sithence the first foundation of the world but was in subiection and vnder obedience either of the the one or of the other And as God is the father of light the God of all good men so is the Deuill the father Prince of this world the Lord of darknesse the king of this age as saith S. Paul and ruler of the wicked And like as all good men fight vnder the banner of God their Lord so all vngodly fight vnder the standard of the Deuill their Prince And euen as the iust man hath his reward of God so hath the wicked man his stipend of the Deuill And thus be Infidels Turkes Iewes and all Heathen people vnder the power and dominion of the Deuill vnder the standard of Sathan and therefore are they not able to thinke any good to conceiue one good thought because they fight vnder his Banner because they haue giuen ouer all their members to be ordered of the Deuill without any féeling of good without any feare of God And thus as I said do the Turkes thus do the Infidels thus do all Heathen people at this day and so did the Iewes in the time of Paul In vmbra mortis ambulauerunt saith he They walked in the shadow of death But after that it pleased God the Father by the comming of his déere Sonne Iesus Christ to reueale himselfe vnto them to open and declare his Gospell among them then began the people to renounce the Deuill to forsake his Law and seruice and to betake themselues wholy to the gouernance of God And therefore S. Paul the further to incourage them thereunto willeth them in this Epistle of his That like as before time they gaue ouer their members to the seruice of vncleannesse from one wickednesse to another so should they now giue ouer the same their members to the seruice of righteousnesse For to this end was Christ borne into this world to this end liued he here among vs to this end preached he and taught the people Gods holie word that we by his example and the doctrine of his Gospell should liue an vpright and holie life And therfore Zacharie that holie prophet being filled with the holie Ghost prophesied and said before Christs birth that Christ should for this cause appeare in this world That we being by him deliuered from the feare of our enimies might serue him in purenesse and holinesse all the daies of our life And S. Paul likewise saith Ye were darkenesse but now ye are light walke therefore as becommeth the children of light Therefore are we deliuered from the power of darkenesse saith S. Paul that we should walke in the light and haue no fellowship with the vnfruitfull workes of darknesse And so in like Vocauit nos Deus non ad immunditiem sed ad sanctitatem God hath not called vs to vncleannesse but to holynesse and sanctitie of life Thus hath he called vs that we not only in Body but in Soule should be pure vnspotted And therefore S. Paul vnto the Romanes Know you not saith he that all we which are baptized into Iesus Christ are baptized into his death Therefore are we buried with him by Baptisme into death that like as Christ was raised vp from the dead euen so also should we walke in a new life And for this cause this same Paul likewise saith Exhibete vos tanquam viua membra Shew your selues as quicke and liuely members And in an other place Exhibete corpora vestra sacrificium sanctum acceptatum Deo Giue ouer your bodies for a sacrifice holie and acceptable before God And also Nescities corpora vestra esse templa Dei Know you not that ye are the temple of God and that the spirit of God dwelleth in you These and such other many lessons hath S. Paul giuen vs to call vs vnto purenesse and holynesse of life Let vs therefore good Bretheren liue holy consider that God hath not called you to vncleannesse but to puritie of life consider if yée be baptized with Christ into death you must also walke with him in a new life let your bodies be a sacrifice holie acceptable vnto God shew your selues liuely members of Christ and the Temple of the holie Ghost Vocauit nos Deus saith S. Paul Vt viueremus sobriè God hath called vs God hath appointed vs to liue in sobernesse to liue in purenesse to liue in holynesse and this not in one part of our Bodies not in one part of our Soules but in our whole bodies in our whole soules For Christ our Sauior suffred not his bodie to be crucified in one part Sed à planta pedis vsque ad summum capitis But euen from the sole of the foote to the crowne of his head was he beaten rent and torne and miserably tormented in his whole Bodie His Bodie was scourged with whips his head prickt with thornes his hands and féete nayled to the Crosse his side pierced with a sharp speare For Christ speaking of himselfe saith Foderunt manus meas pedes meos They haue digged my hands and my feete they haue made holes thorough them And thus sithence Christ suffred all his whole Body to be tormented for vs sithence he suffred