is so hard a thing for him that aboundeth in Riches too bee saued Fol. Folio 202. 203 Two meanes to withstād the mischiefes of Riches and worldly wealth Folio 204 There is no assurance to bee had of worldly Riches Folio 204 The estimation that is to be had of all earthly things and consequently of Riches Folio 205 S. Sacrament ¶ What a Sacrament is Folio 118 How the body and bloud of Christ are sayde to be meate and drinke thys concerneth the Sacrament Folio 137. 138 Against the carnal eating and drinking of Christ body and bloud in the Sacrament Folio 142. 143 What to eate Christes bodie and to drinke his bloud as in the Sacrament Fol. Folio 144. 145. 146 The eating of Christ by faith is no derogation to the dignitie of the Sacrament and profit therof Folio 147 In the vse of the Sacrament is a double eating to be noted Folio 148 Our sences in the vse of the Sacrament are helpers to our better receyuing of the same Folio 148. 149. 150 The dissention of the Protestantes for the Sacrament is no such greate matter as the Papists make it Folio 56 The wickednesse of the minister doeth not derogate any thing from the effect of the Sacrament c. Folio 119 The faith of the receiuer not the life of the minister doth helpe or hinder in the effect of the Sacrament Folio 120 Fruiteful actions and doctrines concerning the Sacrament of the Lords supper Folio 33 Christ his body c. receiued in the Sacrament of the Lords supper Folio 34 The enemie of Christ in the Sacrament is not carnally to be vnderstoode Folio 35 Papisticall vntruthes and abuses concerning the Sacrament of the Lordes supper Folio 35 Blasphemous doctrine of wicked mens eating of the bodie of Christe in the Sacrament refelled Folio 152 153 How we ought to prepare our selues to the worthye receiuing of the Sacrament of Christs bodie and bloud Folio 154 How we are to make triall of our selues before we come to receiue the Sacrament of Christs bodie and bloud Folio 154. 155. 156. A briefe and pithie prayer for communicāts to say before they receiue the Sacrament of Christs bodie and bloud Fol. Folio 157. 158 The faithful togither with the outward signe receiue the inwarde thinges in the Sacrament Folio 128 Sacraments ¶ The difference betwixte the Iewes Sacrament and ours consisteth in externall signes respect of time Folio 133. 134 Sacramēts are badges by which we christians are knowne from Idolaters Folio 150 Sacraments are the seales whereby Gods promises are confirmed vnto vs. Folio 151 How Christes bodie and bloud is truely and rightly to be eaten and drunken as well in the Sacraments as without them Folio 142 What the internal part of Sacraments is Fol. Folio 122 Sacraments are seales whereby the letters patents of our saluation in Christ are confirmed vnto vs. Folio 123 Why Sacraments were ordayned Folio 125 Our infirmitie the first cause why Sacraments were ordayned Folio 125 The second cause why Sacraments were instituted is oure exercise in the remembraunce of Christs benefits Folio 126 The thirde ende wherevnto Sacramentes were appointed Folio 126 Sacraments consist of three parts Folio 120 The second part whereof Sacraments doe consist is the spiritual or inward thing Fol. Folio 122 The third part wherein Sacraments consist is the words of Christs institution and promise Folio 124 The fourth cause why Sacramentes were ordayned Folio 126 The last cause why Sacraments were appointed Folio 127 God the only author of Sacraments Folio 118 Sacraments vnite vs vnto Christ Folio 151 Sacraments are too linke vs togither in brotherly vnitie Folio 151 Papisticall Sacraments of their owne deuise Folio 32 Papistes cannot be knowne to be of the true Church by their Sacraments Folio 30 Papisticall number of sacraments Folio 30 Sacraments markes of Gods Church Folio 23 What diffeeence is to bee obserued betwixt the Sacramentes of the olde Iewes c. Folio 129 Saluation ¶ Christonly is al in al to Saluatiō Folio 85. 86 It is not sufficient to Saluation to be idle professours of God but also doers of godly deedes Folio 160. 161 Blasphemous derogation to the merits of Christs working our Saluation Folio 91 The letters patents and seales of our Saluation what they are Folio 123 The old Iewes vnder the law hadde the same hope of Saluation by Christ that we now haue Folio 129. 130. 131 Protestants doctrine of Saluation is the doctrine of the Scripture Folio 234 Scismes ¶ Christēdome torne by Popish Scismes Fol. Folio 103 Scismes in the East Church whiche were Christians Folio 58 Scismes between diuerse of the auntient fathers Folio 58. 59 The Papistes cannot without their own great shame obiect Scismes to Protestants Folio 59 Scriptures ¶ The learned aduersarie refuseth to be tryed by the Scriptures and why Folio 25 Why Papistes doe refuse tryall by the Scriptures Folio 26 Blasphemie of the Papistes againste the Scriptures Folio 26 The written Scriptures onely are and ought to bee sufficiente to trye all truth Folio 23 The Papistes refuse triall by the Scriptures Folio 24 Three poyntes shewing how the Papistes esteeme the Scriptures Folio 24. 25 How the Church may iudge or vse the Scriptures concerning their truth Folio 27 Greuous faults in the Church of Rome by taking hir authoritie ouer the Scriptures Folio 27. 28 Manifest false interpretations of Scriptures vsed by Papistes Folio 28 Doctrines of Papists againste the Scriptures in sixe perticulars Folio 28. 29 Sectes ¶ Protestantes are not to be blamed for the Sectes that happen in the time of the Gospell Folio 55 Sectes do more agree to Papistes than to Protestants Folio 55 Papisticall Schoolemen which diuided themselues into Sectes and how hurtfull that is to Christianitie Folio 6 Sinne. ¶ God is not the author of Sinne. Folio 166 The punishment of Sinne and what are the causes that moue God to plague men Folio 168 We cannot acknowledge a God but that withall he must punish sinne Folio 191 Wicked menne are plaged of God for their owne Sinnes to our example Folio 162 Soule ¶ Faith the mouth of the Soule whereby Christ is eaten Folio 144 A comparison betwixte the body and the Soule Folio 138 What the Soule is to the body that is God to the Soule Folio 138 How Christ was prepared to bee the foode of our Soules Folio 139 Christ the foode of our soules Folio 136. 137 Succession ¶ Papistes obiect Succession as a true note of their Church Folio 36 How the argumente of Succession hathe bin vsed by the fathers Folio 37 Succession is nothing without the doctrine of the Apostles Folio 38 The true Church better proued by doctrine than succession c. Folio 39 Personall Succession is no sure proofe that the Romish Churche is the true Church Folio 42 T. Transubstantiation ¶ The absurditie of Transubstantiation Fol. Folio 121 V. Vniuersities ¶ The cause of few Diuines in Vniuersities of the best sorte of wittes Folio 64 Diuersitie of opinions betwixt
And yet doth Irenaeus confute the same Heretiks by those bokes of holy Scriptures which they themselues allowed Now as it was necessary in this case for those fathers for trial of truth to resort to the Succession of the Apostolicall churches that the scriptures in them reserued from the Apostles time mighte bee of more authoritie among them that beleeued not the scriptures So it is not necessary so to deale agaynst them which willingly and gladly submit themselues to all the partes of the Canonicall scriptures Neither do those Fathers stay vpō these churches because of their ordinary Successiō as the patrones of the church of Roome now doe but because in that ordinarye Succession the Doctrine of the Fathers was still kept inuiolable according to the word of God Whiche thing if the Church of Roome were able to prooue wee would willingly yeelde vnto it That those learned Fathers did this it shall euidently appeare vnto you by the verye same places whiche they alleadge for their purpose Irenaeus sayth Presbyteris obaudire oportet qui successionem babent ab Apostolis i. We must heare or giue eare to the ministers which haue their suc cessyon from the Apostles But he sayeth not so onelye but immediately addeth Et cum Episcopatus Successione charisima veritatis certum secundum placitum patris acceperunt i. And together with the Succession in their Bisho pricke haue receaued also the certaine grace of true Doctrine according to the will of the Father And in the very next Chapter agayne after he had giuen certayn Markes of ill teachers much agreeing to the course of the Church of Roome at these dayes he addeth Of all suche persons we must beware and cleaue to them which as I haue sayde before both keepe the Doctrine of the Apostles and togither with the order of Priesthood shew wholesome and true teaching with honest conuersation of life Neither doth Irenaeus onlye thus replye vpon the Doctrine of the Apostles but the residue also of those Fathers whome they alleadge for the authoritye of Succession Tertul. sayth as he is alleaged by them Let them shew the beginninges of their Churches Let the Heretikes deuise some such Succession c. But marke I pray you what immediately followeth For their Doctrine being cōpared with the doctrine of the Apostles by the diuersity and contrarietie thereof wil euidently shew it selfe to be the doctrine neither of any Apostle nor any Apostolicall man Doth he not in playne words shew y ◠Succession without the Doctrine of the Apostles is nothing worth S. Augusti likewise against the Epist Fūdamentum c. when he hath reckoned vp those things which moued him to remayne in the church among which Successiō is but one He addeth No such thing is with you where is only a promise of persons teaching the truth which truth if it were so euidently declared that we might not iustly doubt of it it were to be preferred before all those thinges with whiche I am kept in the Church c. What can be more euident then that S. Aug. doth attribute more to truth of doctrine manifestly proued by the word of God then to Succession or any other token that can be alleaged Succession with continuance of Apostolical Doctrine ought to be of great authoritie but without it nothing It is notable that Tertullian hath in the Boke before alleaged How commeth it saith he that Heretikes are straungers and ennimies to the Apostles but only by the diuersity of their Doctrine which they deuise of their own brayn agaynst the Apostles Wherfore the corruption of scriptures and the exposition thereof is to be thought to be among thē where diuersitie of Doctrine contrarye to the Apostles is founde This is a notable witnesse agaynst the church of Roome whose Doctrines be so diuerse from the doctrine of y ◠primatiue church The sonnes of Aaron had more allowable Succession from Aaron than the Bishops of Rome haue from Peter and yet because they brought straunge Fyre into the Temple of God they were reiected and perished Euen so sayth Cyprian Those which in the Churche of God do imitate them and contemning the truth deliuered by God desire strange doctrines and bring into the church the instruction of humain ordinance them Christ sharpely rebuketh in the Gospel saying You cast away the commaundement of God that you may place your own deuises c. Annas and Cayphas had full Succession from Aaron yet were it hard therevpon to conclude that they had the righte of the true Churche and Christe and his Disciples to be Seismaticks Though they pretend to haue the ordinary Succession of Bishoppes in their Seas sure wee are that wee haue the Succession of the sincere Doctrine of our saluation which they haue not For if their Doctrine be cōpared with the Doctrine of the Apostles by the diuersitye contrarietie thereof it will appeare that it is the Doctrine neyther of the Apostles nor of anye Apostolicall men The Doctryne of the Apostles is that Christe is not onelye GOD Eternall with the Father but that hee is Manne also taking fleshe of the blessed Virgine in all thinges like vnto vs sinne only excepted and that in his humanitie hee is nowe ascended into Heauen and sitteth perpetually at the right hand of the father But the Doctrine of the Church of Roome telleth vs that the humanitie of Christ and his very naturall body and blood are really and carnally not in heauen alone but in tenne thousande places also on the earth at one instante the whiche propertye is peculier to God alone For nothing but God can be in moe places but one at once As the whole scriptures declare The Doctrine of the Apostles is that Christ is by God appoynted to be our only Mediatour Reconciler Aduocate and intercessoure to make attonemente betweene God and vs so often as our sinne shall seuer vs from him and that to that end he sitteth now at the right hande of God that he may appeare before him for vs. But the doctrine of the Church of Roome putting Christ out of office teacheth vs that beside Christ we haue an infinit number of Mediatours and Intercessours to procure vs fauoure and to make reconciliation betweene God and vs that is the whole number of the Aungels and Saintes in Heauen The Doctrine of the Apostles is that Christ is our only Redeemer and sauyoure and by the price of his blood hath purchased for vs full and perfite remission of sinne But the Doctrine of Roome is that we haue remission of sins not onely by Christe but by the merites and prayers of saynts by our own good workes by Masses by Pardons by Purgatory by holy water a number of other things so that not without note of blasphemye they matche the vayne deuises of men for the remission of our sinnes with the Blood of the sonne of God the most excellente price of our
Redemption The Doctrine of the Apostles is that Christ is our onely Priest for euer according to the Order of Melchizadech that with once offering of himselfe hath for euer made perfecte them that bee sanctified But the Church of Roome telleth vs that Christe hath a state of Priesthoode succeeding him which must dayly and continually offer the very natural body and blood of Christe to God the Father for the remission of the sins of y e quick the dead The Doctrine of the Apostles is that Christe is the only Mayster and teacher of his church in his holy word hath deliuered vnto it al truth But the Church of Roome teacheth vs that Christ hath not deliuered vnto vs all truth but that there be many thinges necessarye to be beleeued which are not contained in the Scriptures herevpon doe they ground al their vnwritten verities and vayne tradicions of men saying that they are to bee receiued with the like Reuerence that the written worde of GOD is The Doctrine of the Apostles is that Christ is the onlye Heade of his Churche and the Ruler and gouernor of the same but the Church of Rome would perswade vs that the Pope his successors are the heads of the vniuersall church of Christ The doctrine of the Apostles is that Christ is the only Foundacion ground of his Church wherevpō it resteth and is stayed for S. Paule sayth that No man can lay any other foundacion then that is layd Christe Iesus But the church of Rome teacheth vs that S. Peter and his successours be the foundation of the Church and that Hell gates shall neuer preuayle against that church that is builded vpon that foundation This may you see very euidently how well the doctrine of the Church of Roome agreeth w t the doctrine of y e Apostles And therfore though they haue personall Succession neuer so muche yet because they haue not Succession of this true doctrine that may not iustly be taken for the right Churche of Christ Now if they will continue to aske of vs where oure Succession is We aunswere that wheresoeuer since the comming of Christ there hath bene any persons vpon the the face of the earth that haue confessed this sincere truth and doctrine We say that they are our predecessors we are their Successors and with them members of the true Church Therefore our church is not so new a Church as they would make it but as auncient as the Doctrine is which is the most auncient Doctrine y t euer was vpon the face of the earth But if this their personal Successiō be the greatest proofe of their Church What will they saye of the Grecians Who haue hadde Successyon of Bishops for as long continuaunce as they haue and yet did neuer acknowledge the Supremacy of Rome nor that it was the only Catholike church but a member of it only as others were Oh will they say The Grecyans were Scismatickes yea but they haue cōtinual succession of Bishops professing Christ And by what authority proue they that forsooth because they separate themselues from the Apostolicall Sea And is that sufficient Why if the Grecians are to bee counted Scismatyckes because they forsake the sea of Roome howe muche more is Roome it selfe to be counted no true Churche whiche hath swarued from Christe himselfe as before I haue declared both in Doctrine and in the right vse of the Sacramentes Wherefore their alleadging of the name and Title ot the Church is euen a lyke shyft as the Jewes vsed against Ieremie and the other Prophets of God in old tyme saying Templum Domini Templum Domini i. The Tēple of the Lord The Tēple of the Lord. Whereas the Lord did acknowledge nothing among them to bee his So do they now crie we are the catholique church We are the catholique Church and God hath promised that he will neuer forsake it but alwaye assiste it with his holye spirite and therefore hath it prospered so many yeares Or if the Churche of Roome be not the true Church there hath bene no church at all for certayn hundred yeares For where was your churche scene within these fourty yeares before Luther began What token was there of your Doctrine had christ no church at al yes truely had he God forbid that Christ at any time should not haue his true church But good people it is not alway necessarie that the churche of GOD should be Notable or flourishe in the outwarde face of the Worlde by continuall Successyon of Byshops GOD and the worlde bee contrary and therefore often times the Churche is more notable by contempte of the world and persecution then by great Number or Power Yea sometime they whiche in the outwarde shewe of the Worlde and by certayne externall Signes mighte seeme to bee the Church and haue taken vppon them the name of the Churche and people of GOD haue bene persecutors and to theire power the Oppressors of the true Churche of God as it appeareth towarde the Prophets towarde Christe himselfe and towarde his Apostles Wherefore though the heads and gouernors of the church with the assistance of the greater number doe forsake the true worde worshipping of God doe make new lawes repugnante to gods word do bring newe Rites ceremonies into the church and vtterly corrupt and deface the righte Sacramentes and true markes of the Churche yet GOD reserueth to himselfe his true churche sending from tyme to tyme Doctours and Teachers to lead them although the same bee not allowed by them that will bee counted the Ordinary gouernoures of the churche but esteeme them as Scismatiks as Heretiques as disturbers of the people of God So were the Prophetes vsed so was Christe himselfe and his Apostles serued by the Jewes that woulde be counted the true churche of of GOD. But this I wil declare vnto you by particuler Examples Noe had preached as some write sixe score yeares but to howe small effecte it did afterwarde appeare when that in the Deluge eyghte personnes onelye of his Familye were saued Consyder then what countenaunce the Churche of GOD had in the World before the Deluge when it consisted onlye in eighte Personnes and they not the best esteemed in the time of Abraham Isaac and the Patriarches In how few and small families were they dispersed vpon the face of the Earth in whome the dignitie of the Church consisted Achas King of Iuda Vria the high Bishop and the other Priests not resisting him shut vp the Temple of GOD and tooke away the Chayre so that vndoubtedly the ordinary Sacrifice and Teaching of Gods Lawe did cease and yet was there an holy and true Church in the Kingdome of Iuda where Esay and other good men did Teach but extraordinarily Vnder Manasses the true Doctrine and celebration of the Sacramentes ceased and so this Defection continued vntill it was refourmed by the good King Iosias yet
notwithstanding in that tyme GOD did sende his Prophets and there was a true Church of God in Iuda In the Kingdome of Israell Ieroboam deposed the true Teachers of the Lawe and placed other prophane and vnlearned Priestes in their roomes yea hee made Temples with Caluish Idols new Alters wholy a new worshipping of God so that in Israell appeared no external token of the church of God And yet certainly it cannot be denied but God euen then had his Church in Israell whiche to repayre and mayntayne he did at sundry times send his Prophets Preachers but how they were vsed and estemed the scriptures doe well declare Achab the most wicked of al other who to the wickednesse of Ieroboam added the detestable idolatrie of Baal and so cleane defaced the true worshipping that Elias that good Prophet begā now to loà th that people in whom appeared no token of Gods true worshippinge therefore fledde into a Caue And when GOD asked him what hee didde there Oh Iorde sayde he thy people haue forsaken thy couenaunt they haue pulled downe thyne Aulters they haue killed thy Prophets so that I only am lefte and yet they seeke to haue my soule also What shewe had the Churche of God then when Elias thought there had beene no moe but hym selfe And yet God aunswered that he had left vnto him euen in Israel a populous Church of 7000. that neuer bowed their knee to the Image of Baal This may be a full answere to them that feare if we shoulde not acknowledge the Churche of Rome to be the true Catholike Church that Christ should haue no Church at all Yes vndoubtedly in the greatest tyrannie and corruption of the Churche of Rome God reserued to himselfe a great and populous Church and companie of good people that neuer were distained with the wickednesse of that Sea and sought to worship God truely according to his holy worde althoughe in some finall errours they were caryed away with the blindnesse of the time And this could I confirme by very Notable examples yet remaining in histories if the time would serue As I haue sayd of the time of the Prophetes so may I say of Christes time and his Apostles The Jewes were then esteemed the people of God they had among them the lawe of God they vsed sacrifices appointed by God yet did they put Christ to death yet dyd they persecute his Apostles yet dyd they endeuour to extinguish both the name of Christ and also his religion Wherefore looke what Defence or what comforte of conscience the Prophets of GOD in olde time had Christ himselfe at his comming and his Apostles afterwarde myghte haue agaynst the Bishoppes and Priestes of the Jewes alleaging that they were the Churche of GOD that they had the temple of God that at their mouthes shoulde bee fette the interpretation of the law of God The same defence I say the same comfort strength of conscience may We haue against those at these dayes that assault our cōsciences w t the Title of y ◠church of Rome saying that they are y ◠Catholike church that they haue the true doctrine of God y t they haue authoritie to interprete the scriptures and word of God and thereby seeke to make vs ashamed of the Gospel now preached c. The end of the second Sermon ¶ The third Sermon Non me pudet Euangelij j. I am not ashamed of the Gospell of Christ for c. I Wil now come to those that seeke to make mē ashamed of y ◠Gospell by saying that y ◠professors thereof are in life dissolute licentious y ◠they are in common Weales troublesome seditious y ◠they are in their doctrine disagreeing contentious with such other quarrels rising of malice rather then anye good truth As touching the first point I will be the shorter becanse I haue so much spoken of y ◠thing before as y ◠whatsoeuer by frailtie happeneth among y ◠protestantes sure I am our greatest aduersaries cannot iustly say or surmise that our doctrine in it selfe maintaineth any such dissolutenes of life I confesse vnto them y ◠there be diuers y t turne the grace libertie of y ◠Gospel to a licentiousnes of lyfe by their examples cause men to suspect y t our doctrine as hurtful to good manners an enimie to vertuous liuing This is so plaine I will not denie it It is so euill I can not defend it It is so grieuous I may not dissemble it Yea I graunt furthermore y ◠among the best professors of y ◠Gospel I see not that perfectnes that should be but somtimes euill and hurtfull examples our fault I confesse is the greater and with heauie hartes we may acknowledge it to be true But what of all this Is that cause sufficient to feare mē frō our Doctrine is that ynough to cause men to be ashamed of y ◠Gospell God forbyd The like vndoubtedly were in Christes time the like were in the Apostles time Yea among the .xii. there was one wicked Iudas and yet thoughe some were euill all were not so Christ himself was reproued as a drunkarde or glutton the Apostles were called seditious the fathers were noted to disagree among themselues What meane those vehement exhortations y t S. Paule vsed to moue men to puritie innocencie of life What meaneth y ◠terrible threatnings against wicked and vitious liuers Doe they not euidently declare that godlynes innocencie was more cōtemned wickednes naughtines more embraced then dyd become y ◠true professors of y ◠Gospel And yet could not mē at y t time take iust cause to bee ashamed of the Gospell But this is not a litle to be maruailed at y ◠the same persons that pretend themselues to be so greatly offended eyther w t the licentiousnesse of the false Gospellers or with the frailtie of them that truely professe it can winke with both eyes and without offence suffer in the Cleargie of Rome shamlesse Simonie incōtinence druukennes Diceplaying hunting Nicromancie ambition vriberie crueltie couetousnes extortion and open iniurie I know comparison is odious by example of other I learne that to make offers in this place is daūgerous Yet notw tstanding this offer will I make that if all the aduersaries of the Gospell be hable vpon any credible proofe more than their owne sclaunderous libells to shewe so many horrible examples of all kinde of wicked vices in the professors of the Gospell that haue bene since God restored to the worlde the trueth of his worde as I will shewe them by testimonie of theyr owne Histories and other probable writers to haue bene in the sea of Rome it selfe that among their most holy Fathers and heades of their church then I say I wyll openly confesse that theyr lyfe and doctrine is better then ours But if they cannot shame it is for them anye longer
