the shepe to hym the porter openeth and the shepe heare his voyce and he calleth his owne shepe by name and he leadeth them out And whan he hath sent forth hys owne shepe he goeth before thē and the shepe folowe hym for they knowe hys voyce A straunger wyll they not folowe but wyll flee from hym for they knowe not the voyce of straungers Thys prouerbe spake Iesus vnto them but they vnderstode not what thynges they were whych he spake vnto them Than sayd Iesus vnto them againe Verely verely I saye vnto you I am the dore of the shepe Al euen as many as came before me are theues and murtherers but the shepe dyd not heare them I am the dore by me yf any man enter in he shal be safe and shall go in and out and fynde pasture A thefe commeth not but for to steale kyll and to destroye I am come that they myght haue lyfe and that they might haue it more aboūdaūtly IN the Gospell of thys daye deare frendes our sauiour Christ declareth hys owne propertie or office and he setteth out vnto vs the excedynge loue and kyndnes whyche he beareth to mankynde by a very proper and feate parable or similitude whereby he resembleth hymselfe to a good shepeherde and the false preachers or prelates to theues and murtherers Certaynly all false doctours all false prophetes all proude pharisees that woll iustifye them selues by theyr owne workes and all hypocrites be here wonderfully touched And why Bycause they entre not into the shepefolde by the dore but clyme vp an other waye What call ye clymmynge vp an other waye Surely it is to seke forgyuenes of thy synnes ryghtuousmakynge and euerlastynge lyfe by other meanes then Christ whych is the waye Io. xiiij the trouth and the lyfe hath taught Wherfore yf thou enterest not in by the dore that is to saye by Christe but an other way I meane yf thou wylt iustifie thy selfe and promyse thy selfe soule helth bearynge thy self bold of thyn own proper workes not cleauing to the mercy of God accordynge to thexemple of the publicane nor dependynge vpon the merytes of Christes passion art thou not trowest thou by Christes owne iudgement and sentence here a thefe and a murtherer But what a greate thefe art thou yf thou also teachest other folke to thynke the same that thou doest By me sayeth Christ he that entereth in shal be saued But what is thys shepefolde that he speaketh here of surely the shepefolde is the church it is the congregacion and assemble of Christen people He that wol entre into thys congregacion into this church into the holy communion and felowship of christen persons any other wayes than by Christ he is a thefe and no christian person He that also woll teache any other doctrine in Christes churche than such as Christ hath taught is no pastoure no bysshop no true shepeherde but a thefe rather a murtherer a wolfe And it is much to be feared lest there be at thys daye many mo wolues and theues than be true herdmen feders I saye I am sore afrayed lest the prophecye of saynt Paule be yet styll veryfyed in force in christendome For whan S. Paule shulde departe from Ephesus Act. xx and knewe by the spirite of God that his death approched he called together the prestes or elders of the congregacion and amonges other wordes he sayth thus Take hede vnto your selues and to all the flocke wherin the holy goost hath made you byshops that is to saye ouerseers to fede or guyde after the maner of good shepeherdes the church of God whych he hath purchased wyth hys owne bloude For I am sure of thys that after my departynge shal greuouse wolues enter in amonges you not sparynge the flocke But who is the porter of thys shepefolde whych openeth the dore to the good faythful shepeherde of Christes flock Surely it is the holy goost ☞ for he openeth vnto hym the scriptures of God he leadeth hym into al trouth And hys shepe that is to say his paryshners heare hys voyce Prouer. xxvij and he calleth hys owne shepe by name accordynge also to the coūsayle of Salomon in his prouerbes where he sayeth Se that thou know the nombre yf thy catell thy selfe and loke well to thy flockes Moreouer thys good shepeherde this good curate thys byshop thys ouerseer goeth before hys shepe and hys shepe folowe hym What is thys to saye Truly he that is a good byshop a good pastoure and curate woll make himselfe comformable to hys doctrine he wol leade them the waye that by hys steppes and good exemple of lyuinge they may walke in Christes groundes and pastures He woll not playe the crabbe fysh whych wolde haue taught her doughter to go streyght but wold not leade her the waye her selfe and teach her by her exemple how to go as it is in Esopes fables I am afrayed we haue many crabbes Saynt Paule wold haue a byshop that is to saye an ouerseer or curate to gyue good exemple of lyuynge hymselfe and to haue a good honest reporte of straungers i. tim iij Tit. ij leste hys lyuynge be a slaunder to his doctrine So doynge hys shepe shal folowe hym and shal knowe hys voyce For assuredly they