all his members to be crucified for our sakes let vs applie our selues and all our member to serue and please him in holynesse and vpright lyuing all the dayes of our liues And therefore saith s Paul here Ye haue now betaken your selues vnto Christ therefore let your conuersation be according liue as becommeth the seruants of Christ For euen as before this time ye gaue ouer your members to vncleannesse from one wickednesse to an other so now giue ouer your members to the seruice of righteousnesse And such good Bretheren was the life of all Christian men in the beginning of Gods Church such was I say their life lyuing They subdued their flesh they mortified their members and gaue them ouer wholy vnto Christ and so made them members vnto righteousnesse When Christ walked here on this earth was conuersant in our flesh and this nature of ours at what time he entered into the house of Zacheus which was a Ruler of the Publicans desired to sée Iesus by and by Zacheus was turned into a new man and by and by he stoode forth and said vnto the Lord Behold Lord the halfe of my goods I giue vnto the poore and if I haue defrauded any man I restore him foure fold Thus was he only by the presence of Christ turned into a new man thus he of an vncircumcised Publican was made the child of Abraham and of a sinfull and wretched creature he became forthwith a Christian And so in like when Christ had but once called vnto Mathew and bad him follow him immediatly he left the Toll-gathering he left the receipt of the custome he left his owne proper game and profit and ran after Christ
me So Christ himselfe also said Auferetur à vobis regnum Dei The kingdom of God shal be taken from you giuen to the heathen which shall bring forth the fruits of it But alas when Gods kingdom is taken away in whose kingdom and dominion do the people then liue when Gods gospel his word is no longer preached what learning what doctrin what discipline is there left to bee taught And this oftentimes commeth to passe by means of our owne sin and wickednes that for the misusing of God and his gospel we neither haue Gods Kingdome nor his Gospell among vs. But then alas in what great miserie in what wretchednesse in what wofull case shall wée stand For if Gods Kingdom be shut from vs whither shal we fly If the light of his gospell be taken from vs what light shall be left vs If God will get him away from vs who shall bee our succour And therefore no man ought to reioice hereat no man ought to be glad of such a change But though Gods kingdom be taken away from vs though Gods Gospell bee no more preached vnto vs though God fly from vs and will hide himselfe away yet is God and his gospell nothing thereby altered God is still one and the same God his gospell is the same gospell that it was before his Kingdome continueth in one stay and estate it is not changed nor altered For saith Christ Caelum terra transibunt verbum autem meum non transibit Heauen and earth shall perish but may word shall not perish And again Portae inferorū nō praeualebūt aduersū illud The gates of hell shal not preuaile against it And therefore S. Paul hauing on his side this word of God which neuer changeth but alwayes continueth one and the same hauing I say this word of his which shal neuer perish and against which the verie gates of hel shal not preuaile he was bould to appeale from the slaunderous iudgement of the people and say I passe not what you thinke of me It is but a small matter for mee to bee iudged of you or of mans day c. Good people you haue here heard declared vnto you and thereby you may well perceiue that S. Paul notwithstanding hée was the seruant of God an elect vessell of the holy Ghost and the chiefest Apostle of Christ yet was euill spoken of and misliked euen of the Chrians and such as professed the name of God notwithstanding he was indéed the true seruant of God the minister of Christ and a faithfull dispenser of the secrets of God yet could not all men speake wel of him al men could not giue him a good report And therefore to cause them to conceiue a better opinion of him and report of him none other than he deserued he here willeth them that they should first weigh well and consider his doings they should examine his doctrine and the gospel that he had preached amongst them they should marke well and see whether he had been a faithfull dispenser of the mysteries of Gods gospell and then so estéeme him as the minister of Christ and Steward of the secrets of God And therefore iudge you nothing saith he before the time that the Lord come which shall bring that to light which is hid in darknesse and open the counsels of the hearts and then shall euerie one haue prayse of God And so in these daies as Paul in his time was misliked of many so I say in these our dayes the ministers of God and preachers