A spirite hath not flesh bone as you see mee haue Somtime carnall lustes and affections as whatsoeuer is borne of fleshe is fleshe somtime it doth signifie the whole man body and soule as all fleshe shall see the saluation of GOD that is mankinde and againe I will powre out of my spirite vpon all fleshe that is men And so in this place the worde was made flesh that is man Damnable therefore is the heresie of the Maniches who helde that Christes bodye was brought from heauen and put into the virgins womb damnable also is the heresie of the Arrians who saide that his body was made of nothing and that he had not his flesh of the virgin Athanasius willeth Epictetus Bishop of Corinth to ioyne these wordes of the Angel in Matthewes gospell that which is conceaued in her is of the holy Ghost with these wordes of the Angell in Lukes Gospel that holy thing that shalbe born of thee shalbe called the sonne of God Christe was conceaued in her therefore his body came not from heauen Christe was borne of her therfore his body was not made of nothing Secondly he doth cal himselfe the sonne of mā signifiyng that he was subiect to al infirmitity that happē to man sin only excepted For he was hungry he was thirstie he was werie he sorowed he wept he did sweate water blood he suffered the most vile and approbrious death the death of the crosse Lastly hee calleth himselfe the sonne of man as though he were acounted the vilest man in the worlde Beholde I who was borne in a stall laide in a manger poore needy contemned whome they call the Carpenter and the Carpenters sonne beholde I the sonne of man will giue euerlasting life vnto you Nowe if the sonne of man doth giue euerlasting life howe is it that he made this answere to Iames and Iohn to sit at my right hande and at my left hande is not mine to giue but it shall bee giuen to them for whom it is prepared of my father Againe he shall say Come ye blessed of my father inioy you the kindome of my father He saith not my blessed nor my kingdome but blessed of my father and the kingdome of my father and in the fifth of Iohn hee saide I can doe nothing of my selfe Wherfore if he cannot giue to sit at his right or left hande if the kingdome bee not his if he can doe nothing of himselfe how doth he heare promise euerlasting life he saieth blessed of my father the kingdome of my Father I can doe nothing of my selfe because he woulde as man giue to the father all the glory My father hath appoynted these thinges to giue before the beginning of the world I am not now to bestow thē they shalbe giuen to them for whom it is prepared of my father But yet this is true as many as receiued him to them he gaue prerogatiue to be the sonnes of God euen to them that beleeue in his name We are sonnes by nature so we are the sonnes of Adam we are sonnes by discipline so we are the sonnes of Christ we are sonnes by adoption and so we are brothers to Christ and sonnes of God Heare doe the Papists gather that euerlasting life is due vnto vs by desert because by labouring or working for the meate of the soule we get euerlasting life I purpose not to entreat of the controuersie Christ doeth take away all doubt in these words following whē he saieth that hee will giue this life for whatsoeuer we haue of gift that is not of merit They are opposite as Paule saieth By grace you are saued through fayth and that not of your selues it is the gift of God yea by euill workes we deserue death and by good workes we deserue life according to the Maxima of the Logicians But if I followe Paule I must deny the argument for the wages of sinne is death but the gift of God is euerlasting lyfe through Iesus Christ our Lord. Moses did shewe vnto the Iewes the lande of promyse but hee could not bring them into it that was left for Ioshua euen so the law is a scholemaister to bring vs to christ it cannot purchase euerlasting lyfe that is left for Iesus whose office it is to giue euerlasting life and therfore he was sealed of the Father and this is the confirmation taken from the office and functiō of Iesus christ he saith of himself I came not into the world to iudge the world but to saue the world He came not as Herod thought to put him out of his kingdome not to giue Dukedomes and Lordshippes as Iames and Iohn thought not to restore the earthly kingdome to Israell as his Disciples thought not to be a King as the Iewes would haue made him not to call the righteous as the phariseies thought but sinners to repentaunce as we all beleeue For to this purpose hath his father giuen to him his seale he hath sealed him Hereby wee are able to answere all obiections that the deuil al the kingdome of hell is able to lay against vs and say if God be on our side who can be against vs it is christ that iustifieth who shall condemne vs. Hee hath the broad seale