Selected quad for the lemma: ground_n
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A17338
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A sermon preached at Pauls crosse on Trinity sunday, 1571. By E.B.
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Bush, Edward.; Bunny, Edmund, 1540-1619.
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1576
(1576)
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STC 4183; ESTC S107148
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27,884
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68
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poore protestants who must be faine to receyue their Priestes to be ouerruled with their Cannon law to take their Ceremonies which now as I haue sayde are prickes in our eies and thornes in our sides I am perswaded in my conscience that the word of God would better fructifye amonge vs and we should enioye more quietnes if we did receyue as little from them as they do of vs And I besech God if it be hys holy will it may be so But some man may here say do you not know that many good men haue beene deceiued wil you haue none such receiued Yes dearely beloued my meaning is not but that Godly meete men hauing ânounced their popish orders and satisfyed ãâã church of God may be receiued and adâitted to serue in the church of God but I âiâffly speake of those blind guides and eâmies to gods truth which are not to be ârmitted to remaine for the ministratiââ of the word and sacraments What should I heare complaine of the âând ignorant and vnmeete ministers that âe admitted I might say much herein but I ââyst not nowe speake of that whereof I âânnot think without great greffe This on ãâã I say that this is a great offence to many ââd a great sclaunder to the worde of god âo graunt it may be redressed Here I may ââmplaine of the great lack of doctrine and ãâã the preaching of Gods word vniuersally ãâã âodâ in the country London hath great âause to praise god for that his word is here ãâã plentyfully preached And if London do âot thankfully receiue it and truely folow ât it shal be easyer for Sodom and Gomorâah in the day of iudgement then for thys Citye But surely when I come out of the âuntry hether to the City methink I come ânto another world euen out of darknes inâo light For here the word of God is plentifully preached I pray God it may be as pleÌtifully folowed In the country their wonderful great want thereof that a man may go a great way and cannot heare the word of the Lorde preached Here be many good meÌ endued with many good gifts of knowledge zeale and godly life able to do much good in the church of god I besech God for his crucifyed Christs sake that they may be well fauoured cherished maintained In the country be fewe labourers Loyterors inow Here in London as I am perswaded is much good ground many which receyue the word of God with a good honest hart and bringe forth fruites some thirtyfolde some sixtifolde and some an hundrethfolde In the cuntry for want of tylling oft plowing for without oât plowing and much labour barren ground will not bring fourth fruit there springeth fourth brambles bryars and wéedes But here is a misery to be considered although there is great lack of profitable pastors and faithfull labourers in the Church I meane in those cuntries that I haue bene in and I think other contryes be not farre vnlyke yet notwithstanding there be mo then be placed in any charge or preferred to any calling I know myself good and godly men learned men of long âontinuance in the vniuersity and able to do âuch good in the Church of God and yet âot called in any charge or placed ouer any âock Yea some haue told me that they haue âene offered many benefices as they be calâed and yet they could not haue taken one ânlesse they had taken part with Iudas Isâariote or with Simon Magus But what âeane you by that will some man say For ââuth ether they must haue said with Iudas âhat will you giue me will you giue me ââenty markes or poundes and take you âhe rest and so I shall not be able to contiââ on the chardge but I wyll betray all âhis people to the diuell and to you or els âhey must haue sayde with Simon Magus âhat shall I giue you for your benefyce I âil giue you such a dish of Apples as Maiâter Latimar speaketh of or I wil giue you âx or xl l. a yeare out of it I will giue you so much that I shall not be able to giue a poore body a peece of bread But I will here admonish these patrons that for as much aâ to them it perteineth to place faithfull pastors ouer Christes congregations which can and will féede them with knowledge and direct them by example of godly life if they loking vpon their owne commodities do not prouide such men but place blinde guides dum dogges and lewd hyrelinges the people for want of instruction shal perish for where prophecy that is the preaching of Gods word faileth ther the people perish faith Salomon but ther bloud shal be required at these patrons or rather latroÌs hands Let them trust vnto it and looke for it But here is another abuse which is partly an occasion of the other Not only papistes but also professers yea and preachers of Gods word do ioyne many liuinges together and place vnder them careles Curatos doing little or no good themselues to diuers of theÌ Patrons see this and gather hereof that they may as well enioy the benefice as other ecclesiasticall men which come neuer or seldome to their charge I cannot tell what to say hereto but that both is nought and that the patrone which doth not prouide a good man for his charge and that minister which doth not carefully looke to his charge and diligently feed his slock these both euen the patron and the pastor shall perish and the peoples bloud shal be required at their hands I am sory euen in my hart that professors preachers of the Gospell should so far ouer-reach themselues in this behalfe that they âust be reformed and restrained by lawe I âray God that the state of the Church of ângland may be brought to that order that âher may be to one flock one sheperd to one âhurch on Minister and that all faculties âluralities residences and such other abhoâinacions may return to Rome froÌ whence âhey came I may here lykewise complaine ââw that the liuinges appointed to maineââine the Ministery are made vniuersally âayes and spoiles for al sorts of men They âaineteyne âoyes in the vniuersity gentelâen in the Innes of courte gentelmen and âawyers in the cuntrey and are commonly âade rewardes for seruing men Thus the âople pay their deuties to thys ende that ââey may haue a learned man amongst theÌ ãâã teach comfort them the same be vngodââ conueied to other vses the people being as âattered sheepe without a shepheard This is âmeÌtable to see so many gatherers of tâeth ãâã few preachers of the word this had neede to âe reformed for vntolerable abuse is herein ãâã may here coÌplaine of great want of Ecleâasticall discipline and punishment of synne ãâã heare great complaint here of abrode ââthe âountry that there is ether no punishmente for synne or at the least very lyttle Which whether it be throughe the