of his gospell are euill spoken of amongst all men some say they are vnlearned they know nothing they are crafts men they were neuer set to school this they haue said and do yet report of them Some men say they preach they cannot tell what they speake against prayer against fasting against almes déeds and all other good works they allow nothing that good is they disallow in manner all things This you know hath béene spoken and yet is reported of such as now are ministers in Gods gospell But hereunto haue I none other thing to say than that which S. Paul in this place writeth to the Corinthians It is sufficient for vs to bee found the seruants of God the ministers of Christ faithfull dispensers of Gods secrets In the meane season doe not you good brethren thinke euill of the preachers of Gods word report not amisse of the ministers of Christ account not them your enemies that bring vnto you the glad tidings of the gospel When Paul came to Berea from Thessalonica and began there to preach the Gospell of Christ the people ranne to their bookes searched the Scriptures conferred his doctrine with the word of God and when they found that in all points it agréed therwith then they beléeued Paul then they embraced his doctrine then with willing harts they claue to his discipline And as they did euen so let vs do good brethren let vs not iudge rashly of Gods ministers let vs not ouer hastily giue sentence of them let vs not report euill of Gods seruants but let vs well weigh and consider what thing they teach vs let vs examine trie their doctrine with the touch-stone of Gods word let vs conferre their preaching their teaching their discipline with the Scriptures of the holy Ghost And this when you haue done then bée you our iudges then if you sée that we teach you nothing but the mysteries of God if you perceiue that we onely disclose vnto you the will of God if you sée that wée preach vnto you none other thing than the secrets of Gods gospell estéeme vs to be the seruants of God the ministers of Christ and stewards of the secrets of God The end of the first Sermon THE SECOND Sermon Psalme 67. 3. 4. 3. Let the people prayse thee O God let all the people prayse thee 4. O let the people reioyce and be glad that thou iudgest the folke righteously and gouernest the Nations vpon the earth c. AT what time the Iewes had grieuously offended God their Lord forgotten their obedience towards him and betaken themselues to strange gods euery man wandring after his owne lust and fansie and thereupon God began to plague and punish them with sundry and diuers plagues and with vnseasonable weather so that their grasse their corne their fruits what euer other commodities sprang out of the earth were al in great danger then Dauid the Prophet séeing all these miseries at once fall vpon the people called them home againe shewed them how they should returne from their wickednes come vnto God For God desireth not our destructiō he is loth to work reuengement vpon vs when we anger displease him In what euer houre the sinner shal returne from his sin come vnto me saith the Lord I shall be readie to receiue him As for all his sins that hee did before they shall not be thought vpon but in
his gospel If thou say thou knowest God if thou say thou knowest his gospell if thou liue not as God commaundeth thée if thou liue not as it becommeth a professor of Gods gospell thou blasphemest Gods name and dishonorest his gospel Ore suo appropinquant ad me saith God by his prophet Esay corda autem illorū longe absunt à me this people draweth nigh vnto mee with their mouthes but their hearts are farre from me They honor me with their mouthes but with their hearts they deny mée And in another place God by his Prophet Dauid saith O thou man why doest thou preach my lawes and takest my couenant in thy mouth for with the sinfull thou art sinfull with the théefe thou art a théefe with the adulterer thou art an adulterer Therefore if wee haue the word of God as a song to delight our eares if we turne the truth of Gods gospel into riot and wantonnesse if we confesse God with our lips deny him in our déeds if we say we know Gods law we know his commaundements and yet liue not thereafter we do not prayse God and confesse his name but we shame God and dishonor his holy name we cause the people to thinke euil of Gods word and slaunder his gospell And this is the cause why the common sort of people iudge that not to be the gospel which is this day preached taught vnto them because such as professe the gospell liue not after the gospell because such as say they know Gods way walke not in Gods way And thus through our own folly through our owne euill and corrupt liuing we offend our brethren we offend our selues and so in them offend Iesus Christ and their bloud shall bée required at our hands