Petrus misericordia motus sayth Epiphanius Peter beyng moued with pitie more than with zeale and trueth sayd he would refuse none immediatly vpon their repentaunce Meletius moued with trueth zeale affirmed that he would receiue none except they shewed the fruites of true repentaunce by long triall and proofe of amēdement Epiphanius sayth farther Cōtigit Petrum martyrium subire decessit beatus ille It fell out that Peter suffered Martyrdome and died a blessed man and they that held with Peter were called the Catholicke Church they that dyd sticke to Meletius were called the Churche of Martyrs very few stode with Peter the most of the prisoners stode with Meletius who called his Church the Church of Martyrs which were such as would take vp Christes Crosse and folow him The Church of Rome beyng moued neither with pitie zeale truth reasō nor honesty but onely with ambition and couetousnesse refuseth none so they will shew thē selues to be of that Catholicke Church Traytours murtherers théeues coseners cutters adulters baudes strumpets and all other gracelesse persons may vpon the sayd cōditiō haue safe accesse to Rome and be of that Church Whereas these men alledge Succession of place and persons not beyng hable to proue Succession of true doctrine we may say their Succession is nothyng worth For that is not a iust Succession which lacketh the puritie of the Apostolicke doctrine right vse of the Sacramentes Succession of doctrine is the true and infallible marke of the true Church Irenaeus sayth they are not alwayes true Ministers which séeme so to be but they which kéepe the doctrine of the Apostles S. Paule sayth fayth commeth not by Succession but by hearyng and hearyng commeth not of legacie or inheritaunce from Byshop to Byshop but of the word of god He sayth also be ye folowers of me as I am a folower of Christ S. Ambrose sayth Non habent haereditatem Petri qui fidem Petri non habent They haue not Peters inheritaunce that haue not the fayth of Peter Chrisost sayth The pulpit maketh not a Minister but a Minister the pulpit Christ sayd to the Iewes boastyng that they were the séede of Abraham you are of your father the deuill They are not alwayes godly that succéede the godly For S. Paul sayth in the Actes I know this that after my departyng greeuous wolues shall enter in among you not sparing the flocke Also of your owne selues shall men arise speakyng peruerse thyngs to draw away disciples after them He spake this at Miletum to the bishops of Asia Christ sayth that by Succession desolation shall sit in the holy place and Antichrist shall preasse in to the roome of Christ Manasses succéeded Ezechias Hieroboam succéeded Dauid at this day by Succession the Turke possesseth and holdeth the foure Patriarchall seates or seas of the Church Alexandria Hierusalem Constantinople and Antioche Iohānes Saris buriensis sayth In Romana Ecclesia sedent Scribae Pharisaei By Succession the Scribes and Phariseis sit in the Church of Rome Thus you sée how Antiquitie Vniuersalitie and Succession helpe the cause of the shakers of the shyp It foloweth in the text Now when he had left speaking he sayd vnto Simon launch out into the deepe and let downe your nettes to make a draught Christ hauing ended his heauenly Sermon certifieth vs of the truth of the same and declareth himselfe to be God the Lord of heauen earth the sea and all that is in them Hee sayd vnto Simon launch out into the déepe Christ was able to geue fishe to Simon without launching out of his net and without his labour ▪ but his will was to haue him launch out his nette c. That which is sayd to Peter is sayd to al Launch out into the deepe c. Euery man of what estate and condition soeuer he be is commaunded paynefully to follow his vocation with fayth Man forthwith after his creation was set to labour The Lord tooke man and set him in the pleasant garden of Eden to dresse it and to kéepe it It was sayd to Adam after that he had tasted the forbiddē fruite In sudore vultus tui vesceris pane thou shalt eate thy bread with the sweate of thy face The same is sayd to euery man Man is borne vnto trauaile sayth Iob as the sparkes flye vpward Whē thou eatest the labours of thy handes thou shalt be blessed it shall be well with thée Our Sauiour Christ sayth the kindome of heauē is like to a man that is an housholder which went out earely in the morning to hier labourers into his vineyard This housesholder is God the father The kingdome of heauen in in this place is the preaching of the gospell of Christ The labourers are all men The vineyard is the Church Why stād you heare all the day idle goe ye also into the vineyard apply your vocation with fayth in Christ Iesu Laboure while you haue time when the night commeth no man can labour Idlenes is the mother and nourisher of all vices which thinge hath bin obserued in the Primitiue Church where it was ordayned that euerye one should liue of his owne labour The which also the auntient