may haue as it were one foot in the water and be ever drinking all the yeare long especially in a dry season Secondly where it is said He shall be like in the Future Tence the Future in this place signifies the Future and Present Tence both It is like the Lawyers Oportebit Verbum Oportebit tam praesens quà m futurum tempus significat The word Oportebit i De Verb. signif nu 8. say they signifies aswell the Present as it doth the Future Tence So that He shall bee like in this place signifies indeed that like he is already and then he Is and shall be too what is it but a continuance in that happy estate of his without any intermission at all Thirdly whereas he is likened to a Tree that will bring forth his Fruit it is apparent that here he is likened to a Fruitfull Tree And not only here but elsewhere for seldome or never shall wee read in Scriptures that a Godly man is likened to any other And therefore S. Iohn the Baptist l Mat. 3.10 Now the Axe is laid vnto the root of the Tree therefore every Tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewen downe and cast into the fire Concerning the Fruitlesse Tree it is the Masters question in the Gospell m Luc. 13.7 Why cumbreth it the ground And though the Dresser of the Vineyard make answere for it Lord let it alone this yeare also till I shall dagge about it and doung it yet his Conclusion there is to shew his Iustice aswell as Mercy If it beare not this yeare then after that thou shalt cut it downe The Fruitlesse Figtree had not such respite but in a moment in a tryce in the twinckling of an eye n Mat. 21.19 Let no fruit grow on thee hence forward for ever And presently the Fig-tree withered away Fourthly this Fruit here specified must be in due season to that is such as is ripe and rellishing and of a good and wholsome tast Behold o Esay 28.16 saith the Lord in Esay I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone a tryed stone a precious corner stone a sure foundation he that beleeueth shall not make hast Indeed as Liuy p Liu. Dec. 3. l. 2. speakes Festinatio improvida est caeca Hast or speed hath no foresight but is blind and as we vsually say in our English Proverb Hast makes Wast so Hast in this case makes wast of Faith therfore those Seeds that made such hast to spring vp because they had no deepnesse of earth our Saviour q Mat. 13.5 sheweth how they were scorched and withered away because they had not root I verily thinke r Senec. de Tranquill. Vit. l. 1. c. 1. saith Seneca that many might haue attained to wisdome indeed but that they thought themselues sure of it to to soone and it was an excellent Å¿ Hist of Spain translated by Mr Grimst l. 28. p. 1069. saying of Charles the fift in his Instructions to his Sonne that Wise men must not disdaine to goe forwards by insensible degrees for so saith he the Sun goeth about the whole World But of this kind of argument I spake of in the Verse going before Fiftly and lastly the Season here specified is not so to be taken as if now very now were not a seasonable time of bringing forth some Fruit. Euer since we haue had the meanes to come to the knowledge of sauing Trueth the Time and Season hath bene to Vs nor can any man make excuse that he hath not heard of the Gospell of Christ For as the Apostle in like case t Rom. 10.18 Haue they not heard Yes verely their sound went into all the Earth and their words vnto the ends of the World So may we say of all Christians that as many as haue but heard the Word at any time preached to them are answerable for the bringing forth of such Fruit as will be required at their hands Verse 4. His Leafe also shall not wither and looke whatsoeuer he doth it shall prosper Hauing done with the Fruit he commeth now to the Leaues of the Tree which Nature that doth nothing in vaine hath not placed in Trees to no purpose Some be for Shade some for Medicine and some as Pliny u Plin. Nat. Hist l. 16. c. 24. obserueth may be giuen as fodder to Beasts All for Ornament insomuch that the Poet obserues that Trees without Leaues are as x Et Foliis viduantur Orni Horat. Carm. l. 2. Od. 9. Widows The same y Plin. Ib. c. 22. Pliny relateth that all Trees except some that he had named before whereof the Date Tree was one doe loose their Leaues in Winter and he tells of some of a wilde sort that be greene all the Yeare long but then are they fruitlesse Trees as the Firre the Iuniper the Cedar the Box the Holly the Yew and so forth But seeing it is said of the Godly man here that His Leafe shal not wither let vs see what that Leafe may be Some thinke by Leaues in this Verse the Godly mans Words should be vnderstood as his Workes in the Verse before and there is indeed the same correspondence betweene Fruit and Leaues that is betweene Works and Words Howbeit me thinkes it is more probable to say with z Tremell in hunc Ps others that as in the Verse before His plantation by the water side might signifie his Regeneration in Christ who is indeed the water of Life His bringing forth fruit in due season his Sanctification so in this Verse The not withering of his Leafe what should it be but his Constancy his Stedfastnes his Perseuerance to the end For hee it is that shall be saued