Let vs remember what God by the Prophet Esay saith Haec est vera via ambulate in ea This is the true way walke in the same Chrysostome saith if yee heare Gods word preached vnto you and yee follow it not yee learne saith he but your owne damnation yee learne nought els but your owne destruction The words that you heare preached vnto you shall accuse and condemne you God sayth Thou shalt not steale thou shalt not commit adulterie thou shalt beare no false witnesse c. these words this law of God written vnto vs shall accuse yea and condemne vs I say if wee to our powers follow not the same if wée walke not and continue in them accordingly Alas the verie age of the world the profession that wee haue taken vpon vs is or should bee ynough to put vs in remembrance of another life of another world to come Let vs not take the name of God in vaine let vs all prayse and extoll God let our mouthes our hands our hearts and all other our members praise and confesse his name for euer Laetentur exultent populs c. O let the people reioyce and bee glad that thou iudgest the folke righteously gouernest the nations vpon the earth Thy way O Lord is knowne said Dauid thy way is knowne vpon the earth therefore let all people all nations yea all the whole world reioyce and be glad thereat Diuers people set their minds on diuers things some in conquest some in great power and force of men some in heapes of money and treasures of this world some others that they are able to make other men feare and they feare nothing themselues But all these things are vaine both conquest power and heapes of great treasure are transitorie and fade away but the man of God that dreadeth God and hath a delight in his Law setteth his ioy and delight in those things which haue no end but continue for euer And therefore Dauid here saith Let all the people reioice and be glad in this thing alone because thou iudgest the folke righteously and gouernest the nations vpon the earth Let vs consider if there were a whole Christian nation brought in captiuitie vnder the Turke in thraldom and subiection vnto him in such sort that they should neuer heare the Scriptures neuer receiue the Sacraments neuer come to the church to pray but alwaies be where God should be despised and his name dishonored cōsider I say with your selues in what miserie in what wretchednesse in what great thraldome should they be With what conscience should they be able to abide this But if it would then please God to deliuer them standing in this state if it would please God to restore vnto them his Scriptrues if it would please God that they might receiue againe his holy Sacraments and might come and pray together if God would thus much doe for them O what ioy what tryumph what mirth would they make Let vs therfore here consider the estate of Gods Church before the time of the Prophet Dauid as it was in his time Before the Raigne of Dauid the Tabernacle of God was broken the Arke lost the Scriptures taken from them the Priests slaine God made them no answere by Prophet Angell nor by dreame euery man ran whither himselfe best liked without any feare of God or dread of his Law so had Saul that wicked King miserably tossed and turmoyled the same But it pleased God by the hands of King Dauid his Prophet to restore againe his Church so ouerthrowne to her former estate and condition it pleased God by him to make vp the Tabernacle againe to find out the Arke that before was lost to set vp all other things in good stay and order and this was as much as if he had called them from death vnto life from bondage to fréedome from Hell to Heauen Therefore when all these things were thus restored againe by the might and power of God this prophet Dauid comforted his heart and said Haec est dies quā fecit Dominus laetemur exultemus in ea This is a ioyfull day which the Lord hath made let vs reioyce be glad therin And so likewise in another place Dominus regnauit moueatur terra The Lord beareth the rule the Lord is king be the people neuer so vnpacient Let the whole world conspire saith he let it be moued do what it can against God for God ruleth and raigneth ouer al. Zacharie when he saw the comfortable time that should ensue the birth of Christ he fel downe cried out saying Benedictus Dominus Deus Israel quia visit auit fecit redemptionē plebis suae Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for he hath visited redeemed his people So Simeon that old and holy father so soone as he beheld Christ had receiued his redéemer into his armes by and by his heart brake out for ioy said Nunc dimittis seruū tuū Domine secundū verbū tuū in pace c. Now lettest thou thy seruant O Lord depart in peace according to thy word for mine eyes haue beholden thy saluation mine eyes haue seene thy