that be godly persones woll knowlege none for theyr shepeherde but such as teache gods worde True teachers of Christes Gospell be easely discerned of good christen men And agayne the good christen mē be easely discerned and knowen of true preachers Thys prouerbe or parable nakedly and vnapplyed spake Iesus to hys disciples But they vnderstode not what thynges they were whyche he spake vnto them and no maruayle For as saynt Paule sayeth the flesh perceyueth not the thynges that be goostly The disciples were as yet but carnall And therfore our Sauiour Christ lyke a good mayster declareth vnto them the meanynge of hys parable sayeth that he hymselfe is the dore of the shepe by hym who soeuer entreth in shal be saued and shal go in out and fynde pasture as who shulde saye whether so euer he turneth hym whyther so euer he casteth hys eyes he shall fynde that shal be for the behoufe and edificacion of hys flocke brefley to speake God shal be wyth hym the holy goost shall prompt hym and put hym in mynde of such thinges as he ought to teach hys paryshners and flocke that is commytted to hys charge But sayeth Christe as many as came before me are theues and murtherers and the shepe dyd not heare them Here doth our Sauioure Christ shewe vs the difference betwene the doctrine of the true preachers and the doctrine of heretikes ☜ of false prelates hypocrites Nowe they go before Christ whych beare not Christ with them and which woll seme wyser than Christ as Peter dyd when he rebuked Christ bycause he sayd that he shulde suffer death And therfore Christe called hym Satan Mat. xvi and bad hym
for the redēpcion of mankynde Thys his preachynge he dyd also confirme wyth myracles For as the texte also declareth the vncleane spirites cryenge wyth loude voyce came out of many that were possessed of them And many takē wyth palfeis and many that halted were healed Now the people gaue great hede to the thynges whych Philip spake And assone as they gaue credence to Philips preachynge of the kyngdome of God and of the name of Iesu Christe they were baptised both mē and wemen Here ye se good people how the Samaritanes whych were Hethen persons yea and such persons as the Iues whyche were the peculiar and proper people of god toke for very contempte and vyle persons receyued the gospell of Christ forthwyth at the preachynge of saynt Philip and were by and by baptised Thus farforth are the Samaritanes brought Now the lection red in the church thys day goeth further and sayth that when the Apostles whyche were gathered togyther at Ierusalem herde say that the Samaritanes had receyued the worde of God they sent vnto thē Peter and Iohn whiche when they were come downe from the hyghe cytie of Ierusalem thyther vnto thē they prayed for them to thintent they myght receiue the holy ghoste For as yet the holy ghoste was not come on none of thē onlye they were baptized in the name of Christ Iesu Thā layde these two Apostles theyr handes vpon the Samaritans and anone they receyued the holy ghost This is the history redde in the church as thys daye But now my frendes what frute and profyte shal we beare away of this lesson What is here to be gathered Nothyng Yes truly for there is nothynge wrytten Ro. xv sayeth S. Paule but it is wryten for our learnynge that by pacience and confort of scriptures we shuld haue hope ☞ Fyrst therfore ye shall note howe glad the Apostles were to heare that these Samaritans were turned to the Gospell of Christe and they were not only glad but also carefull for them lest they myght happen to go backe agayne to theyr olde baguage and blyndnes And therfore in all hast they sent these two Apostles Peter and Iohn to confirme and strengthen theyr faith Here we be taught what the office of true good Apostles yea of all good Christen men is For we ought in lykewyse to be carefull for oure brethren that they maye be broughte to the perfeyte knowlege of gods worde And namely suche as call them selfes Apostolicall persons and Apostles fellowes successours as the byshoppes of Rome do oughte in this behalfe to folow thexēple of thapostles charite But they do cleane contrary they rather plucke mē from the Gospell then allure them vnto it Seconde ye shall note that before the resurrection of Christe when as yet the Iues and Gentyles were not ioyned togyther by all one fayth Math. x the Apostels were forbydden to entre into the cyties of the Samaritanes But after the resurrection whē they were bydden for the spredynge abrode of the gospell to go into all partes of the worlde then that former commaundemente whiche was but temporall and whyche dyd serue but for a tyme was taken awaye and cessed Thyrdly in this historye ye shall marke that the Samaritanes receyued forthwyth the holy ghoste assone as they beleued and were baptized For assuredly true and perfecte baptisme can not be without the holy ghost Furthermore it is not possible that fayth can be in that person where the holy spirite of God