as a Mat. 10.22.24.13 speakes our Sauiour once and againe Or if Leaues be taken here for his temporall estate his worldly Goods and so forth euen these also may be said not absolutely to wither if so be they be taken away which in good and convenient time may bee as b Iob. 42.12 Iobs Goods were restored to him againe He that nombreth the c Mat. 10.30 Haires of our head so that not d Act. 27.34 one of them shal fall nombreth these Leaues to And that which St Austen e Aug. Confess l. 7. c. 6. saith of Providence in general that the World is gouerned thereby Vsque ad Arborum volatica Folia to the very Leaues that fell from Trees may be applyed to the Godly man in this case that the least little belongs vnto him is not despised or vnregarded with God Whereas it is here added And look whatsoeuer he doth it shall prosper First for the Word Looke as much as Ecce Behold I graunt it is not in the Originall nor yet in the Greeke or Septuagint no nor yet in the last Traâ—slation nor in that other that was before yet being in a Translation that was before both these I mean a Translation
which are not the commandements of God but your owne erronious collections on him you must father whatsoever yee shall afterwards be led either to doe in withstanding the Adversaries of your cause or to thinke in maintenance of your doeings and what this may bee God doth know In such kindes of errours the minde once imagining it selfe to seeke execution of Gods will laboureth forthwith to remove both things and persons which any way hinder it from takeing place and in such cases if any strange or new thing seeme requisite to be done a strang and new opinion concerning the lawfullnesse thereof is withall received and broached vnder countenance of divine Authority 7. One example herein may serve for many to shew that false opinions touching the will of God to have things done are wont to bring forth mighty and violent practises against the hinderances of them and those practises new opinions more pernicious then the first yea most extreamely opposite unto that which the first did seem to intend where the people took upon them the Reformation of the Church by casting out Popish superstition they having received from their Pastours a generall instruction Mat. 15.13 that whatsoever the heavenly Father hath not planted must be rooted out proceeded in some forraigne places so farre that downe went Oratories and the very Temples of God themselves For as they chanced to take the compasse of their Commission stricter or larger so their dealings were accordingly more or lesse moderate Among others there sprung up presently one kinde of men Anabaptists with whose zeale and forwardnesse the rest being compared were thought to be marvellous cold and dull These grounding themselves on rules more generall that whatsoever the Law of Christ commandeth not thereof Antichrist is the Authour and whatsoever Antichrist or his adherents did in the world the true Professours of Christ are to undoe and found out many things more then others had done the extirpation whereof was in their Conceipt as necessary as of any thing before removed Hereupon they secretly made their dolefull complaints every where as they went that albeit the World did begin to professe some dislike of that which was evill in the kingdome of darknesse yet fruits worthy of a true repentance were not seene and that if men did repent as they ought they must endeavour to purge the truth of all manner of evill to the end there might follow a new World afterward wherein righteousnes only should dwell Private repentance they said must appeare by every mans fashioning his owne life contrary unto the custome and orders of this present World both in greater things and in lesse To this purpose they had alwayes in their mouthes those great things Charity Guy des Bres contre l'erreur des Anabapt pag. 4. Faith the true Feare of God the Crosse the Mortification of the flesh All their exhortations were to set light of the things in this World to count riches and honours vanity and in token thereof not only to seek neither but if men were possessours of both even to cast away the one and resigne the other pag. 5. that all men might see their unfained conversation unto Christ They were sollicitours of men to fasts to often meditations of heavenly things and as it were conferences in secret with God pag. 16. pag. 118. pag. 119. by prayers not framed according to the frozen manner of the World but expressing such fervent desires as might even force God to hearken to them Where they found men in diet attire furniture of house or any other way observers of Civility and decent order pag. 120. pag. 116. such they reproved as being carnally and earthly minded Every word otherwise then severely and sadly uttered seemed to pierce like a sword through them pag. 124. If any man were pleasant their manner was presently with sighs to repeat these words of our Saviour Christ Luk. 6.12 Woe bee to you which now laugh for you shall lament So great was their delight to be alwayes in trouble that such as did quietly lead their lives they judged of all other men to be in most dangerous case They so much affected to