of his father to this purpose who can disanull it by this seale we are sealed also as the Apostle saieth grieue not the holy spirite of God by whome ye are sealed vnto the day of redemption by outward exercises we may doubt of others but by this seale the prynte whereof is in our hearts we may assure our selues of euerlasting lyfe Doest thou sacrifice thou doest well so did Abel and so did Cain doest thou prophecie so did Samuell and so did Saul art thou baptised so was christ and so was Simon Magus dost thou cōmunicate so did Simon and so did Iudas dost thou pray in the temple so did the Publican and so did the Pharisie therfore the holy Gost is a seale authentical in our own hearts wherby we may examine try and proue our selues whether we be the sonns of God or reprobates Caine had a marke to be known Esau being rough was known from Iacob being smoth the Lord hath a mark for his enemies and the Lord knoweth who are his The Gileadite by Shibboleth was knowne from the Ephraimite by Shibboleth the 500. valiant men by lapping water like dogges were known from the cowardes who kneeled lapped as Rahab was knowe by binding a red corde about her window as they were saued that had the letter tau on them as the Angell passed from them that had the blood sprinckled on their postes as they were not hurt that had the seale of God in their foreheades so we are known so we are saued so the Angell doth passe from vs so we are not hurt which haue the seale of the holy Gost in our hearts wherby we can
haue in his other hand a rod wrapt in snaks to giue poyson ruine and death beware least while you gape for the scepter you receiue snakes And although your GOD is saide to haue kylled Argos who had a hundred eies least Argos shoulde perceiue the vniust dealying of the Merchauntes yet the Lorde your GOD lyueth who searcheth the corners seeth the bottome heareth the motions and vnderstandeth the thoughtes of your heartes But what sayeth the Prophet All men shoulde prayse the Lorde but aboue all other merchantes are bound to performe the same For sayeth hee they that goe downe to the Sea in ships and occupie their businesse in greate waters these men see the woorkes of the Lord and his woonders in the deepe And when there hee hath fully described the woonders and woorkes of the Lorde that they see hee thus concludeth with a vehement exhortation O that men woulde therefore prayse the Lorde for his goodnesse and declare the woonders that hee hath done for the sonnes of men Twoo thinges are required of you O yee Merchauntes to prayse the Lorde and too declare his woonders that you haue seene vnto others Forsake not the Lorde by goyng too your shippes Remember the shippe that Ionas was in Beware howe you haue felowshippe with heathen men with Infidels Athistes and Papistes because Iehosophat king of Iuda ioyned with Ahaziah king of Israel to sende shippes too Tarshish for gold he was reprehended by Eliezer and his shippes were broken Take Christe into your shippes when Christ was not in the shippe with his Disciples the shippe was almost drowned If Christ be in your shippe let him not sleepe there when he slept the shipp had almost perished Keepe him waking with prayer singing with melodie in your heartes too the Lorde To conclude labour not for the meate which perisheth for then you shall perish but labour for that meate which doth endure vnto euerlasting life for then the sonne of man shall geue you euerlasting life for hee is a Lambe and hee is a Lion hee is a friend and hee is a foe hee is a Iesus hee is a iudge he is a Redeemer hee is a confounder hee will not bruise a broken reede hee will bruise with a rodde of yron hee hath water hee hath fire hee hath heauen hee hath hell hee hath Angels he hath diuels he hath a scepter he hath a sword hee hath Vae woe hee hath Euge go too he hath Benedicti Blessed he hath Maledicti Cursed he hath Venite come hee hath ite goe hee hath a right hand hee hath a left hand he hath ioy he hath sorrowe hee hath mercy hee hath vengeance he doth geue euerlasting death and euerlasting life to him therefore with the Father and the holie Ghost be geuen all honor glory c. Amen An ende of the first Sermon The ii Sermon LAbour not for the meat that perisheth c. FOrasmuche as I haue shewed you the braod way where you shulde not walke the wide gate where you should not enter it is reason that I declare the narrowe way where you should tread and the straight gate where wee all desire to passe thorow Behold I haue opened vnto you the woorkes of darknesse which you must caâ—â— of nowe I will geue you the armour of light which you must put on I haue dehorted you and I hope thorowly dissuaded you from labouring for the meate that perisheth Nowe in the tender mercie of God in the bowels blood and wounds of Iesus Christ I exhort you