Romanes kept straightly as writeth Cicero in his booke of lawes wherein he affirmeth that in tyme past no Roman durst goe by the streates if he bare not a shew whereon he did lyue to th end that it might be knowen the he liued of his owne labour and not by the sweate of others In consideration thereof the Consull did beare a battell axe before him The priest a hat in manner of a Coyfe The Tribune a mace The Cutler a sword The Smith a hammer The Tayler a payre of sheares The Oratour a booke All godly men heretofore haue laboured and also haue continued in spirituall exercise Noha planted a vineyard The kinglye prophet Dauid laboured euen from his youth The Apostle Paule sustayned great labours Reade of that vertuous and painefull woman in the last chapter of prouerbes she eateth not her bread with Idlenes A good lesson for good huswiues to remember A good lesson for ill huswifes to follow But what shall I say of the holye of all holyes is it not written Iesus fatigatus exitinere Iesus being weary of his iorney c Such was his labour he trauailed sometyme among the Iewes sometyme among the Samaritanes he trauailed to the sea side to the moūtaynes to the wildernes so much trauailed he that his handes féete and whole bodye did sweate droppes lyke bloud trickeling downe to the ground and all for the redemption of miserable man to destroy the works of the deuill It is writtē to the praise of Cyrus king of Persia that in tyme vacant frō the affaires of his realme he with his owne handes had planted innumerable trées which long before he dyed brought forth aboundāce of fruite And for the cunnyng and delectable order in setting of
â—â—ermon preached aâ— Paules Crosse the 19. of Iuli 1579 setting forth the excellencye of Gods heauenlye worde The exceeding mercye of Christ our Sauiour The state of this world A profe of the true Church A detection of the false Church or rather malignant rable A confutation of sundry haeresies and other thinges necessary to the vnskilfull to be knowen By Iohn Dyos Seene and allowed AT LONDON Printed by Iohn Daye dwelling ouer Aldersgate Anno. 1579. Cum Priuilegio Regiae Maiestatis To the right honourable and reuerend Father John by Gods gratious prouidence Byshop of London I. D. wisheth euerlasting felicitye ALBEIT right learned vertuous Prelate the wonderful workmaÌ„ship of the whole world the greatnes and beawtye of the celestiall bodyes the inuiolable order which they keepe in their coÌ„tinuall most swift mouing the inestimable benefites which they yeeld to the inferior partes by their seasonable interchaunges the straunge and sometyme terrible effectes that proceede of their secret influences and operations the continuall intercourses of the dayes and nightes the orderly succeeding of the tymes as winter Springtyme Sommer and Haruest the generation of Cloudes Frosts dewes windes thunder lightning and such other impressions and alterations of the ayre the situation of the huge earth in the middes of the world without any proppe or stay to hold it vp the highnes of the mouÌ„taynes the fertilitye of the valleyes the largenes of the chaÌ„pioÌ„ grouÌ„des the beawtye and vertue of plantes trees herbes and flowers wherewith the earth is so excellently adorned the vnmeasurable widenes of the maine seas some inuironing the compasse of the whole earth and some shooting forth into the maine land to the incomparable commoditye of all countryes the maruelous comming going of the tides the dreadfulnes of the waues rayzed by tempestuous windes the great plentye of all kinde of fishes and moÌ„sters in them the amiablenes of the freshe waters some flowing with restlesse streame into the great Ocean sea some sincking into the earth from whence they spring some staÌ„ding in vnmoueable Lakes and all of them fraught with fishes and other liuing creatures necessarye to the vse of man the propagation multiplication and preseruation of all liuing thinges in their seuerall kindes and finally the most wise and skilfull making of man the Lord of all earthly thinges who is rightly called μικÏόκοσμος that is to say a litle world whose head is euen as it were a litle globe of the world and conceiueth all worldly thinges doe plainly declare shew that there is a God a wise deuiser a mighty worker and fatherly preseruer maintayner of all thinges to whome we ought of right to be subiect in such sort as all our doinges may be agreable to his will yet notwithstanding sinne the mother of all calamityes hath by the fall of our first pareÌ„ts so venemously infected vs all their miserable posteritye and progenye and so blinded vs that what God is and what his will is concerning true religion righteousnes and eternall lyfe wee of our selues are vtterly ignorant Therefore hath he mercifully geuen vs his heauenly worde a rule whereby wee may learne to acknowledge celebrate inuocate and worship him according to the saying of the kingly Prophet Thy worde is a lanterne vnto my feete Of the