dothe not inhabite as many places aswell of scripture as of auncient fathers do wytnesse Yea S. Austin affirmeth playnly in his boke de presentia dei Austine that the holy ghost dothe dwell and inhabite in infauntes or childrē that be baptized Wherfore how muche more is he resident and abydynge in persons of age and discretion which haue fayth and be baptised So it is no doute but these Samaritanes at the preachyng of S. Philip receiued the holy ghost excepte perchaunce ye woll saye that S. Philippes preachynge had lesse vertue and efficaciem it then the preachynges of thother Apostles had whyche in no wyse is to be graunted Questiō But peraduenture ye woll meruayle then howe it is that it followeth in the historye red in the Churche this daye that after the Samaritanes had receyued the worde of God the holy Ghost as yet was not come on none of thē And therfore the Apostles euē for that purpose sent Peter and Iohan whiche prayed for them that they myght receyue the holy Ghoste My frendes what shal we say to this Dyd the Samaritanes receyue goddes worde dyd they beleue were they baptised and yet were they voyde of the holy ghost Howe cā this be Chryste hym selfe sayeth he that beleueth is baptysed shall be saued mar xvi But onles a man be renued with the holy ghost he can not be saued as the same Chryst also testifyeth in the thyrde Chapter of Iohn Wherfore it must nedes folowe that the Samaritaynes had receyued the holy ghost forasmuch as true baptisme can not be without the holy Ghost Howe than sayth S. Luke here that the holy ghost was not yet come on the Samarytanes To this doubte I answere in fewe wordes The solution that this texte in this place that the holy Ghost was not yet come vpon them is to be vnderstande not of the substaūce of the spirite or holy Ghoste ☞ but of those manifest and notable gyftes of the holy Ghost They had the holy Ghost to comforte them and to lede them to al trueth necessary to their saluacion but they had him not yet to do miracles and speake straunge tonges as in the primatyue Churche they had for the confirmacion of Christes doctrine Neyther is it at this day necessarye the Gospell being nowe stablyshed that men shuld haue suche wonderfull gyftes of the spirite Wherfore good chrysten people I exhorte you and in the name of Christ I requyre you that accordynge to the exemple of these Samaritanes here ye wol laye downe your supersticion and blyndnes of harte wherin ye haue wandered and wyth glad mindes receyue the worde of God accordynge to youre profession and promyse whych ye made at the fount stone and put on Christ renouncynge the worlde the flesh and the deuell wyth stedfast and earnest fayth And no doubt ye shal be endowed wyth the holy goost who in all your trouble and afflictions shall cōforte you and directe you in youre waye to heauenwarde where is our dwellynge place prepared wyth the father sonne and holy goost To whome be all glorye wythout ende Amen The gospell on the thyrde daye of Pentecost The .x. chapter of Ihon. Th argument ☞ Christ is the true shepeherde IEsus sayd vnto hys disciples Verely verely I say vnto you he that entreth not in by the dore into the shepefolde but clymmeth vp some other way the same is a thefe and a murtherer But he that entereth in by the dore is the shepherd of
frutes But a corrupte tre bryngeth forth euell frutes A good tre can not brynge forth bad frute neyther can a bad tre brynge forth good frutes Euery tre that bryngeth not forth good frute is hewen downe and cast into the fyre Wherfore by theyr frutes ye shall knowe them Not euery one that sayeth vnto me Lorde Lorde shall enter into the kyngdome of heauen but he that doth the wyll of my father whych is in heauē he shal entre into the kyngdom of heauen FOrasmuche as good christen people it is harde to know false teachers and theyr doctrine therfore our Sauiour Christ thought it not ynough to bydde vs beware of them but he addeth also certain tokens and sygnes wherby we maye easely discerne and knowe them They come sayeth Christe vnto you in shepes clothynge but inwardlye they are rauenynge wolues They come vncalled vnappoynted vnsent of God naye sent rather of the deuell to blase and sowe abrode the wycked learnynge doctrine eyther of the byshop of Rome or of the cursed Anabaptistes or of the sacramentaries or brefly to conclude of some other vngodly and detestable here tykes The Lorde of heauen kepe vs and preserue vs all from theyr infections They come I saye vnsent for accordynge to the sayenge of the prophete Hieremye Ier. xxiij Currebant ego non misi eos They ranne and I sente them not sayeth the Lorde In outwarde appearaunce they seme moost holy men and of great simplicitie But surely accordinge to the cōmon prouerbe they be foxes or rather wolues cladde in lambes skynnes They be lyke paynted and gaye sepulchres whyche be fayre wythout full of all stynche and caren wythin They come in shepes clothynge What beast is more simple