and I trust I shal thorowly perswade you too labour for that meate which endureth vnto euerlasting life Wherefore as our Sauiour reprehended Martha beeing carefull about many things in preparing the dinner not simply reprehending eyther her labour as her hospitalitie but reprehended her because she did not consider the time wher in Christ taught Mary and offered too teach her and because shee preferred the dressing of the dinner to the hearing of Gods woord and afterwarde exhorted her too followe the example of her sister Mary who had chosen the better parte which neuer should bee taken from her So after that I haue proued that we shuld not labour for the meat which perisheth and that wee all are too carefull for many thinges not considering the tâ—me wherin our Sauiour doth so mercifully offer to teach vs I must exhort you to choose the better parte which neuer shall bee taken from you that is to labour for that meat which endureth vnto euerlasting life For although the Lord did raine flesh as thick as dust feathered foules as the sande of the sea and Manna as the hoare frost yet he would haue euery man to labour and gather it one house might not gather it for an other one man might not sell it or giue it to another euen so euery man must labour for this meate gather it for himselfe be it neuer so plentie being farre better then Manna for Manna melted when the sun did shine but this Manna though heauen and earth should be on fire and burne to ashes continueth euer endureth vnto euerlasting life Although we need not go seeke the arke of GOD as Dauid did nor the booke of the law as Iosias did nor goe vp to Ierusalem to worship as the Iewes did nor desire that one might come from the dead and teach vs as the glutton did we cannot say the law is in the mount with Moses who shall goe vp and fet it wee cannot say as in the dayes of Queene Mary wee might it is beyond the seas who shal goe ouer and bring it vnto vs yet we must not be idle negligent and carelesse we must labour for it although the worde be very neere vnto vs euen in our mouths our harts for to doe it as Moses spak to the Iewes though the Lord hath put his lawes in our mindes and in our hearts hath written them he our God and we his people euery man doeth not or should not neede teach his neighbour nor euery man his brother saying know the Lord but all knowe him from the least to the greatest as Ieremy prophecied yet must we labour for this meate Though Elyas cannot now say I am left alone Achab cannot say there is but one Michiah besides my 400. Prophets though Elyas haue not onely Elizeus for his scholler nor Elizeus onely Esay nor Esay onely Ieremy nor Ieremy onely Daniell nor Daniell onely Aggeus and Zacharias nor the Lorde onely xii Prophets that haue written nor Christ onely eleuen good Disciples but the Lord hath giuen the worde and great is the company of the preachers yet we must labour for this meat Although the Ministers are not scattered abroade as Iohn in Asia Peter in Samaria Phillip in Alexandria Thomas in Aethiopia Bartholomewe in India Andrew in Scythia Simon in Persia Iudas in Mesopotamia Marcus in Colonia Nathanaell in Fraunce Ioseph of Aramithia in Scotland and Paule
if a man be content with that hee hath Secondly wee brought nothing into this worlde neither shall wee cary any thing out Thirdly they that wilbe rich fal into temptation snares into many foolish noisome lusts which drown men in perditiō destruction 4. the desire of mony is the roote of al euil which while some lusted after they erred from the faith and pearced themselues thorough with many sorowes But I heare you say we labour for the meate of the soule we heare the word we loue the Gospel we imbrace the preachers thereof we haue forsaken the Popes yoke and cast of the whores marke I woulde to God many did not so euen for the meate that perisheth to keep their lāds houses liuings libertie countenance the Gospell hath peace quietnes fruition of goodes and lands I wil therfore be a Gospeller Satā was deceiued in Iob. I fear that if I shuld say as he saide I should not altogether erre I wold I might lord doth this people feare thee for nought hast not thou made an hedge about them made their house made their substance to increase in the land but stretch forth thine hand and trouble that they haue they will curse thee to thy face A man so God may haue many friends in time of peace prosperitie but in time of aduersitie persecutiō thē is a friend tried Wheat chaff wil go together vntil they come to the flayle golde and drosse will goe together vntill they come to the fire rust and yron will goe together vntill they come to the scourer but then farewell wheate and farewel chaffe farewel gold and farewel drosse farewell rust and farewell yron Are not now many zealous for the Gospell as Demetrius