despisers of them that are good O see the prophet saith Non est veritas in terra There is no trueth no faithfulnesse in the whole world there is no mercie no knowledge of God in the land but swearing lying manslaughter theft and adulterie Ieremie also the prophet of God Frater venabitur fratrem ad mortem saith he One Brother shall hunt and persecute an other vnto death no man may safely trust his owne Brother for one Brother vndermyneth an other and one neyghbour beguyleth an other And all this do we now sée wée I say in these our dayes do sée and behold all this We sée now that which Nazianzen that old holie father speaketh of Membra Christi pugnant inter se The members of Christ are at strife and variance among them selues saith he and euen those members that Christ died for those members I say that Christs blood redéemed those members we now sée at debate and fighting together I speake but in generalitie I speake not now in particularitie I do not here repeat to your memories our particular offences and great crimes which to consider would cause any honest hart to be sorie yea which to remember would enforce the stonie hart to bléed I do not now rehearse vnto you by name any such our offences O rip vp your consciences descend into your owne harts sée whether iniquitie doth not abound sée whether there be not in these our dayes men such as are louers of them selues sée whether there be any trueth any fidelitie vpon the earth sée whether one brother doth not hunt and persecute an other vnto death and lastly sée whether the verie members of Christ are not now at debate and fighting together Dauid when he considered the great oppression tyrannie and persecution vsed against the faithfull in his time cryed out and said Serua me Deus quia defecit sanctus O saue me Lord for there is not one Saint more verie few faithfull are there among the children of men Euery man telleth lyes to his neighbor they do but slatter with their lips and dissemble in their hart Ieremie the prophet when he saw the whole multitude of the people in his dayes forsake God and run after their owne affections euery man whether his lust lead him he cried out and said Quis capiti meo dabit aquam occulis meis fontem aquarum O who will giue my head water ynough and a well of teares for mine eyes that I may bewaile the iniquitie of this people And euen like as Dauid in his time so may the iust man say now Serua me Deus quoniam defecit sanctus O Lord helpe because there is no holie man left Like as Ieremie so may the vertuous bewaile now the wickednesse of these our dayes and say O who shall poure water into my head and giue a fountaine of teares vnto myne eyes that I may bewaile the wickednesse of this people O Christ where is now thy new commaundement where is now thy cognisance thy badge whereby thy seruants are knowen where is that peace which thou leaftest to thy Disciples where is now that one hart that one mind that one thought that was in the congregation in the beginning of thy Church But what néed I to speake what néed I to say any thing if they would heare thée Lord if they would heare thy word and Gospell O Lord where is thy strength become where is that power that force of thy word which was able to diuide the marrow from the bone What is now become of that marueilous might of thy word Thy word O Lord is one thy Gospell is the selfe same and one but the harts of men the harts of thy people are not one But this commeth to passe for my sinnes this I sée well is wrought by thée O Lord for myne owne sinnes and offences for other poore men preach thy Gospell other poore men doe teach and instruct thy people with thy holie word and by and by the people mourne by and by they are sorie for their sinnes they repent them of their wickednesse and turne vnto thée And I speake as they doe I preach the same Gospell the same word of thine as they do and yet I doe sée no amendment I doe not sée any one won vnto thée thorough my teaching And therefore my sinne is the cause myne owne sinne and nothing else is the cause hereof thou hast not thought me a man worthie by whom any one lost shéepe should be conuerted and brought home vnto thée But O thou my Brother that here standest like an ydoll thou host eyes to sée and eares to heare seest thou not that God hath his sword whet his bow bent his arrowes readie to destroy hearest thou not how he calleth thee to repentance Thou doest sée and heare this and yet thou increasest sinne vpon sinne and so heapest vp anger and displeasure against the day of wrath I call God to witnesse I haue vttered vnto you Gods trueth I haue preached among you his holie Gospell I haue reuealed vnto you his diuine word so that none of you all can excuse your selues by ignorance But take you héed to your selues take good héed I say my Bretheren marke well what S. Paul saith Peccantes post acceptam gratiam