to haue written hys Epystle but his whale Gospell also to this ende only and principallye that Christyans shoulde vnderstand that Christ only and no other thing or person is the meanes to bring to the people of God remissyon of sinne Justification Redemption and all the Benefites and parts of our saluation For in that gospell Christ is declared to be the Lambe of god that taketh awaye the sin of the world The fulnes of Gods grace of whose fulnesse all we take part The brasen Serpent that only healeth the sting of the olde Serpent Sathan The Fountaine of liuing water of which he that drinketh shall neuer thyrste The bred of life which he that eateth shal neuer die The true foode and drink of our soules of which hee y ◠eateth drinketh shall be sure to haue eternall life The Lighte of the world which only scattereth disperceth the clowds of ignorance and errour maketh vs to see the truth of God and right way of Saluation The good Sheapheard that giueth his lyfe for the benefite of his Sheepe The onlye Doare whereby we enter into the Church of GOD and so into eternall Lyfe The very Waye Truth and Lyfe without which Waye there is no walking to Heauen but wādring by wrong pathes vnto the Diuell without which Truth there is nothing but falshood and errour withoute which Life there is nothing but death eternal The true Vine by which only as branches we sucke the sweete and liuing iuyce of Gods holy spirite and without which wee are hable to doe nothing The onelye giuer of the blessed comforter that doth worke the peace of our Consciences and direct vs into all truth c. What good christian hart waying these things doth not thereof conceaue vnestimable comfort and more quietnesse of conscience then in all the heapes of mens deuises which they haue imagined to purchase vs the fauour of GOD and remission of sinne Yea what faithfull minde after the vnderstanding and imbracing of this sweete Doctrine doeth not deteste as blasphemous and wicked all suche as directe vs to any other meane of Saluation then the bloode of Christe onlye Wherefore the people of GOD muste bee well assured by this seconde rule of Saint Iohn that not onely they are false Prophets Wolues and of the spirit of Antechrist that in grosse tearmes denie Christ to haue come in fleshe but they also whiche will seeme constantlye to confesse this Article to bee moste true and yet in verye deede colourably and as it were vnder sheepes cloathing denie impugne and disgrace the causes Fruite Profite and effectes thereof by attributyng the same to other things than vnto the Death and merites of Christ only Now whether the Teachers of the Church of Roome doe this or no let such as haue the feare of god and care of their saluation vnfaynedly consyder They teach that Christe is not our onlye Mediatour and intercessoure vnto GOD or if they say so in wordes in effecte they denye it when they affyrme that wee haue infinite other that is all the Sayntes in heauen that be our Mediatours and Intercessoures for vs to directe our praiers to thē or by them They teach that Christs death is not a full satisfaction for the whole sinnes of the World or if in wordes they will saye so in Trueth they denye it when they affyrme that Christe his bodye was offered vppon the Crosse for the debte of Originall Sinne only and that for oure other daylye Offences it is offered in the Sacrifice of the Masse Or when they affyrme as Gabriell Biell doeth That althoughe Christe his Passion be the principall Merite for which grace is gyuen and the Kingdome of Heauen is opened yet it is neuer the only and whole meritorious cause thereof because there euer concurreth with the merite of Christe some worke or merite of him that receiueth the grace They teach that we haue not remission of sins the fauor of god only by christ but partly by the merites of Saynts partly by our fasting Almes deeedes and other good workes partly by pardons by Pilgrimages by Masses by building of churches erecting of chaunteries by holy water and such other thinges Wherefore I may conclude euen by this rule by whiche S. Iohn directeth vs to trie y ◠spirits of preachers whether they be of God or no y t the teachers maintainers of the Doctrine of the Churche of Rome are not suche as Christian men ought to beleeue and giue credite vnto but rather to beware of them and take heede that they bee not seduced by them The thyrde poynte of Doctrine is how we may be partakers of Christe comming in fleshe and how the benefites thereof are truely and rightly applied vnto vs. A doctrine surely no lesse needeful then the two former for in vayne to no purpose in respect of vs doth Christ come in flesh and suffer death if the benefits therof be not applied to vs and we made partakers of the same Now what this Mean is S. Ioh. in the same Epist doth euidently declare vnto vs saying Let that remain in you that you haue herd frō the begining For if that remain in you that you haue heard at the beginning you also shall abide in the son in the father What it is to abide in that which they heard in the beginning he afterward playnely expoundeth that is constantly with sure fayth to beleeue y ◠premises of God in his Gospel assuring vs of Saluation in Christes Sonne For this he writeth Euery one that is borne of God ouercōmeth the world this is the victory that ouercōmeth the world euē our faith Who is he that ouercommeth the world but he that beleueth that Iesus Christ is the sonne of god And after He that beleueth in the son of god hath the witnes in himself he that beleueth not god hath made him a liar becaus he beleued not in the witnes of God which he testified of his son And this is the record that God hath giuen vnto vs eternal life and this life is in his sonne In these words we haue first that saluatiō eternall life is y e gift of God not a thing of vs deserued Secōdly y ◠God the Father by his witnes promise doth assure vs that we shall be partakers therof for the merite of Christe his Sonne only This life sayeth hee is in his Sonne Lastlye that the meanes to be made partakers hereof is assuredlye to beleeue the truth of GOD promissing this in his sonne or else by infidelitie wee make God a lyer and leese out partes of his promise Christ himselfe also beareth witnesse of the same Meanes to apprehend our saluation So God loued the world that he gaue his onely begotten sonne that whosoeuer doth beleeue in him should not perishe but haue eternall life c. And agayne He that beleeueth in him is not condemned but he
that beleeueth not is condemned alreadie because he dothe not beleeue in the name of the sonne of God And in the 6. Chapter This is the will of my Father that sent mee that he that seeth the Sonne beleeueth in him should haue eternall life The full consent of the Prophets doth iustifie this Meane of our saluatioÌ„ For as Peter sayth To this all the Prophetes beare witnesse that through his name all they which beleeue in him shal receaue remission of sinnes The whole Church of Christ beareth witnesse to this which in all hir generall councells doth teach euerie true Christian to say I beleeue that Iesus Christ descended from heauen for vs and for our saluation that he was made man borne suffered died rose againe and was receaued into Heauen c. And all to this end that by this Sauiour we myght haue remission of sinne Resurrection of the fleshe and euerlasting lyfe All these things doth y t EuaÌ„gelist S. Iohn affirme in one little sentence These thinges are written that you may beleeue that Iesus Christ is the sonne of God and that in beleeuing ye might haue life through his name By these wordes wee are taught why the Gospell is written and preached to men that is that they should beleeue and iustifie God in his promise to be true Secondly that by beleeuing they should haue the fruites of Christes comming in the flesh and therefore faith and beleefe is the Meanes to apply Christ and his benefites vnto vs. Thirdly that wee haue life and saluation onely by the meere mercie of God in Christ and not by any merite of ourselues or other meÌ„ or by the dignitie and worthinesse of our selues or our doinges whatsoeuer going before or comming after This benefite therefore to applye Christes merites and fruites of hys Passion vnto vs can not in any wyse bee imputed to any other workes or vertues bee they neuer so excellent but to fayth onely and that not for the dignitye of faythe neyther but for this cause onely for that faythe resperteth no other thyng but doth rest and staye it selfe vppon the sure and vnfallible promyse of God grounded and founded on the grace and merite of Christ This promyse doth faythe apprehende as I haue sayde and doth assure hymselfe to bee partaker of it because God is true and can not deceaue And thoughe our faythe sometyme bee weake and not so strong as it shoulde bee yet wee maye not dispayre for this our weakenesse and infirmitie but wee must comforte our selues wyth thys sweete promyse that he which paydr the price of our saluation as the Prophete witnesseth Doth not breake the brused reede nor extinguishe smookyng Flaxe Onely let vs saye wyth him in the Gospell I beleeue but O Lorde helpe myne vnbeliefe And with the Apostles O Lorde increase our Faith For as Christ saith If wee haue fayth no more than a graine of mustarde seede we shall by it worke great things This doctrine of apprehending the benefites of our saluation and applying the fruites of Christes Incarnation death passion by faith onely The patrons and teachers of the Church of Rome haue most impugued Their voyces thereof ring in euery mans cares their bookes and writings agaynst the same lye open to all mens eyes so that no man can doubt of it wherein their obstinate blindnesse doth more than in all other things too plainly appeare For whereas they bee great braggers of the generall consent of the Vniuersall Church and by countenance of it will seeme to maintaine their other errours and corrupt doctrine yet they reiect this doctrine that is witnessed by God the Father confirmed by the Sonne established in the hartes of the faithful by the holy Ghost testified by all the Prophetes and Apostles and acknowledged by the generall Consent of the whole Church in their beliefe and ratified by the subscription of a great number of the auncient Fathers and Catholike writers yet I say they of the Church of Rome doe impugne it and speake altogether most reprochefully of faith and wrongfully challeng the Preachers of the Gospell that by this doctrine of our Justification and saluatition by faith onely in the merite of Christes Passion they doe disproue good workes and leaue open a gappe to wickednesse and Loosenesse of lyfe Which commeth to passe because they will not vnderstand what true ChristiaÌ„ faith is nor why faith is sayd to iustifie vs before God that is because it apprehendeth the mercie of God in his promyse assuring vs that we shall haue remission of sinne saluation and eternall life through the merite of Christes Passion onely I neede not therfore to put you in minde what conclusion maye bee inferred vppon the premises against the teachers of the Church of Rome that is that not the Preachers and professors of the Gospell which teach this Article to the full but they rather of the Churche of Rome are the false Prophets that are couered with sheepes clothing because the fruites of their doctrine do plainely proue them to be such By this that I haue hitherto spoken you may perceiue that wee doe not striue with the Churche of Rome nor separate our selues from it for trifles and toyes of no weyght and value but for matters of great importaunce touchyng the principall Articles of Christian faythe and the true meanes of our Saluation For although Sathan in these dayes dothe not so commonlye rayse vp hys Instrumentes to impugne the Trinitie the two natures of Christe or the Diuinitie of the holye Ghost as he did in the Primitiue Churche yet he is not Idle but craftely turnyng himself into an Angel of light by such as not onely professe themselues to be Christians but take vppon them to bee the principall patrones and directors of Christian faith he disgraceth and extenuateth the dignitie and perfection of Christes merite and passion he peruerteth the office of the holy Ghost he abuseth the name authoritie of the Catholike Church and setteth vp an other Church he altereth the principall doctrine of our beliefe touching fayth in our Lord Jesus Christ and transferreth and almost bringeth to nothing the trueth of our iustification and the ende of our fayth He chaungeth the Sacramentes and bringing in a new sacrifycing worship altereth the Institutions and ordinaunces of Christ fâ—aâ—ly and plainely layde downe in his worde Wherfore dearely beloued I earnestly require all such as haue care of their saluation to remember Christes admonition that he gyueth in this place when he saith Beware of false Prophetes that come to you in sheepes clothing c. The first way to beware of them is with earnest and hartie Prayer to call vppon God that by his gracious benefit and lyghtning of our heartes by his spirit wee may know the false Prophetes and by his prouidence he wil preserue vs from them and sende out into his haruest faithfull and true labourers and that he will by his goodnesse
defende strengthen and maintaine the same against all assaultes that they may to his glorie performe their worke whereto he hath appoynted them For so our Sauiour Christ willeth vs to cal vpon the Lord of the Haruest that he would send forth plentiful store of labourers to bring in his Haruest The seconde way to beware of false Prophets is a diligent and continual reading of the Scriptures of God which as I haue said before is y ◠rule of true knowledge and right doctrine Herevnto Christ exhorteth when he sayth Search the Scriptures for in them you thinke ye haue eternall lyfe And they are they that testifie of me And the Thessalonians that did heare Paule at Berrhaea dayly searched the Scriptures whether things were so as Paule preached or no. S. Augustine also doth exhort vs to the same by a very apt similitude Euen as a Prince or gouernour in time of peace maketh prouision for armour munition and all warlike furniture that when he is assaulted by his enemies he may not be foūd vnprouided so saith he is it necessary that al good Christians should diligently reade carefully hearken to the teaching of the word of God and out of that storehouse to furnish thē felues with all spirituall furniture against the assaultes of Sathan his instruments whether it be in matter of faith and Religion or behauiour of life For of all the spirituall armor y t S. Paul describeth aboue all things he warneth to haue y t Target of faith the sword of gods holy word By y t weapō only you know y t christ our sauior droue back y t Deuil whē he indeuoured to seduce him by peruerting y t scriptures of God They therefore y t forbid the people to reade y t scriptures do hearken to gods word are to be esteemed no better thā traitors y t take frō the people of God their chief defence to leaue thē open to y t daunger of their enimies Or if men be not able to reade y t scriptures themselues in any wise as they haue care of their soules let thē learne to vnderstand y t generall principles of Christian Religion in their Catechisme that is the .x. Commandemēts the articles of their beliefe y t right vse of the Sacraments the Lordes Prayer And this must they learne not as Parrets to sound the words but to vnderstand the truth of the matter And then surely w t gods assistance may they be easily able to discerne the spirites of the Preacher tollerably to iudge of his doctrine as I could by some particular examples declare vnto you if the time would serue But if men will be take themselues to the Colliars faith that beleeued generally as the Church beleeued and knewe not one word what the church did beleeue or ought to beleeue they shall by such wilfull ignoraunce lay themselues open to false teachers that shall come vnto them in sheepes clothing and seeke nothing but as rauening Wolues to deuour their soules c. ¶ The thirde Sermon vppon this part of the Texte By their fruites shall ye knovv them Mat. 7. 16. THE Churche of Rome and the writers thereof doe interprete these wordes not of the fruites of doctrine as I haue done but of the fruites of godly and honest lyfe and withall challenge to themselues a singular holynesse aboue the Preachers of the Gospell in these dayes Who as they saye discourage men from vertuous exercises of godlye lyfe and in their owne behauiour shew a dissolutenesse and loosenesse of life fo that vice and wickednesse euer since the rysing of thys newe Gospell as they call it hath increased among men And for this cause will they haue vs noted to bee the false Prophetes that Christ willeth men heere to take heede of and say that we are knowne by our euill fruits Wherefore I thinke it most necessarie at this tyme to pull thys Lambes cloathing from them that the worlde or at least such as be not too muche affectionate to them may see how lyttle helpe they haue by this colour eyther for themselues or against vs. Neither doe I thinke that there is any fitter meanes to doe this than to let men vnderstand by the course of their owne histories and other credible writers how great corruption of lyfe and how foule vices haue ben vsually practised not among common persons of the meanest sorte but among the most holy and reuerend fathers of the Churche of Rome the Popes themselues that thereby you may gheasse what state of Religion hath most preuailed wyth them For it can not bee that that place can bee the seate of true Religion and holynesse whiche hath bene alway a sinke of most horrible and foule vices And here I protest vnto you that I will not speake or alleage anye thing of stomacke to aggrauate the matter but as I finde it in trueth layde downe in verie credible histories And first to begynne with the most notable roote of the corruption Simoniacall ambition in aspiring to that exceedyng power whiche this manye yeeres they haue vsurped About the yeere of our Lord. 600. Iohn Patriarke of Constantinople because that Citie was the Royall seate of the East Empyre obtayned of Mauritius the Emperour with intollerable pride to bee vniuersall Byshoppe the head and ruler of al other Against whom Gregorie 1. at y t time Bishop of Rome did write very earnestly reproueth sharply his exceeding ambition saying y t whosoeuer doth so aspire doth shew himself to be the forerunner of Antichrist And he calleth y t name of vniuersall Bishop a new a peruerse a superstitious a prophane a foolishe a proude a wicked name a name of errour a name of singularitie a name of vanitie a name of Hypocrisie a name of blasphemie Notwithstanding Boniface 3. y ◠next Pope of Rome sauing one w t great suite obtained of y t wicked traiterous Emperour Phocas y t he his successors might haue that name Title of vniuersall Byshop and heade of the whole Church This was the first open step of their monstrous exceeding pride ambition which afterward by corruption briberie they continually followed still heaping on wicked practizes euery day more more as their owne histories do witnesse What shall I say of Constantius y t. 2. who being a lay man by exceeding ambition with great broile stirre obtained y ◠Popedome was after depriued cast in prison had his eyes pulled out What shal I say of Formosus y t. 1. which by manifest briberie came to the Bishoprick I wil come to y t time wherin their owne secretaries Platina and Stella Venetus openly cry out on them y t is about the time of Benet the. 4. 900. yeeres after Christ Of which time Stella Venetus sayth Omnis virtus tam in capite quam in membris ex hominū ignauia consumpta est i. All vertue
these manye hundred yeeres and by that meanes it is come to passe that the Texte of the Scriptures is nowe better vnderstanded than euer it was in anye age That sundrie poyntes of doctrine bee refourmed without which men can not possiblye haue anye true sense of Christianitie as the doctrine of Originall Sinne of the Lavve and the Gospell of Repentaunce of Faythe of Hope and Charitie whiche before were maruaylouslye corrupted and wrapped in darkenesse and errour Principally the wholesome doctrine of the grace and merite of Christ of Remission of Sinnes of eternall lyfe receyued by fayth in Christ and Sealed and confirmed by his Sacramentes doth in these dayes bryng vnestimable comforte to troubled consciences as well at all other tymes as chiefely at the houre of death when Sathan most seeketh to shake mennes consciences wyth desperation The sence hereof the godlesse Epicures and secure Hypocrites haue not but suche as feare God and haue any touche of conscience conceiue exceeding comforte thereby Men in these dayes also are better instructed to praye and call vppon the name of God and indeede doe the same more sincerely because they vnderstande what they speake whereas before when they were taught to praye in a straunge tongue it coulde not possibly bee that their heartes and lyppes coulde goe together which of al other was a most myserable seducing of the people and as it were a mocking of God and his seruice and a singular instrument of the Diuell to keepe the people in errour and blindnesse Lastlye as I haue fayde reformation of manners and lyfe in verye many hath beene wrought and I doubt not but a great deale of euyll in these myserable and corrupte latter dayes restrayned by the sincere Preachyng of the Gospell and earnest callyng of men to repentance whiche otherwyse surelye according to the infection of this tyme woulde haue broken out to greates corruption of mannes lyfe These fruites and a number suche lyke althoughe the aduersaryâ—â— wyll not acknowledge I trust suche as feare GOD and wyll but indifferently iudge of thinges can not choose but perceaue and wyth comforte confesse to bee true Thus haue you hearde that externall shewe of honest lyfe ordinarie callyng and succession the Tytle and Name of the Catholike Churche the vse and workyng of Myracles bee in deede the clothing of Christes true sheepe but yet that rauening Wolues oftentymes hyde themselues vnder them to deceaue Gods people You haue hearde that the fruites whereby false Prophetes are discerned and knowen is corruption of doctrine and teaching of errours and lyes And you haue hearde it euidentlye proued as well by the testimonie of Saint Iohn as other partes of the Scripture that those fruites haue beene in the Churche of Rome and not among vs whiche submit all our doctrines to the touchstone of Gods holye worde Lastly you haue hearde by comparison that the good fruites of godly life and detesting of sinne hath more prospered among the professors of the Gospell than among the patrones of the Churche of Rome The Lorde graunt vs the grace of his holye spirite that to his glorie vice and wickednesse may dayly bee more repressed and vertue and honestie more aduaunced ⸪ Amen ¶ Certaine Sermons made vppon this Text. 1. Cor. 10. 1. c. Moreouer brethren I would not that you should be ignorant that al our fathers were vnder the cloude and all passed through the Sea and were all Baptized vnto Moses in the cloude and in the Sea and did all eate of the same spirituall meate and all drunke of the same spirituall drinke for they dranke of the spirituall Rocke that followed them and the Rocke was Christ But with manye of them God was not pleased c. SAint Paul dearely beloued from the beginnyng of this Epistle blamed the Corinthians for sundry faultes and corruptions among them As that they had factions and dissentions one parte against another that they more esteemed in their Preachers eloquence of speeche then the simplicitie of Christ crucified that they made small accompt of him in coÌ„parison of some other corrupt teachers that they suffered incest among them vnpunished that they resorted to Idolatrous feasts with the heathen and did eate of those things that were offered to Diuels contrary to the sinceritie of true Christians Now because men are very prone to flatter their owne mindes by vaine pretences and to feede themselues in euill doing he preuenteth an obiection or excuse y â— happily they might make for themselues For they might haue said Sir we beare y â— name of Christ and bee Christians wee haue his Gospell among vs and vse hys Sacramentes whereby his merite is sealed in vs. Therefore wee are sure that wee are in the fauour of God and that his displeasure and plague shal not lyght vpon vs. c. To this S. Paule aunswereth that this trust and secure confidence in the profession of Christianitie and vse of the Sacramentes is but vayne vnlesse they approue make good their fayth and outward profession of Christ wyth the exercise of honest lyfe and Godly conuersation This he confyrmeth by comparison of the Israelites The people of Israell sayth S. Paule were the chosen people of God they had his law and Ceremonies among them yea they had promise of saluation by the same blessed sede that we haue they did vse in effect the same Sacramentes that we doe they were baptised in the Cloude and in the Sea they did eate of the same spirituall meate that we doe they did drinke of the same spirituall drinke that we drinke of for the Rock that they dranke of was Christe And yet many of them by Gods heauy hand perished in the Wildernesse And if you looke into the cause you shall fynde it to be nothing else but for y â— they were inclinable proane to the corruption of Idolatrie that they were giuen to fornication and vncleannesse that they tempted Christe and munnured against God and committed other like naughtinesse against the will of God c. Seing it is so you may be sure that God is no changeling but will deale in the same manner with you nowe as he did with his people before time Now for so much as S. Paules reason doth principallie stand vpon the vse of the Sacramentes and that the people in those dayes were more skilfull and better taughte the effecte nature and strength of a Sacrament theÌ„ in this time they be through slacknesse of teaching and way wardnesse in learning before I come to that which S. Paule principallye respecteth in this place I thinke it necessary for your better instruction fyrst to speake generally of Sacraments and to shew what a Sacrament is of what partes it standeth for what causes they are ordayned and what fruite maye be taken of them Secondly because he sayth The Rocke was Christ and that they did eate and drinke of the same Christ I will declare what manner of speethe this is and shew why Chist
