But some men there bee peraduenture that wil not be ashamed of these abuses but alwaies vphold maintain the same such if there be any they are like them whom Ieremie prophesied of saying Thou hast taken an harlots countenance thou hast gotten thee a whores forehead and canst not be ashamed they are like them also whom Esay the Prophet speaketh of saith Malice hath made you blind you barke against the truth This is the sin that neuer will bée forgiuen this is so great an offence that it wil neuer be pardoned Therefore let vs to whom God hath giuen eyes to sée eares to heare harts of vnderstanding let vs I say consider that it is no shame to confesse our errors to acknowledge our blindnesse but shame it is to continue in error too much shame it is to remaine stil in blindnesse And such as will not be ashamed of their euill but laugh at and scorne others that are sory and ashamed may well bée likened vnto them whom saint Paul writing to the Ephesians speaketh of They being past repentance haue giuen themselues ouer vnto wantonnesse to worke al maner of vncleannesse euen with greedines And such are giuen ouer in reprobum sensum into a lewd mind Such Dauid the Prophet speaketh of saying They cast their eies downe to the ground For such as wilfully offend and wittingly cast away themselues there is no saluation Paul saith Finis illorum mors est their end is death their end is onely destruction This is the same that Saint Iohn speaketh of which neither shall be forgiuen in this world nor in the world to come Wherefore were they cast into hel that now lye therein for what cause continue they in those endlesse tormentes because they would not acknowledge their errors because they would not be ashamed of their owne folly Wherefore is there in hell fire vnquenchable torments such as cannot be thought vtter darkenesse and eternall death but onely to punish such as wilfully liue in wickednes to plague them that wil not be ashamed of their sins offences They shall be cast into vtter darkenesse where shal be weeping gnashing of teeth into fire that neuer shall be quenched where the worme of the conscience neuer dieth If we delight in couetousnesse in adultery in fornication and filthy liuing the end let vs say is death the end thereof is none other than eternall death Quis habitabit in tabernaculo tuo said Dauid the Prophet O Lord who shall dwel in thy Tabernacle saith he or who shall rest vpon thy holy hil Euen he that leadeth an vncorrupt life that doth the thing which is right and speaketh the truth from his heart Hee that hath not sworne and deceiued his neighbor But O mercifull God who walketh now innocently who leadeth an vncorrupt life who doth the thing that is right who speaketh truth from his heart what man is there that hath not sworne and deceiued his neighbour Ieremie speaking of the people in his time saith Confusi sunt imo non sunt confusi They are ashamed nay they are not ashamed saith Ieremie And euen so may we of our daies well say the people are not ashamed they are nothing sory nor ashamed of their euill liuing These S. Paul speaketh of writing vnto the Philippians I speake with teares saith hée they are the enemies of Christs crosse their end is damnation their glorie shall be turned into shame And shall we then liue thus shal we thus dye shall we thus end our liues shall we thus appeare at the later day and not be ashamed shall adulterers fornicators whooremongers couetous persons come stand before the iudgement seat of God before the throne of his maiestie and not bée ashamed Is this the marriage garment that wée should be clad with are we those that are called to the feast by the Bridegroome are we Christs brethren and heires of the kingdome of God No. Non resurgent impij in indicio the wicked shall not arise in iudgement saith the Prophet Dauid the vngodly shal not be able to stand in the iudgement neither the sinners in the congregation of the righteous Wo bee vnto them that run from God with a desperat mind wo bee vnto them that wilfully forsake and fly from him S. Gregorie saith One sinne linketh in another as one linke of a chaine holdeth the other It is an horrible thing to turne from God it is a terrible thing to flye from him for if we turne from God whither shall wée goe if wée flye from him whither shall we run Conscientia mille testes our owne conscience though wee hide our selues neuer so close shall be as a thousand witnesses against vs our owne conscience shall vtter and bewray vs. Saint Augustine saith If we do not indeed repent we faine that wee doe repent wee onely faine saith he that we do repent and so we mocke with God But God will not be mocked of vs he will not bée deluded by vs. But we shal be ashamed and confounded when we appeare before God when wee appeare I say before the iudgement seat of God But then what profit shall we haue of that we are ashamed what commoditie shall wée then haue of that whereof wee are ashamed Let vs consider that we are flesh of Gods flesh bones of his bones and members of his members And therefore let vs giue ouer our whole bodies let vs giue ouer all our members let vs giue ouer our eyes our eares our tongues our hearts vnto the homage and seruice of God So shall wee haue profit of Christ our Sauiour so shall we haue profit of his death and passion and so shall Christ say vnto vs Come yee blessed of my Father and inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world Amen THE FOVRTH Sermon Psalme 7. vers 11. 