destituti sunt omni misericordia They which wilfully sinne after they haue once receiued the knowledge of the truth are destitute of all mercie there remaineth vnto them no more sacrifice for their sins but a fearefull looking of iudgement and violent fire which shall consume the aduersaries And this is it that the Apostle saith to bee cast into a reprobate sence This is the sin that S. Iohn maketh mencion of saying Est peccatum in spiritum sanctum there is a sin against the holy Ghost which shall neuer be forgiuen in this world nor in the world to come And for this great sin for this horrible wickednesse good people God hath drawne out his sword for this cause hath he bent his bow and prepared his arrowes to destroy Therefore good brethren let vs lay aside al contention al strife and debate and let vs looke vp vnto heauen let vs cast our eies thither where is no rancor no discord no strife no debate let vs fix our eyes our hearts and our whole mindes on Iesus Christ on him I say who hanging on the crosse praid for his persecutors and said O father forgiue them they wote not what they doe Let vs imagine that wee now behold him and that he now spreadeth out his arms vnto vs and saith O thou sinfull man that slumbrest in thy sins and sléepest in thine own wickednesse awake now is it time for thee to awake out of thy slumber to arise from thy heauie sléepe remember thou art a Christian man consider thou are a lymbe of my lymbs a member of my bodie the child of God and coheire of my fathers kingdome You children of men how long will
light And so that time was a blessed time because Christ was borne in that time because the force and power of the diuell was by Christ then destroyed because the dominion kingdome of sathan was then throwne downe therefore was it a blessed time But as touching the blessing of the men in times long before men were as blessed as they were then Abraham Isaac Iacob Ioseph and such other were as blessed as the Apostles They had the same Christ the same Sauiour and redéemer that the Apostles had For saith S. Paul Iesus Christus heri hodie semper Christ is for yesterday this day and for euer One Christ serued for all the world Otherwise most miserable were we in most wretched condition were all such as either now liue or haue liued sithence the time of Christ For we neuer saw Christ in the flesh we neuer beheld his bodie wee were neuer conuersant with him on the earth But Christ hath told vs by S. Thomas Beati qui non vident credunt blessed are they that beleeue and haue not seene blessed are they that sée not and yet beléeue These things bée for our great comfort For although we neuer saw Christ with our eyes though he was neuer conuersant with vs as he was with his Apostles yet haue wée through him the same saluation that the Apostles had wée haue him our redéemer and Sauiour as they had him Now let vs compare this saying of Christ vnto our selues and our time let vs sée whether this that Christ then spake to his Disciples may not be spoken of vs and our time For thus ought wée to read Gods word to this end we should read the Scriptures of God Now therefore good brethren let vs consider well and sée whether the Church of God hath not béene so disordered before our time yea and in our time that wée may now well say blessed are our eyes and the eyes which sée that wée sée for many a good and godly man would sayne haue séene that wee see and could not sée it I will be short I will not long trouble you in this thing I will not vse many words vnto you herein The errors that haue beene taught and preached in the church of Christ haue béene good brethren so grosse that such as could not sée them with their eyes might haue felt them euen with their fingers so horrible and so grosse were the errors in the church so were all things confounded and scarcely the forme of the Church left vnto vs. But that this should so come to passe Christ himselfe S. Paul S. Peter and Daniel the Prophet long time before gaue warning to the world and prophesied it should so be And euen as they spake so hath it come to passe looke what they said the same haue we séene fulfilled For Christ himselfe openly shewed that the time should come that desolation should stand in the holy place And againe hée said When the sonne of man shall come to iudge the earth thinke you that hee shall find any faith vpon the earth As if he should haue said when he shall come to iudge there shall be no faith on the earth no fidelitie and trust among men so shall all things be confounded and no faith shal be found Saint Paul likewise saith The time shall bee that Antichrist shall nestle himselfe in the Temple of God in the consciences of men in the place of Christ and shal be exalted aboue all that is called God or Gods seruice And he saith further Erit tempus cum sanam