onely for the redemption of the whole worlde generally but for hys also particularly and that he vndoubtedly is partaker of that blessed worke of our redemption When wee heare these woordes Doe this in remembrance of me our faith is assured y t it is Christs commaundement that wee shoulde vse this Sacrament to call to our remembraunce the benefite of our faluation by the death of Christ and in hart and minde at al times but then especially to shew our selues truely thankefull to him for the same When our sight beholdeth vpon the Table the bread and wyne by Christes ordinaunce broken and powred out for vs to vse the Fayth is moued this to thinke As surely and truely as my bodily eyes behould vpon the table of the Lord the Creatures of bread and wine as the outward parte of his sacramente and see the same broken and poured out for mee so assuredly doe I with the eye of my faith beholde the body and blood of Christ broken and shead for me vpon the Alter of the Crosse and the same my Sauiour sitting now on the right hand of god the father with the same body and blood now gloryfyed wherewith vpon the Crosse he payd the price of my redemption WheÌ„ we see the Minister offering to vs the bread and the cup and wee receaue the same in our hande and by our sence feele them inwardly in our hartes our fayth is mooned to haue this cogitacion As truely as our Sauioure Christe vpon the Crosse by his body broken and his blood sheade wrought our redemption and offered the benefite thereof to all that would beleeue generally so truelye am I assured that now in the vse of this holy Sacrament by his minister he offereth the same to me particularly to be applied to my selfe And as surely as my hande receaueth the outwarde creatures so surelye by my fayth doe I receyue Christ himselfe and in my hart feele him and with my spirituall armes imbrace him as the onely price and meanes of my saluation When we eate of the holy breade and drinke of the reuerend cuppe and by our cast haue sence of the sweetenesse of them and fele them passe downe into our stomache there to rest that they may be according to their nature meanes to nourishe and strengthen our bodie to continue it in lyfe the fayth is stirred vp by these sences thus to thinke Euen as certainly as my taste feeleth the sweetenesse of Breade and wyne and thereby perceiue in deede that their operacion is to nourish and strengthen my body and to quicken my naturall spirites which without suche nourishmente would perishe euen so the taste of my faith and sence of my hart doth feele the sweetenesse of Christe his body and blood broken and shead for mee and all mankinde vppon the Crosse and perceiue it thereby to be the onely foode of my soule without which I shoulde perishe both soule and bodye Eternallye And as certainlye as I feele with bodilye sence that the Breade and Wyne passeth into my Stomache and there according to their proportion feede strengthen and quicken my Naturall bodye and Spirites so assuredlye doe I with my inwarde and Spirituall sence perceiue the bodye and blood of Christe and the whole benefite of his death and passioÌ„ to passe into the stomache of my soule and bosome of my hart there through the strength of a true ChristiaÌ„ faith to be laid vp wrought and digested as that onelye nourishmente that keepeth the life of the soule and preserueth mee both soule and bodye to eternall life They that will Christianlye and charitablely and in the feare of GOD weighe and consyder these thinges I truste will not thinke eyther that wee make lighte accoumpte of the Externall Sacramente or in oure Doctrine teache a syngle and sleighte manner of eating of Christ by fayth as the fauourers of the church of Rome doe charge vs. And I appeale to the Consciences of all them that followe theire Doctrine whether euer they were taughte to take suche sweete instruction and comfort in the vse of that blessed Sacrament or no. These good Fruites of that Sacramente are muche furthered and increased by sunderye other Godlye cogitations which the Scriptures teache true Christians to vse in the administration of it The worde of GOD teacheth that the vse of the externall Sacramentes is a manner of confession whereby men acknowledge themselues before GOD and the World that they are Christians Therefore the faythfull receauer when hee commeth to the Sacrament thinketh this with himselfe I by comming to this place proteste before GOD and his Angels and before all the Creatures of Heauen and earth that in my harte I deteste the Religion of Jewes Turkes Infidels Heretiques and all other that denye saluation to come by the death of Christe and I acknowledge my selfe vnfaygnedlye to bee of the number of them that hope to haue the fauoure of GOD and to bee saued by the merite and passion of Christe onelye The worde of GOD teacheth that Sacramentes are as it were Seales to confyrme the truth of Gods promises and to strength our fayth Therefore by this seale of the Lords Supper wee assure oure selues that wee are partakers of all that Legacie which Christ our Sauyour in his last will bequeathed to vs that is that his bodye was broken vpon the Crosse for our redemption and his blood sheadde for the remission of oure Sinnes The Scriptures teache that in the vse of the sacramentes through Fayth wee bee vnited vnto Christ and ingraffed into his Mysticall body so that wee liue nowe onelye by him and whatsoeuer is his by the truth of his promise is oures also The worde of God teacheth that the Sacrament of the Lordes supper is a linke of vnitye that knitteth vs together as members of one Mysticall bodye and therefore that wee oughte to bee ioyned in mutuall loue and charitie among our selues and that it is a foule reproch both to Christe oure head and to the whole body if we hate hurte or hinder one another For by the vse therof we confesse y â— we are all members of one bodye all Seruantes of one Mayster all Children of one Father all Subiectes vnder one Lorde and King all Partakers of one redemption all Heires of one Heritage and Gifte of Eternall Lyfe And in so manye Lâ—â—â—es of Vnitye to be at discorde among ourselues is in Gods iudgemente an heauy testimouie agaynst vs in the day of his wrath Finally the word of God teacheth vs that the Sacrament of the Lordes supper is our heauenlye Feaste in whiche the Lambe of God that taketh away the sinnes of the worlde is offered vnto vs spiritually to feede vppon in our fayth that by him as I haue before declared we maye be nourished strengthened and preserued to eternall life and therfore that we ought to bee verye carefull so coprepare oureselues that we may be worthy Guestes for that blessed table Wherefore
maliciously seeking to supplant one an other Which of you is able to accuse vs that wee pull downe Townes and inclose whole fieldes to feede wylde beastes famish a number of Christian people or that we ioyne house to house lande to land with oppression of the poore as thoughe wee woulde lyue alone vppon the face of the earth Which of you is able to saye that wee wast the treasure of the lande in feedyng three Cankers riotously to consume the same I meane Monstrous Vanitie in Apparell Needelesse pompe in Sumptuous building and Excessiue charge in daintie feeding Which of you is able to say that in all our doings we set not the feare of God before our faces make not his holy word the directioÌ„ of all our deuises Which of you I say is able to accuse vs in any of all these things If all men in all states and conditions bee able with good conscience thus to say Surely this lande is blessed But Heauen and earth seeth and the Lorde knoweth that it is not so in a number yet God forbyd for that number that we should condemne all God hath his in euery state and condition of man Nowe come I to the thirde parte contayned in the second sentence of my Theame Si veritatem dico vobis quare non creditis mihi If I say the truth why doe you not beleeue mee Wherein I promised to let you vnderstande that the doctrine of the Gospell which we haue Preached in this lande by the space of this 20. yeeres and that hath beene confirmed and established by the authoritie of the Prince lawes of this Realme is the onely truth that there is no truth of doctrine but it therfore y t you ought both faythfully without exception to embrace it and constantly wythout reuolting to abyde in it But mee thinketh I heare some say Sir if you coulde resolue vs that it is the trueth whiche you Preache wee would easilye receaue it but wee may iustly doubt of it For ye are but men and such men as carie their blemishes openly in the sight of the world ye may be deceaued and deceaue others As good Clarkes as you and as honest men for any thing wee see teache vs the contrarie and say their doctrine is the truth or at the leastwyse wee may iustly thinke that those great contentions that you make against y t Churche of Rome are but for trifling ceremonies and matters of small weight and importance and therefore that Christian Princes might do verâ—e well to see some order for those matters and to force you to agree for the residue whether you will or no that you may no longer trouble the worlde as you haue done these many yeeres with these needelesse controuersies Surely that they wyll not receaue our doctrine with triall I can not mislike it for S. Iohn in his 1. Epist 4. cap. giueth them the same Counsell Deerely beloued saith he beleeue not euery spirit that speaketh to you but trie the spirites whether they be of God or not for many false Prophetes are come into the world Therefore I would to God all sortes of men but chiefely Princes Counsellers and Magistrates would trie our doctrine by the true touchstone of Gods word as those noble Conuerts of Berrhaea did meÌ„tioned in y â— Act. 17 which came to heare Paules Sermons not of custome and fashion onely But dayly searched the Scriptures whether those things were true that Paule spake or no. If God would moue them so to doe they should easily vnderstand not onely that our doctrine were the truth but also that the controuersie betweene vs and the Church of Rome is not for trifling Ceremonies as they saye or matters of small weight but for the very substaunce of our fayth and ground of all Christian Religion and that there can bee made no more agreement betwene our doctrine and theirs then betweene light and darkenesse truth and error God and Beliall Christ Antichrist which thing it behoueth all Christians and professors of the Gospell deepely to consyder For as before time often I haue sayde in this place so now thinke I the time draweth nigh that Godds iustice for our vnthankefulnesse will pull vs to the tryall of our fayth and therefore it behooueth vs to vnderstande that we contend not for trifles but for matters of principall importance as I mean now to declare vnto you And if som persons shall thinke these poyntes needelesse to be spoken of in this place I humbly craue leaue that for the confyrmation of mine own fayth I may declare vnto you y â— grounds of my conscience that if euer I liue to be tempted to forsake my Lorde God and his truth that this my protestation made in this place may bee a bonde vnto my conscience The rule that I will vse to prooue that our Doctrine is the truth and not that which commeth from Rome shal be the same that the Scripture of God layeth downe by S. Iohn in the place before mentioned where after he hath as you haue heard admonished men to trye the Spirites whether they be of God or no hee addeth these meanes of triall Euery Spirite that confesseth Christ to haue come in flesh is of God and euery spirite that denieth Christ to haue come in flesh is not of God but is the Spirit of Antichrist of whome you haue heard howe hee shoulde come and now already is he in the worlde Nowe that you may vnderstande I go not about to deceaue you with shewe of eloquence and Rhethoricall amplifications and with motions of affections to leade you into erroure earâ— you be ware I will laye open myne argumente vnto you nakedly and barely that you may see euery ioynt thereof and with your selues consyder of what force it ought to bee in any christian coÌ„science And this I say euery spirit that confesseth Christ to haue come in fleshe is of God and teacheth you the truth And euery spirite that denyeth Jesus to haue come in fleshe is not of God but leadeth you into errour and is that spirite of Antichrist But wee and the Preachers of the Gospell in all Godly sence coÌ„fesse Christ to haue come in fleshe and our Aduersaries of Roome doe not therefore we and not they haue brought the truth vnto you The 2. proposition I know wil be denied for both y t parts therof which I wil proue vnto you by this meanes First I will let you vnderstand the causes why christ came in fleshe and what benefites he procured to mankynde by the same Secondly I will shew vnto you what it is to denye Christe to haue come in fleshe The firste of these two shall confirme our truth The seconde shall confound their error As touching the cause why christ came in flesh When sinne had made separation betweene God and man and the exceding great mercy of God was not willing vtterly to cast away man and to rasâ— him
Saint George they pray thus Hie nos saluet à peccatis vt in coelo cum beatis possimus qâ—iescere Let him saue vs from our sinnes that we may rest with the blessed in heauen And touching Saint Anne they say thus Deus qui beatam Annam matrem tuae genetricis fieri voluisti praesta quaesumus vt meritis vtriusque matris filiae regna caelestia consequamur O God thou which wouldest Saint Anne to become the mother of thy mother graunt we beseeche thee that by the merites of the mother and the daughter we may obtaine thy heauenly kingdome In thys you heare three Sauiours beside Christ and in like maner doe they acknowledge a thousande moe Secondly they say we haue remission of sinnes and saluation in parte by our owne Merites and good doynges For this writeth Gabriel Biel That the Passion of Christ may be the first and principall cause of attaining grace and opening the way to heauen Sed nunquam est totalis causa quia semper cum merito Christi concurrit aliquod meritum recipientis gratiam that is to say But it is neuer the whole cause for that euer there goeth with the merite of Christ some merite of him that receaueth grace What shall I say of Pardons of Pilgrimages of Purgatorie of holy Water and a number of other like Superstitions false errours by which not without blasphemie they matche transitorie things and vaine deuises of men with the most excellent price of our redemption the blood of Christ Iesu y e sonne of God our Sauiour exprefly contrarie to the holy ghost thus writing by Saint Peter Ye are not redeemed with transitorie things as with Golde or Siluer but with the blood of the immaculate Lambe Christ Iesus As touching the third cause of Christes IncarnatioÌ„ that he being our only high Priest according to the order of Melchizodech hath once for euer offered himself vpon the Crosse purchased for vs eternall redeÌ„ption they impugne it wyth y â— most horrible doctrine of the propiciatorie sacrifice daily offered in the Masse wherin they teach that mortall sinfull men in a state of Priesthood succeede Christ continually offer the very reall naturall body of Christ to God the father for the remission of dayly sinnes not only of theÌ„ that CoÌ„municate but of them that looke on receaue not yea and of them that be absent and procure the same to be made eyther for money or otherwise aswell for themselues as other which is directly contrarie to the doctrine of the holy Ghost in the Epistle to the Hebrewes Where at large he prooueth that neither the Priesthood of Christ can haue any successioÌ„ nor his sacrifice any repetitioÌ„ without euident note of imperfection As concerning the fourth cause of Christes Incarnation that he is the only Maister and teacher of his Church and hath reuealed vnto vs the perfecte wyll of God and true waye of Saluation so that nowe after hym wee shoulde receaue no doctrine but that is vttered by the voyce of our hygh Sheeparde in his holye worde Yes sayeth the Churche of Rome there bee many weyghtie matters of necessitie of saluation to bee beleeued which Christ in hys written worde hath not deliuered vnto vs and the same to bee receaued wyth lyke reuerence that the written worde of God is Last of all the fifte cause of Christes Incarnation that he came to be the onely Head Ruler Gouernour and Directour of his Churche the Patrones of the Churche of Rome manifestly denye saying that Christ is in deede the onely heade for saluation but not for gouernment because the Pope is the Ministeriall heade and gouernour and directour of the vniuersall Churche wherein they manifestly alter the nature of Christes kingdome For whereas the kingdome of Christ is not of this worlde but a spirituall kingdome wherein by the word of God and the power of his holy spirite hee ruleth and raygneth in the heartes of true Christians the Pope hath transferred it to an earthly kingdome and Empyre by which as the Vicar of Christ he challengeth a vniuersall gouernment not onely ouer the Ecclesiasticall state but also ouer all Princes and gouernours of the earth This opposition and contrarietie of the doctrines of the Churche of Rome to the doctrine of y â— Gospell if you diligently marke and obserue you shall euidently see in them the spirite of Antichrist althoughe not grossely and playnely yet vndirectly and colourablye denying Christ to haue come in fleshe What shall I saye that the doctrine of that Churche dothe not onely disgrace the office of Chryst in the worke of our redemption but hys person also by brynging hys humanitie and the trueth of hys bodye in doubte whyle they teache that the verye naturall bodie of Christ is really in all places or in tenne thousand places at once that is in euerye host consecrated through out the whole worlde And what Christian knoweth not that it is the propertie of of God alone and of no creature bee it neuer so holye to bee in manye places at once Finallye I adde that the Churche of Rome teacheth corruptlye as touching Originall Sinne freewill and the grace of GOD Faith and Justification good workes and the merites of them the vse of the Sacramentes and almost of all doctrines touching Christian Religion Therefore I trust you nowe perceyue both the partes of my second proposition euidently proued that is that we sincerely confesse and teache in all true sense that Christ is come in fleshe and they doe not therefore accordyng to the wordes of my Theame I say vnto you If we teach you the truth why doe you not beleeue vs If it be the onely right way of saluation why is it not fauourably receaued and embraced If it be the glad tidings of the Gospell sent by God vnto you why are the Messengers thereof disdayned and contemned People that doe feare God heare the worde of God with reuerence and not onely heare it with the eares but faithfully beleeue it in the hart and not onely beleeue it but constantly abyde in it not onely themselues to abyde in it but by all meanes they can to labour to drawe other to it and to represse all such as eyther reuolte from it themselues or seeke to disgrace or discredite it in others God is not more displeased with any thing than with the contempt of his word and Ministers Thus sayth the Lord by Ieremie in y t 6. chap. reprouing the obstinacie of his people Stand in the wayes and behold aske for the olde way which is the good way and walke therin and there you shall finde rest for your soules but they said we wil not walk therin Also I set watchmen ouer you which said take heede to the sounde of the Trumpet but they said we will not take heede But consider what God addeth immediatly Heare O earth saith he beholde I will cause a plague to come vpon
this people euen the fruite of their owne imaginations because they haue not taken heede vnto my wordes nor vnto my law but haue cast it of And in the last Chap. of the. 7. of the Chronicles it is thus written The Lord God of their fathers hath sent vnto them by his Messengers rising vp earely and sending for he had compassion on his people and of his habitation but they mocked the Messengers of God and misused his Prophetes vntill the wrath of the Lord rose against his people and till there was no remedie for he brought vpon them the King of the Chaldees who slewe their yong men with the sworde c. God of his great goodnes hath sundry times sent into this land his Messengers and Preachers of his Gospell and principally these twentie yeeres last past in which time the sounde of Gods holy worde hath continually roong in the eares of men yet was the loue of the Gospell neuer so colde as euen at this day nor the hartes of English men so ready to reuolt from it It is lamentable to vnderstande howe in all partes of the Realme those Papistes whiche before time appeared to be somewhat afrayde and sought by all meanes to hyde themselues doe now openly shew themselues and desire to be knowne to be as they are What their hope or expectation is the Lord knoweth but surely it is full time that hir Maiestie and hir most Honourable Counsell as they feare God and loue his truth doe speedily looke vnto it otherwise vndoubtedly the inconuenience will be greater than by authoritie will be easily stayde The care hereof I leaue to them whome God hath sette in place of Gouernement only I thought it my duetye being appoynted a watchman in the Church of God to sounde the Trumpet in this place and to giue warning that the bloud of them that perish be not required at my hande and withall moste humbly and hartilye praye vnto almighty God that with the grace of his holy spirite he will so direct strengthen the minds of them whose principall charge this is that that may be done which moste tendeth to the glory of God and maintenance of his truth and to the good state and preseruation of this our naturall Countrey Amen ¶ The speciall contentes of this Booke of Sermons reduced into a necessarie Table of Common places A. Acknowledge THe way to acknowledge God in man Folio 192. Meanes to make those acknowlege a God which do altogither deny him Folio 191 Whoso can not acknowledge God in him selfe can not be sayd to be a man Folio 193 Properties which can not but be known in God if we doe acknowledge him but only in his creatures Folio 193 Afflictions ¶ That afflictions doe no whitte discredit the power of the Gospell Folio 7 Howe the godlie doe stay them selues in afflictions so that they may not fal froÌ„ Christ c. Folio 200 Afflictions are layde vpon the righteous to trie them withall Folio 174. 175. 176. B. Baptisme ¶ Fruitful doctrines of the Protestantes concerning Baptisme Folio 30. 31 Papisticall vntruthes and abuses concerning Baptisme Folio 31 Benefite ¶ How we are to apply the benefit of the comming of Christ in the flesh euery man to himselfe Folio 92. 93 The Church of Rome impugneth the doctrine of applying the benefites of Christs merits by faith c. Folio 94. 95. 96 C. Calling ¶ Ordinarie authoritie or calling is no iust proofe of true Doctrine Folio 74 The Prophetes extraordinarily set vp by God to reprooue the abuses of their ordinarie calling Folio 75 Vnder the clothing of ordinarie calling the wolfe is descried and how Folio 76 Christ. ¶ Christ only is our aduocate and mediatour Folio 231 Christ only is our redeemer Folio 231 Christ only is our priest to sacrifize for vs which he hath done once for all Folio 232 Christ is our only instructour Folio 232 Christ is the only hed of the Church Folio 233 Why Christ of necessitie was to be both God and Man c. Folio 140 Why Christ shoulde necessarily bee man 140. Folio 141 Christ hath no partakers in any of his offices Folio 233 Suche as doe but a little close with the worlde are and stande in daunger of treason to Christ. Folio 200. 201 The Papists wil haue Christ to be a demi Sauiour Folio 237. 238. 239. c. Church ¶ Christe compareth the Church to husbandrie Folio 177 Why the Spirite of God compareth the Church to husbandrie Folio 178 The name of the Church abused by the Wolues Folio 77 The inuisible Church consisting of the elect Folio 20 Of the visible Church and the descriptioÌ„ of the same Folio 20 The Church of Christ is tyed to no place Fol. Folio 21 The number of the Church may be smal Fol. Folio 21 None are openly of the Church but such as are called thereto by Gods worde Fol. Folio 21 The corrupt liues and foule vices of the fathers of the Church of Rome detected c. Folio 98 Faith doth ingraffe vs into the Church Fol. Folio 21 The Church of Rome a Monster hauing three heads at once Folio 102 The Church of Rome hath not in it the tokens of the true Church Folio 23 What Church is most likely to haue false interpretations Folio 39 The markes of the Church Folio 22 23 The increase of the Church by Martyrdome shewed in a similitude Folio 182 Of dissolutenesse of life in the Churche of Rome c. Folio 47 The Papistes obiect the visible state of their Churche to proue it the true Church Folio 42 Gods true Churche may bee and yet not appeare generally visible Folio 43 That may seeme to vs the true Churche which is not Folio 43 Examples prouing a Churche and yet not visible c. Folio 43. 44. 45 The inuisible state of the Churche since the Apostles dothe not prooue the Church to be no true Church Folio 45 Comming ¶ What it is to denie Christes Comming in the flesh and that in two sorts Folio 235 Papistes and not Protestants denye Christes Comming in the fleshe and how Folio 235 The causes of Christes Comming in the flesh Folio 230 The generall and particular causes of Christes Comming in the flesh Folio 230 The faithfull Iewes did eate and drinke spiritually the Body and Bloud of Christ before hys reall Comming in the flesh c. â—35 A place ymagined where the dead did rest before the Comming of Christ Folio 132 Common weales All Common weales are not to be tyed to one forme of gouernement Folio 218 To be disturbers of Common weales c. is no new slander nor now first obiected against gods true ministers Folio 219 Contempt Considerations concerning Christ which maketh mans carnall reason to haue him in Contempt Folio 2 The more excellent that meÌ„ are in carnall reason onely the more is theys Contempt of Christ Folio 2 Contempt of Godlynesse of life can not stande with the acknowledging of a God Folio 191 The Contempt of