the siluer smith was hot in mainteining Diana was he so zealous because hee loued Diana or her religion No no but because as he confessed he had his liuing by making of shrines for the goddesse The young man wil folow Christ vntill he come to this fell thy goodes then farewell Christ take vp your crosses saieth Christ lay down your purses and folow me Why were the Priests of Babilon marke whether this bee not true in the priests of Rome so furious against Daniell speaking against Bell was it for loue and zeale they bare to Bell no no there was spent vpon Bell euery night 108. gallons of fine flowre 40. sheepe and 60. gallons of wine The Priestes should haue lost this if Bell had gone down This was the cause of their fury zeale They serued God Bell in the day but God belly in the night wee serue God belly day and night they sayde great art thou O Bell and with thee there is no deceite We cry great art thou O belly and with thee there is no deceite thou eatest vp all Philopenus is nowe euery where who desired hee might haue a necke as long as a Cranes necke But where is Peter Andrew Iames Iohn Mathew who forsooke all and followed Christ Yea but Zacheus gaue but halfe his goods to the poore why did he not geue al Because as Chrisostome noteth the other halfe he reserued to render foure folde if hee had defrauded any man as hee himselfe promised Nay Christ shalbee welcome among the Gergesens but if they loose an hogge I pray you sir departe your roome is better than your companie Great was the loue and zeale of Ornam who gaue bullockes to Dauid and made fire with his threshing instrumēts Great was the loue and zeale of Elizeus who when Elias called him slewe oxen did seeth them with the instrumentes of the oxen But we must doe more then this if our right hand or eye offend vs we must cut them off and pull them out What shall I say the end of the world must needs be at hand because that men doe so loue thēselues To heare of warres saith our Sauiour to haue pestilence famine earthquakes these are but the beginnings of sorowe but when besides these iniquitie shal haue the vpper hand and the loue of men shall fayle then behold he is at the doores In that the preachers of gods word are so neglected and so litle prouided for doth proue that the Lord is at hand and wil shortly take vengeance I would all Magistrates and Patrones of benefices would folow the example of good king Ezechias who in the first yeeare yea the first moneth of his reigne did command the people to giue a part to the Priestes Leuites that they might be encouraged in the lawe of the Lorde Liuinges are not geuen they are solde as common as oysters at Byllingesgate This is the cause that Ministers are not nor cannot be so liberal as their predecessors haue been yea this is the cause why doltes ignorant Asses idle idole Shepheardes haue the liuinges I call thē Idols I wil proue it They haue eyes and see not eares and heare not handes and minister not tongues and speake not I was about to say they haue mouthes eate not but then I shoulde haue slaundered them In this I confesse they are not Idols A good scholer and an honest godlie minister will rather beg then buy your liuinges O yee robbe Churches whose portion shalbe fire and brimstone too drinke for you are the causes why many thousands of soules haue perished of you O the benefice mongers shall be required not hand for hand or eye for eye but blood for blood life for life and soule for soule You make the ministers your seruing men you make them iourney men they haue the name you haue the profite they the straw but you haue the corne nay you haue some straw also I could somwhat beare this if here by they for whom Christ died were not famished therefore in bitternesse of spirite in griefe of hearte in vexation of conscience and in torment of my soule I speake it that euen nowe I doe see as it were Pharaoh king of Egypt rising vppe to condemne you Who when hee solde all the lande of Egypt gaue straight commaundement that no one foote of the Priestes landes shoulde bee solde Reade the hystorie Hadd hee suche care for Idolatrous Priestes and haue you no more care for the Ministers of Iesus Christ Are you Protestantes you Gospellers you Christians You are Athistes Epicures that say in your hearts there is no God But perhaps fewe are heere of whom I speake let me vtter a few words to you merchant men whom I see present and so I will end Although Mercurie who was supposed to bee the God of merchants had winges on his feet and had alwayes a cocke by his side to signifie that merchantes shoulde be swift in their businesse should be vigilant as the cock or rise at the cocke crowing yet labour not to greedily to carefully for this meat for as the good hath in one hand a scepter to giue kingdōs wealth riches so he is pictured to