vertue of this heaueÌ„ly word according to the abilitye which God hath gratiously geuen me I hauing not long sitheÌ„ce publiquely spoken being earnestly requested of certayne vertuously disposed to coÌ„municate my labours to them others haue thought it meete to satisfie their reasonable request which labour I consecrate to your good Lordship and offer the same to your learned iudgement as a scholler to his Maister as a souldiar to his captayne Wherein my endeuour is to seeke the glory of God to encourage the faythfull and to bring into the kinges high way of their saluation such as goe astray and daungerously wander in the marishes of idolatrye and superstition Yet I protest to your Lordship that considering the infelicitye and malignity of this present tyme and the vanitye of opinions I was almost discouraged to speake or to write And if I could doe it without offence to God I would enioyne mee selfe not with Pythagoras schollars to fiue yeares silence but to seuen yeares silence These be the vnhappy dayes that the Apostle sawe so long before wherein men can not abide souÌ„d doctrine The Prophet Esai sayth there were schollars in his time that would say to their teachers Loquimini nobis placentia Speake to vs such thinges as may lyke vs And truely there are now a dayes I feare me too many such scholars too many itching eares too many newfangled persons and to many wranglers But I am coÌ„forted whan I consider that the veritye ouercommeth falshod and that the thinges which are of God doe daunt whatsoeuer is obiected of men and of Sathan himselfe â–ª what hurteth the enemye yf God protect what preuaileth enuy yf the highest preserue They may mutter and murmure brawle and cauill but they cannot hurt Truth will get the vpper haÌ„d Christ will haue the field I would to God euery man would seeke the truth in the worde of god S. August sayth Vbi inueni veritatem ibi inueni Deum meum ipsam veritatem Where I fouÌ„d the truth there I found my God who is the truth it selfe I would to God men would embrace the truth and now at length stick no longer in their mire but cease to defend the denne of Antichrist the house of their spirituall whoredome shops of falshode fraughted with shadowes dreames pride vaineglory and all other abhominable abuses It is great pitie that learning should be so ill bestowed For how much might they be able to doe to the aduauncemeÌ„t of the truth which shew so great cunning and skill in defence of falshod Erasmus a man of excellent and exquisite learning writte much of the prayse of follie what could he haue written in the prayse of wit Cornelius Agrippa writte much of the vanitye of scieÌ„ces what could he haue written in the commendation of sciences how could he haue praysed helth that praysed the feuer quartane how could he haue praysed bewtifull heare that praysed deformed baldnes how many aduenture witte in desperate causes It is a desperate cause that can not be smoothed with words of eloqueÌ„ce No follie so vaine but by some shift it may be maintayned By meanes wherof the blinde drincketh many a flye and the simple eye is sone beguiled Yet notwithstaÌ„ding their Transubstantiation their Purgatorye their Merites their Inuocation of Saintes their Supremacy and such other Romish platyre can not be iustly defended by scripture or Doctours Therfore it were good for those kinde of teachers to cease to abuse the simplicitye of the people and to professe the trueth S. Ambrose sayth Nullus pudor est ad melior a transire It is no shame to remoue to the better Augustine was an infant in Christes
father Origen calleth all them brethren of the Phariseis which séeke to entrap men And Aretius a learned man sayth Diabolicum est quaerere quod carpas quod damnes It is deuilishe to séeke to taunt to carpe to condemne Some folowed him to sée as vaine curious persōs do now a dayes which come to Sermons to see and not to learne Domine volumus a te signū videre Maister we would sée a signe of thee but he aunswered and sayd vnto them this euill and adulterous generation séeketh a signe but there shall no signe be geuen to it saue the signe of the Prophet Ionas Some preasse to heare inuectiues Some to be more ready to contēd and a few alas to few for the loue of Gods holy worde as this company And yet not vnlike but that some of them afterward cried Tolle eū crucifige eū away with him crucifie him Such is the inconstācie of the vnconstant multitude To this tendeth the parable of the séede some fell by the hygh wayes side some vpō stony places some among thornes some fell into good groūd brought forth frute some an hūdred fold some sixtie and some thyrtie folde Thus much for that point By the word of God I vnderstād here the word of the Gospell that is that Iesus is the true Messias the sonne of the woman of whom it is sayd Conteret caput Serpentis he shall breake the Serpentes head and valiantly vanquish the power and puissance of Sathan That sonne of Abraham in whom all the nations of the earth shal be blessed The sonne of Dauid which in the house of Iacob shall raigne for euer That sonne to whom it is sayd aske of me I will giue thée the Heathen for thine inheritaunce sit thou on my right hand till I make thine enemyes thy foote stole To be short that ladder of Iacob which reacheth to heauen Christ taught sometyme the law sometyme the Gospell Albeit the Sermon of Christ in the v. vj. vij Math. is a true interpretation of the law yet notwithstāding the law is not the thyng for preachyng whereof Christ was sent in to this world For as we read in Esay 61. 