6 The second Sheepes clothing where with Wolues doâ— vse to couer themselues Ro. 10. 15. Heb. 5. 4. Deut. 13. 1. Esay 56. 10. Jere. 23. 14. 15. Jer. 50. 6. Eze. 22. 26. Mal. 2. 8. Act. 20. 29. 1. Jo. 2. 19. 2. Thess 2. 4. Ordinary authoritie is no iust proofâ— of true doctrinâ— Jer. 7. 4. Jer. 18. 18. 3. Reg. 22. 24. Jer. 32. 3. Joh. 1â— 1. True prophers extraordinarily set vp by God to reproue the abusers of their ordinarie calling Esay 5â— 10. c. Vnder the cloathing of ordinarie caling the Wolfe is descried by his Claw of crueltie and sucking of blood The mercie of the Prefessoures of the Gospell Compared with the cruelty of the Churche of Roome The thyrde Sheepes Skinne wherein the Wolfe is wrapped The name of the church abused by the wolues The last cloathing wherin the wolues doe lurke False Miracles wrought by false prophets to deceaue gods people withall Exod. 7. 8. 9. Act. 13. 8. Deu. 13. 1. c. Mat. 7. 22. Mat. 24. 2â— 2. Thess 2. 9. c. Mat. 24. 25. 2. Thess 2. 11. Luc. 16. 29. â—â—y god â—â—â—â— not now shewe such â—â—acles as of â—ld he diâ— but â—latly â—eâ—â—raineth vs to the written word Mat. 12. 14. The end whereunto godly miracles do tend Mar. 16. 15. c. Act. 4. â—â— Mat. 7. 20. Verse 16. Ier. 23. 16. Verse 26. Gen. 2. 17. Gen. 3. 4. Mat. 4. 6. Psal 91. 11. 12. How false prophets are discerned by their fruits chefly by their doctrin 1. Ioh. 2. 22. 1. Ioh. 4. 1. c. Three points of doctrine by false teaching whereof thâ— teachers of the church of Rome are found to be false proâ—hâ—â—es The firste pointe conteining what knowledge of Christ we ought to haue how we must confesse him Iac. 2. 19. Mat. 16. 16. Christ onely is all in all vnto saluation Act. 4. 12. â— Ioh. 2. 22 False prophets are they that eyther â—â— flatt woords deny Iesus to be Christ or by indirect means do go about to teach it such are the teachers of the church of Rome Ioh. 14 6. The second poynt of doctrine by which falâ—â— prophets are discearned from true teachers Esa 55. 1. Joh. 7. 37. Mot. 11. 28 Act. 4. 12. Col. 1. 19. Col. 2. 3. c. Note 1. Joh. 1. 7. Jo. 1. 29. Col. 2. 9. Jo. 3. 14. Jo. 4. 14. Jo. 6. 51. Jo. 8. 12. Jo. 10. 11. Jo. 10. 9. Jo. 14. 6. Jo. 15. 1. Jo. 16. 7. The doctrine of the church of Rome concerning the office comming of christ in the fleash is contrarye to the doctrin of S. John therefore the teachers thereof are found to be false prophetes Blasphemus derogation to the merits of Christe Tho. de Venerab Sac. altar The third point oâ— doctrine to trye the teachers whether they be true or false prophets â— Ioh. 2. 24. 1. Ioh. 5. 4. How we are to apply the benefits of Christs comming in flesh euery man vnto him selfe Ioh. 3. 16. Ioh. 6. 40. Act. 10. 43 Ioh. 20. 31. Esay 42. 3. Mar. 9. 24 Luc. 17. 5. Mat. 17. 20 The Church of Rome impugueth the doctrine of apprehending applying the benefite of Christ his merits by fayth and therefore is seene to harbour false teachers Conclusion Mat. 7. 15. 1 Mat. 9. 38. Luc. 10. 2. 2 Ioh. 5. 39. Act. 17. 11. Aug. Eph. 6. 16 Mat. 4. 6. c. The corrupt lyues foule vices of the fathers of the church of Rome deâ—eâ—ted in way of answeare to those that obiect the preaching of the gospell to breede corrupt mannets in the heaâ—â—â—s of the same Gregorie i. pope condemneth the name of vniuersal Bishop Ambition in pope Boniface succeeding Gregorie nexte saue one The popes charitie shewed to his predecessor Nicromancy poyson stepps to tha popedome The popes treason against the Emperour The church of Rome a monster haning 3. heads at once The popes trie it by the eates who shalbe heade Christendome torne by popish Sâ—â—lines The popes whordome passed ouer The câ—ueâ—â—ie of popes taxed The popes pride touched Carnusium â—20000 The popes couetousnes noted Conclusion vpon al these histories of the popes proceedings Not the gospell but out corrupte nature is the cause why our fruites at these dais are no better The gospell euill spoken of because of such as â—â—lely professe and doe not liâ—â— after it Luc. 1. 73. The preachers of the gospel exhort to holy lyfe godlinesse as well in workes as profession Eph. 2. 10. Ma. 5. 48. 1. Pet. 1. 16. Luc. 1. 75. Leu. 11. 44. Eph. 5. 8. Eph. 2. 19. Phi. 3. 20. Mat. 5. 14. 1. Thes 5. 5. 1. Joh. 2. 9. c. Mat. 5. 16. 2. Tim. 4. 8. The preaching of the gospell not altogeather fruitlesse 3. Reg. 19. 18. Esai 55. 10 The godlinesse of the preachers of the gospel compared with that of the prelates of Rome What fruits haue folowed the preaching of the gospel Obiection that the Coâ—â—â—thes might vse â—â—â—ented What a Sacrament is God the only author of Sacraments Li. 4. de Sacramen Esay 29. 13 Leuit. 10. 1. 1 Thes 2. 13 Esay 1. 20. 40. 5. 59. 14. The wickednesse of the minister doth not derogate any thing from the effect of the Sacrament to the faythfull receauer CoÌ„tra PetilianuÌ„ Lib. 2 con Lit. Petil. The fayth of the receauer not the life of the ministrer doth helpe or â—â—â—der in the effecte of the Sacrament Sacraments consist of three partes â— The outward signes and what they signifie De coena Domini The absâ—â—â—â—tie of transubstanciaâ—ion The second parte wherof Sacraments doe consist is the spirituall or inward thing Whâ—â— the internall part of Sacramentes is Chrys hoÌ„ 7 â— ad Cor. Serm. ad Infant Sacramenâ—â— are seales whereby the letters patentes of ouâ— Saluation â—â— Christ are confirâ—â—â— vnto vs. The third parte wherin Sacraments consist is the worde of Christes institution and promise August Mat. 26. 28. Mar. 14. 24. Luc. 22. 20. Why Sacramentes were ordained Our infirmitie the first cause why Sacramentes were ordained Homil. in Math. 830. Lib. 3. quest Vet. noui The second cause why Sacraments were instituted is our â—â—â—rcise in the rememberance of Christs benefites Luc. 22. 19. 1. Cor. 11. 26. The thirde â—nd whereunto Sacraments were appointed â—oâ— 10. 9. The. 4. cause why Sacraments were ordained Eph. 4. 5. 1. Cor. 10. 17. August Ioh. 13. 35. The last caâ—â— why Sacramentes were appointed The faythful togeather with the outward signe receiue the inwarde thing Gen. 15. 9. What difference is to be obserued betwixt the Sacraments of the old Iews and the Sacraments of Christians The old Iewes vndes the lawe had the same hope of Saluation by Christ that we now haue Apoc. 13. 8 Eph. 1. 3. Gen. 3. 15. Gen. 26. 4. Ioh. 8. 56. Act. 3. 24. 1. Cor. 10. 3 A place imagined where the dead did â—est before the coming of Christe The difference that is betwixt the Jewes Sacraments oures consisteth
to bee of this Churche which yet in Gods appoyntment are the certaine members of it as euidently was shewed in the example of S. Paule But the visible Churche that is discerned of man and by outwarde tokens is knowne to the worlde maye in thys manner bee described to you It is the multitude of all them bee they fewe or manye whiche beeing vppon the face of the earthe and called by the worde of the Gospell protest to beleeue in our Sauiour Christe looking for sanctification and saluation by hym and worshipping him according to his holy word That it is the whole multitude of all beleeuers it is euident when Christ himselfe sayth Ite predicate Euangelium omni creaturae i. Go ye and preache the Gospell to all creatures He excepteth none and therefore the grace of God and benefites of his Church are not tied to anye one place as to Rome to Hierusalem to Constantinople to Antioche or any other place That the number of this Church may be as wel small as great Christ himselfe teacheth saying Grex meus pusillus est i. My Flocke is verye small And where two or three be gathered togither in my name there am I in the middest of them Hereby maye you learne that the argument of Multitude or great number is not alwaye strong For by it the Doctrine of the Prophets the Doctrine of Christ and of the Apostles mighte be reiected which vndoubtedly were but few in comparison of them that misliked and reproued it That this multitude must be called by the word of the gospel S. Paule affirmeth Rom. 10. Fides ex auditu auditus per verbum Dei Et quomodo predicabunt nisi missifuerint that is Faith commeth by hearing and hearing by the worde of God And how shall they preache vnlesse they be sent And therefore Christ did sende his Apostles to preache the Gospell that thereby they mighte by brought to the beleefe of the Church The members of the Church be graffed into it by professing the beleefe saluation in Christ In the 8. chapt of the Acts. When the Eunuche desyred Baptisme Phillip aunswered If thou beleeue with all thy harte thou mayst he aunswered I beleeue that Iesus Christe is the sonne of God By this branche of the description the Jewes and Turkes are excluded and as many as seeke other meanes of saluatioÌ„ then by Christ Jesus though y t they pretend to be christians though that they pretend to be the church This church is knowne by certayne markes and tokens Nowe what they are lette vs consider The Gentiles for the state of their Religion alleadge Pindarus and other Poets The Jewes their Talmud The Turkes their Alcorane and all sorts doe ground their religion vpon some authoritie But God in Esay to his people saith this Ego ineo cum his quiresipuerint in Iacob hoc meuÌ„ foeduâ— vt Spirit us meus qui est super te verba mea quae posui in ore tuâ— non recedant ab ore tuo neque ab ore seminis tui amodo vsque in saeculum i. I will make this my couenaunt with them that turne from iniquitie in Iacob My spirite that is vpon thee my words which I haue put in thy mouth shal not depart out of thy mouth nor out of the mouth of thy seede from henceforth euen for euer Here you see that God willeth his church to sticke vnto his word And in the 10 of Iohn Qui ex deo est verbuÌ„ Dei audit He which is of God heareth Gods word And Oues meae vocem meam aâ—diunt c. My sheepe heare my voice and I know them and they follow me A stranger they wil not follow c. True doctrine then according to the word of God is one vnfallible token of the righte church of Christ For god by his Prophet by his sonne witnesseth that it is his worde and that it is his voyce that his people doe staye vpon This marke S. August acknowledgeth in his Booke Contra litteras Petil. I haue the manifest voice of my shepheard sayth hee without all circumstaunces declaring which is his Churche My sheepe heare my voice and they follow me Beholde we heare his plaine and euident voyce For how dareth he call himself christes sheepe that doth not vouchsafe to followe christe Let no man saye vnto mee what sayde Donate what sayde Petilian or Pontius for wee must not consent to catholike Bishops if they be in any pointe deceaued and iudge contrary to the canonicall scriptures c. And agayn If thou crie out recite vnto me any other thing vnderstaÌ„d then that after the voice of our sheapherd vttered euideÌ„tly vnto vs by the mouth of the Prophets by his owne mouth and by the mouth of the Euangelists we will not hearken to your voices nor giue eare to any thing that you shal speake Whosoeuer wil not waÌ„der froÌ„ his flock let him hearken to him let him folow him Now as Christ y â— true sheapheard doth call his sheepe by his voice lead them by his word so doth he mark theÌ„ by his Sacraments The Gentiles the Jewes the Turkes haue their ceremonies but only the church of christ hath the true SacrameÌ„ts by him appointed distributeth the same orderly lawfully vnto faithfull people according to his Justitucion for by one spirit saith S. Paule are we al baptised into one body And of y â— Lordes supper he saith We being many are one bread one body because we are all partakers of the same bread By these marks theÌ„ of baptisme the Lords supper Christ doth vnite his flock togeather in one folde maketh them known to be his Now let vs examine these tokens how well they agree to the Church of Roome Touching the fyrst how can they haue truth of doctrine which vse not that rule of Religion nor that Touchstone whereby onely all truth of faith and holinesse is tryed Can that Goldsmith alwaies haue good and pure mettall that doth not vse a right and true Stone to trye it The right touchstone perfect directory whereby all trueth in doctrine is known is The word of God deliuered in his holy scriptures Therefore sayth y â— Psalmist Thy word is a lantern to my feete and a light vnto my pathes And Christ himself saith vnto y e Jewes Search the scriptures for they beare witnes of me He imputeth the grosse errours of the Saducies to the ignoraunce of the scriptures The Conuerts of Berrhaea in the Acts to trie Paules doctrine did dayly search the scriptures whether all thinges were so as Paule preached This is it then wherby preachers and teachers are discerued This is it whereby the true church of God is tried This is it wherby al truth of doctrine is examined So sayth Chri. The Lord knowing the coÌ„fusion of al things that would be in the latter dayes
commaundeth that christians willing to vnderstand the sure ground of faith should haue recourse to no other thing but to the Scriptures And agayne in the same place Before time it was euideÌ„t by many meanes what the true churche was and what gentillitie but now after that heresie is growne into the church there is no way whereby it may be knowne but only by the Scriptures Now Dearely beloued we shunne not this Triall we desyre to be iudged hereby only we say with Moyses yea with God himselfe Nothing is to be added or taken away from his worde We say with S. Iohn 20 chapter So much is written that if we beleeue we shall haue saluation by the name of Christ We say with S. Paule that the scriptures can make vs wise to saluation We say with S. Paule agayne that the scriptures written by the inspiration of the holy ghost are profitable to teache to reproue to correct to instruct in Iustice and to make a man perfect in all good workes Finally we say with S. Ambrose Noua omnia quae Christus non docuit iure damnamus quia fidelibus vita Christus est i. All newe Doctrine which christ hath not taught we rightly condemne because that christ is life to all the beleeuers Contrariwise the aduersaries of the Gospell will not abide this triall of their Doctrine but seeke by all meanes they can to auoide it I wil not in this place discribe their whole practise herein but I will note vnto you three pointes First the keeping of the scriptures in an vnknowne tongue from the common people and to make it little lesse then Heresie to haue it in their mother tongue Haue not many good men partly lost their liuing and borue fagots partly bene burned for no other cause Manye yet aliue knowe it to bee true But they did not only finde this meanes to keepe it from the common people of GOD but brought to passe that it was almost out of vse euen with the learned sorte of which very fewe did reade the Texte of the Bible you had almost tenne that wrotte vppon the mayster of the sentences The greate heapes of schoolewriters declare this to be true Secondly they doe marueilously disgrace and discredit the Scriptures as vnsufficient to saluation and not contayning all necessary truth but that there are manye Articles of necessity to be beleeued whiche are not contayned in the Scriptures So sayth Lindan lib. 1. Cap. 10. The Apostles sayth hee Woulde not committe certayne principall pointes of our Fayth to paper and ynke thereby to perishe and be forgotten but they committed them to the faythfull hartes of Christians As though those thinges remayned more sure whiche be committed to the frayle memorye of seeble men in this sinfull world then those thinges that by the spirite of God are put in writing Doe you not see howe this malicious and reuolting Aduersary doth ouerthwart the gratious and ordinary prouidence of God in preseruing the truth of his doctrine and holy will When God saw that the law written in the heart of man was in continuaunce of time by corruption of the world greatly blemished and almoste cleare forgotten then that it might bee renewed and remayne more surelye in the memoryes of men did hee not by Moyses put the same in writing But this is the manner of the olde Heretiques as Irenaeus sayeth When they are confuted by the Scriptures they fall to blame and accuse the scriptures as though they were not in good case and of sufficient Authoritie and because they may be diuersely interpreted or as though the truth could not be knowne by them without the knowledge of Traditions For say they the truth was not deliuered by them but by the liuely voice of the speaker Hitherto Irenaeus This was the gappe whereby almoste all Heresies were drawen into the Churche that eyther they deâ—ied the Scriptures or else depraued them as vnsufficient without priuate traditions reuelations And so the aduersaries at these dayes strine to keepe the same gappe open as well for the maynteinaunce of their tradicious as for that they see they are not by them hable to maintayne the moste of their Doctrines What shall I say of them which are not contented by these means to accuse and discredit the Scriptures as the old Heretiks did but giue vnto the sacred written worde of God contemptible and blasphemous titles of reproche as to call it A dead writing A dumbe maister doubtfull and vncertaine A black Gospell Dead ynke Ynkie Diuinitie A Nose of waxe A leaden Rule c. But the eternall and euer liuing God whose immortall word scede of life they so reuile sitteth in heauen and seeth their wicked blasphemy howsoeuer conningly they will seeme to cloake their doinges Thirdly they say the scriptures take authority of the church and therfore that the Church is aboue y e scriptures and her authoritie the greater Sine authoritate ecclesiâ— saith Friar Soto Scriptura sacra non habet authoritatem hoc certissime fatemur i. Without the authoritye of the Church the holy scripture hath no authoritie This we confesse most certainly As though the maiestie of Gods wisdome the truth contained in the scriptures depended vpon the authoritie of man For though the Church be neuer so holy yet it consisteth of men which maye and often times do erre when they leane not to the word of God Oh say they how know you that the Scriptures came from God but by the church I graunt dearely beloued that the true church that is the faythfull people of God haue the spirit of discretion to discern what writings are according to the law Prophets which are not And therfore the Godly Fathers in the primatiue church partly in the time of the Apostles partlye after reiected many counterfeyted writinges fathered by Heretiques vppon some of the Apostles because they agreede not with the lawe and the Prophets nor were agreeable to the Analogie of fayth and truth of Doctrine contained in them and so by their witnesse they iustifyed the truth of those canonicall scriptures and that no other ought to be Judges ouer them or in any part of doctrine in them or to haue authoritie aboue them or withoute them When a Prince sendeth a commission to certayne â—ounsaylers they may by their skil in the lawes in the realme and practise of gouernmente consult whether it be a right true commission or other wise but when they haue by their iudgement determined that it is a true commission vnder the Princes hand and seale they take not to them Authoritye ouer it yea they submitte themselues in all thinges to bee ruled by it They may not be so bold to ad to diminish to change or to interprete it further then authority doth warrant theÌ„ So is it with the church of Christ it must submit it selfe to be directed by the word of God
teache it to be a cognizaunce or badge of our Religion whereby wee bee separated and distincte from Turkes Jewes and all other Miscreantes and by the vse thereof confesse before God and the worlde that wee are of the number of them that looke to bee saued by the death of Christ And therefore sayeth Saint Paule Yee cannot drinke of the Cuppe of the Lord and of the cuppe of deuils Thirdlye wee teach it to hee a Seale added to the laste wyll of Christ to assure vs of all those legacies that in the same hee hath bequeathed vnto vs and principally that hys bodye was gyuen to death for vs and his blood shedde for the remission of our sinnes Fourthlye wee teache that it is a linke of vnitie among our selues and a spirituall ingraffing of vs into the mysticall bodye of Christ so that as the braunches haue lyfe and mayntenaunce from theyr roote and stocke so haue wee from Christ Lastlye wee teache that it is a spirituall and heauenly Feast and banquet◠wherein the sonne of God Christ Jesu offereth to the faythful hartes of Christians the heauenly foode of hys moste precious body and blood they therein receiue the same effectuallye truely indeede and not in sygne onelye for wee doe from our heartes detest that opinion that Christes body and blood is receaued in the Sacrament onely figuratiuely For S Paul sayth Panis quē frāgimus nonne comunicatio est corporis Christi poculus benedictionis cui benedicimus nonne comunicatio sanguinis eius est i. The breade whiche wee breake is it not the partakyng of the body of Christ and the cuppe of blefsing whiche wee blesse is it not the partaking of the blood of Christ Wee beleeue therfore teach that the faithfull Christians are made partakers of the bodye and blood of Christ indeede and of all the benefites procured vnto mankind by the same And yet wee meane not this carnally and grossely so that the Reall and naturall bodye of Christe vnder the shape of a rounde peece of breade or his blood vnder the forme of Wine entreth into our mouth and descendeth into the naturall partes of our bodye God forbyd As wee say with Christ He that eateth not his bodie nor drinketh hys blood hath no life in him So we say with Cyprian Non acuimus dentes ad mordendum sed panem sanctum fide syncera frangimus i. Wee sharpen not the teeth to byte but wee breake the holy bread with sincere faith And with August we say Quid paras dentcm ventrem crede manducasti i. Why preparest thou thy teeth and thy bellie Beleue thou hast eaten Faith then is y ◠mouth wherby we receiue Christ so digest him into y ◠stomacke of our soules That which Christ did generally vpon the crosse to y ◠whole world y ◠do we thinke to euery man perticularly with no lesse good effect through faith to be applyed in the Lordes Supper So farre bee wee from teaching it to bee a signe or figure onely Let vs nowe continue in the comparison consider how the church of Rome doth vse this sacrament But Lord God what a sea should I enter into if I should take vpō me fully to declare their abuse of this reuerend Mysterie I will not I cannot thys time wil not serue for it yea diuers sermons wil not serue to deliuer it Who knoweth not y ◠this onely matter hath occupyed the tongnes and pennes of all the learned of Europe I will therefore rehearse vnto you onely the titles of the abuses reseruyng the full discourse to some other tymes Christ instituted a Supper or holy Feast they make it a priuate repast In a feast there is both the Feast maker and the guestes but in theyr priuate Masse one supplyeth the person both of the Feast maker and of the guest Christ Instituted a Sacramente of thankesgeuyng as hee sayeth Doe thys in remembraunce of mee They make it a Sacrifice propitiatorie for the quick and for the dead hauing not one syllable of Gods worde for it Christ gaue breade they say there is no breade Christ gaue Wine they saye the substaunce of Wine is cleane vanished awaye Christ said Drinke yee all of thys nay saye they none but Priestes maye drinke of it Christ sayde when hee gaue breade This is my bodye and when he gaue Wyne This is my blood They saye when the aue or the other is gyuen that it is both the bodye and bloud I omitte that they mixed diuers corrupte doctrines and vnfruitful and daungerous Ceremonies I omitte that they made it a common Marchandize to buy soules out of Purgatorie Finally I omitte that they haue made of this heauenly mysterie a perpetuall matter of Idolatrie by leading the people in theyr Eleuations to worshippe the creature in steede of the Creator If I shoulde enter to declare how they haue wrested and wroong the words of Christes Institution it myght seeme to all men that haue the feare of God verye marueilous but this that I haue spoken may suffice Seeyng therfore they haue not the ryghte vse of the Sacramentes accordyng to the Institution of Christ they cannot challenge vnto them the second Note or marke of the true Churche of God but that the same remayneth rather wyth vs then with them Yea wyll some say but they haue one token wherevppon the olde learned Fathers dyd seeme more to stay their consciences than al y ◠residue that you haue spoken of that is Continuall succession of Bishops for y ◠space of 1500. yeeres Irenaeus Tertullian Augustine c. and other when truth was in controuersie heretikes challenged the name of y ◠Church did flie to this as a principall anker whereby to stay them and their doctrine I graunt deerely beloued that it is true in same respect they did so But I praye you who were they agaynst whom they so reasoned Forsooth Marcion Valentinian and other lyke Heretikes which did refuse reiect almost the whole Scriptures both of y ◠olde newe Testament And such few bookes as they admitted they had corrupted by adding chaunging and by pulling out that these learned Fathers were there by forced to appeale to the Succession of the Apostolicall Churches as well for the triall of the auctenticall Scriptures alway frō the Apostles age left among them as also for the iustifying of that doctrine which they taught out of the Scriptures and had bene alway obserued in the same That it was thus Tertul. himselfe witnesseth Ista haeresis sayth he non recipit quasdam scripturas si quas recipit adiectionibus detractionibus ad dispositionem instituti sui interuertit si recipit non recipit integras c. i. This Heresie doth not admitte certain Scriptures and those that it receiueth by additions and detractions it wresteth to her purpose as it receiueth certain so it receueth them not wholly c.