12. 13. 11. God is a righteous Iudge and God is euer threatning 12. If men will not trune he hath whet his sword he hath bent his bow and made it ready 13. He hath prepared him the weapons of death and ordained his arrows to destroy ALmightie God our heauenly Father like as hée is both good also mercifull like as he is patient and of long sufferance So he vseth two maner of wayes to allure and call vs vnto him when we of our owne heads follow our owne deuises and lewdly run whither our lusts leadeth vs Sometimes of his great mercie hee vseth promises sometimes of his iustice he vseth threatning He promiseth to vs for our well doing his fauour and grace for kéeping his commandements eternall blisse He threatneth vs for euill liuing with plagues and punishments and for breaking of his Law eternall death Thus hee of his mercie somtimes vseth promises and threatneth againe of his rigor and iustice He promiseth to comfort aid and succour vs if we come vnto him and hée threatneth to strike the terrour of death into
vs if wee turne from him And so almightie God most mercifully vsed his promises vnto Abraham Ego sum protector tuus merces tua I am said he thy defender and thy reward Ego benedicam benedicentibus tibi maledicam maledicentibus tibi I wil blesse them that blesse thee and curse them that curse thee So ample so large so great a promise made God vnto him And thus almightie God when he wold deliuer his elect people the children of Israell from their great bondage and captiuitie Inducam te in terram fluentem lacte melle I will bring you into a land that shall flow with milke and hony this will I performe this will I bring to passe for you and this will I doe for my names sake And so likewise to these his people he made this merciful promise against their enemies saying Yee shall chase your enemies and they shall fall into the sword before you fiue of you shal chase an hundred and an hundred of you shall chace ten thousand Thus also God by his Prophets promised his people and said Turne vnto mee and I will turne vnto you And euen thus likewise Christ in the Gospel maketh most cleare and manifest promises of euerlasting life and saluation to all such as for his name shall forsake the pleasures and delights of this word and repose their felicitie onely in him Beati pauperes spiritu beati qui lugeant beati qui esuriunt beati qui persequutionem ferunt Blessed are the poore in spirit blessed are they that mourne blessed are they that hunger thirst blessed are they that suffer persecution And why so For what cause are they blessed that are poore in spirit For what cause are they blessed that mourne Why are they happy that hunger What reward shall they haue that suffer persecution because saith Christ theirs is the Kingdom of Heauen they shall be comforted they shall bee filled they shall obtaine a crowne of glorie When two or three are gathered together in my name saith Christ I will bee in the middest of them Whatsoeuer yee shall aske my father in my name it shall be giuen vnto you These manifold and great promises it pleased almightie God to make vnto his chosen elect people these coÌ„fortable promises Christ himself vouchsafed to pronouÌ„ce to al such as shal cleaue vnto him thus mercifully it pleased God by faire promises to allure and win vs vnto him But oftentimes alas we set little or nothing by these swéet comfortable promises we little estéem or regard them and therfore god then vseth his threatning his rigor and Iustice among vs when no swéet words can win vs then hee striketh his terror into vs. For when god in old time perceiued that no gentlenes no kindnesse no mercy of his could win his people vnto him he caused Esay his prophet to cry out said Impius in beneficijs me noÌ„ aguouit in angustijs auteÌ„ clamauit ad me The wicked and sinfull man saith he in my great goodnesse benefits bestowed vpon him would not acknowledge nor confesse me but in his miserie and trouble in his anguish and woe then he ran vnto me and called on my name And so likewise by the Prophet Ieremie God him selfe sayeth Conuerterunt ad me terga non faciâ—s suas in die autem tribulationis inclamant me They haue turned their backes and not their faces vnto me but in the day of