacrifice the sacrifice I mean of the masse as though the death of Christ had not béene a sacrifice sufficient as though Christs blood had not once for al washed away our iniquities as though Christ had not said I haue paid the ransome for your sins It were an infinit labor to repeat vnto you particularly all the abuses of late dayes vsed in the Church of Christ you your selues can well remember them I néed not here to rehearse them vnto you But then what profit had ye of al such things of which you are now ashamed