good Husbandman hath sowed in his Land pure and good seede the enemye commeth in the nighte and soweth among it Cockell and Darnell And yet is not the Husbandman to bee blamed for that which the mallice of the enemye hath wroughte Euen so nowe in this tyme when GOD hath restored the true and pure Seede of his Worde and cast it into the worlde by his Preachers the Deuill hath raysed vp diuerse sectes and wicked Heresies of purpose to discredite the truth and yet is neyther GOD nor his Ministers to be blamed for it If any of them of that sort haue professed the Gospell we may comfort our selues as Saint Iohn did in the like matter A nobis sayth he Exicrunt sed non erant ex nobis si enim fuissent ex nobis permansissent vtique nobiscum That is They wente out from vs but they were not of vs for if they had bene of vs they had vndoubtedlye remayned with vs. Happily some of these came from vs but they were not of vs they be departed from our Churche they doe more hate vs than the Papistes Al the fautors of the sea of Roome haue not written halfe so much to impugne the wicked Doctrine of the Anabaptistes Libertines Stenkefeldians Osiandrists and suche other as the Protestantes haue done Yea if a man looke thorowlye into those Sects he shall see theÌ„ farre better to agree with the church of Rome then with vs. Wherfore how iustly they do vpbraid vs defame the Gospel with y â— reproch of their names let the Godly consciences be Judge But happily they will say that euen wee that chalenge moste of all to haue the Gospell and truth of Gods word do foullye disagree among our selues For I pray you hath not the controuersie of the Sacramente a long time with bitter conteution distracted the two churches of Wittenberge and Tigure Doth not the same contention at this day remain amonge vs heere in Englande Doe wee not euen nowe striue for the matter of Apparell I woulde to GOD if it were his holye will I mighte in this poynte saye as I haue before that it were not so I would I might say that all were false and that they doe therein slaunder vs. But it is true I confesse it and with sorrowfull hart I doe confesse it But yet neuerthelesse God be thanked there is no iust cause why either I or other should be greatly dismayed at it or for that cause to be ashamed of the Gospel It is stil the power of God to saluation though by this little spotte in countenaunce of the world it may seeme to be somewhat blemished As for the controuersy of the Sacrament among vs it is not great the parties of the one syde are but fewe and yet I confesse they are to many But where the contention is greatest the matter is not so heynous nor the dissencion so diuerse as Staphilus and such other of very malice would haue it seeme to be Both parties in the right vse of the Sacramentes doe well agree both parts grant that they be Seales to confirme in our harts the promises of God and benefite of our saluation by Christ Jesu both partes graunt that they be Testimonies and Pleadges of his Diuine grace and fauour both partes graunte that they be badges and Cognizaunces of Christian societie to erecte and confyrme our Fayth and to bynde vs to the studie of honestie charitie and concorde both partes graunt that the body of Christ is present yea and that truely and in dede so y t they be not bare signes but such as effectualy doe bring to the faithfull harte the very thinges that are signifyed both partes graunt that the cheefe effecte and benefit of a SacrameÌ„t is takeÌ„ by the spiritual eating so y t the bodily eating without y t is nothing Only the contentioÌ„ is about the Maner of y â— presence eating while y e one part affirmeth with the Church of Rome that it is Reall and Carnall the other to be only Spiritual and by Fayth How this controuersie may be agreede and of what force this carnall presence and eating is for whiche onelye they contende if I should now stande to declare I should make to large a digression from my purpose and holde you to long This only I trust for this time you maye see that the matter is not so greeuous as it is pretended to be As for the controuersie of Apparell as there is in it some diuersitie of Judgementes so is there no separation of christian fayth and charitie For sure I am y â— neither they that do refuse the appointed apparell do condemne vs that weare it I speake of them that be learned neither we y t at y â— Princes order receiue it do hate theÌ„ that of coÌ„science for certayne consideracions thinke they may not safely vse it Although in this matter we wishe that they would doe as we doe As for al other pâ—intes of Doctrine I wil protest my conscience for my self as many other as I knowe I thinke very well of them and iudge that for their singuler gifts there may some of them be very good instrumeÌ„ts in the church and we are perswaded they think euen so of vs. Wherfore although there be some misliking of iudgemeÌ„ts in these trisles that it pleaseth the Magistrates and rulers for certaine causes by their authoritie rather to iustifie the opinion of the one than of the other yet assure your selues the iarre in the matter it selfe is not so great as the enimies of the truth would haue it seeme to be But be it that the iarre were great hath not God I pray you in the most pure state of his Churche for causes to his wisdome known suffered such misliking diuersitie of iudgements among his holy blessed Apostles Preachers perhaps to this end that they might therby learne to remember know their own infirmity What controuersy was betwene Peter Paule for the eating or not eating in the coÌ„pany of the Gentiles wherein albeit Peter were a cheefe Apostle yet God suffered him to be so caried away with error y â— Paule opeÌ„ly blamed him as not rightly prâ—â—eding in the Gospel Was there not much misliking betwene Paule Barnabas for the coÌ„pany of Marke that they in displeasure parted companies Were there not so great sects contentiâ—ns among the Cor. that the Lordes supper â—â—â— by theÌ„ very â—ull abused through the same and yet 〈◊〉 nâ—â— their whole doctrine for that be condemned Did not the Emulation betweene the Jewes the Gentiles a great while trouble the primatiue church Did it not cause a couÌ„saile to be gathered of the Apostles for quieting of the same Immediately after the Apostles time it is euident in Eusebius and other histories that the controuersie for the obseruatioÌ„ of Easter day did cause great styr betweene the East and West Church And yet
authoritie which preachers haue had the very same intertainmēt at their hands y ◠the ancient Prophets had of y ◠false prophets priests Princes of y ◠people We must not therfore beleue y t he is a true minister of god a deliuerer of sound Doctrine y t is furnished w t ordinary authority challengeth y ◠cōmendacion of successiō lawful calling for the wolues often times be couered w t that clothing And I wil note vnto you in this place one claw whereby you shall not lightly fayle to Discearne the greedy and greeuous Wolfe that is Tyranny crueltie and blood for the false Prophets are alwayes cruell and bloody Take Example of the olde false Prophets in the time of Esay Ieremie Micheas Zacharie and other and Christe himselfe doeth note that Marke in them in sundrye places of the Gospell Howe blooddye and cruell Eusebius and the other Arians and false Teachers were toward Athanasius other Godly catholike Bishops of that time the ecclesiasticall Histories doe largely declare might be layde down in this place if time would serue But neuer was shewed more notable examples herof thē in these oure dayes by the Popes their Prelates which to extinguish y ◠Gospell the true preachers professours therof haue bene Trompets to mooue Princes to war murder by sword fyre haue imbrued the whole earth with the blood of Gods saintes and blessed martirs But cōtrariwise the spirit of truth in the right preachers of God is alway charitable mild merciful so much as possible may be with the safety of the church of Christ detesting crueltie and blood Let example bee taken hereof by the practise of all the primatiue church for the space of sixe hundred yeares and of all the professoures of the gospell in these latter dayes in comparison of the contrarye part The third Lambes cloathing wherewith false prophets seeke to couer and hyde themselues is the goodlye name title of y e Holy Apostolical Catholique church wherewith they seeme gloriously to aduance set forward themselues as though that all their Doctrines Traditions deuises of new worship proceded not frō thēselues but were established by the perpetual consent of y ◠church and allowed by the sentence and interpretacion of the holy counsailes and ancient learned fathers Doctours and yet whē it shalbe rightly trulye examined it is nothing so In deede cōsent of y ◠church to true godly Preachers is not onely a goodlye and bewtifull Garment but a moste necessarie Ornament that men may not faigne and deuise Doctrines opinions and Phantasies of their owne heads but professe beleeue and teache the consent of the true Catholike Churche in that doctrine that was first planted in Paradice by God him selfe and after renewed and continued by the Patriarches and Prophetes and so published into the whole world by Christ himselfe and his Apostles The summe whereof is briefely contained in the articles of our faith teaching vs the vnestimable goodnesse of Almightie God towarde vs as well in making of the world as in redeeming mankinde by the Incarnation and deathe of hys Sonne c. This faith and beliefe ought to be established and conserued by the consent of the Catholike Churche from the beginnyng But it is of all Christian heartes to bee lamented that most wicked and rauening Wolues vnder this cloake of the Churches Consent do abuse the people of God bring into the Churche and maintaine straunge worshipping of God and what soeuer they haue newly deuised of themselues without iust warrant of the holy Scriptures and contrarie to the manifest doctrine of the Prophetes Apostles and auncient Fathers of the Primitiue Church And by the authoritie of this Title of the Church doe persecute and feare men from embracing the reformation of the Gospell and striue still by violence to keepe them in the blindnesse of ignoraunce and errour But for so much as I haue sufficiently and at large in another place spokē against this Lambes clothing and haue taught men how by certayne Tokens to espie the same I will not stande longer vpon it at this time but will referre the reader hereof to the seconde Sermon made vpon this Text the briefe some whereof was recited in this place The last Lambes clothing that I meane to note vnto you at this time is their Vaunting of myracles wonderous workes that haue bene done for the confirmation of their doctrines Ceremonies which they haue brought into the Church For as Christ by myracles did confirme the true doctrine of the Gospell so doe the Scriptures witnesse that wicked teachers members of Antichristes schoole shoulde vse the countenaunce of the same to leade men into errour For the Diuel doth often turne himselfe into an Angell of lyght and wyll seeme to imitate the diuine power of God That false Prophetes doe sometimes vse this clothing to commende themselues and their profession it is euident in many places of the Scriptures Iannes and lambres by this meanes resisted Moyses and did harden the heartes of Pharao and the Aegyptians against the messengers and people of God Simon Magus Elymas the Sorcerer by such straunge working seduced many Moyses giueth warning of such and wylleth the people of God to take heede of them saying If there arise among you a Prophete or a dreamer of dreames and giueth thee a signe or wonder and the signe or wonder that he hath tolde thee come to passe saying Let vs goe after other Gods c. Thou shalt not harken to the wordes of that Prophete for the Lord your God doth proue you to knowe whether you loue him with all your heart c. Christ himselfe sheweth that they be not all by and by true Prophetes and ryght teachers that haue power to worke Myracles Many will say vnto mee in that day Lorde Lorde haue not we in thy name prophesied haue we not cast out Diuells in thy name and by thy name haue done many great workes But it followeth Then I will professe vnto them I neuer knew you departe from mee all yee that worke iniquitie Here we see that with wickednesse and corrupt doctrine may be ioyned working of Myracles and straūge doyngs And agayne our Sauiour Prophesying of y e latter dayes sayeth Then if one saye vnto you beholde heere is Christ or there is Christ beleeue hym not for there shall aryse false Christes and false Prophetes and shall shewe great Signes and wonders in so muche that if it were possible the verie elect of God shoulde bee seduced Beholde I haue giuen you warning before And Saint Paule in lyke manner giuyng vs warning of Antichrist and his false Prophets sayth Whose comming is after the working of Sathan with all power signes and lying wonders and in all deceaueablenesse of vnrighteousnesse among them that perishe because they receiued not the loue of the truth
that they might bee saued And therefore God shall sende them strong delusions to beleeue lyes c. Thys warnyng principally toucheth vs vppon whome the latter endes of the worlde hath lyghted that wee shoulde carefullye take heede that by Wonders and Myracles and Apparition of Spirites wee bee not Seduced eyther to beleeue errour or to refuse the trueth of the Gospell offered vnto vs. Christ gyueth vs a speciall chargeâ— Beware saith he I haue tolde you of it before hand Therefore if you doe not harken vnto him but yeelde your selues by suche meanes to be caryed into Superstition Errour and Idolatrie the daunger shall bee the greater And Saint Paule addeth a terrible threatning Because they receyued not the loue of trueth God shal sende them stronge delusions that they may beleeue lyes that all they myghte bee damned whiche beleeued not the trueth but had pleasure in vnrighteousnesse Let them looke therefore carefully to themselues which by suche Myracles are Induced or confyrmed to beleeue the corrupte errours of Pilgrimages and worshypping of Images of praying to Sainctes departed of Purgatorie of Masses and Trentalles of praying and offering for the synnes of the Deade and suche other infinite errours as hath beene brought into the Churche by Monkes Fryers and other false Teachers of the Churche of Rome It is a wonder to see the Heapes of such Myracles as of late yeeres haue beene put in writyng by Vincentius and a number of other like authors so that to such as feare God there is scant any greater Token that Antichrist is come and hath set a long time in the Church then this is That their doctrines are altogether confirmed rather by such Myracles Apparition of spirites then by the scriptures and word of God When the riche glutton as it is mentioned in the Euangelist desired of Abraham that one myght rise from death to life and warne hys brethren that they came not to that place of torment where he was Abraham aunswered They haue Moyses and the Prophetes if they will not beleeue them they will not beleeue though one rise from death to life Wherby the â—â—lye Ghost doth Signifie that after the true doctrine of Christes Gospel first published was throughly confirmed and bâ—yng generally receaued was put in writing and so remaineth as a perfect Testimonie of the worke of our redemption that the prouidence of God towarde the latter ende of the world woulde vse no moe Myracles least hee should thereby seeme rather to Discredite the truth of his written word than by such meanes conserue them For whosoeuer wil not beleeue the doctrine of truth confirmed by the expresse and euident worde of God will not beleeue y t same though they sawe a. 1000. myracles Take example hereof by y â— Jewes who continually called for Signes and Wonders but when they had seene many they neuer the sooner Beleeued but sclaunded the doinges of Christ and sayd that he and his Apostles wrought by the power of Beelzebub c. Christians therefore must learne some Rule wherby they may iudge false and deceitefull Myracles done by the power of the Diuell from them that bee done directly by the Worde of God in his Saintes And this rule is the ende wherevnto myracles doe tende Godly myracles bee alwayes shewed by God to confirme the Diuine nature and office of Christ in the worke of our redemption and that he is the true and onely Messias and Sauiour or to iustifie and proue the doctrine of the Gospel to bee good According as Christ sayth in the last of S. Marke Goe yee into the whole worlde and preache the Gospell to euerye creature he that shall beleeue and bee Baptised shall bee saued but he that wyll not beleeue shall bee damned and these tokens shall followe them that beleeue In my name they shall cast out Diuells and shall speake with newe tongues and shall take away Serpentes and if they drinke any euill thing it shall neuer hurte them they shall laye their hand vpon the sicke and they shall recouer c. Those Myracles then that bee done to this ende to direct the people to acknowledge Christ to bee the only ful and perfect redeemer of mankynde and to embrace the doctrine of the Gospell by the holye Scriptures confirmyng the same are good and godly and to bee esteemed true Myracles But contrariwyse if they leade men from Christ and directe them to put their trust of Saluation remission of sinnes in any other name vnder Heauen then Christ Jesu or to beleeue any other doctrine than that which by Gods word is euidently confirmed or to accept any other worshippe of God than by himselfe is appoynted are false Myracles and delusions of the Diuel wrought to deceiue men Let vs therefore beware of these thinges and looke into these myserable delusions wherewith the Diuell and his Ministers haue bewitched the worlde nowe these manye yeeres by Spirites Ghostes Goblines and many vaine Apparitions and faygned Myracles c. ⸪ ¶ The seconde Sermon vppon this part of the Texte Exfructibus eorum cognoscetis eos By their fruites shall ye knovv them IN this place we haue diligentlye to obserue the great difference y t Christ our Sauiour in this louing and Fatherly admonitioÌ„ doth make betwene the clothing the fruits By their fruites you shall know them he saith not by their garmeÌ„ts or outward clothing for wyth that y â— false Prophets vse to colour countenance all their crafts deceiptes of corrupt doctrine Now what these fruites be whereby they are knowne let vs consider by y t similitude or parable y t Christ here vseth Do they saith he gather Grapes of Thornes or figges of Thistles Euery kinde of tree hath fruit by which it is knowne to be good or bad The Apple tree by the Apple the Plumtree by the Plumme c. so euerie trade occupation or state of lyfe hath certaine proper and peculiar workes by which it is discerned either to be good or bad in it selfe or differing from other The Carpenter by right squaring framing of his Tymber the Mason by his buylding c. the Lawyer by his Counsaile the Phisition by his cure is iudged skilfull or ignoraunt euen so is the Preacher or Prophet knoweÌ„ by his doctrine that proceedeth from him which is the peculiar worke and sruite of his trade and occupation In all the olde Testament God doth accuse the false Prophetes to bee euill because they deliuered vnto his people false doctrine corrupt worship contrarie to his holy will and worde Heare not saith God by Ieremie the wordes of the Prophets that prophesie vnto you teach you vanitie They speake the vision of their owne heart and not out of the mouth of the Lord. And agayne Howe long doe the Prophetes delight to prophesie lyes euen prophesying the deceipt of their owne hart And immedately after Therfore beholde I will come against the
prophets that steale my word priuily euery one frō his neighbour behold I will come against those Prophets that haue sweete tongues say The Lord hath said it I will come against thē that prophesie false dreames and tell thē out cause my people to erre by their lyes by their flatteries I sent thē not nor cōmaunded thē like testimonies haue Ezech. Hoseas Malachi other But the places be manifold wherein the spirit of God in y t scriptures teacheth vs y t lying false doctrine peruerting of y t word of God are the fruites of false prophets wherby they may be knowē Sathā himself the father founder of all lying false teaching vsed y t same course in Paradice For whē God had said vnto Adā our first father In what houre soeuer thou shalt eate of the fruite of this tree thou shalt die the death The old craftie Serpēt seeking to seduce man frō God sayde Nay you shall not die the death but you shal be like vnto God By which glofe false interpretatiō of Gods word he pulled them cleane frō the obedience of Gods holy will commandement to their owne vtter ouerthrow heauy iudgemēt By y t like falsehood he tēpted Christ to make him conceiue ouer great cōfidence of y t prouidence of God toward him Oh said he it is writtē that he hath giuen his Angels charge ouer thee that with their handes they maye saue thee least at any time thou shouldest dash thy foote against a stone By like craft of lying and by false Sence peruerting y t words of God he from time to time instructeth his messengers false Prophets to abuse and deceiue the Simple people of God that bee not well taught by his holy spirite howe to withstand them But I will come neere vnto my purpose by some perticular example shew how the worlde in these latter dayes hath ben in a great part yet is deceaued by false Prophets how the same may be knowne examined shunned S. Ioh. in his first Epistle sheweth vs a certaine rule how we may know these fruites of false Prophetes and in a manner distinctly telleth vs what they are and likewise the fruites of true Prophets Who is a lier sayth he but he that denieth Iesus to bee Christ he is Antichrist that denieth the father the sonne Whosoeuer denieth the Sonne hath not the Father And agayne Dearely beloued beleeue not euerie spirit but trie the spirites whether they be of God or no. For many false Prophets are gone out into the world By this you shall know the spirit of god Euery spirit that cōfesseth Iesus Christ to haue come in the fleshe is of God And enerie spirit that denieth Iesus christ to haue cōe in the flesh is not of God this is that spirit of Antichrist of which you haue heard that he should come and now alreadie is he in the world By these wordes some other that S. Iohn in the same Epistle vseth I obserue three sundrye pointes of doctrine touching the very ground of our saluation by which he teacheth vs to discerne true or false teachers The first is what Christ is in Person Office and what it is truely to confesse or denie Christ The secōd why Christ came into the world what benefites mankinde hath by it and who it is that doth confesse the same or denie it The thirde howe or by what meanes we are made partakers of those benefites and how the fruite of the same is applyed to vs. These braunches are not deuised by mee They are layde downe distinctly by Saint Iohn in thys place and they containe as I haue sayde the whole mysterie of our redemption and saluation by Christ that you may not thinke I purpose to rest vpon trifles or matters of small moment in triall of true Doctours and teachers As touching the fyrst we may not thinke that a sleighte knowledge confession of Christ the sonne of God and sauiour of the World is sufficiente For the Diuels sayeth S James doe beleeue know and tremble yea Mahomet and the Turkes after a sort do acknowledge Christ We must so know and confesse Christ as S. Peter did saying Thou art that christ the sonne of the liuing GOD. We must deepely pearce or enter into y t whole course of y t scripture and earnestly consider by what titles Christe is called and in dede what hee is both in person and Office To confesse that Jesus is Christ the sonne of God is as much as if you should say I knowe confesse and beleeue that Jesus borne of the blessed Virgine is the blessed Sede the true Messias promised by God by the mouth of all his Prophets and the eternall and onelye begotten sonne of God that is according to his person very God very man and by his office the true Christe annoynted of the Holy Ghoste King of Kinges Lorde of Lordes the Highe Bishoppe and principall Sheapheard of oure soules our Sauiour Redeemer Mediatour and Intercessour the head Gouernour Ruler Patrone Defēdour of the Church And we may not thinke y t the eternall prouidence wisdome of God wold prepare so precious high vnestimable a Means as to sēd down his son to take the forme of a seruant vpō him in this vale of misery to work only some parte of our saluation and so but in part to execute the office of a sauiour Wherfore we must assuredly know confes y t Christ is al y t is before spoken wholly and only without any part attributed to other For as Peter sayth There is no other name giuen vnder heauen wherby we shalbe saued We must therfore beleeue that Christ is our only Redeemer Mediatour Intercessour y ◠only head ruler gouernor defēder of his church y e only high Bishop chefe sheapherd maister techer of his flock They that beleue confesse teach this be true preachers and are of God they y t do not beleeue confesse teach this howsoeuer they doe countenance and set forth themselues are false Prophets of the Diuel For so sayth S. Iohn Who is a lyar but he that denieth Iesus to be christ he is that Antechrist c. Now y t professors teachers of y t gospell in these latter dayes as wel in this church of England as other parts of y t world do confes teach preach in this manner therefore they are true Preachers and of God Let all our doctrines be examined see whether they tend not to this end y t Christ is our only ful perfit Redemer Mediatour Intercessour y t he is the only Head Guide generall gouernour of his church y t he is y t only high Bishop maister teacher of his flock y t in these offices none can without blasphemy be ioyned with him And I doubt not but our verye Aduersaries will say that this