crosse the ordinary custome in every thing pag. 117. that when other mens use was to put on better attire they would be sure to shew themselves openly abroad in worse the ordinary names of the dayes in the week they thought it a kind of prophanenesse to use and therefore accustomed to make no other distinction then by number the 1 2 3 day 8. From this they proceed unto publique Reformation First Ecclesiasticall and then Civill Touching the former they boldly avouched that themselves only had the truth pag. 40. Which thing upon perill of their lives they would at all times defend and that since the Apostles lived the same was never before in all points sincerely taught Wherefore that things might be brought againe to that ancient integrity which Iesus Christ by his word requireth they began to controule the Ministers of the Gospell for attributing so much force and vertue unto the scriptures of God read whereas the truth was that when the word is said to engender faith in the heart and to convert the soule of man or to work any such spirituall divine effect these speeches are not thereunto appliable as it is read or preached but as it is ingrafted into us by the power of the Holy Ghost opening the eyes of our understanding and so revealing the mysteries of God according to that which Ieremy promised before should be Ier. 31.34 saying I will put my law in their inward parts and I will write it in their hearts The book of God they notwithstāding for the most part so admired pag. 29. that other disputation against their opinions then only by allegation of scripture they would not heare pag. 27. besides it they thought no other writings in the World should be studyed insomuch that one of their great Prophets exhorting them to cast away all respects unto humane writings so farre to this motion they condescended that as many as had any Bookes save the holy Bible in their Custody they brought and set them publiquely on fire 9. When they and their Bibles were alone together what strange fantasticall opinion soever at any time entred into their heads their use was to thinke the spirit taught it them Their frensies concerning our Saviours Incarnation the state of soules departed and such like are things needlesse to be rehearsed And forasmuch as they were of the same suit with those of whom the Apostle speaketh saying 2. Tim. 3.7 They are still learning but never attaining to the knowledge of truth it was no marvaile to see them every day broach some new thing never heard of before which restlesse levity they did interpret to be their growing to spirituall perfection and a proceeding from faith to faith pag. 65. pag. 66. The differences among
Cura sine Beneficio Charge or cure without Benefice J speak not this of myselfe many here present know I speak the truth and my selfe know the places which have continued still these many yeares without a Minister resident among them and have provided themselves as they might with their own mony Your Graces subjects had hope of amendment in your Graces late Visitation but yet it standeth still in case as miserable as it did before I know your Grace heareth not of these matters And I hope God will work in Your Gracious heart to provide some remedy against them For otherwise the Schools will be forsaken the Church desolate the people wild and dismaied the Gospell discredited otherwise we shall see that wrought against the house of God that never any Jeroboam or Julian or Licinius could have brought to passe against us This noble Realme which ever was famous for the name of Learning is like thereby to come to such Ignorance and Barbarisme as hath not bin heard of in any memory before our time I know that there are grievous complaints made that the Bishops appoint Priests Ministers that are ignorant and have no understanding in the Latine tongue Would God it were not true or would God that they which be the causers hereof would somewhat help to amend it But alas are we able to make learned men upon the sudden Or can we make others then such as come unto us or will come to live in misery But there are many which can say such as be Ministers in the Church should teach freely without hope of recompence or hire for their labour Our preachers are no better then Peter and Paul and the other Apostles they are no better then the holy Prophets who lived poorely poverty is a commendable estate So say some in like devotion as did Judas What needed this wast this might have been sould for much given to the poore not that he cared for the poore but because he was a theife and had the bag and bare that which was given J doubt not there are many which teach Christ for Christs sake which say in their soule the Lord is my portion who in that heavy time from which God delivered thē if they might have received their life only for a recompence would have been glad to take the paines who seek you and not yours which have forsaken all they had to follow Christ I doubt not there are such But for the hope of posterity I report me to all you which are Fathers have childrē for whom yee are carefull Although your selves have a zeale and care for the house of God yet will you breed them up keep them at