their trouble in the time of necessitie they call and cry vpon me And so in like the same Prophet Ieremie or rather God by this Prophet saith Impinguatus incrassatus est populus meus My people are waxen fat and lustie they haue forsaken mee the well of life and digged themselues pits yea vile and broken pits that can hold no water Such a thing is the felicitie and pleasure of this world that it maketh vs soone to forget God and the felicitie of the world to come And therfore God so often warned his people of Israel that when they were once come into the land of Canaan into that plentifull country which flowed with milke and hony wherein should bee no dearth nor scarcenesse that then they shold not forget the Lord their god that then their hearts should not be deceiued that then they should not goe aside and serue other gods and so his wrath and indignation waxe hote vpon them And therfore when faire promises louing kindnesse cannot win vs to God then vseth he another way then doth he appoint another meane then beginneth hee to threaten and feare vs and that of his rigour and iustice And thus did hée to our first father Adam because he would not he should transgresse his commaundement he threatned him and said In quocunque die comederis ex hoc fructu mortem morieris In what-euer day thou shalt tast of this fruit thou shalt dye the death So likewise God to the whole multitude of his people of Israell said Vnlesse ye giue eare to the voice of the Lord your God to doe all his commandements and ordinances cursed shall you be in the towne and cursed in the field cursed shall thy basket be and thy store cursed shal be the fruit of thy body the fruit of thy land cursed shalt thou bee in thy comming in in thy going out You shall call and I will not heare you shall cry vnto me and I will not giue eare Dabo vobis caelum aeneum terram ferreum The heauen shall be as brasse and the earth as Iron the heauens shall giue you no raine the earth shall bring you forth no fruit your trauell and labour shal be lost your land shal not giue her encrease Thus almightie God threatned his elect chosen people and all to kéep them in awe and feare of him And so in another place he saith I will set my face against you and ye shall bee slaine before your enemies and they that hate you shall haue dominion ouer you ye shal fly when no man chaseth you Thus you see that it pleaseth almightie God oftentimes to vse these and such like words of threatning to vse such rigour to beat a terrour into his people when faire promises and swéet words can doe nothing and this doth hee of his great iustice And therfore Dauid in this place God is indeed saith he a rightfull iudge and God is euer threatning If men will not turne he hath whet his sword and hath bent his bowe and made it readie He hath prepared him the weapons of death and ordained his arrowes to destroy So mightie so omnipotent is God that hee can punish and so righteous a iudge is he that hee will punish when it best pleaseth him But some man would here peraduenture say if God be thus able to punish and will indéed punish when hee is offended why then doth he it not by and by why
mother The peace of the world is no peace with God the loue of this world is no loue before God So the Patriarches and the Prophets though they were men of peace yet could they haue no peace in this world And therefore Saint Paule here saith If it bee possible as much as in you shall lye haue peace with all all men bee in vnitie and loue with all manner of men This thing my brethren I haue put you in remembrance of by the way But that S. Paule should thus doe that he should exhort the Romanes as he here doth that they become not high minded nor wise in their owne opinions nor recompence no man euill for euill and that they should if it were possible haue peace with all men good cause there was there was I say good cause why he should thus doe For there were at the same time in Rome a great number both of Iewes and Gentiles and amongst them there was great strife and diuision The Iewes on the one side estéemed not the Gentils the Gentiles on the other side despised the Iewes Thus betwéene them the people were diuided and rent into dissention thus betwéene them the whole people oftentimes were readie to fal together by the eares and thus thorough them were they at such great contention and strife that they that were brethren would not vouchsafe to commune talke together they that before were linked in such loue and vnited together that one would die for the other could not then one abide another and such as were friends became open enemies And this came to passe onely through pride Pride was the cause that such as were brethren fell out one with another pride was the cause that such as should haue died one for another could not one abide another pride was the cause that