1. vers The spirit of the Lord is vpon me for the Lord hath annoynted me and sent me to preach good tidynges vnto the poore Christ came not as a law maker or a law teacher as Moyses came before Hereunto is added that the word of the law doth slea or kill as S. Paule teacheth but the word of Christ giueth life as he testifieth him selfe veryly veryly I say vnto you if a man kéepe my saying hee shall neuer sée death The law is a knowledge knowen by nature as the Apostle witnesseth The Gospel is not knowē by nature but published frō the secret determination of the Godhead by our Lord Sauiour Iesus Christ Lex per Mosen data est gratia veritas per Iesum Christū facta est The law was geuen by Moyses but grace and truth came by Iesus Christ And our Sauiour saith to his disciples To you it is geuen to know the secretes of the kingdome of god c. And also to Peter he sayth flesh bloud hath not opened that vnto thée but my father which is in heauē Read. 1. Cor. 2. 1. Cor. 4. 2 Cor. 5. Collos 4. 1. Tim. 3. Rom. 16. The law sheweth sinne The Gospell sheweth Christ the Sauiour of the world teachyng that sinnes are forgeuē to all that beleue in him that they are reconciled to god These thynges do the wisemen Prophetes Scribes specially teach which are sent from the sonne of God. The law requireth onely obedience and condēneth the guilty The Gospell giueth remission of sinnes freely in the name of Christ to the penitent relieueth and comforteth the troubled consciences with his sweete promises The promises of the law are conditionall ye shal kéepe my ordinaunces and my iudgementes which if a man do he shall liue in them the promises of the Gospell are certaine and free Come to the waters all ye that be thirsty and ye that haue no money come buy wyne and milke without any money or moneys worthe All haue sinned and haue néede of the glory of God but are iustified fréely by his grace through the redēption that is in Christ Iesus Therfore by fayth is the inheritaūce geuē that it might be by grace The law proposeth preceptes the Gospell hath promises The law is a rule of good workes the Gospell is a doctrine of the person and benefites of the Messias The law denounceth the wrath of God eternall malediction death and damnation to all men for sinne Maledictus omnis qui nō permāserit in omnibus his c Cursed be he that continueth not in all the woordes of this law to do them all the people shall say Amen The Gospell offereth remission of sinnes to all men To giue knowledge of saluation to his people for the remission of their sinnes The law iustifieth none saueth none deliuereth none from sinne but accuseth bewrayeth sinne condemneth all the Gospell of Christ is the power of God to saluation to all that beleue offeryng to all remission of sinnes rightuousnes eternall life To be short the law is to be terribly thundered to the wicked negligent and impenitent the Gospell is sweetely to be sounded to those that acknowledge their sinnes and hartily repent for the same The swéete proclamatiō of Christ teacheth the same Come vnto me all ye that labour sore and are laden and I will ease you c. Of this we haue example in the Prophet Nathan who by a similitude thundered the law agaynst kyng Dauid Dauid repenteth saying I haue sinned against the Lord Nathan pronounceth the Gospell The Lorde hath put away thy sinne thou shalt not dye The worde of God or doctrine of Christ is called the worde of God that is the doctrine which Christ him selfe reuealed to men Whereof the principall point is frée remission and forgiuenesse of sinnes by fayth in Christ Iesus The efficient cause of this Gospell is the whole Godhead the eternall Father eternall Sonne and eternall holy Ghost The mouyng cause is the excéedyng mercy of God and his passyng loue toward mākynd So God loued the world that he gaue his onely begottē sonne that whosoeuer beleueth in him should not perish but haue euerlastyng lyfe The first instrumētall cause is the sonne of God our Lord Iesus Christ An other instrumentall cause are the Prophetes Apostles Euangelistes other teachers of the doctrine of the Gospell Therfore the Apostle sayth Let men estéeme vs as the Ministers of Christ and disposers of the secrets of god We together are Gods labourers c. we are messengers for Christ euen as though God did beséech you through vs. The materiall cause is Christ with all his