doctrinam aspernentur The daies shal come when men shall despise and cast away all wholesome doctrine the time shall be saith he that they shall not suffer this Gospell that I haue preached these Epistes and letters which I haue sent vnto you But they shall turne their eares from the truth and shall bee giuen vnto fables This S. Paule aforehand told vs and indéed wee haue found his tale most true S. Peter also saith Erunt magistri mendatiorum There shall come Preachers and teachers of lyes there shall come false teachers which priuily shall bring in damnable sects Daniel likewise that Prophet of God long before the comming of Christ prophesied and said Antechrist shall come there shall bee an abhominable desolation in the Temple it shall be destroyed al and the truth shall be cast flat to the ground Now good brethren consider well with your selues where should this desolation be which Christ spake of Amongst whom shall so small faith bee found Where should Antechrist nestle himself Where should good Doctrine be despised where should there be preachers and teachers of lyes Where shold the truth be cast flat to the groūd where should all these things come to passe Amongst the Turkes the Sarasins the Heathen the Infidels amongst such as neuer heard of Christ nor his Gospell should these things that Christ that S. Paule that S. Peter that Daniel prophesied to come to passe should they I say be fulfilled amongst them Let not vs deceiue our selues good brethren Christ said that desolation should come into the holy place that such as professed God and his name should haue little faith S. Paule said that Antechrist should sit in the holy place in the Temple of God that amongst Christians wholsome doctrine should be despised and cast away S. Peter also that euen amongst the professors of Gods Gospel some there should be that should preach and teach lyes And Daniel likewise that in the Temple Antechrist should sit and there al truth should be cast flat to the ground And this should not come to passe among the Heathen and Infidels but in the Church of Christ euen in the very Church of God S. Hillarie who was an old father in the Church saith O you will soone deceiue your selues if yee trust in the wals know you not that Antechrist in the Church Let vs not therfore deceiue our selues let not vs good brethren deceiue our selues And here I pray you consider with me how that God for our better vnderstanding hath in similitudes opened and set forth vnto vs the state of his Church For Christ in the Gospell compareth his Church vnto a ship in the Sea tossed and tumbled with perilous waues and what I pray you betides vnto a Ship so tossed in the Sea if there be no Lodes-man to stir it or if the Lodes-man doth not his duetie Christ hath likened his Church to a vine and what becomes to a vine if it be not shred and vnderpropped He doth also liken it to a flock of Shéepe and what becomes to a flock of Shéepe if there bee no Sheepheard to guid and looke vnto them And now therefore consider with mee I pray you euen from the meane Priest to the Bishop of Rome consider I say whether they haue done their dueties which of them all hath done that which is required in them which of them hath
by him of the apparance of Christ our Sauiour and his comming into this world And these words thus spoken by the Prophet S. Paule here fitly applyed to the preaching of Christs gospell For like as our Sauiour came into the world at such time as Christ was borne so when the Gospell is truely preached and Gods holy word sincerely taught vs then is Christ opened vnto vs then is the acceptable time and our saluation is wrought thereby Therefore S. Hierom that holy father and old Doctour of the Church saith Quotiescunque audimus Euangelium Christi toties caro sanguis Christi funduntur in aures nostras As often as we hear the Gospel of Christ preached vnto vs so oft the flesh and bloud of Christ is powred into our eares saith S. Hierom. And these words of his do plainly and most euidently shew vs how we should vnderstand the eating of Christs body drinking of his most holy bloud in the Sacrament these words I say may sufficiently teach vs what is meant by the eating drinking of Christs body bloud This is it that S. Paule here speaketh of that they receiue not the grace of God in vain And whensoeuer the gospel of God is truly sincerely preached and it receiued accordingly then is the acceptable time then is the time of grace and saluation O what a comfortable saying is this whensoeuer we heare the Gospell taught vs whensoeuer we heare Gods holy word preached vnto vs then is the gate of saluation set open vnto vs and then is the time of grace And on the contrarie part when Gods word is taken from vs and the light of his Gospel hidden from our eyes then is the gate of saluation shut vpon vs