more harmeles yea more profytable also to the common welth then the shepe But what be these false teachers inwardly Inwardly sayeth Christ they be rauenouse wolues The wolues propertie is to rauen Ioh. x. to rente to spoyle to deuoure the shepe But nowe how shall we kepe vs and beware of these woluyshe preachers By theyr frutes sayeth Christe ye shall knowe them as who shulde saye Yf they be good men in dede and ryght teachers and no hyprocrites I meane no counterfeyte nor deceiuable preachers they must nedes brynge forth good and godly workes euen such workes as God cōmaundeth them to do and not workes of theyr owne deuysynge fantasyenge but such as God alloweth and whych procede of a fayth vnfayned And not only they woll do them but also teache the same to other euē as Christ and hys Apostles wold haue them taught as they themselues taught them not that by them we shuld iustifye our selues as the proude and gloriouse pharisee dyd that Christ speaketh of in the .xviij. chapter of Luke lu xviij but that we shulde accordynge to thexemple of the lowly publicane cōfesse our selues synners and desyre gods mercy The good and ryghte preacher woll teach the people vnfaynedly to truste repose themselues in Christ to stycke to the merytes of hys passion vtterly to reuounce theyr owne ryghtuousnes and merytes in gods syght He woll teache them neuertheles to mortifye theyr carnal afections and to do good workes euen of a fre harte or els that accordyng to Paules rule they declare them selues not to be the chyldren of God Ro. viii For yf sayeth Paule ye lyue after the fleshe ye shall dye But yf ye mortifye the dedes of the body through the spirite ye shall lyue But agayne he wol teache them not to clayme heauen as of duetye for theyr workes sake Rom. vi but rather for the promyse sake For thoughe death be the wages of synne yet eternall lyfe is no wages but as Paule calleth it the gyfte of God throughe Iesus Christ our Lorde Yea he woll teache them whan they haue done altogether yet to confesse and saye that they be vnprofytable seruauntes These I saye be the frutes of good teachers these be the grapes these be the figges that come of the good trees They that teache or lyue otherwyse be naughtye corrupte trees theyr frutes that they brynge forth be thornes and thystyls And I passe not though dyuerse false teachers haue dyed moost cōstantly and paciently in theyr erronious opinions as many papistes and also Anabaptistes sacramētaries haue done in our tyme and as it is redde that certayne heretiques named Donatistes dydde in olde tyme. Whose erroure S. Augustine confutynge wryteth Austine that in a christian man the sufferyng of death is not to be consydered but the cause of sufferynge that is to wyt whether hys doctrine be suche that he ought to suffer death for by the cōmaundement of God Seconde we be here taught that wycked euel doctrine can not endure but as an euell tree whyche beareth no good frute is hewen downe and caste in to the fyre euen so it is wyth euel doctrine and wyth the teachers therof Let men buylde vpon the foundacion of Christ what they woll surely yf theyr buyldynge be stubble or haye that is to saye yf it be no sounde sure doctrine i. cor iij the fyre at length woll brēne it vp But yf the buyldynge be golde syluer or preciouse stones it shall stande agaynst all tempestes As we se at thys daye how the papistical doctrine at the touch stone of gods worde appeareth in the lykenes what it is and how it begynneth to vanyshe awaye euerywhere where the gospell is preached But the pure worde of God abydeth for euer Fynally Christ doth teach vs here that these gloriouse and holy hypocrites whych in outwarde apparaunce and in name appeare christiās speakynge alwayes of god but doynge nothing that god byddeth them do shal not entre into the kingdome of heuen But they shal come thyther whych haue Christ and the gospell not in theyr mouthes onely but in theyr hartes also whych do the wyl of Christ and lyue as the gospell teacheth them These shall enheryte the kyngdome of heauen where they shall lyue eternally in all ioye wyth the father sonne and holy goost To whome be glorye Amen The Epistle on the .ix. sondaye after Trinitie The .i. Epistle to the Corin. the .x. Chap. Th argument ☞ God 's vengeaunce vpon euell lyuers and ydolaters is here set forth in exemples vnto vs. BRethren we shulde not lust after euel thynges as they lusted And that ye shulde not be worshyppers of ymages as were some of them accordynge as it is written The people sat downe to eat and drynke and rose vp to playe Neyther let vs be defyled wyth fornication as some of them were defyled wyth fornicatiō and fel in one daye .xxiij. thousande Neyther let vs tempte Christe as some of them tempted and were destroyed of serpentes Neyther murmure ye as some of them murmured and were destroyed of the destroyer All these thinges happened vnto them for exemples but are written to put vs in remembraunce whome the