is true in vs or at the least they haue no likely pretence in truth to saye the contrarye On the contrarye parte the Doctrines of the Churche of Roome are either manifestlye repugnaunte to this confession in sunderye thinges or greatly imparing or disgracing the same Therefore their Preachers are false Prophets and not of God for not only doth he denie Iesus to be Christe that grosely in flat wordes so sayth or he that playnly denieth christ to be the sonne of God as Cerinthius other auncient heretikes did but he also that couertly vndirectly by false doctrines worketh the same by teaching other men to seke other Sauiors Mediators Intercessors maisters and directours to saluatioÌ„ besyde him that sayth I am the way the truth the life or which by instructing them otherwise in Christs SacrameÌ„ts other ordinaÌ„ces theÌ„ he himself hath coÌ„maÌ„ded appointed For profe y t the church of Roome doth this first let this Doctrine bee examined whereby they teach that the very Reall and Naturall body of Christ is in a thousand places at once that is in so many places as there are Ostes consecrated This Doctrine impeacheth the principall Article of oure fayth that christ of y â— blessed Virgine tooke flesh and had a very true and naturall body as we haue Sinne onelye excepted It is the property of God only to be in manye places at once As Christes body is now after his asseÌ„tion glorifyed and is transformed to a greater bewty brightnesse so yet it remaineth a very true substantiall bodye And to teach that the body of Christ is in manye places or euery where as his Deitie is doeth make an open gappe to the Heresie of Abbot Eutiches which taught y t Christe his humanitie was swallowed vp with y t Maiestie of hys Godhead and so became a diuine thing Furthermore for y t proofe of their errors in this Article let their doctrine be examined of the Popes Suâ—remacie wherby it is taught that he is the vniuersall Bishop generall Lord Maister and Gouernour of the whole catholike church that he hath authoritie to pardon sinnes to deliuer Soules out of Purgatory to destribute the merites of Christ of his Saints to dispence w t the ordinances of Christ to alter y t institucioÌ„ and vse of his instruments to coyne newe Articles of oure Faith of necessitie to be beleeued cleane without any Authoritie of Gods word all which things are only in duetye and in truth to be attributed to Christe and to none other as before I haue declared The second Article of doctrine is why Christe came in fleshe and what benefite mankinde hath by it When as Gods iust wrath against sinne committed by our fyrst parentes was so greeuous that no Creature in Heauen or in earth was able in anye parte to appease the same by the vnestymable goodnesse of GOD his onlye and dearely beloued sonne became a sacrifice to appease his wrath and displeasure and to reconcile vs to his Father and by his death passion and resurrection procured for vs recoÌ„ciliatioÌ„ with his father remissioÌ„ of sinne righteousnes before god and eternall life in heauen These be the Fruites and benefites that we haue by Christs coÌ„ming in fleshe Here agayne we haue to call to our remembrance the note that is before spoken of touching the highnes and exellencie of the meane of our saluation For if the same in part or in all could haue bene wrought by any other creatures in Heauen or earth the wisedome of God would neuer haue giuen his sonne to death to procure the same benefites for vs. But that he might declare how odious and displeasaunt Sinne was to God he let vs by this meanes vnderstande that the offence thereof could not be taken away nor mankinde to him bee reconciled but onelye by the blood of the immaculate Lambe Christ Jesus his son Good Christians must then assuredly perswade themselues that they haue reconciliation with God remission of sinne iustification before God sanctification of the holy Ghost and the heritage of eternall life by the excellencye and fulnesse of Christ his death and passyon only only I say and by nothing else For as I haue sayde Christ is the only full and perfect meane of our saluation as the whole course of the Scripture teacheth vs. Esay the Prophet many yeares before Christ came in fleshe signified thus much and cryeth to all them that hunger and thyrst after saluation that they should come and receaue it plentifully and freelye of the mercy of God in Christe and blameth them for seeking for saluation and the satisfying of their hungry and thirstie soules by any other meanes then y â— O sayth he all ye that thyrst come to the waters and ye that haue no siluer come buy and eate come I say bie Wine Milke without money Wherefore do you lay out your siluer for that that is no bread bestow your labor for that which doth not satisfye you hearken dilligently vnto me and eate that which is good and let your soules delight in fatnesse incline your eares and come vnto me heare and your soule shall liue c. By these wordes I haue sayde the Prophet calleth vs to receaue the comfortable water and sustenaunce of the Gospell which offereth full saluation and satisfying of our hungry soules freelye by Christ and sharpely rebuketh them that leauing christ seeke after other meanes by which in deede their hungrie desyre of Remission and Saluation in anye parte cannot be satisfyed and for that cause hee sayeth Theire Syluer is bestowed and theire Laboure spente in vayne Christ himself may seeme to expounde this prophecye and apply vnto himselfe in playne wordes that whiche the prophet heare speaketh in a figuratiue borrowed speech for he sayth Whosoeuer thirsteth let him come to mee and drinke And agayne Al ye that trauaile be heauy loden come vnto me and I will refreshe you The Apostles do fully in their doctrine iustifye y â— same Peter sayth There is no saluation in any other c. Neyther is there any other name giueÌ„ vnder heaueÌ„ wherby you shalbe saued c. And S. Paule It pleased the Father that in him should all fulnesse dwel and by him to reconcile all thinges to himselfe and to set at peace through the blood of his Crosse both the thinges in earth and the thinges in Heauen And again in the same Epist In whome are hidde all the Treasures of wisedome knowledge c. in him dwelleth all the fulnesse of the Godhead bodily you are complete in him which is the head of all pricipalitie Marke that he sayth We are complete in him and therfore neede we no other meanes of saluation And this our sweete Apostles S. John who teacheth vs this triall of spirits sayth The blood of Christe Iesus the sonne of God doth cleanse vs from all sinne The same Apostle maye seeme not onelye
and his blood is called meate and drinke and how he is to be eaten and drunken in the sacramente truely and in deede And lastly I will let you vnderstand that the bare professyon of Christianitie the externall vse of the sacramentes and outward exercise of praying and other â—the thinges are not sufficient without the inwarde worshipping in spirite and truth and christian obedience to the will and lawe of God A sacrament is a reuerend and holy misterie ordayned of God wherin he by his holy word and promise doth both stirre vp and practise the faith of his people and by y â— operation of the holy ghost increase his grace in them bestoâ— his benefites and blessinges vpon them wee on the other part testifye our obedience toward him vnity of faith among our selues The authour and ordainer of sacrameÌ„ts is none but God himself No Patriarche nor prophet nor Apostle nor Father nor the whole church hath authoâ—â—â—â— to ordayne a sacrament Who is authour of Sacraments sayth Ambrose but the Lord Iesus These SacrameÌ„ts came from Heauen c. A sacrament is a part of Gods worship but no creature can ordayne any part of Gods worship but himself according to that saying of the Prophet In vaine they worship me teaching the traditions of men In the old Testament if a man had offered any sacrifice not appointed by God it was esteemed little better then Idolatrie It is knowne what happened to the sonnes of Aaron for that they brought strange syre to the Alter of God much lesse may any appoint straunge sacramentes not ordayned by the expresse word of God in his scriptures Sacramentes be seales that confyrme Gods promises and looke what a counterfeyted seale is to a mannes writing or deede that is a sacramente in the Churche not ordayned by GOD. If this be true as in deede it is moste true what shall we saye of the Church of Roome which hath presumed not only to alter those Sacraments that Christ appoynted but also to ordayn sundry other sacramentes without any iust warrant of gods word onlye vpoÌ„ forced interpretacioÌ„s deuised of theÌ„selues Penance Orders Matrimony corrupt Doctrine being taken froÌ„ theÌ„ be good things to be exercised in y â— church so likewise are prayer fasting and almes deedes yet I see nâ— cause why they shold be called sacrameÌ„ts Ther is a great differeÌ„ce betwene a sacrameÌ„t an other godly exercise coÌ„manded in y â— church as herafter you shal better vnderstaÌ„d Seing therfore christ is author of sacrameÌ„ts none other you may not think theÌ„ to be trifles vaine Ceremonies and mens deuises y â— you may vse or not vse at your pleasures as you list but you ought to reuereâ—â—â— theÌ„ as y â— ordinance of God to receiue theÌ„ euen as at Christs own hand For as wheÌ„ gods word is taught you by the ministery of men you must not receiue it as mans word but as the word of God as it is in deede and therefore the Prophet sayd the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it euen so the Sacraments when you receiue them at the hands of a fraile and mortall yea and sometime a sinfull man you must looke to the Authour and in your faith see the hande of God offering the same vnto you The sacramentes take not their excellencye and worthinesse of him that Ministreth them though he be neuer so holy neyther be they disgraced or weakened though the Minister be wicked and euill And therfore the errour of y â— Donatistes Anabaptists and some other is sharpelye to bee reprooued that thinke the sacramentes of Christ to bee of leesse value if they be ministred by an euill or sinfull man In deede the haud of the receiuer being withoute Fayth maketh the sacramentes that of themselues bee good to bee vnto him of no Force because of his vnbeleefe But a wicked Minister cannot in anye wyse make frustrate or deceiue the Fayth of the Godlye Receauer Iudas was a wicked and false Traytoure and a Couetous naughtys person al the time that he followed Christ yet I doubte not but that the baptisme that he ministred was as auailable to the faithful receiuer as the baptisme of Peter was or of any other of the Apostles S. August vseth the same example Whereas fayth he there was great difference betweene Peter and Iudas yet was there no difference betweene the baptisme ministred by Peter that was ministred by Iudas that was all one but of the partyes one was a member of Christ another a member of the Deuill And agayne he sayth Such are the Sacramentes as they are that come vnto them Whereby one maye profitablely receiue the Sacrament of an ill minister so he himselfe be good This is a great comfort to the godly that in receiuing the SacrameÌ„t they neede not to loke into the life of the Minister but to examine theire owne hartes Now as touching the partes of a Sacrament you shall vnderstande it consisteth of three partes The fyrste is the externall signe as the Lambe in the Passouer the cutting of the fore skinne in Circumcision water in Baptisme bread and wyne in the Lordes supper Because of these outwarde â—ignes a Sacrament is called a signe a Seale a Visible word so that it were a Monster to haue a sacrament without an externall signe or elemente to the outewarde substaunce of it Water in Baptisme signifieth that as water naturally hath a propertie to wash and clense the filth froÌ„ the body so doth the grace of God through Christ his blood wash away the gilt and filthinesse of our soules As breade and wine by naturall effect nourisheth our bodyes strengthneth and comforteth oure spirites so doeth the heauenlye foode of Christes body and blood broken and shead for vs vpon the Crosse nourish our soules and quicken our Spirites to eternall life with God As the breade is made of many graynes kneaded into one loafe and the Wine pressed out of many Grapes into one cuppe so the multitude of Christians communicating at the Lordes Table thoughe many in number are ingrafted into Christ made meÌ„bers of his misticall body and ioyned in mutuall loue one with the other so that nowe they liue by the spirite of Christe as the members of a naturall bodye lyue and haue sence by that Spirite that commeth from the harte and from the heade This proportion and similitude betweene the signes and the spirituall effectes of the sacrament S. Cyprian acknowledgeth As this coÌ„mon bâ—ead saith he being chaunged into fleshe and blood breedeth life to to our bodies so by the accustomed nature of thinges the weakenesse of our fayth being holpen is taughte in sensible argument that in visible Sacramentes are the effect of eternal life These godly instructions and â—weâ—e comfortes the Church of Roome weakeneth and â—aketh away by their monstrous doctrine of TransubstaÌ„ciation Wherein they
I thinke it necessary in a worde or two to teach you how Christians should prepare themselues as worthy guestes to come to this holy Table But before I come to that I will fyrste aunswere an euell and peruerse Doctrine broughte into the Church by the Sea of Roome and the Preachers and teachers thereof directlye both agaynste Christes owne wordes and agaynst the doctrine of the auncient fathers that is that very wicked meÌ„ and horrible sinners as Iudas and other doe eate in the sacrament the very Reall and naturall body of Christe as fully as Peter or any other Saint of God or other faythfull Christian hath done or doth This Doctrine as it is reprochefull to the body and blood of Christ so it is plainly against y t which Christ himself teacheth in Iohn For there Christ sayth thus He that eateth my flesh drinketh my blood abideth in me and I in him As the liuing Father sent me and I liue by the Father so hee that eateth me shall liue by me I adde But the wicked naugty persons abide not in christ nor liue by him therfore sinfull and wicked faythlesse persons doe not eate Christ nor drinke his blod In the same place Christ sayeth further Whosoeuer eateth my fleshe and drinketh my blood hath eternall life c. I adde here likewise But the wicked haue not eternall life by christ nor shall bee raysed to life but to eternall damnation therefore it is a false and a wicked Doctrine that Iudas and such other naughtie persons doe eate the very true reall and Naturall bodye of christ for if they did they shold theÌ„ be partakers of those benefits which christ truth it self promiseth to theÌ„ y t eat him Though this their doctrine to any godly man may seeme absurde in it selfe and Christ his wordes against it be plain ynough and will not easylye admitte any glose yet if the aunciente Fathers also teache not herein as wee doe let vs be thought to deuise it of oure selues Origin sayeth this These thinges haue I spoken of the typicall and fyguratiue body Much also may be spokeÌ„ of the word himselfe which became fleshe whome whosoeuer shall eate shall surely liue for euer and he addeth Whome no euill man can eate For if it could be that he which coÌ„tinueth euill did eate the word that became flesh seing that he is the word bread of life it would neuer haue ben writteÌ„ whosoeuer eateth the bread shall liue for euer Hitherto Orig. And S. Aug. He that discordeth froÌ„ Christ eateth not his flesh nor drinketh his blood but he receaueth the Sacrament of so holy a thing to the iudgement of damnation against himselfe And y â— same father vpoÌ„ S. Joh. The Apostles sayth he did eat the bred that was the Lord but Iudas did eate the breade of the Lord against the Lord. But most plainly he sayth in an other place The sacrameÌ„t of the vnity of the body blod of Christ is receiued at the Lords table of some to life of some to destruction But the thing it selfe whereof it is a sacrament is life to euery man and death to none whosoeuer shall be partaker of it And in the same place To eate that meate and to drink that drinke is to dwel in Christ to haue christ dwelling in him And by that it followeth that he which dwelleth not in Christ nor hath christ dwelling in him vndoubtedly doth not spiritually eat his flesh nor drink his blood although carnally visibly he presse with his teeth the sacrament of the body blood of Christ c. Although I might alleage a nuÌ„ber of other places to y t same purpose yet because these fathers vndoubtedly did know the fayth Doctrine of the church in their time this may be sufficient to such as haue not a minde willingly to abyde in errour Seing none be partakers of that heauenly foode laid forth at that holy table but such as worthily come to receaue the same it behoueth all good Christians as before I haue sayde to learne how to prepare themselues to the worthy receiuing thereof And how that may be done S. Paule in generall words brecfely sheweth Let a man sayeth hee prooue himselfe and so let him eate of this bread and drink of this Cuppe The meanes therefore to come worthilye is to proue and trie our selues whether those thinges bee in vs which the worthy Guestes of that Table should haue First therefore we must looke vnfainedlye into our selues whether we haue an appetite or desyre to eate of y t blessed foode For a loathing stomache neuer perfectly digesteth any meat y t it receaueth but turneth it to the hurt of the body This Appetite or desire cannot be in vs vnlesse it be wrought by the sharpe sauce of seuere repentance for our sinnes which we shall the better prepare if wee examine our selues by the perfect rule of Gods iustice in his law consider how farre we are from the same and what danger hangeth ouer our heads for the wante thereof God sayth in his law Thou shalt loue the Lord thy god with al thy hart with all thy foule with all thy minde with all thy strength and thy Neighbour as thy selfe That is wee should loue we should hate we should feare we shold hope for nothing but in God and to his glory we should thinke or muse vpon nothing in our minde and vnderstanding but that may make to the honour and glory of god We should imploye all the powers of our bodye and of our worldelye giftes to the same ende wee shoulde doe nothing to anye other man which we woulde not willinglye bee contented should be tone vnto vs. If wee examine our selues by this rule we shal see we be so farre from that we should be that â—â—nosâ— we haue not one branche thereof in vs whiche will more euidently appeare if wee will trie our selues by euery particular commaundemente rightely and truely vnderstanded Seing then we be so farre from the iustice of Gods lawe the curse thereof must needes be due vnto vs for God sayth Cursed is he whosoeuer keepeth not all thinges written in the booke of his lawe In this manner if wee examine our selues sincerely we shall throughly know what wee are in the sight of God as well by the corruption of oure nature as by the course of our euill and naughtie lyfe wee shall haue sence of our own sinne wee shall hate and detest it wee shall from the bottome of oure hartes be sory for it with trembling mindes we shal feare the heauie iudgement of God against vs and so will there be stirred vp in vs that Godly appetite and greedye desyre to eate of that spirituall meate whiche onelye can satisfye our troubled conscience and cure our repentaunt and broken hattes c. But though the appetite and desyre bee neuer so great in vayne he commeth to any table that hath no mouth to eate nor strength
the proper necessarie vse of them all the fleakes of flesh called muscles the bones and the great varietie and the marueilous fashion and ioyning of them together the wonderfull course of the Veines the Arteries the sinewes disperkling themselues to notable vses into all partes of the body both inwarde and outwarde I will not put thee in minde of the substance the nature the power and strength of thy soule which in deede farre passeth all the other For if by consideration of thy body thou canst not learne that there is a God which in such wonderfull sorte did frame it thou shewest thy selfe not to haue the common vnderstanding of a mannes soule but art more dull than a brute beast By these things which I haue hitherto spoken a naturall man may vnderstand that there is a certaine deuine and spirituall power that gaue beginning to all these things and therfore is of himselfe Eternall And because he wrought them of nothing that he is also Omnipotent and Almightie and because they are framed in so goodly order and exceeding varietie that he is of Infinite Wisdome And for so much as he made them in the beginning and to this day preserueth them to the benefite of mankind that he is Exceeding good and bountifull and a louer of man And because he suffereth euen vnworthy persons to enioy the benefite of his creatures that he is with all very Mercifull And because with want of these his creatures he punisheth and plagueth the wicked hee sheweth himselfe Iust also Now this diuine and spirituall power that is eternall almightie wyse good mercifull and iust is that God which we speake of whom these Godlesse persons should learne thoughe they had no other booke but this of the frame of the world But seeyng they haue Gods booke of hys holy Scriptures besides this they shall be vnexcusable heape vnto themselues wrath in the day of wrath if they repent not and shake those wicked cogitations out of their harts that the seede of Gods worde may prosper with them The thirde euill birde and cruell Harpie that deuoureth the seede of Gods worde is Obstinate Papistrie And of this birde are three kindes The open Papist which dwelleth among vs and forsaketh our Communion in prayer vse of the Sacramentes manifestly protesting that wee be departed from the Catholike Church and therefore that they may not in conscience ioyne with vs. The second sort are fleeing Papistes which fling ouer the sea and returne againe secretly bringing with them pardons reconciliations sclaunderous and seditious bookes and libels w t other like things wherewith they indeuour not onely to feede other Papists in their obstinacie but with traiterous meanyng as much as they can to steale away the heartes of the subiectes from the Prince and Magistrate prepare the way to rebellion and alteration of the state so that thys Realme hath not in the world so deadly and perilous enimyes as these are to y â— vttermost of their power Their continuall trauaile is to beate into the heartes of English men that our doctrine our Church our Prince our lawe our whole state is schismaticall and hereticall that they ought not to obey either the Churche in doctrine or the Prince and state in gouernment but if they rebell â—â—they doe God good seruice To represse or chase awaye those two kindes of Romish Harpyes for so much as they wyll neither reade writing nor heare Preaching there is none other way but to claime ayde of the Magistrate that they wyll vse more seuere sharpe execution of the lawes deuise some streighter meanes than hitherto hath bene For the lenitie of these daies hath caused the multitude of these byrdes exceedyngly to increase with the perill bothe of Prince and state which if in tyme they take not heede of I feare it will be too late The thirde kinde of these sort of Harpyes is the Cunning Papist which can hyde hymselfe vnder the colour of loyaltie and obedience to y â— lawes and wyll needes be accompted a faithfull true and good subiect yet carieth in his boosome in effect the same perswasion that the other doe and for feare of daunger or discredite they are contented to obey the law in y â— meane tyme are perilous instrumentes to let the other vnderstand the secretes of all thyngs that be done or purposed wyth friendship and money to helpe them when any kinde of daunger is at hand These men as they can not by lawe be corrected so surely haue the gouernours verye great cause to haue a carefull eye vnto them and to take heede that they bee not brought into place of credite But for so much as all these three sortes of Romish Harpyes not onely deuour the seede of Gods worde and pull it out of those mindes that heare it but also by distainyng the same with their foule dung of sclaunderous reportes make it to sauour yll in the senses of many it behoueth such as feare God to be well armed with sufficient aunswere to y â— same Namely when they say that the doctrine that we preach is a new doctrine and that they wyll beleeue as their fathers haue done before them that they are the true Catholique Church and we are schismatikes and heretikes that we disagree among our selues and they consent in vnitie all which their pretences with diuerse other lyke you shall finde sufficiently aunswered in the Sermons vpon this Text Non me pudet Euangelij I am not ashamed of the Gospell c. Thus haue you heard me declare vnto you what those three principall birdes are which Sathan in these dayes hath bred in England to hinder and deuour the seede of Gods word which falleth on the high waye Nowe it remaineth to speake of the other diuersities of ground c. ¶ The seconde Sermon vppon this part of the Text. Mat. 13. 5. Some fell vpon stonie ground where it had not muche earth and by and by it sprang vp because it lacked deepenesse of earth but when the Sunne rose it was burned away BEforé whrist did speake of them which all 〈…〉 heare and receaue y â— â—ede of Gods holye worde yet their heartes bee so hardned that it sinketh not into their mindes therefore y e Diuell doth quickly by his birdes deuoure it that it neither coÌ„meth to good effect nor giueth any shew or token of likelihood to prooue well Nowe in these that followe he describeth them that receaue and admitte the word of God in such sorte as they giue great token at the beginning that it will prosper and doe good in their heartes but shortlye after some impediment growing the seede fayleth and bringeth forthe no fruite at all And first he speaketh of them whom he resembleth vnto stonie grounde that is such hartes mindes of men which because they be of disposition vehement and hoate they by and by