schoole untill 24 yeares old to your charges that in the end they may live in glorious povertie that they may live poorly naked like the Prophets and Apostles Our posterity shall rue that ever such fathers went before them and Chronicles shall report this contempt of Learning among the punishments murraines other plagues of God They shall leave it written in what time under whose raigne this was done Or if we grow so barbarous that we consider not this or be not able to draw it into chronicle yet forraine nations will not spare to write this publish it to our everlasting reproach and shame In the mean time what may be guessed of their meaning which thus ravin and spoile the house of God which decay the provisiō thereof so basely esteem the Ministers of his Gospell they cannot say to God the zeal of thy house hath eaten me up Howsoever in other things they doe well howsoever they seem to rejoyce at the prosperity of Sion and to seek the safety and preservation of the Lords anointed yet needs must it be that by these meanes forraigne power of which this Realme by the mercy of God is happily delivered shall again be brought in upon us Such things shall be done unto us as we before suffered the truth of God shall be taken away the holy Scriptures burnt and consumed in fire a marvellous darknesse and calamity must needs ensue For if the tempest be so dark in the sea that the load-star loose her light and the needle faile to give token of the North Pole no marvell though the ship lose her course and be swallowed up in the sands The Gospell of Christ is the fountaine of light and of knowledge It cannot be maintained by ignorance and darknesse these be the props of their kingdome which take away the Scriptures which hold the people in blindnesse which fly the light which have their Common-prayers administer the Sacraments marry bury their dead in a strange tongue that the people may understand nothing which make a famine of hearing the word of God which stop up the springs of the water of life which take away the keyes of the kingdome of heaven neither enter in themselves nor suffer them that would enter which say ignorance is the mother of devotion and the Church is then in best order and the people most devout when they are hood-winkt and blinded see nothing These are not fit instruments wherewith we may overcome the adversaries this is not the sword of the Spirit these are not the spirituall weapons which cast downe holds and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God What man that would keep out his enimie will pull downe his holds What Captain that meaneth to give a forcible assault upon the enimy will discourage his fighting souldiers but our souldiers are out of courage our Castles are falne therefore that which we feare will fall upon us The Oxe that treadeth out the corne is mussled he that goeth to warfare receiveth not his wages the cry hereof goeth up into the eares of the Lord of hosts He will not abide so great contempt of his word and preachers his owne name is thereby dishonoured Our Saviour saith Luk. 10. 1. Thess 4. he that despiseth you despiseth me And St Paul he that despiseth these things despiseth not man but God And think we that he will suffer his holy name to be despised nay his wrath is already kindled he hath already begun his judgements therfore many places are left desolate There is none that can warn them of their sin none that can move them to repentance none that can preach unto them forgivenesse through Christ none that can instruct them in the comfort of everlasting life because they work such things against the Lord the hearts of many are astonished though they heare they understand not they scorn jest at the word of salvation it is unto them a savour of death unto death they are earthly minded whose God is their belly whose glory is their shame For this cause you liue still in your sins in adultery in covetousnes in pride without any feeling of conscience without any feare of God Your daughters your Heires to whom you shall
e Printed by my FATHER William Seres Aº D. 1549. set forth in King Edwards time it seemes it came from thence if not from the English Psalter which was in King Edwards dayes But whensoeuer or howsoeuer the Word Looke came first in here it is to good purpose lest we should passe ouer such a passage as this without any obseruation at all But now to the matter it selfe According as the Actions of Men are so are Men most commonly esteemed of in the World For Man as speakes the f Arist Ethic. l. 3. c. 5. Philosopher 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he is the Fâ—untaine and Father of his Actions as of his Children As then it cannot be but a speciall joy vnto him to see euery thing thriue with him that he taketh in hand so hath he a Promise made him that so it shall be So was it with g Gen. 30.27 Iacob when he serued vnder Laban so was it with h Gen. 39.23 Ioseph when he serued in the Prison And yet this vniversall whatsoeuer we must in some sort restraine to as being to be vnderstood of those things that he doth according to his Vocation So that if he follow his Vocation keepe himself within those bounds then may he build