such as before-time were friends became then open enemies The Iewes on the one part were proud for that they were the children of Abraham for that they were vnder the Law and promise for that they had knowledge of Gods wil by Oracles for that God had oftentimes both sent his Angels vnto them and spoken by his owne mouth vnto them and the Gentiles had none of all these they were not of the séed of Abraham they were not vnder the promise they neuer had knowledge of Gods wil neither by Oracle nor vision God neuer spake vnto them nor neuer sent his Angels vnto them The Gentiles on the other sides were as proud as the Iews they said that they had wise men amongst them men of great learning and knowledge they had Philosophers they had Astronomers they had Geometritians and great Orators and so had not the Iewes amongst them They had no men of great wisdome they had no men of any high learning they had no Philosophers no Astronomers no Geometricians nor Orators they were men ignorant and without any great knowledge at all Saint Paule therefore to set an vnitie betweene these two which were thus farre at discorde exhorteth them that They all thinke one thing that they bee of like affection one towards another that they bee not high minded nor wise in their owne opinions For pride it is that breaketh all loue and pride it is that breedeth all dissention There was neuer yet diuision there was neuer any discord or dissention but Pride was the first cause and authour thereof Lucifer that sometime was an Angell of GOD set himselfe against GOD and said Exaltabo me super Aquilonem ero similis Altissimo I will get mee vp aboue the North Pole I will sit aboue the clouds and I will bee like vnto the most highest And this did hee for that hee swelled with pride And therefore was he throwen downe onely for this great pride of his was hee cast into vtter darknesse and déepe dungeon of hell Coralâ— Dathan and Abiram being puffed vs with pride conspired against Moses and Aaron but God caused the earth to open and swallowed vp both them and all such as then were in the Tents with them The Iewes themselues which had professed the Gospell of Christ in Saint Paules time were diuided and some of them said I stand with Paule some other said I hold with Apollo and so were drawen on either side And this did they onely thorough pride But alas saith Saint Paule Is Christ diuided both Paule and Apollo preach one and the same Christ vnto you they teach you all one Gospell is Christ then diuided amongst you So likewise some of them which professed Christs Gospell because all meats drinks were indifferent vnto them because they could with safe conscience indifferently eat of all meats and drinke of al kinds of drink were proud and thought themselues more perfit than other men On the other side such as had a conscience therin such as could not for conscience sake indifferently vse all kinds of meats and drinkes were likewise proud and thought themselues more holy than other men And thus pride euen amongst such as professed Christ and his Gospell brake the loue and vnitie which should haue béene amongst them that liued vnder the Gospel Pride it was that caused the Iewes to hate the Gentiles and the Gentiles to despise the Iewes Pride it was that caused Lucifer so much to exalt himselfe and make himselfe egall with God Pride it was that caused Corah Dathan and Abiram to conspire against Moses and Aaron Pride it was that caused such as could indifferently eate all meats to thinke them selues more perfit than such as could not so do Pride it was againe that caused the other which could not indifferently vse all meats to thinke them selues more holie than the rest Therefore in this place S. Paul willeth the Romans for auoyding of all dissention first to put away all pride which is the verie roote and mother of all discord Be not high minded said he for so shall you abate this rancour and malice among you but humble your selues humble your courage be not proud of your wit of your great learning of your eloquence but make your selues egall to them of the lower sort This is the golden chaine of humilitie For like as pride is the mother of all wickednesse so is humilitie the mother of all vertue like as pride maketh vs like vnto Lucifer so humilitie maketh vs like vnto Christ Therfore Christ him selfe when he first gaue his Disciples charge for to preach when he first gaue them in commandment vpon the mount to publish abroad his Gospell Beati pauperes said he and why so quoniam ipsorum est regnum caelorum Blessed are the poore for theirs is the kingdome of God And again Beati mites and why so quoniam ipsi possidâ—bunt terram Blessed are the meeke for they shall inherite the earth So again to his Disciples he said Discite ex me quia ego mitis sum Learne ye of me for I am meeke I am gentle learn this of me said