wee must not doe it coldly but boldly fearing no authoritie of man to Preache Jesus Christ crucified Againe in the same Prophet Crie and cease not lift vp thy voyce as a Trumpet tell my people their iniquitie and the house of Iacob their sinnes So that with like earnest boldnesse are wee in this place willed to crie out agaynst sinne and wickednesse and to tell men plainely of their iniquitie In Ezechiell we are compared vnto watchmen that should alway stand in the watch tower of the Churche of God if wee espie either corrupt doctrine or false worshipping of God or wickednesse of life by any meanes eyther openly or colourably to thrust themselues into the Church of God that wee presently ring out the alarme sound the Trumpet to giue warning to the inhabitants of the Citie of God the celestiall Hierusalem that they take heede and beware of themselues otherwise the blood of other that perish without warning will be required at our handes And that men may not thinke that this charge belongeth to the Prophetes alone S. Paule to Timothie and by hym of all other requireth the same Preache the worde But howe Bee earnest in season out of season for no time is vnconuenient to Preach true doctrine And he addeth Reproue intreate rebuke with all patience and doctrine so that if mens obstinacie bee such that they wyll not amend wee must leaue it to God and take it patiently For wee are but planters and waterers God must gyue the successe and increase Nowe if our charge bee thus earnestlye required of vs as wee are greatly to blame if we doe it not so they that be of God can not mislike with vs when wee doe it though happily their owne persons be touched therewith But we must not teach onely but we must liue also accordingly We must be Exemplaria gregis Be thou saith Paule to Timothie an example to the faithful in word in conuersation in charitie in faith And to Titus Aboue all things bee thou an example of good workes with vncorrupt doctrine with grauitie with integritie And Chrisost God sayeth he will not haue a Christian to be contented with himself but to edifie other also and that not in doctrine onely but in life also For men looke not onely what is spokē but what is done As there was neuer time more captious perilous and daūgerous then these dayes are so was circumspect walking neuer more necessarie y t our enimies take not a pretence by our blemishes to quarrell agaynst our doctrine This if we doe we shal be good Ministers of Christ we shal walke in the house of God w t good conscience we shal be able for any iust cause to stoppe y ◠enimyes mouthes force them to praise God in the day of visitation we shall be able for mans iudgement to say w t Christ Quis ex vobis c. Which of you cā rebuke me of sinne But if we doe not this our conscience must needes be heauily burthened Gods iudgementes as he threatneth by his Prophetes will bee greeuous against vs he will rase vs out of the booke of Israell he will set himselfe agaynst vs he wyll feede vs with worme wood and giue vs water with gaule to drinke yea he wyl cry out Woe and curse against vs as he doth in Jeremie Ezechiel Woe saith he to these pastors that hurt and destroye my flocke And in Jeremie 25. Howle ye sheepards and crie and wallow your selues in the ashes yee principall of the flocke for your dayes of slaughter are accomplished the flyght shall fayle from the sheepardes the principall of the flocke shall not escape c. In which words althoughe the Prophet chiefely doth speake of Princes Magistrates and gouernous of the people of GOD yet hee comprehendeth also those that hee hath appoynted to direct them in doctrine and teaching What the Byshops Preachers and y ◠Ecclesiasticall state of this Realme haue deserued I knowe not but what the world speaketh of them and howe men open their mouthes against them I knowe and with griefe of my harte I knowe it and heare it If wee bee such horrible offences to the Churches of God as the common voyce of men doth make vs as before I haue sayde in this place Better it were that Milstones were tyed about our neckes we cast headlong into the Sea as Christ speaketh of them that giue offence to y t meanest of his churche If wee bee so retchlesse and negligent that when wee bee made Byshops and haue gotten the Rochet on our backe wee forget howe to Preache if we be so giuen ouer to the worlde as wee haue eyther lyttle or no care at all of our duetie and calling as men saye to our faces our faulte must needes bee great neyther can any excuse bee made But if wee bee so wee lyue vnder a Prince and lawes vnder Magistrates and gouernours neyther doe wee challenge any exemption as the annoynted of Rome did but let our causes and crymes bee tryed wyth suche indifferencie as other States woulde bee contented to bee iudged by and then let euerye man carye his owne burthen according to the weight of hys desertes I desire na fauour eyther for other or for my selfe although I knowe more faultes by my selfe then I doe by other Onely this I require that gnats bee not turned into Elephantes and moulehilles be made Mountaynes that is small blemishes no faultes in other horrible and great crymes in vs onely of affection to deface our calling and to discredite the Gospell which wee Preache Sathan knoweth ryght well and I feare his cunnyng bee too well learned that there is no waye so fitte to deface any kynde of doctrine as by all meanes that maye be to bryng the Ministers and Preachers thereof in discredite hatred and contempt There is in the Ecclesiasticall historye a notable example of that noble Emperour Constantine the greate who after that he had assembled the great Councell of Nice for the suppressing of the Heresie of Arrius and there were assembled to the number of 318 Bishops whereof the greatest number were men of notable fame as well for life as learning yet by humayne frayltie forgetting themselues and the principall cause that they came for they began to offer to the Emperour Libels and Bils of complaynt one agaynst another blazing euery man the others infirmities which thing the Emperour greatly misliking and foreseing the great inconuenience that might come thereby to the Christian fayth whiche lately before hee had excepted into his Empire he would not so muche as once looke into the Bils of complayntes but wrapped them vp togeather and in theire sighte cast them into the fyre with reuerente wordes exhorting them to forget those quarrels to bende themselues wholye to that matter for whiche principallye they came So that the Godlye Emperoure did rather indeuour with Sem and Iaphet
to couer the nakednesse of those reuerend men then with Cham to blaze their infyrmities to the discredit of that religion which they taught and professed And yet is it a wonderfull thing to see how that same wise noble and Godly Emperour was shortlye after abused by certayne pernicious flatterers and conning workers about him in his Court which were infected with y â— heresie of Arrius For they made such suggestion agaynst that reuerend and great learned Father Athanasius that he sent for him and not only condemned him as an obstinate and stiffenecked man that woulde yeelde to no conformitie for quietnesse of the Church but also cast him into banishment into Fraunce where he remayned all the time of his Empyre afterward vnto the very great hinderaunce of true Christian fayth and to the aduauncing and spreading abroade of that wicked and detestable Heresie of Arrius A verye not able Example for all Princes to take hede howe by secrete Suggestions they bee caryed to thinke euill of the Ministers and Preachers of Goddes truth Surelye I muste confesse that the State of the Ministerye of the Churche of Englande is not so perfecte by muche as it oughte to bee and yet I muste needes saye this and in the feare of GOD tell it you playnelye that since Englande did beare the name of a Christyan Churche there were neuer so manye in it so well furnished with Gods Giftes nor so well able oute of the holye Scriptures to deliuer the true waye of Saluation vnto his people as there are at this daye and I praye GOD make this Lande thankfull for it otherwise it will fall out to their heauy iudgemente Neuerthelesse I confesse that there be some that are to bee lamented some that are to bee prayde for and some for whom men are bounde in Conscience to giue GOD greate thankes for And therefore great vncharitablenesse is it to wrappe them all in one Sentence of Condemnation and contempte But the best canne looke for no better intertaynemente in these miserable latter dayes then beefore them the Prophets the Apostles and the Reuerende Fathers of the Primatiue Churche hadde in theyre tyme whiche doing their duetyes faythfullye and Godlye were notwithstanding burthened with most haynous and cruel crimes Yea that immaculate lambe of GOD Christe our Sauyour who in this place did and mighte iustlye saye Quis ex vobis arguit me de peccato c. Which of you canne rebuke mee of Sinne yet scaped not and was amonge men contemned as a Drunkarde as a Glutton as a Friend and fauourer of Publicanes and Sinners as a Coniuror and worker with Deuils as a seducer of the people as a Samaritane and Enimye to his Countrey as a Traytor and Aduersary to the Prince for Si hunc dimittis non esamicus Caesaris If you let this man go you are not Cesars friende Therefore if they did this to the Maister of the housholde the poore sillie seruauntes of the Familie maye not disdayne if they haue no better curtesye And yet the fault of them that so abuse them must needes bee verye greate whereof I haue nowe nexte to speake That is what blame they deserue whiche eyther maliciouslye or vntruelye or vppon anye other siâ—ister affection by false reportes seeke to discredite the Preachers of Gods worde And herein I will onelye note vnto you two or three poyntes wherewith they vniustly and maliciously burthen Bishoppes and other Preachers in these dayes to the discredite of the Gospell As for priuate euery seueral mens faults I will not medle withall If they be true they must needes bee greate burthens to oure Consciences if they bee false for my parte I smallye esteeme them and so woulde I wishe the other to doe Onelye I will touche those things wherewith the Doctrine is more blemished then we our selues discredited The firste thing is that they blame vs for that whiche oughte to bee our greatest commendation For if in our Sermons we deliuer the truth of Doctrine vnto the people of God and entring into anye controuersie of Religion somewhat zealouslye reprooue the erroures superstition and Idolatrye of late vsed in the Churche Oh saye some in some places and happilye in this place too What neede this vehemency in these matters these thinges bee banished by Lawe and by Authoritie of the Prince No manne dare auowe them no man thinketh nowe of the Supremacye of Roome of praying to Sayntes of praying for the deade of Pardones of Purgatorye of Images they are cleane out of mennes myndes I praye you Syâ— exhorte to Vertue and deterre from Vyce so Preache that you maye make vs the better lyuers Nowe GOD for his mercye sake giue vs that grace and poure into our hartes that mighte of his Spirite that nowe yet at the length after so many yeares oure wordes maye worke in theire hartes to that effect I pray God also that such speeches as they vse in this case proceede not rather of a loathing to heare true Doctrine caught then of a longing to learne better life For sure I am there were neuer Preachers in any age that either more directly or soundly according to the rules of Gods worde haue exhorted to vertue neuer more terribly and boldly thundred agaynste vyce and wickednesse then God be thanked a number haue done in this Church for the space of this 20 yeares And yet I muste tell you playnely I see as little fruite of that as I doe of Doctrine and lesse too For in Doctrine they make some pretence in amendment of life none at all And therefore seing both zeale of true doctrine decayeth study of Godly life nothing increaseth no maruayle though God eare it be long shew his heauy iudgementes agaynste vs. And this I must say farther to them that desyre vertue onely to be preached of and no doctrine that they shall neuer haue that vertuous and honest life that shal be acceptable in the sight of God vntill the perswasion of true fayth and righte religion be placed in their hartes For Without fayth it is impossible to please GOD and whatsoeuer is not of Fayth is sinne thoughe it seeme neuer so goodly in the sight of men Neither is there any other true fayth then that which is grounded vpon true doctrine out of the word of God For Fides ex auditu auditus per verbum Dei Faith is by hearing and hearing by the word of God But happily these loathers of Doctrine and louers of vertue be of this opinyon that if a man liue well hee shall bee saued howe soeuer hee beleeue whether hee bee Jewe Turke Sarasin or Papiste for some there bee that thinke so Quorum damnatio iusta est Whose damnation is iust For if that should be so the wisdome of God hath greatly ouer reached it selfe the sonne of God tooke fleshe and dyed in vayn the scriptures are false our religion is voyde and our fayth is
of the high and most excellent meanes of oure saluation deuised by the wisedome and vnspeakeable mercye of God For it should greatlye impeache the wisedome of God if he should send downe his sonne the seconde person in Trinitie into the vale of miserye here to take Fleshe and in the forme of a Seruaunt and abiecte man to suffer most vile and reprochfull Death to bee a partye redeemer or a partie Sauiour and to yeelde a great parte of the honoure and glory thereof to other No no he is GOD he giueth not his glory to other He onely onelye I saye hee is our full and perfecte reconciler and Redemer and all the residue that I haue spoken of before This is the Doctrine which we teache this is the Gospell whiche we preache and this is no new Doctrine but that whiche was conceaued in the bosome of the wisedome of GOD before the beginning of the Worlde For wee were chosen sayeth Sayncte Paule in Christe Antequám iacerentur Fundamenta Mundi i. Before the Foundations of the Worlde were layde This is that Gospell that GOD himselfe opened in Paradise to our fyrst Fathers I will set enmitie sayeth he to the Woman betweene thy seede and his seede and thy seede That is one that shall come of a woman shall breake the Serpents head That is ouerthrow the whole power of the Deuil and delyuer mankynde from sime This is that Gospell that was renued to Abraham and all the Patriarches In thy Seede shall all the Nations of the earth be blessed This is that Gospell that was fygured to the Jewes by the Paschall Lambe by Manna by the Rocke by all the Sacrifices and Ceremoniall seruices of the Lawe This is that Gospell Where vnto all the Prophets beare witnesse As Saynt Peter sayeth in the Actes That all they that beleeue in him shall haue remission of sinnes by his name This is that Gospell that Saynt Iohn the Forerunner poynted vnto Beholde the Lambe of God c. This is the Gospell that Christe himselfe preached and deliuered to his Apostles and they to the whole Worlde So GOD loued the Worlde that hee gaue his onlye begotten Sonne that whosoeuer beleeued in him should be saued Therefore as I haue sayde Our doctrine is no newe Doctrine but the moste aunciente Doctryne that euer was vpon the face of the Earth neyther doe wee teache anye other Doctrine then this and those that doe of necessitie depende vppon this or bee grounded vppon this Neither doe wee impugne anye Doctrines in other but suche as are repugnaunte to this Fayth and eyther directlye or indirectlye impeache the same For I protest before GOD and his Aungels and in the presence of this honourable Audience for my selfe and as many professoures of the Gospell as I know that whatsoeuer Doctrine is agreeable to this wee doe gladly receiue it and with both armes imbrace it though it come from the Churche of Roome And whatsoeuer Doctrine is repugnant to this and will not stande with it wee doe reiecte it though it come from an Aungell in Heauen Seeing then wee haue nowe this 20. yeares taught you this vnfallible trueth Why doe you not beleeue vs c. Now as touching the second branche what it is to denye Christe to haue come in Fleshe and who they are that denye it you shall vnderstande that there bee two wayes to denye Christe to haue come in fleshe The one flatlye and groselye and in playne wordes as Ebion Erinthus Marcion Valentinian Arrius and a number suche other in the Primatiue Churche whiche denyed eyther the Deitie or Humanitie of Christe But in them Sathan shewed himselfe in his owne Coloures like a blacke Deuill and therefore the Heresyes beeing so grosse were soone confuted and confounded in the Churche of GOD. There is another waye more subtle and perilous vndirectly to denye Christ to haue come in fleshe in whiche Sathan tourneth himselfe into an Aungell of lighte and as Cyprian sayeth Vnder the name of Christe confounding the Religion of christe That is While in wordes they confesse the Incarnation of Christ by peruerse Doctrynes in effecte they deny it by denying those causes for which the Sonne of GOD was Incarnate attributing the effect of oure Saluation to other thinges And after this sorte the Teachers of the Churche of Roome very plainlye and perilouslye denye Christe to haue come in fleshe as I wil particularly lette you vnderstande by the Branches of our saluation before recyted As touching the fyrst cause of Christe his Incarnation that Christe is the onelye reconciler mediatoure and attonement maker betweene God and vs and for that cause sitteth at the right hande of God perpetualy to appeare before his face for vs Against this Article they teach blasphemous Doctrine of Inuocation of Saintes that they are our mediatours and reconcilers that by their merites and prayers we haue accesse vnto God and are for their sakes heard receiued and accepted into the fauour of God agayn euidently displacing the son of God frō the cheefe office of his eternall priesthood setting his creatures in his place and dignitie and y t with out any warrant of scripture eyther by word or by exāple This Doctrine is ioyned with two other foule erroures Firste that they conceaue of Christ as of a dreadfull God and terrible iudge and not as of a mercifull Mediatour therefore that wee haue needs of other spokesmen to make the way to him for vs though he himselfe most gratiously and mercifully cryeth vnto vs Come all ye that trauayle and be heauy loden and I will refresh you And in sundry places commaundeth vs to pray vnto God the father in his name assuring vs that whatsoeuer wee desire it shall be graunted vs. And therefore doe they shew them selues to mistrust the Credite of Christ Secondly in this praying to the Saintes not without great daunger of Idolatrie they attribute vnto them diuine power For in their praying to them they imagine of them that they bee of Vniuersall knowledge and vnderstanding not onelye what men speake but also what they thinke in theire hartes Agayne they attribute vnto them Almightie power as being able to worke and bring to passe whatsoeuer is desyred of them And lastlye they shewe themselues to beleeue that they are More merciful and readye to heare sinners then Christ himself which is flat Blasphemy As touching the second cause of christ his Incarnation that he is our onlye redeemer and purchazer of remission of our sinnes This ground of our faith they weaken by a number of corrupt Doctrines As first that in parte wee haue saluation and remission of sinnes by the Merites of Saintes for thus they praye Tuper Thomae sanguinē quem pro te impendit Fac nos Christe scandere quò Thomas ascendit Graunt vs O Christ by the blood of Thomas which he shed for thee thether to goe whether he is ascended And to