on this Promise then shall the Lord make him plenteous in euery worke of his hand as i Deut. 30.9 Moses speakes then l Psal 32.11 Mercy shall embrace him on euery side and the m Psal 91.11 Angels shal be charged with him to keep him in all his wayes as speakes the Prophet Dauid But thus much of the Godly come we now vnto the other sort against whom they are opposed I meane the Wicked whom the Prophet shewes next as the n Plutarch de Ira cohibenda Lacedemonians did vnto their Children their drunken Helots to teach them to beware of the Vice of Drunkennes the better Verse 5. As for the Vngodly it is not so with them but they are like the Chaffe which the wind scattereth away from the face of the Earth It might haue beene thought that the Prophet in this place would haue held on his Metaphor and haue compared as the Good to a Good Tree So the Wicked to a Tree to though it were but to a fruitlesse Tree and so St Iude doth These are Trees without fruit o Iude v. 12. sayth he twyse dead plucked vp by the roots Howbeit the Prophet here compareth them with that which is much worse They are saith he Like the Chaffe It is Motz in the Originall and Motz signifieth the huske or hull wherein the Corne lieth when it is brought into the Barne It is likely St Iohn Baptist alluded hereunto when speaking of the Wicked he compares them to Chaffe to p Mat. 3.12 saith that our Sauiour shall gather his Wheat into his Garner but will burne vp the Chaffe with vnquencheable Fire And as the Wicked here are compared vnto Chaffe so are the Iudgments of God compared here to the Wind. The Wind is an q Frytschius de Meteoris Exhalation hot and dry eleuated by the Sunne to the middle Region of the Aire by reason of the Coldnes whereof being driuen downewards againe and meeting with other Exhalations it is driuen sidewayes vpon the Earth in the lowest Region which it fanneth vp and downe lest the Aire should be corrupted by too much stilnesse It is called by this our Prophet elsewhere r Ps 18.15 The breath of Gods displeasure so powerfull against all withstanding that we read of goodly Edifices nay Townes and Cities that haue bene ruinated thereby And how may Chaffe then stand before it Wherefore as the Rulers of Iezreel said concerning Iehu Å¿ 2 King 10.4 Behold two Kings stood not before him how then shall we stand So may the Wicked say if his Iudgments be like the Winde and our selues but to Chaffe seeing so great Buildings cannot stand before the Winde much lesse Chaffe how shall we be able to stand The same which in the next words the Psalmist sayth by way of Conclusion Verse 6. Therefore the Vngodly shall not be able to stand in the iudgement neither the Sinners in the Congregation of the Righteous The Iudgement here spoken of is likely to be the last Day when they shall say to the Mountaines and Rocks t Rom. 6.16 Fall on vs and hide vs from the face of him that sitteth on the Throne and from the wrath of the Lamb for the great Day of his wrath is come and who shall be able to stand And it is the more likely to be that Day because it is here said The Congregation of the Righteous for otherwise here in this World there is no such Congregation of them they are rather dispersed through the World Some are tortured as u Heb. 11.35 speakes the Apostle others haue triall of cruell mockings and scourgings yea moreouer of bonds and imprisonment They are stoned they are sawen asunder are tempted are slaine with the Sword they wander about in sheepe-skinnes and goat-skinnes being destitute afflicted tormented Of whom the World is not worthy they wander in Desarts and in Mountaines and in Dennes and Caues of the Earth But x Horat. Carm. l. 2. Od. 10. Non si malè nunc olim sic erit There will be a Day when they shall at length be gathered togither He shall send his Angels y Mat. 24.31 saith our Saviour with a great sound of a Trumpet and they shal gather together the Elect from the fowre winds from one end of Heauen to the other It is not vnlikely our Saviour in that place alluded to that of Ezechiel where Life being put into dead bones They liued z Ezech 37.9 saith the Prophet and stood vpon their feet an exceeding great Army In this great Congregation then in this great Assembly wherein We must al appeare a 2 Cor. 5.10 before the Iudgement seat of Christ that every one may receaue the things done in his Body according to that he hath done whether it be Good or Bad how shall the Vngodly be able to Stand. And if the Righteous scarcely be saued b 1 Pet. 4.18 saith S. Peter where shall the Vngodly Sinners appeare If any hidden Crime of ours c Chrys in Ep. ad Rom. Hom. 5. saith S. Chrysostome should now at this time be notified vnto the Congregation here met would not hee whose fault it were rather dye in the place and wish the earth would swallow him vp then to haue but so many witnesses of his Fault as now are present And in what case then shall we bee Wretches as wee are when all shall bee laid open to the whole World in such a glorious great Thâ—ater as that shall be consisting partly of those wee knowe partly of those we knowe not And yet why saith he doe I terrifie you with this opinion of Men when it is much more convenient to doe