and then is the time of perdition But alas the time of grace the acceptable time the time of mercie and saluation hath oftentimes but little continuance among vs oftentimes it hath small time of abiding with vs. For before Christ appeared and was borne into this world for the space of foure hundred yeares the whole world the Iewes onely excepted was in ignorance and altogether blindnesse And when Christ was borne when hee once appeared then was the acceptable time then was the time of grace then was the time of saluation Here some man will peraduenture say Why did God suffer the whole world so long to be in blindnesse why would he in that long time haue no respect to any other nation but onely to the nation of the Iewes This case is déepe and passeth our capacitie to reason it is aboue the reach of mans wit and therefore herein wee haue onely to submit our selues to humble our hearts and our minds and say with Paul the Apostle O homo quis tu qui Deum arguis O man what art thou that findest fault with God What art thou that reproouest the almightie As God of his prouidence and good wisedome hath appointed for vs both Sommer and Winter the spring and likewise the fall of the leafe againe So hath hee ordained a time of light and a time of darkenesse a time of saluation and a time of destruction And no man may say vnto him Why doest thou thus These things séeme good in his eyes and therefore what art thou O man that wilt call God to account why hée doth this or why he doth that Thus it pleaseth God and standeth with his good will oftentimes to shew vs his light and the glorie of his gospell and oftentimes againe to take the same from vs and leaue vs altogether in blindnesse altogether in ignorance altogether in vtter darkenesse For so hée hath said by Amos his Prophet I will send an hunger vpon the earth not the hunger of bread nor the thirst of water but an hunger to heare the word of the Lord so that they shall goe from one Sea to the other yea from the 〈◊〉 vnto the East running about to â—â—ke the word of the Lord and shall not find it Christ himselfe also in the Gospell sayeth The kingdome of God shall bee taken away from you And yet when hée hath thus done when hée hath sent an hâ—nger and thirst of his worâ— into the â—arth when hée hath taken Gods kingdome from amongst vs yet I say hée oftentimes powreth downe his tâ—ueth into the earth hée distilleth his grace from heaheauen that it may sinke into the hearts of men For so sayeth God by his Prophet Malachie Abortu solis vsque ad occasum magnum est nomen meum inter Gentes My name is great euen from the rysing of the Sunne to the fall thereof amongst all Nations I am a great King sayeth the Lord and my name is feareful amongst the Heathen This is the time that the Prophet Esay calleth The acceptable time And what néedeth moe examples the whole Scriptures both the old and the new Testament are full of these and such like other There are times that are times of knowledge there are times againe that are times of ignorance And who is there now what man so old or child so young but may well remember the blindnesse that hath béene in our time and our fathers times before vs Who is so blind who so farre past knowledge but may both well sée and remember the darke ignorance that hath béen in times past and the great grace that God hath now powred down vpon vs in these our dayes Therefore as Saint Paul gaue the Corinthians warning that they should not receiue the grace fâ— God in vaine euen so now he warneth vs and biddeth vs beware that wee take not this grace of God in vaine that wee turne not to our old vanitie againe that wée returne not to our former wickednesse that wée defile not the Gospell of God by our euill and corrupt liuing And therefore in another place hée saith Giue your members as instruments of righteousnesse vnto God and let not sinne haue power ouer you Herein is set out vnto vs and as it were painted before our eyes our whole office and duetie and how that wée as well by our workes as our words should bée an example and paterne for other men to follow and that wée giue no cause of offence or slaunder of the Gospell of God I speake this not onely to the Preachers and Ministers of Gods word though chiefly to them indéed but I speake it generally to all you my brethren that professe Gods Gospell and beare the name of Christ For S. Paul indifferently to all men saith Yee are not the children of darkenesse but the câ—â—iâ—ren of light walke you therefore as becommeth the children of light And againe in another place hée sayth Giue no man occasion of euill offend no man that in your office yee bee not found faultie And such was in old time the life of all good godly men such was their liuing that professed Gods Gospell and the name of Iesus Christ But if it so happen as oftentimes