Christ and his Gospell in the beginuing of the world ◠D. Deuice ¶ Man in his excellencie of carnall wit is not able to giue any perpetuitie to his Deuice Folio 4 The gouernemente and direction by Gods word preuayleth more than any Deuide of man Folio 5 Of mans policie and Deuice and what kinde of grounde it is to Common weales Folio 8 How God can shew himselfe when all mans Deuice fayleth c. Folio 8 Dissention ¶ Dissention of opiniōs is no new thing Fol. Folio 54. 55 Dissention of the Protestants about the Sacrament c. Folio 56 Dissention among Protestants for apparell c. Folio 57 The bitternes of the Dissention amōgst the Schoolemen Papists Folio 6 Dissention about originall sinne and the vertue of Sacraments Folio 60. 61 Of the multitude of Dissentions among Papists in sundrie poyntes Folio 59. 60 Late Dissentions in opiniōs among Papists Folio 62 Doctrine ¶ Protestantes Doctrine of saluation is the Doctrine of the Scripture Folio 234 The generall ende of the Protestantes Doctrine and what doctrine only they mislike Folio 234 Godlynesse may be pretended by some that loath true Doctrine Folio 216 None can haue good conuersation which are not sound in Doctrine Folio 216 Faith followeth Doctrine Folio 216 Contemners of Doctrine were foretold of to come Folio 217 How little their owne methode would profit thē of teaching manners without Doctrine Folio 217 Most vnnaturall and vndutifull warres lawfull by Papists Doctrine Folio 220 What is the cause that good Doctrine doth not fructifie in the hearers Folio 222 What the Scriptures shew to be most commonly the cause why true Doctrine doth not fructifie Folio 223 Doctrine is to be receyued vpon trial Folio 228 How to perceyue Protestantes to haue true Doctrine and of what weight the matters are wherein they differ from Papistes Folio 228. 229 F. Fayth ¶ Faith doth ingraffe vs into the church Fol. Folio 21 Faith followeth doctrine Folio 216 No man can be saued for any good life when he hath not true Faith Folio 216 The force and effect of Faith set out at large Folio 146. 147 Faith the mouth of the soule whereby Christ is eaten Folio 144 Matters of Faith may be better perceyued by meanes of writing than by mans bare memorie Folio 25 Of the doctrine of iustification by Faith only and what it procureth Folio 13. 14 Fortune ¶ A definition or description of Fortune declaring what it is Folio 164 God the creator disposer and preseruer of all and not blind Fortune Folio 164 Nothing betideth man by Fortune but all things by Gods direction Folio 163 Freewill ¶ How profitable the doctrine is which is against Freewill Folio 13 Opiniō of Freewill is vnthankefulnes Folio 13 How we haue Freewill and how we haue it not Folio 13 G. Gentilitie ¶ Of the vayne opinion of Gentilitie and the daunger of the same thys toucheth contempt Folio 2 Of heathenish Gentilitie and the mischiefe by it Folio 189 God ¶ Certayne notable and excellent titles proper vnto God Folio 193 Who or what God that is whiche is taught to be beleeued Folio 193 Mocks against God his iudgemēts Folio 190 Against those that denye God altogyther Folio 191 Meanes to make those acknowledge a God which do altogither deny him Folio 191 Gospell ¶ Why we ought rather to esteeme the Gospell than all earthly things Folio 205 In what sort true professors of Christ his Gospell must cleaue to him it Folio 199 How God hath blessed England euen in this late time of the Gospell Folio 65 That Princes do resist the Gospell is no cause of discredite vnto it Folio 65 The Gospell often flourisheth when it is most resisted Folio 66 Howe it commeth to passe that many seeme first to be glad of the Gospel yet afterwardes hate it c. Folio 197 Of some which now professe the Gospel which peradventure may dyslike of it hereafter c. Folio 198 Of worldelie inconveniences which do commonly followe the professors of the Gospel Folio 199 Why true professours of the Gospel can not by any meanes be dryuen from it Fol. Folio 199 The mercie of the professors of the Gospel compared with the crueltie of the Church of Rome Folio 76 The Gospel euill spoken of because of suche as ydlely professe and liue not after it Folio 109 The preachers of the Gospel exhorte to holinesse of life to godlynesse c. Folio 111 The preaching of the Gospel is not altogither fruitlesse Folio 111 The godlynesse of the preachers of the Gospel compared with that of the prelates of Rome c. Folio 112 What fruits haue followed the preching of the Gospel Folio 113 Not the Gospel but our corrupt nature is the cause why our fruits at these days are no better Folio 109 Diuers sorts of enimies to the Gospel Folio 8. 9 Sixe obiections againste the Gospel to bring it into dyscredit c. Folio 10 A first obiection against the Gospel that it doth not further but hinder good conversation Folio 10. 11. 12 A seconde obiection against the Gospel that it maketh this lyfe lesse pleasant to vs than it should be Folio 16. 17 18 A thirde obiection againste the Gospel that we the pretended professors ther of are not of the catholike church Folio 19 A fourth obiection againste the Gospel concerning the leude lyues of protetestantes c. Folio 46 A fift obiection against the Gospel that the professors of it agree not in opinion Folio 54 A sixt obiection against the Gospel that ignominie and persecution doth followe it Folio 64 The estimation of Christ his Gospel Folio 2 Of the power of the Gospel of Christ how many wayes it appeareth Folio 3 Man needeth not by the Gospell thinke himselfe debased c. Folio 15 Of the power of the Gospell appearing in these latter dayes Folio 7 That the power of the Gospell is no whit to be discredited by afflictions c. Folio 7 Contentions and warres haue bin in other Nations before the renuing of the Gospell Folio 219 England neuer in such peace as since the embracing of the Gospell Folio 219. 220 The sturre following the Gospell is not to be imputed to the Gospell Folio 52. 53 How stirres do come in the time of the Gospell Folio 53 H. Holynesse ¶ Outward Holynesse is no sure token of true teachers Folio 69 The firste clawe whereby a Woolfe is knowne is trust in Holynesse of life Folio 70 The second claw to know the Wolfe by is Holinesse consisting in the obseruation of mens conditions Folio 71 The preachers of the Gospell exhort to Holinesse of life c. Folio 111 K. Kingdome ¶ The Kingdome of God what it is Folio 199 Of the Kingdome of Christ and what is by it to be looked for Folio 198 M. Martyrdome ¶ The increase of the church by Martyrdome 182 What increase only commeth by Martyrdome Folio 182 Ministerie There is more meanes amongst protestants to reforme the Ministerie thā
the Vniuersities and the Friers Folio 62 Vnthankefulnesse ¶ OpinioÌ„ of fre will is VnthaÌ„kefulnesse Folio 13 W. Wealth ¶ The means wherby the Welth of England is wasted Folio 227 Wickednesse ¶ Of colouring Wickednesse with other mens faults Folio 224 What a mans flattering of himselfe in Wickednesse may come vnto Folio 224. 225 Word ¶ The true cause why the Word preched doth not alway bring forth fruite Folio 185 The godly alway take profit by the preching of the Word Folio 185 Three â—oâ—tes of foule whiche eate vp the seede of Gods Word in the high ways Fol. Folio 186 The inconuenience of preaching the Word in generalitie Folio 187 That the Word of God is resembled to seede and why Folio 179 The power of the Word of god in it self in the estimation of the world Folio 180 What Gods Word worketh in the hearers Folio 180 How gods Word preuaileth eueÌ„ against mans wisedome and cunning Folio 180 The imaginations practises and means of the wicked to withstand GODS Worde Folio 181 The Authoritie of the Worde of God is from it selfe c. Folio 26 Such are openlye of the Churche as are called therto by Gods Worde Folio 21 Gods word is a marke of his Church Folio 22 The causes which holde men from obedience to Gods Worde Folio 203 The negligence of our dayes in hearing the Worde Folio 203 Of the power of Christe appearing in himselfe and his Worde Folio 4 The gouernement direction by gods Worde preuaileth more than any deuise of men Folio 5 How the church of Christ must preserue Gods Word and deliuer the meaning of it Folio 27 Workes ¶ Papistical iustification by Workes Folio 29 The doctrine of iustification by Faythe only doth procure good Workes c. Fol. Folio 13. 14 That the Gospell doeth not discourage man from good Workes why Folio 15 FINIS 1. Cor. 1. 23. Hovv contemptible Christ and his Gospell vvere vnto the vvorld in the begynning Vayne opinion of gentilitie may be occasion of the eternall distruction of those which regarde it Considerations concerninge Christ which maketh mans carnal reason to contemne him The more excellent men are in carnall reason only the more they contemne Christe Hilar. 5. de trinit what estimation alway pertayned to Christ and his gospell VVhat povver is in the Gospell of Christ and hovv it appeareth tvvo vvayes 1. Cor. 15. 56. Rom. 6. 23. Luk. 1. 73. 74. Ephe. 4. 8. Psa 68. 18 1. Cor. 15. 55. Rom. 8. 33. 2 The power of Christ appeareth both in himselfe and also in his word Man in his eccellency of carnal wit is not able to giue any perpeâ—uiâ—ie to his diuice The gouernment and direction by Gods word preuaileth more than any deuise of man Example in the Apostles Tertul coÌ„tra Judâ—os Aug. de agone Christi Act. 17. 6. Aug. de ciuitate dei Lib. 22 Example of late and present tones 2. The. 2. 4 The power of the gospel doth most manifestly appeare in these latter dayes The mightye povver of the Gospell is no vvhyt to be discredyted by afflictions vvhych may follovv it VVâ—â—â— kinde of grounde mans policie is to common weales Hovv GOD câ—â— shevve himself vvhâ—n all mens deuyse fayleth yea and agaynst man also in his cheefest povver Psal 2. 4. The seconde parte Diuerse sortes of ennimâ—es to the Gospell Epicures 2 Politikes 3 Hypocrites Sixe Obiections made agaynst the Gospell to bryng it into dyscrâ—d it and the ansvvers to them 2. Obiection against the Gospel that it doth not further but hinder good co 〈…〉 on Answere Rom. 6. â— Rom. 3. 23. 24. Rom. 5. 12. 14. Cor. 15. 22. Eph. 2. 3. Ioh. 3. 3. Iob. 14. 4. Psa 51. 5. Gen. 6. 5. Ioh. 15. 5. 2. Cor. 3. 5. August Aug. ser 2. de verbis Opinion of freewill is vnthankfullnes August How we had freewill And how we haue it not How profitable the doctrine is which is againste free-will The doctrine of iustification by faythe only doth procure good workes and noâ— hinder them Ioh. 14. 2â— Luk. 17. 10 â—it 2. 11. 12 Ephe. 2. 10. Luâ— 1. 73. 74. 75. Rom. 6. 4. Eph. 6. 5. c. Rom. 13. 12. â—an nedeth not by the Gâ—spell thinke himselfe so debased that he should thereby be any whit discoâ—â—aged from good works for he is also therby maruellously exalted by gods goodnes toward him 1. Pet. 3. â— Ioh. 15. 4. 5. Rom. 3. â—5 The second obiection against the Gospell that it doth make this lyfe lesse pleasant to vs then it should be The answere is anneâ—ed to euerie perticular part of the obiection Esay 3. 16. â—c Mat. 6. 19. 20. 1. Tim. 6. 7 Luc. 19. 8. Mat. 19. 22. Rom. 13. 13 Joh. 15. 19. 1. Pet. 2. 9. 1. Cor. 6. 9. 10. 〈◊〉 of the answere The thirde obiection against the Gospell â—â— That we the pretended professors of it are not of the catholike Churche Answere The inuisible church consisting of the electe Col. 1. 24. Rom. 11. 4. 1. Cor. 2. 11. The visible church The description of the church Mat. 28. 19. Mar. 16. 15. The church of Christ is tied to no one place The number of the church may be smale Luc. 12. 32. Mat 18. 20. None are openly of the Church but such as are called theris by the worde of God Io. 10. 17. 15. Faith doth in graffe vs into the Church Act. 37. The markes of the church Esa 59. â—1 Ioh. 8. 47. Io. 10. 27. The firste marke is Gods word August contra litteras petil The second marke is the sacraments 1. Cor. 12. â—â— 1. Cor. 10. 17. The Church of Roome hath not in it the tokens of the true Church The written Scriptures only are and ought to bee sufficient to trie all truth Psal 119. 105. Ioh. 5. 39. Act. 17. 11. Chrisost Deut. 4. 2. 31. 2. Tim. 3. 1â— Verse 16. Ambrose Papistes refuse triall by the Scriptures Three points shevving that Papistes vse not neyther esteeme the scriptures as they ought if they vvere the true churche The firste point The seconde poynte Matters of fayth maye better be preserued by meanes of writing then when they are only left to the bare memorie of man The learned Aduersarye refuseth to be tried by the Scriptures because they do manifestlye confound all such Why Papistes do refuse triall by the Scriptures Blasphemies of the Papistes agunst the scriptures The thirde poynt The authoritie of the word of God is from it selfe and not from the Church principally Howe the Churche maye iudge or vse the Scriptures concerning their truth Howe the Churche of Christ muste preserue Gods worde and deluer the meaning of it Greeuous Faultes in the Churche of Kome which haue come by their taking of authority ouer the Scriptures Manifest false interpretations of papistes 1 Mat. 26. 26. 2 Luc. 22. 19. 20. 3 1. Cor. 11. â—4 1. Cor. 11. 26. Doctrines of papistes against the scriptures iâ—â—â—â—â—aâ—â—i â—uleâ—â— Rom. 3. 28. verse 8. 9. 1 Papisticall iustification
by vvorkes Heb. 10. 14 2 Papisticall dayly sacrifice propitiatorie Col. 3. 1. 3 Papisticall presence of Christ on earthe 4 Papisticall keeping avvay of the cuppe of the Lorde Mat. 26. 27. 5 Papisticall vngodlinesse in vvorshipping saintes Exo. 20. 4. 6 Papisticall abuse of the scripture in a tonge vnknovvne 1. Cor. 14. 19. Papistes cannot be knowne to be of the true church by their sacramentes Papisticall number of sacraments Fruitfull doctrines of the protestantes concerninge Baptisme vâ— 5. Gal. 3. 27. Act. 2. 38. Act. 22. 16. August Joh. 3. 5. Tit. 3. 5. Papisticall vntruthes and abuses concerning Baptisme vâ— 3. Papisticall sacramentes of their own deuise Thres sortes of Papistical annointing Fruitfull actions and doctrines of the protestantes concerning the Lordes supper vz. 5. 1. Cor. 11. 23. 1. Cor. 11. 25. 1. Cor. 10. 21. Christ his body and not signe only of his body is receaned 1. Cor. 10. 16. The receuing of Christ in the sacraments is not carnallye to be vnderstod Jo. 6. 53. Papisticall vntruthes and abuses concerning the Lords Supper vz. 5. Note Papistes obiecte Succession as a note whereby to proue themselues the true church De prescrip Heret How the argument of Succession hath bene vsed by the fathers Lib. 4. ca. 43. Succession is nothing without the doctrine of the Apostls De prescrip Aug. ca. 4 The true Church better proued by Doctrine then Succession and neuer without doctrine what Church is moste likely to haue falle interpretations De simplic Prael Phil. 2. 7. Heb. 2. 17. Act. 1. 11. Rom. 3. 25. â— Joh. 2. 1. Col. 1. 20. Act. 10. 43. Jer. 31. 34. Rom. 3. 25. Eph. 1. 7. Col. 1. 14. Heb. .10 1. 10 Joh. 3. 2. Joh. 14. 26 Joh. 16. 13. 1. Cor. 11. 3. Eph. 5. 23. 1. Cor. 3. 11. Personall Succession is no sure profe for the Romishe church that it is the true church It is against the papists that they say the Gretians are Scismatikes Papists obiecte the visible state of their churche to proue it to be the true churche Gods true churche may be and yet not appears generally visible That may seame to be the true Churche whiche is not Examples prouing a Church and yet not visible as the papistes require it In the time of the prophets Noe. Achas 2. Chro. 28. 24. Esay Manasses 2. Chro. 33. 1. c. 2. Chro. 34. 1. c. Ieroboam 3. Reg. 12. 31. Achab. 2. Reg. 16. 33. 1. Reg. 19. 10. Also in the time of Christ and his Apostls The iuâ—isible state of the Church since the Apostles doth not proue the Church to be no true Church Rom. 1. 16. The. 4. obicetion against the Gospell Answere Dissolutsnesse of protestantes lyues doth not make their doctrine errour or to be hated Mat. 11. 19. Jo. 8. 48. Act. 21. 28. Act. 24. 5. Dissolutnesse and wickednesse of life hath beene more in the church of Rome then amongest the protestantes That the popedome was to begotten by ambition and briberie Vertue and learning not regarded in choise of popes And yet worse then so to c. Of horrible cruelties in popes A cruell tormentor Time when in state of the popishe clergie vertue seemed to be vtterlye decayed Popes Sorcerers Nicromancers Coniurers Poisoners Popes did greate iniuries even to Emperours Of couetousnesse and extortions in Popes Protestants not to be hated of papistes as seditious persons which is parte of the answere to the 4. obiection Wars were in time of papistrie more then frâ—â—ce Spensers Popes raisers of war Popes by their strife curâ—ing one the other set all christendome by the eates Meanes for Magistrates to iudge what cebellious subtectes Papists are The Religion of protestantes maintaineth no â—â—â—â—ultes c Rom. 13. 1. The stirre following the Gospell is not to bee imputed to the Gospell Rom. 3. 8. How stirres doe come in the time of the Gospell Act. 19. 24. Papisticall slaunder of Protestants to be sedicious c. is no new thing The. 5. obiection against the gospell vs. That the professors of it agree not in opinion Obiection of dissention is no new thing Mat. 13. â—5 Protestants at not to be blamed for the sectes that happen in the time of the gospell 1. Jo. 2. 19. Sectaries Sectes do more agree to papistes then protestantes Obiection â— conuince protestantes for dissention in opinions The dissencion of the protestantes for the sacrament is no such greate matter as papistes make it The dissention among Protestants for apparell is no suche great matter as Papistes make it God suffereth diuersitie of opinions euen in his true Church Gal. 2. 11. Act. 15. 39. 1. Cor. 11. 18. â—â— Act. 17. 5. Act. 21. 27. Act. 15. 6. Diuersitie of opinion which was in the Easte and Weste Church for Easter Other Scismes in the East church whiche were Christians Chrisost Other Scismes of others Papistes comâ—â—e without their owne shame obiect scismes to protestants Of multitude of dissentions amongst papistes Of their diuersitie of helpers Of their diuersitie of orders professions whereby to goe to heauen Mar. 13. 21. 1. Cor. 1. 12. Repugnancie euen in the decres of popes The Scholemen are full of diuersitie of opinions Lib. 2. di 25. For originall Sinne. Li. 4. di 4. For the vertue of the Sacramentes Diuersitie of titles chalenged of Papisticall Scholemen Papisticall Scholemen which deuided themselues to sectes and how hurtfull that is to christianitie The bitternesse of the coutention amongest the Scholemen papistes Counselles to disagree differ in opinion Diuersitie of opinion betwâ—â—t the vniuersitie the Friers Of late dissentions in opinion amonge papistes 1 2 3 4 Rom. 1. 16. The. â— obicetion againste the gospell vz. That ignoâ—â— and persecution doth followe it The cause of few diuines in vniuersities of the best sorte of witts Answere to the â— obiection Ioh. 15. 18. How god hath blessed Englande enen in this late time of the gospell That princes do resist the gospel that is no cause of discredite vnto it The gospell often florisheth when it is most resrifted God his good prouidence is such to his that they may hope wel against any force whatsoeuer Mat. 5. 1. c. Discription of false Prophets examined Mat. 7. 15. 2. Cor. 11. â—3 c. 2. Thess 2. 9. c. Distinction to be made betwixt the Cloathinge the fruites of false prophets The fyrste Sheepes cloathing where with Wolues are cladde Outward holinesse no sure token of true teachers Mat. 6. 2. Mat. 6. 16. â— Wolfe in a sheepes skinne is discried by his clawes The first claw where by a Wolfe is knowne is trust in holinesse of life Luc. 18. 21. Mat. 3. 4. The seconde Claw to know the Wolfe by is the holinesse consisting in obseruation of mens traditions Mat. 15. 3. The thirde claw is the respect that the wolues haue more to their owne bellyes then to the glory of god Mat 23. 14. Luk. 20. 47. Ezec. 13. 2. Ezec. 34. 2. 2. Pet. 2. 3. 1. 2. Tim. 3.
and how it is so Seneca The way to acknowledge god in man Who so can not acknowledge god in him self can not be saide to be a man Properties which can not but be knowen in god if we doâ— acknowledge him but only in his creatures Eternall Omnipotent vvise infinitly Good exceedingly and liberall and louing Mercifull Iuste Who or what that God is which is taught to be beleeued Of obstinate PaPistrie in three sortes England in most daungerous perils by papistes The meanes to remedie some kinds of papistes Câ—use of care in what places of credite papistes are put Who those be which are the stonie ground which is the 2. kind of ill ground How it commeth to passe that many seame first to be glad of the gospell and yet afterward hate it and helpe to punish the professors of it The cause why many of the Jewes which semed to like of christ well did afterward crie crucifie him crucifie him Of some which now professe the gospell which peraduenture may dislike it hereafter those also that do preache it Meanes to remedie the professors last spoken of Of the kingdom of christ and what is by it to be loked for Gen. 3. 15. Mat. 10. 16. Of worldly inconueniences which commonly follow the professors of the gospell and why Joh. 15. 18. Mat. 7. 24. Why true professors of the gospell cannot by any afflictions be driuen from iâ— What the kingdome of god is In what forte true professors of christ must cleaue to christ and for him renounce al things els Such as doe but a little close with the world are and sâ—and in daâ—ger of treason to Christ How the godly do stay themselues in afflictions so that they may not fall from Christ by 2. considerations The first cause of stay Met. 10. 29. Tertul. Iob. 1. 10. e. Luc. 22. 32. Of gods speciall prouidence for euery thing The second cause of stay Mat. 5. 10. Mat. 19. 29. Luc. 6. 21. c. Ioh. 16. Mat. 10. 37. The third kind of ground Why riches pleasures aâ—e resembled to thorns How riches â—o hurte â—â— In getting In keping In loosing â—hy it is so hâ—â—d for a riche man to â—â— saued Mat. 19. 24. Mat. 22. â— c. Luc. 14. 16. Interpreâ—â—â—â—on of the parable of the guestes bidden vnto a feaste which came not The causes that with holde men from obedience to gods worde The negligence of â—â—â— daies in heaâ—inge the worde 1. Tim. 6. â— Tvvo meanes to vvithstand the mischifes of Riches and vvorldlye cares Mat. 6. 19. There is no assurance to be had of worldly Riches Eciesiastes 2. 4. c. The estimation that is to be had of all earthly things Esay 40. 6. Why we ought rather to estee me the gospel then al earth ly things That we must rest vpon gods prouidence in our desiring thinges of this life Mat. 6. 25. Fovver reasons Vvhy for things of this life vve shold euer content our selues in and vvith Gods prouidence Ordinarie course of things maketh vs not to regarde Gods wonderfull work in them The occasion and circumstances of this texte preached vpon The speciall purpose of Christ in this text here preached vpon What Ministers shold be able to do when their doctrine is discredited by their liues The diuision of this Sermon 1. Cor. 4. 1. 2. Tim. 3. 16. 17. The specialties of a preachers duetie Esay 40. 9 Preachers in deliuering gods will must do it openly without feare or negligence Esay 58. 1. Ezec. 3. 17. Ezec. 33. 6â— 2. Tim. 4. 2. â— Pet. 5. 3. 1. Tim. 4. 12 Tit. 2. 7. Preachers must giue good example of life answerable to their doctrine Jer. 23. 1. Ezec. 34. 2. Jer. 25. 34. What is to be thoughe of Ministers if they liue offensiuely and how they are to be spoken of and delt with Mat. 18. 6. There is more means amongest protestantes to reforme the ministery then amonge papistes It is an ordinarie way of Sathan to discredit true doctrine by the life of the â—â—eachers A very commendable example of concealing Ministers falts Gen. 9. 23. A good example admonishing princes to beware of secreat dealers against Ministers All Ministers aâ— not to be ill spoken of bicause some deserue it and yet though they shall be so ill delt with they haue to be patient 1. Pet. 1. 19. Joh. 1â— 12. The first faulâ— obiected against preachers and the ansvvere Godlinesse may bee by some preten ded who loth true doctrin None can haue good conuersation which at not sound in doctrine Heb. 11. 6. Rom. 14. 23 Faith foloweth doctrine Ro. 10. 17. No man can be saued for any good life when he hath not true faithe Rom. 3. 8. 2. Tim. 4. 3 Contemners of doctrine were foretolde of to come Eze. 33. 32. How little their owne methode would profite them of teachinge manners without doctrine How the enemies of truth dislike particuler reprehension The meanes now left to the ministers to redresse the curiositie and obiection of hearers for preaching either of doctrine or manners Ier. 1. 18. Eze. 3. 8. The second crime obiected against preachers to discredit their doctrine and the ansvvere to it All common weales are not to be tied to one forme of gouernement To be disâ—â—â— bers of common weales c. is no new slaunder noâ— now first obiected against gods true ministers 1. Reg. 18. 1. Reg. 22. 8. Jer. 38. 4. Amos. 7. 10 Contention and warres haue been in other nations before the renewing of the gospel England hath euer bene so farre from contentions and warres as since it hath â—â—â—â—ased the late renuing of the gospel and the wars that haue bene haue not bene by protestants A principle of papistrie against principalities and which can not but occasion wars Papists and not protestantes alter titles of principalities Papists and not protestants challenge all temporall power due to princes Most vnnatural and vndutifull warres lawfull by papists doctrine How papists do vnlawfully ouerrule and abuse princes The full right of authoritie is only by protestants graunted to princes and by them also only restored being taken away by papistes 3. Reg. 11. 2. Chro. 24. Good subiects haue to pray in this sorte for hir Maiestie The third matter obiected against Preachers and the ansvvere therof Gods people do neuer make the want of godlinesse in the preacher to be the cause that good doctrine shold not fructifie in the heaters What the Scriptures shâ—w to be the cause most commonly why true doctrine doth not fruâ—tifie The same shewed by similitudes Verse 3. Truth may be preached and yet three to one take no fruit by it Verse 18. Of colouring wickednesse with other mens faltes What a mans flattering of him selfe in wickednesse may come vnto Esay 5. 19. Verse 12 Psal 127. Math. 7. 3. Others must liue well howsoeuer Ministers do liue What perfection sholde be in the life of euery one and of the application of the text therein The meanes wherby the wealth of England is wasted Verse 1. Doctrine is to be receaued vpon triall Verse 17. How to perceaue protestants to haue truth and of what weight the matters are wherein they differ from papists 1. Ioh. 4. 1. 1. Ioh. 4. 2. c. The causes why Christ came in the fleshe The general cause 1. Tim. 1. â—â— Luc. 19. 10 The particuler causes Verse 18. Verse 1â— Col. 1. 20. Heb. 2. 4. 7. 9. cap. 1. Rom. 8. 37. Christ only â—â— our aduocate and mediatoure 1. Tim. 2. 5. 1. Ioh. 2. 1. 2. Rom. 8. 34 1. Ioh. â— 8. 1. Pet. 1. 18. Ioh. 1. 29. Eph. 1. 7. Christ only is our redeemer Act. 4. 1â— 1. Ioh. 1. verse 7. Heb. 6. 20. Christ only is our priest to sacrifice for vs which he hath done once for all Heb. 10. 14. Heb. 9. 28. Heb. 10. 12. Deu. 18. 15. Mat. 3. 17. Mat. 17. 5. Verse 4. Christ is our only Instructour Verse 6. c. Luc. 1. 33. Verse 22. Verse 18. Verse 23. Christ is the only head of the church Christ hath no partakers in any of his offices Protestants doctrine of Saluation is the doctrine of the Scripture Eph. 1. 4. Gen. 15. 3. Gen. 22. 18. Acte 3. 21. Acte 4. 12. Ioh. 1. 29. Ioh. 3. 16. The generall end of the protestants doctrine and what doctrine only they mislike What it is to deny christ to haue come in fleshe and that in two sortes Popistes and not protestants do deny Christ to haue come in the flesh and how Praier to Saintes is against christ his mediatourship and aduocatship Praier to Saints containeth besides it selfe two other wicked thinges Mat. 11. 28. Ioh. 16. 23. The papistes will haue Christ to be a deâ—nie Sauiour 1. Pet. 1. 18. Jer. 6. 16. Verse 19. 2. Chro. 36. 15.